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Structural characterization of extracellular ribonuclease of Bacillus polymyxa: amino acid sequence determination and spatial structure prediction.

The primary structure of extracellular Bacillus polymyxa ribonuclease (RNase Bpo) was established by mass spectroscopy analysis and automatic Edman degradation of the individual peptides obtained from protein digestion with Glu-specific protease V8. RNase Bpo consists of 111 amino acid residues, with a relative molecular weight of 12 607. RNase Bpo is a close structural homolog of RNases of B. amyloliquefaciens (RNase Ba) and B. intermedius (RNase Bi), the similarity of their primary structures being 68%. Molecular modelling of the structure of the complex of RNase Bpo with substrate analog d(CGAC) was performed and a spatial model based on the known crystal structure of RNase Ba complex with the corresponding nucleotide was constructed using the methods of interactive computer graphics and energy minimization. The differences in the primary and tertiary structures of the enzymes were analyzed in order to understand the substrate specificity of Bacillus RNases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Refined structure of alpha-lytic protease at 1.7 A resolution. Analysis of hydrogen bonding and solvent structure.

The structure of alpha-lytic protease, a serine protease produced by the bacterium Lysobacter enzymogenes, has been refined at 1.7 A resolution. The conventional R-factor is 0.131 for the 14,996 reflections between 8 and 1.7 A resolution with I greater than or equal to 2 sigma (I). The model consists of 1391 protein atoms, two sulfate ions and 156 water molecules. The overall root-meansquare error is estimated to be about 0.14 A. The refined structure was compared with homologous enzymes alpha-chymotrypsin and Streptomyces griseus protease A and B. A new sequence numbering was derived based on the alignment of these structures. The comparison showed that the greatest structural homology is around the active site residues Asp102, His57 and Ser195, and that basic folding pathways are maintained despite chemical changes in the hydrophobic cores. The hydrogen bonds in the structure were tabulated and the distances and angles of interaction are similar to those found in small molecules. The analysis also revealed the presence of close intraresidue interactions. There are only a few direct intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Most intermolecular interactions involve bridging solvent molecules. The structural importance of hydrogen bonds involving the side-chain of Asx residues is discussed. All the negatively charged groups have a counterion nearby, while the excess positively charged groups are exposed to the solvent. One of the sulfate ions is located near the active site, whereas the other is close to the N terminus. Of the 156 water molecules, only seven are not involved in a hydrogen bond. Six of these have polar groups nearby, while the remaining one is in very weak density. There are nine internal water molecules, consisting of two monomers, two dimers and one trimer. No significant second shell of solvent is observed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Similarities and differences between human cyclophilin A and other beta-barrel structures. Structural refinement at 1.63 A resolution.

The structure of the unligated recombinant human cyclophilin A (CyP A) has been refined to an R-factor of 0.18 at 1.63 A resolution. The root-mean-squared deviations of the refined structure are 0.013 A and 2.50 degrees from ideal geometries of bond length and bond angle, respectively. Eight antiparallel beta-strands of CyP A form a right-handed beta-barrel. The structure of CyP A is compared with other members in the antiparallel eight-stranded beta-barrel family and with the parallel eight-stranded alpha/beta barrels. Although all known eight-stranded barrels are right-handed, the tilted angle of the strands against the barrel axis varies from 45 degrees for retinol binding protein and 49 degrees for CyP A to 70 degrees for superoxide dismutase. As a result, the beta-barrel of CyP A is not completely superimposable with other members of beta-barrels. The structure of CyP A has a unique topology, distinct from other members in the beta-barrel family. In addition, CyP A is a closed beta-barrel so that neither the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA) nor the proline-containing substrate can bind to the hydrophobic core of the CyP A barrel, while the hydrophobic core of most other barrels is open for ligation. These observations probably indicate that CyP A is neither functionally nor evolutionally related to other beta-barrel structures. Details of interactions between solvent molecules and the active site residues of CyP A are illustrated. A water-co-operated mechanism, where the cis<-->trans isomerization might possibly consist of (1) transition of the prolyl bond and (2) release of N or C-terminal residues of substrate from CyP, is addressed. The refined structure reveals no disulfide bridges in CyP A. Cys115 is near the CsA site, but unlikely to be directly involved in CsA binding because of steric hindrance from Thr119 and Leu122. This geometry probably rules out any mechanisms involving a tetrahedral intermediate formed between cysteine and substrate during cis<-->trans isomerization.

Amino Acid Isomerases↗

Structural and functional features of Drosophila chorion proteins s36 and s38 from analysis of primary structure and infrared spectroscopy.

Amino acid composition, Fourier transform analysis and secondary structure prediction methods strongly support a tripartite structure for Drosophila chorion proteins s36 and s38. Each protein consists of a central domain and two flanking 'arms'. The central domain contains tandemly repetitive peptides, which apparently generate a secondary structure of beta-sheet strands alternating with beta-turns, most probably, forming a twisted beta-pleated sheet or beta-barrel. The central domains of s36 and s38 share similarities, but they are recognizably different. The flanking 'arms', with different primary and secondary structure features, presumably serve protein-specific functions. The possible roles of the protein domains for the establishment of higher order structure in Drosophila chorion and the possible function of the molecules are discussed. The predicted secondary structure of Drosophila chorion proteins s36 and s38 is supported by experimental information obtained from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic studies of Drosophila chorions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structural, functional and evolutionary implications of the three-dimensional crystal structure of murine interferon-beta.

The crystal structure of recombinant murine interferon-beta as elucidated by Senda et al. (Proc. Jap. Acad. 66B: 77-80 (1990); EMBO J. 11: 3193-3201 (1992)) appears to represent the basic structural framework of all Type I interferons including interferons-beta and all subtypes of interferons-alpha of various mammalian origin. Now the huge accumulated data on the structure-activity relationship of Type I interferons using various chemical and genetic techniques can be systematically evaluated in terms of the three-dimensional structure. Structural comparison with other cytokines, for which three-dimensional structures have been established, including interferon-gamma and considerations on the evolution of cytokines and cytokine receptors are also given.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Evaluation of protein 3-D structure prediction: comparison of modelled and X-ray structure of an alkaline serine protease.

We describe the modelling of the structure of the highly alkaline subtilisin protease OPTICLEAN from Bacillus alcalophilus. The model was developed through modelling by homology. We used the structure of subtilisin Carlsberg from the Brookhaven protein databank (entry 1CSE) as start structure. Amino acid changes and deletions were performed with the graphic protein design program BRAGI. Force field calculations and molecular dynamic simulations were made with AMBER 3.0 on a Multiflow TRACE 14/300. The comparison of the model and the later solved X-ray structure of OPTICLEAN shows a high similarity between the two structures, but there were also remarkable deviations between the two structures in some loop regions. The comparison shows that the deviations are due to difficulties in the prediction of correct main chain torsion angles of the prolines and the selection of correct loops in deletion or insertion regions. Strategies to avoid these mistakes are discussed.

Algorithms↗

The structural basis of biological systems -- on the structures of transfer RNA and DNA and on some biological consequences.

Tetrahelix polynucleotide structure is important in biological systems. Though it is disputed there is firm evidence that transfer RNA has a tetrahelix structure and has the form of a simple cylinder. There is overwhelming chemical, biochemical and sequence evidence and the structure satisfies the constraints of the unit cell lattice. Tetrahelix structure also occurs in DNA and appears to be the most stable form and in many cases the naturally occurring form under physiological conditions. The consequences of tetrahelix structure clarify some longstanding problems such as the physical basis of supertwisting and of compact structure.

Codon↗

Serpin crystal structure and serpin polymer structure.

Serpins are a family of structurally homologous proteins having metastable native structures. As a result, a serpin variant destabilized by mutation(s) has a tendency to undergo conformational changes leading to inactive forms, e.g., the latent form and polymer. Serpin polymers are involved in a number of conformational diseases. Although several models for polymer structure have been proposed, the actual structure remains unknown. Here, we provide a comprehensive list of serpins, both free and in complexes, deposited in the Protein Data Bank. Our discussion focuses on structures that potentially can contribute to a better understanding of polymer structure.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Manufacturing and morphology structure of polylactide-type microtubules orientation-structured scaffolds.

Tissue engineering using scaffold not only should have biodegradability and a certain 3D structure, but also its morphology structure should be mimetic to that of the repaired natural tissue. So to manufacture the scaffold with a biomimetic structure as the natural tissues is important. In this research, highly porous poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds with microtubules orientation structure were designed and fabricated by using dioxane as solvent and an improved thermal-induced phase separation (TIPS) technique. All the factors which will affect solvent crystallization and microtubules orientation structure of the scaffold, such as the type of the solvent and polymer, concentration of the polymer solution, and temperature-gradient of the system have been studied carefully. So the porosity, diameter, tubular morphology and orientation of the microtubules could be controlled by adjusting the concentration of the polymer solution and temperature-gradient of the system. The scaffold with diameter of microtubules from 40 to 240microm and high porosity up to 96% could be obtained by adjusting temperature-gradient during the TIPS process. By increasing concentration of the polymer solution the regularity of the microtubular scaffold has been improved and the thickness of wall of the microtubules has been increased as well. In vitro cell culture results show that after the scaffolds have been improved by the ammonia plasma treatment and then collagen anchorage method, the human transparent cartilage cells H144, could be seeded deeply into the microtubules orientation-structured scaffolds and grew well there.

Biocompatible Materials↗

The 0.83 A resolution crystal structure of alpha-lytic protease reveals the detailed structure of the active site and identifies a source of conformational strain.

The crystal structure of the extracellular bacterial serine protease alpha-lytic protease (alphaLP) has been solved at 0.83 A resolution at pH 8. This ultra-high resolution structure allows accurate analysis of structural elements not possible with previous structures. Hydrogen atoms are visible, and confirm active-site hydrogen-bonding interactions expected for the apo enzyme. In particular, His57 N(delta1) participates in a normal hydrogen bond with Asp102 in the catalytic triad, with a hydrogen atom visible 0.83(+/-0.06)A from the His N(delta1). The catalytic Ser195 occupies two conformations, one corresponding to a population of His57 that is doubly protonated, the other to the singly protonated His57. Based on the occupancy of these conformations, the pKa of His57 is calculated to be approximately 8.8 when a sulfate ion occupies the active site. This 0.83 A structure has allowed critical analysis of geometric distortions within the structure. Interestingly, Phe228 is significantly distorted from planarity. The distortion of Phe228, buried in the core of the C-terminal domain, occurs at an estimated energetic cost of 4.1 kcal/mol. The conformational space for Phe228 is severely limited by the presence of Trp199, which prevents Phe228 from adopting the rotamer observed in many other chymotrypsin family members. In alphaLP, the only allowed rotamer leads to the deformation of Phe228 due to steric interactions with Thr181. We hypothesize that tight packing of co-evolved residues in this region, and the subsequent deformation of Phe228, contributes to the high cooperativity and large energetic barriers for folding and unfolding of alphaLP. The kinetic stability imparted by the large, cooperative unfolding barrier plays a critical role in extending the lifetime of the protease in its harsh environment.

Binding Sites↗

Crystal structure of human dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase: NAD+/NADH binding and the structural basis of disease-causing mutations.

Human dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (hE3) is an enzymatic component common to the mitochondrial alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase and glycine decarboxylase complexes. Mutations to this homodimeric flavoprotein cause the often-fatal human disease known as E3 deficiency. To catalyze the oxidation of dihydrolipoamide, hE3 uses two molecules: non-covalently bound FAD and a transiently bound substrate, NAD+. To address the catalytic mechanism of hE3 and the structural basis for E3 deficiency, the crystal structures of hE3 in the presence of NAD+ or NADH have been determined at resolutions of 2.5A and 2.1A, respectively. Although the overall fold of the enzyme is similar to that of yeast E3, these two structures differ at two loops that protrude from the proteins and at their FAD-binding sites. The structure of oxidized hE3 with NAD+ bound demonstrates that the nicotinamide moiety is not proximal to the FAD. When NADH is present, however, the nicotinamide base stacks directly on the isoalloxazine ring system of the FAD. This is the first time that this mechanistically requisite conformation of NAD+ or NADH has been observed in E3 from any species. Because E3 structures were previously available only from unicellular organisms, speculations regarding the molecular mechanisms of E3 deficiency were based on homology models. The current hE3 structures show directly that the disease-causing mutations occur at three locations in the human enzyme: the dimer interface, the active site, and the FAD and NAD(+)-binding sites. The mechanisms by which these mutations impede the function of hE3 are discussed.

Binding Sites↗

The 1.49 A resolution crystal structure of PsbQ from photosystem II of Spinacia oleracea reveals a PPII structure in the N-terminal region.

We report the high-resolution structure of the spinach PsbQ protein, one of the main extrinsic proteins of higher plant photosystem II (PSII). The crystal structure shows that there are two well-defined regions in PsbQ, the C-terminal region (residues 46-149) folded as a four helix up-down bundle and the N-terminal region (residues 1-45) that is loosely packed. This structure provides, for the first time, insights into the crucial N-terminal region. First, two parallel beta-strands cross spatially, joining the beginning and the end of the N-terminal region of PsbQ. Secondly, the residues Pro9-Pro10-Pro11-Pro12 form a left-handed helix (or a polyproline type II (PPII) structure), which is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the Pro peptide carbonyl groups and solvent water molecules. Thirdly, residues 14-33 are not visible in the electron density map, suggesting that this loop might be very flexible and presumably extended when PsbQ is free in solution. On the basis of the essential role of the N-terminal region of PsbQ in binding to PSII, we propose that both the PPII structure and the missing loop are key secondary structure elements in the recognition of specific protein-protein interactions between PsbQ and other oxygen-evolving complex extrinsic and/or intrinsic proteins of PSII. In addition, the PsbQ crystal coordinates two zinc ions, one of them is proposed to have a physiological role in higher plants, on the basis of the full conservation of the ligand protein residues in the sequence subfamily.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Crystal structure of the catalytic domain of human MAP kinase phosphatase 5: structural insight into constitutively active phosphatase.

MAP kinase phosphatase 5 (MKP5) is a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase (MKP) family and selectively dephosphorylates JNK and p38. We have determined the crystal structure of the catalytic domain of human MKP5 (MKP5-C) to 1.6 A. In previously reported MKP-C structures, the residues that constitute the active site are seriously deviated from the active conformation of protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), which are accompanied by low catalytic activity. High activities of MKPs are achieved by binding their cognate substrates, representing substrate-induced activation. However, the MKP5-C structure adopts an active conformation of PTP even in the absence of its substrate binding, which is consistent with the previous results that MKP5 solely possesses the intrinsic activity. Further, we identify a sequence motif common to the members of MKPs having low catalytic activity by comparing structures and sequences of other MKPs. Our structural information provides an explanation of constitutive activity of MKP5 as well as the structural insight into substrate-induced activation occurred in other MKPs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Structure-specific DNA nucleases: structural basis for 3D-scissors.

Structure-specific DNA nucleases play important roles in various DNA transactions such as DNA replication, repair and recombination. These enzymes recognize loops and branched DNA structures. Recent structural studies have provided detailed insights into the functions of these enzymes. Structures of Holliday junction resolvase revealed that nucleases are broadly diverged in the way in which they fold, however, are required to form homodimers with large basic patches of protein surfaces, which are complementary to DNA tertiary structures. Many nucleases maintain structure-specific recognition modes, which involve particular domain arrangements through conformal changes of flexible loops or have a separate DNA binding domain. Nucleases, such as FEN-1 and archaeal XPF, are bound to proliferating cell nuclear antigen through a common motif, and thereby actualize their inherent activities.

Archaea↗

Most of the structural elements of the globular domain of murine prion protein form fibrils with predominant beta-sheet structure.

The conversion of the cellular prion protein into the beta-sheet-rich scrapie prion protein is thought to be the key step in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. To gain insight into this structural conversion, we analyzed the intrinsic structural propensity of the amino acid sequence of the murine prion C-terminal domain. For that purpose, this globular domain was dissected into its secondary structural elements and the structural propensity of the protein fragments was determined. Our results show that all these fragments, excepted that strictly encompassing helix 1, have a very high propensity to form structured aggregates with a dominant content of beta-sheet structures.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

NMR structures of two variants of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) reveal unexpected influence of mutations on protein structure and stability.

Here we determined NMR solution structures of two mutants of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) to reveal structural reasons of their decreased thermodynamic stability. A point mutation, A16V, in the solvent-exposed loop destabilizes the protein by 20 degrees C, in contrast to marginal destabilization observed for G, S, R, L or W mutants. In the second mutant introduction of eight alanine residues at proteinase-contacting sites (residues 11, 13, 17, 18, 19, 34, 37 and 39) provides a protein that denatures at a temperature about 30 degrees C higher than expected from additive behavior of individual mutations. In order to efficiently determine structures of these variants, we applied a procedure that allows us to share data between regions unaffected by mutation(s). NOAH/DYANA and CNS programs were used for a rapid assignment of NOESY cross-peaks, structure calculations and refinement. The solution structure of the A16V mutant reveals no conformational change within the molecule, but shows close contacts between V16, I18 and G36/G37. Thus, the observed 4.3kcal/mol decrease of stability results from a strained local conformation of these residues caused by introduction of a beta-branched Val side-chain. Contrary to the A16V mutation, introduction of eight alanine residues produces significant conformational changes, manifested in over a 9A shift of the Y35 side-chain. This structural rearrangement provides about 6kcal/mol non-additive stabilization energy, compared to the mutant in which G37 and R39 are not mutated to alanine residues.

Amides↗

Solution structure of a cyanovirin-N:Man alpha 1-2Man alpha complex: structural basis for high-affinity carbohydrate-mediated binding to gp120.

BACKGROUND: Cyanovirin-N (CVN) is a novel, 11 kDa cyanobacterial protein that potently inhibits viral entry by diverse strains of HIV through high-affinity carbohydrate-mediated interactions with the viral envelope glycoprotein gp120. CVN contains two symmetry-related carbohydrate binding sites of differing affinities that selectively bind to Man(8) D1D3 and Man(9) with nanomolar affinities, the carbohydrates that also mediate CVN:gp120 binding. High-resolution structural studies of CVN in complex with a representative oligosaccharide are desirable for understanding the structural basis for this unprecedented specificity. RESULTS: We have determined by multidimensional heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy the three-dimensional solution structure of CVN in complex with two equivalents of the disaccharide Manalpha1-2Manalpha, a high-affinity ligand which represents the terminal-accessible disaccharide present in Man(8) D1D3 and Man(9). The structure reveals that the bound disaccharide adopts the stacked conformation, thereby explaining the selectivity for Man(8) D1D3 and Man(9) over other oligomannose structures, and presents two novel carbohydrate binding sites that account for the differing affinities of the two sites. The high-affinity site comprises a deep pocket that nearly envelops the disaccharide, while the lower-affinity site comprises a semicircular cleft that partially surrounds the disaccharide. The approximately 40 A spacing of the two binding sites provides a simple model for CVN:gp120 binding. CONCLUSIONS: The CVN:Manalpha1-2Manalpha complex provides the first high-resolution structure of a mannose-specific protein-carbohydrate complex with nanomolar affinity and presents a new carbohydrate binding motif, as well as a new class of carbohydrate binding protein, that facilitates divalent binding via a monomeric protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Comparison of X-ray crystal structure of the 30S subunit-antibiotic complex with NMR structure of decoding site oligonucleotide-paromomycin complex.

Aminoglycoside antibiotics that bind to 16S ribosomal RNA in the aminoacyl-tRNA site (A site) cause misreading of the genetic code and inhibit translocation. Structures of an A site RNA oligonucleotide free in solution and bound to the aminoglycosides paromomycin or gentamicin C1a have been determined by NMR. Recently, the X-ray crystal structure of the entire 30S subunit has been determined, free and bound to paromomycin. Distinct differences were observed in the crystal structure, particularly at A1493. Here, the NMR structure of the oligonucleotide-paromomycin complex was determined with higher precision and is compared with the X-ray crystal structure of the 30S subunit complex. The comparison shows the validity of both structures in identifying critical interactions that affect ribosome function.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗