DNA bending by an adenine--thymine tract and its role in gene regulation.

To gain insight into the structural basis of DNA bending by adenine-thymine tracts (A-tracts) and their role in DNA recognition by gene-regulatory proteins, we have determined the crystal structure of the high-affinity DNA target of the cancer-associated human papillomavirus E2 protein. The three independent B-DNA molecules of the crystal structure determined at 2.2-A resolution are examples of A-tract-containing helices where the global direction and magnitude of curvature are in accord with solution data, thereby providing insights, at the base pair level, into the mechanism of DNA bending by such sequence motifs. A comparative analysis of E2-DNA conformations with respect to other structural and biochemical studies demonstrates that (i) the A-tract structure of the core region, which is not contacted by the protein, is critical for the formation of the high-affinity sequence-specific protein-DNA complex, and (ii) differential binding affinity is regulated by the intrinsic structure and deformability encoded in the base sequence of the DNA target.

Structures of furanosides: geometrical analysis of low-temperature X-ray and neutron crystal structures of five crystalline methyl pentofuranosides.

Crystal structures of all five crystalline methyl D-pentofuranosides, methyl alpha-D-arabinofuranoside (1), methyl beta-D-arabinofuranoside (2), methyl alpha-D-lyxofuranoside (3), methyl beta-D-ribofuranoside (4) and methyl alpha-D-xylofuranoside (5) have been determined by means of cryogenic X-ray and neutron crystallography. The neutron diffraction experiments provide accurate, unbiased H-atom positions which are especially important because of the critical role of hydrogen bonding in these systems. This paper summarizes the geometrical and conformational parameters of the structures of all five crystalline methyl pentofuranosides, several of them reported here for the first time. The methyl pentofuranoside structures are compared with the structures of the five crystalline methyl hexopyranosides for which accurate X-ray and neutron structures have been determined. Unlike the methyl hexopyranosides, which crystallize exclusively in the C(1) chair conformation, the five crystalline methyl pentofuranosides represent a very wide range of ring conformations.

Structure of a family IIIa scaffoldin CBD from the cellulosome of Clostridium cellulolyticum at 2.2 A resolution.

The crystal structure of the family IIIa cellulose-binding domain (CBD) from the cellulosomal scaffoldin subunit (CipC) of Clostridium cellulolyticum has been determined. The structure reveals a nine-stranded jelly-roll topology which exhibits distinctive structural elements consistent with family III CBDs that bind crystalline cellulose. These include a well conserved calcium-binding site, a putative cellulose-binding surface and a conserved shallow groove of unknown function. The CipC CBD structure is very similar to the previously elucidated family IIIa CBD from the CipA scaffoldin of C. thermocellum, with some minor differences. The CipC CBD structure was also compared with other previously described CBD structures from families IIIc and IV derived from the endoglucanases of Thermomonospora fusca and Cellulomonas fimi, respectively. The possible functional consequences of structural similarities and differences in the shallow groove and cellulose-binding faces among various CBD families and subfamilies are discussed.

Structure-function studies of the non-heme iron active site of isopenicillin N synthase: some implications for catalysis.

Isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS) is a non-heme ferrous iron-dependent oxygenase that catalyzes the ring closure of delta-(L-alpha-aminoadipoyl)-L-cysteinyl-D-valine (ACV) to form isopenicillin N. Spectroscopic studies and the crystal structure of IPNS show that the iron atom in the active species is coordinated to two histidine and one aspartic acid residues, and to ACV, dioxygen and H2O. We previously showed by site-directed mutagenesis that residues His212, Asp214 and His268 in the IPNS of Streptomyces jumonjinensis are essential for activity and correspond to the iron ligands identified by crystallography. To evaluate the importance of the nature of the protein ligands for activity, His214 and His268 were exchanged with asparagine, aspartic acid and glutamine, and Asp214 replaced with glutamic acid, histidine and cysteine, each of which has the potential to bind iron. Only the Asp214Glu mutant retained activity, approximately 1% that of the wild type. To determine the importance of the spatial arrangement of the protein ligands for activity, His212 and His268 were separately exchanged with Asp214; both mutant enzymes were completely defective. These findings establish that IPNS activity depends critically on the presence of two histidine and one carboxylate ligands in a unique spatial arrangement within the active site. Molecular modeling studies of the active site employing the S. jumonjinensis IPNS crystal structure support this view. Measurements of iron binding by the wild type and the Asp214Glu, Asp214His and Asp214Cys-modified proteins suggest that Asp214 may have a role in catalysis as well as in iron coordination.

Halophilic enzymes: proteins with a grain of salt.

Halophilic enzymes, while performing identical enzymatic functions as their non-halophilic counterparts, have been shown to exhibit substantially different properties, among them the requirement for high salt concentrations, in the 1-4 M range, for activity and stability, and a high excess of acidic over basic amino residues. The following communication reviews the functional and structural properties of two proteins isolated from the extremely halophilic archaeon Haloarcula marismortui: the enzyme malate-dehydrogenase (hMDH) and the 2Fe-2S protein ferredoxin. It is argued that the high negative surface charge of halophilic proteins makes them more soluble and renders them more flexible at high salt concentrations, conditions under which non-halophilic proteins tend to aggregate and become rigid. This high surface charge is neutralized mainly by tightly bound water dipoles. The requirement of high salt concentration for the stabilization of halophilic enzymes, on the other hand, is due to a low affinity binding of the salt to specific sites on the surface of the folded polypeptide, thus stabilizing the active conformation of the protein.

Self-Assembly of a Tetrahedral Lectin into Predesigned Diamondlike Protein Crystals.

Binding sites analogous to those of sp(3) carbon are presented by concanavalin A. This lectin has now been cross-linked with a bismannopyranoside which contains the C(2) spacer required to form the computer-modeled diamondlike three-dimensional protein lattice shown in the picture.

Oligomeric integrity--the structural key to thermal stability in bacterial alcohol dehydrogenases.

Principles of protein thermostability have been studied by comparing structures of thermostable proteins with mesophilic counterparts that have a high degree of sequence identity. Two tetrameric NADP(H)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases, one from Clostridium beijerinckii (CBADH) and the other from Thermoanaerobacter brockii (TBADH), having exceptionally high (75%) sequence identity, differ by 30 degrees in their melting temperatures. The crystal structures of CBADH and TBADH in their holo-enzyme form have been determined at a resolution of 2.05 and 2.5 A, respectively. Comparison of these two very similar structures (RMS difference in Calpha = 0.8 A) revealed several features that can account for the higher thermal stability of TBADH. These include additional ion pairs, "charged-neutral" hydrogen bonds, and prolines as well as improved stability of alpha-helices and tighter molecular packing. However, a deeper structural insight, based on the location of stabilizing elements, suggests that enhanced thermal stability of TBADH is due mainly to the strategic placement of structural determinants at positions that strengthen the interface between its subunits. This is also supported by mutational analysis of structural elements at critical locations. Thus, it is the reinforcement of the quaternary structure that is most likely to be a primary factor in preserving enzymatic activity of this oligomeric bacterial ADH at elevated temperatures.

Structure of a monoclinic crystal from of cyctochrome b1 (Bacterioferritin) from E. coli.

Crystals of E. coli cytochrome b1, alias bacterioferritin, were grown fr om a low ionic strength solution. The resulting monoclniic P21 structure was solved by molecular replacement and refined using noncrystallographi c symmetries applied to the fundamental unit, consisting of two protein subunits and a single haem. From the Patterson self-rotation results it was shown that the asymmetric unit of the monoclinic crystal consists of 12 such dimers and corresponds to a complete, nearly spherical, molecule of bacterioferritin (M4 = 450 kDa) of 432 point-group symmetry. It is thus the most symmetrical cytochrome. As previously determined for the tetragonal form, the haem is located in a special position on a local twofold axis of the dimer. A bimetal centre is also observed within the four-helix bundle of each monomer; a metal-binding site is located on the fourfold axis.

Structural code for DNA recognition revealed in crystal structures of papillomavirus E2-DNA targets.

Transcriptional regulation in papillomaviruses depends on sequence-specific binding of the regulatory protein E2 to several sites in the viral genome. Crystal structures of bovine papillomavirus E2 DNA targets reveal a conformational variant of B-DNA characterized by a roll-induced writhe and helical repeat of 10.5 bp per turn. A comparison between the free and the protein-bound DNA demonstrates that the intrinsic structure of the DNA regions contacted directly by the protein and the deformability of the DNA region that is not contacted by the protein are critical for sequence-specific protein/DNA recognition and hence for gene-regulatory signals in the viral system. We show that the selection of dinucleotide or longer segments with appropriate conformational characteristics, when positioned at correct intervals along the DNA helix, can constitute a structural code for DNA recognition by regulatory proteins. This structural code facilitates the formation of a complementary protein-DNA interface that can be further specified by hydrogen bonds and nonpolar interactions between the protein amino acids and the DNA bases.

NADP-dependent bacterial alcohol dehydrogenases: crystal structure, cofactor-binding and cofactor specificity of the ADHs of Clostridium beijerinckii and Thermoanaerobacter brockii.

We have determined the X-ray structures of the NADP(H)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase of Clostridiim beijerinckii (CBADH) in the apo and holo-enzyme forms at 2.15 A and 2.05 A resolution, respectively, and of the holo-alcohol dehydrogenase of Thermoanaerobacter brockii (TBADH) at 2.5 A. These are the first structures of prokaryotic alcohol dehydrogenase to be determined as well as that of the first NADP(H)-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase. CBADH and TBADH 75% have sequence identity and very similar three-dimensional structures. Both are tetramers of 222 symmetry. The monomers are composed of two domains: a cofactor-binding domain and a catalytic domain. These are separated by a deep cleft at the bottom of which a single zinc atom is bound in the catalytic site. The tetramers are composed of two dimers, each structurally homologous to the dimer of alcohol dehydrogenases of vertebrates. The dimers form tetramers by means of contacts between surfaces opposite the interdomain cleft thus leaving it accessible from the surface of the tetramer. The tetramer encloses a large internal cavity with a positive surface potential. A molecule of NADP(H) binds in the interdomain cleft to the cofactor-binding domain of each monomer. The specificity of the two bacterial alcohol dehydrogenases toward NADP(H) is determined by residues Gly198, Ser199, Arg200 and Tyr218, with the latter three making hydrogen bonds with the 2'-phosphate oxygen atoms of the cofactor. Upon NADP(H) binding to CBADH, Tyr218 undergoes a rotation of approximately 120 degrees about chi1 which facilitates stacking interactions with the adenine moiety and hydrogen bonding with one of the phosphate oxygen atoms. In apo-CBADH the catalytic zinc is tetracoordinated by side-chains of residues Cys37, His59, Asp150 and Glu60; in holo-CBADH, Glu60 is retracted from zinc in three of the four monomers whereas in holo-TBADH, Glu60 does not participate in Zn coordination. In both holo-enzymes, but not in the apo-enzyme, residues Ser39 and Ser113 are in the second coordination sphere of the catalytic zinc. The carboxyl group of Asp150 is oriented with respect to the active carbon of NADP(H) so as to form hydrogen bonds with both pro-S and pro-R hydrogen atoms.

Enhanced thermal stability of Clostridium beijerinckii alcohol dehydrogenase after strategic substitution of amino acid residues with prolines from the homologous thermophilic Thermoanaerobacter brockii alcohol dehydrogenase.

A comparison of the three-dimensional structures of the closely related mesophilic Clostridium beijerinckii alcohol dehydrogenase (CBADH) and the hyperthermophilic Thermoanaerobacter brockii alcohol dehydrogenase (TBADH) suggested that extra proline residues in TBADH located in strategically important positions might contribute to the extreme thermal stability of TBADH. We used site-directed mutagenesis to replace eight complementary residue positions in CBADH, one residue at a time, with proline. All eight single-proline mutants and a double-proline mutant of CBADH were enzymatically active. The critical sites for increasing thermostability parameters in CBADH were Leu-316 and Ser-24, and to a lesser degree, Ala-347. Substituting proline for His-222, Leu-275, and Thr-149, however, reduced thermal stability parameters. Our results show that the thermal stability of the mesophilic CBADH can be moderately enhanced by substituting proline at strategic positions analogous to nonconserved prolines in the homologous thermophilic TBADH. The proline residues that appear to be crucial for the increased thermal stability of CBADH are located at a beta-turn and a terminating external loop in the polypeptide chain. Positioning proline at the N-caps of alpha-helices in CBADH led to adverse effects on thermostability, whereas single-proline mutations in other positions in the polypeptide had varying effects on thermal parameters. The finding presented here support the idea that at least two of the eight extra prolines in TBADH contribute to its thermal stability.

A cohesin domain from Clostridium thermocellum: the crystal structure provides new insights into cellulosome assembly.

BACKGROUND: The scaffoldin component of the cellulolytic bacterium Clostridium thermocellum is a non-hydrolytic protein which organizes the hydrolytic enzymes in a large complex, called the cellulosome. Scaffoldin comprises a series of functional domains, amongst which is a single cellulose-binding domain and nine cohesin domains which are responsible for integrating the individual enzymatic subunits into the complex. The cohesin domains are highly conserved in their primary amino acid sequences. These domains interact with a complementary domain, termed the dockerin domain, one of which is located on each enzymatic subunit. The cohesin-dockerin interaction is the crucial interaction for complex formation in the cellulosome. The determination of structural information about the cohesin domain will provide insights into cellulosome assembly and activity. RESULTS: We have determined the three-dimensional crystal structure of one of the cohesin domains from C. thermocellum (cohesin 2) at 2.15 A resolution. The domain forms a nine-stranded beta sandwich with a jelly-roll topology, somewhat similar to the fold displayed by its neighboring cellulose-binding domain. CONCLUSIONS: The compact nature of the cohesin structure and its lack of a defined binding pocket suggests that binding between the cohesin and dockerin domains is characterized by interactions between exposed surface residues. As the cohesin-dockerin interaction appears to be rather nonselective, the binding face would presumably be characterized by surface residues which exhibit both intraspecies conservation and interspecies dissimilarity. Within the same species, unconserved surface residues may reflect the position of a given cohesin domain within the scaffoldin subunit, its orientation and interactions with neighboring domains.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a cohesin domain of the cellulosome from Clostridium thermocellum.

Recombinant cohesin-2, a unique type of protein-recognition domain from the cellulosome of Clostridium thermocellum, has been crystallized by the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method. The crystals are monoclinic, space group C2 with unit-cell dimensions a = 79.91, b = 47.86, c = 51.13 A, beta = 126.77 degrees. There is most likely to be one molecule per asymmetric unit, corresponding to a packing density of 2.16 A(3) Da(-1). The crystals diffract to beyond 2.3 A on a conventional laboratory rotating-anode source.

Expression, purification and crystallization of a cohesin domain from the cellulosome of Clostridium thermocellum.

The cellulosome of the cellulolytic bacterium, Clostridium thermocellum, is a multi-enzyme complex in which the enzymatic (cellulolytic) subunits are attached to a unique nonhydrolytic subunit called scaffoldin. The attachment is mediated by two mutually interacting domains: namely multiple cohesin domains on the scaffoldin subunit and a dockerin domain on each of the enzymatic subunits. Knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of each of the interacting components would be critical to a better understanding of the cohesin-dockerin interaction at the molecular level. In this report, we describe the purification of one of the nine cohesin domains of the scaffoldin subunit from C. thermocellum. A DNA segment containing the cohesin 2 sequence was fused to a hexa-histidine tag, and the resultant construct was expressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed peptide was efficiently isolated by metal-chelate affinity chromatography. The purified recombinant form of the cohesin was crystallized pending determination of its structure.

Crystalline alcohol dehydrogenases from the mesophilic bacterium Clostridium beijerinckii and the thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobium brockii: preparation, characterization and molecular symmetry.

Two tetrameric NADP(+)-dependent bacterial secondary alcohol dehydrogenases have been crystallized in the apo- and the holo-enzyme forms. Crystals of the holo-enzyme from the mesophilic Clostridium beijerinckii (NCBAD) belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit-cell dimensions a = 90.5, b = 127.9, c = 151.4 A. Crystals of the apo-enzyme (CBAD) belong to the same space group with unit-cell dimensions a = 80.4, b = 102.3, c = 193.5 A. Crystals of the holo-enzyme from the thermophilic Thermoanaerobium brockii (NTBAD) belong to space group P6(1(5)) (a = b = 80.6, c = 400.7 A). Crystals of the apo-form of TBAD (point mutant GI98D) belong to space group P2(1) with cell dimensions a = 123.0, b = 84.8, c = 160.4 A beta = 99.5 degrees. Crystals of CBAD, NCBAD and NTBAD contain one tetramer per asymmetric unit. They diffract to 2.0 A resolution at liquid nitrogen temperature. Crystals of TBAD(GI98D) have two tetramers per asymmetric unit and diffract to 2.7 A at 276 K. Self-rotation analysis shows that both enzymes are tetramers of 222 symmetry.

Insights into protein adaptation to a saturated salt environment from the crystal structure of a halophilic 2Fe-2S ferredoxin.

Haloarcula marismortui is an archaebacterium that flourishes in the world's saltiest body of water, the Dead Sea. The cytosol of this organism is a supersaturated salt solution in which proteins are soluble and active. The crystal structure of a 2Fe-2S ferredoxin from H. marismortui determined at 1.9 A is similar to those of plant-type 2Fe-2S ferredoxins of known structure, with two important distinctions. The entire surface of the protein is coated with acidic residues except for the vicinity of the iron-sulphur cluster, and there is an insertion of two amphipathic helices near the N-terminus. These form a separate hyperacidic domain whose postulated function to provide extra surface carboxylates for solvation. These data and the fact that bound surface water molecules have on the average 40% more hydrogen bonds than in a typical non-halophilic protein crystal structure support the notion that haloadaptation involves better water binding capacity.

Properties of a crystal of the complex of methyl D-arabinofuranoside with concanavalin A.

The complex of methyl alpha-D-arabinofuranoside with concanavalin A crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)22(1) with cell dimensions a = 97.5, b = 87.0 and c = 61.5 A. The asymmetric unit contains one dimer and the unit cell consists of two tetrahedral clusters of point-group symmetry 222. The crystals diffract to 2.0 A resolution.

Structure of a unique twofold symmetric haem-binding site.

Bacterioferritin of Escherichia coli, also known as cytochrome b1, is a hollow, nearly spherical shell made up of 24 identical protein subunits and 12 haems. We have solved this structure in a tetragonal crystal form at 2.9 A resolution. We find that each haem is bound in a pocket formed by the interface between a pair of symmetry-related subunits. The quasi-twofold axis of the haem is closely aligned with the local twofold axis relating these subunits. The axial ligands of the haem are sulphurs of two equivalent methionyl residues (Met 52) from the symmetry-related subunits. A cluster of four water molecules is trapped in the gap between the upper edge of the haem and two extended protein loops which close off the haem from the outer aqueous environment. This is the first structure of a bis-methionine ligated haem-binding site and the first case of a twofold symmetric haem-binding site.

Determinants of repressor/operator recognition from the structure of the trp operator binding site.

On the basis of the crystal structure of the trp repressor/operator complex, it has been proposed that the specificity of the interaction can be explained not only by direct hydrogen bonding and non-polar contacts between the protein and the bases of its target DNA, but also by indirect structural effects and water-mediated interactions. To understand the contribution of DNA structure and hydration in this context, the structure of the free DNA must be compared with its structure when complexed with the protein. Here we present the high-resolution crystal structure of the trp operator region that is most important in the recognition process. By comparing the free and bound states of the DNA regulatory sequence, we show that the structure and hydration of the DNA target are important elements in its recognition by the repressor protein.

Location of haem in bacterioferritin of E. coli.

. A low-resolution partial structure of bacterioferritin was solved using a combination of molecular replacement and rigid-body refinement methods. Modification of bacterioferritin crystals by soaking in tetrachloroplatinate results in a phase transition from tetragonal symmetry (space group P4(2)2(1)2) to a pseudo-cubic one (approximate space group I432). Helical parts of human H ferritin structure stripped of side chains beyond the C(beta) atoms were used as the model. An electron-density map of the refined model revealed a region of extended density which by its shape and position in a pocket between helices was identified as haem. Inclusion of haem in the refinement showed that it can occupy only one of two symmetry-related sites near a twofold axis of the molecule.