Dataset Information

Genetic metabolic complementation establishes a requirement for GDP-fucose in Leishmania.

ABSTRACT: To survive in its sand fly vector, the trypanosomatid protozoan parasite Leishmania first attaches to the midgut to avoid excretion, but eventually it must detach for transmission by the next bite. In Leishmania major strain Friedlin, this is controlled by modifications of the stage-specific adhesin lipophosphoglycan (LPG). During differentiation to infective metacyclics, d-arabinopyranose (d-Arap) caps the LPG side-chain galactose residues, blocking interaction with the midgut lectin PpGalec, thereby leading to parasite detachment and transmission. Previously, we characterized two closely related L. major genes (FKP40 and AFKP80) encoding bifunctional proteins with kinase/pyrophosphorylase activities required for salvage and conversion of l-fucose and/or d-Arap into the nucleotide-sugar substrates required by glycosyltransferases. Whereas only AFKP80 yielded GDP-d-Arap from exogenous d-Arap, both proteins were able to salvage l-fucose to GDP-fucose. We now show that ?afkp80- null mutants ablated d-Arap modifications of LPG as predicted, whereas ?fkp40- null mutants resembled wild type (WT). Fucoconjugates had not been reported previously in L. major, but unexpectedly, we were unable to generate fkp40-/afkp80- double mutants, unless one of the A/FKPs was expressed ectopically. To test whether GDP-fucose itself was essential for Leishmania viability, we employed "genetic metabolite complementation." First, the trypanosome de novo pathway enzymes GDP-mannose dehydratase (GMD) and GDP-fucose synthetase (GMER) were expressed ectopically; from these cells, the ?fkp40-/?afkp80- double mutant was now readily obtained. As expected, the ?fkp40-/?afkp80-/+TbGMD-GMER line lacked the capacity to generate GDP-Arap, while synthesizing abundant GDP-fucose. These results establish a requirement for GDP-fucose for L. major viability and predict the existence of an essential fucoconjugate(s).

SUBMITTER: Guo H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5481574 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Genetic metabolic complementation establishes a requirement for GDP-fucose in Leishmania.

Guo Hongjie H Novozhilova Natalia M NM Bandini Giulia G Turco Salvatore J SJ Ferguson Michael A J MAJ Beverley Stephen M SM

The Journal of biological chemistry 20170502 25

To survive in its sand fly vector, the trypanosomatid protozoan parasite Leishmania first attaches to the midgut to avoid excretion, but eventually it must detach for transmission by the next bite. In Leishmania major strain Friedlin, this is controlled by modifications of the stage-specific adhesin lipophosphoglycan (LPG). During differentiation to infective metacyclics, d-arabinopyranose (d-Arap) caps the LPG side-chain galactose residues, blocking interaction with the mid ...[more]

PMID: 28465349

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Project description:Rhizobial NodZ ?1,6-fucosyltransferase (?1,6-FucT) catalyzes the transfer of the fucose (Fuc) moiety from guanosine 5'-diphosphate-?-L-fucose to the reducing end of the chitin oligosaccharide core during Nod-factor (NF) biosynthesis. NF is a key signalling molecule required for successful symbiosis with a legume host for atmospheric nitrogen fixation. To date, only two ?1,6-FucT structures have been determined, both without any donor or acceptor molecule that could highlight the structural background of the catalytic mechanism. Here, the first crystal structures of ?1,6-FucT in complex with its substrate GDP-Fuc and with GDP, which is a byproduct of the enzymatic reaction, are presented. The crystal of the complex with GDP-Fuc was obtained through soaking of native NodZ crystals with the ligand and its structure has been determined at 2.35?Å resolution. The fucose residue is exposed to solvent and is disordered. The enzyme-product complex crystal was obtained by cocrystallization with GDP and an acceptor molecule, penta-N-acetyl-L-glucosamine (penta-NAG). The structure has been determined at 1.98?Å resolution, showing that only the GDP molecule is present in the complex. In both structures the ligands are located in a cleft formed between the two domains of NodZ and extend towards the C-terminal domain, but their conformations differ significantly. The structures revealed that residues in three regions of the C-terminal domain, which are conserved among ?1,2-, ?1,6- and protein O-fucosyltransferases, are involved in interactions with the sugar-donor molecule. There is also an interaction with the side chain of Tyr45 in the N-terminal domain, which is very unusual for a GT-B-type glycosyltransferase. Only minor conformational changes of the protein backbone are observed upon ligand binding. The only exception is a movement of the loop located between strand ?C2 and helix ?C3. In addition, there is a shift of the ?C3 helix itself upon GDP-Fuc binding.

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Genetic metabolic complementation establishes a requirement for GDP-fucose in Leishmania.

Publications

Genetic metabolic complementation establishes a requirement for GDP-fucose in <i>Leishmania</i>.

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