Refinement of glucose isomerase from Streptomyces albus at 1.65 A with data from an imaging plate

The Diamond Light Source and the challenges ahead for structural biology: some informal remarks

The remarkable advances in structural biology in the past three decades have led to the determination of increasingly complex structures that lie at the heart of many important biological processes. Many of these advances have been made possible by the use of X-ray crystallography using synchrotron radiation. In this short article, some of the challenges and prospects that lie ahead will be summarized.

Identification of critical residues for the activity and thermostability of Streptomyces sp. SK glucose isomerase

The role of residue 219 in the physicochemical properties of D-glucose isomerase from Streptomyces sp. SK strain (SKGI) was investigated by site-directed mutagenesis and structural studies. Mutants G219A, G219N, and G219F were generated and characterized. Comparative studies of their physicochemical properties with those of the wild-type enzyme highlighted that mutant G219A displayed increased specific activity and thermal stability compared to that of the wild-type enzyme, while for G219N and G219F, these properties were considerably decreased. A double mutant, SKGI F53L/G219A, displayed a higher optimal temperature and a higher catalytic efficiency than both the G219A mutant and the wild-type enzyme and showed a half-life time of about 150 min at 85 °C as compared to 50 min for wild-type SKGI. Crystal structures of SKGI wild-type and G219A enzymes were solved to 1.73 and 2.15 Å, respectively, and showed that the polypeptide chain folds into two structural domains. The larger domain consists of a (β/α)8 unit, and the smaller domain forms a loop of α helices. Detailed analyses of the three-dimensional structures highlighted minor but important changes in the active site region as compared to that of the wild-type enzyme leading to a displacement of both metal ions, and in particular that in site M2. The structural analyses moreover revealed how the substitution of G219 by an alanine plays a crucial role in improving the thermostability of the mutant enzyme.

D-xylose isomerase from a marine bacterium, Vibrio sp. strain XY-214, and D-xylulose production from β-1,3-xylan

The xylA gene from a marine bacterium, Vibrio sp. strain XY-214, encoding D-xylose isomerase (XylA) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The xylA gene consisted of 1,320-bp nucleotides encoding a protein of 439 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 49,264. XylA was classified into group II xylose isomerases. The native XylA was estimated to be a homotetramer with a molecular mass of 190 kDa. The purified recombinant XylA exhibited maximal activity at 60°C and pH 7.5. Its apparent K (m) values for D-xylose and D-glucose were 7.93 and 187 mM, respectively. Furthermore, we carried out D-xylulose production from β-1,3-xylan, a major cell wall polysaccharide component of the killer alga Caulerpa taxifolia. The synergistic action of β-1,3-xylanase (TxyA) and β-1,3-xylosidase (XloA) from Vibrio sp. strain XY-214 enabled efficient saccharification of β-1,3-xylan to D-xylose. D-xylose was then converted to D-xylulose by using XylA from the strain XY-214. The conversion rate of D-xylose to D-xylulose by XylA was found to be approximately 40% in the presence of 4 mM sodium tetraborate after 2 h of incubation. These results demonstrated that TxyA, XloA, and XylA from Vibrio sp. strain XY-214 are useful tools for D-xylulose production from β-1,3-xylan. Because D-xylulose can be used as a source for ethanol fermentation by yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the present study will provide a basis for ethanol production from β-1,3-xylan.

The structures of L-rhamnose isomerase from Pseudomonas stutzeri in complexes with L-rhamnose and D-allose provide insights into broad substrate specificity

Pseudomonas stutzeri L-rhamnose isomerase (P. stutzeri L-RhI) can efficiently catalyze the isomerization between various aldoses and ketoses, showing a broad substrate specificity compared to L-RhI from Escherichia coli (E. coli L-RhI). To understand the relationship between structure and substrate specificity, the crystal structures of P. stutzeri L-RhI alone and in complexes with L-rhamnose and D-allose which has different configurations of C4 and C5 from L-rhamnose, were determined at a resolution of 2.0 A, 1.97 A, and 1.97 A, respectively. P. stutzeri L-RhI has a large domain with a (beta/alpha)(8) barrel fold and an additional small domain composed of seven alpha-helices, forming a homo tetramer, as found in E. coli L-RhI and D-xylose isomerases (D-XIs) from various microorganisms. The beta1-alpha1 loop (Gly60-Arg76) of P. stutzeri L-RhI is involved in the substrate binding of a neighbouring molecule, as found in D-XIs, while in E. coli L-RhI, the corresponding beta1-alpha1 loop is extended (Asp52-Arg78) and covers the substrate-binding site of the same molecule. The complex structures of P. stutzeri L-RhI with L-rhamnose and D-allose show that both substrates are nicely fitted to the substrate-binding site. The part of the substrate-binding site interacting with the substrate at the 1, 2, and 3 positions is equivalent to E. coli L-RhI, and the other part interacting with the 4, 5, and 6 positions is similar to D-XI. In E. coli L-RhI, the beta1-alpha1 loop creates an unique hydrophobic pocket at the the 4, 5, and 6 positions, leading to the strictly recognition of L-rhamnose as the most suitable substrate, while in P. stutzeri L-RhI, there is no corresponding hydrophobic pocket where Phe66 from a neighbouring molecule merely forms hydrophobic interactions with the substrate, leading to the loose substrate recognition at the 4, 5, and 6 positions.

Glucose isomerase of the Streptomyces sp. SK strain: purification, sequence analysis and implication of alanine 103 residue in the enzyme thermostability and acidotolerance

The glucose isomerase gene (xylA) from the Streptomyces sp. SK strain encodes a 386-amino-acid protein (42.7 kDa) showing extensive identities with many other bacterial glucose isomerases. We have shown by gel filtration chromatography and SDS-PAGE analysis that the purified recombinant glucose isomerase (SKGI) is a 180 kDa tetramer of four 43 kDa subunits. Sequence inspection revealed that this protein, present some special characteristics like the abundance of hydrophobic residues and some original amino-acid substitutions, which distinguish SKGI from the other GIs previously reported. The presence of an Ala residue at position 103 in SKGI is especially remarkable, since the same amino-acid was found at the equivalent position in the extremely thermostable GIs from Thermus thermophilus and Thermotoga neapolitana; whereas a Gly was found in the majority of less thermostable GIs from Streptomyces. The Ala103Gly mutation, introduced in SKGI, significantly decreases the half-life time at 90 degrees C from 80 to 50 min and also shifts the optimum pH from 6.5 to 7.5. This confirms the implication of the Ala103 residue on SKGI thermostability and activity at low pH. A homology model of SKGI based on the SOGI (that of Streptomyces olivochromogenes) crystal structure has been constructed in order to understand the mutational effects on a molecular scale. Hence, the Ala103Gly mutation, affecting enzyme properties, is presumed to increase molecular flexibility and to destabilize, in particular at elevated temperature, the 91-109 loop that includes the important catalytic residue, Phe94.

Crystal structures of thermostable xylose isomerases from Thermus caldophilus and Thermus thermophilus: possible structural determinants of thermostability

The crystal structures of highly thermostable xylose isomerases from Thermus thermophilus (TthXI) and Thermus caldophilus (TcaXI), both with the optimum reaction temperature of 90 degrees C, have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The model of TcaXI has been refined to an R-factor of 17.8 % for data extending to 2.3 A and that of TthXI to 17.1 % for data extending to 2.2 A. The tetrameric arrangement of subunits characterized by the 222-symmetry and the tertiary fold of each subunit in both TcaXI and TthXI are basically the same as in other xylose isomerases. Each monomer is composed of two domains. Domain I (residues 1 to 321) folds into the (beta/alpha)8-barrel. Domain II (residues 322 to 387), lacking beta-strands, makes extensive contacts with domain I of an adjacent subunit. Each monomer of TcaXI contains ten beta-strands, 15 alpha-helices, and six 310-helices, while that of TthXI contains ten beta-strands, 16 alpha-helices, and five 310-helices. Although the electron density does not indicate the presence of bound metal ions in the present models of both TcaXI and TthXI, the active site residues show the conserved structural features. In order to understand the structural basis for thermostability of these enzymes, their structures have been compared with less thermostable XIs from Arthrobacter B3728 and Actinoplanes missouriensis (AXI and AmiXI), with the optimum reaction temperatures of 80 degrees C and 75 degrees C, respectively. Analyses of various factors that may affect protein thermostability indicate that the possible structural determinants of the enhanced thermostability of TcaXI/TthXI over AXI/AmiXI are (i) an increase in ion pairs and ion-pair networks, (ii) a decrease in the large inter-subunit cavities, (iii) a removal of potential deamidation/isoaspartate formation sites, and (iv) a shortened loop.

Thermotoga neapolitana homotetrameric xylose isomerase is expressed as a catalytically active and thermostable dimer in Escherichia coli

The xylA gene from Thermotoga neapolitana 5068 was expressed in Escherichia coli. Gel filtration chromatography showed that the recombinant enzyme was both a homodimer and a homotetramer, with the dimer being the more abundant form. The purified native enzyme, however, has been shown to be exclusively tetrameric. The two enzyme forms had comparable stabilities when they were thermoinactivated at 95 degrees C. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed thermal transitions at 99 and 109.5 degrees C for both forms, with an additional shoulder at 91 degrees C for the tetramer. These results suggest that the association of the subunits into the tetrameric form may have little impact on the stability and biocatalytic properties of the enzyme.

Sequence similarity between xylose isomerase and replicase: another TIM-barrel in the replicase structure?

The BLAST search using the strand beta 2 (46_GAHGVTFHDDDLIP) of the (alpha/beta)8-barrel of xylose isomerase from Streptomyces olivochromogenes resulted in retrieving the sequentially similar segment of replicase from garlic latent virus (692_GGHGIGFHRDD). The detailed analysis of the entire amino acid sequences of both xylose isomerase and replicase suggested that the polypeptide segment 644-1046 of replicase (the entire length of this enzyme is 1924 residues) could share the structure of xylose isomerase (20.7% identity using the entire sequence of xylose isomerase). The relatedness of replicase and xylose isomerase is supported by the fact that the sequence similarity can be observed along the whole sequence of xylose isomerase (386 amino acid residues). The sequence of replicase exhibits moreover the similarity with that of lycopene cyclase, an enzyme implicated in the beta-carotene biosynthesis, that was previously found to share similarity with xylose isomerase. Thus the relevant segment of replicase is predicted to adopt an (alpha/beta)8-barrel topology similar to that of xylose isomerase.

Electron paramagnetic resonance of D-xylose isomerase: evidence for metal ion movement induced by binding of cyclic substrates and inhibitors

The interactions of substrates and inhibitors with the Mn2+ ions in the binuclear active center of D-xylose isomerase (XylI) were investigated by EPR spectroscopy at X- and Q-band frequencies. The metal binding site 1 (A site) was specifically occupied with Mn2+ ions by blocking the high-affinity metal binding site 2 (B-site) either with Co2+ ions, resulting in a catalytically active enzyme, or with Cd2+ or Pb2+ ions yielding an inactive enzyme species. Incubation of both the Co2+/Mn2+- and the Cd2+/Mn2+-XylI with the acyclic inhibitor xylitol revealed EPR spectra with well-resolved hyperfine patterns, but with increased zero field splitting (zfs) parameter D compared to the spectra without inhibitor. D was estimated by spectral simulation of the central --1/2<-->1/2 fine structure transition. D values of 33 and 50 mT were obtained for the Co2+/Mn2+-XylI and the Cd2+/Mn2+-XylI samples, respectively. These results indicate direct interaction of the xylitol with the Mn2+ in the A-site. More drastic changes are observed with the substrates D-xylose and D-glucose and with the cyclic inhibitors 5-thio-alpha-D-glucose and 2-desoxy-D-glucose. For Cd2+/Mn2+-XylI, the EPR spectra with substrates and cyclic inhibitors are similar to each other but different from the spectra with the acylic inhibitor xylitol. They exhibit well-resolved line patterns with a relative large zero field splitting, which was estimated to be in the range of D = 65-85 mT in the various complexes. Binding of substrates or of cyclic inhibitors to the Co2+/ Mn2+-XylI yields EPR spectra without resolved hyperfine interactions, indicative of dipolar interaction between the two paramagnetic metal ions. This can be explained with a decrease in the metal-metal distance. Furthermore, the EPR data strongly suggest that the corresponding metal ion movement is induced by binding of the cyclic conformation of either substrates or cyclic inhibitors and not by binding of the extended form of the sugars.

Crystal structure of the 20S proteasome from the archaeon T. acidophilum at 3.4 A resolution

The three-dimensional structure of the proteasome from the archaebacterium Thermoplasma acidophilum has been elucidated by x-ray crystallographic analysis by means of isomorphous replacement and cyclic averaging. The atomic model was built and refined to a crystallographic R factor of 22.1 percent. The 673-kilodalton protease complex consists of 14 copies of two different subunits, alpha and beta, forming a barrel-shaped structure of four stacked rings. The two inner rings consist of seven beta subunits each, and the two outer rings consist of seven alpha subunits each. A narrow channel controls access to the three inner compartments. The alpha 7 beta 7 beta 7 alpha 7 subunit assembly has 72-point group symmetry. The structures of the alpha and beta subunits are similar, consisting of a core of two antiparallel beta sheets that is flanked by alpha helices on both sides. The binding of a peptide aldehyde inhibitor marks the active site in the central cavity at the amino termini of the beta subunits and suggests a novel proteolytic mechanism.

X-ray crystallographic structures of D-xylose isomerase-substrate complexes position the substrate and provide evidence for metal movement during catalysis

The X-ray crystallographic structures of the metal-activated enzyme xylose isomerase from Streptomyces olivochromogenes with the substrates D-glucose, 3-O-methyl-D-glucose and in the absence of substrate were determined to 1.96-, 2.19-, and 1.81-A resolution and refined to R-factors of 16.6%, 15.9%, and 16.1%, respectively. Xylose isomerase catalyzes the interconversion between glucose and fructose (xylose and xylulose under physiological conditions) by utilizing two metal cofactors to promote a hydride shift; the metals are bridged by a glutamate residue. This puts xylose isomerase in the small but rapidly growing family of enzymes with a bridged bimetallic active site, in which both metals are involved in the chemical transformation. The substrate 3-O-methylglucose was chosen in order to position the glucose molecule in the observed electron density unambiguously. Of the two essential magnesium ions per active site, Mg-2 was observed to occupy two alternate positions, separated by 1.8 A, in the substrate-soaked structures. The deduced movement was not observed in the structure without substrate present and is attributed to a step following substrate binding but prior to isomerization. The substrates glucose and 3-O-methylglucose are observed in their linear extended forms and make identical interactions with the enzyme by forming ligands to Mg-1 through O2 and O4 and by forming hydrogen bonds with His53 through O5 and Lys182 through O1. Mg-2 has a water ligand that is interpreted in the crystal structure in the absence of substrate as a hydroxide ion and in the presence of substrate as a water molecule. This hydroxide ion may act as a base to deprotonate the glucose O2 and subsequently protonate the product fructose O1 concomitant with hydride transfer. Calculations of the solvent-accessible surface of possible dimers, with and without the alpha-helical C-terminal domain, suggest that the tetramer is the active form of this xylose isomerase.

Structure of the Tet repressor-tetracycline complex and regulation of antibiotic resistance

The most frequently occurring resistance of Gram-negative bacteria against tetracyclines is triggered by drug recognition of the Tet repressor. This causes dissociation of the repressor-operator DNA complex and enables expression of the resistance protein TetA, which is responsible for active efflux of tetracycline. The 2.5 angstrom resolution crystal structure of the homodimeric Tet repressor complexed with tetracycline-magnesium reveals detailed drug recognition. The orientation of the operator-binding helix-turn-helix motifs of the repressor is inverted in comparison with other DNA binding proteins. The repressor-drug complex is unable to interact with DNA because the separation of the DNA binding motifs is 5 angstroms wider than usually observed.

A structural role for arginine in proteins: multiple hydrogen bonds to backbone carbonyl oxygens

We propose that arginine side chains often play a previously unappreciated general structural role in the maintenance of tertiary structure in proteins, wherein the positively charged guanidinium group forms multiple hydrogen bonds to backbone carbonyl oxygens. Using as a criterion for a "structural" arginine one that forms 4 or more hydrogen bonds to 3 or more backbone carbonyl oxygens, we have used molecular graphics to locate arginines of interest in 4 proteins: Arg 180 in Thermus thermophilus manganese superoxide dismutase, Arg 254 in human carbonic anhydrase II, Arg 31 in Streptomyces rubiginosus xylose isomerase, and Arg 313 in Rhodospirillum rubrum ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. Arg 180 helps to mold the active site channel of superoxide dismutase, whereas in each of the other enzymes the structural arginine is buried in the "mantle" (i.e., inside, but near the surface) of the protein interior well removed from the active site, where it makes 5 hydrogen bonds to 4 backbone carbonyl oxygens. Using a more relaxed criterion of 3 or more hydrogen bonds to 2 or more backbone carbonyl oxygens, arginines that play a potentially important structural role were found in yeast enolase, Bacillus stearothermophilus glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, bacteriophage T4 and human lysozymes, Enteromorpha prolifera plastocyanin, HIV-1 protease, Trypanosoma brucei brucei and yeast triosephosphate isomerases, and Escherichia coli trp aporepressor (but not trp repressor or the trp repressor/operator complex).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Evolution of parallel beta/alpha-barrel enzyme family lightened by structural data on starch-processing enzymes

The parallel beta/alpha-barrel domain consisting of eight parallel beta-sheets surrounded by eight alpha-helices has been currently identified in crystal structures of more than 20 enzymes. This type of protein folding motif makes it possible to catalyze various biochemical reactions on a variety of substrates (i.e., it seems to be robust enough so that different enzymatic functionalities could be designed on it). In spite of many efforts aimed at elucidation of evolutionary history of the present-day beta/alpha-barrels, a challenging question remains unanswered: How has the parallel beta/alpha-barrel fold arisen? Although the complete sequence comparison of all beta/alpha-barrel amino acid sequences is not yet available, several sequence similarities have been revealed by using the highly conserved regions of alpha-amylase as structural templates. Since many starch-processing enzymes adopt the parallel beta/alpha-barrel structure these enzymes might be useful in the search for evolutionary relationships of the whole parallel eight-folded beta/alpha-barrel enzyme family.

X- and Q-band EPR studies on the two Mn(2+)-substituted metal-binding sites of D-xylose isomerase

The two metal-binding sites (A and B)/subunit of the homotetrameric D-xylose isomerase (Xyl isomerase) from Streptomyces rubiginosus have been studied with Mn(2+)-EPR spectroscopy at X-band and Q-band frequencies and with electronic spectroscopy. Displacement studies in the visible absorbance range showed that Mn2+ have a higher affinity for the B site. With the low-affinity A site unoccupied, the coordination sphere of Mn2+ in the B site is quite distorted giving rise to a highly anisotropic X-band EPR spectrum. Simulation of the Q-band spectrum reveals a zero field splitting (zfs) D of about 45-48 mT and a rhombicity parameter E/D between 0.2 and 0.3. Occupation of both binding sites with Mn2+ induces a significant shift towards a higher symmetry in the coordination sphere of the B site resulting in similar zfs parameters for both binding sites. The change in A-site environment caused by B-site occupation was analysed in mixed Xyl isomerase derivatives, in which the B site is loaded with Co2+, Cd2+ or Pb2+ and the A site with Mn2+. In the Co2+/Mn2+ Xyl isomerase the Mn2+ has a relatively symmetric ligand environment with small zfs parameters (D = 12 mT, E/D < 0.15). Substituting Co2+ with Cd2+ or Pb2+ in the B site leads to a drastic increase in the zfs parameters of Mn2+ in the A site. The distortions are directly linked to the ionic radii of the ions bound to the B site and may be mediated by the carboxylate group of Glu216 that bridges the metal-binding sites. The EPR spectra also reflect the catalytic activity of the mixed metal samples. With the larger Cd2+ or Pb2+ in the B site, which are strongly influencing the stereochemistry of the A site, the catalytic activity is lost, whereas Co2+ and Mn2+ render the enzyme in an active state, so that the mutual influence on catalysis depends on the complex geometry of both metal-binding sites.

The structure of a thermally stable 3-phosphoglycerate kinase and a comparison with its mesophilic equivalent

The structure of the phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) from Bacillus stearothermophilus, a moderate thermophile, has been determined and compared with that of its mesophilic equivalent from yeast. The Bacillus enzyme structure was solved by molecular replacement and improved using constrained rigid-body, molecular dynamics and conventional refinement procedures. The refinement residual, calculated using all the measured data between 8 and 1.65 A, is 0.18(1). The stereo chemical deviations of the final model from ideality are 0.01 A for both bonds and planes. The mid-point temperatures of the Bacillus and yeast enzymes are 67 and 53 degrees C, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry indicates that the energy difference (delta delta G) between the mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes is of the order of 5 kcal mol-1 at room temperature. The structure comparison indicates that the features most likely to be responsible for the increased thermal stability of the Bacillus enzyme are the increased internal hydrophobicity, additional ion pairs, and better alpha-helix stability resulting from the removal of helix destabilizing residues and extra helix-dipole/helix side chain ionic interactions.

Crystal structure of the factor for inversion stimulation FIS at 2.0 A resolution

The factor for inversion stimulation (FIS) binds as a homodimeric molecule to a loose 15 nucleotide consensus sequence in DNA. It stimulates DNA-related processes, such as DNA inversion and excision, it activates transcription of tRNA and rRNA genes and it regulates its own synthesis. FIS crystallizes as a homodimer, with 2 x 98 amino acid residues in the asymmetric unit. The crystal structure was determined with multiple isomorphous replacement and refined to an R-factor of 19.2% against all the 12,719 X-ray data (no sigma-cutoff) extending to 2.0 A resolution. The two monomers are related by a non-crystallographic dyad axis. The structure of the dimer is modular, with the first 23 amino acid residues in molecule M1 and the first 24 in molecule M2 disordered and not "seen" in the electron density. The polypeptide folds into four alpha-helices, with alpha A, alpha A' (amino acid residues 26 to 40) and alpha B, alpha B' (49 to 69) forming the core of the FIS dimer, which is stabilized by hydrophobic forces. To the core are attached "classical" helix-turn-helix motifs, alpha C, alpha D (73 to 81 and 84 to 94) and alpha C', alpha D'. The connections linking the helices are structured by two beta-turns for alpha A/alpha B, and alpha C1 type extensions are observed at the C termini of helices alpha B, alpha C and alpha D. Helices alpha D and alpha D' contain 2 x 6 positive charges; they are separated by 24 A and can bind adjacent major grooves in B-type DNA if it is bent 90 degrees. The modular structure of FIS is also reflected by mutation experiments; mutations in the N-terminal part and alpha A interfere with FIS binding to invertases, and mutations in the helix-turn-helix motif interfere with DNA binding.