Project description:The crystal structure of rat alpha-parvalbumin has been determined at 1.05 Angstrom resolution, using synchrotron data collected at Advanced Photon Source beamline 19-ID. After refinement with SHELX, employing anisotropic displacement parameters and riding hydrogen atoms, R = 0.132 and R(free) = 0.162. The average coordinate estimated standard deviations are 0.021 Angstrom and 0.038 Angstrom for backbone atoms and side-chain atoms, respectively. Besides providing a more precise view of the alpha-isoform than previously available, these data permit comparison with the 0.91 Angstrom structure determined for pike beta-parvalbumin. Visualization of the anisotropic displacement parameters as thermal ellipsoids yields insight into the atomic motion within the Ca(2+)-binding sites. The asymmetric unit includes three parvalbumin (PV) molecules. Interestingly, the EF site in one displays uncharacteristic flexibility. The ellipsoids for Asp-92 are particularly large and non-spherical, and the shape of the Ca(2+) ellipsoid implies significant vibrational motion perpendicular to the plane defined by the four y and z ligands. The relative dearth of crystal-packing interactions in this site suggests that the heightened flexibility may be the result of diminished intermolecular contacts. The implication is that, by impeding conformational mobility, crystal-packing forces may cause serious overestimation of EF-hand rigidity. The high quality of the data permitted 11 residues to be modeled in alternative side-chain conformations, including the two core residues, Ile-97 and Leu-105. The discrete disorder observed for Ile-97 may have functional ramifications, providing a mechanism for communicating binding status between the CD and EF binding loops and between the PV metal ion-binding domain and the N-terminal AB region.
Project description:UnlabelledThe western honeybee (Apis mellifera) is the most important commercial insect pollinator. However, bees are under pressure from habitat loss, environmental stress, and pathogens, including viruses that can cause lethal epidemics. Slow bee paralysis virus (SBPV) belongs to the Iflaviridae family of nonenveloped single-stranded RNA viruses. Here we present the structure of the SBPV virion determined from two crystal forms to resolutions of 3.4 Å and 2.6 Å. The overall structure of the virion resembles that of picornaviruses, with the three major capsid proteins VP1 to 3 organized into a pseudo-T3 icosahedral capsid. However, the SBPV capsid protein VP3 contains a C-terminal globular domain that has not been observed in other viruses from the order Picornavirales The protruding (P) domains form "crowns" on the virion surface around each 5-fold axis in one of the crystal forms. However, the P domains are shifted 36 Å toward the 3-fold axis in the other crystal form. Furthermore, the P domain contains the Ser-His-Asp triad within a surface patch of eight conserved residues that constitutes a putative catalytic or receptor-binding site. The movements of the domain might be required for efficient substrate cleavage or receptor binding during virus cell entry. In addition, capsid protein VP2 contains an RGD sequence that is exposed on the virion surface, indicating that integrins might be cellular receptors of SBPV.ImportancePollination by honeybees is needed to sustain agricultural productivity as well as the biodiversity of wild flora. However, honeybee populations in Europe and North America have been declining since the 1950s. Honeybee viruses from the Iflaviridae family are among the major causes of honeybee colony mortality. We determined the virion structure of an Iflavirus, slow bee paralysis virus (SBPV). SBPV exhibits unique structural features not observed in other picorna-like viruses. The SBPV capsid protein VP3 has a large C-terminal domain, five of which form highly prominent protruding "crowns" on the virion surface. However, the domains can change their positions depending on the conditions of the environment. The domain includes a putative catalytic or receptor binding site that might be important for SBPV cell entry.
Project description:Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus endemic to Australia, is closely related to Japanese encephalitis virus and West Nile virus. Nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) is a multifunctional enzyme with serine protease and DEXH/D-box helicase domains, whose activity is central to flavivirus replication and is therefore a possible target for anti-flaviviral compounds. Cloning, purification, and crystal structure determination to 1.9 Angstrom resolution of the NS3 helicase of MVEV and characterization of its enzymatic activity is reported. Comparison with the structures of helicases from related viruses supports a possible mechanism of ATP hydrolysis-driven strand separation.
Project description:Although the advent of direct electron detectors (DEDs) and software developments have enabled the routine use of single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) for structure determination of well-behaved specimens to high-resolution, there nonetheless remains a discrepancy between the resolutions attained for biological specimens and the information limits of modern transmission electron microscopes (TEMs). Instruments operating at 300 kV equipped with DEDs are the current paradigm for high-resolution single-particle cryo-EM, while 200 kV TEMs remain comparatively underutilized for purposes beyond sample screening. Here, we expand upon our prior work and demonstrate that one such 200 kV microscope, the Talos Arctica, equipped with a K2 DED is capable of determining structures of macromolecules to as high as ∼1.7 Å resolution. At this resolution, ordered water molecules are readily assigned and holes in aromatic residues can be clearly distinguished in the reconstructions. This work emphasizes the utility of 200 kV electrons for high-resolution single-particle cryo-EM and applications such as structure-based drug design.
Project description:An expansion of polyglutamine (polyQ) sequence in ataxin-3 protein causes spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, an inherited neurodegenerative disorder. The crystal structure of the polyQ-containing carboxy-terminal fragment of human ataxin-3 was solved at 2.2-Å resolution. The Atxn3 carboxy-terminal fragment including 14 glutamine residues adopts both random coil and ?-helical conformations in the crystal structure. The polyQ sequence in ?-helical structure is stabilized by intrahelical hydrogen bonds mediated by glutamine side chains. The intrahelical hydrogen-bond interactions between glutamine side chains along the axis of the polyQ ?-helix stabilize the secondary structure. Analysis of this structure furthers our understanding of the polyQ-structural characteristics that likely underlie the pathogenesis of polyQ-expansion disorders.