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I M Armitage

Publications and source records attributed to I M Armitage.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

113Cd nmr study of the metal cluster structure of human liver metallothionein.

Cadmium-113 nuclear magnetic resonance (113Cd nmr) was used to elucidate the structural properties of the cadmium binding sites in human liver metallothionein. The isotopically labeled 113Cd-metallothionein was prepared by the in vitro exchange of the native metals (greater than 94% zinc) for 113CdCl2 during isolation. The two isoproteins, MT-1 and MT-2, showed 113Cd nmr resonances in the chemical shift range 610-670 ppm. The multiplet structure of the resonances is due to two bond scalar interactions between adjacent 113Cd ions linked by cysteine thiolate ligands. Homonuclear 113Cd decoupling experiments allowed the determination of the metal cluster structure, which, similar to the rabbit liver metallothionein, consists of a four- and a three-metal cluster designated cluster A and cluster B, respectively. Chemical shift similarities in the 113Cd nmr spectra of the human, rabbit and calf liver MT-1 and MT-2 are observed, especially for cluster A. Small variations in chemical shifts are explained in terms of differences in the primary structure between the two human isoproteins.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1982

Structure elucidation of the metal-binding sites in metallothionein by 113Cd NMR.

113Cd NMR has been used to determine the structures of the multiple metal-binding sites in the two major isoproteins of metallothionein from mammalian livers (rabbits, calf, and human) and from Scylla serrata hepatopancreas. The native protein isolated from the livers of rabbits that had been subjected to repeated injections of 113CdCl2 contains an appreciable amount of Zn2+ in addition to 113Cd2+, ranging from 2 to 3 g-atoms of a total metal content of 7 g-atoms/mol of protein. The native Zn2+ can be replaced in vitro with 113Cd2+ to give a 113Cd NMR spectrum consisting of eight distinct multiplets in the chemical shift range of 604-670 ppm. The multiplet structure is due to 113Cd-113Cd scalar coupling arising from two-bond interactions between 113Cd2+ ions linked to one another by bridging cysteine thiolate ligands. Analysis of the 113Cd spectra by selective homonuclear 113Cd decoupling techniques showed that both isoproteins of rabbit liver metallothionein contain two separate metal clusters, one containing Cd2+ ions (cluster A) and the other containing three (cluster B). Structures for the clusters are proposed that account for the 113Cd chemical shift and spin coupling data and the participation of all 20 cysteine residues in metal ligation. The 113Cd NMR spectrum of 113Cd2+-reconstituted human liver metallothionein is remarkably similar to that of the rabbit and the analysis confirms that it contains the same two-cluster arrangement. Native calf liver metallothionein was found to contain copper and Zn2+ and the in vitro exchange with 113Cd2+ selectively replaces only the Zn2+. The reconstituted protein contains 3.9 g-atoms of 113Cd2+ and 2.6 g-atoms of copper and the 113Cd NMR spectrum showed four major multiplets with identical chemical shifts to the resonances previously assigned to the four-metal cluster A. This result was confirmed by homonuclear decoupling experiments. The 2.6 g-atoms of electron spin resonance-silent copper in this sample is presumably selectively bound to the three-metal cluster B sites. Both isoproteins of metallothionein isolated from 113Cd2+-injected mud crabs (S. serrata) contain only 113Cd2+. The analysis of the 113Cd NMR spectra show that the total of six metals bound per mole of crab metallothionein-1 (MT-1) and MT-2 are arranged in two separate three-metal clusters.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Chemical and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the blood group M and N active sialoglycopeptides from human glycophorin A.

The NH2-terminal sialoglycopeptides from human erythrocyte glycophorin A have been obtained by specific proteolytic cleavage and gel filtration chromatography. By cyanogen bromide cleavage, a glycosylated octapeptide was obtained from blood group M donors having an amino acid composition and 13C NMR spectrum consistent with the structure (formula: see text) was demonstrated. By Staphylococcus aureus protease cleavage, a glycosylated pentapeptide was obtained from N donors having the same structure as II, without the carboxyl-terminal sequence Val . Ala . Hse. Methanolysis/gas chromatographic analysis and 13C NMR spectroscopy of I and II and their asialo derivatives reveal that the M- and N-active sialoglyco-octapeptides both have identical oligosaccharide structures, each containing three O-linked tetrasaccharides with the structure NeuNAc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-3(NeuNAc alpha 2-6)GalNAc alpha 1-O-Ser(Thr). The demonstration of the anomeric form of GalNAc-peptide linkages revealed by 13C NMR has previously been inaccessible by chemical analysis. Conformationally, I and II appear identical and both manifest several unusual resonance shifts suggestive of a glycopeptide secondary structure involving four specific hydrogen bonds. Calcium ion titration was also found to induce shifts in the NeuNAc 13C resonances that may be of functional significance. Serological studies reveal that both the M and N glyco-octapeptides and the N glyco-pentapeptide retain all of the M and N activity of the parent structure. Deamination and/or desialylation completely destroys this activity. These data are consistent with a model in which the M or N determinant is the NH2-terminal amino acid and a NeuNAc residue(s). From these data it is concluded that there is no chemical basis for assertions in the literature that M and N antigens differ in their oligosaccharide structure or that the N antigen is biosynthetically transformed to the M antigen by sialylation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1981

Molecular properties of acyl carrier protein derivatives.

Acyl carrier protein (ACPSH) functions as the acyl carrier in fatty acid biosynthesis. The acyl moieties are bound to the sole sulfhydryl of the protein located on the 4'-phosphopantetheine prosthetic group. Disulfide-linked dimers of ACPSH were formed by the reaction of ACPSH with acyl-ACP or the mixed disulfide of ACPSH and thionitrobenzoate. The formation of ACP dimers was established by electrophoresis, gel filtration, and sedimentation equilibrium. ACP purified from stationary phase Escherichia coli B cells was found to exist primarily as a mixed disulfide with glutathione. This species was identified by gel electrophoresis amino acid analysis and 31P NMR spectroscopy. A non-denaturing gel electrophoresis system was developed that allows the comparison of the effects of various protein and sulfhydryl modifications on the stability of the ACP protein moiety to pH-induced denaturation. In general, attachment of hydrophilic ligands to the sulfhydryl of ACPSH resulted in less stable protein structures whereas the presence of a hydrophobic thioester resulted in stabilization of the protein conformation. The less stable ACP structures were found to have 31P NMR chemical shifts displaced downfield from ACPSH and the more stable acyl-ACP derivatives were found to have chemical shifts displaced upfield from ACPSH.

Acyl Carrier Protein↗
PubMed1980

Characterization of the properties of the multiple metal binding sites in alkaline phosphatase by carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance.

Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) of Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase labeled biosynthetically with beta,beta-[gamma-13C]dideuteriohistidine has been used to determine the number and identity of the histidine residues that participate in metal ion coordination at the three classes of binding sites in this dimeric Zn2+ metalloenzyme. Detailed 13C NMR titrations of the apoenzyme with 113Cd2+ and Mg2+, in conjunction with parallel 13 Cd NMR measurements [Otvos, J.D., & Armitage, I.M. (1980) Biochemistry (third of three papers in this issue)], permitted the assignment of four histidine residues as ligands to the "catalytic", or A site, metal ions, two coordinated via their N pi imidazole nitrogens and two via N pi. In addition, a fifth histidyl ligand, coordinated through N pi, was shown to be located at the "structural", or B, sites on the dimer. The "regulatory", or C, sites do not contain histidyl metal ligands. Unambiguous identification of the three histidines coordinated to metal ion via N pi was provided by the observation of resolved 113Cd-13C spin-spin coupling (3J = 12-19 Hz) in their gamma-carbon resonances. Once assigned, the 13C resonances of the five histidyl metal ligands were used to monitor the relative affinities of the A, B, and C sites for Cd2+ and Zn2+. At pH 6.3, Cd2+ was found to bind to the A sites at least 10 times tighter than to the B or C sites, which have roughly equal affinities. In marked contrast, Zn2+ was found to have similar affinities for the A and B sites at both pH 6.3 and 8.0. The affinity of the C sites for Zn2+ and Mg2+ was shown to be at least an order of magnitude lower. The binding constants of all three sites for Cd2+ and Zn2+ are greater than 10(5) M-1. Evidence is also presented that suggests that the A, B, and C sites may be located in close proximity to one another in the monomers.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1980

Determination by cadmium-113 nuclear magnetic resonance of the structural basis for metal ion dependent anticooperativity in alkaline phosphatase.

Cadmium-113 nuclear magnetic resonance (113Cd NMR) has been used to probe the binding characteristics of 113Cd2+ to the three classes of metal binding sites in Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase to help elucidate the molecular origin of the metal ion dependent "half-sites" reactivity exhibited by this dimeric Zn2+ metalloenzyme [Otvos, J.D., Armitage, I.M., Chlebowski, J.F., & Coleman, J.E. (1979) J. Biol. Chem. 254, 4707-4713]. In the absence of phosphate, the first two 113Cd2+ ions added to the apodimer give rise to a single 113Cd resonance (169 ppm), indicating selective binding to the pair of symmetrically disposed A sites. Resonances arising from additional 113Cd2+ bound to the B and C sites cannot be observed; B- and/or C-site occupation also renders the A-site 113Cd resonance undetectable. Both these observations have been attributed to severe chemical exchange broadening in the A-, B-, and C-site 113Cd signals induced by an unknown modulation process(es). Interestingly, covalent phosphorylation of the active-site serine residues abolishes this exchange modulation, allowing three separate resonances to be detected and assigned to 113Cd2+ located at each of the three classes of metal binding sites in the enzyme. By varying the metal composition of the phosphorylated enzyme, we have characterized the correlations that exist between the chemical shifts ana intensities of these 113Cd resonances and the metal occupancies of the A, B, and C sites in the individual subunits. This information has allowed us to conclude that the half-sites phosphorylation of the Cd2 2+ enzyme is accompanied by a slow migration of half the Cd2+ originally located at the A sites to the B sites on the phosphorylated subunits. The driving force for this metal redistribution, which at equilibrium leaves half the subnits devoid of metal ion and thereby incapable of binding phosphate, is apparently the dramatic stabilization of the complex of Cd2+ with the B sites, which was demonstrated to occur in those subunits that become phosphorylated. From the kinetics of both phosphorylation and metal redistribution in Cd2 2+ enzyme, we suggest that population of the A and B sites in a subunit, rather than the A site alone, constitutes the minimum requirement for induction of catalytic function in alkaline phosphatase. The spin relaxation properties of the enzyme-bound 113Cd2+ ions are also briefly discussed.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1980

Reversible trifluoroacetic acid-induced conformational changes in glycophorin A as detected by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

High-field (270 MHz) 1H-NMR has been employed to study the solution conformation of glycophorin A, a sialoglycoprotein which spans the human erythrocyte membrane. Glycophorin A is one of the most fully characterized integral membrane proteins known, making it an excellent model for the study of membrane-bound proteins. This protein consists of three distinct domains: a glycosylated extracellular N-terminus, a hydrophobic intramembranous segment, and a polar cytoplasmic C-terminus. These domains contain aromatic residues which serve as convenient 1H-NMR conformational probes. The aromatic region of the NMR spectrum of glycophorin A in 2H2O shows single, well-resolved His and Tyr resonances. No resonances are observed, however, for the Phe residues which are located in or near the hydrophobic domain. These observations suggest that considerable heterogeneity with respect to segmental motions exists within the protein. This is consistent with circular dichroism data showing the intramembranous segment to be completely helical with the extremities of the protein being predominantly random coils. The helix of the hydrophrobic domain is remarkably resistant to conventional denaturing conditions including variations in pH, and temperature, and treatment with guanidine hydrochloride. However, in trifluoroacetic acid, which strongly solvates peptide backbones, there is extensive reversible unfolding of the helical structure as evidenced by the appearance of Phe resonances. Solvent titration experiments indicate that approximately a 1 : 1 volume ratio of trifluoroacetic acid to 2H2O is required to initiate unfolding of the helix.

Fluoroacetates↗
PubMed1980

Structure of the metal clusters in rabbit liver metallothionein.

Cadmium-113 nuclear magnetic resonance ((113)Cd NMR) has been used to determine the structures of the multiple cadmium binding sites in the two major isoproteins of rabbit liver metallothionein. The isotopically (113)Cd-labeled metallothionein used in these studies was isolated from the livers of rabbits that had been subjected to repeated injections of (113)CdCl(2). The native protein isolated from these livers contains an appreciable amount of Zn in addition to Cd, ranging from 2-3 mol per mol of protein out of a total metal content of 7 mol per mol of protein. The (113)Cd NMR spectrum of Cd, Zn-containing metallothionein is quite complex, reflecting the fact that the native protein is a heterogeneous mixture of species containing different relative amounts of Zn and Cd. Replacement of the native Zn with (113)Cd in vitro gave a protein whose (113)Cd NMR spectrum was much simpler, containing eight distinct multiplets with chemical shifts ranging from 611-670 ppm. The origin of the multiplet structures has been shown to be (113)Cd-(113)Cd scalar coupling arising from two-bond interactions between (113)Cd ions linked to one another by bridging cysteine thiolate ligands. The size and structures of the metal clusters in the protein were determined by the application of selective homonuclear (113)Cd decoupling techniques. Analysis of these data showed that rabbit liver metallothionein contains two separate metal clusters, one containing four Cd(2+) ions and the other containing three. These two clusters, whose structures are the same in both isoproteins, have been designated "cluster A" and "cluster B," respectively. Structures for the clusters are proposed that account for the (113)Cd spin coupling data and the participation of all 20 of the cysteine residues in metal ligation, 11 in cluster A and 9 in cluster B. The appearance in the spectrum of eight multiplets rather than the seven that would be expected on the basis of the number of metal binding sites in the protein is an indication of some residual heterogeneity in the (113)Cd-labeled metallothionein sample. The origin of this heterogeneity is suggested to be the presence of a protein species that lacks metal ions at its cluster B binding sites.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

31P NMR of alkaline phosphatase. Saturation transfer and metal-phosphorus coupling.

The rate constants which characterize the formation and breakdown of the noncovalent (E.P) and covalent (E-P) enzyme-phosphate intermediates on the alkaline phosphatase reaction pathway are known to be sensitive to the nature of the metal ion bound to the enzyme. 31P NMR saturation transfer has been demonstrated to provide a simple and sensitive method for measuring the metal ion dependence of these rates under equilibrium conditions. When the native Zn2+ was replaced by Cd2+, the 31P NMR spectrum at high pH revealed a new resonance at 12.6 ppm which has been assigned to the noncovalent enzyme.phosphate complex. Reconstituting the enzyme with enriched 113Cd2+ caused this unusually downfield-shifted resonance to appear as a doublet due to 113Cd-31P spin coupling (2J31P-O-113Cd = 30 Hz). This result provides the first unequivocal evidence for direct metal-phosphate interaction in alkaline phosphatase.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1979

31P NMR studies of the solution structure and dynamics of nucleosomes and DNA.

31P NMR studies of 140 base pair DNA fragments in nucleosomes and free in solution show no detectable change in the internucleotide 31P chemical shift or linewidth when DNA is packaged into nucleosomes. Measurements of 31P spin-lattice relaxation times T1 and 31P-[H] nuclear Overhauser enhancements revealed internal motion with a correlation time of about 4 x 10(-10) sec in double helical DNA, both free in solution and bound to nucleosomal core proteins. This result implies greater dynamic mobility in double helical DNA than has previously been supposed.

Chromatin↗
PubMed1978

Acyl carrier protein from Escherichia coli: characterization by proton and fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance and evidence for restricted mobility of the fatty acid chain in tetradecanoyl-acyl-carrier protein.

The acyl-carrier protein (ACP) of Escherichia coli is a protein of molecular weight 8847 with a 4'-phosphopanthetheine prosthetic group. ACP functions (via the SH of the prosthetic group) as a coenzyme in the synthesis of fatty acids and complex lipids. We report proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of the structure of ACP under various experimental conditions. The motion of the fatty acyl chain of acyl-ACP has been investigated by 19FNMR studies of difluorotetradecanoyl-ACP. 31PNMR studies of the prosthetic group phosphorus of ACP and acyl-ACP are also reported. We make the following conclusions: (1) the structure of ACP is stabilized by surface charge, and (2) the fatty acid residue of acyl-ACP does not move freely and seems immobilized by an interaction with the protein moiety.

Acyl Carrier Protein↗
PubMed1978

Tyrosyl-base-phenylalanyl intercalation in gene 5 protein-DNA complexes: proton nuclear magnetic resonance of selectively deuterated gene 5 protein.

The interactions of oligodeoxynucleotides with the aromatic residues of gene 5 protein in complexes with d(pA)8 and d(pT)8 have been determined by 1H NMR of the protein in which the five tyrosyl residues have been selectively deuterated either in the 2,6 or the 3,5 positions. Only the 3,5 protons of the three surface tyrosyls (26, 41, and 56) interact with the bases. The remainder of the aromatic protons undergoing base-dependent upfield ring-current shifts on complex formation are phenylalanyl protons, assigned to Phe(13) on the basis of model building. 19F NMR of the complexes of the m-fluorotyrosyl-labeled protein with d(pT)4 and d(pA)8 confirms the presence of ring-current perturbations of nuclei at the 3,5-tyrosyl positions of the three surface tyrosyls. Differential expression of the 19F(1H) nuclear Overhauser effect confirms the presence of two buried and three surface tyrosyl residues. A new model of the DNA binding groove is presented involving Tyr(26)-base-Phe(13) intercalation.

Coliphages↗
PubMed1978

Phosphorus-31 NMR studies of E. coli ribosomes.

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, relaxation times and nuclear Overhauser (NOE) enhancement have been measured for E. coli ribosomes, subunits and rRNA. NOE and T1 experiments reveal that the phosphorus relaxation in this organelle is largely dipolar in origin. Moreover these results imply the presence of internal motion within the RNA chain with a correlation time of about 3-5 x 10(-9) sec. In all cases the predominant resonance is centered at about -1.5 ppm (relative to 85% H3PO4) as expected for a phosphodiester linkage where there is a large degree of double helix. The linewidth narrows by about a factor of four when the ribosomal proteins are removed indicating a substantial immobilization of the RNA when it is assembled into the ribosome. In addition to the phosphodiester resonance, ribosomes also reveal one or two narrower resonances shifted to low field by 1-4 ppm. Based on the observation that these resonances show a pH dependent chemical shift, we assign them to phosphate monoesters i.e. terminal 3' or 5' phosphate groups. These terminal phosphates are due to short oligomers of RNA derived from the terminus of the chain.

Escherichia coli↗