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Schwarz MGA, Correa PR, Almeida PSL, Mendonça-Lima L. Mycobacterium bovis BCG dodecin gene codes a functional protein despite of a start codon mutation. Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2023; 143:102400. [PMID: 37672955 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2023.102400] [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: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Dodecin is a dodecamer involved in flavin homeostasis, with interesting temperature and osmolarity endurance features in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the gene's start codon in BCG, converting ATG to ACG, is predicted to generate a N-terminal shorter isoform, lacking the first 7 amino acids. We previously reported that the shortened recombinant protein has reduced extremophilic features. Here we investigate if within the mycobacterial context dodecin can be produced from both alleles, carrying ATG and ACG start codons. Reporter gene assays using mcherry cloned downstream and in phase to both M.tb and BCG "upstream" regions confirms production of functional proteins. Complementation with both dod alleles similarly enhances M. smegmatis growth after entry into logarithmic phase and exposure to hydrogen peroxide, possibly implicating this protein in oxidative stress response mechanisms. Altogether these data indicate that BCG dodecin is indeed produced, notwithstanding in lower levels compared to M.tb, conferring similar phenotypes, even with the SNP altering the M.tb ATG start codon to the BCG ACG. This protein might be an interesting drug target for the development of new therapeutics against tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paloma Rezende Correa
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Paula Silva Lacerda Almeida
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Leila Mendonça-Lima
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Schwarz MGA, Luzes BGC, Correa PR, da Silva-Gonçalves AJ, Machado LDA, Guimarães ACR, Mendonça-Lima L. M. bovis BCG Moreau N-Terminal Loss Leads to a Less Stable Dodecin With Lower Flavin Binding Capacity. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:658888. [PMID: 33869088 PMCID: PMC8044443 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.658888] [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: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis still remains a concerning health problem worldwide. Its etiologic agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, continues to be the focus of research to unravel new prophylactic and therapeutic strategies against this disease. The only vaccine in use against tuberculosis is based on the in vitro attenuated strain, M. bovis BCG. Dodecin is a dodecameric complex important for flavin homeostasis in Archea and Eubacteria, and the M. tuberculosis protein is described as thermo- and halostable. M. bovis BCG Moreau, the Brazilian vaccine strain, has a single nucleotide polymorphism in the dodecin start codon, leading to a predicted loss of seven amino acids at the protein N-terminal end. In this work we aimed to characterize the effect of this mutation in the BCG Moreau protein features. Our recombinant protein assays show that the predicted BCG homolog is less thermostable than M.tb’s but maintains its dodecamerization ability, although with a lower riboflavin-binding capacity. These data are corroborated by structural analysis after comparative modeling, showing that the predicted BCG dodecin complex has a lower interaction energy among its monomers and also a distinct electrostatic surface near the flavin binding pocket. However, western blotting assays with the native proteins were unable to detect significant differences between the BCG Moreau and M.tb orthologs, indicating that other factors may be modulating protein structure/function in the bacterial context.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Paloma Rezende Correa
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Lucas de Almeida Machado
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Leila Mendonça-Lima
- Laboratório de Genômica Funcional e Bioinformática, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Scheurer M, Herbst MF, Reinholdt P, Olsen JMH, Dreuw A, Kongsted J. Polarizable Embedding Combined with the Algebraic Diagrammatic Construction: Tackling Excited States in Biomolecular Systems. J Chem Theory Comput 2018; 14:4870-4883. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.8b00576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Scheurer
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Michael F. Herbst
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Reinholdt
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Jógvan Magnus Haugaard Olsen
- Hylleraas Centre for Quantum Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemistry, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Andreas Dreuw
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jacob Kongsted
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark
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Abstract
Sensory photoreceptors underpin light-dependent adaptations of organismal physiology, development, and behavior in nature. Adapted for optogenetics, sensory photoreceptors become genetically encoded actuators and reporters to enable the noninvasive, spatiotemporally accurate and reversible control by light of cellular processes. Rooted in a mechanistic understanding of natural photoreceptors, artificial photoreceptors with customized light-gated function have been engineered that greatly expand the scope of optogenetics beyond the original application of light-controlled ion flow. As we survey presently, UV/blue-light-sensitive photoreceptors have particularly allowed optogenetics to transcend its initial neuroscience applications by unlocking numerous additional cellular processes and parameters for optogenetic intervention, including gene expression, DNA recombination, subcellular localization, cytoskeleton dynamics, intracellular protein stability, signal transduction cascades, apoptosis, and enzyme activity. The engineering of novel photoreceptors benefits from powerful and reusable design strategies, most importantly light-dependent protein association and (un)folding reactions. Additionally, modified versions of these same sensory photoreceptors serve as fluorescent proteins and generators of singlet oxygen, thereby further enriching the optogenetic toolkit. The available and upcoming UV/blue-light-sensitive actuators and reporters enable the detailed and quantitative interrogation of cellular signal networks and processes in increasingly more precise and illuminating manners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aba Losi
- Department of Mathematical, Physical and Computer Sciences , University of Parma , Parco Area delle Scienze 7/A-43124 Parma , Italy
| | - Kevin H Gardner
- Structural Biology Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center , New York , New York 10031 , United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, City College of New York , New York , New York 10031 , United States.,Ph.D. Programs in Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Biology , The Graduate Center of the City University of New York , New York , New York 10016 , United States
| | - Andreas Möglich
- Lehrstuhl für Biochemie , Universität Bayreuth , 95447 Bayreuth , Germany.,Research Center for Bio-Macromolecules , Universität Bayreuth , 95447 Bayreuth , Germany.,Bayreuth Center for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology , Universität Bayreuth , 95447 Bayreuth , Germany
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Scheurer M, Rodenkirch P, Siggel M, Bernardi RC, Schulten K, Tajkhorshid E, Rudack T. PyContact: Rapid, Customizable, and Visual Analysis of Noncovalent Interactions in MD Simulations. Biophys J 2018; 114:577-583. [PMID: 29414703 PMCID: PMC5985026 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have become ubiquitous in all areas of life sciences. The size and model complexity of MD simulations are rapidly growing along with increasing computing power and improved algorithms. This growth has led to the production of a large amount of simulation data that need to be filtered for relevant information to address specific biomedical and biochemical questions. One of the most relevant molecular properties that can be investigated by all-atom MD simulations is the time-dependent evolution of the complex noncovalent interaction networks governing such fundamental aspects as molecular recognition, binding strength, and mechanical and structural stability. Extracting, evaluating, and visualizing noncovalent interactions is a key task in the daily work of structural biologists. We have developed PyContact, an easy-to-use, highly flexible, and intuitive graphical user interface-based application, designed to provide a toolkit to investigate biomolecular interactions in MD trajectories. PyContact is designed to facilitate this task by enabling identification of relevant noncovalent interactions in a comprehensible manner. The implementation of PyContact as a standalone application enables rapid analysis and data visualization without any additional programming requirements, and also preserves full in-program customization and extension capabilities for advanced users. The statistical analysis representation is interactively combined with full mapping of the results on the molecular system through the synergistic connection between PyContact and VMD. We showcase the capabilities and scientific significance of PyContact by analyzing and visualizing in great detail the noncovalent interactions underlying the ion permeation pathway of the human P2X3 receptor. As a second application, we examine the protein-protein interaction network of the mechanically ultrastable cohesin-dockering complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Scheurer
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Biochemistry Center, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Marc Siggel
- Biochemistry Center, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rafael C Bernardi
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Klaus Schulten
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Emad Tajkhorshid
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Department of Biochemistry, Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois.
| | - Till Rudack
- NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois; Department of Biophysics, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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