Structural mechanism for tyrosine hydroxylase inhibition by dopamine and reactivation by Ser40 phosphorylation

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of dopamine (DA) and other catecholamines, and its dysfunction leads to DA deficiency and parkinsonisms. Inhibition by catecholamines and reactivation by S40 phosphorylation are key regulatory mechanisms of TH activity and conformational stability. We used Cryo-EM to determine the structures of full-length human TH without and with DA, and the structure of S40 phosphorylated TH, complemented with biophysical and biochemical characterizations and molecular dynamics simulations. TH presents a tetrameric structure with dimerized regulatory domains that are separated 15 Å from the catalytic domains. Upon DA binding, a 20-residue α-helix in the flexible N-terminal tail of the regulatory domain is fixed in the active site, blocking it, while S40-phosphorylation forces its egress. The structures reveal the molecular basis of the inhibitory and stabilizing effects of DA and its counteraction by S40-phosphorylation, key regulatory mechanisms for homeostasis of DA and TH.

DIFFERENTIAL STABILIZING EFFECTS OF BUFFERS ON STRUCTURAL STABILITY OF BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN AGAINST UREA DENATURATION

The conformational stability of bovine serum albumin (BSA) against urea denaturation was investigated in aqueous solutions both in the absence and presence of buffers. Various buffers differing in polar and nonpolar characters such as sodium phosphate, Tris-HCl, (4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid) HEPES and [3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid] MOPS buffers were used in this study. Urea-induced structural changes were analyzed using different probes, i.e., intrinsic fluorescence, ANS fluorescence and UV-difference spectral signal. Presence of different buffers in the incubation medium offered different degrees of resistance to the protein against urea-induced structural changes compared to those obtained in water (in the absence of buffers). A similar trend of buffer-induced structural resistance was noticed with three different probes. The stabilizing effect of these buffers followed the order: MOPS > HEPES > sodium phosphate > Tris-HCl > water. As found in MOPS and HEPES buffers, the highest stability of BSA can be attributed to the presence of morpholine and piperazine rings, respectively, in their structures. These groups might have produced a hydrophobic environment around the protein surface, thus stabilizing protein conformation against urea denaturation.

Insights on the mutational landscape of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

The SARS-COV2 Omicron variant has sparked global concern due to the possibility of enhanced transmissibility and escape from vaccines and therapeutics. In this study, we describe the mutational landscape of the Omicron variant using amino acid interaction (AAI) networks. AAI network analysis is particularly well suited for interrogating the impact of constellations of mutations as occur on Omicron that may function in an epistatic manner. Our analyses suggest that as compared to previous variants of concern, the Omicron variant has increased antibody escape breadth due to mutations in class 3 and 4 antibody epitopes as well as increased escape depth due to accumulated mutations in class 1 antibody epitopes. We note certain RBD mutations that might further enhance Omicron escape, and in particular advise careful surveillance of two subclades bearing R346S/K mutations. Further, AAI network analysis suggests that the function of certain therapeutic monoclonal antibodies may be disrupted by Omicron mutations as a result of the cumulative indirect perturbations to the epitope surface properties, despite point-mutation analyses suggesting these antibodies are tolerant of the set of Omicron mutations in isolation. Finally, for several Omicron mutations that do not appear to contribute meaningfully to antibody escape, we find evidence for a plausible role in enhanced transmissibility via disruption of RBD-down conformational stability at the RBD-RBD interface.

Biophysical characterization of the inactivation of E. coli transketolase by aqueous co-solvents

Transketolase (TK) has been previously engineered, using semi-rational directed evolution and substrate walking, to accept increasingly aliphatic, cyclic, and then aromatic substrates. This has ultimately led to the poor water solubility of new substrates, as a potential bottleneck to further exploitation of this enzyme in biocatalysis. Here we used a range of biophysical studies to characterise the response of both E. coli apo- and holo-TK activity and structure to a range of polar organic co-solvents: acetonitrile (AcCN), n-butanol (nBuOH), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), isopropanol (iPrOH), and tetrahydrofuran (THF). The mechanism of enzyme deactivation was found to be predominantly via solvent-induced local unfolding. Holo-TK is thermodynamically more stable than apo-TK and yet for four of the five co-solvents it retained less activity than apo-TK after exposure to organic solvents, indicating that solvent tolerance was not simply correlated to global conformational stability. The co-solvent concentrations required for complete enzyme inactivation was inversely proportional to co-solvent log(P), while the unfolding rate was directly proportional, indicating that the solvents interact with and partially unfold the enzyme through hydrophobic contacts. Small amounts of aggregate formed in some cases, but this was not sufficient to explain the enzyme inactivation. TK was found to be tolerant to 15% (v/v) iPrOH, 10% (v/v) AcCN, or 6% (v/v) nBuOH over 3 h. This work indicates that future attempts to engineer the enzyme to better tolerate co-solvents should focus on increasing the stability of the protein to local unfolding, particularly in and around the cofactor-binding loops.

Dual role of strigolactone receptor signaling partner in inhibiting substrate hydrolysis

Plant branch and root growth relies on metabolism of the strigolactone (SL) hormone. The interaction between the SL molecule, Oryza sativa DWARF14 (D14) SL receptor, and D3 F-box protein has been shown to play a critical role in SL perception. Previously, it was believed that D3 only interacts with the closed form of D14 to induce downstream signaling, but recent experiments indicate that D3, as well as its C-terminal helix (CTH), can interact with the open form as well to inhibit strigolactone signaling. Two hypotheses for the CTH induced inhibition are that either the CTH affects the conformational ensemble of D14 by stabilizing catalytically inactive states, or the CTH interacts with SLs in a way that prevents them from entering the binding pocket. In this study, we have performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to assess the validity of these hypotheses. We used an apo system with only D14 and the CTH to test the active site conformational stability and a holo system with D14, the CTH, and an SL molecule to test the interaction between the SL and CTH. Our simulations show that the CTH affects both active site conformation and the ability of SLs to move into the binding pocket. In the apo system, the CTH allosterically stabilized catalytic residues into their inactive conformation. In the holo system, significant interactions between SLs and the CTH hindered the ability of SLs to enter the D14 binding pocket. These two mechanisms account for the observed decrease in SL binding to D14 and subsequent ligand hydrolysis in the presence of the CTH.

Pathogenic D76N Variant of β2-Microglobulin: Synergy of Diverse Effects in Both the Native and Amyloid States

β2-microglobulin (β2m), the light chain of the MHC-I complex, is associated with dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA). Recently, a hereditary systemic amyloidosis was discovered, caused by a naturally occurring D76N β2m variant, which showed a structure remarkably similar to the wild-type (WT) protein, albeit with decreased thermodynamic stability and increased amyloidogenicity. Here, we investigated the role of the D76N mutation in the amyloid formation of β2m by point mutations affecting the Asp76-Lys41 ion-pair of WT β2m and the charge cluster on Asp38. Using a variety of biophysical techniques, we investigated the conformational stability and partial unfolding of the native state of the variants, as well as their amyloidogenic propensity and the stability of amyloid fibrils under various conditions. Furthermore, we studied the intermolecular interactions of WT and mutant proteins with various binding partners that might have in vivo relevance. We found that, relative to WT β2m, the exceptional amyloidogenicity of the pathogenic D76N β2m variant is realized by the deleterious synergy of diverse effects of destabilized native structure, higher sensitivity to negatively charged amphiphilic molecules (e.g., lipids) and polyphosphate, more effective fibril nucleation, higher conformational stability of fibrils, and elevated affinity for extracellular components, including extracellular matrix proteins.

ATP and Tri-Polyphosphate (TPP) Suppress Protein Aggregate Growth by a Supercharging Mechanism

A common strategy to increase aggregation resistance is through rational mutagenesis to supercharge proteins, which leads to high colloidal stability, but often has the undesirable effect of lowering conformational stability. We show this trade-off can be overcome by using small multivalent polyphosphate ions, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and tripolyphosphate (TPP) as excipients. These ions are equally effective at suppressing aggregation of ovalbumin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) upon thermal stress as monitored by dynamic and static light scattering. Monomer loss kinetic studies, combined with measurements of native state protein–protein interactions and ζ-potentials, indicate the ions reduce aggregate growth by increasing the protein colloidal stability through binding and overcharging the protein. Out of three additional proteins studied, ribonuclease A (RNaseA), α-chymotrypsinogen (α-Cgn), and lysozyme, we only observed a reduction in aggregate growth for RNaseA, although overcharging by the poly-phosphate ions still occurs for lysozyme and α-Cgn. Because the salts do not alter protein conformational stability, using them as excipients could be a promising strategy for stabilizing biopharmaceuticals once the protein structural factors that determine whether multivalent ion binding will increase colloidal stability are better elucidated. Our findings also have biological implications. Recently, it has been proposed that ATP also plays an important role in maintaining intracellular biological condensates and preventing protein aggregation in densely packed cellular environments. We expect electrostatic interactions are a significant factor in determining the stabilizing ability of ATP towards maintaining proteins in non-dispersed states in vivo.