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R N Perham

Publications and source records attributed to R N Perham.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

The peripheral subunit-binding domain of the dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of Bacillus stearothermophilus: preparation and characterization of its binding to the dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase component.

The peripheral subunit-binding domain of the dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase polypeptide chain of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Bacillus stearothermophilus was released by limited proteolysis from a di-domain (lipoyl domain plus binding domain) encoded by a subgene over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The domain was characterized by N-terminal sequence analysis, electrospray m.s. and c.d. spectroscopy. It was found to be identical in all respects to a chemically synthesized peptide of the same sequence. The association of the di-domain and binding domain (both natural and synthetic) with dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase was analysed in detail and a tight binding was demonstrated. As judged by several different techniques, it was found that only one peripheral subunit-binding domain is bound to one dimer of dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase, implying that the association is highly anti-cooperative.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Anatomy of an engineered NAD-binding site.

The coenzyme specificity of Escherichia coli glutathione reductase was switched from NADP to NAD by modifying the environment of the 2'-phosphate binding site through a set of point mutations: A179G, A183G, V197E, R198M, K199F, H200D, and R204P (Scrutton NS, Berry A, Perham RN, 1990, Nature 343:38-43). In order to analyze the structural changes involved, we have determined 4 high-resolution crystal structures, i.e., the structures of the wild-type enzyme (1.86 A resolution, R-factor of 16.8%), of the wild-type enzyme ligated with NADP (2.0 A, 20.8%), of the NAD-dependent mutant (1.74 A, 16.8%), and of the NAD-dependent mutant ligated with NAD (2.2 A, 16.9%). A comparison of these structures reveals subtle differences that explain details of the specificity change. In particular, a peptide rotation occurs close to the adenosine ribose, with a concomitant change of the ribose pucker. The mutations cause a contraction of the local chain fold. Furthermore, the engineered NAD-binding site assumes a less rigid structure than the NADP site of the wild-type enzyme. A superposition of the ligated structures shows a displacement of NAD versus NADP such that the electron pathway from the nicotinamide ring to FAD is elongated, which may explain the lower catalytic efficiency of the mutant. Because the nicotinamide is as much as 15 A from the sites of the mutations, this observation reminds us that mutations may have important long-range consequences that are difficult to anticipate.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1994

Structural aspects of biomolecular recognition and self-assembly.

Proteins are capable of fulfilling two important features of any likely system of bioelectronics: the ability to recognise other molecules with exquisite specificity, and the ability to self-assemble, in vivo and in vitro, to generate an astonishing variety of three-dimensional structures. Much current work is aimed at the redesign of existing proteins, either as an end in itself or as a means of developing the knowledge-base necessary for the ab initio design of novel proteins. This type of study has been greatly facilitated by the discovery of the modular or domain structure of many proteins, leading to concepts of protein manipulation as a kind of molecular Lego.

Protein Engineering↗
PubMed1993

Immunological properties of foreign peptides in multiple display on a filamentous bacteriophage.

The genome of bacteriophage fd has been engineered to permit construction of hybrid virus particles in which the wild-type major coat protein (gpVIII) subunits were interspersed with coat proteins displaying one or other of two foreign peptides (fdMAL1, sequence NANPNANPNANP or fdMAL2, sequence NDDSYIPSAEKI) in the exposed N-terminal segments [Greenwood et al., J. Mol. Biol. 220 (1991) 821-827]. These sequences represent major antigenic determinants of the circumsporozoite protein of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The peptide epitopes in the hybrid bacteriophages were found to be strongly immunogenic in four different strains of mice without the use of external adjuvants, and the antibodies (Ab) were highly specific to the individual epitopes in ELISA assays. When tested in nude (nu/nu) and heterozygote (nu +/-) BALB/c mice, the immune response was found to be T-cell dependent and to undergo class-switching from IgM to IgG. Proliferation assays of T-cells taken from lymph nodes of BALB/c mice injected with bacteriophage particles in the presence or absence of Freund's complete adjuvant indicated no difference in the immune response. This way of generating Ab against peptide epitopes is simpler and much less expensive than the conventional method of peptide synthesis and coupling to a carrier protein for injection. The specificity of the immune response, the ability to recruit helper T-cells and the lack of need for external adjuvants suggest that it will also be an inexpensive and simple route to the production of effective vaccines.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Structural differences between wild-type NADP-dependent glutathione reductase from Escherichia coli and a redesigned NAD-dependent mutant.

NAD and NADP are ubiquitous coenzymes in biological redox reactions. They have distinct metabolic functions, yet they differ only by an additional phosphate group esterified at the 2'-hydroxyl group of the AMP moiety of NADP. The natural specificity of Escherichia coli glutathione reductase for NADP has previously been converted into a marked preference for NAD by introducing seven point mutations into the beta alpha beta-fold of the NADP-binding domain of the protein based on the known structure of the human enzyme. Among them was the replacement of Ala179 by glycine (A179G) in the alpha-helix of the fold, a change suggested by a difference in a sequence fingerprint previously found in the dinucleotide-binding domains of a number of dehydrogenases. Although this position is at a distance of 10 A from the bound 2'-phosphate group of NADP in glutathione reductase, the A179G mutation was found to be synergistic and beneficial. We have now carried out X-ray crystallographic analyses of the NAD-dependent mutant without and with bound NADH. A comparison of the structures of the mutant and wild-type enzymes reveals a flip of the peptide bond between Gly174 and Ala175 such that the side-chain of another introduced amino acid, Glu197, is fixed and can participate in binding the adenine ribose of NAD, thereby contributing to the ability of the mutated enzyme to exert its selectivity for the "wrong" coenzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Creation of an NADP-dependent pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex by protein engineering.

Systematic replacement of a set of amino acids in the beta alpha beta-fold of the NAD-binding domain of Escherichia coli dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase has been used to convert its coenzyme specificity from NAD to NADP. After comparison with the homologous enzyme glutathione reductase, Glu 203 was replaced with a valine residue, thereby eliminating the potential to form hydrogen bonds with the 2'- and 3'-OH groups of the adenine ribose in NAD. Similarly, Met 204, Pro 210, Phe 205, and Asp 206 were replaced by an arginine, an arginine, a lysine, and a histidine residue, respectively, to provide a nest of positive charge to accommodate the 2'-phosphate group of the incoming NADP. In addition, Gly 185 and Gly 189 in the beta alpha beta motif were replaced with alanine residues to facilitate the positioning of the newly introduced Val 203 by allowing a flip of the peptide bond between residues Gly 180 and Gly 181. Wild-type dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase is inactive with NADP, but the mutant enzyme displayed high levels of activity with this coenzyme, the values of Km, kcat, and kcat/Km comparing favorably with those found for the wild-type enzyme operating with NAD. The mutant enzyme was also capable of assembly in vitro to form an active pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex, the coenzyme specificity of which reflected that of its dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase component. These experiments should make it possible now to study the effects in vivo of requiring a crucial catabolic enzyme to function with the wrong coenzyme, an important extension of protein engineering into the living cell.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

The high-resolution structure of the peripheral subunit-binding domain of dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase from the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Bacillus stearothermophilus.

The three-dimensional structure of a 43-residue active, synthetic peptide encompassing the peripheral subunit-binding domain of dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase from the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Bacillus stearothermophilus has been determined by means of a multi-cooling dynamical simulated annealing protocol using restraints derived from 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A total of 442 experimentally derived restraints including 13 dihedral angle (phi, chi 1) restraints were used. A final set of 35 structures was calculated with a root-mean-square deviation from the mean co-ordinates of 0.36 A for the backbone atoms and 0.96 A when side-chain heavy atoms were included for the well-defined region comprising residues Val7 to Leu39. Although assignments were made and sequential connectivities observed for the N-terminal six and C-terminal four residues, the absence of long-range NOEs suggests that the terminal regions are largely unstructured. The binding domain contains two short parallel alpha-helices (residues Val7 to Lys14 and Lys32 to Leu39), a3(10)-helix (residues Asp17 to Val21) and a structured loop made up of overlapping beta-turns (residues Gln22 to Leu31), which enclose a close-packed hydrophobic core. The loop is stabilized to a large extent by Asp34. This residue is conserved in all peripheral subunit-binding domains and its carboxylate side-chain forms a set of side-chain-main-chain hydrogen bonds with the main-chain amide protons of Gly23, Thr24, Gly25 and Leu31 and a side-chain-side-chain hydrogen bond with the hydroxyl group of Thr24. We propose that a peripheral subunit-binding site may be located in the loop region, which contains a series of highly conserved residues and provides a number of potential recognition sites. The structured region of the binding domain, comprising 33 residues, represents an exceptionally short amino acid sequence with defined tertiary structure that has no disulphide bond, ligand or cofactor to stabilize the fold. It may be approaching the lower size limit for a three-dimensional structure possessing features characteristic of larger structures, including a close-packed, non-polar interior. The organization of the side-chains in the hydrophobic core may have implications for de novo protein design.

Acetyltransferases↗
PubMed1993

Three-dimensional structure of the lipoyl domain from Bacillus stearothermophilus pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex.

The structure of the lipoyl domain from the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Bacillus stearothermophilus has been determined by means of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A total of 452 nuclear Overhauser effect distance constraints and 76 dihedral angle restraints were employed as the input for the structure calculations, which were performed using a hybrid distance geometry-simulated annealing strategy and the programs DISGEO and X-PLOR. The overall structure of the lipoyl domain (residues 1 to 79 of the dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase polypeptide chain) is that of a flattened eight-stranded beta-barrel folded around a core of well-defined hydrophobic residues. The lipoylation site, lysine 42, is located in the middle of a beta-turn, and the N and C-terminal residues of the domain are close together in adjacent beta-strands at the opposite end of the molecule. The polypeptide backbone exhibits a 2-fold axis of quasi-symmetry, with the C alpha atoms of residues 15 to 39 and 52 to 76 being almost superimposable on those of residues 52 to 76 and 15 to 39, respectively (root-mean-square deviation = 1.48 A). The amino acid residues at key positions in the structure are conserved among all the reported primary structures of lipoyl domains, suggesting that the domains all fold in a similar way.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Prediction of the three-dimensional structures of the biotinylated domain from yeast pyruvate carboxylase and of the lipoylated H-protein from the pea leaf glycine cleavage system: a new automated method for the prediction of protein tertiary structure.

A new, automated, knowledge-based method for the construction of three-dimensional models of proteins is described. Geometric restraints on target structures are calculated from a consideration of homologous template structures and the wider knowledge base of unrelated protein structures. Three-dimensional structures are calculated from initial partly folded states by high-temperature molecular dynamics simulations followed slow cooling of the system (simulated annealing) using nonphysical potentials. Three-dimensional models for the biotinylated domain from the pyruvate carboxylase of yeast and the lipoylated H-protein from the glycine cleavage system of pea leaf were constructed, based on the known structures of two lipoylated domains of 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase multienzyme complexes. Despite their weak sequence similarity, the three proteins are predicted to have similar three-dimensional structures, representative of a new protein module. Implications for the mechanisms of posttranslational modification of these proteins and their catalytic function are discussed.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1992

Conformational studies of the interdomain linker peptides in the dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Escherichia coli.

Two peptides (PEP1, 26 residues, and PEP2, 22 residues) were synthesized with amino acid sequences identical to two of the long segments of polypeptide chain rich in alanine, proline, and charged amino acids that link the lipoyl domains together in the dihydrolipoyl acetyltransferase component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Escherichia coli. The circular dichroism and 400-MHz 1H NMR spectra of the peptides indicated that they lacked regular secondary structure. Even in the presence of 45% (v/v) hexafluoroisopropanol, they appeared to acquire a helical content of only 23-25%. However, 13C NMR spectroscopy revealed that the Ala-Pro peptide bonds were all (> 95%) in the trans configuration, compared with a value of 87% for the Ala-Pro bond in the model peptide AAPA, which is a recurrent sequence motif in PEP1 and PEP2. Likewise in peptides representing the N- and C-terminal halves of peptide PEP2, the Ala-Pro bonds were again all (> 95%)-trans, suggesting that peptide length is the essential determinant of the cis:trans ratio. Antisera were raised against peptides PEP2 and PEP3, the latter representing a third interdomain segment of polypeptide chain (Radford, S. E., Laue, E. D., Perham, R. N., Martin, S. R., and Appella, E. (1989a) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 767-775). Despite extensive sequence similarity among peptides PEP1, PEP2, and PEP3, only limited immunological cross-reactivity was observed, which suggests that the antigenic epitope(s) in the peptides are different and distinct. It is likely that these peptides are representative of a class of inter-domain linkers or spacers found in a wide variety of proteins and endowed with varying degrees of flexibility and stiffness to match their particular biological purpose.

Acetyltransferases↗
PubMed1992

Cooperativity induced by a single mutation at the subunit interface of a dimeric enzyme: glutathione reductase.

When glycine418 of Escherichia coli glutathione reductase, which is in a closely packed region of the dimer interface, is replaced with a bulky tryptophan residue, the enzyme becomes highly cooperative (Hill coefficient 1.76) for glutathione binding. The cooperativity is lost when the mutant subunit is hybridized with a wild-type subunit to create a heterodimer. The mutation appears to disrupt atomic packing at the dimer interface, which induces a change of kinetic mechanism. A single mutation in a region of the protein remote from the active site can thus act as a molecular switch to confer cooperativity on an enzyme.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Interaction of avidin with the lipoyl domains in the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex: three-dimensional location and similarity to biotinyl domains in carboxylases.

Avidin can form intermolecular cross-links between particles of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex from various sources. Avidin does this by binding to lipoic acid-containing regions of the dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase polypeptide chains that comprise the structural core of the complex. It is inferred that the lipoyl domains of the acetyltransferase chain extend outwards from the interior of the enzyme particle, interdigitating between the subunits of the other two enzymes bound peripherally in the assembled structure, with the lipoyl-lysine residues capable of reaching to within at least 1-2 nm of the outer surface of the enzyme complex (diameter ca. 37 nm). The distribution of enzymic activities between different domains of the dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase chain implies that considerable movement of the lipoyl domains is a feature of the catalytic activity of the enzyme complex. There is evidence that the lipoyl domain of the 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complexes is similar in structure to a domain that binds the cofactor biotin, also in amide linkage with a specific lysine residue, in the biotin-dependent class of carboxylases.

Amidohydrolases↗
PubMed1992

Expression in Escherichia coli of a sub-gene encoding the lipoyl and peripheral subunit-binding domains of the dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex of Bacillus stearothermophilus.

A sub-gene encoding the N-terminal 170 residues of the dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase chain of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Bacillus stearothermophilus was over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed polypeptide consists of the lipoyl domain, inter-domain linker and peripheral subunit-binding domain; these were found to have folded into their native functional conformations as judged by reductive acetylation of the lipoyl domain, limited proteolysis of the linker region and ability to bind the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase dimer. The di-domain was largely (80%) unlipoylated; a small proportion (4%) was correctly modified with lipoic acid and the remainder (16%) was aberrantly modified with octanoic acid. A polyclonal antiserum was raised that recognized both the di-domain and the individual component domains. The 400 MHz 1H-n.m.r. spectrum of the di-domain showed resonances corresponding to those seen in spectra of the lipoyl domain, plus others characteristic of amino acid residues in the flexible linker region. Further, as yet unidentified, resonances are likely to be derived from the peripheral subunit-binding domain. The existence and independent folding of the peripheral subunit-binding domain is thus confirmed and its purification in large-scale amounts for detailed structural analysis is now possible.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1992

Three-dimensional solution structure of the E3-binding domain of the dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase core from the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Escherichia coli.

The three-dimensional solution structure of a 51-residue synthetic peptide comprising the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3)-binding domain of the dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase (E2) core of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of Escherichia coli has been determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and hybrid distance geometry-dynamical simulated annealing calculations. The structure is based on 630 approximate interproton distance and 101 torsion angle (phi, psi, chi 1) restraints. A total of 56 simulated annealing structures were calculated, and the atomic rms distribution about the mean coordinate positions for residues 12-48 of the synthetic peptide is 1.24 A for the backbone atoms, 1.68 A for all atoms, and 1.33 A for all atoms excluding the six side chains which are disordered at chi 1 and the seven which are disordered at chi 2; when the irregular partially disordered loop from residues 31 to 39 is excluded, the rms distribution drops to 0.77 A for the backbone atoms, 1.55 A for all atoms, and 0.89 A for ordered side chains. Although proton resonance assignments for the N-terminal 11 residues and the C-terminal 3 residues were obtained, these two segments of the polypeptide are disordered in solution as evidenced by the absence of nonsequential nuclear Overhauser effects. The solution structure of the E3-binding domain consists of two parallel helices (residues 14-23 and 40-48), a short extended strand (24-26), a five-residue helical-like turn, and an irregular (and more disordered) loop (residues 31-39). This report presents the first structure of an E3-binding domain from a 2-oxo acid dehydrogenase complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acyltransferases↗
PubMed1992

Engineering surface charge. 1. A method for detecting subunit exchange in Escherichia coli glutathione reductase.

The gene gor encoding Escherichia coli glutathione reductase was mutated to create a positively charged N-terminal extension consisting of five arginine residues followed by a factor Xa cleavage site to the enzyme polypeptide chain. The modified protein assembled in vivo to yield a dimeric enzyme with kinetic parameters indistinguishable from those of wild-type glutathione reductase. The N-terminal extension could not be released by treatment with factor Xa but could be removed by exposure to trypsin, again without effect on the enzyme activity. The modified enzyme was readily separated from the wild-type enzyme by means of ion-exchange chromatography or nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Incubation of the modified and wild-type enzymes, separately or as a mixture, with NADH led to their partial inactivation, and activity was restored by exposure to 1 mM reduced glutathione. No hybrid dimer was formed in the mixture of modified and wild-type enzymes, as judged by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, strongly suggesting that the inactivation induced by NADH was not due to dissociation of the parental dimers. The addition of otherwise benign positively or negatively charged extensions to the N- or C-terminal regions of the constituent polypeptide chains of oligomeric enzymes offers a simple route to detecting hybrid formation and the causative subunit dissociation and exchange.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Engineering surface charge. 2. A method for purifying heterodimers of Escherichia coli glutathione reductase.

Two gor genes encoding different mutants of Escherichia coli glutathione reductase have been expressed in the same E. coli cell, leading to the creation of a hybrid form of the enzyme dimer. One of the gor genes carried, in addition to various directed mutations, a 5' extension that encodes a benign penta-arginine "arm" added to the N-terminus of the glutathione reductase polypeptide chain [Deonarain, M.P., Scrutton, N.S., & Perham, R.N. (1992) Biochemistry (preceding paper in this issue)]. This made possible, by means of ion-exchange chromatography or nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the facile separation of the hybrid enzyme from the two parental forms. Moreover, the two subunits in the hybrid enzyme could be made to carry different mutations. In this way, glutathione reductases with only one active site per dimer were generated: the effects of replacing tyrosine-177 with glycine in the NADPH-binding site, which greatly diminishes the Km for glutathione and switches the kinetic mechanism from ping-pong to ordered sequential, and of replacing His-439 with glutamine in the glutathione-binding site, which greatly diminishes the Km for NADPH, were both found to be restricted to the one active site carrying the mutations. This system of generating separable enzyme hybrids is generally applicable and should make it possible now to undertake a more systematic study of catalytic mechanism and assembly for the many enzymes with quaternary structure.

Bacterial Proteins↗