Hybrid thermophilic/mesophilic enzymes reveal a role for conformational disorder in regulation of bacterial Enzyme I

Thumbnail Image
Date
2020-06-03
Authors
Dotas, Rochelle
Nguyen, Trang
Ghirlando, Rodolfo
Potoyan, Davit
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract

Conformational disorder is emerging as an important feature of biopolymers, regulating a vast array of cellular functions, including signaling, phase separation, and enzyme catalysis. Here we combine NMR, crystallography, computer simulations, protein engineering, and functional assays to investigate the role played by conformational heterogeneity in determining the activity of the C-terminal domain of bacterial Enzyme I (EIC). In particular, we design chimeric proteins by hybridizing EIC from thermophilic and mesophilic organisms, and we characterize the resulting constructs for structure, dynamics, and biological function. We show that EIC exists as a mixture of active and inactive conformations and that functional regulation is achieved by tuning the thermodynamic balance between active and inactive states. Interestingly, we also present a hybrid thermophilic/mesophilic enzyme that is thermostable and more active than the wild-type thermophilic enzyme, suggesting that hybridizing thermophilic and mesophilic proteins is a valid strategy to engineer thermostable enzymes with significant low-temperature activity.

Series Number
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Academic or Administrative Unit
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Roy J. Carver Department of
Type
article
Comments

This is a manuscript of an article published as Dotas, Rochelle R., Trang T. Nguyen, Charles E. Stewart Jr, Rodolfo Ghirlando, Davit A. Potoyan, and Vincenzo Venditti. "Hybrid thermophilic/mesophilic enzymes reveal a role for conformational disorder in regulation of bacterial Enzyme I." Journal of Molecular Biology (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.05.024.

Rights Statement
Copyright
Funding
DOI
Supplemental Resources
Collections