18 Aug 2020

Structure of replicating SARS-CoV-2 polymerase (Nature)

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 uses an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) for the replication of its genome and the transcription of its genes. Here P. Cremer et. al.  present the cryo-electron microscopic structure of the SARS-CoV-2 RdRp in active form, mimicking the replicating enzyme. The structure comprises the viral proteins nsp12, nsp8, and nsp7, and over two turns of RNA template-product duplex. The active site cleft of nsp12 binds the first turn of RNA and mediates RdRp activity with conserved residues. Two copies of nsp8 bind to opposite sides of the cleft and position the second turn of RNA. Long helical extensions in nsp8 protrude along exiting RNA, forming positively charged ‘sliding poles’. These sliding poles can account for the known processivity of the RdRp that is required for replicating the long coronavirus genome3. Their results enable a detailed analysis of the inhibitory mechanisms that underlie the antiviral activity of substances such as remdesivir, a drug for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

11 Aug 2020

Site-specific glycan analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (Science)

The emergence of the betacoronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, represents a significant threat to global human health. Vaccine development is focused on the principal target of the humoral immune response, the spike (S) glycoprotein, which mediates cell entry and membrane fusion. SARS-CoV-2 S gene encodes 22 N-linked glycan sequons per protomer, which likely play a role in protein folding and immune evasion. Here, using a site-specific mass spectrometric approach, M. Crispin et. al.  reveal the glycan structures on a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 S immunogen. This analysis enables mapping of the glycan- processing states across the trimeric viral spike. They show how SARS-CoV-2 S glycans differ from typical host glycan processing, which may have implications in viral pathobiology and vaccine design.

11 Aug 2020

Controlling the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein conformation (Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol.)

The coronavirus (CoV) spike (S) protein, involved in viral–host cell fusion, is the primary immunogenic target for virus neutralization and the current focus of many vaccine design efforts. The highly flexible S-protein, with its mobile domains, presents a moving target to the immune system. Here, to better understand S-protein mobility, R. Henderson, P. Acharya et. al. implemented a structure-based vector analysis of available β-CoV S-protein structures. Despite an overall similarity in domain organization, they found that S-proteins from different β-CoVs display distinct configurations. Based on this analysis, they developed two soluble ectodomain constructs for the SARS-CoV-2 S-protein, in which the highly immunogenic and mobile receptor binding domain (RBD) is either locked in the all-RBDs ‘down’ position or adopts ‘up’ state conformations more readily than the wild-type S-protein. These results demonstrate that the conformation of the S-protein can be controlled via rational design and can provide a framework for the development of engineered CoV S-proteins for vaccine applications.

26 Mar 2020

The (un)structural biology of biomolecular liquid-liquid phase separation using NMR spectroscopy

Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins and nucleic acids is a phenomenon that underlies membrane-less compartmentalization of the cell. The underlying molecular interactions that underpin biomolecular LLPS have been of increased interest due to the importance of membrane-less organelles in facilitating various biological processes and the disease association of several of the proteins that mediate LLPS. Proteins that are able to undergo LLPS often contain intrinsically disordered regions and remain dynamic in solution. Solution-state NMR spectroscopy has emerged as a leading structural technique to characterize protein LLPS due to the variety and specificity of information that can be obtained about intrinsically disordered sequences. This review discusses practical aspects of studying LLPS by NMR, summarizes recent work on the molecular aspects of LLPS of various protein systems, and discusses future opportunities for characterizing the molecular details of LLPS to modulate phase separation.

26 Mar 2020

Cryo-electron microscopy for the study of virus assembly

Although viruses are extremely diverse in shape and size, evolution has led to a limited number of viral classes or lineages, which is probably linked to the assembly constraints of a viable capsid. Viral assembly mechanisms are restricted to two general pathways, (i) co-assembly of capsid proteins and single-stranded nucleic acids and (ii) a sequential mechanism in which scaffolding-mediated capsid precursor assembly is followed by genome packaging. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), which are revolutionizing structural biology, are central to determining the high-resolution structures of many viral assemblies as well as those of assembly intermediates. This wealth of cryo-EM data has also led to the development and redesign of virus-based platforms for biomedical and biotechnological applications. In this Review, recent viral assembly analyses by cryo-EM and cryo-ET are discussed, showing how natural assembly mechanisms are used to encapsulate heterologous cargos including chemicals, enzymes, and/or nucleic acids for a variety of nanotechnological applications.

22 Jan 2020

Integrative Structural Biology of Protein-RNA Complexes

Ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs) are central to all processes in the cell. One of the prerequisites to understand how RNPs work is to determine their high-resolution structures. With the recent revolution in cryo-electron microscopy this task has become easier for large RNP machines, such as ribosomes, spliceosomes, and polymerases. However, the transient and highly dynamic nature of many RNPs makes structure determination a challenging task. Thus, an integrative structural and molecular biology approach is required, tackling three key challenges: (1) identification of cognate RNA sequences; (2) collection of structural data by conducting X-ray crystallography, NMR, electron microscopy, small-angle scattering (SAS), and other experiments; and (3) the creation of structural models that integrates all experimental restraints. Given the breadth of expertise required, Janosch Henning et. al. in Structure present an overview of available methods and successful examples with the goal to provide readers with a selection of promising options for structure determination of RNPs.

22 Jan 2020

Structural biology of cell surface receptor-ligand interactions

Plants have evolved unique membrane receptors that interpret native and foreign cues to coordinate plant life and adaptation. This large family of receptor proteins have evolved very diverse ectodomains, acquiring the capacity to sense ligands of very different chemical nature. A mechanistic understanding on how these signaling systems work will help to comprehend and unveil key cell biology questions. The review by Steven Moussou and Julia Santiago in Current Opinion in Plant Biology aims to focus on the latest receptor-ligands interactions and regulatory mechanism that have been structurally characterized, as well as new receptor folds.

22 Jan 2020

Challenges and perspectives for structural biology of lncRNAs-the example of the Xist lncRNA A-repeats

Following the discovery of numerous long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) transcripts in the human genome, their important roles in biology and human disease are emerging. Recent progress in experimental methods has enabled the identification of structural features of lncRNAs. However, determining high-resolution structures is challenging as lncRNAs are expected to be dynamic and adopt multiple conformations, which may be modulated by interaction with protein binding partners. The X-inactive specific transcript (Xist) is necessary for X inactivation during dosage compensation in female placental mammals and one of the best-studied lncRNAs. Recent progress has provided new insights into the domain organization, molecular features, and RNA binding proteins that interact with distinct regions of Xist. The A-repeats located at the 5' end of the transcript are of particular interest as they are essential for mediating silencing of the inactive X chromosome. In this review, recent progress with elucidating structural features of the Xist lncRNA, focusing on the A-repeats is discussed. The experimental and computational approaches employed that have led to distinct structural models, likely reflecting the intrinsic dynamics of this RNA are overviewed. The presence of multiple dynamic conformations may also play an important role in the formation of the associated RNPs, thus influencing the molecular mechanism underlying the biological function of the Xist A-repeats. Alisha Jones and Michael Sattler in Journal of Molecular Cell Biology propose that integrative approaches that combine biochemical experiments and high-resolution structural biology in vitro with chemical probing and functional studies in vivo are required to unravel the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs.

3 Dec 2019

PEGylated surfaces for the study of DNA–protein interactions by atomic force microscopy

DNA–protein interactions are vital to cellular function, with key roles in the regulation of gene expression and genome maintenance. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) offers the ability to visualize DNA–protein interactions at nanometer resolution in near-physiological buffers, but it requires that the DNA be adhered to the surface of a solid substrate. This presents a problem when working in biologically relevant protein concentrations, where proteins may be present in large excess in solution; much of the biophysically relevant information can therefore be occluded by non-specific protein binding to the underlying substrate. Here we explore the use of PLL_x-b-PEG_y block copolymers to achieve selective adsorption of DNA on a mica surface for AFM studies. Through varying both the number of lysine and ethylene glycol residues in the block copolymers, Bart Hoogenboom, Alice Pyne et al. show selective adsorption of DNA on mica that is functionalized with a PLL₁₀-b-PEG₁₁₃/PLL_1000–2000 mixture as viewed by AFM imaging in a solution containing high concentrations of streptavidin. They demonstrate – through the use of biotinylated DNA and streptavidin – that this selective adsorption extends to DNA–protein complexes and that DNA-bound streptavidin can be unambiguously distinguished in spite of an excess of unbound streptavidin in solution. Finally, they apply this to the nuclear enzyme PARP1, resolving the binding of individual PARP1 molecules to DNA by in-liquid AFM.

28 Nov 2019

More than Proton Detection—New Avenues for NMR Spectroscopy of RNA

This minireview written by Harald Schwalbe, Boris Fürtig and coworkers reports on the development of NMR methods that utilize detection on low-g nuclei (heteronuclei like ¹³C or ¹⁵N with lower gyromagnetic ratio than ¹H) to obtain unique structural and dynamic information for large RNA molecules in solution. Experiments involve through-bond correlations of nucleobases and the phosphodiester backbone of RNA for chemical shift assignment and make information on hydrogen bonding uniquely accessible. Previously unobservable NMR resonances of amino groups in RNA nucleobases are now detected in experiments involving conformational exchange-resistant double-quantum ¹H coherences, detected by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, ¹³C and ¹⁵N chemical shifts provide valuable information on conformations. All the covered aspects point to the advantages of low-g nuclei detection experiments in RNA.

28 Nov 2019

Toward high-resolution in situ structural biology with cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging

Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) provides unprecedented insights into the molecular constituents of biological environments. In combination with an image processing method called subtomogram averaging (STA), detailed 3D structures of biological molecules can be obtained in large, irregular macromolecular assemblies or in situ, without the need for purification. The contextual meta-information these methods also provide, such as a protein’s location within its native environment, can then be combined with functional data. This allows the derivation of a detailed view on the physiological or pathological roles of proteins from the molecular to cellular level. Despite their tremendous potential in in situ structural biology, cryo-ET and STA have been restricted by methodological limitations, such as the low obtainable resolution. Exciting progress now allows one to reach unprecedented resolutions in situ, ranging in optimal cases beyond the nanometer barrier. Here, Florian Schur reviews current frontiers and future challenges in routinely determining high-resolution structures in in situ environments using cryo-ET and STA.