The molecular structure of Rv1873, a conserved hypothetical protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, at 1.38 A resolution.

The X-ray crystal structure of the gene product encoded by open reading frame Rv1873 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been determined by single isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering (SIRAS) phasing techniques at 1.38 A resolution from monoclinic crystals with unit-cell parameters a = 33.44, b = 31.63, c = 53.19 A, beta = 90.8 degrees. The 16.2 kDa Rv1873 is a monomer that adopts a primarily alpha-helical fold with limited structural similarity to previously determined tertiary structures. It has been annotated as a conserved hypothetical protein of unknown function and is classified by the Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) database as belonging to COG5579. The three-dimensional structure of the Rv1873 gene product reveals limited similarity to a repeated motif that is found in a variety of other proteins. While not a novel fold, it serves as a model for orthologues predicted to be related by sequence and it is hoped that knowledge of the structure of Rv1873 will aid in determining a possible function for this protein.

An episulfide cation (thiiranium ring) trapped in the active site of HAV 3C proteinase inactivated by peptide-based ketone inhibitors.

We have solved the crystal and molecular structures of hepatitis A viral (HAV) 3C proteinase, a cysteine peptidase having a chymotrypsin-like protein fold, in complex with each of three tetrapeptidyl-based methyl ketone inhibitors to resolutions beyond 1.4 A, the highest resolution to date for a 3C or a 3C-Like (e.g. SARS viral main proteinase) peptidase. The residues of the beta-hairpin motif (residues 138-158), an extension of two beta-strands of the C-terminal beta-barrel of HAV 3C are critical for the interactions between the enzyme and the tetrapeptide portion of these inhibitors that are analogous to the residues at the P4 to P1 positions in the natural substrates of picornaviral 3C proteinases. Unexpectedly, the Sgamma of Cys172 forms two covalent bonds with each inhibitor, yielding an unusual episulfide cation (thiiranium ring) stabilized by a nearby oxyanion. This result suggests a mechanism of inactivation of 3C peptidases by methyl ketone inhibitors that is distinct from that occurring in the structurally related serine proteinases or in the papain-like cysteine peptidases. It also provides insight into the mechanisms underlying both the inactivation of HAV 3C by these inhibitors and on the proteolysis of natural substrates by this viral cysteine peptidase.

Crystal structure of the biglycan dimer and evidence that dimerization is essential for folding and stability of class I small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans.

Biglycan and decorin are two closely related proteoglycans whose protein cores contain leucine-rich repeats flanked by disulfides. We have previously shown that decorin is dimeric both in solution and in crystal structures. In this study we determined whether biglycan dimerizes and investigated the role of dimerization in the folding and stability of these proteoglycans. We used light scattering to show that biglycan is dimeric in solution and solved the crystal structure of the glycoprotein core of biglycan at 3.40-angstroms resolution. This structure reveals that biglycan dimerizes in the same way as decorin, i.e. by apposition of the concave inner surfaces of the leucine-rich repeat domains. We demonstrate that low concentrations of guanidinium chloride denature biglycan and decorin but that the denaturation is completely reversible following removal of the guanidinium chloride, as assessed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. Furthermore, the rate of refolding is dependent on protein concentration, demonstrating that it is not a unimolecular process. Upon heating, decorin shows a single structural transition at a T(m) of 45-46 degrees C but refolds completely upon cooling to 25 degrees C. This property of decorin enabled us to show both by calorimetry and light scattering that dimer to monomer transition coincided with unfolding and monomer to dimer transition coincided with refolding; thus these processes are inextricably linked. We further conclude that folded monomeric biglycan or decorin cannot exist in solution. This implies novel interrelated functions for the parallel beta sheet faces of these leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans, including dimerization and stabilization of protein folding.

Dual modes of modification of hepatitis A virus 3C protease by a serine-derived beta-lactone: selective crystallization and formation of a functional catalytic triad in the active site.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) 3C proteinase is a member of the picornain cysteine proteases responsible for the processing of the viral polyprotein, a function essential for viral maturation and infectivity. This and its structural similarity to other 3C and 3C-like proteases make it an attractive target for the development of antiviral drugs. Previous solution NMR studies have shown that a Cys24Ser (C24S) variant of HAV 3C protein, which displays catalytic properties indistinguishable from the native enzyme, is irreversibly inactivated by N-benzyloxycarbonyl-l-serine-beta-lactone (1a) through alkylation of the sulfur atom at the active site Cys172. However, crystallization of an enzyme-inhibitor adduct from the reaction mixture followed by X-ray structural analysis shows only covalent modification of the epsilon2-nitrogen of the surface His102 by the beta-lactone with no reaction at Cys172. Re-examination of the heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (HMQC) NMR spectra of the enzyme-inhibitor mixture indicates that dual modes of single covalent modification occur with a >/=3:1 ratio of S-alkylation of Cys172 to N-alkylation of His102. The latter product crystallizes readily, probably due to the interaction between the phenyl ring of the N-benzyloxycarbonyl (N-Cbz) moiety and a hydrophobic pocket of a neighboring protein molecule in the crystal. Furthermore, significant structural changes are observed in the active site of the 3C protease, which lead to the formation of a functional catalytic triad with Asp84 accepting one hydrogen bond from His44. Although the 3C protease modified at Cys172 is catalytically inactive, the singly modified His102 N(epsilon2)-alkylated protein displays a significant level of enzymatic activity, which can be further modified/inhibited by N-iodoacetyl-valine-phenylalanine-amide (IVF) (in solution and in crystal) or excessive amount of the same beta-lactone inhibitor (in solution). The success of soaking IVF into HAV 3C-1a crystals demonstrates the usefulness of this new crystal form in the study of enzyme-inhibitor interactions in the proteolytic active site.

Crystal structure of the dimeric protein core of decorin, the archetypal small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycan.

Decorin is a ubiquitous extracellular matrix proteoglycan with a variety of important biological functions that are mediated by its interactions with extracellular matrix proteins, cytokines, and cell surface receptors. Decorin is the prototype of the family of small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycans and proteins (SLRPs), characterized by a protein core composed of leucine-rich repeats (LRRs), flanked by two cysteine-rich regions. We report here the crystal structure of the dimeric protein core of decorin, the best characterized member of the SLRP family. Each monomer adopts the curved solenoid fold characteristic of LRR domains, with a parallel beta-sheet on the inside interwoven with loops containing short segments of beta-strands, 3(10) helices, and polyproline II helices on the outside. Two main features are unique to this structure. First, decorin dimerizes through the concave surfaces of the LRR domains, which have been implicated previously in protein-ligand interactions. The amount of surface buried in this dimer rivals the buried surfaces of some of the highest-affinity macromolecular complexes reported to date. Second, the C-terminal region adopts an unusual capping motif that involves a laterally extended LRR and a disulfide bond. This motif seems to be unique to SLRPs and has not been observed in any other LRR protein structure to date. Possible implications of these features for decorin ligand binding and SLRP function are discussed.