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Background and Aims: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is among the most common genetic disorders in primary care. However, only 15% or less of patients are diagnosed, and few achieve the goals for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). In this analysis of the German Cascade Screening and Registry for High Cholesterol (CaRe High), we examined the status of lipid management, treatment strategies, and LDL-C goal attainment according to the ESC/EAS dyslipidemia guidelines., Methods: We evaluated consolidated datasets from 1501 FH patients diagnosed clinically and seen either by lipid specialists or general practitioners and internists. We conducted a questionnaire survey of both the recruiting physicians and patients., Results: Among the 1501 patients, 86% regularly received lipid-lowering drugs. LDL-C goals were achieved by 26% and 10% of patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) according to the 2016 and 2019 ESC/EAS dyslipidemia guidelines, respectively. High intensity lipid-lowering was administered more often in men than in women, in patients with ASCVD, at higher LDL-C and in patients with a genetic diagnosis of FH., Conclusions: FH is under-treated in Germany compared to guideline recommendations. Male gender, genetic proof of FH, treatment by a specialist, and presence of ASCVD appear to be associated with increased treatment intensity. Achieving the LDL-C goals of the 2019 ESC/EAS dyslipidemia guidelines remains challenging if pre-treatment LDL-C is very high., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: NS was project lead of the CaRe High registry, which is financed in cooperation with Amgen GmbH and Sanofi-Aventis GmbH. IaH reports lecture fees from Synlab. NS reports non-financial support from Amgen GmbH during the conduct of the study. AD is employed by the CaRe High registry. TBG, AB, ACK, WR, CK, MM, KSJ, JLK, and CBO have nothing to disclose. IGB has received honoraria for consulting and/or lecture fees from Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis, Aegereon, Regeneron, Novartis, Pfizer, Synlab, Akcea Therapeutics, and Daiichi-Sankyo and institutional support from Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis, Akcea Therapeutics, DACH, and Novartis. HH reports lecture fees from Amgen, Berlin-Chemie, Daiichi-Sankio, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Aventis. SK received honoraria as a speaker and member of advisory boards from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Berlin Chemie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, Medical Association North Rhine Germany, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, and Servier. FUB reports lecture fees from Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis, and Synlab outside the submitted work. UK reports grants from D.A.C.H. Society for Prevention of cardiovascular disease during the conduct of the study; others from Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis, Alexion, Berlin Chemie, and Fresenius Medical Care outside the submitted work. GK reports lecture/advisory board fees from Akcea, Amgen, BMS, MSD, Sanofi-Aventis, and Synlab outside the submitted work. UJ reports honoraria from Aegerion, Akcea, Amgen, Chiesi, Sanofi-Aventis, Kaneka, Diamed, and Fresenius Medical Care outside the submitted work. WK reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, Novartis, Pfizer, The Medicines Company, DalCor, Kowa, Amgen, Corvidia, Berlin-Chemie, and Sanofi-Aventis, and grants and non-financial support from Beckmann, Singulex, Abbott, and Roche Diagnostics outside the submitted work; BO reports lecture/advisory board fees from Amgen, Amryt, Berlin Chemie, Hexal, MSD, and Sanofi-Aventis outside the submitted work. UL reports personal honoraria for lecture fees and other from Amgen, BerlinChemie, MSD, and Sanofi-Aventis outside the submitted work. EST received speakers' honoraria for presentations, advisory board activities, and funding of research projects by Fresenius Medical Care Germany, Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis, and Berlin Chemie. HS reports personal fees from AMGEN, Sanofi-Aventis, and MSD SHARP&DOHME outside the submitted work. KP reports personal fees from Akcea, Amarin, Amgen, Berlin-Chemie, Boehringer-Ingelheim, MSD, Daiichi-Sankyo, and Sanofi-Aventis outside the submitted work. AV reports lecture/advisory board fees from Aegerion, Amgen, Berlin Chemie, Fresenius, MSD, Regeneron/Sanofi-Aventis, and Synlab outside the submitted work. DMW received honoraria as speaker and member of advisory boards from Amarin, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, MSD, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, and Sanofi-Pasteur. US reports honoraria for consultancy and lecturing from Amgen, Amarin, AstraZeneca, Berlin Chemie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, MSD, Sanofi-Aventis, Synlab, Novartis, and NovoNordisk.WM reports grants and personal fees from Sanofi-Aventis during the conduct of the study; grants from Siemens Healthineers, Astra-Zeneca, Bayer Vital GmbH, bestbion dx GmbH, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH Co KG, Immundiagnostik GmbH, Merck Chemicals GmbH, MSD Sharp and Dohme GmbH, Novartis Pharma GmbH, and Olink Proteomics, grants and personal fees from Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, AMGEN, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, BASF, Abbott Diagnostics, Numares AG, Berlin-Chemie, and Akzea Therapeutics, and other from Synlab Holding Deutschland GmbH outside the submitted work., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Background: The phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP):lactose phosphotransferase system of Staphylococcus aureus transports and phosphorylates lactose and various phenylgalactosides. Their phosphorylation is catalyzed by the Cys476-phosphorylated EIIB domain of the lactose-specific permease enzyme IICB (EIICBLac). Phosphorylation causes the release of galactosides bound to the EIIC domain into the cytoplasm by a mechanism not yet understood., Results: Irradiation of a reaction mixture containing the photoactivatable p-azidophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside and EIICBLac with UV light caused a loss of EIICBLac activity. Nevertheless, photoinactivated EIICBLac could still be phosphorylated with [32P]PEP. Proteolysis of photoinactivated [32P]P-EIICBLac with subtilisin provided an 11-kDa radioactive peptide. Only the sequence of its first three amino acids (-H-G-P-, position 245-247) could be determined. They are part of the substrate binding pocket in EIICs of the lactose/cellobiose PTS family. Surprisingly, while acid treatment caused hydrolysis of the phosphoryl group in active [32P]P∼EIICBLac, photoinactivated [32P]P-EIICBLac remained strongly phosphorylated., Conclusion: Phosphorylation of the -OH group at C6 of p-nitrenephenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside covalently bound to EIICLac by the histidyl-phosphorylated [32P]P∼EIIBLac domain is a likely explanation for the observed acid resistance. Placing p-nitrenephenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside into the active site of modelled EIICLac suggested that the nitrene binds to the -NH- group of Ser248, which would explain why no sequence data beyond Pro247could be obtained., (© 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Eubacteria can import and simultaneously phosphorylate a range of different carbohydrates by means of sugar specific phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) dependent sugar phosphotransferase systems (PTSs). Here, we report the biochemical characterization of the gluconate specific PTS component EIIA(gnt) from Enterococcus faecalis and its unexpectedly strong complex with EIIB(gnt). We analyze the activity of the complex regarding phosphoryl transfer using kinetic measurements and demonstrate by mutagenesis that His-9 of EIIA(gnt) is essential for this process and represents most likely the phosphoryl group carrier of EIIA(gnt). With a combination of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), native gel electrophoresis and chemical crosslinking experiments we show that EIIA(gnt) and EIIB(gnt) form a strong 2:2 heterotetrameric complex, which seems to be destabilized upon phosphorylation of EIIB(gnt).

In Eubacteria, the utilization of a number of extracellular carbohydrates is mediated by sugar specific phosphoenolepyruvate (PEP) dependent sugar phosphotransferase systems (PTSs), which simultaneously import und phosphorylate their target sugars. Here, we report the crystal structure of the EIIA(gnt) component of the so far little investigated Enterococcus faecalis gluconate specific PTS. The crystal structure shows a tightly interacting dimer of EIIA(gnt) which is structurally similar to the related EIIA(man) from Escherichia coli. Homology modeling of E. faecalis HPr, EIIB(man) and their complexes with EIIA(man) suggests that despite moderate sequence identity between EIIA(man) and EIIA(gnt), the active sites closely match the situation observed in the E. coli system with His-9 of EIIA(gnt) being the likely phosphoryl group carrier. We therefore propose that the phosphoryl transfer reactions involving EIIA(gnt) proceed according to a mechanism analog to the one described for E. coli EIIA(man).

Recently, the genetic variant Y402H in the CFH (complement factor H) gene was associated with an increased risk for MI (myocardial infarction) in a prospective Caucasian cohort. In another nested case-control study, however, the CFH-Y402H variant did not carry susceptibility to MI. The aim of the present study was to test for an association between the CFH-Y402H variant and MI in a large case-control sample with a familial background for CAD (coronary artery disease). A total of 2161 individuals from the German MI family study were studied by questionnaire, physical examination and biochemical analyses. MI patients (n=1188; 51.4+/-8.6 years at first MI) were recruited from families with at least two members affected by MI and/or severe CAD. Spouses, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law respectively, without MI/CAD were included as unaffected controls (n=973; 56.9+/-9.8 years). Genotyping was performed using a TaqMan assay. The common Y402H variant in the CFH gene was not associated with classical cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, obesity, smoking and C-reactive protein serum levels). No association was found between the CFH-Y402H variant and susceptibility to MI. Separate analyses in both men and women revealed no gender-specific influence of the gene variant on cardiovascular risk factors or MI. This investigation was unable to replicate the association between the common CFH-Y402H variant and susceptibility to MI in our large Caucasian population which is enriched for genetic factors. We conclude that the CFH-Y402H variant has no relevant risk-modifying effect in our population.

Enzyme I (EI) is the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-protein phosphotransferase at the entry point of the PEP-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system, which catalyzes carbohydrate uptake into bacterial cells. In the first step of this pathway EI phosphorylates the heat-stable phospho carrier protein at His-15 using PEP as a phosphoryl donor in a reaction that requires EI dimerization and autophosphorylation at His-190. The structure of the full-length protein from Staphylococcus carnosus at 2.5A reveals an extensive interaction surface between two molecules in adjacent asymmetric units. Structural comparison with related domains indicates that this surface represents the biochemically relevant contact area of dimeric EI. Each monomer has an extended configuration with the phosphohistidine and heat-stable phospho carrier protein-binding domains clearly separated from the C-terminal dimerization and PEP-binding region. The large distance of more than 35A between the active site His-190 and the PEP binding site suggests that large conformational changes must occur during the process of autophosphorylation, as has been proposed for the structurally related enzyme pyruvate phosphate dikinase. Our structure for the first time offers a framework to analyze a large amount of research in the context of the full-length model.

High-pressure NMR experiments performed on the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr) from Staphylococcus carnosus have shown that residue Ile14, which is located in the active-centre loop, exhibits a peculiarly small pressure response. In contrast, the rest of the loop shows strong pressure effects as is expected for typical protein interaction sites. To elucidate the structural role of this residue, the mutant protein HPr(I14A), in which Ile14 is replaced by Ala, was produced and studied by solution NMR spectroscopy. On the basis of 1406 structural restraints including 20 directly detected hydrogen bonds, 49 1H(N)-15N, and 25 1H(N)-1Halpha residual dipolar couplings, a well resolved three-dimensional structure could be determined. The overall fold of the protein is not influenced by the mutation but characteristic conformational changes are introduced into the active-centre loop. They lead to a displacement of the ring system of His15 and a distortion of the N-terminus of the first helix, which supports the histidine ring. In addition, the C-terminal helix is bent because the side chain of Leu86 located at the end of this helix partly fills the hydrophobic cavity created by the mutation. Xenon, which is known to occupy hydrophobic cavities, causes a partial reversal of the mutation-induced structural effects. The observed structural changes explain the reduced phosphocarrier activity of the mutant and agree well with the earlier suggestion that Ile14 represents an anchoring point stabilizing the active-centre loop in its correct conformation.

Infrequent structural fluctuations of a globular protein is seldom detected and studied in detail. One tyrosine ring of HPr from Staphylococcus carnosus, an 88-residue phosphocarrier protein with no disulfide bonds, undergoes a very slow ring flip, the pressure and temperature dependence of which is studied in detail using the on-line cell high-pressure nuclear magnetic resonance technique in the pressure range from 3 MPa to 200 MPa and in the temperature range from 257 K to 313 K. The ring of Tyr6 is buried sandwiched between a beta-sheet and alpha-helices (the water-accessible area is less than 0.26 nm2), its hydroxyl proton being involved in an internal hydrogen bond. The ring flip rates 10(1)-10(5) s(-1) were determined from the line shape analysis of H(delta1, delta2) and H(epsilon1,epsilon2) of Tyr6, giving an activation volume DeltaV++ of 0.044 +/- 0.008 nm3 (27 mL mol(-1)), an activation enthalpy DeltaH++ of 89 +/- 10 kJ mol(-1), and an activation entropy DeltaS++ of 16 +/- 2 JK(-1) mol(-1). The DeltaV++) and DeltaH++ values for HPr found previously for Tyr and Phe ring flips of BPTI and cytochrome c fall within the range of DeltaV(double dagger) of 28 to 51 mL mol(-1) and DeltaH++ of 71 to 155 kJ mol(-1). The fairly common DeltaV++ and DeltaH++ values are considered to represent the extra space or cavity required for the ring flip and the extra energy required to create a cavity, respectively, in the core part of a globular protein. Nearly complete cold denaturation was found to take place at 200 MPa and 257 K independently from the ring reorientation process.

A high-resolution structure of the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr) from Staphylococcus aureus was obtained by heteronuclear multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy on the basis of 1,766 structural restraints. Twenty-three hydrogen bonds in HPr could be directly detected by polarization transfer from the amide nitrogen to the carbonyl carbon involved in the hydrogen bond. Differential line broadening was used to characterize the interaction of HPr with the HPr kinase/phosphorylase (HPrK/P) of Staphylococcus xylosus, which is responsible for phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of the hydroxyl group of the regulatory serine residue at position 46. The dissociation constant Kd was determined to be 0.10 +/- 0.02 mM at 303 K from the NMR data, assuming independent binding. The data are consistent with a stoichiometry of 1 HPr molecule per HPrK/P monomer in solution. Using transversal relaxation optimized spectroscopy-heteronuclear single quantum correlation, we mapped the interaction site of the two proteins in the 330-kDa complex. As expected, it covers the region around Ser46 and the small helix b following this residue. In addition, HPrK/P also binds to the second phosphorylation site of HPr at position 15. This interaction may be essential for the recognition of the phosphorylation state of His15 and the phosphorylation-dependent regulation of the kinase/phosphorylase activity. In accordance with this observation, the recently published X-ray structure of the HPr/HPrK core protein complex from Lactobacillus casei shows interactions with the two phosphorylation sites. However, the NMR data also suggest differences for the full-length protein from S. xylosus: there are no indications for an interaction with the residues preceding the regulatory Ser46 residue (Thr41 to Lys45) in the protein of S. xylosus. In contrast, it seems to interact with the C-terminal helix of HPr in solution, an interaction which is not observed for the complex of HPr with the core of HPrK/P of L. casei in crystals.

The interaction between the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein HPr and xenon atoms in solution is studied in the present paper. Wild-type HPr as well as the exchange mutant I14A have been studied. Specific binding of xenon into an engineered cavity created via the exchange of amino acid residue I14 by alanine could be shown using 1H-15N heteronuclear single-quantum coherence (HSQC) spectroscopy. Xenon binding results in pronounced changes of the 1H and 15N chemical shifts of amide groups close to the cavity. In addition to this observation which allows the NMR-spectroscopic mapping of such cavities, we have shown that the entire molecule is slightly rearranged as a result of xenon binding. In contrast, wild-type HPr only exhibits minor chemical shift changes due to the nonspecific interactions with the xenon atoms in solution.

In most Gram-positive bacteria, serine-46-phosphorylated HPr (P-Ser-HPr) controls the expression of numerous catabolic genes ( approximately 10% of their genome) by acting as catabolite corepressor. HPr kinase/phosphorylase (HprK/P), the bifunctional sensor enzyme for catabolite repression, phosphorylates HPr, a phosphocarrier protein of the sugar-transporting phosphoenolpyruvate/glycose phosphotransferase system, in the presence of ATP and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate but dephosphorylates P-Ser-HPr when phosphate prevails over ATP and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate. We demonstrate here that P-Ser-HPr dephosphorylation leads to the formation of HPr and pyrophosphate. HprK/P, which binds phosphate at the same site as the beta phosphate of ATP, probably uses the inorganic phosphate to carry out a nucleophilic attack on the phosphoryl bond in P-Ser-HPr. HprK/P is the first enzyme known to catalyze P-protein dephosphorylation via this phospho-phosphorolysis mechanism. This reaction is reversible, and at elevated pyrophosphate concentrations, HprK/P can use pyrophosphate to phosphorylate HPr. Growth of Bacillus subtilis on glucose increased intracellular pyrophosphate to concentrations ( approximately 6 mM), which in in vitro tests allowed efficient pyrophosphate-dependent HPr phosphorylation. To effectively dephosphorylate P-Ser-HPr when glucose is exhausted, the pyrophosphate concentration in the cells is lowered to 1 mM. In B. subtilis, this might be achieved by YvoE. This protein exhibits pyrophosphatase activity, and its gene is organized in an operon with hprK.

Similarities between protein three-dimensional structures can reveal evolutionary and functional relationships not apparent from sequence comparison alone. Here we report such a similarity between the metabolic enzymes histidine phosphocarrier protein kinase (HPrK) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK), suggesting that they are evolutionarily related. Current structure classifications place PCK and other P-loop containing nucleotidyl-transferases into different folds. Our comparison of both HPrK and PCK to other P-loop containing proteins reveals that all share a common structural motif consisting of an alphabeta segment containing the P-loop flanked by an additional beta-strand that is adjacent in space, but far apart along the sequence. Analysis also shows that HPrK/PCK differ from other P-loop containing structures no more than they differ from each other. We thus suggest that HPrK and PCK should be classified with other P-loop containing proteins, and that all probably share a common ancestor that probably contained a simple P-loop motif with different protein segments being added or lost over the course of evolution. We used the structure-based sequence alignment containing residues specific to HPrK/PCK to identify additional members of this P-loop containing family.

The histidine containing phospho carrier protein (HPr) kinase/phosphatase is involved in carbon catabolite repression, mainly in Gram-positive bacteria. It is a bifunctional enzyme that phosphorylates Ser-46-HPr in an ATP-dependent reaction and dephosphorylates P-Ser-46-HPr. X-ray analysis of the full-length crystalline enzyme from Staphylococcus xylosus at a resolution of 1.95 A shows the enzyme to consist of two clearly separated domains that are assembled in a hexameric structure resembling a three-bladed propeller. The N-terminal domain has a betaalphabeta fold similar to a segment from enzyme I of the sugar phosphotransferase system and to the uridyl-binding portion of MurF; it is structurally organized in three dimeric modules exposed to form the propeller blades. Two unexpected phosphate ions associated with highly conserved residues were found in the N-terminal dimeric interface. The C-terminal kinase domain is similar to that of the Lactobacillus casei enzyme and is assembled in six copies to form the compact central hub of the propeller. Beyond previously reported similarity with adenylate kinase, we suggest evolutionary relationship with phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. In addition to a phosphate ion in the phosphate-binding loop of the kinase domain, we have identified a second phosphate-binding site that, by comparison with adenylate kinases, we believe accommodates a product/substrate phosphate, normally covalently linked to Ser-46 of HPr. Thus, we propose that our structure represents a product/substrate mimic of the kinase/phosphatase reaction.

Purification of xylulose 5-phosphate phosphoketolase (XpkA), the central enzyme of the phosphoketolase pathway (PKP) in lactic acid bacteria, and cloning and sequence analysis of the encoding gene, xpkA, from Lactobacillus pentosus MD363 are described. xpkA encodes a 788-amino-acid protein with a calculated mass of 88,705 Da. Expression of xpkA in Escherichia coli led to an increase in XpkA activity, while an xpkA knockout mutant of L. pentosus lost XpkA activity and was not able to grow on energy sources that are fermented via the PKP, indicating that xpkA encodes an enzyme with phosphoketolase activity. A database search revealed that there are high levels of similarity between XpkA and a phosphoketolase from Bifidobacterium lactis and between XpkA and a (putative) protein present in a number of evolutionarily distantly related organisms (up to 54% identical residues). Expression of xpkA in L. pentosus was induced by sugars that are fermented via the PKP and was repressed by glucose mediated by carbon catabolite protein A (CcpA) and by the mannose phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system. Most of the residues involved in correct binding of the cofactor thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) that are conserved in transketolase, pyruvate decarboxylase, and pyruvate oxidase were also conserved at a similar position in XpkA, implying that there is a similar TPP-binding fold in XpkA.

The hydrophilic part of membrane proteins plays an important role in the formation of 3D crystals. The construction of fusion proteins using well crystallizing proteins as fusion partners is a possibility to increase the hydrophilic part of membrane proteins lacking large hydrophilic domains. These fusion proteins might be easier to crystallize. Two bifunctional fusion proteins containing the membrane-bound, lactose-specific enzyme IIC domain of the lactose transporter (IICB(lac)) from S. aureus as N-terminal fusion partner were constructed by gene fusion. The C-terminal fusion partners were S. aureus 6-P-beta-Galactosidase and GFP, respectively. Both proteins were overexpressed in E. coli, purified to homogeneity and kinetically characterized: In the presence of the components of the lactose phosphotransferase system of S. aureus, the hybrid proteins phosphorylated their substrates, indicating that the fusion partners are sufficiently flexibly linked to allow the interaction of the IIC(lac) domain with the IIB(lac) domain of the lactose transporter. The activity of the 6-P-beta-Galactosidase as well as the fluorescence of GFP were preserved in the fusion proteins. The Vmax values determined for the IIC domain in the fusion proteins were dramatically reduced compared with the values determined for the separate IIC(lac) domain and the complete lactose transporter (IICB(lac)). The Km values were only slightly increased indicating that the Vmax values are much more influenced by the fusion than the substrate affinities. The substrate affinity and the Vmax value determined for the GFP-fused IIC(lac) domain are higher than for the 6-P-beta-Galactosidase-fused IIC(lac). The results suggest that the fusion with GFP enables a better interaction with the IIB(lac) domain than the fusion with 6-P-beta-Galactosidase. Moreover, the GFP-fused IIC(lac) domain proved to be more stable than the 6-P-beta-Galactosidase fusion protein.

The histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr) transfers a phosphate group between components of the prokaryotic phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS), which is finally used to phosphorylate the carbohydrate transported by the PTS through the cell membrane. Recently it has also been found to act as an intermediate in the signaling cascade that regulates transcription of genes related to the carbohydrate-response system. Both functions involve phosphorylation/dephosphorylation reactions, but at different sites. Using multidimensional (1)H-NMR spectroscopy and angular space simulated annealing calculations, we determined the structure of HPr from Enterococcus faecalis in aqueous solution using 1469 distance and 44 angle constraints derived from homonuclear NMR data. It has a similar overall fold to that found in HPrs from other organisms. Four beta strands, A, B, C, D, encompassing residues 2-7, 32-37, 40-42 and 60-66, form an antiparallel beta sheet lying opposite the two antiparallel alpha helices, a and c (residues 16-26 and 70-83). A short alpha helix, b, from residues 47-53 is also observed. The pairwise root mean square displacement for the backbone heavy atoms of the mean of the 16 NMR structures to the crystal structure is 0.164 nm. In contrast with the crystalline state, in which a torsion angle strain in the active-center loop has been described [Jia, Z., Vandonselaar, M., Quail, J.W. & Delbaere, L.T.J. (1993) Nature (London) 361, 94-97], in the solution structure, the active-site His15 rests on top of helix a, and the phosphorylation site N(delta 1) of the histidine ring is oriented towards the surface, making it easily accessible to the solvent. Back calculation of the 2D NOESY NMR spectra from both the NMR and X-ray structures shows that the active-center structure derived by X-ray crystallography is not compatible with experimental data recorded in solution. The observed torsional strain must either be a crystallization artefact or represents a conformational state that exists only to a small extent in solution.

The histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein HPr is a central component of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS), which transfers metabolic carbohydrates across the cell membrane in many bacterial species. In Gram-positive bacteria, phosphorylation of HPr at conserved serine 46 (P-Ser-HPr) plays several regulatory roles within the cell; the major regulatory effect of P-Ser-HPr is its inability to act as a phosphocarrier substrate in the enzyme I reaction of the PTS. In order to investigate the structural nature of HPr regulation by phosphorylation at Ser46, the structure of the P-Ser-HPr from the Gram- positive bacterium Enterococcus faecalis has been determined. X-ray diffraction analysis of P-Ser-HPr crystals provided 10,043 unique reflections, with a 95.1 % completeness of data to 1.9 A resolution. The structure was solved using molecular replacement, with two P-Ser-HPr molecules present in the asymmetric unit. The final R-value and R(Free) are 0.178 and 0.239, respectively. The overall tertiary structure of P-Ser-HPr is that of other HPr structures. However the active site in both P-Ser-HPr molecules was found to be in the "open" conformation. Ala16 of both molecules were observed to be in a state of torsional strain, similar to that seen in the structure of the native HPr from E. faecalis. Regulatory phosphorylation at Ser46 does not induce large structural changes to the HPr molecule. The B-helix was observed to be slightly lengthened as a result of Ser46 phosphorylation. Also, the water mediated Met51-His15 interaction is maintained, again similar to that of the native E. faecalis HPr. The major structural, and thus regulatory, effect of phosphorylation at Ser46 is disruption of the hydrophobic interactions between EI and HPr, in particular the electrostatic repulsion between the phosphoryl group on Ser46 and Glu84 of EI and the prevention of a potential interaction of Met48 with a hydrophobic pocket of EI., (Copyright 2000 Academic Press.)

The ptsG operon of Staphylococcus carnosus consists of two adjacent genes, glcA and glcB, encoding glucose- and glucoside-specific enzymes II, respectively, the sugar permeases of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS). The expression of the ptsG operon is glucose-inducible. Putative RAT (ribonucleic antiterminator) and terminator sequences localized in the promoter region of glcA suggest regulation via antitermination. The glcT gene was cloned and the putative antiterminator protein GlcT was purified. Activity of this protein was demonstrated in vivo in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. In vitro studies led to the assumption that phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphorylation of residue His105 via the general PTS components enzyme I and HPr facilitates dimerization of GlcT and consequently activation. Because of the high similarity of the two ptsG-RAT sequences of B. subtilis and S. carnosus, in vivo studies were performed in B. subtilis. These indicated that GlcT of S. carnosus is able to recognize ptsG-RAT sequences of B. subtilis and to cause antitermination. The specific interaction between B. subtilis ptsG-RAT and S. carnosus GlcT demonstrated by surface plasmon resonance suggests that only the dimer of GlcT binds to the RAT sequence. HPr-dependent phosphorylation of GlcT facilitates dimer formation and may be a control device for the proper function of the general PTS components enzyme I and HPr necessary for glucose uptake and phosphorylation by the corresponding enzyme II.

Several amino acids in the active center of the 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase from Lactococcus lactis were replaced by the corresponding residues in homologous enzymes of glycosidase family 1 with different specificities. Three mutants, W429A, K435V/Y437F and S428D/ K435V/Y437F, were constructed. W429A was found to have an improved specificity for glucosides compared with the wild-type, consistent with the theory that the amino acid at this position is relevant for the distinction between galactosides and glucosides. The k(cat)/K(m) for o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucose-6-phosphate is 8-fold higher than for o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactose-6-phosphate which is the preferred substrate of the wild-type enzyme. This suggests that new hydrogen bonds are formed in the mutant between the active site residues, presumably Gln19 or Trp421 and the C-4 hydroxyl group. The two other mutants with the exchanges in the phosphate-binding loop were tested for their ability to bind phosphorylated substrates. The triple mutant is inactive. The double mutant has a dramatically decreased ability to bind o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactose-6-phosphate whereas the interaction with o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactose is barely altered. This result shows that the 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase and the related cyanogenic beta-glucosidase from Trifolium repens have different recognition mechanisms for substrates although the structures of the active sites are highly conserved.

The pressure-induced changes in 15N enriched HPr from Staphylococcus carnosus were investigated by two-dimensional (2D) heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy at pressures ranging from atmospheric pressure up to 200 MPa. The NMR experiments allowed the simultaneous observation of the backbone and side-chain amide protons and nitrogens. Most of the resonances shift downfield with increasing pressure indicating generalized pressure-induced conformational changes. The average pressure-induced shifts for amide protons and nitrogens are 0.285 ppm GPa(-1) at 278 K and 2.20 ppm GPa(-1), respectively. At 298 K the corresponding values are 0.275 and 2.41 ppm GPa(-1). Proton and nitrogen pressure coefficients show a significant but rather small correlation (0.31) if determined for all amide resonances. When restricting the analysis to amide groups in the beta-pleated sheet, the correlation between these coefficients is with 0.59 significantly higher. As already described for other proteins, the amide proton pressure coefficients are strongly correlated to the corresponding hydrogen bond distances, and thus are indicators for the pressure-induced changes of the hydrogen bond lengths. The nitrogen shift changes appear to sense other physical phenomena such as changes of the local backbone conformation as well. Interpretation of the pressure-induced shifts in terms of structural changes in the HPr protein suggests the following picture: the four-stranded beta-pleated sheet of HPr protein is the least compressible part of the structure showing only small pressure effects. The two long helices a and c show intermediary effects that could be explained by a higher compressibility and a concomitant bending of the helices. The largest pressure coefficients are found in the active center region around His15 and in the regulatory helix b which includes the phosphorylation site Ser46 for the HPr kinase. This suggests that this part of the structure occurs in a number of different structural states whose equilibrium populations are shifted by pressure. In contrast to the surrounding residues of the active center loop that show large pressure effects, Ile14 has a very small proton and nitrogen pressure coefficient. It could represent some kind of anchoring point of the active center loop that holds it in the right place in space, whereas other parts of the loop adapt themselves to changing external conditions.

Previous sequence analysis of the glucose-specific PTS gene locus from Staphylococcus carnosus revealed the unexpected finding of two adjacent, highly similar ORFs, glcA and glcB, each encoding a glucose-specific membrane permease EIICBA(Glc). glcA and glcB show 73% identity at the nucleotide level and glcB is located 131 bp downstream from glcA. Each of the genes is flanked by putative regulatory elements such as a termination stem-loop, promoter and ribosome-binding site, suggesting independent regulation. The finding of putative cis-active operator sequences, CRE (catabolite-responsive elements) suggests additional regulation by carbon catabolite repression. As described previously by the authors, both genes can be expressed in Escherichia coli under control of their own promoters. Two putative promoters are located upstream of glcA, and both were found to initiate transcription in E. coli. Although the two permeases EIICBA(Glc)1 and EIICBA(Glc)2 show 69% identity at the protein level, and despite the common primary substrate glucose, they have different specificities towards glucosides as substrate. EIICBA(Glc)1 phosphorylates glucose in a PEP-dependent reaction with a Km of 12 microM; the reaction can be inhibited by 2-deoxyglucose and methyl beta-D-glucoside. EIICBA(Glc)2 phosphorylates glucose with a Km of 19 microM and this reaction is inhibited by methyl alpha-D-glucoside, methyl beta-D-glucoside, p-nitrophenyl alpha-D-glucoside, o-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucoside and salicin, but unlike other glucose permeases, including EIICBA(Glc)1, not by 2-deoxyglucose. Natural mono- or disaccharides, such as mannose or N-acetylglucosamine, that are transported by other glucose transporters are not phosphorylated by either EIICBA(Glc)1 nor EIICBA(Glc)2, indicating a high specificity for glucose. Together, these findings support the suggestion of evolutionary development of different members of a protein family, by gene duplication and subsequent differentiation. C-terminal fusion of a histidine hexapeptide to both gene products did not affect the activity of the enzymes and allowed their purification by Ni2+-NTA affinity chromatography after expression in a ptsG (EIICB(Glc)) deletion mutant of E. coli. Upstream of glcA, the 3' end of a further ORF encoding 138 amino acid residues of a putative antiterminator of the BglG family was found, as well as a putative target DNA sequence (RAT), which indicates a further regulation by glucose specific antitermination.

The HPr kinase of Gram-positive bacteria is an ATP-dependent serine protein kinase, which phosphorylates the HPr protein of the bacterial phosphotransferase system (PTS) and is involved in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism. The hprK gene from Enterococcus faecalis was cloned via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence was confirmed by microscale Edman degradation and mass spectrometry combined with collision-induced dissociation of tryptic peptides derived from the HPr kinase of E. faecalis. The gene was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, which does not contain any ATP-dependent HPr kinase or phosphatase activity. The homogeneous recombinant protein exhibits the expected HPr kinase activity as well as a P-Ser-HPr phosphatase activity, which was assumed to be a separate enzyme activity. The bifunctional HPr kinase/phosphatase acts preferentially as a kinase at high ATP levels of 2 mM occurring in glucose-metabolizing Streptococci. At low ATP levels, the enzyme hydrolyses P-Ser-HPr. In addition, high concentrations of phosphate present under starvation conditions inhibit the HPr kinase activity. Thus, a putative function of the enzyme may be to adjust the ratio of HPr and P-Ser-HPr according to the metabolic state of the cell; P-Ser-HPr is involved in carbon catabolite repression and regulates sugar uptake via the phosphotransferase system (PTS). Reinvestigation of the previously described Bacillus subtilis HPr kinase revealed that it also possesses P-Ser-HPr phosphatase activity. However, contrary to the E. faecalis enzyme, ATP alone was not sufficient to switch the phosphatase activity of the B. subtilis enzyme to the kinase activity. A change in activity of the B. subtilis HPr kinase was only observed when fructose-1,6-bisphosphate was also present.

The lactose-specific enzyme II (IICBlac) of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) of Staphylococcus aureus couples translocation to phosphorylation of the transported lactose. It is composed of the N-terminal membrane-bound IIC domain, which includes the sugar-binding site, and the C-terminal IIB domain, which contains the phosphorylation site at Cys476. IIC (residues 1-461) fused with a C-terminal affinity tag of six histidine residues and IIB (residues 461-570) fused with an N-terminal histidine tag were overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified by Ni2+ chelate affinity chromatography. 2 mg of IIClac-His6 obtained from 10 g of cells and 12 mg of His6-IIBlac obtained from 8 g of wet cells were purified to homogeneity. 56% of the total IIClac-His6 activity present in the membranes could be recovered. Purification by affinity chromatography yields the opportunity to exchange the detergent. The Km determined in an activity assay for IIClac-His6 in the presence of the histidine-tagged IIBlac domain (His6-IIBlac) was similar to the Km determined for histidine-tagged IICBlac-His [Peters, D. & Hengstenberg, W. (1995) Eur. J. Biochem. 228, 798-804], suggesting that substrate affinity is barely influenced by the expression of the domains as separate proteins. The Vmax is reduced by a factor of 25 compared with IICBlac-His. His6-IIBlac also complements the activity of the IICBlac mutant C476S, which possesses an inactive IIB domain. This result indicates that IIC and IIB are flexibly linked in such a way that free His6-IIBlac can displace the inactive IIB domain fron its contact site on the IIC domain. His6-IIBlac is shorter and more stable than a previously constructed IIB domain (IIBlac-His) [Peters, D. & Hengstenberg, W. (1995) Eur. J. Biochem. 228, 798-804)], which contained a C-terminal histidine tag. The Km values for phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphorylation of His6-IIBlac and IIBlac-His are nearly indistinguishable, suggesting that the location of the affinity tag either at the N-terminal or at the C-terminal end of the domain does not influence the substrate affinity.

Carbon catabolite repression (CCR) is the prototype of a signal transduction mechanism. In enteric bacteria, cAMP was considered to be the second messenger in CCR by playing a role reminiscent of its actions in eukaryotic cells. However, recent results suggest that CCR in Escherichia coli is mediated mainly by an inducer exclusion mechanism. In many Gram-positive bacteria, CCR is triggered by fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, which activates HPr kinase, presumed to be one of the most ancient serine protein kinases. We here report cloning of the Bacillus subtilis hprK and hprP genes and characterization of the encoded HPr kinase and P-Ser-HPr phosphatase. P-Ser-HPr phosphatase forms a new family of phosphatases together with bacterial phosphoglycolate phosphatase, yeast glycerol-3-phosphatase, and 2-deoxyglucose-6-phosphate phosphatase whereas HPr kinase represents a new family of protein kinases on its own. It does not contain the domain structure typical for eukaryotic protein kinases. Although up to now the HPr modifying/demodifying enzymes were thought to exist only in Gram-positive bacteria, a sequence comparison revealed that they also are present in several Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria.

Based on the complete sequential assignment of the 1H-NMR spectrum by multidimensional NMR techniques the secondary structure and the local geometry of the active site of histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr) from Enterococcus faecalis were elucidated. We present a comparative analysis of the active site in the seven known structures of HPr from different organisms determined by NMR or X-ray crystallography. In catalysis, HPr is phosphorylated at the ring N61 of His15. No general agreement exists in literature regarding the structure of the active-centre loop. In the crystal structure of HPr from E. faecalis, a torsion strain of the backbone at position 16 was observed, which was assumed to be important to the catalytic mechanism. Coupling constants were determined in order to calculate phi angles to establish whether there are strained torsion angles in HPr from E. faecalis in the solution state. The evaluation of data obtained indicate a stable and well-defined structure of HPr from E. faecalis, with an overall fold similar to that found in HPr from other bacteria. We find that in the active-site region there are relatively large variations in local geometry between the evaluated structures. In HPr from E. faecalis, a particularly detailed view of the phosphate-binding His15 and residues in close spatial proximity was obtained by determination of coupling constants obtained from the double-quantum-filtered COSY spectrum. Our data indicate that in aqueous solution, in the dominant conformational state there is no torsion strain of the backbone at position 16, as observed in the crystal state. The maximum population of a strained conformation in solution can be estimated to be smaller than 23%. The analysis of the data suggests that the active-centre loop is able to adopt different conformations in solution. A similar observation was made for HPr from E. faecalis phosphorylated at its regulatory site (Ser46). 31P-NMR shows that phosphorylated HPr exists in two conformational substates with nearly equal populations.

The initial structural model of 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase from Lactococcus lactis was refined to an R-factor of 16.4% (R[free] = 23.6%) to 2.3 A resolution (1 A = 0.1 nm), and the structures of three other crystal forms were solved by molecular replacement. The four structural models are essentially identical. The catalytic center of the enzyme is approximately at the mass center of the molecule and can only be reached through a 20 A long channel, which is observed with an "open" or "closed" entrance. The closed entrance is probably too small for the educt lactose-6-phosphate to enter, but large enough for the first product glucose to leave. Among the presented structures is a complex between an almost inactive mutant and the second product galactose-6-phosphate, which is exclusively bound at side-chains. A superposition (onto the native enzyme) of galactose-6-phosphate as bound to the mutant suggests the geometry of a postulated covalent intermediate. The binding mode of the educt was modeled, starting from the bound galactose-6-phosphate. A tightly fixed tryptophan is used as a chopping-board for splitting the disaccharide, and several other aromatic residues in the active center cavity are likely to participate in substrate transport/binding.

Background: The bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate: sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) is responsible for the binding, transmembrane transport and phosphorylation of numerous sugar substrates. The system is also involved in the regulation of a variety of metabolic and transcriptional processes. The PTS consists of two non-specific energy coupling components, enzyme I and a heat stable phosphocarrier protein (HPr), as well as several sugar-specific multiprotein permeases known as enzymes II. In most cases, enzymes IIA and IIB are located in the cytoplasm, while enzyme IIC acts as a membrane channel. Enzyme IIAlactose belongs to the lactose/cellobiose-specific family of enzymes II, one of four functionally and structurally distinct groups. The protein, which normally functions as a trimer, is believed to separate into its subunits after phosphorylation., Results: The crystal structure of the trimeric enzyme IIAlactose from Lactococcus lactis has been determined at 2.3 A resolution. The subunits of the enzyme, related to each other by the inherent threefold rotational symmetry, possess interesting structural features such as coiled-coil-like packing and a methionine cluster. The subunits each comprise three helices (I, II and III) and pack against each other forming a nine-helix bundle. This helical bundle is stabilized by a centrally located metal ion and also encloses a hydrophobic cavity. The three phosphorylation sites (His78 on each monomer) are located in helices III and their sidechains protrude into a large groove between helices I and II of the neighbouring subunits. A model of the complex between phosphorylated HPr and enzyme IIAlactose has been constructed., Conclusions: Enzyme IIAlactose is the first representative of the family of lactose/cellobiose-specific enzymes IIA for which a three-dimensional structure has been determined. Some of its structural features, like the presence of two histidine residues at the active site, seem to be common to all enzymes no overall structural homology is observed to any PTS proteins or to any other proteins in the Protein Data Bank. Enzyme IIAlactose shows surface complementarity to the phosphorylated form of HPr and several energetically favourable interactions between the two molecules can be predicted.

Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP)-dependent phosphorylation experiments have indicated that the gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus carnosus possesses an EIICBA fusion protein specific for glucose. Here we report the cloning of a 7 kb genomic DNA fragment containing two genes, glcA and glcB, coding for the glucose-specific PTS transporters EII(Glc)1 and EII(Glc)2 which are 69% identical. The translation products derived from the nucleotide sequence consist of 675 and 692 amino acid residues and have calculated molecular weights of 73025 and 75256, respectively. Both genes can be stably maintained in Escherichia coli cells and restore the ability to ferment glucose to ptsG deletion mutants of E. coli. This demonstrates the ability of the PTS proteins HPr and/or EIIA(Glc) of a gram-negative organism (E. coli) to phosphorylate an EIICBA(Glc) from a gram-positive organism (S. carnosus).

Solution X-ray scattering patterns of enzyme I of the phosphotransferase system from Staphylococcus carnosus indicate an increase in radius of gyration and molecular mass in the presence of Mg2+ or both Mg2+ and phosphoenolpyruvate, indicating a partial dimerization of enzyme I. Mg2+ ions are essential for both the dimerization and the activation, whereas the substrate phosphoenolpyruvate shifts the monomer--dimer equilibrium to the enzymatically active dimer by decreasing the dissociation rate of the phosphorylated dimer.

The C-terminal B domain of mannitol-specific enzyme II (enzyme IIB) of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system for mannitol from Staphylococcus carnosus was subcloned, purified and characterized. In Staphylococcal cells, mannitol-specific enzyme II is composed of a soluble A domain (EIIA) and a transmembrane C domain transporter with a fused enzyme IIB (IIB) domain. We purified large amounts of the IIB domain as an in-frame fusion with six histidine residues. Here, we show that the domain is stable and can be phosphorylated by phosphoenolpyruvate and the phosphotransferase components. It is a dimer over a wide range of pH values and salt conditions. Differences between the published nucleotide sequence data and the mass-spectroscopic data obtained with the purified protein lead to anewed nucleotide sequencing of the gene. Two errors in the original proposed sequence were found, the correction of the second error leading to a frame shift that adds 10 amino acids to the deduced amino acid sequence. The mass of the phosphorylated domain is 20,068 Da, 80 Da more than the mass of the unphosphorylated domain, therefore, no other residues, such as COOH side chains, are directly involved in an additional phosphate linkage concerning the IIB domain. 31P-NMR experiments as well as chemical modification proved that Cys429 is the phosphoamino acid. Titration of the phosphorylated domain during 31P-NMR did not lead to the typical shift for the protonation of the thiophosphate in the resonance spectrum. Thus, the thiophosphate remains in the twofold negatively charged state.

Background: The enzyme 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase hydrolyzes phospholactose, the product of a phosphor-enolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system. It belongs to glycosidase family 1 and no structure has yet been published for a member of this family., Results: The crystal structure of 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase was determined at 2.3 A resolution by multiple isomorphous replacement, using the wild-type enzyme and a designed cysteine mutant. A second crystal form, found with the mutant enzyme, was solved by molecular replacement, yielding the conformation of two chain loops that are invisible in the first crystal form. The active center, located through catalytic residues identified in previous studies, cannot be accessed by the substrate if the two loops are in their defined conformation. The enzyme contains a (beta alpha)8 barrel and the relationship of its chain fold to that of other glycosidases has been quantified. As a side issue, we observed that a cysteine point mutant designed for X-ray analysis crystallized mainly as a symmetric dimer around an intermolecular disulfide bridge formed by the newly introduced cysteine., Conclusions: The presented analysis provides a basis on which to model all other family 1 members and thereby will help in elucidating the catalytic mechanisms of these sequence-related enzymes. Moreover, this enzyme belongs to a superfamily of glycosidases sharing a (beta alpha)8 barrel with catalytic glutamates/aspartates at the ends of the fourth and the seventh strands of the beta barrel.

Kinetic parameters for the inactivation of the 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase of Staphylococcus aureus by a series (fluoro, chloro, bromo) of 2,4-dinitrophenyl-2-deoxy-2-halogeno- galactoside-6-phosphates have been determined. These inhibitors function by the formation of a stabilised glycosyl-enzyme intermediate. Inactivation and reactivation studies indicate that the fluoro derivative is formed most rapidly, but is also hydrolysed fastest. The chloro derivative forms the most stable covalent intermediate. HPLC profiles of V8-protease digestion of native and inhibited protein show significant differences, whereas the inhibited 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase and a point mutant of 6-phospho-beta- galactosidase (E375Q) yield the same proteolytic fragments. The suggestion that E375 is derivatised is strengthened by matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionisation mass spectrometry experiments which show that the two peptides, residues 336-375 and 376-383, are not produced, due to the absence of the expected cleavage at residues 375 and 376. The reason for the altered proteolysis pattern of the inhibited protein is blocking of the respective V8 cleavage site due to the chemical reaction of the inhibitor at position 375. Specific modification of the glycosyl bond between the inhibitor and E375 by aminolysis with benzylamine generated a glutamatic-acid-5-benzylamide complex at that position in the peptide. The Edman derivative of the modified E375 appears to be stable and was isolated by Edman degradation of trypsin-digested V8-peptide. It was shown to be identical to an authentic, synthetic sample. From this, it is evident that E375 is the active-site nucleophile of 6-phospho-galactosidase, consistent with previous findings for enzymes in this family.

The lactose-specific integral-membrane-protein enzyme II (IICBLac) of the bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system of Staphylococcus aureus catalyses the uptake and phosphorylation of lactose. It consists of an N-terminal membrane-spanning IIC domain and a C-terminal hydrophilic IIB domain. IICBLac was fused with a C-terminal tag of six histidine residues using recombinant DNA technology. The resulting protein, IICBLac-His, was produced in Escherichia coli and purified under nondenaturing conditions to homogenity. The purification procedure consists of a NaOH extraction step followed by solubilisation with Triton X-100, and metal-affinity chromatography using Ni(2+)-nitrilotriacetic acid resin. The purified recombinant His-tagged protein possessed substrate specificity identical to that of the wild-type protein. To investigate the hydrophilic IIB domain, the DNA sequence coding for IIB and the His tag were fused in-frame to a DNA sequence specific for an initiation signal. The overproduced recombinant IIBLac-His was obtained by metal-affinity chromatography in pure form. Bacterial phosphotransferase-system-dependent phosphorylation of IIB-His was demonstrated in a photometric assay and by urea/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The phosphorylation activity of the mutant protein [C476S]-IICBLac, containing the mutagenized phosphorylation site, was restored in the presence of IIBLac-His in a phosphorylation assay.

The histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein (HPr) is a central component of the phosphoenolpyruvate: sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) that transports carbohydrates across the cell membrane of bacteria. The three-dimensional structure of Gram-positive Streptococcus faecalis HPr has been determined using the method of multiple isomorphous replacement. The R factor for all data is 0.156 for S. faecalis HPr at 1.6 A resolution with very good geometry. The overall folding topology of HPr is a classical open-faced beta-sandwich, consisting of four antiparallel beta-strands and three alpha-helices. Remarkable disallowed Ramachandran torsion angles of Ala16 at the active center, revealed by the X-ray structure of S. faecalis HPr, demonstrate a unique example of torsion-angle strain that is likely involved directly in protein function. A brief report concerning the torsion-angle strain has been presented recently. A newly-determined pH 7.0 structure is shown to have the same open conformation of the active center and the same torsion-angle strain at Ala16, suggesting that pH is not responsible for the structural observations. The current structure suggests a role for residues 12 and 51 in HPr's function, since they are involved in the active center through direct and indirect hydrogen-bonding interactions with the imidazole ring of His15. It is found that Ser46, the regulatory site in HPr from Gram-positive bacteria, N-caps the minor alpha-B helix and is also involved in the Asn43-Ser46 beta-turn. This finding, in conjunction with the proposed routes of communication between the regulatory site Ser46 and the active center in S. faecalis HPr, provides new insight into the understanding of how Ser46 might function. The putative involvement of the C-terminal alpha-carboxyl group and the related Gly67-Glu70 reverse beta-turn with respect to the function of HPr are described.

ItaI, an isoschizomer of the subclass IIW [Kessler and Manta, Gene 92 (1990) 1-248] restriction endonuclease (ENase), Fnu4HI [Leung et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 6 (1979) 17-25], has been isolated from Ilyobacter tartaricus. The ENase has the five-base palindromic recognition sequence, 5'GC decreases NGC-3'. It cleaves behind the second nucleotide and produces a one-nt 5' overhang.

The 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase of Staphylococcus aureus, Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus casei and 6-phospho-beta-glucosidase B of Escherichia coli build a subfamily inside a greater enzyme family, named the glycosal hydrolase family 1, which, in addition, contains nine beta-glycosidases of different origins. Kinetic and immunological evidence is provided in this report which strengthens the relationship of the four 6-phospho-beta-glycosidases. It is shown that the 6-phospho-beta-galactosidases and 6-phospho-beta-glucosidase B are able to split aromatic beta-galactoside phosphates and beta-glucoside phosphates. The turnover numbers of hydrolysis of substrates with different epimerization at C-4 of the glycon vary up to 15-fold only. Two polyclonal antisera, one derived against the native 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase from S. aureus and the other derived against the 6-phospho-beta-glucosidase B, cross-reacted with both enzymes. Peptides of the proteins were separated by reverse phase HPLC. The cross-reacting peptides were sequenced and shown to be localized at almost the same position in the aligned primary structures of both enzymes. An insertion of nine amino acids near these antigenic domains is unique for the 6-phospho-beta-glycosidases and missing within the sequences of the beta-glycoside-specific members of the family. The lacG gene of a 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase negative S. aureus mutant was cloned into E. coli and sequenced. In the totally inactive mutant protein only the glycine at position 332 was changed to an arginine. This amino acid is part of the sequence insertion near the antigenic domain reacting with both antisera.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

New information about the proteins of the phosphotransferase system (PTS) and of phosphoglycosidases of homofermentative lactic acid bacteria and related species is presented. Tertiary structures were elucidated from soluble PTS components. They help to understand regulatory processes and PTS function in lactic acid bacteria. A tertiary structure of a membrane-bound enzyme II is still not available, but expression of Gram-positive genes encoding enzymes II can be achieved in Escherichia coli and enables the development of effective isolation procedures which are necessary for crystallization experiments. Considerable progress was made in analysing the functions of structural genes which are in close vicinity of the genes encoding the sugar-specific PTS components, such as the genes encoding the tagatose-6-P pathway and the 6-phospho-beta-glycosidases. These phosphoglycosidases belong to a subfamily of the beta-glycosidase family I among about 300 different glycosidases. The active site nucleophile was recently identified to be Glu 358 in Agrobacterium beta-glucosidase. This corresponds to Glu 375 in staphylococcal and lactococcal 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase. This enzyme is inactivated by mutating Glu 375 to Gln. Diffracting crystals of the lactococcal 6-P-beta-galactosidase allow the elucidation of its tertiary structure which helps to derive the structures for the entire glycosidase family 1. In addition, a fusion protein with 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase and staphylococcal protein A was constructed.

Histidine-containing protein, HPr, of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system in Escherichia coli, when incubated at elevated temperatures forms many species of protein. The two major species are HPr-1 and HPr-2, which have been shown to lack one or two amides, respectively (Anderson, B., Weigel, N., Kundig, W., and Roseman, S. (1971) J. Biol. Chem. 246, 7023-7033). The formation of HPr-1 and HPr-2 is shown to be pH-dependent and does not occur readily below pH 6. Investigation of the identities and properties of the two residues that deamidate involved creation of site-directed mutants at the 6 glutamine and 2 asparagine residues of HPr; description of their deamidation species by isoelectric focusing; determination of their relative antibody binding properties; assay of their phosphoacceptor and phosphodonor activities; characterization of tryptic and V8-protease peptides; obtaining two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of HPr, HPr-1, and several mutants. It was determined that the sequential deamidation of Asn-38 and Asn-12 yields HPr-1 and HPr-2. Both residues exist as Asn-Gly pairs, and both deamidations probably form isoaspartyl acid. HPr from Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus carnosus which also have Asn-Gly at residues 38 and 39 form HPr-1 species presumably by deamidation. HPr from Streptococcus faecalis which does not have Asn-38 does not form a HPr-1 species. The E. coli mutant HPrs, N12D and Q51E, residues that may be involved in the active site, had impaired phosphohydrolysis properties and decreased phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system activity.

The three-dimensional solution structure of the heat-stable phosphocarrier protein HPr from Staphylococcus aureus was determined from two-dimensional NMR data by restrained molecular dynamics. It consists of a large twisted antiparallel beta-pleated sheet with four strands A, B, C, and D of amino acids 2-7, 34-37, 40-42 and 60-65. Three right-handed helices A, B, C (amino acids 18-27, 47-53 and 71-85) are positioned on top of this sheet. The aromatic ring of His15 is located in a cleft formed by amino acids 12-17 and 55-58, only the nitrogen (N delta 1) atom which can be phosphorylated by enzyme I is exposed to the water. The side chains of Thr12 and Arg17 are located close to the histidine ring. The regulatory serine residue (Ser46) is located in a hydrophobic patch, its hydroxyl group is water-accessible but forms hydrogen bonds with the amide groups of the backbone. The general features of the three-dimensional structure are similar to those found in HPr proteins from different microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus faecalis.

The phosphocarrier HPr (heat stable protein) of Staphylococcus carnosus was modified by site-directed mutagenesis of the corresponding ptsH gene in order to analyse the importance of amino acids which were supposed to be part of the active centre of the protein. Three residues which are conserved in all HPrs, Arg17, Pro18 and Glu84, were mutated: Arg17 was changed to His (17RH) and Pro18 and Glu84 were changed into Ala (18PA and 84EA). In addition, Leu86 was changed into Ala (86LA) and one mutant protein was missing the last six residues of the HPr (delta 83). The wild type gene and all mutant genes were overexpressed and the gene products purified to homogeneity. Three-dimensional structures of wild type and mutant proteins were monitored by NMR spectroscopy. All five mutant HPrs had native conformations. The ATP-dependent HPr kinase can phosphorylate all HPr derivatives at Ser46. The PTS activity of the amino-terminal HPr mutant proteins 17RH and 18PA was different compared to wild type HPr. In contrast, the carboxy-terminal mutant HPrs possessed a similar enzyme activity to the wild type HPr. The 17RH and 18PA HPrs with substitution near the active centre His15 showed a very slow phosphorylation by enzyme I but the further transfer of the phosphoryl group to enzyme III was also strongly inhibited. The enzyme activity of the HPr 17RH was significantly improved at low pH. NMR pH-titration experiments showed that Arg17 is not responsible for the low pKa of the active centre His15 but this positively charged residue is essential in this position for the HPr activity.

The lacG gene encoding the 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase (E.C.3.2.1.85) of Staphylococcus aureus was fused to the protein A gene in the plasmid pRIT2T. Escherichia coli cells containing this plasmid produce a fusion protein with both IgG binding and 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase activities after heat induction. The recombinant gene was overexpressed and the hybrid protein was purified to homogeneity in high yield. The chimeric protein was shown to have almost identical enzymatic characteristics to pure 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase. This result leads to the conclusion that a free N-terminus of the 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase is not required for biological activity. The hybrid protein of protein A and 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase was used as an enzyme conjugate in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The experiments presented demonstrate that the 6-phospho-beta-galactosidase is a suitable fusion partner in various diagnostic applications where an unique biological activity is required.

A digoxigenin-labeled DNA probe that was complementary to the gene ptsH and the beginning of the gene ptsI was used to clone a 3.2-kb HincII-BamHI restriction fragment containing the complete ptsI gene of Staphylococcus carnosus. The restriction fragment was cloned in the antisense orientation to the lac promoter in the low-copy-number vector pSU18. The nucleotide sequences of the ptsI gene, which encodes enzyme I (EC 2.7.3.9), and the corresponding flanking regions were determined. The primary translation product, derived from the nucleotide sequence, consists of 574 amino acids and has a calculated molecular weight of 63,369. Amino acid sequence comparison showed 47% similarity to enzyme I of Escherichia coli and 37% similarity to the enzyme I domain of the multiphosphoryl transfer protein of Rhodobacter capsulatus. The histidinyl residue at position 191 could be identified as the probable phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphorylation site of enzyme I of S. carnosus because of sequence homologies with the peptide sequences of enzyme I-active sites of Enterococcus faecalis and Lactococcus lactis. Several in vivo and in vitro complementation studies with the enzyme I ptsI genes of S. carnosus and the E. coli ptsI mutant JLT2 were carried out. The generation times and interaction between enzyme I with histidine-containing protein from gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria were measured in a phosphoryl group transfer test.

The enzyme IImannitol (EIImtl) of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) catalyses the uptake and concomitant phosphorylation of mannitol by bacteria; it is specified by the gene mtlA. MtlA is located near the genes mtlF and mtlD in the staphylococcal genome, encoding the enzyme IIImtl and the mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase, respectively. We present the cloning of the whole operon by a novel complementation system which is generally suitable for cloning Gram-positive PTS genes. The nucleotide sequence of a 2.5-kbp subclone spanning mtlA has been determined. From the deduced amino acid sequence, it is predicted that the membrane-protein EIImtl consists of 505 amino acid residues (54112 Da). The protein has the expected hydropathy profile of an integral-membrane protein. The NH2-terminal part of the enzyme resides within the membrane, whereas the COOH-terminus of the enzyme has the properties of a soluble protein. Comparison with the known amino acid sequence of EIImtl of Escherichia coli [Lee, C. A. & Saier, M. H. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 10761-10767] showed significant similarity. The motif containing the cysteine, which is the putative second phosphorylation site in EIImtl of E. coli [Pas, H. H. & Robillard, G. T. (1988) Biochemistry 27, 5835-5839], is well conserved in EIImtl of Staphylococcus carnosus. Chemical modification of the single active site cysteine residue by Ellman's reagent leads to total inactivation, which can be reversed by treatment with 2-mercaptoethanol.

Complete sequence-specific assignments of the 1H NMR spectrum of HPr protein from Staphylococcus aureus were obtained by two-dimensional NMR methods. Important secondary structure elements that can be derived from the observed nuclear Overhauser effects are a large antiparallel beta-pleated sheet consisting of four strands, A, B, C, D, a segment SAB consisting of an extended region around the active-center histidine (His-15) and an alpha-helix, a half-turn between strands B and C, a segment SCD which shows no typical secondary structure, and the alpha-helical, C-terminal segment S(term). These general structural features are similar to those found earlier in HPr proteins from different microorganisms such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Streptococcus faecalis.

Enzyme IIIMtl is part of the mannitol phosphotransferase system of Enterococcus faecalis. It is phosphorylated in a reaction sequence requiring enzyme I and heat-stable phosphocarrier protein (HPr). The phospho group is transferred from enzyme IIIMtl to enzyme IIMtl, which then catalyzes the uptake and concomitant phosphorylation of mannitol. The internalized mannitol-1-phosphate is oxidized to fructose-6-phosphate by mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase. In this report we describe the cloning of the mtlF and mtlD genes, encoding enzyme IIIMtl and mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase of E. faecalis, by a complementation system designed for cloning of gram-positive phosphotransferase system genes. The complete nucleotide sequences of mtlF, mtlD, and flanking regions were determined. From the gene sequences, the primary translation products are deduced to consist of 145 amino acids (enzyme IIIMtl) and 374 amino acids (mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase). Amino acid sequence comparison confirmed a 41% similarity of E. faecalis enzyme IIIMtl to the hydrophilic enzyme IIIMtl-like portion of enzyme IIMtl of Escherichia coli and 45% similarity to enzyme IIIMtl of Staphylococcus carnosus. The putative N-terminal NAD+ binding domain of mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase of E. faecalis shows a high degree of similarity with the N terminus of E. coli mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase (T. Davis, M. Yamada, M. Elgort, and M. H. Saier, Jr., Mol. Microbiol. 2:405-412, 1988) and the N-terminal part of the translation product of S. carnosus mtlD, which was also determined in this study. There is 40% similarity between the dehydrogenases of E. faecalis and E. coli over the whole length of the enzymes. The organization of mannitol-specific genes in E. faecalis seems to be similar to the organization in S. carnosus. The open reading frame for enzyme IIIMtl E. faecalis is followed by a stem-loop structure, analogous to a typical Rho-independent terminator. We conclude that the mannitol-specific genes are organized in an operon and that the gene order is mtlA orfX mtlF mtlD.

The histidine-containing protein (HPr) of the bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) was isolated from Staphylococcus carnosus and purified to homogeneity. The protein sequence was determined by Edman degradation of peptides obtained by proteolytic digestion with proteases V8, trypsin and chemical cleavage with BrCN. Furthermore, immunological screening of a chromosomal S. carnosus DNA gene library in pUC19 vector enabled us to isolate S. carnosus HPr-expressing colonies. The nucleotide sequence of this ptsH gene and its flanking regions was determined by the dideoxy-chain-termination technique. Upstream, the 264-bp open reading frame of the ptsH gene is flanked by a putative S. carnosus promoter structure and a putative ptsI gene downstream suggesting that ptsH gene is the first gene in the PTS operon of S. carnosus. Comparison of the amino acid sequence of S. carnosus HPr with the HPr sequence of Staphylococcus aureus (derived from peptide sequencing) showed a high degree of similarity.

The lactose-specific phosphocarrier protein enzyme II of the bacterial phosphoenol-pyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system of Staphylococcus aureus was modified by site-specific mutagenesis on the corresponding lacE gene in order to replace the histidine residues 245, 274 and 510 and the cysteine residue 476 of the amino acid sequence with a serine residue. The wild-type and mutant genes were expressed in Escherichia coli and the gene products were characterized in different in vitro test systems. In vitro phosphorylation studies on mutant derivatives of the lactose-specific enzyme II led to the conclusion that cysteine residue 476 is the active-site for phosphorylation of this enzyme II by a phospho-enzyme III of the same sugar specificity. A cysteine residue phosphorylated intermediate was first postulated for the mannitol-specific enzyme II of E. coli and studies performed independently concerning the lactose-specific enzyme II of Lactobacillus casei are in agreement with the above results.