Holo- and Apo-bound Structures of Bacterial Periplasmic Heme-binding Proteins

An essential component of heme transport in Gram-negative bacterial pathogens is the periplasmic protein that shuttles heme between outer and inner membranes. We have solved the first crystal structures of two such proteins, ShuT from Shigella dysenteriae and PhuT from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both share a common architecture typical of Class III periplasmic binding proteins. The heme binds in a narrow cleft between the N- and C-terminal binding domains and is coordinated by a Tyr residue. A comparison of the heme-free (apo) and -bound (holo) structures indicates little change in structure other than minor alterations in the heme pocket and movement of the Tyr heme ligand from an “in” position where it can coordinate the heme iron to an “out” orientation where it points away from the heme pocket. The detailed architecture of the heme pocket is quite different in ShuT and PhuT. Although Arg228 in PhuT H-bonds with a heme propionate, in ShuT a peptide loop partially takes up the space occupied by Arg228, and there is no Lys or Arg H-bonding with the heme propionates. A comparison of PhuT/ShuT with the vitamin B12-binding protein BtuF and the hydroxamic-type siderophore-binding protein FhuD, the only two other structurally characterized Class III periplasmic binding proteins, demonstrates that PhuT/ShuT more closely resembles BtuF, which reflects the closer similarity in ligands, heme and B12, compared with ligands for FhuD, a peptide siderophore.

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A structural and functional analysis of type III periplasmic and substrate binding proteins: their role in bacterial siderophore and heme transport

Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1515/bc.2011.012 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 392 (1-2) ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Byron C.H. Chu ◽

Hans J. Vogel

Keyword(s):

Binding Proteins ◽

Substrate Binding ◽

Transport Systems ◽

Complex Structures ◽

Type Iii ◽

Heme Transport ◽

Periplasmic Binding Proteins ◽

Outer Membrane Transporter ◽

Α Helix ◽

Carboxy Terminal

AbstractInEscherichia colithe Fhu, Fep and Fec transport systems are involved in the uptake of chelated ferric iron-siderophore complexes, whereas in pathogenic strains heme can also be used as an iron source. An essential step in these pathways is the movement of the ferric-siderophore complex or heme from the outer membrane transporter across the periplasm to the cognate cytoplasmic membrane ATP-dependent transporter. This is accomplished in each case by a dedicated periplasmic binding protein (PBP). Ferric-siderophore binding PBPs belong to the PBP protein superfamily and adopt a bilobal type III structural fold in which the two independently folded amino and carboxy terminal domains are linked together by a single long α-helix of approximately 20 amino acids. Recent structural studies reveal how the PBPs of the Fhu, Fep, Fec and Chu systems are able to bind their corresponding ligands. These complex structures will be discussed and placed in the context of our current understanding of the entire type III family of Gram-negative periplasmic binding proteins and related Gram-positive substrate binding proteins.

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Subcellular localization defects characterize ribose-binding mutant proteins with new ligand properties in Escherichia coli

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.02117-21 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Diogo Tavares ◽

Jan R. van der Meer

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Subcellular Localization ◽

Ligand Binding ◽

Binding Proteins ◽

Binding Protein ◽

Binding Pocket ◽

Binding Properties ◽

General Properties ◽

Periplasmic Binding Proteins ◽

Ribose Binding Protein

Periplasmic-binding proteins have been previously proclaimed as a general scaffold to design sensor proteins with new recognition specificities for non-natural compounds. Such proteins can be integrated in bacterial bioreporter chassis with hybrid chemoreceptors to produce a concentration-dependent signal after ligand binding to the sensor cell. However, computationally designed new ligand-binding properties ignore the more general properties of periplasmic binding proteins, such as their periplasmic translocation, dynamic transition of open and closed forms, and interactions with membrane receptors. In order to better understand the roles of such general properties in periplasmic signaling behaviour, we study here the subcellular localization of ribose-binding protein (RbsB) in Escherichia coli in comparison to a recently evolved set of mutants designed to bind 1,3-cyclohexanediol. As proxies for localization we calibrate and deploy C-terminal end mCherry fluorescent protein fusions. Whereas RbsB-mCherry coherently localized to the periplasmic space and accumulated in (periplasmic) polar regions depending on chemoreceptor availability, mutant RbsB-mCherry expression resulted in high fluorescence cell-to-cell variability. This resulted in higher proportions of cells devoid of clear polar foci and of cells with multiple fluorescent foci elsewhere, suggesting poorer translocation, periplasmic autoaggregation and mislocalization. Analysis of RbsB mutants and mutant libraries at different stages of directed evolution suggested overall improvement to more RbsB-wild-type-like characteristics, which was corroborated by structure predictions. Our results show that defects in periplasmic localization of mutant RbsB proteins partly explains their poor sensing performance. Future efforts should be directed to predicting or selecting secondary mutations outside computationally designed binding pockets that take folding, translocation and receptor-interactions into account. Importance Biosensor engineering relies on transcription factors or signaling proteins to provide the actual sensory functions for the target chemicals. Since for many compounds there are no natural sensory proteins, there is a general interest in methods that could unlock routes to obtaining new ligand-binding properties. Bacterial periplasmic-binding proteins (PBPs) form an interesting family of proteins to explore to this purpose, because there is a large natural variety suggesting evolutionary trajectories to bind new ligands. PBPs are conserved and amenable to accurate computational binding pocket predictions. However, studying ribose-binding protein in Escherichia coli we discovered that designed variants have defects in their proper localization in the cell, which can impair appropriate sensor signaling. This indicates that functional sensing capacity of PBPs cannot be obtained solely through computational design of the ligand-binding pocket, but must take other properties of the protein into account, which are currently very difficult to predict.

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PUB1: a major yeast poly(A)+ RNA-binding protein

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.13.10.6114-6123.1993 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 6114-6123

Author(s):

M J Matunis ◽

E L Matunis ◽

G Dreyfuss

Keyword(s):

Rna Polymerase Ii ◽

Binding Proteins ◽

Rna Binding ◽

Rna Binding Proteins ◽

Uv Light ◽

Binding Protein ◽

Gene Replacement ◽

Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Binding Domains ◽

Development And Differentiation

The expression of RNA polymerase II transcripts can be regulated at the posttranscriptional level by RNA-binding proteins. Although extensively characterized in metazoans, relatively few RNA-binding proteins have been characterized in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Three major proteins are cross-linked by UV light to poly(A)+ RNA in living S. cerevisiae cells. These are the 72-kDa poly(A)-binding protein and proteins of 60 and 50 kDa (S.A. Adam, T.Y. Nakagawa, M.S. Swanson, T. Woodruff, and G. Dreyfuss, Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:2932-2943, 1986). Here, we describe the 60-kDa protein, one of the major poly(A)+ RNA-binding proteins in S. cerevisiae. This protein, PUB1 [for poly(U)-binding protein 1], was purified by affinity chromatography on immobilized poly(rU), and specific monoclonal antibodies to it were produced. UV cross-linking demonstrated that PUB1 is bound to poly(A)+ RNA (mRNA or pre-mRNA) in living cells, and it was detected primarily in the cytoplasm by indirect immunofluorescence. The gene for PUB1 was cloned and sequenced, and the sequence was found to predict a 51-kDa protein with three ribonucleoprotein consensus RNA-binding domains and three glutamine- and asparagine-rich auxiliary domains. This overall structure is remarkably similar to the structures of the Drosophila melanogaster elav gene product, the human neuronal antigen HuD, and the cytolytic lymphocyte protein TIA-1. Each of these proteins has an important role in development and differentiation, potentially by affecting RNA processing. PUB1 was found to be nonessential in S. cerevisiae by gene replacement; however, further genetic analysis should reveal important features of this class of RNA-binding proteins.

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Computational redesign of theEscherichia coliribose-binding protein ligand binding pocket for 1,3-cyclohexanediol and cyclohexanol

10.1101/559328 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Diogo Tavares ◽

Artur Reimer ◽

Shantanu Roy ◽

Aurélie Joublin ◽

Vladimir Sentchilo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ligand Binding ◽

Binding Proteins ◽

Binding Protein ◽

Computational Design ◽

Binding Pocket ◽

Wild Type ◽

Ligand Binding Pocket ◽

Mutant Proteins ◽

Periplasmic Binding Proteins ◽

Natural Ligands

Bacterial periplasmic-binding proteins have been acclaimed as general biosensing platform, but their range of natural ligands is too limited for optimal development of chemical compound detection. Computational redesign of the ligand-binding pocket of periplasmic-binding proteins may yield variants with new properties, but, despite earlier claims, genuine changes of specificity to non-natural ligands have so far not been achieved. In order to better understand the reasons of such limited success, we revisited here theEscherichia coliRbsB ribose-binding protein, aiming to achieve perceptible transition from ribose to structurally related chemical ligands 1,3-cyclohexanediol and cyclohexanol. Combinations of mutations were computationally predicted for nine residues in the RbsB binding pocket, then synthesized and tested in anE. colireporter chassis. Two million variants were screened in a microcolony-in-bead fluorescence-assisted sorting procedure, which yielded six mutants no longer responsive to ribose but with 1.2-1.5 times induction in presence of 1 mM 1,3-cyclohexanediol, one of which responded to cyclohexanol as well. Isothermal microcalorimetry confirmed 1,3-cyclohexanediol binding, although only two mutant proteins were sufficiently stable upon purification. Circular dichroism spectroscopy indicated discernable structural differences between these two mutant proteins and wild-type RbsB. This and further quantification of periplasmic-space abundance suggested most mutants to be prone to misfolding and/or with defects in translocation compared to wild-type. Our results thus affirm that computational design and library screening can yield RbsB mutants with recognition of non-natural but structurally similar ligands. The inherent arisal of protein instability or misfolding concomitant with designed altered ligand-binding pockets should be overcome by new experimental strategies or by improved future protein design algorithms.

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Combinatorial recognition of clustered RNA elements by a multidomain RNA-binding protein, IMP3

10.1101/398008 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tim Schneider ◽

Lee-Hsueh Hung ◽

Masood Aziz ◽

Anna Wilmen ◽

Stephanie Thaum ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Binding Proteins ◽

Rna Binding ◽

Rna Binding Proteins ◽

Binding Protein ◽

Rna Binding Protein ◽

Binding Domains ◽

Systematic Strategy ◽

Rna Elements ◽

Target Rna

AbstractHow multidomain RNA-binding proteins recognize their specific target sequences, based on a combinatorial code, represents a fundamental unsolved question and has not been studied systematically so far. Here we focus on a prototypical multidomain RNA-binding protein, IMP3 (also called IGF2BP3), which contains six RNA-binding domains (RBDs): four KH and two RRM domains. We have established an integrative systematic strategy, combining single-domain-resolved SELEX-seq, motif-spacing analyses, in vivo iCLIP, functional validation assays, and structural biology. This approach identifies the RNA-binding specificity and RNP topology of IMP3, involving all six RBDs and a cluster of up to five distinct and appropriately spaced CA-rich and GGC-core RNA elements, covering a >100 nucleotide-long target RNA region. Our generally applicable approach explains both specificity and flexibility of IMP3-RNA recognition, providing a paradigm for the function of multivalent interactions with multidomain RNA-binding proteins in gene regulation.

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Ligand-Free Open−Closed Transitions of Periplasmic Binding Proteins: The Case of Glutamine-Binding Protein

Biochemistry ◽

10.1021/bi902045p ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 49 (9) ◽

pp. 1893-1902 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Guillermo A. Bermejo ◽

Marie-Paule Strub ◽

Chien Ho ◽

Nico Tjandra

Keyword(s):

Binding Proteins ◽

Binding Protein ◽

Periplasmic Binding Proteins ◽

Ligand Free

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PUB1: a major yeast poly(A)+ RNA-binding protein.

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.13.10.6114 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 6114-6123 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

M J Matunis ◽

E L Matunis ◽

G Dreyfuss

Keyword(s):

Rna Polymerase Ii ◽

Binding Proteins ◽

Rna Binding ◽

Rna Binding Proteins ◽

Uv Light ◽

Binding Protein ◽

Gene Replacement ◽

Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Binding Domains ◽

Development And Differentiation

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Ribose-Binding Protein Mutants With Improved Interaction Towards the Non-natural Ligand 1,3-Cyclohexanediol

Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology ◽

10.3389/fbioe.2021.705534 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Diogo Tavares ◽

Jan Roelof van der Meer

Keyword(s):

Ligand Binding ◽

Binding Proteins ◽

Binding Protein ◽

Binding Pocket ◽

Ligand Binding Pocket ◽

Natural Ligand ◽

Protein Mutants ◽

Periplasmic Binding Proteins ◽

Natural Ligands ◽

Ribose Binding Protein

Bioreporters consist of genetically modified living organisms that respond to the presence of target chemical compounds by production of an easily measurable signal. The central element in a bioreporter is a sensory protein or aptamer, which, upon ligand binding, modifies expression of the reporter signal protein. A variety of naturally occurring or modified versions of sensory elements has been exploited, but it has proven to be challenging to generate elements that recognize non-natural ligands. Bacterial periplasmic binding proteins have been proposed as a general scaffold to design receptor proteins for non-natural ligands, but despite various efforts, with only limited success. Here, we show how combinations of randomized mutagenesis and reporter screening improved the performance of a set of mutants in the ribose binding protein (RbsB) of Escherichia coli, which had been designed based on computational simulations to bind the non-natural ligand 1,3-cyclohexanediol (13CHD). Randomized mutant libraries were constructed that used the initially designed mutants as scaffolds, which were cloned in an appropriate E. coli bioreporter system and screened for improved induction of the GFPmut2 reporter fluorescence in presence of 1,3-cyclohexanediol. Multiple rounds of library screening, sorting, renewed mutagenesis and screening resulted in 4.5-fold improvement of the response to 1,3-cyclohexanediol and a lower detection limit of 0.25 mM. All observed mutations except one were located outside the direct ligand-binding pocket, suggesting they were compensatory and helping protein folding or functional behavior other than interaction with the ligand. Our results thus demonstrate that combinations of ligand-binding-pocket redesign and randomized mutagenesis can indeed lead to the selection and recovery of periplasmic-binding protein mutants with non-natural compound recognition. However, current lack of understanding of the intermolecular movement and ligand-binding in periplasmic binding proteins such as RbsB are limiting the rational production of further and better sensory mutants.

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