Erratum: A unified molecular mechanism for the regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase by phosphorylation.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/celldisc.2016.44.].

A unified molecular mechanism for the regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase by phosphorylation.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylases (ACCs) are crucial metabolic enzymes and attractive targets for drug discovery. Eukaryotic acetyl-CoA carboxylases are 250 kDa single-chain, multi-domain enzymes and function as dimers and higher oligomers. Their catalytic activity is tightly regulated by phosphorylation and other means. Here we show that yeast ACC is directly phosphorylated by the protein kinase SNF1 at residue Ser1157, which potently inhibits the enzyme. Crystal structure of three ACC central domains (AC3-AC5) shows that the phosphorylated Ser1157 is recognized by Arg1173, Arg1260, Tyr1113 and Ser1159. The R1173A/R1260A double mutant is insensitive to SNF1, confirming that this binding site is crucial for regulation. Electron microscopic studies reveal dramatic conformational changes in the holoenzyme upon phosphorylation, likely owing to the dissociation of the biotin carboxylase domain dimer. The observations support a unified molecular mechanism for the regulation of ACC by phosphorylation as well as by the natural product soraphen A, a potent inhibitor of eukaryotic ACC. These molecular insights enhance our understanding of acetyl-CoA carboxylase regulation and provide a basis for drug discovery.

Structural evidence: a single charged residue affects substrate binding in cytochrome P450 BM-3.

Cytochrome P450 BM-3 is a bacterial enzyme with sequence similarity to mammalian P450s that catalyzes the hydroxylation of fatty acids with high efficiency. Enzyme-substrate binding and dynamics has been an important topic of study for cytochromes P450 because most of the crystal structures of substrate-bound structures show the complex in an inactive state. We have determined a new crystal structure for cytochrome P450 BM-3 in complex with N-palmitoylglycine (NPG), which unexpectedly showed a direct bidentate ion pair between NPG and arginine 47 (R47). We further explored the role of R47, the only charged residue in the binding pocket in cytochrome P450 BM-3, through mutagenesis and crystallographic studies. The mutations of R47 to glutamine (R47Q), glutamic acid (R47E), and lysine (R47K) were designed to investigate the role of its charge in binding and catalysis. The oppositely charged R47E mutation had the greatest effect on activity and binding. The crystal structure of R47E BMP shows that the glutamic acid side chain is blocking the entrance to the binding pocket, accounting for NPG's low binding affinity and charge repulsion. For R47Q and R47K BM-3, the mutations caused only a slight change in kcat and a large change in Km and Kd, which suggests that R47 mostly is involved in binding and that our crystal structure, 4KPA , represents an initial binding step in the P450 cycle.

The structure of human ubiquitin in 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol: a new conformational switch.

A new crystal structure of human ubiquitin is reported at 1.8 Å resolution. Compared with the other known crystal structure or the solution NMR structure of monomeric human ubiquitin, this new structure is similar in its overall fold but differs with respect to the conformation of the backbone in a surface-exposed region. The conformation reported here resembles conformations previously seen in complex with deubiquinating enzymes, wherein the Asp52/Gly53 main chain and Glu24 side chain move. This movement exposes the backbone carbonyl of Asp52 to the exterior of the molecule, making it possible to engage in hydrogen-bond contacts with neighboring molecules, rather than in an internal hydrogen bond with the backbone of Glu24. This particular crystal form of ubiquitin has been used in a large number of solid state NMR studies. The structure described here elucidates the origin of many of the chemical shift differences comparing solution and solid state studies.

An inhibited conformation for the protein kinase domain of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae AMPK homolog Snf1.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master metabolic regulator for controlling cellular energy homeostasis. Its homolog in yeast, SNF1, is activated in response to glucose depletion and other stresses. The catalytic (alpha) subunit of AMPK/SNF1 in yeast (Snf1) contains a protein Ser/Thr kinase domain (KD), an auto-inhibitory domain (AID) and a region that mediates interactions with the two regulatory (beta and gamma) subunits. Here, the crystal structure of residues 41-440 of Snf1, which include the KD and AID, is reported at 2.4 A resolution. The AID is completely disordered in the crystal. A new inhibited conformation of the KD is observed in a DFG-out conformation and with the glycine-rich loop adopting a structure that blocks ATP binding to the active site.

Biochemical and functional studies on the regulation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae AMPK homolog SNF1.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master metabolic regulator for controlling cellular energy homeostasis. Its homolog in yeast, SNF1, is activated in response to glucose depletion and other stresses. The catalytic (alpha) subunit of AMPK/SNF1, Snf1 in yeast, contains a protein Ser/Thr kinase domain (KD), an auto-inhibitory domain (AID), and a region that mediates interactions with the two regulatory (beta and gamma) subunits. Previous studies suggested that Snf1 contains an additional segment, a regulatory sequence (RS, corresponding to residues 392-518), which may also have an important role in regulating the activity of the enzyme. The crystal structure of the heterotrimer core of Saccharomyces cerevisiae SNF1 showed interactions between a part of the RS (residues 460-498) and the gamma subunit Snf4. Here we report biochemical and functional studies on the regulation of SNF1 by the RS. GST pulldown experiments demonstrate strong and direct interactions between residues 450-500 of the RS and the heterotrimer core, and single-site mutations in the RS-Snf4 interface can greatly reduce these interactions in vitro. On the other hand, functional studies appear to show only small effects of the RS-Snf4 interactions on the activity of SNF1 in vivo. This suggests that residues 450-500 may be constitutively associated with Snf4, and the remaining segments of the RS, as well as the AID, may be involved in regulating SNF1 activity.

Crystal structure of the heterotrimer core of Saccharomyces cerevisiae AMPK homologue SNF1.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a central regulator of energy homeostasis in mammals and is an attractive target for drug discovery against diabetes, obesity and other diseases. The AMPK homologue in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, known as SNF1, is essential for responses to glucose starvation as well as for other cellular processes, although SNF1 seems to be activated by a ligand other than AMP. Here we report the crystal structure at 2.6 A resolution of the heterotrimer core of SNF1. The ligand-binding site in the gamma-subunit (Snf4) has clear structural differences from that of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe enzyme, although our crystallographic data indicate that AMP can also bind to Snf4. The glycogen-binding domain in the beta-subunit (Sip2) interacts with Snf4 in the heterotrimer but should still be able to bind carbohydrates. Our structure is supported by a large body of biochemical and genetic data on this complex. Most significantly, the structure reveals that part of the regulatory sequence in the alpha-subunit (Snf1) is sequestered by Snf4, demonstrating a direct interaction between the alpha- and gamma-subunits and indicating that our structure may represent the heterotrimer core of SNF1 in its activated state.

Structure of the Bateman2 domain of yeast Snf4: dimeric association and relevance for AMP binding.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a central regulator of energy homeostasis in mammals. AMP is believed to control the activity of AMPK by binding to the gamma subunit of this heterotrimeric enzyme. This subunit contains two Bateman domains, each of which is composed of a tandem pair of cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) motifs. No structural information is currently available on this subunit, and the molecular basis for its interactions with AMP is not well understood. We report here the crystal structure at 1.9 Angstrom resolution of the Bateman2 domain of Snf4, the gamma subunit of the yeast ortholog of AMPK. The structure revealed a dimer of the Bateman2 domain, and this dimerization is supported by our light-scattering, mutagenesis, and biochemical studies. There is a prominent pocket at the center of this dimer, and most of the disease-causing mutations are located in or near this pocket.

Crystal structure of the protein kinase domain of yeast AMP-activated protein kinase Snf1.

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master metabolic regulator, and is an important target for drug development against diabetes, obesity, and other diseases. AMPK is a hetero-trimeric enzyme, with a catalytic (alpha) subunit, and two regulatory (beta and gamma) subunits. Here we report the crystal structure at 2.2A resolution of the protein kinase domain (KD) of the catalytic subunit of yeast AMPK (commonly known as SNF1). The Snf1-KD structure shares strong similarity to other protein kinases, with a small N-terminal lobe and a large C-terminal lobe. Two negative surface patches in the structure may be important for the recognition of the substrates of this kinase.