scholarly journals Conformational Changes of Spo0F along the Phosphotransfer Pathway

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (24) ◽  
pp. 8221-8227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kottayil I. Varughese

ABSTRACT Spo0F is a secondary messenger in the sporulation phosphorelay, and its structure has been characterized crystallographically in the apo-state, in the metal-bound state, and in an interacting state with a phosphotransferase. Additionally, the solution structure of the molecule has been characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance techniques in the unliganded state and in complex with beryllofluoride. Spo0F is a single-domain protein with a well-defined three-dimensional structure, but it is capable of adapting to specific conformations for catching and releasing the phosphoryl moiety. This commentary deals with the conformational fluctuations of the molecule as it moves from an apo-state to a metal-coordinated state, to a phosphorylated state, and then to a phosphoryl-transferring state.

2017 ◽  
Vol 474 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonor Morgado ◽  
Marta Bruix ◽  
P. Raj Pokkuluri ◽  
Carlos A. Salgueiro ◽  
David L. Turner

The periplasmic triheme cytochrome PpcA from Geobacter sulfurreducens is highly abundant; it is the likely reservoir of electrons to the outer surface to assist the reduction of extracellular terminal acceptors; these include insoluble metal oxides in natural habitats and electrode surfaces from which electricity can be harvested. A detailed thermodynamic characterization of PpcA showed that it has an important redox-Bohr effect that might implicate the protein in e−/H+ coupling mechanisms to sustain cellular growth. This functional mechanism requires control of both the redox state and the protonation state. In the present study, isotope-labeled PpcA was produced and the three-dimensional structure of PpcA in the oxidized form was determined by NMR. This is the first solution structure of a G. sulfurreducens cytochrome in the oxidized state. The comparison of oxidized and reduced structures revealed that the heme I axial ligand geometry changed and there were other significant changes in the segments near heme I. The pH-linked conformational rearrangements observed in the vicinity of the redox-Bohr center, both in the oxidized and reduced structures, constitute the structural basis for the differences observed in the pKa values of the redox-Bohr center, providing insights into the e−/H+ coupling molecular mechanisms driven by PpcA in G. sulfurreducens.


1998 ◽  
Vol 333 (3) ◽  
pp. 811-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio PÁRRAGA ◽  
Isabel GARCÍA-SÁEZ ◽  
Sinead B. WALSH ◽  
Timothy J. MANTLE ◽  
Miquel COLL

The structure of mouse liver glutathione S-transferase P1-1 complexed with its substrate glutathione (GSH) has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. No conformational changes in the glutathione moiety or in the protein, other than small adjustments of some side chains, are observed when compared with glutathione adduct complexes. Our structure confirms that the role of Tyr-7 is to stabilize the thiolate by hydrogen bonding and to position it in the right orientation. A comparison of the enzyme–GSH structure reported here with previously described structures reveals rearrangements in a well-defined network of water molecules in the active site. One of these water molecules (W0), identified in the unliganded enzyme (carboxymethylated at Cys-47), is displaced by the binding of GSH, and a further water molecule (W4) is displaced following the binding of the electrophilic substrate and the formation of the glutathione conjugate. The possibility that one of these water molecules participates in the proton abstraction from the glutathione thiol is discussed.


Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Peter G. Stockley ◽  
Nikesh Patel ◽  
Emma L. Wroblewski ◽  
Andrew J. P. Scott ◽  
Carlos P. Mata ◽  
...  

Single-stranded RNA viral genomes (gRNA) are dynamic molecules that permit packaging into virions and their subsequent extrusion during infection. For viruses with such genomes, we discovered a previously unsuspected mechanism that regulates their assembly. This regulation is the result of multiple cognate coat protein (CP)–gRNA contacts distributed across the RNA. Collectively, these interactions make the assembly highly efficient and specific. The regions of the gRNA packaging signals (PSs) driving this assembly are potential drug targets, whilst the manipulation of PS–CP contacts with nonviral RNA cargos is a route towards bespoke virus-like particles. Infectivity depends on the virions being able to transfer their gRNAs into host cells. The starting point for this transfer appears to be an encapsidated RNA with a defined three-dimensional structure, especially around the PSs. A combination of asymmetric cryo-electron microscopy structure determination and X-ray synchrotron footprinting were used to define these contacts and structures in a number of viral examples, including hepatitis B virus and enteroviruses. These tools allow us to look beyond the outer CP layer of the virion shell and to see the functional, asymmetric components that regulate viral infectivity. This revealed yet more unexpected aspects of critical infection mechanisms, such as the RNA conformational changes required for encapsidation, the details of PS–CP contacts regulating the assembly, and the conformational “memory” imposed by encapsidation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 567-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Seutter von Loetzen ◽  
Kristian Schweimer ◽  
Wilfried Schwab ◽  
Paul Rösch ◽  
Olivia Hartl-Spiegelhauer

The PR10 family protein Fra a 1E from strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) is down-regulated in white strawberry mutants, and transient RNAi (RNA interference)-mediated silencing experiments confirmed that Fra a 1 is involved in fruit pigment synthesis. In the present study, we determined the solution structure of Fra a 1E. The protein fold is identical with that of other members of the PR10 protein family and consists of a seven-stranded antiparallel β-sheet, two short V-shaped α-helices and a long C-terminal α-helix that encompass a hydrophobic pocket. Whereas Fra a 1E contains the glycine-rich loop that is highly conserved throughout the protein family, the volume of the hydrophobic pocket and the size of its entrance are much larger than expected. The three-dimensional structure may shed some light on its physiological function and may help to further understand the role of PR10 proteins in plants.


2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 659-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Paredes ◽  
Kathy Alwell-Warda ◽  
Scott C. Weaver ◽  
Wah Chiu ◽  
Stanley J. Watowich

ABSTRACT Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an important human and equine pathogen in the Americas, with widespread reoccurring epidemics extending from South America to the southern United States. Most troubling, VEEV has been made into a weapon by several countries and is currently restricted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a potential biological warfare and terrorism agent. To facilitate the development of antiviral compounds, the structure of the nucleocapsid isolated from VEEV has been determined by electron cryomicroscopy and image reconstruction and represents the first three-dimensional structure of a nucleocapsid isolated from a single-stranded enveloped RNA virus. The isolated VEEV nucleocapsid undergoes significant reorganization relative to its structure within VEEV. However, the isolated nucleocapsid clearly exhibits T=4 icosahedral symmetry, and its characteristic nucleocapsid hexons and pentons are preserved. The diameter of the isolated nucleocapsid is ∼11.5% larger than that of the nucleocapsid within VEEV, with radial expansion being greatest near the hexons. Significantly, this is the first direct structural evidence showing that a simple enveloped virus undergoes large conformational changes during maturation, suggesting that the lipid bilayer and the transmembrane proteins of simple enveloped viruses provide the energy necessary to reorganize the nucleocapsid during maturation.


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