scholarly journals Characterization of C-S Lyase fromC. diphtheriae: A Possible Target for New Antimicrobial Drugs

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Astegno ◽  
Alejandro Giorgetti ◽  
Alessandra Allegrini ◽  
Barbara Cellini ◽  
Paola Dominici
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Ph Dependence ◽  
Amino Acid Replacement ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Active Site Residues ◽  
Methionine Biosynthesis ◽  
Antimicrobial Drugs

The emergence of antibiotic resistance in microbial pathogens requires the identification of new antibacterial drugs. The biosynthesis of methionine is an attractive target because of its central importance in cellular metabolism. Moreover, most of the steps in methionine biosynthesis pathway are absent in mammals, lowering the probability of unwanted side effects. Herein, detailed biochemical characterization of one enzyme required for methionine biosynthesis, a pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP-) dependent C-S lyase fromCorynebacterium diphtheriae, a pathogenic bacterium that causes diphtheria, has been performed. We overexpressed the protein inE. coliand analyzed substrate specificity, pH dependence of steady state kinetic parameters, and ligand-induced spectral transitions of the protein. Structural comparison of the enzyme with cystalysin fromTreponema denticolaindicates a similarity in overall folding. We used site-directed mutagenesis to highlight the importance of active site residues Tyr55, Tyr114, and Arg351, analyzing the effects of amino acid replacement on catalytic properties of enzyme. Better understanding of the active site ofC. diphtheriaeC-S lyase and the determinants of substrate and reaction specificity from this work will facilitate the design of novel inhibitors as antibacterial therapeutics.

scholarly journals Characterization of Self-Processing Activities and Substrate Specificities of Porcine Torovirus 3C-Like Protease

2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shangen Xu ◽  
Junwei Zhou ◽  
Yingjin Chen ◽  
Xue Tong ◽  
Zixin Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Catalytic Mechanism ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Active Site Residues ◽  
Hydrophobic Force ◽  
Substrate Specificities ◽  
Consensus Sequences ◽  
Cleavage Activity ◽  
Porcine Torovirus

ABSTRACT The 3C-like protease (3CLpro) of nidovirus plays an important role in viral replication and manipulation of host antiviral innate immunity, which makes it an ideal antiviral target. Here, we characterized that porcine torovirus (PToV; family Tobaniviridae, order Nidovirales) 3CLpro autocatalytically releases itself from the viral precursor protein by self-cleavage. Site-directed mutagenesis suggested that PToV 3CLpro, as a serine protease, employed His53 and Ser160 as the active-site residues. Interestingly, unlike most nidovirus 3CLpro, the P1 residue plays a less essential role in N-terminal self-cleavage of PToV 3CLpro. Substituting either P1 or P4 residue of substrate alone has little discernible effect on N-terminal cleavage. Notably, replacement of the two residues together completely blocks N-terminal cleavage, suggesting that N-terminal self-cleavage of PToV 3CLpro is synergistically affected by both P1 and P4 residues. Using a cyclized luciferase-based biosensor, we systematically scanned the polyproteins for cleavage sites and identified (FXXQ↓A/S) as the main consensus sequences. Subsequent homology modeling and biochemical experiments suggested that the protease formed putative pockets S1 and S4 between the substrate. Indeed, mutants of both predicted S1 (D159A, H174A) and S4 (P62G/L185G) pockets completely lost the ability of cleavage activity of PToV 3CLpro. In conclusion, the characterization of self-processing activities and substrate specificities of PToV 3CLpro will offer helpful information for the mechanism of nidovirus 3C-like proteinase’s substrate specificities and the rational development of the antinidovirus drugs. IMPORTANCE Currently, the active-site residues and substrate specificities of 3C-like protease (3CLpro) differ among nidoviruses, and the detailed catalytic mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, porcine torovirus (PToV) 3CLpro cleaves 12 sites in the polyproteins, including its N- and C-terminal self-processing sites. Unlike coronaviruses and arteriviruses, PToV 3CLpro employed His53 and Ser160 as the active-site residues that recognize a glutamine (Gln) at the P1 position. Surprisingly, mutations of P1-Gln impaired the C-terminal self-processing but did not affect N-terminal self-processing. The “noncanonical” substrate specificity for its N-terminal self-processing was attributed to the phenylalanine (Phe) residue at the P4 position in the N-terminal site. Furthermore, a double glycine (neutral) substitution at the putative P4-Phe-binding residues (P62G/L185G) abolished the cleavage activity of PToV 3CLpro suggested the potential hydrophobic force between the PToV 3CLpro and P4-Phe side chains.

scholarly journals Biochemical characterization of a variant human medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase with a disease-associated mutation localized in the active site

1999 ◽  
Vol 337 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burkhard KÜCHLER ◽  
Abdel-Ghany ABDEL-GHANY ◽  
Peter BROSS ◽  
Andreas NANDY ◽  
Ihab RASCHED ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Ph Dependence ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Medium Chain ◽  
Prevalent Disease ◽  
Chain Acyl ◽  
Electron Transferring Flavoprotein

Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCADH) deficiency, an autosomal recessive inherited disorder, is the most common genetic disorder in mitochondrial β-oxidation in humans. In addition to one prevalent disease-causing mutation (K304E), a series of rarer mutations has been reported, but none of these has yet been characterized in detail. We report here on the biochemical characterization of the purified recombinant mutant protein in which threonine is replaced by alanine at position 168 of the mature protein (T168A-MCADH). It is the first mutation to be found in patients that is located in the active site of the enzyme. Thr-168 is hydrogen-bonded to the flavin N(5) of the cofactor FAD. The thermostability of T168A-MCADH is markedly decreased compared with human wild-type MCADH (hwt-MCADH). Catalytic activity with ferricenium as acceptor is lowered by 80% and with the natural acceptor electron-transferring flavoprotein by over 90% compared with hwt-MCADH. In the mutant the extent of flavin semiquinone formed on reduction is approx. 50% that of hwt-MCADH. The pK reflected by the pH-dependence of Vmax is shifted from approx. 8.2 (hwt-MCADH) to approx. 7 (T168A-MCADH) and the rates of enzyme flavin reduction (stopped-flow measurements) are only approx. 1/10 those of the parent enzyme. These properties are discussed in the light of the possible mechanisms leading to disease in humans.

scholarly journals Biochemical characterization of the chondroitinase ABC I active site

2005 ◽  
Vol 390 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vikas Prabhakar ◽  
Rahul Raman ◽  
Ishan Capila ◽  
Carlos J. Bosques ◽  
Kevin Pojasek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Catalytic Mechanism ◽  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Chondroitin Sulphate ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Chondroitinase Abc ◽  
Enzyme Substrate

cABC I (chondroitinase ABC I) from Proteus vulgaris is a GalAG (galactosaminoglycan) depolymerizing lyase that cleaves its substrates at the glycosidic bond via β-elimination. cABC I cleaves a particularly broad range of GalAG substrates, including CS (chondroitin sulphate), DS (dermatan sulphate) and hyaluronic acid. We recently cloned and recombinantly expressed cABC I in Escherichia coli, and completed a preliminary biochemical characterization of the enzyme. In the present study, we have coupled site-directed mutagenesis of the recombinant cABC I with a structural model of the enzyme–substrate complex in order to investigate in detail the roles of active site amino acids in the catalytic action of the enzyme. The putative catalytic residues His-501, Tyr-508, Arg-560 and Glu-653 were probed systematically via mutagenesis. Assessment of these mutants in kinetic and end-point assays provided direct evidence on the catalytic roles of these active-site residues. The crystal structure of the native enzyme provided a framework for molecular docking of representative CS and DS substrates. This enabled us to construct recombinant enzyme–substrate structural complexes. These studies together provided structural insights into the effects of the mutations on the catalytic mechanism of cABC I and the differences in its processing of CS and DS substrates. All His-501 mutants were essentially inactive and thereby implicating this amino acid to play the critical role of proton abstraction during catalysis. The kinetic data for Glu-653 mutants indicated that it is involved in a hydrogen bonding network in the active site. The proximity of Tyr-508 to the glycosidic oxygen of the substrate at the site of cleavage suggested its potential role in protonating the leaving group. Arg-560 was proximal to the uronic acid C-5 proton, suggesting its possible role in the stabilization of the carbanion intermediate formed during catalysis.

scholarly journals ADP-Ribose-1"-Monophosphatase: a Conserved Coronavirus Enzyme That Is Dispensable for Viral Replication in Tissue Culture

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (20) ◽  
pp. 12721-12731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ákos Putics ◽  
Witold Filipowicz ◽  
Jonathan Hall ◽  
Alexander E. Gorbalenya ◽  
John Ziebuhr
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
Virus Titer ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Replicase Gene ◽  
Active Site Residues ◽  
Nonstructural Proteins ◽  
Trna Splicing

ABSTRACT Replication of the ∼30-kb plus-strand RNA genome of coronaviruses and synthesis of an extensive set of subgenome-length RNAs are mediated by the replicase-transcriptase, a membrane-bound protein complex containing several cellular proteins and up to 16 viral nonstructural proteins (nsps) with multiple enzymatic activities, including protease, polymerase, helicase, methyltransferase, and RNase activities. To get further insight into the replicase gene-encoded functions, we characterized the coronavirus X domain, which is part of nsp3 and has been predicted to be an ADP-ribose-1"-monophosphate (Appr-1"-p) processing enzyme. Bacterially expressed forms of human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) and severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus X domains were shown to dephosphorylate Appr-1"-p, a side product of cellular tRNA splicing, to ADP-ribose in a highly specific manner. The enzyme had no detectable activity on several other nucleoside phosphates. Guided by the crystal structure of AF1521, an X domain homolog from Archaeoglobus fulgidus, potential active-site residues of the HCoV-229E X domain were targeted by site-directed mutagenesis. The data suggest that the HCoV-229E replicase polyprotein residues, Asn 1302, Asn 1305, His 1310, Gly 1312, and Gly 1313, are part of the enzyme's active site. Characterization of an Appr-1"-pase-deficient HCoV-229E mutant revealed no significant effects on viral RNA synthesis and virus titer, and no reversion to the wild-type sequence was observed when the mutant virus was passaged in cell culture. The apparent dispensability of the conserved X domain activity in vitro indicates that coronavirus replicase polyproteins have evolved to include nonessential functions. The biological significance of the novel enzymatic activity in vivo remains to be investigated.

scholarly journals Characterization of a Viral Phosphoprotein Binding Site on the Surface of the Respiratory Syncytial Nucleoprotein

2012 ◽  
Vol 86 (16) ◽  
pp. 8375-8387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Galloux ◽  
Bogdan Tarus ◽  
Ilfad Blazevic ◽  
Jenna Fix ◽  
Stéphane Duquerroy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biochemical Characterization ◽  
Specific Interaction ◽  
Viral Rna ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽  
Interaction Domain ◽  
Rna Complex

The human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) genome is composed of a negative-sense single-stranded RNA that is tightly associated with the nucleoprotein (N). This ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex is the template for replication and transcription by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. RNP recognition by the viral polymerase involves a specific interaction between the C-terminal domain of the phosphoprotein (P) (PCTD) and N. However, the P binding region on N remains to be identified. In this study, glutathioneS-transferase (GST) pulldown assays were used to identify the N-terminal core domain of HRSV N (NNTD) as a P binding domain. A biochemical characterization of the PCTDand molecular modeling of the NNTDallowed us to define four potential candidate pockets on N (pocket I [PI] to PIV) as hydrophobic sites surrounded by positively charged regions, which could constitute sites complementary to the PCTDinteraction domain. The role of selected amino acids in the recognition of the N-RNA complex by P was first screened for by site-directed mutagenesis using a polymerase activity assay, based on an HRSV minigenome containing a luciferase reporter gene. When changed to Ala, most of the residues of PI were found to be critical for viral RNA synthesis, with the R132A mutant having the strongest effect. These mutations also reduced or abolishedin vitroandin vivoP-N interactions, as determined by GST pulldown and immunoprecipitation experiments. The pocket formed by these residues is critical for P binding to the N-RNA complex, is specific for pneumovirus N proteins, and is clearly distinct from the P binding sites identified so far for other nonsegmented negative-strand viruses.

scholarly journals Catalytic and structural contributions for glutathione-binding residues in a Delta class glutathione S-transferase

2004 ◽  
Vol 382 (2) ◽  
pp. 751-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pakorn WINAYANUWATTIKUN ◽  
Albert J. KETTERMAN
Keyword(s):  
Binding Site ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Catalytic Mechanism ◽  
Tertiary Structure ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Active Site Residues ◽  
Anopheles Dirus ◽  
Steady State Kinetics ◽  
Cellular Detoxification

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are dimeric proteins that play a major role in cellular detoxification. The GSTs in mosquito Anopheles dirus species B, an important malaria vector in South East Asia, are of interest because they can play an important role in insecticide resistance. In the present study, we characterized the Anopheles dirus (Ad)GST D3-3 which is an alternatively spliced product of the adgst1AS1 gene. The data from the crystal structure of GST D3-3 shows that Ile-52, Glu-64, Ser-65, Arg-66 and Met-101 interact directly with glutathione. To study the active-site function of these residues, alanine substitution site-directed mutagenesis was performed resulting in five mutants: I52A (Ile-52→Ala), E64A, S65A, R66A and M101A. Interestingly, the E64A mutant was expressed in Escherichia coli in inclusion bodies, suggesting that this residue is involved with the tertiary structure or folding property of this enzyme. However, the I52A, S65A, R66A and M101A mutants were purified by glutathione affinity chromatography and the enzyme activity characterized. On the basis of steady-state kinetics, difference spectroscopy, unfolding and refolding studies, it was concluded that these residues: (1) contribute to the affinity of the GSH-binding site (‘G-site’) for GSH, (2) influence GSH thiol ionization, (3) participate in kcat regulation by affecting the rate-limiting step of the reaction, and in the case of Ile-52 and Arg-66, influenced structural integrity and/or folding of the enzyme. The structural perturbations from these mutants are probably transmitted to the hydrophobic-substrate-binding site (‘H-site’) through changes in active site topology or through effects on GSH orientation. Therefore these active site residues appear to contribute to various steps in the catalytic mechanism, as well as having an influence on the packing of the protein.

scholarly journals Characterization of active-site residues in diadenosine tetraphosphate hydrolase from Lupinus angustifolius

2001 ◽  
Vol 357 (2) ◽  
pp. 399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danuta MAKSEL ◽  
Paul R. GOOLEY ◽  
James D. SWARBRICK ◽  
Andrzej GURANOWSKI ◽  
Christine GANGE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Lupinus Angustifolius ◽  
Active Site Residues ◽  
Diadenosine Tetraphosphate

Identification of the active site and characterization of a novel sporulation-specific cysteine protease YabG from Bacillus subtilis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryuji Yamazawa ◽  
Ritsuko Kuwana ◽  
Kenji Takeuchi ◽  
Hiromu Takamatsu ◽  
Yoshitaka Nakajima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Chemical Modification ◽  
Cysteine Protease ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Amino Acid Sequences ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Protease Gene ◽  
Active Site Residues ◽  
Protein Determination ◽  
35 Kda Protein

Abstract In order to characterize the probable protease gene yabG found in the genomes of spore-forming bacteria, Bacillus subtilis yabG was expressed as a 35 kDa His-tagged protein (BsYabG) in Escherichia coli cells. During purification using Ni-affinity chromatography, the 35 kDa protein was degraded via several intermediates to form a 24 kDa protein. Furthermore, it was degraded after an extended incubation period. The effect of protease inhibitors, including certain chemical modification reagents, on the conversion of the 35 kDa protein to the 24 kDa protein was investigated. Reagents reacting with sulfhydryl groups exerted significant effects, strongly suggesting that the yabG gene product is a cysteine protease with autolytic activity. Site-directed mutagenesis of the conserved Cys and His residues indicated that Cys218 and His172 are active site residues. No degradation was observed in the C218A/S and H172A mutants. In addition to the chemical modification reagents, benzamidine inhibited the degradation of the 24 kDa protein. Determination of the N-terminal amino acid sequences of the intermediates revealed trypsin-like specificity for YabG protease. Based on the relative positions of His172 and Cys218 and their surrounding sequences, we propose the classification of YabG as a new family of clan CD in the Merops peptidase database.

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