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M Vihinen

Publications and source records attributed to M Vihinen.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Tec homology (TH) adjacent to the PH domain.

The pleckstrin homology (PH) domain is extended in the Btk kinase family by a region designated the TH (Tec homology) domain, which consists of about 80 residues preceding the SH3 domain. The TH domain contains a conserved 27 amino acid stretch designated the Btk motif and a proline-rich region. Sequence similarity was found to a putative Ras GTPase activating protein and a human interferon-gamma binding protein both in the PH domain and the Btk motif region. SLK1/SSP31 protein kinase and a non-catalytic p85 subunit of PI-3 kinase had similarity only with the proline rich region. The identification of a PH domain extension in some signal transduction proteins in different species suggests that this region is involved in protein-protein interactions.

Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase↗
PubMed1994

Deletion within the Src homology domain 3 of Bruton's tyrosine kinase resulting in X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA).

The gene responsible for X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) has been recently identified to code for a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase (Bruton's agammaglobulinemia tyrosine kinase, BTK), required for normal B cell development. BTK, like many other cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases, contains Src homology domains (SH2 and SH3), and catalytic kinase domain. SH3 domains are important for the targeting of signaling molecules to specific subcellular locations. We have identified a family with XLA whose affected members have a point mutation (g-->a) at the 5' splice site of intron 8, resulting in the skipping of coding exon 8 and loss of 21 amino acids forming the COOH-terminal portion of the BTK SH3 domain. The study of three generations within this kinship, using restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA analysis, allowed identification of the mutant X chromosome responsible for XLA and the carrier status in this family. BTK mRNA was present in normal amounts in Epstein-Barr virus-induced B lymphoblastoid cell lines established from affected family members. Although the SH3 deletion did not alter BTK protein stability and kinase activity of the truncated BTK protein was normal, the affected patients nevertheless have a severe B cell defect characteristic for XLA. The mutant protein was modeled using the normal BTK SH3 domain. The deletion results in loss of two COOH-terminal beta strands containing several residues critical for the formation of the putative SH3 ligand-binding pocket. We predict that, as a result, one or more crucial SH3 binding proteins fail to interact with BTK, interrupting the cytoplasmic signal transduction process required for B cell differentiation.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Accuracy of protein flexibility predictions.

Protein structural flexibility is important for catalysis, binding, and allostery. Flexibility has been predicted from amino acid sequence with a sliding window averaging technique and applied primarily to epitope search. New prediction parameters were derived from 92 refined protein structures in an unbiased selection of the Protein Data Bank by developing further the method of Karplus and Schulz (Naturwissenschaften 72:212-213, 1985). The accuracy of four flexibility prediction techniques was studied by comparing atomic temperature factors of known three-dimensional protein structures to predictions by using correlation coefficients. The size of the prediction window was optimized for each method. Predictions made with our new parameters, using an optimized window size of 9 residues in the prediction window, were giving the best results. The difference from another previously used technique was small, whereas two other methods were much poorer. Applicability of the predictions was also tested by searching for known epitopes from amino acid sequences. The best techniques predicted correctly 20 of 31 continuous epitopes in seven proteins. Flexibility parameters have previously been used for calculating protein average flexibility indices which are inversely correlated to protein stability. Indices with the new parameters showed better correlation to protein stability than those used previously; furthermore they had relationship even when the old parameters failed.

Antigens↗
PubMed1994

C-terminal truncations of a thermostable Bacillus stearothermophilus alpha-amylase.

A series of truncated proteins from a thermostable Bacillus stearothermophilus alpha-amylase was prepared to study the importance of the extension in the C-terminus compared with other liquefying Bacillus alpha-amylases. The mutations introducing new translation termination sites shortened the 515 amino acid residue-long wild type enzyme by 17, 32, 47, 73 or 93 residues. The longer the truncation, the lower the specific activity of the enzyme. Only the two longest mutant proteins were active: the specific activity of the 498 residue variant was 97% and protein 483 was 36% that of the parental enzyme. The Km values of starch hydrolysis changed from 1.09 for wild type enzyme to 0.35 and 0.21 for mutants 498 and 483, respectively, indicating altered substrate binding. The mutant enzymes had almost identical pH and temperature optima with the wild type amylase, but enhanced thermal stability and altered end product profile. The consequences of the truncation to the structure and function of the enzymes were explored with molecular modeling. The liquefying amylases seem to require approximately 480 residues to be active, whereas the C-terminal end of B.stearothermophilus amylase is required for increased activity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Modelling the structure of the calcitonin gene-related peptide.

The calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a 37 residue neuropeptide which causes vasodilatation, increases heart rate and inhibits bone resorption. These effects make it an interesting lead for drug discovery. We have combined current structural and biological information to model the structure of hCGRP-beta to be used as a basis for the rational design of novel analogues. Distinct regions of CGRP have been shown to be responsible for the activity of the whole molecule. Thus, the structure of the peptide was modelled in four parts which were finally combined. A random search of conformational space was performed for the fragments CGRP1-8 and CGRP30-37 which have been shown to be central for receptor activation and binding, respectively. Five low-energy hCGRP-beta structures were obtained from modelled fragments by molecular dynamics. The relevance of the approach was verified by comparing the models with NMR structures of CGRP and calcitonin. The models obtained for the N- and C-terminal fragments should enable the design of novel agonists and antagonists of the CGRP receptor, respectively. Models of the whole molecule may be used in the design of peptides with shortened spacers between the receptor-bound regions. The approach described is applicable to several related peptide hormones, like growth hormone-releasing hormone and secretin.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Structural similarity of the binding sites of cyclophilin A-cyclosporin A and FKBP-FK506 systems.

Two enzymes, cyclophilin A and FK506-binding protein, with similar cis-trans isomerization catalytic activities but no similarity on the amino acid sequence level were compared in their three-dimensional structure by computer modelling. Cyclophilin A and FK506-binding protein proved to have similar arrangements at nine of the amino acids at their active site pockets. Two inhibitory peptides, cyclosporin A and FK506, also have structural similarities at their contact regions to the active sites. The studied systems may be another example of convergent evolution of enzyme catalytic site.

Amino Acid Isomerases↗
PubMed1993

HYDRO: a program for protein hydropathy predictions.

VAX/VMS programs for predicting protein hydropathy from amino acid sequence with several parameters are described. The hydropathy propensities of amino acids were normalised to make the different scales and predictions comparable. Another program package can be used to study similarity on the secondary structural level by comparing, for example, hydropathy predictions. These methods can provide valuable information also when there is only low sequence similarity. Amino acid residue accessibilities can be shown for known three-dimensional structures in addition to predictions. The programs can further be used for searching for a suitable prediction method and window size for a group of related proteins when the structure of at least one representative is known.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Human aspartylglucosaminidase. A biochemical and immunocytochemical characterization of the enzyme in normal and aspartylglucosaminuria fibroblasts.

Aspartylglucosaminidase (AGA, EC 3.5.1.26) is an essential enzyme in the degradation of asparagine-linked glycoproteins. In man, deficient activity of this enzyme leads to aspartylglucosaminuria (AGU), a recessively inherited lysosomal storage disease. Here we used affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies against the native AGA and its denatured subunits to establish the molecular structure and intracellular location of the enzyme in normal and AGU fibroblasts. Inactivation of the enzyme was found to coincide with the dissociation of the heterodimeric enzyme complex into subunits. Although the subunits were not linked by covalent forces, the intrapolypeptide disulphide bridges were found to be essential for the normal function of AGA. AGA was localized into lysosomes in control fibroblasts by both immunofluorescence microscopy and immuno-electron microscopy, whereas in AGU cells the location of antigen was different, suggesting that, owing to the mutation, a missing disulphide bridge, most of the enzyme molecules get retarded in the cis-Golgi region and most probably face intracellular degradation.

Aspartylglucosaminuria↗
PubMed1992

Computer modeling of two inorganic pyrophosphatases.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two inorganic pyrophosphatases that are structurally related. One, PPA1, is a cytoplasmic enzyme. The other, PPA2, is located in the mitochondria and appears to be energy-linked. The sequence similarity of PPA1 and PPA2 is about 66% and the identity is about 50%. All amino acids known to be important for catalysis are conserved, except one glutamate which is substituted by an aspartate in PPA2. The structures of PPA2 and the cytoplasmic PPase from Schizosaccharomyces pombe were modeled based on the three dimensional structure of PPA1. Two cysteines in PPA2 and one in the S. pombe enzyme are located at the catalytic cleft. Four residues form an unique insertion near the entrance of the catalytic cleft in the mitochondrial enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Selection of a representative set of structures from Brookhaven Protein Data Bank.

Reliable structural and statistical analyses of three dimensional protein structures should be based on unbiased data. The Protein Data Bank is highly redundant, containing several entries for identical or very similar sequences. A technique was developed for clustering the known structures based on their sequences and contents of alpha- and beta-structures. First, sequences were aligned pairwise. A representative sample of sequences was then obtained by grouping similar sequences together, and selecting a typical representative from each group. The similarity significance threshold needed in the clustering method was found by analyzing similarities of random sequences. Because three dimensional structures for proteins of same structural class are generally more conserved than their sequences, the proteins were clustered also according to their contents of secondary structural elements. The results of these clusterings indicate conservation of alpha- and beta-structures even when sequence similarity is relatively low. An unbiased sample of 103 high resolution structures, representing a wide variety of proteins, was chosen based on the suggestions made by the clustering algorithm. The proteins were divided into structural classes according to their contents and ratios of secondary structural elements. Previous classifications have suffered from subjective view of secondary structures, whereas here the classification was based on backbone geometry. The concise view lead to reclassification of some structures. The representative set of structures facilitates unbiased analyses of relationships between protein sequence, function, and structure as well as of structural characteristics.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1992

MULTICOMP: a program package for multiple sequence comparison.

An algorithm for multiple sequence comparison was implemented in FORTRAN 77 for VAX/VMS in GCG-compatible format. The MULTICOMP program package includes several procedures with which one query sequence can be compared simultaneously to several DNA, RNA or amino acid sequences. The same technique was also introduced for comparing propensities of secondary structural features, which can be predicted on the basis of amino acid sequences. The technique has been applied to a wide range of sequence and structural analyses.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1991

Amino acid sequence similarities of the mitochondrial short chain delta 3, delta 2-enoyl-CoA isomerase and peroxisomal multifunctional delta 3, delta 2-enoyl-CoA isomerase, 2-enoyl-CoA hydratase, 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase enzyme in rat liver. The proposed occurrence of isomerization and hydration in the same catalytic domain of the multifunctional enzyme.

We report the isolation and characterization of a cDNA encoding the mitochondrial short chain delta 3, delta 2-enoyl-CoA isomerase from rat liver. Tryptic fragments of the purified protein were generated, purified, and sequenced. A rat liver cDNA library, constructed in the plasmid vector pUEX1 was screened with oligonucleotides synthesized on the basis of peptide sequences. The obtained clone contained 783 bases predicting to code the entire mature protein of 261 amino acids. The molecular weight of 29,300 predicted from cDNA-derived sequences was consistent with the subunit size determined earlier. A high degree of similarity was noted between the amino acid sequence of isomerase and that of the amino-terminal half of peroxisomal multifunctional isomerase-hydratase-dehydrogenase enzyme and mitochondrial 2-enoyl-CoA hydratase in rat liver. These similarities also appeared at the level of predicted secondary structural elements, suggesting that hte rat multifunctional enzyme has both the isomerization and hydration activities in the amino-terminal domain. This idea is further supported by the proposed existence of only one CoA-binding site in the amino-terminal half of the multifunctional enzyme and by previous studies suggesting that the transfer of the substrate from the isomerization site to the hydration site occurs without aqueous bulk phase (Palosaari P.M., and Hiltunen, J. K. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 2446-2449).

3-Hydroxyacyl CoA Dehydrogenases↗
PubMed1990

Conservation of functional residues between yeast and E. coli inorganic pyrophosphatases.

The alignments of the amino acid sequences of inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Y1-PPase, 286 amino acids) and Escherichia coli (E-PPase, 175 amino acids) are examined in the light of crystallographic and chemical modification results placing specific amino acid residues at the active site of the yeast enzyme. The major results are: (1) the full E-PPase sequence aligns within residues 28-225 of Y1-PPase, raising the possibility that the N-terminal and C-terminal portions of Y1-PPase may not be essential for activity, and (2) that whereas the overall identity between the two sequences is only modest (22-27% depending on the choice of alignment parameters), of some 17 putative active site residues, 14-16 are identical between Y-PPase and E-PPase. PPase thus appears to be an example of enzymes from widely divergent species that conserve common functional elements within the context of substantial overall sequence variation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Conserved residues of liquefying alpha-amylases are concentrated in the vicinity of active site.

Three dimensional structure of three liquefying type Bacillus alpha-amylases were modeled based on sequence analyses and refined structure of Aspergillus oryzae enzyme. The models suggest that the overall folding motif of alpha-amylases is conserved. The active site, substrate binding and stabilizing calcium binding residues are conserved and concentrated in a cleft between two domains. They constitute the core of alpha-amylases to which other, less conserved regions are attached. The bacterial enzymes have a loop of about 45 residues near the active site and Ca2+ binding region. The loop may be important for the liquefying function of these enzymes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Site-directed mutagenesis of a thermostable alpha-amylase from Bacillus stearothermophilus: putative role of three conserved residues.

The relationship between structure, activity, and stability of the thermostable Bacillus stearothermophilus alpha-amylase was studied by site-directed mutagenesis of the three most conserved residues. Mutation of His-238 to Asp involved in Ca2+ and substrate binding reduced the specific activity and thermal stability, but did not affect the pH and temperature optima. Replacement of Asp-331 by Glu in the active site caused almost total inactivation. Interestingly, in prolonged incubation this mutant enzyme showed an altered end-product profile by liberating only maltose and maltotriose. Conservative mutation of the conserved Arg-232 by Lys, for which no function has yet been proposed, resulted in lowered specific activity: around 12% of the parental enzyme. This mutant enzyme had a wider pH range but about the same temperature optimum and thermal stability as the wild-type enzyme. Results obtained with different mutants were interpreted by computer aided molecular modeling.

Amino Acid Sequence↗