SummaryNumerous studies of amyloid assembly have indicated that partially folded protein species are responsible for initiating aggregation. Despite their importance, the structural and dynamic features of amyloidogenic intermediates and the molecular details of how they cause aggregation remain elusive. Here, we use ΔN6, a truncation variant of the naturally amyloidogenic protein β2-microglobulin (β2m), to determine the solution structure of a nonnative amyloidogenic intermediate at high resolution. The structure of ΔN6 reveals a major repacking of the hydrophobic core to accommodate the nonnative peptidyl-prolyl trans-isomer at Pro32. These structural changes, together with a concomitant pH-dependent enhancement in backbone dynamics on a microsecond-millisecond timescale, give rise to a rare conformer with increased amyloidogenic potential. We further reveal that catalytic amounts of ΔN6 are competent to convert nonamyloidogenic human wild-type β2m (Hβ2m) into a rare amyloidogenic conformation and provide structural evidence for the mechanism by which this conformational conversion occurs.

Protein misfolding and amyloid assembly have long been recognized as being responsible for many devastating human diseases. Recent findings indicate that amyloid assemblies may facilitate crucial biological processes from bacteria to mammals. This review focuses on the mechanistic understanding of amyloid formation, including the transformation of initially innocuous proteins into oligomers and fibrils. The result is a competing folding and assembly energy landscape, which contains a number of routes by which the polypeptide chain can convert its primary sequence into functional structures, dysfunctional assemblies, or epigenetic entities that provide both threats and opportunities in the evolution of life.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) cause muscle paralysis by selectively cleaving core components of the vesicular fusion machinery within motoneurons. Complex gangliosides initially bind into a pocket that is conserved among the seven BoNTs and tetanus neurotoxin. Productive neurotoxin uptake also requires protein receptors. The interaction site of the protein receptor within the neurotoxin is currently unknown. We report the identification and characterization of the protein receptor binding site of BoNT/B and BoNT/G. Their protein receptors, synaptotagmins I and II, bind to a pocket at the tip of their HCC (C-terminal domain of the C-terminal fragment of the heavy chain) that corresponds to the unique second carbohydrate binding site of tetanus neurotoxin, the sialic acid binding site. Substitution of amino acids in this region impaired binding to synaptotagmins and drastically decreased toxicity at mouse phrenic nerve preparations; CD-spectroscopic analyses evidenced that the secondary structure of the mutated neurotoxins was unaltered. Deactivation of the synaptotagmin binding site by single mutations led to virtually inactive BoNT/B and BoNT/G when assayed at phrenic nerve preparations of complex-ganglioside-deficient mice. Analogously, a BoNT B mutant with deactivated ganglioside and synaptotagmin binding sites lacked appreciable activity at wild-type mouse phrenic nerve preparations. Thus, these data exclude relevant contributions of any cell surface molecule other than one ganglioside and one protein receptor to the entry process of BoNTs, which substantiates the double-receptor concept. The molecular characterization of the synaptotagmin binding site provides the basis for designing a novel class of potent binding inhibitors.synaptotagmin ͉ tetanus B otulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) (serotypes A-G) are the causative agents of the disease botulism. The neurotoxins are produced as Ϸ150-kDa single-chain proteins in Clostridium botulinum and subsequently cleaved by proteases, yielding an Ϸ100-kDa heavy chain (HC) and an Ϸ50-kDa light chain (LC). These chains remain connected via a single disulfide bridge, noncovalent interactions, and a HC-derived peptide loop wrapped around the LC. The LCs act as zinc metallopeptidases, which solely hydrolyze one of three SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor) proteins: vesicle associated membrane protein/synaptobrevin, synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa, or syntaxin. Together, these substrate molecules constitute the core of the vesicular fusion machinery. Thus, cleavage of one of these proteins inhibits the release of neurotransmitters from synaptic vesicles into the synaptic cleft. The HCs mediate the neurospecific binding, uptake by receptor-mediated endocytosis, and transport of the LC across the endosomal membrane into the cytosol, where the LCs encounter their substrates. The Ϸ50-kDa

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Several protein misfolding diseases are associated with the conversion of native proteins into ordered protein aggregates known as amyloid. Studies of amyloid assemblies have indicated that non-native proteins are responsible for initiating aggregation in vitro and in vivo. Despite the importance of these species for understanding amyloid disease, the structural and dynamic features of amyloidogenic intermediates and the molecular details of how they aggregate remain elusive. This review focuses on recent advances in developing a molecular description of the folding and aggregation mechanisms of the human amyloidogenic protein β2-microglobulin under physiologically relevant conditions. In particular, the structural and dynamic properties of the non-native folding intermediate IT and its role in the initiation of fibrillation and the development of dialysis-related amyloidosis are discussed.

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The amide synthase of the geldanamycin producer, Streptomyces hygroscopicus, shows a broader chemoselectivity than the corresponding amide synthase present in Actinnosynnema pretiosum, the producer of the highly cytotoxic ansamycin antibiotics, the ansamitocins. This was demonstrated when blocked mutants of both strains incapable of biosynthesizing 3-amino-5-hydroxybenzoic acid (AHBA), the polyketide synthase starter unit of both natural products, were supplemented with 3-amino-5-hydroxymethylbenzoic acid instead. Unlike the ansamitocin producer A. pretiosum, S. hygroscopicus processed this modified starter unit not only to the expected 19-membered macrolactams, but also to ring enlarged 20-membered macrolactones. The former mutaproducts revealed the sequence of transformations catalyzed by the post-PKS tailoring enzymes in geldanamycin biosynthesis. The unprecedented formation of the macrolactones together with molecular modeling studies shed light on the mode of action of the amide synthase responsible for macrocyclization. Obviously, the 3-hydroxymethyl substituent shows similar reactivity and accessibility towards C-1 of the seco-acid as the arylamino group, while phenolic hydroxyl groups lack this propensity to act as nucleophiles in the macrocyclization. The promiscuity of the amide synthase of S. hygroscopicus was further demonstrated by successful feeding of four other m-hydroxymethylbenzoic acids leading to formation of the expected 20-membered macrocycles. Good to moderate antiproliferative activity were encountered for three of the five new geldanamycin derivatives which matched well with a competition assay for Hsp90α.