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Joel T Welch

Publications and source records attributed to Joel T Welch.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Europium luminescence of EF-hand helix-turn-helix chimeras: impact of pH and DNA-binding on europium coordination.

A series of Eu(III) metallopeptides, designed on the basis of the structural similarity of the helix-turn-helix and EF-hand motifs, have been studied by Eu(III) (7)F(0) --> (5)D(0) excitation spectroscopy. The impact of EF-hand ligand set differences on the hydration number and Eu(III) coordination environment are compared among the peptides. The conditional binding affinities were determined by Eu titration (P3, log K(a) = 6.0 +/- 0.4; P3W, log K(a) = 5.9 +/- 0.2; P5b, log K(a) = 5.3 +/- 0.1). Two similar coordination environments occur in each case, consistent with structural flexibility about the metal site. The coordination environments are consistent with 8- or 9-coordinate Eu(III), including six peptide-based ligands and two to three water molecules (P3, q = 1.9 +/- 0.2; P3W, q = 2.3 +/- 0.2; P4a, q = 1.9 +/- 0.3; P5b, q = 2.6 +/- 0.2). The Eu(III) (7)F(0) --> (5)D(0) excitation spectra are pH-dependent, as reported for several EF-hand proteins (oncomodulin, parvalbumin). A higher energy transition occurs at pH > 6, and has been assigned to deprotonation of coordinated water. The pK(a) leading to this new transition is dependent on Eu(III) Lewis acidity, which varies with the inner and outer sphere ligand set. The noncoordinating ninth position of the Eu-binding loop, which is poised to make second-sphere contacts to the coordinated water, stabilizes the deprotonated form of the coordinated solvent more effectively when it is Thr (P5b) than Asp (P3W). Upon DNA-binding by the metallopeptides, the pK(a) of the pH-dependent peak increases, but no new DNA-dependent transitions are observed. This indicates no DNA-based Eu(III) ligands are introduced, such as phosphate oxygen atoms of the DNA backbone. The hydration number decreases in the presence of DNA (P3W + DNA, q = 1.9 +/- 0.2; P5b + DNA, q = 1.7 +/- 0.2), indicating that DNA-binding by the metallopeptides organizes rather than compromises the Eu-binding site within the peptide.

DNA↗
PubMed2003

Sequence-selective DNA cleavage by a chimeric metallopeptide.

A chimeric metallopeptide derived from the sequences of two structurally superimposable motifs was designed as an artificial nuclease. Both DNA recognition and nuclease activity have been incorporated into a small peptide sequence. P3W, a 33-mer peptide comprising helices alpha2 and alpha3 from the engrailed homeodomain and the consensus EF-hand Ca-binding loop binds one equivalent of lanthanides or calcium and folds upon metal binding. The conditional formation constants (in the presence of 50 mM Tris) of P3W for Eu(III) (K(a) = (2.1 +/- 0.1) x 10(5) M(-1)) and Ce(IV) (K(a) = (2.6 +/- 0.1) x 10(5) M(-1)) are typical of isolated EF-hand peptides. Circular dichroism studies show that 1:1 CeP3W is 26% alpha-helical and EuP3W is up to 40% alpha-helical in the presence of excess metal. The predicted helicity of the folded peptide based on helix length and end effects is about 50%, showing the metallopeptides are significantly folded. EuP3W has considerably more secondary structure than our previously reported chimeras (Welch, J. T.; Sirish, M.; Lindstrom, K. M.; Franklin, S. J. Inorg. Chem. 2001, 40, 1982-1984). Eu(III)P3W and Ce(IV)P3W nick supercoiled DNA at pH 6.9, although EuP3W is more active at pH 8. CeP3W cleaves linearized, duplex DNA as well as supercoiled plasmid. The cleavage of a 5'-(32)P-labeled 121-mer DNA fragment was followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The cleavage products are 3'-OPO(3) termini exclusively, suggesting a regioselective or multistep mechanism. In contrast, uncomplexed Ce(IV) and Eu(III) ions produce both 3'-OPO(3) and 3'-OH, and no evidence of 4'-oxidative cleavage termini with either metal. The complementary 3'-(32)P-labeled oligonucleotide experiment also showed both 5'-OPO(3) and 5'-OH termini were produced by the free ions, whereas CeP3W produces only 5'-OPO(3) termini. In addition to apparent regioselectivity, the metallopeptides cut DNA with modest sequence discrimination, which suggests that the HTH motif binds DNA as a folded domain and thus cleaves selected sequences. The de novo artificial nuclease LnP3W represents the first small, underivatized peptide that is both active as a nuclease and sequence selective.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Lanthanide-binding helix-turn-helix peptides: solution structure of a designed metallonuclease.

A designed lanthanide-binding chimeric peptide based on the strikingly similar geometries of the EF-hand and helix-turn-helix (HTH) motifs was investigated by NMR and CD spectroscopy and found to retain the same overall solution structure of the parental motifs. CD spectroscopy showed that the 33-mer peptide P3W folds on binding lanthanides, with an increase in alpha-helicity from 20% in the absence of metal to 38% and 35% in the presence of excess Eu(III) and La(III) ions, respectively. The conditional binding affinities of P3W for La(III) (5.9 +/- 0.3 microM) and for Eu(III) (6.2 +/- 0.3 microM) (pH 7.8, 5 mM Tris) were determined by tryptophan fluorescence titration. The La(III) complex of peptide P3, which differs from P3W by only one Trp-to-His substitution, has much less signal dispersion in the proton NMR spectra than LaP3W, indicating that the Trp residue is a critical hydrophobic anchor for maintaining a well-folded helix-turn-helix structure. A chemical-shift index analysis indicates the metallopeptide has a helix-loop-helix secondary structure. A structure calculated by using nuclear Overhauser effect and other NMR constraints reveals that P3W not only has a tightly folded metal-binding loop but also retains the alpha-alpha corner supersecondary structure of the parental motifs. Although the solution structure is undefined at both the N and C termini, the NMR structure confirms the successful incorporation of a metal-binding loop into a HTH sequence.

Amino Acid Sequence↗