dGMP Binding to Thymidylate Kinase from Plasmodium falciparum Shows Half-Site Binding and Induces Protein Dynamics at the Dimer Interface.

Plasmodium falciparum thymidylate kinase (PfTMK) is an essential enzyme for the growth of the organism because of its critical role in the de novo synthesis of deoxythymidine 5'-diphosphate (TDP), a precursor for TTP that is required for DNA replication and repair. The kinetics, thermodynamic parameters, and substrate binding properties of PfTMK for TMP, dGMP, ADP, and ATP were measured and characterized by steady-state kinetics and a combination of isothermal titration calorimetry, tryptophan fluorescence titration, and NMR. Mutational studies were performed to investigate residues that contribute to the unique ability of PfTMK to also utilize dGMP as a substrate. Isothermal titration calorimetry experiments revealed that dGMP binding exhibits a unique half-site binding mechanism. The occlusion of the empty site in the dGMP complex is supported by molecular mechanics calculations. Relaxation dispersion experiments show that the dGMP and enzyme complex is more dynamic at the dimer interface than the TMP complex on the µs-ms time scale. The unique properties of dGMP binding need to be considered in the design of guanosine-based PfTMK-specific inhibitors.

Insights into the structure-function relationship of Brugia malayi thymidylate kinase (BmTMK).

Lymphatic filariasis is a debilitating disease caused by lymph dwelling nematodal parasites like Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi and Brugia timori. Thymidylate kinase of B. malayi is a key enzyme in the de novo and salvage pathways for thymidine 5'-triphosphate (dTTP) synthesis. Therefore, B. malayi thymidylate kinase (BmTMK) is an essential enzyme for DNA biosynthesis and an important drug target to rein in filariasis. In the present study, the structural and functional changes associated with recombinant BmTMK, in the presence of protein denaturant GdnHCl, urea and pH were studied. GdnHCl and urea induced unfolding of BmTMK is non-cooperative and influence the functional property of the enzyme much lower than their Cm values. The study delineate that BmTMK is more prone to ionic perturbation. The dimeric assembly of BmTMK is an absolute requirement for enzymatic acitivity and any subtle change in dimeric conformation due to denaturation leads to loss of enzymatic activity. The pH induced changes on structure and activity suggests that selective modification of active site microenvironment pertains to difference in activity profile. This study also envisages that chemical moieties which acts by modulating oligomeric assembly, could be used for better designing of inhibitors against BmTMK enzyme.

Doing that thing that scientists do: A discovery-driven module on protein purification and characterization for the undergraduate biochemistry laboratory classroom.

In traditional introductory biochemistry laboratory classes students learn techniques for protein purification and analysis by following provided, established, step-by-step procedures. Students are exposed to a variety of biochemical techniques but are often not developing procedures or collecting new, original data. In this laboratory module, students develop research skills through work on an original research project and gain confidence in their ability to design and execute an experiment while faculty can enhance their scholarly pursuits through the acquisition of original data in the classroom laboratory. Students are prepared for a 6-8 week discovery-driven project on the purification of the Escherichia coli cytidylate kinase (CMP kinase) through in class problems and other laboratory exercises on bioinformatics and protein structure analysis. After a minimal amount of guidance on how to perform the CMP kinase in vitro enzyme assay, SDS-PAGE, and the basics of protein purification, students, working in groups of three to four, develop a protein purification protocol based on the scientific literature and investigate some aspect of CMP kinase that interests them. Through this process, students learn how to implement a new but perhaps previously worked out procedure to answer their research question. In addition, they learn the importance of keeping a clear and thorough laboratory notebook and how to interpret their data and use that data to inform the next set of experiments. Following this module, students had increased confidence in their ability to do basic biochemistry techniques and reported that the "self-directed" nature of this lab increased their engagement in the project.

Purification and characterization of guanylate kinase, a nucleoside monophosphate kinase of Brugia malayi.

Guanylate kinase, a nucleoside monophosphate kinase of Brugia malayi which is involved in reversible transfer of phosphate groups from ATP to GMP, was cloned, expressed and characterized. The native molecular mass of BmGK was found to be 45 kDa as determined by size exclusion chromatography and glutaraldehyde cross-linking which revealed that the protein is homodimer in nature. This is a unique characteristic among known eukaryotic GKs. GMP and ATP served as the most effective phosphate acceptor and donor, respectively. Recombinant BmGK utilized both GMP and dGMP, as substrates showing Km values of 30 and 38 µ m, respectively. Free Mg+2 (un-complexed to ATP) and GTP play a regulatory role in catalysis of BmGK. The enzyme showed higher catalytic efficiency as compared with human GK and showed ternary complex (BmGK-GMP-ATP) formation with sequential substrate binding. The secondary structure of BmGK consisted of 45% α-helices, 18% ß-sheets as revealed by CD analysis. Homology modelling and docking with GMP revealed conserved substrate binding residues with slight differences. Differences in kinetic properties and oligomerization of BmGK compared with human GK can provide the way for design of parasite-specific inhibitors.

Cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic study of thymidylate kinase (TTHA1607) from Thermus thermophilus HB8.

Nucleotide biosynthesis plays a key role in cell survival and cell proliferation. Thymidylate kinase is an enzyme that catalyses the conversion of dTMP to dTDP using ATP-Mg(2+) as a phosphoryl-donor group. This enzyme is present at the junction of the de novo and salvage pathways; thus, any inhibitor designed against it will result in cell death. This highlights the importance of this enzyme as a drug target. Thymidylate kinase from the extremely thermophilic organism Thermus thermophilus HB8 has been expressed, purified and crystallized using the microbatch method. The crystals diffracted to a resolution of 1.83 Å and belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 39.50, b = 80.29, c = 122.55 Å. Preliminary studies revealed the presence of a dimer in the asymmetric unit with a Matthews coefficient (V(M)) of 2.18 Å(3) Da(-1).

Biochemical characterization of thymidine monophosphate kinase from white spot syndrome virus: a functional domain from the viral ORF454.

Nucleotide phosphorylation is a key step towards DNA replication and during viral infections the maintenance of the nucleotide triphosphates pool is required. Deoxythymidine triphosphate (dTTP) is the unique nucleotide that is produced either by de novo or salvage pathways. Thymidine monophosphate kinase (TMK) is the enzyme that phosphorylates deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP) using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as a phosphate group donor in presence of Mg2+ yielding deoxythymidine diphosphate (dTDP) and adenosine diphosphate. The TMK region of the WSSV TK-TMK chimeric protein was overexpressed and purified. This recombinant protein had TMK activity, this is that dTMP was phosphorylated to dTDP and we found that the dimeric state of the protein was the functional and a theoretical structural model was built as such. Future work will focus towards a structural characterization as an antiviral target.

Cloning, expression, purification and characterization of UMP kinase from Staphylococcus aureus.

Uridine monophosphate kinase (UMPK) an enzyme of de novo biosynthesis catalyses the formation of UDP and it is involved in cell wall and RNA biosynthesis. In the present study UMPK of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC12600 was characterized. Analysis of purified UMPK by gel filtration chromatography on Sephadex G-200 indicated a molecular weight of 150 kDa and exhibited monomeric form with molecular weight of 25 kDa in SDS-PAGE confirming homohexamer nature of UMPK in solution. The enzyme kinetics of UMPK showed K(m) of 2.80 ± 0.1 µM and Vmax 51.38 ± 1.39 µM of NADH/min/mg. The enzyme exhibited cooperative kinetics with ATP as substrate, as GTP decreased this cooperativity and increased affinity for ATP. The UMPK gene was amplified, sequenced (Accession number: FJ415072), cloned in pQE30 vector and overexpressed in Escherichia coli DH5α. The purified recombinant UMPK showed similar properties of native UMPK. The UMPK gene sequence showed complete homology with pyrH gene sequence of all S. aureus strains reported in the database, the 3D structure of S. aureus UMPK built from the deduced amino acid sequence was super imposed with human UMPK (PDB ID: 1TEV) to find out the structural identity using the MATRAS programme gave an RMSD value 4.24 Å indicating very low homology and extensive structural variations with human UMPK structure. Thus, UMPK may be a potential drug target in the development of antimicrobials.

Efficient heterologous expression and one-step purification of fully active c-terminal histidine-tagged uridine monophosphate kinase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis has long been recognized as one of the most significant public health problems. Finding novel antituberculous drugs is always a necessary approach for controlling the disease. Mycobacterium tuberculosis pyrH gene (Rv2883c) encodes for uridine monophosphate kinase (UMK), which is a key enzyme in the uridine nucleotide interconversion pathway. The enzyme is essential for M. tuberculosis to sustain growth and hence is a potential drug target. In this study, we have developed a rapid protocol for production and purification of M. tuberculosis UMK by cloning pyrH (Rv2883c) of M. tuberculosis H37Rv with the addition of 6-histidine residues to the C-terminus of the protein, and expressing in E. coli BL21-CodonPlus (DE3)-RIPL using an auto-induction medium. The enzyme was efficiently purified by a single-step TALON cobalt affinity chromatography with about 8 fold increase in specific activity, which was determined by a coupled assay with the pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. The molecular mass of monomeric UMK was 28.2 kDa and that of the native enzyme was 217 kDa. The enzyme uses UMP as a substrate but not CMP and TMP and activity was enhanced by GTP. Measurements of enzyme kinetics revealed the kcat value of 7.6 +/- 0.4 U mg(-1) or 0.127 +/- 0.006 sec(-1).The protocol reported here can be used for expression of M. tuberculosis UMK in large quantity for formulating a high throughput target-based assay for screening anti-tuberculosis UMK compounds.

The yeast Cdc8 exhibits both deoxythymidine monophosphate and diphosphate kinase activities.

The existence of multifunctional enzymes in the nucleotide biosynthesis pathways is believed to be one of the important mechanisms to facilitate the synthesis and the efficient supply of deoxyribonucleotides for DNA replication. Here, we used the bacterially expressed yeast thymidylate kinase (encoded by the CDC8 gene) to demonstrate that the purified Cdc8 protein possessed thymidylate-specific nucleoside diphosphate kinase activity in addition to thymidylate kinase activity. The yeast endogenous nucleoside diphosphate kinase is encoded by YNK1, which appears to be non-essential. Our results suggest that Cdc8 has dual enzyme activities and could duplicate the function of Ynk1 in thymidylate synthesis. We also discuss the importance of the coordinated expression of CDC8 during the cell cycle progression in yeast.

[Isolation, prokaryotic expression and activity analysis of thymidylate kinase (tmk) gene from Phytoplasma of wheat blue dwarf].

OBJECTIVE: Wheat blue dwarf (WBD) is an important disease in winter wheat district, which causes serious losses in wheat production. Thymidylate kinase (TMK) catalyses the phosphorylation of dTMP to dTDP in the de novo and salvage pathways of dTTP synthesis in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In order effectively control this phytoplasma, we isolated the thymidylate kinase gene of WBD phytoplasma, and analyzed the catalytic activity of TMK protein. METHODS: tmk gene was amplified from the phytoplasma of WBD, the amplicons were digested with EcoR I and Hind III and then inserted into expression vector pET-30a(+). The polyHis-tagged TMK was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) and fusion protein was obtained and purified by Ni-NTA column. The TMK activities were measured by the method of en-zyme-coupled assay involving Mg2+, dTMP and ATP. RESULTS: Two genes, tmk-1 and tmk-2 were obtained, with the molecular weight of 630 bp and 624 bp. Both of them encoded an amino acid sequence with three conserved functional motifs which related with binding NTP/NMP. The fusion protein, TMK-2 had a higher catalytic activity (112.41 U/mg) than TMK-1 (16.4 U/mg), and its optimum catalytic conditions were 32 degrees C, pH7.3, 1.5 mmol/L Mg2+ and 1 mmol/L ATP. CONCLUSION: TMK-1 and TMK-2 had conserved functional motifs in their primary sequence, and suggested that they may function as TMK enzymes. But, the TMK-1-polyHis fusion protein had very low catalytic activity, the possible reason was that two highly conserved regions were absent in TMK-1, and it might function as another type of kinase in WBD phytoplasma. This experiment lay a foundation for further study of the TMK function in infection and reproduction of WBD phytoplasma.

Human UMP-CMP kinase 2, a novel nucleoside monophosphate kinase localized in mitochondria.

Enzyme deficiency in the salvage pathway of deoxyribonucleotide synthesis in mitochondria can cause mtDNA depletion syndromes. We have identified a human mitochondrial UMP-CMP kinase (UMP-CMPK, cytidylate kinase; EC 2.7.4.14), designated as UMP-CMP kinase 2 (UMP-CMPK2). The C-terminal domain of this 449-amino acid protein contains all consensus motifs of a nucleoside monophosphate kinase. Phylogenetic analysis showed that UMP-CMPK2 belonged to a novel nucleoside monophosphate kinase family, which was closer to thymidylate kinase than to cytosolic UMP-CMP kinase. Subcellular localization with green fluorescent protein fusion proteins illustrated that UMP-CMPK2 was localized in the mitochondria of HeLa cells and that the mitochondrial targeting signal was included in the N-terminal 22 amino acids. The enzyme was able to phosphorylate dUMP, dCMP, CMP, and UMP with ATP as phosphate donor, but the kinetic properties were different compared with the cytosolic UMP-CMPK. Its efficacy to convert dUMP was highest, followed by dCMP, whereas CMP and UMP were the poorest substrates. It also phosphorylated the monophosphate forms of the nucleoside analogs ddC, dFdC, araC, BVDU, and FdUrd, which suggests that UMP-CMPK2 may be involved in mtDNA depletion caused by long term treatment with ddC or other pyrimidine analogs. UMP-CMPK2 mRNA expression was exclusively detected in chronic myelogenous leukemia K-562 and lymphoblastic leukemia MOLT-4 among eight studied cancer cell lines. Particular high expression in leukemia cells, dominant expression in bone marrow, and tight correlation with macrophage activation and inflammatory response suggest that UMP-CMPK2 may have other functions in addition to the supply of substrates for mtDNA synthesis.

Structures of S. aureus thymidylate kinase reveal an atypical active site configuration and an intermediate conformational state upon substrate binding.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a major threat to human health, particularly through hospital acquired infection. The spread of MRSA means that novel targets are required to develop potential inhibitors to combat infections caused by such drug-resistant bacteria. Thymidylate kinase (TMK) is attractive as an antibacterial target as it is essential for providing components for DNA synthesis. Here, we report crystal structures of unliganded and thymidylate-bound forms of S. aureus thymidylate kinase (SaTMK). His-tagged and untagged SaTMK crystallize with differing lattice packing and show variations in conformational states for unliganded and thymidylate (TMP) bound forms. In addition to open and closed forms of SaTMK, an intermediate conformation in TMP binding is observed, in which the site is partially closed. Analysis of these structures indicates a sequence of events upon TMP binding, with helix alpha3 shifting position initially, followed by movement of alpha2 to close the substrate site. In addition, we observe significant conformational differences in the TMP-binding site in SaTMK as compared to available TMK structures from other bacterial species, Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis as well as human TMK. In SaTMK, Arg 48 is situated at the base of the TMP-binding site, close to the thymine ring, whereas a cis-proline occupies the equivalent position in other TMKs. The observed TMK structural differences mean that design of compounds highly specific for the S. aureus enzyme looks possible; such inhibitors could minimize the transfer of drug resistance between different bacterial species.

First-time crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a bacterial-archaeal type UMP kinase, a key enzyme in microbial pyrimidine biosynthesis.

UMP phosphorylation, a key step for pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis, is catalyzed in bacteria by UMP kinase (UMPK), an enzyme specific for UMP that is dissimilar to the eukaryotic UMP/CMP kinase or to other nucleoside monophosphate kinases. UMPK is allosterically regulated and participates in pyrimidine-triggered gene repression. As first step towards determining UMPK structure, the putative UMPK-encoding gene of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The protein product was purified and confirmed to be a genuine UMPK. It was crystallized at 294 K in hanging drops by the vapor diffusion technique using 3.5-4 M Na formate. Cubic 0.2-mm crystals diffracted synchrotron X-rays to 2.4-angstroms resolution. Space group was I23 (a=b=c=144.95 angstroms), and the asymmetric unit contained two monomers, with 52% solvent content. The self-rotation function suggests that the enzyme is hexameric, which agrees with biochemical studies on bacterial UMPKs.

Endothelial adhesion molecule ESAM binds directly to the multidomain adaptor MAGI-1 and recruits it to cell contacts.

Endothelial cell-selective adhesion molecule (ESAM) is an immunoglobulin-like transmembrane protein associated with endothelial tight junctions (TJ). Based on a yeast two-hybrid screen, we have identified the membrane-associated guanylate kinase protein MAGI-1 as an intracellular binding partner of ESAM. MAGI-1 is a multidomain adaptor protein, which binds to transmembrane, cytoskeletal, and signaling molecules, and has been localized to tight junctions in epithelial cells. MAGI-1 associates with the very C-terminal sequence of ESAM most likely through a PDZ domain-mediated interaction. The direct interaction between ESAM and MAGI-1 was confirmed by pull-down experiments. The two proteins formed stable complexes in transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which could be immunoisolated. We found MAGI-1 to be associated with cell-cell contacts in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and in mouse endothelium, where it colocalizes with ESAM. In CHO cells, recruitment of MAGI-1 to cell contacts required the presence of ESAM. Hence, ESAM may be involved in anchoring MAGI-1 at endothelial tight junctions.

Identification and immunochemical location of UMP kinase from Bacillus subtilis.

Phosphorylation of CMP and UMP is accomplished in Bacillus subtilis, as in Escherichia coli, by two different enzymes exhibiting characteristic structural and catalytic properties. UMP kinase from B. subtilis is an oligomer whose activity is strictly dependent on GTP. The B. subtilis enzyme is unstable in the absence of UTP, which acts as an allosteric inhibitor. Antibodies raised against recombinant B. subtilis UMP kinase recognized the protein both in soluble extract and in immunoelectron microscopy. UMP kinase from B. subtilis has a peripheral distribution which is related most probably to its role in the synthesis of membrane sugar components and its putative role in cell division.

Reaction of human UMP-CMP kinase with natural and analog substrates.

UMP-CMP kinase catalyses an important step in the phosphorylation of UTP, CTP and dCTP. It is also involved in the necessary phosphorylation by cellular kinases of nucleoside analogs used in antiviral therapies. The reactivity of human UMP-CMP kinase towards natural substrates and nucleotide analogs was reexamined. The expression of the recombinant enzyme and conditions for stability of the enzyme were improved. Substrate inhibition was observed for UMP and CMP at concentrations higher than 0.2 mm, but not for dCMP. The antiviral analog l-3TCMP was found to be an efficient substrate phosphorylated into l-3TCDP by human UMP-CMP kinase. However, in the reverse reaction, the enzyme did not catalyse the addition of the third phosphate to l-3TCDP, which was rather an inhibitor. By molecular modelling, l-3TCMP was built in the active site of the enzyme from Dictyostelium. Human UMP-CMP kinase has a relaxed enantiospecificity for the nucleoside monophosphate acceptor site, but it is restricted to d-nucleotides at the donor site.

Purification and some properties of thymidilate kinase from sea urchin.

Thymidilate kinase (EC 2.7.4.9, ATP:dTMP phosphotransferase) was isolated from eggs of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. The enzyme preparation was purified by 1073-fold and was not contaminated with phosphatase or ATPase. The molecular weight of the sea urchin thymidilate kinase is 100 kD, and the pH optimum of its action is 8-8.5. The thymidilate kinase activity is maximal in the presence of 2-5 mM ATP and 10 mM MgCl2. In the reaction of phosphorylation with dTMP, Mg2+ can be partially substituted by other bivalent metal ions whose efficiency decreases in the series: Mg2+ > Mn2+ > Ca2+ = Cd2+ = Co2+. In the presence of Zn2+, Fe2+, Cu2+, and Pb2+ the thymidilate kinase is inactive. The sea urchin thymidilate kinase can utilize ATP, dCTP, and dTTP as donors of the phosphate group. Either dTMP or dCMP can serve as the acceptor of phosphate. Addition of thymidine and other nucleosides to the reaction medium has virtually no effect on the rate of dTMP phosphorylation.

Site-specific mutations of conserved residues in the phosphate-binding loop of the Arabidopsis UMP/CMP kinase alter ATP and UMP binding.

All eukaryotic UMP/CMP kinases contain a glycine-rich sequence GGPG(S/A)GK at the N-terminus. This sequence is homologous to the conserved sequence GXXGXGK found in other ATP-binding proteins. To study the role of this conserved sequence in Arabidopsis UMP/CMP kinase, five conserved residues were mutated by site-directed mutagenesis to generate seven mutant enzymes: G21A, G22A, G24A, G26A, K27R, K27M, and K27E. The G21A and G26A mutants were degraded during the purification phase and were thus unable to be purified. Kinetic studies on the other mutants, when compared to studies on the wild-type enzyme, revealed that this sequence is important for ATP binding and enzyme catalysis. All mutants had a decreased kcat/KATPm value. The G22A and G24A mutants had about half of the kcat value of wildtype and 3.9-fold and 3.3-fold increases in KATPm values, respectively. The kcat/KATPm values in the K27M and K27E mutants were changed significantly and decreased by 1000-fold and 2600-fold, respectively. The removal of the terminal positive charge of Lys27 in the K27M and K27E mutants resulted in 20% of the kcat value of wildtype. However, both mutants had a remarkable increase in KATPm value by 241-fold and 552-fold, respectively. Therefore, the positive charge of Lys27 plays an important role on both ATP binding and enzyme catalysis. Interestingly, the results also showed that the mutations that affected ATP binding also had an effect on UMP binding.

Isolation and characterization of mutated mitochondrial GTP:AMP phosphotransferase.

GTP:AMP phosphotransferase (adenylate kinase isozyme 3, AK3) mutants were obtained by using the ability of AK3 to complement a temperature-sensitive mutation of Escherichia coli adenylate kinase (AKe). Five mutants, P16L, G19S, G91D, G91S, and P93L, had mutation sites located at two loops that are involved in substrate binding of the enzyme. P16L and G19S bearing changes at the first loop showed reduced affinity for both GTP and AMP, the extent of reduction being slightly higher for GTP than AMP. In contrast, G91S and P93L having alterations at the second loop had lower affinities for AMP. Only the alterations at the second loop strongly influenced the Vmax value of the enzyme. Another mutant, D163N, had a substitution at the site forming a salt bridge in adenylate kinase isozyme 1 (AK1), which influenced the Vmax as well as the Km values for both substrates. The kinetic characteristics of these mutants were comparable to those of the corresponding AK1 or AKe mutants. Furthermore, from the results of mutations T201P and T201A that had alterations in all the kinetic parameters of AK3 and from a comparison with the structure and the kinetic parameters of AKe, we expect that a residue(s) around Thr201 is involved in recognition of the base of nucleoside triphosphate.

Mutational analysis of UMP kinase from Escherichia coli.

UMP kinase from Escherichia coli is one of the four regulatory enzymes involved in the de novo biosynthetic pathway of pyrimidine nucleotides. This homohexamer, with no counterpart in eukarya, might serve as a target for new antibacterial drugs. Although the bacterial enzyme does not show sequence similarity with any other known nucleoside monophosphate kinase, two segments between amino acids 35 to 78 and 145 to 194 exhibit 28% identity with phosphoglycerate kinase and 30% identity with aspartokinase, respectively. Based on these similarities, a number of residues of E. coli UMP kinase were selected for site-directed mutagenesis experiments. Biochemical, kinetic, and spectroscopic analysis of the modified proteins identified residues essential for catalysis (Asp146), binding of UMP (Asp174), and interaction with the allosteric effectors, GTP and UTP (Arg62 and Asp77).