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Dorothy Beckett

Publications and source records attributed to Dorothy Beckett.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Metal-linked dimerization in the iron-dependent regulator from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The iron-dependent regulator (IdeR) is a 230-amino acid transcriptional repressor that regulates iron homeostasis, oxidative stress response and virulence in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The natural ligand for IdeR is Fe(II), but Ni(II), Co(II), Cd(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) also bind to and activate the protein in vitro. Protein activation by metal is a complex process involving metal-induced folding of the N-terminal domain, changes in the interaction between the N- and C-terminal domains, and the formation of homodimers. Here, we investigate the energetics of dimerization and metal binding in IdeR. The dimerization energetics were determined as a function of metal binding using equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation. The equilibrium dimer dissociation constant of apo-IdeR was 4.0 microM at 20 degrees C. The dissociation constant decreased to 0.5 microM in the presence of one equivalent of Ni(II)Cl(2) and decreased further (K(d) << 50 nM) in the presence of excess Ni(II). IdeR contains two tryptophan residues. The addition of Ni(II) induced changes in fluorescence intensity and emission maximum of the tryptophan residues that strongly depended on protein concentration. At low IdeR concentration, fluorescence was enhanced at low metal-to-protein ratios but was quenched at high metal-to-protein ratios. At high IdeR concentration, metal binding resulted only in fluorescence quenching. The fluorescence enhancement at low protein concentrations was buffer-dependent and required the presence of both tryptophans. Metal binding affinity was measured quantitatively using equilibrium dialysis. The results showed strongly positive cooperative binding of three equivalents of metal per monomer with an average apparent dissociation constant of 2.2 +/- 0.3 microM and a Hill coefficient of 2. Metal binding was not cooperative in an IdeR variant that showed reduced affinity for dimer formation. The results of this study establish the positive cooperative nature of metal binding by IdeR and suggest that dimerization is a major contributor to cooperative binding. The strong coupling between metal binding and dimerization places specific constraints on the activation mechanism.

Amino Acid Substitution↗
PubMed2006

Nonenzymatic biotinylation of a biotin carboxyl carrier protein: unusual reactivity of the physiological target lysine.

Enzyme-catalyzed addition of biotin to proteins is highly specific. In any single organism one or a small number of proteins are biotinylated and only a single lysine on each of these proteins is modified. A detailed understanding of the structural basis for the selective biotinylation process has not yet been elucidated. Recently certain mutants of the Escherichia coli biotin protein ligase have been shown to mediate "promiscuous" biotinylation of proteins. It was suggested that the reaction involved diffusion of a reactive activated biotin intermediate, biotinoyl-5'-AMP, with nonspecific proteins. In this work the reactivity of this chemically synthesized intermediate toward the natural target of enzymatic biotinylation, the biotin carboxyl carrier protein, was investigated. The results indicate that the intermediate does, indeed, react with target protein, albeit at a significantly slower rate than the enzyme-catalyzed process. Surprisingly, analysis of the products of nonenzymatic biotinylation indicates that of five lysine residues in the protein only the physiological target side chain is modified. These results indicate that either the environment of this lysine residue or its intrinsic properties render it highly reactive to nonenzymatic biotinylation mediated by biotinoyl-5'-AMP. This reactivity may be important for its selective biotinylation in vivo.

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase↗
PubMed2006

The biotin regulatory system: kinetic control of a transcriptional switch.

An organism's response to environmental and metabolic cues requires communication between transcription regulatory processes and "other" cellular events. In a number of biological control circuits, the communication is carried out by a single multifunctional protein that participates directly in transcription initiation and in at least one other cellular process. Structural studies suggest that the function of these proteins is dictated by the formation of mutually exclusive protein-protein interactions. However, the rules that govern partner, and thus functional switching, are not known. In the Escherichia coli Biotin Regulatory System, the bifunctional protein, BirA, catalyzes post-translational biotin addition to a biotin-dependent carboxylase and binds sequence-specifically to DNA to repress transcription initiation at the biotin biosynthetic operon. Previous structural and modeling studies suggest that BirA function is determined by formation of alternative homo- and heterodimeric protein-protein interactions. In this work, the BirA functional switch is investigated using DNaseI footprinting and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Results of these measurements indicate that BirA can be selectively targeted toward its enzymatic function simply by increasing the kinetic probability of heterodimerization relative to that of homodimerization. Subsequent shifting to the DNA binding function occurs as the pool of heterodimer partner is depleted and homodimerization dominates. The data support a switching mechanism in which BirA's function is dictated by its probability of encountering a particular protein partner.

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase↗
PubMed2006

Co-repressor induced order and biotin repressor dimerization: a case for divergent followed by convergent evolution.

BirA catalyzes the adenylation and subsequent covalent attachment of biotin to the biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP). In the absence of apo-BCCP, biotin-5'-AMP acts as a co-repressor that induces BirA dimerization and binding to the bio operator to repress biotin biosynthesis. The crystal structures of apo-BirA, and BirA in complex with biotin have been reported. We here describe the 2.8A resolution crystal structure of BirA in complex with the co-repressor analog biotinol-5'-AMP. It was previously shown that the structure of apo-BirA is monomeric and that binding of biotin weakly induces a dimeric structure in which three disordered surface loops become organized to form the dimer interface. The structure of the co-repressor complex is also a dimer, clearly related to the BirA.biotin structure, but with several significant conformational changes. A hitherto disordered "adenylate binding loop" forms a well-defined structure covering the co-repressor. The co-repressor buttresses the dimer interface, resulting in improved packing and a 12 degrees change in the hinge-bending angle along the dimer interface relative to the BirA.biotin structure. This helps explain why the binding of the co-repressor is necessary to optimize the binding of BirA to the bioO operator. The structure reveals an unexpected use of the nucleotide-binding motif GXGXXG in binding adenylate and controlling the repressor function. Finally, based on structural analysis we propose that the class of adenylating enzymes represented by BirA, lipoate protein ligase and class II tRNA synthetases diverged early and were selected based on their ability to sequester co-factors or amino acid residues, and adenylation activity arose independently through functional convergence.

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase↗
PubMed2005

Use of binding enthalpy to drive an allosteric transition.

The Escherichia coli biotin repressor is an allosteric DNA binding protein and is activated by the small molecule bio-5'-AMP. Binding of this small molecule promotes transcription repression complex assembly between the repressor and the biotin operator of the biotin biosynthetic operon. The ability of the adenylate to activate the assembly process reflects its effect on biotin repressor dimerization. Thus concomitant with small molecule binding the free energy of repressor dimerization becomes more favorable by approximately -4 kcal/mol. The structural, dynamic, and energetic changes in the repressor monomer that accompany allosteric activation are not known. In this work the thermodynamics of binding of four allosteric activators to the repressor have been characterized by isothermal titration calorimetry. While binding of two of the effectors results in relatively modest activation of the dimerization process, binding of the other two small molecules, including the physiological effector, leads to large changes in repressor dimerization energetics. Results of the calorimetric measurements indicate that strong effector binding is accompanied by an enthalpically costly transition in the protein. This transition is "paid for" by the enthalpy that would have otherwise been realized from the formation of noncovalent bonds between the ligand and repressor monomer.

Allosteric Regulation↗
PubMed2005

The Escherichia coli biotin regulatory system: a transcriptional switch.

The ability of any organism to survive depends, in part, on mechanisms that enable it to modify its patterns of gene expression in response to extra- and intracellular signals. In the classical response mechanisms, a small molecule signal impinges on either an extra- or intracellular receptor, and through a series of events the signal is ultimately transmitted to transcription regulatory proteins. An alternative to this classical mechanism is provided by multi-functional transcription factors. These proteins function directly in transcription as well as in at least one additional cellular process. An example of this class of proteins includes the dimerization cofactor of hepatocyte nuclear factor (DcoH), which serves as an enzyme involved in regeneration of the tetra-hydrobiopterin cofactor and as a factor that stabilizes the dimerization of the hepatocyte nuclear transcription factor (Mendel DB, Khavari PA, Conley PB, Graves MK, Hansen LP, Admon A, et al. Characterization of a cofactor that regulates dimerization of a mammalian homeodomain protein. Science 1991;254:1762-7; Citron BA, Davis MD, Milstien S, Gutierrez J, Mendel DB, Crabtree GR. Identity of 4a-carbinolamine dehydratase, a component of the phenylalanine hydroxylation system, and DCoH, a transregulator of homeodomain proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1992;89:11891-4). Another example is the protein PutA, a redox enzyme involved in proline utilization and a regulator of transcription of the genes involved in proline utilization (Ostrovsky de Spicer P, Maloy S. Puta protein, a membrane-associated flavin dehydrogenase, acts as a redox-dependent transcriptional regulator. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1993;90:4295-8). While several proteins of this class have been identified, their mechanisms of functional switching remain to be elucidated.

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase↗
PubMed2005

Multilevel regulation of protein-protein interactions in biological circuitry.

Protein-protein interactions are central to biology and, in this 'post-genomic era', prediction of these interactions has become the goal of many computational efforts. Close inspection of even relatively simple biological regulatory circuitry reveals multiple levels of control of the contributing protein interactions. The fundamental probability that an interaction will occur under a given set of conditions is difficult to predict because the relationship between structure and energy is not known. Layered on this basic difficulty are allosteric control mechanisms involving post-translational modification or small ligand binding. In addition, many biological processes involve multiple protein-protein interactions, some of which may be cooperative or even competitive. Finally, although the emphasis in predicting protein interactions is based on equilibrium thermodynamic principles, kinetics can be a major controlling feature in these systems. This complexity reinforces the necessity of performing detailed quantitative studies of the component interactions of complex biological regulatory systems. Results of such studies will help us to bridge the gap between our knowledge of structure and our understanding of functional biology.

Allosteric Site↗
PubMed2004

Functional switches in transcription regulation; molecular mimicry and plasticity in protein-protein interactions.

The pairwise interactions in which a protein participates can dictate the functional properties of the protein. Indeed, there are many biological regulatory processes in which protein function is orchestrated via exchange of one protein partner for another. Several transcription regulatory proteins that participate in functional switching have been identified and extensively studied. In the examination of the structural basis of the switch for four of these proteins, a common theme of mutually exclusive protein-protein interactions emerges. The ability of these proteins to utilize the same surface to form alternative interactions reflects a second characteristic of these systems of molecular mimicry. Finally, in two of the systems, plasticity in adoption of secondary structure is integral to the formation of alternative protein-protein interactions. Regulation of formation of the alternative parings occurs by a range of mechanisms. In the simplest systems, the outcome of the switch reflects the relative probability of encounter of one partner versus another. Alternatively, more complex mechanisms include regulation of protein availability and compartmentalization of protein partners.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

The biotin repressor: modulation of allostery by corepressor analogs.

The Escherichia coli biotin repressor functions in biotin retention and regulation of biotin biosynthesis. Biotin retention is accomplished via the two-step biotinylation of the biotin-dependent enzyme, acetyl-CoA carboxylase. In the first step of this reaction the substrates biotin and ATP are utilized in synthesis of the activated biotin, biotinyl-5'-AMP, while in the second step this activated biotin is transferred to a unique lysine residue of the biotin carboxyl carrier protein subunit of the carboxylase. Regulation of biotin biosynthesis is accomplished through binding of the repressor to the transcription control region of the biotin biosynthetic operon. The adenylated or activated biotin functions as the corepressor in this DNA binding process. The activated biotin is a mixed anhydride and thus labile. In efforts to develop tools for structural and thermodynamic studies of the biotin regulatory interactions, two analogs of the adenylate, a sulfamoyl derivative and an ester derivative, have been synthesized and functionally characterized. Results of fluorescence measurements indicate that both analogs bind with high affinity to the repressor and that both are inactive in biotin transfer to the acceptor protein. Functional studies of their corepressor properties indicate that while the sulfamoyl is a weak allosteric activator, the ester closely mimics the physiological corepressor in activation of assembly of the transcription repression complex. Results of these studies also provide further insight into the allosteric mechanism of the biotin repressor.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗
PubMed2003

Entropic switch regulates myristate exposure in the HIV-1 matrix protein.

The myristoylated matrix protein (myr-MA) of HIV functions as a regulator of intracellular localization, targeting the Gag precursor polyprotein to lipid rafts in the plasma membrane during virus assembly and dissociating from the membrane during infectivity for nuclear targeting of the preintegration complex. Membrane release is triggered by proteolytic cleavage of Gag, and it has, until now, been believed that proteolysis induces a conformational change in myr-MA that sequesters the myristyl group. NMR studies reported here reveal that myr-MA adopts myr-exposed [myr(e)] and -sequestered [myr(s)] states, as anticipated. Unexpectedly, the tertiary structures of the protein in both states are very similar, with the sequestered myristyl group occupying a cavity that requires only minor conformational adjustments for insertion. In addition, myristate exposure is coupled with trimerization, with the myristyl group sequestered in the monomer and exposed in the trimer (K(assoc) = 2.5 +/- 0.6 x 10(8) M(-2)). The equilibrium constant is shifted approximately 20-fold toward the trimeric, myristate-exposed species in a Gag-like construct that includes the capsid domain, indicating that exposure is enhanced by Gag subdomains that promote self-association. Our findings indicate that the HIV-1 myristyl switch is regulated not by mechanically induced conformational changes, as observed for other myristyl switches, but instead by entropic modulation of a preexisting equilibrium.

Gene Products, gag↗
PubMed2003

Coupling of protein assembly and DNA binding: biotin repressor dimerization precedes biotin operator binding.

The kinetics of coupling of protein dimerization and DNA binding have been investigated in the biotin repressor system. Two repressor monomers bind to the 40 base-pair biotin operator sequence. In previous analyses of equilibrium-binding data the weak dimerization of the repressor has justified using a model in which two protein monomers bind cooperatively to the operator site. Here, rapid kinetic methods have been used to directly determine the binding mechanism. Results of rapid-mixing DNaseI footprinting measurements of association of the repressor with operator indicate that the binding process involves at least two steps. Results of measurements of the unimolecular dissociation of the complex reveal a half-life of approximately 400 seconds. Analysis of the data using a combination of simulation and global non-linear least-squares analysis provides support for a binding model in which a preformed repressor dimer associates with the biotin operator. This kinetic model is consistent with the previously proposed model for regulation of the functional switch in the repressor from enzyme to site-specific DNA-binding protein.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2002

The biotin repressor: thermodynamic coupling of corepressor binding, protein assembly, and sequence-specific DNA binding.

The Escherichia coli biotin repressor, an allosteric transcriptional regulator, is activated for binding to the biotin operator by the small molecule biotinyl-5'-AMP. Results of combined thermodynamic, kinetic, and structural studies of the protein have revealed that corepressor binding results in disorder to order transitions in the protein monomer that facilitate tighter dimerization. The enhanced stability of the dimer leads to stabilization of the resulting biotin repressor-biotin operator complex. It is not clear, however, that the allosteric response in the system is transmitted solely through the protein-protein interface. In this work, the allosteric mechanism has been quantitatively probed by measuring the biotin operator binding and dimerization properties of three biotin repressor species: the apo or unliganded form, the biotin-bound form, and the holo or bio-5'-AMP-bound form. Comparisons of the pairwise differences in the bioO binding and dimerization energetics for the apo and holo species reveal that the enhanced DNA binding energetics resulting from adenylate binding track closely with the enhanced assembly energetics. However, when the results for repressor pairs that include the biotin-bound species are compared, no such equivalence is observed.

Allosteric Site↗
PubMed2002

Binding specificity and the ligand dissociation process in the E. coli biotin holoenzyme synthetase.

The binding of the Escherichia coli biotin holoenzyme synthetase to the two ligands, biotin and bio-5'-AMP, is coupled to disorder-to-order transitions in the protein. In the structure of the biotin complex, a "glycine-rich" loop that is disordered in the apo-enzyme is folded over the ligand. Mutations in three residues in this loop result in significant changes in the affinity of the enzyme for both biotin and bio-5'-AMP. The kinetic basis of these losses in the affinity resides primarily in changes in the unimolecular rates of dissociation of the complexes. In this work, isothermal titration calorimetry has been employed to examine the detailed thermodynamics of binding of three loop mutants to biotin and bio-5'-AMP. The energetic features of dissociation of the protein*ligand complexes also have been probed by measuring the temperature dependencies of the unimolecular dissociation rates. Analysis of the data using the Eyring formalism yielded entropic and enthalpic contributions to the energetic barrier to dissociation. The thermodynamic results coupled with the known structures of the apo-enzyme and biotin complex have been used to formulate a model for progression from the ground-state complex to the transition state in biotin dissociation. In this model, the transition-state is characterized by both partial disruption of noncovalent bonds and acquisition of some of the disorder that characterizes the glycine-rich loop in the absence of ligand.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗