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The crystal structure of the dinB gene product from Geobacillus stearothermophilus (GsDinB) is reported at 2.5 Å resolution. The dinB gene is one of the DNA-damage-induced genes and the corresponding protein, DinB, is the founding member of a Pfam family with no known function. The protein contains a four-helix up[ndash]down[ndash]down[ndash]up bundle that has previously been described in the literature in three disparate proteins: the enzyme MDMPI (mycothiol-dependent maleylpyruvate isomerase), YfiT and TTHA0303, a member of a small DUF (domain of unknown function). However, a search of the DALI structural database revealed similarities to a further 11 new unpublished structures contributed by structural genomics centers. The sequences of these proteins are quite divergent and represent several Pfam families, yet their structures are quite similar and most (but not all) seem to have the ability to coordinate a metal ion using a conserved histidine-triad motif. The structural similarities of these diverse proteins suggest that a new Pfam clan encompassing the families that share this fold should be created. The proteins that share this fold exhibit four different quaternary structures: monomeric and three different dimeric forms.

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In addition to the common use of glutaraldehyde to nonspecifically cross-link protein crystals through lysine residues disposed on the surface of the protein, the use of gentle vapour diffusion of glutaraldehyde offers a convenient way to limit polymerization and to allow slow diffusion throughout the crystal. In the case of trimeric barnase crystals, a specific cross-link was observed between an lysine side chain and an arginine side chain that were spatially disposed at the ideal distance on the protein surface in the three monomers. Here, the direct observation of a specific Lys[ndash]Arg cross-link site is reported and a mechanism is proposed for the reaction.

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CNTO4088 is a monoclonal antibody to human IL-23. The X-ray structure of the Fab fragment revealed an unusual noncanonical conformation of CDR L1. Most antibodies with the [kappa] light chain exhibit a canonical structure for CDR L1 in which residue 29 anchors the CDR loop to the framework. Analysis of the residues believed to define the conformation of CDR L1 did not explain why it should not adopt a canonical conformation in this antibody. This makes CNTO4088 a benchmark case for developing prediction methods and structure-modeling tools.

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In a subset of patients with the hereditary kidney-stone disease primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1), the liver-specific enzyme alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT) is mistargeted from peroxisomes to mitochondria. This is a consequence of the combined presence of the common P11L polymorphism and a disease-specific G170R mutation. In this paper, the crystal structure of mutant human AGT containing the G170R replacement determined at a resolution of 2.6 Å is reported. The crystal structure of AGT consists of an intimate dimer in which an extended N-terminal segment of 21 amino acids from one subunit wraps as an elongated irregular coil around the outside of the crystallographic symmetry-related subunit. In addition to the N-terminal segment, the monomer structure contains a large domain of 261 amino acids and a small C-terminal domain of 110 amino acids. Comparison of the mutant AGT structure and that of wild-type normal AGT shows that the two structures are almost identical, with a backbone-atom r.m.s. deviation of 0.34 Å. However, evidence of significant local structural changes in the vicinity of the G170R mutation might be linked to the apparent decrease in protein stability.

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4-Diphosphocytidyl-2C-methyl-d-erythritol kinase (IspE; EC 2.7.1.148) contributes to the 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate or mevalonate-independent biosynthetic pathway that produces the isomers isopentenyl diphosphate and dimethylallyl diphosphate. These five-carbon compounds are the fundamental building blocks for the biosynthesis of isoprenoids. The mevalonate-independent pathway does not occur in humans, but is present and has been shown to be essential in many dangerous pathogens, i.e. Plasmodium species, which cause malaria, and Gram-negative bacteria. Thus, the enzymes involved in this pathway have attracted attention as potential drug targets. IspE produces 4-diphosphosphocytidyl-2C-methyl-d-erythritol 2-phosphate by ATP-dependent phosphorylation of 4-diphosphocytidyl-2C-methyl-d-erythritol. A triclinic crystal structure of the Escherichia coli IspE[ndash]ADP complex with two molecules in the asymmetric unit was determined at 2 Å resolution and compared with a monoclinic crystal form of a ternary complex of E. coli IspE also with two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The molecular packing is different in the two forms. In the asymmetric unit of the triclinic crystal form the substrate-binding sites of IspE are occluded by structural elements of the partner, suggesting that the `triclinic dimer’ is an artefact of the crystal lattice. The surface area of interaction in the triclinic form is almost double that observed in the monoclinic form, implying that the dimeric assembly in the monoclinic form may also be an artifact of crystallization.

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The trace-element oxyanion molybdate, which is required for the growth of many bacterial and archaeal species, is transported into the cell by an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily uptake system called ModABC. ModABC consists of the ModA periplasmic solute-binding protein, the integral membrane-transport protein ModB and the ATP-binding and hydrolysis cassette protein ModC. In this study, X-ray crystal structures of ModA from the archaeon Methanosarcina acetivorans (MaModA) have been determined in the apoprotein conformation at 1.95 and 1.69 Å resolution and in the molybdate-bound conformation at 2.25 and 2.45 Å resolution. The overall domain structure of MaModA is similar to other ModA proteins in that it has a bilobal structure in which two mixed [alpha]/[beta] domains are linked by a hinge region. The apo MaModA is the first unliganded archaeal ModA structure to be determined: it exhibits a deep cleft between the two domains and confirms that upon binding ligand one domain is rotated towards the other by a hinge-bending motion, which is consistent with the `Venus flytrap’ model seen for bacterial-type periplasmic binding proteins. In contrast to the bacterial ModA structures, which have tetrahedral coordination of their metal substrates, molybdate-bound MaModA employs octahedral coordination of its substrate like other archaeal ModA proteins.

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The X-ray crystallographic structure of nitric oxide-treated bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) in the fully reduced state has been determined at 50 K under light illumination. In this structure, nitric oxide (NO) is bound to the CcO oxygen-reduction site, which consists of haem and a Cu atom (the haem a3[ndash]CuB site). Electron density for the NO molecule was observed close to CuB. The refined structure indicates that NO is bound to CuB in a side-on manner.

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Fungal laccases are oxidoreductases that belong to the multinuclear copper-containing oxidases. They are able to oxidize a wide range of substrates, preferably phenolic compounds, which makes them suitable for employment in the bioremediation of soil and water as well as in other biotechnological applications. Here, the structural analysis of natural laccase B (LacB) from Trametes sp. AH28-2 is presented. This structure provides the opportunity to study the natural post-translational modifications of the enzyme. The overall fold shows a high homology to those of previously analyzed laccases with known three-dimensional structure. However, LacB contains a new structural element, a protruding loop near the substrate-binding site, compared with the previously reported laccase structures. This unique structural feature may be involved in modulation of the substrate recognition of LacB.

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Attempts to crystallize the noncovalent complex of recombinant human insulin with polysialic acid were carried out under normal and microgravity conditions. Both crystal types belonged to the same space group, I213, with unit-cell parameters a = b = c = 77.365 Å, [alpha] = [beta] = [gamma] = 90.00°. The reported space group and unit-cell parameters are almost identical to those of cubic insulin reported in the PDB. The results of X-ray studies confirmed that the crystals obtained were cubic insulin crystals and that they contained no polysialic acid or its fragments. Electron-density maps were calculated using X-ray diffraction sets from earth-grown and microgravity-grown crystals and the three-dimensional structure of the insulin molecule was determined and refined. The conformation and secondary-structural elements of the insulin molecule in different crystal forms were compared.

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Lucina pectinata haemoglobin II (HbII) transports oxygen in the presence of H2S to the symbiotic system in this bivalve mollusc. The composition of the haem pocket at the distal site includes TyrB10 and GlnE7, which are very common in other haem proteins. Obtaining crystals of oxyHbII at various pH values is required in order to elucidate the changes in the conformations of TyrB10 and GlnE7 and structural scenarios induced by changes in pH. Here, the growth of crystals of oxyHbII using the capillary counterdiffusion (CCD) technique at various pH values using a two-step protocol is reported. In the first step, a mini-screen was used to validate sodium formate as the best precipitating reagent for the growth of oxyHbII crystals. The second step, a pH screen typically used for optimization, was used to produce crystals in the pH range 4[ndash]9. Very well faceted prismatic ruby-red crystals were obtained at all pH values. X-ray data sets were acquired using synchrotron radiation of wavelength 0.886 Å (for the crystals obtained at pH 5) and 0.908 Å (for those obtained at pH 4, 8 and 9) to maximum resolutions of 3.30, 1.95, 1.85 and 2.00 Å for the crystals obtained at pH 4, 5, 8 and 9, respectively. All of the crystals were isomorphous and belonged to space group P42212.

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