I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[13587, 18598]
Abstract: Alternatives to petroleum-based chemicals are highly sought-after for on-going efforts to reduce the damaging effects of human activity on the environment. Copper radical oxidases from Auxiliary Activity Family 5/Subfamily 2 (AA5_2) are attractive biocatalysts because they oxidize primary alcohols in a chemo-selective manner without complex organic cofactors. However, despite numerous studies on canonical galactose oxidases (GalOx, EC 1.1.3.9) and engineered variants, and the recent discovery of a Colletotrichum graminicola copper radical alcohol oxidase (AlcOx, EC 1.1.3.13), the catalytic potentials of very few AA5_2 members have been characterized. Guided by sequence similarity network and phylogenetic analyses, in this study we targeted a distinct paralog from the fungus C. graminicola as a representative member of a large uncharacterized subgroup of AA5_2. Through recombinant production and detailed kinetic analysis, we demonstrated that this enzyme is weakly active towards carbohydrates, but efficiently catalyzes the oxidation of aryl alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes. As such, this represents the initial characterization of a demonstrable aryl alcohol oxidase (AAO, EC 1.1.3.7) in AA5, an activity which is classically associated with flavin-dependent glucose-methanol-choline (GMC) oxidoreductases of Auxiliary Activity Family 3 (AA3). X-ray crystallography revealed a distinct multidomain architecture comprising an N-terminal PAN domain abutting a canonical AA5 seven-bladed propeller catalytic domain. Of direct relevance to biomass processing, the wild-type enzyme exhibits the highest activity on the primary alcohol of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a product of significant interest in the lignocellulosic bio-refinery concept. Thus, the chemoselective oxidation of HMF to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) by C. graminicola aryl alcohol oxidase (CgrAAO) from AA5 provides a fundamental building block for chemistry via biotechnology.
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Feb 2020
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I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Nicholas G. S.
Mcgregor
,
Marta
Artola
,
Alba
Nin-hill
,
Daniel
Linzel
,
Mireille
Haon
,
Jos
Reijngoud
,
Arthur F. J.
Ram
,
Marie-noelle
Rosso
,
Gijsbert A.
Van Der Marel
,
Jeroen D. C.
Codée
,
Gilles P.
Van Wezel
,
Jean-guy
Berrin
,
Carme
Rovira
,
Herman S.
Overkleeft
,
Gideon J.
Davies
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18598]
Abstract: Identifying and characterizing the enzymes responsible for an observed activity within a complex eukaryotic catabolic system remains one of the most significant challenges in the study of biomass-degrading systems. The debranching of both complex hemicellulosic and pectinaceous polysaccharides requires the production of α-L-arabinofuranosidases among a wide variety of co-expressed carbohydrate-active enzymes. To selectively detect and identify α-L-arabinofuranosidases produced by fungi grown on complex biomass, potential covalent inhibitors and probes which mimic α-L-arabinofuranosides were sought. The conformational free energy landscapes of free α-L-arabinofuranose and several rationally designed covalent α-L-arabinofuranosidase inhibitors were analyzed. A synthetic route to these inhibitors was subsequently developed based on a key Wittig-Still rearrangement. Through a combination of kinetic measurements, intact mass spectrometry, and structural experiments, the designed inhibitors were shown to efficiently label the catalytic nucleophiles of retaining GH51 and GH54 α-L-arabinofuranosidases. Activity-based probes elaborated from an inhibitor with an aziridine warhead were applied to the identification and characterization of α-L-arabinofuranosidases within the secretome of A. niger grown on arabinan. This method was extended to the detection and identification of α-L-arabinofuranosidases produced by eight biomass-degrading basidiomycete fungi grown on complex biomass. The broad applicability of the cyclophellitol-derived activity-based probes and inhibitors presented here make them a valuable new tool in the characterization of complex eukaryotic carbohydrate-degrading systems and in the high-throughput discovery of α-L-arabinofuranosidases.
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Feb 2020
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I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
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David Jaro
Vocadlo
,
Matthew G.
Alteen
,
Christina
Gros
,
Richard
Meek
,
David A.
Cardoso
,
Jil
Busmann
,
Gontran
Sangouard
,
Matthew C.
Deen
,
Hong-yee
Tan
,
David L.
Shen
,
Cecilia C.
Russell
,
Gideon J.
Davies
,
Phillip J.
Robinson
,
Adam
Mccluskey
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18598]
Abstract: Glycosyltransferases carry out important cellular functions in species ranging from bacteria to humans. Despite their essential roles in biology, simple and robust activity assays that can be easily applied to high‐throughput screening for inhibitors of these enzymes have been challenging to develop. Here we report a bead‐based strategy to sensitively measure the group transfer activity of glycosyltransferases using simple fluorescence measurements, without the need for coupled enzymes or secondary reactions. We validate the performance and accuracy of the assay using O ‐GlcNAc Transferase (OGT) as a model system through detailed Michaelis‐Menten kinetic analysis of various substrates and inhibitors. Optimization of this assay and application to high‐throughput screening enabled screening for inhibitors of OGT, leading to a novel inhibitory scaffold. We believe this assay will prove valuable not only for the study of OGT, but also more widely as a general approach for the screening of glycosyltransferases and other group transfer enzymes.
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Feb 2020
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I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
I24-Microfocus Macromolecular Crystallography
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18598]
Abstract: 2,3-Dihydroxypropanesulfonate (DHPS) is a major sulfur species in the biosphere. One important route for the production of DHPS is sulfoglycolytic catabolism of sulfoquinovose (SQ) through the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (sulfo-EMP) pathway. SQ is a sulfonated carbohydrate present in plant and cyanobacterial sulfolipids (sulfoquinovosyl diacylglyceride and its metabolites) and is biosynthesised globally at a rate of around 10 billion tonnes per annum. The final step in the bacterial sulfo-EMP pathway involves reduction of sulfolactaldehyde (SLA) to DHPS, catalysed by an NADH-dependent SLA reductase. Based on conserved sequence motifs, we assign SLA reductase to the β-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase (β-HAD) family, an example of a β-HAD enzyme that acts on a sulfonic acid substrate, rather than a carboxylic acid. We report crystal structures of the SLA reductase YihU from E. coli K-12 in its apo and cofactor-bound states, as well as a ternary complex YihU•NADH•DHPS with the cofactor and product bound in the active site. Conformational flexibility observed in these structures, combined with kinetic studies, confirm a sequential mechanism and provide evidence for dynamic domain movements that occur during catalysis. The ternary complex structure reveals a conserved sulfonate pocket in SLA reductase that recognises the sulfonate oxygens through hydrogen bonding to Asn174, Ser178, and the backbone amide of Arg123, along with an ordered water molecule. This triad of residues distinguishes these enzymes from classical β-HADs that act on carboxylate substrates. A comparison of YihU crystal structures with close structural homologues within the β-HAD family highlights key differences in the overall domain organization and identifies a peptide sequence that is predictive of SLA reductase activity.
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Jan 2020
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I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18598]
Abstract: Recent work exploring protein sequence space has revealed a new glycoside hydrolase (GH) family (GH164) of putative mannosidases. GH164 genes are present in several commensal bacteria, implicating these genes in the degradation of dietary glycans. However, little is known about the structure, mechanism of action and substrate specificity of these enzymes. Herein we report the biochemical characterization and crystal structures of the founding member of this family (Bs164) from the human gut symbiont Bacteroides salyersiae. Previous reports of this enzyme indicated that it has α-mannosidase activity, however we conclusively show that it cleaves only β-mannose linkages. Using NMR spectroscopy, detailed enzyme kinetics of wild-type and mutant Bs164, and multi-angle light scattering we found that it is a trimeric retaining β-mannosidase, that is susceptible to several known mannosidase inhibitors. X-ray crystallography revealed the structure of Bs164 – the first known structure of a GH164 – at 1.91 Å resolution. Bs164 is composed of three domains: a (β/α)8 barrel, a trimerization domain and a β-sandwich domain, representing a previously unobserved structural fold for β-mannosidases. Structures of Bs164 at 1.80-2.55 Å resolution in complex with the inhibitors noeuromycin, mannoimidazole or DNP 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-mannose reveal the residues essential for specificity and catalysis including the catalytic nucleophile (Glu297) and acid/base residue (Glu160). These findings further our knowledge of the mechanisms commensal microbes use for nutrient acquisition.
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Dec 2019
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B18-Core EXAFS
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[17052]
Abstract: Hydrogen peroxide is a co-substrate for the oxidative cleavage of saccharidic substrates by copper-containing lytic poly-saccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs). The rate of reaction of LPMOs with hydrogen peroxide is high but it is accompa-nied by rapid inactivation of the enzymes, presumably through protein oxidation. Herein, we use UV/vis, CD, XAS, EPR, VT/VH-MCD and resonance Raman spectroscopies, augmented with mass spectrometry and DFT calculations, to show that the product of reaction of an AA9 LPMO with H2O2 at higher pHs is a singlet Cu(II)-tyrosyl radical species, which is inactive for the oxidation of saccharidic substrates. The Cu(II)-tyrosyl radical center entails the formation of significant Cu(II)-(●OTyr) overlap, which in turn requires that the plane of the d(x2-y2) SOMO of the Cu(II) is orientated towards the tyrosyl radical. We propose from the Marcus cross-relation that the active site tyrosine is part of a ‘hole-hopping’ charge-transfer mechanism formed of a pathway of conserved tyrosine and tryptophan residues, which can protect the protein active site from inactivation during uncoupled turnover.
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Nov 2019
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I02-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[306, 7864]
Open Access
Abstract: Muramidases/lysozymes are important bio-molecules, which cleave the glycan backbone in the peptidoglycan polymer found in bacterial cell walls. The glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 22 C-type lysozyme, from the folivorous bird Opisthocomus hoazin (stinkbird), was expressed in Aspergillus oryzae, and a set of variants was produced. All variants were enzymatically active, including those designed to probe key differences between the Hoatzin enzyme and Hen Egg White lysozyme. Four variants showed improved thermostability at pH 4.7, compared to the wild type. The X-ray structure of the enzyme was determined in the apo form and in complex with chitin oligomers. Bioinformatic analysis of avian GH22 amino acid sequences showed that they separate out into three distinct subgroups (chicken-like birds, sea birds and other birds). The Hoatzin is found in the “other birds” group and we propose that this represents a new cluster of avian upper-gut enzymes.
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Nov 2019
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I04-1-Macromolecular Crystallography (fixed wavelength)
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[18598]
Open Access
Abstract: Sialic acids are a family of related sugars that play essential roles in many biological events intimately linked to cellular recognition in both health and disease. Sialidases are therefore orchestrators of cellular biology and important therapeutic targets for viral infection. Here, we sought to define if uncharacterized sialidases would provide distinct paradigms in sialic acid biochemistry. We show that a recently discovered sialidase family, whose first member EnvSia156 was isolated from hot spring metagenomes, defines an unusual structural fold and active centre constellation, not previously described in sialidases. Consistent with an inverting mechanism, EnvSia156 reveals a His/Asp active center in which the His acts as a Brønsted acid and Asp as a Brønsted base in a single-displacement mechanism. A predominantly hydrophobic aglycone site facilitates accommodation of a variety of 2-linked sialosides; a versatility that offers the potential for glycan hydrolysis across a range of biological and technological platforms.
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Oct 2019
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I02-Macromolecular Crystallography
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Christian
Roth
,
Olga V.
Moroz
,
Johan P.
Turkenburg
,
Elena
Blagova
,
Jitka
Waterman
,
Antonio
Ariza
,
Li
Ming
,
Sun
Tianqi
,
Carsten
Andersen
,
Gideon J.
Davies
,
Keith S.
Wilson
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[1221, 9948]
Open Access
Abstract: Amylases are probably the best studied glycoside hydrolases and have a huge biotechnological value for industrial processes on starch. Multiple amylases from fungi and microbes are currently in use. Whereas bacterial amylases are well suited for many industrial processes due to their high stability, fungal amylases are recognized as safe and are preferred in the food industry, although they lack the pH tolerance and stability of their bacterial counterparts. Here, we describe three amylases, two of which have a broad pH spectrum extending to pH 8 and higher stability well suited for a broad set of industrial applications. These enzymes have the characteristic GH13 α-amylase fold with a central (β/α)8-domain, an insertion domain with the canonical calcium binding site and a C-terminal β-sandwich domain. The active site was identified based on the binding of the inhibitor acarbose in form of a transglycosylation product, in the amylases from Thamnidium elegans and Cordyceps farinosa. The three amylases have shortened loops flanking the nonreducing end of the substrate binding cleft, creating a more open crevice. Moreover, a potential novel binding site in the C-terminal domain of the Cordyceps enzyme was identified, which might be part of a starch interaction site. In addition, Cordyceps farinosa amylase presented a successful example of using the microseed matrix screening technique to significantly speed-up crystallization.
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Oct 2019
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I03-Macromolecular Crystallography
I04-Macromolecular Crystallography
I24-Microfocus Macromolecular Crystallography
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M. Fleur
Sernee
,
Julie E.
Ralton
,
Tracy L.
Nero
,
Lukasz F.
Sobala
,
Joachim
Kloehn
,
Marcel A.
Vieira-lara
,
Simon A.
Cobbold
,
Lauren
Stanton
,
Douglas E. V.
Pires
,
Eric
Hanssen
,
Alexandra
Males
,
Tom
Ward
,
Laurence M.
Bastidas
,
Phillip L.
Van Der Peet
,
Michael W.
Parker
,
David B.
Ascher
,
Spencer J.
Williams
,
Gideon J.
Davies
,
Malcolm J.
Mcconville
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
[13587, 18598]
Open Access
Abstract: Parasitic protists belonging to the genus Leishmania synthesize the non-canonical carbohydrate reserve, mannogen, which is composed of β-1,2-mannan oligosaccharides. Here, we identify a class of dual-activity mannosyltransferase/phosphorylases (MTPs) that catalyze both the sugar nucleotide-dependent biosynthesis and phosphorolytic turnover of mannogen. Structural and phylogenic analysis shows that while the MTPs are structurally related to bacterial mannan phosphorylases, they constitute a distinct family of glycosyltransferases (GT108) that have likely been acquired by horizontal gene transfer from gram-positive bacteria. The seven MTPs catalyze the constitutive synthesis and turnover of mannogen. This metabolic rheostat protects obligate intracellular parasite stages from nutrient excess, and is essential for thermotolerance and parasite infectivity in the mammalian host. Our results suggest that the acquisition and expansion of the MTP family in Leishmania increased the metabolic flexibility of these protists and contributed to their capacity to colonize new host niches.
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Sep 2019
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