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[T4-DNA ligase: substrate properties of synthetic DNA-duplexes with structural anomalies].

Structural defects, affecting T4 DNA ligase function, were revealed with the help of synthetic DNA duplexes, containing modifications at single nick. Changes of configuration at C2' and C3' atoms of furanose in the acceptor terminus lead to total blocking of the nick sealing activity of T4 DNA ligase. On the contrary, substitution of 3'-terminal deoxyribonucleotide for ribonucleotide doesn't affect the enzyme's action. The duplex looses all of it's substrate activity if the next from the nick G.C pair is substituted for the noncomplementary G.C pair. In DNA duplexes containing an unpaired base in the nick, elimination of the extrahelical nucleotide proceeds the ligation step. In these cases the duplex substrate activity decreases depending on the extent of extrahelical base stacking into the double stranded DNA.

Catalysis↗

Structural and functional similarities in the ADP-forming amide bond ligase superfamily: implications for a substrate-induced conformational change in folylpolyglutamate synthetase.

Comparison of the three-dimensional structures of folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) and the bacterial cell wall ligase UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine:d-glutamate ligase (MurD) reveals that these two enzymes have a remarkable structural similarity despite a low level of sequence identity. Both enzymes have a modular, multi-domain structure and catalyse a similar ATP-dependent reaction involving the addition of a glutamate residue to a carboxylate-containing substrate, tetrahydrofolate in the case of FPGS, and UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine in the case of MurD. Site-directed mutations of selected residues in the active site of Lactobacillus casei FPGS (P74A, E143A, E143D, E143Q, K185A, D313A, H316A, G411A and S412A) showed that most of these changes resulted in an almost complete loss of activity. Several of these amino acid residues in FPGS are found in structurally equivalent positions to active-site residues in MurD. Some insights into the function of these residues in FPGS activity are proposed, based on the roles surmised from the structures of two MurD. UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine.ADP complexes and a MurD. UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine-d-glutamate complex. Furthermore, the comparison has led us to propose that conformational changes induced by substrate binding in the reaction mechanism of FPGS result in a movement of the domains towards each other to more closely resemble the orientation of the corresponding domains in MurD. This relative domain movement may be a key feature of this new family of ADP-forming amide bond ligases.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Detecting Genes with Ligases

The combination of synthetic oligonucleotide probes and DNA ligases is central to several recently developed genetic assays. Among the advantages of ligase-mediated gene detection is that ligation of probe pairs provides highly specific detection of unique DNA sequences in genomic samples. The technique also allows for convenient distinction between sequence variants, since mismatched bases at the junction of the probe pair prevent ligation. Moreover, the circumstance that two probes are joined into one molecule can be exploited for detection in several ways, for instance by observing the change in probe size upon ligation. Alternatively, a detectable function on one probe can be demonstrated to become linked to a retrievable function on another one through ligation. Ligation products can also be recruited as templates for subsequent ligation reactions in powerful amplification schemes. So-called padlock probes lock to their targets by encircling them, remaining in place even after denaturing washes. Here, we will describe two ligase-mediated assays: one that serves to monitor the presence of common sequence variants in amplified samples of genomic DNA and another that is suitable to detect localized gene sequences.

Journal Article↗

Release of [14C]tyrosine from tubulinyl-[14C]tyrosine by brain extract. Separation of a carboxypeptidase from tubulin-tyrosine ligase.

The carboxypeptidase previously described that releases tyrosine from tubulinyl-tyrosine was obtained from rat brain preparation free of tubulin-tyrosine ligase. The enzyme was purified 24-fold. Its activity was increased by 2 mM MgCl2 or 30 mM KCl. Mercaptoethanol (50 mM), colchicine (0.2 mM) and tyrosine (0.2 mM) showed practically no effect on the release of tyrosine whereas iodoacetate (2 mM), deoxycholate (0.5%), CuCl2 (0.1 mM), ZnCl2 (0.1 mM) and NaCl or KCl (240 mM) had a strong inhibitory effect. The optimal pH of this enzyme was 6.3--7. A preparation containing tubulin-tyrosine ligase free of carboxypeptidase was also obtained. This preparation catalyzed the release of tyrosine from tyrosinated tubulin in the presence of ADP, Mg2+, K+ and Pi and the incorporation of tyrosine into tubulin. For the releasing activity the optimal concentration of MgCl2 was 3--20 mM and of KCl was 10--30 mM. For ADP the maximal act;vity was at 0.3 mM or higher. An important difference between the activities of the carboxypeptidase and the ligase was that the former was active on denatured tubulin whereas the latter was not.

Animals↗

Inactivation of Escherichia coli 2-amino-3-ketobutyrate CoA ligase by phenylglyoxal and identification of an active-site arginine peptide.

Treatment of homogeneous preparations of 2-amino-3-ketobutyrate CoA ligase from Escherichia coli, a pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme, with phenylglyoxal, 4-(oxyacetyl)phenoxyacetic acid, 2,3-butanedione, or 1,2-cyclohexanedione results in a time- and concentration-dependent loss of enzymatic activity. Phenylglyoxal in 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) is the most effective modifier, causing > 95% inactivation within 20 min at 25 degrees C. Controls establish that this inactivation is not due to modifier-induced dissociation or photoinduced nonspecific alteration of the ligase. The substrate, acetyl CoA, or the coenzyme, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, gives > 50% protection against inactivation. Enzyme partially inactivated by phenylglyoxal has the same Km value for glycine but the Vmax decreases in proportion to the observed level of inactivation. Whereas the native apoligase shows good recovery of activity with time in parallel with an increase in 428-nm absorptivity when incubated with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, no such effects are seen with the phenylglyoxal-modified apoligase. Reaction of the enzyme with [14C]phenylglyoxal allowed for the isolation of a peptide which, by amino acid composition and sequencing data, was found to correspond to residues 349-378 in the intact enzyme. These results indicate that arginine residue-366 and/or residue-368 in the primary structure of E. coli 2-amino-3-ketobutyrate ligase is at the active site.

Acetyltransferases↗

Sequence of the vanC gene of Enterococcus gallinarum BM4174 encoding a D-alanine:D-alanine ligase-related protein necessary for vancomycin resistance.

The amplification product obtained with DNA from vancomycin-resistant (VmR) Enterococcus gallinarum BM4174 and a pair of degenerate oligodeoxyribonucleotides that correspond to conserved amino acid (aa) motifs in Escherichia coli D-alanine (D-Ala):D-Ala ligases and in En. faecium VmR protein (VanA) was used as a probe to clone the vanC gene of that strain. The vanC product, with a calculated Mr of 37,504, exhibits 29 to 38% aa identity with VanA and E. coli ligases. Insertional inactivation of vanC led to Vm sensitivity of BM4174 suggesting that the gene may encode a D-Ala:D-Ala ligase of altered specificity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The ubiquitin ligase activity in the DDB2 and CSA complexes is differentially regulated by the COP9 signalosome in response to DNA damage.

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a major cellular defense against the carcinogenic effects of ultraviolet light from the sun. Mutational inactivation of NER proteins, like DDB and CSA, leads to hereditary diseases such as xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) and Cockayne syndrome (CS). Here, we show that DDB2 and CSA are each integrated into nearly identical complexes via interaction with DDB1. Both complexes contain cullin 4A and Roc1 and display ubiquitin ligase activity. They also contain the COP9 signalosome (CSN), a known regulator of cullin-based ubiquitin ligases. Strikingly, CSN differentially regulates ubiquitin ligase activity of the DDB2 and CSA complexes in response to UV irradiation. Knockdown of CSN with RNA interference leads to defects in NER. These results suggest that the distinct UV response of the DDB2 and CSA complexes is involved in diverse mechanisms of NER.

COP9 Signalosome Complex↗

Synthesis and evaluation of inhibitors of bacterial D-alanine:D-alanine ligases.

BACKGROUND: D-Alanine:D-alanine ligase is essential for bacterial cell wall synthesis, assembling one of the subunits used for peptidoglycan crosslinking. The resulting aminoacyl-D-Ala-D-Ala strand is the Achilles' heel of vancomycin-susceptible bacteria; binding of vancomycin to this sequence interferes with crosslinking and blocks cell-wall synthesis. A mutant enzyme (VanA) from vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium has been found to incorporate alpha-hydroxy acids at the terminal site instead of D-Ala; the resulting depsipeptides do not bind vancomycin, yet function in the crosslinking reaction. To investigate the binding specificity of these ligases, we examined their inhibition by a series of substrate analogs. RESULTS: Phosphinate and phosphonate dipeptide analogs (which, after phosphorylation by the enzyme, mimic intermediates in the ligation reaction) were prepared and evaluated as reversible inhibitors of the wild-type ligases DdlA and DdlB from Escherichia coli and of the mutant enzyme VanA. Ki values were calculated for the first stage of inhibitor binding according to a mechanism in which inhibitor competes with D-Ala for both substrate binding sites. DdlA is potently inhibited by phosphinates but not by phosphonates, while DdlB and VanA show little discrimination; both series of compounds inhibit DdlB strongly and VanA weakly. CONCLUSIONS: VanA has greatly reduced affinity for all the ligands studied. The relative affinities of the inhibitors in the reversible binding step are not, however, consistent with the substrate specificities of the enzymes. We propose a mechanism in which proton transfer from the attacking nucleophile to the departing phosphate occurs directly, without intervention of the enzyme.

Bacteria↗

Structural studies of Escherichia coli UDP-N-acetylmuramate:L-alanine ligase.

Uridine diphosphate N-acetylmuramate:L-alanine ligase (EC 6.3.2.8, UNAM:L-Ala ligase or MurC gene product) adds the first amino acid to the sugar moiety of the peptidoglycan precursor, catalyzing one of the essential steps in cell wall biosynthesis for both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Here, we report our studies on the secondary and quaternary structures of UNAM:L-Ala ligase from Escherichia coli. The molecular weight of the purified recombinant enzyme determined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry agreed well with the molecular weight deduced from the DNA sequence. Through sedimentation equilibrium analysis, we show that the enzyme exists in equilibrium between monomeric and dimeric forms and that the dissociation constant of the dimer, Kd, was determined to be 1.1 +/- 0.4 microM at 37 degrees C and 0.58 +/- 0.30 microM at 4 degrees C. A very similar Kd value was also obtained at 37 degrees C by gel filtration chromatography. The secondary structure of the enzyme was characterized by circular dichroism spectroscopy. No change in the secondary structure was observed between the monomeric and dimeric forms of the enzyme. The activity assays at enzyme concentrations both below and above the determined Kd value lead to the conclusion that the enzyme is active both as dimers and as monomers and that the specific activity is independent of the oligomerization state.

Centrifugation, Isopycnic↗

Phosphinic acid inhibitors of D-alanyl-D-alanine ligase.

We report the synthesis of a series of phosphinic acid dipeptide analogues, NH2CH(R1)PO(OH)CH2CH(R2)CO2H, related to DAla-DAla. The best of these compounds are potent, essentially irreversible inhibitors of DAla-DAla ligase, and their preferred stereochemistry was shown by chiral synthesis of (1(S)-aminoethyl)(2(R)-carboxy-1-n-propyl)phosphinic acid, 12b, and by X-ray crystallography of its derivative benzyl [1(S)-[(benzyloxycarbonyl)-amino]ethyl](2(R)-carbomethoxy-1-propyl) phosphinate, 13, to correspond to the stereochemical configuration of DAla-DAla at both centers. A mechanism for the inhibition of DAla-DAla ligase by these compounds is proposed to involve an ATP-dependent formation of phosphorylated inhibitor within the enzyme's active site. The antibacterial activities of these compounds are modest although their spectra include both Gram-positive and Gram-negative susceptible organisms. The best antibacterial activity was shown by (1(S)-aminoethyl) [2-carboxy-2(R)-(methylthio)-1-ethyl]phosphinic acid, 3e, whose MIC's range from 4-128 micrograms/mL on nine of a panel of 11 bacterial organisms. Combination of one of the more active phosphinic acids 12b with the alanine racemase inhibitor fluoro-D-alanine enhances the antibacterial spectrum of the latter on several strains of bacteria and inhibits fluoro-D-alanine's self-reversal, which normally occurs at concentrations several fold higher than its MIC level. This inhibition of fluoro-D-alanine self-reversal is consistent with an involvement of DAla-DAla ligase inhibition in the antibacterial activity of these compounds.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

The RanBP2 SUMO E3 ligase is neither HECT- nor RING-type.

Post-translational modification with the ubiquitin-related protein SUMO1 requires the E1 enzyme Aos1-Uba2 and the E2 enzyme Ubc9. Distinct E3 ligases strongly enhance modification of specific targets. The SUMO E3 ligase RanBP2 (also known as Nup358) has no obvious similarity to RING- or HECT-type enzymes. Here we show that RanBP2's 30-kDa catalytic fragment is a largely unstructured protein. Despite two distinct but partially overlapping 79-residue catalytic domains, one of which is sufficient for maximal activity, RanBP2 binds to Ubc9 in a 1:1 stoichiometry. The identification of nine RanBP2 and three Ubc9 side chains that are important for RanBP2-dependent SUMOylation indicates largely hydrophobic interactions. These properties distinguish RanBP2 from all other known E3 ligases, and we speculate that RanBP2 exerts its catalytic effect by altering Ubc9's properties rather than by mediating target interactions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

D-alanine: D-alanine ligase of Escherichia coli. Expression, purification and inhibitory studies on the cloned enzyme.

A 1.2 kb BamHI fragment from pDK30 [Robinson, Kenan, Sweeney & Donachie (1986) J. Bacteriol. 167, 809-817] was cloned in pDOC55 [O'Connor & Timmis (1987) J. Bacteriol. 169, 4457-4482] to give two constructs, pDOC89 and pDOC87, in which the Escherichia coli D-alanine:D-alanine ligase (EC 6.3.2.4) gene (ddl) was placed under the control of the lac and lambda PL promoters respectively. Both constructs, when used to transform E. coli M72, gave similar levels of expression of the ddl gene. The expressed enzyme was purified to homogeneity and the amino acid sequence of its N-terminal region was found to be consistent with that predicted from the gene sequence, except that the N-terminal methionine was not present in the mature protein. [1(S)-Aminoethyl][(2RS)2-carboxy-1-octyl]phosphinic acid (I), previously shown to bind tightly to Enterococcus faecalis and Salmonella typhimurium D-alanine:D-alanine ligases following phosphorylation Parsons, Patchett, Bull, Schoen, Taub, Davidson, Combs, Springer, Gadebusch, Weissberger, Valiant, Mellin & Busch (1988) J. Med. Chem. 31, 1772-1778; Duncan & Walsh (1988) Biochemistry 27, 3709-3714], was found to be a classical slow-binding inhibitor of the E. coli ligase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Crystal structure of UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-D-glutamate: meso-diaminopimelate ligase from Escherichia coli.

UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanyl-d-glutamate:meso-diaminopimelate ligase is a cytoplasmic enzyme that catalyzes the addition of meso-diaminopimelic acid to nucleotide precursor UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanyl-d-glutamate in the biosynthesis of bacterial cell-wall peptidoglycan. The crystal structure of the Escherichia coli enzyme in the presence of the final product of the enzymatic reaction, UDP-MurNAc-l-Ala-gamma-d-Glu-meso-A(2)pm, has been solved to 2.0 A resolution. Phase information was obtained by multiwavelength anomalous dispersion using the K shell edge of selenium. The protein consists of three domains, two of which have a topology reminiscent of the equivalent domain found in the already established three-dimensional structure of the UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine: D-glutamate-ligase (MurD) ligase, which catalyzes the immediate previous step of incorporation of d-glutamic acid in the biosynthesis of the peptidoglycan precursor. The refined model reveals the binding site for UDP-MurNAc-l-Ala-gamma-d-Glu-meso-A(2)pm, and comparison with the six known MurD structures allowed the identification of residues involved in the enzymatic mechanism. Interestingly, during refinement, an excess of electron density was observed, leading to the conclusion that, as in MurD, a carbamylated lysine residue is present in the active site. In addition, the structural determinant responsible for the selection of the amino acid to be added to the nucleotide precursor was identified.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

NMR structure of the N-terminal domain of SUMO ligase PIAS1 and its interaction with tumor suppressor p53 and A/T-rich DNA oligomers.

A member of the PIAS (protein inhibitor of activated STAT) family of proteins, PIAS1, have been reported to serve as an E3-type SUMO ligase for tumor suppressor p53 and its own. It also was proposed that the N-terminal domain of PIAS1 interacts with DNA as well as p53. Extensive biochemical studies have been devoted recently to understand sumoylations and its biological implications, whereas the structural aspects of the PIAS family and the mechanism of its interactions with various factors are less well known to date. In this study, the three-dimensional structure of the N-terminal domain (residues 1-65) of SUMO ligase PIAS1 was determined by NMR spectroscopy. The structure revealed a unique four-helix bundle with a topology of an up-down-extended loop-down-up, a part of which the helix-extended loop-helix represented the SAP (SAF-A/B, Acinus, and PIAS) motif. Thus, this N-terminal domain may be referred to as a four-helix SAP domain. The glutathione S-transferase pull-down assay demonstrated that this domain possesses a binding ability to tumor suppressor p53, a target protein for sumoylation by PIAS1, whereas gel mobility assays showed that it has a strong affinity toward A/T-rich DNA. An NMR analysis of the four-helix SAP domain complexed with the 16-bp-long DNA demonstrated that one end of the four-helix bundle is the binding site and may fit into the minor groove of DNA. The three-dimensional structure and its binding duality are discussed in conjunction with the biological functions of PIAS1 as a SUMO ligase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Inverse relationship between Skp2 ubiquitin ligase and the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 in prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Prostate carcinomas show a low level of the cell cycle inhibitor p27, which correlates with tumor aggressiveness. In tumors p27 is of the WT species and its deregulation is due to aberrant ubiquitin mediated degradation. The p27 is degraded following phosphorylation and subsequent recognition by SCFSkp2 ubiquitin ligase. We examined the relationship between p27 and its specific ligase Skp2 in normal and malignant prostate tissues. A possible correlation among the levels of these proteins, tumor grading and clinical state was also investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using immunohistochemistry immunofluorescence microscopy and Western blot analysis 51 samples from needle biopsies, transurethral resection and radical prostatectomy were analyzed for p27 and Skp2 expression. Correlation with tumor grading (Gleason) was performed. In 22 proven metastatic or organ confined cases correlation was also done with the Ki67 proliferative marker. RESULTS: Skp2 expression demonstrated a significant and direct correlation with malignancy (p <0.0001). Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between Skp2 level and tumor aggressiveness graded by Gleason score (p <0.0002) and prostate specific antigen. Patients with metastases had significantly higher Skp2 and Ki67 expression than those with organ confined disease (p <0.0001). In addition, Skp2 levels significantly correlated with Ki67 (r = 0.73, p <0.0001). An inverse correlation was found between p27 and Skp2 ligase. CONCLUSIONS: Skp2 expression in prostate biopsies may be used as an additional marker for tumor aggressiveness. The results also suggest a role for Skp2 in the pathogenesis of prostate malignancy.

Aged↗

Sequencing of the ddl gene and modeling of the mutated D-alanine:D-alanine ligase in glycopeptide-dependent strains of Enterococcus faecium.

Glycopeptide dependence for growth in enterococci results from mutations in the ddl gene that inactivate the host D-Ala:D-Ala ligase. The strains require glycopeptides as inducers for synthesis of resistance proteins, which allows for the production of peptidoglycan precursors ending in D-Ala-D-Lac instead of D-Ala-D-Ala. The sequences of the ddl gene from nine glycopeptide-dependent Enterococcus faecium clinical isolates were determined. Each one had a mutation consisting either in a 5-bp insertion at position 41 leading to an early stop codon, an in-frame 6-bp deletion causing the loss of two residues (KDVA243-246 to KA), or single base-pair changes resulting in an amino acid substitution (E13 --> G, G99 --> R, V241 --> D, D295 --> G, P313 --> L). The potential consequences of the deletion and point mutations on the 3-D structure of the enzyme were evaluated by comparative molecular modeling of the E. faecium enzyme, using the X-ray structure of the homologous Escherichia coli D-Ala:D-Ala ligase DdlB as a template. All mutated residues were found either to interact directly with one of the substrates of the enzymatic reaction (E13 and D295) or to stabilize the position of critical residues in the active site. Maintenance of the 3-D structure in the vicinity of these mutations in the active site appears critical for D-Ala:D-Ala ligase activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Utility of muropeptide ligase for identification of inhibitors of the cell wall biosynthesis enzyme MurF.

MurF is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall in both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This enzyme has not been extensively exploited as a drug target, possibly due to the difficulty in obtaining one of the substrates, UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-gamma-D-Glu-meso-diaminopimelate, which is usually purified from bacteria. We have identified putative inhibitors of Escherichia coli MurF by a binding assay, thus bypassing the need for substrate. Inhibition of enzymatic activity was demonstrated in a high-performance liquid chromatography-based secondary assay with UDP-MurNAc-L-Ala-gamma-D-Glu-diaminopimelate substrate prepared in a novel way by using muropeptide ligase enzyme to add UDP-MurNAc to synthetic L-Ala-gamma-D-Glu-diaminopimelate; the substrate specificity of muropeptide ligase for peptides containing L-Lys in place of diaminopimelate was also investigated. Using the muropeptide ligase-generated MurF substrate, a thiazolylaminopyrimidine series of MurF enzyme inhibitors with 50% inhibitory concentration values as low as 2.5 microM was identified.

Cell Wall↗

Crystal structures of active fully assembled substrate- and product-bound complexes of UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid:L-alanine ligase (MurC) from Haemophilus influenzae.

UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid:L-alanine ligase (MurC) catalyzes the addition of the first amino acid to the cytoplasmic precursor of the bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan. The crystal structures of Haemophilus influenzae MurC in complex with its substrate UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid (UNAM) and Mg(2+) and of a fully assembled MurC complex with its product UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine (UMA), the nonhydrolyzable ATP analogue AMPPNP, and Mn(2+) have been determined to 1.85- and 1.7-A resolution, respectively. These structures reveal a conserved, three-domain architecture with the binding sites for UNAM and ATP formed at the domain interfaces: the N-terminal domain binds the UDP portion of UNAM, and the central and C-terminal domains form the ATP-binding site, while the C-terminal domain also positions the alanine. An active enzyme structure is thus assembled at the common domain interfaces when all three substrates are bound. The MurC active site clearly shows that the gamma-phosphate of AMPPNP is positioned between two bound metal ions, one of which also binds the reactive UNAM carboxylate, and that the alanine is oriented by interactions with the positively charged side chains of two MurC arginine residues and the negatively charged alanine carboxyl group. These results indicate that significant diversity exists in binding of the UDP moiety of the substrate by MurC and the subsequent ligases in the bacterial cell wall biosynthesis pathway and that alterations in the domain packing and tertiary structure allow the Mur ligases to bind sequentially larger UNAM peptide substrates.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗