CRISPR–Cas9 is a widely employed genome-editing tool with functionality reliant on the ability of the Cas9 endonuclease to introduce site-specific breaks in double-stranded DNA. In this system, an intriguing allosteric communication has been suggested to control its DNA cleavage activity through flexibility of the catalytic HNH domain. Here, solution NMR experiments and a novel Gaussian-accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD) simulation method are used to capture the structural and dynamic determinants of allosteric signaling within the HNH domain. We reveal the existence of a millisecond time scale dynamic pathway that spans HNH from the region interfacing the adjacent RuvC nuclease and propagates up to the DNA recognition lobe in full-length CRISPR–Cas9. These findings reveal a potential route of signal transduction within the CRISPR–Cas9 HNH nuclease, advancing our understanding of the allosteric pathway of activation. Further, considering the role of allosteric signaling in the specificity of CRISPR–Cas9, this work poses the mechanistic basis for novel engineering efforts aimed at improving its genome-editing capability.

Imidazole glycerol phosphate synthase (IGPS) is a V-type allosteric enzyme, meaning that its catalytic rate is critically dependent on activation by its allosteric ligand, N′-[(5′-phosphoribulosyl)formimino]-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (PRFAR). The allosteric mechanism of IGPS is reliant on millisecond conformational motions for efficient catalysis. We engineered four mutants of IGPS designed to disrupt millisecond motions and allosteric coupling to identify regions that are critical to IGPS function. Multiple-quantum Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) relaxation dispersion experiments and NMR chemical shift titrations reveal diminished enzyme flexibility and a reshaping of the allosteric connectivity in each mutant construct, respectively. The functional relevance of the observed motional quenching is confirmed by significant reductions in glutaminase kinetic activity and allosteric ligand binding affinity. This work presents relevant conclusions toward the control of protein allostery and design of unique allosteric sites for potential enzyme inhibitors with regulatory or therapeutic benefit.allostery | NMR | community networks | millisecond motions T he underlying principles of allosteric regulation have been a focal point of enzymology and structural biology for decades as studies of allostery have evolved from two phenomenological models (1, 2) to recognize structural and conformational ensembles that define a broad range of enzymatic states (3-6). As a result, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on understanding dynamic contributions to allostery (7-12) and factors that enable small fluctuations in local conformations of enzymes to propagate information over large distances. A well-developed understanding of dynamic allostery opens up numerous avenues for insight into protein engineering (13,14), drug design (15), and mechanistic biochemistry (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). To establish universal principles for relevant enzymes, however, a link between dynamics and function must be made.The heterodimeric enzyme imidazole glycerol phosphate synthase (IGPS) plays a crucial role in amino acid and purine biosynthesis in bacteria and other microorganisms by sequentially catalyzing the hydrolysis of glutamine (Gln) in its HisH subunit and the cyclization of the substrate and allosteric effector N′-[(5′-phosphoribulosyl)formimino]-5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (PRFAR) in its HisF subunit (Scheme 1). IGPS is a V-type allosteric enzyme that is inactive unless PRFAR is bound, and communication between the active and effector sites is driven by the enhancement of conformational flexibility, namely, fluctuations taking place on the millisecond timescale (22-24). Based on NMR and computational evidence, these motions are believed to propagate from the PRFAR binding site to the glutaminase binding site, thereby disrupting a hydrogen bond between V51 and P10 of HisH. This H bond prevents formation of the oxyanion hole site necessary for glutamine hydrolysis, and its disruption allows IG...

CRISPR-Cas9 is a molecular tool with transformative genome editing capabilities. At the molecular level, an intricate allosteric signaling is critical for DNA cleavage, but its role in the specificity enhancement of the Cas9 endonuclease is poorly understood. Here, multi-microsecond molecular dynamics is combined with solution NMR and graph theory-derived models to probe the allosteric role of key specificity-enhancing mutations. We show that mutations responsible for increasing the specificity of Cas9 alter the allosteric structure of the catalytic HNH domain, impacting the signal transmission from the DNA recognition region to the catalytic sites for cleavage. Specifically, the K855A mutation strongly disrupts the allosteric connectivity of the HNH domain, exerting the highest perturbation on the signaling transfer, while K810A and K848A result in more moderate effects on the allosteric communication. This differential perturbation of the allosteric signal correlates to the order of specificity enhancement (K855A > K848A ~ K810A) observed in biochemical studies, with the mutation achieving the highest specificity most strongly perturbing the signaling transfer. These findings suggest that alterations of the allosteric communication from DNA recognition to cleavage are critical to increasing the specificity of Cas9 and that allosteric hotspots can be targeted through mutational studies for improving the system's function.

CRISPR-Cas9 is a widely employed genome-editing tool with functionality reliant on the ability of the Cas9 endonuclease to introduce site-specific breaks in double-stranded DNA.In this system, an intriguing allosteric communication has been suggested to control its DNA cleavage activity through flexibility of the catalytic HNH domain. Here, solution NMR experiments and a novel Gaussian accelerated Molecular Dynamics (GaMD) simulation method are used to capture the structural and dynamic determinants of allosteric signaling within the HNH domain. We reveal the existence of a millisecond timescale dynamic pathway that spans HNH from the region interfacing the adjacent RuvC nuclease and propagates up to the DNA recognition lobe in the full-length CRISPR-Cas9. These findings reveal a potential route of signal transduction within the CRISPR-Cas9 HNH nuclease, advancing our understanding of the allosteric pathway of activation. Further, considering the role of allosteric signaling in the specificity of CRISPR-Cas9, this work poses the mechanistic basis for novel engineering efforts aimed at improving its genome editing capability.