New Delhi metallo-β-lactamases (NDMs), the recent additions to metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs), pose a serious public health threat due to its highly efficient hydrolysis of β-lactam antibiotics and rapid worldwide dissemination. The MBL-hydrolyzing mechanism for carbapenems is less studied than that of penicillins and cephalosporins. Here, we report crystal structures of NDM-1 in complex with hydrolyzed imipenem and meropenem, at resolutions of 1.80–2.32 Å, together with NMR spectra monitoring meropenem hydrolysis. Three enzyme-intermediate/product derivatives, EI₁, EI₂, and EP, are trapped in these crystals. Our structural data reveal double-bond tautomerization from Δ² to Δ¹, absence of a bridging water molecule and an exclusive β-diastereomeric product, all suggesting that the hydrolytic intermediates are protonated by a bulky water molecule incoming from the β-face. These results strongly suggest a distinct mechanism of NDM-1-catalyzed carbapenem hydrolysis from that of penicillin or cephalosporin hydrolysis, which may provide a novel rationale for design of mechanism-based inhibitors.

Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) and 2 (HSF2) play distinct but overlapping regulatory roles in maintaining cellular proteostasis or mediating cell differentiation and development. Upon activation, both HSFs trimerize and bind to heat shock elements (HSEs) present in the promoter region of target genes. Despite structural insights gained from recent studies, structures reflecting the physiological architecture of this transcriptional machinery remains to be determined. Here, we present co-crystal structures of human HSF1 and HSF2 trimers bound to DNA, which reveal a triangular arrangement of the three DNA-binding domains (DBDs) with protein-protein interactions largely mediated by the wing domain. Two structural properties, different flexibility of the wing domain and local DNA conformational changes induced by HSF binding, seem likely to contribute to the subtle differential specificity between HSF1 and HSF2. Besides, two more structures showing DBDs bound to “two-site” head-to-head HSEs were determined as additions to the published tail-to-tail dimer-binding structures.

Biochemical and structural characterization of a DNA N 6 -adenine methyltransferase from Helicobacter pylori

Dioxygen activation by nonhaem Fe(II) enzymes containing the 2-His-1-carboxylate facial triad has been extensively studied in recent years. Here, crystal structures of 2-aminophenol 1,6-dioxygenase, an enzyme that represents a minor group of extradiol dioxygenases and that catalyses the ring opening of 2-aminophenol, in complex with the lactone intermediate (4Z,6Z)-3-iminooxepin-2(3H)-one and the product 2-aminomuconic 6-semialdehyde and in complex with the suicide inhibitor 4-nitrocatechol are reported. The Fe-ligand binding schemes observed in these structures revealed some common geometrical characteristics that are shared by the published structures of extradiol dioxygenases, suggesting that enzymes that catalyse the oxidation of noncatecholic compounds are very likely to utilize a similar strategy for dioxygen activation and the fission of aromatic rings as the canonical mechanism. The Fe-ligation arrangement, however, is strikingly enantiomeric to that of all other 2-His-1-carboxylate enzymes apart from protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase. This structural variance leads to the generation of an uncommon O(-)-Fe(2+)-O(-) species prior to O(2) binding, which probably forms the structural basis on which APD distinguishes its specific substrate and inhibitor, which share an analogous molecular structure.

Vascular calcification (VC) is regarded as a common feature of vascular aging. Klotho deficiency reportedly contributes to VC, which can be ameliorated by restoration of Klotho expression. However, the specific mechanisms involved remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role of autophagy in the process of Klotho‐inhibiting VC. The clinical study results indicated that, based on Agatston score, serum Klotho level was negatively associated with aortic calcification. Then, Klotho‐deficient mice exhibited aortic VC, which could be alleviated with the supplementation of Klotho protein. Moreover, autophagy increased in the aorta of Klotho‐deficient mice and protected against VC. Finally, we found that Klotho ameliorated calcification by promoting autophagy both in the aorta of Klotho‐deficient mice and in mouse vascular smooth muscle cells (MOVAS) under calcifying conditions. These findings indicate that Klotho deficiency induces increased autophagy to protect against VC and that Klotho expression further enhances autophagy to ameliorate calcification. This study is beneficial to exploring the underlying mechanisms of Klotho regulating VC, which has important guiding significance for future clinical studies in the treatment of VC.

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a bacterial protein-export machine that is capable of delivering virulence effectors between Gram-negative bacteria. The T6SS ofPseudomonas aeruginosatransports two lytic enzymes, Tse1 and Tse3, to degrade cell-wall peptidoglycan in the periplasm of rival bacteria that are competing for nichesviaamidase and muramidase activities, respectively. Two cognate immunity proteins, Tsi1 and Tsi3, are produced by the bacterium to inactivate the two antibacterial effectors, thereby protecting its siblings from self-intoxication. Recently, Tse1–Tsi1 has been structurally characterized. Here, the structure of the Tse3–Tsi3 complex is reported at 1.9 Å resolution. The results reveal that Tse3 contains a C-terminal catalytic domain that adopts a soluble lytic transglycosylase (SLT) fold in which three calcium-binding sites were surprisingly observed close to the catalytic Glu residue. The electrostatic properties of the substrate-binding groove are also distinctive from those of known structures with a similar fold. All of these features imply that a unique catalytic mechanism is utilized by Tse3 in cleaving glycosidic bonds. Tsi3 comprises a single domain showing a β-sandwich architecture that is reminiscent of the immunoglobulin fold. Three loops of Tsi3 insert deeply into the groove of Tse3 and completely occlude its active site, which forms the structural basis of Tse3 inactivation. This work is the first crystallographic report describing the three-dimensional structure of the Tse3–Tsi3 effector–immunity pair.