Solution structure and backbone dynamics for S1 domain of ribosomal protein S1 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The pro-drug pyrazinamide is hydrolyzed to pyrazinoic acid (POA) in its use for the treatment of tuberculosis. As a molecule with bactericidal activity, POA binds to the C-terminal S1 domain of ribosomal protein S1 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtRpsACTD_S1) to inhibit trans-translation. Trans-translation is a critical component of protein synthesis quality control, and is mediated by transfer-messenger RNA. Here, we have determined the solution structure of MtRpsACTD_S1(280-368), and analyzed its structural dynamics by NMR spectroscopy. The solution structure of MtRpsACTD_S1(280-368) mainly consists of five anti-parallel β strands, two α helices, and two 310 helices. Backbone dynamics reveals that the overall structure of MtRpsACTD_S1(280-368) is rigid, but segment L326-V333 undergoes large amplitude fluctuations on picosecond to nanosecond time scales. In addition, residues V321, H322, V331 and D335 with large Rex values exhibit significant chemical or conformational exchange on microsecond to millisecond time scale. Titration of the truncated MtRpsACTD_S1(280-368) with POA shows similar characteristics to titration of MtRpsACTD_S1(280-438) with POA. In addition, diverse length fragments of MtRpsACTD_S1 show various HN resonance signals, and we find that the interaction of MtRpsA(369-481) with MtRpsACTD_S1(280-368) [Kd = (4.25 ± 0.15) mM] is responsible for the structural difference between MtRpsACTD_S1(280-368) and MtRpsACTD_S1. This work may shed light on the underlying molecular mechanism of MtRpsACTD recognizing and binding POA or mRNA, as well as the detailed mechanism of interactions between MtRpsACTD_S1(280-368) and the additional C-terminal MtRpsA(369-481).