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H Fabian

Publications and source records attributed to H Fabian.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Secondary structure of streptokinase in aqueous solution: a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study.

The secondary structure of streptokinase (Sk) in aqueous solution was quantitatively examined by using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Resolution enhancement techniques, including Fourier deconvolution and derivative spectroscopy, were combined with band curve-fitting procedures to quantitate the spectral information from the amide I bands. Nine component bands were found under the broad, nearly featureless amide I bands which reflect the presence of various substructures. The relative areas of these component bands indicate an amount of beta-sheet between 30 and 37% and an alpha-helix content of only 12-13% in Sk. Further conformational substructures are assigned to turns (25-26%) and to "random" structures (15-16%). Additionally, the correlation of a pronounced component band near 1640 cm-1 (10-16% fractional area) with the possible presence of 3(10)-helices is discussed.

Amides

Limited proteolysis of streptokinase and properties of some fragments.

Limited proteolysis of streptokinase (Sk) by trypsin and thermolysin was performed under various incubation conditions and analysed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Several fragments (Sk1, Tr27, Tr17, Th26, and Th16) were isolated and characterized further. The N-terminal sequences of Tr27, Tr17, Th26, Th16 and the C-terminal sequences of Tr27 and Th26 were determined by partial sequencing. The evidence available allows the positioning of these fragments within the Sk sequence. Fragment Sk1 is obtained by carefully standardized tryptic digestion of Sk and gel chromatography under non-denaturing conditions. Sk1 is formed by a large polypeptide Ser60-Lys293 and non-covalently bonded smaller polypeptides composed of amino acids from the N-terminal region Ile1-Lys59 of Sk. Fragment Tr27 consists of the large polypeptide Ser60-Lys293 of Sk1, and can be obtained from Sk1 by removal of the smaller N-terminal polypeptides under denaturing conditions. Fragment Th26 is composed of amino acids Phe63-His291. The N-termini of fragments Tr17 and Th16 start with Glu148 and Ile151. From their electrophoretically-determined sizes it can be concluded that they most probably have the same C-terminal amino acids, Lys293 and His291, as fragments Tr27 and Th26, respectively. Secondary structure elements of similar composition were found in all the fragments studied using circular dichroism (c.d.) and infrared (i.r.) measurements. Differential scanning calorimetric (d.s.c.) measurements were performed in order to correlate the sequence regions of Sk to energetic folding units of the protein. Fragments Sk1, Tr27, Th26, Tr17, and Th16 show one melting peak in the temperature range from 42.8 to 46.1 degrees C (thermal unfolding stage). For fragment Sk1, this melting peak can be separated by deconvolution into two transitions at T1 = 46.1 degree C and T2 = 47.3 degrees C with delta H1 = 450 kJ/mol and delta H2 = 219 kJ/mol, respectively. Fragments Tr17 and Th16 show one two-state transition at T = 42.8 degrees C with delta H = 326 kJ/mol.

Amino Acid Sequence

Conformational properties of streptokinase--secondary structure and localization of aromatic amino acids.

The conformational properties of streptokinase (Sk) have been assessed by several spectroscopic techniques. A solvent accessibility of about 70% of the 22 Tyr residues was found by u.v. perturbation spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectroscopy indicates also the surface localization of the single Trp 6 residue. Circular dichroism (c.d.), infrared (i.r.), and Raman spectra were analysed in order to estimate the contents of secondary structure elements of Sk. Values in the range of 14-23% alpha-helices, 38-46% beta-structures, 10-30% turns and 12-23% residual structures were found. The characteristics of the c.d. spectrum support the classification of Sk as an alpha + beta protein. Effects of temperature, pH, and denaturants were studied by c.d. spectroscopy, and on spin-labelled Sk, by e.p.r. spectroscopy. Structural effects were induced at temperatures above 40 degrees C, pH values below 3.0 and urea concentrations above 2 M. At temperatures above 70 degrees C, at pH 2.1, and at urea and Gu.HCl concentrations of 7 M and 5 M, respectively, no further structural changes are revealed in the spectra. At temperatures around 50 degrees C, at pH 3.0, and denaturant concentrations of about 1 M Gu.HCl and 1 M to 2 M urea, c.d. effects were observed in the near-u.v. region indicating an increase in the asymmetry for aromatic amino acids in comparison with the structure of Sk in low ionic strength buffers at neutral pH, 20 degrees C and in the absence of denaturants. These effects were most pronounced for the temperature dependence of the c.d. spectra. E.p.r. spectroscopy has shown that loosening of the protein surrounding of the spin label already begins at 1 M urea and that the mobility of the spin label points to a structural change in Sk at 46 degrees C.

Amino Acids

Pharmacokinetics of iloprost in patients with chronic renal failure and on maintenance haemodialysis.

Iloprost is a potent, chemically stable prostacyclin-mimetic for which therapeutic efficacy has been proven in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) and in those suffering from Raynaud's phenomenon. In volunteers and PAOD-patients the pharmacokinetics of iloprost after intravenous (i.v.) infusion treatment was characterized by dose-dependent steady-state plasma levels, a terminal half-life of approximately 20-30 min, and a total clearance of 15-20 ml/min/kg. Bioinactivation was mainly due to beta-oxidation. In the present study the pharmacokinetics of iloprost was investigated in 21 patients suffering from renal insufficiency, which either required haemodialysis or not. They were treated by one hour i.v. infusion with 1 ng/kg/min and blood samples were taken during and after the end of infusion. Due to technical sampling problems iloprost pharmacokinetics could only be calculated for seven dialysis and eight non-dialysis patients. In the dialysis patients steady-state levels were 114 to 320 pg/ml as compared to 36 to 70 pg/ml in the non-dialysis group. Half-lives were similar in both groups: alpha-phase: 0.05 h and beta-phase: 0.5 h. The total clearance was 2.6 to 8.0 ml/min/kg (dialysis patients) and 13.2 to 25.8 ml/min/kg (non-dialysis patients). The present study demonstrated that the pharmacokinetic profile of iloprost in patients with renal failure (not subject to haemodialysis) was similar to that observed in PAOD-patients and volunteers. In patients on maintenance haemodialysis, iloprost clearance was reduced by a factor of four. The iloprost dose regimen required in general (due to interindividual variability in response) a careful dose titration.

Adult

Infrared data indicate U.U mispairs in rat liver 5S RNA.

The infrared spectra of ribosomal 5S RNAs of Escherichia coli and rat liver were measured under conditions where the structure of 5S RNA is preserved. The comparison of the spectra shows significant spectral differences for the U residues which resemble in their characteristics the infrared spectra of polyuridylic acid in its base paired state. This strongly indicates the presence of U.U mispairs in rat liver 5S RNA. Juxtaposed U residues at positions U80-U96 and U73-U102 are potential candidates for U.U mispairs in rat liver 5S RNA.

Animals

Conserved unpaired adenine residues are important for ordered structures of 5S ribosomal RNA. An infrared study of the secondary and tertiary structure of Thermus thermophilus 5S rRNA.

An improved set of infrared calibration spectra for the determination of G X C and A X U base pairs leads to 32 +/- 3 G X C (+ G X U) and 4 +/- 1 A X U base pairs for Thermus thermophilus 5S RNA in the presence and absence of Mg2+. These results give further support for the consensus secondary structure of 5S RNA recently proposed by several groups. T. thermophilus 5S RNA shows, in the presence of Mg2+, a distinct two-step thermal melting of its ordered structure. Based on new data about the stacking dependence of infrared intensities of unpaired ribonucleotides the spectral changes of the low-temperature transition should be explained by melting of stacked arrangements of unpaired bases and/or non-standard base pairs. Striking is the reduction in A stacking, which is not related to the melting of A X U base pairs, indicating the importance of the mostly conserved unpaired adenines for the Mg2+ stabilized higher-order structures especially within internal loops of 5S RNA.

Adenine