Faik N. Musayev

Structure and properties of recombinant human pyridoxine 5'-phosphate oxidase

Pyridoxine 5′‐phosphate oxidase catalyzes the terminal step in the synthesis of pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate. The cDNA for the human enzyme has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified human enzyme is a homodimer that exhibits a low catalytic rate constant of ∼0.2 sec−1 and Km values in the low micromolar range for both pyridoxine 5′phosphate and pyridoxamine 5′‐phosphate. Pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate is an effective product inhibitor. The three‐dimensional fold of the human enzyme is very similar to those of the E. coli and yeast enzymes. The human and E. coli enzymes share 39% sequence identity, but the binding sites for the tightly bound FMN and substrate are highly conserved. As observed with the E. coli enzyme, the human enzyme binds one molecule of pyridoxal 5′‐phosphate tightly on each subunit.

Crystal Structures of the BlaI Repressor from Staphylococcus aureus and Its Complex with DNA: Insights into Transcriptional Regulation of the bla and mec Operons

The 14-kDa BlaI protein represses the transcription of blaZ, the gene encoding beta-lactamase. It is homologous to MecI, which regulates the expression of mecA, the gene encoding the penicillin binding protein PBP2a. These genes mediate resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics in staphylococci. Both repressors can bind either bla or mec DNA promoter-operator sequences. Regulated resistance genes are activated via receptor-mediated cleavage of the repressors. Cleavage is induced when beta-lactam antibiotics bind the extramembrane sensor of the sensor-transducer signaling molecules, BlaR1 or MecR1. The crystal structures of BlaI from Staphylococcus aureus, both in free form and in complex with 32 bp of DNA of the mec operator, have been determined to 2.0- and 2.7-A resolutions, respectively. The structure of MecI, also in free form and in complex with the bla operator, has been previously reported. Both repressors form homodimers, with each monomer composed of an N-terminal DNA binding domain of winged helix-turn-helix topology and a C-terminal dimerization domain. The structure of BlaI in complex with the mec operator shows a protein-DNA interface that is conserved between both mec and bla targets. The recognition helix alpha3 interacts specifically with the conserved TACA/TGTA DNA binding motif. BlaI and, probably, MecI dimers bind to opposite faces of the mec DNA double helix in an up-and-down arrangement, whereas MecI and, probably, BlaI dimers bind to the same DNA face of bla promoter-operator DNA. This is due to the different spacing of mec and bla DNA binding sites. Furthermore, the flexibility of the dimeric proteins may make the C-terminal proteolytic cleavage site more accessible when the repressors are bound to DNA than when they are in solution, suggesting that the induction cascade involves bound rather than free repressor.

Structure of human erythrocyte catalase.

Catalase (E.C. 1.11.1.6) was purified from human erythrocytes and crystallized in three different forms: orthorhombic, hexagonal and tetragonal. The structure of the orthorhombic crystal form of human erythrocyte catalase (HEC), with space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and unit-cell parameters a = 84.9, b = 141.7, c = 232.5 A, was determined and refined with 2.75 A resolution data. Non-crystallographic symmetry restraints were employed and the resulting R value and R(free) were 0.206 and 0.272, respectively. The overall structure and arrangement of HEC molecules in the orthorhombic unit cell were very similar to those of bovine liver catalase (BLC). However, no NADPH was observed in the HEC crystal and a water was bound to the active-site residue His75. Conserved lattice interactions suggested a common growth mechanism for the orthorhombic crystals of HEC and BLC.

Crystal structure of human pyridoxal kinase: Structural basis of M + and M2+ activation

Pyridoxal kinase catalyzes the transfer of a phosphate group from ATP to the 5′ alcohol of pyridoxine, pyridoxamine, and pyridoxal. In this work, kinetic studies were conducted to examine monovalent cation dependence of human pyridoxal kinase kinetic parameters. The results show that hPLK affinity for ATP and PL is increased manyfold in the presence of K+ when compared to Na+; however, the maximal activity of the Na+ form of the enzyme is more than double the activity in the presence of K+. Other monovalent cations, Li+, Cs+, and Rb+ do not show significant activity. We have determined the crystal structure of hPLK in the unliganded form, and in complex with MgATP to 2.0 and 2.2 Å resolution, respectively. Overall, the two structures show similar open conformation, and likely represent the catalytically idle state. The crystal structure of the MgATP complex also reveals Mg2+ and Na+ acting in tandem to anchor the ATP at the active site. Interestingly, the active site of hPLK acts as a sink to bind several molecules of MPD. The features of monovalent and divalent metal cation binding, active site structure, and vitamin B6 specificity are discussed in terms of the kinetic and structural studies, and are compared with those of the sheep and Escherichia coli enzymes.

Characterization of the Staphylococcus aureus rRNA Methyltransferase Encoded by orfX, the Gene Containing the Staphylococcal Chromosome Cassette mec (SCCmec) Insertion Site

Background: orfX is a gene of unknown function and is conserved in all staphylococci. Results: OrfX methylates 70 S ribosomes, and the crystallographic dimer binds two molecules of the substrate S-adenosyl-l-methionine, one in each active site. Conclusion: OrfX is a staphylococcal ribosomal methyltransferase of the RlmH type. Significance: This is the first time that an RlmH-type methyltransferase has been co-crystallized with its substrate. The gene orfX is conserved among all staphylococci, and its complete sequence is maintained upon insertion of the staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec) genomic island, containing the gene encoding resistance to β-lactam antibiotics (mecA), into its C terminus. The function of OrfX has not been determined. We show that OrfX was constitutively produced during growth, that orfX could be inactivated without altering bacterial growth, and that insertion of SCCmec did not alter gene expression. We solved the crystal structure of OrfX at 1.7 Å and found that it belongs to the S-adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet)-dependent α/β-knot superfamily of SPOUT methyltransferases (MTases), with a high structural homology to YbeA, the gene product of the Escherichia coli 70 S ribosomal MTase RlmH. MTase activity was confirmed by demonstrating the OrfX-dependent methylation of the Staphylococcus aureus 70 S ribosome. When OrfX was crystallized in the presence of its AdoMet substrate, we found that each monomer of the homodimeric structure bound AdoMet in its active site. Solution studies using isothermal titration calorimetry confirmed that each monomer bound AdoMet but with different binding affinities (Kd = 52 ± 0.4 and 606 ± 2 μm). In addition, the structure shows that the AdoMet-binding pocket, formed by a deep trefoil knot, contains a bound phosphate molecule, which is the likely nucleotide methylation site. This study represents the first characterization of a staphylococcal ribosomal MTase and provides the first crystal structure of a member of the α/β-knot superfamily of SPOUT MTases in the RlmH or COG1576 family with bound AdoMet.

Molecular Basis of Reduced Pyridoxine 5′-Phosphate Oxidase Catalytic Activity in Neonatal Epileptic Encephalopathy Disorder

Mutations in pyridoxine 5′-phosphate oxidase are known to cause neonatal epileptic encephalopathy. This disorder has no cure or effective treatment and is often fatal. Pyridoxine 5′-phosphate oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of pyridoxine 5′-phosphate to pyridoxal 5′-phosphate, the active cofactor form of vitamin B6 required by more than 140 different catalytic activities, including enzymes involved in amino acid metabolism and biosynthesis of neurotransmitters. Our aim is to elucidate the mechanism by which a homozygous missense mutation (R229W) in the oxidase, linked to neonatal epileptic encephalopathy, leads to reduced oxidase activity. The R229W variant is ∼850-fold less efficient than the wild-type enzyme due to an ∼192-fold decrease in pyridoxine 5′-phosphate affinity and an ∼4.5-fold decrease in catalytic activity. There is also an ∼50-fold reduction in the affinity of the R229W variant for the FMN cofactor. A 2.5 Å crystal structure of the R229W variant shows that the substitution of Arg-229 at the FMN binding site has led to a loss of hydrogen-bond and/or salt-bridge interactions between FMN and Arg-229 and Ser-175. Additionally, the mutation has led to an alteration of the configuration of a β-strand-loop-β-strand structure at the active site, resulting in loss of two critical hydrogen-bond interactions involving residues His-227 and Arg-225, which are important for substrate binding and orientation for catalysis. These results provide a molecular basis for the phenotype associated with the R229W mutation, as well as providing a foundation for understanding the pathophysiological consequences of pyridoxine 5′-phosphate oxidase mutations.

Structure of relaxed-state human hemoglobin: insight into ligand uptake, transport and release.

Hemoglobin was one of the first protein structures to be determined by X-ray crystallography and served as a basis for the two-state MWC model for the mechanism of allosteric proteins. Since then, there has been an ongoing debate about whether Hb allostery involves the unliganded tense T state and the liganded relaxed R state or whether it involves the T state and an ensemble of liganded relaxed states. In fact, the former model is inconsistent with many functional observations, as well as the recent discoveries of several relaxed-state Hb structures such as RR2, R3 and R2. One school of thought has suggested the R2 state to be the physiologically relevant relaxed end state, with the R state mediating the T-->R2 transition. X-ray studies have been performed on human carbonmonoxy Hb at a resolution of 2.8 A. The ensuing liganded quaternary structure is different from previously reported liganded Hb structures. The distal beta-heme pocket is the largest when compared with other liganded Hb structures, partly owing to rotation of betaHis63(E7) out of the distal pocket, creating a ligand channel to the solvent. The structure also shows unusually smaller alpha- and beta-clefts. Results from this study taken in conjunction with previous findings suggest that multiple liganded Hb states with different quaternary structures may be involved in ligand uptake, stabilization, transport and release.

Crystallographic analysis of human hemoglobin elucidates the structural basis of the potent and dual antisickling activity of pyridyl derivatives of vanillin

Vanillin has previously been studied clinically as an antisickling agent to treat sickle-cell disease. In vitro investigations with pyridyl derivatives of vanillin, including INN-312 and INN-298, showed as much as a 90-fold increase in antisickling activity compared with vanillin. The compounds preferentially bind to and modify sickle hemoglobin (Hb S) to increase the affinity of Hb for oxygen. INN-312 also led to a considerable increase in the solubility of deoxygenated Hb S under completely deoxygenated conditions. Crystallographic studies of normal human Hb with INN-312 and INN-298 showed that the compounds form Schiff-base adducts with the N-terminus of the α-subunits to constrain the liganded (or relaxed-state) Hb conformation relative to the unliganded (or tense-state) Hb conformation. Interestingly, while INN-298 binds and directs its meta-positioned pyridine-methoxy moiety (relative to the aldehyde moiety) further down the central water cavity of the protein, that of INN-312, which is ortho to the aldehyde, extends towards the surface of the protein. These studies suggest that these compounds may act to prevent sickling of SS cells by increasing the fraction of the soluble high-affinity Hb S and/or by stereospecific inhibition of deoxygenated Hb S polymerization.

Crystallographic Trapping of Heme Loss Intermediates during the Nitrite-Induced Degradation of Human Hemoglobin.

Heme is an important cofactor in a large number of essential proteins and is often involved in small molecule binding and activation. Loss of heme from proteins thus negatively affects the function of these proteins but is also an important component of iron recycling. The characterization of intermediates that form during the loss of heme from proteins has been problematic, in a large part, because of the instability of such intermediates. We have characterized, by X-ray crystallography, three compounds that form during the nitrite-induced degradation of human α(2)β(2) hemoglobin (Hb). The first is an unprecedented complex that exhibits a large β heme displacement of 4.8 Å toward the protein exterior; the heme displacement is stabilized by the binding of the distal His residue to the heme Fe, which in turn allows for the unusual binding of an exogenous ligand on the proximal face of the heme. We have also structurally characterized complexes that display regiospecific nitration of the heme at the 2-vinyl position; we show that heme nitration is not a prerequisite for heme loss. Our results provide structural insight into a possible pathway for nitrite-induced loss of heme from human Hb.

Structural and functional divergence within the Dim1/KsgA family of rRNA methyltransferases.

The enzymes of the KsgA/Dim1 family are universally distributed throughout all phylogeny; however, structural and functional differences are known to exist. The well-characterized function of these enzymes is to dimethylate two adjacent adenosines of the small ribosomal subunit in the normal course of ribosome maturation, and the structures of KsgA from Escherichia coli and Dim1 from Homo sapiens and Plasmodium falciparum have been determined. To this point, no examples of archaeal structures have been reported. Here, we report the structure of Dim1 from the thermophilic archaeon Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. While it shares obvious similarities with the bacterial and eukaryotic orthologs, notable structural differences exist among the three members, particularly in the C-terminal domain. Previous work showed that eukaryotic and archaeal Dim1 were able to robustly complement for KsgA in E. coli. Here, we repeated similar experiments to test for complementarity of archaeal Dim1 and bacterial KsgA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, neither the bacterial nor the archaeal ortholog could complement for the eukaryotic Dim1. This might be related to the secondary, non-methyltransferase function that Dim1 is known to play in eukaryotic ribosomal maturation. To further delineate regions of the eukaryotic Dim1 critical to its function, we created and tested KsgA/Dim1 chimeras. Of the chimeras, only one constructed with the N-terminal domain from eukaryotic Dim1 and the C-terminal domain from archaeal Dim1 was able to complement, suggesting that eukaryotic-specific Dim1 function resides in the N-terminal domain also, where few structural differences are observed between members of the KsgA/Dim1 family. Future work is required to identify those determinants directly responsible for Dim1 function in ribosome biogenesis. Finally, we have conclusively established that none of the methyl groups are critically important to growth in yeast under standard conditions at a variety of temperatures.