Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T Drakenberg

Publications and source records attributed to T Drakenberg.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Solution structure and main chain dynamics of the regulatory domain (Residues 1-91) of human cardiac troponin C.

The three-dimensional structure of calcium-loaded regulatory, i.e. N-terminal, domain (1-91) of human cardiac troponin C (cNTnC) was determined by NMR in water/trifluoroethanol (91:9 v/v) solution. The single-calcium-loaded cardiac regulatory domain is in a "closed" conformation with comparatively little exposed hydrophobic surface. Difference distance matrices computed from the families of Ca2+-cNTnC, the apo and two-calcium forms of the skeletal TnC (sNTnC) structures reveal similar relative orientations for the N, A, and D helices. The B and C helices are closer to the NAD framework in Ca2+-cNTnC and in apo-sNTnC than in 2.Ca2+-sNTnC. However, there is an indication of a conformational exchange based on broad 15N resonances for several amino acids measured at several temperatures. A majority of the amides in the alpha-helices and in the calcium binding loop exhibit very fast motions with comparatively small amplitudes according to the Lipari-Szabo model. A few residues at the N and C termini are flexible. Data were recorded from nonlabeled and 15N-labeled samples, and backbone dynamics was investigated by 15N T1, T2, and heteronuclear nuclear Overhauser effect as well as by relaxation interference measurements.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Tryptophan 272: an essential determinant of crystalline cellulose degradation by Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase Cel6A.

Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase Cel6A (formerly CBHII) has a tunnel shaped active site with four internal subsites for the glucose units. We have predicted an additional ring stacking interaction for a sixth glucose moiety with a tryptophan residue (W272) found on the domain surface. Mutagenesis of this residue selectively impairs the enzyme function on crystalline cellulose but not on soluble or amorphous substrates. Our data shows that W272 forms an additional subsite at the entrance of the active site tunnel and suggests it has a specialised role in crystalline cellulose degradation, possibly in guiding a glucan chain into the tunnel.

Binding Sites↗

Conformation of desmopressin, an analogue of the peptide hormone vasopressin, in aqueous solution as determined by NMR spectroscopy.

Desmopressin (1-desamino-[DArg8]vasopressin, is a synthetic analogue of the neurohypophyseal peptide hormone vasopressin which has high antidiuretic and antibleeding potency. The structure of desmopressin has been determined in aqueous solution by two-dimensional NMR techniques and molecular dynamics simulations. Both standard and time-averaged distance restraints were used in structure calculations because of the inherent flexibility in small peptides. 21 models calculated with standard restraints were compared with structures refined with time-averaged distance restraints and were found to be good representatives of the conformational ensemble of desmopressin. The macrocyclic ring forms an inverse gamma-turn centered around Gln4. Residues 1 and 2, the disulphide bridge and the three-residue acyclic tail were found to be flexible in solution. Residues 4-6 in the ensemble of calculated structures contain essentially the same backbone conformation as in the crystal structure of pressinoic acid, the cyclic moiety of vasopressin, whereas residues 2-6 superimpose on the NMR-derived conformation of oxytocin bound to neurophysin. The results presented in this work suggest that, in addition to the differences in sequence between desmopressin and vasopressin, differences in conformational and dynamic properties between the two compounds explain their pharmacological differences.

Amides↗

Sequence and context dependence of EF-hand loop dynamics. An 15N relaxation study of a calcium-binding site mutant of calbindin D9k.

The influence of amino acid sequence and structural context on the backbone dynamics of EF-hand calcium-binding loops was investigated using 15N spin relaxation measurements on the calcium-free state of the calbindin D9k mutant (A14D+A15Delta+P20Delta+N21G+P43M), in which the N-terminal pseudo-EF-hand loop, characteristic of S100 proteins, was engineered so as to conform with the C-terminal consensus EF-hand loop. The results were compared to a previous study of the apo state of the wild-type-like P43G calbindin D9k mutant. In the helical regions, the agreement with the P43G data is excellent, indicating that the structure and dynamics of the protein core are unaffected by the substitutions in the N-terminal loop. In the calcium-binding loops, the flexibility is drastically decreased compared to P43G, with the modified N-terminal loop showing a motional restriction comparable to that of the surrounding helixes. As in P43G, the motions in the C-terminal loop are less restricted than in the N-terminal loop. Differences in key hydrogen-bonding interactions correlate well with differences in dynamics and offer insights into the relationship between structure and dynamics of these EF-hand loops. It appears that the entire N-terminal EF-hand is built to form a rigid structure that allows calcium binding with only minor rearrangements and that the structural and dynamical properties of the entire EF-hand--rather than the loop sequence per se--is the major determinant of loop flexibility in this system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterization of recombinant epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like modules from vitamin-K-dependent protein S expressed in Spodoptera cells--the cofactor activity depends on the N-terminal EGF module in human protein S.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like modules in protein S, a physiological anticoagulant protein that functions as a cofactor to activated protein C, have been expressed in Spodoptera cells using baculovirus. EGF modules 1-3, 1-4, 2-3 and 2-4 were produced on a preparative scale. The isolated modules were more than 95% homogeneous, as judged by sequence determination. 45Ca2+-ligand blotting experiments indicated that recombinant proteins that contained the fourth EGF module, i.e. EGF 1-4 and 2-4, bound Ca2+ with high affinity. The 45Ca2+-ligand blotting results, together with results of competitive binding experiments using monoclonal antibodies as structural probes, indicated that the recombinant proteins had been folded to a native conformation. EGF modules 1-3 and 1-4 inhibited the interaction between activated protein C and protein S, whereas modules 2-3 and 2-4 had no effect on this interaction. It is thus apparent that EGF module 1 is crucial for the interaction between protein S and activated protein C. Moreover, EGF modules 1-4 were approximately 10-fold more effective in inhibiting the interaction than modules 1-3, suggesting a very weak interaction between module 4 and activated protein C or that this module is important to keep module 1 in a conformation that is optimal for interaction with activated protein C.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Binding of peptides in solution by the Escherichia coli chaperone PapD as revealed using an inhibition ELISA and NMR spectroscopy.

PapD is the prototype member of a family of periplasmic chaperones which are required for assembly of virulence associated pili in pathogenic, gram-negative bacteria. In the present investigation, an ELISA has been developed for evaluation of compounds as inhibitors of PapD. Synthetic peptides, including an octamer, derived from the C-terminus of the pilus adhesin PapG were able to inhibit PapD in the ELISA. Evaluation of a panel of octapeptides in the ELISA, in combination with NMR studies, showed that the peptides were bound as extended beta-strands by PapD in aqueous solution. The PapD-peptide complex was stabilized by backbone to backbone hydrogen bonds and interactions involving three hydrophobic peptide side chains. This structural information, together with previous crystal structure data, provides a starting point in efforts to design and synthesize compounds which bind to chaperones and interfere with pilus assembly in pathogenic bacteria.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The high affinity calcium-binding sites in the epidermal growth factor module region of vitamin K-dependent protein S.

Vitamin K-dependent protein S, a cofactor of the anticoagulant enzyme-activated protein C, has four epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like modules, all of which have one partially hydroxylated Asp (EGF 1; beta-hydroxyaspartic acid) or Asn (EGF 2, 3, and 4; beta-hydroxyasparagine) residue. The three C-terminal modules have a typical Ca2+ binding sequence motif that is usually present in EGF modules with hydroxylated Asp/Asn residues. Using the chromophoric Ca2+ chelators Quin 2 and 5,5'-Br2BAPTA, we have now determined the Ca2+ affinity of recombinant fragments containing EGF modules 1-3, 1-4, 2-3, and 2-4. EGF modules 1-4 and 2-4 each contains two very high affinity Ca2+-binding sites, i.e. with dissociation constants ranging from 10(-10) to 10(-8) M in the absence of salt and from 10(-8) to 10(-6) M in the presence of 0.15 M NaCl. In contrast, in EGF 1-3 and EGF 2-3, the Ca2+ affinity is 2-4 orders of magnitude lower. EGF 4 thus appears to have the highest Ca2+ affinity, and furthermore it seems to influence the Ca2+ affinity of its immediate N-terminal neighbor EGF 3 by a factor of approximately 230. In addition, EGF 4 seems to influence the Ca2+ affinity of EGF 2 by a factor of approximately 25. The Ca2+ affinity of the binding sites in EGF modules 3 and 4 in fragments EGF 1-4 and EGF 2-4 is 10(3)-10(5)-fold higher than in the corresponding isolated modules, implying important contributions to the Ca2+ affinity of each module from interactions with neighboring modules. This difference is much higher than the approximately 10-fold difference previously found in similar comparisons of EGF modules from fibrillin. However, the modules studied in protein S and fibrillin appear to have the similar Ca2+ ligands. The structural basis for the difference in Ca2+ affinity is not yet understood.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Calcium-binding properties of the third and fourth epidermal-growth-factor-like modules in vitamin-K-dependent protein S.

Protein S is a plasma glycoprotein requiring vitamin K for normal biosynthesis and functioning as a cofactor of activated protein C, a regulator of blood coagulation. Protein S contains four modules that are similar to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) precursor. Qualitative Ca2+-binding experiments have indicated that the EGF-module region of bovine protein S harbors high-affinity Ca2+-binding sites. We have chemically synthesized the third and fourth EGF modules from human protein S, which both have the sequence motif associated with Ca2+-binding and Asp/Asn beta-hydroxylation. Both modules were folded to a native conformation, as judged by immunochemical experiments and NMR spectroscopy. Ca2+ binding to the modules was monitored with 1H-NMR spectroscopy. At physiological pH and 0.15 M NaCl, each module was found to have a single Ca2+-binding site with low affinity, i.e. Kd values of 6.1 mM for the third and 8.6 mM for the fourth EGF module. At low salt conditions the Ca2+ affinities are 5.2 mM and 0.6 mM, respectively. This Ca2+ affinity is similar to that of the isolated N-terminal EGF module from coagulation factors IX and X. The very high affinity Ca2+ binding to the EGF-module region of protein S thus appears to be due to the influence of neighboring modules.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Transferred nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy study of a peptide from the PapG pilus subunit bound by the Escherichia coli PapD chaperone.

Interaction of the Escherichia coli PapD chaperone with the synthetic peptide PapG308-314 (Thr-Met-Val-Leu-Ser-Phe-Pro), corresponding to the seven C-terminal residues of the PapG pilus subunit, was studied by transferred nuclear Overhauser effect (TRNOE) spectroscopy. The observation of cross-peaks corresponding to either intraresidue or sequential C(alpha)H/NH and C(beta)H/NH TRNOEs and the absence of sequential NH(i)/NH(i+1) TRNOEs indicate that the peptide binds to PapD in an extended conformation. In addition, line-broadening effects gave information of the peptide's mode of interaction with PapD. These observations were in excellent agreement with a recent crystal structure of a PapG peptide complexed with PapD.

Adhesins, Escherichia coli↗

Phosphorylation controls the three-dimensional structure of plant light harvesting complex II.

The most abundant chlorophyll-binding complex in plants is the intrinsic membrane protein light-harvesting complex II (LHC II). LHC II acts as a light-harvesting antenna and has an important role in the distribution of absorbed energy between the two photosystems of photosynthesis. We used spectroscopic techniques to study a synthetic peptide with identical sequence to the LHC IIb N terminus found in pea, with and without the phosphorylated Thr at the 5th amino acid residue, and to study both forms of the native full-length protein. Our results show that the N terminus of LHC II changes structure upon phosphorylation and that the structural change resembles that of rabbit glycogen phosphorylase, one of the few phosphoproteins where both phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated structures have been solved. Our results indicate that phosphorylation of membrane proteins may regulate their function through structural protein-protein interactions in surface-exposed domains.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Solution structure of the albumin-binding GA module: a versatile bacterial protein domain.

The albumin-binding GA module is found in a family of surface proteins of different bacterial species. It comprises 45 amino acid residues and represents the first known example of contemporary module shuffling. Using 1H NMR spectroscopy we have determined the solution structure of the GA module from protein PAB, a protein of the anaerobic human commensal and pathogen Peptostreptococcus magnus. This structure, the first three-dimensional structure of an albumin-binding protein domain described, was shown to be composed of a left-handed three-helix-bundle. Sequence differences between GA modules with different affinities for albumin indicated that a conserved region in the C-terminal part of the second helix and the flexible sequence between helices 2 and 3 could contribute to the albumin-binding activity. The effect on backbone amide proton exchange rates upon binding to albumin support this assumption. The GA module has a fold that is strikingly similar to the immunoglobulin-binding domains of staphylococcal protein A but it shows no resemblance to the fold shared by the immunoglobulin-binding domains of streptococcal protein G and peptostreptococcal protein L. When the gene sequences, binding properties and thermal stability of these four domains are analysed in relation to their global folds an evolutionary pattern emerges. Thus, in the evolution of novel binding properties mutations are allowed only as long as the energetically favourable global fold is maintained.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Three-dimensional structures of three engineered cellulose-binding domains of cellobiohydrolase I from Trichoderma reesei.

Three-dimensional solution structures for three engineered, synthetic CBDs (Y5A, Y31A, and Y32A) of cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) from Trichoderma reesei were studied with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. According to CD measurements the antiparallel beta-sheet structure of the CBD fold was preserved in all engineered peptides. The three-dimensional NMR-based structures of Y31A and Y32A revealed only small local changes due to mutations in the flat face of CBD, which is expected to bind to crystalline cellulose. Therefore, the structural roles of Y31 and Y32 are minor, but their functional importance is obvious because these mutants do not bind strongly to cellulose. In the case of Y5A, the disruption of the structural framework at the N-terminus and the complete loss of binding affinity implies that Y5 has both structural and functional significance. The number of aromatic residues and their precise spatial arrangement in the flat face of the type I CBD fold appears to be critical for specific binding. A model for the CBD binding in which the three aligned aromatic rings stack onto every other glucose ring of the cellulose polymer is discussed.

Cellulase↗

Cello-oligosaccharide hydrolysis by cellobiohydrolase II from Trichoderma reesei. Association and rate constants derived from an analysis of progress curves.

The hydrolysis of soluble cello-oligosaccharides, with a degree of polymerisation of 4-6, catalysed by cellobiohydrolase II from Trichoderma reesei was studied using 1H-NMR spectroscopy and HPLC. The experimental progress curves were analysed by fitting numerically integrated kinetic equations, which provided cleavage patterns and kinetic constants for each oligosaccharide. This analysis procedure accounts for product inhibition and avoids the initial slope approximation. No glucose was detected at the beginning of the reaction indicating that only the internal glycosidic linkages are attacked. For cellotetraose only the second glycosidic linkage was cleaved. For cellopentaose and cellohexaose the second and the third glycosidic linkage from the non-reducing end were cleaved with approximately equal probability. The degradation rates of these cello-oligosaccharides, 1-12 s-1 at 27 degrees C, are about 10-100 times faster than for the 4-methylumbelliferyl substituted analogs or for collotriose. No intermediate products larger than cellotriose were released. The degradation rate for cellotetraose were higher than its off-rate, which accounts for the processive degradation of cellohexaose. A high cellohexaose/enzyme ratio caused slow reversible inactivation of the enzyme.

Binding Sites↗

The relative orientation of Gla and EGF domains in coagulation factor X is altered by Ca2+ binding to the first EGF domain. A combined NMR-small angle X-ray scattering study.

Coagulation factor X is a serine protease containing three noncatalytic domains: an N-terminal gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)1 domain followed by two epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains. The isolated N-terminal EGF domain binds Ca2+ with a Kd of 10(-3) M. When linked to the Gla domain, however, its Ca2+ affinity is increased 10-fold. In this paper, we present the NMR solution structure of the factor X Gla-EGF domain pair with Ca2+ bound to the EGF domain, as well as small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data on the Gla-EGF domain pair with and without Ca2+. Our results show that Ca2+ binding to the EGF domain makes the Gla and EGF domains fold toward each other using the Ca2+ site as a hinge. Presumably, a similar mechanism may be responsible for alterations in the relative orientation of protein domains in many other extracellular proteins containing EGF domains with the consensus for Ca2+ binding. The results of the NMR and SAXS measurements reported in this paper confirm our previous result that the Gla domain is folded also in its apo state when linked to the EGF domain [Sunnerhagen, M., et al. (1995) Nat. Struct. Biol. 2, 504-509]. Finally, our study clearly demonstrates the powerful combination of NMR and SAXS in the study of modular proteins, since this enables reliable evaluation of both short-range (NMR) and long-range interactions (SAXS).

1-Carboxyglutamic Acid↗

Solution structure of nodularin. An inhibitor of serine/threonine-specific protein phosphatases.

The three-dimensional solution structure of nodularin was studied by NMR and molecular dynamics simulations. The conformation in water was determined from the distance and dihedral data by distance geometry and refined by iterative relaxation matrix analysis. The cyclic backbone adopts a well defined conformation but the remote parts of the side chains of arginine as well as the amino acid derivative Adda have a large spatial dispersion. For the unusual amino acids the partial charges were calculated and nodularin was subjected to molecular dynamic simulations in water. A good agreement was found between experimental and computational data with hydrogen bonds, solvent accessibility, molecular motion, and conformational exchange. The three-dimensional structure resembles very closely that of microcystin-LR in the chemically equivalent segment. Therefore, it is expected that the binding of both microcystins and nodularins to serine/threonine-specific protein phosphatases is similar on an atomic level.

Enzyme Inhibitors↗

Ability of a beta-casein phosphopeptide to modulate the precipitation of calcium phosphate by forming amorphous dicalcium phosphate nanoclusters.

The ability of casein in the form of colloidal-sized casein micelles to modulate the phase separation of calcium phosphate during milk secretion is adapted to produce nanometre-sized particles of calcium phosphate stabilized by a casein phosphopeptide (nanoclusters). The nanoclusters were prepared from an undersaturated solution of salts and the peptide by raising the pH homogeneously from about 5.5 to 6.7 with urea plus urease. Chemical analysis and IR spectroscopy showed that they comprise an amorphous dicalcium phosophate bound to the phosphopeptide. Multinuclear NMR spectroscopy of the cluster solutions showed that the small ions and free peptide in the solution were in a state of dynamic exchange with the nanoclusters. The peptide is linked to the calcium phosphate through its sequence of phosphorylated residues, but, in a proportion of adsorbed conformational states, the termini retain the conformational freedom of the unbound peptide. The ability of casein to form nanoclusters in milk suggests a more general mechanism for avoiding pathological calcification and regulating calcium flow in tissues and biological fluids exposed to or containing high concentrations of calcium.

Adsorption↗

Backbone dynamics of a domain of protein L which binds to immunoglobulin light chains.

Protein L is a multidomain protein expressed at the surface of some strains of the anaerobic bacterial species Peptostreptococcus magnus. The molecule interacts with the variable domain of immunoglobulin (Ig) light chains through five repeated homologous domains denoted B1 to B5. The fold of the Ig-light-chain-binding B1 domain of protein L (PLB1) has been shown to comprise an alpha-helix packed against a four-stranded beta-sheet and therefore resembles the structure of the IgG-binding domains of streptococcal protein G. In the present study, amide-proton exchange and 15N-relaxation NMR measurements were performed on the B1 domain to investigate its backbone mobility. It was shown that the folded portion of PLB1 is rigid with no regions of significantly higher flexibility than average. The N-terminus, however, is highly flexible consistent with earlier studies on the solution structure of PLB1. Comparison of the amide-proton-exchange data with similar measurements performed on the IgG-binding domains of protein G indicates that the two proteins have different exchange behaviors in their second beta-strands. Both protein G and L employ this region of their structures for binding to immunoglobulins since the interaction of protein G and protein L with IgG Fab and the Ig light chain, respectively, involves residues from the second beta-strand.

Amides↗