Search results for "Conformational Changes"
showing 10 items of 11 documents
The Monod-Wyman-Changeux allosteric model accounts for the quaternary transition dynamics in wild type and a recombinant mutant human hemoglobin
2012
International audience; The acknowledged success of the Monod-Wyman-Changeux (MWC) allosteric model stems from its efficacy in accounting for the functional behavior of many complex proteins starting with hemoglobin (the paradigmatic case) and extending to channels and receptors. The kinetic aspects of the allosteric model, however, have been often neglected, with the exception of hemoglobin and a few other proteins where conformational relaxations can be triggered by a short and intense laser pulse, and monitored by time-resolved optical spectroscopy. Only recently the application of time-resolved wide-angle X-ray scattering (TR-WAXS), a direct structurally sensitive technique, unveiled th…
Observation of the Early Structural Changes Leading to the Formation of Protein Superstructures.
2014
Formation of superstructures in protein aggregation processes has been indicated as a general pathway for several proteins, possibly playing a role in human pathologies. There is a severe lack of knowledge on the origin of such species in terms of both mechanisms of formation and structural features. We use equine lysozyme as a model protein, and by combining spectroscopic techniques and microscopy with X-ray fiber diffraction and ab initio modeling of Small Angle X-ray Scattering data, we isolate the partially unfolded state from which one of these superstructures (i.e., particulate) originates. We reveal the low-resolution structure of the unfolded state and its mechanism of formation, hi…
Bovine Serum Albumin protofibril-like aggregates formation: Solo but not simple mechanism
2011
We report an experimental study on the model protein Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), with the aim of elucidating the mechanisms by which a fully folded globular protein undergoes different aggregation pathways leading to the formation of amyloid fibrils or amorphous aggregates. We observe thermally induced formation of fibrillar structures at pH far from the protein isoelectric point. The increase of electrostatic repulsion results in protein destabilization and in modifications of inter and intra-molecular interactions leading to the growth of fibril-like aggregates stabilized by inter-molecular-β sheets. The aggregation kinetics is studied by means of fluorescence techniques, light scattering…
Impact of Pulsed Electric Fields on Enzymes
2017
International audience; Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing has emerged as a promising technology in the development of tailor-made processes to effectively control the enzyme activity. It has been proven as an effective technique for the preservation of food products as it can result in substantial inactivation of most undesirable enzymes. When compared to microbial inactivation, however, large specific energy inputs are required to inactivate enzymes. The existing evidence suggests that PEF can also stimulate the activity of beneficial enzymes at low intense treatments. The PEF affects enzyme activity by changing mainly the secondary (α-helix, β-sheets, etc.), tertiary (spatial conform…
Investigating protein structure and dynamics through wide-angle X-ray solution scattering
2016
Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) is a powerful tool that can be used to gain information on the structure and dynamics of proteins and other biomolecules in solution. Improved methods for the calculation of WAXS patterns from available or putative protein models allow to better exploit the structural information contained in the experimental data. These methods, together with recent applications of static and time-resolved WAXS, are briefly reviewed.
Inactivation and polymerization of human neuroserpin
2010
Neuroserpin is an inhibitory enzyme, belonging to the family of serpins and involved in several pathologies, such as ischemia, Alzheimer disease, and FENIB (Familial Encephalopathy with Neuroserpin Inclusion Body). Here, we study the mechanism of neuroserpin inactivation and polymerization by different experimental techniques (static and dynamic light scattering, liquid chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, emission spectroscopy). Our results show that at intermediate temperatures (45-55 °C) neuroserpin forms flexible polymers with a size from a few tens to a few hundreds of nanometers. At high temperatures, above 80 °C, our results reveal a different polymeric form, reac…
Polymer dynamics in thin p-type conducting films investigated by ac-electrogravimetry. Kinetics aspects on anion exclusion, free solvent transfer, an…
2015
A new transfer model is proposed to explain ac-electrogravimetry response of p-doped films. This model takes into account the exclusion effect occurring as a result of the anion transfer. The insertion/expulsion of anions inside a film involves simultaneously the expulsion/insertion of free solvent molecules. The number of solvent molecules excluded depends on the volume of anion transferred. Solvent transfer stimulated by the conformational changes of films constitutes the remaining electrogravimetric response when the exclusion process cannot explain by itself this response. Consequently, the kinetics of this free solvent transfer can be directly related to the kinetics of conformational …
Theoretical study of the effect of substituent and backbone conformation on the electronic properties of symmetrically substituted poly(di‐n‐alkylsil…
1994
We present the results of ab initio 3‐21G∗ geometry optimizations and valence effective Hamiltonian (VEH) band structure calculations aimed at determining the evolution of the geometric and electronic (ionization potential, electron affinities, and band gaps) properties of all‐trans poly(dimethylsilane), poly(diethylsilane), poly(di‐n‐propylsilane), and poly(di‐n‐butylsilane) when increasing the size of the alkyl group. In the latter polymer, we have also studied the 7/3 conformation, in order to analyze the effect of the backbone conformation on the geometric and electronic structure. The VEH ionization potentials of all‐trans poly(di‐n‐alkylsilanes) are almost equal, and as experimental p…
Multiscale Simulations of SARS-CoV-2 3CL Protease Inhibition with Aldehyde Derivatives. Role of Protein and Inhibitor Conformational Changes in the R…
2021
We here investigate the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease inhibition by one of the most promising families of inhibitors, those containing an aldehyde group as a warhead. These compounds are covalent inhibitors that inactivate the protease, forming a stable hemithioacetal complex. Inhibitor 11a is a potent inhibitor that has been already tested in vitro and in animals. Using a combination of classical and QM/MM simulations, we determined the binding mode of the inhibitor into the active site and the preferred rotameric state of the catalytic histidine. In the noncovalent complex, the aldehyde group is accommodated into the oxyanion hole formed by the NH main-chain groups of residues 143 …
Tracking the structural dynamics of proteins in solution using time-resolved wide-angle X-ray scattering
2008
We demonstrate tracking of protein structural changes with time-resolved wide-angle X-ray scattering (TR-WAXS) with nanosecond time resolution. We investigated the tertiary and quaternary conformational changes of human hemoglobin under nearly physiological conditions triggered by laser-induced ligand photolysis. We also report data on optically induced tertiary relaxations of myoglobin and refolding of cytochrome c to illustrate the wide applicability of the technique. By providing insights into the structural dynamics of proteins functioning in their natural environment, TR-WAXS complements and extends results obtained with time-resolved optical spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography.