Biomedical subjects

C F Snook

Publications and source records attributed to C F Snook.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

The molecular-replacement solution of an intermediate-sized helical polypeptide, antiamoebin I.

The successful use of molecular-replacement methods for the solution of the intermediate-sized helical polypeptide antiamoebin I required the careful consideration of a number of parameters and exhibited some unusual characteristics when compared with molecular-replacement solutions of globular proteins. High-resolution data were required owing to several features, including the comma-like shape of the molecule (which results in a pseudo-symmetric structure at low resolution), the relative uniformity of the structure in the direction along the helix axis and the small differences between the two independent molecules in the P1 asymmetric unit. Other parameters which were important for the solution of this relatively low solvent content closely packed cell included the radius of integration, the use of normalized structure factors and especially the choice of starting model.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1998

Antiamoebin can function as a carrier or as a pore-forming peptaibol.

Antiamoebin is a 16-residue polypeptide whose crystal structure and lytic activity in membrane vesicles have recently been reported. It is a bent helical molecule and a member of the peptaibol family of antibiotics. Under conditions which produce voltage-dependent conductance activity by other members of the family, no single-channel conductance was detected for antiamoebin, and a carrier-like mechanism was put forward to account for its mode of action. We now present evidence for pore formation that is largely voltage-insensitive, with large amplitude single-channel events on top of a background conductance that may account for the previously proposed carrier-like activity. Thus, antiamoebin may be the first instance of a peptide which can function both as an ion carrier and a pore former.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1998

The structure and function of antiamoebin I, a proline-rich membrane-active polypeptide.

BACKGROUND: Antiamoebin is a member of the peptaibol family of polypeptides and has a unique antibiotic activity: it acts as an antiamoebic agent, but does not effectively haemolyze erythrocytes even though it does exhibit membrane-modifying activity. RESULTS: The structure of antiamoebin I has been determined by X-ray crystallography at 1.4 A resolution. The molecule forms a helical structure, which, as a result of the presence of a number of proline and hydroxyproline residues, has a deep bend in the middle. Circular dichroism spectroscopy, single-channel conductance studies and fluorescence diffusion studies suggest a mode of ion transport that is entirely different from that of the other two members of the peptaibol family (alamethicin and zervamicin) whose structures and functions have been examined in detail. CONCLUSIONS: The structure of the polypeptide has been determined and a functional model for its mode of action in membranes is presented. Although under some conditions antiamoebin may form ion channels, unlike the closely related alamethicin and zervamicin polypeptides, its major membrane-modifying activity appears to be as an ion carrier.

Alamethicin↗

PubMed1995

Bis(acetato)amminedichloro(cyclohexylamine)platinum(IV), an orally active anticancer drug.

The structure of the anticancer drug bis(acetato)-amminedichloro(cyclohexylamine)platinum(IV), [PtCl2-(C2H3O2)2(C6H13N)(NH3)], is reported. The acetato groups are axial to the square plane composed of the chlorine and amine substituents. The cyclohexane ring may sterically hinder one of the acetato groups for metabolic attack. The amine groups are hydrogen bonded to the carbonyl O atoms of the acetato groups.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The peptaibol database: a sequence and structure resource.

The peptaibols are a large family of membrane-active peptides with considerable sequence homology, but with different biological properties and three-dimensional structures. They constitute a rich resource of naturally occurring 'mutants' which are potentially valuable for structure/function studies of ion channels. A searchable on-line database of sequences and structures of the peptaibols has been created at http://www.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/peptaibol, as a resource for the biological and structural community. In this paper, the contents and organization of the website are discussed as well as procedures for submission of new entries to the database. At present, more than 300 peptaibol sequences are stored in the database. Each sequence entry contains its full literature reference and information about its biological source. Tools are provided for searching for specific peptaibol sequences or groupings of sequences, and for locating peptaibols containing specified sequence motifs. In addition the website acts as a database for structural information. The coordinates of all currently available peptaibol x-ray and NMR structures are included and complemented, where appropriate. with molecular graphics illustrations. These include figures of model channel structures and comparisons between different peptaibol structures. The peptaibol database thus provides a tool for ready access to information and a means of investigating the sequences and structures of this class of polypeptides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗