Conservation of oxidative protein stabilization in an insect homologue of the parkinsonism-associated protein DJ-1

DJ-1 is a conserved, disease-associated protein that protects against oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage in multiple organisms. Human DJ-1 contains a functionally essential cysteine residue (Cys106) whose oxidation is important for regulating protein function by an unknown mechanism. This residue is well conserved in other DJ-1 homologues, including two (DJ-1α and DJ-1β) in Drosophila melanogaster. Because D. melanogaster is a powerful model system for studying DJ-1 function, we have determined the crystal structure and impact of cysteine oxidation on Drosophila DJ-1β. The structure of D. melanogaster DJ-1β is similar to that of human DJ-1, although two important residues in the human protein, Met26 and His126, are not conserved in DJ-1β. His126 in human DJ-1 is substituted with a tyrosine in DJ-1β, and this residue is not able to compose a putative catalytic dyad with Cys106 that was proposed to be important in the human protein. The reactive cysteine in DJ-1 is oxidized readily to the cysteinesulfinic acid in both flies and humans and this may regulate the cytoprotective function of the protein. We show that the oxidation of this conserved cysteine residue to its sulfinate form (Cys- SO2 −) results in considerable thermal stabilization of both Drosophila DJ-1β and human DJ-1. Therefore, protein stabilization is one potential mechanism by which cysteine oxidation may regulate DJ-1 function in vivo. More generally, most close DJ-1 homologues are likely stabilized by cysteine-sulfinic acid formation but destabilized by further oxidation, suggesting that they are biphasically regulated by oxidative modification

The Staphylococcus aureus CidA and LrgA Proteins Are Functional Holins Involved in the Transport of By-Products of Carbohydrate Metabolism

The Staphylococcus aureus cidABC and lrgAB operons encode members of a well-conserved family of proteins thought to be involved in programmed cell death (PCD). Based on the structural similarities that CidA and LrgA share with bacteriophage holins, we have hypothesized that these proteins function by forming pores within the cytoplasmic membrane. To test this, we utilized a lysis cassette system that demonstrated the abilities of the cidA and lrgA genes to support bacteriophage endolysin-induced cell lysis. Typical of holins, CidA- and LrgA-induced lysis was dependent on the coexpression of endolysin, consistent with the proposed holin-like functions of these proteins. In addition, the CidA and LrgA proteins were shown to localize to the surface of membrane vesicles and cause leakage of small molecules, providing direct evidence of their hole-forming potential. Consistent with recent reports demonstrating a role for the lrgAB homologues in other bacterial and plant species in the transport of by-products of carbohydrate metabolism, we also show that lrgAB is important for S. aureus to utilize pyruvate during microaerobic and anaerobic growth, by promoting the uptake of pyruvate under these conditions. Combined, these data reveal that the CidA and LrgA membrane proteins possess holin-like properties that play an important role in the transport of small by-products of carbohydrate metabolism. IMPORTANCE The Staphylococcus aureus cidABC and lrgAB operons represent the founding members of a large, highly conserved family of genes that span multiple kingdoms of life. Despite the fact that they have been shown to be involved in bacterial PCD, very little is known about the molecular/biochemical functions of the proteins they encode. The results presented in this study reveal that the cidA and lrgA genes encode proteins with bacteriophage holin-like functions, consistent with their roles in cell death. However, these studies also demonstrate that these operons are involved in the transport of small metabolic by-products of carbohydrate metabolism, suggesting an intriguing link between these two seemingly disparate processes

Structural and biochemical studies of proteins implicated in oxidative stress

The parkinsonism protein DJ-1, a product of PARK7, causes early-onset autosomal-recessive Parkinson\u27s disease. The importance of DJ-1 in mitochondrial dynamics and neurodegeneration has highlighted its function as a component of the Parkin/PINK1 system in maintaining mitochondrial health and signaling, as discussed in Chapter 2. Additionally, DJ-1 has been connected to not only neuronal survival, but has also been implicated in a variety of diseased states, from cancer to cardiac ischemia as discussed in Chapter 3, although a clear function for DJ-1 has not yet been attributed. Structural conservation of proteins through billions of years is strongly indicative of functional conservation. YajL is the closest prokaryotic homolog of DJ-1, sharing many of the conserved structural elements believed to be key in DJ- 1\u27s function, such as the oxidation-prone Cysteine 106. The impact of using YajL to investigate the conserved functions of DJ-1 in a prokaryotic model is discussed in Chapter 4. Using this system, it was possible to test the hypothesis where YajL, and by extension, DJ-1, could be direct detoxifiers of reactive oxygen species; the extent of structural similarity between DJ-1 and YajL makes YajL an attractive model system to explore the functions of DJ-1 in a prokaryotic context. Finally, in Chapter 5, the structure of the prokaryotic protein YaaA is described for the first time. YaaA, believed to be involved in bacterial stress defense, is an uncharacterized member of the DUF328 superfamily and is regulated by OxyR. Chapter 5 discusses the biophysical characterization of YaaA beginning with its crystal structure- solved to 1.65 Å- and a proposed function in DNA-binding

Conservation of Oxidative Protein Stabilization in an Insect Homologue of Parkinsonism-Associated Protein DJ-1

DJ-1 is a conserved, disease-associated protein that protects against oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage in multiple organisms. Human DJ-1 contains a functionally essential cysteine residue (Cys106) whose oxidation is important for regulating protein function by an unknown mechanism. This residue is well-conserved in other DJ-1 homologues, including two (DJ-1α and DJ-1β) in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>. Because <i>D. melanogaste</i>r is a powerful model system for studying DJ-1 function, we have determined the crystal structure and impact of cysteine oxidation on <i>Drosophila</i> DJ-1β. The structure of <i>D. melanogaster</i> DJ-1β is similar to that of human DJ-1, although two important residues in the human protein, Met26 and His126, are not conserved in DJ-1β. His126 in human DJ-1 is substituted with a tyrosine in DJ-1β, and this residue is not able to compose a putative catalytic dyad with Cys106 that was proposed to be important in the human protein. The reactive cysteine in DJ-1 is oxidized readily to the cysteine-sulfinic acid in both flies and humans, and this may regulate the cytoprotective function of the protein. We show that the oxidation of this conserved cysteine residue to its sulfinate form (Cys-SO₂^–) results in considerable thermal stabilization of both <i>Drosophila</i> DJ-1β and human DJ-1. Therefore, protein stabilization is one potential mechanism by which cysteine oxidation may regulate DJ-1 function in vivo. More generally, most close DJ-1 homologues are likely stabilized by cysteine-sulfinic acid formation but destabilized by further oxidation, suggesting that they are biphasically regulated by oxidative modification

Use of cysteine-reactive crosslinkers to probe conformational flexibility of human DJ-1 demonstrates that Glu18 mutations are dimers

The oxidation of a key cysteine residue (Cys106) in the parkinsonism-associated protein DJ-1 regulates its ability to protect against oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage. Cys106 interacts with a neighboring protonated Glu18 residue, stabilizing the Cys106-SO2 − (sulfinic acid) form of DJ-1. To study this important post-translational modification, we previously designed several Glu18 mutations (E18N, E18D, E18Q) that alter the oxidative propensity of Cys106. However, recent results suggest these Glu18 mutations cause loss of DJ-1 dimerization, which would severely compromise the protein’s function. The purpose of this study was to conclusively determine the oligomerization state of these mutants using X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, thermal stability analysis, CD spectroscopy, sedimentation equilibrium ultracentrifugation, and crosslinking. We found that all of the Glu18 DJ-1 mutants were dimeric. Thiol crosslinking indicates that these mutant dimers are more flexible than the wild-type protein and can form multiple crosslinked dimeric species due to the transient exposure of cysteine residues that are inaccessible in the wild-type protein. The enhanced flexibility of Glu18 DJ-1 mutants provides a parsimonious explanation for their lower observed crosslinking efficiency in cells. In addition, thiol crosslinkers may have an underappreciated value as qualitative probes of protein conformational flexibility

The DUF328 Family Member Yaaa is a Dna-Binding Protein with a Novel Fold

DUF328 family proteins are present in many prokaryotes, however their molecular activities are unknown. The Escherichia coli DUF328 protein YaaA is a member of the OxyR regulon and is protective against oxidative stress. Because uncharacterized proteins involved in prokaryotic oxidative stress response are rare, we sought to learn more about the DUF328 family. Using comparative genomics, we found a robust association between the DUF328 family and genes involved in DNA recombination and the oxidative stress response. In some proteins, DUF328 domains are fused to other domains involved in DNA binding, recombination, and repair. Co-fitness analysis indicates that DUF328 family genes associate with recombination-mediated DNA repair pathways, particularly the RecFOR pathway. Purified recombinant YaaA binds to double-stranded DNA, duplex DNA containing bubbles of unpaired nucleotides, and Holliday junction constructs in vitro with dissociation equilibrium constants of 200-300 nM. YaaA binds DNA with positive cooperativity, forming multiple shifted species in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. The 1.65 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure of YaaA reveals that the protein possesses a new fold that we name the cantaloupe fold. YaaA has a positively charged cleft and a helix-hairpin-helix (HhH) DNA binding motif found in other DNA repair enzymes. Our results demonstrate that YaaA is a new type of DNA-binding protein associated with the oxidative stress response and that this molecular function is likely conserved in other DUF328 family members

Some of the most interesting CASP11 targets through the eyes of their authors

The Critical Assessment of protein Structure Prediction (CASP) experiment would not have been possible without the prediction targets provided by the experimental structural biology community. In this article, selected crystallographers providing targets for the CASP11 experiment discuss the functional and biological significance of the target proteins, highlight their most interesting structural features, and assess whether these features were correctly reproduced in the predictions submitted to CASP11