The role of the C-terminus and Kpn loop in the quaternary structure stability of nucleoside diphosphate kinase from Leishmania parasites

Nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDK) is a housekeeping enzyme that plays key roles in nucleotide recycling and homeostasis in trypanosomatids. Moreover, it is secreted by the intracellular parasite Leishmania to modulate the host response. These functions make NDK an attractive target for drug design and for studies aiming at a better understanding of the mechanisms mediating host-pathogen interactions. Here, we report the crystal structures of three mutants of the NDK from Leishmania major (LmNDK) that affects the stability of the hexameric biological assembly including P95S, Delta 5Ct (lacking the last five residues) and the double mutant P100S/Delta 5Ct. Although P95S and Delta 5Ct variants conserve the hexameric structure of the wild-type protein, the double mutant becomes a dimer as shown by in solution studies. Free energy calculation of dimer-dimer interfaces and enzymatic assays indicate that P95S, Delta 5Ct and P100S/Delta 5Ct mutations progressively decrease the hexamer stability and enzyme activity. These results demonstrate that the mutated regions play a role in protein function through stabilizing the quaternary arrangement. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.