Browsing by Author "Clubb, Robert T."

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Axial Ligand Replacement Mechanism in Heme Transfer from Streptococcal Heme-Binding Protein Shp to HtsA of the HtsABC Transporter
(2013-09) Ran, Yanchao; Malmirchegini, G. Reza; Clubb, Robert T.; Lei, Benfang
The heme-binding protein Shp of Group A Streptococcus rapidly transfers its heme to HtsA, the lipoprotein component of the HtsABC transporter, in a concerted two-step process with one kinetic phase. Heme axial residue-to-alanine replacement mutant proteins of Shp and HtsA (ShpM66A, ShpM153A, HtsAM79A, and HtsAH229A) were used to probe the axial displacement mechanism of this heme transfer reaction. Ferric ShpM66A at high pH and ShpM153A have a pentacoordinate heme iron complex with a methionine axial ligand. ApoHtsAM79A efficiently acquires heme from ferric Shp but alters the reaction mechanism to two kinetic phases from a single phase in the wild-type protein reactions. In contrast, apoHtsAH229A cannot assimilate heme from ferric Shp. The conversion of pentacoordinate holoShpM66A into pentacoordinate holoHtsAH229A involves an intermediate, whereas holoHtsAH229A is directly formed from pentacoordinate holoShpM153A. Conversely, apoHtsAM79A reacts with holoShpM66A and holoShpM153A in mechanisms with one and two kinetic phases, respectively. These results imply that the Met79 and His229 residues of HtsA displace the Met66 and Met153 residues of Shp, respectively. Structural docking analysis supports this mechanism of the specific axial residue displacement. Furthermore, the rates of the cleavage of the axial bond in Shp in the presence of a replacing HtsA axial residue are greater than that in the absence of a replacing HtsA axial residue. These findings reveal a novel heme transfer mechanism of the specific displacement of the Shp axial residues with the HtsA axial residues and the involvement of the HtsA axial residues in the displacement.
Staphylococcus aureus Uses a Novel Multidomain Receptor to Break Apart Human Hemoglobin and Steal Its Heme
(2012-11) Spirig, Thomas; Malmirchegini, G. Reza; Zhang, Jiang; Robson, Scott A.; Sjodt, Megan; Liu, Mengyao; Krishna Kumar, Kaavya; Dickson, Claire; Gell, David A.; Lei, Benfang; Loo, Joseph A.; Clubb, Robert T.
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of life-threatening infections in the United States. It requires iron to grow, which must be actively procured from its host to successfully mount an infection. Heme-iron within hemoglobin (Hb) is the most abundant source of iron in the human body and is captured by S. aureus using two closely related receptors, IsdH and IsdB. Here we demonstrate that each receptor captures heme using two conserved near iron transporter (NEAT) domains that function synergistically. NMR studies of the 39-kDa conserved unit from IsdH (IsdHN2N3, Ala326–Asp660) reveals that it adopts an elongated dumbbell-shaped structure in which its NEAT domains are properly positioned by a helical linker domain, whose three-dimensional structure is determined here in detail. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and heme transfer measurements indicate that IsdHN2N3 extracts heme from Hb via an ordered process in which the receptor promotes heme release by inducing steric strain that dissociates the Hb tetramer. Other clinically significant Gram-positive pathogens capture Hb using receptors that contain multiple NEAT domains, suggesting that they use a conserved mechanism.
Transient Weak Protein–Protein Complexes Transfer Heme Across the Cell Wall of Staphylococcus aureus
(2011-09) Villareal, Valerie A.; Spirig, Thomas; Robson, Scott A.; Liu, Mengyao; Lei, Benfang; Clubb, Robert T.
Iron is an essential nutrient for the bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Heme in hemoglobin (Hb) is the most abundant source of iron in the human body and during infections is captured by S. aureus using iron-regulated surface determinant (Isd) proteins. A central step in this process is the transfer of heme between the cell wall associated IsdA and IsdC hemoproteins. Biochemical evidence indicates that heme is transferred via an activated IsdA:heme:IsdC heme complex. Transfer is rapid and occurs up to 70 000 times faster than indirect mechanisms in which heme is released into the solvent. To gain insight into the mechanism of transfer, we modeled the structure of the complex using NMR paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) methods. Our results indicate that IsdA and IsdC transfer heme via an ultraweak affinity “handclasp” complex that juxtaposes their respective 310 helices and β7/β8 loops. Interestingly, PRE also identified a set of transient complexes that could represent high-energy pre-equilibrium encounter species that form prior to the stereospecific handclasp complex. Targeted amino acid mutagenesis and stopped-flow measurements substantiate the functional relevance of a PRE-derived model, as mutation of interfacial side chains significantly slows the rate of transfer. IsdA and IsdC bind heme using NEAr Transporter (NEAT) domains that are conserved in many species of pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria. Heme transfer in these microbes may also occur through structurally similar transient stereospecific complexes.