Masayo Kotaka

Flexibility between the Protease and Helicase Domains of the Dengue Virus NS3 Protein Conferred by the Linker Region and Its Functional Implications

The dengue virus (DENV) NS3 protein is essential for viral polyprotein processing and RNA replication. It contains an N-terminal serine protease region (residues 1–168) joined to an RNA helicase (residues 180–618) by an 11-amino acid linker (169–179). The structure at 3.15 Å of the soluble NS3 protein from DENV4 covalently attached to 18 residues of the NS2B cofactor region (NS2B18NS3) revealed an elongated molecule with the protease domain abutting subdomains I and II of the helicase (Luo, D., Xu, T., Hunke, C., Grüber, G., Vasudevan, S. G., and Lescar, J. (2008) J. Virol. 82, 173–183). Unexpectedly, using similar crystal growth conditions, we observed an alternative conformation where the protease domain has rotated by ∼161° with respect to the helicase domain. We report this new crystal structure bound to ADP-Mn2+ refined to a resolution of 2.2 Å. The biological significance for interdomain flexibility conferred by the linker region was probed by either inserting a Gly residue between Glu173 and Pro174 or replacing Pro174 with a Gly residue. Both mutations resulted in significantly lower ATPase and helicase activities. We next increased flexibility in the linker by introducing a Pro176 to Gly mutation in a DENV2 replicon system. A 70% reduction in luciferase reporter signal and a similar reduction in the level of viral RNA synthesis were observed. Our results indicate that the linker region has evolved to an optimum length to confer flexibility to the NS3 protein that is required both for polyprotein processing and RNA replication.

The Functional Role of a Conserved Loop in EAL Domain-Based Cyclic di-GMP-Specific Phosphodiesterase

EAL domain-based cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP)-specific phosphodiesterases play important roles in bacteria by regulating the cellular concentration of the dinucleotide messenger c-di-GMP. EAL domains belong to a family of (beta/alpha)(8) barrel fold enzymes that contain a functional active site loop (loop 6) for substrate binding and catalysis. By examining the two EAL domain-containing proteins RocR and PA2567 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we found that the catalytic activity of the EAL domains was significantly altered by mutations in the loop 6 region. The impact of the mutations ranges from apparent substrate inhibition to alteration of oligomeric structure. Moreover, we found that the catalytic activity of RocR was affected by mutating the putative phosphorylation site (D56N) in the phosphoreceiver domain, with the mutant exhibiting a significantly smaller Michealis constant (K(m)) than that of the wild-type RocR. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange by mass spectrometry revealed that the decrease in K(m) correlates with a change of solvent accessibility in the loop 6 region. We further examined Acetobacter xylinus diguanylate cyclase 2, which is one of the proteins that contains a catalytically incompetent EAL domain with a highly degenerate loop 6. We demonstrated that the catalytic activity of the stand-alone EAL domain toward c-di-GMP could be recovered by restoring loop 6. On the basis of these observations and in conjunction with the structural data of two EAL domains, we proposed that loop 6 not only mediates the dimerization of EAL domain but also controls c-di-GMP and Mg(2+) ion binding. Importantly, sequence analysis of the 5,862 EAL domains in the bacterial genomes revealed that about half of the EAL domains harbor a degenerate loop 6, indicating that the mutations in loop 6 may represent a divergence of function for EAL domains during evolution.

Structures of R- and T-state Escherichia coli Aspartokinase III MECHANISMS OF THE ALLOSTERIC TRANSITION AND INHIBITION BY LYSINE

Aspartokinase III (AKIII) from Escherichia coli catalyzes an initial commitment step of the aspartate pathway, giving biosynthesis of certain amino acids including lysine. We report crystal structures of AKIII in the inactive T-state with bound feedback allosteric inhibitor lysine and in the R-state with aspartate and ADP. The structures reveal an unusual configuration for the regulatory ACT domains, in which ACT2 is inserted into ACT1 rather than the expected tandem repeat. Comparison of R- and T-state AKIII indicates that binding of lysine to the regulatory ACT1 domain in R-state AKIII instigates a series of changes that release a “latch”, the β15-αK loop, from the catalytic domain, which in turn undergoes large rotational rearrangements, promoting tetramer formation and completion of the transition to the T-state. Lysine-induced allosteric transition in AKIII involves both destabilizing the R-state and stabilizing the T-state tetramer. Rearrangement of the catalytic domain blocks the ATP-binding site, which is therefore the structural basis for allosteric inhibition of AKIII by lysine.

Cutting Edge: Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Is the Major CD8+ T Cell-Derived Licensing Factor for Dendritic Cell Activation

During priming, CD8+ T lymphocytes can induce robust maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) in a CD40-independent manner by secreting licensing factor(s). In this study, we isolate this so-far elusive licensing factor and identify it, surprisingly, as GM-CSF. This provides a new face for an old factor with a well-known supporting role in DC development and recruitment. Signaling through the GM-CSFR in ex vivo-purified DCs upregulated the expression of costimulatory molecules more efficiently than did any tested TLR agonist and provided a positive feedback loop in the stimulation of CD8+ T cell proliferation. Combined with a variety of microbial stimuli, GM-CSF supports the formation of potent “effector” DCs capable of secreting a variety of proinflammatory cytokines that guide the differentiation of T cells during the immune response.

Structural basis for discriminatory recognition of Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase by a DNA aptamer

Significance Aptamers are oligonucleotides selected and evolved to bind tightly and specifically to molecular targets. Aptamers have promise as diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents, but little is known about how they recognize or discriminate their targets. In this study, X-ray crystallography together with several other biophysical techniques reveal how a new DNA aptamer recognizes and discriminates Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase, a protein marker that is a diagnostic indicator of infection with the malaria parasite. We also demonstrate application of the aptamer in target detection. This study broadens our understanding of aptamer-mediated molecular recognition and provides a DNA aptamer that could underpin new innovative approaches for point-of-care malaria diagnosis. DNA aptamers have significant potential as diagnostic and therapeutic agents, but the paucity of DNA aptamer-target structures limits understanding of their molecular binding mechanisms. Here, we report a distorted hairpin structure of a DNA aptamer in complex with an important diagnostic target for malaria: Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase (PfLDH). Aptamers selected from a DNA library were highly specific and discriminatory for Plasmodium as opposed to human lactate dehydrogenase because of a counterselection strategy used during selection. Isothermal titration calorimetry revealed aptamer binding to PfLDH with a dissociation constant of 42 nM and 2:1 protein:aptamer molar stoichiometry. Dissociation constants derived from electrophoretic mobility shift assays and surface plasmon resonance experiments were consistent. The aptamer:protein complex crystal structure was solved at 2.1-Å resolution, revealing two aptamers bind per PfLDH tetramer. The aptamers showed a unique distorted hairpin structure in complex with PfLDH, displaying a Watson–Crick base-paired stem together with two distinct loops each with one base flipped out by specific interactions with PfLDH. Aptamer binding specificity is dictated by extensive interactions of one of the aptamer loops with a PfLDH loop that is absent in human lactate dehydrogenase. We conjugated the aptamer to gold nanoparticles and demonstrated specificity of colorimetric detection of PfLDH over human lactate dehydrogenase. This unique distorted hairpin aptamer complex provides a perspective on aptamer-mediated molecular recognition and may guide rational design of better aptamers for malaria diagnostics.

Structure of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Nucleoprotein: Superhelical Homo-Oligomers and the Role of Caspase-3 Cleavage

ABSTRACT Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a severe hemorrhagic disease found throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia, is caused by the tick-borne Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV). CCHFV is a negative-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) virus belonging to the Nairovirus genus of the Bunyaviridae family. Its genome of three single-stranded RNA segments is encapsidated by the nucleocapsid protein (CCHFV N) to form the ribonucleoprotein complex. This ribonucleoprotein complex is required during replication and transcription of the viral genomic RNA. Here, we present the crystal structures of the CCHFV N in two distinct forms, an oligomeric form comprised of double antiparallel superhelices and a monomeric form. The head-to-tail interaction of the stalk region of one CCHFV N subunit with the base of the globular body of the adjacent subunit stabilizes the helical organization of the oligomeric form of CCHFV N. It also masks the conserved caspase-3 cleavage site present at the tip of the stalk region from host cell caspase-3 interaction and cleavage. By incubation with primer-length ssRNAs, we also obtained the crystal structure of CCHFV N in its monomeric form, which is similar to a recently published structure. The conformational change of CCHFV N upon deoligomerization results in the exposure of the caspase-3 cleavage site and subjects CCHFV N to caspase-3 cleavage. Mutations of this cleavage site inhibit cleavage by caspase-3 and result in enhanced viral polymerase activity. Thus, cleavage of CCHFV N by host cell caspase-3 appears to be crucial for controlling viral RNA synthesis and represents an important host defense mechanism against CCHFV infection.

GTP Cyclohydrolase II Structure and Mechanism.

GTP cyclohydrolase II converts GTP to 2,5-diamino-6-β-ribosyl-4(3H)-pyrimidinone 5′-phosphate, formate and pyrophosphate, the first step in riboflavin biosynthesis. The essential role of riboflavin in metabolism and the absence of GTP cyclohydrolase II in higher eukaryotes makes it a potential novel selective antimicrobial drug target. GTP cyclohydrolase II catalyzes a distinctive overall reaction from GTP cyclohydrolase I; the latter converts GTP to dihydroneopterin triphosphate, utilized in folate and tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthesis. The structure of GTP cyclohydrolase II determined at 1.54-Å resolution reveals both a different protein fold to GTP cyclohydrolase I and distinctive molecular recognition determinants for GTP; although in both enzymes there is a bound catalytic zinc. The GTP cyclohydrolase II·GMPCPP complex structure shows Arg128 interacting with the α-phosphonate, and thus in the case of GTP, Arg128 is positioned to act as the nucleophile for pyrophosphate release and formation of the proposed covalent guanylyl-GTP cyclohydrolase II intermediate. Tyr105 is identified as playing a key role in GTP ring opening; it is hydrogen-bonded to the zinc-activated water molecule, the latter being positioned for nucleophilic attack on the guanine C-8 atom. Although GTP cyclohydrolase I and GTP cyclohydrolase II both use a zinc ion for the GTP ring opening and formate release, different residues are utilized in each case to catalyze this reaction step.

Structural Insights into the Regulatory Mechanism of the Response Regulator RocR from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Cyclic Di-GMP Signaling

The nucleotide messenger cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) plays a central role in the regulation of motility, virulence, and biofilm formation in many pathogenic bacteria. EAL domain-containing phosphodiesterases are the major signaling proteins responsible for the degradation of c-di-GMP and maintenance of its cellular level. We determined the crystal structure of a single mutant (R286W) of the response regulator RocR from Pseudomonas aeruginosa to show that RocR exhibits a highly unusual tetrameric structure arranged around a single dyad, with the four subunits adopting two distinctly different conformations. Subunits A and B adopt a conformation with the REC domain located above the c-di-GMP binding pocket, whereas subunits C and D adopt an open conformation with the REC domain swung to the side of the EAL domain. Remarkably, the access to the substrate-binding pockets of the EAL domains of the open subunits C and D are blocked in trans by the REC domains of subunits A and B, indicating that only two of the four active sites are engaged in the degradation of c-di-GMP. In conjunction with biochemical and biophysical data, we propose that the structural changes within the REC domains triggered by the phosphorylation are transmitted to the EAL domain active sites through a pathway that traverses the dimerization interfaces composed of a conserved regulatory loop and the neighboring motifs. This exquisite mechanism reinforces the crucial role of the regulatory loop and suggests that similar regulatory mechanisms may be operational in many EAL domain proteins, considering the preservation of the dimerization interface and the spatial arrangement of the regulatory domains.

Structure and Catalytic Mechanism of the Thioesterase CalE7 in Enediyne Biosynthesis

The biosynthesis of the enediyne moiety of the antitumor natural product calicheamicin involves an iterative polyketide synthase (CalE8) and other ancillary enzymes. In the proposed mechanism for the early stage of 10-membered enediyne biosynthesis, CalE8 produces a carbonyl-conjugated polyene with the assistance of a putative thioesterase (CalE7). We have determined the x-ray crystal structure of CalE7 and found that the subunit adopts a hotdog fold with an elongated and kinked substrate-binding channel embedded between two subunits. The 1.75-Å crystal structure revealed that CalE7 does not contain a critical catalytic residue (Glu or Asp) conserved in other hotdog fold thioesterases. Based on biochemical and site-directed mutagenesis studies, we proposed a catalytic mechanism in which the conserved Arg37 plays a crucial role in the hydrolysis of the thioester bond, and that Tyr29 and a hydrogen-bonded water network assist the decarboxylation of the β-ketocarboxylic acid intermediate. Moreover, computational docking suggested that the substrate-binding channel binds a polyene substrate that contains a single cis double bond at the C4/C5 position, raising the possibility that the C4=C5 double bond in the enediyne moiety could be generated by the iterative polyketide synthase. Together, the results revealed a hotdog fold thioesterase distinct from the common type I and type II thioesterases associated with polyketide biosynthesis and provided interesting insight into the enediyne biosynthetic mechanism.

Crystal structure of the FK506 binding domain of plasmodium falciparum FKBP35 in complex with FK506

The emergence of multi-drug-resistant strains of Plasmodium parasites has prompted the search for alternative therapeutic strategies for combating malaria. One possible strategy is to exploit existing drugs as lead compounds. FK506 is currently used in the clinic for preventing transplant rejection. It binds to a alpha/beta protein module of approximately 120 amino acids known as the FK506 binding domain (FKBD), which is found in various organisms, including human, yeast, and Plasmodium falciparum (PfFKBD). Antiparasitic effects of FK506 and its analogues devoid of immunosuppressive activities have been demonstrated. We report here the crystallographic structure at 2.35 A resolution of PfFKBD complexed with FK506. Compared to the human FKBP12-FK506 complex reported earlier, the structure reveals structural differences in the beta5-beta6 segment that lines the FK506 binding site. The presence in PfFKBD of Cys-106 and Ser-109 (substituting for His-87 and Ile-90, respectively, in human FKBP12), which are 4-5 A from the nearest atom of the FK506 compound, suggests possible routes for the rational design of analogues of FK506 with specific antiparasitic activity. Upon ligand binding, several conformational changes occur in PfFKBD, including aromatic residues that shape the FK506 binding pocket as shown by NMR studies. A microarray analysis suggests that FK506 and cyclosporine A (CsA) might inhibit parasite development by interfering with the same signaling pathways.