Contribution of the active site aspartic acid to catalysis in the bacterial neuraminidase from Micromonospora viridifaciens

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Reveal the Conformational Transition of GH33 Sialidases

Sialidases are increasingly used in the production of sialyloligosaccharides, a significant component of human milk oligosaccharides. Elucidating the catalytic mechanism of sialidases is critical for the rational design of better biocatalysts, thereby facilitating the industrial production of sialyloligosaccharides. Through comparative all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we investigated the structural dynamics of sialidases in Glycoside Hydrolase family 33 (GH33). Interestingly, several sialidases displayed significant conformational transition and formed a new cleft in the simulations. The new cleft was adjacent to the innate active site of the enzyme, which serves to accommodate the glycosyl acceptor. Furthermore, the residues involved in the specific interactions with the substrate were evolutionarily conserved in the whole GH33 family, highlighting their key roles in the catalysis of GH33 sialidases. Our results enriched the catalytic mechanism of GH33 sialidases, with potential implications in the rational design of sialidases.

Directed evolution of a remarkably efficient Kdnase from a bacterial neuraminidase

N-acetylneuraminic acid (5-acetamido-3,5-dideoxy-d-glycero-d-galacto-non-2-ulosonic acid), which is the principal sialic acid family member of the non-2-ulosonic acids and their various derivatives, is often found at the terminal position on the glycan chains that adorn all vertebrate cells. This terminal position combined with subtle variations in structure and linkage to the underlying glycan chains between humans and other mammals points to the importance of this diverse group of nine-carbon sugars as indicators of the unique aspects of human evolution and is relevant to understanding an array of human conditions. Enzymes that catalyze the removal N-acetylneuraminic acid from glycoconjugates are called neuraminidases. However, despite their documented role in numerous diseases, due to the promiscuous activity of many neuraminidases, our knowledge of the functions and metabolism of many sialic acids and the effect of the attachment to cellular glycans is limited. To this end, through a concerted effort of generation of random and site-directed mutagenesis libraries, subsequent screens and positive and negative evolutionary selection protocols, we succeeded in identifying three enzyme variants of the neuraminidase from the soil bacterium Micromonospora viridifaciens with markedly altered specificity for the hydrolysis of natural Kdn (3-deoxy-d-glycero-d-galacto-non-2-ulosonic acid) glycosidic linkages compared to those of N-acetylneuraminic acid. These variants catalyze the hydrolysis of Kdn-containing disaccharides with catalytic efficiencies (second-order rate constants: kcat/Km) of greater than 105 M−1 s−1; the best variant displayed an efficiency of >106 M−1 s−1 at its optimal pH.

It All Starts with a Sandwich: Identification of Sialidases with Trans-Glycosylation Activity

Sialidases (3.2.1.18) may exhibit trans-sialidase activity to catalyze sialylation of lactose if the active site topology is congruent with that of the Trypanosoma cruzi trans-sialidase (EC 2.4.1.-). The present work was undertaken to test the hypothesis that a particular aromatic sandwich structure of two amino acids proximal to the active site of the T. cruzi trans-sialidase infers trans-sialidase activity. On this basis, four enzymes with putative trans-sialidase activity were identified through an iterative alignment from 2909 native sialidases available in GenBank, which were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Of these, one enzyme, SialH, derived from Haemophilus parasuis had an aromatic sandwich structure on the protein surface facing the end of the catalytic site (Phe168; Trp366), and was indeed found to exhibit trans-sialidase activity. SialH catalyzed production of the human milk oligosaccharide 3’-sialyllactose as well as the novel trans-sialylation product 3-sialyllactose using casein glycomacropeptide as sialyl donor and lactose as acceptor. The findings corroborated that Tyr119 and Trp312 in the T. cruzi trans-sialidase are part of an aromatic sandwich structure that confers trans-sialylation activity for lactose sialylation. The in silico identification of trans-glycosidase activity by rational active site topology alignment thus proved to be a quick tool for selecting putative trans-sialidases amongst a large group of glycosyl hydrolases. The approach moreover provided data that help understand structure-function relations of trans-sialidases.

Inhibitory efficiencies for mechanism-based inactivators of sialidases

Here we describe the measurement of the inactivation rate constants for the mechanism-based inactivator 2,3-difluorosialic acid acting upon the sialidase from Micromonospora viridifaciens. Using double mixing stopped-flow experiments conducted in a 3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid buffer (100 mmol/L, pH 7.00) at 25 °C, the derived kinetic parameters are kinact/Ki = (3.9 ± 0.8) × 106 (mol/L)–1 s–1 and Ki = 1.7 ± 0.4 μmol/L. We demonstrate that the inhibitory efficiency of the inactivation event is similar to the catalytic efficiency for this sialidase acting upon a typical substrate, 4-methylumbelliferone α-d-sialoside, kcat/Km = (7.2 ± 2.8) × 106 (mol/L)–1 s–1. Furthermore, we show that the catalytic efficiencies for inactivation and hydrolysis by the Kdnase from Aspergillus fumigatus are similar for the corresponding Kdn-analogues. We conclude that the deactivating effect of incorporating an axial 3-fluoro substituent onto the sialic acid scaffold is comparable to the enhanced activation that occurs when the 4-methylumbelliferone leaving group is changed to the more nucleofugal fluoride ion.

Decreasing the sialidase activity of multifunctional Pasteurella multocida α2-3-sialyltransferase 1 (PmST1) by site-directed mutagenesis

Pasteurella multocida α2-3-sialyltransferase 1 (PmST1) is a multifunctional enzyme which has α2-6-sialyltransferase, α2-3-sialidase, and α2-3-trans-sialidase activities in addition to its major α2-3-sialyltransferase activity. The presence of the α2-3-sialidase activity of PmST1 complicates its application in enzymatic synthesis of α2-3-linked sialosides as the product formed can be hydrolyzed by the enzyme. Herein we show that the α2-3-sialidase activity of PmST1 can be significantly decreased by protein crystal structure-based site-directed mutagenesis. A PmST1 double mutant E271F/R313Y showed a significantly (6333-fold) decreased sialidase activity without affecting its α2-3-sialyltransferase activity. The double mutant E271F/R313Y, therefore, is a superior enzyme for enzymatic synthesis of α2-3-linked sialosides.

Hydrophilic aromatic residue and in silico structure for carbohydrate binding module

Carbohydrate binding modules (CBMs) are found in polysaccharide-targeting enzymes and increase catalytic efficiency. Because only a relatively small number of CBM structures have been solved, computational modeling represents an alternative approach in conjunction with experimental assessment of CBM functionality and ligand-binding properties. An accurate target-template sequence alignment is the crucial step during homology modeling. However, low sequence identities between target/template sequences can be a major bottleneck. We therefore incorporated the predicted hydrophilic aromatic residues (HARs) and secondary structure elements into our feature-incorporated alignment (FIA) algorithm to increase CBM alignment accuracy. An alignment performance comparison for FIA and six others was made, and the greatest average sequence identities and similarities were achieved by FIA. In addition, structure models were built for 817 representative CBMs. Our models possessed the smallest average surface-potential z scores. Besides, a large true positive value for liagnd-binding aromatic residue prediction was obtained by HAR identification. Finally, the pre-simulated CBM structures have been deposited in the Database of Simulated CBM structures (DS-CBMs). The web service is publicly available at http://dscbm.life.nthu.edu.tw/ and http://dscbm.cs.ntou.edu.tw/.

Features and applications of bacterial sialidases

Sialidases, or neuraminidases (EC 3.2.1.18), belong to a class of glycosyl hydrolases that release terminal N-acylneuraminate residues from the glycans of glycoproteins, glycolipids, and polysaccharides. In bacteria, sialidases can be used to scavenge sialic acids as a nutrient from various sialylated substrates or to recognize sialic acids exposed on the surface of the host cell. Despite the fact that bacterial sialidases share many structural features, their biochemical properties, especially their linkage and substrate specificities, vary widely. Bacterial sialidases can catalyze the hydrolysis of terminal sialic acids linked by the α(2,3)-, α(2,6)-, or α(2,8)-linkage to a diverse range of substrates. In addition, some of these enzymes can catalyze the transfer of sialic acids from sialoglycans to asialoglycoconjugates via a transglycosylation reaction mechanism. Thus, some bacterial sialidases have been applied to synthesize complex sialyloligosaccharides through chemoenzymatic approaches and to analyze the glycan structure. In this review article, the biochemical features of bacterial sialidases and their potential applications in regioselective hydrolysis reactions as well as sialylation by transglycosylation for the synthesis of sialylated complex glycans are discussed.

Crystal structure of an enzymatically inactive trans-sialidase-like lectin from Trypanosoma cruzi: the carbohydrate binding mechanism involves residual sialidase activity

Trans-sialidases are surface-located proteins in Trypanosoma cruzi that participate in key parasite-host interactions and parasite virulence. These proteins are encoded by a large multigenic family, with tandem-repeated and individual genes dispersed throughout the genome. While a large number of genes encode for catalytically active enzyme isoforms, many others display mutations that involve catalytic residues. The latter ultimately code for catalytically inactive proteins with very high similarity to their active paralogs. These inactive members have been shown to be lectins, able to bind sialic acid and galactose in vitro, although their cellular functions are yet to be fully established. We now report structural and biochemical evidence extending the current molecular understanding of these lectins. We have solved the crystal structure of one such catalytically inactive trans-sialidase-like protein, after soaking with a specific carbohydrate ligand, sialyl-α2,3-lactose. Instead of the expected trisaccharide, the binding pocket was observed occupied by α-lactose, strongly suggesting that the protein retains residual hydrolytic activity. This hypothesis was validated by enzyme kinetics assays, in comparison to fully active wild-type trans-sialidase. Surface plasmon resonance also confirmed that these trans-sialidase-like lectins are not only able to bind small oligosaccharides, but also sialylated glycoproteins, which is relevant in the physiologic scenario of parasite infection. Inactive trans-sialidase proteins appear thus to be β-methyl-galactosyl-specific lectins, evolved within an exo-sialidase scaffold, thus explaining why their lectin activity is triggered by the presence of terminal sialic acid.

Computational modeling of laminin N-terminal domains using sparse distance constraints from disulfide bonds and chemical cross-linking

Basement membranes are thin extracellular protein layers, which separate endothelial and epithelial cells from the underlying connecting tissue. The main noncollagenous components of basement membranes are laminins, trimeric glycoproteins, which form polymeric networks by interactions of their N-terminal (LN) domains; however, no high-resolution structure of laminin LN domains exists so far. To construct models for laminin β(1) and γ(1) LN domains, 14 potentially suited template structures were determined using fold recognition methods. For each target/template-combination comparative models were created with Rosetta. Final models were selected based on their agreement with experimentally obtained distance constraints from natural cross-links, that is, disulfide bonds as well as chemical cross-links obtained from reactions with two amine-reactive cross-linkers. We predict that laminin β(1) and γ(1) LN domains share the galactose-binding domain-like fold.

The hydrolase and transferase activity of an inverting mutant sialidase using non-natural beta-sialoside substrates

The Y370G inverting mutant sialidase from Micromonospora viridifaciens possesses beta-sialidase activity with phenyl beta-sialoside (Ph-betaNeuAc) to give alpha-sialic acid as the first formed product. The derived catalytic rate constants for k(cat) and k(cat)/K(m) are 13.3 +/- 0.3 and (2.9 +/- 0.3) x 10(5) M(-)(1) s(-)(1), respectively. This enzyme is highly specific for the phenyl substrate, with substituted phenyl and thiophenyl leaving groups having k(cat) values that are at least 1000-fold lower. In addition, the Y370G mutant can transfer the sialic acid moiety from Ph-betaNeuAc to lactose in yields of up to 13%. Greater than 90% of the sialyl-lactose product formed in the coupling reactions is the alpha-2,6-isomer. A library encoding 6 x 10(5) different sialidases was constructed by mutating Y370, E260, T309, N310, and N311, residues that include and are proximal the catalytic tyrosine residue. A total of 2628 individuals were screened for hydrolytic activity against 4-nitrophenyl 2-thio-beta-sialoside and 4-methylumbelliferyl beta-sialoside. However, none of the mutants screened possessed a significant activity against either of the beta-sialosides.

Natural sialoside analogues for the determination of enzymatic rate constants

Two isomeric 4-methylumbelliferyl-alpha-D-N-acetylneuraminylgalactopyranosides (1 and 2) were synthesised. These compounds contain either the natural alpha-2,3 or alpha-2,6 sialyl-galactosyl linkages, as well as an attached 4-methylumbelliferone for convenient detection of their hydrolyses. These compounds were designed as natural sialoside analogues to be used in a continuous assay of sialidase activity, where the sialidase-catalysed reaction is coupled with an exo-beta-galactosidase-catalysed hydrolysis of the released galactoside to give free 4-methylumbelliferone. The kinetic parameters for 1 and 2 were measured using the wild-type and nucleophilic mutant Y370G recombinant sialidase from Micromonospora viridifaciens. Kinetic parameters for these analogues measured using the new continuous assay were in good agreement with the parameters for the natural substrate, 3'-sialyl lactose. Given the selection of commercially available exo-beta-galactosidases that possess a variety of pH optima, this new method was used to characterise the full pH profile of the wild-type sialidase with the natural sialoside analogue 1. Thus, use of these new substrates 1 and 2 in a continuous assay mode, which can be detected by UV/Vis or fluorescence spectroscopy, makes characterisation of sialidase activity with natural sialoside linkages much more facile.

Mechanistic Requirements for the Efficient Enzyme-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Thiosialosides

The sialidase from Micromonospora viridifaciens has been found to catalyze the hydrolysis of aryl 2-thio-alpha-D-sialosides with remarkable efficiency: the first- and second-order rate constants, kcat and kcat/Km, for the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of PNP-S-NeuAc are 196 +/- 5 s(-1) and (6.7 +/- 0.7) x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. A reagent panel of eight aryl 2-thio-alpha-D-sialosides was synthesized and used to probe the mechanism for the M. viridifaciens sialidase-catalyzed hydrolysis reaction. In the case of the wild-type enzyme, the derived Brønsted parameters (beta(lg)) on kcat and kcat/Km are -0.83 +/- 0.11 and -1.27 +/- 0.17 for substrates with thiophenoxide leaving groups of pKa values > or = 4.5. For the general-acid mutant, D92G, the derived beta(lg) value on kcat for the same set of leaving groups is -0.82 +/- 0.12. When the conjugate acid of the departing thiophenol was < or = 4.5, the derived Brønsted slopes for both the wild-type and the D92G mutant sialidase were close to zero. In contrast, the nucleophilic mutant, Y370G, did not display a similar break in the Brønsted plots, and the corresponding values for beta(lg), for the three most reactive aryl 2-thiosialosides, on kcat and kcat/Km are -0.76 +/- 0.28 and -0.84 +/- 0.04, respectively. Thus, for the Y370G enzyme glycosidic C-S bond cleavage is rate-determining for both kcat and kcat/Km, whereas, for both the wild-type and D92G mutant enzymes, the presented data are consistent with a change in rate-determining step from glycosidic C-S bond cleavage for substrates in which the pKa of the conjugate acid of the leaving group is > or = 4.5, to either deglycosylation (kcat) or a conformational change that occurs prior to C-S bond cleavage (kcat/Km) for the most activated leaving groups. Thus, the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of 2-thiosialosides is strongly catalyzed by the nucleophilic tyrosine residue, yet the C-S bond cleavage does not require the conserved aspartic acid residue (D92) to act as a general-acid catalyst.

Identification of Asp174 and Asp175 as the key catalytic residues of human O-GlcNAcase by functional analysis of site-directed mutants

O-GlcNAcase is a family 84 beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase catalyzing the hydrolytic cleavage of beta-O-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glycopyranose (O-GlcNAc) from serine and threonine residues of posttranslationally modified proteins. O-GlcNAcases use a double-displacement mechanism involving formation and breakdown of a transient bicyclic oxazoline intermediate. The key catalytic residues of any family 84 enzyme facilitating this reaction, however, are unknown. Two mutants of human O-GlcNAcase, D174A and D175A, were generated since these residues are highly conserved among family 84 glycoside hydrolases. Structure-reactivity studies of the D174A mutant enzyme reveals severely impaired catalytic activity across a broad range of substrates alongside a pH-activity profile consistent with deletion of a key catalytic residue. The D175A mutant enzyme shows a significant decrease in catalytic efficiency with substrates bearing poor leaving groups (up to 3000-fold), while for substates bearing good leading groups the difference is much smaller (7-fold). This mutant enzyme also cleaves thioglycosides with essentially the same catalytic efficiency as the wild-type enzyme. As well, addition of azide as an exogenous nucleophile increases the activity of this enzyme toward a substrate bearing an excellent leaving group. Together, these results allow unambiguous assignment of Asp(174) as the residue that polarizes the 2-acetamido group for attack on the anomeric center and Asp(175) as the residue that functions as the general acid/base catalyst. Therefore, the family 84 glycoside hydrolases use a DD catalytic pair to effect catalysis.

Use of conformationally restricted pyridinium alpha-D-N-acetylneuraminides to probe specificity in bacterial and viral sialidases

Investigations into subtle changes in the catalytic activity of sialidases have been performed using enzymes from several different origins, and their results have been compared. This work highlights the potential pitfalls encountered when extending conclusions derived from mechanistic studies on a single enzyme even to those with high-sequence homology. Specifically, a panel of 5 pyridinium N-acetylneuraminides were used as substrates in a study that revealed subtle differences in the catalytic mechanisms used by 4 different sialidase enzymes. The lowest reactivity towards the artificial (pyridinium) substrates was displayed by the Newcastle disease virus hemagglutinin-neuraminidase. Moreover, in reactions involving aryl N-acetylneuraminides, the activity of the Newcastle enzyme was competitively inhibited by the 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrano[3,2-c]pyridinium compound with a Ki = 58 micromol/L. Alternatively, the 3 bacterial enzymes tested, from Salmonella typhimurium, Clostridium perfringens, and Vibrio cholerae, were catalytically active against all members of the panel of substrates. Based on the observed effect of leaving-group ability, it is proposed that the rate-determining step for kcat (and likely for kcat/Km as well) with each bacterial enzyme is as follows: sialylation, which is concerted with conformational change for V. cholerae; and conformational change for S. typhimurium and C. perfringens.

Two Nucleophilic Mutants of the Micromonospora viridifaciens Sialidase Operate with Retention of Configuration by Two Different Mechanisms

Mutants of the Micromonospora viridifaciens sialidase, Y370E and Y370F, are catalytically active retaining enzymes that operate by different mechanisms. Previous substitutions with smaller amino acids, including Y370D, yielded inverting sialidases. At least one water molecule can fit into the active-site cavity of this mutant and act as a nucleophile from the face opposite the leaving group (Biochemistry 2003, 42, 12 682). Thus, addition of a CH(2) unit (Asp versus Glu) changes the mechanism from inversion back to retention of configuration. Based on Brønsted beta(lg) values, it is proposed that the Y370E mutant reacts by a double-displacement mechanism (beta(lg) on k(cat)/K(m) -0.36+/-0.04) with Glu370 acting as the nucleophile. However, the Y370F mutant (beta(lg) on k(cat)/K(m) -0.79+/-0.12) reacts via a dissociative transition state. The crystal structure of the Y370F mutant complexed with 2-deoxy-2,3-dehydro-N-acetylneuraminic acid shows no significant active-site perturbation relative to the wild-type enzyme.

Structure and Mechanism of Action of an Inverting Mutant Sialidase

Mutagenesis of the conserved tyrosine (Y370) of the Micromonospora viridifaciens sialidase to small amino acids changes the mechanism of catalysis from retention of anomeric configuration to inversion [Watson, J. N., et al. (2003) Biochemistry 42, 12682-12690]. For the Y370G mutant enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of a series of aryl sialosides and 3'-sialyllactose, the derived Brønsted parameters (beta(lg)) on k(cat) and k(cat)/K(m) are -0.63 +/- 0.05 and -0.80 +/- 0.08, respectively. Thus, for the Y370G enzyme, glycosidic C-O bond cleavage is rate-determining. Analysis of the activity of the Y370G mutant and wild-type enzymes against a substrate [3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrano[3,2-c]pyridinium alpha-d-N-acetylneuraminide (DHP-alphaNeu5Ac)] whose hydrolysis cannot be accelerated by acid catalysis is consistent with these reactions proceeding via S(N)1 and S(N)2 mechanisms, respectively. The overall structure of the Y370G mutant sialidase active site is very similar to the previously reported wild-type structure [Gaskell, A., et al. (1995) Structure 3, 1197-1205], although removal of the tyrosine residue creates two significant changes to the active site. First, the anomeric oxygen atom of the hydrolysis product (beta-N-acetylneuraminic acid) and four water molecules bind in the large cavity created by the Y370G mutation. Second, the side chain of Asn310 moves to make a strong hydrogen bond to one of the bound water molecules.