scholarly journals Guanidinium chloride denaturation of the dimeric Bacillus licheniformis BlaI repressor highlights an independent domain unfolding pathway

2004 ◽  
Vol 384 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christelle VREULS ◽  
Patrice FILÉE ◽  
Hélène VAN MELCKEBEKE ◽  
Tony AERTS ◽  
Peter DE DEYN ◽  
...  

The Bacillus licheniformis 749/I BlaI repressor is a prokaryotic regulator that, in the absence of a β-lactam antibiotic, prevents the transcription of the blaP gene, which encodes the BlaP β-lactamase. The BlaI repressor is composed of two structural domains. The 82-residue NTD (N-terminal domain) is a DNA-binding domain, and the CTD (C-terminal domain) containing the next 46 residues is a dimerization domain. Recent studies have shown the existence of the monomeric, dimeric and tetrameric forms of BlaI in solution. In the present study, we analyse the equilibrium unfolding of BlaI in the presence of GdmCl (guanidinium chloride) using different techniques: intrinsic and ANS (8-anilinonaphthalene-l-sulphonic acid) fluorescence, far- and near-UV CD spectroscopy, cross-linking, analytical ultracentrifugation, size exclusion chromatography and NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the intact NTD and CTD were purified after proteolysis of BlaI by papain, and their unfolding by GdmCl was also studied. GdmCl-induced equilibrium unfolding was shown to be fully reversible for BlaI and for the two isolated fragments. The results demonstrate that the NTD and CTD of BlaI fold/unfold independently in a four-step process, with no significant co-operative interactions between them. During the first step, the unfolding of the BlaI CTD occurs, followed in the second step by the formation of an ‘ANS-bound’ intermediate state. Cross-linking and analytical ultracentrifugation experiments suggest that the dissociation of the dimer into two partially unfolded monomers takes place in the third step. Finally, the unfolding of the BlaI NTD occurs at a GdmCl concentration of approx. 4 M. In summary, it is shown that the BlaI CTD is structured, more flexible and less stable than the NTD upon GdmCl denaturation. These results contribute to the characterization of the BlaI dimerization domain (i.e. CTD) involved in the induction process.

Toxins ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maike Krause ◽  
Katharina Sessler ◽  
Anna Kaziales ◽  
Richard Grahl ◽  
Sabrina Noettger ◽  
...  

The subtilase cytotoxin (SubAB) of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a member of the AB5 toxin family. In the current study, we analyzed the formation of active homo- and hetero-complexes of SubAB variants in vitro to characterize the mode of assembly of the subunits. Recombinant SubA1-His, SubB1-His, SubA2-2-His, and SubB2-2-His subunits, and His-tag-free SubA2-2 were separately expressed, purified, and biochemically characterized by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), and analytical ultracentrifugation (aUC). To confirm their biological activity, cytotoxicity assays were performed with HeLa cells. The formation of AB5 complexes was investigated with aUC and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Binding of SubAB2-2-His to HeLa cells was characterized with flow cytometry (FACS). Cytotoxicity experiments revealed that the analyzed recombinant subtilase subunits were biochemically functional and capable of intoxicating HeLa cells. Inhibition of cytotoxicity by Brefeldin A demonstrated that the cleavage is specific. All His-tagged subunits, as well as the non-tagged SubA2-2 subunit, showed the expected secondary structural compositions and oligomerization. Whereas SubAB1-His complexes could be reconstituted in solution, and revealed a Kd value of 3.9 ± 0.8 μmol/L in the lower micromolar range, only transient interactions were observed for the subunits of SubAB2-2-His in solution, which did not result in any binding constant when analyzed with ITC. Additional studies on the binding characteristics of SubAB2-2-His on HeLa cells revealed that the formation of transient complexes improved binding to the target cells. Conclusively, we hypothesize that SubAB variants exhibit different characteristics in their binding behavior to their target cells.


2002 ◽  
Vol 364 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bao-Yuan LU ◽  
Jui-Yoa CHANG

A polymerized form of recombinant mouse prion protein (mPrP) domain 23–231 [mPrP-(23–231)], designated mPrP-z, was generated at acidic pH (pH 2–5) in the presence of selected concentrations of denaturant (2M guanidinium chloride or 5M urea). This isoform of mPrP is stable in acidic solution after removal of denaturant. It can be isolated and purified using reversed-phase HPLC or size-exclusion HPLC. mPrP-z bears structural properties that partially resemble those of scrapie prion. Unlike the native mPrP-(23–231) (mPrP-N), mPrP-z exhibits a high content of β-sheet structure, as shown by CD spectroscopy, and exists as an oligomer with an approximate molecular mass of 340000Da, as measured by light scattering. However, similarly to mPrP-N, mPrP-z contains the intact disulphide bond and is sensitive to digestion by proteinase K.


2006 ◽  
Vol 387 (5) ◽  
pp. 525-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anshul Bhardwaj ◽  
Karin Welfle ◽  
Rolf Misselwitz ◽  
Silvia Ayora ◽  
Juan C. Alonso ◽  
...  

Abstract Solution properties of β recombinase were studied by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, analytical ultracentrifugation, denaturant-induced unfolding and thermal unfolding experiments. In high ionic strength buffer (1 M NaCl) β recombinase forms mainly dimers, and strongly tends to aggregate at ionic strength lower than 0.3 M NaCl. Urea and guanidinium chloride denaturants unfold β recombinase in a two-step process. The unfolding curves have bends at approximately 5 M and 2.2 M in urea and guanidinium chloride-containing buffers. Assuming a three-state unfolding model (N2→2I→2U), the total free energy change from 1 mol of native dimers to 2 mol of unfolded monomers amounts to ΔG tot=17.9 kcal/mol, with ΔG N2→2I=4.2 kcal/mol for the first transition and ΔG I→U=6.9 kcal/mol for the second transition. Using sedimentation-equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation, the presence of β recombinase monomers was indicated at 5 M urea, and the urea dependence of the circular dichroism at 222 nm strongly suggests that folded monomers represent the unfolding intermediate.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Schmauder ◽  
Eva Absmeier ◽  
Alexander Bepperling ◽  
Katalin Barkovits ◽  
Katrin Marcus ◽  
...  

AbstractThe molecular chaperones Hsc70 and Hsp90 are required for proteostasis control and specific folding of client proteins in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. Especially in eukaryotes these ATP-driven molecular chaperones are interacting with cofactors that specify the client spectrum and coordinate the ATPase cycles. Here we find that a Hsc70-cofactor of the Hsp40 family from nematodes, DNJ-13, directly interacts with the kinase-specific Hsp90-cofactor CDC-37. The interaction is specific for DNJ-13, while DNJ-12 another DnaJ-like protein of C. elegans, does not bind to CDC-37 in a similar manner. Analytical ultracentrifugation is employed to show that one CDC-37 molecule binds to a dimeric DNJ-13 protein with low micromolar affinity. We perform cross-linking studies with mass spectrometry to identify the interaction site and obtain specific cross-links connecting the N-terminal J-domain of DNJ-13 with the N-terminal domain of CDC-37. Further AUC experiments reveal that both, the N-terminal part of CDC-37 and the C-terminal domain of CDC-37, are required for efficient interaction. Furthermore, the presence of DNJ-13 strengthens the complex formation between CDC-37 and HSP-90 and modulates the nucleotide-dependent effects. These findings on the interaction between Hsp40 proteins and Hsp90-cofactors provide evidence for a more intricate interaction between the two chaperone systems during client processing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orla M. Dunne ◽  
Xin Gao ◽  
Ruodan Nan ◽  
Jayesh Gor ◽  
Penelope J. Adamson ◽  
...  

Complement Factor H (CFH), with 20 short complement regulator (SCR) domains, regulates the alternative pathway of complement in part through the interaction of its C-terminal SCR-19 and SCR-20 domains with host cell-bound C3b and anionic oligosaccharides. In solution, CFH forms small amounts of oligomers, with one of its self-association sites being in the SCR-16/20 domains. In order to correlate CFH function with dimer formation and the occurrence of rare disease-associated variants in SCR-16/20, we identified the dimerization site in SCR-16/20. For this, we expressed, in Pichia pastoris, the five domains in SCR-16/20 and six fragments of this with one-three domains (SCR-19/20, SCR-18/20, SCR-17/18, SCR-16/18, SCR-17 and SCR-18). Size-exclusion chromatography suggested that SCR dimer formation occurred in several fragments. Dimer formation was clarified using analytical ultracentrifugation, where quantitative c(s) size distribution analyses showed that SCR-19/20 was monomeric, SCR-18/20 was slightly dimeric, SCR-16/20, SCR-16/18 and SCR-18 showed more dimer formation, and SCR-17 and SCR-17/18 were primarily dimeric with dissociation constants of ~5 µM. The combination of these results located the SCR-16/20 dimerization site at SCR-17 and SCR-18. X-ray solution scattering experiments and molecular modelling fits confirmed the dimer site to be at SCR-17/18, this dimer being a side-by-side association of the two domains. We propose that the self-association of CFH at SCR-17/18 enables higher concentrations of CFH to be achieved when SCR-19/20 are bound to host cell surfaces in order to protect these better during inflammation. Dimer formation at SCR-17/18 clarified the association of genetic variants throughout SCR-16/20 with renal disease.


1991 ◽  
Vol 277 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Z Ma ◽  
C L Tsou

The inactivation and unfolding of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) during denaturation by guanidinium chloride (GuHCl) under diverse conditions have been compared. Unfolding of the native conformation, as monitored by fluorescence and c.d. measurements, occurs in two stages with increasing GuHCl concentrations, and the inactivation approximately coincides with, but slightly precedes, the first stage of unfolding. The enzyme is inhibited to about 60-70% of its original activity by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde or in the presence of 1 M-(NH4)2SO4, with its conformation stabilized as shown by the requirement for higher GuHCl concentrations to bring about both inactivation and unfolding. Low concentrations of GuHCl (0.2-0.4 M) activate the cross-linked and the (NH4)2SO4-inhibited enzyme back to the level of the native enzyme. For the enzyme stabilized by (NH4)2SO4 or by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde, inactivation occurs at a markedly lower GuHCl concentration than that required to bring about its first stage of unfolding. It is concluded that the active site of LDH is situated in a limited region relatively fragile in conformation as compared with the molecule as a whole. The GuHCl activation of LDH stabilized in (NH4)2SO4 or by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde suggests that this fragility and consequently flexibility of the active site is required for its catalytic activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 510-521
Author(s):  
Manoj Kumar Rajak ◽  
Sonika Bhatnagar ◽  
Shubhant Pandey ◽  
Sunil Kumar ◽  
Shalini Verma ◽  
...  

Biotin protein ligase catalyses the post-translational modification of biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP) domains, a modification that is crucial for the function of several carboxylases. It is a two-step process that results in the covalent attachment of biotin to the ɛ-amino group of a conserved lysine of the BCCP domain of a carboxylase in an ATP-dependent manner. In Leishmania, three mitochondrial enzymes, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase and propionyl-CoA carboxylase, depend on biotinylation for activity. In view of the indispensable role of the biotinylating enzyme in the activation of these carboxylases, crystal structures of L. major biotin protein ligase complexed with biotin and with biotinyl-5′-AMP have been solved. L. major biotin protein ligase crystallizes as a unique dimer formed by cross-handshake interactions of the hinge region of the two monomers formed by partial unfolding of the C-terminal domain. Interestingly, the substrate (BCCP domain)-binding site of each monomer is occupied by its own C-terminal domain in the dimer structure. This was observed in all of the crystals that were obtained, suggesting a closed/inactive conformation of the enzyme. Size-exclusion chromatography studies carried out using high protein concentrations (0.5 mM) suggest the formation of a concentration-dependent dimer that exists in equilibrium with the monomer.


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