SUMMARY Lysyl-tRNA synthetase (LysRS), a component of the translation apparatus, is released from the cytoplasmic multi-tRNA synthetase complex (MSC) to activate the transcription factor MITF in stimulated mast cells through undefined mechanisms. Here we show that Ser207-phosphorylation provokes a new conformer of LysRS that inactivates its translational, but activates its transcriptional function. The crystal structure of an MSC sub-complex established that LysRS is held in the MSC by binding to the N-terminus of the scaffold protein p38/AIMP2. Phosphorylation-created steric clashes at the LysRS domain interface disrupt its binding grooves for p38/AIMP2, releasing LysRS and provoking its nuclear translocation. This alteration also exposes the C-terminal domain of LysRS to bind to MITF and triggers LysRS-directed production of the second messenger Ap4A that activates MITF. Thus our results establish that a single conformational change triggered by phosphorylation leads to multiple effects driving an exclusive switch of LysRS function from translation to transcription.

Protein arginine deiminases (PADs) are calcium-dependent histone-modifying enzymes whose activity is dysregulated in inflammatory diseases and cancer. PAD2 functions as an Estrogen Receptor (ER) coactivator in breast cancer cells via the citrullination of histone tail arginine residues at ER binding sites. Although an attractive therapeutic target, the mechanisms that regulate PAD2 activity are largely unknown, especially the detailed role of how calcium facilitates enzyme activation. To gain insights into these regulatory processes, we determined the first structures of PAD2 (27 in total), and through calcium-titrations by X-ray crystallography, determined the order of binding and affinity for the six calcium ions that bind and activate this enzyme. These structures also identified several PAD2 regulatory elements, including a calcium switch that controls proper positioning of the catalytic cysteine residue, and a novel active site shielding mechanism. Additional biochemical and mass-spectrometry-based hydrogen/deuterium exchange studies support these structural findings. The identification of multiple intermediate calcium-bound structures along the PAD2 activation pathway provides critical insights that will aid the development of allosteric inhibitors targeting the PADs.

Through comparing the photocatalytic performance of microscale ZnO, nano ZnO, and Degussa P25 titania (P25), it was found that the microscale ZnO exhibited 2.6-35.7 times higher photocatalytic activity for the photodegradation of various dye pollutants than P25 under both UV-visible and visible irradiation and showed much better photostability than the nano ZnO. The photocatalysts were characterized with XRD, Raman, BET, DRUV-vis, adsorption of dye, photoelectrochemical measurement, and PL. The much higher photocataltyic activity of the microscale ZnO than P25 under UV-visible irradiation is attributed to the higher efficiency of generation, mobility, and separation of photoinduced electrons and holes. The much higher visible photocataltyic activity of the microscale ZnO than P25 is due to the higher photosensitization efficiency of electron transfer from an excited dye to the conduction band of the microscale ZnO than that of P25. The much better photostability of the microscale ZnO than the nano ZnO is due to its better crystallinity and lower defects. The photostability of the microscale ZnO is greatly improved by the surface modification of ZnO with a small amount of TiO(2). On the basis of the excellent photocatalytic performance of the microscale ZnO and TiO(2)-modified ZnO, a novel device of coupling photodegradation with light-to-electricity conversion was developed, which is a promising candidate for the photocatalytic removal of dye pollutants and a renewable energy source.

Protein arginine deiminase activity (PAD) is increased in cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. Although the link between abnormal PAD activity and disease is clear, the relative contribution of the individual PADs to human disease is not known; there are 5 PAD isozymes in humans. Building on our previous development of F- and Cl-amidine as potent pan-PAD irreversible inhibitors, we describe herein a library approach that was used to identify PAD-selective inhibitors. Specifically, we describe the identification of Thr-Asp-F-amidine (TDFA) as a highly potent PAD4 inactivator that displays ≥15-fold selectivity for PAD4 versus PAD1 and ≥50-fold versus PADs 2 and 3. This compound is active in cells and can be used to inhibit PAD4 activity in cellulo. The structure of the PAD4•TDFA complex has also been solved and the structure and mutagenesis data indicate that the enhanced potency is due to interactions between the side chains of Q346, R374, and R639. Finally, we converted TDFA into a PAD4-selective ABPP and demonstrate that this compound, biotin-TDFA, can be used to selectively isolate purified PAD4 in vitro. In total, TDFA and biotin-TDFA represent PAD4-selective chemical probes that can be used to study the physiological roles of this enzyme.

Summary Pharmaceutical inhibitors of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases demand high species and family specificity. The antimalarial ATP-mimetic cladosporin selectively inhibits P. falciparum LysRS (PfLysRS). How the binding to a universal ATP site achieves the specificity is unknown. Here we report 3 crystal structures of cladosporin with human LysRS, PfLysRS, and a Pf-like human LysRS mutant. In all 3 structures, cladosporin occupies the class defining ATP-binding pocket, replacing the adenosine portion of ATP. Three residues holding the methyltetrahydro-pyran moiety of cladosporin are critical for cladosporin's specificity against LysRS over other class II tRNA synthetase families. The species-exclusive inhibition of PfLysRS is linked to a structural divergence beyond the active site that mounts a lysine-specific stabilizing response to binding cladosporin. These analyses reveal that inherent divergence of tRNA synthetase structural assembly may allow for highly specific inhibition even through the otherwise universal substrate binding pocket and highlight the potential for structure driven drug development.