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Sun WS, Torrens G, Ter Beek J, Cava F, Berntsson RPA. Breaking barriers: pCF10 type 4 secretion system relies on a self-regulating muramidase to modulate the cell wall. mBio 2024:e0048824. [PMID: 38940556 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00488-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Conjugative type 4 secretion systems (T4SSs) are the main driver for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors in bacteria. To deliver the DNA substrate to recipient cells, it must cross the cell envelopes of both donor and recipient bacteria. In the T4SS from the enterococcal conjugative plasmid pCF10, PrgK is known to be the active cell wall degrading enzyme. It has three predicted extracellular hydrolase domains: metallo-peptidase (LytM), soluble lytic transglycosylase (SLT), and cysteine, histidine-dependent amidohydrolases/peptidases (CHAP). Here, we report the structure of the LytM domain and show that its active site is degenerate and lacks the active site metal. Furthermore, we show that only the predicted SLT domain is functional in vitro and that it unexpectedly has a muramidase instead of a lytic transglycosylase activity. While we did not observe any peptidoglycan hydrolytic activity for the LytM or CHAP domain, we found that these domains downregulated the SLT muramidase activity. The CHAP domain was also found to be involved in PrgK dimer formation. Furthermore, we show that PrgK interacts with PrgL, which likely targets PrgK to the rest of the T4SS. The presented data provides important information for understanding the function of Gram-positive T4SSs.IMPORTANCEAntibiotic resistance is a large threat to human health and is getting more prevalent. One of the major contributors to the spread of antibiotic resistance among different bacteria is type 4 secretion systems (T4SS). However, mainly T4SSs from Gram-negative bacteria have been studied in detail. T4SSs from Gram-positive bacteria, which stand for more than half of all hospital-acquired infections, are much less understood. The significance of our research is in identifying the function and regulation of a cell wall hydrolase, a key component of the pCF10 T4SS from Enterococcus faecalis. This system is one of the best-studied Gram-positive T4SSs, and this added knowledge aids in our understanding of horizontal gene transfer in E. faecalis as well as other medically relevant Gram-positive bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Sheng Sun
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine and Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Gabriel Torrens
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, SciLifeLab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Josy Ter Beek
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine and Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Felipe Cava
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, SciLifeLab, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ronnie P-A Berntsson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine and Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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2
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Miguel-Ruano V, Feltzer R, Batuecas MT, Ramachandran B, El-Araby AM, Avila-Cobian LF, De Benedetti S, Mobashery S, Hermoso JA. Structural characterization of lytic transglycosylase MltD of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a target for the natural product bulgecin A. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 267:131420. [PMID: 38583835 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131420] [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: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Natural product bulgecin A potentiates the activity of β-lactam antibiotics by inhibition of three lytic transglycosylases in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, of which MltD is one. MltD exhibits both endolytic and exolytic reactions in the turnover of the cell-wall peptidoglycan and tolerates the presence or absence of stem peptides in its substrates. The present study reveals structural features of the multimodular MltD, presenting a catalytic module and four cell-wall-binding LysM modules that account for these attributes. Three X-ray structures are reported herein for MltD that disclose one unpredicted LysM module tightly attached to the catalytic domain, whereas the other LysM modules are mobile, and connected to the catalytic domain through long flexible linkers. The formation of crystals depended on the presence of bulgecin A. The expansive active-site cleft is highlighted by the insertion of a helical region, a hallmark of the family 1D of lytic transglycosylases, which was mapped out in a ternary complex of MltD:bulgecinA:chitotetraose, revealing at the minimum the presence of eight subsites (from -4 to +4, with the seat of reaction at subsites -1 and + 1) for binding of sugars of the substrate for the endolytic reaction. The mechanism of the exolytic reaction is revealed in one of the structures, showing how the substrate's terminal anhydro-NAM moiety could be sequestered at subsite +2. Our results provide the structural insight for both the endolytic and exolytic activities of MltD during cell-wall-turnover events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vega Miguel-Ruano
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Instituto de Química-Física "Blas Cabrera", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rhona Feltzer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - María T Batuecas
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Instituto de Química-Física "Blas Cabrera", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Balajee Ramachandran
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Amr M El-Araby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Luis F Avila-Cobian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Stefania De Benedetti
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
| | - Juan A Hermoso
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Instituto de Química-Física "Blas Cabrera", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain.
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3
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Soonthonsrima T, Htoo HH, Thiennimitr P, Srisuknimit V, Nonejuie P, Chaikeeratisak V. Phage-induced bacterial morphological changes reveal a phage-derived antimicrobial affecting cell wall integrity. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0076423. [PMID: 37843261 PMCID: PMC10648931 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00764-23] [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: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In a looming post-antibiotic era, antibiotic alternatives have become key players in the combat against pathogens. Although recent advances in genomic research allow scientists to fully explore an organism's genome in the search for novel antibacterial molecules, laborious work is still needed in order to dissect each individual gene product for its antibacterial activity. Here, we exploited phage-induced bacterial morphological changes as anchors to explore and discover a potential phage-derived antimicrobial embedded in the phage genome. We found that, upon vibriophage KVP40 infection, Vibrio parahaemolyticus exhibited morphological changes similar to those observed when treated with mecillinam, a cell wall synthesis inhibitor, suggesting the mechanism of pre-killing that KVP40 exerts inside the bacterial cell upon sieging the host. Genome analysis revealed that, of all the annotated gene products in the KVP40 genome that are involved in cell wall degradation, lytic transglycosylase (LT) is of particular interest for subsequent functional studies. A single-cell morphological analysis revealed that heterologous expression of wild-type KVP40-LT induced similar bacterial morphological changes to those treated with the whole phage or mecillinam, prior to cell burst. On the contrary, neither the morphology nor the viability of the bacteria expressing signal-peptide truncated- or catalytic mutant E80A- KVP40-LT was affected, suggesting the necessity of these domains for the antibacterial activities. Altogether, this research paves the way for the future development of the discovery of phage-derived antimicrobials that is guided through phage-induced morphological changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanapon Soonthonsrima
- Center of Excellence for Molecular Biology and Genomics of Shrimp, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Htut Htut Htoo
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Parameth Thiennimitr
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Research Center of Microbial Diversity and Sustainable Utilization, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Veerasak Srisuknimit
- Center of Excellence for Molecular Biology and Genomics of Shrimp, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Poochit Nonejuie
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Vorrapon Chaikeeratisak
- Center of Excellence for Molecular Biology and Genomics of Shrimp, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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4
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El-Araby AM, Jiménez-Faraco E, Feltzer R, Martin-Garcia JM, Karri BR, Ramachandran B, Kim C, Fisher JF, Hermoso JA, Mobashery S. Catalytic process of anhydro-N-acetylmuramic acid kinase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105198. [PMID: 37660917 PMCID: PMC10570956 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105198] [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: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The bacterial cell envelope is the structure with which the bacterium engages with, and is protected from, its environment. Within this envelop is a conserved peptidoglycan polymer which confers shape and strength to the cell envelop. The enzymatic processes that build, remodel, and recycle the chemical components of this cross-linked polymer are preeminent targets of antibiotics and exploratory targets for emerging antibiotic structures. We report a comprehensive kinetic and structural analysis for one such enzyme, the Pseudomonas aeruginosa anhydro-N-acetylmuramic acid (anhNAM) kinase (AnmK). AnmK is an enzyme in the peptidoglycan-recycling pathway of this pathogen. It catalyzes the pairing of hydrolytic ring opening of anhNAM with concomitant ATP-dependent phosphoryl transfer. AnmK follows a random-sequential kinetic mechanism with respect to its anhNAM and ATP substrates. Crystallographic analyses of four distinct structures (apo AnmK, AnmK:AMPPNP, AnmK:AMPPNP:anhNAM, and AnmK:ATP:anhNAM) demonstrate that both substrates enter the active site independently in an ungated conformation of the substrate subsites, with protein loops acting as gates for anhNAM binding. Catalysis occurs within a closed conformational state for the enzyme. We observe this state crystallographically using ATP-mimetic molecules. A remarkable X-ray structure for dimeric AnmK sheds light on the precatalytic and postcatalytic ternary complexes. Computational simulations in conjunction with the high-resolution X-ray structures reveal the full catalytic cycle. We further report that a P. aeruginosa strain with disrupted anmK gene is more susceptible to the β-lactam imipenem compared to the WT strain. These observations position AnmK for understanding the nexus among peptidoglycan recycling, susceptibility to antibiotics, and bacterial virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amr M El-Araby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Eva Jiménez-Faraco
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Instituto de Química-Física "Blas Cabrera", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rhona Feltzer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Jose M Martin-Garcia
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Instituto de Química-Física "Blas Cabrera", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Bhaskara Rao Karri
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Balajee Ramachandran
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Choon Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Jed F Fisher
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Juan A Hermoso
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Instituto de Química-Física "Blas Cabrera", Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.
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5
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Avila‐Cobian LF, Hoshino H, Horsman ME, Nguyen VT, Qian Y, Feltzer R, Kim C, Hu DD, Champion MM, Fisher JF, Mobashery S. Amber-codon suppression for spatial localization and in vivo photoaffinity capture of the interactome of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa rare lipoprotein A lytic transglycosylase. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4781. [PMID: 37703013 PMCID: PMC10536563 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4781] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
The 11 lytic transglycosylases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa have overlapping activities in the turnover of the cell-wall peptidoglycan. Rare lipoprotein A (RlpA) is distinct among the 11 by its use of only peptidoglycan lacking peptide stems. The spatial localization of RlpA and its interactome within P. aeruginosa are unknown. We employed suppression of introduced amber codons at sites in the rlpA gene for the introduction of the unnatural-amino-acids Νζ -[(2-azidoethoxy)carbonyl]-l-lysine (compound 1) and Nζ -[[[3-(3-methyl-3H-diazirin-3-yl)propyl]amino]carbonyl]-l-lysine (compound 2). In live P. aeruginosa, full-length RlpA incorporating compound 1 into its sequence was fluorescently tagged using strained-promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition and examined by fluorescence microscopy. RlpA is present at low levels along the sidewall length of the bacterium, and at higher levels at the nascent septa of replicating bacteria. In intact P. aeruginosa, UV photolysis of full-length RlpA having compound 2 within its sequence generated a transient reactive carbene, which engaged in photoaffinity capture of neighboring proteins. Thirteen proteins were identified. Three of these proteins-PBP1a, PBP5, and MreB-are members of the bacterial divisome. The use of the complementary methodologies of non-canonical amino-acid incorporation, photoaffinity proximity analysis, and fluorescent microscopy confirm a dominant septal location for the RlpA enzyme of P. aeruginosa, as a divisome-associated activity. This accomplishment adds to the emerging recognition of the value of these methodologies for identification of the intracellular localization of bacterial proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis F. Avila‐Cobian
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
| | - Hidekazu Hoshino
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
| | - Mark E. Horsman
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
| | - Van T. Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
| | - Yuanyuan Qian
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
| | - Rhona Feltzer
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
| | - Choon Kim
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
| | - Daniel D. Hu
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
| | - Matthew M. Champion
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
| | - Jed F. Fisher
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameNotre DameIndianaUSA
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6
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Marin E, Kornilov DA, Bukhdruker SS, Aleksenko VA, Manuvera VA, Zinovev EV, Kovalev KV, Shevtsov MB, Talyzina AA, Bobrovsky PA, Kuzmichev PK, Mishin AV, Gushchin IY, Lazarev VN, Borshchevskiy VI. Structural insights into thrombolytic activity of destabilase from medicinal leech. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6641. [PMID: 37095116 PMCID: PMC10126035 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32459-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Destabilase from the medical leech Hirudo medicinalis belongs to the family of i-type lysozymes. It has two different enzymatic activities: microbial cell walls destruction (muramidase activity), and dissolution of the stabilized fibrin (isopeptidase activity). Both activities are known to be inhibited by sodium chloride at near physiological concentrations, but the structural basis remains unknown. Here we present two crystal structures of destabilase, including a 1.1 Å-resolution structure in complex with sodium ion. Our structures reveal the location of sodium ion between Glu34/Asp46 residues, which were previously recognized as a glycosidase active site. While sodium coordination with these amino acids may explain inhibition of the muramidase activity, its influence on previously suggested Ser49/Lys58 isopeptidase activity dyad is unclear. We revise the Ser49/Lys58 hypothesis and compare sequences of i-type lysozymes with confirmed destabilase activity. We suggest that the general base for the isopeptidase activity is His112 rather than Lys58. pKa calculations of these amino acids, assessed through the 1 μs molecular dynamics simulation, confirm the hypothesis. Our findings highlight the ambiguity of destabilase catalytic residues identification and build foundations for further research of structure-activity relationship of isopeptidase activity as well as structure-based protein design for potential anticoagulant drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Egor Marin
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Valentin A Manuvera
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Egor V Zinovev
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | | | | | - Anna A Talyzina
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Pavel A Bobrovsky
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Alexey V Mishin
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Ivan Y Gushchin
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Vassili N Lazarev
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Valentin I Borshchevskiy
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia.
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Russia.
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7
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Weaver A, Taguchi A, Dörr T. Masters of Misdirection: Peptidoglycan Glycosidases in Bacterial Growth. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0042822. [PMID: 36757204 PMCID: PMC10029718 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00428-22] [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] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The dynamic composition of the peptidoglycan cell wall has been the subject of intense research for decades, yet how bacteria coordinate the synthesis of new peptidoglycan with the turnover and remodeling of existing peptidoglycan remains elusive. Diversity and redundancy within peptidoglycan synthases and peptidoglycan autolysins, enzymes that degrade peptidoglycan, have often made it challenging to assign physiological roles to individual enzymes and determine how those activities are regulated. For these reasons, peptidoglycan glycosidases, which cleave within the glycan strands of peptidoglycan, have proven veritable masters of misdirection over the years. Unlike many of the broadly conserved peptidoglycan synthetic complexes, diverse bacteria can employ unrelated glycosidases to achieve the same physiological outcome. Additionally, although the mechanisms of action for many individual enzymes have been characterized, apparent conserved homologs in other organisms can exhibit an entirely different biochemistry. This flexibility has been recently demonstrated in the context of three functions critical to vegetative growth: (i) release of newly synthesized peptidoglycan strands from their membrane anchors, (ii) processing of peptidoglycan turned over during cell wall expansion, and (iii) removal of peptidoglycan fragments that interfere with daughter cell separation during cell division. Finally, the regulation of glycosidase activity during these cell processes may be a cumulation of many factors, including protein-protein interactions, intrinsic substrate preferences, substrate availability, and subcellular localization. Understanding the true scope of peptidoglycan glycosidase activity will require the exploration of enzymes from diverse organisms with equally diverse growth and division strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Weaver
- Department of Microbiology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Atsushi Taguchi
- SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tobias Dörr
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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8
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Martinez-Bond EA, Soriano BM, Williams AH. The mechanistic landscape of Lytic transglycosylase as targets for antibacterial therapy. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 77:102480. [PMID: 36323133 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Lytic transglycosylases (Ltgs) are glycan strand cleaving enzymes whose role is poorly understood in the genesis of the bacterial envelope. They play multiple roles in all stages of a bacterial life cycle, by creating holes in the peptidoglycan that is necessary for cell division and separation. Here, we review recent advances in understanding the suitability of Ltgs as antibacterial drug targets. We specifically highlight a known inhibitor bulgecin A that is able to inhibit the function of structurally diverse Ltgs, as well as synergize with beta-lactams to improve its efficacy in antibiotic insensitive strains. Discovery of new antibiotics or new targets has been challenging. These studies could provide a viable path toward designing broad-spectrum inhibitors that targets Ltgs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Martinez-Bond
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA. https://twitter.com/bondlizbond
| | - Berliza M Soriano
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA. https://twitter.com/AWilliamslab
| | - Allison H Williams
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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9
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In vitro studies of the protein-interaction network of cell-wall lytic transglycosylase RlpA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1314. [PMID: 36451021 PMCID: PMC9712689 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04230-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The protein networks of cell-wall-biosynthesis assemblies are largely unknown. A key class of enzymes in these assemblies is the lytic transglycosylases (LTs), of which eleven exist in P. aeruginosa. We have undertaken a pulldown strategy in conjunction with mass-spectrometry-based proteomics to identify the putative binding partners for the eleven LTs of P. aeruginosa. A total of 71 putative binding partners were identified for the eleven LTs. A systematic assessment of the binding partners of the rare lipoprotein A (RlpA), one of the pseudomonal LTs, was made. This 37-kDa lipoprotein is involved in bacterial daughter-cell separation by an unknown process. RlpA participates in both the multi-protein and multi-enzyme divisome and elongasome assemblies. We reveal an extensive protein-interaction network for RlpA involving at least 19 proteins. Their kinetic parameters for interaction with RlpA were assessed by microscale thermophoresis, surface-plasmon resonance, and isothermal-titration calorimetry. Notable RlpA binding partners include PBP1b, PBP4, and SltB1. Elucidation of the protein-interaction networks for each of the LTs, and specifically for RlpA, opens opportunities for the study of their roles in the complex protein assemblies intimately involved with the cell wall as a structural edifice critical for bacterial survival.
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10
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Wong KY, Megat Mazhar Khair MH, Song AAL, Masarudin MJ, Chong CM, In LLA, Teo MYM. Endolysins against Streptococci as an antibiotic alternative. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:935145. [PMID: 35983327 PMCID: PMC9378833 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.935145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Multi-drug resistance has called for a race to uncover alternatives to existing antibiotics. Phage therapy is one of the explored alternatives, including the use of endolysins, which are phage-encoded peptidoglycan hydrolases responsible for bacterial lysis. Endolysins have been extensively researched in different fields, including medicine, food, and agricultural applications. While the target specificity of various endolysins varies greatly between species, this current review focuses specifically on streptococcal endolysins. Streptococcus spp. causes numerous infections, from the common strep throat to much more serious life-threatening infections such as pneumonia and meningitis. It is reported as a major crisis in various industries, causing systemic infections associated with high mortality and morbidity, as well as economic losses, especially in the agricultural industry. This review highlights the types of catalytic and cell wall-binding domains found in streptococcal endolysins and gives a comprehensive account of the lytic ability of both native and engineered streptococcal endolysins studied thus far, as well as its potential application across different industries. Finally, it gives an overview of the advantages and limitations of these enzyme-based antibiotics, which has caused the term enzybiotics to be conferred to it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan Yee Wong
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Megat Hamzah Megat Mazhar Khair
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Adelene Ai-Lian Song
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mas Jaffri Masarudin
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Chou Min Chong
- Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Lionel Lian Aun In
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Lionel Lian Aun In,
| | - Michelle Yee Mun Teo
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- *Correspondence: Michelle Yee Mun Teo,
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11
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Weaver AI, Alvarez L, Rosch KM, Ahmed A, Wang GS, vanNieuwenhze MS, Cava F, Dörr T. Lytic transglycosylases mitigate periplasmic crowding by degrading soluble cell wall turnover products. eLife 2022; 11:73178. [PMID: 35073258 PMCID: PMC8820737 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The peptidoglycan cell wall is a predominant structure of bacteria, determining cell shape and supporting survival in diverse conditions. Peptidoglycan is dynamic and requires regulated synthesis of new material, remodeling, and turnover – or autolysis – of old material. Despite exploitation of peptidoglycan synthesis as an antibiotic target, we lack a fundamental understanding of how peptidoglycan synthesis and autolysis intersect to maintain the cell wall. Here, we uncover a critical physiological role for a widely misunderstood class of autolytic enzymes, lytic transglycosylases (LTGs). We demonstrate that LTG activity is essential to survival by contributing to periplasmic processes upstream and independent of peptidoglycan recycling. Defects accumulate in Vibrio cholerae LTG mutants due to generally inadequate LTG activity, rather than absence of specific enzymes, and essential LTG activities are likely independent of protein-protein interactions, as heterologous expression of a non-native LTG rescues growth of a conditional LTG-null mutant. Lastly, we demonstrate that soluble, uncrosslinked, endopeptidase-dependent peptidoglycan chains, also detected in the wild-type, are enriched in LTG mutants, and that LTG mutants are hypersusceptible to the production of diverse periplasmic polymers. Collectively, our results suggest that LTGs prevent toxic crowding of the periplasm with synthesis-derived peptidoglycan polymers and, contrary to prevailing models, that this autolytic function can be temporally separate from peptidoglycan synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Alvarez
- Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University
| | - Kelly M Rosch
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University
| | - Asraa Ahmed
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University
| | | | | | - Felipe Cava
- The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University
| | - Tobias Dörr
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University
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12
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Kumar V, Mathure SA, Lee M, Boorman J, Zeng X, Lin J, Hesek D, Lastochkin E, Mobashery S, van den Akker F. Turnover Chemistry and Structural Characterization of the Cj0843c Lytic Transglycosylase of Campylobacter jejuni. Biochemistry 2021; 60:1133-1144. [PMID: 33749238 PMCID: PMC9067259 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00027] [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: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The soluble lytic transglycosylase Cj0843c from Campylobacter jejuni breaks down cell-wall peptidoglycan (PG). Its nonhydrolytic activity sustains cell-wall remodeling and repair. We report herein our structure-function studies probing the substrate preferences and recognition by this enzyme. Our studies show that Cj0843c exhibits both exolytic and endolytic activities and forms the N-acetyl-1,6-anhydromuramyl (anhMurNAc) peptidoglycan termini, the typical transformation catalyzed by lytic transglycosylase. Cj0843c shows a trend toward a preference for substrates with anhMurNAc ends and those with peptide stems. Mutagenesis revealed that the catalytic E390 is critical for activity. In addition, mutagenesis showed that R388 and K505, located in the positively charged pocket near E390, also serve important roles. Mutation of R326, on the opposite side of this positively charged pocket, enhanced activity. Our data point to different roles for positively charged residues in this pocket for productive binding of the predominantly negatively charged PG. We also show by X-ray crystallography and by molecular dynamics simulations that the active site of Cj0843c is still capable of binding GlcNAc containing di- and trisaccharides without MurNAc moieties, without peptide stems, and without the anhMurNAc ends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106, USA
| | - Snigdha A. Mathure
- Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106, USA
| | - Mijoon Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN 46556, USA
| | - Jacob Boorman
- Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106, USA
| | - Ximin Zeng
- Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN 37996, USA
| | - Jun Lin
- Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN 37996, USA
| | - Dusan Hesek
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN 46556, USA
| | - Elena Lastochkin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN 46556, USA
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN 46556, USA
| | - Focco van den Akker
- Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106, USA
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13
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Chang M, Mahasenan KV, Hermoso JA, Mobashery S. Unconventional Antibacterials and Adjuvants. Acc Chem Res 2021; 54:917-929. [PMID: 33512995 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.0c00776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The need for new classes of antibacterials is genuine in light of the dearth of clinical options for the treatment of bacterial infections. The prodigious discoveries of antibiotics during the 1940s to 1970s, a period wistfully referred to as the Golden Age of Antibiotics, have not kept up in the face of emergence of resistant bacteria in the past few decades. There has been a renewed interest in old drugs, the repurposing of the existing antibiotics and pairing of synergistic antibiotics or of an antibiotic with an adjuvant. Notwithstanding, discoveries of novel classes of these life-saving drugs have become increasingly difficult, calling for new paradigms. We describe, herein, three strategies from our laboratories toward discoveries of new antibacterials and adjuvants using computational and multidisciplinary experimental methods. One approach targets penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), biosynthetic enzymes of cell-wall peptidoglycan, for discoveries of non-β-lactam inhibitors. Oxadiazoles and quinazolinones emerged as two structural classes out of these efforts. Several hundred analogs of these two classes of antibiotics have been synthesized and fully characterized in our laboratories. A second approach ventures into inhibition of allosteric regulation of cell-wall biosynthesis. The mechanistic details of allosteric regulation of PBP2a of Staphylococcus aureus, discovered in our laboratories, is outlined. The allosteric site in this protein is at 60 Å distance to the active site, whereby ligand binding at the former makes access to the latter by the substrate possible. We have documented that both quinazolinones and ceftaroline, a fifth-generation cephalosporin, bind to the allosteric site in manifestation of the antibacterial activity. Attempts at inhibition of the regulatory phosphorylation events identified three classes of antibacterial adjuvants and one class of antibacterials, the picolinamides. The chemical structures for these hits went through diversification by synthesis of hundreds of analogs. These analogs were characterized in various assays for identification of leads with adjuvant and antibacterial activities. Furthermore, we revisited the mechanism of bulgecins, a class of adjuvants discovered and abandoned in the 1980s. These compounds potentiate the activities of β-lactam antibiotics by the formation of bulges at the sites of septum formation during bacterial replication, which are points of structural weakness in the envelope. These bulges experience rupture, which leads to bacterial death. Bulgecin A inhibits the lytic transglycosylase Slt of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a likely transition-state mimetic for its turnover of the cell-wall peptidoglycan. Once damage to cell wall is inflicted by a β-lactam antibiotic, the function of Slt is to repair the damage. When Slt is inhibited by bulgecin A, the organism cannot cope with it and would undergo rapid lysis. Bulgecin A is an effective adjuvant of β-lactam antibiotics. These discoveries of small-molecule classes of antibacterials or of adjuvants to antibacterials hold promise in strategies for treatment of bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayland Chang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, McCourtney Hall, Notre Dame Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Kiran V. Mahasenan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, McCourtney Hall, Notre Dame Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Juan A. Hermoso
- Departamento de Cristalografía y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Química-Física “Rocasolano”, CSIC, Serrano 119, 28006-Madrid Spain
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, McCourtney Hall, Notre Dame Indiana 46556, United States
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14
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Dik DA, Kim C, Madukoma CS, Fisher JF, Shrout JD, Mobashery S. Fluorescence Assessment of the AmpR-Signaling Network of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Exposure to β-Lactam Antibiotics. ACS Chem Biol 2020; 15:1184-1194. [PMID: 31990176 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Gram-negative bacteria have evolved an elaborate pathway to sense and respond to exposure to β-lactam antibiotics. The β-lactam antibiotics inhibit penicillin-binding proteins, whereby the loss of their activities alters/damages the cell-wall peptidoglycan. Bacteria sense this damage and remove the affected peptidoglycan into complex recycling pathways. As an offshoot of these pathways, muropeptide chemical signals generated from the cell-wall recycling manifest the production of a class C β-lactamase, which hydrolytically degrades the β-lactam antibiotic as a resistance mechanism. We disclose the use of a fluorescence probe that detects the activation of the recycling system by the formation of the key muropeptides involved in signaling. This same probe additionally detects natural-product cell-wall-active antibiotics that are produced in situ by cohabitating bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Dik
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Choon Kim
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Chinedu S. Madukoma
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Jed F. Fisher
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Joshua D. Shrout
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
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15
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Fisher JF, Mobashery S. Constructing and deconstructing the bacterial cell wall. Protein Sci 2020; 29:629-646. [PMID: 31747090 PMCID: PMC7021008 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The history of modern medicine cannot be written apart from the history of the antibiotics. Antibiotics are cytotoxic secondary metabolites that are isolated from Nature. The antibacterial antibiotics disproportionately target bacterial protein structure that is distinct from eukaryotic protein structure, notably within the ribosome and within the pathways for bacterial cell-wall biosynthesis (for which there is not a eukaryotic counterpart). This review focuses on a pre-eminent class of antibiotics-the β-lactams, exemplified by the penicillins and cephalosporins-from the perspective of the evolving mechanisms for bacterial resistance. The mechanism of action of the β-lactams is bacterial cell-wall destruction. In the monoderm (single membrane, Gram-positive staining) pathogen Staphylococcus aureus the dominant resistance mechanism is expression of a β-lactam-unreactive transpeptidase enzyme that functions in cell-wall construction. In the diderm (dual membrane, Gram-negative staining) pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa a dominant resistance mechanism (among several) is expression of a hydrolytic enzyme that destroys the critical β-lactam ring of the antibiotic. The key sensing mechanism used by P. aeruginosa is monitoring the molecular difference between cell-wall construction and cell-wall deconstruction. In both bacteria, the resistance pathways are manifested only when the bacteria detect the presence of β-lactams. This review summarizes how the β-lactams are sensed and how the resistance mechanisms are manifested, with the expectation that preventing these processes will be critical to future chemotherapeutic control of multidrug resistant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jed F. Fisher
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameSouth BendIndiana
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of Notre DameSouth BendIndiana
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16
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Bharadwaj VS, Knott BC, Ståhlberg J, Beckham GT, Crowley MF. The hydrolysis mechanism of a GH45 cellulase and its potential relation to lytic transglycosylase and expansin function. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:4477-4487. [PMID: 32054684 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.011406] [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: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Family 45 glycoside hydrolases (GH45) are endoglucanases that are integral to cellulolytic secretomes, and their ability to break down cellulose has been successfully exploited in textile and detergent industries. In addition to their industrial relevance, understanding the molecular mechanism of GH45-catalyzed hydrolysis is of fundamental importance because of their structural similarity to cell wall-modifying enzymes such as bacterial lytic transglycosylases (LTs) and expansins present in bacteria, plants, and fungi. Our understanding of the catalytic itinerary of GH45s has been incomplete because a crystal structure with substrate spanning the -1 to +1 subsites is currently lacking. Here we constructed and validated a putative Michaelis complex in silico and used it to elucidate the hydrolytic mechanism in a GH45, Cel45A from the fungus Humicola insolens, via unbiased simulation approaches. These molecular simulations revealed that the solvent-exposed active-site architecture results in lack of coordination for the hydroxymethyl group of the substrate at the -1 subsite. This lack of coordination imparted mobility to the hydroxymethyl group and enabled a crucial hydrogen bond with the catalytic acid during and after the reaction. This suggests the possibility of a nonhydrolytic reaction mechanism when the catalytic base aspartic acid is missing, as is the case in some LTs (murein transglycosylase A) and expansins. We calculated reaction free energies and demonstrate the thermodynamic feasibility of the hydrolytic and nonhydrolytic reaction mechanisms. Our results provide molecular insights into the hydrolysis mechanism in HiCel45A, with possible implications for elucidating the elusive catalytic mechanism in LTs and expansins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek S Bharadwaj
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401
| | - Brandon C Knott
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401
| | - Jerry Ståhlberg
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P. O. Box 7015, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gregg T Beckham
- National Bioenergy Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401
| | - Michael F Crowley
- Biosciences Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401
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17
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Malash MN, Hussein NA, Muawia S, Nasr MI, Siam R. An optimized protocol for high yield expression and purification of an extremophilic protein. Protein Expr Purif 2020; 169:105585. [PMID: 31987929 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2020.105585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed N Malash
- Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahram Canadian University, 6th of October City, Giza, Egypt; Biology Department, School of Sciences and Engineering, American University in Cairo, New Cairo, Cairo, Egypt; Molecular Biology Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, Sadat City University, Menofia, Egypt
| | - Nahla A Hussein
- Molecular Biology Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Division, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Shaden Muawia
- Molecular Biology Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, Sadat City University, Menofia, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud I Nasr
- Molecular Biology Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, Sadat City University, Menofia, Egypt
| | - Rania Siam
- Biology Department, School of Sciences and Engineering, American University in Cairo, New Cairo, Cairo, Egypt; University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts, West Indies.
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18
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Weaver AI, Jiménez-Ruiz V, Tallavajhala SR, Ransegnola BP, Wong KQ, Dörr T. Lytic transglycosylases RlpA and MltC assist in Vibrio cholerae daughter cell separation. Mol Microbiol 2019; 112:1100-1115. [PMID: 31286580 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The cell wall is a crucial structural feature in the vast majority of bacteria and comprises a covalently closed network of peptidoglycan (PG) strands. While PG synthesis is important for survival under many conditions, the cell wall is also a dynamic structure, undergoing degradation and remodeling by 'autolysins', enzymes that break down PG. Cell division, for example, requires extensive PG remodeling, especially during separation of daughter cells, which depends heavily upon the activity of amidases. However, in Vibrio cholerae, we demonstrate that amidase activity alone is insufficient for daughter cell separation and that lytic transglycosylases RlpA and MltC both contribute to this process. MltC and RlpA both localize to the septum and are functionally redundant under normal laboratory conditions; however, only RlpA can support normal cell separation in low-salt media. The division-specific activity of lytic transglycosylases has implications for the local structure of septal PG, suggesting that there may be glycan bridges between daughter cells that cannot be resolved by amidases. We propose that lytic transglycosylases at the septum cleave PG strands that are crosslinked beyond the reach of the highly regulated activity of the amidase and clear PG debris that may block the completion of outer membrane invagination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna I Weaver
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Valeria Jiménez-Ruiz
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Srikar R Tallavajhala
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Brett P Ransegnola
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Kimberly Q Wong
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Tobias Dörr
- Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
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19
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Lyons BJE, Strynadka NCJ. On the road to structure-based development of anti-virulence therapeutics targeting the type III secretion system injectisome. MEDCHEMCOMM 2019; 10:1273-1289. [PMID: 31534650 PMCID: PMC6748289 DOI: 10.1039/c9md00146h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The type III secretion system injectisome is a syringe-like multimembrane spanning nanomachine that is essential to the pathogenicity but not viability of many clinically relevant Gram-negative bacteria, such as enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Due to the rise in antibiotic resistance, new strategies must be developed to treat the growing spectre of drug resistant infections. Targeting the injectisome via an 'anti-virulence strategy' is a promising avenue to pursue as an alternative to the more commonly used bactericidal therapeutics, which have a high propensity for resulting resistance development and often more broad killing profile, including unwanted side effects in eliminating favourable members of the microbiome. Building on more than a decade of crystallographic work of truncated or isolated forms of the more than two dozen components of the secretion apparatus, recent advances in the field of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy have allowed for the elucidation of atomic resolution structures for many of the type III secretion system components in their assembled, oligomerized state including the needle complex, export apparatus and ATPase. Cryo-electron tomography studies have also advanced our understanding of the direct pathogen-host interaction between the type III secretion system translocon and host cell membrane. These new structural works that further our understanding of the myriad of protein-protein interactions that promote injectisome function will be highlighted in this review, with a focus on those that yield promise for future anti-virulence drug discovery and design. Recently developed inhibitors, including both synthetic, natural product and peptide inhibitors, as well as promising new developments of immunotherapeutics will be discussed. As our understanding of this intricate molecular machinery advances, the development of anti-virulence inhibitors can be enhanced through structure-guided drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bronwyn J E Lyons
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Center for Blood Research , University of British Columbia , 2350 Health Sciences Mall , Vancouver , British Columbia V6T 1Z3 , Canada .
| | - Natalie C J Strynadka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Center for Blood Research , University of British Columbia , 2350 Health Sciences Mall , Vancouver , British Columbia V6T 1Z3 , Canada .
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20
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Dik DA, Madukoma CS, Tomoshige S, Kim C, Lastochkin E, Boggess WC, Fisher JF, Shrout JD, Mobashery S. Slt, MltD, and MltG of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as Targets of Bulgecin A in Potentiation of β-Lactam Antibiotics. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:296-303. [PMID: 30620575 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.8b01025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The interplay between the activities of lytic transglycosylases (LTs) and penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) is critical for the health of the bacterial cell wall. Bulgecin A (a natural-product inhibitor of LTs) potentiates the activity of β-lactam antibiotics (inhibitors of PBPs), underscoring this intimate mechanistic interdependence. Bulgecin A in the presence of an appropriate β-lactam causes bulge deformation due to the formation of aberrant peptidoglycan at the division site of the bacterium. As Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a nefarious human pathogen, has 11 LT paralogs, the answer as to which LT activity correlates with β-lactam potentiation is important and is currently unknown. Growth of P. aeruginosa PAO1 strains harboring individual transposon-insertion mutants at each of the 11 genes for LTs, in the presence of the β-lactam antibiotic ceftazidime or meropenem, implicated the gene products of slt, mltD, and mltG (of the 11), in bulge formation and potentiation. Hence, the respective enzymes would be the targets of inhibition by bulgecin A, which was indeed documented. We further demonstrated by imaging in real time and by SEM that cell lysis occurs by the structural failure of this bulge. Upon removal of the β-lactam antibiotic prior to lysis, P. aeruginosa experiences delayed recovery from the elongation and bulge phenotype in the presence of bulgecin A. These observations argue for a collaborative role for the target LTs in the repair of the aberrant cell wall, the absence of activities of which in the presence of bulgecin A results in potentiation of the β-lactam antibiotic.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Dik
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, 352 McCourtney Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Chinedu S. Madukoma
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Shusuke Tomoshige
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, 352 McCourtney Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Choonkeun Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, 352 McCourtney Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Elena Lastochkin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, 352 McCourtney Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - William C. Boggess
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, 352 McCourtney Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Jed F. Fisher
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, 352 McCourtney Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Joshua D. Shrout
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, 352 McCourtney Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
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21
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Dik DA, Batuecas MT, Lee M, Mahasenan KV, Marous DR, Lastochkin E, Fisher JF, Hermoso JA, Mobashery S. A Structural Dissection of the Active Site of the Lytic Transglycosylase MltE from Escherichia coli. Biochemistry 2018; 57:6090-6098. [PMID: 30256085 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Lytic transglycosylases (LTs) are bacterial enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of the glycan strands of the bacterial cell wall. The mechanism of this cleavage is a remarkable intramolecular transacetalization reaction, accomplished by an ensemble of active-site residues. Because the LT reaction occurs in parallel with the cell wall bond-forming reactions catalyzed by the penicillin-binding proteins, simultaneous inhibition of both enzymes can be particularly bactericidal to Gram-negative bacteria. The MltE lytic transglycosylase is the smallest of the eight LTs encoded by the Escherichia coli genome. Prior crystallographic and computational studies identified four active-site residues-E64, S73, S75, and Y192-as playing roles in catalysis. Each of these four residues was individually altered by mutation to give four variant enzymes (E64Q, S73A, S75A, and Y192F). All four variants showed reduced catalytic activity [soluble wild type (100%) > soluble Y192F and S75A (both 40%) > S73A (4%) > E64Q (≤1%)]. The crystal structure of each variant protein was determined at the resolution of 2.12 Å for E64Q, 2.33 Å for Y192F, 1.38 Å for S73A, and 1.35 Å for S75A. These variants show alteration of the hydrogen-bond interactions of the active site. Within the framework of a prior computational study of the LT mechanism, we suggest the mechanistic role of these four active-site residues in MltE catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Dik
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Notre Dame , 352 McCourtney Hall , Notre Dame , Indiana 46556 , United States
| | - María T Batuecas
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology , Inst. Química-Física "Rocasolano", CSIC , Serrano 119 , 28006 Madrid , Spain
| | - Mijoon Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Notre Dame , 352 McCourtney Hall , Notre Dame , Indiana 46556 , United States
| | - Kiran V Mahasenan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Notre Dame , 352 McCourtney Hall , Notre Dame , Indiana 46556 , United States
| | - Daniel R Marous
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Notre Dame , 352 McCourtney Hall , Notre Dame , Indiana 46556 , United States
| | - Elena Lastochkin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Notre Dame , 352 McCourtney Hall , Notre Dame , Indiana 46556 , United States
| | - Jed F Fisher
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Notre Dame , 352 McCourtney Hall , Notre Dame , Indiana 46556 , United States
| | - Juan A Hermoso
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology , Inst. Química-Física "Rocasolano", CSIC , Serrano 119 , 28006 Madrid , Spain
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Notre Dame , 352 McCourtney Hall , Notre Dame , Indiana 46556 , United States
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22
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Dik DA, Fisher JF, Mobashery S. Cell-Wall Recycling of the Gram-Negative Bacteria and the Nexus to Antibiotic Resistance. Chem Rev 2018; 118:5952-5984. [PMID: 29847102 PMCID: PMC6855303 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The importance of the cell wall to the viability of the bacterium is underscored by the breadth of antibiotic structures that act by blocking key enzymes that are tasked with cell-wall creation, preservation, and regulation. The interplay between cell-wall integrity, and the summoning forth of resistance mechanisms to deactivate cell-wall-targeting antibiotics, involves exquisite orchestration among cell-wall synthesis and remodeling and the detection of and response to the antibiotics through modulation of gene regulation by specific effectors. Given the profound importance of antibiotics to the practice of medicine, the assertion that understanding this interplay is among the most fundamentally important questions in bacterial physiology is credible. The enigmatic regulation of the expression of the AmpC β-lactamase, a clinically significant and highly regulated resistance response of certain Gram-negative bacteria to the β-lactam antibiotics, is the exemplar of this challenge. This review gives a current perspective to this compelling, and still not fully solved, 35-year enigma.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Dik
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, McCourtney Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Jed F. Fisher
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, McCourtney Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
| | - Shahriar Mobashery
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, McCourtney Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, United States
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