Biomedical subjects

Wolfram Welte

Publications and source records attributed to Wolfram Welte.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Crystal structure of the sugar binding domain of the archaeal transcriptional regulator TrmB.

TrmB is an alpha-glucoside-sensing transcriptional regulator controlling two operons encoding maltose/trehalose and maltodextrin ABC transporters of Pyrococcus furiosus. The crystal structure of an N-terminal truncated derivative of TrmB (amino acids 2-109 deleted; TrmB(delta2-109)) was solved at 1.5 A resolution. This protein has lost its DNA binding domain but has retained its sugar recognition site. The structure represents a novel sugar-binding fold. TrmB(delta2-109) bound maltose, glucose, sucrose, and maltotriose, exhibiting Kd values of 6.8, 25, 34, and 160 microM, respectively. TrmB(delta2-109) behaved as a monomer in dilute buffer solution in contrast to the full-length protein, which is a dimer. Co-crystallization with bound maltose identified a binding site involving seven amino acid residues: Ser229, Asn305, Gly320, Met321, Val324, Ile325, and Glu326. Six of these residues interact with the nonreducing glucosyl residue of maltose. The nonreducing glucosyl residue is shared by all substrates bound to TrmB, suggesting it as a common recognition motif.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

PubMed2006

Molecular determinants for substrate specificity of the ligand-binding protein OpuAC from Bacillus subtilis for the compatible solutes glycine betaine and proline betaine.

Compatible solutes play a decisive role in the defense of microorganisms against changes in temperature and increases in osmolarity in their natural habitats. In Bacillus subtilis, the substrate-binding protein (SBP)-dependent ABC-transporter OpuA serves for the uptake of the compatible solutes glycine betaine (GB) and proline betaine (PB). Here, we report the determinants of compatible solute binding by OpuAC, the SBP of the OpuA transporter, by equilibrium binding studies and X-ray crystallography. The affinity of OpuAC/GB and OpuAC/PB complexes were analyzed by intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence and the K(D) values were determined to be 17(+/-1)microM for GB and 295(+/-27)microM for PB, respectively. The structures of OpuAC in complex with GB or PB were solved at 2.0 A and 2.8 A, respectively, and show an SBP-typical class II fold. The ligand-binding pocket is formed by three tryptophan residues arranged in a prism-like geometry suitable to coordinate the positive charge of the trimethyl ammonium group of GB and the dimethyl ammonium group of PB by cation-pi interactions and by hydrogen bonds with the carboxylate moiety of the ligand. Structural differences between the OpuAC/GB and OpuAC/PB complexes occur within the ligand-binding pocket as well as across the domain-domain interface. These differences provide a structural framework to explain the drastic differences in affinity of the OpuAC/GB and OpuAC/PB complexes. A sequence comparison with putative SBP specific for compatible solutes reveals the presence of three distinct families for which the crystal structure of OpuAC might serve as a suitable template to predict the structures of these putative compatible solute-binding proteins.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMed2005

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the outer membrane complex HasA-HasR from Serratia marcescens.

Serratia marcescens is able to acquire iron using its haem-acquisition system (;has'), which contains an outer membrane receptor HasR and a soluble haemophore HasA. After secretion, HasA binds free haem in the extracellular medium or extracts it from haemoproteins and delivers it to the receptor. Here, the crystallization of a HasA-HasR complex is reported. HasA and HasR have been overexpressed in Escherichia coli and the complex formed and crystallized. Small platelets and bunches of needles of dimensions 0.01 x 0.1 x 1 mm were obtained. A native data set has been collected to 6.8 A.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

The major outer membrane protein of Fusobacterium nucleatum (FomA) folds and inserts into lipid bilayers via parallel folding pathways.

Membrane protein insertion and folding was studied for the major outer membrane protein of Fusobacterium nucleatum (FomA), which is a voltage-dependent general diffusion porin. The transmembrane domain of FomA forms a beta-barrel that is predicted to consist of 14 beta-strands. Here, unfolded FomA is shown to insert and fold spontaneously and quantitatively into phospholipid bilayers upon dilution of the denaturant urea, which was shown previously only for outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of Escherichia coli. Folding of FomA is demonstrated by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and by single-channel recordings. Refolded FomA had a single-channel conductance of 1.1 nS at 1 M KCl, in agreement with the conductance of FomA isolated from membranes in native form. In contrast to OmpA, which forms a smaller eight-stranded beta-barrel domain, folding kinetics of the larger FomA were slower and provided evidence for parallel folding pathways of FomA into lipid bilayers. Two pathways were observed independent of membrane thickness with two different lipid bilayers, which were either composed of dicapryl phosphatidylcholine or dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine. This is the first observation of parallel membrane insertion and folding pathways of a beta-barrel membrane protein from an unfolded state in urea into lipid bilayers. The kinetics of both folding pathways depended on the chain length of the lipid and on temperature with estimated activation energies of 19 kJ/mol (dicapryl phosphatidylcholine) and 70 kJ/mol (dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine) for the faster pathways.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗

PubMed2005

The crystal structure of Mlc, a global regulator of sugar metabolism in Escherichia coli.

Mlc from Escherichia coli is a transcriptional repressor controlling the expression of a number of genes encoding enzymes of the phosphotransferase system (PTS), including ptsG and manXYZ, the specific enzyme II for glucose and mannose PTS transporters. In addition, Mlc controls the transcription of malT, the gene of the global activator of the mal regulon. The inactivation of Mlc as a repressor is mediated by binding to an actively transporting PtsG (EIICB(Glc)). Here we report the crystal structure of Mlc at 2.7 A resolution representing the first described structure of an ROK (repressors, open reading frames, and kinases) family protein. Mlc forms stable dimers thus explaining its binding affinity to palindromic operator sites. The N-terminal helix-turn-helix domain of Mlc is stabilized by the amphipathic C-terminal helix implicated earlier in EIICB(Glc) binding. Furthermore, the structure revealed a metal-binding site within the cysteine-rich ROK consensus motif that coordinates a structurally important zinc ion. A strongly reduced repressor activity was observed when two of the zinc-coordinating cysteine residues were exchanged against serine or alanine, demonstrating the role of zinc in Mlc-mediated repressor function. The structures of a putative fructokinase from Bacillus subtilis, the glucokinase from Escherichia coli, and a glucomannokinase from Arthrobacter sp. showed high structural homology to the ROK family part of Mlc.

Alanine↗

PubMed2005

Structure of the rotor ring of F-Type Na+-ATPase from Ilyobacter tartaricus.

In the crystal structure of the membrane-embedded rotor ring of the sodium ion-translocating adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) synthase of Ilyobacter tartaricus at 2.4 angstrom resolution, 11 c subunits are assembled into an hourglass-shaped cylinder with 11-fold symmetry. Sodium ions are bound in a locked conformation close to the outer surface of the cylinder near the middle of the membrane. The structure supports an ion-translocation mechanism in the intact ATP synthase in which the binding site converts from the locked conformation into one that opens toward subunit a as the rotor ring moves through the subunit a/c interface.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed2005

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Mlc from Escherichia coli.

Mlc is a prokaryotic transcriptional repressor controlling the expression of a number of genes encoding enzymes of the Escherichia coli phosphotransferase system (PTS), ptsG and manXYZ, the specific enzyme II for glucose and mannose PTS transporters, as well as malT, the gene of the global activator of the mal regulon. The mlc gene has been cloned into a pQE vector and recombinant protein with the point mutation R52H was expressed and purified as the selenomethionine-labelled derivative. Crystallization of SeMet-Mlc R52H was carried out using the vapour-diffusion method. The crystals belong to the monoclinic space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 235.95, b = 74.71, c = 154.95 A, beta = 129.15 degrees, and diffract to 2.9 A resolution.

Cloning, Molecular↗

PubMed2004

Crystal structure of a 92-residue C-terminal fragment of TonB from Escherichia coli reveals significant conformational changes compared to structures of smaller TonB fragments.

Uptake of siderophores and vitamin B(12) through the outer membrane of Escherichia coli is effected by an active transport system consisting of several outer membrane receptors and a protein complex of the inner membrane. The link between these is TonB, a protein associated with the cytoplasmic membrane, which forms a large periplasmic domain capable of interacting with several outer membrane receptors, e.g. FhuA, FecA, and FepA for siderophores and BtuB for vitamin B(12.) The active transport across the outer membrane is driven by the chemiosmotic gradient of the inner membrane and is mediated by the TonB protein. The receptor-binding domain of TonB appears to be formed by a highly conserved C-terminal amino acid sequence of approximately 100 residues. Crystal structures of two C-terminal TonB fragments composed of 85 (TonB-85) and 77 (TonB-77) amino acid residues, respectively, have been previously determined (Chang, C., Mooser, A., Pluckthun, A., and Wlodawer, A. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 27535-27540 and Koedding, J., Howard, S. P., Kaufmann, L., Polzer, P., Lustig, A., and Welte, W. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 9978-9986). In both cases the TonB fragments form dimers in solution and crystallize as dimers consisting of monomers tightly engaged with one another by the exchange of a beta-hairpin and a C-terminal beta-strand. Here we present the crystal structure of a 92-residue fragment of TonB (TonB-92), which is monomeric in solution. The structure, determined at 1.13-A resolution, shows a dimer with considerably reduced intermolecular interaction compared with the other known TonB structures, in particular lacking the beta-hairpin exchange.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Structural basis for the binding of compatible solutes by ProX from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus.

Compatible solutes such as glycine betaine and proline betaine serve as protein stabilizers because of their preferential exclusion from protein surfaces. To use extracellular sources of this class of compounds as osmo-, cryo-, or thermoprotectants, Bacteria and Archaea have developed high affinity uptake systems of the ATP-binding cassette type. These transport systems require periplasmic- or extracellular-binding proteins that are able to bind the transported substance with high affinity. Therefore, binding proteins that bind compatible solutes have to avoid the exclusion of their ligands within the binding pocket. In the present study we addressed the question to how compatible solutes can be effectively bound by a protein at temperatures around 83 degrees C as this is done by the ligand-binding protein ProX from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus. We solved the structures of ProX without ligand and in complex with both of its natural ligands glycine betaine and proline betaine, as well as in complex with the artificial ligand trimethylammonium. Cation-pi interactions and non-classical hydrogen bonds between four tyrosine residues, a main chain carbonyl oxygen, and the ligand have been identified to be the key determinants in binding the quaternary amines of the three investigated ligands. The comparison of the ligand binding sites of ProX from A. fulgidus and the recently solved structure of ProX from Escherichia coli revealed a very similar solution for the problem of compatible solute binding, although both proteins share only a low degree of sequence identity. The residues involved in ligand binding are functionally equivalent but not conserved in the primary sequence.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a C-terminal TonB fragment from Escherichia coli.

The TonB protein located in the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria mediates the proton motive force from the cytoplasmic membrane to specific outer membrane transporters. A C-terminal fragment of TonB from Escherichia coli consisting of amino-acid residues 147-239 (TonB-92) has been purified and crystallized. Crystals grew in space group P2(1) to dimensions of about 1.0 x 0.12 x 0.12 mm. A native data set has been obtained to 1.09 A resolution.

Crystallization↗

PubMed2004

Structure-function correlation in glycine oxidase from Bacillus subtilis.

Structure-function relationships of the flavoprotein glycine oxidase (GO), which was recently proposed as the first enzyme in the biosynthesis of thiamine in Bacillus subtilis, has been investigated by a combination of structural and functional studies. The structure of the GO-glycolate complex was determined at 1.8 A, a resolution at which a sketch of the residues involved in FAD binding and in substrate interaction can be depicted. GO can be considered a member of the "amine oxidase" class of flavoproteins, such as d-amino acid oxidase and monomeric sarcosine oxidase. With the obtained model of GO the monomer-monomer interactions can be analyzed in detail, thus explaining the structural basis of the stable tetrameric oligomerization state of GO, which is unique for the GR(2) subfamily of flavooxidases. On the other hand, the three-dimensional structure of GO and the functional experiments do not provide the functional significance of such an oligomerization state; GO does not show an allosteric behavior. The results do not clarify the metabolic role of this enzyme in B. subtilis; the broad substrate specificity of GO cannot be correlated with the inferred function in thiamine biosynthesis, and the structure does not show how GO could interact with ThiS, the following enzyme in thiamine biosynthesis. However, they do let a general catabolic role of this enzyme on primary or secondary amines to be excluded because the expression of GO is not inducible by glycine, sarcosine, or d-alanine as carbon or nitrogen sources.

Alcohols↗

PubMed2004

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Aes, an acetyl-esterase from Escherichia coli.

Aes belongs to the family of hormone-sensitive lipases and has acetyl-esterase activity. It is also known to control maltose uptake through interaction with MalT, the central regulator of the Escherichia coli maltose system. Aes was crystallized as an N-terminally His(6)-tagged protein both in the native form and with selenomethionine substitution. Crystals grew in both cases in space group R32 to dimensions of about 0.2 x 0.15 x 0.05 mm (native His(6)-Aes) and about 0.5 x 0.3 x 0.1 mm (SeMet-His(6)-Aes). A native data set has been obtained at 2.4 A resolution; the selenomethionine-substituted Aes crystals diffracted to 3.0 A resolution.

Acetylesterase↗

PubMed2004

X-ray structures of the maltose-maltodextrin-binding protein of the thermoacidophilic bacterium Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius provide insight into acid stability of proteins.

Maltose-binding proteins act as primary receptors in bacterial transport and chemotaxis systems. We report here crystal structures of the thermoacidostable maltose-binding protein from Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius, and explore its modes of binding to maltose and maltotriose. Further, comparison with the structures of related proteins from Escherichia coli (a mesophile), and two hyperthermophiles (Pyrococcus furiosus and Thermococcus litoralis) allows an investigation of the basis of thermo- and acidostability in this family of proteins.The thermoacidophilic protein has fewer charged residues than the other three structures, which is compensated by an increase in the number of polar residues. Although the content of acidic and basic residues is approximately equal, more basic residues are exposed on its surface whereas most acidic residues are buried in the interior. As a consequence, this protein has a highly positive surface charge. Fewer salt bridges are buried than in the other MBP structures, but the number exposed on its surface does not appear to be unusual. These features appear to be correlated with the acidostability of the A. acidocaldarius protein rather than its thermostability. An analysis of cavities within the proteins shows that the extremophile proteins are more closely packed than the mesophilic one. Proline content is slightly higher in the hyperthermophiles and thermoacidophiles than in mesophiles, and this amino acid is more common at the second position of beta-turns, properties that are also probably related to thermostability. Secondary structural content does not vary greatly in the different structures, and so is not a contributing factor.

Acids↗

PubMed2004

Structure and assembly of the pseudopilin PulG.

The pseudopilin PulG is one of several essential components of the type II pullulanase secretion machinery (the Pul secreton) of the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca. The sequence of the N-terminal 25 amino acids of the PulG precursor is hydrophobic and very similar to the corresponding region of type IV pilins. The structure of a truncated PulG (lacking the homologous region), as determined by X-ray crystallography, was found to include part of the long N-terminal alpha-helix and the four internal anti-parallel beta-strands that characterize type IV pilins, but PulG lacks the highly variable loop region with a disulphide bond that is found in the latter. When overproduced, PulG forms flexible pili whose structural features, as visualized by electron microscopy, are similar to those of bacterial type IV pili. The average helical repeat comprises 17 PulG subunits and four helical turns. Electron microscopy and molecular modelling show that PulG probably assembles into left-handed helical pili with the long N-terminal alpha-helix tightly packed in the centre of the pilus. As in the type IV pilins, the hydrophobic N-terminal part of the PulG alpha-helix is necessary for its assembly. Subtle sequence variations within this highly conserved segment seem to determine whether or not a type IV pilin can be assembled into pili by the Pul secreton.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2003

Dimerization of TonB is not essential for its binding to the outer membrane siderophore receptor FhuA of Escherichia coli.

FhuA belongs to a family of specific siderophore transport systems located in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli. The energy required for the transport process is provided by the proton motive force of the cytoplasmic membrane and is transmitted to FhuA by the protein TonB. Although the structure of full-length TonB is not known, the structure of the last 77 residues of a fragment composed of the 86 C-terminal amino acids was recently solved and shows an intertwined dimer (Chang, C., Mooser, A., Pluckthun, A., and Wlodawer, A. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 27535-27540). We analyzed the ability of truncated C-terminal TonB fragments of different lengths (77, 86, 96, 106, 116, and 126 amino acid residues, respectively) to bind to the receptor FhuA. Only the shortest TonB fragment, TonB-77, could not effectively interact with FhuA. We have also observed that the fragments TonB-77 and TonB-86 form homodimers in solution, whereas the longer fragments remain monomeric. TonB fragments that bind to FhuA in vitro also inhibit ferrichrome uptake via FhuA in vivo and protect cells against attack by bacteriophage Phi80.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Cation-pi interactions as determinants for binding of the compatible solutes glycine betaine and proline betaine by the periplasmic ligand-binding protein ProX from Escherichia coli.

Compatible solutes such as glycine betaine and proline betaine are accumulated to exceedingly high intracellular levels by many organisms in response to high osmolarity to offset the loss of cell water. They are excluded from the immediate hydration shell of proteins and thereby stabilize their native structure. Despite their exclusion from protein surfaces, the periplasmic ligand-binding protein ProX from the Escherichia coli ATP-binding cassette transport system ProU binds the compatible solutes glycine betaine and proline betaine with high affinity and specificity. To understand the mechanism of compatible solute binding, we determined the high resolution structure of ProX in complex with its ligands glycine betaine and proline betaine. This crystallographic study revealed that cation-pi interactions between the positive charge of the quaternary amine of the ligands and three tryptophan residues forming a rectangular aromatic box are the key determinants of the high affinity binding of compatible solutes by ProX. The structural analysis was combined with site-directed mutagenesis of the ligand binding pocket to estimate the contributions of the tryptophan residues involved in binding.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

PubMed2003

Structure and interactions of NCAM Ig1-2-3 suggest a novel zipper mechanism for homophilic adhesion.

The neural cell adhesion molecule, NCAM, mediates Ca(2+)-independent cell-cell and cell-substratum adhesion via homophilic (NCAM-NCAM) and heterophilic (NCAM-non-NCAM molecules) binding. NCAM plays a key role in neural development, regeneration, and synaptic plasticity, including learning and memory consolidation. The crystal structure of a fragment comprising the three N-terminal Ig modules of rat NCAM has been determined to 2.0 A resolution. Based on crystallographic data and biological experiments we present a novel model for NCAM homophilic binding. The Ig1 and Ig2 modules mediate dimerization of NCAM molecules situated on the same cell surface (cis interactions), whereas the Ig3 module mediates interactions between NCAM molecules expressed on the surface of opposing cells (trans interactions) through simultaneous binding to the Ig1 and Ig2 modules. This arrangement results in two perpendicular zippers forming a double zipper-like NCAM adhesion complex.

Antibodies↗

PubMed2002

Yeast D-amino acid oxidase: structural basis of its catalytic properties.

The 3D structure of the flavoprotein D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) from the yeast Rhodotorula gracilis (RgDAAO) in complex with the competitive inhibitor anthranilate was solved (resolution 1.9A) and structural features relevant for the overall conformation and for catalytic activity are described. The FAD is bound in an elongated conformation in the core of the enzyme. Two anthranilate molecules are found within the active site cavity; one is located in a funnel forming the entrance, and the second is in contact with the flavin. The anchoring of the ligand carboxylate with Arg285 and Tyr223 is found for all complexes studied. However, while the active site group Tyr238-OH interacts with the carboxylate in the case of the substrate D-alanine, of D-CF(3)-alanine, or of L-lactate, in the anthranilate complex the phenol group rotates around the C2-C3 bond thus opening the entrance of the active site, and interacts there with the second bound anthranilate. This movement serves in channeling substrate to the bottom of the active site, the locus of chemical catalysis. The absence in RgDAAO of the "lid" covering the active site, as found in mammalian DAAO, is interpreted as being at the origin of the differences in kinetic mechanism between the two enzymes. This lid has been proposed to regulate product dissociation in the latter, while the side-chain of Tyr238 might exert a similar role in RgDAAO. The more open active site architecture of RgDAAO is the origin of its much broader substrate specificity. The RgDAAO enzyme forms a homodimer with C2 symmetry that is different from that reported for mammalian D-amino acid oxidase. This different mode of aggregation probably causes the differences in stability and tightness of FAD cofactor binding between the DAAOs from different sources.

Catalytic Domain↗