Biomedical subjects

Steven E Ealick

Publications and source records attributed to Steven E Ealick.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Acidophilic adaptations in the structure of Acetobacter aceti N5-carboxyaminoimidazole ribonucleotide mutase (PurE).

The crystal structure of Acetobacter aceti PurE was determined to a resolution of 1.55 A and is compared with the known structures of the class I PurEs from a mesophile, Escherichia coli, and a thermophile, Thermotoga maritima. Analyses of the general factors that increase protein stability are examined as potential explanations for the acid stability of A. aceti PurE. Increased inter-subunit hydrogen bonding and an increased number of arginine-containing salt bridges appear to account for the bulk of the increased acid stability. A chain of histidines linking two active sites is discussed in the context of the proton transfers catalyzed by the enzyme.

Acetobacter↗

PubMed2004

Thiamin biosynthesis in Bacillus subtilis: structure of the thiazole synthase/sulfur carrier protein complex.

Thiazole synthase is the key enzyme involved in the formation of the thiazole moiety of thiamin pyrophosphate. We have determined the structure of this enzyme in complex with ThiS, the sulfur carrier protein, at 3.15 A resolution. Thiazole synthase is a tetramer with 222 symmetry. The monomer is a (betaalpha)(8) barrel with similarities to the aldolase class 1 and flavin mononucleotide dependent oxidoreductase and phosphate binding superfamilies. The sulfur carrier protein (ThiS) is a compact protein with a fold similar to that of ubiquitin. The structure allowed us to model the substrate, deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP), in the active site. This model identified Glu98 and Asp182 as new active site residues likely to be involved in the catalysis of thiazole formation. The function of these residues was probed by mutagenesis experiments, which confirmed that both residues are essential for thiazole formation and identified Asp182 as the base involved in the deprotonation at C3 of the thiazole synthase DXP imine. Comparison of the ThiS binding surface to the surface of ubiquitin identified a conserved hydrophobic patch of unknown function on ubiquitin that may be involved in complex formation between ubiquitin and one of its binding partners.

Bacillus subtilis↗

PubMed2004

Observation of time-resolved structural changes by linear interpolation of highly redundant X-ray diffraction data.

A new experimental strategy is described for obtaining time-resolved protein structural changes using monochromatic X-ray crystallographic data. The method is based on time-dependent linear interpolation of observed intensity variations during conventional X-ray diffraction data collection. The method benefits from high data redundancy. Although the method was developed to examine time-dependent X-ray-induced crystal decay, it is potentially applicable to a variety of time-dependent crystallographic studies, including structural determination of chemical intermediates in enzyme reactions and X-ray-induced unfolding of proteins with multiple disulfide bonds.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2004

The formylglycinamide ribonucleotide amidotransferase complex from Bacillus subtilis: metabolite-mediated complex formation.

Formylglycinamide ribonucleotide amidotransferase (FGAR-AT) catalyzes the ATP- and glutamine-dependent formation of formylglycinamidine ribonucleotide, ADP, P(i), and glutamate in the fourth step of de novo purine biosynthesis. Like all amidotransferases (ATs), FGAR-AT is proposed to channel ammonia between a glutaminase and AT domain. In Gram-negative bacteria and eukaryotes, FGAR-AT is a single approximately 140 kDa protein. In archae and Gram-positive bacteria, the FGAR-AT is formed from three proteins: PurS (10 kDa), PurQ (25 kDa, a glutaminase), and smPurL (80 kDa, an AT). This is the only known AT to require a third structural component (PurS) for activity. Here we report the first purification and biochemical characterization of a three-component AT from Bacillus subtilis. Efforts to isolate an intact FGAR-AT focused initially on coexpression of PurS, smPurL, and PurQ. However, all attempts to purify the complex resulted in separation of the constituent proteins. PurS, smPurL, and PurQ were therefore separately expressed and purified to homogeneity. PurQ had a glutaminase activity of 0.002 s(-1), and smPurL had an ammonia-dependent AT activity of 0.044 s(-1). Reconstitution of PurS, smPurL, and PurQ at a ratio of 2:1:1 gave an activity of 2.49 s(-1), similar to that previously reported for the Escherichia coli 140 kDa FGAR-AT (5.00 s(-1)). PurS was essential for the glutamine-dependent FGAR-AT activity. Surprisingly, activity was found to be absolutely dependent on the presence of Mg2+ and ADP, and a stable FGAR-AT complex of 2PurS/1smPurL/1PurQ was detected only in the presence of Mg2+, ADP, and glutamine. The implications of these observations are discussed with respect to ammonia channeling.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed2004

A model for the Bacillus subtilis formylglycinamide ribonucleotide amidotransferase multiprotein complex.

Formylglycinamide ribonucleotide amidotransferase (FGAR-AT) catalyzes the conversion of formylglycinamide ribonucleotide (FGAR), ATP, and glutamine to formylglycinamidine ribonucleotide (FGAM), ADP, P(i), and glutamate in the fourth step of the purine biosynthetic pathway. PurL exists in two forms: large PurL (lgPurL) is a single chain, multidomain enzyme of about 1300 amino acids, whereas small PurL (smPurL) contains about 800 amino acids but requires two additional gene products, PurS and PurQ, for activity. smPurL contains the ATP and FGAR binding sites, PurQ is a glutaminase, and the function of PurS is just now becoming understood. We determined the structure of Bacillus subtilis PurS in two different crystal forms P2(1) and C2 at 2.5 and 2.0 A resolution, respectively. PurS forms a tight dimer with a central six-stranded beta-sheet flanked by four helices. In both the P2(1) and the C2 crystal forms, the quaternary structure of PurS is a tetramer. The concave faces of the PurS dimers interact via the C-terminal region to form a twelve-stranded beta-barrel with a hydrophilic core. We used the structure of PurS together with the structure of lgPurL from Salmonella typhimurium to construct a model of the PurS/smPurL/PurQ complex. The HisH (glutaminase) domain of imidazole glycerol phosphate synthetase was used as an additional model of PurQ. The model shows stoichiometry of 2PurS/smPurL/PurQ using a PurS dimer or 4PurS/2smPurL/2PurQ using a PurS tetramer. Both models place key conserved residues at the ATP/FGAR binding site and at a structural ADP binding site. The homology model is consistent with biochemical studies on the reconstituted complex.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed2004

Domain organization of Salmonella typhimurium formylglycinamide ribonucleotide amidotransferase revealed by X-ray crystallography.

Formylglycinamide ribonucleotide amidotransferase (FGAR-AT) catalyzes the ATP-dependent conversion of formylglycinamide ribonucleotide (FGAR) and glutamine to formylglycinamidine ribonucleotide (FGAM), ADP, P(i), and glutamate in the fourth step of the purine biosynthetic pathway. In eukaryotes and Gram-negative bacteria, FGAR-AT is encoded by the purL gene as a multidomain protein with a molecular mass of about 140 kDa. In Gram-positive bacteria and archaebacteria FGAR-AT is a complex of three proteins: PurS, PurL, and PurQ. We have determined the structure of FGAR-AT (PurL) from Salmonella typhimurium at 1.9 A resolution using X-ray crystallography. PurL is the last remaining enzyme in the purine biosynthetic pathway to have its structure determined. The structure reveals four domains: an N-terminal domain structurally homologous to a PurS dimer, a linker region, an FGAM synthetase domain homologous to an aminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase (PurM) dimer, and a triad glutaminase domain. The domains are intricately linked by interdomain interactions and peptide connectors. The fold common to PurM and the central region of PurL represents a superfamily for which HypE, SelD, and ThiL are predicted to be members. A structural ADP molecule was found bound to a site related to the putative active site by pseudo-2-fold symmetry and two sulfate ions were found at the putative active site. These observations and the structural similarities between PurM and StPurL were used to model the substrates FGAR and ATP in the StPurL active site. A glutamylthioester intermediate was found in the glutaminase domain at Cys1135. The N-terminal (PurS-like) domain is hypothesized to form the putative channel through which ammonia passes from the glutaminase domain to the FGAM synthetase domain.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

PubMed2004

Evolutionary links as revealed by the structure of Thermotoga maritima S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase.

S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) is a critical regulatory enzyme of the polyamine biosynthetic pathway and belongs to a small class of pyruvoyl-dependent amino acid decarboxylases. Structural elucidation of the prokaryotic AdoMetDC is of substantial interest in order to determine the relationship between the eukaryotic and prokaryotic forms of the enzyme. Although both forms utilize pyruvoyl groups, there is no detectable sequence similarity except at the site of pyruvoyl group formation. The x-ray structure of the Thermatoga maritima AdoMetDC proenzyme reveals a dimeric protein fold that is remarkably similar to the eukaryotic AdoMetDC protomer, suggesting an evolutionary link between the two forms of the enzyme. Three key active site residues (Ser55, His68, and Cys83) involved in substrate binding, catalysis or proenzyme processing that were identified in the human and potato AdoMet-DCs are structurally conserved in the T. maritima AdoMetDC despite very limited primary sequence identity. The role of Ser55, His68, and Cys83 in the self-processing reaction was investigated through site-directed mutagenesis. A homology model for the Escherichia coli AdoMetDC was generated based on the structures of the T. maritima and human AdoMetDCs.

Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase↗

PubMed2004

Structural comparison of MTA phosphorylase and MTA/AdoHcy nucleosidase explains substrate preferences and identifies regions exploitable for inhibitor design.

The development of new and effective antiprotozoal drugs has been a difficult challenge because of the close similarity of the metabolic pathways between microbial and mammalian systems. 5'-Methylthioadenosine/S-adenosylhomocysteine (MTA/AdoHcy) nucleosidase is thought to be an ideal target for therapeutic drug design as the enzyme is present in many microbes but not in mammals. MTA/AdoHcy nucleosidase (MTAN) irreversibly depurinates MTA or AdoHcy to form adenine and the corresponding thioribose. The inhibition of MTAN leads to a buildup of toxic byproducts that affect various microbial pathways such as quorum sensing, biological methylation, polyamine biosynthesis, and methionine recycling. The design of nucleosidase-specific inhibitors is complicated by its structural similarity to the human MTA phosphorylase (MTAP). The crystal structures of human MTAP complexed with formycin A and 5'-methylthiotubercidin have been solved to 2.0 and 2.1 A resolution, respectively. Comparisons of the MTAP and MTAN inhibitor complexes reveal size and electrostatic potential differences in the purine, ribose, and 5'-alkylthio binding sites, which account for the substrate specificity and reactions catalyzed. In addition, the differences between the two enzymes have allowed the identification of exploitable regions that can be targeted for the development of high-affinity nucleosidase-specific inhibitors. Sequence alignments of Escherichia coli MTAN, human MTAP, and plant MTA nucleosidases also reveal potential structural changes to the 5'-alkylthio binding site that account for the substrate preference of plant MTA nucleosidases.

Adenine Nucleotides↗

PubMed2004

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of uridine phosphorylase from Salmonella typhimurium.

The structural udp gene encoding uridine phosphorylase (UPh) was cloned from the Salmonella typhimurium chromosome and overexpressed in Escherichia coli cells. S. typhimurium UPh (StUPh) was purified to apparent homogeneity and crystallized. The primary structure of StUPh has high homology to the UPh from E. coli, but the enzymes differ substantially in substrate specificity and sensitivity to the polarity of the medium. Single crystals of StUPh were grown using hanging-drop vapor diffusion with PEG 8000 as the precipitant. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 2.9 A resolution. Preliminary analysis of the diffraction data indicated that the crystal belonged to space group P6(1(5)), with unit-cell parameters a = 92.3, c = 267.5 A. The solvent content is 37.7% assuming the presence of one StUPh hexamer per asymmetric unit.

Cloning, Molecular↗

PubMed2004

Structures of purine 2'-deoxyribosyltransferase, substrate complexes, and the ribosylated enzyme intermediate at 2.0 A resolution.

The structure of class I N-deoxyribosyltransferase from Lactobacillus helveticus was determined by X-ray crystallography. Unlike class II N-deoxyribosyltransferases, which accept either purine or pyrimidine deoxynucleosides, class I enzymes are specific for purines as both the donor and acceptor base. Both class I and class II enzymes are highly specific for deoxynucleosides. The class I structure reveals similarities with the previously determined class II enzyme from Lactobacillus leichmanni [Armstrong, S. A., Cook, W. J., Short, S. A., and Ealick, S. E. (1996) Structure 4, 97-107]. The specificity of the class I enzyme for purine deoxynucleosides can be traced to a loop (residues 48-62), which shields the active site in the class II enzyme. In the class I enzyme, the purine base itself shields the active site from the solvent, while the smaller pyrimidine base cannot. The structure of the enzyme with a bound ribonucleoside shows that the nucleophilic oxygen atom of Glu101 hydrogen bonds to the O2' atom, rendering it unreactive and thus explaining the specificity for 2'-deoxynucleosides. The structure of a ribosylated enzyme intermediate reveals movements that occur during cleavage of the N-glycosidic bond. The structures of complexes with substrates and substrate analogues show that the purine base can bind in several different orientations, thus explaining the ability of the enzyme to catalyze alternate deoxyribosylation at the N3 or N7 position.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2004

Enzymatic reactions involving novel mechanisms of carbanion stabilization.

The reactions catalyzed by orotidine monophosphate decarboxylase, oxalate decarboxylase, organomercurial lyase and phosphopantothenoylcysteine decarboxylase involve putative high-energy carbanion intermediates that cannot be stabilized by delocalization. Mechanistic and structural studies on each of these enzymes are described that suggest different strategies for carbanion stabilization. Both orotidine monophosphate decarboxylase and organomercurial lyase are likely to avoid carbanion formation by protonating the fragmenting bond, oxalate decarboxylase stabilizes an acyl carbanion using an adjacent radical and phosphopantothenoylcysteine decarboxylase stabilizes its carbanion by delocalization into a transient thioaldehyde.

Aldehydes↗

PubMed2004

Structure of Escherichia coli AMP nucleosidase reveals similarity to nucleoside phosphorylases.

AMP nucleosidase (AMN) catalyzes the hydrolysis of AMP to form adenine and ribose 5-phosphate. The enzyme is found only in prokaryotes, where it plays a role in purine nucleoside salvage and intracellular AMP level regulation. Enzyme activity is stimulated by ATP and suppressed by phosphate. The structure of unliganded AMN was determined at 2.7 A resolution, and structures of the complexes with either formycin 5'-monophosphate or inorganic phosphate were determined at 2.6 A and 3.0 A resolution, respectively. AMN is a biological homohexamer, and each monomer is composed of two domains: a catalytic domain and a putative regulatory domain. The overall topology of the catalytic domain and some features of the substrate binding site resemble those of the nucleoside phosphorylases, demonstrating that AMN is a new member of the family. The structure of the regulatory domain consists of a long helix and a four-stranded sheet and has a novel topology.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Crystal structure of an aminoimidazole riboside kinase from Salmonella enterica: implications for the evolution of the ribokinase superfamily.

The crystal structures of a Salmonella enterica aminoimidazole riboside (AIRs) kinase, its complex with the substrate AIRs, and its complex with AIRs and an ATP analog were determined at 2.6 angstroms, 2.9 angstroms, and 2.7 angstroms, respectively. The product of the Salmonella-specific gene stm4066, AIRs kinase, is a homodimer with one active site per monomer. The core structure, consisting of an eight-stranded beta sheet flanked by eight alpha helices, indicates that AIRs kinase is a member of the ribokinase superfamily. Unlike ribokinase and adenosine kinase in this superfamily, AIRs kinase does not show significant conformational changes upon substrate binding. The active site is covered by a lid formed by residues 16-28 and 86-100. A comparison of the structure of AIRs kinase with other ribokinase superfamily members suggests that the active site lid and conformational changes that occur upon substrate binding may be advanced features in the evolution of the ribokinase superfamily.

Amines↗

PubMed2004

Molecular characterization of recombinant mouse adenosine kinase and evaluation as a target for protein phosphorylation.

The regulation of adenosine kinase (AK) activity has the potential to control intracellular and interstitial adenosine (Ado) concentrations. In an effort to study the role of AK in Ado homeostasis in the central nervous system, two isoforms of the enzyme were cloned from a mouse brain cDNA library. Following overexpression in bacterial cells, the corresponding proteins were purified to homogeneity. Both isoforms were enzymatically active and found to possess K(m) and V(max) values in agreement with kinetic parameters described for other forms of AK. The distribution of AK in discrete brain regions and various peripheral tissues was defined. To investigate the possibility that AK activity is regulated by protein phosphorylation, a panel of protein kinases was screened for ability to phosphorylate recombinant mouse AK. Data from these in vitro phosphorylation studies suggest that AK is most likely not an efficient substrate for PKA, PKG, CaMKII, CK1, CK2, MAPK, Cdk1, or Cdk5. PKC was found to phosphorylate recombinant AK efficiently in vitro. Further analysis revealed, however, that this PKC-dependent phosphorylation occurred at one or more serine residues associated with the N-terminal affinity tag used for protein purification.

Adenosine↗

PubMed2003

Three-dimensional structure of YaaE from Bacillus subtilis, a glutaminase implicated in pyridoxal-5'-phosphate biosynthesis.

The structure of YaaE from Bacillus subtilis was determined at 2.5-A resolution. YaaE is a member of the triad glutamine aminotransferase family and functions in a recently identified alternate pathway for the biosynthesis of vitamin B(6). Proposed active residues include conserved Cys-79, His-170, and Glu-172. YaaE shows similarity to HisH, a glutaminase involved in histidine biosynthesis. YaaD associates with YaaE. A homology model of this protein was constructed. YaaD is predicted to be a (beta/alpha)(8) barrel on the basis of sequence comparisons. The predicted active site includes highly conserved residues 211-216 and 233-235. Finally, a homology model of a putative YaaD-YaaE complex was prepared using the structure of HisH-F as a model. This model predicts that the ammonia molecule generated by YaaE is channeled through the center of the YaaD barrel to the putative YaaD active site.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Unusual space-group pseudosymmetry in crystals of human phosphopantothenoylcysteine decarboxylase.

Phosphopantothenoylcysteine (PPC) decarboxylase is an essential enzyme in the biosynthesis of coenzyme A and catalyzes the decarboxylation of PPC to phosphopantetheine. Human PPC decarboxylase has been expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. The Laue class of the diffraction data appears to be 3m, suggesting space group R32 with two monomers per asymmetric unit. However, the crystals belong to the space group R3 and the asymmetric unit contains four monomers. The structure has been solved using molecular replacement and refined to a current R factor of 29%. The crystal packing can be considered as two interlaced lattices, each consistent with space group R32 and with the corresponding twofold axes parallel to each other but separated along the threefold axis. Thus, the true space group is R3 with four monomers per asymmetric unit.

Carboxy-Lyases↗

PubMed2003

Structural basis for substrate specificity of Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase.

Purine nucleoside phosphorylase catalyzes reversible phosphorolysis of purine nucleosides and 2'-deoxypurine nucleosides to the free base and ribose (or 2'-deoxyribose) 1-phosphate. Whereas the human enzyme is specific for 6-oxopurine ribonucleosides, the Escherichia coli enzyme accepts additional substrates including 6-oxopurine ribonucleosides, 6-aminopurine ribonucleosides, and to a lesser extent purine arabinosides. These differences have been exploited in a potential suicide gene therapy treatment for solid tumors. In an effort to optimize this suicide gene therapy approach, we have determined the three-dimensional structure of the E. coli enzyme in complex with 10 nucleoside analogs and correlated the structures with kinetic measurements and computer modeling. These studies explain the preference of the enzyme for ribose sugars, show increased flexibility for active site residues Asp204 and Arg24, and suggest that interactions involving the 1- and 6-positions of the purine and the 4'- and 5'-positions of the ribose provide the best opportunities to increase prodrug specificity and enzyme efficiency.

Escherichia coli Proteins↗

PubMed2003

Anomalous difference signal in protein crystals.

A scattering-angle-dependent formula is obtained for estimation of anomalous diffraction signals in Friedel pairs in protein crystals. In addition to the angle dependences of atomic form factor and temperature factor, a correlation form factor is introduced for the first time to take into account anomalous-scattering clusters such as disulfide bonds. Good agreements with experimental observations suggest that such correlated anomalous difference signals may be visible from measurements before a complete structural solution is obtained.

Crystallization↗