SAMHD1 is a dGTP-activated deoxynucleoside triphosphate triphosphohydrolase (dNTPase) whose dNTPase activity has been linked to HIV/SIV restriction. The mechanism of its dGTP-activated dNTPase function remains unclear. Recent data also indicate that SAMHD1 regulates retrotransposition of LINE-1 elements. Here we report the 1.8-Å crystal structure of homotetrameric SAMHD1 in complex with the allosteric activator and substrate dGTP/dATP. The structure indicates the mechanism of dGTP-dependent tetramer formation, which requires the cooperation of three subunits and two dGTP/dATP molecules at each allosteric site. Allosteric dGTP binding induces conformational changes at the active site, allowing a more stable interaction with the substrate and explaining the dGTP-induced SAMHD1 dNTPase activity. Mutations of dGTP binding residues in the allosteric site affect tetramer formation, dNTPase activity and HIV-1 restriction. dGTP-triggered tetramer formation is also important for SAMHD1-mediated LINE-1 regulation. The structural and functional information provided here should facilitate future investigation of SAMHD1 function, including dNTPase activity, LINE-1 modulation and HIV-1 restriction.

Rosmarinic acid (RA) is an importantly and naturally occurring polyphenol from plants of the mint family with potent biological activities. Here, the in vitro interaction of RA with bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been investigated using various biophysical approaches as well as molecular modeling methods, to ascertain its binding mechanism and conformational changes. The fluorescence results demonstrated that the fluorescence quenching of BSA by RA was mainly the result of the formation of a ground state BSA–RA complex, and BSA had one high affinity RA binding site with a binding constant of 4.18 × 10⁴ mol L⁻¹ at 298 K. Analysis of thermodynamic parameters revealed that hydrophobic and hydrogen bond interactions were the dominant intermolecular force in the complex formation. The primary binding site of RA in BSA (site I) had been identified by site marker competitive experiments. The distance between RA and the tryptophan residue of BSA was evaluated at 3.12 nm based on Förster's theory of non-radiation energy transfer. The UV-vis absorption, synchronous fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence, 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS) fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra confirmed that the conformation and structure of BSA were altered in the presence of RA. Moreover, the nuclear magnetic spectroscopy showed that the aromatic groups of RA took part in the binding reaction during the BSA–RA complexation. In addition, the molecular picture of the interaction mechanism between BSA and RA at the atomic level was well examined by molecular docking and dynamics studies. In brief, RA can bind to BSA with noncovalent bonds in a relatively stable way, and these findings will be beneficial to the functional food research of RA.