Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy has proven to be instrumental in understanding a wide range of biological phenomena at the nanoscale. Important examples of what this technique can yield to biological sciences are the mechanistic insights on protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid interactions. When interactions of proteins are probed at the single-molecule level, the proteins or their substrates are often immobilized on a glass surface, which allows for a long-term observation. This immobilization scheme may introduce unwanted surface artifacts. Therefore, it is essential to passivate the glass surface to make it inert. Surface coating using polyethylene glycol (PEG) stands out for its high performance in preventing proteins from non-specifically interacting with a glass surface. However, the polymer coating procedure is difficult, due to the complication arising from a series of surface treatments and the stringent requirement that a surface needs to be free of any fluorescent molecules at the end of the procedure. Here, we provide a robust protocol with step-by-step instructions. It covers surface cleaning including piranha etching, surface functionalization with amine groups, and finally PEG coating. To obtain a high density of a PEG layer, we introduce a new strategy of treating the surface with PEG molecules over two rounds, which remarkably improves the quality of passivation. We provide representative results as well as practical advice for each critical step so that anyone can achieve the high quality surface passivation.
CRISPR and Caspase meet Many prokaryotes use CRISPR RNA–bound proteins to sense viral RNA instead of DNA to set an immune response in motion that protects from virus infection. Although these ribonucleoproteins are typically composed of many protein subunits, van Beljouw et al . discovered that CRISPR-Cas type III-E systems are formed by a large, single-component effector protein capable of double RNA cleavage. Distinct from other systems, this effector forms a complex with a peptidase from the caspase family, raising the intriguing possibility that viral RNA activates a protease activity to prevent virus propagation by host suicide. —DJ
SummaryCRISPR-Cas systems adapt their immunological memory against their invaders by integrating short DNA fragments into clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) loci. While Cas1 and Cas2 make up the core machinery of the CRISPR integration process, various class I and II CRISPR-Cas systems encode Cas4 proteins for which the role is unknown. Here, we introduced the CRISPR adaptation genes cas1, cas2, and cas4 from the type I-D CRISPR-Cas system of Synechocystis sp. 6803 into Escherichia coli and observed that cas4 is strictly required for the selection of targets with protospacer adjacent motifs (PAMs) conferring I-D CRISPR interference in the native host Synechocystis. We propose a model in which Cas4 assists the CRISPR adaptation complex Cas1-2 by providing DNA substrates tailored for the correct PAM. Introducing functional spacers that target DNA sequences with the correct PAM is key to successful CRISPR interference, providing a better chance of surviving infection by mobile genetic elements.
The diarylquinoline TMC207 kills Mycobacterium tuberculosis by specifically inhibiting ATP synthase. We show here that human mitochondrial ATP synthase (50% inhibitory concentration [IC 50 ] of >200 M) displayed more than 20,000-fold lower sensitivity for TMC207 compared to that of mycobacterial ATP synthase (IC 50 of 10 nM). Also, oxygen consumption in mouse liver and bovine heart mitochondria showed very low sensitivity for TMC207. These results suggest that TMC207 may not elicit ATP synthesis-related toxicity in mammalian cells. ATP synthase, although highly conserved between prokaryotes and eukaryotes, may still qualify as an attractive antibiotic target.A new series of compounds, the diarylquinolines, was reported to be highly active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (3). TMC207, the lead compound of the diarylquinoline series, displays MICs of 30 nM for M. tuberculosis and 15 nM for Mycobacterium smegmatis. We recently demonstrated that TMC207 targets ATP synthase, the enzyme responsible for ATP production by oxidative phosphorylation (11). The inhibition of ATP synthase by TMC207 was highly specific, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) for this enzyme corresponding to the MIC for bacterial growth inhibition (11). This compound, which efficiently kills replicating as well as dormant mycobacteria (12,18), is currently in clinical development in phase IIb trials in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.An important factor to consider for a new antibacterial drug is the lack of a eukaryotic homologue of the target, as inhibition of a homologous enzyme could lead to toxicity and safety concerns in humans. In the case of TMC207, the target enzyme ATP synthase is essential for survival in higher organisms, as it supplies cells with the bulk of their ATP via oxidative phosphorylation (20). ATP synthase is evolutionarily strongly conserved among prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Universally, ATP synthesis is coupled to the flow of protons from the intercristae region in mitochondria and the periplasmic space in bacteria to the mitochondrial matrix and the bacterial cytoplasm, respectively. Subunit c of ATP synthase, forming a membrane-spanning oligomer, is essential for this proton transport (8).TMC207 binds to subunit c of mycobacterial ATP synthase (11). Several natural compounds, such as oligomycin and venturicidin, are known to block ATP synthase action by interaction with subunit c. However, these compounds are not selective and inhibit ATP synthase not only in bacteria but also in mitochondria (14,15). This lack of selectivity prevents their clinical usage due to toxicity issues and fatality concerns. Mitochondrial toxicity is a major concern in the clinical development of new drugs, as it may lead to disease conditions, such as pancreatitis, peripheral neuropathy, and cardial or skeletal myopathies (1, 21).Hence, it is of key importance to investigate the selectivity of TMC207 towards mycobacterial ATP synthase compared with that towards mitochondrial ATP synthase.Mycobacterium smegmatis mc 2 ...
Infections with Mycobacterium tuberculosis are substantially increasing on a worldwide scale and new antibiotics are urgently needed to combat concomitantly emerging drug-resistant mycobacterial strains. The diarylquinoline TMC207 is a highly promising drug candidate for treatment of tuberculosis. This compound kills M. tuberculosis by binding to a new target, mycobacterial ATP synthase. In this study we used biochemical assays and binding studies to characterize the interaction between TMC207 and ATP synthase. We show that TMC207 acts independent of the proton motive force and does not compete with protons for a common binding site. The drug is active on mycobacterial ATP synthesis at neutral and acidic pH with no significant change in affinity between pH 5.25 and pH 7.5, indicating that the protonated form of TMC207 is the active drug entity. The interaction of TMC207 with ATP synthase can be explained by a one-site binding mechanism, the drug molecule thus binds to a defined binding site on ATP synthase. TMC207 affinity for its target decreases with increasing ionic strength, suggesting that electrostatic forces play a significant role in drug binding. Our results are consistent with previous docking studies and provide experimental support for a predicted function of TMC207 in mimicking key residues in the proton transfer chain and blocking rotary movement of subunit c during catalysis. Furthermore, the high affinity of TMC207 at low proton motive force and low pH values may in part explain the exceptional ability of this compound to efficiently kill mycobacteria in different microenvironments.
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