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O Epp

Publications and source records attributed to O Epp.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The crystal structure of porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase in complex with the microbial inhibitor Tendamistat.

The crystal structure of the complex formed between the 498 amino acid residue porcine pancreatic alpha-amylase (PPA) and the 74 amino acid residue inhibitor Tendamistat secreted from Streptomyces tendae, has been determined by multiple isomorphous replacement in a crystal of space group P6(5)22 (a = b = 77.7 A, c = 359.5 A). The model has been refined to an R-factor of 0.194 by Powell minimization applying strong energy constraints based on 17,964 independent reflections in the 7 to 2.5 A resolution range, and obeys standard geometry within 0.011 A in bond lengths and 1.78 degrees in bond angles. The final model consists of all 496 amino acid residues of PPA, 71 amino acid residues of Tendamistat (without the three N-terminal residues), one calcium ion, one chloride ion and 167 water molecules. PPA exhibits the same topological fold in the complex as the uncomplexed PPA recently published by others. About 30% of the water-accessible surface of Tendamistat is in contact with PPA. Four segments of the polypeptide chain, with a total of 15 amino acid residues, are involved in the binding. One segment containing the staggered side-chains of the triplet Trp18, Arg19, Tyr20, typical for this class of inhibitors, binds into the catalytic site. The other segments fill out the groove in the PPA molecule, which also binds the carbohydrate inhibitor acarbose and is assumed to be the substrate-binding region. This extended interaction between Tendamistat and alpha-amylase explains the very high inhibition constant of about 9 x 10(-12) M.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Crystallographic refinement at 2.3 A resolution and refined model of the photosynthetic reaction centre from Rhodopseudomonas viridis.

The atomic model of the photosynthetic reaction centre from the purple bacterium Rhodopseudomonas viridis has been refined to an R-value of 0.193 at 2.3 A resolution. The refined model contains 10,288 non-hydrogen atoms; 10,045 of these have well defined electron density. A Luzzati-plot indicates an average co-ordinate error of 0.26 A. During refinement, the positions of a partially ordered carotenoid, a unibiquinone in the partially occupied QB site, a detergent molecule, seven putative sulphate ions, and 201 water molecules were found. More than half of these waters are bound at interfaces between protein subunits and therefore contribute significantly to subunit interactions. Water molecules also play important structural and probably functional roles in the environment of some of the cofactors. Two water molecules form hydrogen bonds to the accessory bacteriochlorophylls and to the protein in the vicinity of the special pair of bacteriophylls, the primary electron donor. A group of about 10 water molecules is bound near the binding site of the secondary quinone QB. These waters are likely to participate in the transfer of protons to the doubly reduced QB.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Solution of the phase problem in the X-ray diffraction method for proteins with the nuclear magnetic resonance solution structure as initial model. Patterson search and refinement for the alpha-amylase inhibitor tendamistat.

Patterson search calculations using the three-dimensional structure of the alpha-amylase inhibitor from Streptomyces tendae obtained from experimental nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) data were performed to study the possibility of solving the phase problem in the X-ray diffraction method with protein structures determined by n.m.r. Using all heavy atoms (C, N, O, S) of the residues 5 to 73 in the best n.m.r. structure of the alpha-amylase inhibitor (520 out of the 558 heavy atoms in the complete polypeptide chain), the maximum of the rotation function corresponded to the correct solution obtained by the previous independent determination of the crystal structure. However, additional local maxima, which are not significantly lower than the global maximum, also showed up. Performing the Patterson search with a model containing the backbone atoms and the heavy atoms of only the interior side-chains (399 atoms), which are much better defined by the n.m.r. data, the correct maximum was significantly higher than all other maxima. A translation search for the best orientation of the latter model yielded the correct solution. The energy-restrained crystallographic refinement was performed with this model to an R-factor of 26%. This corresponds approximately to the R-factor calculated for the X-ray crystal structure previously determined using the isomorphous replacement technique, if the residues 1 to 4 and 74 and all localized solvent molecules were removed from this structure. During the refinement the root-mean-square deviation between the two structures decreased from 1.03 A to 0.26 A for the polypeptide backbone and from 1.64 A to 0.73 A for all heavy atoms. There are no major local conformational differences between the two structures, with the single exception of the side-chain of Gln52.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Structure of native porcine pancreatic elastase at 1.65 A resolutions.

The structure of native porcine pancreatic elastase in 70% methanol has been refined using film data to 1.65 A resolution, R = 0.169. A total of 134 molecules of water (but no methanol) has been refined. This structure, because of its native state and modestly high resolution, serves as the basis for comparison with other elastase structures complexed with natural or synthetic ligands. Internal structured water occupies distinct regions. Two regions (IW1 and IW7) suggest a mechanism for equalizing 'hydrostatic pressure' related to ligand binding and release. A third region (IW4) forms part of a hydrogen-bonding network linking the catalytic Ser 195 O gamma with a remote (13.4 A) surface of the enzyme. A comparison with the structures of all known serine proteases reveals that a linkage of Ser O gamma to remote surface is conserved in all cases, suggesting that the accepted catalytic mechanism of serine proteases needs to be re-evaluated. One possible mechanism for base catalysis of Ser O gamma H proton extraction is presented.

Animals↗

Crystallization, crystal structure analysis and preliminary molecular model of the bilin binding protein from the insect Pieris brassicae.

The bilin binding protein of the butterfly Pieris brassicae has been prepared, crystallized and its crystal structure determined at high resolution using film and FAST area detector intensity data. The crystallographic asymmetric unit contains a tetramer of identical subunits with a molecular weight of about 90,000. The crystal structure was determined by isomorphous replacement. Use was made of the molecular symmetry to improve phases. A molecular interpretation of the electron density distribution and partial tracing of the polypeptide chain was possible without amino acid sequence information, as the fold is very similar to retinol binding protein. It is characterized by a beta-barrel formed by two orthogonal beta-sheets and an alpha-helix. The bilin pigment seems to be bound within the beta-barrel analogously to retinol in retinol binding protein. The tetramer in the crystal has C2 symmetry and is a dimer of dimers of quasi-equivalent subunits.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Pigment-protein interactions in the photosynthetic reaction centre from Rhodopseudomonas viridis.

An X-ray structure analysis of the photosynthetic reaction centre from the purple bacterium Rhodopseudomonas viridis provides structural details of the pigment-binding sites. The photosynthetic pigments are found in rather hydrophobic environments provided by the subunits L and M. In addition to apolar interactions, the bacteriochlorophylls of the primary electron donor (;special pair') and the bacteriopheophytins, but not the accessory bacteriochlorophylls, form hydrogen bonds with amino acid side chains of these protein subunits. The two branches of pigments which originate at the primary electron donor, and which mark possible electron pathways across the photosynthetic membrane, are in different environments and show different hydrogen bonding with the protein: this may help to understand why only one branch of pigments is active in the light-driven electron transfer. The primary electron acceptor, a menaquinone (Q(A)), is in a pocket formed by the M subunit and interacts with it by hydrophobic contacts and hydrogen bonds. Competitive inhibitors of the secondary quinone Q(B) (o-phenanthroline, the herbicide terbutryn) are bound into a pocket provided by the L subunit. Apart from numerous van der Waals interactions they also form hydrogen bonds to the protein.

Journal Article↗

The crystal and molecular structure of the third domain of silver pheasant ovomucoid (OMSVP3).

OMSVP3 and OMTKY3 (third domains of silver pheasant and turkey ovomucoid inhibitor) are Kazal-type serine proteinase inhibitors. They have been isomorphously crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2 with cell dimensions of a = 4.429 nm, b = 2.115 nm, c = 4.405 nm, beta = 107 degrees. The asymmetric unit contains one molecule corresponding to an extremely low volume per unit molecular mass of 0.0017 nm3/Da. Data collection was only possible for the OMSVP3 crystals. Orientation and position of the OMSVP3 molecules in the monoclinic unit cells were determined using Patterson search methods and the known structure of the third domain of Japanese quail ovomucoid (OMJPQ3) [Papamokos, E., Weber, E., Bode, W., Huber, R., Empie, M. W., Kato, I. and Laskowski, M., Jr (1982) J. Mol. Biol. 158, 515-537]. The OMSVP3 structure has been refined by restrained crystallographic refinement yielding a final R value of 0.199 for data to 0.15 nm resolution. Conformation and hydrogen-bonding pattern of OMSVP3 and OMJPQ3 are very similar. Large deviations occur at the NH2 terminus owing to different crystal packing, and at the C terminus of the central helix, representing an intrinsic property and resulting from amino acid substitutions far away from this site. The deviation of OMSVP3 from OMTKY3 complexed with the Streptomyces griseus protease B is very small [Fujinaga, M., Read, R. J., Sielecki, A., Ardelt, W., Laskowski, M., Jr and James, M. N. G. (1982) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 79, 4868-4872].

Animals↗

X-ray structure analysis of a membrane protein complex. Electron density map at 3 A resolution and a model of the chromophores of the photosynthetic reaction center from Rhodopseudomonas viridis.

X-ray analysis of three-dimensional crystals of the photosynthetic reaction center from the purple bacterium Rhodopseudomonas viridis led to an electron density distribution at 3 A resolution calculated with phases from multiple isomorphous replacement. The protein subunits of the complex were identified. An atomic model of the prosthetic groups of the reaction center complex (4 bacteriochlorophyll b, 2 bacteriopheophytin b. 1 non-heme iron, 1 menaquinone, 4 heme groups) was built. The arrangement of the ring systems of the bacteriochlorophyll b and bacteriopheophytin b molecules shows a local 2-fold rotation symmetry; two bacteriochlorophyll b form a closely associated, non-covalently linked dimer ("special pair"). A different local 2-fold symmetry axis is observed for the heme groups of the cytochrome part.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Crystallographic structural studies of a human Fc fragment. II. A complete model based on a Fourier map at 3.5 A resolution.

The crystal structure analysis of a human Fc fragment was pursued to 3.5 A resolution and a complete model was built and refined into the isomorphous Fourier map. The CH2 and CH3 domains show the immunoglobulin fold, with CH3 being closely similar to CH1, but CH2 intermediate in structure between V and CH3. The carbohydrate is rigidly attached to CH2, covering the C face. CH3 dimerizes as CH1-CL, but CH2 has no contact to the second chain. Residues involved in the lateral CH3-CH3 and the longitudinal CH3-CH2 contact are conserved in Ig classes and sub-classes. In IgM and IgE the two C-terminal domains also show this characteristic distribution of contact residues.

Carbohydrates↗

The molecular structure of a dimer composed of the variable portions of the Bence-Jones protein REI refined at 2.0-A resolution.

The structure of the variable portions of a K-type Bence-Jones protein REI forming a dimer has been determined by X-ray diffraction to a resolution of 2.0 A. The structure has been refined using a constrained crystallographic refinement procedure. The final R value is 0.24 for 15000 significantly measured reflections; the estimated standard deviation of atomic positions is 0.09 A. A more objective assessment of the error in the atomic positions is possible by comparing the two independently refined monomers. The mean deviation of main-chain atoms of the two chains in internal segments in 0.22 A, of main-chain dihedral angles 6.3 degrees for these segments. The unrefined molecular structure of the VREI dimer has been published (Epp, O., Colman, P., Fehlhammer, H., Bode, W., Schiffer, M., Huber, R., and Palm, W. (1974), Eur. J. Biochem. 45, 513). Now a detailed analysis is presented in terms of hydrogen bonds and conformational angles. Secondary structural elements (antiparallel beta structure, reverse turns) are defined. A more precise atomic arrangement of the amino acid residues forming the contact region and the hapten binding site is given as well as the localization of solvent molecules. Two cis-prolines (Pro-8 and Pro-95) were detected. The intrachain disulfide bridge (Cys-23-Cys-88) occurs statistically in two alternative conformations. The structure suggests reasons for strong conservation of several amino acid residues. The knowledge of the refined molecular structure enables crystal structure analyses of related molecules to be made by Patterson search techniques. The calculated phases based on the refined structure are much improved compared to isomorphous phases. Therefore the effects of hapten binding on the molecular structure can be analyzed by the difference Fourier technique with more reliability. Hapten binding studies have been started.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The structure determination of the variable portion of the Bence-Jones protein Au.

The structure of a pi-type Bence-Jones protein variable fragment Au has been determined by molecular replacement methods using the known structure of an other Bence-Jones variable fragment Rei (Epp et al., Eur J. Biochem. 45, 513 (1974). The crystallographic R factor is 0.31 for about 4000 significantly measured reflections between 6.8 to 2.5 A. The Au protein forms a dimer across a crystallographic two fold axis. The spatial relationship of the two monomers, the conformation of the backbones and of the internal residues is extremely similar to that found in Rei.

Amino Acids↗