Shigella dysenteriae is the pathogen responsible for the severe form of dysentery in humans. It produces Shiga toxin, the prototype of a family of closely related bacterial protein toxins. We have determined the structure of the holotoxin, an AB5 hexamer, by X-ray crystallography. The five B subunits form a pentameric ring, encircling a helix at the carboxy terminus of the A subunit. The A subunit interacts with the B pentamer via this C-terminal helix and a four-stranded mixed beta-sheet. The fold of the rest of the A subunit is similar to that of the A chain of the plant toxin ricin; both are N-glycosidases. However, the active site in the bacterial holotoxin is blocked by a segment of polypeptide chain. These residues of the A subunit would be released as part of the activation mechanism of the toxin.
The picornavirus family includes several pathogens such as poliovirus, rhinovirus (the major cause of the common cold), hepatitis A virus and the foot-and-mouth disease virus. Picornaviral proteins are expressed by direct translation of the genomic RNA into a single, large polyprotein precursor. Proteolysis of the viral polyprotein into the mature proteins is assured by the viral 3C enzymes, which are cysteine proteinases. Here we report the X-ray crystal structure at 2.3 A resolution of the 3C proteinase from hepatitis A virus (HAV-3C). The overall architecture of HAV-3C reveals a fold resembling that of the chymotrypsin family of serine proteinases, which is consistent with earlier predictions. Catalytic residues include Cys 172 as nucleophile and His 44 as general base. The 3C cleavage specificity for glutamine residues is defined primarily by His 191. The overall structure suggests that an intermolecular (trans) cleavage releases 3C and that there is an active proteinase in the polyprotein.
The virally encoded 3C proteinases of picornaviruses process the polyprotein produced by the translation of polycistronic viral mRNA. The X-ray crystallographic structure of a catalytically active mutant of the hepatitis A virus (HAV) 3C proteinase (C24S) has been determined. Crystals of this mutant of HAV 3C are triclinic with unit cell dimensions a = 53.6 A, b = 53.5 A, c = 53.2 A, alpha = 99.1 degrees, beta = 129.0 degrees, and gamma = 103.3 degrees. There are two molecules of HAV 3C in the unit cell of this crystal form. The structure has been refined to an R factor of 0.211 (Rfree = 0.265) at 2.0-A resolution. Both molecules fold into the characteristic two-domain structure of the chymotrypsin-like serine proteinases. The active-site and substrate-binding regions are located in a surface groove between the two beta-barrel domains. The catalytic Cys 172 S(gamma) and His 44 N(epsilon2) are separated by 3.9 A; the oxyanion hole adopts the same conformation as that seen in the serine proteinases. The side chain of Asp 84, the residue expected to form the third member of the catalytic triad, is pointed away from the side chain of His 44 and is locked in an ion pair interaction with the epsilon-amino group of Lys 202. A water molecule is hydrogen bonded to His 44 N(delta1). The side-chain phenolic hydroxyl group of Tyr 143 is close to this water and to His 44 N(delta1) and may be negatively charged. The glutamine specificity for P1 residues of substrate cleavage sites is attributed to the presence of a highly conserved His 191 in the S1 pocket. A very unusual environment of two water molecules and a buried glutamate contribute to the imidazole tautomer believed to be important in the P1 specificity. HAV 3C proteinase has the conserved RNA recognition sequence KFRDI located in the interdomain connection loop on the side of the molecule diametrically opposite the proteolytic site. This segment of polypeptide is located between the N- and C-terminal helices, and its conformation results in the formation of a well-defined surface with a strongly charged electrostatic potential. Presumably, this surface of HAV 3C participates in the recognition of the 5' and 3' nontranslated regions of the RNA genome during viral replication.
The three-dimensional crystal structure of human pepsin and that of its complex with pepstatin have been solved by X-ray crystallographic methods. The native pepsin structure has been refined with data collected to 2.2 A resolution to an R-factor of 19.7%. The pepsin:pepstatin structure has been refined with data to 2.0 A resolution to an R-factor of 18.5%. The hydrogen bonding interactions and the conformation adopted by pepstatin are very similar to those found in complexes of pepstatin with other aspartic proteinases. The enzyme undergoes a conformational change upon inhibitor binding to enclose the inhibitor more tightly. The analysis of the binding sites indicates that they form an extended tube without distinct binding pockets. By comparing the residues on the binding surface with those of the other human aspartic proteinases, it has been possible to rationalize some of the experimental data concerning the different specificities. At the S1 site, valine at position 120 in renin instead of isoleucine, as in the other enzymes, allows for binding of larger hydrophobic residues. The possibility of multiple conformations for the P2 residue makes the analysis of the S2 site difficult. However, it is possible to see that the specific interactions that renin makes with histidine at P2 would not be possible in the case of the other enzymes. At the S3 site, the smaller volume that is accessible in pepsin compared to the other enzymes is consistent with its preference for smaller residues at the P3 position.
Leader peptidase, a novel serine protease in Escherichia coli, catalyzes the cleavage of the amino-terminal leader sequences from exported proteins. It is an integral membrane protein containing two transmembrane segments with its carboxy-terminal catalytic domain residing in the periplasmic space. Here, we report a procedure for the purification and the crystallization of a soluble non-membrane-bound form of leader peptidase (delta 2-75). Crystals were obtained by the sitting-drop vapor diffusion technique using ammonium dihydrogen phosphate as the precipitant. Interestingly, we have found that the presence of the detergent Triton X-100 is required to obtain crystals sufficiently large for X-ray analysis. The crystals belong to the tetragonal space group P4(2)2(1)2, with unit cell dimensions of a = b = 115 A and c = 100 A, and contain 2 molecules per asymmetric unit. This is the first report of the crystallization of a leader (or signal) peptidase.
Strand exchange, which has been observed for p13(suc1) in two different space groups, and for CksHs2, is now confirmed to be an intrinsic feature of the CKS family. A switch between levels of assembly may serve to coordinate the function of the CKS proteins in cell-cycle control.
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