Product inhibition of β-glucosidases (BGs) by glucose is considered to be a limiting step in enzymatic technologies for plant-biomass saccharification. Remarkably, some β-glucosidases belonging to the GH1 family exhibit unusual properties, being tolerant to, or even stimulated by, high glucose concentrations. However, the structural basis for the glucose tolerance and stimulation of BGs is still elusive. To address this issue, the first crystal structure of a fungal β-glucosidase stimulated by glucose was solved in native and glucose-complexed forms, revealing that the shape and electrostatic properties of the entrance to the active site, including the +2 subsite, determine glucose tolerance. The aromatic Trp168 and the aliphatic Leu173 are conserved in glucose-tolerant GH1 enzymes and contribute to relieving enzyme inhibition by imposing constraints at the +2 subsite that limit the access of glucose to the -1 subsite. The GH1 family β-glucosidases are tenfold to 1000-fold more glucose tolerant than GH3 BGs, and comparative structural analysis shows a clear correlation between active-site accessibility and glucose tolerance. The active site of GH1 BGs is located in a deep and narrow cavity, which is in contrast to the shallow pocket in the GH3 family BGs. These findings shed light on the molecular basis for glucose tolerance and indicate that GH1 BGs are more suitable than GH3 BGs for biotechnological applications involving plant cell-wall saccharification.

Psychrophilic enzymes evolved from a plethora of structural scaffolds via multiple molecular pathways. Elucidating their adaptive strategies is instrumental to understand how life can thrive in cold ecosystems and to tailor enzymes for biotechnological applications at low temperatures. In this work, we used X-ray crystallography, in solution studies and molecular dynamics simulations to reveal the structural basis for cold adaptation of the GH1 β-glucosidase from Exiguobacterium antarcticum B7. We discovered that the selective pressure of low temperatures favored mutations that redesigned the protein surface, reduced the number of salt bridges, exposed more hydrophobic regions to the solvent and gave rise to a tetrameric arrangement not found in mesophilic and thermophilic homologues. As a result, some solvent-exposed regions became more flexible in the cold-adapted tetramer, likely contributing to enhance enzymatic activity at cold environments. The tetramer stabilizes the native conformation of the enzyme, leading to a 10-fold higher activity compared to the disassembled monomers. According to phylogenetic analysis, diverse adaptive strategies to cold environments emerged in the GH1 family, being tetramerization an alternative, not a rule. These findings reveal a novel strategy for enzyme cold adaptation and provide a framework for the semi-rational engineering of β-glucosidases aiming at cold industrial processes.

One potential target for cancer therapeutics is the tumor suppressor p53, which is mutated in more than 50% of malignant tumors. Loss of function (LoF), dominant negative (DN) and gain of function (GoF) mutations in p53 are associated with amyloid aggregation. We tested the potential of resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenol, to interact and prevent the aggregation of wild-type and mutant p53 in vitro using fluorescence spectroscopy techniques and in human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231, HCC-70 and MCF-7) using immunofluorescence co-localization assays. Based on our data, an interaction occurs between resveratrol and the wild-type p53 core domain (p53C). In addition, resveratrol and its derivatives pterostilbene and piceatannol inhibit mutant p53C aggregation in vitro. Additionally, resveratrol reduces mutant p53 protein aggregation in MDA-MB-231 and HCC-70 cells but not in the wild-type p53 cell line MCF-7. To verify the effects of resveratrol on tumorigenicity, cell proliferation and cell migration assays were performed using MDA-MB-231 cells. Resveratrol significantly reduced the proliferative and migratory capabilities of these cells. Our study provides evidence that resveratrol directly modulates p53, enhancing our understanding of the mechanisms involved in p53 aggregation and its potential as a therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment.

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