1
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Sutherland-Smith AJ, Carbone V, Schofield LR, Cronin B, Duin EC, Ronimus RS. The crystal structure of methanogen McrD, a methyl-coenzyme M reductase-associated protein. FEBS Open Bio 2024. [PMID: 38877345 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) is a multi-subunit (α2β2γ2) enzyme responsible for methane formation via its unique F430 cofactor. The genes responsible for producing MCR (mcrA, mcrB and mcrG) are typically colocated with two other highly conserved genes mcrC and mcrD. We present here the high-resolution crystal structure for McrD from a human gut methanogen Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis strain B10. The structure reveals that McrD comprises a ferredoxin-like domain assembled into an α + β barrel-like dimer with conformational flexibility exhibited by a functional loop. The description of the M. luminyensis McrD crystal structure contributes to our understanding of this key conserved methanogen protein typically responsible for promoting MCR activity and the production of methane, a greenhouse gas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Bryan Cronin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University, AL, USA
| | - Evert C Duin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University, AL, USA
| | - Ron S Ronimus
- AgResearch Ltd. Grasslands, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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2
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Kong L, Wang Y, Cui D, He W, Zhang C, Zheng C. Application of single-cell Raman-deuterium isotope probing to reveal the resistance of marine ammonia-oxidizing archaea SCM1 against common antibiotics. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 362:142500. [PMID: 38852635 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in oceans poses a significant threat to human health through the seafood supply chain. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are important marine microorganisms and play a key role in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle around the world. However, the AMR of marine AOA to aquicultural antibiotics is poorly explored. Here, Raman-deuterium isotope probing (Raman-DIP), a single-cell tool, was developed to reveal the AMR of a typical marine species of AOA, Nitrosopumilus maritimus (designated SCM1), against six antibiotics, including erythromycin, tetracycline, novobiocin, neomycin, bacitracin, and vancomycin. The D2O concentration (30% v/v) and culture period (9 days) were optimized for the precise detection of metabolic activity in SCM1 cells through Raman-DIP. The relative metabolic activity of SCM1 upon exposure to antibiotics was semi-quantitatively calculated based on single-cell Raman spectra. SCM1 exhibited high resistance to erythromycin, tetracycline, novobiocin, neomycin, and vancomycin, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values between 100 and 400 mg/L, while SCM1 is very sensitive to bacitracin (MIC: 0.8 mg/L). Notably, SCM1 cells were completely inactive under the metabolic activity minimum inhibitory concentration conditions (MA-MIC: 1.6-800 mg/L) for the six antibiotics. Further genomic analysis revealed the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) of SCM1, including 14 types categorized into 33 subtypes. This work increases our knowledge of the AMR of marine AOA by linking the resistant phenome to the genome, contributing to the risk assessment of AMR in the underexplored ocean environment. As antibiotic resistance in marine microorganisms is significantly affected by the concentration of antibiotics in coastal environments, we encourage more studies concentrating on both the phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic resistance of marine archaea. This may facilitate a comprehensive evaluation of the capacity of marine microorganisms to spread AMR and the implementation of suitable control measures to protect environmental safety and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingchao Kong
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China; Eastern Institute for Advanced Study, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, 315200, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Eastern Institute for Advanced Study, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, 315200, China.
| | - Dongyu Cui
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Wei He
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Chuanlun Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Chunmiao Zheng
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China; Eastern Institute for Advanced Study, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, 315200, China
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3
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Řezanka T, Kyselová L, Murphy DJ. Archaeal lipids. Prog Lipid Res 2023; 91:101237. [PMID: 37236370 DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2023.101237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The major archaeal membrane glycerolipids are distinguished from those of bacteria and eukaryotes by the contrasting stereochemistry of their glycerol backbones, and by the use of ether-linked isoprenoid-based alkyl chains rather than ester-linked fatty acyl chains for their hydrophobic moieties. These fascinating compounds play important roles in the extremophile lifestyles of many species, but are also present in the growing numbers of recently discovered mesophilic archaea. The past decade has witnessed significant advances in our understanding of archaea in general and their lipids in particular. Much of the new information has come from the ability to screen large microbial populations via environmental metagenomics, which has revolutionised our understanding of the extent of archaeal biodiversity that is coupled with a strict conservation of their membrane lipid compositions. Significant additional progress has come from new culturing and analytical techniques that are gradually enabling archaeal physiology and biochemistry to be studied in real time. These studies are beginning to shed light on the much-discussed and still-controversial process of eukaryogenesis, which probably involved both bacterial and archaeal progenitors. Puzzlingly, although eukaryotes retain many attributes of their putative archaeal ancestors, their lipid compositions only reflect their bacterial progenitors. Finally, elucidation of archaeal lipids and their metabolic pathways have revealed potentially interesting applications that have opened up new frontiers for biotechnological exploitation of these organisms. This review is concerned with the analysis, structure, function, evolution and biotechnology of archaeal lipids and their associated metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Řezanka
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Kyselová
- Research Institute of Brewing and Malting, Lípová 511, 120 44 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Denis J Murphy
- School of Applied Sciences, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, CF37 1DL, United Kingdom.
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4
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Fiore M, Chieffo C, Lopez A, Fayolle D, Ruiz J, Soulère L, Oger P, Altamura E, Popowycz F, Buchet R. Synthesis of Phospholipids Under Plausible Prebiotic Conditions and Analogies with Phospholipid Biochemistry for Origin of Life Studies. ASTROBIOLOGY 2022; 22:598-627. [PMID: 35196460 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Phospholipids are essential components of biological membranes and are involved in cell signalization, in several enzymatic reactions, and in energy metabolism. In addition, phospholipids represent an evolutionary and non-negligible step in life emergence. Progress in the past decades has led to a deeper understanding of these unique hydrophobic molecules and their most pertinent functions in cell biology. Today, a growing interest in "prebiotic lipidomics" calls for a new assessment of these relevant biomolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Fiore
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, UMR 5246, CNRS, CPE, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Carolina Chieffo
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, UMR 5246, CNRS, CPE, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Augustin Lopez
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, UMR 5246, CNRS, CPE, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Dimitri Fayolle
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, UMR 5246, CNRS, CPE, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Johal Ruiz
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, UMR 5246, CNRS, CPE, Villeurbanne, France
- Institut National Des Sciences Appliquées, INSA Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Laurent Soulère
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, UMR 5246, CNRS, CPE, Villeurbanne, France
- Institut National Des Sciences Appliquées, INSA Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Philippe Oger
- Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, UMR 5240, Université de Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Emiliano Altamura
- Chemistry Department, Università degli studi di Bari "Aldo Moro," Bari, Italy
| | - Florence Popowycz
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, UMR 5246, CNRS, CPE, Villeurbanne, France
- Institut National Des Sciences Appliquées, INSA Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - René Buchet
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Institut de Chimie et de Biochimie Moléculaires et Supramoléculaires, UMR 5246, CNRS, CPE, Villeurbanne, France
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5
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Velasco-Lozano S, Roca M, Leal-Duaso A, Mayoral JA, Pires E, Moliner V, López-Gallego F. Selective oxidation of alkyl and aryl glyceryl monoethers catalysed by an engineered and immobilised glycerol dehydrogenase. Chem Sci 2020; 11:12009-12020. [PMID: 34123216 PMCID: PMC8162780 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc04471g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzymes acting over glyceryl ethers are scarce in living cells, and consequently biocatalytic transformations of these molecules are rare despite their interest for industrial chemistry. In this work, we have engineered and immobilised a glycerol dehydrogenase from Bacillus stearothermophilus (BsGlyDH) to accept a battery of alkyl/aryl glyceryl monoethers and catalyse their enantioselective oxidation to yield the corresponding 3-alkoxy/aryloxy-1-hydroxyacetones. QM/MM computational studies decipher the key role of D123 in the oxidation catalytic mechanism, and reveal that this enzyme is highly enantioselective towards S-isomers (ee > 99%). Through structure-guided site-selective mutagenesis, we find that the mutation L252A sculpts the active site to accommodate a productive configuration of 3-monoalkyl glycerols. This mutation enhances the k cat 163-fold towards 3-ethoxypropan-1,2-diol, resulting in a specific activity similar to the one found for the wild-type towards glycerol. Furthermore, we immobilised the L252A variant to intensify the process, demonstrating the reusability and increasing the operational stability of the resulting heterogeneous biocatalyst. Finally, we manage to integrate this immobilised enzyme into a one-pot chemoenzymatic process to convert glycidol and ethanol into 3-ethoxy-1-hydroxyacetone and (R)-3-ethoxypropan-1,2-diol, without affecting the oxidation activity. These results thus expand the uses of engineered glycerol dehydrogenases in applied biocatalysis for the kinetic resolution of glycerol ethers and the manufacturing of substituted hydroxyacetones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Velasco-Lozano
- Catálisis Heterogénea en Síntesis Orgánicas Selectivas, Instituto de Síntesis Química y Catálisis Homogénea (ISQCH-CSIC), University of Zaragoza Pedro Cerbuna, 12 50009 Zaragoza Spain
| | - Maite Roca
- Departament de Química Física i Analítica, Universitat Jaume I 12071 Castelló Spain
| | - Alejandro Leal-Duaso
- Catálisis Heterogénea en Síntesis Orgánicas Selectivas, Instituto de Síntesis Química y Catálisis Homogénea (ISQCH-CSIC), University of Zaragoza Pedro Cerbuna, 12 50009 Zaragoza Spain
| | - José A Mayoral
- Catálisis Heterogénea en Síntesis Orgánicas Selectivas, Instituto de Síntesis Química y Catálisis Homogénea (ISQCH-CSIC), University of Zaragoza Pedro Cerbuna, 12 50009 Zaragoza Spain
- Depto. de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias, University of Zaragoza Pedro Cerbuna, 12 50009 Zaragoza Spain
| | - Elisabet Pires
- Catálisis Heterogénea en Síntesis Orgánicas Selectivas, Instituto de Síntesis Química y Catálisis Homogénea (ISQCH-CSIC), University of Zaragoza Pedro Cerbuna, 12 50009 Zaragoza Spain
- Depto. de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias, University of Zaragoza Pedro Cerbuna, 12 50009 Zaragoza Spain
| | - Vicent Moliner
- Departament de Química Física i Analítica, Universitat Jaume I 12071 Castelló Spain
| | - Fernando López-Gallego
- Catálisis Heterogénea en Síntesis Orgánicas Selectivas, Instituto de Síntesis Química y Catálisis Homogénea (ISQCH-CSIC), University of Zaragoza Pedro Cerbuna, 12 50009 Zaragoza Spain
- Heterogeneous Biocatalysis Laboratory, Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA) Paseo de Miramón 182 20014 Donostia San Sebastián Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science María Díaz de Haro 3 48013 Bilbao Spain
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6
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Abstract
Either stereo reactants or stereo catalysis from achiral or chiral molecules are a prerequisite to obtain pure enantiomeric lipid derivatives. We reviewed a few plausibly organic syntheses of phospholipids under prebiotic conditions with special attention paid to the starting materials as pro-chiral dihydroxyacetone and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP), which are the key molecules to break symmetry in phospholipids. The advantages of homochiral membranes compared to those of heterochiral membranes were analysed in terms of specific recognition, optimal functions of enzymes, membrane fluidity and topological packing. All biological membranes contain enantiomerically pure lipids in modern bacteria, eukarya and archaea. The contemporary archaea, comprising of methanogens, halobacteria and thermoacidophiles, are living under extreme conditions reminiscent of primitive environment and may indicate the origin of one ancient evolution path of lipid biosynthesis. The analysis of the known lipid metabolism reveals that all modern cells including archaea synthetize enantiomerically pure lipid precursors from prochiral DHAP. Sn-glycerol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (G1PDH), usually found in archaea, catalyses the formation of sn-glycerol-1-phosphate (G1P), while sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) catalyses the formation of sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) in bacteria and eukarya. The selective enzymatic activity seems to be the main strategy that evolution retained to obtain enantiomerically pure lipids. The occurrence of two genes encoding for G1PDH and G3PDH served to build up an evolutionary tree being the basis of our hypothesis article focusing on the evolution of these two genes. Gene encoding for G3PDH in eukarya may originate from G3PDH gene found in rare archaea indicating that archaea appeared earlier in the evolutionary tree than eukarya. Archaea and bacteria evolved probably separately, due to their distinct respective genes coding for G1PDH and G3PDH. We propose that prochiral DHAP is an essential molecule since it provides a convergent link between G1DPH and G3PDH. The synthesis of enantiopure phospholipids from DHAP appeared probably firstly in the presence of chemical catalysts, before being catalysed by enzymes which were the products of later Darwinian selection. The enzymes were probably selected for their efficient catalytic activities during evolution from large libraries of vesicles containing amino acids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, lipids, and meteorite components that induced symmetry imbalance.
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7
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Coleman GA, Pancost RD, Williams TA. Investigating the Origins of Membrane Phospholipid Biosynthesis Genes Using Outgroup-Free Rooting. Genome Biol Evol 2019; 11:883-898. [PMID: 30753429 PMCID: PMC6431249 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evz034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the key differences between Bacteria and Archaea is their canonical membrane phospholipids, which are synthesized by distinct biosynthetic pathways with nonhomologous enzymes. This “lipid divide” has important implications for the early evolution of cells and the type of membrane phospholipids present in the last universal common ancestor. One of the main challenges in studies of membrane evolution is that the key biosynthetic genes are ancient and their evolutionary histories are poorly resolved. This poses major challenges for traditional rooting methods because the only available outgroups are distantly related. Here, we address this issue by using the best available substitution models for single-gene trees, by expanding our analyses to the diversity of uncultivated prokaryotes recently revealed by environmental genomics, and by using two complementary approaches to rooting that do not depend on outgroups. Consistent with some previous analyses, our rooted gene trees support extensive interdomain horizontal transfer of membrane phospholipid biosynthetic genes, primarily from Archaea to Bacteria. They also suggest that the capacity to make archaeal-type membrane phospholipids was already present in last universal common ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gareth A Coleman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | - Tom A Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
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8
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Shanbhag AP. FabG: from a core to circumstantial catalyst. Biotechnol Lett 2019; 41:675-688. [PMID: 31037463 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-019-02678-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Core biochemical pathways such as Fatty-acid synthesis II (FAS II) is ascribed to the synthesis of fatty-acids, biotin and lipoic acid in prokaryotes. It has two dehydrogenases namely, FabG and FabI which interact with the fatty-acid chain bound to Acyl-carrier protein (ACP), a well-studied enzyme which binds to substrates of varying lengths. This protein-protein interaction 'broadens' the active site of these dehydrogenases thus, contributing to their flexible nature. This property is exploited for catalysing numerous chiral synthons, alkanes, long-chain alcohols and secondary metabolites in industries especially with FabG. FASI relegates FASII in eukaryotes making it a 'relic gene pool' and an antibacterial drug target with diverse inhibitor and substrate markush. FabG often substitutes other dehydrogenases for producing secondary metabolites in nature. This redundancy is probably due to gene duplication or addition events possibly making FabG, a progenitor to some of the complex short-chain dehydrogenases used in organisms and industries today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirudh P Shanbhag
- Department of Biophysics, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, 700009, India. .,Bugworks Research India Pvt. Ltd, C-CAMP, NCBS Campus, UAS-GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore, 560065, India.
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9
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Staley JT, Caetano-Anollés G. Archaea-First and the Co-Evolutionary Diversification of Domains of Life. Bioessays 2018; 40:e1800036. [PMID: 29944192 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The origins and evolution of the Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya remain controversial. Phylogenomic-wide studies of molecular features that are evolutionarily conserved, such as protein structural domains, suggest Archaea is the first domain of life to diversify from a stem line of descent. This line embodies the last universal common ancestor of cellular life. Here, we propose that ancestors of Euryarchaeota co-evolved with those of Bacteria prior to the diversification of Eukarya. This co-evolutionary scenario is supported by comparative genomic and phylogenomic analyses of the distributions of fold families of domains in the proteomes of free-living organisms, which show horizontal gene recruitments and informational process homologies. It also benefits from the molecular study of cell physiologies responsible for membrane phospholipids, methanogenesis, methane oxidation, cell division, gas vesicles, and the cell wall. Our theory however challenges popular cell fusion and two-domain of life scenarios derived from sequence analysis, demanding phylogenetic reconciliation. Also see the video abstract here: https://youtu.be/9yVWn_Q9faY.
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Affiliation(s)
- James T Staley
- Department of Microbiology and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Department of Crop Sciences, C. R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
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10
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Hatti K, Mathiharan YK, Srinivasan N, Murthy MRN. Seeing but not believing: the structure of glycerol dehydrogenase initially assumed to be the structure of a survival protein from Salmonella typhimurium. ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D-STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2017; 73:609-617. [PMID: 28695861 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798317007677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The determination of the crystal structure of a mutant protein using phases based on a previously determined crystal structure of the wild-type protein is often a straightforward molecular-replacement protocol. Such a structure determination may be difficult if there are large-scale structural differences between the wild-type and mutant proteins. In this manuscript, an interesting case is presented of the unintentional crystallization of a contaminant protein which shared some structural features with the presumed target protein, leading to difficulties in obtaining a completely satisfactory molecular-replacement structure solution. It was not immediately evident that the initial structure solution was incorrect owing to the poor quality of the X-ray diffraction data and low resolution. The structure was subsequently determined by improving the quality of the data and following a sequence-independent MarathonMR protocol. The structure corresponded to that of glycerol dehydrogenase, which crystallized as a contaminant, instead of the presumed mutant of a survival protein encoded by Salmonella typhimurium. The reasons why a solution that appeared to be reasonable was obtained with an incorrect protein model are discussed. The results presented here show that a degree of caution is warranted when handling large-scale structure-determination projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaushik Hatti
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560 012, India
| | | | | | - Mathur R N Murthy
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560 012, India
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11
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Abstract
Chemiosmotic coupling - the harnessing of electrochemical ion gradients across membranes to drive metabolism - is as universally conserved as the genetic code. As argued previously in these pages, such deep conservation suggests that ion gradients arose early in evolution, and might have played a role in the origin of life. Alkaline hydrothermal vents harbour pH gradients of similar polarity and magnitude to those employed by modern cells, one of many properties that make them attractive models for life's origin. Their congruence with the physiology of anaerobic autotrophs that use the acetyl CoA pathway to fix CO2 gives the alkaline vent model broad appeal to biologists. Recently, however, a paper by Baz Jackson criticized the hypothesis, concluding that natural pH gradients were unlikely to have played any role in the origin of life. Unfortunately, Jackson mainly criticized his own interpretations of the theory, not what the literature says. This counterpoint is intended to set the record straight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Lane
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
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12
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Hayashi J, Yamamoto K, Yoneda K, Ohshima T, Sakuraba H. Unique coenzyme binding mode of hyperthermophilic archaeal sn-glycerol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase from Pyrobaculum calidifontis. Proteins 2016; 84:1786-1796. [PMID: 27616573 DOI: 10.1002/prot.25161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2016] [Revised: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A gene encoding an sn-glycerol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (G1PDH) was identified in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum calidifontis. The gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and its product was purified and characterized. In contrast to conventional G1PDHs, the expressed enzyme showed strong preference for NADH: the reaction rate (Vmax ) with NADPH was only 2.4% of that with NADH. The crystal structure of the enzyme was determined at a resolution of 2.45 Å. The asymmetric unit consisted of one homohexamer. Refinement of the structure and HPLC analysis showed the presence of the bound cofactor NADPH in subunits D, E, and F, even though it was not added in the crystallization procedure. The phosphate group at C2' of the adenine ribose of NADPH is tightly held through the five biased hydrogen bonds with Ser40 and Thr42. In comparison with the known G1PDH structure, the NADPH molecule was observed to be pushed away from the normal coenzyme binding site. Interestingly, the S40A/T42A double mutant enzyme acquired much higher reactivity than the wild-type enzyme with NADPH, which suggests that the biased interactions around the C2'-phosphate group make NADPH binding insufficient for catalysis. Our results provide a unique structural basis for coenzyme preference in NAD(P)-dependent dehydrogenases. Proteins 2016; 84:1786-1796. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junji Hayashi
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, 2393 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa, 761-0795, Japan
| | - Kaori Yamamoto
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, 2393 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa, 761-0795, Japan
| | - Kazunari Yoneda
- Department of Bioscience, School of Agriculture, Tokai University, Aso, Kumamoto, 869-1404, Japan
| | - Toshihisa Ohshima
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Ohmiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka, 535-8585, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Sakuraba
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University, 2393 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa, 761-0795, Japan
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13
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Yokobori SI, Nakajima Y, Akanuma S, Yamagishi A. Birth of Archaeal Cells: Molecular Phylogenetic Analyses of G1P Dehydrogenase, G3P Dehydrogenases, and Glycerol Kinase Suggest Derived Features of Archaeal Membranes Having G1P Polar Lipids. ARCHAEA (VANCOUVER, B.C.) 2016; 2016:1802675. [PMID: 27774041 PMCID: PMC5059525 DOI: 10.1155/2016/1802675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria and Eukarya have cell membranes with sn-glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P), whereas archaeal membranes contain sn-glycerol-1-phosphate (G1P). Determining the time at which cells with either G3P-lipid membranes or G1P-lipid membranes appeared is important for understanding the early evolution of terrestrial life. To clarify this issue, we reconstructed molecular phylogenetic trees of G1PDH (G1P dehydrogenase; EgsA/AraM) which is responsible for G1P synthesis and G3PDHs (G3P dehydrogenase; GpsA and GlpA/GlpD) and glycerol kinase (GlpK) which is responsible for G3P synthesis. Together with the distribution of these protein-encoding genes among archaeal and bacterial groups, our phylogenetic analyses suggested that GlpA/GlpD in the Commonote (the last universal common ancestor of all extant life with a cellular form, Commonote commonote) acquired EgsA (G1PDH) from the archaeal common ancestor (Commonote archaea) and acquired GpsA and GlpK from a bacterial common ancestor (Commonote bacteria). In our scenario based on this study, the Commonote probably possessed a G3P-lipid membrane synthesized enzymatically, after which the archaeal lineage acquired G1PDH followed by the replacement of a G3P-lipid membrane with a G1P-lipid membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin-ichi Yokobori
- Laboratory of Extremophiles, Department of Applied Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Nakajima
- Laboratory of Extremophiles, Department of Applied Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan
| | - Satoshi Akanuma
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1192, Japan
| | - Akihiko Yamagishi
- Laboratory of Extremophiles, Department of Applied Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392, Japan
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14
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Fontana C, Zaccheus M, Weintraub A, Ansaruzzaman M, Widmalm G. Structural studies of a polysaccharide from Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain AN-16000. Carbohydr Res 2016; 432:41-9. [PMID: 27392309 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2016.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Revised: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The structure of a polysaccharide from Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain AN-16000 has been investigated. The sugar and absolute configuration analysis revealed d-Glc, d-GalN, d-QuiN and l-FucN as major components. The PS was subjected to dephosphorylation with aqueous 40% HF to obtain an oligosaccharide that was analyzed by (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The HR-MS spectrum of the oligosaccharide revealed a pentasaccharide composed of two Glc residues, one QuiNAc and one GalNAc, one FucNAc, as well as a glycerol moiety. The structure of the PS was determined using (1)H, (13)C, (15)N and (31)P NMR spectroscopy; inter-residue correlations were identified by (1)H,(13)C-heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation, (1)H,(1)H-NOESY and (1)H,(31)P-hetero-TOCSY experiments. The PS backbone has the following teichoic acid-like structure: →3)-d-Gro-(1-P-6)-β-d-Glcp-(1→4)-α-l-FucpNAc-(1→3)-β-d-QuipNAc-(1→ with a side-chain consisting of α-d-Glcp-(1→6)-α-d-GalpNAc-(1→ linked to the O3 position of the FucNAc residue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Fontana
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mona Zaccheus
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrej Weintraub
- Karolinska Institute, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, S-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Göran Widmalm
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
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15
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Sousa FL, Nelson-Sathi S, Martin WF. One step beyond a ribosome: The ancient anaerobic core. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2016; 1857:1027-1038. [PMID: 27150504 PMCID: PMC4906156 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2016.04.284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Revised: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Life arose in a world without oxygen and the first organisms were anaerobes. Here we investigate the gene repertoire of the prokaryote common ancestor, estimating which genes it contained and to which lineages of modern prokaryotes it was most similar in terms of gene content. Using a phylogenetic approach we found that among trees for all 8779 protein families shared between 134 archaea and 1847 bacterial genomes, only 1045 have sequences from at least two bacterial and two archaeal groups and retain the ancestral archaeal–bacterial split. Among those, the genes shared by anaerobes were identified as candidate genes for the prokaryote common ancestor, which lived in anaerobic environments. We find that these anaerobic prokaryote common ancestor genes are today most frequently distributed among methanogens and clostridia, strict anaerobes that live from low free energy changes near the thermodynamic limit of life. The anaerobic families encompass genes for bifunctional acetyl-CoA-synthase/CO-dehydrogenase, heterodisulfide reductase subunits C and A, ferredoxins, and several subunits of the Mrp-antiporter/hydrogenase family, in addition to numerous S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) dependent methyltransferases. The data indicate a major role for methyl groups in the metabolism of the prokaryote common ancestor. The data furthermore indicate that the prokaryote ancestor possessed a rotor stator ATP synthase, but lacked cytochromes and quinones as well as identifiable redox-dependent ion pumping complexes. The prokaryote ancestor did possess, however, an Mrp-type H+/Na+ antiporter complex, capable of transducing geochemical pH gradients into biologically more stable Na+-gradients. The findings implicate a hydrothermal, autotrophic, and methyl-dependent origin of life. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ‘EBEC 2016: 19th European Bioenergetics Conference, Riva del Garda, Italy, July 2–6, 2016’, edited by Prof. Paolo Bernardi. Life arose without oxygen, the universal ancestor (Luca) was an anaerobe. We used phylogenetic and physiological criteria to identify genes present in Luca. An ancient core of 65 metabolic genes shed light on Luca's anaerobic lifestyle. Ancient core genes are most widespread among modern methanogens and clostridia. The data implicate a major role for methyl groups in Luca's anaerobic metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipa L Sousa
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Shijulal Nelson-Sathi
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - William F Martin
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätstrasse 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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