Project description:Recent developments in detector hardware and image-processing software have revolutionized single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) and led to a wave of near-atomic resolution (typically ∼3.3 Å) reconstructions. Reaching resolutions higher than 3 Å is a prerequisite for structure-based drug design and for cryoEM to become widely interesting to pharmaceutical industries. We report here the structure of the 700 kDa Thermoplasma acidophilum 20S proteasome (T20S), determined at 2.8 Å resolution by single-particle cryoEM. The quality of the reconstruction enables identifying the rotameric conformation adopted by some amino-acid side chains (rotamers) and resolving ordered water molecules, in agreement with the expectations for crystal structures at similar resolutions. The results described in this manuscript demonstrate that single particle cryoEM is capable of competing with X-ray crystallography for determination of protein structures of suitable quality for rational drug design.
Project description:The 20S proteasome is a 700 kDa barrel-shaped proteolytic complex that is traversed by an internal channel which widens into three cavities: two antechambers and one central chamber. Entrance to the complex is restricted by the narrow opening of the channel, which only allows unfolded substrates to reach the active sites located within the central cavity. The X-ray structures of 20S proteasomes from different organisms with and without inhibitors bound have led to a detailed knowledge of their structure and proteolytic function. Nevertheless, the mechanisms that underlie substrate translocation into the 20S proteasome and the role of the antechambers remain elusive. To investigate putative changes within the proteasome that occur during substrate translocation, ;host-guest' complexes between the Thermoplasma acidophilum 20S proteasomes and either cytochrome c (cyt c) or green fluorescent protein (GFP) were produced and crystallized. Orthorhombic crystals belonging to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 116, b = 207, c = 310 A (cyt c) and a = 116, b = 206, c = 310 A (GFP), were formed and X-ray diffraction data were collected to 3.4 A (cyt c) and 3.8 A (GFP) resolution.
Project description:The 20S core particle (CP) proteasome is a molecular assembly catalyzing the degradation of misfolded proteins or proteins no longer required for function. It is composed of four stacked heptameric rings that form a barrel-like structure, sequestering proteolytic sites inside its lumen. Proteasome function is regulated by gates derived from the termini of α-rings and through binding of regulatory particles (RPs) to one or both ends of the barrel. The CP is dynamic, with an extensive allosteric pathway extending from one end of the molecule to catalytic sites in its center. Here, using methyl-transverse relaxation optimized spectroscopy (TROSY)-based NMR optimized for studies of high-molecular-weight complexes, we evaluate whether the pathway extends over the entire 150-Å length of the molecule. By exploiting a number of different labeling schemes, the two halves of the molecule can be distinguished, so that the effects of 11S RP binding, or the introduction of gate or allosteric pathway mutations at one end of the barrel can be evaluated at the distal end. Our results establish that while 11S binding and the introduction of key mutations affect each half of the CP allosterically, they do not further couple opposite ends of the molecule. This may have implications for the function of so-called "hybrid" proteasomes where each end of the CP is bound with a different regulator, allowing the CP to be responsive to both RPs simultaneously. The methodology presented introduces a general NMR strategy for dissecting pathways of communication in homo-oligomeric molecular machines.
Project description:The glyceraldehyde dehydrogenase from Thermoplasma acidophilum (TaAlDH) is a microbial enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of D-glyceraldehyde to D-glycerate in the artificial enzyme cascade designed for the conversion of glucose to the organic solvents isobutanol and ethanol. Various mutants of TaAlDH were constructed by a random approach followed by site-directed and saturation mutagenesis in order to improve the properties of the enzyme that are essential for its functioning within the cascade. Two enzyme variants, wild-type TaAlDH (TaAlDHwt) and an F34M+S405N variant (TaAlDH F34M+S405N), were successfully crystallized. Crystals of TaAlDHwt belonged to the monoclinic space group P1211 with eight molecules per asymmetric unit and diffracted to a resolution of 1.95 Å. TaAlDH F34M+S405N crystallized in two different space groups: triclinic P1 with 16 molecules per asymmetric unit and monoclinic C121 with four molecules per asymmetric unit. These crystals diffracted to resolutions of 2.14 and 2.10 Å for the P1 and C121 crystals, respectively.
Project description:The crystal structure of the Ta1207 protein from Thermoplasma acidophilum is reported. Ta1207 was identified in a screen for high-molecular-weight protein complexes in T. acidophilum. In solution, Ta1207 forms homopentamers of 188 kDa. The crystal structure of recombinant Ta1207 solved by Se-MAD at 2.4 Å resolution revealed a complex with fivefold symmetry. In the crystal lattice, calcium ions induce the formation of a nanocage from two pentamers. The Ta1207 protomers comprise two domains with the same novel α/β topology. A deep pocket with a binding site for a negatively charged group suggests that Ta1207 functions as an intracellular receptor for an unknown ligand. Homologues of Ta1207 occur only in Thermoplasmatales and its function might be related to the extreme lifestyle of these archaea. The thermostable Ta1207 complex might provide a useful fivefold-symmetric scaffold for future nanotechnological applications.
Project description:Archaeal cell division cycle protein 6 (Cdc6) homologues are thought to be involved in the initiation process of DNA replication. In the present study, a biochemical characterization of the two Cdc6 proteins from the archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum has been performed. Both TaCdc6-1 and TaCdc6-2 behave as monomers in solution and both are abundantly expressed in vivo. Further, TaCdc6-1 shows strong ability to undergo autophosphorylation compared to TaCdc6-2 and the autophosphorylation activity is not affected by DNA or MCM.