| 1. |
- Alvarez, Laura, et al.
(author)
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Peptidoglycan Remodeling by the Coordinated Action of Multispecific Enzymes
- 2014
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In: Microbial Drug Resistance. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1076-6294 .- 1931-8448. ; 20:3, s. 190-198
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall constitutes the main defense barrier of bacteria against environmental insults and acts as communication interface. The biochemistry of this macromolecule has been well characterized throughout the years but recent discoveries have unveiled its chemical plasticity under environmental stresses. Non-canonical D-amino acids (NCDAA) are produced and released to the extracellular media by diverse bacteria. Such molecules govern cell wall adaptation to challenging environments through their incorporation into the polymer, a widespread capability among bacteria that reveals the inherent catalytic plasticity of the enzymes involved in the cell wall metabolism. Here, we analyze the recent structural and biochemical characterization of Bsr, a new family of broad spectrum racemases able to generate a wide range of NCDAA. We also discuss the necessity of a coordinated action of PG multispecific enzymes to generate adequate levels of modification in the murein sacculus. Finally, we also highlight how this catalytic plasticity of NCDAA-incorporating enzymes has allowed the development of new revolutionary methodologies for the study of PG modes of growth and in vivo dynamics.
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| 2. |
- Bernardo-Garcia, Noelia, et al.
(author)
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Cold-induced aldimine bond cleavage by Tris in Bacillus subtilis alanine racemase
- 2019
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In: Organic and biomolecular chemistry. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1477-0520 .- 1477-0539. ; 17:17, s. 4350-4358
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) is a versatile cofactor involved in a large variety of enzymatic processes. Most of PLP-catalysed reactions, such as those of alanine racemases (AlaRs), present a common resting state in which the PLP is covalently bound to an active-site lysine to form an internal aldimine. The crystal structure of BsAlaR grown in the presence of Tris lacks this covalent linkage and the PLP cofactor appears deformylated. However, loss of activity in a Tris buffer only occurred after the solution was frozen prior to carrying out the enzymatic assay. This evidence strongly suggests that Tris can access the active site at subzero temperatures and behave as an alternate racemase substrate leading to mechanism-based enzyme inactivation, a hypothesis that is supported by additional X-ray structures and theoretical results from QM/ MM calculations. Taken together, our findings highlight a possibly underappreciated role for a common buffer component widely used in biochemical and biophysical experiments.
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| 3. |
- Espaillat, Akbar, master, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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A distinctive family of L,D-transpeptidases catalyzing L-Ala-mDAP crosslinks in Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria
- 2024
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 15:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The bacterial cell-wall peptidoglycan is made of glycan strands crosslinked by short peptide stems. Crosslinks are catalyzed by DD-transpeptidases (4,3-crosslinks) and LD-transpeptidases (3,3-crosslinks). However, recent research on non-model species has revealed novel crosslink types, suggesting the existence of uncharacterized enzymes. Here, we identify an LD-transpeptidase, LDTGo, that generates 1,3-crosslinks in the acetic-acid bacterium Gluconobacter oxydans. LDTGo-like proteins are found in Alpha- and Betaproteobacteria lacking LD3,3-transpeptidases. In contrast with the strict specificity of typical LD- and DD-transpeptidases, LDTGo can use non-terminal amino acid moieties for crosslinking. A high-resolution crystal structure of LDTGo reveals unique features when compared to LD3,3-transpeptidases, including a proline-rich region that appears to limit substrate access, and a cavity accommodating both glycan chain and peptide stem from donor muropeptides. Finally, we show that DD-crosslink turnover is involved in supplying the necessary substrate for LD1,3-transpeptidation. This phenomenon underscores the interplay between distinct crosslinking mechanisms in maintaining cell wall integrity in G. oxydans.
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| 4. |
- Espaillat, Akbar, master, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Binding of non-canonical peptidoglycan controls Vibrio cholerae broad spectrum racemase activity
- 2021
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In: Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal. - : Elsevier. - 2001-0370. ; 19, s. 1119-1126
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Broad-spectrum amino acid racemases (Bsrs) enable bacteria to generate non-canonical D-amino acids (NCDAAs), whose roles and impact on microbial physiology, including modulation of cell wall structure and dissolution of biofilms, are just beginning to be appreciated. Here we used a diverse array of structural, biochemical and molecular simulation studies to define and characterize how BsrV is post-translationally regulated. We discovered that contrary to Vibrio cholerae alanine racemase AlrV highly compacted active site, BsrV’s is broader and can be occupied by cell wall stem peptides. We found that peptidoglycan peptides modified with NCDAAs are better stabilized by BsrV’s catalytic cavity and show better inhibitory capacity than canonical muropeptides. Notably, BsrV binding and inhibition can be recapitulated by undigested peptidoglycan sacculi as it exists in the cell. Docking simulations of BsrV binding the peptidoglycan polymer generate a model where the peptide stems are perfectly accommodated and stabilized within each of the dimeŕs active sites. Taking these biochemical and structural data together, we propose that inhibition of BsrV by peptidoglycan peptides underlies a negative regulatory mechanism to avoid excessive NCDAA production. Our results collectively open the door to use “à la carte” synthetic peptides as a tool to modulate DAAs production of Bsr enzymes.
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| 5. |
- Espaillat, Akbar, master, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Chemometric Analysis of Bacterial Peptidoglycan Reveals Atypical Modifications That Empower the Cell Wall against Predatory Enzymes and Fly Innate Immunity
- 2016
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In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 138:29, s. 9193-9204
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Peptidoglycan is a fundamental structure for most bacteria. It contributes to the cell morphology and provides cell wall integrity against environmental insults. While several studies have reported a significant degree of variability in the chemical composition and organization of peptidoglycan in the domain Bacteria, the real diversity of this polymer is far from fully explored. This work exploits rapid ultraperformance liquid chromatography and multivariate data analysis to uncover peptidoglycan chemical diversity in the Class Alphaproteobacteria, a group of Gram negative bacteria that are highly heterogeneous in terms of metabolism, morphology and life-styles. Indeed, chemometric analyses revealed novel peptidoglycan structures conserved in Acetobacteria: amidation at the alpha-(L)-carboxyl of meso-diaminopimelic acid and the presence of muropeptides cross-linked by (1-3) L-Ala-D-(meso)diaminopimelate cross-links. Both structures are growth-controlled modifications that influence sensitivity to Type VI secretion system peptidoglycan endopeptidases and recognition by the Drosophila innate immune system, suggesting relevant roles in the environmental adaptability of these bacteria. Collectively our findings demonstrate the discriminative power of chemometric tools on large cell wall-chromatographic data sets to discover novel peptidoglycan structural properties in bacteria.
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| 6. |
- Espaillat, Akbar, et al.
(author)
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Structural basis for the broad specificity of a new family of amino-acid racemases
- 2014
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In: Acta Crystallographica Section D. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0907-4449 .- 1399-0047. ; 70, s. 79-90
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Broad-spectrum amino-acid racemases (Bsrs) enable bacteria to generate noncanonical D-amino acids, the roles of which in microbial physiology, including the modulation of cell-wall structure and the dissolution of biofilms, are just beginning to be appreciated. Here, extensive crystallographic, mutational, biochemical and bioinformatic studies were used to define the molecular features of the racemase BsrV that enable this enzyme to accommodate more diverse substrates than the related PLP-dependent alanine racemases. Conserved residues were identified that distinguish BsrV and a newly defined family of broad-spectrum racemases from alanine racemases, and these residues were found to be key mediators of the multispecificity of BrsV. Finally, the structural analysis of an additional Bsr that was identified in the bioinformatic analysis confirmed that the distinguishing features of BrsV are conserved among Bsr family members.
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| 7. |
- Espaillat, Akbar, master, 1988-
(author)
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Uncovering novel cell wall chemistries in gram negative bacteria : from development or dedicated peptidoglycan chemometric tools to functional genomics
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Bacteria are surrounded by an external cell wall whose main component is a polymeric net-like structure called the peptidoglycan (PG) or murein sacculus. PG plays crucial roles in bacterial physiology (eg morphogenesis, growth fitness and regulation of innate immunity). Based on the characteristics of this macromolecule, bacteria are grouped as gram negative and positive. Gram negatives present a thin PG layer in the periplasmic space, while Gram positive bacteria contain one thick multi-layered sacculus covering the cytoplasmic membrane. Although the PG sacculus is widely conserved between bacteria, variations in its chemical structure (ie sugars and peptide components) have been reported as a coping mechanism to stress. For example, V. choleraeis able to downregulate PG biosynthesis through non-canonical D-amino acids (NCDAAs) cell wall editing when entering stationary phase. NCDAAs production relies on Bsr enzymes, broad spectrum racemases which are expressed in V. cholerae under the control of stress sigma factor RpoS. In this thesis, we present a comprehensive study that allows us to determine the basic structural and biochemical features required for prominent D-amino acid production by Bsr enzymes.V. cholerae’s PG editing by NCDAAs revealed the existence of previously unappreciated chemical modification in the cell wall of bacteria. Such an observation made us question whether the latest technology could reveal, otherwise undetectable, novel PG traits and furthermore, revisit the existence of murein in bacteria which were previously defined as PG-less. Finally, these studies would promote a global assessment of the degree of PG-chemical variability at a Kingdom scale.On the search for novel functional chemistries and associated mechanisms of cell wall regulation, we analysed the cell wall of hundreds of different species. Here, I present two proof of concept studies: i) investigation of the existence of PG in the Plantomycetes Kuenenia stuttgartiensis, a species previously classified as PG-less; and ii) PG chemical diversity within Class Alphaproteobacteria. To do so, we developed and experimentally validated an innovative chemometric pipeline to rapidly analyse large PG datasets. Chemometric analyses revealed 3 PG clusters within Alphaproteobacteria, which included unprecedented PG modifications widely conserved in family Acetobacteria: amidation at the α-(L)-carboxyl of meso-diaminopimelic acid and the presence of (1–3) cross-linked muropeptides between L-Ala and D-(meso)-diaminopimelate residues from adjacent moieties. Fluctuations of the relative abundance of these PG traits were growth phase and media composition dependent. Functional studies demonstrated that Acetobacteria atypical muropeptides enabled cellular protection against Type VI secreted endopeptidases and negatively affected innate immune system recognition suggesting relevant functional roles in the environmental adaptability of these bacteria.
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| 8. |
- Ghssein, Ghassan, et al.
(author)
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Biosynthesis of a broad-spectrum nicotianamine-like metallophore in Staphylococcus aureus
- 2016
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 352:6289, s. 1105-1109
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Metal acquisition is a vital microbial process in metal-scarce environments, such as inside a host. Using metabolomic exploration, targeted mutagenesis, and biochemical analysis, we discovered an operon in Staphylococcus aureus that encodes the different functions required for the biosynthesis and trafficking of a broad-spectrum metallophore related to plant nicotianamine (here called staphylopine). The biosynthesis of staphylopine reveals the association of three enzyme activities: a histidine racemase, an enzyme distantly related to nicotianamine synthase, and a staphylopine dehydrogenase belonging to the DUF2338 family. Staphylopine is involved in nickel, cobalt, zinc, copper, and iron acquisition, depending on the growth conditions. This biosynthetic pathway is conserved across other pathogens, thus underscoring the importance of this metal acquisition strategy in infection.
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| 9. |
- Gilmore, Michael C., et al.
(author)
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A peptidoglycan N-deacetylase specific for anhydroMurNAc chain termini in Agrobacterium tumefaciens
- 2024
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In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - : Elsevier. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 300:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- During growth, bacteria remodel and recycle their peptidoglycan (PG). A key family of PG-degrading enzymes is the lytic transglycosylases, which produce anhydromuropeptides, a modification that caps the PG chains and contributes to bacterial virulence. Previously, it was reported that the polar-growing Gram-negative plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens lacks anhydromuropeptides. Here, we report the identification of an enzyme, MdaA (MurNAc deacetylase A), which specifically removes the acetyl group from anhydromuropeptide chain termini in A. tumefaciens, resolving this apparent anomaly. A. tumefaciens lacking MdaA accumulates canonical anhydromuropeptides, whereas MdaA was able to deacetylate anhydro-N-acetyl muramic acid in purified sacculi that lack this modification. As for other PG deacetylases, MdaA belongs to the CE4 family of carbohydrate esterases but harbors an unusual Cys residue in its active site. MdaA is conserved in other polar-growing bacteria, suggesting a possible link between PG chain terminus deacetylation and polar growth.
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| 10. |
- Kumar, Keshav, et al.
(author)
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PG-metrics : a chemometric-based approach for classifying bacterial peptidoglycan data sets and uncovering their subjacent chemical variability
- 2017
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public library science. - 1932-6203. ; 12:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bacteria cells are protected from osmotic and environmental stresses by an exoskeleton-like polymeric structure called peptidoglycan ( PG) or murein sacculus. This structure is fundamental for bacteria's viability and thus, the mechanisms underlying cell wall assembly and how it is modulated serve as targets for many of our most successful antibiotics. Therefore, it is now more important than ever to understand the genetics and structural chemistry of the bacterial cell walls in order to find new and effective methods of blocking it for the treatment of disease. In the last decades, liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry have been demonstrated to provide the required resolution and sensitivity to characterize the fine chemical structure of PG. However, the large volume of data sets that can be produced by these instruments today are difficult to handle without a proper data analysis work-flow. Here, we present PG-metrics, a chemometric based pipeline that allows fast and easy classification of bacteria according to their muropeptide chromatographic profiles and identification of the subjacent PG chemical variability between e.g. bacterial species, growth conditions and, mutant libraries. The pipeline is successfully validated here using PG samples from different bacterial species and mutants in cell wall proteins. The obtained results clearly demonstrated that PG-metrics pipeline is a valuable bioanalytical tool that can lead us to cell wall classification and biomarker discovery.
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