scholarly journals Mechanistic and structural basis for inhibition of thymidylate synthase ThyX

Open Biology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (10) ◽  
pp. 120120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Basta ◽  
Yap Boum ◽  
Julien Briffotaux ◽  
Hubert F. Becker ◽  
Isabelle Lamarre-Jouenne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Thymidylate Synthase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Tight Binding ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Microbial Genomes ◽  
Thymidylate Synthases ◽  
Thymidylate Synthesis

Nature has established two mechanistically and structurally unrelated families of thymidylate synthases that produce de novo thymidylate or dTMP, an essential DNA precursor. Representatives of the alternative flavin-dependent thymidylate synthase family, ThyX, are found in a large number of microbial genomes, but are absent in humans. We have exploited the nucleotide binding pocket of ThyX proteins to identify non-substrate-based tight-binding ThyX inhibitors that inhibited growth of genetically modified Escherichia coli cells dependent on thyX in a manner mimicking a genetic knockout of thymidylate synthase. We also solved the crystal structure of a viral ThyX bound to 2-hydroxy-3-(4-methoxybenzyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone at a resolution of 2.6 Å. This inhibitor was found to bind within the conserved active site of the tetrameric ThyX enzyme, at the interface of two monomers, partially overlapping with the dUMP binding pocket. Our studies provide new chemical tools for investigating the ThyX reaction mechanism and establish a novel mechanistic and structural basis for inhibition of thymidylate synthesis. As essential ThyX proteins are found e.g. in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Helicobacter pylori , our studies have also potential to pave the way towards the development of new anti-microbial compounds.

scholarly journals High-Resolution Crystal Structure of the Subclass B3 Metallo-β-Lactamase BJP-1: Rational Basis for Substrate Specificity and Interaction with Sulfonamides

2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 4343-4351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Denis Docquier ◽  
Manuela Benvenuti ◽  
Vito Calderone ◽  
Magdalena Stoczko ◽  
Nicola Menciassi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Bradyrhizobium Japonicum ◽  
Active Sites ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Side Chain ◽  
Functional Heterogeneity ◽  
Hydrophobic Binding

ABSTRACT Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are important enzymatic factors in resistance to β-lactam antibiotics that show important structural and functional heterogeneity. BJP-1 is a subclass B3 MBL determinant produced by Bradyrhizobium japonicum that exhibits interesting properties. BJP-1, like CAU-1 of Caulobacter vibrioides, overall poorly recognizes β-lactam substrates and shows an unusual substrate profile compared to other MBLs. In order to understand the structural basis of these properties, the crystal structure of BJP-1 was obtained at 1.4-Å resolution. This revealed significant differences in the conformation and locations of the active-site loops, determining a rather narrow active site and the presence of a unique N-terminal helix bearing Phe-31, whose side chain binds in the active site and represents an obstacle for β-lactam substrate binding. In order to probe the potential of sulfonamides (known to inhibit various zinc-dependent enzymes) to bind in the active sites of MBLs, the structure of BJP-1 in complex with 4-nitrobenzenesulfonamide was also obtained (at 1.33-Å resolution), thereby revealing the mode of interaction of these molecules in MBLs. Interestingly, sulfonamide binding resulted in the displacement of the side chain of Phe-31 from its hydrophobic binding pocket, where the benzene ring of the molecule is now found. These data further highlight the structural diversity shown by MBLs but also provide interesting insights in the structure-function relationships of these enzymes. More importantly, we provided the first structural observation of MBL interaction with sulfonamides, which might represent an interesting scaffold for the design of MBL inhibitors.

scholarly journals An enzymatic activation of formaldehyde for nucleotide methylation

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Bou-Nader ◽  
Frederick W. Stull ◽  
Ludovic Pecqueur ◽  
Philippe Simon ◽  
Vincent Guérineau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Thymidylate Synthase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Crystallographic Structure ◽  
De Novo Synthesis ◽  
Active Site Residues ◽  
Enzymatic Activation ◽  
Enzyme Cofactors ◽  
Unique Ability

AbstractFolate enzyme cofactors and their derivatives have the unique ability to provide a single carbon unit at different oxidation levels for the de novo synthesis of amino-acids, purines, or thymidylate, an essential DNA nucleotide. How these cofactors mediate methylene transfer is not fully settled yet, particularly with regard to how the methylene is transferred to the methylene acceptor. Here, we uncovered that the bacterial thymidylate synthase ThyX, which relies on both folate and flavin for activity, can also use a formaldehyde-shunt to directly synthesize thymidylate. Combining biochemical, spectroscopic and anaerobic crystallographic analyses, we showed that formaldehyde reacts with the reduced flavin coenzyme to form a carbinolamine intermediate used by ThyX for dUMP methylation. The crystallographic structure of this intermediate reveals how ThyX activates formaldehyde and uses it, with the assistance of active site residues, to methylate dUMP. Our results reveal that carbinolamine species promote methylene transfer and suggest that the use of a CH2O-shunt may be relevant in several other important folate-dependent reactions.

scholarly journals Structural basis for UFM1 transfer from UBA5 to UFC1

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj Kumar ◽  
Prasanth Padala ◽  
Jamal Fahoum ◽  
Fouad Hassouna ◽  
Tomer Tsaban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Adenylation Domain ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Target Proteins ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Enzyme Cascade ◽  
Linear Sequence ◽  
C Terminus

AbstractUfmylation is a post-translational modification essential for regulating key cellular processes. A three-enzyme cascade involving E1, E2 and E3 is required for UFM1 attachment to target proteins. How UBA5 (E1) and UFC1 (E2) cooperatively activate and transfer UFM1 is still unclear. Here, we present the crystal structure of UFC1 bound to the C-terminus of UBA5, revealing how UBA5 interacts with UFC1 via a short linear sequence, not observed in other E1-E2 complexes. We find that UBA5 has a region outside the adenylation domain that is dispensable for UFC1 binding but critical for UFM1 transfer. This region moves next to UFC1’s active site Cys and compensates for a missing loop in UFC1, which exists in other E2s and is needed for the transfer. Overall, our findings advance the understanding of UFM1’s conjugation machinery and may serve as a basis for the development of ufmylation inhibitors.

scholarly journals Flavin-Dependent Thymidylate Synthase ThyX Activity: Implications for the Folate Cycle in Bacteria

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (23) ◽  
pp. 8537-8545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien Leduc ◽  
Frédéric Escartin ◽  
H. Frederik Nijhout ◽  
Michael C. Reed ◽  
Ursula Liebl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dihydrofolate Reductase ◽  
Thymidylate Synthase ◽  
Insertional Mutagenesis ◽  
Rhodobacter Capsulatus ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Reductase Activity ◽  
Direct Proof ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Thymidylate Synthesis

ABSTRACT Although flavin-dependent ThyX proteins show thymidylate synthase activity in vitro and functionally complement thyA defects in heterologous systems, direct proof of their cellular functions is missing. Using insertional mutagenesis of Rhodobacter capsulatus thyX, we constructed the first defined thyX inactivation mutant. Phenotypic analyses of the obtained mutant strain confirmed that R. capsulatus ThyX is required for de novo thymidylate synthesis. Full complementation of the R. capsulatus thyX::spec strain to thymidine prototrophy required not only the canonical thymidylate synthase ThyA but also the dihydrofolate reductase FolA. Strikingly, we also found that addition of exogenous methylenetetrahydrofolate transiently inhibited the growth of the different Rhodobacter strains used in this work. To rationalize these experimental results, we used a mathematical model of bacterial folate metabolism. This model suggests that a very low dihydrofolate reductase activity is enough to rescue significant thymidylate synthesis in the presence of ThyX proteins and is in agreement with the notion that intracellular accumulation of folates results in growth inhibition. In addition, our observations suggest that the presence of flavin-dependent thymidylate synthase X provides growth benefits under conditions in which the level of reduced folate derivatives is compromised.

scholarly journals Active site alanine substitutions can convert deubiquitinating enzymes into avid ubiquitin-binding domains

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Morrow ◽  
Michael Morgan ◽  
Marcello Clerici ◽  
Katerina Growkova ◽  
Ming Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Tight Binding ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Deubiquitinating Enzymes ◽  
Active Site Cysteine ◽  
Binding Domains ◽  
Common Strategy ◽  
Catalytic Cysteine

ABSTRACTA common strategy for studying the biological role of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) in different pathways is to study the effects of replacing the wild type DUB with a catalytically inactive mutant in cells. We report here that a commonly studied DUB mutation, in which the catalytic cysteine is replaced with alanine, can dramatically increase the affinity of some DUBs for ubiquitin. Overexpression of these tight-binding mutants thus has the potential to sequester cellular pools of monoubiquitin and ubiquitin chains. As a result, cells expressing these mutants may display unpredictable dominant negative physiological effects that are not related to loss of DUB activity. The structure of the SAGA DUB module bound to free ubiquitin reveals the structural basis for the 30-fold higher affinity of Ubp8C146A for ubiquitin. We show that an alternative option, substituting the active site cysteine with arginine, can inactivate DUBs while also decreasing the affinity for ubiquitin.

scholarly journals Crystal structure of Arabidopsis thaliana HPPK/DHPS, a bifunctional enzyme and target of the herbicide asulam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grishma Vadlamani ◽  
Kirill V Sukhoverkov ◽  
Joel Haywood ◽  
Karen J Breese ◽  
Mark F Fisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Mode Of Action ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Metabolic Resistance ◽  
Folate Biosynthesis ◽  
Limited Opportunity ◽  
Regulatory Scrutiny

Herbicides are vital for modern agriculture, but their utility is threatened by genetic or metabolic resistance in weeds as well as heightened regulatory scrutiny. Of the known herbicide modes of action, 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin synthase (DHPS) which is involved in folate biosynthesis, is targeted by just one commercial herbicide, asulam. A mimic of the substrate para-aminobenzoic acid, asulam is chemically similar to sulfonamide antibiotics - and while still in widespread use, asulam has faced regulatory scrutiny. With an entire mode of action represented by just one commercial agrochemical, we sought to improve the understanding of its plant target. Here we solve a 2.6 Å resolution crystal structure for Arabidopsis thaliana DHPS that is conjoined to 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase (HPPK) and reveal a strong structural conservation with bacterial counterparts at the sulfonamide-binding pocket of DHPS. We demonstrate asulam and the antibiotics sulfacetamide and sulfamethoxazole have herbicidal as well as antibacterial activity and explore the structural basis of their potency by modelling these compounds in mitochondrial HPPK/DHPS. Our findings suggest limited opportunity for the rational design of plant selectivity from asulam and that pharmacokinetic or delivery differences between plants and microbes might be the best approaches to safeguard this mode of action.

scholarly journals The genome of a Bacteroidetes inhabitant of the human gut encodes a structurally distinct enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (FabI)

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (22) ◽  
pp. 7635-7652
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Radka ◽  
Matthew W. Frank ◽  
Jiangwei Yao ◽  
Jayaraman Seetharaman ◽  
Darcie J. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Conformational Change ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Acyl Carrier Protein ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Antibacterial Drug ◽  
Carrier Protein

Enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (FabI) catalyzes a rate-controlling step in bacterial fatty-acid synthesis and is a target for antibacterial drug development. A phylogenetic analysis shows that FabIs fall into four divergent clades. Members of clades 1–3 have been structurally and biochemically characterized, but the fourth clade, found in members of phylum Bacteroidetes, is uncharacterized. Here, we identified the unique structure and conformational changes that distinguish clade 4 FabIs. Alistipes finegoldii is a prototypical Bacteroidetes inhabitant of the gut microbiome. We found that A. finegoldii FabI (AfFabI) displays cooperative kinetics and uses NADH as a cofactor, and its crystal structure at 1.72 Å resolution showed that it adopts a Rossmann fold as do other characterized FabIs. It also disclosed a carboxyl-terminal extension that forms a helix–helix interaction that links the protomers as a unique feature of AfFabI. An AfFabI·NADH crystal structure at 1.86 Å resolution revealed that this feature undergoes a large conformational change to participate in covering the NADH-binding pocket and establishing the water channels that connect the active site to the central water well. Progressive deletion of these interactions led to catalytically compromised proteins that fail to bind NADH. This unique conformational change imparted a distinct shape to the AfFabI active site that renders it refractory to a FabI drug that targets clade 1 and 3 pathogens. We conclude that the clade 4 FabI, found in the Bacteroidetes inhabitants of the gut, have several structural features and conformational transitions that distinguish them from other bacterial FabIs.

scholarly journals Structural basis for UCN-01 (7-hydroxystaurosporine) specificity and PDK1 (3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1) inhibition

2003 ◽  
Vol 375 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
David KOMANDER ◽  
Gursant S. KULAR ◽  
Jennifer BAIN ◽  
Matthew ELLIOTT ◽  
Dario R. ALESSI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Hydroxy Group ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Binding Pocket ◽  
Kinase Domain ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Active Site Residues ◽  
Dependent Protein Kinase ◽  
Growth Factor Signalling ◽  
Dependent Protein

PDK1 (3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1) is a member of the AGC (cAMP-dependent, cGMP-dependent, protein kinase C) family of protein kinases, and has a key role in insulin and growth-factor signalling through phosphorylation and subsequent activation of a number of other AGC kinase family members, such as protein kinase B. The staurosporine derivative UCN-01 (7-hydroxystaurosporine) has been reported to be a potent inhibitor for PDK1, and is currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. Here, we report the crystal structures of staurosporine and UCN-01 in complex with the kinase domain of PDK1. We show that, although staurosporine and UCN-01 interact with the PDK1 active site in an overall similar manner, the UCN-01 7-hydroxy group, which is not present in staurosporine, generates direct and water-mediated hydrogen bonds with active-site residues. Inhibition data from UCN-01 tested against a panel of 29 different kinases show a different pattern of inhibition compared with staurosporine. We discuss how these differences in inhibition could be attributed to specific interactions with the additional 7-hydroxy group, as well as the size of the 7-hydroxy-group-binding pocket. This information could lead to opportunities for structure-based optimization of PDK1 inhibitors.

scholarly journals Crystal Structure of Mouse Thymidylate Synthase in Tertiary Complex with dUMP and Raltitrexed Reveals N-Terminus Architecture and Two Different Active Site Conformations

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Dowierciał ◽  
Piotr Wilk ◽  
Wojciech Rypniewski ◽  
Wojciech Rode ◽  
Adam Jarmuła
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Thymidylate Synthase ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Crystal Packing ◽  
Terminal Segment ◽  
Asymmetrical Effect ◽  
Active Site Cleft ◽  
Ligand Free ◽  
First Time

The crystal structure of mouse thymidylate synthase (mTS) in complex with substrate dUMP and antifolate inhibitor Raltitrexed is reported. The structure reveals, for the first time in the group of mammalian TS structures, a well-ordered segment of 13 N-terminal amino acids, whose ordered conformation is stabilized due to specific crystal packing. The structure consists of two homodimers, differing in conformation, one being more closed (dimer AB) and thus supporting tighter binding of ligands, and the other being more open (dimer CD) and thus allowing weaker binding of ligands. This difference indicates an asymmetrical effect of the binding of Raltitrexed to two independent mTS molecules. Conformational changes leading to a ligand-induced closing of the active site cleft are observed by comparing the crystal structures of mTS in three different states along the catalytic pathway: ligand-free, dUMP-bound, and dUMP- and Raltitrexed-bound. Possible interaction routes between hydrophobic residues of the mTS protein N-terminal segment and the active site are also discussed.

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