Terpenes make up the largest and most diverse class of natural compounds and have important commercial and medical applications. Limonene is a cyclic monoterpene (C10) present in nature as two enantiomers, (+) and (−), which are produced by different enzymes. The mechanism of production of the (−)-enantiomer has been studied in great detail, but to understand how enantiomeric selectivity is achieved in this class of enzymes, it is important to develop a thorough biochemical description of enzymes that generate (+)-limonene, as well. Here we report the first cloning and biochemical characterization of a (+)-limonene synthase from navel orange (Citrus sinensis). The enzyme obeys classical Michaelis–Menten kinetics and produces exclusively the (+)-enantiomer. We have determined the crystal structure of the apoprotein in an “open” conformation at 2.3 Å resolution. Comparison with the structure of (−)-limonene synthase (Mentha spicata), which is representative of a fully closed conformation (Protein Data Bank entry 2ONG), reveals that the short H-α1 helix moves nearly 5 Å inward upon substrate binding, and a conserved Tyr flips to point its hydroxyl group into the active site.
The amyloid β (Aβ) peptide and its shorter variants, including a highly cytotoxic Aβ 25–35 peptide, exert their neurotoxic effect during Alzheimer’s disease by various mechanisms, including cellular membrane permeabilization. The intrinsic polymorphism of Aβ has prevented the identification of the molecular basis of Aβ pore formation by direct structural methods, and computational studies have led to highly divergent pore models. Here, we have employed a set of biophysical techniques to directly monitor Ca 2+ -transporting Aβ 25–35 pores in lipid membranes, to quantitatively characterize pore formation, and to identify the key structural features of the pore. Moreover, the effect of membrane cholesterol on pore formation and the structure of Aβ 25–35 has been elucidated. The data suggest that the membrane-embedded peptide forms 6- or 8-stranded β-barrel like structures. The 8-stranded barrels may conduct Ca 2+ ions through an inner cavity, whereas the tightly packed 6-stranded barrels need to assemble into supramolecular structures to form a central pore. Cholesterol affects Aβ 25–35 pore formation by a dual mechanism, i.e., by direct interaction with the peptide and by affecting membrane structure. Collectively, our data illuminate the molecular basis of Aβ membrane pore formation, which should advance both basic and clinical research on Alzheimer’s disease and membrane-associated pathologies in general.
The stereochemical course of monoterpene synthase reactions is thought to be determined early in the reaction sequence by selective binding of distinct conformations of the geranyl diphosphate (GPP) substrate. We explore here formation of early Michaelis complexes of the (+)-limonene synthase [(+)-LS] from Citrus sinensis using monofluorinated substrate analogues 2-fluoro-GPP (FGPP) and 2-fluoroneryl diphosphate (FNPP). Both are competitive inhibitors for (+)-LS with KI values of 2.4 ± 0.5 and 39.5 ± 5.2 μM, respectively. The KI values are similar to the KM for the respective nonfluorinated substrates, indicating that fluorine does not significantly perturb binding of the ligand to the enzyme. FGPP and FNPP are also substrates, but with dramatically reduced rates (kcat values of 0.00054 ± 0.00005 and 0.00024 ± 0.00002 s−1, respectively). These data are consistent with a stepwise mechanism for (+)-LS involving ionization of the allylic GPP substrate to generate a resonance-stabilized carbenium ion in the rate-limiting step. Crystals of apo-(+)-LS were soaked with FGPP and FNPP to obtain X-ray structures at 2.4 and 2.2 Å resolution, respectively. The fluorinated analogues are found anchored in the active site through extensive interactions involving the diphosphate, three metal ions, and three active-site Asp residues. Electron density for the carbon chains extends deep into a hydrophobic pocket, while the enzyme remains mostly in the open conformation observed for the apoprotein. While FNPP was found in multiple conformations, FGPP, importantly, was in a single, relatively well-defined, left-handed screw conformation, consistent with predictions for the mechanism of stereoselectivity in the monoterpene synthases.
Peer review information Nature Chemical Biology thanks Matthias Erb and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.Reprints and permissions information is available at www.nature.com/reprints.Publisher's note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
The amyloid hypothesis causatively relates the fibrillar deposits of amyloid β peptide (Aβ) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). More recent data, however, identify the soluble oligomers as the major cytotoxic entities. Pyroglutamylated Aβ (pE-Aβ) is present in AD brains and exerts augmented neurotoxicity, which is believed to result from its higher β-sheet propensity and faster fibrillization. While this concept is based on a set of experimental results, others have reported similar β-sheet contents in unmodified and pyroglutamylated Aβ, and slower aggregation of pE-Aβ as compared to unmodified Aβ, leaving the issue unresolved. Here, we assess the structural differences between Aβ and pE-Aβ peptides that may underlie their distinct cytotoxicities. Transmission electron microscopy identifies a larger number of prefibrillar aggregates of pE-Aβ at early stages of aggregation and suggests that pE-Aβ affects the fibrillogenesis even at low molar fractions. Circular dichroism and FTIR data indicate that while the unmodified Aβ readily forms β-sheet fibrils in aqueous media, pE-Aβ displays increased α-helical and decreased β-sheet propensity. Moreover, isotope-edited FTIR spectroscopy shows that pE-Aβ reverses β-sheet formation and hence fibrillogenesis of the unmodified Aβ peptide via a prion-like mechanism. These data provide a novel structural mechanism for pE-Aβ hypertoxicity; pE-Aβ undergoes faster formation of prefibrillar aggregates due to its increased hydrophobicity, thus shifting the initial stages of fibrillogenesis toward smaller, hypertoxic oligomers of partial α-helical structure.
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