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Biomedical subjects

Henry D Bellamy

Publications and source records attributed to Henry D Bellamy.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Non-invasive measurement of X-ray beam heating on a surrogate crystal sample.

Cryocooling is a technique routinely used to mitigate the effects of secondary radiation damage on macromolecules during X-ray data collection. Energy from the X-ray beam absorbed by the sample raises the temperature of the sample. How large is the temperature increase and does this reduce the effectiveness of cryocooling? Sample heating by the X-ray beam has been measured non-invasively for the first time by means of thermal imaging. Specifically, the temperature rise of 1 mm and 2 mm glass spheres (sample surrogates) exposed to an intense synchrotron X-ray beam and cooled in a laminar flow of nitrogen gas is experimentally measured. For the typical sample sizes, photon energies, fluxes, flux densities and exposure times used for macromolecular crystallographic data collection at third-generation synchrotron radiation sources and with the sample accurately centered in the cryostream, the heating by the X-ray beam is only a few degrees. This is not sufficient to raise the sample above the amorphous-ice/crystalline-ice transition temperature and, if the cryostream cools the sample to 100 K, not even enough to significantly enhance radiation damage from secondary effects.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2006

Crystal structure of an electron transfer complex between aromatic amine dehydrogenase and azurin from Alcaligenes faecalis.

The crystal structure of an electron transfer complex of aromatic amine dehydrogenase (AADH) and azurin is presented. Electrons are transferred from the tryptophan tryptophylquinone (TTQ) cofactor of AADH to the type I copper of the cupredoxin azurin. This structure is compared with the complex of the TTQ-containing methylamine dehydrogenase (MADH) and the cupredoxin amicyanin. Despite significant similarities between the two quinoproteins and the two cupredoxins, each is specific for its respective partner and the ionic strength dependence and magnitude of the binding constant for each complex are quite different. The AADH-azurin interface is largely hydrophobic, covering approximately 500 A(2) of surface on each molecule, with one direct hydrogen bond linking them. The closest distance from TTQ to copper is 12.6 A compared with a distance of 9.3 A in the MADH-amicyanin complex. When the MADH-amicyanin complex is aligned with the AADH-azurin complex, the amicyanin lies on top of the azurin but is oriented quite differently. Although the copper atoms differ in position by approximately 4.7 A, the amicyanin bound to MADH appears to be rotated approximately 90 degrees from its aligned position with azurin. Comparison of the structures of the two complexes identifies features of the interface that dictate the specificity of the protein-protein interaction and determine the rate of interprotein electron transfer.

Alcaligenes faecalis↗
PubMed2006

The crystal structure of the E. coli stress protein YciF.

YciF is a protein that is up-regulated when bacteria experience stress conditions, and is highly conserved in a range of bacterial species. YciF has no known structure or biochemical function. To learn more about its potential molecular function and its role in the bacterial stress response, we solved the crystal structure of YciF at 2.0 Angstrom resolution by the multiple wavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) technique. YciF is a dimer in solution, and forms a homodimer in the crystal asymmetric unit. The two monomers form a dimer with a molecular twofold axis, with a significant burial of solvent-accessible surface area. The protein is an all-alpha protein composed of five helices: a four-helix bundle, and a short additional helix at the dimer interface. The protein is structurally similar to portions of the diiron-containing proteins, rubrerythrin and the Bacillus anthracis Dlp-2.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Crystal structure of the C2 domain of class II phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase C2alpha.

Phosphatidylinositide (PtdIns) 3-kinase catalyzes the addition of a phosphate group to the 3'-position of phosphatidyl inositol. Accumulated evidence shows that PtdIns 3-kinase can provide a critical signal for cell proliferation, cell survival, membrane trafficking, glucose transport, and membrane ruffling. Mammalian PtdIns 3-kinases are divided into three classes based on structure and substrate specificity. A unique characteristic of class II PtdIns 3-kinases is the presence of both a phox homolog domain and a C2 domain at the C terminus. The biological function of the C2 domain of the class II PtdIns 3-kinases remains to be determined. We have determined the crystal structure of the mCPK-C2 domain, which is the first three-dimensional structural model of a C2 domain of class II PtdIns 3-kinases. Structural studies reveal that the mCPK-C2 domain has a typical anti-parallel beta-sandwich fold. Scrutiny of the surface of this C2 domain has identified three small, shallow sulfate-binding sites. On the basis of the structural features of these sulfate-binding sites, we have studied the lipid binding properties of the mCPK-C2 domain by site-directed mutagenesis. Our results show that this C2 domain binds specifically to PtdIns(3,4)P(2) and PtdIns(4,5)P(2) and that three lysine residues at SBS I site, Lys-1420, Lys-1432, and Lys-1434, are responsible for the phospholipid binding affinity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Physical and structural studies on the cryocooling of insulin crystals.

Reflection profiles were analyzed from microgravity-grown ( micro g) and earth-grown insulin crystals to measure mosaicity (eta) and to reveal mosaic domain structure and composition. The effects of cryocooling on single-domain and multi-domain crystals were compared. The effects of cryocooling on insulin structure were also re-examined. Microgravity crystals were of larger volume, were more homogeneous and were of higher quality than earth crystals. Several micro g crystals contained a single mosaic domain which encompassed all or nearly all of the crystal with an eta(avg) of 0.005 degrees. The earth crystals varied in quality and all contained multiple domains with an eta(avg) of 0.031 degrees. Cryocooling caused a 43-fold increase in eta for micro g crystals (eta(avg) = 0.217 degrees ) and an eightfold increase for earth crystals (eta(avg) = 0.246 degrees ). These results indicate that very well ordered crystals are not completely protected from the stresses associated with cryocooling, especially when structural perturbations occur. However, there were differences in the reflection profiles. For multi-mosaic domain crystals, each domain individually broadened and separated from the other domains upon cryocooling. Cryocooling did not cause an increase in the number of domains. A crystal composed of a single domain retained this domain structure and the reflection profiles simply broadened. Therefore, an improved signal-to-noise ratio for each reflection was measured from cryocooled single-domain crystals relative to cryocooled multi-domain crystals. The improved signal from micro g crystals, along with the increase in crystal size, facilitated the measurement of the weaker high-resolution reflections. The observed broadening of reflection profiles indicates increased variation in unit-cell parameters, which may be linked to cryocooling-associated structural changes and disorder.

Crystallization↗
PubMed2003

The crystal structure of Escherichia coli heat shock protein YedU reveals three potential catalytic active sites.

The mRNA of Escherichia coli yedU gene is induced 31-fold upon heat shock. The 31-kD YedU protein, also calls Hsp31, is highly conserved in several human pathogens and has chaperone activity. We solved the crystal structure of YedU at 2.2 A resolution. YedU monomer has an alpha/beta/alpha sandwich domain and a small alpha/beta domain. YedU is a dimer in solution, and its crystal structure indicates that a significant amount of surface area is buried upon dimerization. There is an extended hydrophobic patch that crosses the dimer interface on the surface of the protein. This hydrophobic patch is likely the substrate-binding site responsible for the chaperone activity. The structure also reveals a potential protease-like catalytic triad composed of Cys184, His185, and Asp213, although no enzymatic activity could be identified. YedU coordinates a metal ion using His85, His122, and Glu90. This 2-His-1-carboxylate motif is present in carboxypeptidase A (a zinc enzyme), and a number of dioxygenases and hydroxylases that utilize iron as a cofactor, suggesting another potential function for YedU.

Amino Acid Motifs↗
PubMed2002

Structure at 1.9 A resolution of a quinohemoprotein alcohol dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas putida HK5.

The type II quinohemoprotein alcohol dehydrogenase of Pseudomonas putida is a periplasmic enzyme that oxidizes substrate alcohols to the aldehyde and transfers electrons first to pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) and then to an internal heme group. The 1.9 A resolution crystal structure reveals that the enzyme contains a large N-terminal eight-stranded beta propeller domain (approximately 60 kDa) similar to methanol dehydrogenase and a small C-terminal c-type cytochrome domain (approximately 10 kDa) similar to the cytochrome subunit of p-cresol methylhydoxylase. The PQQ is bound near the axis of the propeller domain about 14 A from the heme. A molecule of acetone, the product of the oxidation of isopropanol present during crystallization, appears to be bound in the active site cavity.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗