Two-metal Mechanism Research Articles

Unified two-metal mechanism of RNA synthesis and degradation by RNA polymerase.

In DNA-dependent RNA polymerases, reactions of RNA synthesis and degradation are performed by the same active center (in contrast to DNA polymerases in which they are separate). We propose a unified catalytic mechanism for multisubunit RNA polymerases based on the analysis of its 3'-5' exonuclease reaction in the context of crystal structure. The active center involves a symmetrical pair of Mg(2+) ions that switch roles in synthesis and degradation. One ion is retained permanently and the other is recruited ad hoc for each act of catalysis. The weakly bound Mg(2+) is stabilized in the active center in different modes depending on the type of reaction: during synthesis by the beta,gamma-phosphates of the incoming substrate; and during hydrolysis by the phosphates of a non-base-paired nucleoside triphosphate. The latter mode defines a transient, non-specific nucleoside triphosphate-binding site adjacent to the active center, which may serve as a gateway for polymerization of substrates.

Mapping the triphosphatase active site of baculovirus mRNA capping enzyme LEF4 and evidence for a two-metal mechanism.

The 464-amino acid baculovirus LEF4 protein is a bifunctional mRNA capping enzyme with triphosphatase and guanylyltransferase activities. The N-terminal half of LEF4 constitutes an autonomous triphosphatase catalytic domain. The LEF4 triphosphatase belongs to a family of metal-dependent phosphohydrolases, which includes the RNA triphosphatases of fungi, protozoa, Chlorella virus and poxviruses. The family is defined by two glutamate-containing motifs (A and C), which form a metal-binding site. Most of the family members resemble the fungal and Chlorella virus enzymes, which have a complex active site located within the hydrophilic interior of a topologically closed eight stranded beta barrel (the so-called 'triphosphate tunnel'). Here we probed whether baculovirus LEF4 is a member of the tunnel subfamily, via mutational mapping of amino acids required for triphosphatase activity. We identified four new essential side chains in LEF4 via alanine scanning and illuminated structure-activity relationships by conservative substitutions. Our results, together with previous mutational data, highlight five acidic and four basic amino acids that are likely to comprise the LEF4 triphosphatase active site (Glu9, Glu11, Arg51, Arg53, Glu97, Lys126, Arg179, Glu181 and Glu183). These nine essential residues are conserved in LEF4 orthologs from all strains of baculoviruses. We discerned no pattern of clustering of the catalytic residues of the baculovirus triphosphatase that would suggest structural similarity to the tunnel proteins (exclusive of motifs A and C). However, there is similarity to the active site of vaccinia RNA triphosphatase. We infer that the baculovirus and poxvirus triphosphatases are a distinct lineage within the metal-dependent RNA triphosphatase family. Synergistic activation of the LEF4 triphosphatase by manganese and magnesium suggests a two-metal mechanism of gamma phosphate hydrolysis.

Metal ion binding and enzymatic mechanism of Methanococcus jannaschii RNase HII.

RNase H degrades the RNA moiety in DNA:RNA hybrid in a divalent metal ion dependent manner. It is essential to understand the role of metal ion in enzymatic mechanism. One of the key points in this study is how many metal ions are involved in the enzyme catalysis. Accordingly, either one-metal binding mechanism or two-metal binding mechanism is proposed. We have studied the thermodynamic properties of four metal ions (Mg(2+), Mn(2+), Ca(2+), and Ba(2+)) binding to Methanococcus jannaschii RNase HII using isothermal titration calorimetry. All of the four metal ions were found to bind Mj RNase HII with 1:1 stoichiometry in the absence of substrate. Together with enzymatic activity assay data, we propose that only one metal ion binding to the enzyme in catalytic process. We also studied the pH dependence of metal binding and enzyme activity and found that at pH 6.5, Mg(2+) did not bind to the enzyme without the substrate but still activated the enzyme to about 2% of its maximum activity (in 10 mM Mn(2+) at pH 8). This implies that the substrate may also be incorporated in metal ion binding and help to position the metal ion. To find which acidic residues correspond to metal ion binding, we also studied the binding thermodynamics and enzymatic activity assay of four mutants: D7N, E8Q, D112N, and D149N in the presence of Mn(2+). The thermodynamic parameters are least affected for the D149N mutant, which has a very low enzymatic activity. This indicates that Asp149 is essential for the enzymatic activity. On the basis of all these observations, we suggest a metal binding model in which D7, E8, and D112 bind the metal ion and D149 activates a water molecule to attack the P-O bond in the RNA chain of the substrate.

Distinct roles of two Mg2+ binding sites in regulation of murine flap endonuclease-1 activities.

Removal of flap DNA intermediates in DNA replication and repair by flap endonuclease-1 (FEN-1) is essential for mammalian genome integrity. Divalent metal ions, Mg(2+) or Mn(2+), are required for the active center of FEN-1 nucleases. However, it remains unclear as to how Mg(2+) stimulates enzymatic activity. In the present study, we systemically characterize the interaction between Mg(2+) and murine FEN-1 (mFEN-1). We demonstrate that Mg(2+) stimulates mFEN-1 activity at physiological levels but inhibits the activity at concentrations higher than 20 mM. Our data suggest that mFEN-1 exists as a metalloenzyme in physiological conditions and that each enzyme molecule binds two Mg(2+) ions. Binding of Mg(2+) to the M1 binding site coordinated by the D86 residue cluster enhances mFEN-1's capability of substrate binding, while binding of the metal to the M2 binding site coordinated by the D181 residue cluster induces conformational changes. Both of these steps are needed for catalysis. Weak, nonspecific Mg(2+) binding is likely responsible for the enzyme inhibition at high concentrations of the cation. Taken together, our results suggest distinct roles for two Mg(2+) binding sites in the regulation of mFEN-1 nuclease activities in a mode different from the "two-metal mechanism".

Kinetic Mechanism of the Mg2+-dependent Nucleotidyl Transfer Catalyzed by T4 DNA and RNA Ligases

The Mg(2+)-dependent adenylylation of the T4 DNA and RNA ligases was studied in the absence of a DNA substrate using transient optical absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy. The concentrations of Mg(2+), ATP, and pyrophosphate were systematically varied, and the results led to the conclusion that the nucleotidyl transfer proceeds according to a two-metal ion mechanism. According to this mechanism, only the di-magnesium-coordinated form Mg(2)ATP(0) reacts with the enzyme forming the covalent complex E.AMP. The reverse reaction (ATP synthesis) occurs between the mono-magnesium-coordinated pyrophosphate form MgP(2)O(7)(2-) and the enzyme.MgAMP complex. The nucleotide binding rate decreases in the sequence ATP(4-) > MgATP(2-) > Mg(2)ATP(0), indicating that the formation of the non-covalent enzyme.nucleotide complex is driven by electrostatic interactions. T4 DNA ligase shows notably higher rates of ATP binding and of subsequent adenylylation compared with RNA ligase, in part because it decreases the K(d) of Mg(2+) for the enzyme-bound Mg(2)ATP(0) more than 10-fold. To elucidate the role of Mg(2+) in the nucleotidyl transfer catalyzed by T4 DNA and RNA ligases, we propose a transition state configuration, in which the catalytic Mg(2+) ion coordinates to both reacting nucleophiles: the lysyl moiety of the enzyme that forms the phosphoramidate bond and the alpha-beta-bridging oxygen of ATP.

The homing endonuclease I-CreI uses three metals, one of which is shared between the two active sites.

Homing endonucleases, like restriction enzymes, cleave double-stranded DNA at specific target sites. The cleavage mechanism(s) utilized by LAGLIDADG endonucleases have been difficult to elucidate; their active sites are divergent, and only one low resolution cocrystal structure has been determined. Here we report two high resolution structures of the dimeric I-CreI homing endonuclease bound to DNA: a substrate complex with calcium and a product complex with magnesium. The bound metals in both complexes are verified by manganese anomalous difference maps. The active sites are positioned close together to facilitate cleavage across the DNA minor groove; each contains one metal ion bound between a conserved aspartate (Asp 20) and a single scissile phosphate. A third metal ion bridges the two active sites. This divalent cation is bound between aspartate residues from the active site of each subunit and is in simultaneous contact with the scissile phosphates of both DNA strands. A metal-bound water molecule acts as the nucleophile and is part of an extensive network of ordered water molecules that are positioned by enzyme side chains. These structures illustrate a unique variant of a two-metal endonuclease mechanism is employed by the highly divergent LAGLIDADG enzyme family.

The active site of the junction-resolving enzyme T7 endonuclease I

Endonuclease I is a junction-resolving enzyme encoded by bacteriophage T7, that selectively binds and cleaves four-way DNA junctions. We have recently solved the structure of this dimeric enzyme at atomic resolution, and identified the probable catalytic residues. The putative active site comprises the side-chains of three acidic amino acids (Glu20, Asp55 and Glu65) together with a lysine residue (Lys67), and shares strong similarities with a number of type II restriction enzymes. However, it differs from a typical restriction enzyme as the proposed catalytic residues in both active sites are contributed by both polypeptides of the dimer. Mutagenesis experiments confirm the importance of all the proposed active site residues. We have carried out in vitro complementation experiments using heterodimers formed from mutants in different active site residues, showing that Glu20 is located on a different monomer from the remaining amino acid residues comprising the active site. These experiments confirm that the helix-exchanged architecture of the enzyme creates a mixed active site in solution. Such a composite active site structure should result in unilateral cleavage by the complemented heterodimer; this has been confirmed by the use of a cruciform substrate. Based upon analogy with closely similar restriction enzyme active sites and our mutagenesis experiments, we propose a two-metal ion mechanism for the hydrolytic cleavage of DNA junctions.

PvuII endonuclease contains two calcium ions in active sites

Restriction endonucleases differ in their use of metal cofactors despite having remarkably similar folds for their catalytic regions. To explore this, we have characterized the interaction of endonuclease PvuII with the catalytically incompetent cation Ca2+. The structure of a glutaraldehyde-crosslinked crystal of the endonuclease PvuII-DNA complex, determined in the presence of Ca2+ at a pH of approximately 6.5, supports a two-metal mechanism of DNA cleavage by PvuII. The first Ca2+ position matches that found in all structurally examined endonucleases, while the second position is similar to that of EcoRV but is distinct from that of BamHI and BglI. The location of the second metal in PvuII, unlike that in BamHI/BglI, permits no direct interaction between the second metal and the O3′ oxygen leaving group. However, the interactions between the DNA scissile phosphate and the metals, the first metal and the attacking water, and the attacking water and DNA are the same in PvuII as they are in the two-metal models of BamHI and BglI, but are distinct from the proposed three-metal or the two-metal models of EcoRV.

RNA and DNA Hydrolysis Are Catalyzed by the Influenza Virus Endonuclease

The influenza virus polymerase complex contains a metal ion-dependent endonuclease activity, which generates short capped RNA primer molecules from capped RNA precursors. Previous studies have provided evidence for a two-metal ion mechanism of RNA cleavage, and the data are consistent with a direct interaction of a divalent metal ion with the catalytic water molecule. To refine the model of this active site, we have generated a series of DNA, RNA, and DNA-RNA chimeric molecules to study the role of the 2'-hydroxy groups on nucleic acid substrates of the endonuclease. We could observe specific cleavage of nucleic acid substrates devoid of any 2'-hydroxy groups if they contained a cap structure (m7GpppG) at the 5'-end. The capped DNA endonuclease products were functional as primers for transcription initiation by the influenza virus polymerase. The apparent cleavage rates were about 5 times lower with capped DNA substrates as compared with capped RNA substrates. Cleavage rates with DNA substrates could be increased to RNA levels by substituting the deoxyribosyl moieties immediately 5' and 3' of the cleavage site with ribosyl moieties. Similarly, cleavage rates of RNA substrates could be lowered to DNA levels by exchanging the same two ribosyl groups with deoxyribosyl groups at the cleavage site. These results demonstrate that the 2'-hydroxy groups are not essential for binding and cleavage of nucleic acids by the influenza virus endonuclease, but small differences of the nucleic acid conformation in the endonuclease active site can influence the overall rate of hydrolysis. The observed relative cleavage rates with DNA and RNA substrates argue against a direct interaction of a catalytic metal ion with a 2'-hydroxy group in the endonuclease active site.

Metal ion catalysis of RNA cleavage by the influenza virus endonuclease.

The influenza virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase protein complex contains an associated RNA endonuclease activity, which cleaves host mRNA precursors in the cell nucleus at defined positions 9-15 nucleotides downstream of the cap structure. This reaction provides capped oligoribonucleotides, which function as primers for the initiation of viral mRNA synthesis. The endonuclease reaction is dependent on the presence of divalent metal ions. We have used a number of divalent and trivalent metal ions alone and in combination to probe the mechanism of RNA cleavage by the influenza virus endonuclease. Virus-specific cleavage was observed with various metal ions, and maximum cleavage activity was obtained with 100 microM Mn2+ or 100 microM Co2+. This activity was about 2-fold higher than that observed with Mg2+ at the optimal concentration of 1 mM. Activity dependence on metal ion concentration was cooperative with Hill coefficients close to or larger than 2. Synergistic activation of cleavage activity was observed with combinations of different metal ions at varying concentrations. These results support a two-metal ion mechanism of RNA cleavage for the influenza virus cap-dependent endonuclease. The findings are also consistent with a structural model of the polymerase, in which the specific endonuclease active site is spatially separated from the nucleotidyl transferase active site of the polymerase module.

Activation/Attenuation Model for RNase H: A ONE-METAL MECHANISM WITH SECOND-METAL INHIBITION

Ribonucleases H (RNases H) comprise a family of metal-dependent enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of the 3'-O---P bond of RNA in RNA.DNA hybrids. The mechanism by which RNases H use active-site metal(s) for catalysis is unclear. Based upon the seemingly contradictory structural observations of one divalent metal bound to Escherichia coli RNase HI and two divalent metals bound to the HIV RNase H domain, two models explaining RNase H metal dependence have been proposed: a one-metal mechanism and a two-metal mechanism. In this paper, we show that the Mn2+-dependent activity of E. coli RNase HI is not consistent with either of these mechanisms. RNase H activity in the presence of Mn2+ is complex, with activation and inhibition of the enzyme at low and high Mn2+ concentrations, respectively. Mutations at Asp-134 result in a partial loss of this inhibition, with little effect on activation. Neutralization of His-124 by mutation to Ala results in an enzyme with a significantly decreased specific activity and an absolute loss of Mn2+ inhibition. Inhibition by high Mn2+ concentrations is shown to be due to a reduction in kcat; this attenuation has a critical dependence on the presence of His-124. Based upon these results, we propose an "activation/attenuation" model explaining the metal dependence of RNase H activity where one metal is required for enzyme activation and binding of a second metal is inhibitory.

Crystal structure of two quaternary complexes of dethiobiotin synthetase, enzyme-MgADP-AlF3-diaminopelargonic acid and enzyme-MgADP-dethiobiotin-phosphate; implications for catalysis.

The crystal structures of two complexes of dethiobiotin synthetase, enzyme-diaminopelargonic acid-MgADP-AlF3 and enzyme-dethiobiotin-MgADP-Pi, respectively, have been determined to 1.8 A resolution. In dethiobiotin synthetase, AlF3 together with carbamylated diaminopelargonic acid mimics the phosphorylated reaction intermediate rather than the transition state complex for phosphoryl transfer. Observed differences in the binding of substrate, diaminopelargonic acid, and the product, dethiobiotin, suggest considerable displacements of substrate atoms during the ring closure step of the catalytic reaction. In both complexes, two metal ions are observed at the active site, providing evidence for a two-metal mechanism for this enzyme.

The role of metals in catalysis by the restriction endonuclease BamHI.

Type II restriction enzymes are characterized by their remarkable specificity and simplicity. They require only divalent metals (such as Mg2+ or Mn2+) as cofactors to catalyze the hydrolysis of DNA. However, most of the structural work on endonucleases has been performed in the absence of metals, leaving unanswered questions about their mechanisms of DNA cleavage. Here we report structures of the endonuclease BamHI-DNA complex, determined in the presence of Mn2+ and Ca2+, that describe the enzyme at different stages of catalysis. Overall, the results support a two-metal mechanism of DNA cleavage for BamHI which is distinct from that of EcoRV.

A two-metal ion mechanism operates in the hammerhead ribozyme-mediated cleavage of an RNA substrate.

Evidence for a two-metal ion mechanism for cleavage of the HH16 hammerhead ribozyme is provided by monitoring the rate of cleavage of the RNA substrate as a function of La3+ concentration in the presence of a constant concentration of Mg2+. We show that a bell-shaped curve of cleavage activation is obtained as La3+ is added in micromolar concentrations in the presence of 8 mM Mg2+, with a maximal rate of cleavage being attained in the presence of 3 microM La3+. These results show that two-metal ion binding sites on the ribozyme regulate the rate of the cleavage reaction and, on the basis of earlier estimates of the Kd values for Mg2+ of 3.5 mM and > 50 mM, that these sites bind La3+ with estimated Kd values of 0.9 and > 37.5 microM, respectively. Furthermore, given the very different effects of these metal ions at the two binding sites, with displacement of Mg2+ by La3+ at the stronger (relative to Mg2+) binding site activating catalysis and displacement of Mg2+ by La3+ at the weaker (relative to Mg2+) (relative to Mg2+) binding site inhibiting catalysis, we show that the metal ions at these two sites play very different roles. We argue that the metal ion at binding site 1 coordinates the attacking 2'-oxygen species in the reaction and lowers the pKa of the attached proton, thereby increasing the concentration of the attacking alkoxide nucleophile in an equilibrium process. In contrast, the role of the metal ion at binding site 2 is to catalyze the reaction by absorbing the negative charge that accumulates at the leaving 5'-oxygen in the transition state. We suggest structural reasons why the Mg(2+)-La3+ ion combination is particularly suited to demonstrating these different roles of the two-metal ions in the ribozyme cleavage reaction.

Binding of different divalent cations to the active site of avian sarcoma virus integrase and their effects on enzymatic activity.

Retroviral integrases (INs) contain two known metal binding domains. The N-terminal domain includes a zinc finger motif and has been shown to bind Zn2+, whereas the central catalytic core domain includes a triad of acidic amino acids that bind Mn2+ or Mg2+, the metal cofactors required for enzymatic activity. The integration reaction occurs in two distinct steps; the first is a specific endonucleolytic cleavage step called "processing," and the second is a polynucleotide transfer or "joining" step. Our previous results showed that the metal preference for in vitro activity of avian sarcoma virus IN is Mn2+ > Mg2+ and that a single cation of either metal is coordinated by two of the three critical active site residues (Asp-64 and Asp-121) in crystals of the isolated catalytic domain. Here, we report that Ca2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ can also bind in the active site of the catalytic domain. Furthermore, two zinc and cadmium cations are bound at the active site, with all three residues of the active site triad (Asp-64, Asp-121, and Glu-157) contributing to their coordination. These results are consistent with a two-metal mechanism for catalysis by retroviral integrases. We also show that Zn2+ can serve as a cofactor for the endonucleolytic reactions catalyzed by either the full-length protein, a derivative lacking the N-terminal domain, or the isolated catalytic domain of avian sarcoma virus IN. However, polynucleotidyl transferase activities are severely impaired or undetectable in the presence of Zn2+. Thus, although the processing and joining steps of integrase employ a similar mechanism and the same active site triad, they can be clearly distinguished by their metal preferences.

Two-metal ion mechanism of bovine lens leucine aminopeptidase: active site solvent structure and binding mode of L-leucinal, a gem-diolate transition state analogue, by X-ray crystallography.

The three-dimensional structures of bovine lens leucine aminopeptidase (blLAP) complexed with L-leucinal and of the unliganded enzyme have been determined at crystallographic resolutions of 1.9 and 1.6 A, respectively. Leucinal binds as a hydrated gem-diol to the active site of b1LAP), resembling the presumed gem-diolated intermediate in the catalytic pathway. One hydroxyl group bridges the two active site metal ions, and the other OH group is coordinated to Zn1. The high-resolution structure of the unliganded enzyme reveals one metal-bound water ligand, which is bridging both zinc ions. Together, these structures support a mechanism in which the bridging water ligand is the attacking hydroxide ion nucleophile. The gem-diolate intermediate is probably stabilized by four coordinating bonds to the dizinc center and by interaction with Lys-262 and Arg-336. In the mechanism, Lys-262 polarizes the peptide carbonyl group, which is also coordinated to Zn1. The Arg-336 side chain interacts with the substrate and the gem-diolate intermediate via water molecules. Near Arg-336 in the b1LAP-leucinal structure, an unusually short hydrogen bond is found between two active site water molecules.

Two-metal ion mechanism of leucine aminopeptidase. Binding of GEM-diolate transition state analogues

Two-metal ion mechanism of leucine aminopeptidase. Binding of GEM-diolate transition state analogues

Structures of Ternary Complexes of Rat DNA Polymerase β, a DNA Template-Primer, and ddCTP

Two ternary complexes of rat DNA polymerase beta (pol beta), a DNA template-primer, and dideoxycytidine triphosphate (ddCTP) have been determined at 2.9 A and 3.6 A resolution, respectively. ddCTP is the triphosphate of dideoxycytidine (ddC), a nucleoside analog that targets the reverse transcriptase of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and is at present used to treat AIDS. Although crystals of the two complexes belong to different space groups, the structures are similar, suggesting that the polymerase-DNA-ddCTP interactions are not affected by crystal packing forces. In the pol beta active site, the attacking 3'-OH of the elongating primer, the ddCTP phosphates, and two Mg2+ ions are all clustered around Asp190, Asp192, and Asp256. Two of these residues, Asp190 and Asp256, are present in the amino acid sequences of all polymerases so far studied and are also spatially similar in the four polymerases--the Klenow fragment of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, T7 RNA polymerase, and rat DNA pol beta--whose crystal structures are now known. A two-metal ion mechanism is described for the nucleotidyl transfer reaction and may apply to all polymerases. In the ternary complex structures analyzed, pol beta binds to the DNA template-primer in a different manner from that recently proposed for other polymerase-DNA models.

Mechanism of inositol monophosphatase, the putative target of lithium therapy.

myo-Inositol monophosphatase (myo-inositol-1-phosphate phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.25) is an attractive target for mechanistic investigation due to its critical role in the phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway and the possible relevance of its inhibition by Li+ to manic depression therapy. The x-ray crystallographic structure of human inositol monophosphatase in the presence of the inhibitory metal Gd3+ showed only one metal bound per active site, whereas in the presence of Mn2+, three ions were present with one being displaced upon phosphate binding. We report here modeling, kinetic, and mutagenesis studies on the enzyme, which reveal the requirement for two metal ions in the catalytic mechanism. Activity titration curves with Zn2+ or Mn2+ in the presence or absence of Mg2+ are consistent with a two-metal mechanism. Modeling studies based on the various x-ray crystallographic structures (including those with Gd3+ and substrate bound) further support a two-metal mechanism and define the positions of the two metal ions relative to substrate. While the first metal ion may activate water for nucleophilic attack, a second metal ion, coordinated by three aspartate residues, appears to act as a Lewis acid, stabilizing the leaving inositol oxyanion. In this model, the 6-OH group of substrate acts as a ligand for this second metal ion, consistent with the reduced catalytic activity observed with substrate analogues lacking the 6-OH. Evidence from Tb3+ fluorescence quenching and the two-metal kinetic titration curves suggests that Li+ binds at the site of this second metal ion.