Julia Sanz-Aparicio

The crystal structure of Canavalia brasiliensis lectin suggests a correlation between its quaternary conformation and its distinct biological properties from Concanavalin A.

© 1997 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Synthesis and Structure of New Pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine Derivatives with Calcium Channel Antagonist Activity

We gratefully acknowledge to ALTER S. A. for studentship (to A. P and R. A.) and financial support

Probing the Determinants of Coenzyme Specificity in Ferredoxin-NADP+ Reductase by Site-directed Mutagenesis

On the basis of sequence and three-dimensional structure comparison between Anabaena PCC7119 ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR) and other reductases from its structurally related family that bind either NADP+/H or NAD+/H, a set of amino acid residues that might determine the FNR coenzyme specificity can be assigned. These residues include Thr-155, Ser-223, Arg-224, Arg-233 and Tyr-235. Systematic replacement of these amino acids was done to identify which of them are the main determinants of coenzyme specificity. Our data indicate that all of the residues interacting with the 2′-phosphate of NADP+/H in Anabaena FNR are not involved to the same extent in determining coenzyme specificity and affinity. Thus, it is found that Ser-223 and Tyr-235 are important for determining NADP+/H specificity and orientation with respect to the protein, whereas Arg-224 and Arg-233 provide only secondary interactions in Anabaena FNR. The analysis of the T155G FNR form also indicates that the determinants of coenzyme specificity are not only situated in the 2′-phosphate NADP+/H interacting region but that other regions of the protein must be involved. These regions, although not interacting directly with the coenzyme, must produce specific structural arrangements of the backbone chain that determine coenzyme specificity. The loop formed by residues 261–268 inAnabaena FNR must be one of these regions.

Fructo-oligosaccharide synthesis by mutant versions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae invertase

ABSTRACT Efficient enzymatic synthesis of tailor-made prebiotic fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) used in functional food formulation is a relevant biotechnological objective. We have engineered the Saccharomyces cerevisiae invertase (Suc2) to improve its transferase activity and to identify the enzymatic determinants for product specificity. Amino acid replacement (W19Y, N21S, N24S) within a conserved motif (β-fructosidase) specifically increased the synthesis of 6-kestose up to 10-fold. Mutants with lower substrate (sucrose) affinity produced FOS with longer half-lives. A mutation (P205V) adjacent to another conserved motif (EC) caused a 6-fold increment in 6-kestose yield. Docking studies with a Suc2 modeled structure defined a putative acceptor substrate binding subsite constituted by Trp 291 and Asn 228. Mutagenesis studies confirmed the implication of Asn 228 in directing the orientation of the sucrose molecule for the specific synthesis of β(2,6) linkages.

Structural and kinetic analysis of Schwanniomyces occidentalis invertase reveals a new oligomerization pattern and the role of its supplementary domain in substrate binding

Schwanniomyces occidentalis invertase is an extracellular enzyme that hydrolizes sucrose and releases β-fructose from various oligosaccharides and essential storage fructan polymers such as inulin. We report here the three-dimensional structure of Sw. occidentalis invertase at 2.9 Å resolution and its complex with fructose at 1.9 Å resolution. The monomer presents a bimodular arrangement common to other GH32 enzymes, with an N-terminal 5-fold β-propeller catalytic domain and a C-terminal β-sandwich domain for which the function has been unknown until now. However, the dimeric nature of Sw. occidentalis invertase reveals a unique active site cleft shaped by both subunits that may be representative of other yeast enzymes reported to be multimeric. Binding of the tetrasaccharide nystose and the polymer inulin was explored by docking analysis, which suggested that medium size and long substrates are recognized by residues from both subunits. The identified residues were mutated, and the enzymatic activity of the mutants against sucrose, nystose, and inulin were investigated by kinetic analysis. The replacements that showed the largest effect on catalytic efficiency were Q228V, a residue putatively involved in nystose and inulin binding, and S281I, involved in a polar link at the dimer interface. Moreover, a significant decrease in catalytic efficiency against inulin was observed in the mutants Q435A and Y462A, both located in the β-sandwich domain of the second monomer. This highlights the essential function that oligomerization plays in substrate specificity and assigns, for the first time, a direct catalytic role to the supplementary domain of a GH32 enzyme.

Probing the determinants of substrate specificity of a feruloyl esterase, AnFaeA, from Aspergillus niger

Feruloyl esterases hydrolyse phenolic groups involved in the cross‐linking of arabinoxylan to other polymeric structures. This is important for opening the cell wall structure making material more accessible to glycoside hydrolases. Here we describe the crystal structure of inactive S133A mutant of type‐A feruloyl esterase from Aspergillus niger (AnFaeA) in complex with a feruloylated trisaccharide substrate. Only the ferulic acid moiety of the substrate is visible in the electron density map, showing interactions through its OH and OCH3 groups with the hydroxyl groups of Tyr80. The importance of aromatic and polar residues in the activity of AnFaeA was also evaluated using site‐directed mutagenesis. Four mutant proteins were heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris, and their kinetic properties determined against methyl esters of ferulic, sinapic, caffeic and p‐coumaric acid. The kcat of Y80S, Y80V, W260S and W260V was drastically reduced compared to that of the wild‐type enzyme. However, the replacement of Tyr80 and Trp260 with smaller residues broadened the substrate specificity of the enzyme, allowing the hydrolysis of methyl caffeate. The role of Tyr80 and Trp260 in AnFaeA are discussed in light of the three‐dimensional structure.

Synthesis and chromatographic separation of the stereoisomers of furnidipine

Abstract The four stereoisomers of methyl tetrahydrofuran-2-ylmethyl 2,6-dimethyl-4-(o-nitrophenyl)-1,4-dihydro-pyridine-3,5-dicarboxilate (furnidipine), have been synthesized and separated by chiral chromatography using D-phenylglycine as chiral stationary phase. Enantiomeric purity of stereoisomers is determined by HPLC-CSP technique and configurations deduced via X-ray crystallography.

Structural insights into the specificity of Xyn10B from Paenibacillus barcinonensis and its improved stability by forced protein evolution.

Paenibacillus barcinonensis is a soil bacterium bearing a complex set of enzymes for xylan degradation, including several secreted enzymes and Xyn10B, one of the few intracellular xylanases reported to date. The crystal structure of Xyn10B has been determined by x-ray analysis. The enzyme folds into the typical (β/α)8 barrel of family 10 glycosyl hydrolases (GH10), with additional secondary structure elements within the β/α motifs. One of these loops -L7- located at the β7 C terminus, was essential for xylanase activity as its partial deletion yielded an inactive enzyme. The loop contains residues His249–Glu250, which shape a pocket opened to solvent in close proximity to the +2 subsite, which has not been described in other GH10 enzymes. This wide cavity at the +2 subsite, where methyl-2,4-pentanediol from the crystallization medium was found, is a noteworthy feature of Xyn10B, as compared with the narrow crevice described for other GH10 xylanases. Docking analysis showed that this open cavity can accommodate glucuronic acid decorations of xylo-oligosaccharides. Co-crystallization experiments with conduramine derivative inhibitors supported the importance of this open cavity at the +2 subsite for Xyn10B activity. Several mutant derivatives of Xyn10B with improved thermal stability were obtained by forced evolution. Among them, mutant xylanases S15L and M93V showed increased half-life, whereas the double mutant S15L/M93V exhibited a further increase in stability, showing a 20-fold higher heat resistance than the wild type xylanase. All the mutations obtained were located on the surface of Xyn10B. Replacement of a Ser by a Leu residue in mutant xylanase S15L can increase hydrophobic packing efficiency and fill a superficial indentation of the protein, giving rise to a more compact structure of the enzyme.

Inositol 1,3,4,5,6-Pentakisphosphate 2-Kinase is a Distant Ipk Member with a Singular Inositide Binding Site for Axial 2-Oh Recognition.

Inositol phosphates (InsPs) are signaling molecules with multiple roles in cells. In particular (InsP6) is involved in mRNA export and editing or chromatin remodeling among other events. InsP6 accumulates as mixed salts (phytate) in storage tissues of plants and plays a key role in their physiology. Human diets that are exclusively grain-based provide an excess of InsP6 that, through chelation of metal ions, may have a detrimental effect on human health. Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P5 2-kinase (InsP5 2-kinase or Ipk1) catalyses the synthesis of InsP6 from InsP5 and ATP, and is the only enzyme that transfers a phosphate group to the axial 2-OH of the myo-inositide. We present the first structure for an InsP5 2-kinase in complex with both substrates and products. This enzyme presents a singular structural region for inositide binding that encompasses almost half of the protein. The key residues in substrate binding are identified, with Asp368 being responsible for recognition of the axial 2-OH. This study sheds light on the unique molecular mechanism for the synthesis of the precursor of inositol pyrophosphates.

Structural analysis of interactions for complex formation between Ferredoxin‐NADP+ reductase and its protein partners

The three‐dimensional structures of K72E, K75R, K75S, K75Q, and K75E Anabaena Ferredoxin‐NADP+ reductase (FNR) mutants have been solved, and particular structural details of these mutants have been used to assess the role played by residues 72 and 75 in optimal complex formation and electron transfer (ET) between FNR and its protein redox partners Ferredoxin (Fd) and Flavodoxin (Fld). Additionally, because there is no structural information available on the interaction between FNR and Fld, a model for the FNR:Fld complex has also been produced based on the previously reported crystal structures and on that of the rat Cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR), onto which FNR and Fld have been structurally aligned, and those reported for the Anabaena and maize FNR:Fd complexes. The model suggests putative electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between residues on the FNR and Fld surfaces at the complex interface and provides an adequate orientation and distance between the FAD and FMN redox centers for efficient ET without the presence of any other molecule as electron carrier. Thus, the models now available for the FNR:Fd and FNR:Fld interactions and the structures presented here for the mutants at K72 and K75 in Anabaena FNR have been evaluated in light of previous biochemical data. These structures confirm the key participation of residue K75 and K72 in complex formation with both Fd and Fld. The drastic effect in FNR activity produced by replacement of K75 by Glu in the K75E FNR variant is explained not only by the observed changes in the charge distribution on the surface of the K75E FNR mutant, but also by the formation of a salt bridge interaction between E75 and K72 that simultaneously “neutralizes” two essential positive charged side chains for Fld/Fd recognition. Proteins 2005.