Ligand co-crystallization of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases from infectious disease organisms

Sci Rep. 2017 Mar 16;7(1):223. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-00367-6.

Abstract

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) charge tRNAs with their cognate amino acid, an essential precursor step to loading of charged tRNAs onto the ribosome and addition of the amino acid to the growing polypeptide chain during protein synthesis. Because of this important biological function, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases have been the focus of anti-infective drug development efforts and two aaRS inhibitors have been approved as drugs. Several researchers in the scientific community requested aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases to be targeted in the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID) structure determination pipeline. Here we investigate thirty-one aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases from infectious disease organisms by co-crystallization in the presence of their cognate amino acid, ATP, and/or inhibitors. Crystal structures were determined for a CysRS from Borrelia burgdorferi bound to AMP, GluRS from Borrelia burgdorferi and Burkholderia thailandensis bound to glutamic acid, a TrpRS from the eukaryotic pathogen Encephalitozoon cuniculi bound to tryptophan, a HisRS from Burkholderia thailandensis bound to histidine, and a LysRS from Burkholderia thailandensis bound to lysine. Thus, the presence of ligands may promote aaRS crystallization and structure determination. Comparison with homologous structures shows conformational flexibility that appears to be a recurring theme with this enzyme class.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / chemistry*
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / metabolism*
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Borrelia burgdorferi / enzymology*
  • Burkholderia / enzymology*
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Communicable Diseases / microbiology
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Encephalitozoon cuniculi / enzymology*
  • Fungal Proteins / chemistry
  • Fungal Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Models, Molecular
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Ligands
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases