Search results for "folding"
showing 10 items of 330 documents
The Escherichia coli Envelope Stress Sensor CpxA Responds to Changes in Lipid Bilayer Properties
2015
The Cpx stress response system is induced by various environmental and cellular stimuli. It is also activated in Escherichia coli strains lacking the major phospholipid, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). However, it is not known whether CpxA directly senses changes in the lipid bilayer or the presence of misfolded proteins due to the lack of PE in their membranes. To address this question, we used an in vitro reconstitution system and vesicles with different lipid compositions to track modulations in the activity of CpxA in different lipid bilayers. Moreover, the Cpx response was validated in vivo by monitoring expression of a PcpxP-gfp reporter in lipid-engineered strains of E. coli. Our comb…
The mechanism of binding staphylococcal protein A to immunoglobin G does not involve helix unwinding.
1996
Structural changes in staphylococcal protein A (SpA) upon its binding to the constant region (Fc) of immunoglobulin G (IgG) have been studied by nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The NMR solution structure of the engineered IgG-binding domain of SpA, the Z domain (an analogue of the B domain of SpA), has been determined by simulated annealing with molecular dynamics, using 599 distance and dihedral angle constraints. Domain Z contains three alpha-helices in the polypeptide segments Lys7 to His18 (helix 1), Glu25 to Asp36 (helix 2), and Ser41 to Ala54 (helix 3). The overall chain fold is an antiparallel three-helical bundle. This is in contrast to the previ…
SDS-facilitated in vitro formation of a transmembrane B-type cytochrome is mediated by changes in local pH.
2011
Abstract The folding and stabilization of α-helical transmembrane proteins are still not well understood. Following cofactor binding to a membrane protein provides a convenient method to monitor the formation of appropriate native structures. We have analyzed the assembly and stability of the transmembrane cytochrome b 559 ′, which can be efficiently assembled in vitro from a heme-binding PsbF homo-dimer by combining free heme with the apo-cytochrome b 559 ′. Unfolding of the protein dissolved in the mild detergent dodecyl maltoside may be induced by addition of SDS, which at high concentrations leads to dimer dissociation. Surprisingly, absorption spectroscopy reveals that heme binding and…
A novel structural unit in the N-terminal region of filamins.
2014
Immunoglobulin-like (Ig) domains are a widely expanded superfamily that act as interaction motifs or as structural spacers in multidomain proteins. Vertebrate filamins (FLNs), which are multifunctional actin-binding proteins, consist of 24 Ig domains. We have recently discovered that in the C-terminal rod 2 region of FLN, Ig domains interact with each other forming functional domain pairs, where the interaction with signaling and transmembrane proteins is mechanically regulated by weak actomyosin contraction forces. Here, we investigated if there are similar inter-domain interactions around domain 4 in the N-terminal rod 1 region of FLN. Protein crystal structures revealed a new type of dom…
Assembly of a Filamin Four-domain Fragment and the Influence of Splicing Variant-1 on the Structure
2011
Filamins are scaffold proteins that bind to various proteins, including the actin cytoskeleton, integrin adhesion receptors, and adaptor proteins such as migfilin. Alternative splicing of filamin, largely constructed from 24 Ig-like domains, is thought to have a role in regulating its interactions with other proteins. The filamin A splice variant-1 (FLNa var-1) lacks 41 amino acids, including the last β-strand of domain 19, FLNa(19), and the first β-strand of FLNa(20) that was previously shown to mask a key binding site on FLNa(21). Here, we present a structural characterization of domains 18-21, FLNa(18-21), in the FLNa var-1 as well as its nonspliced counterpart. A model of nonspliced FLN…
An NMR view of the unfolding process of rusticyanin: Structural elements that maintain the architecture of a β-barrel metalloprotein
2005
The unfolding process of the blue copper protein rusticyanin (Rc) as well as its dynamic and D(2)O/H(2)O exchange properties in an incipient unfolded state have been studied by heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy. Titrations of apo, Cu(I), and Cu(II)Rc with guanidinium chloride (GdmCl) show that the copper ion stabilizes the folded species and remains bound in the completely unfolded state. The oxidized state of the copper ion is more efficient than the reduced form in this respect. The long loop of Rc (where the first ligand of the copper ion is located) is one of the most mobile domains of the protein. This region has no defined secondary structure elements and is prone to exchange its amide p…
Structure and Function of CutC Choline Lyase from Human Microbiota Bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae.
2015
CutC choline trimethylamine-lyase is an anaerobic bacterial glycyl radical enzyme (GRE) that cleaves choline to produce trimethylamine (TMA) and acetaldehyde. In humans, TMA is produced exclusively by the intestinal microbiota, and its metabolite, trimethylamine oxide, has been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, information about the three-dimensional structures of TMA-producing enzymes is important for microbiota-targeted drug discovery. We have cloned, expressed, and purified the CutC GRE and the activating enzyme CutD from Klebsiella pneumoniae, a representative of the human microbiota. We have determined the first crystal structures of both the choline-…
Transmembrane helix–helix interactions are modulated by the sequence context and by lipid bilayer properties
2012
Abstract Folding of polytopic transmembrane proteins involves interactions of individual transmembrane helices, and multiple TM helix–helix interactions need to be controlled and aligned to result in the final TM protein structure. While defined interaction motifs, such as the GxxxG motif, might be critically involved in transmembrane helix–helix interactions, the sequence context as well as lipid bilayer properties significantly modulate the strength of a sequence specific transmembrane helix–helix interaction. Structures of 11 transmembrane helix dimers have been described today, and the influence of the sequence context as well as of the detergent and lipid environment on a sequence spec…
Conformational response to ligand binding in phosphomannomutase2: insights into inborn glycosylation disorder.
2014
Background: Mutations in phosphomannomutase2 cause glycosylation disorder, a disease without a cure that will largely benefit from accurate ligand-bound models. Results: We obtained two models of phospomannomutase2 bound to glucose 1,6-bisphosphate and validated them with limited proteolysis. Conclusion: Ligand binding induces a large conformational transition in PMM2. Significance: We produce and validate closed-form models of PMM2 that represent a starting point for rational drug discovery.
Origins of fluorescence in evolved bacteriophytochromes
2014
Use of fluorescent proteins to study in vivo processes in mammals requires near-infrared (NIR) biomarkers that exploit the ability of light in this range to penetrate tissue. Bacteriophytochromes (BphPs) are photoreceptors that couple absorbance of NIR light to photoisomerization, protein conformational changes, and signal transduction. BphPs have been engineered to form NIR fluorophores, including IFP1.4, Wi-Phy, and the iRFP series, initially by replacement of Asp-207 by His. This position was suggestive because its main chain carbonyl is within hydrogen-bonding distance to pyrrole ring nitrogens of the biliverdin chromophore, thus potentially functioning as a crucial transient proton sin…