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RATIONALE: Tandem mass (MS/MS) spectra generated by collision-induced dissociation (CID) typically lack redundant peptide sequence information in the form of e.g. b- and y-ion series due to frequent use of sequence-specific endopeptidases cleaving C- or N-terminal to Arg or Lys residues.METHODS: Here we introduce arginyl-tRNA protein transferase (ATE, EC 2.3.2.8) for proteomics. ATE recognizes aci

The Escherichia coli inner membrane protein CysZ mediates the sulfate uptake subsequently utilized for the synthesis of sulfur-containing compounds in cells. Here we report the purification and functional characterization of CysZ. Using Isothermal Titration Calorimetry, we have observed interactions between CysZ and its putative substrate sulfate. Additional sulfur-containing compounds from the cy

Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus mutans is the primary causative agent of human dental caries. To better understand this pathogen at the atomic structure level and to establish potential drug and vaccine targets, we have carried out structural genomics research since 2005. To achieve the goal, we have developed various in-house automation systems including novel high-throughput crystallizatio

p90 ribosomal S6 kinases (RSKs) respond to various mitogen stimuli and comprise two distinct protein kinase domains. The C-terminal kinase domain (CTKD) receives signal from ERK1/2 and adopts an autoinhibitory mechanism. Here, the crystal structure of human RSK1 CTKD is reported at 2.7 Å resolution. The structure shows a standard kinase fold, with the catalytic residues in the ATP-binding cleft or

NMD3 is required for nuclear export of the 60S ribosomal subunit in yeast and vertebrate cells, but no corresponding function of NMD3 has been reported in plants. Here we report that Arabidopsis thaliana NMD3 (AtNMD3) showed a similar function in the nuclear export of the 60S ribosomal subunit. Interference with AtNMD3 function by overexpressing a truncated dominant negative form of the protein la

The 23S rRNA nucleotide m(2)G2445 is highly conserved in bacteria, and in Escherichia coli this modification is added by the enzyme YcbY. With lengths of around 700 amino acids, YcbY orthologs are the largest rRNA methyltransferases identified in Gram-negative bacteria, and they appear to be fusions from two separate proteins found in Gram-positives. The crystal structures described here show that

The RlmL (YcbY) protein in Escherichia coli is an rRNA methyltransferase that is specific for m(2)G2445 modification of 23S RNA. The rlmL gene was cloned into the expression vector pET28a and expressed in the host E. coli strain BL21 (DE3). Recombinant protein with a six-histidine tag was purified by Ni(2+)-affinity chromatography followed by gel filtration. Crystals were grown using the hanging-d

Tubulin-folding cofactor A (TFC A) is a molecular post-chaperonin that is involved in the beta-tubulin-folding pathway. It has been identified in many organisms including yeasts, humans and plants. In this work, Arabidopsis thaliana TFC A was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. After thrombin cleavage, a well diffracting crystal was obtained by the sitting-drop vapour-diffus

Microtubules are composed of polymerized alpha/beta-tubulin heterodimers. Biogenesis of assembly-competent tubulin dimers is a complex multistep process that requires sequential actions of distinct molecular chaperones and cofactors. Tubulin folding cofactor A (TFCA), which captures beta-tubulin during the folding pathway, has been identified in many organisms. Here, we report the crystal structur

Despite impressive advances in theories, methods and technologies, crystallization still remains a serious bottleneck in structural determination of macromolecules. Here we present a novel solid-liquid interface method (SLIM) for protein crystallization, based on the pre-adding and drying of a crystallization reagent, and thereafter the dispensing of a protein solution to the dried media to initia

As an oral bacterial pathogen, Streptococcus mutans has been known as the aetiologic agent of human dental caries. Among a total of 1960 identified proteins within the genome of this organism, there are about 500 without any known functions. One of these proteins, SMU.440, has very few homologs in the current protein databases and it does not fall into any protein functional families. Phylogenetic

Sulfur single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (S-SAD) and halide-soaking methods are increasingly being used for ab initio phasing. With the introduction of in-house Cr X-ray sources, these methods benefit from the enhanced anomalous scattering of S and halide atoms, respectively. Here, these methods were combined to determine the crystal structure of BsDegV, a DegV protein-family member from Baci

The 3-keto-L-gulonate 6-phosphate decarboxylase (KGPDC) catalyses the decarboxylation of 3-keto-L-gulonate 6-phosphate to L-xylulose in the presence of magnesium ions. The enzyme is involved in L-ascorbate metabolism and plays an essential role in the pathway of glucuronate interconversion. Crystal structures of Streptococcus mutans KGPDC were determined in the absence and presence of the product

C(4)-dicarboxylates are the major carbon and energy sources during the symbiotic growth of rhizobia. Responses to C(4)-dicarboxylates depend on typical two-component systems (TCS) consisting of a transmembrane sensor histidine kinase and a cytoplasmic response regulator. The DctB-DctD system is the first identified TCS for C(4)-dicarboxylates sensing. Direct ligand binding to the sensor domain of

As a substrate of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), the p90 ribosome S6 kinase 1 (RSK1) is at the terminus of the Ras/ERK pathway. Residues 411-735 of human RSK1, covering the C-terminal serine/threonine kinase catalytic domain and the functionally important tail, were cloned into an Escherichia coli expression vector. The protein was expressed, purified and crystallized. The crystals dif

A large-scale, high-efficiency and low-cost platform based on a Beckman Coulter Biomek FX and custom-made automation systems for structural genomics has been set up at Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China. This platform has the capacity to process up to 2000 genes per year for structural and functional analyses. Bacillus subtilis, a model organism for Gram-positive bacteria, and

WRKY proteins, defined by the conserved WRKYGQK sequence, are comprised of a large superfamily of transcription factors identified specifically from the plant kingdom. This superfamily plays important roles in plant disease resistance, abiotic stress, senescence as well as in some developmental processes. In this study, the Arabidopsis WRKY1 was shown to be involved in the salicylic acid signaling

As part of a structural genomics platform in a university laboratory, a low-cost in-house-developed automated imaging system for SBS microplate experiments has been designed and constructed. The imaging system can scan a microplate in 2-6 min for a 96-well plate depending on the plate layout and scanning options. A web-based crystallization database system has been developed, enabling users to fol

Adenylate kinases (AKs) play important roles in nucleotide metabolism in all organisms and in cellular energetics by means of phosphotransfer networks in eukaryotes. The crystal structure of a human AK named AK6 was determined by in-house sulfur single-wavelength anomalous dispersion phasing methods and refined to 2.0-A resolution with a free R factor of 21.8%. Sequence analyses revealed that huma

A numerical implementation of a method to analyze scattering by randomly located obstacles in a slab geometry is presented. In general, the obstacles can be of arbitrary shape, but, in this first implementation, the obstacles are dielectric spheres. The coherent part of the reflected and transmitted intensity at normal incidence is treated. Excellent agreement with numerical results found in the l