The human brain hexacoordinated neuroglobin three-dimensional structure

Neuroglobin, mainly expressed in vertebrate brain and retina, is a recently identified member of the globin superfamily. Augmenting O2 supply, neuroglobin promotes survival of neurons upon hypoxic injury, potentially limiting brain damage. In the absence of exogenous ligands, neuroglobin displays a six-coordinated heme. O2 and CO bind to the heme-iron, displacing the endogenous HisE7 heme distal ligand. Hexacoordinated human neuroglobin displays a classical globin fold, adapted to host the reversible bis-histidyl heme complex, and an elongated protein matrix cavity, held to facilitate O2 diffusion to the heme. The structure of neuroglobin suggests that the classical globin fold is endowed with striking adaptability, indicating that hemoglobin and myoglobin are just two examples within a wide and functionally diversified protein homology superfamily.

Crystal Structure of Cytoglobin: The Fourth Globin Type Discovered in Man Displays Heme Hexa-coordination

Cytoglobin is a recently discovered hemeprotein belonging to the globin superfamily together with hemoglobin, myoglobin and neuroglobin. Although distributed in almost all human tissues, cytoglobin has not been ascribed a specific function. Human cytoglobin is composed of 190 amino acid residues. Sequence alignments show that a protein core region (about 150 residues) is structurally related to hemoglobin and myoglobin, being complemented by about 20 extra residues both on the N and C termini. In the absence of exogenous ligands (e.g. O2), the cytoglobin distal HisE7 residue is coordinated to the heme Fe atom, thus decreasing the ligand affinity. The crystal structure of human cytoglobin (2.1 A resolution, 21.3% R-factor) highlights a three-over-three alpha-helical globin fold, covering residues 18-171; the 1-17 N-terminal, and the 172-190 C-terminal residue segments are disordered in both molecules of the crystal asymmetric unit. Heme hexa-coordination is evident in one of the two cytoglobin chains, whereas alternate conformation for the heme distal region, achieving partial heme penta-coordination, is observed in the other. Human cytoglobin displays a large apolar protein matrix cavity, next to the heme, not related to the myoglobin cavities recognized as temporary ligand docking stations. The cavity, which may provide a heme ligand diffusion pathway, is connected to the external space through a narrow tunnel nestled between the globin G and H helices.

Coupling of the heme and an internal disulfide bond in human neuroglobin

Neuroglobin displays a hexacoordination His-Fe-His in the absence of external ligands such as oxygen. The observed oxygen affinity therefore depends on the binding rates of both oxygen and the competing distal histidine. Furthermore, the binding properties depend on the presence of an internal disulfide bond. In the case of human neuroglobin, cysteines at positions CD7 and D5 are sufficiently close to form an internal disulfide bond. For cytoglobin, the cysteine residues at positions A7 and GH4 may also form a disulfide bond. Mass spectrometry, ligand binding, and thiol accessibility studies were used to study the role influence of these disulfide bonds. Mutation of specific cysteines, or reduction to break the S-S bond, led to a large decrease in the observed oxygen affinity of human neuroglobin, mainly due to a decrease in the histidine dissociation rate. This suggests a novel mechanism for the oxygen binding; reduction of the disulfide bond would provoke the release of oxygen.

Truncated Hemoglobins and Nitric Oxide Action

Truncated hemoglobins (trHbs) build a separate subfamily within the hemoglobin superfamily; they are scarcely related by sequence similarity to (non-)vertebrate hemoglobins, displaying amino acid sequences in the 115-130 residue range. The trHb tertiary structure is based on a 2-on-2 alpha-helical sandwich, which hosts a unique hydrophobic cavity/tunnel system, traversing the protein matrix, from the molecular surface to the heme distal site. Such a protein matrix system may provide a path for diffusion of ligands to the heme. In Mycobacterium tuberculosis trHbN the heme-bound oxygen molecule is part of an extended hydrogen bond network including the heme distal residues TyrB10 and GlnE11. In vitro experiments have shown that M. tuberculosis trHbN supports efficiently nitric oxide dioxygenation, yielding nitrate. Such a reaction would provide a defense barrier against the nitrosative stress raised by host macrophages during lung infection. It is proposed that the whole protein architecture, the heme distal site hydrogen bonded network, and the unique protein matrix tunnel, are optimally designed to support the pseudo-catalytic role of trHbN in converting the reactive NO species into the harmless NO3-.

[Assessment of the habits of physicians involved in the management of HIV-infected patients. A clinical audit on the biological follow-up]

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to assess the habits of hospital and community-based physicians involved in the management of HIV-infected patients and to measure the gap between their practice and follow-up guidelines.

METHOD

The guidelines considered as reference were the 1998 Dormont report. Data were prospectively collected from the medical files of the first 10 HIV-infected patients who presented for an out-patient visit (laboratory tests at initial consultation, type and frequency of follow-up during the previous year, relation between biological data and treatment strategy).

RESULTS

22 physicians (14 hospital-based physicians (HP) and 8 community-based general practitioners (GP) participated in the survey. Initial biological data were available for 211 patients; 45% had tests strictly conforming to the recommendations (HP: 57%, GP 23%; p<0.001). Among patients followed by a GP, the initial biological assessment was adequate in 7% of cases when an opiate substitute was prescribed versus 33% in the absence of opiate substitute prescription (p=0.05). For all patients, syphilis serology was the test most frequently lacking (38%). Among 78 patients with HIV-RNA levels>5,000 copies/ml, 18% did not benefit from a change in treatment. Among the patients treated by a GP, 15% had a three-fold increase in HIV-RNA, compared to their initial measurement. Of these, 3/4 were redirected to a hospital out-patient unit.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the discrepancy between initial laboratory testing and expert recommendations, particularly concerning patients attended by a GP. Improvement in data collection is essential. However, recommendations concerning patients' biological follow-up are applied, with the exception of the delay between the initial prescription or treatment modification and HIV-RNA measurement, which should be shortened.

The redox state of the cell regulates the ligand binding affinity of human neuroglobin and cytoglobin

Neuroglobin and cytoglobin reversibly bind oxygen in competition with the distal histidine, and the observed oxygen affinity therefore depends on the properties of both ligands. In the absence of an external ligand, the iron atom of these globins is hexacoordinated. There are three cysteine residues in human neuroglobin; those at positions CD7 and D5 are sufficiently close to form an internal disulfide bond. Both cysteine residues in cytoglobin, although localized in other positions than in human neuroglobin, may form a disulfide bond as well. The existence and position of these disulfide bonds was demonstrated by mass spectrometry and thiol accessibility studies. Mutation of the cysteines involved, or the use of reducing agents to break the S-S bond, led to a decrease in the observed oxygen affinity of human neuroglobin by an order of magnitude. The critical parameter is the histidine dissociation rate, which changes by about a factor of 10. The same effect is observed with human cytoglobin, although to a much lesser extent (less than a factor of 2). These results suggest a novel mechanism for the regulation of oxygen binding; contact with an appropriate electron donor would provoke the release of oxygen. Hence the oxygen affinity would be directly linked to the redox state of the cell.

Structure of the human NK cell triggering receptor NKp46 ectodomain

NKp46, a natural killer (NK) cell-specific receptor, has been recently identified as one of the triggering receptors involved in NK cell activation mediated by non-HLA class I ligands. The structure of the NKp46 extracellular receptor region, here reported, consists of two Ig-like domains assembled similarly to leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors (LIRs) and killer inhibitory receptors (KIRs). The extensive NKp46 residue substitutions at sites structurally related to those mediating interaction with HLA antigens in LIRs and KIRs indicate that NKp46 recognition processes in vivo should involve non-HLA ligands. NKP46 is shown to stem from an ancestral KIR/LIR family. However, the absence of close paralogues, such as those found for LIR and KIR, indicates that NKp46 is the unique member of a distinct Ig-like subfamily and suggests a specific role, which appears to be maintained across primates and rodents.

Human brain neuroglobin structure reveals a distinct mode of controlling oxygen affinity

Neuroglobin, mainly expressed in vertebrate brain and retina, is a recently identified member of the globin superfamily. Augmenting O(2) supply, neuroglobin promotes survival of neurons upon hypoxic injury, potentially limiting brain damage. In the absence of exogenous ligands, neuroglobin displays a hexacoordinated heme. O(2) and CO bind to the heme iron, displacing the endogenous HisE7 heme distal ligand. Hexacoordinated human neuroglobin displays a classical globin fold adapted to host the reversible bis-histidyl heme complex and an elongated protein matrix cavity, held to facilitate O(2) diffusion to the heme. The neuroglobin structure suggests that the classical globin fold is endowed with striking adaptability, indicating that hemoglobin and myoglobin are just two examples within a wide and functionally diversified protein homology superfamily.

New insight into the haemoglobin superfamily: preliminary crystallographic characterization of human cytoglobin

Human cytoglobin, present in almost all tissue types, is a newly identified member of the Hb superfamily. A double mutant, having both cysteines replaced by serines, has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. A highly redundant SAD data set has been collected at the haem Fe-atom absorption edge (lambda = 1.720 A) to 2.60 A resolution. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic P2(1)2(1)2(1) space group, with unit-cell parameters a = 46.8, b = 73.1, c = 98.9 A and two molecules per asymmetric unit. The anomalous difference Patterson map clearly reveals the position of the haem Fe-atom sites, thus paving the way for SAD structure determination.

CtBP/BARS: a dual-function protein involved in transcription co-repression and Golgi membrane fission

C-terminal-binding protein/brefeldin A-ADP ribosylated substrate (CtBP/BARS) plays key roles in development and oncogenesis as a transcription co-repressor, and in intracellular traffic as a promoter of Golgi membrane fission. Co-repressor activity is regulated by NAD(H) binding to CtBP/BARS, while membrane fission is associated with its acyl-CoA-dependent acyltransferase activity. Here, we report the crystal structures of rat CtBP/BARS in a binary complex with NAD(H), and in a ternary complex with a PIDLSKK peptide mimicking the consensus motif (PXDLS) recognized in CtBP/BARS cellular partners. The structural data show CtBP/BARS in a NAD(H)-bound dimeric form; the peptide binding maps the recognition site for DNA-binding proteins and histone deacetylases to an N-terminal region of the protein. The crystal structure together with the site-directed mutagenesis data and binding experiments suggest a rationale for the molecular mechanisms underlying the two fundamental co-existing, but diverse, activities supported by CtBP/BARS in the nucleus and in Golgi membranes.

Static and dynamic water molecules in Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase

Understanding protein hydration is a crucial, and often underestimated issue, in unraveling protein function. Molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulation can provide a microscopic description of the water behavior. We have applied such a simulative approach to dimeric Photobacterium leiognathi Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase, comparing the water molecule sites determined using 1.0 ns MD simulation with those detected by X-ray crystallography. Of the water molecules detected by the two techniques, 20% fall at common sites. These are evenly distributed over the protein surface and located around crevices, which represent the preferred hydration sites. The water mean residence time, estimated by means of a survival probability function on a given protein hydration shell, is relatively short and increases for low accessibility sites constituted by polar atoms. Water molecules trapped in the dimeric protein intersubunit cavity, as identified in the crystal structure, display a trajectory mainly confined within the cavity. The simulation shows that these water molecules are characterized by relatively short residence times, because they continuously change from one site to another within the cavity, thus hinting at the absence of any relationship between spatial and temporal order for solvent molecules in proximity of protein surface.

Active-site copper and zinc ions modulate the quaternary structure of prokaryotic Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase

The influence of the constitutive metal ions on the equilibrium properties of dimeric Photobacterium leiognathi Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase has been studied for the wild-type and for two mutant protein forms bearing a negative charge in the amino acid clusters at the dimer association interface. Depletion of copper and zinc dissociates the two mutant proteins into monomers, which reassemble toward the dimeric state upon addition of stoichiometric amounts of zinc. Pressure-dependent dissociation is observed for the copper-depleted wild-type and mutated enzymes, as monitored by the fluorescence shift of a unique tryptophan residue located at the subunit association interface. The spectral shift occurs slowly, reaching a plateau after 15-20 minutes, and is fully reversible. The recovery of the original fluorescence properties, after decompression, is fast (less than four minutes), suggesting that the isolated subunit has a relatively stable structure, and excluding the presence of stable intermediates during the dimer-monomer transition. The dimer dissociation process is still incomplete at 6.5 kbar for the copper-depleted wild-type and mutated enzymes, at variance with what is generally observed for oligomeric proteins that dissociate below 3 kbar. Measurement of the degree of dissociation, at two different protein concentrations, allows us to calculate the standard volume variation upon association, Delta V, and the dissociation constant K(d0), at atmospheric pressure, (25 ml/mol and 3 x 10(-7)M, respectively). The holoprotein is fully dimeric even at 6.5 kbar, which allows us to evaluate a lower Delta G degrees limit of 11.5 kcal/mol, corresponding to a dissociation constant K(d0)<10(-9)M.

Neuroglobin and cytoglobin. Fresh blood for the vertebrate globin family

Neuroglobin and cytoglobin are two recently discovered members of the vertebrate globin family. Both are intracellular proteins endowed with hexacoordinated heme-Fe atoms, in their ferrous and ferric forms, and display O2 affinities comparable with that of myoglobin. Neuroglobin, which is predominantly expressed in nerve cells, is thought to protect neurons from hypoxic-ischemic injury. It is of ancient evolutionary origin, and is homologous to nerve globins of invertebrates. Cytoglobin is expressed in many different tissues, although at varying levels. It shares common ancestry with myoglobin, and can be traced to early vertebrate evolution. The physiological roles of neuroglobin and cytoglobin are not completely understood. Although supplying cells with O2 is the likely function, it is also possible that both globins act as O2-consuming enzymes or as O2 sensors. Here, we review what is currently known about neuroglobin and cytoglobin in terms of their function, tissue distribution and relatedness to the well-known hemoglobin and myoglobin. Strikingly, the data reveal that O2 metabolism in cells is more complicated than was thought before, requiring unexpected O2-binding proteins with potentially novel functional features.

Human neuroglobin: crystals and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis

Neuroglobin, a recently discovered member of the haemoglobin superfamily, is primarily expressed in the brain of humans and other vertebrates, where it has been proposed to enhance O(2) supply in response to hypoxia or ischaemia, protecting the neuron from hypoxic injury. Neuroglobin is the first example of a vertebrate haemoglobin in which a hexacoordinate haem geometry has been detected. A triple mutant (replacing three Cys residues) of human neuroglobin (151 amino acids) has been expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized in two crystal forms, the best of which diffracts to 1.95 A resolution using synchrotron radiation. The crystals belong to space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 39.6, b = 94.9, c = 67.5 A, beta = 94.4 degrees, and contain 2-4 protein molecules per asymmetric unit.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of brefeldin A-ADP ribosylated substrate (BARS)

Brefeldin A-ADP ribosylated substrate (BARS) is a newly discovered enzyme involved in membrane fission, catalyzing the formation of phosphatidic acid by transfer of an acyl group from acyl-CoA to lysophosphatidic acid. A truncated form of BARS, lacking the C-terminal segment expected to interact with the Golgi membrane, has been expressed in soluble form in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. BARS crystals diffract up to 2.5 A resolution using synchrotron radiation and belong to space group P6(2)22/P6(4)22, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 89.2, c = 162.6 A, alpha = beta = 90, gamma = 120 degrees and one molecule (39.5 kDa) per asymmetric unit. SeMet-substituted BARS has been crystallized under growth conditions very similar to those of the native protein.

The 109 residue nerve tissue minihemoglobin from Cerebratulus lacteus highlights striking structural plasticity of the alpha-helical globin fold

A very short hemoglobin (CerHb; 109 amino acids) binds O(2) cooperatively in the nerve tissue of the nemertean worm Cerebratulus lacteus to sustain neural activity during anoxia. Sequence analysis suggests that CerHb tertiary structure may be unique among the known globin fold evolutionary variants. The X-ray structure of oxygenated CerHb (R factor 15.3%, at 1.5 A resolution) displays deletion of the globin N-terminal A helix, an extended GH region, a very short H helix, and heme solvent shielding based on specific aromatic residues. The heme-bound O(2) is stabilized by hydrogen bonds to the distal TyrB10-GlnE7 pair. Ligand access to heme may take place through a wide protein matrix tunnel connecting the distal site to a surface cleft located between the E and H helices.

Structural plasticity in the eight-helix fold of a trematode haemoglobin

The three-dimensional structure of recombinant haemoglobin from the trematode Paramphistomum epiclitum, displaying the highest oxygen affinity so far observed for (non)vertebrate haemoglobins, has previously been determined at 1.17 A resolution (orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1)). In the present communication, the three-dimensional structure of wild-type P. epiclitum haemoglobin is reported at 1.85 A resolution in a monoclinic crystal form (R factor = 16.1%, R(free) = 22.0%). Comparison of P. epiclitum (recombinant versus wild-type ferric Hb) structures in the two crystal forms shows structural differences in the haem proximal and distal sites which have not been reported for other known haemoglobin structures previously.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of neural haemoglobin from the nemertean worm Cerebratulus lacteus

The nemertean worm Cerebratulus lacteus neural tissue haemoglobin (109 amino acids, the shortest known haemoglobin) has been overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. A highly redundant native data set has been collected at the Cu K(alpha) wavelength to 2.05 A resolution. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic P2(1)2(1)2(1) space group, with unit-cell parameters a = 42.5, b = 43.1, c = 60.2 A and one molecule per asymmetric unit. The anomalous difference Patterson map clearly reveals the position of the haem Fe atom, thus paving the way for MAD/SAD structure determination.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis hemoglobin N displays a protein tunnel suited for O2 diffusion to the heme

Macrophage-generated oxygen- and nitrogen-reactive species control the development of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in the host. Mycobacterium tuberculosis 'truncated hemoglobin' N (trHbN) has been related to nitric oxide (NO) detoxification, in response to macrophage nitrosative stress, during the bacterium latent infection stage. The three-dimensional structure of oxygenated trHbN, solved at 1.9 A resolution, displays the two-over-two alpha-helical sandwich fold recently characterized in two homologous truncated hemoglobins, featuring an extra N-terminal alpha-helix and homodimeric assembly. In the absence of a polar distal E7 residue, the O2 heme ligand is stabilized by two hydrogen bonds to TyrB10(33). Strikingly, ligand diffusion to the heme in trHbN may occur via an apolar tunnel/cavity system extending for approximately 28 A through the protein matrix, connecting the heme distal cavity to two distinct protein surface sites. This unique structural feature appears to be conserved in several homologous truncated hemoglobins. It is proposed that in trHbN, heme Fe/O2 stereochemistry and the protein matrix tunnel may promote O2/NO chemistry in vivo, as a M.tuberculosis defense mechanism against macrophage nitrosative stress.

Very high resolution structure of a trematode hemoglobin displaying a TyrB10-TyrE7 heme distal residue pair and high oxygen affinity

Monomeric hemoglobin from the trematode Paramphistomum epiclitum displays very high oxygen affinity (P(50)<0.001 mm Hg) and an unusual heme distal site containing tyrosyl residues at the B10 and E7 positions. The crystal structure of aquo-met P. epiclitum hemoglobin, solved at 1.17 A resolution via multiwavelength anomalous dispersion techniques (R-factor=0.121), shows that the heme distal site pocket residue TyrB10 is engaged in hydrogen bonding to the iron-bound ligand. By contrast, residue TyrE7 is unexpectedly locked next to the CD globin region, in a conformation unsuitable for heme-bound ligand stabilisation. Such structural organization of the E7 distal residue differs strikingly from that observed in the nematode Ascaris suum hemoglobin (bearing TyrB10 and GlnE7 residues), which also displays very high oxygen affinity. The oxygenation and carbonylation parameters of wild-type P. epiclitum Hb as well as of single- and double-site mutants, with residue substitutions at positions B10, E7 and E11, have been determined and are discussed here in the light of the protein atomic resolution crystal structure.

Single mutations at the subunit interface modulate copper reactivity in Photobacterium leiognathi Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase

The functional properties and X-ray structures of five mutant forms of Photobacterium leiognathi Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase carrying single mutations at residues located at the dimer association interface have been investigated. When compared to the wild-type enzyme, the three-dimensional structures of the mutants show structural perturbations limited to the proximity of the mutation sites and substantial identity of active site geometry. Nonetheless, the catalytic rates of all mutants, measured at neutral pH and low ionic strength by pulse radiolysis, are higher than that of the wild-type protein. Such enzymatic activity increase is paralleled by enhanced active site accessibility to external chelating agents, which, in the mutated enzyme, remove more readily the active site copper ion. It is concluded that mutations at the prokaryotic Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase subunit interface can transduce dynamical perturbation to the active site region, promoting substrate active site accessibility. Such long-range intramolecular communication effects have not been extensively described before within the Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase homology family.