Dong Hae Shin

High-resolution crystal structure of the non-specific lipid-transfer protein from maize seedlings

BACKGROUND The movement of lipids between membranes is aided by lipid-transfer proteins (LTPs). Some LTPs exhibit broad specificity, transferring many classes of lipids, and are termed non-specific LTPs (ns-LTPs). Despite their apparently similar mode of action, no sequence homology exists between mammalian and plant ns-LTPs and no three-dimensional structure has been reported for any plant ns-LTP. RESULTS We have determined the crystal structure of ns-LTP from maize seedlings by multiple isomorphous replacement and refined the structure to 1.9 A resolution. The protein comprises a single compact domain with four alpha-helices and a long C-terminal region. The eight conserved cysteines form four disulfide bridges (assigned as Cys4-Cys52, Cys14-Cys29, Cys30-Cys75, and Cys50-Cys89) resolving the ambiguity that remained from the chemical determination of pairings in the homologous protein from castor bean. Two of the bonds, Cys4-Cys52 and Cys50-Cys89, differ from what would have been predicted from sequence alignment with soybean hydrophobic protein. The complex between maize ns-LTP and hexadecanoate (palmitate) has also been crystallized and its structure refined to 1.8 A resolution. CONCLUSIONS The fold of maize ns-LTP places it in a new category of all-alpha-type structure, first described for soybean hydrophobic protein. In the absence of a bound ligand, the protein has a tunnel-like hydrophobic cavity, which is large enough to accommodate a long fatty acyl chain. In the structure of the complex with palmitate, most of the acyl chain is buried inside this hydrophobic cavity.

Crystal structure of carboxylesterase from Pseudomonas fluorescens, an α/β hydrolase with broad substrate specificity

Background: A group of esterases, classified as carboxylesterases, hydrolyze carboxylic ester bonds with relatively broad substrate specificity and are useful for stereospecific synthesis and hydrolysis of esters. One such carboxylesterase from Pseudomonas fluorescens is a homodimeric enzyme, consisting of 218-residue subunits. It shows a limited sequence similarity to some members of the α/β hydrolase superfamily. Although crystal structures of a number of serine esterases and lipases have been reported, structural information on carboxylesterases is very limited. This study was undertaken in order to provide such information and to understand a structural basis for the substrate specificity of this carboxylesterase. Results: In this study, the crystal structure of carboxylesterase from P. fluorescens has been determined by the isomorphous replacement method and refined to 1.8 A resolution. Each subunit consists of a central seven-stranded β sheet flanked by six α helices. The structure reveals the catalytic triad as Ser114‐His199‐Asp168. The structure of the enzyme in complex with the inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride has also been determined and refined to 2.5 A. The inhibitor is covalently attached to Ser114 of both subunits, with the aromatic ring occupying a hydrophobic site defined by the aliphatic sidechains of Leu23, Ile58, Ile70, Met73 and Val170. No large structural changes are observed between the free and inhibitorbound structures. Conclusions: Carboxylesterase from P. fluorescens has the α/β hydrolase fold and the Ser‐His‐Asp catalytic triad. The active-site cleft in each subunit is formed by the six loops covering the catalytic serine residue. Three of the active-site loops in each subunit are involved in a head-to-head subunit interaction to form a dimer; it may be these extra structural elements, not seen in other esterases, that account for the inability of carboxylesterase to hydrolyze long chain fatty acids. As a result of dimerization, the active-site clefts from the two subunits merge to form holes in the dimer. The active-site clefts are relatively open and thus the catalytic residues are exposed to the solvent. An oxyanion hole, formed by nitrogen atoms of Leu23 and Gln115, is present in both the free and inhibitor-bound structures. An open active site, as well as a large binding pocket for the acid part of substrates, in P. fluorescens carboxylesterase may contribute to its relatively broad substrate specificity.

Comparison of solution and crystal structures of maize nonspecific lipid transfer protein: a model for a potential in vivo lipid carrier protein.

The three‐dimensional solution structure of maize nonspecific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP) obtained by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is compared to the X‐ray structure. Although both structures are very similar, some local structural differences are observed in the first and the fourth helices and in several side‐chain conformations. These discrepancies arise partly from intermolecular contacts in the crystal lattice. The main characteristic of nsLTP structures is the presence of an internal hydrophobic cavity whose volume was found to vary from 237 to 513 Å3 without major variations in the 15 solution structures. Comparison of crystal and NMR structures shows the existence of another small hollow at the periphery of the protein containing a water molecule in the X‐ray structure, which could play an important structural role. A model of the complexed form of maize nsLTP by α‐lysopalmitoylphosphatidylcholine was built by docking the lipid inside the protein cavity of the NMR structure. The main structural feature is a hydrogen bond found also in the X‐ray structure of the complex maize nsLTP/palmitate between the hydroxyl of Tyr81 and the carbonyl of the lipid. Comparison of 12 primary sequences of nsLTPs emphasizes that all residues delineating the cavities calculated on solution and X‐ray structures are conserved, which suggests that this large cavity is a common feature of all compared plant nsLTPs. Furthermore several conserved basic residues seem to be involved in the stabilization of the protein architecture. Proteins 31:160–171, 1998.