Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Crystallographic evidence for substrate ring distortion and protein conformational changes during catalysis in cellobiohydrolase Cel6A from Trichoderma reesei

  • Jin-yu Zou
  • , Gerald Kleywegt
  • , Jerry Ståhlberg
  • , Hugues Driguez
  • , Wim Nerinckx
  • , Marc Claeyssens
  • , Anu Koivula
  • , Tuula Teeri
  • , Alwyn Jones*
  • *Corresponding author for this work
    • Uppsala University
    • Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    • Centre de Recherches sur les Macromolécules Végétales (CERMAV-CNRS)
    • Ghent University
    • VTT (former employee or external)
    • KTH Royal Institute of Technology

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    Abstract

    Background: Cel6A is one of the two cellobiohydrolases produced by Trichoderma reesei. The catalytic core has a structure that is a variation of the classic TIM barrel. The active site is located inside a tunnel, the roof of which is formed mainly by a pair of loops.

    Results: We describe three new ligand complexes. One is the structure of the wild-type enzyme in complex with a nonhydrolysable cello-oligosaccharide, methyl 4-S-β-cellobiosyl-4-thio-β-cellobioside (Glc)2-S-(Glc)2, which differs from a cellotetraose in the nature of the central glycosidic linkage where a sulphur atom replaces an oxygen atom. The second structure is a mutant, Y169F, in complex with the same ligand, and the third is the wild-type enzyme in complex with m-iodobenzyl β-D-glucopyranosyl-β(1,4)-D-xylopyranoside (IBXG).

    Conclusions: The (Glc)2-S-(Glc)2 ligand binds in the -2 to +2 sites in both the wild-type and mutant enzymes. The glucosyl unit in the -1 site is distorted from the usual chair conformation in both structures. The IBXG ligand binds in the -2 to +1 sites, with the xylosyl unit in the -1 site where it adopts the energetically favourable chair conformation. The -1 site glucosyl of the (Glc)2-S-(Glc)2 ligand is unable to take on this conformation because of steric clashes with the protein. The crystallographic results show that one of the tunnel-forming loops in Cel6A is sensitive to modifications at the active site, and is able to take on a number of different conformations. One of the conformational changes disrupts a set of interactions at the active site that we propose is an integral part of the reaction mechanism.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1035-1045
    JournalStructure
    Volume7
    Issue number9
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1999
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Crystallographic evidence for substrate ring distortion and protein conformational changes during catalysis in cellobiohydrolase Cel6A from Trichoderma reesei'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this