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H J Dyson

Publications and source records attributed to H J Dyson.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Effect of H helix destabilizing mutations on the kinetic and equilibrium folding of apomyoglobin.

Acid-denatured apomyoglobin (apoMb) contains residual helical structure in the region of the polypeptide which corresponds to the H helix of the folded protein. In order to elucidate the role of this residual secondary structure in the protein folding process and to determine whether residual structure in the denatured state affects either the overall rate of folding or the rate of formation of a burst phase intermediate, we have examined the equilibrium and kinetic folding behavior of a mutant designed to destabilize residual secondary structure in the H helix region. Both Asn132 and Glu136 were changed to Gly (N132G,E136G) to effect this destabilization. Circular dichroism spectra show that the mutant protein contains less helical structure in the acid-denatured state and in the equilibrium intermediate state at pH 4.2 than does the wild-type protein. The CD spectra of the native states of the two proteins are nearly identical. The refolding kinetics for each of the species were measured by stopped-flow CD in the far-UV region and by NMR quench-flow pulse labeling. Under identical conditions, the CD-detected refolding of wild-type and mutant apomyoglobin from the acid-denatured state or from the urea-denatured state occurs at very similar rates following a burst phase that occurs too rapidly to measure by the stopped-flow technique. The urea dependence of the unfolding and refolding rates is consistent with the presence of at least one obligatory on-pathway intermediate in both wild-type and mutant proteins. The kinetic intermediate of the mutant protein is considerably less stable than that of the wild-type protein. Hydrogen exchange pulse labeling experiments indicate that, in contrast to the wild-type protein, the H helix is not stabilized during the burst phase refolding of the mutant but becomes stabilized during the slower phases. While the wild-type and mutant proteins both form compact intermediates, these differ in the content and location of secondary structure. The rate of folding of the AGH subdomain, which takes place prior to the transition state, is substantially slower for the N132G,E136G mutant protein. A strong propensity for spontaneous formation of helical structure in the H helix region is not a prerequisite for efficient folding nor for formation of equilibrium or kinetic intermediates. These observations suggest that while folding of apomyoglobin proceeds through an obligatory intermediate, the precise structure of this intermediate is not critical and its secondary structure may be altered without substantially affecting either the overall refolding kinetics or the integrity of the final folded state.

Apoproteins↗
PubMed1999

Improved low pH bicelle system for orienting macromolecules over a wide temperature range.

We have prepared and characterized a novel bicelle system composed of 1,2-di-O-dodecyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DIODPC) and 3-(chloramidopropyl)dimethylammonio-2-hydroxyl-1-propane sulfonate (CHAPSO). At the optimal DIODPC/CHAPSO molar ratio of 4.3:1, this medium becomes magnetically oriented from pH 6.5 down to pH 1.0. Unlike previously reported bicelle preparations, these bicelles are chemically stable at low pH and are capable of inducing protein alignment, as illustrated by the large residual dipolar couplings measured for rusticyanin from Thiobacillus ferrooxidans at pH 2.1. The DIODPC/CHAPSO system is particularly useful for measuring residual dipolar couplings of macromolecules that require very acidic conditions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Characterization of monomeric and dimeric B domain of Staphylococcal protein A.

Both monomeric and dimeric constructs of the B domain of protein A from Staphylococcus aureus have been characterized by NMR, CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. The monomeric form of the protein was synthesized using a novel method incorporating the use of a recombinant, folded, chimeric protein. A comparison of the recombinant monomeric form with the commercially available dimeric form indicates that, although the dimer retains the integrity of the three-helix bundle structure present in the monomer, there are interdomain contacts in the dimeric form. A single long-lived water molecule in the hydrophobic core of the three-helix bundle of monomeric protein A may represent an important stabilizing factor for the three-helix bundle topology.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Inherent flexibility in a potent inhibitor of blood coagulation, recombinant nematode anticoagulant protein c2.

Nematode anticoagulant proteins (NAPs) from the hematophagous nematode Ancylostoma caninum inhibit blood coagulation with picomolar inhibition constants, and have been targeted as novel pharmaceutical agents. NAP5 and NAP6 inhibit factor Xa by binding to its active site, whereas NAPc2 binds to factor Xa at a different, as yet unidentified, site and the resultant binary complex inhibits the tissue factor-factor VIIa complex. We have undertaken NMR studies of NAPc2, including the calculation of a solution structure, and found that the protein is folded, with five disulfide bonds, but is extremely flexible, especially in the acidic loop. The Halpha secondary shifts and 3JHNHalpha coupling constants indicate the presence of some beta structure and a short helix, but the intervening loops are highly conformationally heterogeneous. Heteronuclear NOE measurements showed the presence of large amplitude motions on a subnanosecond timescale at the N-terminus and C-terminus and in the substrate-binding loop, indicating that the conformational heterogeneity observed in the NMR structures is due to flexibility of the polypeptide chain in these regions. Flexibility may well be an important factor in the physiological function of NAPc2, because it must interact with other proteins in the inhibition of blood coagulation. We suggest that this inhibitor is likely to become structured on binding to factor Xa, because the inhibition of the tissue factor-factor VIIa complex requires both NAPc2 and factor Xa.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Quench-flow experiments combined with mass spectrometry show apomyoglobin folds through and obligatory intermediate.

Folding of apomyoglobin is characterized by formation of a compact intermediate that contains substantial helicity. To determine whether this intermediate is obligatory or whether the protein can fold directly into the native state via an alternate parallel pathway, we have combined quench-flow hydrogen-exchange pulse labeling techniques with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The mass spectra of apomyoglobin obtained at various refolding times suggest that apomyoglobin indeed folds through a single pathway containing an obligatory intermediate with a significant hydrogen-bonded secondary structure content.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

DNA-induced conformational changes are the basis for cooperative dimerization by the DNA binding domain of the retinoid X receptor.

Dimerization of the DNA-binding domains of nuclear hormone receptors occurs in a manner that is highly cooperative with DNA binding. We have investigated the molecular basis for this cooperativity through an NMR study of the interaction between the monomeric DNA-binding domain (DBD) of the retinoid-X-receptor (RXR) and a single DNA half-site. Major changes were observed in the chemical shifts of the backbone resonances and in the pattern of medium-range nuclear Overhauser enhancement connectivities of the RXR upon binding to DNA, indicating that the DNA induces conformational changes in the monomer. Binding to DNA induces and stabilizes the structure in a region of the second zinc binding domain that forms the dimerization interface when RXR binds as a dimer to a direct repeat recognition element. These studies provide direct experimental evidence that DNA-induced protein conformational changes constitute the molecular basis for cooperative enhancement of dimer formation and DNA binding by the nuclear hormone receptor DBDs. In contrast to the localized folding induced in the dimerization interface, DNA binding leads to unfolding of the C-terminal helix found in the free RXR DBD. Unwinding of this helix may facilitate homodimer formation by maximizing interactions between the two DNA-bound RXR domains.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

NMR characterization of a single-cysteine mutant of Escherichia coli thioredoxin and a covalent thioredoxin-peptide complex.

The mechanism of disulfide reduction by thioredoxin in the cell is thought to occur through the formation and subsequent destruction of a mixed-disulfide intermediate between thioredoxin and the substrate. In order to model the interaction, we have prepared a mutant of Escherichia coli thioredoxin where the second cysteine residue of the active site has been replaced by an alanine residue. A specific covalent complex has been prepared between the remaining cysteine residue and a short cysteine-containing peptide. This paper describes the preparation and characterization of the mutant protein both free and in the peptide complex.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

High-resolution solution structure of the retinoid X receptor DNA-binding domain.

The retinoid X receptor (RXR) is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily of transcriptional regulators and plays a central role in the retinoid and, through its ability to heterodimerize with other nuclear hormone receptors, non-steroid signaling pathways. The DNA-binding and recognition functions of RXR are located in a conserved 83 amino acid residue domain that recognizes the consensus sequence AGGTCA. In order to provide a detailed picture of its structure, we have calculated a high-resolution solution structure of the C195A RXRalpha DNA-binding domain. Structures were calculated using 1131 distance and dihedral angle constraints derived from 1H, 13C and 15N NMR spectra. The structures reveal a perpendicularly packed, "loop-helix" fold similar to other nuclear hormone receptor DNA-binding domains and confirm the existence of the C-terminal helix, which was first observed in the low-resolution NMR structure. The C-terminal helix is well formed and is stabilized by packing interactions with residues in the hydrophobic core. The solution structure of RXR is very similar to that determined by X-ray crystallographic studies of the RXR-TR heterodimer complex with DNA, except that in the latter case no electron density was observed for residues corresponding to the C-terminal helix. Other differences between the X-ray and NMR structures occur in the second zinc-binding loop, which is disordered in solution. Heteronuclear 15N NOE measurements suggest that this loop has enhanced flexibility in the free protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Sequence requirements for stabilization of a peptide reverse turn in water solution--proline is not essential for stability.

To probe the sequence requirements for stabilization of a reverse turn conformation in a short peptide in water solution, the behavior of two series of peptides was investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The peptides have the general sequences XPGDV and AXGDV, where X is a representative subset of all 20 naturally occurring amino acids. The residues chosen at positions 3 and 4, Gly and Asp, respectively, were shown to give the greatest population of reverse turns in a previous study [Dyson, H. J., Rance, M., Houghten, R. A., Lerner, R. A. & Wright, P. E. (1988) J. Mol. Biol. 201, 161-200]. Within this framework, the identity of the first residue of the turn (X in XPGDV) does not greatly influence the turn population, although a small but significant increase is observed for residues such as Ala which have a preference for backbone conformations in the alpha region of (phi,psi) space. The series AXGDV was initially studied for completeness only, since it was expected that the turn would not be stabilized in such a small linear peptide in the absence of proline. In contrast, it appears that a significant population of type II turn conformations is to be found in peptides in the series AXGDV, although proline remains one of the most favorable residues at position 2. These results indicate that while residues at all positions within the turn can influence the turn population, the presence of Gly-Asp as the third and fourth members of the sequence gives a strong bias towards type II turn formation regardless of the residues at positions 1 and 2. Our results give a final prediction that the sequence with the highest intrinsic propensity for turn formation is APGD.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Calculations of electrostatic interactions and pKas in the active site of Escherichia coli thioredoxin.

The active-site protonation state is crucial to the reductive mechanism of Escherichia coli thioredoxin, which involves a nucleophilic attack by the thiolate form of Cys32. We have calculated the titration properties of the active-site residues using a continuum electrostatic model, the X-ray structure of the oxidized protein, and ensembles of NMR structures of the oxidized and reduced protein. Protein dipoles, especially the SH dipole of Cys35, can provide sufficient stabilization of the Cys32 thiolate to account for its low experimental pKa (approximately 7.4), but this effect is very sensitive to local conformational variations. The experimental finding that Cys32 titrates at a lower pH than Cys35 is explained by the latter's deeper burial from solvent exposure, and stronger interaction with the carboxylate of Asp26, and not by helix dipoles or positively charged side chains. The calculated very strong interaction between Cys32 and Cys35 in their thiolate forms implies that their titration must occur in two widely pH-separated steps and that the thiolate groups must move apart in the second step. The calculations are very consistent with the experimental Asp26 pKa value of 7.5 for the oxidized X-ray structure. Both the oxidized and reduced NMR structures fall into two categories: "tight" structures in which the Asp26 and Lys57 side chains are in direct contact, and for which the calculations predict unreasonably low pKas; and "loose" structures, which resemble the oxidized X-ray structure in that these side chains are farther apart, and for which the calculations are in very good agreement with experiment. We propose that the calculations over the NMR ensemble can be used as a test of the alternative structural models provided by NMR.

Aspartic Acid↗
PubMed1998

Conformational preferences in the Ser133-phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of the kinase inducible transactivation domain of CREB.

Phosphorylation of Ser133 within the kinase inducible transactivation domain (KID) of the transcription factor CREB potentiates interaction with the KIX domain of coactivator CBP. Heteronuclear NMR spectroscopic analyses reveal that the KID domain is largely unstructured except for residues that comprise the alphaA helix in the pKID-KIX complex, which populate helical conformations to a significant extent (>50%). The helical content in the alphaB region is very small in the non-phosphorylated form (approximately 10%) although a small increase is detected upon Ser133 phosphorylation. The intrinsic bias towards helical conformations probably facilitates folding of the KID domain upon binding to KIX while the principal role of the phosphate group appears to be largely in mediating the intermolecular interactions in the pKID-KIX complex.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

The identification of metal-binding ligand residues in metalloproteins using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The identification of metal-binding ligands in metalloproteins is an important step in gaining detailed information regarding the environment of the active site. Traditionally, techniques such as 13Cd-substitution for the active metal followed by isotope-filtered NMR techniques have been used to this end. However, for medium to high molecular weight proteins (>20 kDa), these experiments may not be beneficial due to extensive 1H spectral overlap. Here, we describe an alternative approach, where metal-binding ligands such as histidine and cysteine are specifically 15N backbone labeled, excess EDTA is added and changes to (1H-15N) HSQC spectra are followed. Under these conditions, the amide groups of all 15N labeled histidine and cysteine residues, which were either ligands or residues close to the active site, were identified unambiguously for metallo-beta-lactamase from Bacteroides fragilis.

Bacteroides fragilis↗
PubMed1998

A NOESY-HSQC simulation program, SPIRIT.

A program SPIRIT (Simulation Program considering Incomplete Recovery of z magnetization and INEPT Transfer efficiency) has been developed to simulate three-dimensional NOESY-HSQC spectra. This program takes into account (1) different transfer efficiency during INEPT and reverse INEPT durations due to differential relaxation rates and 1J coupling constants; (2) the different effect of the sensitivity-enhancement scheme on CH, CH2 and CH3 systems; and (3) incomplete recovery of longitudinal magnetization between scans. The simulation program incorporates anisotropic tumbling mode for symmetric tops, and allows for differential external relaxation rates for protons. Some well-defined internal motions, such as the fast rotation of methyl groups, are taken into account. The simulation program also allows for input of multiple conformations and their relative populations to calculate the average relaxation matrix to account for slow internal motions. With the SPIRIT program, the sensitivity-enhanced NOESY-HSQC experiment can be used directly in the evaluation of the accuracy of structures, which can potentially be improved by direct refinement against the primary data.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1998

Structural and dynamic characterization of partially folded states of apomyoglobin and implications for protein folding.

The structure and dynamics of two partially folded states of apomyoglobin have been characterized at equilibrium using multi-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. Residue-specific measurements of chemical shift and internal dynamics in these states and in the native apoprotein and holoprotein indicate progressive accumulation of secondary structure and increasing restriction of backbone dynamics as the chain collapses to form increasingly compact states. Under weakly folding conditions, the polypeptide fluctuates between unfolded states and local elements of structure that become extended and stabilized as the chain becomes more compact. These results provide a detailed model for molecular events that are likely to occur during folding of myoglobin.

Animals↗