Structure and Function of the First Full-Length Murein Peptide Ligase (Mpl) Cell Wall Recycling Protein

Bacterial cell walls contain peptidoglycan, an essential polymer made by enzymes in the Mur pathway. These proteins are specific to bacteria, which make them targets for drug discovery. MurC, MurD, MurE and MurF catalyze the synthesis of the peptidoglycan precursor UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-γ-D-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelyl-D-alanyl-D-alanine by the sequential addition of amino acids onto UDP-N-acetylmuramic acid (UDP-MurNAc). MurC-F enzymes have been extensively studied by biochemistry and X-ray crystallography. In Gram-negative bacteria, ∼30–60% of the bacterial cell wall is recycled during each generation. Part of this recycling process involves the murein peptide ligase (Mpl), which attaches the breakdown product, the tripeptide L-alanyl-γ-D-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelate, to UDP-MurNAc. We present the crystal structure at 1.65 Å resolution of a full-length Mpl from the permafrost bacterium Psychrobacter arcticus 273-4 (PaMpl). Although the Mpl structure has similarities to Mur enzymes, it has unique sequence and structure features that are likely related to its role in cell wall recycling, a function that differentiates it from the MurC-F enzymes. We have analyzed the sequence-structure relationships that are unique to Mpl proteins and compared them to MurC-F ligases. We have also characterized the biochemical properties of this enzyme (optimal temperature, pH and magnesium binding profiles and kinetic parameters). Although the structure does not contain any bound substrates, we have identified ∼30 residues that are likely to be important for recognition of the tripeptide and UDP-MurNAc substrates, as well as features that are unique to Psychrobacter Mpl proteins. These results provide the basis for future mutational studies for more extensive function characterization of the Mpl sequence-structure relationships

Identification and in vitro Analysis of the GatD/MurT Enzyme-Complex Catalyzing Lipid II Amidation in Staphylococcus aureus

The peptidoglycan of Staphylococcus aureus is characterized by a high degree of crosslinking and almost completely lacks free carboxyl groups, due to amidation of the D-glutamic acid in the stem peptide. Amidation of peptidoglycan has been proposed to play a decisive role in polymerization of cell wall building blocks, correlating with the crosslinking of neighboring peptidoglycan stem peptides. Mutants with a reduced degree of amidation are less viable and show increased susceptibility to methicillin. We identified the enzymes catalyzing the formation of D-glutamine in position 2 of the stem peptide. We provide biochemical evidence that the reaction is catalyzed by a glutamine amidotransferase-like protein and a Mur ligase homologue, encoded by SA1707 and SA1708, respectively. Both proteins, for which we propose the designation GatD and MurT, are required for amidation and appear to form a physically stable bi-enzyme complex. To investigate the reaction in vitro we purified recombinant GatD and MurT His-tag fusion proteins and their potential substrates, i.e. UDP-MurNAc-pentapeptide, as well as the membrane-bound cell wall precursors lipid I, lipid II and lipid II-Gly5. In vitro amidation occurred with all bactoprenol-bound intermediates, suggesting that in vivo lipid II and/or lipid II-Gly5 may be substrates for GatD/MurT. Inactivation of the GatD active site abolished lipid II amidation. Both, murT and gatD are organized in an operon and are essential genes of S. aureus. BLAST analysis revealed the presence of homologous transcriptional units in a number of gram-positive pathogens, e.g. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumonia and Clostridium perfringens, all known to have a D-iso-glutamine containing PG. A less negatively charged PG reduces susceptibility towards defensins and may play a general role in innate immune signaling

A widespread family of bacterial cell wall assembly proteins

Teichoic acids and acidic capsular polysaccharides are major anionic cell wall polymers (APs) in many bacteria, with various critical cell functions, including maintenance of cell shape and structural integrity, charge and cation homeostasis, and multiple aspects of pathogenesis. We have identified the widespread LytR–Cps2A–Psr (LCP) protein family, of previously unknown function, as novel enzymes required for AP synthesis. Structural and biochemical analysis of several LCP proteins suggest that they carry out the final step of transferring APs from their lipid-linked precursor to cell wall peptidoglycan (PG). In Bacillus subtilis, LCP proteins are found in association with the MreB cytoskeleton, suggesting that MreB proteins coordinate the insertion of the major polymers, PG and AP, into the cell wall

AglH, a thermophilic UDP‑<i>N</i>‑acetylglucosamine‑1‑phosphate:dolichyl phosphate GlcNAc‑1‑phosphotransferase initiating protein<i> N</i>‑glycosylation pathway in <i>Sulfolobus acidocaldarius</i>, is capable of complementing the eukaryal Alg7

AglH, a predicted UDP-GlcNAc-1-phosphate:dolichyl phosphate GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase, is initiating the protein N-glycosylation pathway in the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. AglH successfully replaced the endogenous GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase activity of Alg7 in a conditional lethal Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, in which the first step of the eukaryal protein N-glycosylation process was repressed. This study is one of the few examples of cross-domain complementation demonstrating a conserved polyprenyl phosphate transferase reaction within the eukaryal and archaeal domain like it was demonstrated for Methanococcus voltae (Shams-Eldin et al. 2008). The topology prediction and the alignment of the AglH membrane protein with GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferases from the three domains of life show significant conservation of amino acids within the different proposed cytoplasmic loops. Alanine mutations of selected conserved amino acids in the putative cytoplasmic loops II (D(100)), IV (F(220)) and V (F(264)) demonstrated the importance of these amino acids for cross-domain AlgH activity in in vitro complementation assays in S. cerevisiae. Furthermore, antibiotic treatment interfering directly with the activity of dolichyl phosphate GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferases confirmed the essentiality of N-glycosylation for cell survival

A Peptidoglycan Fragment Triggers β-lactam Resistance in Bacillus licheniformis

To resist to β-lactam antibiotics Eubacteria either constitutively synthesize a β-lactamase or a low affinity penicillin-binding protein target, or induce its synthesis in response to the presence of antibiotic outside the cell. In Bacillus licheniformis and Staphylococcus aureus, a membrane-bound penicillin receptor (BlaR/MecR) detects the presence of β-lactam and launches a cytoplasmic signal leading to the inactivation of BlaI/MecI repressor, and the synthesis of a β-lactamase or a low affinity target. We identified a dipeptide, resulting from the peptidoglycan turnover and present in bacterial cytoplasm, which is able to directly bind to the BlaI/MecI repressor and to destabilize the BlaI/MecI-DNA complex. We propose a general model, in which the acylation of BlaR/MecR receptor and the cellular stress induced by the antibiotic, are both necessary to generate a cell wall-derived coactivator responsible for the expression of an inducible β-lactam-resistance factor. The new model proposed confirms and emphasizes the role of peptidoglycan degradation fragments in bacterial cell regulation

Heterologous Expression of Membrane Proteins: Choosing the Appropriate Host

International audienceBACKGROUND: Membrane proteins are the targets of 50% of drugs, although they only represent 1% of total cellular proteins. The first major bottleneck on the route to their functional and structural characterisation is their overexpression; and simply choosing the right system can involve many months of trial and error. This work is intended as a guide to where to start when faced with heterologous expression of a membrane protein. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The expression of 20 membrane proteins, both peripheral and integral, in three prokaryotic (E. coli, L. lactis, R. sphaeroides) and three eukaryotic (A. thaliana, N. benthamiana, Sf9 insect cells) hosts was tested. The proteins tested were of various origins (bacteria, plants and mammals), functions (transporters, receptors, enzymes) and topologies (between 0 and 13 transmembrane segments). The Gateway system was used to clone all 20 genes into appropriate vectors for the hosts to be tested. Culture conditions were optimised for each host, and specific strategies were tested, such as the use of Mistic fusions in E. coli. 17 of the 20 proteins were produced at adequate yields for functional and, in some cases, structural studies. We have formulated general recommendations to assist with choosing an appropriate system based on our observations of protein behaviour in the different hosts. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Most of the methods presented here can be quite easily implemented in other laboratories. The results highlight certain factors that should be considered when selecting an expression host. The decision aide provided should help both newcomers and old-hands to select the best system for their favourite membrane protein

Structural characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of a genetically engineered high-affinity calmodulin-binding peptide derived from Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase.

International audienceThis paper reports the solution conformation of a peptide (P196-267) derived from the calmodulin-binding domain of Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase. P196-267 corresponding to the protein fragment situated between amino acid residues 196-267 was overproduced by a recombinant Escherichia coli strain. Its affinity for calmodulin is only one order of magnitude lower (Kd = 2.4 nM) than that of the whole bacterial enzyme (Kd = 0.2 nM). The proton resonances of the NMR spectra of P196-267 were assigned using homonuclear two-dimensional techniques (double-quantum-filtered J-correlated spectroscopy, total correlation spectroscopy, and nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy) and a standard assignment procedure. Analysis of the nuclear Overhauser effect connectivities and the secondary shift distribution of C alpha protons along the sequence allowed us to identify the elements of regular secondary structure. The peptide is flexible in solution, being in equilibrium between random coil and helical structures. Two segments of 11 amino acids (situated between V215 and A225) and 15 amino acids (situated between L233 and A247) populate in a significant proportion the helix conformational state. The two helices can be considerably stabilized in a mixed solvent, trifluoroethanol/water (30/70), suggesting that the corresponding fragment in the intact protein assumes a similar secondary conformation. No elements of tertiary structure organization were detected by the present experiments. The conformational properties of the isolated calmodulin target fragment are discussed in relation with the available NMR and X-ray data on various peptides complexed to calmodulin

Structural flexibility of the calmodulin-binding locus in Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase. Reconstitution of catalytically active species from fragments or inactive forms of the enzyme.

International audienceThe catalytic domain of Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase, a calmodulin-activated enzyme with toxic properties, is a modular construct cleaved by trypsin into two subdomains of 224 (T25) and 175 (T18) amino acids. The calmodulin-binding locus of the bacterial enzyme consists of approximately 70 amino acids and overlaps the C-terminus of T25 and the N-terminus of T18. This region, exposed to the solvent or proteases, also exhibits an unusual high flexibility and allows, as demonstrated in this study, reconstitution in the presence of calmodulin of active species of adenylate cyclase from overlapping inactive fragments of the enzyme. Moreover, several combinations of inactive variants of the bacterial enzyme obtained by site-directed mutagenesis can yield active species. Heterodimers, resulting from a few selected combinations of inactive species of adenylate cyclase, exhibit specific activity similar to that of the native enzyme. Productive complementation from inactive fragments is a unique phenomenon among calmodulin-activated enzymes and represents a new and helpful tool in the understanding of the molecular mechanism of activation of B. pertussis adenylate cyclase upon binding of calmodulin