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The lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Gram negative bacteria is a well-known inducer of the innate immune response (1). Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD-2) form a heterodimer that recognizes a common 'pattern' in structurally diverse LPS molecules. To understand the ligand specificity and receptor activation mechanism of the TLR4-MD-2-LPS complex we determined its crystal structure. LPS binding induced the formation of an m-shaped receptor multimer composed of two copies of the TLR4-MD-2-LPS complex arranged symmetrically. LPS interacts with a large hydrophobic pocket in MD-2 and directly bridges the two components of the multimer. Five of the six lipid chains of LPS are buried deep inside the pocket and the remaining chain is exposed to the surface of MD-2, forming a hydrophobic interaction with the conserved phenylalanines of TLR4. The F126 loop of MD-2 undergoes localized structural change and supports this core hydrophobic interface by making hydrophilic interactions with TLR4. Comparison with the structures of tetra-acylated antagonists bound to MD-2 indicates that two other lipid chains in LPS displace the phosphorylated glucosamine backbone by ~5 Å towards the solvent area (2,3). This structural shift allows phosphate groups of LPS to contribute to receptor multimerization by forming ionic interactions with a cluster of positively charged residues in TLR4 and MD-2. The TLR4-MD-2-LPS structure illustrates the remarkable versatility of the ligand recognition mechanisms employed by the TLR family (4,5), which is essential for defence against diverse microbial infection., Minute amounts of LPS released from invading bacteria are an early sign of infection and prepare the immune system to counteract further infection (1). They can also lead to fatal [...]

We have found, using a newly developed genetic method, a protein (named Cnu, for oriC-binding nucleoid-associated) that binds to a specific 26-base-pair sequence (named cnb) in the origin of replication of Escherichia coli, oriC. Cnu is composed of 71 amino acids (8.4 kDa) and shows extensive amino acid identity to a group of proteins belonging to the Hha/YmoA family. Cnu was previously discovered as a protein that, like Hha, complexes with H-NS in vitro. Our in vivo and in vitro assays confirm the results and further suggest that the complex formation with H-NS is involved in Cnu/Hha binding to cnb. Unlike the hns mutants, elimination of either the cnu or hha gene did not disturb the growth rate, origin content, and synchrony of DNA replication initiation of the mutants compared to the wild-type cells. However, the cnu hha double mutant was moderately reduced in origin content. The Cnu/Hha complex with H-NS thus could play a role in optimal activity of oriC.

The pyrimidine(6-4)pyrimidone photoproduct [(6-4) adduct] is one of the major photoproducts induced by UV irradiation of DNA and occurs at TpT sites. The (6-4) adduct is highly mutagenic and leads most often to a 3[prime] T [right arrow] C transition with 85% replicating error frequency [LeClerc, J. E., Borden, A. & Lawrence, C. W. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 9685-9689]. To determine the origin of the specific 3[prime] T [right arrow] C transition of the (6-4) adduct, we have used experimental NMR restraints and molecular dynamics to determine the solution structure of a (6-4)-lesion DNA decamer duplex that contains a mismatched base pair between the 3[prime] T residue and an opposed G residue. Normal Watson-Crick-type hydrogen bonding is retained at the 5[prime] T of the lesion site. The O2 carbonyl of the 3[prime] T residue forms hydrogen bonds with the imino and amino protons of the opposed G residue. This potential hydrogen bonding stabilizes the overall helix and restores the highly distorted conformation of the (6-4) adduct to the typical B-form-like DNA structure. This structural feature can explain the marked preference for the insertion of an A residue opposite the 5[prime] T and a G residue opposite the 3[prime] T of the (6-4) lesion during trans-lesion synthesis. Thus these insertions yield the predominant 3[prime] T [right arrow] C transition.

Retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) is responsible for innate immunity via the recognition of short double-stranded RNAs in the cytosol. With the clue that G-U wobble base pairs in the influenza A virus's RNA promoter region are responsible for RIG-I activation, we determined the complex structure of RIG-I ΔCARD and a short hairpin RNA with G-U wobble base pairs by X-ray crystallography. Interestingly, the overall helical backbone trace was not affected by the presence of the wobble base pairs; however, the base pair inclination and helical axis angle changed upon RIG-I binding. NMR spectroscopy revealed that RIG-I binding renders the flexible base pair of the influenza A virus's RNA promoter region between the two G-U wobble base pairs even more flexible. Binding to RNA with wobble base pairs resulted in a more flexible RIG-I complex. This flexible complex formation correlates with the entropy-favoured binding of RIG-I and RNA, which results in tighter binding affinity and RIG-I activation. This study suggests that the structure and dynamics of RIG-I are tailored to the binding of specific RNA sequences with different flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to the highly mutagenic pyrimidine(6-4)pyrimidone photoproduct, its Dewar valence isomer (Dewar product) has low mutagenic potential and produces a broad range of mutations [LeClerc, J. E., Borden, A. & Lawrence, C. W. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 9685-9689]. To determine the origin of the mutagenic property of the Dewar product, we used experimental NMR restraints and molecular dynamics to determine the solution structure of a Dewar-lesion DNA decamer duplex. This DNA decamer duplex (DW/GA duplex) contains a mismatched base pair between the 3' T residue of the Dewar lesion (T6) and an opposed G residue (G15). The 3' T (T6) of the Dewar lesion formed stable hydrogen bonds with the opposing G15 residue. However, the helical bending and unwinding angles of the DW/GA duplex were much larger than those of a second duplex that contains the Dewar lesion and opposing A15 and A16 residues (DW/AA duplex). The DW/GA duplex showed poorer stacking interactions at the two bases of the Dewar product and at the adjacent A7[multiply by]T14 base pair than did the DW/AA duplex. These structural features imply that no thermal stability or conformational benefit is obtained by incorporating a G instead of an A opposite the 3' T of the Dewar lesion. These properties may thus facilitate the preferential incorporation of an A in accordance with the A rule during translesion replication and lead to the low frequency of 3' T[right arrow]C mutations observed at this site.