Search PubMedSearch

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Structural analysis”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

Structural analysis of cataract incision construction.

This report examines the structural components of incision construction for cataract surgery so the causes of corneal instability and astigmatism can be understood. Changing the shape of the external incision, from limbus-parallel to linear to curved away from the limbus, results in a more stable external incision. The internal entry incision is more directly associated with corneal instability, however, and its construction and closure are crucial. Corneal stability improves as the closure changes from radial to horizontal to corneal valve autoclosure. Hyphema rates also improve with this progression because blood is directed into the anterior chamber with posterior incision closure, but out of the eye with anterior corneal valve closure.

Astigmatism

Structural analysis of ternary complexes of vaccinia RNA polymerase.

The structure of the elongation complex of vaccinia RNA polymerase halted at discrete template positions was examined by DNase I footprinting. The leading edge of the footprint bore a constant relationship to the catalytic template position, being 22-24 nucleotides (nt) in advance on the nontemplate strand and 17 nt on the template strand. DNase hypersensitivity of the nontemplate strand at the leading edge suggested that the DNA might be distorted as it entered the polymerase molecule. The region of DNA unwinding at the transcription bubble extended at least 12 nt 5' from the catalytic center, as indicated by the reactivity of adenosine residues to diethylpyrocarbonate. Cu-phenanthroline-hypersensitive sites located 13 nt 5' and 4 nt 3' of the growing point appeared to demarcate the margins of the bubble. Strand asymmetry of chemical modification within the bubble was consistent with an RNA-DNA hybrid of no more than 10 base pairs.

Base Sequence

Structural analysis of chlamydial major outer membrane proteins.

The primary structure and surface exposure of the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) isolated from 14C intrinsically or 125I extrinsically radiolabeled Chlamydia trachomatis serotypes D/UW-3, G/UW-57, H/UW-4, I/UW-12, and L2/434 and the Chlamydia psittaci meningopneumonitis strain were analyzed by two different peptide-mapping techniques. Radiolabeled proteins were digested with either Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, the patterns of peptide fragments produced being displayed by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, or alpha-chymotrypsin, the peptides being analyzed after separation by high-voltage electrophoresis and thin-layer chromatography. The comparative structural data obtained from these two different techniques were remarkably similar. From these data, the following points could be made. (i) MOMPs are structurally heterogeneous between members of chlamydial species; the C. psittaci MOMP was clearly distinct from each of the C. trachomatis MOMPs. (ii) Considerable structural homology occurs among MOMPs from different C. trachomatis serotypes; however, distinct differences in the primary structure of each C. trachomatis MOMP were evident. (iii) These observed differences were most obvious in peptide maps of MOMPs isolated from chlamydiae that had been surface labeled by lactoperoxidase-mediated radioiodination. The surface-exposed portions of the MOMPs from serotypes L2 and D were very similar. In contrast, those from serotypes G, H, and I were quite different. These structural data are in agreement with the serospecificities described for these proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence

Effect of smoking cessation on pulmonary and cardiovascular function and structure: analysis of guinea pig model.

To assess the pulmonary structural and functional effects of smoking cessation, we exposed groups of guinea pigs to cigarette smoke for 4 and 8 mo and included a group of animals in which smoke exposure was stopped at 4 mo (ex-smokers). We found that, compared with control nonsmokers, the smokers at both 4 and 8 mo showed airflow obstruction with alterations in lung volume and morphological evidence of emphysema with increased alveolar air space size and decreased alveolar surface area-to-volume ratio. There was an alteration in the pulmonary vascular structure, with increased numbers of muscularized arterioles, in the smokers at both time periods, and this was associated with significantly increased pulmonary arterial pressure at 8 mo. Cessation of smoke exposure appeared to halt, but not reverse, these structural changes. The smokers at 8 mo showed clear evidence for a "healthy smoker" effect, underscoring the necessity for longitudinal studies even when using an animal model. We conclude that cessation of exposure to cigarette smoke is associated with an apparent halt, but not a reversal, of emphysematous lung enlargement and pulmonary arteriolar muscularization. However, the magnitude of improvement in pulmonary function is not as great as the apparent structural differences would imply, and there is no clear effect on the pulmonary arterial pressure.

Airway Obstruction

Tissue distribution of rat angiotensinogen mRNA and structural analysis of its heterogeneity.

The tissue distribution and the structural heterogeneity of the rat angiotensinogen mRNA have been investigated with the aid of a previously cloned cDNA as well as a genomic DNA for rat angiotensinogen as analytical probes. The angiotensinogen mRNA is expressed not only in the liver but also in various tissues including the brain, kidney, adrenal gland, ovary, and lung. The relative levels of the mRNA in the above tissues have been estimated to be 3-4, 20-30 (for the next three tissues), and around 100 times less than that in the liver, respectively. The mRNAs in both hepatic and extrahepatic tissues are encoded by a single gene in the rat genome. At least four different size classes of the angiotensinogen mRNA that start with a single 5' terminus and differ only in the lengths of their 3'-untranslated regions have been identified, and these multiple mRNA species are most likely generated by using the polyadenylation signals AAUAAA and AUUAAA found 10-30 nucleotides upstream from the four polyadenylation sites. Because the structures of these multiple mRNA species do not vary among the tissues of the liver, brain, and kidney, angiotensinogen synthesized locally is structurally identical to that produced in the liver and may have some biological roles independent of the circulating angiotensinogen, mainly derived from the liver. In addition, the sequence of the 5'-flanking region of the angiotensinogen gene has been determined, and some features common to other steroid hormone-responsive genes have been discussed.

Angiotensinogen

Structural analysis of two crystal forms of lentil lectin at 1.8 A resolution.

The structures of two crystal forms of lentil lectin are determined and refined at high resolution. Orthorhombic lentil lectin is refined at 1.80 A resolution to an R-factor of 0.184 and monoclinic lentil lectin at 1.75 A resolution to an R-factor of 0.175. These two structures are compared to each other and to the other available legume lectin structures. The monosaccharide binding pocket of each lectin monomer contains a tightly bound phosphate ion. This phosphate makes hydrogen bonding contacts with Asp-81 beta, Gly-99 beta, and Asn-125 beta, three residues that are highly conserved in most of the known legume lectin sequences and essential for monosaccharide recognition in all legume lectin crystal structures described thus far. A detailed analysis of the composition and properties of the hydrophobic contact network and hydrophobic nuclei in lentil lectin is presented. Contact map calculations reveal that dense clusters of nonpolar as well as polar side chains play a major role in secondary structure packing. This is illustrated by a large cluster of 24 mainly hydrophobic amino acids that is responsible for the majority of packing interactions between the two beta-sheets. Another series of four smaller and less hydrophobic clusters is found to mediate the packing of a number of loop structures upon the front sheet. A very dense, but not very conserved cluster is found to stabilize the transition metal binding site. The highly conserved and invariant nonpolar residues are distributed asymmetrically over the protein.

Amino Acid Sequence

In situ structural analysis of microsomal UDP-glucuronyltransferases by radiation inactivation.

The structure of the UDP-glucuronyltransferases in microsomes from guinea pig and rat liver was examined in situ by radiation inactivation analysis. The p-nitrophenol conjugating activity of guinea pig microsomes increased at lower doses of radiation; at higher doses (greater than or equal to 36 megarads), activity showed a first order decline yielding a target size of 71 +/- 9 kDa. Treating microsomes with Triton X-100 eliminated the activation seen at lower doses of radiation and yielded a simple exponential decrease in activity which gave a larger target size (95 +/- 18 kDa). A monoexponential decrease in activity was seen in sonicated microsomes, at greater than or equal to 36 megarads. The same response was obtained when the reaction was assayed in the reverse direction. The estrone conjugating activity of guinea pig microsomes was similarly activated at lower doses of radiation and declined at higher doses (greater than or equal to 36 megarads), with a target size of 57 +/- 11 kDa. Allosteric activation of the enzyme by UDP-N-acetylglucosamine was eliminated by lower doses of radiation. Thus, activation of the enzyme by radiation, detergent, sonication, and UDP-N-acetylglucosamine appear to be interdependent. These activations are postulated to be due to the existence of the enzyme in an oligomeric form which can be dissociated into monomers with higher activity. The same biphasic activation-inactivation curves were obtained for p-nitrophenol conjugation in rat liver microsomes. The target sizes were 54 +/- 8 kDa (p-nitrophenol in the forward direction) and 66 +/- 10 kDa (p-nitrophenol in the reverse direction). Thus, the enzyme appears to be smaller in rat liver as compared with guinea pig liver. Lithocholate glucuronidating activity in rat liver microsomes (at greater than 36 megarads) gave a target size of 74 +/- 1 kDa.

Animals

Characterisation of Carbapenem-Resistant Raoultella planticola and Structural Analysis of NDM Composite Plasmids.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the molecular characteristics, resistant plasmid structures and phylogeny of a carbapenem-resistant Raoultella planticola (CRRP) strain from a patient with pneumonia to inform antimicrobial resistance control strategies. METHODS: We performed strain identification using MALDI-TOF MS, the BD Phoenix 100 system and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). We assessed antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance gene transfer using PCR, conjugation and stability assays, plasmid structure using a bioinformatics tool and phylogeny using a core-genome phylogenetic tree. RESULTS: WGS confirmed the isolate as R. planticola (average nucleotide identity (ANI) > 98.9% with reference type strains), co-harbouring blaKPC-2 and blaNDM-1. It was resistant to 19 antimicrobial agents and susceptible to only polymyxin, amikacin and chloramphenicol. Resistance genes were present on two conjugative plasmids: pzwx_KPC (IncFIA) and pzwx_NDM (a novel repFIB/repHI5B hybrid assembled via non-homologous end joining). Both plasmids demonstrated efficient transfer and stable inheritance over 12 passages. pzwx_KPC was highly homologous to plasmids from Klebsiella pneumoniae. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the closest relationship with German R. planticola strains. CONCLUSION: CRRP carries highly transmissible and stable resistance plasmids. Strengthened monitoring in immunocompromised patients and improved environmental disinfection are recommended. The risk of misidentification by automated systems underscores the importance of WGS for accurate pathogen identification.

Carbapenem resistance

Secondary structure analysis of the scrapie-associated protein PrP 27-30 in water by infrared spectroscopy.

A protease-resistant form of the protein PrP (PrP-res) accumulates in tissues of mammals infected with scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and related transmissible neurodegenerative diseases. This abnormal form of PrP can aggregate into insoluble amyloid-like fibrils and plaques and has been identified as the major component of brain fractions enriched for scrapie infectivity. Using a recently developed technique in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy which allows protein conformational analysis in aqueous media, we have studied the secondary structure of the proteinase K resistant core of PrP-res (PrP-res 27-30) as it exists in highly infectious fibril preparations. Second-derivative analysis of the infrared spectra has enabled us to quantitate the relative amounts of different secondary structures in the PrP-res aggregates. The analysis indicated that PrP-res 27-30 is predominantly composed of beta-sheet (47%), which is consistent with its amyloid-like properties. In addition, significant amounts of turn (31%) and alpha-helix (17%) were identified, indicating that amyloid-like fibrils need not be exclusively beta-sheet. The infrared-based secondary structure compositions were then used as constraints to improve the theoretical localization of the secondary structures within PrP-res 27-30.

Acetylglucosamine

An antiplatelet aggregation principle and X-ray structural analysis of cis-khellactone diester from Peucedanum japonicum.

Three structurally related khellactone coumarins, 1-3, were isolated from the aerial parts of Peucedanum japonicum (Umbelliferae). Compound 2 was identified as a new coumarin (cis-3'-isovaleryl-4'-senecioylkhellactone) by spectral and chemical analysis. Conformation of the dihydropyrano ring of cis-3',4'-disenecioylkhellactone [3] was elucidated by X-ray crystallographic analysis. These three natural khellactone esters were subjected to the antiplatelet aggregation bioassay where cis-3',4'-diisovalerylkhellactone [1] showed significant activity (at 50 micrograms/ml).

Animals

Molecular Cloning, Recombinant Expression, and In Silico Structural Analysis of Cu/Zn-Superoxide Dismutase from Trachyspermum ammi.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an essential antioxidant metalloenzyme that is critical for the cellular defense against oxidative damage, as it scavenges superoxide radicals and maintains the redox status. Cytosolic Cu/Zn-SOD is particularly important in the regulation of oxidative stress among different isoforms in higher plants. While Cu/Zn-SODs from several plant species have been characterized, molecular information is limited for Trachyspermum ammi, a medicinally important member of a family Apiaceae with antioxidant potential.In the present study, an integrated molecular and in silico approach has been taken to clone and analyze a Cu/Zn type SOD gene from T. ammi to get insight into its structural and evolutionary characteristics. PCR amplification yielded an open reading frame of 456 bp encoding a protein of 152 amino acids. Sequence analysis showed that plant Cu/Zn-SODs, especially those from Daucus carota, were highly similar to one another (about 90-95%).Multiple sequence alignment confirmed the presence of conserved catalytic motifs and metal-binding histidine residues, both of which are crucial for enzymatic function. Physicochemical analysis predicted the protein to be stable, hydrophilic and compatible with cytosolic localization. The analysis of secondary structure indicated a predominance of β-strands, consistent with the conserved β-barrel architecture of plant Cu/Zn-SODs.The three-dimensional structure was built by homology modeling using a closely related plant Cu/Zn-SOD template with high sequence identity. Structural validation demonstrated an acceptable stereochemical quality with 86.3% residues in the favored region of Ramachandran plot, satisfactory ERRAT and Verify3D scores, and a low RMSD value of 0.104 Å on structural superimposition. Phylogenetic analysis placed the enzyme in the Apiaceae lineage, suggesting evolutionary conservation among related plant species. In conclusion, this study presents the first molecular and structural characterization of Cu/Zn-SOD from T. ammi and confirms the existence of a conserved structural framework typical of plant Cu/Zn-SODs. These results provide a basis for further studies concerning recombinant expression, enzymatic validation and potential relevance in antioxidant and plant stress biology.

Cloning, Molecular

[Chemical structural analysis of steroids by NMR spectroscopy].

NMR is so convenient way to get stereochemical information of an organic compound that organic chemists have readily taken advantage of its spectra to investigate its stereochemistry by means of chemical shifts, coupling constants, nuclear Overhauser effect, etc. Especially in the steroid field, there have been reported many studies for determination of chemical structure and analysis of conformation. It is exemplified how NMR is in steroid chemistry.

Aldosterone

Crystal structure analysis of the B-DNA dodecamer CGTGAATTCACG.

The crystal structure of the DNA dodecamer C-G-T-G-A-A-T-T-C-A-C-G has been determined at a resolution of 2.5 A, with a final R factor of 15.8% for 1475 nonzero reflections measured at 0 degrees C. The structure is isomorphous with that of the Drew dodecamer, with the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and cell dimensions of a = 24.94 A, b = 40.78 A, and c = 66.13 A. The asymmetric unit contains all 12 base pairs of the B-DNA double helix and 36 water molecules. The structure of C-G-T-G-A-A-T-T-C-A-C-G is very similar to that of C-G-C-G-A-A-T-T-C-G-C-G, with no major alterations in helix parameters. Water peaks in the refined structure appear to represent a selection of peaks that were observed in the Drew dodecamer. The minor-groove spine of hydration at 2.5 A is fragmentary, but as Narendra et al. (1991) [Biochemistry (following paper in this issue)] have observed, lowering the temperature leads to a more complete representation of the spine.

Base Sequence

Nucleic acid structure analysis: a users guide to a collection of new analysis programs.

Common nomenclature describing the geometry of nucleic acid structures was established at a 1988 EMBO Workshop on DNA Curvature and Bending (Diekmann, S. (1988) J. Mol. Biol. 208, 787-791; Diekmann, S. (1989) The EMBO Journal 8, 1-4; Sarma, R.H. (1988) J. Biomol. Structure & Dynamics 6, 391-395; Dickerson, R.E. (1989) J. Biomol. Structure & Dynamics 6, 627-634; Dickerson, R.E. et al. (1989) Nuc. Acids Res. 17, 1979-1803). We have subsequently developed and incorporated sophisticated mathematics in a computer program to calculate the parameters described by the guidelines. The program calculates all the local parameters relating complementary bases and neighboring base and base pairs in both Cartesian and helical coordinate frames. In addition, the main mathematical property requested by the EMBO guidelines--that the magnitude of the parameters be independent of strand or direction of measurement--is accomplished without the use of a midway coordinate frame for the rotational parameters. The mathematics preserve the physical intuition used in defining the parameters; in particular, the rotational parameters are true rotations based on a simple physical model (rotation at constant angular velocity for a unit amount of time), not Euler angles or angles between vectors and planes as is the case with other approaches. As a result, the mathematical equations are symmetric with the property that a 5 degrees tilt is the same as a 5 degrees roll or a 5 degrees twist, except that the rotations take place about different axes. In other approaches, a 5 degrees tilt can mean a different amount of net rotation from a 5 degrees roll or a 5 degrees twist. In addition, a great deal of flexibility is built into the program so that the user has control over the analysis, including the input format, the coordinate frame used for the base pairing relationship, the point about which the rotations are performed, and which geometric relationships are analyzed. While there is a great deal of flexibility, the program is easy to use. Interactive queries and user accessible files make the options in the program very convenient to tailor to individual needs. In addition, there is also a program that calculates bond lengths, valence angles, and torsion angles along the nucleic acid backbone, and within the sugar and base rings. Another program 'learns' the identities of the bond lengths, valence angles, and torsion angles that the user would like to determine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Base Sequence

Three-dimensional structure of acylphosphatase. Refinement and structure analysis.

We report here the complete determination of the solution structure of acylphosphatase, a small enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of organic acylphosphates, as determined by distance geometry methods based on nuclear magnetic resonance information. A non-standard strategy for the distance geometry calculations was used and is described here some detail. The five best structures were then refined by restrained energy minimization and molecular dynamics in order to explore the conformational space consistent with the experimental data. We address the question of whether the solution structure of acylphosphatase follows the general principles of protein structure, i.e. those learned from analysing crystal structures. Static and dynamic features are discussed in detail. An uncommon beta-alpha-beta motif, so far found only in procarboxypeptidase B and in an RNA-binding protein, is present in acylphosphatase.

Acid Anhydride Hydrolases

Three-dimensional structural analysis of the group B polysaccharide of Neisseria meningitidis 6275 by two-dimensional NMR: the polysaccharide is suggested to exist in helical conformations in solution.

The solution conformations of the group B polysaccharide of Neisseria meningitidis were analyzed by DQF-COSY and pure absorption 2D NOE NMR with three mixing times. The pyranose ring of the sialic acid residue was found to be in the 2C5 conformation. The DQF-COSY analysis indicated that the orientations of H6 and H7 and of H7 and H8 are both gauche. In order to overcome the difficulties in analyzing the NOE data due to the two sets of proton overlaps, molecular modeling of alpha-2,8-linked sialic acid oligomers was carried out to investigate possible conformers, and theoretical NOE calculations were performed by using CORMA (complete relaxation matrix analysis). Our analysis suggests that the polysaccharide adopts helical structures for which the phi (defined by O6-C2-O8-C8) and psi (C2-O8-C8-C7) angles are in the following ranges: phi -60 to 0 degrees, psi 115-175 degrees or phi 90-120 degrees, psi 55-175 degrees. The weak affinity of anti-B antibodies for smaller alpha-2,8-linked oligosaccharides may be due to the fact that such oligomers are more flexible and may not form an ordered structure as the poly(sialic acid) does.

Antigens, Bacterial

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III: immunologic characterization and primary structure analysis of the major internal protein, p24.

The major internal structural protein of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III), a virus etiologically implicated in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), was purified to homogeneity. This 24,000-molecular-weight protein (p24) was shown to lack immunologic cross-reacting antigenic determinants shared by other known retroviruses, including HTLV-I and HTLV-II, with the exception of equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). A broadly reactive competition immunoassay was developed in which antiserum to EIAV was used to precipitate 125I-labeled HTLV-III p24. Although the major structural proteins of HTLV-III and EIAV competed in this assay, other type B, C, and D retroviral proteins lacked detectable reactivity. Thus, HTLV-III is more related to EIAV than to any other retroviruses. That the HTLV-III isolate is very distinct from HTLV-I and HTLV-II was further confirmed by the amino acid compositions of the major internal antigens of all three isolates. Moreover, comparison of the amino-terminal amino acid sequence of HTLV-III p24 with analogous sequences for HTLV-I and HTLV-II p24 showed that these proteins do not share significant sequence homology. In an attempt to evaluate immune response in individuals exposed to HTLV-III, sera from AIDS and lymphadenopathy syndrome patients as well as from clinically normal blood donor controls were tested for antibodies to HTLV-III p24. The results showed that sera from 93% of lymphadenopathy syndrome patients and 73% of AIDS patients exhibited high-titered antibodies to HTLV-III p24. In contrast, none of the normal control sera showed detectable reactivity to HTLV-III p24.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Human alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor. Crystal structure analysis of two crystal modifications, molecular model and preliminary analysis of the implications for function.

Two closely related crystal structures of alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor modified at the reactive site peptide bond Met358--Ser359 have been analysed. The crystal structure has been obtained from diffraction data at 3 A resolution, with phases originally from isomorphous replacement. The electron density map was substantially improved by cyclic averaging of the electron densities of the two crystal forms and allowed the chain to be traced in terms of the known chemical amino acid sequence. Energy restrained crystallographic refinement was initiated and resulted in conventional R-values of 0.251 for the tetragonal crystal form (6 to 3 A resolution) and 0.247 for the hexagonal crystal form (6 to 3.2 A resolution). The polypeptide chain is almost completely arranged in well-defined secondary structural elements: three beta-sheets and eight alpha-helices. The helices are preferentially formed by the first 150 residues. They are in proximity underneath sheet A. The chain ends Met358 and Ser359 of the nicked species are arranged in strands on opposite ends of the molecule indicating a major structural rearrangement upon modification of the intact inhibitor. It is suggested that the Met358 strand is in a different conformation removed from sheet A and approaches Ser359 in the intact inhibitor species. Glu342, which is exchanged by a lysine in the Z-variant is in a strategic position for such a rearrangement. The three carbohydrate chains of alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor have partly defined electron density close to their attachment sites at asparagine residues. The anti-thrombin and ovalbumin amino acid sequences can be accommodated in the alpha 1 inhibitor molecular structure. The intron-exon junctions of the ovalbumin and the alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor gene are all in surface loops of the mature protein.

Amino Acid Sequence