A universal stress protein (USP) in mycobacteria binds cAMP.

Mycobacteria are endowed with rich and diverse machinery for the synthesis, utilization, and degradation of cAMP. The actions of cyclic nucleotides are generally mediated by binding of cAMP to conserved and well characterized cyclic nucleotide binding domains or structurally distinct cGMP-specific and -regulated cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, adenylyl cyclase, and E. coli transcription factor FhlA (GAF) domain-containing proteins. Proteins with cyclic nucleotide binding and GAF domains can be identified in the genome of mycobacterial species, and some of them have been characterized. Here, we show that a significant fraction of intracellular cAMP is bound to protein in mycobacterial species, and by using affinity chromatography techniques, we identify specific universal stress proteins (USP) as abundantly expressed cAMP-binding proteins in slow growing as well as fast growing mycobacteria. We have characterized the biochemical and thermodynamic parameters for binding of cAMP, and we show that these USPs bind cAMP with a higher affinity than ATP, an established ligand for other USPs. We determined the structure of the USP MSMEG_3811 bound to cAMP, and we confirmed through structure-guided mutagenesis, the residues important for cAMP binding. This family of USPs is conserved in all mycobacteria, and we suggest that they serve as "sinks" for cAMP, making this second messenger available for downstream effectors as and when ATP levels are altered in the cell.

Paralogous cAMP receptor proteins in Mycobacterium smegmatis show biochemical and functional divergence.

The cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) family of transcription factors consists of global regulators of bacterial gene expression. Here, we identify two paralogous CRPs in the genome of Mycobacterium smegmatis that have 78% identical sequences and characterize them biochemically and functionally. The two proteins (MSMEG_0539 and MSMEG_6189) show differences in cAMP binding affinity, trypsin sensitivity, and binding to a CRP site that we have identified upstream of the msmeg_3781 gene. MSMEG_6189 binds to the CRP site readily in the absence of cAMP, while MSMEG_0539 binds in the presence of cAMP, albeit weakly. msmeg_6189 appears to be an essential gene, while the Δmsmeg_0539 strain was readily obtained. Using promoter-reporter constructs, we show that msmeg_3781 is regulated by CRP binding, and its transcription is repressed by MSMEG_6189. Our results are the first to characterize two paralogous and functional CRPs in a single bacterial genome. This gene duplication event has subsequently led to the evolution of two proteins whose biochemical differences translate to differential gene regulation, thus catering to the specific needs of the organism.

Rapid detection and characterization of Chikungunya virus by RT-PCR in febrile patients from Kerala, India.

There has been a resurgence and prevalence of fever with symptoms of Chikungunya (CHIK) and increased death toll in Kerala, the southern-most state of India. The objective of this study was to develop a rapid detection method to determine the presence of CHIK- virus in the serum samples collected from febrile patients in Kerala, India. Serum specimens were analyzed for CHIK viral RNA by RT-PCR using primers specific for nsP1 and E1 genes. Five out of twenty clinical samples were positive for CHIK virus. The partial sequences of the E1 and nsP1 genes of the strain, IndKL01 were highly similar to the Reunion strains and the recently isolated Indian strains. A novel substitution, A148V, was detected in the E1 gene of the isolate, IndKL02. The detection procedure used in this study was simple, sensitive and rapid (less than 4 hr). This result suggests that CHIK viruses similar to the Reunion strains, which had resulted in high morbidity and mortality rates, may have caused the recent Chikungunya outbreak in India. The effect of the variant, E1-A148V, in the virulence and the rate of transmission of the virus deserves further investigation.

Isothermal titration calorimetric study defines the substrate binding residues of calreticulin.

Earlier we established using modeling studies the residues in calreticulin (CRT) important for sugar-binding (M. Kapoor, H. Srinivas, K. Eaazhisai, E. Gemma, L. Ellgaard, S. Oscarson, A. Helenius, A. Surolia, Interactions of substrate with calreticulin, an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone, J. Biol. Chem. 278 (8) (2003) 6194-6200). Here, we discuss the relative roles of Trp-319, Asp-317, and Asp-160 for sugar-binding by using site-directed mutagenesis and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Residues corresponding to Asp-160 and Asp-317 in CNX play important role towards sugar-binding. From the present study we demonstrate that the residue Asp-160 is not involved in sugar-binding, while Asp-317 plays a crucial role. Further, it is also validated that cation-pi interactions of the sugar with Trp-319 dictate sugar-binding in CRT. This study not only defines further the binding site of CRT but also highlights its subtle differences with that of calnexin.

Mutational analysis of the triclosan-binding region of enoyl-ACP (acyl-carrier protein) reductase from Plasmodium falciparum.

Triclosan, a known antibacterial, acts by inhibiting enoyl-ACP (acyl-carrier protein) reductase (ENR), a key enzyme of the type II fatty acid synthesis (FAS) system. Plasmodium falciparum, the human malaria-causing parasite, harbours the type II FAS; in contrast, its human host utilizes type I FAS. Due to this striking difference, ENR has emerged as an important target for the development of new antimalarials. Modelling studies, and the crystal structure of P. falciparum ENR, have highlighted the features of ternary complex formation between the enzyme, triclosan and NAD+ [Suguna, A. Surolia and N. Surolia (2001) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 283, 224-228; Perozzo, Kuo, Sidhu, Valiyaveettil, Bittman, Jacobs, Fidock, and Sacchettini (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 13106-13114; and Swarnamukhi, Kapoor, N. Surolia, A. Surolia and Suguna (2003) PDB1UH5]. To address the issue of the importance of the residues involved in strong specific and stoichiometric binding of triclosan to P. falciparum ENR, we mutated the following residues: Ala-217, Asn-218, Met-281, and Phe-368. The affinity of all the mutants was reduced for triclosan as compared with the wild-type enzyme to different extents. The most significant mutation was A217V, which led to a greater than 7000-fold decrease in the binding affinity for triclosan as compared with wild-type PfENR. A217G showed only 10-fold reduction in the binding affinity. Thus, these studies point out significant differences in the triclosan-binding region of the P. falciparum enzyme from those of its bacterial counterparts.

Mutational analysis provides molecular insight into the carbohydrate-binding region of calreticulin: pivotal roles of tyrosine-109 and aspartate-135 in carbohydrate recognition.

Calreticulin (CRT) is a lectin chaperone present in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. It interacts with various glycoproteins by binding via their attached Glc(1)Man(9)GlcNAc(2) moiety. To provide further insight into these lectin-glycan interactions, we are investigating the interaction of CRT with various sugars. We have earlier modeled the complex between CRT and the Glc(1)Man(3) tetrasaccharide, a derivative of the native Glc(1)Man(9)GlcNAc(2) sugar moiety. Here, we have systematically mutated the residues implicated by the model in the interaction of CRT to its sugar substrates and categorized the role played by each of the subsites of calreticulin toward the glycan binding. The CRT mutants Y109F and D135L did not show any binding to the sugar substrates interacting with the wild-type protein, demonstrating the great importance of these residues in the carbohydrate-binding site of CRT. Also, D317L and M131A showed weak affinity toward the trisaccharide. The mutation of residues from the primary binding site of CRT, i.e., those interacting with glucose, appears to be far less tolerated as compared to mutations in residues that interact with the mannose residues of the glycan. Also, methyl-2-deoxy-glucopyranosyl-alpha(1-->3)-mannopyranoside failed to bind, asserting to the significance of the interactions between the primary binding site of CRT and the 2'-OH of the glucose residue of the oligosaccharide substrate in generating specificity for this recognition. These studies provide detailed molecular insight into the sugar binding specificity of CRT.