Molecular assembly of botulinum neurotoxin progenitor complexes.

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is produced by Clostridium botulinum and associates with nontoxic neurotoxin-associated proteins to form high-molecular weight progenitor complexes (PCs). The PCs are required for the oral toxicity of BoNT in the context of food-borne botulism and are thought to protect BoNT from destruction in the gastrointestinal tract and aid in absorption from the gut lumen. The PC can differ in size and protein content depending on the C. botulinum strain. The oral toxicity of the BoNT PC increases as the size of the PC increases, but the molecular architecture of these large complexes and how they contribute to BoNT toxicity have not been elucidated. We have generated 2D images of PCs from strains producing BoNT serotypes A1, B, and E using negative stain electron microscopy and single-particle averaging. The BoNT/A1 and BoNT/B PCs were observed as ovoid-shaped bodies with three appendages, whereas the BoNT/E PC was observed as an ovoid body. Both the BoNT/A1 and BoNT/B PCs showed significant flexibility, and the BoNT/B PC was documented as a heterogeneous population of assembly/disassembly intermediates. We have also determined 3D structures for each serotype using the random conical tilt approach. Crystal structures of the individual proteins were placed into the BoNT/A1 and BoNT/B PC electron density maps to generate unique detailed models of the BoNT PCs. The structures highlight an effective platform that can be engineered for the development of mucosal vaccines and the intestinal absorption of oral biologics.

Structural analysis of botulinum neurotoxin type G receptor binding .

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) binds peripheral neurons at the neuromuscular junction through a dual-receptor mechanism that includes interactions with ganglioside and protein receptors. The receptor identities vary depending on BoNT serotype (A-G). BoNT/B and BoNT/G bind the luminal domains of synaptotagmin I and II, homologous synaptic vesicle proteins. We observe conditions under which BoNT/B binds both Syt isoforms, but BoNT/G binds only SytI. Both serotypes bind ganglioside G(T1b). The BoNT/G receptor-binding domain crystal structure provides a context for examining these binding interactions and a platform for understanding the physiological relevance of different Syt receptor isoforms in vivo.

Thiacrown Pt(II) complexes with group 15 donor ligands: pentacoordination in Pt(II) complexes.

We report the synthesis and full characterization for a series of thiacrown complexes of Pt(II) incorporating the fluxional trithiacrown ligand 1,4,7-trithiacyclononane ([9]aneS3) and several group 15 donors ligands. Reaction of [Pt([9]aneS3)Cl2] with a full stoichiometric equivalent of the group 15 donor (L = 2 x AsPh3, SbPh3 or 1,2-bis(diphenylarsenio) ethane (dpae) followed by metathesis with NH4PF6 yields [Pt([9]aneS3)L](PF6)2. We also report the analogous Pd(II) complex with dpae. Similar reactions of the starting Pt complex with one equivalent of XPh3 (X = As or Sb) result in complexes of the formula [Pt([9]aneS3)(XPh3)(Cl)](PF6). All six new complexes have been fully characterized by multinuclear NMR, IR, and UV-Vis spectroscopies in addition to elemental analysis and single crystal structural determinations. The X-ray structures of each complex indicate an axial M-S interaction formed by the endodentate conformation of the [9]aneS3 ligand. The axial M-S distance is highly dependent upon the ancillary donor set. The axial M-S distance shortens with the identity of the group 15 donor ligand according to the trend, Sb < As < P, due to their increasingly poorer donor qualities. The two bis pnictogen complexes, [Pt([9]aneS3)(AsPh3)2](PF6)2 and [Pt([9]aneS3)(SbPh3)2](PF6)2 form unusual five-coordinate distorted trigonal bipyramids in contrast to the pseudo-five coordinate, elongated square pyramidal structures typically observed in Pt(II) complexes of [9]aneS3. The distortion arises from intramolecular pi-pi interactions between the phenyl rings on the two different triphenyl ligands. Chemical shifts in the 195Pt NMR also show similar periodic relationships which trend progressively upfield as the donor atom becomes larger. As expected, the coordinated [9]aneS3 ligand shows fluxional behavior in its NMR spectra, resulting in a single 13C NMR resonance, despite the asymmetric coordination environment found in both chloro complexes. The line width for the carbon NMR resonance as well as for the 195Pt NMR peak is highly sensitive to the nature of the group 15 donor, with poorer donors such as SbPh3 showing significant line broadening. Measurements from the electronic spectra support that the ligand field strength of the pnictogen donor decreases with its increasing size.