Methanococcus Research Articles

Structural Basis for Iron-Mediated Sulfur Transfer in Archael and Yeast Thiazole Synthases.

Thiamin diphosphate is an essential cofactor in all forms of life and plays a key role in amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism. Its biosynthesis involves separate syntheses of the pyrimidine and thiazole moieties, which are then coupled to form thiamin monophosphate. A final phosphorylation produces the active form of the cofactor. In most bacteria, six gene products are required for biosynthesis of the thiamin thiazole. In yeast and fungi only one gene product, Thi4, is required for thiazole biosynthesis. Methanococcus jannaschii expresses a putative Thi4 ortholog that was previously reported to be a ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate synthase [Finn, M. W. and Tabita, F. R. (2004) J. Bacteriol., 186, 6360-6366]. Our structural studies show that the Thi4 orthologs from M. jannaschii and Methanococcus igneus are structurally similar to Thi4 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition, all active site residues are conserved except for a key cysteine residue, which in S. cerevisiae is the source of the thiazole sulfur atom. Our recent biochemical studies showed that the archael Thi4 orthologs use nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, glycine, and free sulfide to form the thiamin thiazole in an iron-dependent reaction [Eser, B., Zhang, X., Chanani, P. K., Begley, T. P., and Ealick, S. E. (2016) J. Am. Chem. Soc. , DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b00445]. Here we report X-ray crystal structures of Thi4 from M. jannaschii complexed with ADP-ribulose, the C205S variant of Thi4 from S. cerevisiae with a bound glycine imine intermediate, and Thi4 from M.igneus with bound glycine imine intermediate and iron. These studies reveal the structural basis for the iron-dependent mechanism of sulfur transfer in archael and yeast thiazole synthases.

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer-Based Self-Assembled Nanoprobe for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula.

Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is the most serious and challenging complication following gastroenterological surgery. Activated pancreatic juice leaking from the organ remnant contains proteases that attack the surrounding tissue, potentially leading to severe inflammation, tissue necrosis, and fistula formation. However, it is difficult to observe pancreatic leakage during surgery and to evaluate the protease activity of leaked fluid at the patient's bedside. This report describes a protein nanocage-based protease ratiometric sensor comprising a pancreatic protease-sensitive small heat-shock protein (HSP) 16.5, which is a naturally occurring protein in Methanococcus jannaschii that forms a spherical structure by self-assembly of 24 subunits, and a chemically conjugated donor-acceptor dye pair for Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The HSP-FRET probe was constructed by subunit exchange of each dye-labeled engineered HSP, resulting in a spherical nanocage of approximately 10 nm in diameter, which exhibited very high stability against degradation in blood plasma and no remarkable toxicity in mice. The efficiency of FRET was found to depend on both the dye orientation and the acceptor/donor ratio. Pancreatic proteases, including trypsin, α-chymotrypsin, and elastase, were quantitatively analyzed by fluorescence recovery with high specificity using the HSP-FRET nanoprobe. Furthermore, the HSP-FRET nanoprobe was sufficiently sensitive to detect POPF in the pancreatic juice of patients using only the naked eye within 10 min. Thus, this novel nanoprobe is proposed as an effective and convenient tool for the detection of POPF and the visualization of activated pancreatic juice during gastroenterological surgery.

Asymmetric Preorganization of Inverted Pair Residues in the Sodium-Calcium Exchanger.

In analogy with many other proteins, Na+/Ca2+ exchangers (NCX) adapt an inverted twofold symmetry of repeated structural elements, while exhibiting a functional asymmetry by stabilizing an outward-facing conformation. Here, structure-based mutant analyses of the Methanococcus jannaschii Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX_Mj) were performed in conjunction with HDX-MS (hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry) to identify the structure-dynamic determinants of functional asymmetry. HDX-MS identified hallmark differences in backbone dynamics at ion-coordinating residues of apo-NCX_Mj, whereas Na+or Ca2+ binding to the respective sites induced relatively small, but specific, changes in backbone dynamics. Mutant analysis identified ion-coordinating residues affecting the catalytic capacity (kcat/Km), but not the stability of the outward-facing conformation. In contrast, distinct “noncatalytic” residues (adjacent to the ion-coordinating residues) control the stability of the outward-facing conformation, but not the catalytic capacity. The helix-breaking signature sequences (GTSLPE) on the α1 and α2 repeats (at the ion-binding core) differ in their folding/unfolding dynamics, while providing asymmetric contributions to transport activities. The present data strongly support the idea that asymmetric preorganization of the ligand-free ion-pocket predefines catalytic reorganization of ion-bound residues, where secondary interactions with adjacent residues couple the alternating access. These findings provide a structure-dynamic basis for ion-coupled alternating access in NCX and similar proteins.

Evolution and Structural Adaptation to Membranes of Single-Pass Transmembrane Proteins

More than 6000 single-pass transmembrane (bitopic) proteins from six representatives of different kingdoms of life, Homo sapiens, Arabidopsis thaliana, Dictyostelium discoideum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Escherichia coli, and Methanococcus jannaschii (2545, 2115, 649, 517, 199 and 70 proteins, respectively), were identified, classified into 14 functional classes, 692 superfamilies and 1410 families, and collected in the Membranome database (at membranome.org). Three-dimensional (3D) models of transmembrane alpha-helices (TMH) were generated using an updated thermodynamic model of alpha-helix formation in membranes. Comparative analysis demonstrates that the repertoire of bitopic proteins is significantly enlarged in eukaryotic cells due to diversification of enzymes and emergence of proteins involved in vesicular traffic and biogenesis. A dramatic expansion of receptors, regulatory, and structural/adhesion proteins is seen in multicellular organisms. The relative abundance of receptors increases from prokaryotes ( 30%). Interestingly, the diversity of receptors, as estimated by the number of their superfamilies, is significantly smaller in A. thaliana than in humans. The calculated stabilities, lengths and tilt angles of TMHs are smallest for proteins from inner mitochondrial membranes, intermediate for prokaryotic proteins and proteins from endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi and chloroplast membranes and highest for proteins from eukaryotic plasma membrane. This reflects adaptation of TMHs to different membrane environments. The majority of bitopic proteins from multicellular organisms are located in plasma membrane with N-out topology, while prokaryotic cell membrane proteins mostly have N-in topology. The distributions of TMH lengths, hydrophobic thicknesses, and tilt angles are frequently bimodal (at ∼0-8° and ∼30°), which may be related to membrane heterogeneity or different modes of helix-helix association. The oligomerization propensity of bitopic proteins was investigated using computational docking, analysis of ∼450 experimental 3D structures of complexes and information from protein interaction databases.

Orthogonal Protein Translation Using Pyrrolysyl-tRNA Synthetases for Single- and Multiple-Noncanonical Amino Acid Mutagenesis.

To date, the two systems most extensively used for noncanonical amino acid (ncAA) incorporation via orthogonal translation are based on the Methanococcus jannaschii TyrRS/tRNA CUATyr and the Methanosarcina barkeri/Methanosarcina mazei PylRS/tRNA CUAPyl pairs. Here, we summarize the development and usage of the pyrrolysine-based system for orthogonal translation, a process that allows for the recombinant production of site-specifically labeled proteins and peptides. Via stop codon suppression in Escherichia coli and mammalian cells, genetically encoded biomolecules can be equipped with a great diversity of chemical functionalities including click chemistry handles, post-translational modifications, and photocaged sidechains.

ATP-dependent DNA binding, unwinding, and resection by the Mre11/Rad50 complex.

ATP-dependent DNA end recognition and nucleolytic processing are central functions of the Mre11/Rad50 (MR) complex in DNA double-strand break repair. However, it is still unclear how ATP binding and hydrolysis primes the MR function and regulates repair pathway choice in cells. Here,Methanococcus jannaschii MR-ATPγS-DNA structure reveals that the partly deformed DNA runs symmetrically across central groove between two ATPγS-bound Rad50 nucleotide-binding domains. Duplex DNA cannot access the Mre11 active site in the ATP-free full-length MR complex. ATP hydrolysis drives rotation of the nucleotide-binding domain and induces the DNA melting so that the substrate DNA can access Mre11. Our findings suggest that the ATP hydrolysis-driven conformational changes in both DNA and the MR complex coordinate the melting and endonuclease activity.

Optimisation of a system for the co-translational incorporation of a keto amino acid and its application to a tumour-specific Anticalin

The bioorthogonal keto group has attracted interest for the site-specific chemical conjugation of recombinant proteins under mild conditions, e.g. with aminooxy-functionalised fluorescent probes, radiometal chelates, toxins or polymers. However, the cotranslational incorporation of the corresponding non-canonical amino acid p-acetyl-L-phenylalanine (Apa) into proteins expressed in Escherichia coli by means of amber suppression using a previously described system with a mutated tRNA and an engineered tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase from Methanococcus jannaschii shows limited efficiency and considerable promiscuity towards endogenous amino acids. Employing a one-plasmid system that encodes all three components required for selection, i.e. the modified aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS), the cognate amber suppressor tRNA and the enhanced green fluorescent protein equipped with an amber stop codon and serving as reporter, we have generated an Apa-specific aaRS&tRNA pair with considerably improved efficiency (17-fold increased expression) and also fidelity (6-fold). To this end, both the aaRS and the tRNA were subjected to doped random mutagenesis and selection in altogether four evolutionary cycles using fluorescence-activated bacterial cell sorting as well as automated screening of microcultures. The resulting aaRS&tRNA pair was applied to the functionalisation of an Anticalin with specificity towards oncofetal fibronectin by introducing a keto group at a permissible site for subsequent conjugation with a fluorescent dye, thus allowing visualisation of this tumour target under the microscope.

Archaellum Moves Archaea with Distinction

Cell motility in pure cultures of halophilic archaea was first observed almost a century ago and, in methanogens, at least as long ago as 1951, when Methanococcus vannielii was first isolated. Although M. vannielii was reported as being motile, no flagella were observed until nearly three decades later. Other researchers from that era reported seeing fimbriae (pili) or flagella on a variety of different archaea, including methanogens, halophiles, and Sulfolobus. However, during that period the members of the archaea were still considered bacteria, predating the groundbreaking realignment of the tree of life into the three domains of Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya by Carl Woese.

Supramolecular organization of Hfq-like proteins.

Bacterial Hfq proteins are structural homologs of archaeal and eukaryotic Sm/Lsm proteins, which are characterized by a 5-stranded β-sheet and an N-terminal α-helix. Previously, it was shown that archaeal Lsm proteins (SmAP) could produce long fibrils spontaneously, in contrast to the Hfq from Escherichia coli that could form similar fibrils only after special treatment. The organization of these fibrils is significantly different, but the reason for the dissimilarity has not been found. In the present work, we studied the process of fibril formation by bacterial protein Hfq from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and archaeal protein SmAP from Methanococcus jannaschii. Both proteins have high homology with E. coli Hfq. We found that Hfq from P. aeruginosa could form fibrils after substitutions in the conserved Sm2 motif only. SmAP from M. jannaschii, like other archaeal Lsm proteins, form fibrils spontaneously. Despite differences in the fibril formation conditions, the architecture of both was similar to that described for E. coli Hfq. Therefore, universal nature of fibril architecture formed by Hfq proteins is suggested.

Biochemical characterization of a thermostable adenosylmethionine synthetase from the archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus with high catalytic power.

Adenosylmethionine synthetase plays a key role in the biogenesis of the sulfonium compound S-adenosylmethionine, the principal widely used methyl donor in the biological methylations. We report here, for the first time, the characterization of adenosylmethionine synthetase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus (PfMAT). The gene PF1866 encoding PfMAT was cloned and expressed, and the recombinant protein was purified to homogeneity. PfMAT shares 51, 63, and 82% sequence identity with the homologous enzymes from Sulfolobus solfataricus, Methanococcus jannaschii, and Thermococcus kodakarensis, respectively. PfMAT is a homodimer of 90 kDa highly thermophilic with an optimum temperature of 90 °C and is characterized by remarkable thermodynamic stability (Tm, 99 °C), kinetic stability, and resistance to guanidine hydrochloride-induced unfolding. The latter process is reversible as demonstrated by the analysis of the refolding process by activity assays and fluorescence measurements. Limited proteolysis experiments indicated that the proteolytic cleavage site is localized at Lys148 and that the C-terminal peptide is necessary for the integrity of the active site. PfMAT shows kinetic features that make it the most efficient catalyst for S-adenosylmethionine synthesis among the characterized MAT from Bacteria and Archaea. Molecular and structural characterization of PfMAT could be useful to improve MAT enzyme engineering for biotechnological applications.

Membranome: A Database of Single-Spanning Transmembrane Proteins

The Membranome database (http://membranome.org) has been created. The database is focused on structural models of single-spanning (bitopic) transmembrane (TM) proteins and their oligomeric complexes. Current version of Membranome collects data on bitopic proteins of six model organisms, Methanococcus jannaschii, Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Dictyostelium discoideum, Arabidopsis thaliana and Homo sapiens that represent different kingdoms of life. It provides comprehensive information on more than 4,500 bitopic proteins, including their three-dimensional (3D) structures, interactions, biological functions, topology, localizations, and classification. The structural data comprise available experimental structures and 3D models of TM alpha-helices that were generated using our new thermodynamic model of alpha-helix formation in the lipid bilayer approximated as an anisotropic solvent with predefined polarity profiles [1]. All bitopic proteins in the Membranome were classified into 15 functional classes, 660 superfamilies and 1076 families. Interactions between different bitopic proteins are included based on data from ConsensusPathDB and PDB. The database provides linking to amino acid sequences from Uniprot and HGNC, structural domains from Interpro and Pfam, protein-proteins interactions from STRING, experimental structures of water-soluble and transmembrane domains from PDB and OPM databases, and annotations in iHOP. Protein entries are also linked to corresponding biological pathways in KEGG, BioCyc and Reactome databases and small molecule metabolic pathways (from SMPDB). Membranome is intended to provide experimentally validated computational models of homo-dimers formed by TM alpha-helices of bitopic proteins.Reference:[1] I.D. Pogozheva, S. Tristram-Nagle, H.I. Mosberg, A.L. Lomize, Structural adaptations of proteins to different biological membranes, Biochim Biophys Acta, 1828 (2013) 2592-2608.

Polymerization of FtsZ at High Pressures: A Molecular Dynamics Study

The prokaryotic protein FtsZ plays an important but poorly understood role in bacterial cell division. Prior research has shown that GTP-bound FtsZ polymerizes in a ring-like structure called the Z-ring at the cell-septum site, where division occurs. The de-polymerization of the Z-ring upon hydrolysis of GTP provides the mechanical forces needed for cell division. The present study explored the hypothesis that polymerization of GTP-FtsZ is inhibited at high pressures_preventing bacteria from dividing_and so explains the observed morphological differences between bacteria samples grown at standard and high pressures, respectively. We have computed Gibbs free energy difference, ΔG, between monomer and dimer forms of GTP-FtsZ from Methanococcus Jannaschii using molecular dynamics simulations. Our results suggest that the difference in Gibbs free energy between the monomer and dimer states of GTP-FtsZ decreases with pressures suggesting that the de-polymerization of FtsZ is enhanced at high pressures. Furthermore, we find that ΔG first decreases slowly with pressures and then drops drastically hinting at a critical pressure value Pcrit, beyond which depolymerization of FtsZ is significantly more likely. Our simulation studies corroborate well with experimental results of enhanced filamentation of bacterial cells at high pressures.

Gp66, a calcineurin family phosphatase encoded by mycobacteriophage D29, is a 2', 3' cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase that negatively regulates phage growth.

Mycobacteriophage D29 encodes a protein Gp66 which has been predicted to be a calcineurin family phosphoesterase. Phylogenetically Gp66 and related proteins mostly derived from mycobacteriophages form a distinct clade within this family. Interestingly, the presence of gene 66 orthologs can be traced to bacteria of diverse phylogenetic lineages such as Aquifex aeolicus, a deep branching eubacteria and Methanococcus jannaschii, an archaebacteria. The promiscuous nature of gene 66 suggests that it may have been transferred across genus barriers by horizontal gene transfer mechanisms. The biological function of members of this novel clade comprising mostly the mycobacteriophage phosphoesterases have not been elucidated so far. In this investigation, it has been demonstrated for the first time that Gp66, a member of this novel family, is a 2', 3' cyclic phosphodiesterase. The gene is expressed during phage infection and the net result is negative regulation of bacteriophage as well as bacterial growth.

Crystal structure of the VapBC-15 complex from Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals a two-metal ion dependent PIN-domain ribonuclease and a variable mode of toxin-antitoxin assembly.

Although PIN (PilT N-terminal)-domain proteins are known to have ribonuclease activity, their specific mechanism of action remains unknown. VapCs form a family of ribonucleases that possess a PIN-domain assembly and are known as toxins. The activities of VapCs are impaired by VapB antitoxins. Here we present the crystal structure of the VapBC-15 toxin-antitoxin complex from Mycobacterium tuberculosis determined to 2.1Å resolution. The VapB-15 and VapC-15 components assemble into one heterotetramer (VapB2C2) and two heterotrimers (VapBC2) in each asymmetric unit of the crystal. The active site of VapC-15 toxin consists of a cluster of acidic amino acid residues and two divalent metal ions, forming a well organised ribonuclease active site. The distribution of the catalytic-site residues of the VapC-15 toxin is similar to that of T4 RNase H and of Methanococcus jannaschii FEN-1, providing strong evidence that these three proteins share a similar mechanism of activity. The presence of both VapB2C2 and VapBC2 emphasizes the fact that the same antitoxin can bind the toxin in 1:1 and 1:2 ratios. The crystal structure determination of the VapBC-15 complex reveals for the first time a PIN-domain ribonuclease protein that shows two metal ions at the active site and a variable mode of toxin-antitoxin assembly. The structure further shows that VapB-15 antitoxin binds to the same groove meant for the binding of putative substrate (RNA), resulting in the inhibition of VapC-15's toxicity.

Identification of structurally diverse methanofuran coenzymes in methanococcales that are both N-formylated and N-acetylated.

Methanofuran (MF) is a coenzyme necessary for the first step of methanogenesis from CO2. The well-characterized MF core structure is 4-[N-(γ-l-glutamyl-γ-l-glutamyl)-p-(β-aminoethyl)phenoxymethyl]-2-(aminomethyl)furan (APMF-γ-Glu2). Three different MF structures that differ on the basis of the composition of their side chains have been determined previously. Here, we use liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry and a variety of biochemical methods to deduce the unique structures of MFs present in four different methanogens in the order Methanococcales. This is the first detailed characterization of the MF occurring in methanogens of this order. MF in each of these organisms contains the expected APMF-γ-Glu2; however, the composition of the side chain is different from that of the previously described MF structures. In Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, additional γ-linked glutamates that range from 7 to 12 residues are present. The MF coenzymes in Methanococcus maripaludis, Methanococcus vannielii, and Methanothermococcus okinawensis also have additional glutamate residues but interestingly also contain a completely different chemical moiety in the middle of the side chain that we have identified as N-(3-carboxy-2- or 3-hydroxy-1-oxopropyl)-l-aspartic acid. This addition results in the terminal γ-linked glutamates being incorporated in the opposite orientation. In addition to these nonacylated MF coenzymes, we also identified the corresponding N-formyl-MF and, surprisingly, N-acetyl-MF derivatives. N-Acetyl-MF has never been observed or implied to be functioning in nature and may represent a new route for acetate formation in methanogens.

Microbial diversity in formation water and enrichment cultures from the Gangxi bed of the Dagang terrigenous oilfield (PRC)

Microbial diversity and biogeochemical processes of the Gangxi bed with low-mineral water and a temperature gradient from 35 to 54°C were studied. The 16S rRNA gene clone libraries (over 800 clones) were obtained from microbial DNA isolated from formation water and from the primary enrichment cultures for fermenting, sulfate-reducing, methanogenic, and aerobic organotrophic prokaryotes. While both sulfate reduction and methanogenesis were registered in formation water by radioisotope techniques, the genes of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes were not revealed in the 16S rRNA gene clone library from formation water. The 16S rRNA genes of Methanobacterium congolense and Methanococcus vannielii predominated among archaeal sequences retrieved from formation water, while the genes of Methanothermobacter thermoautotrophicus, Methanomethylovorans thermophila, and Methanoculleus sp. predominated in the combined library from enrichment cultures. In the library of Bacteria 16S rRNA genes from formation water, the genes of thermophilic fermentative bacteria of the family Thermoanaerobacteriaceae predominated; the remaining sequences belonged to mesophiles (genera Brevundimonas, Sphingomonas, Oxalicibacterium, and Stenotrophomonas), the phylum Chloroflexi, and unidentified bacteria. The combined library from enrichment cultures, contained, apart from the sequences of the family Thermoanaerobacteriaceae, the genes of fermentative bacteria (genera Anaerobaculum, Coprothermobacter, Thermanaerovibrio, Soehngenia, Bacteroides, and Aminobacterium and the order Thermotogales), of aerobic hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria (genera Pannonibacter and Pseudomonas), and of sulfate reducers (genera Desulfomicrobium, Thermodesulfovibrio, and Desulfotomaculum). High coverage was shown for bacterial (97.6%) and archaeal (100%) clone libraries, indicating that a significant portion of the microbial diversity in the studied communities was revealed.

Functional asymmetry of bidirectional Ca2+-movements in an archaeal sodium–calcium exchanger (NCX_Mj)

Dynamic features of Ca2+ interactions with transport and regulatory sites control the Ca2+-fluxes in mammalian Na+/Ca2+(NCX) exchangers bearing the Ca2+-binding regulatory domains on the cytosolic 5L6 loop. The crystal structure of Methanococcus jannaschii NCX (NCX_Mj) may serve as a template for studying ion-transport mechanisms since NCX_Mj does not contain the regulatory domains. The turnover rate of Na+/Ca2+ exchange (kcat=0.5±0.2s−1) in WT–NCX_Mj is 103–104 times slower than in mammalian NCX. In NCX_Mj, the intrinsic equilibrium (Kint) for bidirectional Ca2+ movements (defined as the ratio between the cytosolic and extracellular Km of Ca2+/Ca2+ exchange) is asymmetric, Kint=0.15±0.5. Therefore, the Ca2+ movement from the cytosol to the extracellular side is ∼7-times faster than in the opposite direction, thereby representing a stabilization of outward-facing (extracellular) access. This intrinsic asymmetry accounts for observed differences in the cytosolic and extracellulr Km values having a physiological relevance. Bidirectional Ca2+ movements are also asymmetric in mammalian NCX. Thus, the stabilization of the outward-facing access along the transport cycle is a common feature among NCX orthologs despite huge differences in the ion-transport kinetics. Elongation of the cytosolic 5L6 loop in NCX_Mj by 8 or 14 residues accelerates the ion transport rates (kcat) ∼10 fold, while increasing the Kint values 100–250-fold (Kint=15–35). Therefore, 5L6 controls both the intrinsic equilibrium and rates of bidirectional Ca2+ movements in NCX proteins. Some additional structural elements may shape the kinetic variances among phylogenetically distant NCX variants, although the intrinsic asymmetry (Kint) of bidirectional Ca2+ movements seems to be comparable among evolutionary diverged NCX variants.

DNA end recognition by the Mre11 nuclease dimer: insights into resection and repair of damaged DNA.

The Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 (MRN) complex plays important roles in sensing DNA damage, as well as in resecting and tethering DNA ends, and thus participates in double-strand break repair. An earlier structure of Mre11 bound to a short duplex DNA molecule suggested that each Mre11 in a dimer recognizes one DNA duplex to bridge two DNA ends at a short distance. Here, we provide an alternative DNA recognition model based on the structures of Methanococcus jannaschii Mre11 (MjMre11) bound to longer DNA molecules, which may more accurately reflect a broken chromosome. An extended stretch of B-form DNA asymmetrically runs across the whole dimer, with each end of this DNA molecule being recognized by an individual Mre11 monomer. DNA binding induces rigid-body rotation of the Mre11 dimer, which could facilitate melting of the DNA end and its juxtaposition to an active site of Mre11. The identified Mre11 interface binding DNA duplex ends is structurally conserved and shown to functionally contribute to efficient resection, non-homologous end joining, and tolerance to DNA-damaging agents when other resection enzymes are absent. Together, the structural, biochemical, and genetic findings presented here offer new insights into how Mre11 recognizes damaged DNA and facilitates DNA repair.

A preliminary study of Dihydroorotase from Methanococcus jannaschii

Dihydroorotase (DHOase) catalyzes the reversible cyclization of N-carbamoyl-L-aspartate to form L-dihydroorotate in the third step of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. It is a Zinc metalloenzyme and a member of the aminohydrolase superfamily. There are two classes of the enzyme. Class I, typically ~45 kDa, is found in higher organisms, bacteria and yeast. Class II, typically ~38 kDa, is found in bacteria and fungi. Some organisms have multiple DHOase sequences. The M. jannaschii pyrC gene coding for DHOase was subcloned and expressed in E. coli. Protein purification consisted of ammonium sulfate precipitation, heat treatment at 850C, and phenyl-sepharose hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The protein was confirmed in the SDS gel using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (Proteomics Laboratory, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland, OH). Size Exclusion Chromatography-Laser Light Scattering (Keck Biotechnology Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, CT) indicated that the protein is a monomer in solution with a molecular weight of 47 kDa. A model constructed with the I-TASSER server (Zhang, 2008) suggested that the binding site contains only one Zn ion per monomer coordinated by the conserved His56, His58 and Asp302. Asp146 is further away and does not coordinate with the Zn ion. According to the mass spectrometry analysis, the protein does not contain a carboxylated lysine. Our progress on this study will be presented. Acknowledgements: We thank Dr. Belinda Willard (Lerner Research Institute) for the LC-MS and Dr. Ewa Folta-Stogniew (Yale University) for the SEC- LS analysis. The presentation was supported in part by a graduate faculty travel award and by a contribution from the Physics Department at Cleveland State University.

Evolutionarily distinct versions of the multidomain enzyme α-isopropylmalate synthase share discrete mechanisms of V-type allosteric regulation.

Understanding the evolution of allostery in multidomain enzymes remains an important step in improving our ability to identify and exploit structure-function relationships in allosteric mechanisms. A recent protein similarity network for the DRE-TIM metallolyase superfamily indicated there are two evolutionarily distinct forms of the enzyme α-isopropylmalate synthase (IPMS) sharing approximately 20% sequence identity. IPMS from Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been extensively characterized with respect to catalysis and the mechanism of feedback regulation by l-leucine. Here, IPMS from Methanococcus jannaschii (MjIPMS) is used as a representative of the second form of the enzyme, and its catalytic and regulatory mechanism is compared with that of MtIPMS to identify any functional differences between the two forms. MjIPMS exhibits kinetic parameters similar to those of other reported IPMS enzymes and is partially inhibited by l-leucine in a V-type manner. Identical values of (D2O)kcat (3.1) were determined in the presence and absence of l-leucine, indicating the hydrolytic step is rate-determining in the absence of l-leucine and remains so in the inhibited form of the enzyme. This mechanism is identical to the mechanism identified for MtIPMS ((D2O)kcat = 3.3 ± 0.3 in the presence of l-leucine) despite product release being rate-determining in the uninhibited MtIPMS enzyme. The identification of identical regulatory mechanisms in enzymes with low sequence identity raises important evolutionary questions concerning the acquisition and divergence of multidomain allosteric enzymes and highlights the need for caution when comparing regulatory mechanisms for homologous enzymes.