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The exit tunnel region of the ribosome is well established as a focal point for interaction between the components that guide the fate of nascent polypeptides. One of these, the chaperone trigger factor (TF), associates with the 50S ribosomal subunit through its N-terminal domain. Targeting of TF to ribosomes is crucial to achieve its remarkable efficiency in protein folding. A similar tight coupling...
To guide the design of alternative genetic systems, we measured melting temperatures of DNA duplexes containing matched and mismatched nucleobase pairs from natural and unnatural structures. The pairs were analyzed in terms of structural features, including nucleobase size, number of hydrogen bonds formed, the presence of uncompensated hydrogen bonding functional groups, the nature of the bond joining...
The crystal structure of E. coli Fmu, determined at 1.65 A resolution for the apoenzyme and 2.1 A resolution in complex with AdoMet, is the first representative of the 5-methylcytosine RNA methyltransferase family that includes the human nucleolar proliferation-associated protein p120. Fmu contains three subdomains which share structural homology to DNA m 5 C methyltransferases and two RNA...
Protein kinases require strict inactivation to prevent spurious cellular signaling; overactivity can cause cancer or other diseases and necessitates selective inhibition for therapy. Rho-kinase is involved in such processes as tumor invasion, cell adhesion, smooth muscle contraction, and formation of focal adhesion fibers, as revealed using inhibitor Y-27632. Another Rho-kinase inhibitor, HA-1077...
The two Ca 2+ -dependent cysteine proteases, μ- and m-calpain, are involved in various Ca 2+ -linked signal pathways but differ markedly in their Ca 2+ requirements for activation. We have determined the structure of a μ-like calpain, which has 85% μ-calpain sequence (the first 48 and the last 62 residues of the large subunit are those from m-calpain) and a low...
ATP synthesis by F-type ATP synthases consumes energy stored in a transmembrane electrochemical gradient of protons or sodium ions. The electric component of the ion motive force is crucial for ATP synthesis. Here, we incorporate recent results on structure and function of the F 0 domain and present a mechanism for torque generation with the fundamental nature of the membrane potential as...
The basis for promiscuous binding by Hsp40-class molecular chaperones has been revealed by the X-ray structure of a peptide bound to the client protein binding domain of the yeast Hsp40 Ydj1. A model for the Hsp40 dimer in a bivalent association with the client protein and Hsp70 raises the question of whether the Hsp40-Hsp70 chaperone machine should be regarded as a molecular motor.
Triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells (TREM) are a family of recently discovered receptors that play important roles in innate immune responses, such as to activate inflammatory responses and to contribute to septic shock in response to microbial-mediated infections. To date, two TREM receptors in human and several homologs in mice have been identified. We report the 2.6 A resolution crystal...
The mechanisms by which Hsp40 functions as a molecular chaperone to recognize and bind nonnative polypeptides is not understood. We have identified a peptide substrate for Ydj1, a member of the type I Hsp40 from yeast. The structure of the Ydj1 peptide binding fragment and its peptide substrate complex was determined to 2.7 A resolution. The complex structure reveals that Ydj1 peptide binding fragment...
Holliday junction resolution performed by a variety of structure-specific endonucleases is a key step in DNA recombination and repair. It is believed that all resolvases carry out their reaction chemistries in a similar fashion, utilizing a divalent cation to facilitate the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester backbone of the DNA, but their architecture varies. To date, with the exception of bacteriophage...
In this issue of Structure, the first crystal structure of a chorismate synthase is reported . This has been eagerly awaited not only by those interested in the mechanism of the unique transformation that it catalyzes but also by the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries interested in developing inhibitors with antibiotic and herbicidal activities.
The Ras activator Son of Sevenless (Sos) contains a Cdc25 homology domain, responsible for nucleotide exchange, as well as Dbl/Pleckstrin homology (DH/PH) domains. We have determined the crystal structure of the N-terminal segment of human Sos1 (residues 1-191) and show that it contains two tandem histone folds. While the N-terminal domain is monomeric in solution, its structure is surprisingly similar...
EDA is a tumor necrosis factor family member involved in ectodermal development. Splice variants EDA-A1 and EDA-A2 differ only by the presence of Glu 308 and Val 309 in the expected receptor binding region of EDA-A1 but not EDA-A2. This two amino acid difference functions as a switch controlling receptor specificity. EDA-A1 binds only to EDAR, while EDA-A2 is specific for XEDAR. In order to understand...
The cocrystal structure of the yeast YPD1 histidine phosphotransfer domain in complex with its SLN1 phosphodonor by Xu and coworkers (this issue of Structure) reveals new insights into the mechanism of His-Asp signaling in hybrid phosphorelays.
Inhibition of CDK2/CA (cyclin-dependent kinase 2/cyclin A complex) activity through blocking of the substrate recognition site in the cyclin A subunit has been demonstrated to be an effective method for inducing apoptosis in tumor cells. We have used the cyclin binding motif (CBM) present in the tumor suppressor proteins p21 WAF1 and p27 KIP1 as a template...
We have extended the X-ray structure determination of the complete scallop myosin head in the pre-power stroke state to 2.6 A resolution, allowing an atomic comparison of the three major (weak actin binding) states of various myosins. We can now account for conformational differences observed in crystal structures in the so-called ''pliant region'' at the motor domain-lever arm junction between scallop...
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a branched multistep phosphorelay signaling pathway regulates cellular adaptation to hyperosmotic stress. YPD1 functions as a histidine-phosphorylated protein intermediate required for phosphoryl group transfer from a membrane-bound sensor histidine kinase (SLN1) to two distinct response regulator proteins (SSK1 and SKN7). These four proteins are evolutionarily related...
The crystal structure of chorismate synthase (CS) from Streptococcus pneumoniae has been solved to 2.0 A resolution in the presence of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and the substrate 5-enolpyruvyl-3-shikimate phosphate (EPSP). CS catalyses the final step of the shikimate pathway and is a potential therapeutic target for the rational design of novel antibacterials, antifungals, antiprotozoals, and herbicides...
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