PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G C Kresheck

Publications and source records attributed to G C Kresheck.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Biosynthesis of D-alanyl-lipoteichoic acid: the tertiary structure of apo-D-alanyl carrier protein.

The D-alanylation of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) allows the Gram-positive organism to modulate its surface charge, regulate ligand binding, and control the electromechanical properties of the cell wall. The incorporation of D-alanine into LTA requires the D-alanine:D-alanyl carrier protein ligase (AMP-forming) (Dcl) and the carrier protein (Dcp). The high-resolution solution structure of the 81-residue (8.9 kDa) Dcp has been determined by multidimensional heteronuclear NMR. An ensemble of 30 structures was calculated using the torsion angle dynamics approach of DYANA. These calculations utilized 3288 NOEs containing 1582 unique nontrivial NOE distance constraints. Superposition of residues 4-81 on the mean structure yields average atomic rmsd values of 0.43 +/- 0.08 and 0.86 +/- 0.09 A for backbone and non-hydrogen atoms, respectively. The solution structure is composed of three alpha-helices in a bundle with additional short 3(10)- and alpha-helices in intervening loops. Comparisons of the three-dimensional structure with the acyl carrier proteins involved in fatty acid, polyketide, and nonribosomal peptide syntheses support the conclusion that Dcp is a homologue in this family. While there is conservation of the three-helix bundle fold, Dcp has a higher enthalpy of unfolding and no apparent divalent metal binding site(s), features that distinguish it from the fatty acid synthase acyl carrier protein of Escherichia coli. This three-dimensional structure also provides insights into the D-alanine ligation site recognized by Dcl, as well as the site which may bind the poly(glycerophosphate) acceptor moiety of membrane-associated LTA.

Acyl Carrier Protein↗

Cytochrome c/cytochrome c peroxidase complex: effect of binding-site mutations on the thermodynamics of complex formation.

The cytochrome c/cytochrome c peroxidase system has been extensively investigated as a model for long-range electron transfer in biology. Two models for the structure of the one-to-one cytochrome c/cytochrome c peroxidase complex in solution exist: one is based upon computer docking of the two proteins and the second is based upon the structure of the complex in the crystalline state. Titration calorimetry is used to investigate the interaction of horse ferricytochrome c with baker's yeast cytochrome c peroxidase and with six cytochrome c peroxidase mutants. Five of the six peroxidase mutants eliminate a negative charge in the cytochrome c binding site by replacing a side-chain carboxylate with an amide. The sixth mutation replaces a surface alanine residue with phenylalanine. The binding affinity between cytochrome c and the cytochrome c peroxidase mutants varies from no significant change in comparison to the wild-type enzyme to a 4-fold decrease in the equilibrium association constant. The pattern of decreasing cytochrome c binding affinity for the cytochrome c peroxidase mutants is consistent with the cytochrome c binding domain defined by X-ray crystallography [Pelletier, H., & Kraut, J. (1992) Science 258, 1748-1755]. For those mutants which have lower affinity for cytochrome c, the lower affinity is due to a decrease in the entropy change upon complex formation, consistent with the difference in hydration of carboxylate and amide groups.

Animals↗

Calorimetric studies on the interaction of horse ferricytochrome c and yeast cytochrome c peroxidase.

The binding of horse ferricytochrome c to yeast cytochrome c peroxidase at pH 6.0 in 8.7 mM phosphate buffer (0.0100 M ionic strength) is characterized by a small, unfavorable enthalpy change (+1.91 +/- 0.16 kcal mol-1) and a large, positive entropy change (+37 +/- 1 eu). The free energy of binding depends strongly upon ionic strength, increasing from -9.01 to -4.51 kcal mol-1 between 0.0100 and 0.200 M ionic strength. The increase in free energy is due solely to the change in entropy over this ionic strength range, with the entropy change decreasing from 37 +/- 1 to 22 +/- 3 eu between 0.0100 and 0.200 M ionic strength. The observed enthalpy change remains constant over the same ionic strength range. At 0.0100 M ionic strength, complex formation is accompanied by the release of 0.54 +/- 0.11 proton, causing a variation in the observed enthalpy of reaction depending upon the buffer. After accounting for proton binding to the buffer, the corrected values for the enthalpy and entropy of binding are +2.84 +/- 0.26 kcal mol-1 and +21 +/- 3 eu, respectively. At 0.05 M ionic strength, the observed change in heat capacity, delta Cp, for the reaction between horse ferricytochrome c and cytochrome c peroxidase is essentially zero, 1.6 +/- 9.6 cal mol-1 K-1. The corrected delta Cp for binding is -28 +/- 10 cal mol-1 K-1 after accounting for proton binding to the buffer. No evidence for formation of a 2:1 horse ferricytochrome c/cytochrome c peroxidase complex was obtained in this study.

Animals↗

Interaction of dibucaine.HCl local anesthetics with bacteriorhodopsin in purple membrane: a spectroscopic study.

Several spectroscopic techniques (absorption, emission, transient absorption and differential scanning calorimetry--DSC) were used to investigate the deprotonation of dibucaine.HCl in a hydrophobic environment, and the interaction sites and mechanisms of the local anesthetic dibucaine.HCl on bacteriorhodopsin (bR) in purple membrane. The important results are summarized as follows: (1) the visible absorption features of native (lambda max = 568 nm) and deionized (lambda max = 608 nm) bR are sensitive to the amount of dibucaine.HCl added; (2) the emission spectrum of dibucaine.HCl embedded in the retinal-free mutant bR is similar to that of dibucaine free base in Triton X-100 micellar solutions; (3) the phosphorescence emission of dibucaine at 77 K is completely quenched by bR and the fluorescence quenching rate for the incorporated dibucaine.HCl in bR was determined as kq = 4.09 x 10(13) M-1 s-1; (4) the incorporation of dibucaine.HCl in bR inhibits the slow component rate of formation of M412 and decreases the amount of M412 formation in the photochemical cycle of bR; and (5) the thermal stability of native bR was measured by DSC in the presence and absence of dibucaine and yielded an endothermic transition at 95.9 +/- 1.0 degrees C with 13.6 J/g (3.25 +/- 0.12 cal/g) of enthalpy changes. All observations suggest that the action site of the local anesthetic, dibucaine.HCl, is near or at the chromophore, i.e. the retinal Schiff base of bR. The anesthetic action on bR purple membrane is probably via a specific site binding, but not a conformational mechanism.

Bacteriorhodopsins↗

Calorimetric studies of the thermal denaturation of cytochrome c peroxidase.

Two endotherms are observed by differential scanning calorimetry during the thermal denaturation of cytochrome c peroxidase at pH 7.0. The transition midpoint temperatures (tm) were 43.9 +/- 1.4 and 63.3 +/- 1.6 degrees C, independent of concentration. The two endotherms were observed at all pH values between 4 and 8, with the transition temperatures varying with pH. Precipitation was observed between pH 4 and 6, and only qualitative data are presented for this region. The thermal unfolding of cytochrome c peroxidase was sensitive to the presence and ligation state of the heme. Only a single endotherm was observed for the unfolding of the apoprotein, and this transition was similar to the high-temperature transition in the holoenzyme. Addition of KCN to the holoenzyme increases the midpoint of the high-temperature transition whereas the low-temperature transition was increased upon addition of KF. Binding of the natural substrate ferricytochrome c to the enzyme increases the low-temperature transition by 4.8 +/- 1.3 degrees C but has no effect on the high-temperature transition at pH 7. The presence of cytochrome c peroxidase decreases the stability of cytochrome c, and both proteins appear to unfold simultaneously. The results are discussed in terms of the two domains evident in the X-ray crystallographic structure of cytochrome c peroxidase.

Calorimetry, Differential Scanning↗

Differential scanning calorimetry study of local anesthetic effects on F1ATPase and submitochondrial particles.

The differential scanning calorimetry trace of F1ATPase, prepared from beef heart submitochondrial particles, has a single sharp endothermic transition at 80.5 +/- 1.0 degrees C and a half-height peak width of 2.0 +/- 0.2 degrees. The transition enthalpy is 19 +/- 2 cal/g of protein. Submitochondrial particles (SMP) have a similar peak at 75.1 +/- 0.5 degrees C with a half-height peak width of 1.8 +/- 0.1 degrees and an enthalpy of 5 +/- 1 cal/g of SMP protein. The SMP transition is provisionally identified as being due to membrane-bound F1ATPase. Tetracaine and dibucaine cause these transitions to shift to lower temperatures; addition of 0.3 mM dibucaine gives peaks at 71.7 and 64.9 degrees C for F1ATPase and SMP, respectively, and 1.0 mM tetracaine gives peaks at 70.0 and 60.5 degrees C for F1ATPase and SMP, respectively. These anesthetic concentrations also give appreciable inhibition of enzyme activity at 25 degrees C. We conclude that the local anesthetics induce conformational alterations in the F1ATPase-protein complex which result both in enzyme inhibition and in the lowering of the thermal denaturation transition temperature.

Anesthetics, Local↗

Unusual enthalpy changes which accompany the titration of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles with Triton X-100.

The enthalpy changes which accompany the titration of 0.1% and 0.25% small unilamellar and multiameller vesicle samples of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine with 2% Triton X-100 in 0.067 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) containing 0.15 M NaCl have been determined by titration calorimetry at 21 degrees C and 28 degrees C, the enthalpy change for both type of vesicles was zero within the limits of experimental error. At 21 degrees C, the multilamellar vesicle samples exhibited an enthalpy change of 1.35 +/- 0.48 and 2.47 +/- 0.98 kcal/mol dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine which was complete at a molar ratio of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine to Triton of 3.21 +/- 0.84 and 5.77 +/- 1.05 for 0.1% and 0.25% dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine solutions, respectively. An exothermic transition of -2.39 +/- 0.30 and -2.05 +/- 0.69 kcal/mol phospholipid followed by an endothermic transition of 1.37 +/- 0.12 and 1.94 +/- 0.20 kcal/mol dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine was observed at 21 degrees C for 0.1% and 0.25% small unilamellar vesicle samples, respectively. In addition the nearly athermal association of the small unilemellar vesicle samples at 21 degrees C was observed, which may be an appropriate model for biological membrane fusion.

Calorimetry↗

Block poly(Ala)-poly(Lys). A water-soluble model for intrinsic membrane proteins?

Block poly(Ala)16-poly(Lys)13.5 was synthesized by the Leuchs anhydride method. This polypeptide is water soluble in a largely monomeric form, but binds rapidly and spontaneously to unilamellar vesicles of dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine at pH 7.4. The interaction is evidently of a hydrophobic nature since the complex is not disrupted by salt and no similar reaction is given by polylysine. Evidence for the interaction was obtained by ultrafiltration, chromatography on Sepharose 4B, and sedimentation velocity ultracentrifugation. While direct information on the molecular structure of the complex is still lacking, we propose that this amphipathic block copolymer binds to lipids in a similar manner as intrinsic membrane proteins and hence can be used to study the interactions of intrinsic proteins with lipids.

Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins↗

A calorimetric comparison of the interaction of sodium dodecyl sulfate with cytochrome c and erythrocyte glycoproteins.

The interactions of sodium dodecyl sulfate with cytochrome c and erythrocyte glycoproteins have been studied by the method of titration calorimetry. It was found that the initial addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate to cytochrome c caused an endothermic unfolding of the protein, detectable by circular dichroism (CD). This was followed by the exothermic binding of sodium dodecyl sulfate to the protein, without further CD-detectable conformational changes. In contrast, sodium dodecyl sulfate bound directly to the erythrocyte glycoproteins in an exothermic reaction without any accompanying CD-detectable conformation changes. This indicates that the glycoproteins solubilized in aqueous media have exposed hydrophobic regions which can interact directly with this detergent. The enthalpy changes and stoichiometries of binding are reported.

Calorimetry↗

Chromatographic separation of the pigment fractions from a Serratia marcescens strain.

A procedure was developed for the separation of pigment fractions in a wild-type Serratia marcescens strain. Separation was achieved by column chromatography and elution with several organic solvents. At least six pigment fractions were obtained from the alumina columns by this technique, whereas only four fractions had been reported previously. Spectral and elemental analyses indicate that, in S. marcescens, prodigiosin is a complex of six fractions, differing in absorption spectra while retaining the general characteristics of the whole pigment.

Chloroform↗