Biomedical subjects

Ivano Bertini

Publications and source records attributed to Ivano Bertini.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

A use of Ramachandran potentials in protein solution structure determinations.

A strategy is developed to use database-derived phi-psi constraints during simulated annealing procedures for protein solution structure determination in order to improve the Ramachandran plot statistics, while maintaining the agreement with the experimental constraints as the sole criterion for the selection of the family. The procedure, fully automated, consists of two consecutive simulated annealing runs. In the first run, the database-derived phi-psi constraints are enforced for all amino acids (but prolines and glycines). A family of structures is then selected on the ground of the lowest violations of the experimental constraints only, and the phi-psi values for each residue are examined. In the second and final run, the database-derived phi-psi constraints are enforced only for those residues which in the first run have ended in one and the same favored phi-psi region. For residues which are either spread over different favored regions or concentrated in disallowed regions, the constraints are not enforced. The final family is then selected, after the second run, again only based on the agreement with the experimental constraints. This automated approach was implemented in DYANA and was tested on as many as 12 proteins, including some containing paramagnetic metals, whose structures had been previously solved in our laboratory. The quality of the structures, and of Ramachandran plot statistics in particular, was notably improved while preserving the agreement with the experimental constraints.

Computer Simulation↗

PubMed2002

Solution structure and characterization of the heme chaperone CcmE.

The covalent attachment of the heme cofactor in c-type cytochromes is a surprisingly complex process, which in bacteria involves a number of different proteins. Among the latter, the ccmE gene product is known to perform a key role in the heme delivery pathway in Gram-negative bacteria. The solution structure of the soluble domain of apo-CcmE from Shewanella putrefaciens was determined through NMR spectroscopy on a 13C,15N-labeled sample. The structure is characterized by a compact core with large regions of beta structure, while the N-terminal and C-terminal regions are essentially unstructured. The overall folding is similar to that of the so-called oligo-binding proteins (OB fold). Solvent-exposed aromatic residues, conserved in all CcmE homologues, have been found in the proximity of His131, the putative heme-binding residue, that could have a role in the interaction with heme. No interaction between CcmE and heme, as well as between CcmE and holocytochrome c, could be detected in vitro by electronic spectroscopy or by NMR. The data available suggest that the heme transfer process is likely to involve a heterooligomeric protein complex and occur under a tight enzymatic control.

Aspartate-tRNA Ligase↗

PubMed2002

A new zinc-protein coordination site in intracellular metal trafficking: solution structure of the Apo and Zn(II) forms of ZntA(46-118).

Zinc, a metal ion that functions in a wide variety of catalytic and structural sites in metalloproteins, is shown here to adopt a novel coordination environment in the Escherichia coli transport protein ZntA. The ZntA protein is a P-type ATPase that pumps zinc out of the cytoplasm and into the periplasm. It is physiologically selective for Zn(II) and functions with metalloregulatory proteins in the cell to keep the zinc quota within strict limits. Yet, the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain contains a region that is highly homologous to the yeast Cu(I) metallochaperone Atx1. To investigate how the structure of this region may influence its function, this fragment, containing residues 46-118, has been cloned out of the gene and overexpressed. We report here the solution structure of this fragment as determined by NMR. Both the apo and Zn(II)-ZntA(46-118) structures have been determined. It contains a previously unknown protein coordination site for zinc that includes two cysteine residues, Cys59 and Cys62, and a carboxylate residue, Asp58. The solvent accessibility of this site is also remarkably high, a feature that increasingly appears to be a characteristic of domains of heavy metal ion transport proteins. The participation of Asp58 in this ZntA metal ion binding site may play an important role in modulating the relative affinities and metal exchange rates for Zn(II)/Pb(II)/Cd(II) as compared with other P-type ATPases, which are selective for Cu(I) or Ag(I).

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed2002

The unfolding of oxidized c-type cytochromes: the instructive case of Bacillus pasteurii.

The reversible unfolding of oxidized Bacillus pasteurii cytochrome c(553) by guanidinium chloride under equilibrium conditions has been monitored by NMR and optical spectroscopy. The results obtained indicate that unfolding takes place through a mechanism involving the detachment from heme iron coordination of the sulfur of the Met71 axial ligand and yielding either a high spin (HS) or a low spin (LS(1)) species, depending on the pH value. In the LS(1) form the Met71 is replaced by another protein ligand, possibly Lys. The ligand exchange reaction does not reach completion until the protein backbone reaches a largely unfolded state, as monitored through 1H-15N NMR experiments, thus demonstrating that there is a significant correlation between formation of the Fe-S bond and native structure stability. 1H/2H exchange data, however, show that helix alpha(3), the C-terminal region of helix alpha(4), and helix alpha(5) maintain low exchangeability of the amide protons in the LS(1) form. This finding most likely implies that these regions maintain some ordered non-covalent structure, in which the amide moieties are involved in H-bonds. Finally, a folding mechanism is proposed and discussed in terms of analogies and differences with the larger mitochondrial cytochrome c proteins. It is concluded that the thermodynamic stability of the region around the metal cofactor is determined by the chemical nature of the residues around the axial methionine residue.

Bacillus↗

PubMed2002

The metal reductase activity of some multiheme cytochromes c: NMR structural characterization of the reduction of chromium(VI) to chromium(III) by cytochrome c(7).

The redox reaction between CrO(4)(2-) and the fully reduced three-heme cytochrome c(7) from Desulfuromonas acetoxidans to give chromium(III) and the fully oxidized protein has been followed by NMR spectroscopy. The hyperfine coupling between the oxidized protein protons and chromium(III), which remains bound to the protein, gives rise to line-broadening effects on the NMR resonances that can be transformed into proton-metal distance restraints. Structure calculations based on these unconventional constraints allowed us to demonstrate that chromium(III) binds at a unique site and to locate it on the protein surface. The metal ion is located 7.9 +/- 0.4 A from the iron of heme IV, 16.3 +/- 0.7 A from the iron of heme III, and 22.5 +/- 0.5 A from the iron of heme I. Shift changes caused by the presence of unreactive MoO(4)(2-), a CrO(4)(2-) analogue, indicate the involvement of the same protein area in the anion binding. The titration of the oxidation of cytochrome c(7) shows a detailed mechanism of action. The presence of a specific binding site supports the hypothesis of the biological role of this cytochrome as a metal reductase.

Binding Sites↗

PubMed2002

Paramagnetically induced residual dipolar couplings for solution structure determination of lanthanide binding proteins.

Lanthanides may substitute calcium in calcium-binding proteins, such as, for instance, EF-hand proteins. Paramagnetic lanthanides are capable of orienting the protein in high magnetic fields to an extent similar to that obtained by using orienting devices, and each lanthanide orients according to its magnetic susceptibility tensor. Here, Ce(3+), Tb(3+), Dy(3+), Ho(3+), Er(3+), Tm(3+), Yb(3+) in the C-terminal site of calbindin D(9k) have been investigated. Such systems provide (1)H-(15)N residual dipolar couplings (rdc) which can be used for solution structure determinations. Within the frame of optimizing the use of residual dipolar couplings for efficient solution structure determination, it is proposed here to use a number of lanthanides (e.g., >2) to obtain the orientations of the internuclear vectors with respect to an arbitrary reference system. This is facilitated by the independent knowledge of the magnetic susceptibility anisotropy tensor of each metal, obtained from the analysis of the pseudocontact shifts. A further module of the program PARAMAGNETIC-DYANA, called RDCDYANA-ANGLES, is developed to efficiently incorporate such rdc-derived orientations, instead of the rdc themselves, as constraints in the solution structure calculation. This strategy is absolutely general and can be extended to any other pair of dipole-dipole coupled nuclei. The effect of mobility is also assessed. In principle, information on the mobility can be obtained with a number of lanthanide ions >5, or by combining a smaller number of lanthanide ions with a few orienting devices.

Anisotropy↗

PubMed2002

A 15N NMR mobility study on the dicalcium P43M calbindin D9k and its mono-La3+-substituted form.

Calbindin D(9k) is a dicalcium binding protein consisting of two helix-loop-helix EF-hand motifs joined together by a flexible linker region where one metal ion can bind to each of the two loops. A proline residue at position 43 in the linker region displays cis-trans isomerism in the wild-type (WT) protein. Such isomerism appeared to be removed by substituting the proline with a glycine or a methionine in the P43G or P43M mutant. We have extended the available mobility studies on the P43M mutant through amide (15)N R(1), R(2), and R(1)(rho)() measurements. This has revealed unexpected conformational equilibria on the millisecond time scale involving residues 38, 42-44, and 46 in the linker region and residues 18 and 19 in calcium binding site I with similar energy barriers. These data are discussed in comparison with those available for the WT, as well as the apo-, mono-, and disubstituted P43G mutant. Quantification of water-amide proton exchange rates using saturation transfer and qualitative application of (15)N-(CLEANEX-PM)-FHSQC shows the values are in agreement with high mobility for the above-mentioned residues. Cross correlation between N-H dipole-dipole relaxation and (15)N CSA relaxation indicates that some of these mobility differences may extend to the sub-nanosecond time scale. Similar data were also obtained for the derivative where the calcium ion in the C-terminal loop was replaced with lanthanum. The results presented here show that, contrary to expectations, there are significant differences in dynamics between the dicalcium state of P43G and P43M and that these differences are not confined to the flexible linker region containing the point mutation. They also demonstrate that substitution of a lanthanide ion for calcium, which is a common procedure, does not significantly alter the mobility of the native protein.

Amides↗

PubMed2002

Solution structure of a monoheme ferrocytochrome c from Shewanella putrefaciens and structural analysis of sequence-similar proteins: functional implications.

Within the frame of the characterization of the structure and function of cytochromes c, an 81-amino acid cytochrome c was identified in the genome of Shewanella putrefaciens. Because of the scarce information about bacterial cytochromes of this type and the large variability in sequences and possibly function, we decided to proceed to its structural characterization. This protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The oxidized species is largely high spin, with a detached methionine, whereas the reduced species has the classical His/Met axial ligation to iron. The NMR solution structure of the reduced form was determined on a (15)N-labeled sample, for which 99% of all non-proline backbone (1)H and (15)N resonances have been assigned. One thousand three hundred two meaningful NOEs, out of 1775 NOEs, together with 66 dihedral angles provide a structure with rmsd values from the mean of 0.50 and 0.96 A for backbone and all heavy atoms, respectively. A search of gene banks allowed us to locate 10 different cytochromes c, the sequences of which are more than 30% identical to that of the S. putrefacienscytochrome. For two of them, the structures are known. The structures of the others have been modeled by using the available templates and internally validated. Structural similarities in terms of surface properties account for their biophysical features and provide hints about the function.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

NMR solution structure, backbone mobility, and homology modeling of c-type cytochromes from gram-positive bacteria.

The solution structure of oxidized cytochrome c(553) (71 amino acid residues) from the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus pasteurii is here reported and compared with the available crystal structure. The solution structure is obtained from 1609 meaningful NOE data (22.7 per residue), 76 dihedral angles, and 59 pseudocontact shifts. The root mean square deviations from the average structure are 0.25+/-0.07 and 0.59+/-0.13 A for the backbone and all heavy atoms, respectively, and the quality assessment of the structure is satisfactory. The solution structure closely reproduces the fold observed in the crystal structure. The backbone mobility was then investigated through amide (15)N relaxation rate and (15)N-(1)H NOE measurements. The protein is rigid in both the sub-nanosecond and millisecond time scales, probably due to the relatively large heme:number of amino acids ratio. Modeling of eight c-type cytochromes from other Gram-positive bacteria with a high sequence identity (>30 %) to the present cytochrome c(553) was performed. Analysis of consensus features accounts for the relatively low reduction potential as being due to extensive heme hydration and indicates residues 34-35, 44-46, 69-72, and 75 as a conserved hydrophobic patch for the interaction with a protein partner. At variance with mitochondrial c-type cytochrome, this protein does not experience pH-dependent coordination equilibria. The reasons for this difference are analyzed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Solution structure of the N-terminal domain of a potential copper-translocating P-type ATPase from Bacillus subtilis in the apo and Cu(I) loaded states.

A putative partner of the already characterized CopZ from Bacillus subtilis was found, both proteins being encoded by genes located in the same operon. This new protein is highly homologous to eukaryotic and prokaryotic P-type ATPases such as CopA, Ccc2 and Menkes proteins. The N-terminal region of this protein contains two soluble domains constituted by amino acid residues 1 to 72 and 73 to 147, respectively, which were expressed both separately and together. In both cases only the 73-147 domain is folded and is stable both in the copper(I)-free and in the copper(I)-bound forms. The folded and unfolded state is monitored through the chemical shift dispersion of 15N-HSQC spectra. In the absence of any structural characterization of CopA-type proteins, we determined the structure of the 73-147 domain in the 1-151 construct in the apo state through 1H, 15N and 13C NMR spectroscopies. The structure of the Cu(I)-loaded 73-147 domain has been also determined in the construct 73-151. About 1300 meaningful NOEs and 90 dihedral angles were used to obtain structures at high resolution both for the Cu(I)-bound and the Cu(I)-free states (backbone RMSD to the mean 0.35(+/-0.06) A and 0.39(+/-0.07) A, respectively). The structural assessment shows that the structures are accurate. The protein has the typical betaalpha(betabeta)alphabeta folding with a cysteine in the C-terminal part of helix alpha1 and the other cysteine in loop 1. The structures are similar to other proteins involved in copper homeostasis. Particularly, between BsCopA and BsCopZ, only the charges located around loop 1 are reversed for BsCopA and BsCopZ, thus suggesting that the two proteins could interact one with the other. The variability in conformation displayed by the N-terminal cysteine of the CXXC motif in a number of structures of copper transporting proteins suggests that this may be the cysteine which binds first to the copper(I) carried by the partner protein.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed2002

Dynamics of wild-type HiPIPs: a Cys77Ser mutant and a partially unfolded HiPIP.

The temperature dependence of the mean square displacement of the (57)Fe nuclei due to motion faster than 100 ns are measured by temperature-dependent Mössbauer spectroscopy for oxidized and reduced HiPIPs from Ectothiorhodospira halophila, Chromatium vinosum WT and a Cys77Ser mutant. The behaviour is interpretable in the frame of the general model of protein dynamics distinguishing two temperature intervals. The character of harmonic and quasi-diffusional modes in HiPIPs is discussed. Dynamic information obtained from Mössbauer spectroscopy and Fe K-edge EXAFS are compared. Structure dynamics of the iron-sulfur cluster in the partially unfolded reduced HiPIP from C. vinosum was investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy and EXAFS, indicating an intact metal centre and a protein backbone with a largely collapsed secondary structure. The role of the cofactor during protein folding is discussed. Differences in the dynamics between the native protein and the molten globule are found at physiological temperatures only. The structure and dynamic behaviour of the [Fe(4)S(4)]Cys(3)Ser cluster in the Cys77Ser mutant of the HiPIP from C. vinosum are analysed. The temperature dependence of electron relaxation in oxidized HiPIPs is investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy and analysed theoretically, considering spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation. The latter consists of contributions from direct phonon bottleneck and Orbach mechanisms. The data agree with former pulsed EPR results. Orbach relaxation is interpreted as due to transitions between electronic isomers of oxidized HiPIPs. With this interpretation, the energetic difference between both isomers equals the energy gap estimated from the temperature dependence of the Orbach relaxation.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2002

Solution structure of the unbound, oxidized Photosystem I subunit PsaC, containing [4Fe-4S] clusters F(A) and F(B): a conformational change occurs upon binding to photosystem I.

This work presents the three-dimensional NMR solution structure of recombinant, oxidized, unbound PsaC from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. Constraints are derived from homo- and heteronuclear one-, two- and three-dimensional (1)H and (15)N NMR data. Significant differences are outlined between the unbound PsaC structure presented here and the available X-ray structure of bound PsaC as an integral part of the whole cyanobacterial PS I complex. These differences mainly concern the arrangement of the N- and C-termini with respect to the [4Fe-4S] core domain. In the NMR solution structure of PsaC the C-terminal region assumes a disordered helical conformation, and is clearly different from the extended coil conformation, which is one of the structural elements required to anchor PsaC to the PS I core heterodimer. In solution the N-terminus of PsaC is in contact with the pre-C-terminal region but slides in between the latter and the iron-sulfur core region of the protein. Together, these features result in a concerted movement of the N-terminus and pre-C-terminal region away from the F(A) binding site, accompanied by a bending of the N-terminus. In comparison, the same terminal regions are positioned much closer to F(A) and take up an anti-parallel beta-sheet arrangement in PsaC bound to PS I. The conformational changes between bound and unbound PsaC correlate with the differences reported earlier for the EPR spectra of reduced F(A) and F(B) in bound versus unbound PsaC. The observed different structural features in solution are highly relevant for unraveling the stepwise assembly process of the stromal PsaC, PsaD and PsaE subunits to the PS I core heterodimer. Electronic supplementary material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer Link server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00775-001-0321-3.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Browsing gene banks for Fe2S2 ferredoxins and structural modeling of 88 plant-type sequences: an analysis of fold and function.

One-hundred-and-seventy-nine sequences of Fe2S2 ferredoxins and ferredoxin precursors were identified in and retrieved from currently available protein and cDNA databases. On the basis of their cluster-binding patterns, these sequences were divided into three groups: those containing the CX4CX2CXnC pattern (plant-type ferredoxins), those with the CX5CX2CXnC pattern (adrenodoxins), and those with a different pattern. These three groups contain, respectively, 139, 36, and 4 sequences. After excluding ferredoxin precursors in the first group, two subgroups were identified, again based on their cluster-binding patterns: 88 sequences had the CX4CX2CX29C pattern, and 29 had the CX4CX2CXmC (m not equal 29) pattern. The structures of the 88 ferredoxins with the CX4CX2CX29C pattern were modeled based on the available experimental structures of nine proteins within this same group. The modeling procedure was tested by building structural models for the ferredoxins with known structures. The models resulted, on average, in being within 1 A of the backbone root-mean-square deviation from the corresponding experimental structures. In addition, these structural models were shown to be of high quality by using assessment procedures based on energetic and stereochemical parameters. Thus, these models formed a reliable structural database for this group of ferredoxins, which is meaningful within the framework of current structural genomics efforts. From the analysis of the structural database generated it was observed that the secondary structural elements and the overall three-dimensional structures are maintained throughout the superfamily. In particular, the residues in the hydrophobic core of the protein were found to be either absolutely conserved or conservatively substituted. In addition, certain solvent-accessible charged groups, as well as hydrophobic groups, were found to be conserved to the same degree as the core residues. The patterns of conservation of exposed residues identified the regions of the protein that are critical for its function in electron transfer. An extensive analysis of protein-protein interactions is now possible. Some conserved interactions between residues have been identified and related to structural and/or functional features. All this information could not be obtained from the analyses of the primary sequences alone. Finally, the analysis of the sequences of the related subgroup featuring the CX4CX2CXmC (m not equal 29) cluster-binding pattern in the light of the structural and functional insights provided by the inspection of the mentioned structural database affords some hints on the functional features of ferredoxins belonging to this subgroup.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Solution structure of CopC: a cupredoxin-like protein involved in copper homeostasis.

The structure of the metal-free form of CopC, a protein involved in copper homeostasis, has been obtained. The fold is a Greek key beta barrel similar to that of functionally unrelated blue copper proteins but with important structural variations. The protein binds one equivalent of copper (II) with relatively high affinity and contains a cluster of conserved residues (His1, Glu27, Asp89, and His91) which could form a water-accessible metal binding site. The structure also reveals a loop containing the M(X)(n)M motif which is present in a number of proteins also involved in copper homeostasis. The present structure represents a link between copper-trafficking proteins and cupredoxins. Within a structural and genomic analysis, the role of CopC in copper trafficking is discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

A quick solution structure determination of the fully oxidized double mutant K9-10A cytochrome c7 from Desulfuromonas acetoxidans and mechanistic implications.

Lysines 9 and 10 in Desulfuromonas acetoxidans cytochrome c7, which could be involved in the interaction mechanism with the redox partners, have been replaced by alanine residues using site-directed mutagenesis. The solution structure of the fully oxidized form of K9-10A cytochrome c7, which is paramagnetic with three paramagnetic centers, has been determined via 1H NMR. The assignment of the spectra has been performed through an automatic program whose algorithm and strategy are here described. The assignment of the NOESY spectra has been further extended by back calculating the NOESY maps. The final number of meaningful NOE-based upper distance limits was 1186. In the Restrained Energy Minimization calculations, 147 pseudocontact shift constraints were also included, which showed consistency with NOE-based constraints and therefore further contribute to validate the structure quality. A final family of 35 conformers was calculated with RMSD values with respect to the mean structure of 0.69 +/- 0.17 A and 1.05 +/- 0.14 A for the backbone and heavy atoms, respectively. The overall fold of the molecule is maintained with respect to the native protein. The loop present between heme III and heme IV results to be highly disordered also in the present structure although its overall shape mainly resembles that of the oxidized native protein, and the two strands which give rise to the short beta-sheet present at the N-terminus and connected by a turn containing the mutated residues, are less clearly defined. If this loop is neglected, the RMSD values are 0.52 +/- 0.07 A and 0.92 +/- 0.06 A for the backbone and heavy atoms, respectively, which represent a reasonable resolution. The relative distances and orientations of the three hemes are maintained, as well as the orientation of the imidazole rings of the axial histidine ligands, with the only exception of heme IV. Such difference probably reflects minor conformational changes due to the substitution of the vicinal Lys 10 with an Ala. The replacement of the two lysines does not affect the reduction potentials of the three hemes, consistently with the expectations on the basis of the structure and electrostatic calculations. However, the replacement of the two lysines affects the reactivity of the mutant cytochrome c7 with [Fe] hydrogenase, inducing a change in Km. This finding is in agreement with the identification of the protein area around heme IV as the interacting site.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

PubMed2002

Efficiency of paramagnetism-based constraints to determine the spatial arrangement of alpha-helical secondary structure elements.

A computational approach has been developed to assess the power of paramagnetism-based backbone constraints with respect to the determination of the tertiary structure, once the secondary structure elements are known. This is part of the general assessment of paramagnetism-based constraints which are known to be relevant when used in conjunction with all classical constraints. The paramagnetism-based constraints here investigated are the pseudocontact shifts, the residual dipolar couplings due to self-orientation of the metalloprotein in high magnetic fields, and the cross correlation between dipolar relaxation and Curie relaxation. The relative constraints are generated by back-calculation from a known structure. The elements of secondary structure are supposed to be obtained from chemical shift index. The problem of the reciprocal orientation of the helices is addressed. It is shown that the correct fold can be obtained depending on the length of the alpha-helical stretches with respect to the length of the non helical segments connecting the alpha-helices. For example, the correct fold is straightforwardly obtained for the four-helix bundle protein cytochrome b562, while the double EF-hand motif of calbindin D9k is hardly obtained without ambiguity. In cases like calbindin D9k, the availability of datasets from different metal ions is helpful, whereas less important is the location of the metal ion with respect to the secondary structure elements.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2002

Structure-independent cross-validation between residual dipolar couplings originating from internal and external orienting media.

Lanthanide-substituted calcium binding proteins are known to partially orient in high magnetic fields. Orientation provides residual dipolar couplings (rdc's). Two of these systems, Tm3+- and Dy3+-substituted calbindin D9k, dissolved in an external orienting medium (nonionic liquid crystalline phase) provide rdc values which are the sum of those induced by the lanthanides and by the liquid crystalline phase on the native calcium binding protein. This structure-independent check shows the innocence of the orienting medium with respect to the structure of the protein in solution. Furthermore, the simultaneous use of lanthanide substitution and external orienting media provides a further effective tool to control and tune the orientation tensor.

Calbindins↗

PubMed2002

Cross correlation rates between Curie spin and dipole-dipole relaxation in paramagnetic proteins: the case of cerium substituted calbindin D9k.

Cross correlation rates between Curie spin relaxation and H-N dipole-dipole coupling (gamma(HM,HN)CS,DD) have been determined for a calcium binding protein, Calbindin D9k, in which one of the two calcium ions is substituted with cerium(III). Gamma(HM,HN)CS,DD values depend on both the metal-to-proton distances and the M-H-N angles and can be used as an additional constraint in order to refine the solution structure of paramagnetic metalloproteins. For this purpose, we have implemented a new module (CCR-DYANA) in a version of the program DYANA (PARAMAGNETIC-DYANA), which can be used together with other paramagnetism-based constraints such as pseudocontact shifts, residual dipolar couplings and hyperfine based Karplus relationships. This integrated structure calculation protocol has the advantage that different paramagnetic-based constraints are treated by the same algorithm in a way that the efficiency of each class of constraints can be analyzed and compared.

Algorithms↗