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At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Mapping of factor XIII solvent accessibility as a function of activation state using chemical modification methods.

The transglutaminase Factor XIII (FXIII) catalyzes the formation of covalent cross-links between adjacent noncovalently associated fibrin chains in blood coagulation. The resulting covalently cross-linked hard clot is much more mechanically stable and resistant to proteolytic degradation. FXIII is activated by the serine protease thrombin in the presence of calcium ions. Protein modification experiments involving the labeling of cysteine and lysine side chains of the enzyme were performed before and after activation of the enzyme in an effort to gain further insight into structural changes occurring during the activation of FXIII. The experiments revealed differences in the labeling patterns of nonactivated and activated FXIII. These differences result from the exposure or sequestration of specific cysteine or lysine residues when the enzyme is activated, either physiologically with thrombin or nonproteolytically by exposure to calcium. Of note is the acetylation of Lys 73 and Lys 221 upon activation. Both of these residues lie within possible substrate recognition regions of FXIII. The active site Cys 314 is consistently alkylated in the activated enzyme, as is Cys 409, located near the dimer interface. Within the beta-barrel 2 domain of FXIII, Cys 695 becomes alkylated in activated FXIII. Within the same domain, an acetylated Lys (677 or 678), which is observed in the zymogen, cannot be found in the activated enzyme. The results provide a more extensive view of FXIII activation than has been previously available.

Acetic Anhydrides↗

Structural analysis and prediction of protein mutant stability using distance and torsion potentials: role of secondary structure and solvent accessibility.

Analyzing the factors behind protein stability is a key research topic in molecular biology, and has direct implications on protein structure prediction and protein-protein interactions. We have analyzed protein stability upon point mutations using a distance-dependant pair potential representing mainly through-space interactions, and torsion angle potential representing mainly neighboring effects as a basic statistical mechanical setup for the analysis. The synergetic effect of accessible surface area and secondary structure preferences was used as a classifier for the potentials. In addition, short-, medium-, and long-range interactions of the protein environment were also analyzed. Two datasets of point mutations were taken for the comparison of theoretically predicted stabilizing energy values with experimental DeltaDeltaG and DeltaDeltaGH(2)O from thermal and chemical denaturation experiments. These include 1538 and 1603 mutations, respectively, and contain 101 proteins that share a wide range of sequence identity. The resulting force fields were carefully evaluated with different statistical tests. Results show a maximum correlation of 0.87 with a standard error of 0.71 kcal/mol between predicted and measured DeltaDeltaG values and a prediction accuracy of 85.3% (stabilizing or destabilizing) for all mutations together. A correlation of 0.77 (more than 80% prediction accuracy with a standard error of 0.95 kcal/mol) each for the test dataset of split-sample validation and fivefold crossvalidation was obtained and a correlation of 0.70 (77.4% prediction accuracy with a standard error of 1.17 kcal/mol) was shown by the jackknife test. The same model was implemented, and the results were analyzed for mutations with DeltaDeltaGH(2)O. A correlation of 0.78 (standard error 0.96 kcal/mol) was observed with a prediction efficiency of 84.65%. This model can be used for the future prediction of protein structural stability together with various experimental techniques.

Databases, Protein↗

Viscosity and transient solvent accessibility of Trp-63 in the native conformation of lysozyme.

We have measured the rates of isotope exchange at the nitrogen of the indole ring of Trp-63 of lysozyme and of L-tryptophan as a function of solution viscosity. We have used two cosolvents, glycerol and ethylene glycol, to modify the relative viscosity. We have derived the appropriate kinetic equations for the alternative possibilities that the exchange takes place either in solution or in the intact protein matrix. Because we chose to study the proton-catalyzed exchange reaction, the rate of it is not expected to be diffusion-limited. We confirmed this by measuring the exchange from tryptophan. These results and the known effects of glycerol and ethylene glycol on the solvation of indole allow us to predict that if the exchange reaction takes place in a protein matrix the effects of the two cosolvents when compared under isoviscous conditions should be identical. This is what we find for Trp-63 in lysozyme at 15, 20 and 26 degrees C. The slope of the linear plot of log k vs. log relative viscosity is 0.6. This strongly supports a model for conformational fluctuations where transient solvation takes place without major changes in protein folding. The most interesting feature of our findings is the fact that a slow reaction admittedly not diffusion-limited shows, when taking place in a protein matrix, a linear dependence on solution viscosity. We suggest that what we observe is the effect of damping of movement of the side chain expressed as a change in the friction along the reaction coordinate in the corresponding phase space. The presence of such effects stresses the validity and usefulness of Kramers model of rate processes for reactions taking place in a protein matrix. Such behavior is predicted by several of the recently proposed general mechanisms of enzyme catalysis.

Hydrogen-Ion Concentration↗

Solvent accessibility of native and hydrolyzed human complement protein 3 analyzed by hydrogen/deuterium exchange and mass spectrometry.

Complement protein C3 is a 187-kDa (1641-aa) protein that plays a key role in complement activation and immune responses. Its hydrolyzed form, C3(H2O), is responsible for the initiation of the activation of alternative complement pathway. Previous analyses using mAbs, anilinonaphthalenesulfonate dyes, and functional studies have suggested that C3 is conformationally different from C3(H2O). We have used amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to identify and localize structural differences between native C3 and C3(H2O). Both proteins were incubated in D2O for varying amounts of time, digested with pepsin, and then subjected to mass-spectrometric analysis. Of 111 C3 peptides identified in the MALDI-TOF analysis, 31 had well-resolved isotopic mass envelopes in both C3 and C3(H2O) spectra. Following the conversion of native C3 to C3(H2O), 17 of these 31 peptides exhibited a change in deuterium incorporation, suggesting a conformational change in these regions. Among the identified peptides, hydrogen/deuterium exchange data were obtained for peptides 944-967, 1211-1228, 1211-1231, 1259-1270, 1259-1273, 1295-1318, and 1319-1330, which span the factor H binding site on C3d and factor I cleavage sites, and peptides 1034-1048, 1049-1058, 1069-1080, 1130-1143, 1130-1145, 1211-1228, 1211-1231, 1259-1270, and 1259-1273, spanning 30% of the C3d region of C3. Our results suggest that hydrolysis may produce a looser (more open) structure in the C3d region, in which some of the changes affect the conversion of helical segments into coil segments facilitating interactions with factors I and H. This study represents the first detailed study mapping the regions of C3 involved in conformational transition when hydrolyzed to C3(H2O).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

On the solvent accessibility of substrate binding site of cytochrome P450C-21 in bovine adrenocortical microsomes.

The present study offers evidence indicating that acrylamide a polar molecule inhibits substrate-binding to P450C-21 in a competitive manner and quenches tryptophanyl fluorescence in bovine adrenocortical microsomes, similar to that in the purified lipid-free enzyme. Resolution of tryptophanyl fluorescence of the microsomes revealed an acrylamide quenching constant (K2 = 9.9M, is the association constant for the quencher-fluorophore complex) which was similar to the reciprocal of its inhibition constant (1/Kj = Ka = 8.3 +- 0.9M) for substrate-binding. The substrate inhibited the fluorescence quenching by acrylamide which was in accordance with partial competition. In addition the substrate dissociation, acrylamide inhibition and fluorescence quenching constants and tryptophanyl fluorescence maximum (340-342nm) were essentially the same in the microsomes and the purified enzyme. These results suggest that, similar to that in the purified enzyme, a tryptophan in a polar environment in the membrane-bound P450, may serve as a reporter group for the substrate binding site and the site in the membrane-bound enzyme, is accessible to the substrate in aqueous phase.

Acrylamide↗

Solvent accessibility of the heme pocket in tuna myoglobin.

The accessibility of the heme binding site of two apomyoglobins, i.e. tuna and sperm whale apomyoglobin, has been evaluated by quenching the fluorescence of their ANS-conjugates. The quenching pattern obtained by using charged and uncharged quenchers revealed that the heme pocket of tuna apomyoglobin is more accessible than that of sperm whale. Moreover, a larger number of positively charged groups is present in the heme pocket of tuna apomyoglobin as indicated by comparing the extent of quenching produced by iodide and cesium ion. The relaxation time of ANS bound to tuna apomyoglobin is lower than that of the same chromophore bound to sperm whale globin thus indicating that there is some localized flexibility in the tuna globin.

Animals↗

Solvent accessible surface representation in a database system for protein docking.

Protein docking is a new and challenging application for query processing in database systems. Our architecture for an efficient support of docking queries is based on the multistep query processing paradigm, a technique well-known from spatial database system. Along with physicochemical parameters, the geometry of the molecules plays a fundamental role for docking retrieval. Thus, 3D structures and 3D surfaces of molecules are basic objects in molecular databases. We specify a molecular surface representation based on topology, define a class of neighborhood queries, and sketch some applications with respect to the docking problem. We suggest a patch-based data structure called the TriEdge structure, first, to efficiently support topological query processing, and second, to save space in comparison to common planar graph representations such as the quad-edge structure. In analogy to the quad-edge structure, the TriEdge structure has an algebraic interface and is implemented via complex pointers. However, we achieve a reduction of the space requirement by a factor of four. Finally, we investigate the time performance of our prototype.

Computer Graphics↗

Chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization studies of yeast tRNAPhe.

Chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP) has been observed from yeast tRNAPhe following reaction with photoexcited riboflavin. At 20 degrees C, several resonances of tRNA in the native form show polarization; previous work predicts that only guanosine and its derivatives in single-stranded regions are likely to become polarized [ McCord , E.F., Morden , K. M., Pardi , A., Tinoco , I., Jr., & Boxer, S. G. (1984) Biochemistry (preceding paper in this issue)]. The methyl protons of m22G -26 show strong negative spin polarization, indicating that this residue is accessible. The solvent accessibility of this residue has not been previously demonstrated. In addition, two positively polarized aromatic resonances are observed, which are likely due to two or more G(H8) protons, including those of G-20, m22G -26, and/or Gm-34. For temperatures below 50 degrees C, a negatively polarized signal in the aromatic region is shown to arise from cross relaxation with the methyl group protons of m22G -26. This indicates the proximity of an aromatic proton, probably H2 of A-44, to the methyl groups of m22G -26. At higher temperatures, the CIDNP spectra show polarization of several additional G resonances, including those of m2G -10. These changes in the CIDNP spectra reflect melting of the tertiary and secondary structure of the tRNA. This work is the first use of CIDNP to study a large nucleic acid molecule and exemplifies the value of this technique in probing single-stranded and solvent-accessible regions of tRNA.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Predicting peptide binding to MHC pockets via molecular modeling, implicit solvation, and global optimization.

Development of a computational prediction method based on molecular modeling, global optimization, and implicit solvation has produced accurate structure and relative binding affinity predictions for peptide amino acids binding to five pockets of the MHC molecule HLA-DRB1*0101. Because peptide binding to MHC molecules is essential to many immune responses, development of such a method for understanding and predicting the forces that drive binding is crucial for pharmaceutical design and disease treatment. Underlying the development of this prediction method are two hypotheses. The first is that pockets formed by the peptide binding groove of MHC molecules are independent, separating the prediction of peptide amino acids that bind within individual pockets from those that bind between pockets. The second hypothesis is that the native state of a system composed of an amino acid bound to a protein pocket corresponds to the system's lowest free energy. The prediction method developed from these hypotheses uses atomistic-level modeling, deterministic global optimization, and three methods of implicit solvation: solvent-accessible area, solvent-accessible volume, and Poisson-Boltzmann electrostatics. The method predicts relative binding affinities of peptide amino acids for pockets of HLA-DRB1*0101 by determining computationally an amino acid's global minimum energy conformation. Prediction results from the method are in agreement with X-ray crystallography data and experimental binding assays.

Amino Acids↗

Hydrophobic regions on protein surfaces: definition based on hydration shell structure and a quick method for their computation.

The hydrophobic part of the solvent-accessible surface of a typical monomeric globular protein consists of a single, large interconnected region formed from faces of apolar atoms and constituting approximately 60% of the solvent-accessible surface area. Therefore, the direct delineation of the hydrophobic surface patches on an atom-wise basis is impossible. Experimental data indicate that, in a two-state hydration model, a protein can be considered to be unified with its first hydration shell in its interaction with bulk water. We show that, if the surface area occupied by water molecules bound at polar protein atoms as generated by AUTOSOL is removed, only about two-thirds of the hydrophobic part of the protein surface remains accessible to bulk solvent. Moreover, the organization of the hydrophobic part of the solvent-accessible surface experiences a drastic change, such that the single interconnected hydrophobic region disintegrates into many smaller patches, i.e. the physical definition of a hydrophobic surface region as unoccupied by first hydration shell water molecules can distinguish between hydrophobic surface clusters and small interconnecting channels. It is these remaining hydrophobic surface pieces that probably play an important role in intra- and intermolecular recognition processes such as ligand binding, protein folding and protein-protein association in solution conditions. These observations have led to the development of an accurate and quick analytical technique for the automatic determination of hydrophobic surface patches of proteins. This technique is not aggravated by the limiting assumptions of the methods for generating explicit water hydration positions. Formation of the hydrophobic surface regions owing to the structure of the first hydration shell can be computationally simulated by a small radial increment in solvent-accessible polar atoms, followed by calculation of the remaining exposed hydrophobic patches. We demonstrate that a radial increase of 0.35-0.50 A resembles the effect of tightly bound water on the organization of the hydrophobic part of the solvent-accessible surface.

Algorithms↗

High-risk (HPV16) human papillomavirus E7 oncoprotein is highly stable and extended, with conformational transitions that could explain its multiple cellular binding partners.

High-risk papillomaviruses are known to exert their transforming activity mainly through E7, one of their two oncoproteins. Despite its relevance, no structural information has been obtained that could explain the apparent broad binding specificity of E7. Recombinant E7 from HPV-16 purified to near homogeneity showed two species in gel filtration chromatography, one of these corresponding to a dimer with a molecular weight of 22 kDa, determined by multiangle light scattering. The E7 dimer was isolated for characterization and was shown to undergo a substantial conformational transition when changing from pH 7.0 to 5.0, with an increase in helical structure and increased solvent accessibility to hydrophobic surfaces. The protein was resistant to thermal denaturation even in the presence of SDS, and we show that persistent residual structure in the monomer is responsible for its reported anomalous electrophoretic behavior. The dimer also displays a nonglobular hydrodynamic volume based on gel filtration experiments and becomes more globular in the presence of 0.3 M guanidinium chloride, with hydrophobic surfaces becoming accessible to the solvent, as indicated by the large increase in ANS binding. At low protein concentration, dissociation of the globular E7 dimer was observed, preceding the cooperative unfolding of the structured and extended monomer. Although E7 bears properties that resemble natively unfolded polypeptides, its far-UV circular dichroism spectrum, cooperative unfolding, and exposure of ANS binding sites support a folded and extended, as opposed to disordered and fluctuating, conformation. The large increase in solvent accessibility to hydrophobic surfaces upon small pH decrease within physiological range and in mild denaturant concentrations suggests conformational properties that could have evolved to enable protein-protein recognition of the large number of cellular binding partners reported.

Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates↗

Quantification of protein surfaces, volumes and atom-atom contacts using a constrained Voronoi procedure.

MOTIVATION: Geometric representations of proteins and ligands, including atom volumes, atom-atom contacts and solvent accessible surfaces, can be used to characterize interactions between and within proteins, ligands and solvent. Voronoi algorithms permit quantification of these properties by dividing structures into cells with a one-to-one correspondence with constituent atoms. As there is no generally accepted measure of atom-atom contacts, a continuous analytical representation of inter-atomic contacts will be useful. Improved geometric algorithms will also be helpful in increasing the speed and accuracy of iterative modeling algorithms. RESULTS: We present computational methods based on the Voronoi procedure that provide rapid and exact solutions to solvent accessible surfaces, volumes, and atom contacts within macromolecules. Furthermore, we define a measure of atom-atom contact that is consistent with the calculation of solvent accessible surfaces, allowing the integration of solvent accessibility and inter-atomic contacts into a continuous measure. The speed and accuracy of the algorithm is compared to existing methods for calculating solvent accessible surfaces and volumes. The presented algorithm has a reduced execution time and greater accuracy compared to numerical and approximate analytical surface calculation algorithms, and a reduced execution time and similar accuracy to existing Voronoi procedures for calculating atomic surfaces and volumes.

Aldehyde Reductase↗