Structure and mechanism of lysosome transmembrane acetylation by HGSNAT.

Lysosomal transmembrane acetylation of heparan sulfates (HS) is catalyzed by HS acetyl-CoA:α-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase (HGSNAT), whose dysfunction leads to lysosomal storage diseases. The mechanism by which HGSNAT, the sole non-hydrolase enzyme in HS degradation, brings cytosolic acetyl-coenzyme A (Ac-CoA) and lysosomal HS together for N-acyltransferase reactions remains unclear. Here, we present cryogenic-electron microscopy structures of HGSNAT alone, complexed with Ac-CoA and with acetylated products.

Single molecule studies of the native hair cell mechanosensory transduction complex.

Hearing and balance rely on the conversion of a mechanical stimulus into an electrical signal, a process known as mechanosensory transduction (MT). In vertebrates, this process is accomplished by an MT complex that is located in hair cells of the inner ear. While the past three decades of research have identified many subunits that are important for MT and revealed interactions between these subunits, the composition and organization of a functional complex remains unknown.

Molecular structures and conformations of protocadherin-15 and its complexes on stereocilia elucidated by cryo-electron tomography.

Mechanosensory transduction (MT), the conversion of mechanical stimuli into electrical signals, underpins hearing and balance and is carried out within hair cells in the inner ear. Hair cells harbor actin-filled stereocilia, arranged in rows of descending heights, where the tips of stereocilia are connected to their taller neighbors by a filament composed of protocadherin 15 (PCDH15) and cadherin 23 (CDH23), deemed the 'tip link.' Tension exerted on the tip link opens an ion channel at the tip of the shorter stereocilia, thus converting mechanical force into an electrical signal.

Correction to: A binding-block ion selective mechanism revealed by a Na/K selective channel.

In the original publication the PDB numbers were not cited.

Structure of mouse protocadherin 15 of the stereocilia tip link in complex with LHFPL5.

Hearing and balance involve the transduction of mechanical stimuli into electrical signals by deflection of bundles of stereocilia linked together by protocadherin 15 (PCDH15) and cadherin 23 'tip links'. PCDH15 transduces tip link tension into opening of a mechano-electrical transduction (MET) ion channel. PCDH15 also interacts with LHFPL5, a candidate subunit of the MET channel.

A binding-block ion selective mechanism revealed by a Na/K selective channel.

Mechanosensitive (MS) channels are extensively studied membrane protein for maintaining intracellular homeostasis through translocating solutes and ions across the membrane, but its mechanisms of channel gating and ion selectivity are largely unknown. Here, we identified the YnaI channel as the Na/K cation-selective MS channel and solved its structure at 3.8 Å by cryo-EM single-particle method.

Target Elucidation by Cocrystal Structures of NADH-Ubiquinone Oxidoreductase of Plasmodium falciparum (PfNDH2) with Small Molecule To Eliminate Drug-Resistant Malaria.

Drug-resistant malarial strains have been continuously emerging recently, which posts a great challenge for the global health. Therefore, new antimalarial drugs with novel targeting mechanisms are urgently needed for fighting drug-resistant malaria. NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase of Plasmodium falciparum (PfNDH2) represents a viable target for antimalarial drug development.

Architecture of the mammalian mechanosensitive Piezo1 channel.

Piezo proteins are evolutionarily conserved and functionally diverse mechanosensitive cation channels. However, the overall structural architecture and gating mechanisms of Piezo channels have remained unknown. Here we determine the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the full-length (2,547 amino acids) mouse Piezo1 (Piezo1) at a resolution of 4.

Crystal structures of Bbp from Staphylococcus aureus reveal the ligand binding mechanism with Fibrinogen α.

Bone sialoprotein-binding protein (Bbp), a MSCRAMMs (Microbial Surface Components Recognizing Adhesive Matrix Molecules) family protein expressed on the surface of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), mediates adherence to fibrinogen α (Fg α), a component in the extracellular matrix of the host cell and is important for infection and pathogenesis. In this study, we solved the crystal structures of apo-Bbp(273-598) and Bbp(273-598)-Fg α(561-575) complex at a resolution of 2.

Functional and Structural Characterization of the Antiphagocytic Properties of a Novel Transglutaminase from Streptococcus suis.

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (Ss2) is an important swine and human zoonotic pathogen. In the present study, we identified a novel secreted immunogenic protein, SsTGase, containing a highly conserved eukaryotic-like transglutaminase (TGase) domain at the N terminus. We found that inactivation of SsTGase significantly reduced the virulence of Ss2 in a pig infection model and impaired its antiphagocytosis in human blood.

Structural basis for substrate specificity of an amino acid ABC transporter.

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are ubiquitous integral membrane proteins that translocate a variety of substrates, ranging from ions to macromolecules, either out of or into the cytosol (hence defined as importers or exporters, respectively). It has been demonstrated that ABC exporters and importers function through a common mechanism involving conformational switches between inward-facing and outward-facing states; however, the mechanism underlying their functions, particularly substrate recognition, remains elusive. Here we report the structures of an amino acid ABC importer Art(QN)2 from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis composed of homodimers each of the transmembrane domain ArtQ and the nucleotide-binding domain ArtN, either in its apo form or in complex with substrates (Arg, His) and/or ATPs.

Structural insight into Caenorhabditis elegans sex-determining protein FEM-2.

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, fem-1, fem-2, and fem-3 play crucial roles in male sexual development. Among these three genes, fem-2 encodes a PP2C (serine/threonine phosphatase type 2C)-like protein, whose activity promotes the development of masculinity. Different from the canonical PP2Cs, FEM-2 consists of an additional N-terminal domain (NTD) apart from its C-terminal catalytic domain.

Structures of SdrD from Staphylococcus aureus reveal the molecular mechanism of how the cell surface receptors recognize their ligands.

Staphylococcus aureus is the most important Gram-positive colonizer of human skin and nasal passage, causing high morbidity and mortality. SD-repeat containing protein D (SdrD), an MSCRAMM (Microbial Surface Components Recognizing Adhesive Matrix Molecules) family surface protein, plays an important role in S. aureus adhesion and pathogenesis, while its binding target and molecular mechanism remain largely unknown.

Structure of the nucleotide-binding domain of a dipeptide ABC transporter reveals a novel iron-sulfur cluster-binding domain.

Dipeptide permease (Dpp), which belongs to an ABC transport system, imports peptides consisting of two or three L-amino acids from the matrix to the cytoplasm in microbes. Previous studies have indicated that haem competes with dipeptides to bind DppA in vitro and in vivo and that the Dpp system can also translocate haem. Here, the crystal structure of DppD, the nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) of the ABC-type dipeptide/oligopeptide/nickel-transport system from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis, bound with ATP, Mg(2+) and a [4Fe-4S] iron-sulfur cluster is reported.

Structural insight into the type-II mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenases.

The single-component type-II NADH dehydrogenases (NDH-2s) serve as alternatives to the multisubunit respiratory complex I (type-I NADH dehydrogenase (NDH-1), also called NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase; EC 1.6.5.

Structure and molecular mechanism of an anion-selective mechanosensitive channel of small conductance.

Mechanosensitive (MS) channels are universal cellular membrane pores. Bacterial MS channels, as typified by MS channel of small conductance (MscS) from Escherichia coli (EcMscS), release osmolytes under hypoosmotic conditions. MS channels are known to be ion selective to different extents, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood.