Restriction of S-adenosylmethionine conformational freedom by knotted protein binding sites

Abstract

S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is one of the most important enzyme substrates. It is vital for the function of various proteins, including large group of methyltransferases (MT). Intriguingly, some bacterial and eukaryotic MTs, while catalysing the same reaction, possess significantly different topologies, with the former being a knotted one. Here, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of SAM conformational space and factors that affect its vastness. We investigated SAM in two forms: free in water (via NMR studies and explicit solvent simulations) and bound to proteins (based on all data available in the PDB). We identified structural descriptors -- angles which show the major differences in SAM conformation between unknotted and knotted methyltransferases. Moreover, we report that this is caused mainly by a characteristic for knotted MTs tight binding site formed by the knot and the presence of adenine-binding loop. Additionally, we elucidate conformational restrictions imposed on SAM molecules by other protein groups in comparison to conformational space in water.