E9-Im9 Colicin DNase−Immunity Protein Biomolecular Association in Water: A Multiple-Copy and Accelerated Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

Protein−protein transient and dynamic interactions underlie all biological processes. The molecular dynamics (MD) of the E9 colicin DNase protein, its Im9 inhibitor protein, and their E9-Im9 recognition complex are investigated by combining multiple-copy (MC) MD and accelerated MD (aMD) explicit-solvent simulation approaches, after validation with crystalline-phase and solution experiments. Im9 shows higher flexibility than its E9 counterpart. Im9 displays a significant reduction of backbone flexibility and a remarkable increase in motional correlation upon E9 association. Im9 loops 23−31 and 54−64 open with respect to the E9-Im9 X-ray structure and show high conformational diversity. Upon association a large fraction (∼20 nm2) of E9 and Im9 protein surfaces become inaccessible to water. Numerous salt bridges transiently occurring throughout our six 50 ns long MC-MD simulations are not present in the X-ray model. Among these Im9 Glu31−E9 Arg96 and Im9 Glu41−Lys89 involve interface interactions. Through the use of 10 ns of Im9 aMD simulation, we reconcile the largest thermodynamic impact measured for Asp51Ala mutation with Im9 structure and dynamics. Lys57 acts as an essential molecular switch to shift Im9 surface loop towards an ideal configuration for E9 inhibition. This is achieved by switching Asp60−Lys57 and Asp62−Lys57 hydrogen bonds to Asp51−Lys57 salt bridge. E9-Im9 recognition involves shifts of conformational distributions, reorganization of intramolecular hydrogen bond patterns, and formation of new inter- and intramolecular interactions. The description of key transient biological interactions can be significantly enriched by the dynamic and atomic-level information provided by computer simulations

Plasma and cellular fibronectin: distinct and independent functions during tissue repair

Fibronectin (FN) is a ubiquitous extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein that plays vital roles during tissue repair. The plasma form of FN circulates in the blood, and upon tissue injury, is incorporated into fibrin clots to exert effects on platelet function and to mediate hemostasis. Cellular FN is then synthesized and assembled by cells as they migrate into the clot to reconstitute damaged tissue. The assembly of FN into a complex three-dimensional matrix during physiological repair plays a key role not only as a structural scaffold, but also as a regulator of cell function during this stage of tissue repair. FN fibrillogenesis is a complex, stepwise process that is strictly regulated by a multitude of factors. During fibrosis, there is excessive deposition of ECM, of which FN is one of the major components. Aberrant FN-matrix assembly is a major contributing factor to the switch from normal tissue repair to misregulated fibrosis. Understanding the mechanisms involved in FN assembly and how these interplay with cellular, fibrotic and immune responses may reveal targets for the future development of therapies to regulate aberrant tissue-repair processes

X-ray structure of a decameric cyclophilin-cyclosporin crystal complex

Human cyclophilin A (CypA), a ubiquitous intracellular protein of 165 amino acids, is the major receptor for the cyclic undecapeptide immunosuppressant drug cyclosporin A (CsA), which prevents allograft rejection after transplant surgery and is efficacious in the field of autoimmune diseases. CsA prevents T-cell proliferation by blocking the calcium-activated pathway leading to interleukin-2 transcription. Besides their ability to bind CsA, the cyclophilin isoforms also have peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity and enhance the rate of protein folding. The macrolide FK506 acts similarly to CsA and its cognate receptor FKBP also has peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity. Inhibition of this enzymatic activity alone is not sufficient to achieve immunosuppression. A direct molecular interaction between the drug-immunophilin complex (CsA-CypA, or FK506-FKBP) and the phosphatase calcineurin, is responsible for modulating the T-cell receptor signal transduction pathway. Here we describe the crystal structure of a decameric CypA-CsA complex. The crystallographic asymmetric unit is composed of a pentamer of 1:1 cyclophilin-cyclosporin complexes of rather exact non-crystallographic fivefold symmetry. The 2.8 A electron density map is of high quality. The five independent cyclosporin molecules are clearly identifiable, providing an unambiguous picture of the detailed interactions between a peptide drug and its receptor. It broadly confirms the results of previous NMR, X-ray and modelling studies, but provides further important structural details which will be of use in the design of drugs that are analogues of CsA

Structure of Pfu Pop5, an archaeal RNase P protein

We have used NMR spectroscopy and x-ray crystallography to determine the three-dimensional structure of PF1378 (Pfu Pop5), one of four protein subunits of archaeal RNase P that shares a homolog in the eukaryotic enzyme. RNase P is an essential and ubiquitous ribonucleoprotein enzyme required for maturation of tRNA. In bacteria, the enzyme's RNA subunit is responsible for cleaving the single-stranded 5′ leader sequence of precursor tRNA molecules (pre-tRNA), whereas the protein subunit assists in substrate binding. Although in bacteria the RNase P holoenzyme consists of one large catalytic RNA and one small protein subunit, in archaea and eukarya the enzyme contains several (≥4) protein subunits, each of which lacks sequence similarity to the bacterial protein. The functional role of the proteins is poorly understood, as is the increased complexity in comparison to the bacterial enzyme. Pfu Pop5 has been directly implicated in catalysis by the observation that it pairs with PF1914 (Pfu Rpp30) to functionally reconstitute the catalytic domain of the RNA subunit. The protein adopts an α–β sandwich fold highly homologous to the single-stranded RNA binding RRM domain. Furthermore, the three-dimensional arrangement of Pfu Pop5's structural elements is remarkably similar to that of the bacterial protein subunit. NMR spectra have been used to map the interaction of Pop5 with Pfu Rpp30. The data presented permit tantalizing hypotheses regarding the role of this protein subunit shared by archaeal and eukaryotic RNase P