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Lehman SS, Verhoeve VI, Driscoll TP, Beckmann JF, Gillespie JJ. Metagenome diversity illuminates the origins of pathogen effectors. mBio 2024; 15:e0075923. [PMID: 38564675 PMCID: PMC11077975 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00759-23] [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: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) analyses have profoundly impacted Rickettsiology systematics. The discovery of basal lineages (novel families Mitibacteraceae and Athabascaceae) with predicted extracellular lifestyles exposed an evolutionary timepoint for the transition to host dependency, which seemingly occurred independent of mitochondrial evolution. Notably, these basal rickettsiae carry the Rickettsiales vir homolog (rvh) type IV secretion system and purportedly use rvh to kill congener microbes rather than parasitize host cells as described for later-evolving rickettsial pathogens. MAG analysis also substantially increased diversity for the genus Rickettsia and delineated a sister lineage (the novel genus Tisiphia) that stands to inform on the emergence of human pathogens from protist and invertebrate endosymbionts. Herein, we probed Rickettsiales MAG and genomic diversity for the distribution of Rickettsia rvh effectors to ascertain their origins. A sparse distribution of most Rickettsia rvh effectors outside of Rickettsiaceae lineages illuminates unique rvh evolution from basal extracellular species and other rickettsial families. Remarkably, nearly every effector was found in multiple divergent forms with variable architectures, indicating profound roles for gene duplication and recombination in shaping effector repertoires in Rickettsia pathogens. Lateral gene transfer plays a prominent role in shaping the rvh effector landscape, as evinced by the discovery of many effectors on plasmids and conjugative transposons, as well as pervasive effector gene exchange between Rickettsia and Legionella species. Our study exemplifies how MAGs can yield insight into pathogen effector origins, particularly how effector architectures might become tailored to the discrete host cell functions of different eukaryotic hosts.IMPORTANCEWhile rickettsioses are deadly vector-borne human diseases, factors distinguishing Rickettsia pathogens from the innumerable bevy of environmental rickettsial endosymbionts remain lacking. Recent metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) studies revealed evolutionary timepoints for rickettsial transitions to host dependency. The rvh type IV secretion system was likely repurposed from congener killing in basal extracellular species to parasitizing host cells in later-evolving pathogens. Our analysis of MAG diversity for over two dozen rvh effectors unearthed their presence in some non-pathogens. However, most effectors were found in multiple divergent forms with variable architectures, indicating gene duplication and recombination-fashioned effector repertoires of Rickettsia pathogens. Lateral gene transfer substantially shaped pathogen effector arsenals, evinced by the discovery of effectors on plasmids and conjugative transposons, as well as pervasive effector gene exchanges between Rickettsia and Legionella species. Our study exemplifies how MAGs yield insight into pathogen effector origins and evolutionary processes tailoring effectors to eukaryotic host cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie S. Lehman
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Victoria I. Verhoeve
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Timothy P. Driscoll
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - John F. Beckmann
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
| | - Joseph J. Gillespie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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2
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Zou Y, Sabljić I, Horbach N, Dauphinee AN, Åsman A, Sancho Temino L, Minina EA, Drag M, Stael S, Poreba M, Ståhlberg J, Bozhkov PV. Thermoprotection by a cell membrane-localized metacaspase in a green alga. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:665-687. [PMID: 37971931 PMCID: PMC10896300 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Caspases are restricted to animals, while other organisms, including plants, possess metacaspases (MCAs), a more ancient and broader class of structurally related yet biochemically distinct proteases. Our current understanding of plant MCAs is derived from studies in streptophytes, and mostly in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) with 9 MCAs with partially redundant activities. In contrast to streptophytes, most chlorophytes contain only 1 or 2 uncharacterized MCAs, providing an excellent platform for MCA research. Here we investigated CrMCA-II, the single type-II MCA from the model chlorophyte Chlamydomonas (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii). Surprisingly, unlike other studied MCAs and similar to caspases, CrMCA-II dimerizes both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, activation of CrMCA-II in vivo correlated with its dimerization. Most of CrMCA-II in the cell was present as a proenzyme (zymogen) attached to the plasma membrane (PM). Deletion of CrMCA-II by genome editing compromised thermotolerance, leading to increased cell death under heat stress. Adding back either wild-type or catalytically dead CrMCA-II restored thermoprotection, suggesting that its proteolytic activity is dispensable for this effect. Finally, we connected the non-proteolytic role of CrMCA-II in thermotolerance to the ability to modulate PM fluidity. Our study reveals an ancient, MCA-dependent thermotolerance mechanism retained by Chlamydomonas and probably lost during the evolution of multicellularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zou
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Igor Sabljić
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Natalia Horbach
- Department of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Adrian N Dauphinee
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Åsman
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lucia Sancho Temino
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elena A Minina
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marcin Drag
- Department of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Simon Stael
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marcin Poreba
- Department of Chemical Biology and Bioimaging, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jerry Ståhlberg
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peter V Bozhkov
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
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3
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Bienvenu AL, Ballut L, Picot S. Specifically Targeting Metacaspases of Candida: A New Therapeutic Opportunity. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:90. [PMID: 38392762 PMCID: PMC10889698 DOI: 10.3390/jof10020090] [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: 12/10/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published a list of fungal priority pathogens, including Candida albicans and C. auris. The increased level of resistance of Candida is raising concern, considering the availability of only four classes of medicine. The WHO is seeking novel agent classes with different targets and mechanisms of action. Targeting Candida metacaspases to control intrinsic cell death could provide new therapeutic opportunities for invasive candidiasis. In this review, we provide the available evidence for Candida cell death, describe Candida metacaspases, and discuss the potential of Candida metacaspases to offer a new specific target. Targeting Candida cell death has good scientific rationale given that the fungicidal activity of many marketed antifungals is mediated, among others, by cell death triggering. But none of the available antifungals are specifically activating Candida metacaspases, making this target a new therapeutic opportunity for non-susceptible isolates. It is expected that antifungals based on the activation of fungi metacaspases will have a broad spectrum of action, as metacaspases have been described in many fungi, including filamentous fungi. Considering this original mechanism of action, it could be of great interest to combine these new antifungal candidates with existing antifungals. This approach would help to avoid the development of antifungal resistance, which is especially increasing in Candida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Lise Bienvenu
- Service Pharmacie, Groupement Hospitalier Nord, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 69004 Lyon, France
- Malaria Research Unit, University Lyon, UMR 5246 CNRS-INSA-CPE-University Lyon1, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Lionel Ballut
- Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR 5086, CNRS-Université de Lyon, 69367 Lyon, France
| | - Stephane Picot
- Malaria Research Unit, University Lyon, UMR 5246 CNRS-INSA-CPE-University Lyon1, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
- Institute of Parasitology and Medical Mycology, Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 69004 Lyon, France
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4
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Ruma YN, Bu G, Gonen T. MicroED structure of the C11 cysteine protease Clostripain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.04.574240. [PMID: 38260293 PMCID: PMC10802345 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.04.574240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Clostripain secreted from Clostridium histolyticum is the founding member of the C11 family of Clan CD cysteine peptidases, which is an important group of peptidases secreted by numerous bacteria. Clostripain is an arginine specific endopeptidase. Because of its efficacy as a cysteine peptidase, it is widely used in laboratory settings. Despite its importance the structure of clostripain remains unsolved. Here we describe the first structure of an active form of C. histolyticum Clostripain determined at 3.6 Å resolution using microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). The structure was determined from a single nanocrystal after focused ion beam milling. The structure of Clostripain shows a typical Clan CD α/β/α sandwich architecture and the Cys231/His176 catalytic dyad in the active site. It has a large electronegative substrate binding pocket showing its ability to accommodate large and diverse substrates. A loop in the heavy chain formed between residues 452 to 457 is potentially important for substrate binding. In conclusion, this result demonstrates the importance of MicroED to determine the unknown structure of macromolecules such as Clostripain, which can be further used as a platform to study substrate binding and design of potential inhibitors against this class of peptidases.
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Wu D, Tian H, Xu F, Yang J, Feng W, Bell S, Gozdzik J, Gao F, Jetter R, Zhang Y. The prodomain of Arabidopsis metacaspase 2 positively regulates immune signaling mediated by pattern-recognition receptors. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:430-443. [PMID: 37920109 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Metacaspases (MCs) are structural homologs of mammalian caspases found in plants, fungi, and protozoa. Type-I MCs carry an N-terminal prodomain, the function of which is unclear. Through genetic analysis of Arabidopsis mc2-1, a T-DNA insertion mutant of MC2, we demonstrated that the prodomain of metacaspase 2 (MC2) promotes immune signaling mediated by pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). In mc2-1, immune responses are constitutively activated. The receptor-like kinases (RLKs) BAK1/BKK1 and SOBIR1 are required for the autoimmune phenotype of mc2-1, suggesting that immune signaling mediated by the receptor-like protein (RLP)-type PRRs is activated in mc2-1. A suppressor screen identified multiple mutations in the first exon of MC2, which suppress the autoimmunity in mc2-1. Further analysis revealed that the T-DNA insertion at the end of exon 1 of MC2 causes elevated expression of the MC2 prodomain, and overexpression of the MC2 prodomain in wild-type (WT) plants results in the activation of immune responses. The MC2 prodomain interacts with BIR1, which inhibits RLP-mediated immune signaling by interacting with BAK1, suggesting that the MC2 prodomain promotes plant defense responses by interfering with the function of BIR1. Our study uncovers an unexpected function of the prodomain of a MC in plant immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Wu
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Hainan Tian
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Fan Xu
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Jianfei Yang
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Wenqi Feng
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Sydney Bell
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Jedrzej Gozdzik
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Fang Gao
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Reinhard Jetter
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Yuelin Zhang
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
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Ruiz-Solaní N, Salguero-Linares J, Armengot L, Santos J, Pallarès I, van Midden KP, Phukkan UJ, Koyuncu S, Borràs-Bisa J, Li L, Popa C, Eisele F, Eisele-Bürger AM, Hill SM, Gutiérrez-Beltrán E, Nyström T, Valls M, Llamas E, Vilchez D, Klemenčič M, Ventura S, Coll NS. Arabidopsis metacaspase MC1 localizes in stress granules, clears protein aggregates, and delays senescence. THE PLANT CELL 2023; 35:3325-3344. [PMID: 37401663 PMCID: PMC10473220 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Stress granules (SGs) are highly conserved cytoplasmic condensates that assemble in response to stress and contribute to maintaining protein homeostasis. These membraneless organelles are dynamic, disassembling once the stress is no longer present. Persistence of SGs due to mutations or chronic stress has been often related to age-dependent protein-misfolding diseases in animals. Here, we find that the metacaspase MC1 is dynamically recruited into SGs upon proteotoxic stress in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Two predicted disordered regions, the prodomain and the 360 loop, mediate MC1 recruitment to and release from SGs. Importantly, we show that MC1 has the capacity to clear toxic protein aggregates in vivo and in vitro, acting as a disaggregase. Finally, we demonstrate that overexpressing MC1 delays senescence and this phenotype is dependent on the presence of the 360 loop and an intact catalytic domain. Together, our data indicate that MC1 regulates senescence through its recruitment into SGs and this function could potentially be linked to its remarkable protein aggregate-clearing activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerea Ruiz-Solaní
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Jose Salguero-Linares
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - Laia Armengot
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Jaime Santos
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Irantzu Pallarès
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Katarina P van Midden
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| | - Ujjal J Phukkan
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - Seda Koyuncu
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - Júlia Borràs-Bisa
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - Liang Li
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - Crina Popa
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
| | - Frederik Eisele
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 41390, Sweden
| | - Anna Maria Eisele-Bürger
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 41390, Sweden
| | - Sandra Malgrem Hill
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 41390, Sweden
| | - Emilio Gutiérrez-Beltrán
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis (Universidad de Sevilla and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), 41092 Seville, Spain
- Departamento de Bioquímica Vegetal y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla 41012, Spain
| | - Thomas Nyström
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 41390, Sweden
| | - Marc Valls
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Ernesto Llamas
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, Cologne D-50674, Germany
| | - David Vilchez
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne 50931, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne 50931, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - Marina Klemenčič
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| | - Salvador Ventura
- Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina, Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Nuria S Coll
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Bellaterra 08193, Spain
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Barcelona 08001, Spain
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7
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Mirzaei M, Sharifi I, Mohammad-Rafi F, Anjomshoa M, Abiri A, Moqaddari AH, Nooshadokht M, Raiesi O, Amirheidari B. Antileishmanial effects and drugability characteristics of a heterocyclic copper complex: An in silico, in vitro and molecular study. J Inorg Biochem 2023; 245:112245. [PMID: 37167732 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2023.112245] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis caused by the protozoan Leishmania presents a severe illness, principally in tropical and subtropical areas. Antileishmanial metal complexes, like Glucantime®️ with proven activity, are routinely studied to probe their potency. We investigated the effects of a Cu (II) homoleptic complex coordinated by two dimethyl-bipyridine ligands against Leishmania major stages in silico and in vitro. The affinity of this heterocyclic Cu (II) complex (CuDMBP) towards a parasitic metacaspase was studied by molecular docking. Key pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the complex were predicted using three web-based tools. CuDMBP was tested for in vitro antileishmanial activities using MTT assay, model murine macrophages, flow cytometry, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Molecular docking confirmed the tendency between the target macromolecule and the complex. ADMET evaluations highlighted CuDMBP's key pharmacological features, including P-glycoprotein-associated GI absorption and lack of trans-BBB permeability. MTT showed significant inhibitory effects against promastigotes. CuDMBP significantly increased the level of cellular IL-12 expression (p < 0.05), while the upregulation observed in the expression of iNOS was considered not significant (p > 0.05). It decreased the expression of IL-10 significantly (p < 0.05). Findings demonstrated that CuDMBP deserves to be introduced as a leishmanicidal candidate provided further studies are carried out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Mirzaei
- Pathobiology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
| | - Iraj Sharifi
- Leishmaniasis Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Farrokh Mohammad-Rafi
- Pathobiology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
| | - Marzieh Anjomshoa
- Pharmaceutics Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Ardavan Abiri
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Amir Hossain Moqaddari
- Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Nooshadokht
- Leishmaniasis Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; Extremophile and Productive Microorganisms Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
| | - Omid Raiesi
- Department of Parasitology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran; Zoonotic Diseases Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran
| | - Bagher Amirheidari
- Extremophile and Productive Microorganisms Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran; Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
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8
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Stael S, Sabljić I, Audenaert D, Andersson T, Tsiatsiani L, Kumpf RP, Vidal-Albalat A, Lindgren C, Vercammen D, Jacques S, Nguyen L, Njo M, Fernández-Fernández ÁD, Beunens T, Timmerman E, Gevaert K, Van Montagu M, Ståhlberg J, Bozhkov PV, Linusson A, Beeckman T, Van Breusegem F. Structure-function study of a Ca 2+-independent metacaspase involved in lateral root emergence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2303480120. [PMID: 37216519 PMCID: PMC10235996 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303480120] [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: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Metacaspases are part of an evolutionarily broad family of multifunctional cysteine proteases, involved in disease and normal development. As the structure-function relationship of metacaspases remains poorly understood, we solved the X-ray crystal structure of an Arabidopsis thaliana type II metacaspase (AtMCA-IIf) belonging to a particular subgroup not requiring calcium ions for activation. To study metacaspase activity in plants, we developed an in vitro chemical screen to identify small molecule metacaspase inhibitors and found several hits with a minimal thioxodihydropyrimidine-dione structure, of which some are specific AtMCA-IIf inhibitors. We provide mechanistic insight into the basis of inhibition by the TDP-containing compounds through molecular docking onto the AtMCA-IIf crystal structure. Finally, a TDP-containing compound (TDP6) effectively hampered lateral root emergence in vivo, probably through inhibition of metacaspases specifically expressed in the endodermal cells overlying developing lateral root primordia. In the future, the small compound inhibitors and crystal structure of AtMCA-IIf can be used to study metacaspases in other species, such as important human pathogens, including those causing neglected diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Stael
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, 75007Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Igor Sabljić
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, 75007Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Dominique Audenaert
- VIB Screening Core, VIB,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for Bioassay Development and Screening, Ghent University,9000Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Liana Tsiatsiani
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Dominique Vercammen
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
| | - Silke Jacques
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
| | - Long Nguyen
- VIB Screening Core, VIB,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for Bioassay Development and Screening, Ghent University,9000Ghent, Belgium
| | - Maria Njo
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
| | - Álvaro D. Fernández-Fernández
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tine Beunens
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
| | - Evy Timmerman
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kris Gevaert
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Medical Biotechnology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marc Van Montagu
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jerry Ståhlberg
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, 75007Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peter V. Bozhkov
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, 75007Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anna Linusson
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University,90187Umeå, Sweden
| | - Tom Beeckman
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Breusegem
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University,9052Ghent, Belgium
- Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052Ghent, Belgium
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9
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Verhoeve VI, Lehman SS, Driscoll TP, Beckmann JF, Gillespie JJ. Metagenome diversity illuminates origins of pathogen effectors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.26.530123. [PMID: 36909625 PMCID: PMC10002696 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.26.530123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Recent metagenome assembled genome (MAG) analyses have profoundly impacted Rickettsiology systematics. Discovery of basal lineages (Mitibacteraceae and Athabascaceae) with predicted extracellular lifestyles reveals an evolutionary timepoint for the transition to host dependency, which occurred independent of mitochondrial evolution. Notably, these basal rickettsiae carry the Rickettsiales vir homolog (rvh) type IV secretion system (T4SS) and purportedly use rvh to kill congener microbes rather than parasitize host cells as described for derived rickettsial pathogens. MAG analysis also substantially increased diversity for genus Rickettsia and delineated a basal lineage (Tisiphia) that stands to inform on the rise of human pathogens from protist and invertebrate endosymbionts. Herein, we probed Rickettsiales MAG and genomic diversity for the distribution of Rickettsia rvh effectors to ascertain their origins. A sparse distribution of most Rickettsia rvh effectors outside of Rickettsiaceae lineages indicates unique rvh evolution from basal extracellular species and other rickettsial families. Remarkably, nearly every effector was found in multiple divergent forms with variable architectures, illuminating profound roles for gene duplication and recombination in shaping effector repertoires in Rickettsia pathogens. Lateral gene transfer plays a prominent role shaping the rvh effector landscape, as evinced by the discover of many effectors on plasmids and conjugative transposons, as well as pervasive effector gene exchange between Rickettsia and Legionella species. Our study exemplifies how MAGs can provide incredible insight on the origins of pathogen effectors and how their architectural modifications become tailored to eukaryotic host cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria I Verhoeve
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Stephanie S Lehman
- Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Timothy P Driscoll
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA
| | - John F Beckmann
- Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA
| | - Joseph J Gillespie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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10
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Maekawa T, Kashkar H, Coll NS. Dying in self-defence: a comparative overview of immunogenic cell death signalling in animals and plants. Cell Death Differ 2023; 30:258-268. [PMID: 36195671 PMCID: PMC9950082 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-022-01060-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Host organisms utilise a range of genetically encoded cell death programmes in response to pathogen challenge. Host cell death can restrict pathogen proliferation by depleting their replicative niche and at the same time dying cells can alert neighbouring cells to prepare environmental conditions favouring future pathogen attacks. As expected, many pathogenic microbes have strategies to subvert host cell death to promote their virulence. The structural and lifestyle differences between animals and plants have been anticipated to shape very different host defence mechanisms. However, an emerging body of evidence indicates that several components of the host-pathogen interaction machinery are shared between the two major branches of eukaryotic life. Many proteins involved in cell death execution or cell death-associated immunity in plants and animals exert direct effects on endomembrane and loss of membrane integrity has been proposed to explain the potential immunogenicity of dying cells. In this review we aim to provide a comparative view on how cell death processes are linked to anti-microbial defence mechanisms in plants and animals and how pathogens interfere with these cell death programmes. In comparison to the several well-defined cell death programmes in animals, immunogenic cell death in plant defence is broadly defined as the hypersensitive response. Our comparative overview may help discerning whether specific types of immunogenic cell death exist in plants, and correspondingly, it may provide new hints for previously undiscovered cell death mechanism in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaki Maekawa
- Department of Biology, Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Cologne, 50674, Cologne, Germany.
- CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences at the University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Hamid Kashkar
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Institute for Molecular Immunology, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
- Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
| | - Núria S Coll
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus UAB, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 08001, Barcelona, Spain.
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11
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Garcia N, Kalicharan RE, Kinch L, Fernandez J. Regulating Death and Disease: Exploring the Roles of Metacaspases in Plants and Fungi. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010312. [PMID: 36613753 PMCID: PMC9820594 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Identified over twenty years ago and distantly related to animal caspases are a group of cysteine proteases known as metacaspases. Throughout the years, much like caspase roles in metazoans, metacaspases have been shown to be involved in regulating cellular death in non-metazoan organisms. Yet, continued research on metacaspases describes these proteins as intricate and multifunctional, displaying striking diversity on distinct biological functions. In this review, we intend to describe the recent advances in our understanding of the divergence of metacaspase functionality in plants and fungi. We will dissect the duality of metacaspase activity in the context of plant-pathogen interactions, providing a unique lens from which to characterize metacaspases in the development, immunity, and stress responses of plants, and the development and virulence of fungi. Furthermore, we explore the evolutionary trajectory of fungal metacaspases to delineate their structure and function. Bridging the gap between metacaspase roles in immunity and pathogenicity of plant-pathogen interactions can enable more effective and targeted phytopathogen control efforts to increase production of globally important food crops. Therefore, the exploitation and manipulation of metacaspases in plants or fungi represent new potential avenues for developing mitigation strategies against plant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nalleli Garcia
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Rachel E. Kalicharan
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Lisa Kinch
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Jessie Fernandez
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Correspondence:
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12
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Conchou L, Doumèche B, Galisson F, Violot S, Dugelay C, Diesis E, Page A, Bienvenu AL, Picot S, Aghajari N, Ballut L. Structural and molecular determinants of Candida glabrata metacaspase maturation and activation by calcium. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1158. [PMID: 36316540 PMCID: PMC9622860 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04091-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Metacaspases are caspase-like homologs which undergo a complex maturation process involving multiple intra-chain cleavages resulting in a composite enzyme made of a p10 and a p20 domain. Their proteolytic activity involving a cysteine-histidine catalytic dyad, show peptide bond cleavage specificity in the C-terminal to lysine and arginine, with both maturation- and catalytic processes being calcium-dependent. Here, we present the structure of a metacaspase from the yeast Candida glabrata, CgMCA-I, in complex with a unique calcium along with a structure in which three magnesium ions are bound. We show that the Ca2+ ion interacts with a loop in the vicinity of the catalytic site. The reorganization of this cation binding loop, by bringing together the two catalytic residues, could be one of the main structural determinants triggering metacaspase activation. Enzymatic exploration of CgMCA-I confirmed that the maturation process implies a trans mechanism with sequential cleavages. Structural and functional analyses of yeast metacaspase reveal unique Ca2+ and Mg2+ binding sites and provide insights into Ca2+-dependent maturation of metacaspases along with the inhibitory effects of Mg2+ and Zn2+.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Conchou
- grid.25697.3f0000 0001 2172 4233Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR 5086, CNRS-Université de Lyon, F-69367 Lyon, France
| | - Bastien Doumèche
- grid.25697.3f0000 0001 2172 4233Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaire, ICBMS UMR 5246, CNRS, F-69622 Lyon, France
| | - Frédéric Galisson
- grid.25697.3f0000 0001 2172 4233Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR 5086, CNRS-Université de Lyon, F-69367 Lyon, France
| | - Sébastien Violot
- grid.25697.3f0000 0001 2172 4233Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR 5086, CNRS-Université de Lyon, F-69367 Lyon, France
| | - Chloé Dugelay
- grid.25697.3f0000 0001 2172 4233Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR 5086, CNRS-Université de Lyon, F-69367 Lyon, France
| | - Eric Diesis
- grid.15140.310000 0001 2175 9188University of Lyon, INSERM, ENS Lyon, CNRS, Protein Science Facility, SFR BioSciences, UAR3444/US8, F-69366 Lyon, France
| | - Adeline Page
- grid.15140.310000 0001 2175 9188University of Lyon, INSERM, ENS Lyon, CNRS, Protein Science Facility, SFR BioSciences, UAR3444/US8, F-69366 Lyon, France
| | - Anne-Lise Bienvenu
- grid.25697.3f0000 0001 2172 4233Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaire, ICBMS UMR 5246, CNRS, F-69622 Lyon, France ,grid.413852.90000 0001 2163 3825Service Pharmacie, Groupement Hospitalier Nord, Hospices Civils de Lyon, F-69004 Lyon, France
| | - Stéphane Picot
- grid.25697.3f0000 0001 2172 4233Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaire, ICBMS UMR 5246, CNRS, F-69622 Lyon, France ,grid.413306.30000 0004 4685 6736Institute of Parasitology and Medical Mycology, Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse, Hospices Civils de Lyon, F-69004 Lyon, France
| | - Nushin Aghajari
- grid.25697.3f0000 0001 2172 4233Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR 5086, CNRS-Université de Lyon, F-69367 Lyon, France
| | - Lionel Ballut
- grid.25697.3f0000 0001 2172 4233Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR 5086, CNRS-Université de Lyon, F-69367 Lyon, France
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13
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Basak S, Kundu P. Plant metacaspases: Decoding their dynamics in development and disease. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2022; 180:50-63. [PMID: 35390704 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plant metacaspases were evolved in parallel to well-characterized animal counterpart caspases and retained the similar histidine-cysteine catalytic dyad, leading to functional congruity between these endopeptidases. Although phylogenetic relatedness of the catalytic domain and functional commonality placed these proteases in the caspase family, credible counterarguments predominantly about their distinct substrate specificity raised doubts about the classification. Metacaspases are involved in regulating the PCD during development as well as in senescence. Balancing acts of metacaspase activity also dictate cell fate during defense upon the perception of adverse environmental cues. Accordingly, their activity is tightly regulated, while suppressing spurious activation, by a combination of genetic and post-translational modifications. Structural insights from recent studies provided vital clues on the functionality. This comprehensive review aims to explore the origin of plant metacaspases, and their regulatory and functional diversity in different plants while discussing their analogy to mammalian caspases. Besides, we have presented various modern methodologies for analyzing the proteolytic activity of these indispensable molecules in the healthy or stressed life of a plant. The review would serve as a repository of all the available pieces of evidence indicating metacaspases as the key regulator of PCD across the plant kingdom and highlight the prospect of studying metacaspases for their inclusion in a crop improvement program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shrabani Basak
- Division of Plant Biology, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Bidhannagar, Kolkata, 700091, West Bengal, India.
| | - Pallob Kundu
- Division of Plant Biology, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Bidhannagar, Kolkata, 700091, West Bengal, India.
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14
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La SR, Ndhlovu A, Durand PM. The Ancient Origins of Death Domains Support the 'Original Sin' Hypothesis for the Evolution of Programmed Cell Death. J Mol Evol 2022; 90:95-113. [PMID: 35084524 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-021-10044-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of caspase homologs in bacteria highlighted the relationship between programmed cell death (PCD) evolution and eukaryogenesis. However, the origin of PCD genes in prokaryotes themselves (bacteria and archaea) is poorly understood and a source of controversy. Whether archaea also contain C14 peptidase enzymes and other death domains is largely unknown because of a historical dearth of genomic data. Archaeal genomic databases have grown significantly in the last decade, which allowed us to perform a detailed comparative study of the evolutionary histories of PCD-related death domains in major archaeal phyla, including the deepest branching phyla of Candidatus Aenigmarchaeota, Candidatus Woesearchaeota, and Euryarchaeota. We identified death domains associated with executioners of PCD, like the caspase homologs of the C14 peptidase family, in 321 archaea sequences. Of these, 15.58% were metacaspase type I orthologues and 84.42% were orthocaspases. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses revealed a scattered distribution of orthocaspases and metacaspases in deep-branching bacteria and archaea. The tree topology was incongruent with the prokaryote 16S phylogeny suggesting a common ancestry of PCD genes in prokaryotes and subsequent massive horizontal gene transfer coinciding with the divergence of archaea and bacteria. Previous arguments for the origin of PCD were philosophical in nature with two popular propositions being the "addiction" and 'original sin' hypotheses. Our data support the 'original sin' hypothesis, which argues for a pleiotropic origin of the PCD toolkit with pro-life and pro-death functions tracing back to the emergence of cellular life-the Last Universal Common Ancestor State.
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Affiliation(s)
- So Ri La
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Andrew Ndhlovu
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Pierre M Durand
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa
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15
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Štrancar V, van Midden KP, Klemenčič M, Funk C. Expression and Purification of the Type I Metacaspase from a Cryptophyte Guillardia theta , GtMCA-I. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2447:1-11. [PMID: 35583768 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2079-3_1] [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] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Type I metacaspases are the most ubiquitous of the three metacaspase types and are present in representatives of prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes including yeasts, algae, and protozoa, as well as land plants. They are composed of two structural units: a catalytic so-called p20 domain with the His-Cys catalytic dyad and a regulatory p10 domain. Despite their structural homology to caspases, these proteases cleave their substrates after the positively charged amino acid residues at the P1 position, just like the metacaspases of type II and type III. We present a protocol for expression and purification of the only type I protease from a secondary endosymbiosis Guillardia theta , GtMCA-I by overexpression of its gene in BL21 (DE3) E. coli cells and one-day sequential purification using nickel-affinity, ion-exchange, and size-exclusion chromatography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vida Štrancar
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katarina Petra van Midden
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marina Klemenčič
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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16
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Plant metacaspase: A case study of microcrystal structure determination and analysis. Methods Enzymol 2022; 676:103-131. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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17
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Cysteine proteases as potential targets for anti-trypanosomatid drug discovery. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 46:116365. [PMID: 34419821 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis are endemic neglected disease in South America and Africa and considered a significant public health problem, mainly in poor communities. The limitations of the current available therapeutic options, including the lack of specificity, relatively high toxicity, and the drug resistance acquiring, drive the constant search for new targets and therapeutic options. Advances in knowledge of parasite biology have revealed essential enzymes involved in the replication, survival, and pathogenicity of Leishmania and Trypanosoma species. In this scenario, cysteine proteases have drawn the attention of researchers and they are being proposed as promising targets for drug discovery of antiprotozoal drugs. In this systematic review, we will provide an update on drug discovery strategies targeting the cysteine proteases as potential targets for chemotherapy against protozoal neglected diseases.
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18
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Vandana , Pandey R, Srinivasan E, Kalia I, Singh AP, Saxena A, Rajaekaran R, Gupta D, Pandey KC. Plasmodium falciparum metacaspase-2 capture its natural substrate in a non-canonical way. J Biochem 2021; 170:639-653. [DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvab086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Programmed cell death (PCD) is a multi-step process initiated by a set of proteases, which interacts and cleaves diverse proteins, thus modulating their biochemical and cellular functions. In metazoans, PCD is mediated by proteolytic enzymes called caspases, which triggered cell death by proteolysis of human Tudor staphylococcus nuclease (TSN). Non-metazoans lack a close homologue of caspases but possess an ancestral family of cysteine proteases termed ‘metacaspases’. Studies supported that metacaspases are involved in PCD, but their natural substrates remain unknown. In this study, we performed the Plasmodium falciparum TSN (PfTSN) cleavage assay using wild and selected mutants of P. falciparum metacaspases-2 (PfMCA-2) in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, PfMCA-2, cleaved a phylogenetically conserved protein, PfTSN at multiple sites. Deletion or substitution mutation in key interacting residues at the active site, Cys157 and His205 of PfMCA-2, impaired its enzymatic activity with the artificial substrate, z-GRR-AMC. However, the mutant Tyr224A did not affect the activity with z-GRR-AMC but abolished the cleavage of PfTSN. These results indicated that the catalytic dyad, Cys157 and His205 of PfMCA-2 was essential for its enzymatic activity with an artificial substrate, whereas Tyr224 and Cys157 residues were responsible for its interaction with the natural substrate and subsequent degradation of PfTSN. Our results suggested that MCA-2 interacts with TSN substrate in a non-canonical way using non-conserved or conformationally available residues for its binding and cleavage. In future, it would be interesting to explore how this interaction leads to the execution of PCD in the Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research (Indian Council of Medical Research), Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & FW, Govt. of India Sector-8, Dwarka, New Delhi-110077, India
| | - Rajan Pandey
- Translational Bioinformatics Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi-110067, India
| | - E Srinivasan
- Department of Biotechnology, SBST, Vellore Institute of Technology, Tiruvalam Rd, Katpadi, Vellore, Tamil Nadu-632014, India
| | - Inderjeet Kalia
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi-110067, India
| | - Agam P Singh
- Infectious Diseases Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi-110067, India
| | - Ajay Saxena
- School of Life Science (SLS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi-110067, India
| | - R Rajaekaran
- Department of Biotechnology, SBST, Vellore Institute of Technology, Tiruvalam Rd, Katpadi, Vellore, Tamil Nadu-632014, India
| | - Dinesh Gupta
- Translational Bioinformatics Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi-110067, India
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research (Indian Council of Medical Research), Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health & FW, Govt. of India Sector-8, Dwarka, New Delhi-110077, India
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19
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Graff van Creveld S, Ben-Dor S, Mizrachi A, Alcolombri U, Hopes A, Mock T, Rosenwasser S, Vardi A. Biochemical Characterization of a Novel Redox-Regulated Metacaspase in a Marine Diatom. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:688199. [PMID: 34566902 PMCID: PMC8455989 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.688199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed cell death (PCD) in marine microalgae was suggested to be one of the mechanisms that facilitates bloom demise, yet its molecular components in phytoplankton are unknown. Phytoplankton are completely lacking any of the canonical components of PCD, such as caspases, but possess metacaspases. Metacaspases were shown to regulate PCD in plants and some protists, but their roles in algae and other organisms are still elusive. Here, we identified and biochemically characterized a type III metacaspase from the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, termed PtMCA-IIIc. Through expression of recombinant PtMCA-IIIc in E. coli, we revealed that PtMCA-IIIc exhibits a calcium-dependent protease activity, including auto-processing and cleavage after arginine. Similar metacaspase activity was detected in P. tricornutum cell extracts. PtMCA-IIIc overexpressing cells exhibited higher metacaspase activity, while CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout cells had decreased metacaspase activity compared to WT cells. Site-directed mutagenesis of cysteines that were predicted to form a disulfide bond decreased recombinant PtMCA-IIIc activity, suggesting its enhancement under oxidizing conditions. One of those cysteines was oxidized, detected in redox proteomics, specifically in response to lethal concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and a diatom derived aldehyde. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that this cysteine-pair is unique and widespread among diatom type III metacaspases. The characterization of a cell death associated protein in diatoms provides insights into the evolutionary origins of PCD and its ecological significance in algal bloom dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiri Graff van Creveld
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Shifra Ben-Dor
- Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Avia Mizrachi
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Uria Alcolombri
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute for Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Amanda Hopes
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Mock
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Shilo Rosenwasser
- Robert H. Smith Faculty of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Assaf Vardi
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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20
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van Midden KP, Peric T, Klemenčič M. Plant type I metacaspases are proteolytically active proteases despite their hydrophobic nature. FEBS Lett 2021; 595:2237-2247. [PMID: 34318487 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Plant metacaspases type I (MCA-Is), the closest structural homologs of caspases, are key proteases in stress-induced regulated cell death processes in plants. However, no plant MCA-Is have been characterized in vitro to date. Here, we show that only plant MCA-Is contain a highly hydrophobic loop within the C terminus of their p10 domain. When removed, soluble and proteolytically active plant MCA-Is can be designed and recombinantly produced. We show that the activity of MCA-I depends on calcium ions and that removal of the hydrophobic loop does not affect cleavage and covalent binding to its inhibitor SERPIN. This novel approach will finally allow the development of tools to detect and manipulate the activity of these cysteine proteases in vivo and in planta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Petra van Midden
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tanja Peric
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marina Klemenčič
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
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21
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Screening and Identification of Metacaspase Inhibitors: Evaluation of Inhibition Mechanism and Trypanocidal Activity. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021; 65:AAC.01330-20. [PMID: 33318019 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01330-20] [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: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A common strategy to identify new antiparasitic agents is the targeting of proteases, due to their essential contributions to parasite growth and development. Metacaspases (MCAs) are cysteine proteases present in fungi, protozoa, and plants. These enzymes, which are associated with crucial cellular events in trypanosomes, are absent in the human host, thus arising as attractive drug targets. To find new MCA inhibitors with trypanocidal activity, we adapted a continuous fluorescence enzymatic assay to a medium-throughput format and carried out screening of different compound collections, followed by the construction of dose-response curves for the most promising hits. We used MCA5 from Trypanosoma brucei (TbMCA5) as a model for the identification of inhibitors from the GlaxoSmithKline HAT and CHAGAS chemical boxes. We also assessed a third collection of nine compounds from the Maybridge database that had been identified by virtual screening as potential inhibitors of the cysteine peptidase falcipain-2 (clan CA) from Plasmodium falciparum Compound HTS01959 (from the Maybridge collection) was the most potent inhibitor, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 14.39 µM; it also inhibited other MCAs from T. brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi (TbMCA2, 4.14 µM; TbMCA3, 5.04 µM; TcMCA5, 151 µM). HTS01959 behaved as a reversible, slow-binding, and noncompetitive inhibitor of TbMCA2, with a mechanism of action that included redox components. Importantly, HTS01959 displayed trypanocidal activity against bloodstream forms of T. brucei and trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi, without cytotoxic effects on Vero cells. Thus, HTS01959 is a promising starting point to develop more specific and potent chemical structures to target MCAs.
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22
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Update on relevant trypanosome peptidases: Validated targets and future challenges. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2020; 1869:140577. [PMID: 33271348 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2020.140577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of the American Trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease, and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, the agents of Sleeping sickness (Human African Trypanosomiasis, HAT), as well as Trypanosoma brucei brucei, the agent of the cattle disease nagana, contain cysteine, serine, threonine, aspartyl and metallo peptidases. The most abundant among these enzymes are the cysteine proteases from the Clan CA, the Cathepsin L-like cruzipain and rhodesain, and the Cathepsin B-like enzymes, which have essential roles in the parasites and thus are potential targets for chemotherapy. In addition, several other proteases, present in one or both parasites, have been characterized, and some of them are also promising candidates for the developing of new drugs. Recently, new inhibitors, with good selectivity for the parasite proteasomes, have been described and are very promising as lead compounds for the development of new therapies for these neglected diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: "Play and interplay of proteases in health and disease".
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23
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Song X, Lin M, Li M, Yang X, Liu J, Liu Q. Toxoplasma gondii metacaspase 2 is an important factor that influences bradyzoite formation in the Pru strain. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:2287-2298. [PMID: 32468190 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06722-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an important zoonotic protozoan of the phylum Apicomplexa that can infect nearly all warm-blooded animals. The parasite can exist as the interconvertible tachyzoite or bradyzoite forms, leading to acute or latent infection, respectively. No drug has been reported to penetrate the cyst wall and reduce bradyzoite survival and proliferation till now. The transcriptional level of metacaspases 2 (TgMCA2) in T. gondii is significantly upregulated during the formation of bradyzoites in the Pru strain, indicating that it may play an important role in the formation of bradyzoites. To further explore the function of TgMCA2, we constructed a TgMCA2 gene-knockout variant of the Pru strain (Δmca2). Comparative analysis revealed that the proliferative capacity of Pru Δmca2 increased, while the invasion and egressing properties were not affected by the knockout. Further data shows that the tachyzoites of Δmca2 failed to induce differentiation and form bradyzoites in vitro, and the transcriptional levels of some of the bradyzoite-specific genes (such as BAG1, LDH2, and SAG4A) in Δmca2 were significantly lower compared with that in the Pru strain at the bradyzoite stage. In vivo, no cysts were detected in Δmca2-infected mice. Further determination of parasite burden in Δmca2- and Pru-infected mice brain tissue at the genetic level showed that the gene load was significantly lower than that in Pru. In summary, we confirmed that TgMCA2 contributes to the formation of bradyzoites, and could provide an important foundation for the development of attenuated vaccines for the prevention of T. gondii infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingju Song
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Mengyang Lin
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Muzi Li
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Yang
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Liu
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
| | - Qun Liu
- National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of the Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
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24
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Structural basis for Ca 2+-dependent activation of a plant metacaspase. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2249. [PMID: 32382010 PMCID: PMC7206013 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15830-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant metacaspases mediate programmed cell death in development, biotic and abiotic stresses, damage-induced immune response, and resistance to pathogen attack. Most metacaspases require Ca2+ for their activation and substrate processing. However, the Ca2+-dependent activation mechanism remains elusive. Here we report the crystal structures of Metacaspase 4 from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtMC4) that modulates Ca2+-dependent, damage-induced plant immune defense. The AtMC4 structure exhibits an inhibitory conformation in which a large linker domain blocks activation and substrate access. In addition, the side chain of Lys225 in the linker domain blocks the active site by sitting directly between two catalytic residues. We show that the activation of AtMC4 and cleavage of its physiological substrate involve multiple cleavages in the linker domain upon activation by Ca2+. Our analysis provides insight into the Ca2+-dependent activation of AtMC4 and lays the basis for tuning its activity in response to stresses for engineering of more sustainable crops for food and biofuels. Plant metacaspases mediate immune response following activation by Ca2+. Here, via crystallography and functional analyses, the authors show that a linker domain in Arabidopsis Metacaspase 4 blocks substrate access to the active site but is cleaved multiple times in the presence of Ca2+ to allow enzyme activation.
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25
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Eyssen LEA, Coetzer TH. Validation of ligands targeting metacaspase-2 (MCA2) from Trypanosoma brucei brucei and their application to MCA5 from T. congolense as possible trypanocides. J Mol Graph Model 2020; 97:107579. [PMID: 32197135 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2020.107579] [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: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Metacaspases (MCAs) are ideal drug and diagnostic targets for animal and human African trypanosomiasis, as these cysteine peptidases are absent from the metazoan kingdom and have been implicated in the parasite cell cycle and cell death. Tsetse fly-transmitted trypanosomes that live free in the bloodstream and/or cerebrospinal fluid of the mammalian host cause animal and human African trypanosomiasis (nagana or sleeping sickness respectively). Chemotherapy and chemoprophylaxis are the main forms of control, but in contrast to human trypanocides, the veterinary drugs are old and drug resistance is on the increase. A peptidomimetic library targeting the MCA2 from Trypanosoma brucei brucei has ligands with low IC50 values, some of which were antiparasitic. This study validates the inhibitory activity of these ligands using the protein structure solved by X-ray diffraction after the ligand library was published. Water molecules were shown to be important in substrate binding and strategies to improve the efficacy of these ligands are highlighted. These ligands appear to be pan-specific as they were docked into the active site of the homology modelled MCA5 of animal infective Trypanosoma congolense with similar binding energies and conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- L E-A Eyssen
- Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg Campus), Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa
| | - Theresa Ht Coetzer
- Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg Campus), Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa.
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26
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Minina EA, Staal J, Alvarez VE, Berges JA, Berman-Frank I, Beyaert R, Bidle KD, Bornancin F, Casanova M, Cazzulo JJ, Choi CJ, Coll NS, Dixit VM, Dolinar M, Fasel N, Funk C, Gallois P, Gevaert K, Gutierrez-Beltran E, Hailfinger S, Klemenčič M, Koonin EV, Krappmann D, Linusson A, Machado MFM, Madeo F, Megeney LA, Moschou PN, Mottram JC, Nyström T, Osiewacz HD, Overall CM, Pandey KC, Ruland J, Salvesen GS, Shi Y, Smertenko A, Stael S, Ståhlberg J, Suárez MF, Thome M, Tuominen H, Van Breusegem F, van der Hoorn RAL, Vardi A, Zhivotovsky B, Lam E, Bozhkov PV. Classification and Nomenclature of Metacaspases and Paracaspases: No More Confusion with Caspases. Mol Cell 2020; 77:927-929. [PMID: 32142688 PMCID: PMC7325697 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elena A Minina
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden; COS, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Jens Staal
- VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Vanina E Alvarez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martin, San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - John A Berges
- Department of Biological Sciences and School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Ilana Berman-Frank
- Department of Marine Biology, Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Rudi Beyaert
- VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kay D Bidle
- Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | | | - Magali Casanova
- Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, LISM, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France
| | - Juan J Cazzulo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Martin, San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Chang Jae Choi
- The University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX, USA
| | - Nuria S Coll
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vishva M Dixit
- Department of Physiological Chemistry, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Marko Dolinar
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nicolas Fasel
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | | | - Patrick Gallois
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Kris Gevaert
- VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Emilio Gutierrez-Beltran
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Stephan Hailfinger
- Interfaculty Institute for Biochemistry, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marina Klemenčič
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Daniel Krappmann
- Research Unit Cellular Signal Integration, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Anna Linusson
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Maurício F M Machado
- Interdisciplinary Center for Biochemical Research, University of Mogi das Cruzes, Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil
| | - Frank Madeo
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, NAWI Graz, University of Graz, BioTechMed Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Lynn A Megeney
- Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Departments of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Panagiotis N Moschou
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas, Heraklion, Greece; Department of Biology, University of Crete, Greece; Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jeremy C Mottram
- York Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Thomas Nyström
- Institute for Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, Centre for Ageing and Health - AgeCap, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Heinz D Osiewacz
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Christopher M Overall
- Departments of Oral Biological and Medical Sciences and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- Protein Biochemistry and Engineering Laboratory, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Jürgen Ruland
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Munich, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Munich, Germany
| | - Guy S Salvesen
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yigong Shi
- School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Xihu District, Hangzhou Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Andrei Smertenko
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Simon Stael
- VIB Center for Medical Biotechnology, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jerry Ståhlberg
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - María Fernanda Suárez
- Departamento de Biologia Molecular y Bioquimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Malaga, Campus de Teatinos, Malaga, Spain
| | - Margot Thome
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Hannele Tuominen
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Frank Van Breusegem
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Assaf Vardi
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Boris Zhivotovsky
- Division of Toxicology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, MV Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Eric Lam
- Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ USA
| | - Peter V Bozhkov
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden.
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27
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Leang L, McDonald MC, Mineo CR, Jones B, Barker T, Gagliardi C, Fox KM. Identification and characterization of Schizophyllum commune type I metacaspases. Biochem Biophys Rep 2019; 20:100706. [PMID: 31844687 PMCID: PMC6895675 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2019.100706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of programmed cell death in filamentous fungi is not well-understood, but is important due to the role of fungi in opportunistic infections. Plants, fungi and protozoa do not have caspase genes, but instead express the homologous proteins denoted metacaspases. To better understand the role of metacaspases in fungi we present an analysis of the sequences and activities of all five Type I metacaspases from Schizophyllum commune (ScMC), a mushroom-forming basiodmycete that undergoes sexual reproduction. The five Type I metacaspases of S. commune can be divided into two groups based on sequence similarity. Enzymes both with and without the N-terminal prodomain are active, but here we report on the constructs without the prodomains (Δpro). All five ScMCΔpro proteins show the highest enzymatic activity between pH 7 and 8 and require calcium for optimal activity. Optimal Ca2+ concentrations for ScMC1Δpro and ScMC2Δpro are 50 mM, while ScMC3, ScMC4Δpro and ScMC5Δpro activity is optimal around 5 mM calcium. All five S. commune metacaspases have similar substrate specificity. They are most active with Arg in the P1 position and inactive with Asp in the P1 position.
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28
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Hander T, Fernández-Fernández ÁD, Kumpf RP, Willems P, Schatowitz H, Rombaut D, Staes A, Nolf J, Pottie R, Yao P, Gonçalves A, Pavie B, Boller T, Gevaert K, Van Breusegem F, Bartels S, Stael S. Damage on plants activates Ca 2+-dependent metacaspases for release of immunomodulatory peptides. Science 2019; 363:363/6433/eaar7486. [PMID: 30898901 DOI: 10.1126/science.aar7486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Physical damage to cells leads to the release of immunomodulatory peptides to elicit a wound defense response in the surrounding tissue. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the plant elicitor peptide 1 (Pep1) is processed from its protein precursor, PRECURSOR OF PEP1 (PROPEP1). We demonstrate that upon damage, both at the tissue and single-cell levels, the cysteine protease METACASPASE4 (MC4) is instantly and spatiotemporally activated by binding high levels of Ca2+ and is necessary and sufficient for Pep1 maturation. Cytosol-localized PROPEP1 and MC4 react only after loss of plasma membrane integrity and prolonged extracellular Ca2+ entry. Our results reveal that a robust mechanism consisting of conserved molecular components links the intracellular and Ca2+-dependent activation of a specific cysteine protease with the maturation of damage-induced wound defense signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Hander
- Zürich-Basel Plant Science Center, Department of Environmental Sciences, Botany, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Álvaro D Fernández-Fernández
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Robert P Kumpf
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Patrick Willems
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Hendrik Schatowitz
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Debbie Rombaut
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - An Staes
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jonah Nolf
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Robin Pottie
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Panfeng Yao
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Amanda Gonçalves
- VIB BioImaging Core Gent, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Benjamin Pavie
- VIB BioImaging Core Gent, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Thomas Boller
- Zürich-Basel Plant Science Center, Department of Environmental Sciences, Botany, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kris Gevaert
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Breusegem
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sebastian Bartels
- Zürich-Basel Plant Science Center, Department of Environmental Sciences, Botany, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Medicine II, University Hospital Freiburg-Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simon Stael
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium. .,VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.,VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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29
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Vandana, Dixit R, Tiwari R, Katyal A, Pandey KC. Metacaspases: Potential Drug Target Against Protozoan Parasites. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:790. [PMID: 31379569 PMCID: PMC6657590 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the numerous strategies/targets for controlling infectious diseases, parasites-derived proteases receive prime attention due to their essential contribution to parasite growth and development. Parasites produce a broad array of proteases, which are required for parasite entry/invasion, modification/degradation of host proteins for their nourishment, and activation of inflammation that ensures their survival to maintain infection. Presently, extensive research is focused on unique proteases termed as "metacaspases" (MCAs) in relation to their versatile functions in plants and non-metazoans. Such unique MCAs proteases could be considered as a potential drug target against parasites due to their absence in the human host. MCAs are cysteine proteases, having Cys-His catalytic dyad present in fungi, protozoa, and plants. Studies so far indicated that MCAs are broadly associated with apoptosis-like cell death, growth, and stress regulation in different protozoa. The present review comprises the important research outcomes from our group and published literature, showing the variable properties and function of MCAs for therapeutic purpose against infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana
- Host-Parasite Interaction Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India.,Dr Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, Delhi University, New Delhi, India
| | - Rajnikant Dixit
- Host-Parasite Interaction Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Rajnarayan Tiwari
- Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, India
| | - Anju Katyal
- Dr Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research, Delhi University, New Delhi, India
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- Host-Parasite Interaction Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India.,Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, India
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30
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Klemenčič M, Funk C. Evolution and structural diversity of metacaspases. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2019; 70:2039-2047. [PMID: 30921456 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Caspases are metazoan proteases, best known for their involvement in programmed cell death in animals. In higher plants genetically controlled mechanisms leading to the selective death of individual cells also involve the regulated interplay of various types of proteases. Some of these enzymes are structurally homologous to caspases and have therefore been termed metacaspases. In addition to the two well-studied metacaspase variants found in higher plants, type I and type II, biochemical data have recently become available for metacaspases of type III and metacaspase-like proteases, which are present only in certain algae. Although increasing in vitro and in vivo data suggest the existence of further sub-types, a lack of structural information hampers the interpretation of their distinct functional properties. However, the identification of key amino acid residues involved in the proteolytic mechanism of metacaspases, as well as the increased availability of plant genomic and transcriptomic data, is increasingly enabling in-depth analysis of all metacaspase types found in plastid-containing organisms. Here, we review the structural distribution and diversification of metacaspases and in doing so try to provide comprehensive guidelines for further analyses of this versatile family of proteases in organisms ranging from simple unicellular species to flowering plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Klemenčič
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Klemenčič M, Asplund-Samuelsson J, Dolinar M, Funk C. Phylogenetic Distribution and Diversity of Bacterial Pseudo-Orthocaspases Underline Their Putative Role in Photosynthesis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 10:293. [PMID: 30923531 PMCID: PMC6426788 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Orthocaspases are prokaryotic caspase homologs - proteases, which cleave their substrates after positively charged residues using a conserved histidine - cysteine (HC) dyad situated in a catalytic p20 domain. However, in orthocaspases pseudo-variants have been identified, which instead of the catalytic HC residues contain tyrosine and serine, respectively. The presence and distribution of these presumably proteolytically inactive p20-containing enzymes has until now escaped attention. We have performed a detailed analysis of orthocaspases in all available prokaryotic genomes, focusing on pseudo-orthocaspases. Surprisingly we identified type I metacaspase homologs in filamentous cyanobacteria. While genes encoding pseudo-orthocaspases seem to be absent in Archaea, our results show conservation of these genes in organisms performing either anoxygenic photosynthesis (orders Rhizobiales, Rhodobacterales, and Rhodospirillales in Alphaproteobacteria) or oxygenic photosynthesis (all sequenced cyanobacteria, except Gloeobacter, Prochlorococcus, and Cyanobium). Contrary to earlier reports, we were able to detect pseudo-orthocaspases in all sequenced strains of the unicellular cyanobacteria Synechococcus and Synechocystis. In silico comparisons of the primary as well as tertiary structures of pseudo-p20 domains with their presumably proteolytically active homologs suggest that differences in their amino acid sequences have no influence on the overall structures. Mutations therefore affect most likely only the proteolytic activity. Our data provide an insight into diversification of pseudo-orthocaspases in Prokaryotes, their taxa-specific distribution, and allow suggestions on their taxa-specific function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Klemenčič
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Johannes Asplund-Samuelsson
- Science for Life Laboratory, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden
| | - Marko Dolinar
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Veale CGL. Unpacking the Pathogen Box-An Open Source Tool for Fighting Neglected Tropical Disease. ChemMedChem 2019; 14:386-453. [PMID: 30614200 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201800755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The Pathogen Box is a 400-strong collection of drug-like compounds, selected for their potential against several of the world's most important neglected tropical diseases, including trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, cryptosporidiosis, toxoplasmosis, filariasis, schistosomiasis, dengue virus and trichuriasis, in addition to malaria and tuberculosis. This library represents an ensemble of numerous successful drug discovery programmes from around the globe, aimed at providing a powerful resource to stimulate open source drug discovery for diseases threatening the most vulnerable communities in the world. This review seeks to provide an in-depth analysis of the literature pertaining to the compounds in the Pathogen Box, including structure-activity relationship highlights, mechanisms of action, related compounds with reported activity against different diseases, and, where appropriate, discussion on the known and putative targets of compounds, thereby providing context and increasing the accessibility of the Pathogen Box to the drug discovery community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clinton G L Veale
- School of Chemistry and Physics, Pietermaritzburg Campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa
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33
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Fortin J, Lam E. Domain swap between two type-II metacaspases defines key elements for their biochemical properties. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 96:921-936. [PMID: 30176090 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Type-II metacaspases are conserved cysteine proteases found in eukaryotes with oxygenic photosynthesis, including green plants and some algae, such as Chlamydomonas and Volvox. Genetic and biochemical studies showed that some members in this protease family could be involved in oxidative stress-induced cell death in higher plants, but their regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Biochemically, two distinct classes of type-II metacaspases are exemplified by AtMC4 and AtMC9 from Arabidopsis, with AtMC4 activation dependent on calcium under neutral pH, whereas AtMC9 is active only under mildly acidic pH, regardless of the availability of calcium. Here, we constructed all six possible combinations between the p20, linker, and p10 domains from AtMC4 and AtMC9. Our results show that calcium stimulation of AtMC4 activity is associated with essential amino acids located in its p20 domain. In contrast, the acidic pH optimum trait is lost from AtMC9 if one or two of its domains are replaced by that from AtMC4, suggesting that multiple interactions between domains in AtMC9 may be responsible for this property. Consistent with this, we found conserved 'signature' residues in each of the three domains that distinguish AtMC4- and AtMC9-like classes of metacaspases. Tracing the origin of the AtMC9 class, we found evidence for its appearance between lycophytes and gymnosperms, coincident with the evolution of more complex root archetypes in terrestrial plants. Our work suggests that the distinctive properties of the AtMC9-like protease could be associated with special cellular physiology in the roots of gymnosperms and angiosperms that are distinct from lycophytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianqiao Fortin
- Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Eric Lam
- Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
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de Castro E, Reus TL, de Aguiar AM, Ávila AR, de Arruda Campos Brasil de Souza T. Procaspase-activating compound-1 induces apoptosis in Trypanosoma cruzi. Apoptosis 2018; 22:1564-1577. [PMID: 29058102 DOI: 10.1007/s10495-017-1428-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Some therapeutics for parasitic, cardiac and neurological diseases activate apoptosis. Therefore, the study of apoptotic proteins in pathogenic organisms is relevant. However, the molecular mechanism of apoptosis in unicellular organisms remain elusive, despite morphological evidence of its occurrence. In Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, metacaspase 3 (TcMCA3), seems to have a key role in parasite apoptosis. Accordingly, this work provides data concerning TcMCA3 regulation through its interaction with procaspase-activating compound 1 (PAC-1), a procaspase 3 activator. Indeed, PAC-1 reduced T. cruzi epimastigote viability with an IC50 of 14.12 µM and induced loss of mitochondrial potential and exposure of phosphatidylserine, features of the apoptotic process. Notwithstanding, those PAC-1-inducible effects were not conserved in metacyclic trypomastigotes. Moreover, PAC-1 reduced the viability of mammalian cells with a greater IC50 (25.70 µM) compared to T. cruzi epimastigotes, indicating distinct modes of binding between caspases and metacaspases. To shed light on the selectivity of metacaspases and caspases, we determined the structural features related to the PAC-1 binding sites in both types of proteins. These data are important for improving the understanding of the apoptosis pathway in T. cruzi so that TcMCA3 could be better targeted with future pharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuella de Castro
- Laboratório de Proteômica e Engenharia de Proteínas, Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fiocruz, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Thamile Luciane Reus
- Laboratório de Biologia Básica de Células Tronco, Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fiocruz, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Melo de Aguiar
- Laboratório de Biologia Básica de Células Tronco, Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fiocruz, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Andrea Rodrigues Ávila
- Laboratório de Regulação da Expressão Gênica, Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fiocruz, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
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Lema Asqui S, Vercammen D, Serrano I, Valls M, Rivas S, Van Breusegem F, Conlon FL, Dangl JL, Coll NS. AtSERPIN1 is an inhibitor of the metacaspase AtMC1-mediated cell death and autocatalytic processing in planta. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 218:1156-1166. [PMID: 28157265 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The hypersensitive response (HR) is a localized programmed cell death phenomenon that occurs in response to pathogen recognition at the site of attempted invasion. Despite more than a century of research on HR, little is known about how it is so tightly regulated and how it can be contained spatially to a few cells. AtMC1 is an Arabidopsis thaliana plant metacaspase that positively regulates the HR. Here, we used an unbiased approach to identify new AtMC1 regulators. Immunoaffinity purification of AtMC1-containing complexes led us to the identification of the protease inhibitor AtSerpin1. Our data clearly showed that coimmunoprecipitation between AtMC1 and AtSerpin1 and formation of a complex between them was lost upon mutation of the AtMC1 catalytic site, and that the AtMC1 prodomain was not required for the interaction. AtSerpin1 blocked AtMC1 self-processing and inhibited AtMC1-mediated cell death. Our results constitute an in vivo example of a Serpin acting as a suicide inhibitor in plants, reminiscent of the activity of animal or viral serpins on immune/cell death regulators, including caspase-1. These results indicate a conserved function of a protease inhibitor on cell death regulators from different kingdoms with unrelated modes of action (i.e. caspases vs metacaspases).
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Affiliation(s)
- Saul Lema Asqui
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Dominique Vercammen
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, 9052, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, 9052, Belgium
| | - Irene Serrano
- LIPM, Université de Toulouse, INRA, CNRS, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Marc Valls
- Department of Genetics, Universitat de Barcelona and Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB) Edifici CRAG, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Catalonia, 08193, Spain
| | - Susana Rivas
- LIPM, Université de Toulouse, INRA, CNRS, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Frank Van Breusegem
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, 9052, Belgium
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, 9052, Belgium
- Department of Medical Protein Research, VIB, Ghent, 9000, Belgium
- Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, 9000, Belgium
| | - Frank L Conlon
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
- Lineberger Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Jeffery L Dangl
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3280, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3280, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3280, USA
- Carolina Center for Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3280, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3280, USA
| | - Núria S Coll
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
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36
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Bouvier LA, Niemirowicz GT, Salas‐Sarduy E, Cazzulo JJ, Alvarez VE. DNA
‐damage inducible protein 1 is a conserved metacaspase substrate that is cleaved and further destabilized in yeast under specific metabolic conditions. FEBS J 2018; 285:1097-1110. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.14390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- León A. Bouvier
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ‐ Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (IIB‐INTECH) Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) ‐ Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Gabriela T. Niemirowicz
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ‐ Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (IIB‐INTECH) Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) ‐ Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Emir Salas‐Sarduy
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ‐ Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (IIB‐INTECH) Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) ‐ Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Juan José Cazzulo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ‐ Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (IIB‐INTECH) Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) ‐ Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) Buenos Aires Argentina
| | - Vanina E. Alvarez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas ‐ Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (IIB‐INTECH) Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) ‐ Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) Buenos Aires Argentina
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37
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Haywood J, Schmidberger JW, James AM, Nonis SG, Sukhoverkov KV, Elias M, Bond CS, Mylne JS. Structural basis of ribosomal peptide macrocyclization in plants. eLife 2018; 7:32955. [PMID: 29384475 PMCID: PMC5834244 DOI: 10.7554/elife.32955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Constrained, cyclic peptides encoded by plant genes represent a new generation of drug leads. Evolution has repeatedly recruited the Cys-protease asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP) to perform their head-to-tail ligation. These macrocyclization reactions use the substrates amino terminus instead of water to deacylate, so a peptide bond is formed. How solvent-exposed plant AEPs macrocyclize is poorly understood. Here we present the crystal structure of an active plant AEP from the common sunflower, Helianthus annuus. The active site contained electron density for a tetrahedral intermediate with partial occupancy that predicted a binding mode for peptide macrocyclization. By substituting catalytic residues we could alter the ratio of cyclic to acyclic products. Moreover, we showed AEPs from other species lacking cyclic peptides can perform macrocyclization under favorable pH conditions. This structural characterization of AEP presents a logical framework for engineering superior enzymes that generate macrocyclic peptide drug leads. Most proteins are long, chain-like molecules that have two ends respectively called the N-terminus and C-terminus. However, certain proteins can close on themselves to become circular. This requires a chemical reaction between the N- and C-termini, which creates a strong bond between the two extremities. To go through this ‘cyclization’ process, a straight protein attaches to a certain type of protease, a class of enzyme that usually cuts proteins into smaller pieces. In plants that are distantly related, the same group of enzymes – called AEPs – has been selected to perform cyclization. Here, Haywood et al. study an AEP enzyme from sunflowers: they identify what about this enzyme’s structure is important to drive the complex chemical reaction that results in the protein being cyclized rather than simply cut. Using a technique called X-ray crystallography to see the positions of individual atoms in the enzyme, Haywood et al. caught a snapshot of the enzyme. Its structure explained how the enzyme’s shape can guide cyclization. In particular, the part of the enzyme that binds to the proteins, the active site, was relatively flat and open, but also flexible: this helped the N and C-termini react with each other and close the protein. Further experiments artificially mutated specific areas of the enzyme, which helped determine exactly which elements guide this succession of chemical reactions. The activity of AEPs is influenced by their local environment, such as acidity. In fact, Haywood et al. showed that certain AEPs, which do not normally carry out cyclization, can start performing this role when exposed to a different level of acidity. The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly interested in circular proteins, as these are stable, easily used by the body, and can be genetically customized to act only on specific targets. If the cyclization process is better understood, and then harnessed, new drug compounds could be produced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Haywood
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.,The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Jason W Schmidberger
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.,The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Amy M James
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.,The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Samuel G Nonis
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.,The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Kirill V Sukhoverkov
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.,The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
| | - Mikael Elias
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
| | - Charles S Bond
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Joshua S Mylne
- School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.,The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
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38
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Klemenčič M, Funk C. Structural and functional diversity of caspase homologues in non-metazoan organisms. PROTOPLASMA 2018; 255:387-397. [PMID: 28744694 PMCID: PMC5756287 DOI: 10.1007/s00709-017-1145-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Caspases, the proteases involved in initiation and execution of metazoan programmed cell death, are only present in animals, while their structural homologues can be found in all domains of life, spanning from simple prokaryotes (orthocaspases) to yeast and plants (metacaspases). All members of this wide protease family contain the p20 domain, which harbours the catalytic dyad formed by the two amino acid residues, histidine and cysteine. Despite the high structural similarity of the p20 domain, metacaspases and orthocaspases were found to exhibit different substrate specificities than caspases. While the former cleave their substrates after basic amino acid residues, the latter accommodate substrates with negative charge. This observation is crucial for the re-evaluation of non-metazoan caspase homologues being involved in processes of programmed cell death. In this review, we analyse the structural diversity of enzymes containing the p20 domain, with focus on the orthocaspases, and summarise recent advances in research of orthocaspases and metacaspases of cyanobacteria, algae and higher plants. Although caspase homologues were initially proposed to be involved in execution of cell death, accumulating evidence supports the role of metacaspases and orthocaspases as important contributors to cell homeostasis during normal physiological conditions or cell differentiation and ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Klemenčič
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 113, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Christiane Funk
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden
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39
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Zhang Z, Lv Y, Zhou Z, Mei F, Wang L. Type II metacaspase protein localization and gene transcription during programmed cell semi-death of sieve elements in developing caryopsis of Tritium aestivum. Biologia (Bratisl) 2017. [DOI: 10.1515/biolog-2017-0041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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40
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Liu L, Hyeon C. Contact Statistics Highlight Distinct Organizing Principles of Proteins and RNA. Biophys J 2017; 110:2320-2327. [PMID: 27276250 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although both RNA and proteins have densely packed native structures, chain organizations of these two biopolymers are fundamentally different. Motivated by the recent discoveries in chromatin folding that interphase chromosomes have territorial organization with signatures pointing to metastability, we analyzed the biomolecular structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank and found that the intrachain contact probabilities, P(s) as a function of the arc length s, decay in power-law ∼s(-γ) over the intermediate range of s, 10 ≲ s ≲ 110. We found that the contact probability scaling exponent is γ ≈ 1.11 for large RNA (N > 110), γ ≈ 1.41 for small-sized RNA (N < 110), and γ ≈ 1.65 for proteins. Given that Gaussian statistics is expected for a fully equilibrated chain in polymer melts, the deviation of γ-value from γ = 1.5 for the subchains of large RNA in the native state suggests that the chain configuration of RNA is not fully equilibrated. It is visually clear that folded structures of large-sized RNA (N ≳ 110) adopt crumpled structures, partitioned into modular multidomains assembled by proximal sequences along the chain, whereas the polypeptide chain of folded proteins looks better mixed with the rest of the structure. Our finding of γ ≈ 1 for large RNA might be an ineluctable consequence of the hierarchical ordering of the secondary to tertiary elements in the folding process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Liu
- School of Computational Sciences, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Changbong Hyeon
- School of Computational Sciences, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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41
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Processing of metacaspase 2 from Trypanosoma brucei (TbMCA2) broadens its substrate specificity. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2017; 1865:388-394. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2017.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Revised: 12/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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42
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Minina EA, Coll NS, Tuominen H, Bozhkov PV. Metacaspases versus caspases in development and cell fate regulation. Cell Death Differ 2017; 24:1314-1325. [PMID: 28234356 DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2017.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2016] [Revised: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Initially found to be critically involved in inflammation and apoptosis, caspases have since then been implicated in the regulation of various signaling pathways in animals. How caspases and caspase-mediated processes evolved is a topic of great interest and hot debate. In fact, caspases are just the tip of the iceberg, representing a relatively small group of mostly animal-specific enzymes within a broad family of structurally related cysteine proteases (family C14 of CD clan) found in all kingdoms of life. Apart from caspases, this family encompasses para- and metacaspases, and all three groups of proteases exhibit significant variation in biochemistry and function in vivo. Notably, metacaspases are present in all eukaryotic lineages with a remarkable absence in animals. Thus, metacaspases and caspases must have adapted to operate under distinct cellular and physiological settings. Here we discuss biochemical properties and biological functions of metacaspases in comparison to caspases, with a major focus on the regulation of developmental aspects in plants versus animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Minina
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - N S Coll
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus UAB Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - H Tuominen
- Umeaå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeaå University, Umeaå, Sweden
| | - P V Bozhkov
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden
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43
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Ogungbe IV, Setzer WN. The Potential of Secondary Metabolites from Plants as Drugs or Leads against Protozoan Neglected Diseases-Part III: In-Silico Molecular Docking Investigations. Molecules 2016; 21:E1389. [PMID: 27775577 PMCID: PMC6274513 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21101389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and human African trypanosomiasis continue to cause considerable suffering and death in developing countries. Current treatment options for these parasitic protozoal diseases generally have severe side effects, may be ineffective or unavailable, and resistance is emerging. There is a constant need to discover new chemotherapeutic agents for these parasitic infections, and natural products continue to serve as a potential source. This review presents molecular docking studies of potential phytochemicals that target key protein targets in Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma spp., and Plasmodium spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ifedayo Victor Ogungbe
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217, USA.
| | - William N Setzer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA.
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Grewal JS, McLuskey K, Das D, Myburgh E, Wilkes J, Brown E, Lemgruber L, Gould MK, Burchmore RJ, Coombs GH, Schnaufer A, Mottram JC. PNT1 Is a C11 Cysteine Peptidase Essential for Replication of the Trypanosome Kinetoplast. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:9492-500. [PMID: 26940875 PMCID: PMC4850289 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.714972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure of a C11 peptidase PmC11 from the gut bacterium, Parabacteroides merdae, has recently been determined, enabling the identification and characterization of a C11 orthologue, PNT1, in the parasitic protozoon Trypanosoma brucei. A phylogenetic analysis identified PmC11 orthologues in bacteria, archaea, Chromerids, Coccidia, and Kinetoplastida, the latter being the most divergent. A primary sequence alignment of PNT1 with clostripain and PmC11 revealed the position of the characteristic His-Cys catalytic dyad (His99 and Cys136), and an Asp (Asp134) in the potential S1 binding site. Immunofluorescence and cryoelectron microscopy revealed that PNT1 localizes to the kinetoplast, an organelle containing the mitochondrial genome of the parasite (kDNA), with an accumulation of the protein at or near the antipodal sites. Depletion of PNT1 by RNAi in the T. brucei bloodstream form was lethal both in in vitro culture and in vivo in mice and the induced population accumulated cells lacking a kinetoplast. In contrast, overexpression of PNT1 led to cells having mislocated kinetoplasts. RNAi depletion of PNT1 in a kDNA independent cell line resulted in kinetoplast loss but was viable, indicating that PNT1 is required exclusively for kinetoplast maintenance. Expression of a recoded wild-type PNT1 allele, but not of an active site mutant restored parasite viability after induction in vitro and in vivo confirming that the peptidase activity of PNT1 is essential for parasite survival. These data provide evidence that PNT1 is a cysteine peptidase that is required exclusively for maintenance of the trypanosome kinetoplast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaspreet S Grewal
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom, the Department of Biology, Centre for Immunology and Infection, University of York, Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Karen McLuskey
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom
| | - Debanu Das
- the Joint Center for Structural Genomics, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025
| | - Elmarie Myburgh
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom, the Department of Biology, Centre for Immunology and Infection, University of York, Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Wilkes
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom
| | - Elaine Brown
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom, the Department of Biology, Centre for Immunology and Infection, University of York, Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Leandro Lemgruber
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew K Gould
- the Institute of Immunology and Infection Research and Centre for Immunity, Infection, and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
| | - Richard J Burchmore
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom
| | - Graham H Coombs
- the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0RE, United Kingdom
| | - Achim Schnaufer
- the Institute of Immunology and Infection Research and Centre for Immunity, Infection, and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy C Mottram
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom, the Department of Biology, Centre for Immunology and Infection, University of York, Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom,
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McLuskey K, Grewal JS, Das D, Godzik A, Lesley SA, Deacon AM, Coombs GH, Elsliger MA, Wilson IA, Mottram JC. Crystal Structure and Activity Studies of the C11 Cysteine Peptidase from Parabacteroides merdae in the Human Gut Microbiome. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:9482-91. [PMID: 26940874 PMCID: PMC4850288 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.706143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Clan CD cysteine peptidases, a structurally related group of peptidases that include mammalian caspases, exhibit a wide range of important functions, along with a variety of specificities and activation mechanisms. However, for the clostripain family (denoted C11), little is currently known. Here, we describe the first crystal structure of a C11 protein from the human gut bacterium, Parabacteroides merdae (PmC11), determined to 1.7-Å resolution. PmC11 is a monomeric cysteine peptidase that comprises an extended caspase-like α/β/α sandwich and an unusual C-terminal domain. It shares core structural elements with clan CD cysteine peptidases but otherwise structurally differs from the other families in the clan. These studies also revealed a well ordered break in the polypeptide chain at Lys147, resulting in a large conformational rearrangement close to the active site. Biochemical and kinetic analysis revealed Lys147 to be an intramolecular processing site at which cleavage is required for full activation of the enzyme, suggesting an autoinhibitory mechanism for self-preservation. PmC11 has an acidic binding pocket and a preference for basic substrates, and accepts substrates with Arg and Lys in P1 and does not require Ca2+ for activity. Collectively, these data provide insights into the mechanism and activity of PmC11 and a detailed framework for studies on C11 peptidases from other phylogenetic kingdoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen McLuskey
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom
| | - Jaspreet S Grewal
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom, the Department of Biology, Centre for Immunology and Infection, University of York, Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Debanu Das
- the Joint Center for Structural Genomics, the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025
| | - Adam Godzik
- the Joint Center for Structural Genomics, the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, the Program on Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Scott A Lesley
- the Joint Center for Structural Genomics, the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, the Protein Sciences Department, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, San Diego, California 92121, and
| | - Ashley M Deacon
- the Joint Center for Structural Genomics, the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025
| | - Graham H Coombs
- the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0RE, United Kingdom
| | - Marc-André Elsliger
- the Joint Center for Structural Genomics, the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Ian A Wilson
- the Joint Center for Structural Genomics, the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037,
| | - Jeremy C Mottram
- From the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom, the Department of Biology, Centre for Immunology and Infection, University of York, Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom,
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Hulpiau P, Driege Y, Staal J, Beyaert R. MALT1 is not alone after all: identification of novel paracaspases. Cell Mol Life Sci 2016; 73:1103-16. [PMID: 26377317 PMCID: PMC11108557 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-2041-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Revised: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 09/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Paracaspases and metacaspases are two families of caspase-like proteins identified in 2000. Up until now paracaspases were considered a single gene family with one known non-metazoan paracaspase in the slime mold Dictyostelium and a single animal paracaspase called MALT1. Human MALT1 is a critical signaling component in many innate and adaptive immunity pathways that drive inflammation, and when it is overly active, it can also cause certain forms of cancer. Here, we report the identification and functional analysis of two new vertebrate paracaspases, PCASP2 and PCASP3. Functional characterization indicates that both scaffold and protease functions are conserved across the three vertebrate paralogs. This redundancy might explain the loss of two of the paralogs in mammals and one in Xenopus. Several of the vertebrate paracaspases currently have incorrect or ambiguous annotations. We propose to annotate them accordingly as PCASP1, PCASP2, and PCASP3 similar to the caspase gene nomenclature. A comprehensive search in other metazoans and in non-metazoan species identified additional new paracaspases. We also discovered the first animal metacaspase in the sponge Amphimedon. Comparative analysis of the active site suggests that paracaspases constitute one of the several subclasses of metacaspases that have evolved several times independently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paco Hulpiau
- Inflammation Research Center, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Yasmine Driege
- Inflammation Research Center, VIB, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jens Staal
- Inflammation Research Center, VIB, Ghent, Belgium.
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Rudi Beyaert
- Inflammation Research Center, VIB, Ghent, Belgium.
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Unit of Molecular Signal Transduction in Inflammation, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.
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Li M, Wang H, Liu J, Hao P, Ma L, Liu Q. The Apoptotic Role of Metacaspase in Toxoplasma gondii. Front Microbiol 2016; 6:1560. [PMID: 26834715 PMCID: PMC4717298 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 12/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a major opportunistic pathogen that spreads in a range of animal species and human beings. Quite a few characterizations of apoptosis have been identified in T. gondii treated with apoptosis inducers, but the molecular mechanisms of the pathway are not clearly understood. Metacaspases are caspase-like cysteine proteases that can be found in plants, fungi, and protozoa in which caspases are absent. Metacaspases are multifunctional proteases involved in apoptosis-like cell death, insoluble protein aggregate clearance, and cell proliferation. To investigate whether T. gondii metacaspase (TgMCA) is involved in the apoptosis of the parasites, we generated TgMCA mutant strains. Western blot analysis indicated that the autoproteolytic processing of TgMCA was the same as that for metacaspases of some other species. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) showed that TgMCA was dispersed throughout the cytoplasm and relocated to the nucleus when the parasites were exposed to the extracellular environment, which indicated the execution of its function in the nucleus. The number of apoptosis parasites was significantly diminished in the TgMCA knockout strain and increased in the TgMCA overexpression strain after treatment with extracellular buffer, as determined by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The lack of TgMCA did not affect the parasite propagation in vitro and virulence in vivo, suggesting that it is probably redundant in parasite propagation. But overexpression of TgMCA reduced the intracellular parasites growth in vitro. The TgMCA knockout strain showed more viability in extracellular buffer compared to the parental and overexpression lines. In this study, we demonstrated that TgMCA contributes to the apoptosis of T. gondii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muzi Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University Beijing, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University Beijing, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University Beijing, China
| | - Pan Hao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University Beijing, China
| | - Lei Ma
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University Beijing, China
| | - Qun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology and Zoonosis, Ministry of Agriculture, National Animal Protozoa Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University Beijing, China
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48
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Structure and function of legumain in health and disease. Biochimie 2015; 122:126-50. [PMID: 26403494 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2015.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 09/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The last years have seen a steady increase in our understanding of legumain biology that is driven from two largely uncoupled research arenas, the mammalian and the plant legumain field. Research on legumain, which is also referred to as asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP) or vacuolar processing enzyme (VPE), is slivered, however. Here we summarise recent important findings and put them into a common perspective. Legumain is usually associated with its cysteine endopeptidase activity in lysosomes where it contributes to antigen processing for class II MHC presentation. However, newly recognized functions disperse previously assumed boundaries with respect to their cellular compartmentalisation and enzymatic activities. Legumain is also found extracellularly and even translocates to the cytosol and the nucleus, with seemingly incompatible pH and redox potential. These different milieus translate into changes of legumain's molecular properties, including its (auto-)activation, conformational stability and enzymatic functions. Contrasting its endopeptidase activity, legumain can develop a carboxypeptidase activity which remains stable at neutral pH. Moreover, legumain features a peptide ligase activity, with intriguing mechanistic peculiarities in plant and human isoforms. In pathological settings, such as cancer or Alzheimer's disease, the proper association of legumain activities with the corresponding cellular compartments is breached. Legumain's increasingly recognized physiological and pathological roles also indicate future research opportunities in this vibrant field.
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49
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Klemenčič M, Novinec M, Dolinar M. Orthocaspases are proteolytically active prokaryotic caspase homologues: the case of
M
icrocystis aeruginosa. Mol Microbiol 2015; 98:142-50. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marina Klemenčič
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology University of Ljubljana Večna pot 113 SI‐1000 Ljubljana Slovenia
| | - Marko Novinec
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology University of Ljubljana Večna pot 113 SI‐1000 Ljubljana Slovenia
| | - Marko Dolinar
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology University of Ljubljana Večna pot 113 SI‐1000 Ljubljana Slovenia
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50
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McLuskey K, Mottram J. Comparative structural analysis of the caspase family with other clan CD cysteine peptidases. Biochem J 2015; 466:219-32. [PMID: 25697094 PMCID: PMC4357240 DOI: 10.1042/bj20141324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2014] [Revised: 11/19/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Clan CD forms a structural group of cysteine peptidases, containing seven individual families and two subfamilies of structurally related enzymes. Historically, it is most notable for containing the mammalian caspases, on which the structures of the clan were founded. Interestingly, the caspase family is split into two subfamilies: the caspases, and a second subfamily containing both the paracaspases and the metacaspases. Structural data are now available for both the paracaspases and the metacaspases, allowing a comprehensive structural analysis of the entire caspase family. In addition, a relative plethora of structural data has recently become available for many of the other families in the clan, allowing both the structures and the structure-function relationships of clan CD to be fully explored. The present review compares the enzymes in the caspase subfamilies with each other, together with a comprehensive comparison of all the structural families in clan CD. This reveals a diverse group of structures with highly conserved structural elements that provide the peptidases with a variety of substrate specificities and activation mechanisms. It also reveals conserved structural elements involved in substrate binding, and potential autoinhibitory functions, throughout the clan, and confirms that the metacaspases are structurally diverse from the caspases (and paracaspases), suggesting that they should form a distinct family of clan CD peptidases.
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Key Words
- caspase
- clan cd
- crystallography
- metacaspase
- peptidase
- protein structure
- ap, activation peptide
- card, caspase recruitment domain
- chf, caspase/haemoglobinase fold
- cpd, cysteine peptidase domain
- csd, c-terminal subdomain
- dd, death domain
- ded, death effector domain
- insp6, myo-inositol hexakisphosphate
- lsam, legumain stabilization and activity modulation
- lsd1, lesion-simulating disease 1
- malt1, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue translocation protein 1
- martx, multi-functional, autoprocessing repeat in toxin
- rmsd, root-mean-square deviation
- sse, secondary structural element
- xiap, x-linked inhibitor of apoptosis
- z-vrpr-fmk, benzoxycarbonyl-val-arg-pro-arg-fluoromethylketone
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen McLuskey
- *Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Jeremy C. Mottram
- *Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
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