1
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Zheng Z, Goncearenco A, Berezovsky IN. Back in time to the Gly-rich prototype of the phosphate binding elementary function. Curr Res Struct Biol 2024; 7:100142. [PMID: 38655428 PMCID: PMC11035071 DOI: 10.1016/j.crstbi.2024.100142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Binding of nucleotides and their derivatives is one of the most ancient elementary functions dating back to the Origin of Life. We review here the works considering one of the key elements in binding of (di)nucleotide-containing ligands - phosphate binding. We start from a brief discussion of major participants, conditions, and events in prebiotic evolution that resulted in the Origin of Life. Tracing back to the basic functions, including metal and phosphate binding, and, potentially, formation of primitive protein-protein interactions, we focus here on the phosphate binding. Critically assessing works on the structural, functional, and evolutionary aspects of phosphate binding, we perform a simple computational experiment reconstructing its most ancient and generic sequence prototype. The profiles of the phosphate binding signatures have been derived in form of position-specific scoring matrices (PSSMs), their peculiarities depending on the type of the ligands have been analyzed, and evolutionary connections between them have been delineated. Then, the apparent prototype that gave rise to all relevant phosphate-binding signatures had also been reconstructed. We show that two major signatures of the phosphate binding that discriminate between the binding of dinucleotide- and nucleotide-containing ligands are GxGxxG and GxxGxG, respectively. It appears that the signature archetypal for dinucleotide-containing ligands is more generic, and it can frequently bind phosphate groups in nucleotide-containing ligands as well. The reconstructed prototype's key signature GxGGxG underlies the role of glycine residues in providing flexibility and interactions necessary for binding the phosphate groups. The prototype also contains other ancient amino acids, valine, and alanine, showing versatility towards evolutionary design and functional diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zejun Zheng
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix, 138671, Singapore
| | | | - Igor N. Berezovsky
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix, 138671, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences (DBS), National University of Singapore (NUS), 8 Medical Drive, 117579, Singapore
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2
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Balasubramani SG, Korchagina K, Schwartz S. Transition Path Sampling Study of Engineered Enzymes That Catalyze the Morita-Baylis-Hillman Reaction: Why Is Enzyme Design so Difficult? J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:2101-2111. [PMID: 38451822 PMCID: PMC10963169 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
It is hoped that artificial enzymes designed in laboratories can be efficient alternatives to chemical catalysts that have been used to synthesize organic molecules. However, the design of artificial enzymes is challenging and requires a detailed molecular-level analysis to understand the mechanism they promote in order to design efficient variants. In this study, we computationally investigate the mechanism of proficient Morita-Baylis-Hillman enzymes developed using a combination of computational design and directed evolution. The powerful transition path sampling method coupled with in-depth post-processing analysis has been successfully used to elucidate the different chemical pathways, transition states, protein dynamics, and free energy barriers of reactions catalyzed by such laboratory-optimized enzymes. This research provides an explanation for how different chemical modifications in an enzyme affect its catalytic activity in ways that are not predictable by static design algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sree Ganesh Balasubramani
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E University Blvd, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Kseniia Korchagina
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E University Blvd, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Steven Schwartz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E University Blvd, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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3
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Kurokawa M, Ohtsu T, Chatani E, Tamura A. Hyper Thermostability and Liquid-Crystal-Like Properties of Designed α-Helical Peptide Nanofibers. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:8331-8343. [PMID: 37751540 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c03833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Structural and thermodynamic transitions of artificially designed α-helical nanofibers were investigated using eight peptide variants, including four peptides with amide-modified carboxyl termini (CB peptides) and four unmodified peptides (CF peptides). Temperature-dependent circular dichroism spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry showed that CB peptides exhibit thermostability up to 50 °C higher than CF peptides. As a result, one of the denaturation temperatures approached nearly 130 °C, which is exceptionally high for a biomacromolecule. Thermodynamic analysis and microscopy observations also showed that CB peptides undergo a thermal transition similar to the phase transition in liquid crystals. In addition, one of the peptides showed a sharp and highly cooperative transition with a small enthalpy change at around 25 °C, which was ascribed to a giga-bundle burst of the molecular assembly. These macroscopic changes in the thermostability and crystallinity of CB peptides may be attributed to an increased amphiphilicity of the molecule in the direction of the helix axis, originating from the microscopic modification of the carboxyl-terminus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minami Kurokawa
- Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkoudai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan
| | - Tomoya Ohtsu
- Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkoudai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan
| | - Eri Chatani
- Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkoudai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan
| | - Atsuo Tamura
- Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkoudai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan
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4
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Kriegel M, Muller YA. De novo prediction of explicit water molecule positions by a novel algorithm within the protein design software MUMBO. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16680. [PMID: 37794104 PMCID: PMC10550942 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43659-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
By mediating interatomic interactions, water molecules play a major role in protein-protein, protein-DNA and protein-ligand interfaces, significantly affecting affinity and specificity. This notwithstanding, explicit water molecules are usually not considered in protein design software because of high computational costs. To challenge this situation, we analyzed the binding characteristics of 60,000 waters from high resolution crystal structures and used the observed parameters to implement the prediction of water molecules in the protein design and side chain-packing software MUMBO. To reduce the complexity of the problem, we incorporated water molecules through the solvation of rotamer pairs instead of relying on solvated rotamer libraries. Our validation demonstrates the potential of our algorithm by achieving recovery rates of 67% for bridging water molecules and up to 86% for fully coordinated waters. The efficacy of our algorithm is highlighted further by the prediction of 3 different proteinligand complexes. Here, 91% of water-mediated interactions between protein and ligand are correctly predicted. These results suggest that the new algorithm could prove highly beneficial for structure-based protein design, particularly for the optimization of ligand-binding pockets or protein-protein interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Kriegel
- Division of Biotechnology, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Yves A Muller
- Division of Biotechnology, Department of Biology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
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5
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Opuu V, Nigro G, Lazennec‐Schurdevin C, Mechulam Y, Schmitt E, Simonson T. Redesigning methionyl-tRNA synthetase for β-methionine activity with adaptive landscape flattening and experiments. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4738. [PMID: 37518893 PMCID: PMC10451022 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Amino acids (AAs) with a noncanonical backbone would be a valuable tool for protein engineering, enabling new structural motifs and building blocks. To incorporate them into an expanded genetic code, the first, key step is to obtain an appropriate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. Currently, directed evolution is not available to optimize AAs with noncanonical backbones, since an appropriate selective pressure has not been discovered. Computational protein design (CPD) is an alternative. We used a new CPD method to redesign MetRS and increase its activity towards β-Met, which has an extra backbone methylene. The new method considered a few active site positions for design and used a Monte Carlo exploration of the corresponding sequence space. During the exploration, a bias energy was adaptively learned, such that the free energy landscape of the apo enzyme was flattened. Enzyme variants could then be sampled, in the presence of the ligand and the bias energy, according to their β-Met binding affinities. Eighteen predicted variants were chosen for experimental testing; 10 exhibited detectable activity for β-Met adenylation. Top predicted hits were characterized experimentally in detail. Dissociation constants, catalytic rates, and Michaelis constants for both α-Met and β-Met were measured. The best mutant retained a preference for α-Met over β-Met; however, the preference was reduced, compared to the wildtype, by a factor of 29. For this mutant, high resolution crystal structures were obtained in complex with both α-Met and β-Met, indicating that the predicted, active conformation of β-Met in the active site was retained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaitea Opuu
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole PolytechniqueInstitut Polytechnique de ParisPalaiseauFrance
| | - Giuliano Nigro
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole PolytechniqueInstitut Polytechnique de ParisPalaiseauFrance
| | - Christine Lazennec‐Schurdevin
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole PolytechniqueInstitut Polytechnique de ParisPalaiseauFrance
| | - Yves Mechulam
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole PolytechniqueInstitut Polytechnique de ParisPalaiseauFrance
| | - Emmanuelle Schmitt
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole PolytechniqueInstitut Polytechnique de ParisPalaiseauFrance
| | - Thomas Simonson
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole PolytechniqueInstitut Polytechnique de ParisPalaiseauFrance
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6
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Tan Z, Cheng H, Chen G, Ju F, Fernández-Lucas J, Zdarta J, Jesionowski T, Bilal M. Designing multifunctional biocatalytic cascade system by multi-enzyme co-immobilization on biopolymers and nanostructured materials. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 227:535-550. [PMID: 36516934 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.12.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In recent decades, enzyme-based biocatalytic systems have garnered increasing interest in industrial and applied research for catalysis and organic chemistry. Many enzymatic reactions have been applied to sustainable and environmentally friendly production processes, particularly in the pharmaceutical, fine chemicals, and flavor/fragrance industries. However, only a fraction of the enzymes available has been stepped up towards industrial-scale manufacturing due to low enzyme stability and challenging separation, recovery, and reusability. In this context, immobilization and co-immobilization in robust support materials have emerged as valuable strategies to overcome these inadequacies by facilitating repeated or continuous batch operations and downstream processes. To further reduce separations, it can be advantageous to use multiple enzymes at once in one pot. Enzyme co-immobilization enables biocatalytic synergism and reusability, boosting process efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Several studies on multi-enzyme immobilization and co-localization propose kinetic advantages of the enhanced turnover number for multiple enzymes. This review spotlights recent progress in developing versatile biocatalytic cascade systems by multi-enzyme co-immobilization on environmentally friendly biopolymers and nanostructured materials and their application scope in the chemical and biotechnological industries. After a succinct overview of carrier-based and carrier-free immobilization/co-immobilizations, co-immobilization of enzymes on a range of biopolymer and nanomaterials-based supports is thoroughly compiled with contemporary and state-of-the-art examples. This study provides a new horizon in developing effective and innovative multi-enzymatic systems with new possibilities to fully harness the adventure of biocatalytic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongbiao Tan
- Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Conversion and Process Integration, School of Life Science and Food Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai'an 223003, PR China.
| | - Hairong Cheng
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
| | - Gang Chen
- Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Conversion and Process Integration, School of Life Science and Food Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai'an 223003, PR China
| | - Fang Ju
- Sateri (Jiangsu) Fiber Co. Ltd., Suqian 221428, PR China
| | - Jesús Fernández-Lucas
- Applied Biotechnology Group, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Urbanización El Bosque, 28670 Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain; Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, GICNEX, Universidad de la Costa, CUC, Calle 58 # 55-66, 080002 Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Jakub Zdarta
- Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, PL-60695 Poznan, Poland
| | - Teofil Jesionowski
- Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, Berdychowo 4, PL-60695 Poznan, Poland.
| | - Muhammad Bilal
- Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Conversion and Process Integration, School of Life Science and Food Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai'an 223003, PR China
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7
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Iravani S, Varma RS. MXene-Based Composites as Nanozymes in Biomedicine: A Perspective. NANO-MICRO LETTERS 2022; 14:213. [PMID: 36333561 PMCID: PMC9636363 DOI: 10.1007/s40820-022-00958-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
MXene-based nanozymes have garnered considerable attention because of their potential environmental and biomedical applications. These materials encompass alluring and manageable catalytic performances and physicochemical features, which make them suitable as (bio)sensors with high selectivity/sensitivity and efficiency. MXene-based structures with suitable electrical conductivity, biocompatibility, large surface area, optical/magnetic properties, and thermal/mechanical features can be applied in designing innovative nanozymes with area-dependent electrocatalytic performances. Despite the advances made, there is still a long way to deploy MXene-based nanozymes, especially in medical and healthcare applications; limitations pertaining the peroxidase-like activity and sensitivity/selectivity may restrict further practical applications of pristine MXenes. Thus, developing an efficient surface engineering tactic is still required to fabricate multifunctional MXene-based nanozymes with excellent activity. To obtain MXene-based nanozymes with unique physicochemical features and high stability, some crucial steps such as hybridization and modification ought to be performed. Notably, (nano)toxicological and long-term biosafety analyses along with clinical translation studies still need to be comprehensively addressed. Although very limited reports exist pertaining to the biomedical potentials of MXene-based nanozymes, the future explorations should transition toward the extensive research and detailed analyses to realize additional potentials of these structures in biomedicine with a focus on clinical and industrial aspects. In this perspective, therapeutic, diagnostic, and theranostic applications of MXene-based nanozymes are deliberated with a focus on future perspectives toward more successful clinical translational studies. The current state-of-the-art biomedical advances in the use of MXene-based nanozymes, as well as their developmental challenges and future prospects are also highlighted. In view of the fascinating properties of MXene-based nanozymes, these materials can open significant new opportunities in the future of bio- and nanomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siavash Iravani
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
| | - Rajender S Varma
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, Šlechtitelů 27, 783 71, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
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8
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Tan ZW, Tee WV, Guarnera E, Berezovsky IN. AlloMAPS 2: allosteric fingerprints of the AlphaFold and Pfam-trRosetta predicted structures for engineering and design. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:D345-D351. [PMID: 36169226 PMCID: PMC9825619 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
AlloMAPS 2 is an update of the Allosteric Mutation Analysis and Polymorphism of Signalling database, which contains data on allosteric communication obtained for predicted structures in the AlphaFold database (AFDB) and trRosetta-predicted Pfam domains. The data update contains Allosteric Signalling Maps (ASMs) and Allosteric Probing Maps (APMs) quantifying allosteric effects of mutations and of small probe binding, respectively. To ensure quality of the ASMs and APMs, we performed careful and accurate selection of protein sets containing high-quality predicted structures in both databases for each organism/structure, and the data is available for browsing and download. The data for remaining structures are available for download and should be used at user's discretion and responsibility. We believe these massive data can facilitate both diagnostics and drug design within the precision medicine paradigm. Specifically, it can be instrumental in the analysis of allosteric effects of pathological and rescue mutations, providing starting points for fragment-based design of allosteric effectors. The exhaustive character of allosteric signalling and probing fingerprints will be also useful in future developments of corresponding machine learning applications. The database is freely available at: http://allomaps.bii.a-star.edu.sg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Wah Tan
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix, 138671, Singapore
| | - Wei-Ven Tee
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix, 138671, Singapore
| | - Enrico Guarnera
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix, 138671, Singapore
| | - Igor N Berezovsky
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +65 6478 8269; Fax: +65 6478 9047;
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9
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Lechner H, Oberdorfer G. Derivatives of Natural Organocatalytic Cofactors and Artificial Organocatalytic Cofactors as Catalysts in Enzymes. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202100599. [PMID: 35302276 PMCID: PMC9401024 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202100599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Catalytically active non-metal cofactors in enzymes carry out a variety of different reactions. The efforts to develop derivatives of naturally occurring cofactors such as flavins or pyridoxal phosphate and the advances to design new, non-natural cofactors are reviewed here. We report the status quo for enzymes harboring organocatalysts as derivatives of natural cofactors or as artificial ones and their application in the asymmetric synthesis of various compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Horst Lechner
- Graz University of TechnologyInstitute of BiochemistryPetersgasse 10–12/II8010GrazAustria
| | - Gustav Oberdorfer
- Graz University of TechnologyInstitute of BiochemistryPetersgasse 10–12/II8010GrazAustria
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10
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11
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Lyu Z, Ding S, Du D, Qiu K, Liu J, Hayashi K, Zhang X, Lin Y. Recent advances in biomedical applications of 2D nanomaterials with peroxidase-like properties. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 185:114269. [PMID: 35398244 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Significant progress has been made in developing two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials owing to their ultra-thin structure, high specific surface area, and many other advantages. Recently, 2D nanomaterials with enzyme-like properties, especially peroxidase (POD)-like activity, are highly desirable for many biomedical applications. In this review, we first classify the types of 2D POD-like nanomaterials and then summarize various strategies for endowing 2D nanomaterials with POD-like properties. Representative examples of biomedical applications are reviewed, emphasizing in antibacterial, biosensing, and cancer therapy. Last, the future challenges and prospects of 2D POD-like nanomaterials are discussed. This review is expected to provide an in-depth understanding of 2D POD-like materials for biomedical applications.
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12
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Zheng Y, Vaissier Welborn V. Tuning the Catalytic Activity of Synthetic Enzyme KE15 with DNA. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:3407-3413. [PMID: 35483007 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c00765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Efficiency improvement of synthetic enzymes through scaffold modifications suffers from limitations in terms of effectiveness, cost, and potential devastating consequences for protein structural stability. Here, we propose an alternative to scaffold modification, within electrostatic preorganization theory, where the enzyme's greater environment is designed to support the evolution of the reaction in the active site. We demonstrate the feasibility of such an approach by placing a (polar) DNA fragment in the surroundings of the Kemp eliminase enzyme KE15 (structure from Houk's group) and computing the resulting change in catalytic activity. We find that the introduction of a DNA fragment magnifies the contribution of protein residues to the stabilization of the transition state, estimated from electric field calculations with polarizable molecular dynamics. Our randomly generated test systems reveal a 2.0 kcal/mol reduction in activation energy, suggesting that even more significant catalytic improvements could be made by optimizing DNA size, sequence, and orientation with respect to the enzyme, validating our approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zheng
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, United States
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13
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Tee WV, Wah Tan Z, Guarnera E, Berezovsky IN. Conservation and diversity in allosteric fingerprints of proteins for evolutionary-inspired engineering and design. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167577. [PMID: 35395233 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Hand-in-hand work of physics and evolution delivered protein universe with diversity of forms, sizes, and functions. Pervasiveness and advantageous traits of allostery made it an important component of the protein function regulation, calling for thorough investigation of its structural determinants and evolution. Learning directly from nature, we explored here allosteric communication in several major folds and repeat proteins, including α/β and β-barrels, β-propellers, Ig-like fold, ankyrin and α/β leucine-rich repeat proteins, which provide structural platforms for many different enzymatic and signalling functions. We obtained a picture of conserved allosteric communication characteristic in different fold types, modifications of the structure-driven signalling patterns via sequence-determined divergence to specific functions, as well as emergence and potential diversification of allosteric regulation in multi-domain proteins and oligomeric assemblies. Our observations will be instrumental in facilitating the engineering and de novo design of proteins with allosterically regulated functions, including development of therapeutic biologics. In particular, results described here may guide the identification of the optimal structural platforms (e.g. fold type, size, and oligomerization states) and the types of diversifications/perturbations, such as mutations, effector binding, and order-disorder transition. The tunable allosteric linkage across distant regions can be used as a pivotal component in the design/engineering of modular biological systems beyond the traditional scaffolding function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Ven Tee
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix, Singapore 138671
| | - Zhen Wah Tan
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix, Singapore 138671
| | - Enrico Guarnera
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix, Singapore 138671
| | - Igor N Berezovsky
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix, Singapore 138671; Department of Biological Sciences (DBS), National University of Singapore (NUS), 8 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597.
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14
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Enzyme Immobilization and Co-Immobilization: Main Framework, Advances and Some Applications. Processes (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/pr10030494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzymes are outstanding (bio)catalysts, not solely on account of their ability to increase reaction rates by up to several orders of magnitude but also for the high degree of substrate specificity, regiospecificity and stereospecificity. The use and development of enzymes as robust biocatalysts is one of the main challenges in biotechnology. However, despite the high specificities and turnover of enzymes, there are also drawbacks. At the industrial level, these drawbacks are typically overcome by resorting to immobilized enzymes to enhance stability. Immobilization of biocatalysts allows their reuse, increases stability, facilitates process control, eases product recovery, and enhances product yield and quality. This is especially important for expensive enzymes, for those obtained in low fermentation yield and with relatively low activity. This review provides an integrated perspective on (multi)enzyme immobilization that abridges a critical evaluation of immobilization methods and carriers, biocatalyst metrics, impact of key carrier features on biocatalyst performance, trends towards miniaturization and detailed illustrative examples that are representative of biocatalytic applications promoting sustainability.
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15
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Dey SK, Filonov GS, Olarerin-George AO, Jackson BT, Finley LWS, Jaffrey SR. Repurposing an adenine riboswitch into a fluorogenic imaging and sensing tag. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:180-190. [PMID: 34937909 PMCID: PMC8967656 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-021-00925-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Fluorogenic RNA aptamers are used to genetically encode fluorescent RNA and to construct RNA-based metabolite sensors. Unlike naturally occurring aptamers that efficiently fold and undergo metabolite-induced conformational changes, fluorogenic aptamers can exhibit poor folding, which limits their cellular fluorescence. To overcome this, we evolved a naturally occurring well-folded adenine riboswitch into a fluorogenic aptamer. We generated a library of roughly 1015 adenine aptamer-like RNAs in which the adenine-binding pocket was randomized for both size and sequence, and selected Squash, which binds and activates the fluorescence of green fluorescent protein-like fluorophores. Squash exhibits markedly improved in-cell folding and highly efficient metabolite-dependent folding when fused to a S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)-binding aptamer. A Squash-based ratiometric sensor achieved quantitative SAM measurements, revealed cell-to-cell heterogeneity in SAM levels and revealed metabolic origins of SAM. These studies show that the efficient folding of naturally occurring aptamers can be exploited to engineer well-folded cell-compatible fluorogenic aptamers and devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sourav Kumar Dey
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Grigory S Filonov
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
- Sartorius, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Benjamin T Jackson
- Cell Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lydia W S Finley
- Cell Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samie R Jaffrey
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
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16
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Gisdon FJ, Kynast JP, Ayyildiz M, Hine AV, Plückthun A, Höcker B. Modular peptide binders - development of a predictive technology as alternative for reagent antibodies. Biol Chem 2022; 403:535-543. [PMID: 35089661 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2021-0384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Current biomedical research and diagnostics critically depend on detection agents for specific recognition and quantification of protein molecules. Monoclonal antibodies have been used for this purpose over decades and facilitated numerous biological and biomedical investigations. Recently, however, it has become apparent that many commercial reagent antibodies lack specificity or do not recognize their target at all. Thus, synthetic alternatives are needed whose complex designs are facilitated by multidisciplinary approaches incorporating experimental protein engineering with computational modeling. Here, we review the status of such an engineering endeavor based on the modular armadillo repeat protein scaffold and discuss challenges in its implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian J Gisdon
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Josef P Kynast
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Merve Ayyildiz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Anna V Hine
- College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK
| | - Andreas Plückthun
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Birte Höcker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, D-95447 Bayreuth, Germany
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17
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18
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Luo Y, Jin D, He W, Huang J, Chen A, Qi F. A SiO 2 Microcarrier with an Opal-like Structure for Cross-Linked Enzyme Immobilization. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:14147-14156. [PMID: 34793174 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The opal-like SiO2 microcarriers with different pore diameters named opal-SiO2I and opal-SiO2II were synthesized and utilized as microcarriers to immobilize Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL) and Aspergillus oryzae α-amylases (AOA). ROL and AOA can be more stably immobilized on the cross-linked SiO2 opals by neopentyl glycol diglycidyl ether (NGDE), which is the first attempt to use it as a cross-linking agent compared with glutaraldehyde. According to the morphology analysis, multiple layers of SiO2 monodisperse microspheres were regularly packed and formed an opal-like structure, and enzymes were well scattered and immobilized throughout the SiO2 opals. The results showed that the performance of enzymes immobilized on opal-SiO2II with a larger specific surface area was much better than that of opal-SiO2I. The enzyme activity of ROL@opal-SiO2II and AOA@opal-SiO2II cross-linked with 1% NGDE increased 5.32 and 9.32 times compared with their free counterpart, respectively. Furthermore, pH and thermal stability and reusability of ROL/AOA@opal-SiO2II were significantly improved and higher than those of ROL/AOA@opal-SiO2I and free enzymes. This study provides an easily obtained microcarrier opal-SiO2II, which shows potential for efficient different enzyme immobilizations and further industrial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixian Luo
- Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microbiology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China
| | - Dou Jin
- Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microbiology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China
| | - Wenjin He
- Center of Engineering Technology Research for Microalgae Germplasm Improvement of Fujian, Southern Institute of Oceanography, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China
| | - Jianzhong Huang
- Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microbiology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China
| | - Aicheng Chen
- Fujian Province University Engineering Research Center of Industrial Biocatalysis, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China
| | - Feng Qi
- Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microbiology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350117, China
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19
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Reinkemeier CD, Lemke EA. Dual film-like organelles enable spatial separation of orthogonal eukaryotic translation. Cell 2021; 184:4886-4903.e21. [PMID: 34433013 PMCID: PMC8480389 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Engineering new functionality into living eukaryotic systems by enzyme evolution or de novo protein design is a formidable challenge. Cells do not rely exclusively on DNA-based evolution to generate new functionality but often utilize membrane encapsulation or formation of membraneless organelles to separate distinct molecular processes that execute complex operations. Applying this principle and the concept of two-dimensional phase separation, we develop film-like synthetic organelles that support protein translation on the surfaces of various cellular membranes. These sub-resolution synthetic films provide a path to make functionally distinct enzymes within the same cell. We use these film-like organelles to equip eukaryotic cells with dual orthogonal expanded genetic codes that enable the specific reprogramming of distinct translational machineries with single-residue precision. The ability to spatially tune the output of translation within tens of nanometers is not only important for synthetic biology but has implications for understanding the function of membrane-associated protein condensation in cells. 2D phase separation was utilized to design orthogonal enzymes Film-like organelles maintained distinct suppressor tRNA microenvironments Dual film-like synthetic organelles enabled orthogonal translation in eukaryotes Cells were equipped with two expanded genetic codes in addition to the canonical one
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Reinkemeier
- Biocentre, Departments of Biology and Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 17, 55128 Mainz, Germany; Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH, Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany; Structural and Computational Biology Unit and Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Edward A Lemke
- Biocentre, Departments of Biology and Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 17, 55128 Mainz, Germany; Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH, Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany; Structural and Computational Biology Unit and Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
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20
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Ferruz N, Michel F, Lobos F, Schmidt S, Höcker B. Fuzzle 2.0: Ligand Binding in Natural Protein Building Blocks. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:715972. [PMID: 34485385 PMCID: PMC8416435 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.715972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern proteins have been shown to share evolutionary relationships via subdomain-sized fragments. The assembly of such fragments through duplication and recombination events led to the complex structures and functions we observe today. We previously implemented a pipeline that identified more than 1,000 of these fragments that are shared by different protein folds and developed a web interface to analyze and search for them. This resource named Fuzzle helps structural and evolutionary biologists to identify and analyze conserved parts of a protein but it also provides protein engineers with building blocks for example to design proteins by fragment combination. Here, we describe a new version of this web resource that was extended to include ligand information. This addition is a significant asset to the database since now protein fragments that bind specific ligands can be identified and analyzed. Often the mode of ligand binding is conserved in proteins thereby supporting a common evolutionary origin. The same can now be explored for subdomain-sized fragments within this database. This ligand binding information can also be used in protein engineering to graft binding pockets into other protein scaffolds or to transfer functional sites via recombination of a specific fragment. Fuzzle 2.0 is freely available at https://fuzzle.uni-bayreuth.de/2.0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Ferruz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Florian Michel
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Francisco Lobos
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Steffen Schmidt
- Computational Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Birte Höcker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
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21
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Michael E, Simonson T. How much can physics do for protein design? Curr Opin Struct Biol 2021; 72:46-54. [PMID: 34461593 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2021.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Physics and physical chemistry are an important thread in computational protein design, complementary to knowledge-based tools. They provide molecular mechanics scoring functions that need little or no ad hoc parameter readjustment, methods to thoroughly sample equilibrium ensembles, and different levels of approximation for conformational flexibility. They led recently to the successful redesign of a small protein using a physics-based folded state energy. Adaptive Monte Carlo or molecular dynamics schemes were discovered where protein variants are populated as per their ligand-binding free energy or catalytic efficiency. Molecular dynamics have been used for backbone flexibility. Implicit solvent models have been refined, polarizable force fields applied, and many physical insights obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Michael
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128, Palaiseau, France
| | - Thomas Simonson
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128, Palaiseau, France.
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22
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Pereira JM, Vieira M, Santos SM. Step-by-step design of proteins for small molecule interaction: A review on recent milestones. Protein Sci 2021; 30:1502-1520. [PMID: 33934427 PMCID: PMC8284594 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Protein design is the field of synthetic biology that aims at developing de novo custom-made proteins and peptides for specific applications. Despite exploring an ambitious goal, recent computational advances in both hardware and software technologies have paved the way to high-throughput screening and detailed design of novel folds and improved functionalities. Modern advances in the field of protein design for small molecule targeting are described in this review, organized in a step-by-step fashion: from the conception of a new or upgraded active binding site, to scaffold design, sequence optimization, and experimental expression of the custom protein. In each step, contemporary examples are described, and state-of-the-art software is briefly explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M. Pereira
- CICECO & Departamento de QuímicaUniversidade de AveiroAveiroPortugal
| | - Maria Vieira
- CICECO & Departamento de QuímicaUniversidade de AveiroAveiroPortugal
| | - Sérgio M. Santos
- CICECO & Departamento de QuímicaUniversidade de AveiroAveiroPortugal
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23
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Ferruz N, Schmidt S, Höcker B. ProteinTools: a toolkit to analyze protein structures. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:W559-W566. [PMID: 34019657 PMCID: PMC8262690 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The experimental characterization and computational prediction of protein structures has become increasingly rapid and precise. However, the analysis of protein structures often requires researchers to use several software packages or web servers, which complicates matters. To provide long-established structural analyses in a modern, easy-to-use interface, we implemented ProteinTools, a web server toolkit for protein structure analysis. ProteinTools gathers four applications so far, namely the identification of hydrophobic clusters, hydrogen bond networks, salt bridges, and contact maps. In all cases, the input data is a PDB identifier or an uploaded structure, whereas the output is an interactive dynamic web interface. Thanks to the modular nature of ProteinTools, the addition of new applications will become an easy task. Given the current need to have these tools in a single, fast, and interpretable interface, we believe that ProteinTools will become an essential toolkit for the wider protein research community. The web server is available at https://proteintools.uni-bayreuth.de.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Ferruz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Steffen Schmidt
- Computational Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Birte Höcker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
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24
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Wiese JG, Shanmugaratnam S, Höcker B. Extension of a de novo TIM barrel with a rationally designed secondary structure element. Protein Sci 2021; 30:982-989. [PMID: 33723882 PMCID: PMC8040861 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The ability to construct novel enzymes is a major aim in de novo protein design. A popular enzyme fold for design attempts is the TIM barrel. This fold is a common topology for enzymes and can harbor many diverse reactions. The recent de novo design of a four-fold symmetric TIM barrel provides a well understood minimal scaffold for potential enzyme designs. Here we explore opportunities to extend and diversify this scaffold by adding a short de novo helix on top of the barrel. Due to the size of the protein, we developed a design pipeline based on computational ab initio folding that solves a less complex sub-problem focused around the helix and its vicinity and adapt it to the entire protein. We provide biochemical characterization and a high-resolution X-ray structure for one variant and compare it to our design model. The successful extension of this robust TIM-barrel scaffold opens opportunities to diversify it towards more pocket like arrangements and as such can be considered a building block for future design of binding or catalytic sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Gregor Wiese
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental BiologyTübingenGermany
- Present address:
Technical University of MunichMunichGermany
| | - Sooruban Shanmugaratnam
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental BiologyTübingenGermany
- University of Bayreuth, Department for BiochemistryBayreuthGermany
| | - Birte Höcker
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental BiologyTübingenGermany
- University of Bayreuth, Department for BiochemistryBayreuthGermany
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25
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Ferruz N, Noske J, Höcker B. Protlego: A Python package for the analysis and design of chimeric proteins. Bioinformatics 2021; 37:3182-3189. [PMID: 33901273 PMCID: PMC8504633 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btab253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Motivation Duplication and recombination of protein fragments have led to the highly diverse protein space that we observe today. By mimicking this natural process, the design of protein chimeras via fragment recombination has proven experimentally successful and has opened a new era for the design of customizable proteins. The in silico building of structural models for these chimeric proteins, however, remains a manual task that requires a considerable degree of expertise and is not amenable for high-throughput studies. Energetic and structural analysis of the designed proteins often require the use of several tools, each with their unique technical difficulties and available in different programming languages or web servers. Results We implemented a Python package that enables automated, high-throughput design of chimeras and their structural analysis. First, it fetches evolutionarily conserved fragments from a built-in database (also available at fuzzle.uni-bayreuth.de). These relationships can then be represented via networks or further selected for chimera construction via recombination. Designed chimeras or natural proteins are then scored and minimized with the Charmm and Amber forcefields and their diverse structural features can be analyzed at ease. Here, we showcase Protlego’s pipeline by exploring the relationships between the P-loop and Rossmann superfolds, building and characterizing their offspring chimeras. We believe that Protlego provides a powerful new tool for the protein design community. Availability and implementation Protlego runs on the Linux platform and is freely available at (https://hoecker-lab.github.io/protlego/) with tutorials and documentation. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Ferruz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Jakob Noske
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Birte Höcker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
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26
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Yin M, Goncearenco A, Berezovsky IN. Deriving and Using Descriptors of Elementary Functions in Rational Protein Design. FRONTIERS IN BIOINFORMATICS 2021; 1:657529. [PMID: 36303771 PMCID: PMC9581014 DOI: 10.3389/fbinf.2021.657529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The rational design of proteins with desired functions requires a comprehensive description of the functional building blocks. The evolutionary conserved functional units constitute nature's toolbox; however, they are not readily available to protein designers. This study focuses on protein units of subdomain size that possess structural properties and amino acid residues sufficient to carry out elementary reactions in the catalytic mechanisms. The interactions within such elementary functional loops (ELFs) and the interactions with the surrounding protein scaffolds constitute the descriptor of elementary function. The computational approach to deriving descriptors directly from protein sequences and structures and applying them in rational design was implemented in a proof-of-concept DEFINED-PROTEINS software package. Once the descriptor is obtained, the ELF can be fitted into existing or novel scaffolds to obtain the desired function. For instance, the descriptor may be used to determine the necessary spatial restraints in a fragment-based grafting protocol. We illustrated the approach by applying it to well-known cases of ELFs, including phosphate-binding P-loop, diphosphate-binding glycine-rich motif, and calcium-binding EF-hand motif, which could be used to jumpstart templates for user applications. The DEFINED-PROTEINS package is available for free at https://github.com/MelvinYin/Defined_Proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melvin Yin
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Alexander Goncearenco
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institute of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Igor N. Berezovsky
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences (DBS), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, Singapore
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27
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Bottom-up de novo design of functional proteins with complex structural features. Nat Chem Biol 2021; 17:492-500. [PMID: 33398169 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-020-00699-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
De novo protein design has enabled the creation of new protein structures. However, the design of functional proteins has proved challenging, in part due to the difficulty of transplanting structurally complex functional sites to available protein structures. Here, we used a bottom-up approach to build de novo proteins tailored to accommodate structurally complex functional motifs. We applied the bottom-up strategy to successfully design five folds for four distinct binding motifs, including a bifunctionalized protein with two motifs. Crystal structures confirmed the atomic-level accuracy of the computational designs. These de novo proteins were functional as components of biosensors to monitor antibody responses and as orthogonal ligands to modulate synthetic signaling receptors in engineered mammalian cells. Our work demonstrates the potential of bottom-up approaches to accommodate complex structural motifs, which will be essential to endow de novo proteins with elaborate biochemical functions, such as molecular recognition or catalysis.
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28
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Liu B, Wang Y, Chen Y, Guo L, Wei G. Biomimetic two-dimensional nanozymes: synthesis, hybridization, functional tailoring, and biosensor applications. J Mater Chem B 2021; 8:10065-10086. [PMID: 33078176 DOI: 10.1039/d0tb02051f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Biological enzymes play important roles in mediating the biological reactions in vitro and in vivo due to their high catalytic activity, strong bioactivity, and high specificity; however, they have also some disadvantages such as high cost, low environmental stability, weak reusability, and difficult production. To overcome these shortcomings, functional nanomaterials including metallic nanoparticles, single atoms, metal oxides, alloys, and others have been utilized as nanozymes to mimic the properties and functions of natural enzymes. Due to the development of the synthesis and applications of two-dimensional (2D) materials, 2D nanomaterials have shown high potential to be used as novel nanozymes in biosensing, bioimaging, therapy, logic gates, and environmental remediation due to their unique physical, chemical, biological, and electronic properties. In this work, we summarize recent advances in the preparation and functionalization, as well as biosensor and immunoassay applications of various 2D material-based nanozymes. To achieve this aim, first we demonstrate the preparation strategies of 2D nanozymes such as chemical reduction, templated synthesis, chemical exfoliation, calcination, electrochemical deposition, hydrothermal synthesis, and many others. Meanwhile, the structure and properties of the 2D nanozymes prepared by conjugating 2D materials with nanoparticles, metal oxides, biomolecules, polymers, ions, and 2D heteromaterials are introduced and discussed in detail. Then, the applications of the prepared 2D nanozymes in colorimetric, electrochemical, fluorescent, and electrochemiluminescent sensors are demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Liu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qingdao University, 266071 Qingdao, P. R. China.
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29
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Lechner H, Emann VR, Breuning M, Höcker B. An Artificial Cofactor Catalyzing the Baylis-Hillman Reaction with Designed Streptavidin as Protein Host*. Chembiochem 2021; 22:1573-1577. [PMID: 33400831 PMCID: PMC8247847 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
An artificial cofactor based on an organocatalyst embedded in a protein has been used to conduct the Baylis-Hillman reaction in a buffered system. As protein host, we chose streptavidin, as it can be easily crystallized and thereby supports the design process. The protein host around the cofactor was rationally designed on the basis of high-resolution crystal structures obtained after each variation of the amino acid sequence. Additionally, DFT-calculated intermediates and transition states were used to rationalize the observed activity. Finally, repeated cycles of structure determination and redesign led to a system with an up to one order of magnitude increase in activity over the bare cofactor and to the most active proteinogenic catalyst for the Baylis-Hillman reaction known today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Horst Lechner
- Department of Biochemistry, University Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Vincent R Emann
- Department of Biochemistry, University Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - M Breuning
- Organic Chemistry, University Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Birte Höcker
- Department of Biochemistry, University Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
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30
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Mignon D, Druart K, Michael E, Opuu V, Polydorides S, Villa F, Gaillard T, Panel N, Archontis G, Simonson T. Physics-Based Computational Protein Design: An Update. J Phys Chem A 2020; 124:10637-10648. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.0c07605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David Mignon
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France
| | - Karen Druart
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France
| | - Eleni Michael
- Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, PO20537, CY1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Vaitea Opuu
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France
| | - Savvas Polydorides
- Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, PO20537, CY1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Francesco Villa
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France
| | - Thomas Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France
| | - Nicolas Panel
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France
| | - Georgios Archontis
- Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, PO20537, CY1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Thomas Simonson
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France
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31
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Lucas JE, Kortemme T. New computational protein design methods for de novo small molecule binding sites. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1008178. [PMID: 33017412 PMCID: PMC7575090 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein binding to small molecules is fundamental to many biological processes, yet it remains challenging to predictively design this functionality de novo. Current state-of-the-art computational design methods typically rely on existing small molecule binding sites or protein scaffolds with existing shape complementarity for a target ligand. Here we introduce new methods that utilize pools of discrete contacts between protein side chains and defined small molecule ligand substructures (ligand fragments) observed in the Protein Data Bank. We use the Rosetta Molecular Modeling Suite to recombine protein side chains in these contact pools to generate hundreds of thousands of energetically favorable binding sites for a target ligand. These composite binding sites are built into existing scaffold proteins matching the intended binding site geometry with high accuracy. In addition, we apply pools of side chain rotamers interacting with the target ligand to augment Rosetta's conventional design machinery and improve key metrics known to be predictive of design success. We demonstrate that our method reliably builds diverse binding sites into different scaffold proteins for a variety of target molecules. Our generalizable de novo ligand binding site design method provides a foundation for versatile design of protein to interface previously unattainable molecules for applications in medical diagnostics and synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- James E. Lucas
- UC Berkeley–UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Tanja Kortemme
- UC Berkeley–UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
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32
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Linke H, Höcker B, Furuta K, Forde NR, Curmi PMG. Synthetic biology approaches to dissecting linear motor protein function: towards the design and synthesis of artificial autonomous protein walkers. Biophys Rev 2020; 12:1041-1054. [PMID: 32651904 PMCID: PMC7429643 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-020-00717-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular motors and machines are essential for all cellular processes that together enable life. Built from proteins with a wide range of properties, functionalities and performance characteristics, biological motors perform complex tasks and can transduce chemical energy into mechanical work more efficiently than human-made combustion engines. Sophisticated studies of biological protein motors have provided many structural and biophysical insights and enabled the development of models for motor function. However, from the study of highly evolved, biological motors, it remains difficult to discern detailed mechanisms, for example, about the relative role of different force generation mechanisms, or how information is communicated across a protein to achieve the necessary coordination. A promising, complementary approach to answering these questions is to build synthetic protein motors from the bottom up. Indeed, much effort has been invested in functional protein design, but so far, the "holy grail" of designing and building a functional synthetic protein motor has not been realized. Here, we review the progress made to date, and we put forward a roadmap for achieving the aim of constructing the first artificial, autonomously running protein motor. Specifically, we propose to break down the task into (i) enzymatic control of track binding, (ii) the engineering of asymmetry and (iii) the engineering of allosteric control for internal communication. We also propose specific approaches for solving each of these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heiner Linke
- NanoLund and Solid State Physics, Lund University, Box 118, SE 22100, Lund, Sweden
| | - Birte Höcker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Ken'ya Furuta
- Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Hyogo, 651-2492, Japan
| | - Nancy R Forde
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Paul M G Curmi
- School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
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33
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Glasgow AA, Huang YM, Mandell DJ, Thompson M, Ritterson R, Loshbaugh AL, Pellegrino J, Krivacic C, Pache RA, Barlow KA, Ollikainen N, Jeon D, Kelly MJS, Fraser JS, Kortemme T. Computational design of a modular protein sense-response system. Science 2020; 366:1024-1028. [PMID: 31754004 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax8780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Sensing and responding to signals is a fundamental ability of living systems, but despite substantial progress in the computational design of new protein structures, there is no general approach for engineering arbitrary new protein sensors. Here, we describe a generalizable computational strategy for designing sensor-actuator proteins by building binding sites de novo into heterodimeric protein-protein interfaces and coupling ligand sensing to modular actuation through split reporters. Using this approach, we designed protein sensors that respond to farnesyl pyrophosphate, a metabolic intermediate in the production of valuable compounds. The sensors are functional in vitro and in cells, and the crystal structure of the engineered binding site closely matches the design model. Our computational design strategy opens broad avenues to link biological outputs to new signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anum A Glasgow
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yao-Ming Huang
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Daniel J Mandell
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael Thompson
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Ryan Ritterson
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Amanda L Loshbaugh
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Biophysics Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jenna Pellegrino
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Biophysics Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Cody Krivacic
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Roland A Pache
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kyle A Barlow
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Noah Ollikainen
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Deborah Jeon
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mark J S Kelly
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - James S Fraser
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Biophysics Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Tanja Kortemme
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. .,Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Biophysics Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA
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34
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Zhou W, Šmidlehner T, Jerala R. Synthetic biology principles for the design of protein with novel structures and functions. FEBS Lett 2020; 594:2199-2212. [PMID: 32324903 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Nature provides a large number of functional proteins that evolved during billions of years of evolution. The diversity of natural proteins encompasses versatile functions and more than a thousand different folds, which, however, represents only a tiny fraction of all possible folds and polypeptide sequences. Recent advances in the rational design of proteins demonstrate that it is possible to design de novo protein folds unseen in nature. Novel protein topologies have been designed based on similar principles as natural proteins using advanced computational modelling or modular construction principles, such as oligomerization domains. Designed proteins exhibit several interesting features such as extreme stability, designability of 3D topologies and folding pathways. Moreover, designed protein assemblies can implement symmetry similar to the viral capsids, while, on the other hand, single-chain pseudosymmetric designs can address each position independently. Recently, the design is expanding towards the introduction of new functions into designed proteins, and we may soon be able to design molecular machines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weijun Zhou
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tamara Šmidlehner
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Roman Jerala
- Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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35
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Ferruz N, Lobos F, Lemm D, Toledo-Patino S, Farías-Rico JA, Schmidt S, Höcker B. Identification and Analysis of Natural Building Blocks for Evolution-Guided Fragment-Based Protein Design. J Mol Biol 2020; 432:3898-3914. [PMID: 32330481 PMCID: PMC7322520 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Natural evolution has generated an impressively diverse protein universe via duplication and recombination from a set of protein fragments that served as building blocks. The application of these concepts to the design of new proteins using subdomain-sized fragments from different folds has proven to be experimentally successful. To better understand how evolution has shaped our protein universe, we performed an all-against-all comparison of protein domains representing all naturally existing folds and identified conserved homologous protein fragments. Overall, we found more than 1000 protein fragments of various lengths among different folds through similarity network analysis. These fragments are present in very different protein environments and represent versatile building blocks for protein design. These data are available in our web server called F(old P)uzzle (fuzzle.uni-bayreuth.de), which allows to individually filter the dataset and create customized networks for folds of interest. We believe that our results serve as an invaluable resource for structural and evolutionary biologists and as raw material for the design of custom-made proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Ferruz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Francisco Lobos
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dominik Lemm
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Saacnicteh Toledo-Patino
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Steffen Schmidt
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany; Computational Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Birte Höcker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany.
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36
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Matos MJB, Pina AS, Roque ACA. Rational design of affinity ligands for bioseparation. J Chromatogr A 2020; 1619:460871. [PMID: 32044126 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.460871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 01/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Affinity adsorbents have been the cornerstone in protein purification. The selective nature of the molecular recognition interactions established between an affinity ligands and its target provide the basis for efficient capture and isolation of proteins. The plethora of affinity adsorbents available in the market reflects the importance of affinity chromatography in the bioseparation industry. Ligand discovery relies on the implementation of rational design techniques, which provides the foundation for the engineering of novel affinity ligands. The main goal for the design of affinity ligands is to discover or improve functionality, such as increased stability or selectivity. However, the methodologies must adapt to the current needs, namely to the number and diversity of biologicals being developed, and the availability of new tools for big data analysis and artificial intelligence. In this review, we offer an overview on the development of affinity ligands for bioseparation, including the evolution of rational design techniques, dating back to the years of early discovery up to the current and future trends in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel J B Matos
- UCIBIO, Chemistry Department, School of Sciences and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ana S Pina
- UCIBIO, Chemistry Department, School of Sciences and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - A C A Roque
- UCIBIO, Chemistry Department, School of Sciences and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
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37
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Berezovsky IN. Towards descriptor of elementary functions for protein design. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2019; 58:159-165. [PMID: 31352188 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2019.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
We review studies of the protein evolution that help to formulate rules for protein design. Acknowledging the fundamental importance of Dayhoff's provision on the emergence of functional proteins from short peptides, we discuss multiple evidences of the omnipresent partitioning of protein globules into structural/functional units, using which greatly facilitates the engineering and design efforts. Closed loops and elementary functional loops, which are descendants of ancient ring-like peptides that formed fist protein domains in agreement with Dayhoff's hypothesis, can be considered as basic units of protein structure and function. We argue that future developments in protein design approaches should consider descriptors of the elementary functions, which will help to complement designed scaffolds with functional signatures and flexibility necessary for their functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor N Berezovsky
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A⁎STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix 138671, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences (DBS), National University of Singapore (NUS), 8 Medical Drive, 117579, Singapore.
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38
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Affiliation(s)
- Arif Sercan Şahutoğlu
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey
| | - Cahit Akgül
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey
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