Functional annotation and three-dimensional structure of Dr0930 from Deinococcus radiodurans, a close relative of phosphotriesterase in the amidohydrolase superfamily.

Dr0930, a member of the amidohydrolase superfamily in Deinococcus radiodurans, was cloned, expressed, and purified to homogeneity. The enzyme crystallized in the space group P3121, and the structure was determined to a resolution of 2.1 A.

Discovery of a dipeptide epimerase enzymatic function guided by homology modeling and virtual screening.

We have developed a computational approach to aid the assignment of enzymatic function for uncharacterized proteins that uses homology modeling to predict the structure of the binding site and in silico docking to identify potential substrates. We apply this method to proteins in the functionally diverse enolase superfamily that are homologous to the characterized L-Ala-D/L-Glu epimerase from Bacillus subtilis. In particular, a protein from Thermotoga martima was predicted to have different substrate specificity, which suggests that it has a different, but as yet unknown, biological function.

Evolution of enzymatic activities in the enolase superfamily: L-rhamnonate dehydratase.

The l-rhamnonate dehydratase (RhamD) function was assigned to a previously uncharacterized family in the mechanistically diverse enolase superfamily that is encoded by the genome of Escherichia coli K-12. We screened a library of acid sugars to discover that the enzyme displays a promiscuous substrate specificity: l-rhamnonate (6-deoxy- l-mannonate) has the "best" kinetic constants, with l-mannonate, l-lyxonate, and d-gulonate dehydrated less efficiently. Crystal structures of the RhamDs from both E.

Mixed-lineage kinase 1 and mixed-lineage kinase 3 subtype-selective dihydronaphthyl[3,4-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazole-5-ones: optimization, mixed-lineage kinase 1 crystallography, and oral in vivo activity in 1-methyl-4-phenyltetrahydropyridine models.

The optimization of the dihydronaphthyl[3,4-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazole-5-one R(2) and R(12) positions led to the identification of the first MLK1 and MLK3 subtype-selective inhibitors within the MLK family. Compounds 14 (CEP-5104) and 16 (CEP-6331) displayed good potency for MLK1 and MLK3 inhibition with a greater than 30- to 100-fold selectivity for related family members MLK2 and DLK. Compounds 14 and 16 were orally active in vivo in a mouse MPTP biochemical efficacy model that was comparable to the first-generation pan-MLK inhibitor 1 (CEP-1347).

Structure of diethyl phosphate bound to the binuclear metal center of phosphotriesterase.

The bacterial phosphotriesterase (PTE) from Pseudomonas diminuta catalyzes the hydrolysis of organophosphate esters at rates close to the diffusion limit. X-ray diffraction studies have shown that a binuclear metal center is positioned in the active site of PTE and that this complex is responsible for the activation of the nucleophilic water from solvent. In this paper, the three-dimensional structure of PTE was determined in the presence of the hydrolysis product, diethyl phosphate (DEP), and a product analogue, cacodylate.

Structural basis for substrate specificity in phosphate binding (beta/alpha)8-barrels: D-allulose 6-phosphate 3-epimerase from Escherichia coli K-12.

Enzymes that share the (beta/alpha) 8-barrel fold catalyze a diverse range of reactions. Many utilize phosphorylated substrates and share a conserved C-terminal (beta/alpha) 2-quarter barrel subdomain that provides a binding motif for the dianionic phosphate group. We recently reported functional and structural studies of d-ribulose 5-phosphate 3-epimerase (RPE) from Streptococcus pyogenes that catalyzes the equilibration of the pentulose 5-phosphates d-ribulose 5-phosphate and d-xylulose 5-phosphate in the pentose phosphate pathway [J.

Crystal structure of the complex between programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L2.

Programmed death-1 (PD-1) is a member of the CD28/B7 superfamily that delivers negative signals upon interaction with its two ligands, PD-L1 or PD-L2. The high-resolution crystal structure of the complex formed by the complete ectodomains of murine PD-1 and PD-L2 revealed a 1:1 receptor:ligand stoichiometry and displayed a binding interface and overall molecular organization distinct from that observed in the CTLA-4/B7 inhibitory complexes. Furthermore, our structure also provides insights into the association between PD-1 and PD-L1 and highlights differences in the interfaces formed by the two PD-1 ligands (PD-Ls) Mutagenesis studies confirmed the details of the proposed PD-1/PD-L binding interfaces and allowed for the design of a mutant PD-1 receptor with enhanced affinity.

Structure of Ca2+-bound S100A4 and its interaction with peptides derived from nonmuscle myosin-IIA.

S100A4, also known as mts1, is a member of the S100 family of Ca2+-binding proteins that is directly involved in tumor invasion and metastasis via interactions with specific protein targets, including nonmuscle myosin-IIA (MIIA). Human S100A4 binds two Ca2+ ions with the typical EF-hand exhibiting an affinity that is nearly 1 order of magnitude tighter than that of the pseudo-EF-hand. To examine how Ca2+ modifies the overall organization and structure of the protein, we determined the 1.

The PD-1/PD-L costimulatory pathway critically affects host resistance to the pathogenic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum.

The PD-1 costimulatory receptor inhibits T cell receptor signaling upon interacting with its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2. The PD-1/PD-L pathway is critical in maintaining self-tolerance. In this study, we examined the role of PD-1 in a mouse model of acute infection with Histoplasma capsulatum, a major human pathogenic fungus.

Evolution of GITRL immune function: murine GITRL exhibits unique structural and biochemical properties within the TNF superfamily.

Glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor ligand (GITRL), a recently identified member of the TNF superfamily, binds to its receptor, GITR, on both effector and regulatory T cells and generates positive costimulatory signals implicated in a wide range of T cell functions. In contrast to all previously characterized homotrimeric TNF family members, the mouse GITRL crystal structure reveals a previously unrecognized dimeric assembly that is stabilized via a unique "domain-swapping" interaction. Consistent with its crystal structure, mouse GITRL exists as a stable dimer in solution.

At the periphery of the amidohydrolase superfamily: Bh0493 from Bacillus halodurans catalyzes the isomerization of D-galacturonate to D-tagaturonate.

The amidohydrolase superfamily is a functionally diverse set of enzymes that catalyzes predominantly hydrolysis reactions involving sugars, nucleic acids, amino acids, and organophosphate esters. One of the most divergent members of this superfamily, uronate isomerase from Escherichia coli, catalyzes the isomerization of d-glucuronate to d-fructuronate and d-galacturonate to d-tagaturonate and is the only uronate isomerase in this organism. A gene encoding a putative uronate isomerase in Bacillus halodurans (Bh0705) was identified based on sequence similarity to uronate isomerases from other organisms.

L-Enantiomers of transition state analogue inhibitors bound to human purine nucleoside phosphorylase.

Human purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) was crystallized with transition-state analogue inhibitors Immucillin-H and DADMe-Immucillin-H synthesized with ribosyl mimics of l-stereochemistry. The inhibitors demonstrate that major driving forces for tight binding of these analogues are the leaving group interaction and the cationic mimicry of the transition state, even though large geometric changes occur with d-Immucillins and l-Immucillins bound to human PNP.

Structural basis for the coevolution of a viral RNA-protein complex.

The cocrystal structure of the PP7 bacteriophage coat protein in complex with its translational operator identifies a distinct mode of sequence-specific RNA recognition when compared to the well-characterized MS2 coat protein-RNA complex. The structure reveals the molecular basis of the PP7 coat protein's ability to selectively bind its cognate RNA, and it demonstrates that the conserved beta-sheet surface is a flexible architecture that can evolve to recognize diverse RNA hairpins.

Structural genomics of protein phosphatases.

The New York SGX Research Center for Structural Genomics (NYSGXRC) of the NIGMS Protein Structure Initiative (PSI) has applied its high-throughput X-ray crystallographic structure determination platform to systematic studies of all human protein phosphatases and protein phosphatases from biomedically-relevant pathogens. To date, the NYSGXRC has determined structures of 21 distinct protein phosphatases: 14 from human, 2 from mouse, 2 from the pathogen Toxoplasma gondii, 1 from Trypanosoma brucei, the parasite responsible for African sleeping sickness, and 2 from the principal mosquito vector of malaria in Africa, Anopheles gambiae. These structures provide insights into both normal and pathophysiologic processes, including transcriptional regulation, regulation of major signaling pathways, neural development, and type 1 diabetes.

Assembly and structural properties of glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor ligand: Implications for function.

Glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor ligand (GITRL), a recently identified member of the TNF family, binds to its receptor GITR on both effector and regulatory T cells and generates positive costimulatory signals implicated in a wide range of T cell functions. Structural analysis reveals that the human GITRL (hGITRL) ectodomain self-assembles into an atypical expanded homotrimer with sparse monomer-monomer interfaces. Consistent with the small intersubunit interfaces, hGITRL exhibits a relatively weak tendency to trimerize in solution and displays a monomer-trimer equilibrium not reported for other TNF family members.

Evolution of enzymatic activities in the enolase superfamily: D-Mannonate dehydratase from Novosphingobium aromaticivorans.

The d-mannonate dehydratase (ManD) function was assigned to a group of orthologous proteins in the mechanistically diverse enolase superfamily by screening a library of acid sugars. Structures of the wild type ManD from Novosphingobium aromaticivorans were determined at pH 7.5 in the presence of Mg2+ and also in the presence of Mg2+ and the 2-keto-3-keto-d-gluconate dehydration product; the structure of the catalytically active K271E mutant was determined at pH 5.

Anopheles gambiae purine nucleoside phosphorylase: catalysis, structure, and inhibition.

The purine salvage pathway of Anopheles gambiae, a mosquito that transmits malaria, has been identified in genome searches on the basis of sequence homology with characterized enzymes. Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) is a target for the development of therapeutic agents in humans and purine auxotrophs, including malarial parasites. The PNP from Anopheles gambiae (AgPNP) was expressed in Escherichia coli and compared to the PNPs from Homo sapiens (HsPNP) and Plasmodium falciparum (PfPNP).

Evolution of enzymatic activities in the enolase superfamily: L-talarate/galactarate dehydratase from Salmonella typhimurium LT2.

We assigned l-talarate dehydratase (TalrD) and galactarate dehydratase (GalrD) functions to a group of orthologous proteins in the mechanistically diverse enolase superfamily, focusing our characterization on the protein encoded by the Salmonella typhimurium LT2 genome (GI:16766982; STM3697). Like the homologous mandelate racemase, l-fuconate dehydratase, and d-tartrate dehydratase, the active site of TalrD/GalrD contains a general acid/base Lys 197 at the end of the second beta-strand in the (beta/alpha)7beta-barrel domain, Asp 226, Glu 252, and Glu 278 as ligands for the essential Mg2+ at the ends of the third, fourth, and fifth beta-strands, a general acid/base His 328-Asp 301 dyad at the ends of the seventh and sixth beta-strands, and an electrophilic Glu 348 at the end of the eighth beta-strand. We discovered the function of STM3697 by screening a library of acid sugars; it catalyzes the efficient dehydration of both l-talarate (kcat = 2.

Prediction and assignment of function for a divergent N-succinyl amino acid racemase.

The protein databases contain many proteins with unknown function. A computational approach for predicting ligand specificity that requires only the sequence of the unknown protein would be valuable for directing experiment-based assignment of function. We focused on a family of unknown proteins in the mechanistically diverse enolase superfamily and used two approaches to assign function: (i) enzymatic assays using libraries of potential substrates, and (ii) in silico docking of the same libraries using a homology model based on the most similar (35% sequence identity) characterized protein.

Structure-based activity prediction for an enzyme of unknown function.

With many genomes sequenced, a pressing challenge in biology is predicting the function of the proteins that the genes encode. When proteins are unrelated to others of known activity, bioinformatics inference for function becomes problematic. It would thus be useful to interrogate protein structures for function directly.

Structural diversity within the mononuclear and binuclear active sites of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-6-phosphate deacetylase.

NagA catalyzes the hydrolysis of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine-6-phosphate to d-glucosamine-6-phosphate and acetate. X-ray crystal structures of NagA from Escherichia coli were determined to establish the number and ligation scheme for the binding of zinc to the active site and to elucidate the molecular interactions between the protein and substrate. The three-dimensional structures of the apo-NagA, Zn-NagA, and the D273N mutant enzyme in the presence of a tight-binding N-methylhydroxyphosphinyl-d-glucosamine-6-phosphate inhibitor were determined.

Structure of CD84 provides insight into SLAM family function.

The signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) family includes homophilic and heterophilic receptors that modulate both adaptive and innate immune responses. These receptors share a common ectodomain organization: a membrane-proximal immunoglobulin constant domain and a membrane-distal immunoglobulin variable domain that is responsible for ligand recognition. CD84 is a homophilic family member that enhances IFN-gamma secretion in activated T cells.

Acid-induced equilibrium folding intermediate of human platelet profilin.

The acid-induced unfolding of human platelet profilin (HPP) can be minimally modeled as a three-state process. Equilibrium unfolding studies have been performed on human platelet profilin1 (HPP) and monitored by far-UV circular dichroism, tryptophan fluorescence, ANS binding, and NMR spectroscopy. Far-UV CD measurements obtained by acid titration demonstrate that HPP unfolds via a three-state mechanism (N --> I --> U), with a highly populated intermediate between pH 4 and 5.

The interchain disulfide linkage is not a prerequisite but enhances CD28 costimulatory function.

Oligomeric state makes important contributions to the signaling mechanisms of costimulatory molecules. In this study we address the biological relevance of the disulfide-linked dimeric structure of CD28. Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) demonstrates that removal of the interdomain disulfide bond (C123) does not interfere with the formation of CD28 oligomers on the cell surface.