Serine 106 preserves the tertiary structure, function, and stability of a cyclophilin from Staphylococcus aureus

SaCyp, a staphylococcal cyclophilin involved in both protein folding and pathogenesis, has a Ser residue at position 106 and a Trp residue at position 136. While Ser 106 of SaCyp aligned with a cyclosporin A (CsA) binding Ala residue, its Trp 136 aligned with a Trp or a Phe residue of most other cyclophilins. To demonstrate the exact roles of Ser 106 and Trp 136 in SaCyp, we have elaborately studied rCyp[S106A] and rCyp[W136A], two-point mutants of a recombinant SaCyp (rCyp) harboring an Ala substitution at positions 106 and 136, respectively. Of the mutants, rCyp[W136A] showed the rCyp-like CsA binding affinity and peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) activity. Conversely, the PPIase activity, CsA binding affinity, stability, tertiary structure, surface hydrophobicity, and Trp accessibility of rCyp[S106A] notably differed from those of rCyp. The computational experiments also reveal that the structure, dimension, and fluctuation of SaCyp are not identical to those of SaCyp[S106A]. Furthermore, Ser at position 106 of SaCyp, compared to Ala at the same position, formed a higher number of non-covalent bonds with CsA. Collectively, Ser 106 is an indispensable residue for SaCyp that keeps its tertiary structure, function, and stability intact.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.