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 ◽  
...  

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.

Biochemistry ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 44 (30) ◽  
pp. 10339-10348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Brokx ◽  
Richard A. Rothery ◽  
Guijin Zhang ◽  
Derek P. Ng ◽  
Joel H. Weiner

Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (9) ◽  
pp. 3241-3248 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Crosby ◽  
Peter J. Chefalo ◽  
Irene Yeh ◽  
Shong Ying ◽  
Irving M. London ◽  
...  

Abstract Protein synthesis in reticulocytes depends on the availability of heme. In heme deficiency, inhibition of protein synthesis correlates with the activation of heme-regulated eIF-2α kinase (HRI), which blocks the initiation of protein synthesis by phosphorylating eIF-2α. HRI is a hemoprotein with 2 distinct heme-binding domains. Heme negatively regulates HRI activity by binding directly to HRI. To further study the physiological function of HRI, the wild-type (Wt) HRI and dominant-negative inactive mutants of HRI were expressed by retrovirus-mediated transfer in both non-erythroid NIH 3T3 and mouse erythroleukemic (MEL) cells. Expression of Wt HRI in 3T3 cells resulted in the inhibition of protein synthesis, a loss of proliferation, and eventually cell death. Expression of the inactive HRI mutants had no apparent effect on the growth characteristics or morphology of NIH 3T3 cells. In contrast, expression of 3 dominant-negative inactive mutants of HRI in MEL cells resulted in increased hemoglobin production and increased proliferative capacity of these cells upon dimethyl-sulfoxide induction of erythroid differentiation. These results directly demonstrate the importance of HRI in the regulation of protein synthesis in immature erythroid cells and suggest a role of HRI in the regulation of the numbers of matured erythroid cells.


2013 ◽  
Vol 288 (23) ◽  
pp. 17008-17018 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Fernando Estrada ◽  
Jennifer S. Laurence ◽  
Emily E. Scott

The membrane heme protein cytochrome b5 (b5) can enhance, inhibit, or have no effect on cytochrome P450 (P450) catalysis, depending on the specific P450, substrate, and reaction conditions, but the structural basis remains unclear. Here the interactions between the soluble domain of microsomal b5 and the catalytic domain of the bifunctional steroidogenic cytochrome P450 17A1 (CYP17A1) were investigated. CYP17A1 performs both steroid hydroxylation, which is unaffected by b5, and an androgen-forming lyase reaction that is facilitated 10-fold by b5. NMR chemical shift mapping of b5 titrations with CYP17A1 indicates that the interaction occurs in an intermediate exchange regime and identifies charged surface residues involved in the protein/protein interface. The role of these residues is confirmed by disruption of the complex upon mutagenesis of either the anionic b5 residues (Glu-48 or Glu-49) or the corresponding cationic CYP17A1 residues (Arg-347, Arg-358, or Arg-449). Cytochrome b5 binding to CYP17A1 is also mutually exclusive with binding of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase. To probe the differential effects of b5 on the two CYP17A1-mediated reactions and, thus, communication between the superficial b5 binding site and the buried CYP17A1 active site, CYP17A1/b5 complex formation was characterized with either hydroxylase or lyase substrates bound to CYP17A1. Significantly, the CYP17A1/b5 interaction is stronger when the hydroxylase substrate pregnenolone is present in the CYP17A1 active site than when the lyase substrate 17α-hydroxypregnenolone is in the active site. These findings form the basis for a clearer understanding of this important interaction by directly measuring the reversible binding of the two proteins, providing evidence of communication between the CYP17A1 active site and the superficial proximal b5 binding site.


2006 ◽  
Vol 401 (2) ◽  
pp. 421-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. O'Farrell ◽  
Leemor Joshua-Tor

Bleomycin hydrolase (BH) is a hexameric papain family cysteine protease which is involved in preparing peptides for antigen presentation and has been implicated in tumour cell resistance to bleomycin chemotherapy. Structures of active-site mutants of yeast BH yielded unexpected results. Replacement of the active-site asparagine with alanine, valine or leucine results in the destabilization of the histidine side chain, demonstrating unambiguously the role of the asparagine residue in correctly positioning the histidine for catalysis. Replacement of the histidine with alanine or leucine destabilizes the asparagine position, indicating a delicate arrangement of the active-site residues. In all of the mutants, the C-terminus of the protein, which lies in the active site, protrudes further into the active site. All mutants were compromised in their catalytic activity. The structures also revealed the importance of a tightly bound water molecule which stabilizes a loop near the active site and which is conserved throughout the papain family. It is displaced in a number of the mutants, causing destabilization of this loop and a nearby loop, resulting in a large movement of the active-site cysteine. The results imply that this water molecule plays a key structural role in this family of enzymes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Garcia-Rodriguez ◽  
Daniel Charlier ◽  
Dorien Wilmaerts ◽  
Jan Michiels ◽  
Remy Loris

ABSTRACTThe rnlAB toxin-antitoxin operon from Escherichia coli functions as an anti-phage defense system. RnlA was recently identified as a member of the HEPN (Higher Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes Nucleotide-binding domain) superfamily of ribonucleases. The activity of the toxin RnlA requires tight regulation by the antitoxin RnlB, the mechanism of which remains unknown. Here we show that RnlA exists in an equilibrium between two different homodimer states: an inactive resting state and an active canonical HEPN dimer. Mutants interfering with the transition between states show that canonical HEPN dimerization via the highly conserved RX4-6H motif is required for activity. The antitoxin RnlB binds the canonical HEPN dimer conformation, inhibiting RnlA by blocking access to its active site. Single-alanine substitutions mutants of the highly conserved R255, E258, R318 and H323 show that these residues are involved in catalysis and substrate binding and locate the catalytic site near the dimer interface of the canonical HEPN dimer rather than in a groove located between the HEPN domain and the preceding TBP-like domain. Overall, these findings elucidate the structural basis of the activity and inhibition of RnlA and highlight the crucial role of conformational heterogeneity in protein function.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Xu ◽  
Liao Y. Chen

AbstractCytochrome P450 2J2 (CYP2J2) is responsible for the epoxidation of endogenous arachidonic acid, and is involved in the metabolism of exogenous drugs. To date, no crystal structure of CYP2J2 is available, and the proposed structural basis for the substrate recognition and specificity in CYP2J2 varies with the structural models developed using different computational protocols. In this study, we developed a new structural model of CYP2J2, and explored its sensitivity to substrate binding by molecular dynamics simulations of the interactions with chemically similar fluorescent probes. Our results showed that the induced-fit binding of these probes led to the preferred active poses ready for the catalysis by CYP2J2. Divergent conformational dynamics of CYP2J2 due to the binding of each probe were observed. However, a stable hydrophobic clamp composed of residues I127, F310, A311, V380, and I487 was identified to restrict any substrate access to the active site of CYP2J2. Molecular docking of a series of compounds including amiodarone, astemizole, danazol, ebastine, ketoconazole, terfenadine, terfenadone, and arachidonic acid to CYP2J2 confirmed the role of those residues in determining substrate binding and specificity of CYP2J2. In addition to the flexibility of CYP2J2, the present work also identified other factors such as electrostatic potential in the vicinity of the active site, and substrate strain energy and property that have implications for the interpretation of CYP2J2 metabolism.


Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (9) ◽  
pp. 3241-3248
Author(s):  
John S. Crosby ◽  
Peter J. Chefalo ◽  
Irene Yeh ◽  
Shong Ying ◽  
Irving M. London ◽  
...  

Protein synthesis in reticulocytes depends on the availability of heme. In heme deficiency, inhibition of protein synthesis correlates with the activation of heme-regulated eIF-2α kinase (HRI), which blocks the initiation of protein synthesis by phosphorylating eIF-2α. HRI is a hemoprotein with 2 distinct heme-binding domains. Heme negatively regulates HRI activity by binding directly to HRI. To further study the physiological function of HRI, the wild-type (Wt) HRI and dominant-negative inactive mutants of HRI were expressed by retrovirus-mediated transfer in both non-erythroid NIH 3T3 and mouse erythroleukemic (MEL) cells. Expression of Wt HRI in 3T3 cells resulted in the inhibition of protein synthesis, a loss of proliferation, and eventually cell death. Expression of the inactive HRI mutants had no apparent effect on the growth characteristics or morphology of NIH 3T3 cells. In contrast, expression of 3 dominant-negative inactive mutants of HRI in MEL cells resulted in increased hemoglobin production and increased proliferative capacity of these cells upon dimethyl-sulfoxide induction of erythroid differentiation. These results directly demonstrate the importance of HRI in the regulation of protein synthesis in immature erythroid cells and suggest a role of HRI in the regulation of the numbers of matured erythroid cells.


1997 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 464-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salem Faham ◽  
Tadashi J. Mizoguchi ◽  
Elinor T. Adman ◽  
Harry B. Gray ◽  
John H. Richards ◽  
...  

Biochemistry ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 38 (44) ◽  
pp. 14507-14514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio D. B. Scrofani ◽  
John Chung ◽  
James J. A. Huntley ◽  
Stephen J. Benkovic ◽  
Peter E. Wright ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Woo Cheol Lee ◽  
Sungjae Choi ◽  
Ahjin Jang ◽  
Jiwon Yeon ◽  
Eunha Hwang ◽  
...  

AbstractAryl polyenes (APE) are one of the most widespread secondary metabolites among gram-negative bacteria. In Acinetobacter baumannii, strains belonging to the virulent global clone 2 (GC2) mostly contain APE biosynthesis genes; its relevance in elevated pathogenicity is of great interest. APE biosynthesis gene clusters harbor two ketosynthases (KSs): the heterodimeric KS-chain length factor complex, ApeO-ApeC, and the homodimeric ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase I (FabB)-like KS, ApeR. The role of the two KSs in APE biosynthesis is unclear. We determined the crystal structures of the two KSs from a pathogenic A. baumannii strain. ApeO-ApeC and ApeR have similar cavity volumes; however, ApeR has a narrow cavity near the entrance. In vitro assay based on the absorption characteristics of polyene species indicated the generation of fully elongated polyene with only ApeO-ApeC, probably because of the funnel shaped active site cavity. However, adding ApeR to the reaction increases the throughput of APE biosynthesis. Mutagenesis at Tyr135 in the active site cavity of ApeR reduces the activity significantly, which suggests that the stacking of the aryl group between Tyr135 and Phe202 is important for substrate recognition. Therefore, the two KSs function complementarily in the generation of APE to enhance its production.


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