The Role of Active-Site Plasticity in Damaged-Nucleotide Recognition by Human Apurinic/Apyrimidinic Endonuclease APE1

Human apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease APE1 hydrolyzes phosphodiester bonds on the 5′ side of an AP-site, and some damaged nucleotides such as 1,N6-ethenoadenosine (εA), α-adenosine (αA), and 5,6-dihydrouridine (DHU). To investigate the mechanism behind the broad substrate specificity of APE1, we analyzed pre-steady-state kinetics of conformational changes in DNA and the enzyme during DNA binding and damage recognition. Molecular dynamics simulations of APE1 complexes with one of damaged DNA duplexes containing εA, αA, DHU, or an F-site (a stable analog of an AP-site) revealed the involvement of residues Asn229, Thr233, and Glu236 in the mechanism of DNA lesion recognition. The results suggested that processing of an AP-site proceeds faster in comparison with nucleotide incision repair substrates because eversion of a small abasic site and its insertion into the active site do not include any unfavorable interactions, whereas the insertion of any target nucleotide containing a damaged base into the APE1 active site is sterically hindered. Destabilization of the α-helix containing Thr233 and Glu236 via a loss of the interaction between these residues increased the plasticity of the damaged-nucleotide binding pocket and the ability to accommodate structurally different damaged nucleotides. Nonetheless, the optimal location of εA or αA in the binding pocket does not correspond to the optimal conformation of catalytic amino acid residues, thereby significantly decreasing the cleavage efficacy for these substrates.

Active site plasticity and possible modes of chemical inhibition of the human DNA deaminase APOBEC3B

The single-stranded DNA cytosine deaminase APOBEC3B (A3B) functions in innate immunity against viruses, but it is also strongly implicated in eliciting mutations in cancer genomes. Because of the critical role of A3B in promoting virus and tumor evolution, small molecule inhibitors are desirable. However, there is no reported structure for any of the APOBEC3-family enzymes in complex with a small molecule bound in the active site, which hampers the development of small molecules targeting A3B. Here we report high-resolution structures of an active A3B catalytic domain chimera with loop 7 residues exchanged with those from the corresponding region of APOBEC3G (A3G). The structures reveal novel open conformations lacking the catalytically essential zinc ion, with the highly conserved active site residues extensively rearranged. These inactive conformations are stabilized by 2-pyrimidone or an iodide ion bound in the active site. Molecular dynamics simulations corroborate the remarkable plasticity of the engineered active site and identify key interactions that stabilize the native A3B active site. These data provide insights into A3B active site dynamics and suggest possible modes of its inhibition by small molecules, which would aid in rational design of selective A3B inhibitors for constraining virus and tumor evolution.

Structures of PGAM5 Provide Insight into Active Site Plasticity and Multimeric Assembly

PGAM5 is a mitochondrial membrane protein that functions as an atypical Ser/Thr phosphatase and is a regulator of oxidative stress response, necroptosis, and autophagy. Here we present several crystal structures of PGAM5 including the activating N-terminal regulatory sequences, providing a model for structural plasticity, dimerization of the catalytic domain, and the assembly into an enzymatically active dodecameric form. Oligomeric states observed in structures were supported by hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry, size-exclusion chromatography, and analytical ultracentrifugation experiments in solution. We report that the catalytically important N-terminal WDPNWD motif acts as a structural integrator assembling PGAM5 into a dodecamer, allosterically activating the phosphatase by promoting an ordering of the catalytic loop. Additionally the observed active site plasticity enabled visualization of essential conformational rearrangements of catalytic elements. The comprehensive biophysical characterization offers detailed structural models of this key mitochondrial phosphatase that has been associated with the development of diverse diseases.

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PGAM5 catalytic domain shares phosphoglycerate mutase fold and forms stable dimer

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WDPNWD motif allosterically activates the fully active dodecameric form

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Crystal structures reveal conformational plasticity of the PGAM5 active site