Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.24.69 (botulinum neurotoxin)
 1,901 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A scheme based on the zinc binding site [1992, FEBS Lett. 312, 110-114] has been extended to classify zinc metalloproteases into distinct families. The gluzincins, defined by the HEXXH motif and a glutamic acid as the third zinc ligand, include the thermolysin, endopeptidase-24.11, aminopeptidase, angiotensin converting enzyme, endopeptidase-24.15, and tetanus and botulinum neurotoxin families. The metzincins, defined by the HEXXH motif, a histidine as the third zinc ligand and a Met-turn, include the astacin, serralysin, reprolysin and matrixin families. The inverted zincin motif, HXXEH, defines the inverzincin family of insulin-degrading enzymes, the HXXE motif defines the carboxypeptidase family, and the HXH motif DD-carboxypeptidase.
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PMID:Families of zinc metalloproteases. 795 88

Predictions were made of the secondary, two-dimensional (2-D) structures and side-chain solvent accessibilities of the light (L) chains of the clostridial neurotoxins (botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A-G and tetanus neurotoxin). An artificial neural network was used to make these predictions from a multiple alignment of their primary structures and was the approach used in making successful predictions for the C-fragments of these neurotoxins (Lebeda et al., J. Prot. Chem., 17:311, 1998). We also exploited the fact that the L-chains are Zn-dependent proteases. Although no other metalloproteases were found to be sequentially homologous to these neurotoxin L-chains, a sequence clustering algorithm showed that several bacterially derived Zn-dependent proteases, including thermolysin, were the most similar. A 2-D structure topology map for the type A L-chain was constructed by using thermolysin as a design template. As in thermolysin, the region containing the Zn-binding sequence motif, which is part of the active site in these neurotoxins, was predicted to be minimally solvent accessible. On the other hand, the locations of residues with highly exposed side chains were predicted to occur in non-periodic structure elements. Together, these 2-D structure and solvent accessibility predictions can be used to identify important solvent-exposed regions of the L-chain. These regions may include sites that interact with residues of the neurotoxin heavy chain, sites that bind to vesicle-docking substrates or sites that form antibody epitopes.
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PMID:Predictions of secondary structure and solvent accessibility of the light chain of the clostridial neurotoxins. 978 61

The botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) light chain (LC) acts as zinc endopeptidase. The X-ray structure of the toxin demonstrated that Zn(2+) is coordinated by His(222) and His(226) of the Zn(2+) binding motif HisGluXXHis and Glu(261), whereas Glu(223) coordinates the water molecule required for hydrolysis as the fourth ligand. Recent analysis of a cocrystal of the BoNT/B LC and its substrate synaptobrevin 2 suggested that Arg(362) and Tyr(365) of the homologous BoNT/A may be directly involved in catalysis. Their role and that of Glu(350) which is also found in the vicinity to the active site were analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis. Various replacements of Arg(362) and substitution of Tyr(365) with Phe resulted in 79- and 34-fold lower k(cat)/K(m) values, respectively. These changes were provoked by decreased catalytic rates (k(cat)) and not by alterations of ground state substrate binding as evidenced by largely unchanged K(d) and K(m) values. None of these mutations affected the overall secondary structure or zinc content of the LC. These findings suggest that the guanidino group of Arg(362) and the hydroxyl group of Tyr(365) together accomplish transition state stabilization as was proposed for thermolysin, being the prototypical member of the gluzincin superfamily of metalloproteases. Mutation of Glu(350) dramatically diminished the hydrolytic activity which must partly be attributed to an altered active site fine structure as demonstrated by an increased sensitivity toward heat-induced denaturing and a lower Zn(2+) binding affinity. Glu(350) apparently occupies a central position in the active site and presumably positions His(222) and Arg(362).
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PMID:Arg(362) and Tyr(365) of the botulinum neurotoxin type a light chain are involved in transition state stabilization. 1182 15

The structure of botulinum neurotoxin type B (BoNT/B) is analyzed, and it is demonstrated that the carbonyl oxygen of the scissile bond comes close to the zinc ion to form a Michaelis complex. The hydrated carbonyl is activated by the nucleophilic water, which moves closer to Glu 230 to form hydrogen bonds to side-chain carboxylate. This process frees up the lone pair, which forms a bond with carbonyl carbon, corresponding to the tetrahedral transition state. The hydrated peptide oxygen is stabilized by a zinc ion and a water molecule close by. The proton from the nucleophile moves to NH of the scissile bond. The other proton is shuttled by Glu 230 to the NH2 group to make it NH3+ and allows it to leave. This mechanism is consistent with that proposed for thermolysin and BoNT/A. On the basis of these studies, we have shown that Tyr372 or Arg369 may not have any significant role in catalytic activity except for a secondary role such as stabilizing the transition state. Thus, the sulfate ion mimics the transition state of the scissile carbonyl carbon atom. However, the sulfate ion by itself does not inhibit the toxicity.
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PMID:Structure and enzymatic activity of botulinum neurotoxins. 1502 50

Clostridal neurotoxins (CNTs) are the causative agents of the neuroparalytic diseases botulism and tetanus. CNTs impair neuronal exocytosis through specific proteolysis of essential proteins called SNAREs. SNARE assembly into a low-energy ternary complex is believed to catalyse membrane fusion, precipitating neurotransmitter release; this process is attenuated in response to SNARE proteolysis. Site-specific SNARE hydrolysis is catalysed by the CNT light chains, a unique group of zinc-dependent endopeptidases. The means by which a CNT properly identifies and cleaves its target SNARE has been a subject of much speculation; it is thought to use one or more regions of enzyme-substrate interaction remote from the active site (exosites). Here we report the first structure of a CNT endopeptidase in complex with its target SNARE at a resolution of 2.1 A: botulinum neurotoxin serotype A (BoNT/A) protease bound to human SNAP-25. The structure, together with enzyme kinetic data, reveals an array of exosites that determine substrate specificity. Substrate orientation is similar to that of the general zinc-dependent metalloprotease thermolysin. We observe significant structural changes near the toxin's catalytic pocket upon substrate binding, probably serving to render the protease competent for catalysis. The novel structures of the substrate-recognition exosites could be used for designing inhibitors specific to BoNT/A.
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PMID:Substrate recognition strategy for botulinum neurotoxin serotype A. 1559 54

TeNT is the causative agent of the neuroparalytic disease tetanus. A key component of TeNT is its light chain, a Zn(2+) endopeptidase that targets SNAREs. Recent structural studies of closely related BoNT endopeptidases indicate that substrate-binding exosites remote from a conserved active site are the primary determinants of substrate specificity. Here we report the 2.3 A X-ray crystal structure of TeNT-LC, determined by combined molecular replacement and MAD phasing. As expected, the overall structure of TeNT-LC is similar to the other known CNT light chain structures, including a conserved thermolysin-like core inserted between structurally distinct amino- and carboxy-terminal regions. Differences between TeNT-LC and the other CNT light chains are mainly limited to surface features such as unique electrostatic potential profiles. An analysis of surface residue conservation reveals a pattern of relatively high variability matching the path of substrate binding around BoNT/A, possibly serving to accommodate the variations in different SNARE targets of the CNT group.
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PMID:2.3 A crystal structure of tetanus neurotoxin light chain. 1589 88

Clostridial neurotoxins comprising the seven serotypes of botulinum neurotoxins and tetanus neurotoxin are the most potent toxins known to humans. Their potency coupled with their specificity and selectivity underscores the importance in understanding their mechanism of action in order to develop a strategy for designing counter measures against them. To develop an effective vaccine against the toxin, it is imperative to achieve an inactive form of the protein which preserves the overall conformation and immunogenicity. Inactive mutants can be achieved either by targeting active site residues or by modifying the surface charges farther away from the active site. The latter affects the long-range forces such as electrostatic potentials in a subtle way without disturbing the structural integrity of the toxin causing some drastic changes in the activity/environment. Here we report structural and biochemical analysis on several mutations on Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin type E light chain with at least two producing dramatic effects: Glu335Gln causes the toxin to transform into a persistent apoenzyme devoid of zinc, and Tyr350Ala has no hydrolytic activity. The structural analysis of several mutants has led to a better understanding of the catalytic mechanism of this family of proteins. The residues forming the S1' subsite have been identified by comparing this structure with a thermolysin-inhibitor complex structure.
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PMID:Analysis of active site residues of botulinum neurotoxin E by mutational, functional, and structural studies: Glu335Gln is an apoenzyme. 1593 19

The seven serotypes (A-G) of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) block neurotransmitter release through their specific proteolysis of one of the three proteins of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive-factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex. BoNTs have stringent substrate specificities that are unique for metalloprotease in that they require exceptionally long substrates (1). To understand the molecular reasons for the unique specificities of the BoNTs, we determined the crystal structure of the catalytic light chain (LC) of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin type G (BoNT/G-LC) at 2.35 A resolution. The structure of BoNT/G-LC reveals a C-terminal beta-sheet that is critical for LC oligomerization and is unlike that seen in the other LC structures. Its structural comparison with thermolysin and the available pool of LC structures reveals important serotype differences that are likely to be involved in substrate recognition of the P1' residue. In addition, structural and sequence analyses have identified a potential exosite of BoNT/G-LC that recognizes a SNARE recognition motif of VAMP.
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PMID:Crystal structure of botulinum neurotoxin type G light chain: serotype divergence in substrate recognition. 1600 42

Botulinum neurotoxin serotype A is the most lethal of all known toxins. Here, we report the crystal structure, along with SAR data, of the zinc metalloprotease domain of BoNT/A bound to a potent peptidomimetic inhibitor (K(i)=41 nM) that resembles the local sequence of the SNAP-25 substrate. Surprisingly, the inhibitor adopts a helical conformation around the cleavage site, in contrast to the extended conformation of the native substrate. The backbone of the inhibitor's P1 residue displaces the putative catalytic water molecule and concomitantly interacts with the "proton shuttle" E224. This mechanism of inhibition is aided by residue contacts in the conserved S1' pocket of the substrate binding cleft and by the induction of new hydrophobic pockets, which are not present in the apo form, especially for the P2' residue of the inhibitor. Our inhibitor is specific for BoNT/A as it does not inhibit other BoNT serotypes or thermolysin.
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PMID:A potent peptidomimetic inhibitor of botulinum neurotoxin serotype A has a very different conformation than SNAP-25 substrate. 1894 Jun 13