Evolution of cation binding in the active sites of P-loop nucleoside triphosphatases in relation to the basic catalytic mechanism

Redefining the Limits of Functional Continuity in the Early Evolution of P-Loop NTPases

At the heart of many nucleoside triphosphatases is a conserved phosphate-binding sequence motif. A current model of early enzyme evolution proposes that this six to eight residue motif could have sparked the emergence of the very first nucleoside triphosphatases-a striking example of evolutionary continuity from simple beginnings, if true. To test this provocative model, seven disembodied Walker A-derived peptides were extensively computationally characterized. Although dynamic flickers of nest-like conformations were observed, significant structural similarity between the situated peptide and its disembodied counterpart was not detected. Simulations suggest that phosphate binding is nonspecific, with a preference for GTP over orthophosphate. Control peptides with the same amino acid composition but different sequences and situated conformations behaved similarly to the Walker A peptides, revealing no indication that the Walker A sequence is privileged as a disembodied peptide. We conclude that the evolutionary history of the P-loop NTPase family is unlikely to have started with a disembodied Walker A peptide in an aqueous environment. The limits of evolutionary continuity for this protein family must be reconsidered. Finally, we argue that motifs such as the Walker A motif may represent incomplete or fragmentary molecular fossils-the true nature of which has been eroded by time.

Origin of the RNA World in Cold Hadean Geothermal Fields Enriched in Zinc and Potassium: Abiogenesis as a Positive Fallout from the Moon-Forming Impact?

The ubiquitous, evolutionarily oldest RNAs and proteins exclusively use rather rare zinc as transition metal cofactor and potassium as alkali metal cofactor, which implies their abundance in the habitats of the first organisms. Intriguingly, lunar rocks contain a hundred times less zinc and ten times less potassium than the Earth's crust; the Moon is also depleted in other moderately volatile elements (MVEs). Current theories of impact formation of the Moon attribute this depletion to the MVEs still being in a gaseous state when the hot post-impact disk contracted and separated from the nascent Moon. The MVEs then fell out onto juvenile Earth's protocrust; zinc, as the most volatile metal, precipitated last, just after potassium. According to our calculations, the top layer of the protocrust must have contained up to 1019 kg of metallic zinc, a powerful reductant. The venting of hot geothermal fluids through this MVE-fallout layer, rich in metallic zinc and radioactive potassium, both capable of reducing carbon dioxide and dinitrogen, must have yielded a plethora of organic molecules released with the geothermal vapor. In the pools of vapor condensate, the RNA-like molecules may have emerged through a pre-Darwinian selection for low-volatile, associative, mineral-affine, radiation-resistant, nitrogen-rich, and polymerizable molecules.

Epigenetic changes induced by chronic and acute chromium stress treatments in Arabidopsis thaliana identified by the MSAP-Seq

Chromium (Cr) is an highly toxic metal to plants and causes severe damage to their growth, development, and reproduction. Plant exposure to chronic and acute Cr stress treatments results in significant changes at short time in the gene expression profile and at long time in the genomic DNA methylation profile at a transgenerational level and, consequently, in gene expression. These epigenetic modifications and their implications imposed by the Cr stress are not yet completely known in plants. Herein, were identified the epigenetic changes induced by chronic and acute Cr stress treatments in Arabidopsis thaliana plants using Methylation Sensitive Amplification Polymorphism coupled with next-generation sequencing (MSAP-Seq). First-generation Arabidopsis plants (termed F0 plants) kept under hoagland solution were subjected to Cr stress treatments. For chronic Cr stress, plants were treated through hoagland solution with 2.5 μM Cr during the entire cultivation period until seed harvest. Meanwhile, for acute Cr stress, plants were treated with 5 μM Cr during the first three weeks and returned to unstressful control condition until seed harvest. Seeds from F0 plants were sown and F1 plants were re-submitted to the same Cr stress treatments. The seed germination rate was evaluated from F-2 seeds harvested of F1 plants kept under different Cr stress treatments (0, 10, 20, and 40 μM) compared to the unstressful control condition. These data showed significant changes in the germination rate of F-2 seeds originating from stressed F1 plants compared to F-2 seeds harvested from unstressful control plants. Given this data, F1 plants kept under these chronic and acute Cr stress treatments and unstressful control condition were evaluated for the transgenerational epigenetic modifications using MSAP-Seq. The MSAP-Seq data showed that several genes were modified in their methylation status as a consequence of chronic and acute Cr stress treatment to maintain plant defenses activated. In particular, RNA processing, protein translation, photorespiration, energy production, transmembrane transport, DNA transcription, plant development, and plant resilience were the major biological processes modulated by epigenetic mechanisms identified in F1 plants kept under chronic and acute Cr stress. Therefore, collective data suggested that Arabidopsis plants kept under Cr stress regulate their epigenetic status over generations based on DNA methylation to modulate defense and resilience mechanisms.

GTPase Era at the heart of ribosome assembly

Ribosome biogenesis is a key process in all organisms. It relies on coordinated work of multiple proteins and RNAs, including an array of assembly factors. Among them, the GTPase Era stands out as an especially deeply conserved protein, critically required for the assembly of bacterial-type ribosomes from Escherichia coli to humans. In this review, we bring together and critically analyze a wealth of phylogenetic, biochemical, structural, genetic and physiological data about this extensively studied but still insufficiently understood factor. We do so using a comparative and, wherever possible, synthetic approach, by confronting observations from diverse groups of bacteria and eukaryotic organelles (mitochondria and chloroplasts). The emerging consensus posits that Era intervenes relatively early in the small subunit biogenesis and is essential for the proper shaping of the platform which, in its turn, is a prerequisite for efficient translation. The timing of Era action on the ribosome is defined by its interactions with guanosine nucleotides [GTP, GDP, (p)ppGpp], ribosomal RNA, and likely other factors that trigger or delay its GTPase activity. As a critical nexus of the small subunit biogenesis, Era is subject to sophisticated regulatory mechanisms at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational levels. Failure of these mechanisms or a deficiency in Era function entail dramatic generalized consequences for the protein synthesis and far-reaching, pleiotropic effects on the organism physiology, such as the Perrault syndrome in humans.

New biochemistry in the Rhodanese-phosphatase superfamily: emerging roles in diverse metabolic processes, nucleic acid modifications, and biological conflicts

The protein-tyrosine/dual-specificity phosphatases and rhodanese domains constitute a sprawling superfamily of Rossmannoid domains that use a conserved active site with a cysteine to catalyze a range of phosphate-transfer, thiotransfer, selenotransfer and redox activities. While these enzymes have been extensively studied in the context of protein/lipid head group dephosphorylation and various thiotransfer reactions, their overall diversity and catalytic potential remain poorly understood. Using comparative genomics and sequence/structure analysis, we comprehensively investigate and develop a natural classification for this superfamily. As a result, we identified several novel clades, both those which retain the catalytic cysteine and those where a distinct active site has emerged in the same location (e.g. diphthine synthase-like methylases and RNA 2' OH ribosyl phosphate transferases). We also present evidence that the superfamily has a wider range of catalytic capabilities than previously known, including a set of parallel activities operating on various sugar/sugar alcohol groups in the context of NAD+-derivatives and RNA termini, and potential phosphate transfer activities involving sugars and nucleotides. We show that such activities are particularly expanded in the RapZ-C-DUF488-DUF4326 clade, defined here for the first time. Some enzymes from this clade are predicted to catalyze novel DNA-end processing activities as part of nucleic-acid-modifying systems that are likely to function in biological conflicts between viruses and their hosts.

Modeling of minimal systems based on ATP-Zn coordination for chemically fueled self-assembly

Following nature's example, there is currently strong interest in using adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) as a fuel for the self-assembly of functional materials with transient/non-equilibrium behaviours. These hold great promise for applications, e.g. in catalysis and drug delivery. In a recent seminal work [Maiti et al., Nat. Chem., 2016, 8, 725], binding of ATP to the metallosurfactant zinc hexadecyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane ([ZnC₁₆ TACN]²⁺) was exploited to produce ATP-fueled transient vesicles. Crucial to the complex formation is the ability of ATP to bind to the metal ion. As a first step to unveil the key elements underlying this process, we investigate the interaction of ATP with Zn²⁺ and with methyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane ([ZnCH₃ TACN]²⁺), using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. The free energy landscape of the complex formation is sampled using well-tempered metadynamics with three collective variables, corresponding to the coordination numbers of Zn²⁺ with the oxygen atoms of the three phosphate groups. We find that the structure of the ternary complex is controlled by direct triphosphate coordination to zinc, with a minor role played by the interactions between ATP and CH₃ TACN which, however, may be important for the build-up of supramolecular assemblies.

Common Mechanism of Activated Catalysis in P-loop Fold Nucleoside Triphosphatases-United in Diversity

To clarify the obscure hydrolysis mechanism of ubiquitous P-loop-fold nucleoside triphosphatases (Walker NTPases), we analysed the structures of 3136 catalytic sites with bound Mg-NTP complexes or their analogues. Our results are presented in two articles; here, in the second of them, we elucidated whether the Walker A and Walker B sequence motifs-common to all P-loop NTPases-could be directly involved in catalysis. We found that the hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) between the strictly conserved, Mg-coordinating Ser/Thr of the Walker A motif ([Ser/Thr]WA) and aspartate of the Walker B motif (AspWB) are particularly short (even as short as 2.4 ångströms) in the structures with bound transition state (TS) analogues. Given that a short H-bond implies parity in the pKa values of the H-bond partners, we suggest that, in response to the interactions of a P-loop NTPase with its cognate activating partner, a proton relocates from [Ser/Thr]WA to AspWB. The resulting anionic [Ser/Thr]WA alkoxide withdraws a proton from the catalytic water molecule, and the nascent hydroxyl attacks the gamma phosphate of NTP. When the gamma-phosphate breaks away, the trapped proton at AspWB passes by the Grotthuss relay via [Ser/Thr]WA to beta-phosphate and compensates for its developing negative charge that is thought to be responsible for the activation barrier of hydrolysis.

Common Patterns of Hydrolysis Initiation in P-loop Fold Nucleoside Triphosphatases

The P-loop fold nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) hydrolases (also known as Walker NTPases) function as ATPases, GTPases, and ATP synthases, are often of medical importance, and represent one of the largest and evolutionarily oldest families of enzymes. There is still no consensus on their catalytic mechanism. To clarify this, we performed the first comparative structural analysis of more than 3100 structures of P-loop NTPases that contain bound substrate Mg-NTPs or their analogues. We proceeded on the assumption that structural features common to these P-loop NTPases may be essential for catalysis. Our results are presented in two articles. Here, in the first, we consider the structural elements that stimulate hydrolysis. Upon interaction of P-loop NTPases with their cognate activating partners (RNA/DNA/protein domains), specific stimulatory moieties, usually Arg or Lys residues, are inserted into the catalytic site and initiate the cleavage of gamma phosphate. By analyzing a plethora of structures, we found that the only shared feature was the mechanistic interaction of stimulators with the oxygen atoms of gamma-phosphate group, capable of causing its rotation. One of the oxygen atoms of gamma phosphate coordinates the cofactor Mg ion. The rotation must pull this oxygen atom away from the Mg ion. This rearrangement should affect the properties of the other Mg ligands and may initiate hydrolysis according to the mechanism elaborated in the second article.

Structural basis of DNA packaging by a ring-type ATPase from an archetypal viral system

Many essential cellular processes rely on substrate rotation or translocation by a multi-subunit, ring-type NTPase. A large number of double-stranded DNA viruses, including tailed bacteriophages and herpes viruses, use a homomeric ring ATPase to processively translocate viral genomic DNA into procapsids during assembly. Our current understanding of viral DNA packaging comes from three archetypal bacteriophage systems: cos, pac and phi29. Detailed mechanistic understanding exists for pac and phi29, but not for cos. Here, we reconstituted in vitro a cos packaging system based on bacteriophage HK97 and provided a detailed biochemical and structural description. We used a photobleaching-based, single-molecule assay to determine the stoichiometry of the DNA-translocating ATPase large terminase. Crystal structures of the large terminase and DNA-recruiting small terminase, a first for a biochemically defined cos system, reveal mechanistic similarities between cos and pac systems. At the same time, mutational and biochemical analyses indicate a new regulatory mechanism for ATPase multimerization and coordination in the HK97 system. This work therefore establishes a framework for studying the evolutionary relationships between ATP-dependent DNA translocation machineries in double-stranded DNA viruses.

Genome-Wide Survey and Development of the First Microsatellite Markers Database (AnCorDB) in Anemone coronaria L

Anemone coronaria L. (2n = 2x = 16) is a perennial, allogamous, highly heterozygous plant marketed as a cut flower or in gardens. Due to its large genome size, limited efforts have been made in order to develop species-specific molecular markers. We obtained the first draft genome of the species by Illumina sequencing an androgenetic haploid plant of the commercial line “MISTRAL^® Magenta”. The genome assembly was obtained by applying the MEGAHIT pipeline and consisted of 2 × 10⁶ scaffolds. The SciRoKo SSR (Simple Sequence Repeats)-search module identified 401.822 perfect and 188.987 imperfect microsatellites motifs. Following, we developed a user-friendly “Anemone coronaria Microsatellite DataBase” (AnCorDB), which incorporates the Primer3 script, making it possible to design couples of primers for downstream application of the identified SSR markers. Eight genotypes belonging to eight cultivars were used to validate 62 SSRs and a subset of markers was applied for fingerprinting each cultivar, as well as to assess their intra-cultivar variability. The newly developed microsatellite markers will find application in Breeding Rights disputes, developing genetic maps, marker assisted breeding (MAS) strategies, as well as phylogenetic studies.

Metals Are Integral to Life as We Know It

Investigations of biology and the origins of life regularly focus on the components of the central dogma and thus the elements that compose nucleic acids and peptides. Less attention is given to the inorganic components of a biological cell, which are required for biological polymers to function. The Earth was and continues to be rich in metals, and so investigations of the emergence and evolution of life must account for the role that metal ions play. Evolution is shaped by what is present, and not all elements of the periodic table are equally accessible. The presence of metals, the solubility of their ions, and their intrinsic reactivity all impacted the composition of the cells that emerged. Geological and bioinformatic analyses clearly show that the suite of accessible metal ions changed over the history of the Earth; however, such analyses tend to be interpreted in comparison to average oceanic conditions, which do not represent well the many niche environments present on the Earth. While there is still debate concerning the sequence of events that led to extant biology, what is clear is that life as we know it requires metals, and that past and current metal-dependent events remain, at least partially, imprinted in the chemistry of the cell.

FtsZ filament structures in different nucleotide states reveal the mechanism of assembly dynamics

Treadmilling protein filaments perform essential cellular functions by growing from one end while shrinking from the other, driven by nucleotide hydrolysis. Bacterial cell division relies on the primitive tubulin homolog FtsZ, a target for antibiotic discovery that assembles into single treadmilling filaments that hydrolyse GTP at an active site formed upon subunit association. We determined high-resolution filament structures of FtsZ from the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus in complex with different nucleotide analogs and cations, including mimetics of the ground and transition states of catalysis. Together with mutational and biochemical analyses, our structures reveal interactions made by the GTP γ-phosphate and Mg²⁺ at the subunit interface, a K⁺ ion stabilizing loop T7 for co-catalysis, new roles of key residues at the active site and a nearby crosstalk area, and rearrangements of a dynamic water shell bridging adjacent subunits upon GTP hydrolysis. We propose a mechanistic model that integrates nucleotide hydrolysis signaling with assembly-associated conformational changes and filament treadmilling. Equivalent assembly mechanisms may apply to more complex tubulin and actin cytomotive filaments that share analogous features with FtsZ.

Bacterial cell division critically relies on the tubulin homolog FtsZ, which assembles into filaments that treadmill, fuelled by GTP hydrolysis. This structural and biochemical study of FtsZ from Staphylocuccus aureus reveals the mechanism of GTP hydrolysis and its connection with filament dynamics.

An ATPase with a twist: A unique mechanism underlies the activity of the bacterial tyrosine kinase, Wzc

BY-kinases constitute a protein tyrosine kinase family that encodes unique catalytic domains that deviate from those of eukaryotic kinases resembling P-loop nucleotide triphosphatases (NTPases) instead. We have used computational and supporting biochemical approaches using the catalytic domain of the Escherichia coli BY-kinase, Wzc, to illustrate mechanistic divergences between BY-kinases and NTPases despite their deployment of similar catalytic motifs. In NTPases, the “arginine finger” drives the reactive conformation of ATP while also displacing its solvation shell, thereby making favorable enthalpic and entropic contributions toward βγ-bond cleavage. In BY-kinases, the reactive state of ATP is enabled by ATP·Mg²⁺-induced global conformational transitions coupled to the conformation of the Walker-A lysine. While the BY-kinase arginine finger does promote the desolvation of ATP, it does so indirectly by generating an ordered active site in combination with other structural elements. Bacteria, using these mechanistic variations, have thus repurposed an ancient fold to phosphorylate on tyrosine.

Spectroscopic glimpses of the transition state of ATP hydrolysis trapped in a bacterial DnaB helicase

The ATP hydrolysis transition state of motor proteins is a weakly populated protein state that can be stabilized and investigated by replacing ATP with chemical mimics. We present atomic-level structural and dynamic insights on a state created by ADP aluminum fluoride binding to the bacterial DnaB helicase from Helicobacter pylori. We determined the positioning of the metal ion cofactor within the active site using electron paramagnetic resonance, and identified the protein protons coordinating to the phosphate groups of ADP and DNA using proton-detected 31P,1H solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at fast magic-angle spinning > 100 kHz, as well as temperature-dependent proton chemical-shift values to prove their engagements in hydrogen bonds. 19F and 27Al MAS NMR spectra reveal a highly mobile, fast-rotating aluminum fluoride unit pointing to the capture of a late ATP hydrolysis transition state in which the phosphoryl unit is already detached from the arginine and lysine fingers.

Engineering potassium activation into biosynthetic thiolase

Activation of enzymes by monovalent cations (M+) is a widespread phenomenon in biology. Despite this, there are few structure-based studies describing the underlying molecular details. Thiolases are a ubiquitous and highly conserved family of enzymes containing both K+-activated and K+-independent members. Guided by structures of naturally occurring K+-activated thiolases, we have used a structure-based approach to engineer K+-activation into a K+-independent thiolase. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of engineering K+-activation into an enzyme, showing the malleability of proteins to accommodate M+ ions as allosteric regulators. We show that a few protein structural features encode K+-activation in this class of enzyme. Specifically, two residues near the substrate-binding site are sufficient for K+-activation: A tyrosine residue is required to complete the K+ coordination sphere, and a glutamate residue provides a compensating charge for the bound K+ ion. Further to these, a distal residue is important for positioning a K+-coordinating water molecule that forms a direct hydrogen bond to the substrate. The stability of a cation-π interaction between a positively charged residue and the substrate is determined by the conformation of the loop surrounding the substrate-binding site. Our results suggest that this cation-π interaction effectively overrides K+-activation, and is, therefore, destabilised in K+-activated thiolases. Evolutionary conservation of these amino acids provides a promising signature sequence for predicting K+-activation in thiolases. Together, our structural, biochemical and bioinformatic work provide important mechanistic insights into how enzymes can be allosterically activated by M+ ions.

On the emergence of P-Loop NTPase and Rossmann enzymes from a Beta-Alpha-Beta ancestral fragment

This article is dedicated to the memory of Michael G. Rossmann. Dating back to the last universal common ancestor, P-loop NTPases and Rossmanns comprise the most ubiquitous and diverse enzyme lineages. Despite similarities in their overall architecture and phosphate binding motif, a lack of sequence identity and some fundamental structural differences currently designates them as independent emergences. We systematically searched for structure and sequence elements shared by both lineages. We detected homologous segments that span the first βαβ motif of both lineages, including the phosphate binding loop and a conserved aspartate at the tip of β2. The latter ligates the catalytic metal in P-loop NTPases, while in Rossmanns it binds the nucleotide's ribose moiety. Tubulin, a Rossmann GTPase, demonstrates the potential of the β2-Asp to take either one of these two roles. While convergence cannot be completely ruled out, we show that both lineages likely emerged from a common βαβ segment that comprises the core of these enzyme families to this very day.

Expansion of the "Sodium World" through Evolutionary Time and Taxonomic Space

In 1986, Vladimir Skulachev and his colleagues coined the term "Sodium World" for the group of diverse organisms with sodium (Na)-based bioenergetics. Albeit only few such organisms had been discovered by that time, the authors insightfully noted that "the great taxonomic variety of organisms employing the Na-cycle points to the ubiquitous distribution of this novel type of membrane-linked energy transductions". Here we used tools of bioinformatics to follow expansion of the Sodium World through the evolutionary time and taxonomic space. We searched for those membrane protein families in prokaryotic genomes that correlate with the use of the Na-potential for ATP synthesis by different organisms. In addition to the known Na-translocators, we found a plethora of uncharacterized protein families; most of them show no homology with studied proteins. In addition, we traced the presence of Na-based energetics in many novel archaeal and bacterial clades, which were recently identified by metagenomic techniques. The data obtained support the view that the Na-based energetics preceded the proton-dependent energetics in evolution and prevailed during the first two billion years of the Earth history before the oxygenation of atmosphere. Hence, the full capacity of Na-based energetics in prokaryotes remains largely unexplored. The Sodium World expanded owing to the acquisition of new functions by Na-translocating systems. Specifically, most classes of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are targeted by almost half of the known drugs, appear to evolve from the Na-translocating microbial rhodopsins. Thereby the GPCRs of class A, with 700 representatives in human genome, retained the Na-binding site in the center of the transmembrane heptahelical bundle together with the capacity of Na-translocation. Mathematical modeling showed that the class A GPCRs could use the energy of transmembrane Na-potential for increasing both their sensitivity and selectivity. Thus, GPCRs, the largest protein family coded by human genome, stem from the Sodium World, which encourages exploration of other Na-dependent enzymes of eukaryotes.

ATP Analogues for Structural Investigations: Case Studies of a DnaB Helicase and an ABC Transporter

Nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs) are used as chemical energy source in a variety of cell systems. Structural snapshots along the NTP hydrolysis reaction coordinate are typically obtained by adding stable, nonhydrolyzable adenosine triphosphate (ATP) -analogues to the proteins, with the goal to arrest a state that mimics as closely as possible a physiologically relevant state, e.g., the pre-hydrolytic, transition and post-hydrolytic states. We here present the lessons learned on two distinct ATPases on the best use and unexpected pitfalls observed for different analogues. The proteins investigated are the bacterial DnaB helicase from Helicobacter pylori and the multidrug ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter BmrA from Bacillus subtilis, both belonging to the same division of P-loop fold NTPases. We review the magnetic-resonance strategies which can be of use to probe the binding of the ATP-mimics, and present carbon-13, phosphorus-31, and vanadium-51 solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of the proteins or the bound molecules to unravel conformational and dynamic changes upon binding of the ATP-mimics. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and in particular W-band electron-electron double resonance (ELDOR)-detected NMR, is of complementary use to assess binding of vanadate. We discuss which analogues best mimic the different hydrolysis states for the DnaB helicase and the ABC transporter BmrA. These might be relevant also to structural and functional studies of other NTPases.

A Distinct Motif in a Prokaryotic Small Ras-Like GTPase Highlights Unifying Features of Walker B Motifs in P-Loop NTPases

A hallmark of the catalytically essential Walker B motif of P-loop NTPases is the presence of an acidic residue (aspartate/glutamate) for efficient Mg²⁺ coordination. Although the Walker B motif has been identified in well-studied examples of P-loop NTPases, its identity is ambiguous in many families, for example, in the prokaryotic small Ras-like GTPase family of MglA. MglA, belonging to TRAFAC class of P-loop NTPases, possesses a threonine at the position equivalent to Walker B aspartate in eukaryotic Ras-like GTPases. To resolve the identity of the Walker B residue in MglA, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of Mg²⁺ coordination on P-loop NTPase structures. Atoms in the octahedral coordination of Mg²⁺ and their interactions comprise a network including water molecules, Walker A, Walker B and switch motifs of P-loop NTPases. Based on the conserved geometry of Mg²⁺ coordination, we confirm that a conserved aspartate functions as the Walker B residue of MglA, and validate it through mutagenesis and biochemical characterization. Location of the newly identified aspartate is spatially equivalent to the Walker B residue of the ASCE division of P-loop NTPases. Furthermore, similar to the allosteric regulation of the Walker B aspartate conformation in MglA, we identify protein families in which large conformational changes involving Walker B motif potentially function as allosteric regulators. The study unravels conserved features of Mg²⁺ coordination among divergent families of P-loop NTPases, especially between ancient Ras-like GTPases and ASCE family of ATPases. The conserved geometric features provide a foundation for design of nucleotide-hydrolyzing enzymes.

Artificial protein sequences enable recognition of vicinal and distant protein functional relationships

High divergence in protein sequences makes the detection of distant protein relationships through homology-based approaches challenging. Grouping protein sequences into families, through similarities in either sequence or 3-D structure, facilitates in the improved recognition of protein relationships. In addition, strategically designed protein-like sequences have been shown to bridge distant structural domain families by serving as artificial linkers. In this study, we have augmented a search database of known protein domain families with such designed sequences, with the intention of providing functional clues to domain families of unknown structure. When assessed using representative query sequences from each family, we obtain a success rate of 94% in protein domain families of known structure. Further, we demonstrate that the augmented search space enabled fold recognition for 582 families with no structural information available a priori. Additionally, we were able to provide reliable functional relationships for 610 orphan families. We discuss the application of our method in predicting functional roles through select examples for DUF4922, DUF5131, and DUF5085. Our approach also detects new associations between families that were previously not known to be related, as demonstrated through new sub-groups of the RNA polymerase domain among three distinct RNA viruses. Taken together, designed sequences-augmented search databases direct the detection of meaningful relationships between distant protein families. In turn, they enable fold recognition and offer reliable pointers to potential functional sites that may be probed further through direct mutagenesis studies.

One-carbon metabolism, folate, zinc and translation

The translation process, central to life, is tightly connected to the one-carbon (1-C) metabolism via a plethora of macromolecule modifications and specific effectors. Using manual genome annotations and putting together a variety of experimental studies, we explore here the possible reasons of this critical interaction, likely to have originated during the earliest steps of the birth of the first cells. Methionine, S-adenosylmethionine and tetrahydrofolate dominate this interaction. Yet, 1-C metabolism is unlikely to be a simple frozen accident of primaeval conditions. Reactive 1-C species (ROCS) are buffered by the translation machinery in a way tightly associated with the metabolism of iron-sulfur clusters, zinc and potassium availability, possibly coupling carbon metabolism to nitrogen metabolism. In this process, the highly modified position 34 of tRNA molecules plays a critical role. Overall, this metabolic integration may serve both as a protection against the deleterious formation of excess carbon under various growth transitions or environmental unbalanced conditions and as a regulator of zinc homeostasis, while regulating input of prosthetic groups into nascent proteins. This knowledge should be taken into account in metabolic engineering.

Structural and functional characterization of the dominant negative P-loop lysine mutation in the dynamin superfamily protein Vps1

Dynamin-superfamily proteins (DSPs) are large self-assembling mechanochemical GTPases that harness GTP hydrolysis to drive membrane remodeling events needed for many cellular processes. Mutation to alanine of a fully conserved lysine within the P-loop of the DSP GTPase domain results in abrogation of GTPase activity. This mutant has been widely used in the context of several DSPs as a dominant-negative to impair DSP-dependent processes. However, the precise deficit of the P-loop K to A mutation remains an open question. Here, we use biophysical, biochemical and structural approaches to characterize this mutant in the context of the endosomal DSP Vps1. We show that the Vps1 P-loop K to A mutant binds nucleotide with an affinity similar to wild type but exhibits defects in the organization of the GTPase active site that explain the lack of hydrolysis. In cells, Vps1 and Dnm1 bearing the P-loop K to A mutation are defective in disassembly. These mutants become trapped in assemblies at the typical site of action of the DSP. This work provides mechanistic insight into the widely-used DSP P-loop K to A mutation and the basis of its dominant-negative effects in the cell.

Biochemical characterization of bacterial FeoBs: A perspective on nucleotide specificity

Iron is an essential requirement for the survival and virulence of most bacteria. The bacterial ferrous iron transporter protein FeoB functions as a major reduced iron transporter in prokaryotes, but its biochemical mechanism has not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we compared enzymatic properties of the cytosolic portions of pathogenic bacterial FeoBs to elucidate each bacterial strain-specific characteristic of the Feo system. We show that bacterial FeoBs are classified into two distinct groups that possess either a sole GTPase or an NTPase with a substrate promiscuity. This difference in nucleotide preference alters cellular requirements for monovalent and divalent cations. While the hydrolytic activity of the GTP-dependent FeoBs was stimulated by potassium, the action of the NTP-dependent FeoBs was not significantly affected by the presence of monovalent cations. Mutation of Asn11, having a role in potassium-dependent GTP hydrolysis, changed nucleotide specificity of the NTP-dependent FeoB, resulting in loss of ATPase activity. Sequence analysis suggested a possible association of alanine in the G5 motif for the NTP-dependent activity in FeoBs. This demonstration of the distinct enzymatic properties of bacterial FeoBs provides important insights into mechanistic details of Feo iron transport processes, as well as offers a promising species-specific anti-virulence target.

Cyclic di-AMP, a second messenger of primary importance: tertiary structures and binding mechanisms

Cyclic diadenylate (c-di-AMP) is a widespread second messenger in bacteria and archaea that is involved in the maintenance of osmotic pressure, response to DNA damage, and control of central metabolism, biofilm formation, acid stress resistance, and other functions. The primary importance of c-di AMP stems from its essentiality for many bacteria under standard growth conditions and the ability of several eukaryotic proteins to sense its presence in the cell cytoplasm and trigger an immune response by the host cells. We review here the tertiary structures of the domains that regulate c-di-AMP synthesis and signaling, and the mechanisms of c-di-AMP binding, including the principal conformations of c-di-AMP, observed in various crystal structures. We discuss how these c-di-AMP molecules are bound to the protein and riboswitch receptors and what kinds of interactions account for the specific high-affinity binding of the c-di-AMP ligand. We describe seven kinds of non-covalent-π interactions between c-di-AMP and its receptor proteins, including π-π, C-H-π, cation-π, polar-π, hydrophobic-π, anion-π and the lone pair-π interactions. We also compare the mechanisms of c-di-AMP and c-di-GMP binding by the respective receptors that allow these two cyclic dinucleotides to control very different biological functions.

Cyclic di-AMP, a second messenger of primary importance: tertiary structures and binding mechanisms

Cyclic diadenylate (c-di-AMP) is a widespread second messenger in bacteria and archaea that is involved in the maintenance of osmotic pressure, response to DNA damage, and control of central metabolism, biofilm formation, acid stress resistance, and other functions. The primary importance of c-di AMP stems from its essentiality for many bacteria under standard growth conditions and the ability of several eukaryotic proteins to sense its presence in the cell cytoplasm and trigger an immune response by the host cells. We review here the tertiary structures of the domains that regulate c-di-AMP synthesis and signaling, and the mechanisms of c-di-AMP binding, including the principal conformations of c-di-AMP, observed in various crystal structures. We discuss how these c-di-AMP molecules are bound to the protein and riboswitch receptors and what kinds of interactions account for the specific high-affinity binding of the c-di-AMP ligand. We describe seven kinds of non-covalent-π interactions between c-di-AMP and its receptor proteins, including π-π, C-H-π, cation-π, polar-π, hydrophobic-π, anion-π and the lone pair-π interactions. We also compare the mechanisms of c-di-AMP and c-di-GMP binding by the respective receptors that allow these two cyclic dinucleotides to control very different biological functions.

A solid-state NMR tool box for the investigation of ATP-fueled protein engines

Motor proteins are involved in a variety of cellular processes. Their main purpose is to convert the chemical energy released during adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis into mechanical work. In this review, solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) approaches are discussed allowing studies of structures, conformational events and dynamic features of motor proteins during a variety of enzymatic reactions. Solid-state NMR benefits from straightforward sample preparation based on sedimentation of the proteins directly into the Magic-Angle Spinning (MAS) rotor. Protein resonance assignment is the crucial and often time-limiting step in interpreting the wealth of information encoded in the NMR spectra. Herein, potentials, challenges and limitations in resonance assignment for large motor proteins are presented, focussing on both biochemical and spectroscopic approaches. This work highlights NMR tools available to study the action of the motor domain and its coupling to functional processes, as well as to identify protein-nucleotide interactions during events such as DNA replication. Arrested protein states of reaction coordinates such as ATP hydrolysis can be trapped for NMR studies by using stable, non-hydrolysable ATP analogues that mimic the physiological relevant states as accurately as possible. Recent advances in solid-state NMR techniques ranging from Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP), ³¹P-based heteronuclear correlation experiments, ¹H-detected spectra at fast MAS frequencies >100 kHz to paramagnetic NMR are summarized and their applications to the bacterial DnaB helicase from Helicobacter pylori are discussed.

Nucleotide Binding Modes in a Motor Protein Revealed by 31 P- and 1 H-Detected MAS Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Protein-nucleic acid interactions play important roles not only in energy-providing reactions, such as ATP hydrolysis, but also in reading, extending, packaging, or repairing genomes. Although they can often be analyzed in detail with X-ray crystallography, complementary methods are needed to visualize them in complexes, which are not crystalline. Here, we show how solid-state NMR spectroscopy can detect and classify protein-nucleic interactions through site-specific 1 H- and 31 P-detected spectroscopic methods. The sensitivity of 1 H chemical-shift values on noncovalent interactions involved in these molecular recognition processes is exploited allowing us to probe directly the chemical bonding state, an information, which is not directly accessible from an X-ray structure. We show that these methods can characterize interactions in easy-to-prepare sediments of the 708 kDa dodecameric DnaB helicase in complex with ADP:AlF4- :DNA, and this despite the very challenging size of the complex.

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Three Salmonid Species Identifies Functional Candidate Genes Involved in Resistance to the Intracellular Bacterium Piscirickettsia salmonis

Piscirickettsia salmonis is the etiologic agent of salmon rickettsial syndrome (SRS) and is responsible for considerable economic losses in salmon aquaculture. The bacterium affects coho salmon (CS; Oncorhynchus kisutch), Atlantic salmon (AS; Salmo salar), and rainbow trout (RT; Oncorhynchus mykiss) in several countries, including Norway, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, and Chile. We used Bayesian genome-wide association study analyses to investigate the genetic architecture of resistance to P. salmonis in farmed populations of these species. Resistance to SRS was defined as the number of days to death and as binary survival (BS). A total of 828 CS, 2130 RT, and 2601 AS individuals were phenotyped and then genotyped using double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing and 57K and 50K Affymetrix® Axiom® single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panels, respectively. Both traits of SRS resistance in CS and RT appeared to be under oligogenic control. In AS, there was evidence of polygenic control of SRS resistance. To identify candidate genes associated with resistance, we applied a comparative genomics approach in which we systematically explored the complete set of genes adjacent to SNPs, which explained more than 1% of the genetic variance of resistance in each salmonid species (533 genes in total). Thus, genes were classified based on the following criteria: i) shared function of their protein domains among species, ii) shared orthology among species, iii) proximity to the SNP explaining the highest proportion of the genetic variance, and iv) presence in more than one genomic region explaining more than 1% of the genetic variance within species. Our results allowed us to identify 120 candidate genes belonging to at least one of the four criteria described above. Of these, 21 of them were part of at least two of the criteria defined above and are suggested to be strong functional candidates influencing P. salmonis resistance. These genes are related to diverse biological processes, such as kinase activity, GTP hydrolysis, helicase activity, lipid metabolism, cytoskeletal dynamics, inflammation, and innate immune response, which seem essential in the host response against P. salmonis infection. These results provide fundamental knowledge on the potential functional genes underpinning resistance against P. salmonis in three salmonid species.