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Heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA) is a 199 amino acid virulence factor at the envelope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that contributes to latent tuberculosis. The binding of HBHA to respiratory epithelial cells, which leads to extrapulmonary dissemination of the pathogen, is mediated by cell-surface heparan sulfate (HS). We report the structural characterization of the HBHA/HS complex by NMR spectroscopy. To develop a model for the molecular recognition, the first chemically synthesized uniformly 13 C- and 15 N-labeled HS octasaccharide and a uniformly 13 C- and 15 N-labeled form of HBHA were prepared. Residues 180-195 at the C-terminal region of HBHA show large chemical shift perturbation upon association with the octasaccharide. Molecular dynamics simulations conforming to the multidimensional NMR data revealed key electrostatic and even hydrophobic interactions between the binding partners that may aid in the development of agents targeting the binding event.

The rice SUB1A-1 gene, which encodes a group VII ethylene response factor (ERFVII), plays a pivotal role in rice survival under flooding stress, as well as other abiotic stresses. In Arabidopsis , five ERFVII factors play roles in regulating hypoxic responses. A characteristic feature of Arabidopsis ERFVIIs is a destabilizing N terminus, which functions as an N-degron that targets them for degradation via the oxygen-dependent N-end rule pathway of proteolysis, but permits their stabilization during hypoxia for hypoxia-responsive signaling. Despite having the canonical N-degron sequence, SUB1A-1 is not under N-end rule regulation, suggesting a distinct hypoxia signaling pathway in rice during submergence. Herein we show that two other rice ERFVIIs gene, ERF66 and ERF67 , are directly transcriptionally up-regulated by SUB1A-1 under submergence. In contrast to SUB1A-1, ERF66 and ERF67 are substrates of the N-end rule pathway that are stabilized under hypoxia and may be responsible for triggering a stronger transcriptional response to promote submergence survival. In support of this, overexpression of ERF66 or ERF67 leads to activation of anaerobic survival genes and enhanced submergence tolerance. Furthermore, by using structural and protein-interaction analyses, we show that the C terminus of SUB1A-1 prevents its degradation via the N-end rule and directly interacts with the SUB1A-1 N terminus, which may explain the enhanced stability of SUB1A-1 despite bearing an N-degron sequence. In summary, our results suggest that SUB1A-1 , ERF66 , and ERF67 form a regulatory cascade involving transcriptional and N-end rule control, which allows rice to distinguish flooding from other SUB1A-1–regulated stresses.

Calcineurin (CaN) is a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent Ser/Thr protein phosphatase, which plays essential roles in many cellular and developmental processes. CaN comprises two subunits, a catalytic subunit (CaN-A, 60 kDa) and a regulatory subunit (CaN-B, 19 kDa). CaN-A tightly binds to CaN-B in the presence of minimal levels of Ca2+, but the enzyme is inactive until activated by CaM. Upon binding to CaM, CaN then undergoes a conformational rearrangement, the auto inhibitory domain is displaced and thus allows for full activity. In order to elucidate the regulatory role of CaM in the activation processes of CaN, we used NMR spectroscopy to determine the structure of the complex of CaM and the target peptide of CaN (CaNp). The CaM/CaNp complex shows a compact ellipsoidal shape with 8 α-helices of CaM wrapping around the CaNp helix. The RMSD of backbone and heavy atoms of twenty lowest energy structures of CaM/CaNp complex are 0.66 and 1.14 Å, respectively. The structure of CaM/CaNp complex can be classified as a novel binding mode family 1–18 with major anchor residues Ile396 and Leu413 to allocate the largest space between two domains of CaM. The relative orientation of CaNp to CaM is similar to the CaMKK peptide in the 1–16 binding mode with N- and C-terminal hydrophobic anchors of target sequence engulfed in the hydrophobic pockets of the N- and C-domain of CaM, respectively. In the light of the structural model of CaM/CaNp complex reported here, we provide new insight in the activation processes of CaN by CaM. We propose that the hydrophobic interactions between the Ca2+-saturated C-domain and C-terminal half of the target sequence provide driving forces for the initial recognition. Subsequent folding in the target sequence and structural readjustments in CaM enhance the formation of the complex and affinity to calcium. The electrostatic repulsion between CaM/CaNp complex and AID may result in the displacement of AID from active site for full activity.

A cDNA encoding a cysteine protease inhibitor, cystatin was cloned from sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) seed. This clone was constructed into an expression vector and expressed in E. coli and purified to homogeneous. The recombinant sesame cystatin (SiCYS) showed effectively inhibitory activity toward C1 cysteine proteases. In order to unravel its inhibitory action from structural point of view, multidimensional heteronuclear NMR techniques were used to characterize the structure of SiCYS. The full (1)H, (15)N, and (13)C resonances of SiCYS were assigned. The secondary structure of SiCYS was identified by using the assigned chemical shifts of (1)H(α), (13)C(α), (13)C(β), and (13)CO through the consensus chemical shift index (CSI). The results of CSI analysis of SiCYS suggest eight β-strands (residues 33-46, 51-61, 63-75, 80-87, 150-155, 157-169, 172-183, and 192-195) and two α-helices (residues 16-30, and 120-135).

Calmodulin (CaM), the primary intracellular Ca(2+) receptor, regulates a large number of key enzymes and controls a wide spectrum of important biological responses. Recognition between CaM and its target sequence in rat olfactory cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel (OLFp) was investigated by circular dichroism (CD), fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopy. Fluorescence data showed the OLFp tightly bound to CaM with a dissociation constant of 12 nM in a 1:1 stoichiometry. Far-UV CD data showed that approximately 60% of OLFp residues formed α-helical structures when associated with CaM. NMR data showed that most of the (15)N-(1)H HSQC cross-peaks of the (15)N-labeled CaM not only shifted but also split into two sets of peaks upon association with the OLFp. Our data indicated that the two distinct CaM/OLFp complexes existed simultaneously with stable structures that were not interexchangeable within the NMR time scale. In light of the palindromic sequence of OLFp (FQRIVRLVGVIRDW) for CaM targeting, we proposed that the helical OLFp with C2 symmetry may bind to CaM in two orientations. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that only one set of (15)N-(1)H HSQC cross-peaks of the (15)N-labeled CaM was detected upon association with OLFp-M13 chimeric peptide (OLFMp), a mutated OLFp lacking the palindromic feature. The binding specificity of OLFMp to CaM was restored when the palindromic feature was destroyed. Binding modes of CaM/OLFp and CaM/OLFMp simulated by molecular docking were in accord with their distinct patterns observed in HSQC spectra. Our studies suggest that the palindromic residues in OLFp are crucial for the orientation-specific recognition by CaM.

Numerous biomolecules possess α-D-glucosamine as structural component. However, chemical glycosylations aimed at this backbone are usually not easily attained without generating the unwanted β-isomer. We report herein a versatile approach in affording full α-stereoselectivity built upon a carefully selected set of orthogonal protecting groups on a D-glucosaminyl donor. The excellent stereoselectivity provided by the protecting group combination was found independent of leaving groups and activators. With the trichloroacetimidate as the optimum donor leaving group, core skeletons of glycosylphosphatidyl inositol anchors, heparosan, heparan sulfate, and heparin were efficiently assembled. The orthogonal protecting groups were successfully manipulated to further carry out the total syntheses of heparosan tri- and pentasaccharides and heparin di-, tetra-, hexa-, and octasaccharide analogues. Using the heparin analogues, heparin-binding hemagglutinin, a virulence factor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, was found to bind at least six sugar units with the interaction notably being entropically driven.

Calmodulin (CaM), the primary receptor for intracellular Ca(2+), regulates a large number of key enzymes and controls a wide spectrum of important biological responses. Olfactory cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels (OLF channels) mediate olfactory transduction in olfactory receptor neurons. The opening of OLF leads to a rise in cytosolic concentration of Ca(2+), upon binding to Ca(2+), CaM disrupts the open conformation by binding to the CaM-binding domain in the N-terminal region and triggers the close mechanism. In order to unravel the regulatory role of CaM from structural point of view, NMR techniques were used to characterize the structure of CaM in association with the CaM binding domain of rat OLF channel (OLFp, 28 residues). Our data indicated that two distinct CaM/OLFp complexes existed simultaneously with stable structures that were not inter-exchangeable within the NMR time scale. Here, we report the full backbone and side chain resonance assignments of these two complexes of CaM/OLFp.

A cDNA encoding a cysteine protease inhibitor, cystatin was cloned from pineapple (Ananas comosus L.) stem. This clone was constructed into an expression vector and expressed in E. coli and purified to homogeneous. The recombinant pineapple cystatins (AcCYS) showed effectively inhibitory activity toward cysteine proteases including papain, bromelain, and cathepsin B. In order to unravel its inhibitory action from structural point of view, multidimensional heteronuclear NMR techniques were used to characterize the structure of AcCYS. The full (1)H, (15)N, and (13)C resonance assignments of AcCYS were determined. The secondary structure of AcCYS was identified by using the assigned chemical shift of (1)Hα, (13)Cα, (13)Cβ, and (13)CO through the consensus chemical shift index (CSI). The results of CSI analysis suggest 5 β-strands (residues 45-47, 84-91, 94-104, 106-117, and 123-130) and one α-helix (residues 55-73).

The structure of a recombinant pineapple cystatin (AcCYS) was determined by NMR with the RMSD of backbone and heavy atoms of twenty lowest energy structures of 0.56 and 1.11 Å, respectively. It reveals an unstructured N-terminal extension and a compact inhibitory domain comprising a four-stranded antiparallel β-sheet wrapped around a central α-helix. The three structural motifs (G(45), Q(89)XVXG, and W(120)) putatively responsible for the interaction with papain-like proteases are located in one side of AcCYS. Significant chemical shift perturbations in two loop regions, residues 45 to 48 (GIYD) and residues 89 to 91 (QVV), of AcCYS strongly suggest their involvement in the binding to papain, consistent with studies on other members of the cystatin family. However, the highly conserved W120 appears not to be involved in the binding with papain as no chemical shift perturbation was observed. Chemical shift index analysis further indicates that the length of the α-helix is shortened upon association with papain. Collectively, our data suggest that AcCYS undergoes local secondary structural rearrangements when papain is brought into close contact. A molecular model of AcCYS/papain complex is proposed to illustrate the interaction between AcCYS and papain, indicating a complete blockade of the catalytic triad by AcCYS.