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Natter Perdiguero A, Deliz Liang A. Practical Approaches to Genetic Code Expansion with Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase/tRNA Pairs. Chimia (Aarau) 2024; 78:22-31. [PMID: 38430060 DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2024.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Genetic code expansion (GCE) can enable the site-selective incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins. GCE has advanced tremendously in the last decade and can be used to create biorthogonal handles, monitor and control proteins inside cells, study post-translational modifications, and engineer new protein functions. Since establishing our laboratory, our research has focused on applications of GCE in protein and enzyme engineering using aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA (aaRS/tRNA) pairs. This topic has been reviewed extensively, leaving little doubt that GCE is a powerful tool for engineering proteins and enzymes. Therefore, for this young faculty issue, we wanted to provide a more technical look into the methods we use and the challenges we think about in our laboratory. Since starting the laboratory, we have successfully engineered over a dozen novel aaRS/tRNA pairs tailored for various GCE applications. However, we acknowledge that the field can pose challenges even for experts. Thus, herein, we provide a review of methodologies in ncAA incorporation with some practical commentary and a focus on challenges, emerging solutions, and exciting developments.
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Douglas J, Bouckaert R, Carter CW, Wills P. Enzymic recognition of amino acids drove the evolution of primordial genetic codes. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:558-571. [PMID: 38048305 PMCID: PMC10810186 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
How genetic information gained its exquisite control over chemical processes needed to build living cells remains an enigma. Today, the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARS) execute the genetic codes in all living systems. But how did the AARS that emerged over three billion years ago as low-specificity, protozymic forms then spawn the full range of highly-specific enzymes that distinguish between 22 diverse amino acids? A phylogenetic reconstruction of extant AARS genes, enhanced by analysing modular acquisitions, reveals six AARS with distinct bacterial, archaeal, eukaryotic, or organellar clades, resulting in a total of 36 families of AARS catalytic domains. Small structural modules that differentiate one AARS family from another played pivotal roles in discriminating between amino acid side chains, thereby expanding the genetic code and refining its precision. The resulting model shows a tendency for less elaborate enzymes, with simpler catalytic domains, to activate amino acids that were not synthesised until later in the evolution of the code. The most probable evolutionary route for an emergent amino acid type to establish a place in the code was by recruiting older, less specific AARS, rather than adapting contemporary lineages. This process, retrofunctionalisation, differs from previously described mechanisms through which amino acids would enter the code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Douglas
- Department of Physics, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Centre for Computational Evolution, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Remco Bouckaert
- Centre for Computational Evolution, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Computer Science, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Charles W Carter
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Peter R Wills
- Department of Physics, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Centre for Computational Evolution, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
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3
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Dunkelmann DL, Piedrafita C, Dickson A, Liu KC, Elliott TS, Fiedler M, Bellini D, Zhou A, Cervettini D, Chin JW. Adding α,α-disubstituted and β-linked monomers to the genetic code of an organism. Nature 2024; 625:603-610. [PMID: 38200312 PMCID: PMC10794150 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06897-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The genetic code of living cells has been reprogrammed to enable the site-specific incorporation of hundreds of non-canonical amino acids into proteins, and the encoded synthesis of non-canonical polymers and macrocyclic peptides and depsipeptides1-3. Current methods for engineering orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases to acylate new monomers, as required for the expansion and reprogramming of the genetic code, rely on translational readouts and therefore require the monomers to be ribosomal substrates4-6. Orthogonal synthetases cannot be evolved to acylate orthogonal tRNAs with non-canonical monomers (ncMs) that are poor ribosomal substrates, and ribosomes cannot be evolved to polymerize ncMs that cannot be acylated onto orthogonal tRNAs-this co-dependence creates an evolutionary deadlock that has essentially restricted the scope of translation in living cells to α-L-amino acids and closely related hydroxy acids. Here we break this deadlock by developing tRNA display, which enables direct, rapid and scalable selection for orthogonal synthetases that selectively acylate their cognate orthogonal tRNAs with ncMs in Escherichia coli, independent of whether the ncMs are ribosomal substrates. Using tRNA display, we directly select orthogonal synthetases that specifically acylate their cognate orthogonal tRNA with eight non-canonical amino acids and eight ncMs, including several β-amino acids, α,α-disubstituted-amino acids and β-hydroxy acids. We build on these advances to demonstrate the genetically encoded, site-specific cellular incorporation of β-amino acids and α,α-disubstituted amino acids into a protein, and thereby expand the chemical scope of the genetic code to new classes of monomers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carlos Piedrafita
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alexandre Dickson
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kim C Liu
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Thomas S Elliott
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marc Fiedler
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Dom Bellini
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew Zhou
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Jason W Chin
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
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4
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Narsimulu B, Jakkula P, Qureshi R, Nasim F, Qureshi IA. Inhibition and structural insights of leishmanial glutamyl-tRNA synthetase for designing potent therapeutics. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 254:127756. [PMID: 37907177 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs), essential components of the protein synthesizing machinery, have been often chosen for devising therapeutics against parasitic diseases. Due to their relevance in drug development, the current study was designed to explore functional and structural aspects of Leishmania donovani glutamyl-tRNA synthetase (LdGluRS). Hence, LdGluRS was cloned into an expression vector and purified to homogeneity using chromatographic techniques. Purified protein showed maximum enzymatic activity at physiological pH, with more binding capacity towards its cofactor (Adenosine triphosphate, 0.06 ± 0.01 mM) than the cognate substrate (L-glutamate, 9.5 ± 0.5 mM). Remarkably, salicylate inhibited LdGluRS competitively with respect to L-glutamate and exhibited druglikeness with negligible effect on human macrophages. The protein possessed more α-helices (43 %) than β-sheets (12 %), whereas reductions in thermal stability and cofactor-binding affinity, along with variation in mode of inhibition after mutation signified the role of histidine (H60) as a catalytic residue. LdGluRS could also generate a pro-inflammatory milieu in human macrophages by upregulating cytokines. The docking study demonstrated the placement of salicylate into LdGluRS substrate-binding site, and the complex was found to be stable during molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Altogether, our study highlights the understanding of molecular inhibition and structural features of glutamyl-tRNA synthetase from kinetoplastid parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bandigi Narsimulu
- Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Prof. C.R. Rao Road, Hyderabad 500046, India
| | - Pranay Jakkula
- Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Prof. C.R. Rao Road, Hyderabad 500046, India
| | - Rahila Qureshi
- Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad 500039, India
| | - Fouzia Nasim
- Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Prof. C.R. Rao Road, Hyderabad 500046, India
| | - Insaf Ahmed Qureshi
- Department of Biotechnology & Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Prof. C.R. Rao Road, Hyderabad 500046, India.
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5
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Yuan C, Li Z, Luo X, Huang P, Guo L, Lu M, Xia J, Xiao Y, Zhou XL, Chen M. Mammalian trans-editing factor ProX is able to deacylate tRNA Thr mischarged with alanine. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 253:127121. [PMID: 37778588 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
The precise coupling of tRNAs with their cognate amino acids, known as tRNA aminoacylation, is a stringently regulated process that governs translation fidelity. To ensure fidelity, organisms deploy multiple layers of editing mechanisms to correct mischarged tRNAs. Prior investigations have unveiled the propensity of eukaryotic AlaRS to erroneously attach alanine onto tRNACys and tRNAThr featuring the G4:U69 base pair. In light of this, and given ProXp-ala's capacity in deacylating Ala-tRNAPro, we embarked on exploring whether this trans-editing factor could extend its corrective function to encompass these mischarged tRNAs. Our in vitro deacylation assays demonstrate that murine ProXp-ala (mProXp-ala) is able to efficiently hydrolyze Ala-tRNAThr, while Ala-tRNACys remains unaffected. Subsequently, we determined the first structure of eukaryotic ProXp-ala, revealing a dynamic helix α2 involved in substrate binding. By integrating molecular dynamics simulations and biochemical assays, we pinpointed the pivotal interactions between mProXp-ala and Ala-tRNA, wherein the basic regions of mProXp-ala as well as the C3-G70 plays essential role in recognition. These observations collectively provide a cogent rationale for mProXp-ala's deacylation proficiency against Ala-tRNAThr. Our findings offer valuable insights into the translation quality control within higher eukaryotic organisms, where the fidelity of translation is safeguarded by the multi-functionality of extensively documented proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Zihan Li
- Key Laboratory of RNA Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xinyu Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Pingping Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Lijie Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Meiling Lu
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jie Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Yibei Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, Chongqing 401135, China.
| | - Xiao-Long Zhou
- Key Laboratory of RNA Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China.
| | - Meirong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
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6
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Abstract
Infections caused by malaria parasites place an enormous burden on the world's poorest communities. Breakthrough drugs with novel mechanisms of action are urgently needed. As an organism that undergoes rapid growth and division, the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is highly reliant on protein synthesis, which in turn requires aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) to charge tRNAs with their corresponding amino acid. Protein translation is required at all stages of the parasite life cycle; thus, aaRS inhibitors have the potential for whole-of-life-cycle antimalarial activity. This review focuses on efforts to identify potent plasmodium-specific aaRS inhibitors using phenotypic screening, target validation, and structure-guided drug design. Recent work reveals that aaRSs are susceptible targets for a class of AMP-mimicking nucleoside sulfamates that target the enzymes via a novel reaction hijacking mechanism. This finding opens up the possibility of generating bespoke inhibitors of different aaRSs, providing new drug leads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanley C Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; , ,
| | - Michael D W Griffin
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; , ,
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA;
| | - Lluis Ribas de Pouplana
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain;
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Leann Tilley
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology and Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; , ,
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7
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Finkler M, Brandt J, Boutfol T, Grimm F, Hartz P, Ott A. Protocol to identify amino acids bound to tRNA by aminoacylation using mass spectrometry. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102504. [PMID: 37585296 PMCID: PMC10436234 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
tRNA-bound amino acids often need to be identified, for instance, in cases where different amino acids compete for binding to the same tRNA. Here, we present a mass-spectrometry-based protocol to determine the amino acids bound to tRNA by aminoacylation. We detail how to perform the aminoacylation reaction, the preparation of the aminoacyl-tRNA for measurement, and the mass spectrometric analysis. We use arginine acylation as an example; however, this protocol can be applied to any other amino acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Finkler
- Universität des Saarlandes, Biologische Experimentalphysik, Zentrum f. Biophysik, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 1, Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
| | - Joshua Brandt
- Universität des Saarlandes, Biologische Experimentalphysik, Zentrum f. Biophysik, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 1, Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
| | - Timothée Boutfol
- Universität des Saarlandes, Biologische Experimentalphysik, Zentrum f. Biophysik, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 1, Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Florent Grimm
- Universität des Saarlandes, Biologische Experimentalphysik, Zentrum f. Biophysik, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 1, Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Philip Hartz
- Universität des Saarlandes, Institut für Biochemie, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 2, Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Albrecht Ott
- Universität des Saarlandes, Biologische Experimentalphysik, Zentrum f. Biophysik, Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät, B2 1, Campus, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
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8
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Abstract
Mutually orthogonal aminoacyl transfer RNA synthetase/transfer RNA pairs provide a foundation for encoding non-canonical amino acids into proteins, and encoded non-canonical polymer and macrocycle synthesis. Here we discover quintuply orthogonal pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS)/pyrrolysyl-tRNA (tRNAPyl) pairs. We discover empirical sequence identity thresholds for mutual orthogonality and use these for agglomerative clustering of PylRS and tRNAPyl sequences; this defines numerous sequence clusters, spanning five classes of PylRS/tRNAPyl pairs (the existing classes +N, A and B, and newly defined classes C and S). Most of the PylRS clusters belong to classes that were unexplored for orthogonal pair generation. By testing pairs from distinct clusters and classes, and pyrrolysyl-tRNAs with unusual structures, we resolve 80% of the pairwise specificities required to make quintuply orthogonal PylRS/tRNAPyl pairs; we control the remaining specificities by engineering and directed evolution. Overall, we create 924 mutually orthogonal PylRS/tRNAPyl pairs, 1,324 triply orthogonal pairs, 128 quadruply orthogonal pairs and 8 quintuply orthogonal pairs. These advances may provide a key foundation for encoded polymer synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam T Beattie
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Jason W Chin
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
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9
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Taylor CJ, Hardy FJ, Burke AJ, Bednar RM, Mehl RA, Green AP, Lovelock SL. Engineering mutually orthogonal PylRS/tRNA pairs for dual encoding of functional histidine analogues. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4640. [PMID: 37051694 PMCID: PMC10127257 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
The availability of an expanded genetic code opens exciting new opportunities in enzyme design and engineering. In this regard histidine analogues have proven particularly versatile, serving as ligands to augment metalloenzyme function and as catalytic nucleophiles in designed enzymes. The ability to genetically encode multiple functional residues could greatly expand the range of chemistry accessible within enzyme active sites. Here, we develop mutually orthogonal translation components to selectively encode two structurally similar histidine analogues. Transplanting known mutations from a promiscuous Methanosarcina mazei pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (MmPylRSIFGFF ) into a single domain PylRS from Methanomethylophilus alvus (MaPylRSIFGFF ) provided a variant with improved efficiency and specificity for 3-methyl-L-histidine (MeHis) incorporation. The MaPylRSIFGFF clone was further characterized using in vitro biochemical assays and x-ray crystallography. We subsequently engineered the orthogonal MmPylRS for activity and selectivity for 3-(3-pyridyl)-L-alanine (3-Pyr), which was used in combination with MaPylRSIFGFF to produce proteins containing both 3-Pyr and MeHis. Given the versatile roles played by histidine in enzyme mechanisms, we anticipate that the tools developed within this study will underpin the development of enzymes with new and enhanced functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Taylor
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of ManchesterManchesterUK
| | - Florence J. Hardy
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of ManchesterManchesterUK
| | - Ashleigh J. Burke
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of ManchesterManchesterUK
| | - Riley M. Bednar
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsOregon State UniversityCorvallisOregonUSA
| | - Ryan A. Mehl
- Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsOregon State UniversityCorvallisOregonUSA
| | - Anthony P. Green
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of ManchesterManchesterUK
| | - Sarah L. Lovelock
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, School of Chemistry, University of ManchesterManchesterUK
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Han Z, Wang X, Wu Z, Li C. Study of the Allosteric Mechanism of Human Mitochondrial Phenylalanyl-tRNA Synthetase by Transfer Entropy via an Improved Gaussian Network Model and Co-evolution Analyses. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:3452-3460. [PMID: 37010935 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
We propose an improved transfer entropy approach called the dynamic version of the force constant fitted Gaussian network model based on molecular dynamics ensemble (dfcfGNMMD) to explore the allosteric mechanism of human mitochondrial phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (hmPheRS), one of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that play a crucial role in translation of the genetic code. The dfcfGNMMD method can provide reliable estimates of the transfer entropy and give new insights into the role of the anticodon binding domain in driving the catalytic domain in aminoacylation activity and into the effects of tRNA binding and residue mutation on the enzyme activity, revealing the causal mechanism of the allosteric communication in hmPheRS. In addition, we incorporate the residue dynamic and co-evolutionary information to further investigate the key residues in hmPheRS allostery. This study sheds light on the mechanisms of hmPheRS allostery and can provide important information for related drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongjie Han
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Zhixiang Wu
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Chunhua Li
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
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11
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Han L, Luo Z, Ju Y, Chen B, Zou T, Wang J, Xu J, Gu Q, Yang XL, Schimmel P, Zhou H. The binding mode of orphan glycyl-tRNA synthetase with tRNA supports the synthetase classification and reveals large domain movements. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadf1027. [PMID: 36753552 PMCID: PMC9908026 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf1027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
As a class of essential enzymes in protein translation, aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetases (aaRSs) are organized into two classes of 10 enzymes each, based on two conserved active site architectures. The (αβ)2 glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS) in many bacteria is an orphan aaRS whose sequence and unprecedented X-shaped structure are distinct from those of all other aaRSs, including many other bacterial and all eukaryotic GlyRSs. Here, we report a cocrystal structure to elucidate how the orphan GlyRS kingdom specifically recognizes its substrate tRNA. This structure is sharply different from those of other aaRS-tRNA complexes but conforms to the clash-free, cross-class aaRS-tRNA docking found with conventional structures and reinforces the class-reconstruction paradigm. In addition, noteworthy, the X shape of orphan GlyRS is condensed with the largest known spatial rearrangement needed by aaRSs to capture tRNAs, which suggests potential nonactive site targets for aaRS-directed antibiotics, instead of less differentiated hard-to-drug active site locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Han
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Research Center for Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhiteng Luo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Research Center for Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Yingchen Ju
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Research Center for Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Bingyi Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Research Center for Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Taotao Zou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Junjian Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jun Xu
- Research Center for Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Qiong Gu
- Research Center for Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xiang-Lei Yang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Paul Schimmel
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Huihao Zhou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chiral Molecule and Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Research Center for Drug Discovery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
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12
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Andrews J, Gan Q, Fan C. "Not-so-popular" orthogonal pairs in genetic code expansion. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4559. [PMID: 36585833 PMCID: PMC9850438 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
During the past decade, genetic code expansion has been proved to be a powerful tool for protein studies and engineering. As the key part, a series of orthogonal pairs have been developed to site-specifically incorporate hundreds of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) into proteins by using bacteria, yeast, mammalian cells, animals, or plants as hosts. Among them, the pair of tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNATyr from Methanococcus jannaschii and the pair of pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNAPyl from Methanosarcina species are the most popular ones. Recently, other "not-so-popular" orthogonal pairs have started to attract attentions, because they can provide more choices of ncAA candidates and are necessary for simultaneous incorporation of multiple ncAAs into a single protein. Here, we summarize the development and applications of those "not-so-popular" orthogonal pairs, providing guidance for studying and engineering proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Andrews
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of ArkansasFayettevilleArkansasUSA
| | - Qinglei Gan
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of ArkansasFayettevilleArkansasUSA
| | - Chenguang Fan
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of ArkansasFayettevilleArkansasUSA
- Cell and Molecular Biology ProgramUniversity of ArkansasFayettevilleArkansasUSA
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13
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Abstract
Enzyme design is an important application of computational protein design (CPD). It can benefit enormously from the additional chemistries provided by noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs). These can be incorporated into an 'expanded' genetic code, and introduced in vivo into target proteins. The key step for genetic code expansion is to engineer an aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetase (aaRS) and an associated tRNA that handles the ncAA. Experimental directed evolution has been successfully used to engineer aaRSs and incorporate over 200 ncAAs into expanded codes. But directed evolution has severe limits, and is not yet applicable to noncanonical AA backbones. CPD can help address several of its limitations, and has begun to be applied to this problem. We review efforts to redesign aaRSs, studies that designed new proteins and functionalities with the help of ncAAs, and some of the method developments that have been used, such as adaptive landscape flattening Monte Carlo, which allows an enzyme to be redesigned with substrate or transition state binding as the design target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaitea Opuu
- Institut Chimie Biologie Innovation (CNRS UMR8231), Ecole Supérieure de Physique et Chimie de Paris (ESPCI), 75005 Paris, France
| | - Thomas Simonson
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91128 Palaiseau, France
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14
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Jewel D, Kelemen RE, Huang RL, Zhu Z, Sundaresh B, Cao X, Malley K, Huang Z, Pasha M, Anthony J, van Opijnen T, Chatterjee A. Virus-assisted directed evolution of enhanced suppressor tRNAs in mammalian cells. Nat Methods 2023; 20:95-103. [PMID: 36550276 PMCID: PMC9855281 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01706-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (Uaas) in living cells relies on engineered aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetase-tRNA pairs borrowed from a distant domain of life. Such heterologous suppressor tRNAs often have poor intrinsic activity, presumably due to suboptimal interaction with a non-native translation system. This limitation can be addressed in Escherichia coli using directed evolution. However, no suitable selection system is currently available to do the same in mammalian cells. Here we report virus-assisted directed evolution of tRNAs (VADER) in mammalian cells, which uses a double-sieve selection scheme to facilitate single-step enrichment of active yet orthogonal tRNA mutants from naive libraries. Using VADER we developed improved mutants of Methanosarcina mazei pyrrolysyl-tRNA, as well as a bacterial tyrosyl-tRNA. We also show that the higher activity of the most efficient mutant pyrrolysyl-tRNA is specific for mammalian cells, alluding to an improved interaction with the unique mammalian translation apparatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delilah Jewel
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | | | - Rachel L Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Zeyu Zhu
- Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | | | - Xiaofu Cao
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Kaitlin Malley
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Zeyi Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Muhammad Pasha
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Jon Anthony
- Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Tim van Opijnen
- Biology Department, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
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15
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Zhang S, Cai J, Xie Y, Zhang X, Yang X, Lin S, Xiang W, Zhang J. Anti-Phytophthora Activity of Halofuginone and the Corresponding Mode of Action. J Agric Food Chem 2022; 70:12364-12371. [PMID: 36126316 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c04266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Febrifugine, a natural alkaloid, exhibits specific anti-phytophthora activity; however, its mode of action is unclear. In this study, halofuginone, a synthetic derivative of febrifugine, showed significantly higher anti-phytophthora activities than those of febrifugine and the commercial drug metalaxyl against Phytophthora sojae, Phytophthora capsici, and Phytophthora infestans with effective concentration for 50% inhibition (EC50) values of 0.665, 0.673, and 0.178 μg/mL, respectively. Proline could alleviate the growth inhibition of halofuginone on P. capsici, implying that halofuginone might target prolyl-tRNA synthetase (PcPRS). The anti-phytophthora mechanism of halofuginone was then investigated by molecular docking, fluorescence titration, and enzymatic inhibition assays. The results revealed that halofuginone could bind to PcPRS and shared a similar binding site with the substrate proline. Point mutations at Glu316 and Arg345 led to 24.5 and 16.1% decreases in the enzymatic activity of PcPRS but 816.742- and 459.557-fold increases in the resistance to halofuginone, respectively. The results further confirmed that halofuginone was a competitive inhibitor of proline against PcPRS, and Glu316 and Arg345 played important roles in the binding of halofuginone and proline. Taken together, the results indicated that halofuginone is an alternative anti-phytophthora drug candidate and that PcPRS represents a potential target for the development of new pesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saisai Zhang
- School of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin150030, China
| | - Jialing Cai
- School of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin150030, China
| | - Yimeng Xie
- School of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin150030, China
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin150081, China
| | - Xilang Yang
- School of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin150030, China
| | - Shenyuan Lin
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang110866, China
| | - Wensheng Xiang
- School of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin150030, China
| | - Ji Zhang
- School of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin150030, China
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16
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Byun JK, Vu JA, He SL, Jang JC, Musier-Forsyth K. Plant-exclusive domain of trans-editing enzyme ProXp-ala confers dimerization and enhanced tRNA binding. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102255. [PMID: 35835222 PMCID: PMC9425024 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Faithful translation of the genetic code is critical for the viability of all living organisms. The trans-editing enzyme ProXp-ala prevents Pro to Ala mutations during translation by hydrolyzing misacylated Ala-tRNAPro that has been synthesized by prolyl-tRNA synthetase. Plant ProXp-ala sequences contain a conserved C-terminal domain (CTD) that is absent in other organisms; the origin, structure, and function of this extra domain are unknown. To characterize the plant-specific CTD, we performed bioinformatics and computational analyses that provided a model consistent with a conserved α-helical structure. We also expressed and purified wildtype Arabidopsis thaliana (At) ProXp-ala in Escherichia coli, as well as variants lacking the CTD or containing only the CTD. Circular dichroism spectroscopy confirmed a loss of α-helical signal intensity upon CTD truncation. Size-exclusion chromatography with multiangle laser-light scattering revealed that wildtype At ProXp-ala was primarily dimeric and CTD truncation abolished dimerization in vitro. Furthermore, bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays in At protoplasts support a role for the CTD in homodimerization in vivo. The deacylation rate of Ala-tRNAPro by At ProXp-ala was also significantly reduced in the absence of the CTD, and kinetic assays indicated that the reduction in activity is primarily due to a tRNA binding defect. Overall, these results broaden our understanding of eukaryotic translational fidelity in the plant kingdom. Our study reveals that the plant-specific CTD plays a significant role in substrate binding and canonical editing function. Through its ability to facilitate protein-protein interactions, we propose the CTD may also provide expanded functional potential for trans-editing enzymes in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Kyu Byun
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - John A Vu
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Siou-Luan He
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA; Department of Horticulture and Crop Science and Center for Applied Plant Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Jyan-Chyun Jang
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA; Department of Horticulture and Crop Science and Center for Applied Plant Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
| | - Karin Musier-Forsyth
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
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17
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Vatansever EC, Yang KS, Geng ZZ, Qiao Y, Li P, Xu S, Liu WR. A Designed, Highly Efficient Pyrrolysyl-tRNA Synthetase Mutant Binds o-Chlorophenylalanine Using Two Halogen Bonds. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167534. [PMID: 35278475 PMCID: PMC9018553 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
As one of the most valuable tools for genetic code expansion, pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS) is structurally related to phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (PheRS). By introducing mutations that mimic ligand interactions in PheRS into PylRS, we designed a PylRS mutant. This mutant, designated as oClFRS, recognizes a number of o-substituted phenylalanines for their genetic incorporation at amber codon. Its efficiency in catalyzing genetic incorporation of o-chlorophenylalanine (o-ClF) is better than that for Nε-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-lysine catalyzed by PylRS. The crystal structure of oClFRS bound with o-ClF shows that o-ClF binds deeply into a hydrophobic but catalytically inactive pocket in the active site and involves two halogen bonds to achieve strong interactions. The shift of o-ClF to a catalytically active position in the oClFRS active site will be necessary for its activation. This is the first reported aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase that involves two halogen bonds for ligation recognition and might represent an alternative route to develop aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase mutants that are selective for noncanonical amino acids over native amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erol C Vatansever
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Kai S Yang
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Zhi Zachary Geng
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Yuchen Qiao
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Pingwei Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Shiqing Xu
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Wenshe Ray Liu
- The Texas A&M Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Institute of Biosciences and Technology and Department of Translational Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
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18
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Manickam Y, Malhotra N, Mishra S, Babbar P, Dusane A, Laleu B, Bellini V, Hakimi MA, Bougdour A, Sharma A. Double drugging of prolyl-tRNA synthetase provides a new paradigm for anti-infective drug development. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010363. [PMID: 35333915 PMCID: PMC9004777 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii and in immunocompromised patients it may lead to seizures, encephalitis or death. The conserved enzyme prolyl-tRNA synthetase (PRS) is a validated druggable target in Toxoplasma gondii but the traditional ‘single target–single drug’ approach has its caveats. Here, we describe two potent inhibitors namely halofuginone (HFG) and a novel ATP mimetic (L95) that bind to Toxoplasma gondii PRS simultaneously at different neighbouring sites to cover all three of the enzyme substrate subsites. HFG and L95 act as one triple-site inhibitor in tandem and form an unusual ternary complex wherein HFG occupies the 3’-end of tRNA and the L-proline (L-pro) binding sites while L95 occupies the ATP pocket. These inhibitors exhibit nanomolar IC50 and EC50 values independently, and when given together reveal an additive mode of action in parasite inhibition assays. This work validates a novel approach and lays a structural framework for further drug development based on simultaneous targeting of multiple pockets to inhibit druggable proteins. Among infectious diseases, parasitic diseases are a major cause of death and morbidity. Toxoplasmosis is caused by an infection of the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In immunocompromised patients Toxoplasmosis may lead to seizures, encephalitis or death. Novel therapeutics for human parasites are constantly needed. In recent years, the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (aaRS) enzyme family has been validated as a drug target for several parasitic infections. The Toxoplasma gondii prolyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitor halofuginone (HFG) has been validated earlier but here we show that an ATP-mimic called L95 is a potent inhibitor and can bind to the target enzyme in the presence of HFG. Thus, the two inhibitors described in this study simultaneously occupy all three natural substrate (ATP, L-amino acid and 3’-end of tRNA) binding pockets and thereby inhibit the enzyme leading to parasite death. This unprecedented double drugging of a pathogen enzyme may delay resistance mutation generation and this approach opens the path to multi-drugging of validated parasite proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yogavel Manickam
- Molecular Medicine–Structural Parasitology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Nipun Malhotra
- Molecular Medicine–Structural Parasitology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Siddhartha Mishra
- Molecular Medicine–Structural Parasitology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), New Delhi, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Palak Babbar
- Molecular Medicine–Structural Parasitology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Abhishek Dusane
- Molecular Medicine–Structural Parasitology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Benoît Laleu
- Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), International Center Cointrin (ICC), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Valeria Bellini
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Mohamed-Ali Hakimi
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Alexandre Bougdour
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Host-Pathogen Interactions and Immunity to Infection, INSERM U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
- * E-mail: (AB); (AS)
| | - Amit Sharma
- Molecular Medicine–Structural Parasitology Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), New Delhi, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
- * E-mail: (AB); (AS)
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19
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Jani J, Pappachan A. A review on quality control agents of protein translation - The role of Trans-editing proteins. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 199:252-263. [PMID: 34995670 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.12.176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Translation of RNA to protein is a key feature of cellular life. The fidelity of this process mainly depends on the availability of correctly charged tRNAs. Different domains of tRNA synthetase (aaRS) maintain translation quality by ensuring the proper attachment of particular amino acid with respective tRNA, thus it establishes the rule of genetic code. However occasional errors by aaRS generate mischarged tRNAs, which can become lethal to the cells. Accurate protein synthesis necessitates hydrolysis of mischarged tRNAs. Various cis and trans-editing proteins are identified which recognize these mischarged products and correct them by hydrolysis. Trans-editing proteins are homologs of cis-editing domains of aaRS. The trans-editing proteins work in close association with aaRS, Ef-Tu, and ribosome to prevent global mistranslation and ensures correct charging of tRNA. In this review, we discuss the major trans-editing proteins and compared them with their cis-editing counterparts. We also discuss their structural features, biochemical activity and role in maintaining cellular protein homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaykumar Jani
- School of Life Sciences, Central University of Gujarat, Sector 30, Gandhinagar 382030, Gujarat, India
| | - Anju Pappachan
- School of Life Sciences, Central University of Gujarat, Sector 30, Gandhinagar 382030, Gujarat, India.
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20
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Carter CW, Popinga A, Bouckaert R, Wills PR. Multidimensional Phylogenetic Metrics Identify Class I Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase Evolutionary Mosaicity and Inter-Modular Coupling. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031520. [PMID: 35163448 PMCID: PMC8835825 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) in the emergence and evolution of genetic coding poses challenging questions concerning their provenance. We seek evidence about their ancestry from curated structure-based multiple sequence alignments of a structurally invariant “scaffold” shared by all 10 canonical Class I aaRS. Three uncorrelated phylogenetic metrics—mutation frequency, its uniformity, and row-by-row cladistic congruence—imply that the Class I scaffold is a mosaic assembled from successive genetic sources. Metrics for different modules vary in accordance with their presumed functionality. Sequences derived from the ATP– and amino acid– binding sites exhibit specific two-way coupling to those derived from Connecting Peptide 1, a third module whose metrics suggest later acquisition. The data help validate: (i) experimental fragmentations of the canonical Class I structure into three partitions that retain catalytic activities in proportion to their length; and (ii) evidence that the ancestral Class I aaRS gene also encoded a Class II ancestor in frame on the opposite strand. A 46-residue Class I “protozyme” roots the Class I tree prior to the adaptive radiation of the Rossmann dinucleotide binding fold that refined substrate discrimination. Such rooting implies near simultaneous emergence of genetic coding and the origin of the proteome, resolving a conundrum posed by previous inferences that Class I aaRS evolved after the genetic code had been implemented in an RNA world. Further, pinpointing discontinuous enhancements of aaRS fidelity establishes a timeline for the growth of coding from a binary amino acid alphabet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles W. Carter
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7260, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-919-966-3263
| | - Alex Popinga
- Centre for Computational Evolution, University of Auckland, PB 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (A.P.); (R.B.)
| | - Remco Bouckaert
- Centre for Computational Evolution, University of Auckland, PB 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; (A.P.); (R.B.)
| | - Peter R. Wills
- Department of Physics and Te Ao Marama Centre for Fundamental Inquiry, University of Auckland, PB 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand;
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21
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Abstract
In this comprehensive review, I focus on the twenty E. coli aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and their ability to charge non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) onto tRNAs. The promiscuity of these enzymes has been harnessed for diverse applications including understanding and engineering of protein function, creation of organisms with an expanded genetic code, and the synthesis of diverse peptide libraries for drug discovery. The review catalogues the structures of all known ncAA substrates for each of the 20 E. coli aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, including ncAA substrates for engineered versions of these enzymes. Drawing from the structures in the list, I highlight trends and novel opportunities for further exploitation of these ncAAs in the engineering of protein function, synthetic biology, and in drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C T Hartman
- Department of Chemistry and Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1001 W Main St., Richmond, VA 23220, USA
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22
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Kim MH, Kang BS. Structure and Dynamics of the Human Multi-tRNA Synthetase Complex. Subcell Biochem 2022; 99:199-233. [PMID: 36151377 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-00793-4_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) are essential enzymes that ligate amino acids to their cognate tRNAs during protein synthesis. A growing body of scientific evidence acknowledges that ubiquitously expressed ARSs act as crossover mediators of biological processes, such as immunity and metabolism, beyond translation. In particular, a cytoplasmic multi-tRNA synthetase complex (MSC), which consists of eight ARSs and three ARS-interacting multifunctional proteins in humans, is recognized to be a central player that controls the complexity of biological systems. Although the role of the MSC in biological processes including protein synthesis is still unclear, maintaining the structural integrity of MSC is essential for life. This chapter deals with current knowledge on the structural aspects of the human MSC and its protein components. The main focus is on the regulatory functions of MSC beyond its catalytic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myung Hee Kim
- Infection and Immunity Research Laboratory, Metabolic Regulation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, South Korea.
| | - Beom Sik Kang
- School of Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.
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23
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Chakraborti S, Chhibber-Goel J, Sharma A. Drug targeting of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in Anopheles species and Aedes aegypti that cause malaria and dengue. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:605. [PMID: 34895309 PMCID: PMC8665550 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-05106-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mosquito-borne diseases have a devastating impact on human civilization. A few species of Anopheles mosquitoes are responsible for malaria transmission, and while there has been a reduction in malaria-related deaths worldwide, growing insecticide resistance is a cause for concern. Aedes mosquitoes are known vectors of viral infections, including dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are key players in protein synthesis and are potent anti-infective drug targets. The structure-function activity relationship of aaRSs in mosquitoes (in particular, Anopheles and Aedes spp.) remains unexplored. METHODS We employed computational techniques to identify aaRSs from five different mosquito species (Anopheles culicifacies, Anopheles stephensi, Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles minimus, and Aedes aegypti). The VectorBase database ( https://vectorbase.org/vectorbase/app ) and web-based tools were utilized to predict the subcellular localizations (TargetP-2.0, UniProt, DeepLoc-1.0), physicochemical characteristics (ProtParam), and domain arrangements (PfAM, InterPro) of the aaRSs. Structural models for prolyl (PRS)-, and phenylalanyl (FRS)-tRNA synthetases-were generated using the I-TASSER and Phyre protein modeling servers. RESULTS Among the vector species, a total of 37 (An. gambiae), 37 (An. culicifacies), 37 (An. stephensi), 37 (An. minimus), and 35 (Ae. aegypti) different aaRSs were characterized within their respective mosquito genomes. Sequence identity amongst the aaRSs from the four Anopheles spp. was > 80% and in Ae. aegypti was > 50%. CONCLUSIONS Structural analysis of two important aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases [prolyl (PRS) and phenylanalyl (FRS)] of Anopheles spp. suggests structural and sequence similarity with potential antimalarial inhibitor [halofuginone (HF) and bicyclic azetidine (BRD1369)] binding sites. This suggests the potential for repurposing of these inhibitors against the studied Anopheles spp. and Ae. aegypti.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jyoti Chhibber-Goel
- Molecular Medicine, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
| | - Amit Sharma
- Molecular Medicine Group, National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
- Molecular Medicine, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
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24
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Thyer R, d'Oelsnitz S, Blevins MS, Klein DR, Brodbelt JS, Ellington AD. Directed Evolution of an Improved Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase for Incorporation of L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2021; 60:14811-14816. [PMID: 33871147 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202100579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The catechol group of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) derived from L-tyrosine oxidation is a key post-translational modification (PTM) in many protein biomaterials and has potential as a bioorthogonal handle for precision protein conjugation applications such as antibody-drug conjugates. Despite this potential, indiscriminate enzymatic modification of exposed tyrosine residues or complete replacement of tyrosine using auxotrophic hosts remains the preferred method of introducing the catechol moiety into proteins, which precludes many protein engineering applications. We have developed new orthogonal translation machinery to site-specifically incorporate L-DOPA into recombinant proteins and a new fluorescent biosensor to selectively monitor L-DOPA incorporation in vivo. We show simultaneous biosynthesis and incorporation of L-DOPA and apply this translation machinery to engineer a novel metalloprotein containing a DOPA-Fe chromophore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross Thyer
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Simon d'Oelsnitz
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Molly S Blevins
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Dustin R Klein
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Andrew D Ellington
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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25
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Pang L, Weeks SD, Van Aerschot A. Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases as Valuable Targets for Antimicrobial Drug Discovery. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:1750. [PMID: 33578647 PMCID: PMC7916415 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22041750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) catalyze the esterification of tRNA with a cognate amino acid and are essential enzymes in all three kingdoms of life. Due to their important role in the translation of the genetic code, aaRSs have been recognized as suitable targets for the development of small molecule anti-infectives. In this review, following a concise discussion of aaRS catalytic and proof-reading activities, the various inhibitory mechanisms of reported natural and synthetic aaRS inhibitors are discussed. Using the expanding repository of ligand-bound X-ray crystal structures, we classified these compounds based on their binding sites, focusing on their ability to compete with the association of one, or more of the canonical aaRS substrates. In parallel, we examined the determinants of species-selectivity and discuss potential resistance mechanisms of some of the inhibitor classes. Combined, this structural perspective highlights the opportunities for further exploration of the aaRS enzyme family as antimicrobial targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luping Pang
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, Herestraat 49–box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- KU Leuven, Biocrystallography, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Herestraat 49–box 822, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Arthur Van Aerschot
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, Herestraat 49–box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
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Vargas-Rodriguez O, Bakhtina M, McGowan D, Abid J, Goto Y, Suga H, Musier-Forsyth K. Human trans-editing enzyme displays tRNA acceptor-stem specificity and relaxed amino acid selectivity. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:16180-16190. [PMID: 33051185 PMCID: PMC7705315 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.015981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Accurate translation of genetic information into proteins is vital for cell sustainability. ProXp-ala prevents proteome-wide Pro-to-Ala mutations by hydrolyzing misacylated Ala-tRNAPro, which is synthesized by prolyl-tRNA synthetase. Bacterial ProXp-ala was previously shown to combine a size-based exclusion mechanism with conformational and chemical selection for the recognition of the alanyl moiety, whereas tRNAPro is selected via recognition of tRNA acceptor-stem elements G72 and A73. The identity of these critical bases changed during evolution with eukaryotic cytosolic tRNAPro possessing a cytosine at the corresponding positions. The mechanism by which eukaryotic ProXp-ala adapted to these changes remains unknown. In this work, recognition of the aminoacyl moiety and tRNA acceptor stem by human (Homo sapiens, or Hs) ProXp-ala was examined. Enzymatic assays revealed that Hs ProXp-ala requires C72 and C73 in the context of Hs cytosolic tRNAPro for efficient deacylation of mischarged Ala-tRNAPro The strong dependence on these bases prevents cross-species deacylation of bacterial Ala-tRNAPro or of Hs mitochondrial Ala-tRNAPro by the human enzyme. Similar to the bacterial enzyme, Hs ProXp-ala showed strong tRNA acceptor-stem recognition but differed in its amino acid specificity profile relative to bacterial ProXp-ala. Changes at conserved residues in both the Hs and bacterial ProXp-ala substrate-binding pockets modulated this specificity. These results illustrate how the mechanism of substrate selection diverged during the evolution of the ProXp-ala family, providing the first example of a trans-editing domain whose specificity evolved to adapt to changes in its tRNA substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Vargas-Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Marina Bakhtina
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Daniel McGowan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Jawad Abid
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Yuki Goto
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Karin Musier-Forsyth
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
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27
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Nyamai DW, Tastan Bishop Ö. Identification of Selective Novel Hits against Plasmodium falciparum Prolyl tRNA Synthetase Active Site and a Predicted Allosteric Site Using in silico Approaches. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E3803. [PMID: 32471245 PMCID: PMC7312540 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21113803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, there has been increased interest in aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) as potential malarial drug targets. These enzymes play a key role in protein translation by the addition of amino acids to their cognate tRNA. The aaRSs are present in all Plasmodium life cycle stages, and thus present an attractive malarial drug target. Prolyl tRNA synthetase is a class II aaRS that functions in charging tRNA with proline. Various inhibitors against Plasmodium falciparum ProRS (PfProRS) active site have been designed. However, none have gone through clinical trials as they have been found to be highly toxic to human cells. Recently, a possible allosteric site was reported in PfProRS with two possible allosteric modulators: glyburide and TCMDC-124506. In this study, we sought to identify novel selective inhibitors targeting PfProRS active site and possible novel allosteric modulators of this enzyme. To achieve this, virtual screening of South African natural compounds against PfProRS and the human homologue was carried out using AutoDock Vina. The modulation of protein motions by ligand binding was studied by molecular dynamics (MD) using the GROningen MAchine for Chemical Simulations (GROMACS) tool. To further analyse the protein global motions and energetic changes upon ligand binding, principal component analysis (PCA), and free energy landscape (FEL) calculations were performed. Further, to understand the effect of ligand binding on the protein communication, dynamic residue network (DRN) analysis of the MD trajectories was carried out using the MD-TASK tool. A total of ten potential natural hit compounds were identified with strong binding energy scores. Binding of ligands to the protein caused observable global and residue level changes. Dynamic residue network calculations showed increase in betweenness centrality (BC) metric of residues at the allosteric site implying these residues are important in protein communication. A loop region at the catalytic domain between residues 300 and 350 and the anticodon binding domain showed significant contributions to both PC1 and PC2. Large motions were observed at a loop in the Z-domain between residues 697 and 710 which was also in agreement with RMSF calculations that showed increase in flexibility of residues in this region. Residues in this loop region are implicated in ATP binding and thus a change in dynamics may affect ATP binding affinity. Free energy landscape (FEL) calculations showed that the holo protein (protein-ADN complex) and PfProRS-SANC184 complexes were stable, as shown by the low energy with very few intermediates and hardly distinguishable low energy barriers. In addition, FEL results agreed with backbone RMSD distribution plots where stable complexes showed a normal RMSD distribution while unstable complexes had multimodal RMSD distribution. The betweenness centrality metric showed a loss of functional importance of key ATP binding site residues upon allosteric ligand binding. The deep basins in average L observed at the allosteric region imply that there is high accessibility of residues at this region. To further analyse BC and average L metrics data, we calculated the ΔBC and ΔL values by taking each value in the holo protein BC or L matrix less the corresponding value in the ligand-bound complex BC or L matrix. Interestingly, in allosteric complexes, residues located in a loop region implicated in ATP binding had negative ΔL values while in orthosteric complexes these residues had positive ΔL values. An increase in contact frequency between residues Ser263, Thr267, Tyr285, and Leu707 at the allosteric site and residues Thr397, Pro398, Thr402, and Gln395 at the ATP binding TXE loop was observed. In summary, this study identified five potential orthosteric inhibitors and five allosteric modulators against PfProRS. Allosteric modulators changed ATP binding site dynamics, as shown by RMSF, PCA, and DRN calculations. Changes in dynamics of the ATP binding site and increased contact frequency between residues at the proposed allosteric site and the ATP binding site may explain how allosteric modulators distort the ATP binding site and thus might inhibit PfProRS. The scaffolds of the identified hits in the study can be used as a starting point for antimalarial inhibitor development with low human cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Özlem Tastan Bishop
- Research Unit in Bioinformatics (RUBi), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa;
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28
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Swiecicki JM, Santana JT, Imperiali B. A Strategic Approach for Fluorescence Imaging of Membrane Proteins in a Native-like Environment. Cell Chem Biol 2019; 27:245-251.e3. [PMID: 31831268 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Biological membranes are complex barriers in which membrane proteins and thousands of lipidic species participate in structural and functional interactions. Developing a strategic approach that allows uniform labeling of membrane proteins while maintaining a lipidic environment that retains functional interactions is highly desirable for in vitro fluorescence studies. Herein, we focus on complementing current methods by integrating the powerful processes of unnatural amino acid mutagenesis, bioorthogonal labeling, and the detergent-free membrane protein solubilization based on the amphiphilic styrene-maleic acid (SMA) polymer. Importantly, the SMA polymer preserves a thermodynamically stable shell of phospholipids. The approach that we present is both rapid and generalizable providing a population of uniquely labeled membrane proteins in lipid nanoparticles for quantitative fluorescence-based studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marie Swiecicki
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jordan Tyler Santana
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Barbara Imperiali
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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29
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Adams LM, Andrews RJ, Hu QH, Schmit HL, Hati S, Bhattacharyya S. Crowder-Induced Conformational Ensemble Shift in Escherichia coli Prolyl-tRNA Synthetase. Biophys J 2019; 117:1269-1284. [PMID: 31542226 PMCID: PMC6818166 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 07/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The effect of molecular crowding on the structure and function of Escherichia coli prolyl-transfer RNA synthetase (Ec ProRS), a member of the aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetase family, has been investigated using a combined experimental and theoretical method. Ec ProRS is a multidomain enzyme; coupled-domain dynamics are essential for efficient catalysis. To gain insight into the mechanistic detail of the crowding effect, kinetic studies were conducted with varying concentrations and sizes of crowders. In parallel, spectroscopic and quantum chemical studies were employed to probe the "soft interactions" between crowders and protein side chains. Finally, the dynamics of the dimeric protein was examined in the presence of crowders using a long-duration (70 ns) classical molecular dynamic simulations. The results of the simulations revealed a shift in the conformational ensemble, which is consistent with the preferential exclusion of cosolutes. The "soft interactions" model of the crowding effect also explained the alteration in kinetic parameters. In summary, the study found that the effects of molecular crowding on both conformational dynamics and catalytic function are correlated in the multidomain Ec ProRS, an enzyme that is central to protein synthesis in all living cells. This study affirmed that large and small cosolutes have considerable impacts on the structure, dynamics, and function of modular proteins and therefore must be considered for stabilizing protein-based pharmaceuticals and industrial enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Adams
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
| | - Ryan J Andrews
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
| | - Quin H Hu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
| | - Heidi L Schmit
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
| | - Sanchita Hati
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
| | - Sudeep Bhattacharyya
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
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30
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Levi O, Arava Y. mRNA association by aminoacyl tRNA synthetase occurs at a putative anticodon mimic and autoregulates translation in response to tRNA levels. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000274. [PMID: 31100060 PMCID: PMC6542539 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are well studied for their role in binding and charging tRNAs with cognate amino acids. Recent RNA interactome studies had suggested that these enzymes can also bind polyadenylated RNAs. Here, we explored the mRNA repertoire bound by several yeast aaRSs. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) followed by deep sequencing revealed unique sets of mRNAs bound by each aaRS. Interestingly, for every tested aaRSs, a preferential association with its own mRNA was observed, suggesting an autoregulatory process. Self-association of histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS) was found to be mediated primarily through binding to a region predicted to fold into a tRNAHis anticodon-like structure. Introducing point mutations that are expected to disassemble this putative anticodon mimic alleviated self-association, concomitant with increased synthesis of the protein. Finally, we found that increased cellular levels of uncharged tRNAHis lead to reduced self-association and increased HisRS translation, in a manner that depends on the anticodon-like element. Together, these results reveal a novel post-transcriptional autoregulatory mechanism that exploits binding mimicry to control mRNA translation according to tRNA demands. Better known for their enzymatic role in charging tRNAs with their cognate amino acids, this study shows that tRNA synthetases also bind mRNAs, regulating translation in order to balance the production of a tRNA synthetase with the level of its cognate tRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofri Levi
- Faculty of Biology, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yoav Arava
- Faculty of Biology, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- * E-mail:
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31
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Crnković A, Vargas-Rodriguez O, Söll D. Plasticity and Constraints of tRNA Aminoacylation Define Directed Evolution of Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20092294. [PMID: 31075874 PMCID: PMC6540133 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic incorporation of noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) has become a powerful tool to enhance existing functions or introduce new ones into proteins through expanded chemistry. This technology relies on the process of nonsense suppression, which is made possible by directing aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) to attach an ncAA onto a cognate suppressor tRNA. However, different mechanisms govern aaRS specificity toward its natural amino acid (AA) substrate and hinder the engineering of aaRSs for applications beyond the incorporation of a single l-α-AA. Directed evolution of aaRSs therefore faces two interlinked challenges: the removal of the affinity for cognate AA and improvement of ncAA acylation. Here we review aspects of AA recognition that directly influence the feasibility and success of aaRS engineering toward d- and β-AAs incorporation into proteins in vivo. Emerging directed evolution methods are described and evaluated on the basis of aaRS active site plasticity and its inherent constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Crnković
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
| | - Oscar Vargas-Rodriguez
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
| | - Dieter Söll
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
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32
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Pena N, Dranow DM, Hu Y, Escamilla Y, Bullard JM. Characterization and structure determination of prolyl-tRNA synthetase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and development as a screening platform. Protein Sci 2019; 28:727-737. [PMID: 30666738 PMCID: PMC6423717 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic multi-drug resistant pathogen implicated as a causative agent in nosocomial and community acquired bacterial infections. The gene encoding prolyl-tRNA synthetase (ProRS) from P. aeruginosa was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the resulting protein was characterized. ProRS was kinetically evaluated and the KM values for interactions with ATP, proline, and tRNA were 154, 122, and 5.5 μM, respectively. The turn-over numbers, kcatobs , for interactions with these substrates were calculated to be 5.5, 6.3, and 0.2 s-1 , respectively. The crystal structure of the α2 form of P. aeruginosa ProRS was solved to 2.60 Å resolution. The amino acid sequence and X-ray crystal structure of P. aeruginosa ProRS was analyzed and compared with homologs in which the crystal structures have been solved. The amino acids that interact with ATP and proline are well conserved in the active site region and overlay of the crystal structure with ProRS homologs conforms to a similar overall three-dimensional structure. ProRS was developed into a screening platform using scintillation proximity assay (SPA) technology and used to screen 890 chemical compounds, resulting in the identification of two inhibitory compounds, BT06A02 and BT07H05. This work confirms the utility of a screening system based on the functionality of ProRS from P. aeruginosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah Pena
- The University of Texas – RGVEdinburgTexas 78541
| | - David M. Dranow
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious DiseaseSeattleWA 98109
- Beryllium Discovery CorpBainbridge IslandWA 98110
| | - Yanmei Hu
- The University of Texas – RGVEdinburgTexas 78541
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Treatment of parasitic diseases has been challenging due to evolution of drug resistant parasites, and thus there is need to identify new class of drugs and drug targets. Protein translation is important for survival of malarial parasite, Plasmodium, and the pathway is present in all of its life cycle stages. Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases are primary enzymes in protein translation as they catalyse amino acid addition to the cognate tRNA. This study sought to understand differences between Plasmodium and human aminoacyl tRNA synthetases through bioinformatics analysis. METHODS Plasmodium berghei, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium fragile, Plasmodium knowlesi, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium yoelii and human aminoacyl tRNA synthetase sequences were retrieved from UniProt database and grouped into 20 families based on amino acid specificity. These families were further divided into two classes. Both families and classes were analysed. Motif discovery was carried out using the MEME software, sequence identity calculation was done using an in-house Python script, multiple sequence alignments were performed using PROMALS3D and TCOFFEE tools, and phylogenetic tree calculations were performed using MEGA vs 7.0 tool. Possible alternative binding sites were predicted using FTMap webserver and SiteMap tool. RESULTS Motif discovery revealed Plasmodium-specific motifs while phylogenetic tree calculations showed that Plasmodium proteins have different evolutionary history to the human homologues. Human aaRSs sequences showed low sequence identity (below 40%) compared to Plasmodium sequences. Prediction of alternative binding sites revealed potential druggable sites in PfArgRS, PfMetRS and PfProRS at regions that are weakly conserved when compared to the human homologues. Multiple sequence analysis, motif discovery, pairwise sequence identity calculations and phylogenetic tree analysis showed significant differences between parasite and human aaRSs proteins despite functional and structural conservation. These differences may provide a basis for further exploration of Plasmodium aminoacyl tRNA synthetases as potential drug targets. CONCLUSION This study showed that, despite, functional and structural conservation, Plasmodium aaRSs have key differences from the human homologues. These differences in Plasmodium aaRSs can be targeted to develop anti-malarial drugs with less toxicity to the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothy Wavinya Nyamai
- Research Unit in Bioinformatics (RUBi), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
| | - Özlem Tastan Bishop
- Research Unit in Bioinformatics (RUBi), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa.
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Abstract
Amino acids are attached to the tRNA 3'-end as a prerequisite for entering the ribosome for protein synthesis. Amino acid attachment also gives tRNA access to nonribosomal cellular activities. However, the normal attachment is via an ester linkage between the carboxylic group of the amino acid and the 3'-hydroxyl of the terminal A76 ribose in tRNA. The instability of this ester linkage has severely hampered studies of aminoacyl-tRNAs. Although the use of 3'-amino-3'-deoxy A76 in a 3'-amino-tailed tRNA provides stable aminoacyl attachment via an amide linkage, there are multiple tailing protocols and the efficiency of each relative to the others is unknown. Here we compare five different tailing protocols in parallel, all dependent on the CCA-adding enzyme [CTP(ATP): tRNA nucleotidyl transferase; abbreviated as the CCA enzyme] to exchange the natural ribose with the modified one. We show that the most efficient protocol is achieved by the CCA-catalyzed pyrophosphorolysis removal of the natural A76 in equilibrium with the addition of the appropriate ATP analog to synthesize the modified 3'-end. This protocol for 3'-amino-tailing affords quantitative and stable attachment of a broad range of amino acids to tRNA, indicating its general utility for studies of aminoacyl-tRNAs in both canonical and noncanonical activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard Gamper
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA
| | - Ya-Ming Hou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA
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35
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Bittrich S, Schroeder M, Labudde D. Characterizing the relation of functional and Early Folding Residues in protein structures using the example of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206369. [PMID: 30376559 PMCID: PMC6207335 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteins are chains of amino acids which adopt a three-dimensional structure and are then able to catalyze chemical reactions or propagate signals in organisms. Without external influence, many proteins fold into their native structure, and a small number of Early Folding Residues (EFR) have previously been shown to initiate the formation of secondary structure elements and guide their respective assembly. Using the two diverse superfamilies of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS), it is shown that the position of EFR is preserved over the course of evolution even when the corresponding sequence conservation is small. Folding initiation sites are positioned in the center of secondary structure elements, independent of aaRS class. In class I, the predicted position of EFR resembles an ancient structural packing motif present in many seemingly unrelated proteins. Furthermore, it is shown that EFR and functionally relevant residues in aaRS are almost entirely disjoint sets of residues. The Start2Fold database is used to investigate whether this separation of EFR and functional residues can be observed for other proteins. EFR are found to constitute crucial connectors of protein regions which are distant at sequence level. Especially, these residues exhibit a high number of non-covalent residue-residue contacts such as hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. This tendency also manifests as energetically stable local regions, as substantiated by a knowledge-based potential. Despite profound differences regarding how EFR and functional residues are embedded in protein structures, a strict separation of structurally and functionally relevant residues cannot be observed for a more general collection of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Bittrich
- Applied Computer Sciences & Biosciences, University of Applied Sciences Mittweida, Mittweida, Saxony, Germany
- Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Saxony, Germany
| | - Michael Schroeder
- Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Saxony, Germany
| | - Dirk Labudde
- Applied Computer Sciences & Biosciences, University of Applied Sciences Mittweida, Mittweida, Saxony, Germany
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36
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Luo J, Samanta S, Convertino M, Dokholyan NV, Deiters A. Reversible and Tunable Photoswitching of Protein Function through Genetic Encoding of Azobenzene Amino Acids in Mammalian Cells. Chembiochem 2018; 19:2178-2185. [PMID: 30277634 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The genetic encoding of three different azobenzene phenylalanines with different photochemical properties was achieved in human cells by using an engineered pyrrolysyl tRNA/tRNA synthetase pair. In order to demonstrate reversible light control of protein function, azobenzenes were site-specifically introduced into firefly luciferase. Computational strategies were applied to guide the selection of potential photoswitchable sites that lead to a reversibly controlled luciferase enzyme. In addition, the new azobenzene analogues provide enhanced thermal stability, high photoconversion, and responsiveness to visible light. These small-molecule photoswitches can reversibly photocontrol protein function with excellent spatiotemporal resolution, and preferred sites for incorporation can be computationally determined, thus providing a new tool for investigating biological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Luo
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Chemistry, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Subhas Samanta
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Chemistry, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Marino Convertino
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Nikolay V Dokholyan
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Alexander Deiters
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Chemistry, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
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37
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Abstract
Modifying RNA through either splicing or editing is a fundamental biological process for creating protein diversity from the same genetic code. Developing novel chemical biology tools for RNA editing has potential to transiently edit genes and to provide a better understanding of RNA biochemistry. Current techniques used to modify RNA include the use of ribozymes, adenosine deaminase, and tRNA endonucleases. Herein, we report a nanozyme that is capable of splicing virtually any RNA stem-loop. This nanozyme is comprised of a gold nanoparticle functionalized with three enzymes: two catalytic DNA strands with ribonuclease function and an RNA ligase. The nanozyme cleaves and then ligates RNA targets, performing a splicing reaction that is akin to the function of the spliceosome. Our results show that the three-enzyme reaction can remove a 19 nt segment from a 67 nt RNA loop with up to 66% efficiency. The complete nanozyme can perform the same splice reaction at 10% efficiency. These splicing nanozymes represent a new promising approach for gene manipulation that has potential for applications in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R. Petree
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
| | - Kevin Yehl
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
| | - Kornelia Galior
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
| | - Roxanne Glazier
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Brendan Deal
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
| | - Khalid Salaita
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
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38
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Abstract
The incorporation of noncanonical amino acids has given protein chemists access to an expanded repertoire of amino acids. This methodology has significantly broadened the scope of protein engineering allowing introduction of amino acids with non-native functionalities, such as bioorthogonal reactive handles (azides and alkynes) and hydrophobic fluorinated side chains. Here, we describe the efficient residue-specific replacement of methionine by azidonorleucine in an engineered green fluorescent protein using a bacterial expression system to introduce a single reactive site for the strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark B van Eldijk
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Jan C M van Hest
- Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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39
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Liu K, Enns B, Evans B, Wang N, Shang X, Sittiwong W, Dussault PH, Guo J. A genetically encoded cyclobutene probe for labelling of live cells. Chem Commun (Camb) 2017; 53:10604-10607. [PMID: 28902227 PMCID: PMC5648060 DOI: 10.1039/c7cc05580c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
We have identified an aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pair for the efficient and site-specific incorporation of a cyclobutene-containing amino acid into proteins in response to an amber nonsense codon. Fast and fluorescent labeling of purified proteins and intact proteins in live cells was demonstrated using the inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction with a tetrazine.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA.
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40
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Li S, Fan J, Peng C, Chang Y, Guo L, Hou J, Huang M, Wu B, Zheng J, Lin L, Xiao G, Chen W, Liao G, Guo J, Sun P. New molecular insights into the tyrosyl-tRNA synthase inhibitors: CoMFA, CoMSIA analyses and molecular docking studies. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11525. [PMID: 28912450 PMCID: PMC5599502 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10618-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance caused by excessive and indiscriminate antibiotic usage has become a serious public health problem. The need of finding new antibacterial drugs is more urgent than ever before. Tyrosyl-tRNA synthase was proved to be a potent target in combating drug-resistant bacteria. In silico methodologies including molecular docking and 3D-QSAR were employed to investigate a series of newly reported tyrosyl-tRNA synthase inhibitors of furanone derivatives. Both internal and external cross-validation were conducted to obtain high predictive and satisfactory CoMFA model (q 2 = 0.611, r 2pred = 0.933, r 2m = 0.954) and CoMSIA model (q 2 = 0.546, r 2pred = 0.959, r 2m = 0.923). Docking results, which correspond with CoMFA/CoMSIA contour maps, gave the information for interactive mode exploration. Ten new molecules designed on the basis of QSAR and docking models have been predicted more potent than the most active compound 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-(2-morpholinoethoxy)furan-2(5H)-one (15) in the literatures. The results expand our understanding of furanones as inhibitors of tyrosyl-tRNA synthase and could be helpful in rationally designing of new analogs with more potent inhibitory activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengrong Li
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Jilin Fan
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Chengkang Peng
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Yiqun Chang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Lianxia Guo
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Jinsong Hou
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Miaoqi Huang
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Biyuan Wu
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Junxia Zheng
- School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, P.R. China.
| | - Longxin Lin
- College of Information Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Gaokeng Xiao
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Weimin Chen
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China
| | - Guochao Liao
- International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, P.R. China
| | - Jialiang Guo
- School of Stomatology and Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, 528000, P.R. China.
| | - Pinghua Sun
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of TCM and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, P.R. China.
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41
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Danhart EM, Bakhtina M, Cantara WA, Kuzmishin AB, Ma X, Sanford BL, Vargas-Rodriguez O, Košutić M, Goto Y, Suga H, Nakanishi K, Micura R, Foster MP, Musier-Forsyth K. Conformational and chemical selection by a trans-acting editing domain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E6774-E6783. [PMID: 28768811 PMCID: PMC5565427 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1703925114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular sieves ensure proper pairing of tRNAs and amino acids during aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, thereby avoiding detrimental effects of mistranslation on cell growth and viability. Mischarging errors are often corrected through the activity of specialized editing domains present in some aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases or via single-domain trans-editing proteins. ProXp-ala is a ubiquitous trans-editing enzyme that edits Ala-tRNAPro, the product of Ala mischarging by prolyl-tRNA synthetase, although the structural basis for discrimination between correctly charged Pro-tRNAPro and mischarged Ala-tRNAAla is unclear. Deacylation assays using substrate analogs reveal that size discrimination is only one component of selectivity. We used NMR spectroscopy and sequence conservation to guide extensive site-directed mutagenesis of Caulobacter crescentus ProXp-ala, along with binding and deacylation assays to map specificity determinants. Chemical shift perturbations induced by an uncharged tRNAPro acceptor stem mimic, microhelixPro, or a nonhydrolyzable mischarged Ala-microhelixPro substrate analog identified residues important for binding and deacylation. Backbone 15N NMR relaxation experiments revealed dynamics for a helix flanking the substrate binding site in free ProXp-ala, likely reflecting sampling of open and closed conformations. Dynamics persist on binding to the uncharged microhelix, but are attenuated when the stably mischarged analog is bound. Computational docking and molecular dynamics simulations provide structural context for these findings and predict a role for the substrate primary α-amine group in substrate recognition. Overall, our results illuminate strategies used by a trans-editing domain to ensure acceptance of only mischarged Ala-tRNAPro, including conformational selection by a dynamic helix, size-based exclusion, and optimal positioning of substrate chemical groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Danhart
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Marina Bakhtina
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - William A Cantara
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Alexandra B Kuzmishin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Xiao Ma
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Brianne L Sanford
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | | | - Marija Košutić
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Leopold Franzens University, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Center for Molecular Biosciences, Leopold Franzens University, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Yuki Goto
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Suga
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Kotaro Nakanishi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Ronald Micura
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Leopold Franzens University, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Center for Molecular Biosciences, Leopold Franzens University, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Mark P Foster
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210;
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| | - Karin Musier-Forsyth
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210;
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
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42
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Abstract
The aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and their cognate transfer RNAs translate the universal genetic code. The twenty canonical amino acids are sufficiently diverse to create a selective advantage for dividing amino acid activation between two distinct, apparently unrelated superfamilies of synthetases, Class I amino acids being generally larger and less polar, Class II amino acids smaller and more polar. Biochemical, bioinformatic, and protein engineering experiments support the hypothesis that the two Classes descended from opposite strands of the same ancestral gene. Parallel experimental deconstructions of Class I and II synthetases reveal parallel losses in catalytic proficiency at two novel modular levels-protozymes and Urzymes-associated with the evolution of catalytic activity. Bi-directional coding supports an important unification of the proteome; affords a genetic relatedness metric-middle base-pairing frequencies in sense/antisense alignments-that probes more deeply into the evolutionary history of translation than do single multiple sequence alignments; and has facilitated the analysis of hitherto unknown coding relationships in tRNA sequences. Reconstruction of native synthetases by modular thermodynamic cycles facilitated by domain engineering emphasizes the subtlety associated with achieving high specificity, shedding new light on allosteric relationships in contemporary synthetases. Synthetase Urzyme structural biology suggests that they are catalytically-active molten globules, broadening the potential manifold of polypeptide catalysts accessible to primitive genetic coding and motivating revisions of the origins of catalysis. Finally, bi-directional genetic coding of some of the oldest genes in the proteome places major limitations on the likelihood that any RNA World preceded the origins of coded proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles W Carter
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7260, USA.
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43
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Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs) are essential enzymes that specifically aminoacylate one tRNA molecule by the cognate amino acid. They are a family of twenty enzymes, one for each amino acid. By coupling an amino acid to a specific RNA triplet, the anticodon, they are responsible for interpretation of the genetic code. In addition to this translational, canonical role, several aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases also fulfill nontranslational, moonlighting functions. In mammals, nine synthetases, those specific for amino acids Arg, Asp, Gln, Glu, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met and Pro, associate into a multi-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complex, an association which is believed to play a key role in the cellular organization of translation, but also in the regulation of the translational and nontranslational functions of these enzymes. Because the balance between their alternative functions rests on the assembly and disassembly of this supramolecular entity, it is essential to get precise insight into the structural organization of this complex. The high-resolution 3D-structure of the native particle, with a molecular weight of about 1.5 MDa, is not yet known. Low-resolution structures of the multi-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complex, as determined by cryo-EM or SAXS, have been reported. High-resolution data have been reported for individual enzymes of the complex, or for small subcomplexes. This review aims to present a critical view of our present knowledge of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase complex in 3D. These preliminary data shed some light on the mechanisms responsible for the balance between the translational and nontranslational functions of some of its components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Mirande
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 1 avenue de la Terrasse, 91190, Gif-sur-Yvette, Paris, France.
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44
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Sierant M, Leszczynska G, Sadowska K, Dziergowska A, Rozanski M, Sochacka E, Nawrot B. S-Geranyl-2-thiouridine wobble nucleosides of bacterial tRNAs; chemical and enzymatic synthesis of S-geranylated-RNAs and their physicochemical characterization. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:10986-10998. [PMID: 27566149 PMCID: PMC5159532 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Revised: 07/30/2016] [Accepted: 08/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, highly lipophilic S-geranylated derivatives of 5-methylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine (mnm5geS2U) and 5-carboxymethylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine (cmnm5geS2U) were found at the first (wobble) anticodon position in bacterial tRNAs specific for Lys, Glu and Gln. The function and cellular biogenesis of these unique tRNAs remain poorly understood. Here, we present one direct and two post-synthetic chemical routes for preparing model geS2U-RNAs. Our experimental data demonstrate that geS2U-RNAs are more lipophilic than their parent S2U-RNAs as well as non-modified U-RNAs. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the S-geranyl-2-thiouridine-containing RNA has higher affinity toward complementary RNA strand with G opposite the modified unit than with A. Recombinant tRNA selenouridine synthase (SelU) exhibits sulfur-specific geranylation activity toward model S2U-RNA, which is composed of the anticodon-stem-loop (ASL) from the human tRNALys3 sequence. In addition, the presence of magnesium ions is required to achieve appreciable geranylation efficiencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malgorzata Sierant
- Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Sienkiewicza 112, 90-363 Lodz, Poland
| | - Grazyna Leszczynska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Zeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
| | - Klaudia Sadowska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Zeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Dziergowska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Zeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
| | - Michal Rozanski
- Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Sienkiewicza 112, 90-363 Lodz, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Sochacka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Zeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
| | - Barbara Nawrot
- Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Sienkiewicza 112, 90-363 Lodz, Poland
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45
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Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are modular enzymes globally conserved in the three kingdoms of life. All catalyze the same two-step reaction, i.e., the attachment of a proteinogenic amino acid on their cognate tRNAs, thereby mediating the correct expression of the genetic code. In addition, some aaRSs acquired other functions beyond this key role in translation. Genomics and X-ray crystallography have revealed great structural diversity in aaRSs (e.g., in oligomery and modularity, in ranking into two distinct groups each subdivided in 3 subgroups, by additional domains appended on the catalytic modules). AaRSs show huge structural plasticity related to function and limited idiosyncrasies that are kingdom or even species specific (e.g., the presence in many Bacteria of non discriminating aaRSs compensating for the absence of one or two specific aaRSs, notably AsnRS and/or GlnRS). Diversity, as well, occurs in the mechanisms of aaRS gene regulation that are not conserved in evolution, notably between distant groups such as Gram-positive and Gram-negative Bacteria. The review focuses on bacterial aaRSs (and their paralogs) and covers their structure, function, regulation, and evolution. Structure/function relationships are emphasized, notably the enzymology of tRNA aminoacylation and the editing mechanisms for correction of activation and charging errors. The huge amount of genomic and structural data that accumulated in last two decades is reviewed, showing how the field moved from essentially reductionist biology towards more global and integrated approaches. Likewise, the alternative functions of aaRSs and those of aaRS paralogs (e.g., during cell wall biogenesis and other metabolic processes in or outside protein synthesis) are reviewed. Since aaRS phylogenies present promiscuous bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryal features, similarities and differences in the properties of aaRSs from the three kingdoms of life are pinpointed throughout the review and distinctive characteristics of bacterium-like synthetases from organelles are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Giegé
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IBMC, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Mathias Springer
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Cité, UPR9073 CNRS, IBPC, 75005 Paris, France
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46
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Exner MP, Köhling S, Rivollier J, Gosling S, Srivastava P, Palyancheva ZI, Herdewijn P, Heck MP, Rademann J, Budisa N. Incorporation of Amino Acids with Long-Chain Terminal Olefins into Proteins. Molecules 2016; 21:287. [PMID: 26938510 PMCID: PMC6272937 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21030287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2016] [Revised: 02/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing need for site-specific protein decorations that mimic natural posttranslational modifications requires access to a variety of noncanonical amino acids with moieties enabling bioorthogonal conjugation chemistry. Here we present the incorporation of long-chain olefinic amino acids into model proteins with rational variants of pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase (PylRS). Nε-heptenoyl lysine was incorporated for the first time using the known promiscuous variant PylRS(Y306A/Y384F), and Nε-pentenoyl lysine was incorporated in significant yields with the novel variant PylRS(C348A/Y384F). This is the only example of rational modification at position C348 to enlarge the enzyme's binding pocket. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of our chosen amino acids in the thiol-ene conjugation reaction with a thiolated polysaccharide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias P Exner
- Institute of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Mueller-Breslau-Strasse 10, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Sebastian Köhling
- Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Julie Rivollier
- Service de Chimie Bioorganique et de Marquage, iBiTecS, CEA, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Sandrine Gosling
- Service de Chimie Bioorganique et de Marquage, iBiTecS, CEA, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Puneet Srivastava
- Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Zheni I Palyancheva
- Institute of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Mueller-Breslau-Strasse 10, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Piet Herdewijn
- Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Marie-Pierre Heck
- Service de Chimie Bioorganique et de Marquage, iBiTecS, CEA, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Jörg Rademann
- Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Nediljko Budisa
- Institute of Chemistry, Technische Universität Berlin, Mueller-Breslau-Strasse 10, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
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47
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Ravishankar S, Ambady A, Swetha RG, Anbarasu A, Ramaiah S, Sambandamurthy VK. Essentiality Assessment of Cysteinyl and Lysyl-tRNA Synthetases of Mycobacterium smegmatis. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0147188. [PMID: 26794499 PMCID: PMC4721953 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 12/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Discovery of mupirocin, an antibiotic that targets isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase, established aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase as an attractive target for the discovery of novel antibacterial agents. Despite a high degree of similarity between the bacterial and human aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, the selectivity observed with mupirocin triggered the possibility of targeting other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases as potential drug targets. These enzymes catalyse the condensation of a specific amino acid to its cognate tRNA in an energy-dependent reaction. Therefore, each organism is expected to encode at least twenty aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, one for each amino acid. However, a bioinformatics search for genes encoding aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases from Mycobacterium smegmatis returned multiple genes for glutamyl (GluRS), cysteinyl (CysRS), prolyl (ProRS) and lysyl (LysRS) tRNA synthetases. The pathogenic mycobacteria, namely, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae, were also found to possess two genes each for CysRS and LysRS. A similar search indicated the presence of additional genes for LysRS in gram negative bacteria as well. Herein, we describe sequence and structural analysis of the additional aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes found in M. smegmatis. Characterization of conditional expression strains of Cysteinyl and Lysyl-tRNA synthetases generated in M. smegmatis revealed that the canonical aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase are essential, while the additional ones are not essential for the growth of M. smegmatis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sudha Ravishankar
- AstraZeneca India Pvt Ltd, Bellary Road, Hebbal, Bengaluru, 560024, India
- * E-mail:
| | - Anisha Ambady
- AstraZeneca India Pvt Ltd, Bellary Road, Hebbal, Bengaluru, 560024, India
| | - Rayapadi G. Swetha
- School of Biosciences & Technology, VIT University, Vellore, 632014, India
| | - Anand Anbarasu
- School of Biosciences & Technology, VIT University, Vellore, 632014, India
| | - Sudha Ramaiah
- School of Biosciences & Technology, VIT University, Vellore, 632014, India
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Rastogi S, Borgo B, Pazdernik N, Fox P, Mardis ER, Kohara Y, Havranek J, Schedl T. Caenorhabditis elegans glp-4 Encodes a Valyl Aminoacyl tRNA Synthetase. G3 (Bethesda) 2015; 5:2719-28. [PMID: 26464357 PMCID: PMC4683644 DOI: 10.1534/g3.115.021899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Germline stem cell proliferation is necessary to populate the germline with sufficient numbers of cells for gametogenesis and for signaling the soma to control organismal properties such as aging. The Caenorhabditis elegans gene glp-4 was identified by the temperature-sensitive allele bn2 where mutants raised at the restrictive temperature produce adults that are essentially germ cell deficient, containing only a small number of stem cells arrested in the mitotic cycle but otherwise have a morphologically normal soma. We determined that glp-4 encodes a valyl aminoacyl transfer RNA synthetase (VARS-2) and that the probable null phenotype is early larval lethality. Phenotypic analysis indicates glp-4(bn2ts) is partial loss of function in the soma. Structural modeling suggests that bn2 Gly296Asp results in partial loss of function by a novel mechanism: aspartate 296 in the editing pocket induces inappropriate deacylation of correctly charged Val-tRNA(val). Intragenic suppressor mutations are predicted to displace aspartate 296 so that it is less able to catalyze inappropriate deacylation. Thus glp-4(bn2ts) likely causes reduced protein translation due to decreased levels of Val-tRNA(val). The germline, as a reproductive preservation mechanism during unfavorable conditions, signals the soma for organismal aging, stress and pathogen resistance. glp-4(bn2ts) mutants are widely used to generate germline deficient mutants for organismal studies, under the assumption that the soma is unaffected. As reduced translation has also been demonstrated to alter organismal properties, it is unclear whether changes in aging, stress resistance, etc. observed in glp-4(bn2ts) mutants are the result of germline deficiency or reduced translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suchita Rastogi
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Ben Borgo
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Nanette Pazdernik
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Paul Fox
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Elaine R Mardis
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Yuji Kohara
- National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, 411-8540 Japan
| | - Jim Havranek
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Tim Schedl
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110
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Shin C, Hwang GS, Ahn HC, Kim S, Kim KS. (1)H, (13)C and (15)N resonance assignment of WHEP domains of human glutamyl-prolyl tRNA synthetase. Biomol NMR Assign 2015; 9:25-30. [PMID: 24378977 DOI: 10.1007/s12104-013-9538-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 12/17/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Human bifunctional glutamyl-prolyl tRNA synthetase (EPRS) contains three WHEP domains (R123) linking two catalytic domains. These three WHEP domains have been shown to be involved in protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions. In translational control of gene expression, R12 repeats is known to interact with 3'UTR element in mRNAs of inflammatory gene for translational control mechanisms. While, R23 repeats interacts with NSAP1, which inhibits mRNA binding. Here we present the NMR chemical shift assignments for R12 (128 amino acids) as a 14 kDa recombinant protein and whole WHEP domains R123 (208 amino acids) as a 21 kDa recombinant protein. 97% of backbone and 98% of side-chain assignments have been completed in R12 analysis and 93 and 92% of backbone and side-chain, respectively, assignments have been completed in R123 analysis based upon triple-resonance experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- ChinHo Shin
- University of Science and Technology, Gajeong-ro 217, Yuseong-gu, Taejon, 305-333, Republic of Korea
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Sengupta S, Aggarwal N, Bandhu AV. Two perspectives on the origin of the standard genetic code. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2014; 44:287-91. [PMID: 25585805 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-014-9394-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 09/30/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The origin of a genetic code made it possible to create ordered sequences of amino acids. In this article we provide two perspectives on code origin by carrying out simulations of code-sequence coevolution in finite populations with the aim of examining how the standard genetic code may have evolved from more primitive code(s) encoding a small number of amino acids. We determine the efficacy of the physico-chemical hypothesis of code origin in the absence and presence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) by allowing a diverse collection of code-sequence sets to compete with each other. We find that in the absence of horizontal gene transfer, natural selection between competing codes distinguished by differences in the degree of physico-chemical optimization is unable to explain the structure of the standard genetic code. However, for certain probabilities of the horizontal transfer events, a universal code emerges having a structure that is consistent with the standard genetic code.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acids/chemistry
- Amino Acids/metabolism
- Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases/chemistry
- Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases/metabolism
- Codon/chemistry
- Codon/metabolism
- Evolution, Molecular
- Gene Transfer, Horizontal
- Genes
- Genetic Code
- Models, Genetic
- Origin of Life
- Probability
- Protein Biosynthesis
- RNA, Messenger/chemistry
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific/chemistry
- RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific/metabolism
- Selection, Genetic
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Affiliation(s)
- Supratim Sengupta
- Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, 741246, India,
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