Marc Allaire

Structure of TonB in Complex with FhuA, E. coli Outer Membrane Receptor

The cytoplasmic membrane protein TonB spans the periplasm of the Gram-negative bacterial cell envelope, contacts cognate outer membrane receptors, and facilitates siderophore transport. The outer membrane receptor FhuA from Escherichia coli mediates TonB-dependent import of ferrichrome. We report the 3.3 angstrom resolution crystal structure of the TonB carboxyl-terminal domain in complex with FhuA. TonB contacts stabilize FhuAs amino-terminal residues, including those of the consensus Ton box sequence that form an interprotein β sheet with TonB through strand exchange. The highly conserved TonB residue arginine-166 is oriented to form multiple contacts with the FhuA cork, the globular domain enclosed by the β barrel.

Structural diversity in free and bound states of intrinsically disordered protein phosphatase 1 regulators

Complete folding is not a prerequisite for protein function, as disordered and partially folded states of proteins frequently perform essential biological functions. In order to understand their functions at the molecular level, we utilized diverse experimental measurements to calculate ensemble models of three nonhomologous, intrinsically disordered proteins: I-2, spinophilin, and DARPP-32, which bind to and regulate protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). The models demonstrate that these proteins have dissimilar propensities for secondary and tertiary structure in their unbound forms. Direct comparison of these ensemble models with recently determined PP1 complex structures suggests a significant role for transient, preformed structure in the interactions of these proteins with PP1. Finally, we generated an ensemble model of partially disordered I-2 bound to PP1 that provides insight into the relationship between flexibility and biological function in this dynamic complex.

The 3-D structure of a folate-dependent dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase bifunctional enzyme at 1.5 A resolution.

BACKGROUND The interconversion of two major folate one-carbon donors occurs through the sequential activities of NAD(P)-dependent methylene[H4]folate dehydrogenase (D) and methenyl[H4]folate cyclohydrolase (C). These activities often coexist as part of a multifunctional enzyme and there are several lines of evidence suggesting that their substrates bind at overlapping sites. Little is known, however, about the nature of this site or the identity of the active-site residues for this enzyme family. RESULTS We have determined, to 1.5 A resolution, the structure of a dimer of the D/C domain of the human trifunctional cytosolic enzyme with bound NADP cofactor, using the MAD technique. The D/C subunit is composed of two alpha/beta domains that assemble to form a wide cleft. The cleft walls are lined with highly conserved residues and NADP is bound along one wall. The NADP-binding domain has a Rossmann fold, characterized by a modified diphosphate-binding loop fingerprint-GXSXXXG. Dimerization occurs by antiparallel interaction of two NADP-binding domains. Superposition of the two subunits indicates domain motion occurs about a well-defined hinge region. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of the structure suggests strongly that folate-binding sites for both activities are within the cleft, providing direct support for the proposed overlapping site model. The orientation of the nicotinamide ring suggests that in the dehydrogenase-catalyzed reaction hydride transfer occurs to the pro-R side of the ring. The identity of the cyclohydrolase active site is not obvious. We propose that a conserved motif-Tyr52-X-X-X-Lys56- and/or a Ser49-Gln100-Pro102 triplet have a role in this activity.

Biomolecular solution X-ray scattering at the National Synchrotron Light Source

A new beamline for simultaneous SAXS/WAXS of biomolecules in solution is described.

Ancient evolutionary origin of diversified variable regions demonstrated by crystal structures of an immune-type receptor in amphioxus

Although the origins of genes encoding the rearranging binding receptors remain obscure, it is predicted that their ancestral forms were nonrearranging immunoglobulin-type domains. Variable region–containing chitin-binding proteins (VCBPs) are diversified immune-type molecules found in amphioxus (Branchiostoma floridae), an invertebrate that diverged early in deuterostome phylogeny. To study the potential evolutionary relationships between VCBPs and vertebrate adaptive immune receptors, we solved the structures of both a single V-type domain (to 1.15 Å) and a pair of V-type domains (to 1.85 Å) from VCBP3. The deduced structures show integral features of the ancestral variable-region fold as well as unique features of variable-region pairing in molecules that may reflect characteristics of ancestral forms of diversified immune receptors found in modern-day vertebrates.

Acoustically Mounted Microcrystals Yield High Resolution X-ray Structures

We demonstrate a general strategy for determining structures from showers of microcrystals. It uses acoustic droplet ejection to transfer 2.5 nL droplets from the surface of microcrystal slurries, through the air, onto mounting micromesh pins. Individual microcrystals are located by raster-scanning a several-micrometer X-ray beam across the cryocooled micromeshes. X-ray diffraction data sets merged from several micrometer-sized crystals are used to determine 1.8 Ǻ resolution crystal structures.

Acoustic Injectors for Drop-On-Demand Serial Femtosecond Crystallography

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) provide very intense X-ray pulses suitable for macromolecular crystallography. Each X-ray pulse typically lasts for tens of femtoseconds and the interval between pulses is many orders of magnitude longer. Here we describe two novel acoustic injection systems that use focused sound waves to eject picoliter to nanoliter crystal-containing droplets out of microplates and into the X-ray pulse from which diffraction data are collected. The on-demand droplet delivery is synchronized to the XFEL pulse scheme, resulting in X-ray pulses intersecting up to 88% of the droplets. We tested several types of samples in a range of crystallization conditions, wherein the overall crystal hit ratio (e.g., fraction of images with observable diffraction patterns) is a function of the microcrystal slurry concentration. We report crystal structures from lysozyme, thermolysin, and stachydrine demethylase (Stc2). Additional samples were screened to demonstrate that these methods can be applied to rare samples.

Hitting the target: fragment screening with acoustic in situ co-crystallization of proteins plus fragment libraries on pin-mounted data-collection micromeshes

A method is presented for screening fragment libraries using acoustic droplet ejection to co-crystallize proteins and chemicals directly on micromeshes with as little as 2.5 nl of each component. This method was used to identify previously unreported fragments that bind to lysozyme, thermolysin, and trypsin.

Molecular Investigations of the Structure and Function of the Protein Phosphatase 1:Spinophilin:Inhibitor-2 Heterotrimeric Complex

Regulation of the major Ser/Thr phosphatase protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is controlled by a diverse array of targeting and inhibitor proteins. Though many PP1 regulatory proteins share at least one PP1 binding motif, usually the RVxF motif, it was recently discovered that certain pairs of targeting and inhibitor proteins bind PP1 simultaneously to form PP1 heterotrimeric complexes. To date, structural information for these heterotrimeric complexes and, in turn, how they direct PP1 activity is entirely lacking. Using a combination of NMR spectroscopy, biochemistry, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), we show that major structural rearrangements in both spinophilin (targeting) and inhibitor 2 (I-2, inhibitor) are essential for the formation of the heterotrimeric PP1-spinophilin-I-2 (PSI) complex. The RVxF motif of I-2 is released from PP1 during the formation of PSI, making the less prevalent SILK motif of I-2 essential for complex stability. The release of the I-2 RVxF motif allows for enhanced flexibility of both I-2 and spinophilin in the heterotrimeric complex. In addition, we used inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy to show that PP1 contains two metals in both heterodimeric complexes (PP1-spinophilin and PP1-I-2) and PSI, demonstrating that PSI retains the biochemical characteristics of the PP1-I-2 holoenzyme. Finally, we combined the NMR and biochemical data with SAXS and molecular dynamics simulations to generate a structural model of the full heterotrimeric PSI complex. Collectively, these data reveal the molecular events that enable PP1 heterotrimeric complexes to exploit both the targeting and inhibitory features of the PP1-regulatory proteins to form multifunctional PP1 holoenzymes.

Drop-on-demand sample delivery for studying biocatalysts in action at X-ray free-electron lasers

X-ray crystallography at X-ray free-electron laser sources is a powerful method for studying macromolecules at biologically relevant temperatures. Moreover, when combined with complementary techniques like X-ray emission spectroscopy, both global structures and chemical properties of metalloenzymes can be obtained concurrently, providing insights into the interplay between the protein structure and dynamics and the chemistry at an active site. The implementation of such a multimodal approach can be compromised by conflicting requirements to optimize each individual method. In particular, the method used for sample delivery greatly affects the data quality. We present here a robust way of delivering controlled sample amounts on demand using acoustic droplet ejection coupled with a conveyor belt drive that is optimized for crystallography and spectroscopy measurements of photochemical and chemical reactions over a wide range of time scales. Studies with photosystem II, the phytochrome photoreceptor, and ribonucleotide reductase R2 illustrate the power and versatility of this method.