Uptake mechanism of iron-phytosiderophore from the soil based on the structure of yellow stripe transporter

植物が根から鉄を吸収する機構の解明 --不良土壌を改善する次世代肥料の開発に期待--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-12-08.Calcareous soils cover one-third of all land and cause severe growth defects in plants due to the poor water solubility of iron at high pH. Poaceae species use a unique chelation strategy, whereby plants secrete a high-affinity metal chelator, known as phytosiderophores (mugineic acids), and reabsorb the iron-phytosiderophore complex by the yellow stripe 1/yellow stripe 1-like (YS1/YSL) transporter for efficient uptake of iron from the soil. Here, we present three cryo-electron microscopy structures of barley YS1 (HvYS1) in the apo state, in complex with an iron-phytosiderophore complex, Fe(III)-deoxymugineic acid (Fe(III)–DMA), and in complex with the iron-bound synthetic DMA analog (Fe(III)–PDMA). The structures reveal a homodimeric assembly mediated through an anti-parallel β-sheet interaction with cholesterol hemisuccinate. Each protomer adopts an outward open conformation, and Fe(III)–DMA is bound near the extracellular space in the central cavity. Fe(III)–PDMA occupies the same binding site as Fe(III)–DMA, demonstrating that PDMA can function as a potent fertilizer in an essentially identical manner to DMA. Our results provide a structural framework for iron-phytosiderophore recognition and transport by YS1/YSL transporters, which will enable the rational design of new, high-potency fertilizers

Deep Knot Structure for Construction of Active Site and Cofactor Binding Site of tRNA Modification Enzyme

AbstractThe tRNA(Gm18) methyltransferase (TrmH) catalyzes the 2′-O methylation of guanosine 18 (Gua18) of tRNA. We solved the crystal structure of Thermus thermophilus TrmH complexed with S-adenosyl-L-methionine at 1.85 Å resolution. The catalytic domain contains a deep trefoil knot, which mutational analyses revealed to be crucial for the formation of the catalytic site and the cofactor binding pocket. The tRNA dihydrouridine(D)-arm can be docked onto the dimeric TrmH, so that the tRNA D-stem is clamped by the N- and C-terminal helices from one subunit while the Gua18 is modified by the other subunit. Arg41 from the other subunit enters the catalytic site and forms a hydrogen bond with a bound sulfate ion, an RNA main chain phosphate analog, thus activating its nucleophilic state. Based on Gua18 modeling onto the active site, we propose that once Gua18 binds, the phosphate group activates Arg41, which then deprotonates the 2′-OH group for methylation

Detailed analysis of distorted retinal and its interaction with surrounding residues in the K intermediate of bacteriorhodopsin

The K intermediate of proton pumping bacteriorhodopsin is the first intermediate generated after isomerization of retinal to the 13-cis form. Although various structures have been reported for the K intermediate until now, these differ from each other, especially in terms of the conformation of the retinal chromophore and its interaction with surrounding residues. We report here an accurate X-ray crystallographic analysis of the K structure. The polyene chain of 13-cis retinal is observed to be S-shaped. The side chain of Lys216, which is covalently bound to retinal via the Schiff-base linkage, interacts with residues, Asp85 and Thr89. In addition, the Nζ-H of the protonated Schiff-base linkage interacts with a residue, Asp212 and a water molecule, W402. Based on quantum chemical calculations for this K structure, we examine the stabilizing factors of distorted conformation of retinal and propose a relaxation manner to the next L intermediate

14-3-3 proteins stabilize LGI1-ADAM22 levels to regulate seizure thresholds in mice

新たなてんかん治療戦略を提案 --脳の過剰興奮を阻止するタンパク質ADAM22の量が鍵--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-12-15.What percentage of the protein function is required to prevent disease symptoms is a fundamental question in genetic disorders. Decreased transsynaptic LGI1-ADAM22 protein complexes, because of their mutations or autoantibodies, cause epilepsy and amnesia. However, it remains unclear how LGI1-ADAM22 levels are regulated and how much LGI1-ADAM22 function is required. Here, by genetic and structural analysis, we demonstrate that quantitative dual phosphorylation of ADAM22 by protein kinase A (PKA) mediates high-affinity binding of ADAM22 to dimerized 14-3-3. This interaction protects LGI1-ADAM22 from endocytosis-dependent degradation. Accordingly, forskolin-induced PKA activation increases ADAM22 levels. Leveraging a series of ADAM22 and LGI1 hypomorphic mice, we find that ∼50% of LGI1 and ∼10% of ADAM22 levels are sufficient to prevent lethal epilepsy. Furthermore, ADAM22 function is required in excitatory and inhibitory neurons. These results suggest strategies to increase LGI1-ADAM22 complexes over the required levels by targeting PKA or 14-3-3 for epilepsy treatment

Switching and Emergence of CTL Epitopes in HIV-1 Infection

Background Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) class I restricted Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTLs) exert substantial evolutionary pressure on HIV-1, as evidenced by the reproducible selection of HLA-restricted immune escape mutations in the viral genome. An escape mutation from tyrosine to phenylalanine at the 135th amino acid (Y135F) of the HIV-1 nef gene is frequently observed in patients with HLA-A*24:02, an HLA Class I allele expressed in ~70% of Japanese persons. The selection of CTL escape mutations could theoretically result in the de novo creation of novel epitopes, however, the extent to which such dynamic “CTL epitope switching” occurs in HIV-1 remains incompletely known. Results Two overlapping epitopes in HIV-1 nef, Nef126-10 and Nef134-10, elicit the most frequent CTL responses restricted by HLA-A*24:02. Thirty-five of 46 (76%) HLA-A*24:02-positive patients harbored the Y135F mutation in their plasma HIV-1 RNA. Nef codon 135 plays a crucial role in both epitopes, as it represents the C-terminal anchor for Nef126-10 and the N-terminal anchor for Nef134-10. While the majority of patients with 135F exhibited CTL responses to Nef126-10, none harboring the “wild-type” (global HIV-1 subtype B consensus) Y135 did so, suggesting that Nef126-10 is not efficiently presented in persons harboring Y135. Consistent with this, peptide binding and limiting dilution experiments confirmed F, but not Y, as a suitable C-terminal anchor for HLA-A*24:02. Moreover, experiments utilizing antigen specific CTL clones to recognize endogenously-expressed peptides with or without Y135F indicated that this mutation disrupted the antigen expression of Nef134-10. Critically, the selection of Y135F also launched the expression of Nef126-10, indicating that the latter epitope is created as a result of escape within the former. Conclusions Our data represent the first example of the de novo creation of a novel overlapping CTL epitope as a direct result of HLA-driven immune escape in a neighboring epitope. The robust targeting of Nef126-10 following transmission (or in vivo selection) of HIV-1 containing Y135F may explain in part the previously reported stable plasma viral loads over time in the Japanese population, despite the high prevalence of both HLA-A*24:02 and Nef-Y135F in circulating HIV-1 sequences

Canonical versus non-canonical transsynaptic signaling of neuroligin 3 tunes development of sociality in mice

社会性の発達を調節する新たな機構を発見. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-03-26.Neuroligin 3 (NLGN3) and neurexins (NRXNs) constitute a canonical transsynaptic cell-adhesion pair, which has been implicated in autism. In autism spectrum disorder (ASD) development of sociality can be impaired. However, the molecular mechanism underlying NLGN3-mediated social development is unclear. Here, we identify non-canonical interactions between NLGN3 and protein tyrosine phosphatase δ (PTPδ) splice variants, competing with NRXN binding. NLGN3-PTPδ complex structure revealed a splicing-dependent interaction mode and competition mechanism between PTPδ and NRXNs. Mice carrying a NLGN3 mutation that selectively impairs NLGN3-NRXN interaction show increased sociability, whereas mice where the NLGN3-PTPδ interaction is impaired exhibit impaired social behavior and enhanced motor learning, with imbalance in excitatory/inhibitory synaptic protein expressions, as reported in the Nlgn3 R451C autism model. At neuronal level, the autism-related Nlgn3 R451C mutation causes selective impairment in the non-canonical pathway. Our findings suggest that canonical and non-canonical NLGN3 pathways compete and regulate the development of sociality

LGI1–ADAM22–MAGUK configures transsynaptic nanoalignment for synaptic transmission and epilepsy prevention

Physiological functioning and homeostasis of the brain rely on finely tuned synaptic transmission, which involves nanoscale alignment between presynaptic neurotransmitter-release machinery and postsynaptic receptors. However, the molecular identity and physiological significance of transsynaptic nanoalignment remain incompletely understood. Here, we report that epilepsy gene products, a secreted protein LGI1 and its receptor ADAM22, govern transsynaptic nanoalignment to prevent epilepsy. We found that LGI1–ADAM22 instructs PSD-95 family membrane-associated guanylate kinases (MAGUKs) to organize transsynaptic protein networks, including NMDA/AMPA receptors, Kv1 channels, and LRRTM4–Neurexin adhesion molecules. Adam22ΔC5/ΔC5 knock-in mice devoid of the ADAM22–MAGUK interaction display lethal epilepsy of hippocampal origin, representing the mouse model for ADAM22-related epileptic encephalopathy. This model shows less-condensed PSD-95 nanodomains, disordered transsynaptic nanoalignment, and decreased excitatory synaptic transmission in the hippocampus. Strikingly, without ADAM22 binding, PSD-95 cannot potentiate AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission. Furthermore, forced coexpression of ADAM22 and PSD-95 reconstitutes nano-condensates in nonneuronal cells. Collectively, this study reveals LGI1–ADAM22–MAGUK as an essential component of transsynaptic nanoarchitecture for precise synaptic transmission and epilepsy prevention

Crystallization and crystallographic analysis of yeast Sec2p, a guanine nucleotide-exchange factor for the yeast Rab GTPase Sec4p

Crystal structure of a triple mutant (M115L, K121M, T142M) of SeMet-labelled Sec2p, a GEF for Rab GTPase, has been solved by SAD. Control of the selenium sites by mutagenesis much improved the resolution of the SeMet-labelled crystals

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the cytosolic domain of the Mg2+ transporter MgtE

Crystals of the cytosolic domain of the Mg2+ transporter MgtE from T. thermophilus in the presence and absence of Mg2+ diffracted X-rays to 2.3 and 3.5 Å resolution, respectively, and belong to space groups P6522 (a = b = 57.7, c = 317.6 Å) and P212121 (a = 77.0, b = 100.3, c = 100.3 Å), respectively

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the full-length Mg2+ transporter MgtE

Selenomethionine-substituted crystals of the Mg2+ transporter MgtE from T. thermophilus diffracted to 3.5 Å resolution and belonged to space group C2221, with unit-cell parameters a = 118.3, b = 134.9, c = 366.2 Å