Active membrane transport and receptor proteins from bacteria.

A general strategy for the expression of bacterial membrane transport and receptor genes in Escherichia coli is described. Expression is amplified so that the encoded proteins comprise 5-35% of E. coli inner membrane protein. Depending upon their topology, proteins are produced with RGSH6 or a Strep tag at the C-terminus. These enable purification in mg quantities for crystallization and NMR studies. Examples of one nutrient uptake and one multidrug extrusion protein from Helicobacter pylori are described. This strategy is successful for membrane proteins from H. pylori, E. coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Microbacterium liquefaciens, Brucella abortus, Brucella melitensis, Campylobacter jejuni, Neisseria meningitides, Streptomyces coelicolor and Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Understanding the mechanism of ice binding by type III antifreeze proteins.

Type III antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are present in the body fluids of some polar fishes where they inhibit ice growth at subzero temperatures. Previous studies of the structure of type III AFP by NMR and X-ray identified a remarkably flat surface on the protein containing amino acids that were demonstrated to be important for interaction with ice by mutational studies. It was proposed that this protein surface binds onto the (1 0 [\bar 1] 0) plane of ice with the key amino acids interacting directly with the water molecules in the ice crystal. Here, we show that the mechanism of type III AFP interaction with ice crystals is more complex than that proposed previously. We report a high-resolution X-ray structure of type III AFP refined at 1.15 A resolution with individual anisotropic temperature factors. We report the results of ice-etching experiments that show a broad surface coverage, suggesting that type III AFP binds to a set of planes that are parallel with or inclined at a small angle to the crystallographic c-axis of the ice crystal. Our modelling studies, performed with the refined structure, confirm that type III AFP can make energetically favourable interactions with several ice surfaces.

The molecular basis of vancomycin resistance in clinically relevant Enterococci: crystal structure of D-alanyl-D-lactate ligase (VanA).

d-alanine-d-lactate ligase from Enterococcus faecium BM4147 is directly responsible for the biosynthesis of alternate cell-wall precursors in bacteria, which are resistant to the glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin. The crystal structure has been determined with data extending to 2.5-A resolution. This structure shows that the active site has unexpected interactions and is distinct from previous models for d-alanyl-d-lactate ligase mechanistic studies. It appears that the preference of the enzyme for lactate as a ligand over d-alanine could be mediated by electrostatic effects and/or a hydrogen-bonding network, which principally involve His-244. The structure of d-alanyl-d-lactate ligase provides a revised interpretation of the molecular events that lead to vancomycin resistance.

Vancomycin resistance in enterococci: reprogramming of the D-ala-D-Ala ligases in bacterial peptidoglycan biosynthesis.

Vancomycin binds to bacterial cell-wall intermediates to achieve its antibiotic effect. Infections of vancomycin-resistant enterococci are, however, becoming an increasing problem; the bacteria are resistant because they synthesize different cell-wall intermediates. The enzymes involved in cell-wall biosynthesis, therefore, are potential targets for combating this resistance. Recent biochemical and crystallographic results are providing mechanistic and structural details about some of these targets.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray characterization of VanA from Enterococcus faecium BM4147: towards the molecular basis of bacterial resistance to the glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin.

A recombinant form of Enterococcus facieum BM4147 D-alanine-D-lactate ligase (VanA) has been prepared and crystallized. VanA was found to crystallize only in the presence of a phosphinate inhibitor analogue of D-alanine-D-alanine. The crystals grow in 40-45% ammonium sulfate, 0.1 M 3-(N-morpholino)-propanesulfonic acid pH 6.0 and reach dimensions of 0.4 x 0.2 x 0.1 mm. The crystals diffract to at least 2.5 A and are in the centred orthorhombic space group C222(1), with unit-cell dimensions a = 123.2, b = 225.4, c = 72.4 A.

The N-terminal domain of human topoisomerase IIalpha is a DNA-dependent ATPase.

We have constructed clones encoding N-terminal fragments of human DNA topoisomerase IIalpha. We show that the N-terminal domain (approximately 50 kDa) has an intrinsic ATPase activity that can be stimulated by DNA. The enzyme obeys Michaelis-Menten kinetics showing a approximately 6-fold increase in kcat in the presence of DNA. Cross-linking studies indicate that the N-terminal domain is a dimer in the absence and presence of nucleotides. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we have identified the catalytic residue for ATP hydrolysis as Glu86. Phosphorylation of the N-terminal domain with protein kinase C does not affect the ATPase activity. The ATPase domain of human topoisomerase IIalpha shows significant differences from its counterpart in DNA gyrase and we discuss the mechanistic implications of these data.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a bifunctional enzyme: HHDD isomerase/OPET decarboxylase from Escherichia coli.

A bifunctional enzyme, 2-hydroxyhepta-2,4,-diene-l,7-dioate isomerase/5-oxopent-3-ene-1,2,5-tricarboxylate decarboxylase from the homoprotocatechaute (HPC) degradative pathway of Escherichia coli has been crystallized, using polyethylene glycol as a precipitant. The enzyme, of molecular weight 44 514 Da forms crystals belonging to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with cell dimensions a = 106, b = 127 and c = 139 A. The crystals diffract to at least 2.2 A resolution using synchrotron radiation. A complete native data set has been collected to 3.3 A resolution. The Matthews number calculated for a single molecule in the asymmetric unit is outside the normally acceptable limits and the aggregation state of the molecules in the crystal was investigated using self-rotation function studies, the results show features which are consistent with a tetramer in the asymmetric unit, giving a V(m) value of 2.7 A(3) Da(-1).

Enzymatic ketonization of 2-hydroxymuconate: specificity and mechanism investigated by the crystal structures of two isomerases.

5-Carboxymethyl-2-hydroxymuconate isomerase (CHMI) and 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase (4-OT) are enzymes that catalyze the isomerization of unsaturated ketones. They share a common enzyme mechanism, although they show a preference for different substrates. There is no apparent sequence homology between the enzymes. To investigate the molecular mechanism and the basis for their substrate specificity, we have determined the crystal structures of the two enzymes at high resolution. 4-OT is hexameric, with the subunits arranged with 32 symmetry. CHMI is trimeric and has extensive contacts between subunits, which include secondary structural elements. The central core of the CHMI monomer has a fold similar to a 4-OT dimer, but the secondary structural elements that form the subunit contacts around the 3-fold axis are different in the two enzymes. The region of greatest similarity between the two enzymes is a large pocket that is proposed to be the active site. The enzymes appear to operate via a "one-base" mechanism, and the possible role of residues in this pocket is discussed in view of this idea. Finally, the molecular basis for substrate specificity in the two enzymes is discussed.

Sequence of the hpcC and hpcG genes of the meta-fission homoprotocatechuic acid pathway of Escherichia coli C: nearly 40% amino-acid identity with the analogous enzymes of the catechol pathway.

The meta-fission pathway for homoprotocatechuic acid (HPC) catabolism is chemically analogous to the oxidative meta-fission pathway for catechol degradation and so provides an opportunity to investigate how the enzymes of chemically similar, but specific, pathways might have arisen. Two more genes of the HPC pathway from Escherichia coli C, hpcC, encoding 5-carboxymethyl-2-hydroxymuconic acid semialdehyde (CHMS) dehydrogenase, and hpcG, encoding 2-oxohept-3-ene-1,7-dioic acid (OHED) hydratase, have now been sequenced to aid this analysis. The CHMS dehydrogenase showed 40% amino acid (aa) sequence identity with the corresponding enzyme of the catechol pathway, and the OHED hydratase showed 36% aa sequence identity with the catechol pathway hydratase. The CHMS dehydrogenase is a member of the aldehyde dehydrogenase superfamily that includes enzymes from animal, plant and microbial sources. Since it appears that the dioxygenase, isomerase and decarboxylase enzymes of the two pathways are not closely related, it is proposed that the two sets of enzymes have arisen separately, but with the muconic acid semialdehyde dehydrogenases and the hydratases being recruited, respectively, from the same ancestral sources.

Preliminary crystallographic analysis of 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase reveals the oligomeric structure of the enzyme.

Crystals of recombinant 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase from Pseudomonas sp. strain CF600 have been obtained in a form suitable for X-ray analysis. The enzyme is a highly efficient catalyst and is unusual in that it consists of subunits of only 62 amino acids. It crystallises in the triclinic space group, P1, with unit cell dimensions a = 39.6 A, b = 51.5 A, c = 51.6 A, alpha = 60.0 degrees, beta = 81.4 degrees, gamma = 69.6 degrees. The crystals diffract to beyond 1.9 A resolution and are stable to irradiation with X-rays. Preliminary crystallographic data are not consistent with the previously suggested pentameric structure, but indicate that the complex is in fact a hexamer with 32 symmetry.

Allosteric activation in Bacillus stearothermophilus lactate dehydrogenase investigated by an X-ray crystallographic analysis of a mutant designed to prevent tetramerization of the enzyme.

The crystal structure of a mutant Bacillus stearothermophilus lactate dehydrogenase, into which an additional loop has been engineered in order to prevent tetramerization of the enzyme, has been solved and refined at 2.4 A. The minimal repeat unit in the crystal is a dimer and the tetramer cannot be generated by any of the crystallographic symmetry operations in P2(1). The loop protrudes out into the solvent, stabilized by a good hydrogen bonding arrangement, and clearly sterically hinders tetramer formation. This is the first structure of B. stearothermophilus lactate dehydrogenase (bsLDH) in which the allosteric activator fructose, 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) is not present. To investigate the mechanism of allosteric activation in this enzyme we have compared the structure with a ternary complex of B. stearothermophilus lactate dehydrogenase. Many of our observations confirm those reported from a comparison of FBP-bound ternary bsLDH complex with an FBP free LDH from another bacterial source, Bifidobacterium longum. Our results suggest that quaternary structural alterations may have less influence on the mechanism than previously reported. The differences in the quaternary structural behaviour of these two enzymes is discussed.

Purification, nucleotide sequence and some properties of a bifunctional isomerase/decarboxylase from the homoprotocatechuate degradative pathway of Escherichia coli C.

A 1.8-kbp region of DNA that appeared from deletion subcloning to code for 2-hydroxyhepta-2,4-diene-1,7-dioate isomerase and 5-oxopent-3-ene-1,2,5-tricarboxylate decarboxylase was investigated further. By nucleotide sequencing, a single open reading frame was found encoding a polypeptide of M(r)44514. One of the deletion subclones expressed the decarboxylase and isomerase activities at elevated levels and was used to facilitate purification of the enzyme(s). Both activities copurified, indicating that they were distinct activities of the same protein. Some kinetic properties of the purified isomerase/decarboxylase protein were investigated and it was shown that there is a 49,000-fold preference for 2-hydroxyhepta-2,4-diene-1,7-dioate over the structurally related compound 5-carboxymethyl-2-hydroxymuconate, the substrate of a second isomerase in the same catabolic pathway. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of the two isomerases showed only a low level of similarity, suggesting that these two enzymes are not evolutionarily related. However, comparison of the N-terminal half of the isomerase/decarboxylase sequence (residues 1-202) with the second half (residues 203-406) showed significant similarity, suggesting that a duplication may have occurred to produce the bifunctional gene.

The Escherichia coli C homoprotocatechuate degradative operon: hpc gene order, direction of transcription and control of expression.

Homoprotocatechuate (HPC; 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate) is catabolized to Krebs cycle intermediates via extradiol (meta-) cleavage and the necessary enzymes are chromosomally encoded in a variety of bacteria. Based on an analysis of the cloned pathway genes, the Escherichia coli C hpc gene cluster was thought to be arranged in two gene blocks transcribed from a central, divergent, operator/promoter region, which was negatively regulated by the Hpc repressor. By a variety of techniques including expression of cloned hpc genes in pUC18/19 vectors, unidirectional deletion subcloning, hybridization studies and nucleotide sequencing it has now been shown that the hpc pathway structural genes are transcribed in one direction. These experiments have also indicated that a decarboxylase and an isomerase of the pathway are encoded by a single gene (hpcE) and have established the exact structural gene order as hpcRphpcECBDGH. The position of the putative regulatory gene, hpcR, is upstream of the first structural gene (hpcE) for the Hpc pathway enzymes. The deduced open reading frame for the Hpc repressor specifies a protein of 148 amino acids with a subunit molecular weight of 17 kDa. The region between hpcR and the first gene for the pathway enzymes has a sequence similar to that for catabolite activator protein (CAP) binding. This region is immediately upstream of a promoter for the pathway structural genes, which has been identified by transcript mapping.

The structural consequences of exchanging tryptophan and tyrosine residues in B. stearothermophilus lactate dehydrogenase.

A mutant Bacillus stearothermophilus lactate dehydrogenase has been prepared in which all three tryptophan residues in the wild-type enzyme have been replaced by tyrosines. In addition, a tyrosine residue has been mutated to a tryptophan, which acts as a fluorescence probe to monitor protein folding. The mutant enzyme crystallizes in the same crystal form as the wild-type. The crystal structure of the mutant has been determined at 2.8 A resolution. Solution studies have suggested that there is little effect upon the mutant enzyme as judged by its kinetic properties. Comparison of the crystal structures of the mutant and wild-type enzymes confirms this conclusion, and reveals that alterations in structure in the region of these mutations are of a similar magnitude to those observed throughout the structure, and are not significant when compared with the errors in atomic positions expected for a structure at this resolution.

Subcloning and nucleotide sequence of the 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate (homoprotocatechuate) 2,3-dioxygenase gene from Escherichia coli C.

A cloned gene encoding the Escherichia coli C homoprotocatechuate (HPC) dioxygenase, an aromatic ring cleavage enzyme, was used to produce large amounts of the protein. Preparations of E. coli C HPC dioxygenase, whether expressed from the cloned gene or produced by the bacterium, lost activity very rapidly. The pure protein showed one type of subunit of Mr 33,000. The first 21 N-terminal amino acids were sequenced and the data used to confirm that the open reading frame of 831 bp, identified from the nucleotide sequence, encoded HPC dioxygenase. Comparison of the derived amino acid sequence with those of other extradiol and intradiol dioxygenases showed no obvious similarity to any of them.

Purification, some properties and nucleotide sequence of 5-carboxymethyl-2-hydroxymuconate isomerase of Escherichia coli C.

As part of an investigation into the evolution of catabolic pathway enzymes a cloned gene encoding the Escherichia coli C 5-carboxymethyl-2-hydroxymuconate (CHM) isomerase, an enzyme of the homoprotocatechuate catabolic pathway, was used to produce large amounts of the protein. The isomerase was purified to homogeneity and some of its properties determined. The reaction occurred optimally at pH 7.6 and the specificity constant was 5.8 x 10(5) M-1.s-1 with CHM and 6.0 x 10(2) M-1.s-1 with 2-hydroxyhepta-2,4-diene-1,7-dioate, the substrate of a second isomerase in the pathway. The pure protein showed one type of subunit of Mr 14,000 whilst the molecular mass of the native enzyme was 30,000, suggesting that it was a dimer of identical subunits. The first 19 N-terminal amino acids were sequenced and the data used to confirm that the open reading frame of 378 bp, identified from the nucleotide sequence, encoded the CHM isomerase.

Preliminary crystallographic analysis of 5-carboxymethyl-2-hydroxymuconate isomerase from Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli 5-carboxymethyl-2-hydroxymuconate (CHM) isomerase was purified from an overexpressing cell line. The enzyme has been crystallized from ammonium sulphate in two different crystal forms. One of these has been analysed and found to be orthorhombic I222 or I2(1)2(1)2(1) with cell dimensions a = 88 A, b = 89 A, c = 121 A. The asymmetric unit contains two dimers (Vm = 2.11 A3/dalton). The crystals diffract to beyond 3.0 A resolution and are stable to irradiation with X-rays. Data have been collected to 3.0 A resolution and a search for potential heavy-metal derivatives is in progress.