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Biomedical subjects

A Tulinsky

Publications and source records attributed to A Tulinsky.

106 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Expression of functionality of alpha-chymotrypsin. Effects of guanidine hydrochloride and urea in the onset of denaturation.

Crystals of alpha-chymotrypsin (CHT) at equilibrium in solutions of 2.0 M guanidine hydrochloride and 3.0 M urea at pH 3.6 were prepared, three-dimensional X-ray intensities were measured, and difference electron-density maps were calculated and examined. The guanidine hydrochloride derivative displayed changes occurring exclusively on the surface of the protein. The difference peaks represented mostly small changes in various protein surface groups and in the adjacent solvent regions, and some displayed convincing evidence of binding of the guanidinium ion to the protein. The urea difference map likewise showed that changes had occurred on the surface of the protein, but also that numerous changes in the structure occurred in the hydrophobic interior of the CHT molecule. Further, the urea difference map contained evidence for two kinds of interactions of urea with protein groups. There are examples of bound urea either causing or accompanying structural changes and examples of urea binding with no accompanying changes to the protein. Examples of both kinds of binding were observed in both the surface regions and in the hydrophobic interior of the molecule. From an examination of these two derivatives, it is clear that guanidine hydrochloride and urea unfold proteins by different mechanisms.

Chymotrypsin↗

Expression of functionality of alpha-chymotrypsin. An alternate binding mode in the substrate specificity site.

Three-dimensional 2.8 A resolution x-ray crystallographic studies show that toluenesulfonamide and pipsylamide bind isomorphously in the aromatic specificity binding site of alpha-chymotrypsin. However, their orientation differs by about 90 degrees from that usually associated with substrate-like molecules, suggesting a nonproductive binding mode. A secondary binding site is also operative in one molecule of the dimer of the pipsylamide derivative and it is located some 22 A from the active site; however, this site is not operative in the toluenesulfonamide derivative. Binding of toluenesulfonamide and pipsylamide in the specificity site occurs without inducing any significant changes in the native enzyme structure, in contrast to the behavior observed upon tosylation or upon transition state analogue binding of phenylethaneboronic acid. The structural changes accompanying the formation of the latter derivatives are generally asymmetric with respect to the dimeric structure of alpha-chymotrypsin and are generally confined to the binding domain or cylinder 2 of the enzyme (sequence greater than 122). These changes are displayed in a new way via diagonal distance map representation.

Binding Sites↗

The folding and quaternary structure of trimeric 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconic aldolase at 3.5-A resolution.

An X-ray crystallographic structure determination has been carried out on 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconic (KDPG) aldolase at 3.5-A resolution using the multiple isomorphous replacement method with three heavy atom derivatives along with anomalous dispersion contributions from two of the derivatives. Crystals grown from ammonium sulfate-phosphate buffered (pH 3.5) solutions were: cubic, a= 103.40 (4) A, space group P213. KDPG aldolase consists of trimeric heterologous assemblages utilizing crystallographic threefold symmetry. The overall profile of the oligomeric structure viewed down the threefold axis resembles that of a ship propeller while the subunits are approximate irregular oblate ellipsoids (25 X 45 X 45 A). The folding of most of the polypeptide chain was traced unambiguously. Secondary structural features consist of nine helical regions (75 residues, 35%) and a pair of two parallel chains. The subunit contains a long empty channel which is about 9 X 9 X 30 A with one of the pair of parallel chains forming part of the wall. Three mercury binding sites are located in this channel. These might correspond to the two readily accessible and one of the two buried cysteine residues of each subunit. The channel terminates with another cavity of about 8 X 10 X 25 A near the surface of the oligomeric structure. The regions of the subunits near the threefold axis are characterized by a high degree of secondary structural organization and these make close intersubunit contacts. Quarternary interactions are due mainly to side-chain interactions of helices.

Aldehyde-Lyases↗