Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J M Flanagan

Publications and source records attributed to J M Flanagan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Structural analysis of the mechanism of adenovirus binding to its human cellular receptor, CAR.

Binding of virus particles to specific host cell surface receptors is known to be an obligatory step in infection even though the molecular basis for these interactions is not well characterized. The crystal structure of the adenovirus fiber knob domain in complex with domain I of its human cellular receptor, coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR), is presented here. Surface-exposed loops on knob contact one face of CAR, forming a high-affinity complex. Topology mismatches between interacting surfaces create interfacial solvent-filled cavities and channels that may be targets for antiviral drug therapy. The structure identifies key determinants of binding specificity, which may suggest ways to modify the tropism of adenovirus-based gene therapy vectors.

Adenoviruses, Human↗
PubMed1999

Backbone dynamics of the N-terminal domain in E. coli DnaJ determined by 15N- and 13CO-relaxation measurements.

The backbone dynamics of the N-terminal domain of the chaperone protein Escherichia coli DnaJ have been investigated using steady-state 1H-15N NOEs, 15N T1, T2, and T1 rho relaxation times, steady-state 13C alpha-13CO NOEs, and 13CO T1 relaxation times. Two recombinant constructs of the N-terminal domain of DnaJ have been studied. One, DnaJ(1-78), contains the most conserved "J-domain" of DnaJ, and the other, DnaJ(1-104), includes a glycine/phenylalanine rich region ("G/F" region) in addition to the "J-domain". DnaJ(1-78) is not capable of stimulating ATP hydrolysis by DnaK, despite the fact that all currently identified sites responsible for DnaJ-DnaK interaction are located in this region. DnaJ(1-104), on the other hand, retains nearly the full ATPase stimulatory activity of full length DnaJ. Recently, a structural analysis of these two molecules was presented in an effort to elucidate the origin of their functional differences [Huang, K., Flanagan, J. M., and Prestegard, J. H. (1999) Protein Science 8, 203-214]. Herein, an analysis of dynamic properties is presented in a similar effort. A generalized model-free approach with a full treatment of the anisotropic overall rotation of the proteins is used in the analysis of measured relaxation parameters. Our results show that internal motions on pico- to nanosecond time scales in the backbone of DnaJ(1-78) are reduced on the inclusion of the "G/F" region, while conformational exchange on micro- to millisecond time scales increases. We speculate that the enhanced flexibility of residues on the slow time scale upon the inclusion of the "G/F" region could be relevant to the ATPase stimulatory activity of DnaJ if an "induced-fit" mechanism applies to DnaJ-DnaK interactions.

Anisotropy↗
PubMed1999

The influence of C-terminal extension on the structure of the "J-domain" in E. coli DnaJ.

Two different recombinant constructs of the N-terminal domain in Escherichia coli DnaJ were uniformly labeled with nitrogen-15 and carbon-13. One, DnaJ(1-78), contains the complete "J-domain," and the other, DnaJ(1-104), contains both the "J-domain" and a conserved "G/F" extension at the C-terminus. The three-dimensional structures of these proteins have been determined by heteronuclear NMR experiments. In both proteins the "J-domain" adopts a compact structure consisting of a helix-turn-helix-loop-helix-turn-helix motif. In contrast, the "G/F" region in DnaJ(1-104) does not fold into a well-defined structure. Nevertheless, the "G/F" region has been found to have an effect on the packing of the helices in the "J-domain" in DnaJ(1-104). Particularly, the interhelical angles between Helix IV and other helices are significantly different in the two structures. In addition, there are some local conformational changes in the loop region connecting the two central helices. These structural differences in the "J-domain" in the presence of the "G/F" region may be related to the observation that DnaJ (1-78) is incapable of stimulating the ATPase activity of the molecular chaperone protein DnaK despite evidence that sites mediating the binding of DnaJ to DnaK are located in the 1-78 segment.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Crystal structure determination of Escherichia coli ClpP starting from an EM-derived mask.

Large ATP-dependent proteolytic complexes carry out the majority of intracellular proteolysis. To begin to understand the function of these proteases at a structural level, we have combined the information from a number of biophysical techniques such as electron microscopy (EM), small-angle scattering, and x-ray crystallography. In this study, we exploited the inherent symmetry of Escherichia coli ClpP, the proteolytic component of the ClpAP/XP ATP-dependent protease, to determine its x-ray crystal structure to 2.3-A resolution starting with a phase set derived from a low-resolution mask obtained from EM and small-angle x-ray scattering analysis. Sevenfold and 14-fold noncrystallographic symmetry averaging facilitated phase extension beyond 20 A and in combination with mask redetermination and matrix refinement was sufficient for completely determining the structure. The structure of ClpP is a homo-tetradecamer composed of two heptameric rings enclosing a cavity of approximately 50 A in diameter that compartmentalizes the 14 serine proteolytic active sites. Comparison of the ClpP structure with those of the 20S proteasome and HslV reveals a striking example of evolutionary convergence, despite them being unrelated in sequence and fold. Moreover, similarity in their overall architecture suggests a common model for their action.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1997

The structure of ClpP at 2.3 A resolution suggests a model for ATP-dependent proteolysis.

We have determined the crystal structure of the proteolytic component of the caseinolytic Clp protease (ClpP) from E. coli at 2.3 A resolution using an ab initio phasing procedure that exploits the internal 14-fold symmetry of the oligomer. The structure of a ClpP monomer has a distinct fold that defines a fifth structural family of serine proteases but a conserved catalytic apparatus. The active protease resembles a hollow, solid-walled cylinder composed of two 7-fold symmetric rings stacked back-to-back. Its 14 proteolytic active sites are located within a central, roughly spherical chamber approximately 51 A in diameter. Access to the proteolytic chamber is controlled by two axial pores, each having a minimum diameter of approximately 10 A. From the structural features of ClpP, we suggest a model for its action in degrading proteins.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1997

Self-compartmentalizing proteases.

Among the hundreds of proteases characterized so far, most of which are monomeric or dimeric, there is a small group that form compartments through self-association and that segregate their proteolytic active sites to the interior of these compartments. Although few in number, they represent the main agents of intracellular protein breakdown. They belong to different hydrolase families but have converged towards the same barrel-shaped architecture. Frequently, they are coupled to chaperone-like ATPases of similar quaternary structure that regulate the access to the proteolytic compartments and appear to have been recruited from the same branch of P-loop NTPases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

NMR evidence for slow collective motions in cyanometmyoglobin.

Residual dipolar couplings observed in NMR spectra at very high magnetic fields have been measured to a high degree of accuracy for the paramagnetic protein cyanometmyoglobin. Deviations of these measurements from predictions based on available crystallographic and solution structures are largely systematic and well correlated within a given helix of this highly alpha-helical protein. These observations can be explained by invoking collective motion and small displacements of representative helices from their reported average positions in the solid state. Thus, the measurements appear to be capable of providing important insights into slower, collective protein motions, which are likely to be important for function, and which have been difficult to study using established experimental techniques.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy↗
PubMed1995

Nuclear magnetic dipole interactions in field-oriented proteins: information for structure determination in solution.

The measurement of dipolar contributions to the splitting of 15N resonances of 1H-15N amide pairs in multidimensional high-field NMR spectra of field-oriented cyanometmyoglobin is reported. The splittings appear as small field-dependent perturbations of normal scalar couplings. Assignment of more than 90 resonances to specific sequential sites in the protein allows correlation of the dipolar contributions with predictions based on the known susceptibility and known structure of the protein. Implications as an additional source of information for protein structure determination in solution are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Scanning transmission electron microscopy and small-angle scattering provide evidence that native Escherichia coli ClpP is a tetradecamer with an axial pore.

The Escherichia coli ATP-dependent caseinolytic protease (Clp) is composed of two distinct subunits; protease, ClpP, and ATPase, ClpA. Active ClpP has been overexpressed to approximately 50% of soluble protein in E. coli, and purified to homogeneity. Direct mass determination of individual particles using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) yields a mean native molecular mass of 305 +/- 9 kDa for the ClpP oligomer, suggesting that it has a tetradecameric structure. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) curves were determined for ClpP in solution at concentrations of 1-10 mg/mL. A combination of STEM and SAXS data was used to derive a model for ClpP, comprising a cylindrical oligomer about 100 A in diameter and about 75 A in height with an axial pore about 32-36 A in diameter. The volume of the pore is estimated to be approximately 70,000 A3, similar in size to those found in chaperone proteins, and is large enough to accommodate unfolded polypeptide chains, although most globular folded proteins would be excluded.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1995

1H and 15N magnetic resonance assignments, secondary structure, and tertiary fold of Escherichia coli DnaJ(1-78).

We report the 1H and 15N chemical shift assignments along with an NMR-derived preliminary structure for DnaJ(1-78), a highly conserved N-terminal domain of DnaJ, the Escherichia coli Hsp40 homolog. This 9 kDa domain is believed to cooperate with DnaK, the E. coli Hsp70 homolog, in regulating a variety of cellular functions. Heteronuclear 3D NMR experiments were carried out on a uniformly 15N-labeled DnaJ(1-78), which is a stable, folded fragment. Standard 15N-edited NMR techniques afforded complete assignment of the backbone amide 1H and 15N pairs and partial assignment of the side-chain 1H and 15N atoms. The secondary structure of DnaJ(1-78) was determined from NOE connectivities obtained from 3D 15N-separated and 2D homonuclear NOESY spectra as well as 3JHNH alpha coupling constants obtained from a DQF-COSY spectrum and a 15N-edited HNHA experiment. The stability of secondary structural elements was assessed by monitoring amide exchange rates, and a model for the three-dimensional fold of these elements was derived from a set of long-range contacts extracted from homonuclear 2D NOESY experiments. The analysis indicates that DnaJ(1-78) is comprised of four alpha-helices and no beta-sheet with a short unstructured loop between antiparallel helices II and III. The shorter N-terminal and C-terminal helices make contacts with helices II and III at points well removed from the central loop. A discussion of how this preliminary structural model may explain mutation data from other laboratories is presented.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Overexpression, purification, and characterization of Escherichia coli acyl carrier protein and two mutant proteins.

A synthetic gene of 237 bases encoding the 77-residue acyl carrier protein (ACP) from Escherichia coli, along with two mutant genes, ACP-I54V and ACP-A59V, were subcloned into the pET11a-pLysS E. coli overexpression system under the control of the bacteriophage T7 promoter. This efficient expression system and a simplified purification protocol yielded more than 120 mg/l of pure protein. The construct produced a mixture of holo-ACP and apo-ACP and two HPLC procedures were developed to separate the two species. This overexpression system allows cost-effective growths of 13C- and 15N-labeled protein for structural and other studies on ACP. In the course of the work on the mutants of ACP, an apparent homologous recombination event led, in one case, to reversion to a wild-type protein, suggesting that precautions to prevent such reversion should be taken.

Acyl Carrier Protein↗
PubMed1995

The stroma of higher plant plastids contain ClpP and ClpC, functional homologs of Escherichia coli ClpP and ClpA: an archetypal two-component ATP-dependent protease.

A cDNA representing the plastid-encoded homolog of the prokaryotic ATP-dependent protease ClpP was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, cloned, and sequenced. ClpP and a previously isolated cDNA designated ClpC, encoding an ATPase related to proteins encoded by the ClpA/B gene family, were expressed in Escherichia coli. Antibodies directed against these recombinant proteins recognized proteins in a wide variety of organisms. N-terminal analysis of the Clp protein isolated from crude leaf extracts showed that the N-terminal methionine is absent from ClpP and that the transit peptide is cleaved from ClpC. A combination of chloroplast subfractionation and immunolocalization showed that in Arabidopsis, ClpP and ClpC localize to the stroma of the plastid. Immunoblot analyses indicated that ClpP and ClpC are constitutively expressed in all tissues of Arabidopsis at levels equivalent to those of E. coli ClpP and ClpA. ClpP, immunopurified from tobacco extracts, hydrolyzed N-succinyl-Leu-Tyr-amidomethylcoumarin, a substrate of E. coli ClpP. Purified recombinant ClpC facilitated the degradation of 3H-methylcasein by E. coli ClpP in an ATP-dependent fashion. This demonstrates that ClpC is a functional homolog of E. coli ClpA and not of ClpB or ClpX. These data represent the only in vitro demonstration of the activity of a specific ATP-dependent chloroplast protease reported to date.

ATP-Dependent Proteases↗
PubMed1993

Mutations can cause large changes in the conformation of a denatured protein.

Deletion of 13 amino acids from the carboxyl terminus of staphylococcal nuclease (WTSNase delta) results in a denatured, partially unfolded molecule that lacks significant persistent secondary structure but is relatively compact and monomeric under physiological conditions [Shortle & Meeker (1989) Biochemistry 28, 936-944; Flanagan et al. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 748-752]. Because of these and other properties of the SNase delta polypeptide, it is a useful model system for investigating the conformation of the denatured state of a protein without using extreme temperature or solvent conditions. Moreover, since the modification is a carboxyl-terminal deletion, SNase delta may also resemble a transient state of the polypeptide chain as it emerges from a ribosome prior to its folding. In the present study, we have examined the sizes and conformations of mutated forms of SNase delta, using small-angle X-ray scattering and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Seven mutated forms were studied: four with single substitutions, two with double substitutions, and one triple substitution. When present in the full-length SNase, each of these mutated forms exhibited unusual behavior upon solvent or thermal denaturation. In the case of the truncated form (SNase delta), the small-angle scattering curves of the mutated forms fall into two classes: one resembling the scattering curve of compact native nuclease and the other having features consistent with those expected for an expanded coil-like polymer. In contrast, the scattering curve of WT SNase delta exhibits features intermediate between those observed for globular proteins and random polymers. The amino acid substitutions that gave rise to compact, native-like versions of SNase delta were all of the m--type (m-substitutions are predicted to decrease the size of the denatured state). Those which gave rise to versions of SNase delta that were more extended and coil-like than WT SNase delta were of the m+ type (m+ substitutions are predicted to increase the size of the denatured state). Estimates of the residual secondary structure present in WT SNase delta, as well as both the m+ and m-substituted versions of SNase delta, as determined by CD, suggest that the formation of secondary structure and compaction of the polypeptide chain occur concurrently. Our results show that single amino acid substitutions can radically alter the conformational distribution of a partially condensed polypeptide chain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Algorithms↗
PubMed1992

Sequence specificity in the dimerization of transmembrane alpha-helices.

While several reports have suggested a role for helix-helix interactions in membrane protein oligomerization, there are few direct biochemical data bearing on this subject. Here, using mutational analysis, we show that dimerization of the transmembrane alpha-helix of glycophorin A in a detergent environment is spontaneous and highly specific. Very subtle changes in the side-chain structure at certain sensitive positions disrupt the helix-helix association. These sensitive positions occur at approximately every 3.9 residues along the helix, consistent with their comprising the interface of a closely fit transmembranous supercoil of alpha-helices. By contrast with other reported cases of interactions between transmembrane helices, the set of interfacial residues in this case contains no highly polar groups. Amino acids with aliphatic side chains define much of the interface, indicating that precise packing interactions between the helices may provide much of the energy for association. These data highlight the potential general importance of specific interactions between the hydrophobic anchors of integral membrane proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Glycophorin A dimerization is driven by specific interactions between transmembrane alpha-helices.

Specific side-by-side interactions between transmembrane alpha-helices may be important in the assembly and function of integral membrane proteins. We describe a system for the genetic and biophysical analysis of these interactions. The transmembrane alpha-helical domain of interest is fused to the C-terminus of staphylococcal nuclease. The resulting chimera can be expressed at high levels in Escherichia coli and is readily purified. In our initial application we study the single transmembrane alpha-helix of human glycophorin A (GpA), thought to mediate the SDS-stable dimerization of this protein. The resulting chimera forms a dimer in SDS, which is disrupted upon addition of a peptide corresponding to the transmembrane domain of GpA. Deletion mutagenesis has been used to delineate the minimum transmembrane domain sufficient for this behavior. Site-specific mutagenesis shows that a methionine residue, previously implicated as a potential interfacial residue, can be replaced with other hydrophobic residues without disrupting dimerization. By contrast, rather conservative substitutions at a valine on a different face of the alpha-helix disrupt dimerization, suggesting a high degree of specificity in the helix-helix interactions. This approach allows the interface between interacting helices to be defined.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Truncated staphylococcal nuclease is compact but disordered.

Deletion of 13 amino acids from the carboxyl terminus of the 149-amino acid staphylococcal nuclease molecule results in a denatured, partly unfolded molecule that lacks persistent secondary structure but is compact under physiological conditions. Since the modification is a carboxyl-terminal deletion, it is argued that the state resembles a peptide emerging from the ribosome just before the complete folding pathway is initiated. In this paper, we characterize the molecule by nuclear magnetic resonance, circular dichroism, and small-angle x-ray scattering measurements. The truncated nuclease shows wild-type levels of activity in the presence of calcium and is found to fold into a native-like conformation in the presence of 3',5'-bisphospho-2'-deoxythymidine, a potent inhibitor. Thus, the truncated molecule retains the capacity to fold. Our results suggest that extensive solvent exclusion generates a compact polypeptide chain prior to the development of persistent secondary structural features as a protein folds during biosynthesis.

Circular Dichroism↗
PubMed1988

Effect of zinc ions on tRNA structure: imino proton NMR spectroscopy.

The structure of tRNA in solution was explored by NMR spectroscopy to evaluate the effect of divalent cations, especially zinc, which has a profound effect on the chromatographic behaviour of tRNAs in certain systems. The divalent ions Mg2+ and Zn2+ have specific effects on the imino proton region of the 1H NMR spectrum of valine transfer RNA (tRNA(Val] of Escherichia coli and of phenylalanine transfer RNA (tRNA(Phe] of yeast. The dependence of the imino proton spectra of the two tRNAs was examined as a function of Zn2+ concentration. In both tRNAs the tertiary base pair (G-15).(C-48) was markedly affected by Zn2+ (shifted downfield possibly by as much as 0.4 ppm); this is the terminal base pair in the augmented dihydrouridine helix (D-helix). Base pair (U-8).(A-14) in yeast tRNA(Phe) or (s4U-8).(A-14) in tRNA1(Val), which are stacked on (G-15).(C-48), was not affected by Zn2+, except when 1-2 Mg2+ ions per tRNA were also present. Another imino proton that may be affected by Zn2+ in both tRNAs is that of the tertiary base pair (G-19).(C-46). The assignment of this resonance in yeast tRNA(Phe) is tentative since it is located in the region of highly overlapping resonances between 12.6 and 12.3 ppm. This base pair helps to anchor the D-loop to the T psi C loop.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cations, Divalent↗