Kyung Hye Seo

Structure of Chlorobium tepidum Sepiapterin Reductase Complex Reveals the Novel Substrate Binding Mode for Stereospecific Production of l-threo-Tetrahydrobiopterin

Sepiapterin reductase (SR) is involved in the last step of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) biosynthesis by reducing the di-keto group of 6-pyruvoyl tetrahydropterin. Chlorobium tepidum SR (cSR) generates a distinct BH4 product, l-threo-BH4 (6R-(1′S,2′S)-5,6,7,8-BH4), whereas animal enzymes produce l-erythro-BH4 (6R-(1′R,2′S)-5,6,7,8-BH4) although it has high amino acid sequence similarities to the other animal enzymes. To elucidate the structural basis for the different reaction stereospecificities, we have determined the three-dimensional structures of cSR alone and complexed with NADP and sepiapterin at 2.1 and 1.7 Å resolution, respectively. The overall folding of the cSR, the binding site for the cofactor NADP(H), and the positions of active site residues were quite similar to the mouse and the human SR. However, significant differences were found in the substrate binding region of the cSR. In comparison to the mouse SR complex, the sepiapterin in the cSR is rotated about 180° around the active site and bound between two aromatic side chains of Trp-196 and Phe-99 so that its pterin ring is shifted to the opposite side, but its side chain position is not changed. The swiveled sepiapterin binding results in the conversion of the side chain configuration, exposing the opposite face for hydride transfer from NADPH. The different sepiapterin binding mode within the conserved catalytic architecture presents a novel strategy of switching the reaction stereospecificities in the same protein fold.

Phenolic phytochemical displaying SARS-CoV papain-like protease inhibition from the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia

Abstract Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) papain-like protease (PLpro) is a key enzyme that plays an important role in SARS virus replication. The ethanol extract of the seeds of Psoralea corylifolia showed high activity against the SARS-CoV PLpro with an IC50 of value of 15 µg/ml. Due to its potency, subsequent bioactivity-guided fractionation of the ethanol extract led to six aromatic compounds (1–6), which were identified as bavachinin (1), neobavaisoflavone (2), isobavachalcone (3), 4′-O-methylbavachalcone (4), psoralidin (5) and corylifol A (6). All isolated flavonoids (1–6) inhibited PLpro in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 ranging between 4.2 and 38.4 µM. Lineweaver–Burk and Dixon plots and their secondary replots indicated that inhibitors (1–6) were mixed inhibitors of PLpro. The analysis of KI and KIS values proved that the two most promising compounds (3 and 5) had reversible mixed type I mechanisms.

Mangosenone F, A Furanoxanthone from Garciana mangostana, Induces Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Apoptosis in Lung Cancer Cells and Decreases Xenograft Tumor Growth

Mangosenone F (MSF), a natural xanthone, was isolated form Carcinia mangotana, and a few studies have reported its glycosidase inhibitor effect. In this study we investigated the anti lung cancer effect of MSF both in vitro and in vivo. MSF inhibited cancer cell cytotoxicity and induced and induced apoptosis via reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in NCI‐H460. MSF treatment also showed in pronounced release of apoptogenic cytochrome c from the mitochondria to the cytosol, downregulation of Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐xL, and upregulation of Bax, suggesting that caspase‐mediated pathways were involved in MSF‐induced apoptosis. ROS activation of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling pathway was shown to play a predominant role in the apoptosis mechanism of MSF. Compared with cisplatin treatment, MSF treatment showed significantly increased inhibition of the growth of NCI‐H460 cells xenografted in nude mice. Together, these results indicate the potential of MSF as a candidate natural anticancer drug by promoting ROS production. Copyright

N-terminal arm of orchardgrass Hsp17.2 (DgHsp17.2) is essential for both in vitro chaperone activity and in vivo thermotolerance in yeast

Small heat shock proteins are well-known to function as chaperone in the protection of proteins and subcellular structures against stress-induced denaturation in many cell compartments. Irrespective of such general functional assignment, a proof of function in a living organism is missing. Here, we used heat-induced orchardgrass small Hsp17.2 (DgHsp17.2). Its function in in vitro chaperone properties has shown in protecting the model substrate, malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and citrate synthase (CS). Overexpression of DgHsp17.2 triggering strong chaperone activity enhanced in vivo thermotolerance of yeast cells. To identify the functional domain on DgHsp17.2 and correlationship between in vitro chaperone property and in vivo thermotolerance, we generated truncation mutants of DgHsp17.2 and showed essentiality of the N-terminal arm of DgHsp17.2 for the chaperone function. In addition, beyond for acquisition of thermotolerance irrespective of sequences are diverse among the small Hsps. However, any truncation mutants of DgHsp17.2 did not exhibit strong interaction with orchardgrass heat shock protein 70 (DgHsp70) different from mature DgHsp17.2, indicating that full-length DgHsp17.2 is necessary for cooperating with Hsp70 protein. Our study indicates that the N-terminal arm of DgHsp17.2 is an important region for chaperone activity and thermotolerance.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray data analysis of a DJ-1 homologue from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtDJ-1D).

A DJ-1 homologue protein from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtDJ-1D) belongs to the DJ-1/ThiJ/Pfpl superfamily and contains two tandem arrays of DJ-1-like sequences, but no structural information is available to date for this protein. AtDJ-1D was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized for structural analysis. A crystal of AtDJ-1D was obtained by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using 0.22 M NaCl, 0.1 M bis-tris pH 6.5, 21% polyethylene glycol 3350. AtDJ-1D crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 56.78, b = 75.21, c = 141.68 Å, β = 96.87°, and contained a trimer in the asymmetric unit. Diffraction data were collected to 2.05 Å resolution. The structure of AtDJ-1D has been determined using the multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD) method.

Unusual NADPH conformation in the crystal structure of a cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase from Helicobacter pylori in complex with NADP(H) and substrate docking analysis

HpCAD and HpCAD bind by x‐ray crystallography (View interaction)

Antioxidative Effect and Neuraminidase Inhibitory Activity of Polyphenols Isolated from a New Korean Red Waxy Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. cv. Hwanggeumchalsusu)

To identify nutritional and therapeutic properties of the new Korean red waxy sorghum cultivar ‘Hwanggeumchalsusu (HGC)’, we assayed the antioxidative effects and neuraminidase inhibitory activity. A methanol and 70% ethanol extract of HGC exhibited strong antioxidative effects (IC 50 values of 83.2±2.7 for DPPH) and 85.6±2.4 μg/ml for ABTS) and neuraminidase (ND) inhibitory activity (IC 50 values of 1.8±0.1 from extracted with methanol and 3.4±0.1 μg/ml from extracted with 70% ethanol) compared with that of the control, noncolored sorghum cultivar ‘Huinchalsusu (HC)’ (IC 50 > 200μg/ml). We isolated nine polyphenols, Gallic acid (1), Protocatecuic acid (2), p-Hydroxy benzoic acid (3), Vanillic acid (4), Caffeic acid (5), Ferulic acid (6), Luteolinidin (7), Apigeninidin (8), Luteolin (9), from the HGC?methanol extract, to determine whether they were the active components Luteolinidin of one kind of polyphenols from the HGC, exhibited significant antioxidative effects (IC 50 values of 10.9±0.5 μM for DPPH and 8.6 0.6 μM for ABTS) and neuraminidase (ND) inhibitory activity (IC 50 values of 26.3±0.6) showed noncompetitive inhibition model. The binding affinity of the ND inhibitors in molecular docking experiments correlated with their ND inhibitory activities. These results suggest that HGC may be utilized to serve as a potential effective antioxidant and inhibitor of ND.

Structural basis of a novel activity of bacterial 6‐pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase homologues distinct from mammalian 6‐pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase activity

Escherichia coli 6-carboxytetrahydropterin synthase (eCTPS), a homologue of 6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase (PTPS), possesses a much stronger catalytic activity to cleave the side chain of sepiapterin in vitro compared with genuine PTPS activity and catalyzes the conversion of dihydroneopterin triphosphate to 6-carboxy-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin in vivo. Crystal structures of wild-type apo eCTPS and of a Cys27Ala mutant eCTPS complexed with sepiapterin have been determined to 2.3 and 2.5 Å resolution, respectively. The structures are highly conserved at the active site and the Zn(2+) binding site. However, comparison of the eCTPS structures with those of mammalian PTPS homologues revealed that two specific residues, Trp51 and Phe55, that are not found in mammalian PTPS keep the substrate bound by stacking it with their side chains. Replacement of these two residues by site-directed mutagenesis to the residues Met and Leu, which are only found in mammalian PTPS, converted eCTPS to the mammalian PTPS activity. These studies confirm that these two aromatic residues in eCTPS play an essential role in stabilizing the substrate and in the specific enzyme activity that differs from the original PTPS activity. These aromatic residues Trp51 and Phe55 are a key signature of bacterial PTPS enzymes that distinguish them from mammalian PTPS homologues.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of mevalonate kinase from Methanosarcina mazei

Mevalonate kinase (MVK), which plays an important role in catalysing the biosynthesis of isoprenoid compounds derived from the mevalonate pathway, transforms mevalonate to 5-phosphomevalonate using ATP as a cofactor. Mevalonate kinase from Methanosarcina mazei (MmMVK) was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized for structural analysis. Diffraction-quality crystals of MmMVK were obtained by the vapour-diffusion method using 0.32 M MgCl2, 0.08 M bis-tris pH 5.5, 16%(w/v) PEG 3350. The crystals belonged to space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a=97.11, b=135.92, c=46.03 Å. Diffraction data were collected to 2.08 Å resolution.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of decameric and monomeric forms of C49S mutant thioredoxin-dependent AhpC from Helicobacter pylori

Cys49Ser mutant Helicobacter pylori alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (C49S HpAhpC) was purified under reducing conditions in monomeric and decameric forms. The monomeric form was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals diffracted to 2.25 A resolution and belonged to space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 245.8, b = 140.7, c = 189.5 A, beta = 127 degrees , and contained 20 molecules in the asymmetric unit. A crystal of the decameric form was obtained by the microbatch crystallization method and diffracted to 2.8 A resolution. It belonged to space group C222, with unit-cell parameters a = 257.5, b = 417.5, c = 95.6 A. The structure of the monomeric form of C49S HpAhpC has been solved by the molecular-replacement method.