29 Mar 2021

Structural basis for inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase by suramin (Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol.)

11 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine design enabled by prototype pathogen preparedness (Nature)

A vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is needed to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Structural studies have led to the development of mutations that stabilize Betacoronavirus spike proteins in the prefusion state, improving their expression and increasing immunogenicity. This principle has been applied to design mRNA-1273, an mRNA vaccine that encodes a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that is stabilized in the prefusion conformation. Here A. Carfi, B. S. Graham et. al. show that mRNA-1273 induces potent neutralizing antibody responses to both wild-type (D614) and D614G mutant2 SARS-CoV-2 as well as CD8+ T cell responses, and protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the lungs and noses of mice without evidence of immunopathology. mRNA-1273 is currently in a phase III trial to evaluate its efficacy.

11 Mar 2021

Structure and binding properties of Pangolin-CoV spike glycoprotein inform the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 (Nature Communications)

Coronaviruses of bats and pangolins have been implicated in the origin and evolution of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2. A. G.  Wrobel et. al. show that spikes from Guangdong Pangolin-CoVs, closely related to SARS-CoV-2, bind strongly to human and pangolin ACE2 receptors. They also report the cryo-EM structure of a Pangolin-CoV spike protein and show it adopts a fully-closed conformation and that, aside from the Receptor-Binding Domain, it resembles the spike of a bat coronavirus RaTG13 more than that of SARS-CoV-2.

12 Mar 2021

Recognition of non-CpG repeats in Alu and ribosomal RNAs by the Z-RNA binding domain of ADAR1 induces A-Z junctions (Nature Communications)

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing of eukaryotic cellular RNAs is essential for protection against auto-immune disorders. Editing is carried out by ADAR1, whose innate immune response-specific cytoplasmic isoform possesses a Z-DNA binding domain (Zα) of unknown function. Zα also binds to CpG repeats in RNA, which are a hallmark of Z-RNA formation. Unexpectedly, Zα has been predicted — and in some cases even shown — to bind to specific regions within mRNA and rRNA devoid of such repeats. Here, Q. Vicens, B. Vögeli et. al. use NMR, circular dichroism, and other biophysical approaches to demonstrate and characterize the binding of Zα to mRNA and rRNA fragments. Their results reveal a broad range of RNA sequences that bind to Zα and adopt Z-RNA conformations. Binding is accompanied by destabilization of neighbouring A-form regions which is similar in character to what has been observed for B-Z- DNA junctions. The binding of Zα to non-CpG sequences is specific, cooperative and occurs with an affinity in the low micromolar range. This work allows them to propose a model for how Zα could influence the RNA binding specificity of ADAR1.

12 Mar 2021

A method for validating the accuracy of NMR protein structures (Nature Communications)

Williamson et. al. present a method that measures the accuracy of NMR protein structures. It compares random coil index [RCI] against local rigidity predicted by mathematical rigidity theory, calculated from NMR structures [FIRST], using a correlation score (which assesses secondary structure), and an RMSD score (which measures overall rigidity). They test its performance using: structures refined in explicit solvent, which are much better than unrefined structures; decoy structures generated for 89 NMR structures; and conventional predictors of accuracy such as number of restraints per residue, restraint violations, energy of structure, ensemble RMSD, Ramachandran distribution, and clashscore. Restraint violations and RMSD are poor measures of accuracy. Comparisons of NMR to crystal structures show that secondary structure is equally accurate, but crystal structures are typically too rigid in loops, whereas NMR structures are typically too floppy overall. They show that the method is a useful addition to existing measures of accuracy.

12 Mar 2021

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy (Nature Reviews Methods Primers)

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an atomic-level method to determine the chemical structure, 3D structure and dynamics of solids and semi-solids. This Primer summarizes the basic principles of NMR spectroscopy as applied to the wide range of solid systems. The nuclear spin interactions and the effects of magnetic fields and radiofrequency pulses on nuclear spins in solid-state NMR are the same as in liquid-state NMR spectroscopy. However, because of the orientation dependence of the nuclear spin interactions in the solid state, the majority of high-resolution solid-state NMR spectra are measured under magic-angle spinning (MAS), which has profound effects on the types of radiofrequency pulse sequences required to extract structural and dynamical information. Mei Hong et. al. describe the most common MAS NMR experiments and data analysis approaches for investigating biological macromolecules, organic materials and inorganic solids. Continuing development of sensitivity-enhancement NMR approaches, including ¹H-detected fast MAS experiments, dynamic nuclear polarization and experiments in ultra-high magnetic fields, is described. They highlight recent applications of solid-state NMR spectroscopy to biological and materials chemistry. The Primer ends with a discussion of current limitations as well as areas of development of solid-state NMR spectroscopy and points to emerging areas of applications of this sophisticated spectroscopy.

11 Mar 2021

Imaging single glycans (Nature)

Imaging of biomolecules guides our understanding of their diverse structures and functions. Real-space imaging at sub-nanometre resolution using cryo-electron microscopy has provided key insights into proteins and their assemblies. Direct molecular imaging of glycans—the predominant biopolymers on Earth, with a plethora of structural and biological functions—has not been possible so far. The inherent glycan complexity and backbone flexibility require single-molecule approaches for real-space imaging. At present, glycan characterization often relies on a combination of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging to provide insights into size, sequence, branching and connectivity, and therefore requires structure reconstruction from indirect information. Here S. Rauschenbach, P. H. Seeberger, K. Kern et. al.  show direct imaging of single glycan molecules that are isolated by mass-selective, soft-landing electrospray ion beam deposition and imaged by low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy.The sub-nanometre resolution of the technique enables the visualization of glycan connectivity and discrimination between regioisomers. Direct glycan imaging is an important step towards a better understanding of the structure of carbohydrates.

11 Mar 2021

SINGLE: Atomic-resolution structure identification of nanocrystals by graphene liquid cell EM (Science Advances)

Analysis of the three-dimensional (3D) structures of nanocrystals with solution-phase transmission electron microscopy is beginning to reveal their unique physiochemical properties. J. Park, H. Elmlund et. al.developed a “one-particle Brownian 3D reconstruction method” based on imaging of ensembles of colloidal nanocrystals using graphene liquid cell electron microscopy. Projection images of differently rotated nanocrystals are acquired using a direct electron detector with high temporal (<2.5 ms) resolution and analyzed to obtain an ensemble of 3D reconstructions. Here, they introduce computational methods required for successful atomic-resolution 3D reconstruction: (i) tracking of the individual particles throughout the time series, (ii) subtraction of the interfering background of the graphene liquid cell, (iii) identification and rejection of low-quality images, and (iv) tailored strategies for 2D/3D alignment and averaging that differ from those used in biological cryo–electron microscopy. Their developments are made available through the open-source software package SINGLE.

11 Mar 2021

Multi-particle cryo-EM refinement with M visualizes ribosome-antibiotic complex at 3.5 angstrom in cells (Nature Methods)

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) enables macromolecular structure determination in vitro and inside cells. In addition to aligning individual particles, accurate registration of sample motion and three-dimensional deformation during exposures are crucial for achieving high-resolution reconstructions. Here D. Tegunov, P. Cramer, J. Mahamid et. al. describe M, a software tool that establishes a reference-based, multi-particle refinement framework for cryo-EM data and couples a comprehensive spatial deformation model to in silico correction of electron-optical aberrations. M provides a unified optimization framework for both frame-series and tomographic tilt-series data. They show that tilt-series data can provide the same resolution as frame-series data on a purified protein specimen, indicating that the alignment step no longer limits the resolution obtainable from tomographic data. In combination with Warp and RELION, M resolves to residue level a 70S ribosome bound to an antibiotic inside intact bacterial cells. Their work provides a computational tool that facilitates structural biology in cells.

19 Feb 2021

Computational modeling of dynein motor proteins at work (Chem. Commun.)

Along with various experimental methods, a combination of theoretical and computational methods is essential to explore different length-scale and time-scale processes in the biological system. The functional mechanism of a dynein, an ATP-fueled motor protein, working in a multiprotein complex, involves a wide range of length/time-scale events. It generates mechanical force from chemical energy and moves on microtubules towards the minus end direction while performing a large number of biological processes including ciliary beating, intracellular material transport, and cell division. Like in the cases of other conventional motor proteins, a combination of experimental techniques including X-crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, and single molecular assay have provided a wealth of information about the mechanochemical cycle of a dynein. Dyneins have a large and complex structural architecture and therefore, computational modeling of different aspects of a dynein is extremely challenging. As the process of dynein movement involves varying length and timescales, it demands, like in experiments, a combination of computational methods covering such a wide range of processes for the comprehensive investigation of the mechanochemical cycle. In this review article, M. Dutta and B.Jama summarize how the use of state-of-the-art computational methods can provide a detailed molecular understanding of the mechanochemical cycle of the dynein. They implemented all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and hybrid quantum-mechanics/molecular-mechanics simulations to explore the ATP hydrolysis mechanisms at the primary ATPase site (AAA1) of dynein. To investigate the large-scale conformational changes They employed coarse-grained structure-based molecular dynamics simulations to capture the domain motions. Here they explored the conformational changes upon binding of ATP at AAA1, nucleotide state-dependent regulation of the mechanochemical cycle, and inter-head coordination by inter-head tension. Additionally, implementing a phenomenological theoretical model we explore the force-dependent detachment rate of a motorhead from the microtubule and the principle of multi-dynein cooperation during cargo transport.

19 Feb 2021

Human species D adenovirus hexon capsid protein mediates cell entry through a direct interaction with CD46 (PNAS)

Human adenovirus species D (HAdV-D) types are currently being explored as vaccine vectors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) and other severe infectious diseases. The efficacy of such vector-based vaccines depends on functional interactions with re- ceptors on host cells. Adenoviruses of different species are assumed to enter host cells mainly by interactions between the knob domain of the protruding fiber capsid protein and cellular receptors. Using a cell-based receptor-screening assay, N. Amberg et.al. identi- fied CD46 as a receptor for HAdV-D56. The function of CD46 was validated in infection experiments using cells lacking and overex- pressing CD46, and by competition infection experiments using soluble CD46. Remarkably, unlike HAdV-B types that engage CD46 through interactions with the knob domain of the fiber pro- tein, HAdV-D types infect host cells through a direct interaction between CD46 and the hexon protein. Soluble hexon proteins (but not fiber knob) inhibited HAdV-D56 infection, and surface plasmon analyses demonstrated that CD46 binds to HAdV-D hexon (but not fiber knob) proteins. Cryoelectron microscopy analysis of the HAdV-D56 virion–CD46 complex confirmed the interaction and showed that CD46 binds to the central cavity of hexon trimers. Fi- nally, soluble CD46 inhibited infection by 16 out of 17 investigated HAdV-D types, suggesting that CD46 is an important receptor for a large group of adenoviruses. In conclusion, this study identifies a noncanonical entry mechanism used by human adenoviruses, which adds to the knowledge of adenovirus biology and can also be useful for development of adenovirus-based vaccine vectors.