Search results for "circular"

Organometallic Oligomers Based on Bis(arylacetylide)bis(P-chirogenic phosphine)platinum(II) Complexes: Synthesis and Photonic Properties

2013

A series of P-chirogenic oligomers of the type (-C≡C-aryl-C≡C-PtL2-)n [L = (R)- and (S)-P(Ph)(iPr)(C17H35); aryl = 1,4-benzene, 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole] along the corresponding achiral analogues (L = PBu3) and model complexes PhC≡CPtL2C≡CPh were prepared from the ephedrine strategy and were fully characterized [(1)H, (31)P NMR; IR; small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS); gel permeation chromatography (GPC); thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA); circular dichroism, UV-vis, and luminescence spectroscopy; photophysics, and degree of anisotropy measurements]. From the CD measurements, the chiral environment of the phosphine ligands is modestly felt by the aryl moieties. Concurrently, the TGA shows th…

NMR Solution Structure of the Non-RGD Disintegrin Obtustatin

2003

The solution structure of obtustatin, a novel non-RGD disintegrin of 41 residues isolated from Vipera lebetina obtusa venom, and a potent and selective inhibitor of the adhesion of integrin alpha(1)beta(1) to collagen IV, has been determined by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance. Almost the whole set of chemical shifts for 1H, 13C and 15N were assigned at natural abundance from 2D homonuclear and heteronuclear 500 MHz, 600 MHz and 800 MHz spectra at pH 3.0 recorded at 298 K and 303 K. Final structural constraints consisted of 302 non-redundant NOE (95 long-range, 60 medium, 91 sequential and 56 intra-residue), four disulfide bond distances, five chi1 dihedral angles and four hydroge…

Cis autocatalytic cleavage of glycine-linked Zika virus NS2B-NS3 protease constructs.

2019

The flaviviral heterodimeric serine protease NS2B-NS3, consisting of the NS3 protease domain and the NS2B co-factor, is essential for ZIKA virus maturation and replication in cells. For in vitro studies a 'linked' construct, where a polyglycine linker connects NS2BCF and NS3pro , is often used. This construct undergoes autocatalytic cleavage. Here, we show that linked ZIKV NS2BCF -NS3pro is cleaved in cis in the NS2BCF exclusively at position R95 and not at the previously proposed alternate cleavage site at residue R29 in the NS3pro . Cleavage neither affects protease stability nor activity, despite some observed differences in spectroscopic behavior. This minimally modified construct may t…

Mechanism of Oligomerisation of Cyclase-associated Protein from Dictyostelium discoideum in Solution

2006

Abstract Cyclase-associated protein (CAP) is a highly conserved modular protein implicated in the regulation of actin filament dynamics and a variety of developmental and morphological processes. The protein exists as a high molecular weight complex in cell extracts and purified protein possesses a high tendency to aggregate, a major obstacle for crystallisation. Using a mutagenesis approach, we show that two structural features underlie the mechanism of oligomerisation in Dictyostelium discoideum CAP. Positively charged clusters on the surface of the N-terminal helix-barrel domain are involved in inter-molecular interactions with the N or C-terminal domains. Abolishing these interactions m…

Irreversible gelation of thermally unfolded proteins:structural and mechanical properties of lysozyme aggregates

2010

The formation of protein aggregates is important in many fields of life science and technology. The morphological and mechanical properties of protein solutions depend upon the molecular conformation and thermodynamic and environmental conditions. Non-native or unfolded proteins may be kinetically trapped into irreversible aggregates and undergo precipitation or gelation. Here, we study the thermal aggregation of lysozyme in neutral solutions. We characterise the irreversible unfolding of lysozyme by differential scanning calorimetry. The structural properties of aggregates and their mechanisms of formation with the eventual gelation are studied at high temperature by spectroscopic, rheolog…

Combinatorial approaches: A new tool to search for highly structured β-hairpin peptides

2002

Here we present a combinatorial approach to evolve a stable β-hairpin fold in a linear peptide. Starting with a de novo -designed linear peptide that shows a β-hairpin structure population of around 30%, we selected four positions to build up a combinatorial library of 20 4 sequences. Deconvolution of the library using circular dichroism reduced such a sequence complexity to 36 defined sequences. Circular dichroism and NMR of these peptides resulted in the identification of two linear 14-aa-long peptides that in plain buffered solutions showed a percentage of β-hairpin structure higher than 70%. Our results show how combinatorial approaches can be used to obtain highly structured peptide s…

Cockroach allergens Per a 3 are oligomers

2009

Allergens from cockroaches cause major asthma-related health problems worldwide. Among them Per a 3 belongs to the most potent allergens. Although the sequences of some members of the Per a 3-family are known, their biochemical and biophysical properties have not been investigated. Here we present for the first time a thorough structural characterization of these allergens, which have recently been tested to induce an increase of allergy specific indicators in blood of Europeans. We isolated two Per a 3 isoforms, which occur freely dissolved in the hemolymph as hexamers with molecular masses of 465+/-25kDa (P II) and 512+/-25kDa (P I). Their sedimentation coefficients (S(20,W)) were determi…

Structure, interdomain dynamics, and pH-dependent autoactivation of pro-rhodesain, the main lysosomal cysteine protease from African trypanosomes

2021

AbstractRhodesain is the lysosomal cathepsin L-like cysteine protease ofT. brucei rhodesiense, the causative agent of Human African Trypanosomiasis. The enzyme is essential for the proliferation and pathogenicity of the parasite as well as its ability to overcome the blood-brain barrier of the host. Lysosomal cathepsins are expressed as zymogens with an inactivating pro-domain that is cleaved under acidic conditions. A structure of the uncleaved maturation intermediate from a trypanosomal cathepsin L-like protease is currently not available. We thus established the heterologous expression ofT. brucei rhodesiensepro-rhodesain inE. coliand determined its crystal structure. The trypanosomal pr…

Pentameric Circular Iron(II) Double Helicates and a Molecular Pentafoil Knot

2012

We report on the synthesis of 11 pentameric cyclic helicates formed by imine condensation of alkyl monoamines with a common bis(formylpyridine)bipyridyl-derived building block and iron(II) and chloride ions. The cyclic double-stranded helicates were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and in the case of a 2,4-dimethoxybenzylamine-derived pentameric cyclic helicate, X-ray crystallography. The factors influencing the assembly process (reactant stoichiometry, concentration, solvent, nature and amount of anion) were studied in detail: the role of chloride in the assembly process appears not to be limited to that of a simple template, and larger circular helicates observed with…

Biophysical investigation on therapeutic proteins (Chaperonins, Hsp60 and CCT/TRiC) involved in human diseases

Molecular chaperones are indispensable cellular components that assist folding and assembly of newly synthesized proteins, translocation of proteins across membranes, as well as refolding and degrading of misfolded and aggregated proteins. In the last few years, innovative therapeutic strategies targeting stability and functionality of chaperones have received great attention, particularly in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, the growing number of diseases found linked to chaperone mutations, testifies to the importance of their role in the cellular protein-quality control mechanism. The investigation of the biophysical interactions between chaperones and specific proteins …