Three-dimensional structure of thymidine phosphorylase from E. coli in complex with 3′-azido-2′-fluoro-2′,3′-dideoxyuridine

The three-dimensional structures of thymidine phosphorylase from E. coli containing the bound sulfate ion in the phosphate-binding site and of the complex of thymidine phosphorylase with sulfate in the phosphate-binding site and the inhibitor 3′-azido-2′-fluoro-2′,3′-dideoxyuridine (N₃F-ddU) in the nucleoside-binding site were determined at 1.55 and 1.50 Å resolution, respectively. The amino-acid residues involved in the ligand binding and the hydrogen-bond network in the active site occupied by a large number of bound water molecules are described. A comparison of the structure of thymidine phosphorylase in complex with N₃F-ddU with the structure of pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase from St. Aureus in complex with the natural substrate thymidine (PDB_ID: 3H5Q) shows that the substrate and the inhibitor in the nucleoside-binding pocket have different orientations. It is suggested that the position of N₃F-ddU can be influenced by the presence of the azido group, which prefers a hydrophobic environment. In both structures, the active sites of the subunits are in the open conformation.     

Three-dimensional structure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. Coli</Emphasis> purine nucleoside phosphorylase at 0.99 Å resolution

Purine nucleoside phosphorylases (PNPs) catalyze the reversible phosphorolysis of nucleosides and are key enzymes involved in nucleotide metabolism. They are essential for normal cell function and can catalyze the transglycosylation. Crystals of E. coli PNP were grown in microgravity by the capillary counterdiffusion method through a gel layer. The three-dimensional structure of the enzyme was determined by the molecular-replacement method at 0.99 Å resolution. The structural features are considered, and the structure of E. coli PNP is compared with the structures of the free enzyme and its complexes with purine base derivatives established earlier. A comparison of the environment of the purine base in the complex of PNP with formycin A and of the pyrimidine base in the complex of uridine phosphorylase with thymidine revealed the main structural features of the base-binding sites. Coordinates of the atomic model determined with high accuracy were deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB_ID: 4RJ2).     

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of recombinant phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase from the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermophilic thermus</Emphasis> thermophilus strain HB27

Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetases (PRPP synthetases) are among the key enzymes essential for vital functions of organisms and are involved in the biosynthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides, coenzymes, and the amino acids histidine and tryptophan. These enzymes are used in biotechnology for the combined chemoenzymatic synthesis of natural nucleotide analogs. Recombinant phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase I from the thermophilic strain HB27 of the bacterium Thermus thermophilus (T. th HB27) has high thermal stability and shows maximum activity at 75°С, due to which this enzyme holds promise for biotechnological applications. In order to grow crystals and study them by X-ray crystallography, an enzyme sample, which was produced using a highly efficient producer strain, was purified by affinity and gel-filtration chromatography. The screening of crystallization conditions was performed by the vapor-diffusion technique. The crystals of the enzyme suitable for X-ray diffraction were grown by the counter-diffusion method through a gel layer. These crystals were used to collect the X-ray diffraction data set at the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility (Japan) to 3-Å resolution. The crystals belong to sp. gr. P2₁ and have the following unitcell parameters: a = 107.7 Å, b = 112.6 Å, c = 110.2 Å, α = γ = 90°, β = 116.6°. The X-ray diffraction data set is suitable for determining the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme at 3.0-Å resolution.     

Three-Dimensional Structure of Recombinant Thermophilic Ribokinase from Thermus speсies 2.9 in Complex with Adenosine Diphosphate

Crystallography Reports - The three-dimensional structure of recombinant thermophilic ribokinase from Thermus speсies 2.9 was determined at 2.4 Å resolution using crystals, which were...     

Crystal growth of phosphopantetheine adenylyltransferase,carboxypeptidase t,and thymidine phosphorylase on the international space station by the capillary counter-diffusion method

Crystals of phosphopantetheine adenylyltransferase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, thymidine phosphorylase from Escherichia coli, carboxypeptidase T from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris and its mutant forms, and crystals of complexes of these proteins with functional ligands and inhibitors were grown by the capillary counter-diffusion method in the Japanese Experimental Module Kibo on the International Space Station. The high-resolution X-ray diffraction data sets suitable for the determination of high-resolution three-dimensional structures of these proteins were collected from the grown crystals on the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility. The conditions of crystal growth for the proteins and the data-collection statistics are reported. The crystals grown in microgravity diffracted to a higher resolution than crystals of the same proteins grown on Earth.     

Three-dimensional structure of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> at 2.71 Å resolution

Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase from Escherichia coli was cloned, purified, and crystallized. Single crystals of the enzyme were grown under microgravity. The X-ray diffraction data set was collected at the Spring-8 synchrotron facility and used to determine the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme by the molecular-replacement method at 2.71 Å resolution. The active and regulatory sites in the molecule of E. coli phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase were revealed by comparison with the homologous protein from Bacillus subtilis, the structure of which was determined in a complex with functional ligands. The conformations of polypeptide-chain fragments surrounding and composing the active and regulatory sites were shown to be identical in both proteins.     

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction study of recombinant ribokinase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thermus Species</Emphasis> 2.9

Ribokinase from a thermophilic strain of Thermus species 2.9 belonging to the carbohydrate ribokinase family (EC 2.7.1.15) was isolated, purified, and crystallized. The crystallization conditions were found by the vapor-diffusion technique and were then optimized to apply the capillary counter-diffusion technique. The X-ray diffraction data set was collected from the crystals, which were grown by the counter-diffusion technique, at the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility to 2.87 Å resolution. The crystals belong to sp. gr. P12₁1 and have the following unit-cell parameters: a = 81.613 Å, b = 156.132 Å, c = 87.714 Å, α = γ = 90°, β = 103.819°. The X-ray diffraction data set is suitable for determining the three-dimensional structure of the protein by the molecular-replacement method.