Extensive features of tight oligosaccharide binding revealed in high-resolution structures of the maltodextrin transport/chemosensory receptor.

BACKGROUND: Active-transport processes perform a vital function in the life of a cell, maintaining cell homeostasis and allowing access of nutrients. Maltodextrin/maltose-binding protein (MBP; M(r) = 40k) is a receptor protein which serves as an initial high-affinity binding component of the active-transport system of maltooligosaccharides in bacteria. MBP also participates in chemotaxis towards maltooligosaccharides. The interaction between MBP and specific cytoplasmic membrane proteins initiates either active transport or chemotaxis. In order to gain new understanding of the function of MBP, especially its versatility in binding different linear and cyclic oligosaccharides with similar affinities, we have undertaken high-resolution X-ray analysis of three oligosaccharide-bound structures. RESULTS: The structures of MBP complexed with maltose, maltotriose and maltotetraose have been refined to high resolutions (1.67 to 1.8 A). These structures provide details at the atomic level of many features of oligosaccharide binding. The structures reveal differences between buried and surface binding sites and show the importance of hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions, especially those resulting from aromatic residue stacking. Insights are provided into the structural plasticity of the protein, the binding affinity and the binding specificity with respect to alpha/beta anomeric preference and oligosaccharide length. In addition, the structures demonstrate the different conformations that can be adopted by the oligosaccharide within the complex. CONCLUSIONS: MBP has a two-domain structure joined by a hinge-bending region which contains the substrate-binding groove. The bound maltooligosaccharides have a ribbon-like structure: the edges of the ribbon are occupied by polar hydroxyl groups and the flat surfaces are composed of nonpolar patches of the sugar ring faces. The polar groups and nonpolar patches are heavily involved in forming hydrogen bonds and van der Waals contacts, respectively, with complimentary residues in the groove. Hinge-bending between the two domains enables the participation of both domains in the binding and sequestering of the oligosaccharides. Changes in the subtle contours of the binding site allow binding of maltodextrins of varying length with similarly high affinities. The fact that the three bound structures are essentially identical ensures productive interaction with the oligomeric membrane proteins, which are distinct for transport and chemotaxis.

Refined structures of two insertion/deletion mutants probe function of the maltodextrin binding protein.

The X-ray structures of the maltose bound forms of two insertion/deletion mutants of the Escherichia coli maltodextrin binding protein, MalE322 and MalE178, have been determined and refined. MalE322 involves a one residue deletion, two residue insertion in a hinge segment connecting the two (N and C) domains of the protein, an area already identified as being critical for the correct functioning of the protein. MalE178 involves a nine residue deletion and two residue insertion in a helix at the periphery of the C-domain. The function of both mutant proteins is similar to the wild-type, although MalE322 increases the ability to transport maltose and maltodextrin whilst inhibiting the ability of the cell to grow on dextrins. Both proteins exhibit very localized and conservative conformational changes due to their mutations. The structure of MalE322 shows some deformation of the third hinge strand, indicating the likely cause of change in its biochemistry. MalE178 is stable and its activity virtually unchanged from the wild-type. This is most likely due to the long distance of the mutation from the binding site and conservation of the number of interactions between the area around the deletion site and the main body of the protein.

Two crystal forms of the extracellular domain of type I tumor necrosis factor receptor.

The soluble extracellular domain of human type I tumor necrosis factor receptor (sTNFrI) is a 161 residue polypeptide found in serum and urine. This domain tightly binds tumor necrosis factors (TNF) alpha and beta and, as part of the whole receptor, initiates the powerful biological effects of TNF. The extracellular domain, typical of other TNF receptor superfamily members, comprises four cysteine-rich motifs. We have obtained two crystal forms of the sTNFrI. One crystal form is grown at pH 3.7 with MgSO4 as the precipitant. These crystals are orthorhombic, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with cell dimensions a = 78.5 A, b = 85.5 A and c = 67.5 A. A data set to 2.0 resolution has been collected for these crystals. Tetragonal crystals, space group P4(1)2(1)2 (or P4(3)2(1)2), with unit cell dimensions a = 69.0 A and c = 185.5 A are obtained using methylpentanediol as precipitant at pH 8.5. Data to 2.8 A have been measured from these crystals. It appears that both unit cells may contain two molecules in the asymmetric unit. These crystal structures of sTNFrI may reveal possible conformational differences between receptor localized on the cell surface (high pH), the receptor in the endosomal compartments (low pH) and the receptor in a complex with tumor necrosis factor beta. An accurate structure of the receptor and an understanding of its mechanism will provide a basis for rational drug design.

Refined 1.8-A structure reveals the mode of binding of beta-cyclodextrin to the maltodextrin binding protein.

The maltodextrin binding protein from Escherichia coli serves as the initial receptor for both the active transport of and chemotaxis toward a range of linear maltose sugars. The X-ray structures of both the maltose-bound and sugar-free forms of the protein have been previously described [Spurlino, J. C., Lu, G.-Y., & Quiocho, F. A. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 5202-5219; Sharff, A. J., Rodseth, L. E., Spurlino, J. C., & Quocho, F. A. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 10657-10663]. The X-ray crystal structure of the maltodextrin binding protein complexed with cyclomaltoheptaose (beta-cyclodextrin) has been determined from a single crystal. The structure has been refined to a final R-value of 21% at 1.8-A resolution. Although not a physiological ligand for the maltodextrin binding protein, beta-cyclodextrin has been shown to bind with a Kd of the same order as those of the linear maltodextrin substrates. The observed structure shows that the complexed protein remains in the fully open conformation and is almost identical to the structure of the unliganded protein. The sugar sits in the open cleft with three glucosyl units bound to the C-domain at the base of the cleft, in a similar position to maltotriose, the most tightly bound ligand. The top of the ring is loosely bound to the upper edge of the cleft on the N-domain. The sugar makes a total of 94 productive interactions (of less than 4.0-A length) with the protein and with bound water molecules.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Crystallographic evidence of a large ligand-induced hinge-twist motion between the two domains of the maltodextrin binding protein involved in active transport and chemotaxis.

The periplasmic maltodextrin binding protein of Escherichia coli serves as an initial receptor for the active transport of and chemotaxis toward maltooligosaccharides. The three-dimensional structure of the binding protein complexed with maltose has been previously reported [Spurlino, J. C., Lu, G.-Y., & Quiocho, F. A. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 5202-5219]. Here we report the structure of the unliganded form of the binding protein refined to 1.8-A resolution. This structure, combined with that for the liganded form, provides the first crystallographic evidence that a major ligand-induced conformational change occurs in a periplasmic binding protein. The unliganded structure shows a rigid-body "hinge-bending" between the two globular domains by approximately 35 degrees, relative to the maltose-bound structure, opening the sugar binding site groove located between the two domains. In addition, there is an 8 degrees twist of one domain relative to the other domain. The conformational changes observed between this structure and the maltose-bound structure are consistent with current models of maltose/maltodextrin transport and maltose chemotaxis and solidify a mechanism for receptor differentiation between the ligand-free and ligand-bound forms in signal transduction.

Atomic interactions in protein-carbohydrate complexes. Tryptophan residues in the periplasmic maltodextrin receptor for active transport and chemotaxis.

We have refined the 1.9 A resolution crystal structures of two maltodextrin receptor mutants in which tryptophan residues 230 and 232 have been changed to alanine and compared these structures with the refined 1.7 A structure of the wild-type protein. In the wild-type structure, Trp230, which is located in the maltodextrin-binding groove, stacks against the B-face of the reducing sugar of the bound maltose. Trp232, which is located near the protein surface, does not participate directly in sugar binding. Relative to the wild-type structure, neither mutation caused a significant rearrangement in the overall protein structure or in the mode of binding maltose. Although the position once occupied by Trp230 remains empty, a new water molecule has moved near the void. In contrast, a new water molecule has entered into the space once occupied by Trp232. Whereas one hydrogen bond is formed with the water molecule near the Trp230 void, no hydrogen bond is associated with the water molecule occupying the space vacated by Trp232. The three van der Waals' contacts between Trp230 and maltose in the wild-type structure that are lost in the W230A mutation could contribute to the 12-fold decrease in ligand-binding activity of the mutant protein. The W232A mutation causes little change in binding activity. The structures of these mutant proteins also provide some insight into the complicated tryptophan fluorescence spectra of the maltodextrin binding-protein. The change in fluorescence due to the deletion of Trp230 can readily be explained as resulting directly from loss of Trp230 in the sugar-binding site. The change in fluorescence due to deletion of Trp232, however, is ascribed to the modification of local interactions mediated by the binding of maltodextrin since the tryptophan is not directly involved in any sugar-binding interaction.

Crystallization of genetically engineered active maltose-binding proteins, including an immunogenic viral epitope insertion.

Three mutants of the maltose- or maltodextrin-binding protein encoded by the malE gene of Escherichia coli, with extensive genetic changes, have been purified and crystallized in different crystal forms. Two of these mutant proteins, MalE178 and MalE341, carry net deletions of seven and 13 residues, respectively, near the surface of the molecule. These mutations have very little effect on either the transport activity of the mutant strains or the sugar-binding activity of the purified mutant proteins. The third mutant protein involves the insertion of an 11-residue peptide of the C3 epitope from type 1 poliovirus VP1 protein into the MalE178 deletion mutant, with retention of essentially all the biological properties of the wild-type and the immunological properties of the C3 epitope. We are undertaking three-dimensional structure analysis in order to understand how the protein accommodates these large changes in its surface structure and how the C3 epitope retains its immunological properties in this new environment. The same system could be used to determine easily the structures of other peptide epitopes, especially those in proteins with unknown structures.