Project description:Inorganic pyrophosphatases (PPase) participate in energy cycling and they are essential for growth and survival of organisms. Here we report extensive structural and functional characterization of soluble PPases from the human parasites Plasmodium falciparum (PfPPase) and Toxoplasma gondii (TgPPase). Our results show that PfPPase is a cytosolic enzyme whose gene expression is upregulated during parasite asexual stages. Cambialistic PfPPase actively hydrolyzes linear short chain polyphosphates like PPi, polyP3 and ATP in the presence of Zn2+. A remarkable new feature of PfPPase is the low complexity asparagine-rich N-terminal region that mediates its dimerization. Deletion of N-region has an unexpected and substantial effect on the stability of PfPPase domain, resulting in aggregation and significant loss of enzyme activity. Significantly, the crystal structures of PfPPase and TgPPase reveal unusual and unprecedented dimeric organizations and provide new fundamental insights into the variety of oligomeric assemblies possible in eukaryotic inorganic PPases.
Project description:Two sPPases (soluble inorganic pyrophosphatases, EC 3.6.1.1) have been isolated from the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Both are monomeric proteins of organellar localization, the chloroplastic sPPase I [Cr (Ch. reinhardtii)-sPPase I, 30 kDa] is a major isoform and slightly larger protein than the mitochondrial sPPase II (Cr-sPPase II, 24 kDa). They are members of sPPase family I and are encoded by two different cDNAs, as demonstrated by peptide mass fingerprint analysis. Molecular phylogenetic analyses indicated that Cr-sPPase I is closely related to other eukaryotic sPPases, whereas Cr-sPPase II resembles its prokaryotic counterparts. Chloroplastic sPPase I may have replaced a cyanobacterial ancestor very early during plastid evolution. Cr-sPPase II orthologues are found in members of the green photosynthetic lineage, but not in animals or fungi. These two sPPases from photosynthetic eukaryotes are novel monomeric family I sPPases with different molecular phylogenies and cellular localizations.
Project description:Membrane-bound pyrophosphatases (M-PPases) are homodimeric primary ion pumps that couple the transport of Na+- and/or H+ across membranes to the hydrolysis of pyrophosphate. Their role in the virulence of protist pathogens like Plasmodium falciparum makes them an intriguing target for structural and functional studies. Here, we show the first structure of a K+-independent M-PPase, asymmetric and time-dependent substrate binding in time-resolved structures of a K+-dependent M-PPase and demonstrate pumping-before-hydrolysis by electrometric studies. We suggest how key residues in helix 12, 13, and the exit channel loops affect ion selectivity and K+-activation due to a complex interplay of residues that are involved in subunit-subunit communication. Our findings not only explain ion selectivity in M-PPases but also why they display half-of-the-sites reactivity. Based on this, we propose, for the first time, a unified model for ion-pumping, hydrolysis, and energy coupling in all M-PPases, including those that pump both Na+ and H+.
Project description:Molecular ferroelectrics have gradually aroused great interest in both fundamental scientific research and technological applications because of their easy processing, light weight and mechanical flexibility. Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite ferroelectrics (HOIPFs), as a class of molecule-based ferroelectrics, have diverse functionalities owing to their unique structure and have become a hot spot in molecular ferroelectrics research. Therefore, they are extremely attractive in the field of ferroelectrics. However, there seems to be a lack of systematic review of their design, performance and potential applications. Herein, we review the recent development of HOIPFs from lead-based, lead-free and metal-free perovskites, and outline the versatility of these ferroelectrics, including piezoelectricity for mechanical energy-harvesting and optoelectronic properties for photovoltaics and light detection. Furthermore, a perspective view of the challenges and future directions of HOIPFs is also highlighted.
Project description:Quaternary structure of CBS-pyrophosphatases (CBS-PPases), which belong to the PPases of family II, plays an important role in their function ensuring cooperative behavior of the enzymes. Despite an intensive research, high resolution structures of the full-length CBS-PPases are not yet available making it difficult to determine the signal transmission path from the regulatory to the active center. In the present work, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) combined with size-exclusion chromatography was applied to determine the solution structures of the full-length wild-type CBS-PPases from three different bacterial species. Previously, in the absence of an experimentally determined full-length CBS-PPase structure, a homodimeric model of the enzyme based on known crystal structures of the CBS domain and family II PPase without this domain has been proposed. Our SAXS analyses demonstrate, for the first time, the existence of stable tetramers in solution for all studied CBS-PPases from different sources. Our findings show that further studies are required to establish the functional properties of these enzymes. This is important not only to enhance our understanding of the relation between CBS-PPases structure and function under normal conditions but also because some human pathogens harbor this class of enzymes.
Project description:BackgroundCoral reefs worldwide are being harmed through anthropogenic activities. Some coral reefs in Thailand remain well-preserved, including the shallow coral reefs along Kra island, Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Interestingly, the microbial community in this environment remains unknown. The present study identified biodiversity of prokaryotes and eukaryotes of 0.22-30 μm in sizes and their metabolic potentials in this coral reef surface in summer and winter seasons, using 16S and 18S rRNA genes pyrosequencing.ResultsThe marine microbial profiles in summer and winter seasons comprised mainly of bacteria, in phylum, particular the Proteobacteria. Yet, different bacterial and eukaryotic structures existed between summer and winter seasons, supported by low Lennon and Yue & Clayton theta similarity indices (8.48-10.43% for 16S rRNA, 0.32-7.81% for 18S rRNA ). The topmost prokaryotic phylum for the summer was Proteobacteria (99.68%), while for the winter Proteobacteria (62.49%) and Bacteroidetes (35.88%) were the most prevalent. Uncultured bacteria in phyla Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, SAR406 and SBR1093 were absent in the summer. For eukaryotic profiles, species belonging to animals predominated in the summer, correlating with high animal activities in the summer, whereas dormancy and sporulation predominated in the winter. For the winter, eukaryotic plant species predominated and several diverse species were detected. Moreover, comparison of our prokaryotic databases in summer and winter of Kra reef surface against worldwide marine culture-independent prokaryotic databases indicated our databases to most resemblance those of coastal Sichang island, Chonburi province, Thailand, and the 3 tropical GOS sites close to Galapagos island (GS039, GS040 and GS045), in orderly.ConclusionsThe study investigated and obtained culture-independent databases for marine prokaryotes and eukaryotes in summer and winter seasons of Kra reef surface. The data helped understand seasonal dynamics of microbial structures and metabolic potentials of this tropical ecosystem, supporting the knowledge of the world marine microbial biodiversity.
Project description:Photosynthetic organisms developed various strategies to mitigate high light stress. For instance, aquatic organisms are able to spend excessive energy by exchanging dissolved CO2 (dCO2) and bicarbonate ( HCO3- ) with the environment. Simultaneous uptake and excretion of the two carbon species is referred to as inorganic carbon cycling. Often, inorganic carbon cycling is indicated by displacements of the extracellular dCO2 signal from the equilibrium value after changing the light conditions. In this work, we additionally use (i) the extracellular pH signal, which requires non- or weakly-buffered medium, and (ii) a dynamic model of carbonate chemistry in the aquatic environment to detect and quantitatively describe inorganic carbon cycling. Based on simulations and experiments in precisely controlled photobioreactors, we show that the magnitude of the observed dCO2 displacement crucially depends on extracellular pH level and buffer concentration. Moreover, we find that the dCO2 displacement can also be caused by simultaneous uptake of both dCO2 and HCO3- (no inorganic carbon cycling). In a next step, the dynamic model of carbonate chemistry allows for a quantitative assessment of cellular dCO2, HCO3- , and H+ exchange rates from the measured dCO2 and pH signals. Limitations of the method are discussed.
Project description:The structures of Escherichia coli soluble inorganic pyrophosphatase (E-PPase) and Thermus thermophilus soluble inorganic pyrophosphatase (T-PPase) have been compared to find the basis for the superior thermostability of T-PPase. Both enzymes are D3 hexamers and crystallize in the same space group with very similar cell dimensions. Two rather small changes occur in the T-PPase monomer: a systematic removal of Ser residues and insertion of Arg residues, but only in the C-terminal part of the protein, and more long-range ion pairs from the C-terminal helix to the rest of the molecule. Apart from the first five residues, the three-dimensional structures of E-PPase and T-PPase monomers are very similar. The one striking difference, however, is in the oligomeric interactions. In comparison with an E-PPase monomer, each T-PPase monomer is skewed by about 1 A in the xy plane, is 0.3 A closer to the center of the hexamer in the z direction, and is rotated by approximately 7 degrees about its center of gravity. Consequently, there are a number of additional hydrogen bond and ionic interactions, many of which form an interlocking network that covers all of the oligomeric surfaces. The change can also be seen in local distortions of three small loops involved in the oligomeric interfaces. The complex rigid-body motion has the effect that the hexamer is more tightly packed in T-PPase: the amount of surface area buried upon oligomerization increases by 16%. The change is sufficiently large to account for all of the increased thermostability of T-PPase over E-PPase and further supports the idea that bacterial PPases, most active as hexamers or tetramers, achieve a large measure of their stabilization through oligomerization. Rigid-body motions of entire monomers to produce tighter oligomers may be yet another way in which proteins can be made thermophilic.
Project description:ADP-ribose (ADPR) is one of the main substrates of Nudix proteins. Among the eight Nudix proteins of Thermus thermophilus HB8, we previously determined the crystal structure of Ndx4, an ADPR pyrophosphatase (ADPRase). In this study we show that Ndx2 of T. thermophilus also preferentially hydrolyzes ADPR and flavin adenine dinucleotide and have determined its crystal structure. We have determined the structures of Ndx2 alone and in complex with Mg2+, with Mg2+ and AMP, and with Mg2+ and a nonhydrolyzable ADPR analogue. Although Ndx2 recognizes the AMP moiety in a manner similar to those for other ADPRases, it recognizes the terminal ribose in a distinct manner. The residues responsible for the recognition of the substrate in Ndx2 are not conserved among ADPRases. This may reflect the diversity in substrate specificity among ADPRases. Based on these results, we propose the classification of ADPRases into two types: ADPRase-I enzymes, which exhibit high specificity for ADPR; and ADPRase-II enzymes, which exhibit low specificity for ADPR. In the active site of the ternary complexes, three Mg2+ ions are coordinated to the side chains of conserved glutamate residues and water molecules. Substitution of Glu90 and Glu94 with glutamine suggests that these residues are essential for catalysis. These results suggest that ADPRase-I and ADPRase-II enzymes have nearly identical catalytic mechanisms but different mechanisms of substrate recognition.
Project description:Soluble and membrane-bound inorganic pyrophosphatases (sPPase and H(+)-PPase, respectively) of the purple nonsulfur bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum are differentially regulated by environmental growth conditions. Both proteins and their transcripts were found in cells of anaerobic phototrophic batch cultures along all growth phases, although they displayed different time patterns. However, in aerobic cells that grow in the dark, which exhibited the highest growth rates, Northern and Western blot analyses as well as activity assays demonstrated high sPPase levels but no H(+)-PPase. It is noteworthy that H(+)-PPase is highly expressed in aerobic cells under acute salt stress (1 M NaCl). H(+)-PPase was also present in anaerobic cells growing at reduced rates in the dark under either fermentative or anaerobic respiratory conditions. Since H(+)-PPase was detected not only under all anaerobic growth conditions but also under salt stress in aerobiosis, the corresponding gene is not invariably repressed by oxygen. Primer extension analyses showed that, under all anaerobic conditions tested, the R. rubrum H(+)-PPase gene utilizes two activator-dependent tandem promoters, one with an FNR-like sequence motif and the other with a RegA motif, whereas in aerobiosis under salt stress, the H(+)-PPase gene is transcribed from two further tandem promoters involving other transcription factors. These results demonstrate a tight transcriptional regulation of the H(+)-PPase gene, which appears to be induced in response to a variety of environmental conditions, all of which constrain cell energetics.