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Biomedical subjects

M S Lehmann

Publications and source records attributed to M S Lehmann.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Structural basis of cell-cell adhesion by cadherins.

Crystal structures of the amino-terminal domain of N-cadherin provide a picture at the atomic level of a specific adhesive contact between cells. A repeated set of dimer interfaces is common to the structure in three lattices. These interactions combine to form a linear zipper of molecules that mirrors the linear structure of the intracellular filaments with which cadherins associate. This cell-adhesion zipper may provide a mechanism to marshal individual molecular adhesive interactions into strong bonds between cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Crystal structure of hydrophobic protein from soybean; a member of a new cysteine-rich family.

X-ray diffraction methods have been used to determine the structure of the 8.3 kDa hydrophobic protein from soybean and to refine the atomic co-ordinates to a crystallographic R-factor of 18.7% at 1.8 A resolution. The molecule is a four-helix bundle, which together with the connecting loops and a twisted beta-strand form a spiral. The surface contains 70% apolar atoms, and the crystal packing is dominated by hydrophobic interactions, producing a two-dimensional sheet of protein molecules. Most of the 59 water molecules located are involved in hydrophilic contacts and their structural organization does not seem to be affected by the high hydrophobicity of the molecule. From the protein fold it appears that three of the four disulphide bridges are important for keeping the amino and carboxyl-terminal segments in place in the native form, while the central part of the molecule is stabilized by many hydrophobic interactions. Although the protein function is not known, a number of possibilities can be excluded on experimental grounds and by comparison with other members of the family.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Crystallographic data for the 9000 dalton wheat non-specific phospholipid transfer protein.

The wheat non-specific phospholipid transfer protein belongs to a family of small proteins sharing a common pattern of four disulphide bridges. Its function in vivo is not known, but it has a high affinity to phospholipids and is involved in phospholipid transfer in vitro. The molecular weight is 9607, and it crystallizes in the space group P2(1) with a = 40.73 A, b = 112.11 A, c = 50.44 A and beta = 106.80 degrees. The crystals diffract to 3 A resolution.

Carrier Proteins↗
PubMed1989

Crystallographic data for soybean hydrophobic protein.

The soybean hydrophobic protein belongs to a family of proteins that contains a number of storage and phospholipid binding proteins. Its function is not known, but its overall hydrophobic nature is typical of many membrane proteins of similar size. The molecular weight is 8.3 x 10(3), and it crystallizes in the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with a = 52.01 A, b = 43.50 A and c = 28.80 A. The crystals diffract to 1.8 A resolution, and are thus suitable for X-ray structural studies.

Crystallography↗
PubMed1989

Binding of dimethyl sulfoxide to lysozyme in crystals, studied with neutron diffraction.

Crystals of hen egg white lysozyme soaked in 15% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide have been studied with single-crystal neutron diffraction to determine the effect of the solvent molecules on the protein configuration. A total of 9423 statistically significant Bragg reflections to a resolution of approximately 1.8 A were used to locate 6 dimethyl sulfoxide molecules, and structure refinements including a model for the flat solvent lead to a final crystallographic agreement factor of 0.130. The mode of location of the dimethyl sulfoxide molecules was compared with that in previous studies employing ethanol. This showed that hydrophobic interactions can be an essential factor in fixing the probe molecules on the protein surface. There was, however, no sign of any significant change in the protein configuration; so although possibly at higher concentrations of dimethyl sulfoxide the protein will unfold, there was no indication of any precursor effect.

Dimethyl Sulfoxide↗
PubMed1985

Study of ethanol-lysozyme interactions using neutron diffraction.

Single-crystal neutron diffraction has been used to observe the interactions between deuterated ethanol (CD3CD2OH) and lysozyme in triclinic crystals of hen egg white lysozyme soaked in 25% (v/v) ethanol solutions. A total of 6047 observed reflections to a resolution of 2 A were used, and 13 possible ethanol sites were identified. The three highest occupied sites are close to locations for bromoethanol found in an earlier study by Yonath et al. [Yonath, A., Podjarny, A., Honig, B., Traub, W., Sielecki, A., Herzberg, O., & Moult, J. (1978) Biophys. Struct. Mech. 4, 27-36]. Structure refinements including a model for the flat solvent lead to a final crystallographic agreement factor of 0.097. Comparison with earlier neutron studies on triclinic lysozyme showed that neither the molecular structure nor the thermal motions were affected significantly by the ethanol. A detailed analysis of the ethanol-lysozyme contacts showed 61% of these to be with hydrophobic sites, in agreement with the dominant hydrophobic nature of ethanol. This, together with the fact that the molecular structure of lysozyme is not perturbed, suggests a model for denaturation of lysozyme by alcohol, which proceeds via a dehydration of the protein at high alcohol concentration.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Neutron small-angle scattering studies of ribonuclease in mixed aqueous solutions and determination of the preferentially bound water.

Neutron small-angle measurements of ribonuclease A in mixed solutions of ethanol-water and glycerol-water have been used to estimate the region near the molecule that only contains water. When glycerol is used as probe, the region corresponds to an interaction parameter xi of 0.23 +/- 0.05 g of water/g of protein. For ethanol xi is -0.07 +/- 0.05, corresponding to the macromolecule being equally accessible to ethanol and water. The observations of the radius of gyration in the mixed solutions are used to show that the volume excluding glycerol is found on the exterior of the protein.

Ethanol↗