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S Sheriff

Publications and source records attributed to S Sheriff.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Interaction of 125I-neuropeptide Y with rat cardiac membranes.

125I-Neuropeptide Y (NPY) bound specifically with high affinity to rat atrial and ventricular membranes. Scatchard analysis revealed the presence of single class of binding sites in both atrial and ventricular membranes. The apparent Kd and Bmax for atrial membranes were 0.63 nM and 70 fmol/mg protein, respectively; ventricular membranes had an apparent kd of 0.39 nM and a Bmax of 283 fmol/mg protein. NPY structural homologues peptide YY (PYY) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) bound to the ventricular membranes NPY receptor, but with several fold lower potency compared to NPY. Binding of 125I-NPY to ventricular membranes was sensitive to guanosine triphosphate (GTP) suggesting that the NPY receptor is linked to adenylate cyclase system. The receptor characterized in this system may play a crucial role in mediating the cardiac effects of NPY.

Animals↗

Structure of an antibody-antigen complex: crystal structure of the HyHEL-10 Fab-lysozyme complex.

The crystal structure of the complex of the anti-lysozyme HyHEL-10 Fab and hen egg white lysozyme has been determined to a nominal resolution of 3.0 A. The antigenic determinant (epitope) on the lysozyme is discontinuous, consisting of residues from four different regions of the linear sequence. It consists of the exposed residues of an alpha-helix together with surrounding amino acids. The epitope crosses the active-site cleft and includes a tryptophan located within this cleft. The combining site of the antibody is mostly flat with a protuberance made up of two tyrosines that penetrate the cleft. All six complementarity-determining regions of the Fab contribute at least one residue to the binding; one residue from the framework is also in contact with the lysozyme. The contacting residues on the antibody contain a disproportionate number of aromatic side chains. The antibody-antigen contact mainly involves hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions; there is one ion-pair interaction but it is weak.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Unusual joining sites in the H and L chains of an anti-lysozyme antibody.

Nucleotide sequences of HyHEL-5, an antibody specific for chicken lysozyme (HEL), indicated unusual joins in the third complementarity-determining region of both the H and L chains. The VK-JK recombination site is unusual in that codon 96, normally derived from the JK gene segment, is deleted entirely, making the L3 one amino acid shorter than normal. Examination of the HyHEL-5 Fab-HEL x-ray structure suggests that the conformation of L3 is clearly important for Ag specificity. A comparison of the HyHEL-5 L3 with that of the structurally related antibody J539 indicates that the deleted residue significantly alters the conformation of the L3 turn. The H chain VH-DH join is also unusual; the VH junction site has probably occurred between the second and third nucleotides of codon 92, with the addition of five random nucleotides that encode for unusual amino acids Leu93 and His94. Although the conformation of H3 is different from what would be predicted from other H3 conformations and is clearly important to the complementarity of HyHEL-5 to HEL, the specific residues at the VH-DH join do not appear to directly contribute to Ag binding. It is not possible to attribute the main chain conformation of H3 to the particular sequence produced by the join; the structural features of H3 may be due to interactions with HEL and/or with other antibody residues.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cocrystals of yeast cytochrome c peroxidase and horse heart cytochrome c.

Yeast cytochrome c peroxidase and horse heart cytochrome c have been cocrystallized in a form suitable for x-ray diffraction studies and the structure determined at 3.3 A. The asymmetric unit contains a dimer of the peroxidase which was oriented and positioned in the unit cell using molecular replacement techniques. Similar attempts to locate the cytochrome c molecules were unsuccessful. The peroxidase dimer model was subjected to eight rounds of restrained parameters least squares refinement after which the crystallographic R factor was 0.27 at 3.3 A. Examination of a 2Fo-Fc electron density map showed large "empty" regions between peroxidase dimers with no indication of cytochrome c molecules. Electrophoretic analysis of the crystals demonstrated the presence of the peroxidase and cytochrome c in an approximate equal molar ratio. Therefore, while cytochrome c molecules are present in the unit cell they are orientationally disordered and occupy the space between peroxidase dimers.

Animals↗

Structure of myohemerythrin in the azidomet state at 1.7/1.3 A resolution.

The molecular model of myohemerythrin, an oxygen-carrying protein from sipunculan worms, has been refined by stereochemically restrained least-squares minimization at 1.7/1.3 A resolution to a conventional R-value of 0.158. The estimated positional standard deviation is better than 0.15 A for most of the 979 protein atoms. The average isotropic displacement parameter, B, for the protein atoms is 23.1 A2. This high average B parameter appears to be due to the overall motion of the molecule, which correlates with the observed anisotropic diffraction. The side-chains of seven residues were modeled in two conformations, i.e. the side-chains were discretely disordered, and B parameters for several lysine and glutamate side-chains indicate that they are poorly localized. Of the residues in myohemerythrin, 66% are helical, with 62% occurring in four long alpha-helices with mean values for the backbone torsion angles of phi = -65 degrees, psi = -42 degrees, and for the hydrogen bonds distances of N ... O, 3.0 A and H ... O, 2.1 A, and angles of N ... O = C, 153 degrees, N-H ... O, 157 degrees, and H ... O = C, 147 degrees. For two-thirds of the alpha-helical residues, the torsional rotation of the C alpha-C beta bond, chi 1, is approximately -60 degrees, and for one-third chi 1 is approximately 180 degrees. Although most turns in myohemerythrin are well-categorized by previous classification, two do not fit in established patterns. Also included in the refined model are three sulfate ions, all partially occupied, and 157 water molecules, 40% of which are modeled fully occupied. Only one water molecule is internal to the protein, the remainder occur on the surface and are observed principally between symmetry-related molecules contributing, along with van der Waals' contacts, most of the interactions between molecules. There are eight intermolecular protein-protein hydrogen bonds, of which only four are between well-located atoms.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure and refinement at 1.8 A resolution of the aspartic proteinase from Rhizopus chinensis.

The structure of rhizopuspepsin (EC 3.4.23.6), the aspartic proteinase from Rhizopus chinensis, has been refined to a crystallographic R-factor of 0.143 at 1.8 A resolution. The positions of 2417 protein atoms have been determined with a root-mean-square (r.m.s.) error of 0.12 A. In the final model, the r.m.s. deviation from ideality for bond distances is 0.010 A, and for angle distances it is 0.034 A. During the course of the refinement, a calcium ion and 373 water molecules, of which 17 are internal, have been located. The active aspartate residues, Asp35 and Asp218, are involved in similar hydrogen-bonding interactions with neighboring residues and with several water molecules. One water molecule is located between the two carboxyl groups of the catalytic aspartate residues in a tightly hydrogen-bonded position. The refinement resulted in an unambiguous interpretation of the highly mobile "flap", a beta-hairpin loop region that projects over the binding pocket. Large solvent channels are formed when the molecules pack in the crystal, exposing the binding pocket and making it easily accessible. Intermolecular contacts involve mainly solvent molecules and a few protein atoms. The three-dimensional structure of rhizopuspepsin closely resembles other aspartic proteinase structures. A detailed comparison with the structure of penicillopepsin showed striking similarities as well as subtle differences in the active site geometry and molecular packing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Three-dimensional structure of an antibody-antigen complex.

We have determined the three-dimensional structure of two crystal forms of an antilysozyme Fab-lysozyme complex by x-ray crystallography. The epitope on lysozyme consists of three sequentially separated subsites, including one long, nearly continuous, site from Gln-41 through Tyr-53 and one from Gly-67 through Pro-70. Antibody residues interacting with lysozyme occur in each of the six complementarity-determining regions and also include one framework residue. Arg-45 and Arg-68 form a ridge on the surface of lysozyme, which binds in a groove on the antibody surface. Otherwise the surface of interaction between the two proteins is relatively flat, although it curls at the edges. The surface of interaction is approximately 26 X 19 A. No water molecules are found in the interface. The positive charge on the two arginines is complemented by the negative charge of Glu-35 and Glu-50 from the heavy chain of the antibody. The backbone structure of the antigen, lysozyme, is mostly unperturbed, although there are some changes in the epitope region, most notably Pro-70. One side chain not in the epitope, Trp-63, undergoes a rotation of approximately 180 degrees about the C beta--C gamma bond. The Fab elbow bends in the two crystal forms differ by 7 degrees.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Structural heterogeneity in protein crystals.

Extensive conformational heterogeneity is reported in highly refined crystallographic models for the proteins crambin, erabutoxin, myohemerythrin, and lamprey hemoglobin. From 6% to 13% of the amino acid side chains of these four proteins are seen in multiple, discrete conformations. Most common are flexible side chains on the molecular surface, but structural heterogeneity occasionally extends to buried side chains or to the polypeptide backbone. A few instances of sequence heterogeneity are also very clear. Numerous solvent sites are multiplets, and at high resolution, multiple, mutually exclusive solvent networks are observed. The proteins have been studied with X-ray diffraction data extending to spacings of from 0.945 to 2.0 A. The extensive heterogeneity observed here provides detailed, accurate structures for conformational substates of these molecules and sets a lower bound on the number of substates accessible to each protein molecule in solution. Electron density is missing or very weak for only a few side chains in these protein crystals, revealing a strong preference for discrete over continuous conformational perturbations. The results at very high resolution further suggest that even rather small conformational fluctuations produce discrete substates and that unresolved conformers are accommodated in increased atomic thermal parameters.

Crystallization↗

The 2-A resolution structure of a thermostable ribonuclease A chemically cross-linked between lysine residues 7 and 41.

The crystal structure of Lys-7-(dinitrophenylene)-Lys-41-cross-linked ribonuclease A has been determined by molecular replacement and refined by restrained least-squares methods to an R factor of 0.18 at 2.0-A resolution. Diffraction intensity data were collected by using a conventional diffractometer and an x-ray area detector. Comparison of the thermostable cross-linked protein and the native enzyme shows them to be structurally similar, with a rms difference in backbone and side-chain atoms of 0.52 and 1.34 A, respectively. Native and modified proteins additionally show 35 common bound solvent sites and similar overall temperature factor behavior, despite localized differences resulting from cross-link introduction, altered crystal pH, or lattice interactions with neighboring molecules. These results are discussed in the context of proposals on the origins of thermostability in the cross-linked enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Influence of solvent accessibility and intermolecular contacts on atomic mobilities in hemerythrins.

Thermal factor parameters (B values) have been compared from the refined crystal structures of the myohemerythrin from Themiste zostericola and of the octameric hemerythrin from Themiste dyscrita. These B values, which are directly related to atomic mobilities, were found to correlate rather closely with the solvent accessible areas within the respective crystals. Although protomeric units of the two molecules have exceptionally similar three-dimensional structures, there are marked differences between the patterns of relative atomic mobilities along the polypeptide chains. The differences correspond to lattice and oligomer contacts. An adjustment of the B values based on the fraction of accessible area occluded by contacts yields values that correlate well between the independent subunits and that should pertain more closely to those for the protomer free in solution.

Animals↗

Spleen size in chronic renal failure.

To investigate the cause of clinically detectable splenomegaly, which is common in patients receiving regular haemodialysis, splenic volume was assessed by isotopic scanning using intravenously injected technetium-99m microspheres in 34 controls and 149 patients with chronic renal failure. Of the patients, 16 had never received dialysis, 10 were undergoing continuous peritoneal dialysis, 94 were undergoing regular haemodialysis, and 29 had undergone successful renal transplantation more than nine months previously. Mean splenic volume was increased only in the patients who were receiving haemodialysis. Splenic enlargement was probably not due to iron overload as it occurred in all patients who had received haemodialysis, 14 of whom had not received intravenous iron. No patient had had hepatitis. Splenic enlargement was probably related to the process of haemodialysis itself and may have been due either to red cell damage produced by haemodialysis or to an immunological reaction induced by a component of haemodialysis, possibly ethylene oxide.

Female↗

Pertussis toxin inhibits neuropeptide Y-induced feeding in rats.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is the most powerful peptide drug stimulating feeding in rats. Rats with paraventricular hypothalamic (PVH) cannulae were used to investigate the mechanisms involved in NPY-induced feeding. Consistent with previous reports, injection of 2 micrograms of NPY into the PVH significantly increased the cumulative food intake over 1-, 2- and 4-hr periods. Ad lib feeding decreased significantly two days after pertussis toxin (PT) administration, but recovered to nearly normal levels on the fourth day. PT had no immediate effect on NPY-induced feeding; however, four days after PT was injected NPY (2 micrograms) did not increase the food intake compared to control. In vitro investigations showed that isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the hypothalamus of control rats was inhibited by NPY. In PT-treated rats, however, no inhibition of cAMP production was observed. These results suggest that cAMP may mediate NPY-induced feeding and that a PT-sensitive G protein may be involved in this signal transduction.

Adenylate Cyclase Toxin↗