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abstracts
Gram-negative bacteria of the Salmonella enterica species are ubiquitous facultative intracellular pathogens one of the most infective in humans, causing diseases from gastroenteritis to typhoid fever. Salmonella secretes a range of proteins called effectors to gain entry and colonize the host cell. These effectors are secreted by type 3 secretion system. Upon endocytic internalization by the host cell the bacterium resides in a membrane-bound compartment - the Salmonella containing vacuole (SCV). The effector proteins prevent conversion of SCV into lysosomes and promote bacterial survival and replication within this compartment. The function of effectors varies from interfering protein synthesis and host cell signaling pathways, mediating vesicle traffic to rearranging actin cytoskeleton. We have undertaken studies of several effectors from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, such as SopD2, GtgE and SpvB, to understand their mechanism of action at the molecular level. We have expressed and purified these proteins and undertaken their crystallization. We will present our most recent results.
abstracts
Thaxtomins, a family of phytotoxins produced by Streptomyces spp., can causes plant cell necrosis at nanomolar concentrations. Thaxtomin A is the dominant form from Streptomyces scabies and has demonstrated herbicidal action. TxtE, a cytochrome P450 enzyme from S. scabies 87.22, catalyzes direct nitration of the indolyl moiety of L-tryptophan to L-4-nitrotryptophan using nitric oxide, dioxygen and NADPH, which is the key step of Thaxtomin A biosynthesis. NO-related nitration is a common chemical process in organisms, particularly for tyrosine nitration. However, TxtE is the first reported enzyme that catalyzes a direct nitration reaction specifically in a biosynthetic pathway and thus it can potentially be developed for industrial applications. The crystal structure of TxtE was determined at 2.1 angstrom. A clearly defined substrate access channel is observed and can be classified as channel 2a, which is common in bacteria cytochrome P450 enzymes. A continuous hydrogen bond chain from the active site to the external solvent is observed. Compared with other cytochrome P450 enzymes, TxtE shows a unique proton transfer pathway which crosses the helix I distortion. Polar contacts of Arg59, Tyr89, Asn293, Thr296, and Glu394 with L-tryptophan are seen using molecular docking analysis, which are potentially important for substrate recognition and binding. After mutating Arg59, Asn293, Thr296 or Glu394 to leucine, the substrate binding ability of TxtE was lost or decreased significantly. According to docking and mutagenesis experiments, we propose a possible substrate recognition and binding mechanism, a possible mechanism for substrate recognition and binding is proposed.
