Measurement of tissue acyl-CoAs using flow-injection tandem mass spectrometry: acyl-CoA profiles in short-chain fatty acid oxidation defects

The primary accumulating metabolites in fatty acid oxidation defects are intramitochondrial acyl-CoAs. Typically, secondary metabolites such as acylcarnitines, acylglycines and dicarboxylic acids are measured to study these disorders. Methods have not been adapted for tissue acyl-CoA measurement in defects with primarily acyl-CoA accumulation. Our objective was to develop a method to measure fatty acyl-CoA species that are present in tissues of mice with fatty acid oxidation defects using flow-injection tandem mass spectrometry. Following the addition of internal standards of [(13)C(2)] acetyl-CoA, [(13)C(8)] octanoyl-CoA, and [C(17)] heptadecanoic CoA, acyl-CoA's are extracted from tissue samples and are injected directly into the mass spectrometer. Data is acquired using a 506.9 neutral loss scan and multiple reaction-monitoring (MRM). This method can identify all long, medium and short-chain acyl-CoA species in wild type mouse liver including predicted 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA species. We validated the method using liver of the short-chain-acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCAD) knock-out mice. As expected, there is a significant increase in [C(4)] butyryl-CoA species in the SCAD -/- mouse liver compared to wild type. We then tested the assay in liver from the short-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCHAD) deficient mice to determine the profile of acyl-CoA accumulation in this less predictable model. There was more modest accumulation of medium chain species including 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA's consistent with the known chain-length specificity of the SCHAD enzyme.

Molecular cloning, expression, purification and crystallographic analysis of zebrafish THEM2

Thioesterase superfamily member 2 (THEM2) is essential for cell proliferation of mammalian cells. It belongs to the hotdog-fold thioesterase superfamily and catalyzes the hydrolysis of the thioester bonds of acyl-CoA in vitro. In this study, THEM2 protein from zebrafish (fTHEM2) was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by Ni-affinity and gel-filtration chromatography. fTHEM2 crystals were obtained using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method with PEG 10 000 as precipitant. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 1.80 Å resolution using a synchrotron-radiation source. The crystals belonged to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a=77.1, b=74.4, c=96.6 Å, β=93.7°.

A land-plant-specific glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase family in Arabidopsis: substrate specificity, sn-2 preference, and evolution

Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) has eight glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) genes that are members of a plant-specific family with three distinct clades. Several of these GPATs are required for the synthesis of cutin or suberin. Unlike GPATs with sn-1 regiospecificity involved in membrane or storage lipid synthesis, GPAT4 and -6 are unique bifunctional enzymes with both sn-2 acyltransferase and phosphatase activity resulting in 2-monoacylglycerol products. We present enzymology, pathway organization, and evolutionary analysis of this GPAT family. Within the cutin-associated clade, GPAT8 is demonstrated as a bifunctional sn-2 acyltransferase/phosphatase. GPAT4, -6, and -8 strongly prefer C16:0 and C18:1 ω-oxidized acyl-coenzyme As (CoAs) over unmodified or longer acyl chain substrates. In contrast, suberin-associated GPAT5 can accommodate a broad chain length range of ω-oxidized and unsubstituted acyl-CoAs. These substrate specificities (1) strongly support polyester biosynthetic pathways in which acyl transfer to glycerol occurs after oxidation of the acyl group, (2) implicate GPAT specificities as one major determinant of cutin and suberin composition, and (3) argue against a role of sn-2-GPATs (Enzyme Commission 2.3.1.198) in membrane/storage lipid synthesis. Evidence is presented that GPAT7 is induced by wounding, produces suberin-like monomers when overexpressed, and likely functions in suberin biosynthesis. Within the third clade, we demonstrate that GPAT1 possesses sn-2 acyltransferase but not phosphatase activity and can utilize dicarboxylic acyl-CoA substrates. Thus, sn-2 acyltransferase activity extends to all subbranches of the Arabidopsis GPAT family. Phylogenetic analyses of this family indicate that GPAT4/6/8 arose early in land-plant evolution (bryophytes), whereas the phosphatase-minus GPAT1 to -3 and GPAT5/7 clades diverged later with the appearance of tracheophytes.

Characterization of hydroxycinnamoyltransferase from rice and its application for biological synthesis of hydroxycinnamoyl glycerols

Hydroxycinnamoyltransferases (HCTs) catalyze the transfer of the cinnamoyl moiety from hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA to various acceptors such as shikimic acid, quinic acid, hydroxylated acid, and glycerol. Four rice HCT homologues (OsHCT1-4) to tobacco HST were cloned, and OsHCT4 was expressed in Escherichia coli as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein. Using the purified recombinant protein and biotransformation techniques, whether OsHCT4 shows hydroxycinnamoyltransferase activity with a variety of acyl group acceptors was investigated. The results of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS) established that OsHCT4 mediated the trans-esterification of glycerol as well as shikimic acid in the presence of hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA. The structure of the reaction product was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). E. coli cells co-expressing 4CL (4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase) and OsHCT4 converted p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid into the corresponding glycerides. While this conversion is very efficient in vitro, the physiological significant in rice is currently unknown.

Communal microaerophilic-aerobic biodegradation of Amaranth by novel NAR-2 bacterial consortium

A novel bacterial consortium, NAR-2 which consists of Citrobacter freundii A1, Enterococcus casseliflavus C1 and Enterobacter cloacae L17 was investigated for biodegradation of Amaranth azo dye under sequential microaerophilic-aerobic condition. The NAR-2 bacterial consortium with E. casseliflavus C1 as the dominant strain enhanced the decolorization process resulting in reduction of Amaranth in 30 min. Further aerobic biodegradation, which was dominated by C. freundii A1 and E. cloacae L17, allowed biotransformation of azo reduction intermediates and mineralization via metabolic pathways including benzoyl-CoA, protocatechuate, salicylate, gentisate, catechol and cinnamic acid. The presence of autoxidation products which could be metabolized to 2-oxopentenoate was elucidated. The biodegradation mechanism of Amaranth by NAR-2 bacterial consortium was predicted to follow the steps of azo reduction, deamination, desulfonation and aromatic ring cleavage. This is for the first time the comprehensive microaerophilic-aerobic biotransformation pathways of Amaranth dye intermediates by bacterial consortium are being proposed.

Contributions of the peroxisome and β-oxidation cycle to biotin synthesis in fungi

The first step in the synthesis of the bicyclic rings of D-biotin is mediated by 8-amino-7-oxononanoate (AON) synthase, which catalyzes the decarboxylative condensation of l-alanine and pimelate thioester. We found that the Aspergillus nidulans AON synthase, encoded by the bioF gene, is a peroxisomal enzyme with a type 1 peroxisomal targeting sequence (PTS1). Localization of AON to the peroxisome was essential for biotin synthesis because expression of a cytosolic AON variant or deletion of pexE, encoding the PTS1 receptor, rendered A. nidulans a biotin auxotroph. AON synthases with PTS1 are found throughout the fungal kingdom, in ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, and members of basal fungal lineages but not in representatives of the Saccharomyces species complex, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A. nidulans mutants defective in the peroxisomal acyl-CoA oxidase AoxA or the multifunctional protein FoxA showed a strong decrease in colonial growth rate in biotin-deficient medium, whereas partial growth recovery occurred with pimelic acid supplementation. These results indicate that pimeloyl-CoA is the in vivo substrate of AON synthase and that it is generated in the peroxisome via the β-oxidation cycle in A. nidulans and probably in a broad range of fungi. However, the β-oxidation cycle is not essential for biotin synthesis in S. cerevisiae or Escherichia coli. These results suggest that alternative pathways for synthesis of the pimelate intermediate exist in bacteria and eukaryotes and that Saccharomyces species use a pathway different from that used by the majority of fungi.

Phenylacetyl coenzyme A is an effector molecule of the TetR family transcriptional repressor PaaR from Thermus thermophilus HB8

Phenylacetic acid (PAA) is a common intermediate in the catabolic pathways of several structurally related aromatic compounds. It is converted into phenylacetyl coenzyme A (PA-CoA), which is degraded to general metabolites by a set of enzymes. Within the genome of the extremely thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB8, a cluster of genes, including a TetR family transcriptional regulator, may be involved in PAA degradation. The gene product, which we named T. thermophilus PaaR, negatively regulated the expression of the two operons composing the gene cluster in vitro. T. thermophilus PaaR repressed the target gene expression by binding pseudopalindromic sequences, with a consensus sequence of 5'-CNAACGNNCGTTNG-3', surrounding the promoters. PA-CoA is a ligand of PaaR, with a proposed binding stoichiometry of 1:1 protein monomer, and was effective for transcriptional derepression. Thus, PaaR is a functional homolog of PaaX, a GntR transcriptional repressor found in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas strains. A three-dimensional structure of T. thermophilus PaaR was predicted by homology modeling. In the putative structure, PaaR adopts the typical three-dimensional structure of the TetR family proteins, with 10 α-helices. A positively charged surface at the center of the molecule is similar to the acyl-CoA-binding site of another TetR family transcriptional regulator, T. thermophilus FadR, which is involved in fatty acid degradation. The CoA moiety of PA-CoA may bind to the center of the PaaR molecule, in a manner similar to the binding of the CoA moiety of acyl-CoA to FadR.

Non-enzymatically derived minor lipids found in Escherichia coli lipid extracts

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is a powerful technique to analyze lipid extracts especially for the identification of new lipid metabolites. A hurdle to lipid identification is the presence of solvent contaminants that hinder the identification of low abundance species or covalently modify abundant lipid species. We have identified several non-enzymatically derived minor lipid species in lipid extracts of Escherichia coli; phosphatidylmethanol, ethyl and methyl carbamates of PE and N-succinyl PE were identified in lipid extracts of E. coli. Phosphatidylmethanol (PM) was identified by exact mass measurement and collision induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Extraction in the presence of deuterated methanol leads to a 3 atomic mass unit shift in the [M-H](-) ions of PM indicating its formation during extraction. Ethyl and methyl carbamates of PE, also identified by exact mass measurement and MS/MS, are likely to be formed by phosgene, a breakdown product of chloroform. Addition of phosgene to extractions containing synthetic PE significantly increases the levels of PE-MC detected in the lipid extracts by ESI-MS. Extraction in the presence of methylene chloride significantly reduced the levels of these lipid species. N-succinyl PE is formed from reaction of succinyl-CoA with PE during extraction. Interestingly N-succinyl PE can be formed in an aqueous reaction mixture in the absence of added E. coli proteins. This work highlights the reactivity of the amine of PE and emphasizes that careful extraction controls are required to ensure that new minor lipid species identified using mass spectrometry are indeed endogenous lipid metabolites.

Measuring long-chain acyl-coenzyme A concentrations and enrichment using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry with selected reaction monitoring

Long-chain acyl-coenzymes A (acyl-CoAs) (LCACoA) are the activated forms of long-chain fatty acids and serve as key lipid metabolites. Excess accumulation of intracellular LCACoA, diacylglycerols (DAGs) and ceramides may create insulin resistance with respect to glucose metabolism. We present a new method to measure LCACoA concentrations and isotopic enrichment of palmitoyl-CoA ([U-(13) C]16-CoA) and oleoyl-CoA ([U-(13) C]18:1-CoA) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) to quantitate seven different LCACoA (C14-CoA, C16-CoA, C16:1-CoA, C18-CoA, C18:1-CoA, C18:2-CoA, C20-CoA). The molecules are separated on a reversed-phase UPLC column using a binary gradient with ammonium hydroxide (NH(4) OH) in water and NH(4) OH in acetonitrile (ACN). The LCACoA are quantified using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer in positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode. All LCACoA ions except enriched palmitate enrichment of palmitoyl-CoA ([U(-13)C]16-CoA) and oleoyl-CoA ([U(-13)C]18:1-CoA) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) to quantitate seven different LCACoA (C14-CoA, C16-CoA, C16:1-CoA, C18-CoA, C18:1-CoA, C18:2-CoA, C20-CoA). The molecules are separated on a reversed-phase UPLC column using a binary gradient with ammonium hydroxide (NH(4) OH) in water and NH(4) OH in acetonitrile. The LCACoA are quantified using selected reaction monitoring (SRM) on a triple quadrupolemass spectrometer in positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode. All LCACoA ions except enriched palmitate and oleate were monitored as [M+2+H](+) and [U(13)C]16-CoA and [U(13)C]18:1-CoA were monitored as [M+16+H](+) and [M+18+H](+), respectively. The method is simple, sensitive and efficient (run time as short as 5 min) and allowed us to measure the concentration and detect enrichment in intramyocellular [U(13) C]16-CoA and [U(13) C]18:1-CoA during a low dose intravenous infusion of [U(13) C]palmitate and [U(13) C]oleate in adults undergoing either a saline control experiment or an insulin/glucose infusion experiment. This technique should allow investigators to measure the trafficking of extracellular fatty acids to the intracellular LCACoA pool.

Enhanced production of ansamitocin P-3 by addition of isobutanol in fermentation of Actinosynnema pretiosum

Supply of isobutanol to enhance the production of anti-tumor agent ansamitocin P-3 (AP-3) in medium containing agro-industrial residues was investigated with analysis of gene transcription, enzyme activity, and intermediate accumulation. Under the optimal addition of isobutanol, about 4-fold improvement of AP-3 production was obtained, and the consumption of isobutanol and accumulation of isobutyrate, malonyl-CoA, and acetyl-CoA were observed. Compared to the control without isobutanol addition, activities of both isobutanol dehydrogenase and valine dehydrogenase were enhanced in isobutanol supplemented culture. Transcription level of genes in AP-3 biosynthetic and isobutyryl-CoA catabolic pathways responded to isobutanol addition in a similar way as AP-3 biosynthesis. It is concluded that isobutanol addition was an effective strategy for increasing AP-3 production via regulation of gene transcription and pools of precursors, and the information obtained might be helpful to the fermentation productivity improvement on large scale.

The structure of SSO2064, the first representative of Pfam family PF01796, reveals a novel two-domain zinc-ribbon OB-fold architecture with a potential acyl-CoA-binding role

SSO2064 is the first structural representative of PF01796 (DUF35), a large prokaryotic family with a wide phylogenetic distribution. The structure reveals a novel two-domain architecture comprising an N-terminal, rubredoxin-like, zinc ribbon and a C-terminal, oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB) fold domain. Additional N-terminal helical segments may be involved in protein-protein interactions. Domain architectures, genomic context analysis and functional evidence from certain bacterial representatives of this family suggest that these proteins form a novel fatty-acid-binding component that is involved in the biosynthesis of lipids and polyketide antibiotics and that they possibly function as acyl-CoA-binding proteins. This structure has led to a re-evaluation of the DUF35 family, which has now been split into two entries in the latest Pfam release (v.24.0).

Flavonoids from the buds of Rosa damascena inhibit the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme a reductase and angiotensin I-converting enzyme

Rosa damascena has been manufactured as various food products, including tea, in Korea. A new flavonoid glycoside, kaempferol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->4)-beta-D-xylopyranoside, named roxyloside A was isolated from the buds of this plant, along with four known compounds, isoquercitrin, afzelin, cyanidin-3-O-beta-glucoside, and quercetin gentiobioside. The chemical structures of these compounds were determined by spectroscopic analyses, including FAB-MS, UV, IR, (1)H and (13)C NMR, DEPT, and 2D NMR (COSY, HSQC, and HMBC). All the isolated compounds except cyanidin-3-O-beta-glucoside exhibited high levels of inhibitory activity against 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase with IC(50) values ranging from 47.1 to 80.6 microM. Cyanidin-3-O-beta-glucoside significantly suppressed angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity, with an IC(50) value of 138.8 microM, while the other four compounds were ineffective. These results indicate that R. damascena and its flavonoids may be effective to improve the cardiovascular system.

An asymmetric model for Na+-translocating glutaconyl-CoA decarboxylases

Glutaconyl-CoA decarboxylase (Gcd) couples the biotin-dependent decarboxylation of glutaconyl-CoA with the generation of an electrochemical Na(+) gradient. Sequencing of the genes encoding all subunits of the Clostridium symbiosum decarboxylase membrane complex revealed that it comprises two distinct biotin carrier subunits, GcdC(1) and GcdC(2), which differ in the length of a central alanine- and proline-rich linker domain. Co-crystallization of the decarboxylase subunit GcdA with the substrate glutaconyl-CoA, the product crotonyl-CoA, and the substrate analogue glutaryl-CoA, respectively, resulted in a high resolution model for substrate binding and catalysis revealing remarkable structural changes upon substrate binding. Unlike the GcdA structure from Acidaminococcus fermentans, these data suggest that in intact Gcd complexes, GcdA is associated as a tetramer crisscrossed by a network of solvent-filled tunnels.

Light-regulated Arabidopsis ACBP4 and ACBP5 encode cytosolic acyl-CoA-binding proteins that bind phosphatidylcholine and oleoyl-CoA ester

In Arabidopsis thaliana, six genes encode acyl-CoA-binding proteins (ACBPs) that show conservation of an acyl-CoA-binding domain. These ACBPs display varying affinities for acyl-CoA esters, suggesting of different cellular roles. We have recently reported that three members (ACBP4, ACBP5 and ACBP6) are subcellularly localized to the cytosol by biochemical fractionation, confocal microscopy of transgenic Arabidopsis expressing autofluorescence-tagged fusions and immuno-electron microscopy using ACBP-specific antibodies. In this study, we observed by Northern blot analysis that ACBP4 and ACBP5 mRNAs in rosettes were up-regulated by light and dampened-off in darkness, mimicking FAD7 which encodes omega-3-fatty acid desaturase, an enzyme involved in plastidial lipid metabolism. Results from in vitro binding assays indicate that recombinant ACBP4 and ACBP5 proteins bind [(14)C]oleoyl-CoA esters better than recombinant ACBP6, suggesting that light-regulated ACBP4 and ACBP5 encode cytosolic ACBPs that are potential candidates for the intracellular transport of oleoyl-CoA ester exported from the chloroplast to the endoplasmic reticulum for the biosynthesis of non-plastidial membrane lipids. Nonetheless, His-tagged ACBP4 and ACBP5 resemble ACBP6 in their ability to bind phosphatidylcholine suggesting that all three ACBPs are available for the intracellular transfer of phosphatidylcholine.

Structure and functional analysis of RifR, the type II thioesterase from the rifamycin biosynthetic pathway

Two thioesterases are commonly found in natural product biosynthetic clusters, a type I thioesterase that is responsible for removing the final product from the biosynthetic complex and a type II thioesterase that is believed to perform housekeeping functions such as removing aberrant units from carrier domains. We present the crystal structure and the kinetic analysis of RifR, a type II thioesterase from the hybrid nonribosomal peptide synthetases/polyketide synthase rifamycin biosynthetic cluster of Amycolatopsis mediterranei. Steady-state kinetics show that RifR has a preference for the hydrolysis of acyl units from the phosphopantetheinyl arm of the acyl carrier domain over the hydrolysis of acyl units from the phosphopantetheinyl arm of acyl-CoAs as well as a modest preference for the decarboxylated substrate mimics acetyl-CoA and propionyl-CoA over malonyl-CoA and methylmalonyl-CoA. Multiple RifR conformations and structural similarities to other thioesterases suggest that movement of a helical lid controls access of substrates to the active site of RifR.

Rv0802c from Mycobacterium tuberculosis: the first structure of a succinyltransferase with the GNAT fold

Gene rv0802c from Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes a 218-amino-acid protein and is annotated as a hypothetical protein with homology to GCN5-related N-acetyltransferases. The structure of Rv0802c was determined in an unliganded form to 2.0 A resolution utilizing single-wavelength anomalous dispersion from a samarium soak that resulted in a single bound Sm(3+):citrate(2) complex. The structure confirms that Rv0802c exhibits the GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase fold and revealed a tetramer composed of a dimer of dimers with approximate 222 symmetry. In addition, a bound acetate ion indicated that Rv0802c may utilize a unique acyl donor for the family. The subsequent determination of the structure of Rv0802c in complex with succinyl-CoA to 2.3 A resolution suggests that Rv0802c is the first known GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase family member to utilize succinyl-CoA as a substrate.

The nudix hydrolase 7 is an Acyl-CoA diphosphatase involved in regulating peroxisomal coenzyme A homeostasis

Coenzyme A (CoASH) is an obligate cofactor for lipids undergoing beta-oxidation in peroxisomes. Although the peroxisomal membrane appears to be impermeable to CoASH, peroxisomes contain their own pool of CoASH. It is believed that CoASH enters peroxisomes as acyl-CoAs, but it is not known how this pool is regulated. The mouse nudix hydrolase 7 (NUDT7alpha) was previously identified in peroxisomes as a CoA-diphosphatase, and therefore suggested to be involved in regulation of peroxisomal CoASH levels. Here we show that mouse NUDT7alpha mainly acts as an acyl-CoA diphosphatase, with highest activity towards medium-chain acyl-CoAs, and much lower activity with CoASH. Nudt7alpha mRNA is highly expressed in liver, brown adipose tissue and heart, similar to enzymes involved in peroxisomal lipid degradation. Nudt7alpha mRNA is down-regulated by Wy-14,643, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) ligand, in a PPARalpha-dependent manner in mouse liver. In highly purified peroxisomes, nudix hydrolase activity is highest with C(6)-CoA and is decreased by fibrate treatment. Under certain conditions, such as treatment with peroxisome proliferators or fasting, an increase in peroxisomal CoASH levels has been reported, which is in line with a decreased expression/activity of NUDT7alpha. Taken together these data suggest that NUDT7alpha function is tightly linked to peroxisomal CoASH/acyl-CoA homeostasis.

Structural basis for substrate fatty acyl chain specificity: crystal structure of human very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase

Very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) is a member of the family of acyl-CoA dehydrogenases (ACADs). Unlike the other ACADs, which are soluble homotetramers, VLCAD is a homodimer associated with the mitochondrial membrane. VLCAD also possesses an additional 180 residues in the C terminus that are not present in the other ACADs. We have determined the crystal structure of VLCAD complexed with myristoyl-CoA, obtained by co-crystallization, to 1.91-A resolution. The overall fold of the N-terminal approximately 400 residues of VLCAD is similar to that of the soluble ACADs including medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD). The novel C-terminal domain forms an alpha-helical bundle that is positioned perpendicular to the two N-terminal helical domains. The fatty acyl moiety of the bound substrate/product is deeply imbedded inside the protein; however, the adenosine pyrophosphate portion of the C14-CoA ligand is disordered because of partial hydrolysis of the thioester bond and high mobility of the CoA moiety. The location of Glu-422 with respect to the C2-C3 of the bound ligand and FAD confirms Glu-422 to be the catalytic base. In MCAD, Gln-95 and Glu-99 form the base of the substrate binding cavity. In VLCAD, these residues are glycines (Gly-175 and Gly-178), allowing the binding channel to extend for an additional 12A and permitting substrate acyl chain lengths as long as 24 carbons to bind. VLCAD deficiency is among the more common defects of mitochondrial beta-oxidation and, if left undiagnosed, can be fatal. This structure allows us to gain insight into how a variant VLCAD genotype results in a clinical phenotype.

Complexation of fatty acids and fatty acid-CoAs with synthetic O-methylated polysaccharides

An experimentally simple, but highly reproducible and reliable method has been developed to follow the complexation event of fatty acid (FA) and FA-CoA with polysaccharides. This method was based on the recent discovery of the unique blue-shifted UV absorption associated with the aggregation of tetraenoic fatty acids (TE-FAs) in aqueous solution. Complexation was monitored by recording the intensity of UV absorption at 250 nm ([free TE-FA]) and 303 nm ([complexed TE-FA]), and the K aggregate of C(20) t,t,t,t-TE-FA exhibited the ideal property for this purpose. Synthetic 3-O-methyl-D-mannose- and 6-O-methyl-D-glucose-containing lipopolysaccharides were found to exhibit a broad range of the binding affinities with C(20) t,t,t,t-TE-FAs as well as saturated FAs/FA-CoAs.

Structure of Staphylococcus aureus1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoyl-CoA synthase (MenB) in complex with acetoacetyl-CoA

Vitamin K(2), or menaquinone, is an essential cofactor for many organisms and the enzymes involved in its biosynthesis are potential antimicrobial drug targets. One of these enzymes, 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoyl-CoA synthase (MenB) from the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, has been obtained in recombinant form and its quaternary structure has been analyzed in solution. Cubic crystals of the enzyme allowed a low-resolution structure (2.9 A) to be determined. The asymmetric unit consists of two subunits and a crystallographic threefold axis of symmetry generates a hexamer consistent with size-exclusion chromatography. Analytical ultracentrifugation indicates the presence of six states in solution, monomeric through to hexameric, with the dimer noted as being particularly stable. MenB displays the crotonase-family fold with distinct N- and C-terminal domains and a flexible segment of structure around the active site. The smaller C-terminal domain plays an important role in oligomerization and also in substrate binding. The presence of acetoacetyl-CoA in one of the two active sites present in the asymmetric unit indicates how part of the substrate binds and facilitates comparisons with the structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MenB.

Crystallographic snapshots of oxalyl-CoA decarboxylase give insights into catalysis by nonoxidative ThDP-dependent decarboxylases

Despite more than five decades of extensive studies of thiamin diphosphate (ThDP) enzymes, there remain many uncertainties as to how these enzymes achieve their rate enhancements. Here, we present a clear picture of catalysis for the simple nonoxidative decarboxylase, oxalyl-coenzyme A (CoA) decarboxylase, based on crystallographic snapshots along the catalytic cycle and kinetic data on active site mutants. First, we provide crystallographic evidence that, upon binding of oxalyl-CoA, the C-terminal 13 residues fold over the substrate, aligning the substrate alpha-carbon for attack by the ThDP-C2 atom. The second structure presented shows a covalent reaction intermediate after decarboxylation, interpreted as being nonplanar. Finally, the structure of a product complex is presented. In accordance with mutagenesis data, no side chains of the enzyme are implied to directly participate in proton transfer except the glutamic acid (Glu-56), which promotes formation of the 1',4'-iminopyrimidine tautomer of ThDP needed for activation.

Covalent CouN7 enzyme intermediate for acyl group shuttling in aminocoumarin biosynthesis

The last stages of assembly of the aminocoumarin antibiotics, clorobiocin and coumermycin A(1), which target the GyrB subunits of bacterial DNA gyrase, involve enzymatic transfer of the pyrrolyl-2-carbonyl acyl group from a carrier protein (CloN1/CouN1) to the 3'-OH of the noviosyl moiety of the antibiotic scaffold. The enzyme, CouN7, will catalyze both the forward and back reaction on both arms of the coumermycin scaffold. This occurs via an O-acyl-Ser(101)-CouN7 intermediate, as shown by transient labeling of the enzyme with [(14)C]acetyl-S-CouN1 as donor and by inactivating mutation of the active site, Ser(101), to Ala. The intermediacy of the pyrrolyl-2-carbonyl-O-CouN7 allows net pyrrole transfer between distinct aminocoumarin scaffolds, for example, between the descarbamoylnovobiocin scaffold and coumermycin A(1) and vice versa. CouN7 also allows shuttling of surrogate acyl groups between noviosyl-aminocoumarin scaffolds to generate new antibiotic variants.

Identification of a type III thioesterase reveals the function of an operon crucial for Mtb virulence

Rv0098 is part of an operon, Rv0096-Rv0101, from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that is essential for Mtb's survival in mouse macrophages. This operon also contains an acyl carrier protein and one of the only two nonribosomal peptide synthases in Mtb. Rv0098 is annotated in the genome as a hypothetical protein and was proposed to be an acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) dehydratase. The structure of Rv0098, together with subsequent biochemical analysis, indicated that Rv0098 is a long-chain fatty acyl-CoA thioesterase (FcoT). However, FcoT lacks a general base or a nucleophile that is always found in the catalytic site of type II and type I thioesterases, respectively. The active site of Mtb FcoT reveals the structural basis for its substrate specificity for long-chain acyl-CoA and allows us to propose a catalytic mechanism for the enzyme. The characterization of Mtb FcoT provides a putative function of this operon that is crucial for Mtb pathogenicity.