Janos Hajdu

Structure of a cephalosporin synthase

Penicillins and cephalosporins are among the most widely used therapeutic agents. These antibiotics are produced from fermentation-derived materials as their chemical synthesis is not commercially viable. Unconventional steps in their biosynthesis are catalysed by Fe(II)-dependent oxidases/oxygenases; isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS), creates in one step the bicyclic nucleus of penicillins, and deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase (DAOCS) catalyses the expansion of the penicillin nucleus into the nucleus of cephalosporins. Both enzymes use dioxygen-derived ferryl intermediates in catalysis but, in contrast to IPNS, the ferryl form of DAOCS is produced by the oxidative splitting of a co-substrate, 2-oxoglutarate (α-ketoglutarate). This route of controlled ferryl formation and reaction is common to many mononuclear ferrous enzymes, which participate in a broader range of reactions than their well-characterized counterparts, the haem enzymes. Here we report the first crystal structure of a 2-oxoacid-dependent oxygenase. High-resolution structures for apo-DAOCS, the enzyme complexed with Fe(II), and with Fe(II) and 2-oxoglutarate, were obtained from merohedrally twinned crystals. Using a model based on these structures, we propose a mechanism for ferryl formation.

Structure of isopenicillin N synthase complexed with substrate and the mechanism of penicillin formation.

The biosynthesis of penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics in microorganisms requires the formation of the bicyclic nucleus of penicillin. Isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS), a non-haem iron-dependent oxidase, catalyses the reaction of a tripeptide, δ-(L-α-aminoadipoyl)-L-cysteinyl-D-valine (ACV), and dioxygen to form isopenicillin N and two water molecules. Mechanistic studies suggest the reaction is initiated by ligation of the substrate thiolate to the iron centre, and proceeds through an enzyme-bound monocyclic intermediate, (Fig. 1). Here we report the crystal structure of IPNS complexed to ferrous iron and ACV, determined to 1.3 å resolution. Based on the structure, we propose a mechanism for penicillin formation that involves ligation of ACV to the iron centre, creating a vacant iron coordination site into which dioxygen can bind. Subsequently, iron-dioxygen and iron-oxo species remove the requisite hydrogens from ACV without the direct assistance of protein residues (Fig. 2). The crystal structure of the complex with the dioxygen analogue, NO and ACV bound to the active-site iron supports this hypothesis.

Haem-ligand switching during catalysis in crystals of a nitrogen-cycle enzyme.

Cytochrome cd1 nitrite reductase catalyses the conversion of nitrite to nitric oxide in the nitrogen cycle. The crystal structure of the oxidized enzyme shows that the d1 haem iron of the active site is ligated by His/Tyr side chains, and the c haem iron is ligated by a His/His ligand pair. Here we show that both haems undergo re-ligation during catalysis. Upon reduction, the tyrosine ligand of the d1 haem is released to allow substrate binding. Concomitantly, a refolding of the cytochrome c domain takes place, resulting in an unexpected change of the c haem iron coordination from Hisu200917/Hisu200969 to Met106/His69. This step is similar to the last steps in the folding of cytochrome c. The changes must affect the redox potential of the haems, and suggest a mechanism by which internal electron transfer is regulated. Structures of reaction intermediates show how nitric oxide is formed and expelled from the active-site iron, as well as how both haems return to their starting coordination. These results show how redox energy can be switched into conformational energy within a haem protein.

Laue diffraction study on the structure of cytochrome c peroxidase compound I

BACKGROUNDnCytochrome c peroxidase from yeast is a soluble haem-containing protein found in the mitochondrial electron transport chain where it probably protects against toxic peroxides. The aim of this study was to obtain a reliable structure for the doubly oxidized transient intermediate (termed compound I) in the reaction of cytochrome c peroxidase with hydrogen peroxide. This intermediate contains a semistable free radical on Trp191, and an oxyferryl haem group.nnnRESULTSnCompound I was produced in crystals of yeast cytochrome c peroxidase by reacting the crystalline enzyme with hydrogen peroxide in a flow cell. The reaction was monitored by microspectrophotometry and Laue crystallography in separate experiments. A nearly complete conversion to compound I was achieved within two minutes of the addition of hydrogen peroxide, and the concentration of the intermediate remained at similar levels for an additional half an hour. The structure of the intermediate was determined by Laue diffraction. The refined Laue structure for compound I shows clear structural changes at the peroxide-binding site but no significant changes at the radical site. The photographs were processed with a new software package (LEAP), overcoming many of the former problems encountered in extracting structural information from Laue exposures.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe geometry of the haem environment in this protein allows structural changes to be extremely small, similar in magnitude to those observed for the Fe2+/Fe3+ transition in cytochrome c. The results suggest that these molecules have evolved to transfer electrons with a minimal need for structural adjustment.

Calcium binding sites in tomato bushy stunt virus visualized by laue crystallography

We have collected Laue diffraction data from crystals of tomato bushy stunt virus using the full white X-ray spectrum from the wiggler magnet of the Synchrotron Radiation Source at Daresbury, U.K. A single 24 second exposure of a crystal soaked in EDTA yielded a data set that was 90% complete between 6 and 3.5 A resolution. A large proportion of the data could be measured using an overlap deconvolution routine to separate spatially overlapping reflections in the dense Laue photograph. Reflections with I greater than 2 sigma I (40% of the data set) were subjected to wavelength normalization. A difference Fourier map between these reflections and a monochromatic native set showed, after icosahedral averaging, the three pairs of Ca2+ binding sites related by quasi-symmetry and the movement of a liganding loop in the protein at the A/C subunit interface. The extent and quality of the data obtained from a single Laue photograph of this virus were thus sufficient to detect clearly such small structural alterations. In a second experiment, a Laue photograph was taken from a crystal that was soaked first in EDTA and then in GdCl3. A difference Fourier map between this Laue data set and the Laue data set from the EDTA-soaked crystal showed clearly the Gd3+ sites in the capsid, demonstrating that the Laue technique is a reliable and efficient means for data collection with virus crystals.

Structure and Kinetic Properties of Paracoccus Pantotrophus Cytochrome Cd1 Nitrite Reductase with the D1 Heme Active Site Ligand Tyrosine 25 Replaced by Serine

The 1.4-Å crystal structure of the oxidized state of a Y25S variant of cytochrome cd 1nitrite reductase from Paracoccus pantotrophus is described. It shows that loss of Tyr25, a ligand via its hydroxy group to the iron of the d 1 heme in the oxidized (as prepared) wild-type enzyme, does not result in a switch at the c heme of the unusual bishistidinyl coordination to the histidine/methionine coordination seen in other conformations of the enzyme. The Ser25 side chain is seen in two positions in the d 1 heme pocket with relative occupancies of ∼7:3, but in neither case is the hydroxy group bound to the iron atom; instead, a sulfate ion from the crystallization solution is bound between the Ser25 side chain and the heme iron. Unlike the wild-type enzyme, the Y25S mutant is active as a reductase toward nitrite, oxygen, and hydroxylamine without a reductive activation step. It is concluded that Tyr25 is not essential for catalysis of reduction of any substrate, but that the requirement for activation by reduction of the wild-type enzyme is related to a requirement to drive the dissociation of this residue from the active site. The Y25S protein retains the d 1 heme less well than the wild-type protein, suggesting that the tyrosine residue has a role in stabilizing the binding of this cofactor.

Laue film integration and deconvolution of spatially overlapping reflections

Single-crystal synchrotron-radiation Laue photographs of protein crystals and viruses are densely populated and a considerable amount of spatial overlapping of spots often occurs on the films. An integration procedure which enables the efficient deconvolution of these spots in order to obtain their integrated intensity has been developed and implemented. Some results are given for glycogen phosphorylase b and tomato bushy stunt virus. A comparative study of reflections overlapped on one exposure and separated on another, taken from the same crystal at a longer crystal-to-film distance, gives merging statistics comparable to those from the treatment of spatially separated spots only. In all cases the majority of the spatially overlapped data is made available for subsequent analyses.

On the photochemical release of phosphate from 3,5-dinitrophenyl phosphate in a protein crystal

In time-resolved diffraction studies, reaction initiation should ideally be both uniform throughout the body of the crystal and rapid with respect to the reaction under study. Caged compounds have been used in a number of experiments to provide photochemical initiation of catalytic reactions in enzyme crystals. No in situ measurements have been reported so far on the kinetics of photolysis or on the distribution of photolysis products within crystals. With the aid of a fast single-crystal microspectrophotometer, we performed quantitative studies on the photolysis of a caged compound, 3,5-dinitrophenyl phosphate, in crystals of glycogen phosphorylase b. The results show that for concentrations required in kinetic experiments, the photolytic release of phosphate from 3,5-dinitrophenyl phosphate is restricted to a thin surface layer only. The liberated substrate is then transported by diffusion into the body of the crystal. In effect, the speed of reaction initiation is limited by the rate of diffusion rather than by the rate of the photochemical reaction. The paper discusses general criteria and experimental strategies for the successful use of photoreactive protective groups in time-resolved diffraction experiments.

A two-step purification procedure for sheep liver 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase

A two-step procedure for the purification of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.44; 6-PGDH) from sheep liver is described. The enzyme is directly bound to cellulose phosphate by batch extraction and eluted with a linear salt gradient. Purification is completed by affinity chromatography using NADP(+)-agarose. The result is 6-PGDH of high purity, greatly increased yield, and the highest specific activity yet achieved, with a significant reduction in the purification time.

Laue Crystallography: Application to Virus Crystals

Seventy-six years ago, Friedrich, Knipping and von Laue (1912) demonstrated the diffraction of X-rays on a crystal of copper sulphate using white X-radiation. With a stationary crystal and white X-radiation, a large number of lattice planes diffract simultaneously as the Bragg condition is satisfied for each of these planes by at least one wavelength of the spectrum. The wider the wavelength range the more lattice planes become accessible to the Laue geometry (Amoros et al., 1975; Cruickshank et al., 1987). Moreover, with crystals of high symmetry, a full data set may be recorded on a single photograph. The Laue technique did not become a method of data collection because conventional X-ray sources do not have a satisfactory spectrum and because of the difficulties in unravelling the complicated diffraction patterns.