Search results for "binding site"
showing 10 items of 856 documents
Structural insights into the GTPase domain of Escherichia coli MnmE protein
2007
The Escherichia coli MnmE protein is a 50-kDa multidomain GTPase involved in tRNA modification. Its homologues in eukaryotes are crucial for mitochondrial respiration and, thus, it is thought that the human protein might be involved in mitochondrial diseases. Unlike Ras, MnmE shows a high intrinsic GTPase activity and requires effective GTP hydrolysis, and not simply GTP binding, to be functionally active. The isolated MnmE G-domain (165 residues) conserves the GTPase activity of the entire protein, suggesting that it contains the catalytic residues for GTP hydrolysis. To explore the GTP hydrolysis mechanism of MnmE, we analyzed the effect of low pH on binding and hydrolysis of GTP, as well…
β2 integrin phosphorylation on Thr758 acts as a molecular switch to regulate 14-3-3 and filamin binding
2008
AbstractLeukocyte integrins of the β2 family are essential for immune cell-cell adhesion. In activated cells, β2 integrins are phosphorylated on the cytoplasmic Thr758, leading to 14-3-3 protein recruitment to the β2 integrin. The mutation of this phosphorylation site impairs cell adhesion, actin reorganization, and cell spreading. Thr758 is contained in a Thr triplet of β2 that also mediates binding to filamin. Here, we investigated the binding of filamin, talin, and 14-3-3 proteins to phosphorylated and unphosphorylated β2 integrins by biochemical methods and x-ray crystallography. 14-3-3 proteins bound only to the phosphorylated integrin cytoplasmic peptide, with a high affinity (Kd, 261…
The molecular basis of filamin binding to integrins and competition with talin.
2006
The ability of adhesion receptors to transmit biochemical signals and mechanical force across cell membranes depends on interactions with the actin cytoskeleton. Filamins are large, actin-crosslinking proteins that connect multiple transmembrane and signaling proteins to the cytoskeleton. Here, we describe the high-resolution structure of an interface between filamin A and an integrin adhesion receptor. When bound, the integrin beta cytoplasmic tail forms an extended beta strand that interacts with beta strands C and D of the filamin immunoglobulin-like domain (IgFLN) 21. This interface is common to many integrins, and we suggest it is a prototype for other IgFLN domain interactions. Notabl…
Quenching of fluorescein-conjugated lipids by antibodies. Quantitative recognition and binding of lipid-bound haptens in biomembrane models, formatio…
1992
Three model biomembrane systems, monolayers, micelles, and vesicles, have been used to study the influence of chemical and physical variables of hapten presentation at membrane interfaces on antibody binding. Hapten recognition and binding were monitored for the anti-fluorescein monoclonal antibody 4–4-20 generated against the hapten, fluorescein, in these membrane models as a function of fluorescein-conjugated lipid architecture. Specific recognition and binding in this system are conveniently monitored by quenching of fluorescein emission upon penetration of fluorescein into the antibody's active site. Lipid structure was shown to play a large role in affecting antibody quenching. Interes…
The Structure of Rauvolfia serpentina Strictosidine Synthase Is a Novel Six-Bladed β-Propeller Fold in Plant Proteins
2006
Abstract The enzyme strictosidine synthase (STR1) from the Indian medicinal plant Rauvolfia serpentina is of primary importance for the biosynthetic pathway of the indole alkaloid ajmaline. Moreover, STR1 initiates all biosynthetic pathways leading to the entire monoterpenoid indole alkaloid family representing an enormous structural variety of ∼2000 compounds in higher plants. The crystal structures of STR1 in complex with its natural substrates tryptamine and secologanin provide structural understanding of the observed substrate preference and identify residues lining the active site surface that contact the substrates. STR1 catalyzes a Pictet-Spengler–type reaction and represents a novel…
8-N(3)-3'-biotinyl-ATP, a novel monofunctional reagent: differences in the F(1)- and V(1)-ATPases by means of the ATP analogue.
2001
A novel photoaffinity label, 8-N(3)-3'-biotinyl-ATP, has been synthesized. The introduction of an additional biotin residue is advantageous for easy detection of labeled proteins. This could be first tested by reaction with the F(1)-ATPase from the thermophilic bacterium PS3 (TF(1)). UV irradiation of TF(1) in the presence of 8-N(3)-3'-biotinyl-ATP results in a nucleotide-dependent binding of the analogue in the noncatalytic alpha and the catalytic beta subunits of TF(1), demonstrating the suitability of this analogue as a potential photoaffinity label. Reaction with the V(1)-ATPase, however, led to labeling of subunit E, which has been suggested as a structural and functional homologue of …
Efficient virtual screening using multiple protein conformations described as negative images of the ligand-binding site.
2010
The protein structure-based virtual screening is typically accomplished using a molecular docking procedure. However, docking is a fairly slow process that is limited by the available scoring functions that cannot reliably distinguish between active and inactive ligands. In contrast, the ligand-based screening methods that are based on shape similarity identify the active ligands with high accuracy. Here, we show that the usage of negative images of the ligand-binding site, together with shape comparison tools, which are typically used in ligand-based virtual screening, improve the discrimination of active molecules from inactives. In contrast to ligand-based shape comparison, the negative …
A Computational Study of the Protein-Ligand Interactions in CDK2 Inhibitors: Using Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Interaction Energy as a Pred…
2006
ABSTRACT: We report a combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) study to determine the protein-ligand interaction energy between CDK2 (cyclin-dependent kinase 2) and five inhibitors with the N2 -substituted 6-cyclohexylmethoxypurine scaffold. The computational results in this work show that the QM/MM interaction energy is strongly correlated to the biological activity and can be used as a predictor, at least within a family of substrates. A detailed analysis of the protein-ligand structures obtained from molecular dynamics simulations shows specific interactions within the active site that, in some cases, have not been reported before to our knowledge. The computed interaction …
Mapping protein matrix cavities in human cytoglobin through Xe atom binding
2004
Abstract Cytoglobin is the fourth recognized globin type, almost ubiquitously distributed in human tissues; its function is still poorly understood. Cytoglobin displays a core region of about 150 residues, structurally related to hemoglobin and myoglobin, and two extra segments, about 20 residues each, at the N- and C-termini. The core region hosts a large apolar cavity, held to provide a ligand diffusion pathway to/from the heme, and/or ligand temporary docking sites. Here we report the crystal structure (2.4 A resolution, R -factor 19.1%) of a human cytoglobin mutant bearing the CysB2(38) → Ser and CysE9(83) → Ser substitutions (CYGB*), treated under pressurized xenon. Three Xe atoms bind…
Density functional theory fragment descriptors to quantify the reactivity of a molecular family: Application to amino acids
2007
By using the exact density functional theory, one demonstrates that the value of the local electronic softness of a molecular fragment is directly related to the polarization charge (Coulomb hole) induced by a test electron removed (or added) from (at) the fragment. Our finding generalizes to a chemical group a formal relation between these molecular descriptors recently obtained for an atom in a molecule using an approximate atomistic model [P. Senet and M. Yang, J. Chem. Sci. 117, 411 (2005)]. In addition, a practical ab initio computational scheme of the Coulomb hole and related local descriptors of reactivity of a molecular family having in common a similar fragment is presented. As a b…