Structural Basis for Cooperative Binding of EBNA1 to the Epstein-Barr Virus Dyad Symmetry Minimal Origin of Replication.

Epstein-Barr virus is associated with several human malignancies, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma, gastric cancer, and lymphoma. Latently infected cells carry a circularized EBV episome where the origin of replication () is comprised of two elements: the family of repeats (FR) and dyad symmetry (DS). The viral protein Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) binds to FR and DS to promote EBV episome maintenance and DNA replication during latent infection in proliferating cells.

Compounds identified by virtual docking to a tetrameric EGFR extracellular domain can modulate Grb2 internalization.

Background: Overexpression or mutation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) potently enhances the growth of many solid tumors. Tumor cells frequently display resistance to mechanistically-distinct EGFR-directed therapeutic agents, making it valuable to develop therapeutics that work by additional mechanisms. Current EGFR-targeting therapeutics include antibodies targeting the extracellular domains, and small molecules inhibiting the intracellular kinase domain.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa porphobilinogen synthase assembly state regulators: hit discovery and initial SAR studies.

Porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) catalyzes the first common step in the biosynthesis of the essential heme, chlorophyll and vitamin B(12) heme pigments. PBGS activity is regulated by assembly state, with certain oligomers exhibiting biological activity and others either partially or completely inactive, affording an innovative means of allosteric drug action. Pseudomonas aeruginosa PBGS is functionally active as an octamer, and inactive as a dimer.

Docking to large allosteric binding sites on protein surfaces.

The inactive porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) hexamer has an oligomer-specific and phylogenetically variable surface cavity that is not present in the active octamer. The octamer and hexamer are components of a dynamic quaternary structure equilibrium characteristic of morpheeins. Small molecules that bind to the hexamer-specific surface cavity, which is at the interface of three subunits, are predicted to act as allosteric inhibitors that function by drawing the oligomeric equilibrium toward the hexamer.

Plastid-associated porphobilinogen synthase from Toxoplasma gondii: kinetic and structural properties validate therapeutic potential.

Apicomplexan parasites (including Plasmodium spp. and Toxoplasma gondii) employ a four-carbon pathway for de novo heme biosynthesis, but this pathway is distinct from the animal/fungal C4 pathway in that it is distributed between three compartments: the mitochondrion, cytosol, and apicoplast, a plastid acquired by secondary endosymbiosis of an alga. Parasite porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) resides within the apicoplast, and phylogenetic analysis indicates a plant origin.

Allosteric inhibition of human porphobilinogen synthase.

Porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) catalyzes the first common step in tetrapyrrole (e.g. heme, chlorophyll) biosynthesis.

Nucleotide-binding flexibility in ultrahigh-resolution structures of the SRP GTPase Ffh.

Two structures of the nucleotide-bound NG domain of Ffh, the GTPase subunit of the bacterial signal recognition particle (SRP), have been determined at ultrahigh resolution in similar crystal forms. One is GDP-bound and one is GMPPCP-bound. The asymmetric unit of each structure contains two protein monomers, each of which exhibits differences in nucleotide-binding conformation and occupancy.

Shape shifting leads to small-molecule allosteric drug discovery.

Enzymes that regulate their activity by modulating an equilibrium of alternate, nonadditive, functionally distinct oligomeric assemblies (morpheeins) constitute a recently described mode of allostery. The oligomeric equilibrium for porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) consists of high-activity octamers, low-activity hexamers, and two dimer conformations. A phylogenetically diverse allosteric site specific to hexamers is proposed as an inhibitor binding site.

Analysis of protein hydration in ultrahigh-resolution structures of the SRP GTPase Ffh.

Two new structures of the SRP GTPase Ffh have been determined at 1.1 A resolution and provide the basis for comparative examination of the extensive water structure of the apo conformation of these GTPases. A set of well defined water-binding positions have been identified in the active site of the two-domain ;NG' GTPase, as well as at two functionally important interfaces.

Novel protein and Mg2+ configurations in the Mg2+GDP complex of the SRP GTPase ffh.

Ffh is the signal sequence recognition and targeting subunit of the prokaryotic signal recognition particle (SRP). Previous structural studies of the NG GTPase domain of Ffh demonstrated magnesium-dependent and magnesium-independent binding conformations for GDP and GMPPNP that are believed to reflect novel mechanisms for exchange and activation in this member of the GTPase superfamily. The current study of the NG GTPase bound to Mg(2+)GDP reveals two new binding conformations-in the first the magnesium interactions are similar to those seen previously, however, the protein undergoes a conformational change that brings a conserved aspartate into its second coordination sphere.

Large-scale adaptive hitchhiking upon high recombination in Drosophila simulans.

Natural selection is expected to leave a characteristic footprint on neighboring nucleotide variation through the effects of genetic linkage. The size of the region affected is proportional to the strength of selection and greatly reduced with the recombinational distance from the selected site. Thus, the genomic footprint of selection is generally believed to be restricted to a small DNA stretch in normal and highly recombining regions.

Structural basis for mobility in the 1.1 A crystal structure of the NG domain of Thermus aquaticus Ffh.

The NG domain of the prokaryotic signal recognition protein Ffh is a two-domain GTPase that comprises part of the prokaryotic signal recognition particle (SRP) that functions in co-translational targeting of proteins to the membrane. The interface between the N and G domains includes two highly conserved sequence motifs and is adjacent in sequence and structure to one of the conserved GTPase signature motifs. Previous structural studies have shown that the relative orientation of the two domains is dynamic.