Przemyslaw J. Porebski

Structural and immunologic characterization of bovine, horse, and rabbit serum albumins.

Serum albumin (SA) is the most abundant plasma protein in mammals. SA is a multifunctional protein with extraordinary ligand binding capacity, making it a transporter molecule for a diverse range of metabolites, drugs, nutrients, metals and other molecules. Due to its ligand binding properties, albumins have wide clinical, pharmaceutical, and biochemical applications. Albumins are also allergenic, and exhibit a high degree of cross-reactivity due to significant sequence and structure similarity of SAs from different organisms. Here we present crystal structures of albumins from cattle (BSA), horse (ESA) and rabbit (RSA) sera. The structural data are correlated with the results of immunological studies of SAs. We also analyze the conservation or divergence of structures and sequences of SAs in the context of their potential allergenicity and cross-reactivity. In addition, we identified a previously uncharacterized ligand binding site in the structure of RSA, and calcium binding sites in the structure of BSA, which is the first serum albumin structure to contain metal ions.

Molecular determinants for antibody binding on group 1 house dust mite allergens.

Background: A unique, cross-reacting monoclonal antibody binds both Der f 1 and Der p 1. Results: A common epitope present on both Der f 1 and Der p 1 was identified and mutated. Conclusion: Mutagenesis and antibody binding analysis allowed identification of IgE antibody binding sites. Significance: The obtained data will lead to the production of hypoallergens with low IgE antibody binding capacity. House dust mites produce potent allergens, Der p 1 and Der f 1, that cause allergic sensitization and asthma. Der p 1 and Der f 1 are cysteine proteases that elicit IgE responses in 80% of mite-allergic subjects and have proinflammatory properties. Their antigenic structure is unknown. Here, we present crystal structures of natural Der p 1 and Der f 1 in complex with a monoclonal antibody, 4C1, which binds to a unique cross-reactive epitope on both allergens associated with IgE recognition. The 4C1 epitope is formed by almost identical amino acid sequences and contact residues. Mutations of the contact residues abrogate mAb 4C1 binding and reduce IgE antibody binding. These surface-exposed residues are molecular targets that can be exploited for development of recombinant allergen vaccines.

Serum albumins - unusual allergens

BACKGROUND Albumins are multifunctional proteins present in the blood serum of animals. They can bind and transport a wide variety of ligands which they accommodate due to their conformational flexibility. Serum albumins are highly conserved both in amino acid sequence and three-dimensional structure. Several mammalian and avian serum albumins (SAs) are also allergens. Sensitization to one of the SAs coupled with the high degree of conservation between SAs may result in cross-reactive antibodies in allergic individuals. Sensitivity to SA generally begins with exposure to an aeroallergen, which can then lead to cross-sensitization to serum albumins present in food. SCOPE OF REVIEW This review focuses on the allergenicity of SAs presented in a structural context. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS SA allergenicity is unusual taking into account the high sequence identity and similarity between SA from different species and human serum albumin. Cross-reactivity of human antibodies towards different SAs is one of the most important characteristics of these allergens. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Establishing a relationship between sequence and structure of different SAs and their interactions with antibodies is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of cross-sensitization of atopic individuals. Structural information can also lead to better design and production of recombinant SAs to replace natural proteins in allergy testing and desensitization. Therefore, structural analyses are important for diagnostic and treatment purposes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Serum Albumin.

Molecular basis for phosphospecific recognition of histone H3 tails by Survivin paralogues at inner centromeres.

The structure of hSurvivin bound to the histone H3 tail phosphorylated on Thr-3 was solved to determine how the CPC reads the histone code. Many eukaryotes have two Survivin paralogues. A major difference between them is that class A is pH sensitive in H3T3ph binding, whereas class B is relatively pH insensitive but has lower affinity for H3T3ph.

X-ray crystallography: Assessment and validation of protein-small molecule complexes for drug discovery

Introduction: Crystallography is the key initial component for structure- and fragment-based drug design and can often generate leads that can be developed into high potency drugs. Therefore, huge sums of money are committed based on the outcome of crystallography experiments and their interpretation. Areas covered: This review discusses how to evaluate the correctness of an X-ray structure, focusing on the validation of small molecule–protein complexes. Various types of inaccuracies found within the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are identified and the ramifications of these errors discussed. The reader will gain an understanding of the key parameters that need to be inspected before a structure can be used in drug discovery efforts, as well as an appreciation of the difficulties of correctly interpreting electron density for small molecules. The reader will also be introduced to methods for validating small molecules within the context of a macromolecular structure. Expert opinion: The quality of structures of small molecules in the PDB varies so widely that the databank should not be considered a reliable repository of structural information about these molecules. This is due to the difficulty in identifying and positioning ligands in medium or low resolution macromolecular crystal structures and the immaturity of the available validation tools. The poor quality of small molecule structures in the PDB hinders the derivation of general principles that govern small molecule-protein interactions.

CheckMyMetal: a macromolecular metal-binding validation tool

The metal-site validation tool CheckMyMetal is described, with examples to follow.

Structural Analysis of a Putative Aminoglycoside N-Acetyltransferase from Bacillus anthracis

For the last decade, worldwide efforts for the treatment of anthrax infection have focused on developing effective vaccines. Patients that are already infected are still treated traditionally using different types of standard antimicrobial agents. The most popular are antibiotics such as tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones. While aminoglycosides appear to be less effective antimicrobial agents than other antibiotics, synthetic aminoglycosides have been shown to act as potent inhibitors of anthrax lethal factor and may have potential application as antitoxins. Here, we present a structural analysis of the BA2930 protein, a putative aminoglycoside acetyltransferase, which may be a component of the bacteriums aminoglycoside resistance mechanism. The determined structures revealed details of a fold characteristic only for one other protein structure in the Protein Data Bank, namely, YokD from Bacillus subtilis. Both BA2930 and YokD are members of the Antibiotic_NAT superfamily (PF02522). Sequential and structural analyses showed that residues conserved throughout the Antibiotic_NAT superfamily are responsible for the binding of the cofactor acetyl coenzyme A. The interaction of BA2930 with cofactors was characterized by both crystallographic and binding studies.

Protein purification and crystallization artifacts: The tale usually not told.

The misidentification of a protein sample, or contamination of a sample with the wrong protein, may be a potential reason for the non‐reproducibility of experiments. This problem may occur in the process of heterologous overexpression and purification of recombinant proteins, as well as purification of proteins from natural sources. If the contaminated or misidentified sample is used for crystallization, in many cases the problem may not be detected until structures are determined. In the case of functional studies, the problem may not be detected for years. Here several procedures that can be successfully used for the identification of crystallized protein contaminants, including: (i) a lattice parameter search against known structures, (ii) sequence or fold identification from partially built models, and (iii) molecular replacement with common contaminants as search templates have been presented. A list of common contaminant structures to be used as alternative search models was provided. These methods were used to identify four cases of purification and crystallization artifacts. This report provides troubleshooting pointers for researchers facing difficulties in phasing or model building.

Fitmunk: improving protein structures by accurate, automatic modeling of side-chain conformations

A new method for automatic modeling of side-chain conformations that takes advantage of rotamer-prediction methods in a crystallographic context can improve the accuracy and validity of crystallographic models.

Structural characterization of Helicobacter pylori dethiobiotin synthetase reveals differences between family members

Dethiobiotin synthetase (DTBS) is involved in the biosynthesis of biotin in bacteria, fungi, and plants. As humans lack this pathway, DTBS is a promising antimicrobial drug target. We determined structures of DTBS from Helicobacter pylori (hpDTBS) bound with cofactors and a substrate analog, and described its unique characteristics relative to other DTBS proteins. Comparison with bacterial DTBS orthologs revealed considerable structural differences in nucleotide recognition. The C‐terminal region of DTBS proteins, which contains two nucleotide‐recognition motifs, differs greatly among DTBS proteins from different species. The structure of hpDTBS revealed that this protein is unique and does not contain a C‐terminal region containing one of the motifs. The single nucleotide‐binding motif in hpDTBS is similar to its counterpart in GTPases; however, isothermal titration calorimetry binding studies showed that hpDTBS has a strong preference for ATP. The structural determinants of ATP specificity were assessed with X‐ray crystallographic studies of hpDTBS·ATP and hpDTBS·GTP complexes. The unique mode of nucleotide recognition in hpDTBS makes this protein a good target for H. pylori‐specific inhibitors of the biotin synthesis pathway.