A Novel Secretory Poly-Cysteine and Histidine-Tailed Metalloprotein (Ts-PCHTP) from Trichinella spiralis (Nematoda)

BACKGROUND: Trichinella spiralis is an unusual parasitic intracellular nematode causing dedifferentiation of the host myofiber. Trichinella proteomic analyses have identified proteins that act at the interface between the parasite and the host and are probably important for the infection and pathogenesis. Many parasitic proteins, including a number of metalloproteins are unique for the nematodes and trichinellids and therefore present good targets for future therapeutic developments. Furthermore, detailed information on such proteins and their function in the nematode organism would provide better understanding of the parasite-host interactions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study we report the identification, biochemical characterization and localization of a novel poly-cysteine and histidine-tailed metalloprotein (Ts-PCHTP). The native Ts-PCHTP was purified from T. spiralis muscle larvae that were isolated from infected rats as a model system. The sequence analysis showed no homology with other proteins. Two unique poly-cysteine domains were found in the amino acid sequence of Ts-PCHTP. This protein is also the first reported natural histidine tailed protein. It was suggested that Ts-PCHTP has metal binding properties. Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) assay revealed that it binds significant concentrations of iron, nickel and zinc at protein:metal ratio of about 1:2. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the Ts-PCHTP is localized in the cuticle and in all tissues of the larvae, but that it is not excreted outside the parasite. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data suggest that Ts-PCHTP is the first described member of a novel nematode poly-cysteine protein family and its function could be metal storage and/or transport. Since this protein family is unique for parasites from Superfamily Trichinelloidea its potential applications in diagnostics and treatment could be exploited in future

A model-based proposal for the role of UreF as a GTPase activating protein in the urease active site biosynthesis

UreF is a protein that plays a role in the in vivo urease activation as a chaperone involved in the insertion of two Ni2+ ions in the apo-urease active site. The molecular details of this process are unknown. In the absence of any molecular information on the UreF protein class, and as a step toward the comprehension of the relationships between UreF function and structure, we applied a structural modeling approach to infer useful biochemical knowledge on Bacillus pasteurii UreF (BpUreF). Similarity searches and multiple alignment of UreF protein sequences indicated that this class of proteins has a low homology with proteins of known structure. Fold recognition methods were therefore used to identify useful protein structural templates to model the structure of BpUreF. In particular, the templates belong to the class of GTPase-activating proteins. Modeling of BpUreF based on these templates was performed using the program MODELLER. The structure validation yielded good statistics, indicating that the model is plausible. This result suggests a role for UreF in urease active site biosynthesis as a regulator of the activity of UreG, a small G protein involved in the in vivo apo-urease activation process and established to catalyze GTP hydrolysis

Crystal Structures of [Fe]-Hydrogenase in Complex with Inhibitory Isocyanides: Implications for the H₂-Activation Site

Inhibition mechanism: Isocyanides strongly inhibit [Fe]-hydrogenase. X-ray crystallography and X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed that the isocyanide binds to the trans position, versus the acyl carbon of the Fe center, and is covalently bound to the pyridinol hydroxy oxygen. These results also indicated that the hydroxy group is essential for H2 activation

The iron-site structure of [Fe]-hydrogenase and model systems: an X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy study

The [Fe]-hydrogenase is an ideal system for studying the electronic properties of the low spin iron site that is common to the catalytic centres of all hydrogenases. Because they have no auxiliary iron-sulfur clusters and possess a cofactor containing a single iron centre, the [Fe]-hydrogenases are well suited for spectroscopic analysis of those factors required for the activation of molecular hydrogen. Specifically, in this study we shed light on the electronic and molecular structure of the iron centre by XAS analysis of [Fe]-hydrogenase from Methanocaldococcus jannashii and five model complexes (Fe(ethanedithiolate)-(CO)(2)(PMe(3))(2), [K(18-crown-6)](2)[Fe(CN)(2)(CO)(3)], K[Fe(CN)(CO)(4)], K(3)[Fe(iii)(CN)(6)], K(4)[Fe(ii)(CN)(6)]). The different electron donors have a strong influence on the iron absorption K-edge energy position, which is frequently used to determine the metal oxidation state. Our results demonstrate that the K-edges of Fe(ii) complexes, achieved with low-spin ferrous thiolates, are consistent with a ferrous centre in the [Fe]-hydrogenase from Methanocaldococcus jannashii. The metal geometry also strongly influences the XANES and thus the electronic structure. Using in silico simulation, we were able to reproduce the main features of the XANES spectra and describe the effects of individual donor contributions on the spectra. Thereby, we reveal the essential role of an unusual carbon donor coming from an acyl group of the cofactor in the determination of the electronic structure required for the activity of the enzyme

The trinuclear copper(I) thiolate complexes [Cu3(NGuaS)3]0/1+\mathrm{[Cu_3(NGuaS)_3]^{0/1+}} and their dimeric variants [Cu6(NGuaS)6]1+/2+/3+\mathrm{[Cu_6(NGuaS)_6]^{1+/2+/3+}} with biomimetic redox properties

A mixed-valent redox-active copper thiolate complex is formed in the reaction of [Cu(MeCN)4]PF6 with a CPh3 thioether by a combination of homo- and heterolytic cleavage of the S[BOND]CPh3 bond. In its oxidized state, the hexanuclear copper sulfur cluster (see picture) has the same average metal oxidation state as the dinuclear copper thiolate center of cytochrome c oxidase or N2O reductase