Mode Of Protein-protein Interaction Research Articles

Development of robust antibody purification by optimizing protein-A chromatography in combination with precipitation methodologies.

To be administered to patients, therapeutic monoclonal antibodies must have very high purity, with process related impurities like host-cell proteins (HCPs) and DNA reduced to <100 ppm and <10 ppb, respectively, relative to desired product. Traditionally, Protein-A chromatography as a capture step has been the work horse for clearing a large proportion of these impurities. However, remaining levels of process and product related impurities still present significant challenges on the development of polishing steps further downstream. In this study, we have incorporated high throughput screening to evaluate three areas of separation: (i) Harvest treatment; (ii) Protein-A Chromatography; and (iii) Low pH Viral Inactivation. Precipitation with low pH treatment of cell culture harvest resulted in selective removal of impurities while manipulating the pH of wash buffers used in Protein-A chromatography and incorporating wash additives that disrupt various modes of protein-protein interaction resulted in further and more pronounced reduction in impurity levels. In addition, our study also demonstrate that optimizing the neutralization pH post Protein-A elution can result in selective removal of impurities. When applied over multiple mAbs, this optimization method proved to be very robust and the strategy provides a new and improved purification process that reduces process related impurities like HCPs and DNA to drug substance specifications with just one chromatography column and open avenues for significant decrease in operating costs in monoclonal antibody purification.

DOCKSCORE: a webserver for ranking protein-protein docked poses.

BackgroundProteins interact with a variety of other molecules such as nucleic acids, small molecules and other proteins inside the cell. Structure-determination of protein-protein complexes is challenging due to several reasons such as the large molecular weights of these macromolecular complexes, their dynamic nature, difficulty in purification and sample preparation. Computational docking permits an early understanding of the feasibility and mode of protein-protein interactions. However, docking algorithms propose a number of solutions and it is a challenging task to select the native or near native pose(s) from this pool. DockScore is an objective scoring scheme that can be used to rank protein-protein docked poses. It considers several interface parameters, namely, surface area, evolutionary conservation, hydrophobicity, short contacts and spatial clustering at the interface for scoring.ResultsWe have implemented DockScore in form of a webserver for its use by the scientific community. DockScore webserver can be employed, subsequent to docking, to perform scoring of the docked solutions, starting from multiple poses as inputs. The results, on scores and ranks for all the poses, can be downloaded as a csv file and graphical view of the interface of best ranking poses is possible.ConclusionsThe webserver for DockScore is made freely available for the scientific community at: http://caps.ncbs.res.in/dockscore/.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-015-0572-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The FP Domains of PI31 and Fbxo7 have the same Protein Fold but very Different Modes of Protein–Protein Interaction

The FP (Fbxo7/PI31) domain was first identified on the basis of sequence similarity between the F-box protein (FBP) Fbxo7 and the proteasome inhibitor PI31. F-box only protein 7 (Fbxo7), a member of the Fbxo subfamily of FBPs, the best known function of Fbxo7 is the substrate-recognition subunit of the SCFFbxo7 E3 ubiquitin ligase that catalyzes the ubiquitination of hepatoma up-regulated protein (HURP) and inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP); PI31(Proteasome Inhibitor 31), a known regulatory subunit of the immunoproteasome which is an in vitro inhibitor of the 20S proteasome. Fbxo7 binds to PI31 with high affinity. The Fbxo7-PI31 interaction is mediated by heterodimerization of the FP domains. Recently, we have determined the crystal structure of the human Fbxo7 FP domain (181-335) at 2.0 Å and crystal structure of the longer PI31 FP domain (1-161) at 2.0 Å. The structure of PI31 FP domain is comparable to the Fbxo7 FP domain (including the C-terminal helix), indicating that the two FP domains share the same global fold. More significantly, structure of the Fbxo7 FP domain reveals a novel mode of inter-domain protein-protein interaction. The inter-domain interface of the Fbxo7 FP domain is best described as a αβ interface. While the inter-domain interface of PI31 FP domain can be described as α/β fold. Based on model building study, we propose that an interaction between the two FP domains of Fbxo7 and PI31 should be mediated by a αβ interface using the Fbxo7 FP domain α-helical surface and the PI31 FP domain β-sheet surface. Currently, we are trying to determine the Fbxo7-PI31 protein complex structure and study the interactions of Fbxo7 with its protein partners.

Insight into structural organization and protein-protein interaction of non structural 3 (NS3) proteins from dengue serotypes.

Dengue infections produce a distinct character of virus-induced intracellular membrane alterations which are associated with the viral replication machinery. Currently, the NS3 protein is being targeted for antiviral therapy against dengue. NS3 protein of dengue virus interacts with nuclear receptor binding protein (NRBP) of human causing cell trafficking between the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) and Golgi, which interacts with Rac3, a member of the Rho-GTPase family. No crystal structure of the NRBP is available for any species, thus limiting the complete understanding of structure- function relationships of this protein. The present study deals with the molecular modeling of the viral protein (NS3 of DENV1-4), the host protein (NRBP) and their interactions through protein-protein docking study. Theoretical threedimensional structures of the NRBP and NS3 were modeled using the Modeller 9v8, and the evaluated models were docked using GRAMM-X to study the mode of protein-protein interaction (NRBP as receptor and NS3 as ligand). The docked docking complexes were further evaluated for interaction analysis by the RosettaDock Server. Suface and interface residues were observed along with hydrogen and hydrophobic interaction. The conserved residues forming hydrogen interaction of NRBP with DENV1-4 serotypes were found to be GLN 305, SER 363 and GLN 379.

C-terminal COOH of Integrin β1 Is Necessary for β1 Association with the Kindlin-2 Adapter Protein

Protein-protein interactions are driving forces in cellular processes. As a prime example, transmembrane integrins link extracellular matrix and intracellular proteins, resulting in bidirectional signaling that regulates cell migration, proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Here we provide the first evidence that interaction between the integrin β1 cytoplasmic tail and kindlin-2, a member of a family of adapters implicated in human disease pathogenesis, is mainly governed by the β1 C-terminal carboxylate moiety and is required for laterality organ development in zebrafish. Affinity measurements indicate that this unusual protein-protein interaction mode is coordinated by a putative carboxylate-binding motif in the kindlin-2 FERM subdomain F3. Contrary to the C terminus of proteins that engage PDZ domains, the C-terminal three residues of β1, per se, do not contribute to kindlin-2 binding or to laterality organ development. Thus, by employing zebrafish as an in situ physiological tool to correlate protein structure and function, we have discovered an unexpected association chemistry between an integrin and a key adapter involved in integrin signaling.

Computational Drug Design Targeting Protein-Protein Interactions

Novel discoveries in molecular disease pathways within the cell, combined with increasing information regarding protein binding partners has lead to a new approach in drug discovery. There is interest in designing drugs to modulate protein-protein interactions as opposed to solely targeting the catalytic active site within a single enzyme or protein. There are many challenges in this new approach to drug discovery, particularly since the protein-protein interface has a larger surface area, can comprise a discontinuous epitope, and is more amorphous and less well defined than the typical drug design target, a small contained enzyme-binding pocket. Computational methods to predict modes of protein-protein interaction, as well as protein interface hot spots, have garnered significant interest, in order to facilitate the development of drugs to successfully disrupt and inhibit protein-protein interactions. This review summarizes some current methods available for computational protein-protein docking, as well as tabulating some examples of the successful design of antagonists and small molecule inhibitors for protein-protein interactions. Several of these drugs are now beginning to appear in the clinic.

Visualizing protein interactions involved in the formation of the 42S RNP storage particle of Xenopus oocytes

During early phases of Xenopus oogenesis, 5S rRNA and tRNAs are stored in the cytoplasm of young oocytes in the form of a common RNA-protein complex termed the 42S particle. These storage particles comprise two kinds of proteins with different RNA binding specificities. The tRNA-binding protein 42Sp50 belongs to the EF1A (eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A) family of translation elongation factors, while 42Sp43 is a diverged form of the transcription factor TFIIIA (transcription factor IIIA) and binds 5S rRNA. Little is known about the mode of protein-protein interactions that stabilize the 42S particle. We have determined the intracellular localization of the protein components of the 42S particle by expressing fluorescent protein-tagged fusions in transparent previtellogenic oocytes. 42Sp50 and its isoforms (EF1A-S and EF1A-O) were excluded from the nuclei and distributed uniformly throughout the cytoplasm with no enrichment in the Balbiani bodies, as described earlier by immunocytochemistry. In contrast, 42Sp43 accumulated in the amplified nucleoli. However, when both proteins were simultaneously expressed, 42Sp43 was no longer present in the nucleoli but was retained, together with 42Sp50, in the cytoplasm, the most likely site of 42S particle assembly. In contrast, the somatic-type EF1A isoforms were unable to redirect 42Sp43 from the nucleolar to the cytoplasmic compartment. We also tested for in vivo interactions using transiently transfected mammalian cells (COS-7 cell line). In this heterologous cell system 42Sp43 remained bound to the nucleoli but, on co-expression, induced the redistribution of 42Sp50 from the cytoplasm to the nucleoli. The microscopic approach described allows visualization of protein-protein interactions involved in the assembly of 42S storage particles. In particular, the transfection assay using COS-7 cells provides a rapid screening test that should facilitate identification of critical residues and structural determinants that enable the proteins of the 42S storage particle to interact with each other and to establish distinct higher-order RNP (ribonucleoprotein) complexes.

Homodimerization and Heterodimerization of Minimal Zinc(II)-Binding-Domain Peptides of T-Cell Proteins CD4, CD8α, and Lck

Metal-mediated protein oligomerization is an emerging mode of protein-protein interaction. The C-terminal cytosolic domains of T-cell coreceptors CD4 and CD8alpha form zinc-bridged heterodimers with the N-terminal region of the kinase Lck, with each protein contributing two cysteinate ligands to the complex. Using size exclusion chromatography, (1)H NMR, and UV/visible absorption spectroscopy with cobalt(II) as a spectroscopic probe, we demonstrate that small peptides derived from these regions form metal-bridged heterodimers but also homodimers, in contrast to previous reports. The Lck-CD4 and Lck-CD8alpha cobalt(II)-bridged heterodimer complexes are more stable than the corresponding (Lck)(2)cobalt(II) complex by factors of 11 +/- 4 and 22 +/- 9, respectively. These studies were aided by the discovery that cobalt(II) complexes with a cobalt(II)(-Cys-X-X-Cys-)(-Cys-X-Cys-) chromophore show unusual optical spectra with one component of the visible d-d ((4)A(2)-to-(4)T(1)(P)) transition red-shifted and well separated from the other components. These results provide insights into the basis of specificity of metal-bridged complex formation and on the potential biological significance of metal-bridged homodimers in T-cells.

Evolution of Function in the “Two Dinucleotide Binding Domains” Flavoproteins

Structural and biochemical constraints force some segments of proteins to evolve more slowly than others, often allowing identification of conserved structural or sequence motifs that can be associated with substrate binding properties, chemical mechanisms, and molecular functions. We have assessed the functional and structural constraints imposed by cofactors on the evolution of new functions in a superfamily of flavoproteins characterized by two-dinucleotide binding domains, the “two dinucleotide binding domains” flavoproteins (tDBDF) superfamily. Although these enzymes catalyze many different types of oxidation/reduction reactions, each is initiated by a stereospecific hydride transfer reaction between two cofactors, a pyridine nucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Sequence and structural analysis of more than 1,600 members of the superfamily reveals new members and identifies details of the evolutionary connections among them. Our analysis shows that in all of the highly divergent families within the superfamily, these cofactors adopt a conserved configuration optimal for stereospecific hydride transfer that is stabilized by specific interactions with amino acids from several motifs distributed among both dinucleotide binding domains. The conservation of cofactor configuration in the active site restricts the pyridine nucleotide to interact with FAD from the re-side, limiting the flow of electrons from the re-side to the si-side. This directionality of electron flow constrains interactions with the different partner proteins of different families to occur on the same face of the cofactor binding domains. As a result, superimposing the structures of tDBDFs aligns not only these interacting proteins, but also their constituent electron acceptors, including heme and iron-sulfur clusters. Thus, not only are specific aspects of the cofactor-directed chemical mechanism conserved across the superfamily, the constraints they impose are manifested in the mode of protein–protein interactions. Overlaid on this foundation of conserved interactions, nature has conscripted different protein partners to serve as electron acceptors, thereby generating diversification of function across the superfamily.

C-Jun Homodimers Can Function as a Context-Specific Coactivator

Transcription factors can function as DNA-binding-specific activators or as coactivators. c-Jun drives gene expression via binding to AP-1 sequences or as a cofactor for PU.1 in macrophages. c-Jun heterodimers bind AP-1 sequences with higher affinity than homodimers, but how c-Jun works as a coactivator is unknown. Here, we provide in vitro and in vivo evidence that c-Jun homodimers are recruited to the interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) promoter in the absence of direct DNA binding via protein-protein interactions with DNA-anchored PU.1 and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPbeta). Unexpectedly, the interaction interface with PU.1 and C/EBPbeta involves four of the residues within the basic domain of c-Jun that contact DNA, indicating that the capacities of c-Jun to function as a coactivator or as a DNA-bound transcription factor are mutually exclusive. Our observations indicate that the IL-1beta locus is occupied by PU.1 and C/EBPbeta and poised for expression and that c-Jun enhances transcription by facilitating a rate-limiting step, the assembly of the RNA polymerase II preinitiation complex, with minimal effect on the local chromatin status. We propose that the basic domain of other transcription factors may also be redirected from a DNA interaction mode to a protein-protein interaction mode and that this switch represents a novel mechanism regulating gene expression profiles.

Evolutionary relationships in the glutathione reductase superfamily

Computational methods are used to assign functions to many of the genes discovered by the genome projects and recent studies have shown that the degree of misannotation that results may be significant. Combining independent approaches based on homology and genome context to assign overall function and extrapolate details of chemical mechanism may result in fewer misannotations. Using a “mechanistically diverse superfamily” framework, we have clustered highly divergent sequences and structures from proteins in the glutathione reductase superfamily and correlated the conserved aspects of their chemical mechanisms with invariant structural features. We have clustered 1600 superfamily sequences into 9 subgroups comprising 15 families and extrapolated chemical mechanisms for characterized members to annotate hypothetical proteins assigned to each family. Independent support for these assignments was provided from genome context and co-evolution profiles linking uncharacterized members to characterized proteins in each family. Further, comparisons of the active sites of the structurally characterized members of the superfamily illustrate how all have retained common structural characteristics to facilitate a hydride transfer between pyridine nucleotide and FAD, despite wide divergence in overall functions. Conserved aspects of chemical mechanism have also imposed constraints on the binding configuration of cofactors in the active sites, resulting in overall structural similarities and modes of protein-protein interaction. Funding: PhRMA postdoctoral fellowship in informatics to SO and NIH GM60595 to PCB

Pleckstrin Homology Domains: Two Halves Make a Hole?

In a recent issue of Nature, van Rossum et al. report binding of a "split" pleckstrin homology (PH) domain from phospholipase C-gamma(1) to the TRPC3 ion channel. Through sequence analyses and in vitro studies, they suggest a novel mode of protein-protein interaction in which two PH domain fragments in distinct proteins associate to form an "intermolecular" PH domain that binds inositol phospholipids and is required for ion channel location and function.

Extensive Domain Motion and Electron Transfer in the Human Electron Transferring Flavoprotein·Medium Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Complex

The crystal structure of the human electron transferring flavoprotein (ETF).medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) complex reveals a dual mode of protein-protein interaction, imparting both specificity and promiscuity in the interaction of ETF with a range of structurally distinct primary dehydrogenases. ETF partitions the functions of partner binding and electron transfer between (i) the recognition loop, which acts as a static anchor at the ETF.MCAD interface, and (ii) the highly mobile redox active FAD domain. Together, these enable the FAD domain of ETF to sample a range of conformations, some compatible with fast interprotein electron transfer. Disorders in amino acid or fatty acid catabolism can be attributed to mutations at the protein-protein interface. Crucially, complex formation triggers mobility of the FAD domain, an induced disorder that contrasts with general models of protein-protein interaction by induced fit mechanisms. The subsequent interfacial motion in the MCAD.ETF complex is the basis for the interaction of ETF with structurally diverse protein partners. Solution studies using ETF and MCAD with mutations at the protein-protein interface support this dynamic model and indicate ionic interactions between MCAD Glu(212) and ETF Arg alpha(249) are likely to transiently stabilize productive conformations of the FAD domain leading to enhanced electron transfer rates between both partners.

Hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-gated HCN2 cation channel forms a protein assembly with multiple neuronal scaffold proteins in distinct modes of protein-protein interaction.

Hyperpolarization-activated cation currents, termed Ih, are non-uniformly distributed along dendritic arbors with current density increasing with increasing distance from the soma. The non-uniform distribution of Ih currents contributes to normalization of location-dependent variability in temporal integration of synaptic input, but the molecular basis for the graded HCN distribution remains to be investigated. The hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channels (HCNs) underlie Ih currents and consist of four members (HCN1-HCN4) of the gene family in mammals. In this investigation, we report that HCN2 forms a protein assembly with tamalin, S-SCAM and Mint2 scaffold proteins, using several different approaches including immunoprecipitation of rat brain and heterologously expressing cell extracts and glutathione S-transferase pull-down assays. The PDZ domain of tamalin interacts with HCN2 at both the PDZ-binding motif and the internal carboxy-terminal tail of HCN2, whereas binding of the PDZ domain of S-SCAM occurs at the cyclic nucleotide-binding domain (CNBD) and the CNBD-downstream sequence of the carboxy-terminal tail of HCN2. A protein assembly between HCN2 and Mint2 is formed by the interaction of the munc18-interacting domain of Mint2 with the CNBD-downstream sequence of HCN2. The results demonstrate that HCN2 forms a protein complex with multiple neuronal scaffold proteins in distinct modes of protein-protein interaction.

Polycomb Group Suppressor of Zeste 12 Links Heterochromatin Protein 1α and Enhancer of Zeste 2

Drosophila suppressor of zeste 12 (Su(z)12) is a Polycomb group (PcG) transcriptional repressor and is present in E(z)-ESC, a multiprotein complex with methylation activity specific for lysine 9 and 27 of histone H3. Although PcG- and heterochromatin-mediated gene silencing have been considered distinct, mutant flies of Su(z)12 showed not only homeotic transformation but also position effect variegation. We now report that the mammalian SU(Z)12 directly interacts with heterochromatin protein 1alpha (HP1alpha) and PcG enhancer of zeste 2 (EZH2), the mammalian counterpart of E(z), in vitro and in vivo. Two distinct domains in SU(Z)12 are involved in these interactions, the region between the zinc finger motif and the VEFS (VRN2-EMF2-FIS2-Su(z)12) box for HP1alpha (amino acid residues 479-536) and the VEFS box for EZH2 (amino acid residues 600-639), which are not mutually exclusive. Interestingly this region of the VEFS box has been shown to be critical for the phenotype of the Su(z)12 mutant fly. In addition SU(Z)12 represses transcription activity in the presence of HP1alpha in a reporter assay. These results provide a molecular explanation for the functional link of these epigenetic silencing processes mediated by Su(z)12.

Different Mechanisms of the Binding of Soluble Electron Donors to the Photosynthetic Reaction Center ofRubrivivax gelatinosus and Blastochloris viridis

The tetraheme cytochrome subunits of the photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) in two species of purple bacteria, Rubrivivax gelatinosus and Blastochloris (Rhodopseudomonas) viridis, were compared in terms of their capabilities to bind different electron-donor proteins. The wild-type RCs from both species and mutated forms of R. gelatinosus RCs (with amino acid substitutions introduced to the binding domain for electron-donor proteins) were tested for their reactivity with soluble cytochromes and high potential iron-sulfur protein. Cytochromes from both species were good electron donors to the B. viridis RC and the R. gelatinosus RC. The reactivity in the R. gelatinosus RC showed a clear dependence on the polarity of the charges introduced to the binding domain, indicating the importance of the electrostatic interactions. In contrast, high potential iron-sulfur protein, presumed to operate according to the hydrophobic mechanism of binding, reacted significantly only with the R. gelatinosus RC. Evolutionary substitution of amino acids in a region of the binding domain on the cytochrome subunit surface probably caused the change in the principal mode of protein-protein interactions in the electron-transfer chains.

Domain interactions in protein tyrosine kinase Csk.

Csk (C-terminal Src kinase) is a protein tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates Src family member C-terminal tails, resulting in downregulation of Src family members. It is composed of three principal domains: an SH3 (Src homology 3) domain, an SH2 (Src homology 2) domain, and a catalytic domain. The impact of the noncatalytic domains on kinase catalysis was investigated. The Csk catalytic domain was expressed in Escherichia coli as a recombinant glutathione S-transferase-fusion protein and demonstrated to have 100-fold reduced catalytic efficiency. Production of the catalytic domain by proteolysis of full-length Csk afforded a similar rate reduction. This suggested that the reduction in catalytic efficiency of the recombinant catalytic domain was intrinsic to the sequence and not an artifact related to faulty expression. This rate reduction was similar for peptide and protein substrates and was due almost entirely to a reduced k(cat) rather than to effects on substrate K(m)s. Viscosity experiments on the catalytic fragment kinase reaction demonstrated that the chemical (phosphoryl transfer) step had a reduced rate. While the Csk SH2 domain had no intermolecular effect on the kinase activity of the Csk catalytic domain, the SH3 domain and SH3-SH2 fragment led to a partial rescue (4-5-fold) of the lost kinase activity. This rescue was not achieved with two other SH3 domains (lymphoid cell kinase, Abelson kinase). The extrapolated K(d) of interaction for the Csk catalytic domain with the Csk SH3 domain was 2.2 microM and that of the Csk catalytic domain with the Csk SH3-SH2 fragment was 8.8 microM. Taken together, these findings suggest that there is likely an intramolecular interaction between the catalytic and SH3 domains in full-length Csk that is important for efficient catalysis. By employing a Csk SH3 specific type II polyproline helix peptide and carrying out site-directed mutagenesis, it was established that the SH3 surface that interacts with the catalytic domain was distinct from the surface that binds type II polyproline helix peptides. This finding suggests a novel mode of protein-protein interaction for an SH3 domain. The implications for Csk substrate selectivity, regulation, and function are discussed.

In vitro activation and repression of photosynthesis gene transcription in Rhodobacter capsulatus.

It has been known for over half a century that anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria maximally synthesize their photosystems in the absence of oxygen. During the last decade, it has become clear that this regulation is largely at the transcriptional level, with photosynthesis genes expressed only under anaerobic conditions. We describe here in vitro reconstitution of activation and repression of three photosynthesis promoters, bch (bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis), puc (light-harvesting II apoproteins) and puf (reaction centre and light-harvesting I apoproteins) using purified transcription factors and RNA polymerase from Rhodobacter capsulatus. Previous genetic results have indicated that each of these three promoters is differentially regulated by three key regulators: CrtJ acting as a repressor of bch and puc and the two-component regulators RegA/RegB, which are activators of puc and puf. These regulators are distinct from those that mediate oxygen control in enteric bacteria. Our in vitro studies show that these purified regulators directly control the expression of the housekeeping RNA polymerase at these promoters. High-level basal expression of the bch promoter is shown to be repressed by CrtJ. The puc promoter is activated by the RegB-phosphorylated RegA protein and additionally repressed by CrtJ. At the puc promoter, CrtJ effectively competes for promoter binding with RegA, while at the bch promoter, repression appears to be by competition for the RNA polymerase binding site. In contrast to what has been suggested previously, the RegA-activated puf promoter is demonstrated as being recognized by the housekeeping RNA polymerase. We also discuss evidence that RegA approximately P activation of the puc and puf promoters involves recruitment of RNA polymerase by different modes of protein-protein interaction.

Self-association of myelin basic protein: enhancement by detergents and lipids.

Self-association of basic protein has been proposed to be of functional significance in central nervous system myelin. In aqueous solution this protein self-associates, previous data being consistent with the formation of dimers, which then undergo an indefinite isodesmic self-association [Smith, R. (1980) Biochemistry 19, 1826-1831]. As this protein is membrane bound in vivo, we have now examined the effects of amphiphiles on the self-association equilibria. Contrary to the expected effects, at low molar ratios dodecyl sulfate, deoxycholate, Triton X-100, and lysophosphatidylcholine increased protein intermolecular attraction. The anionic detergents led to partial precipitation even at 1:1 protein:detergent molar ratios whereas the zwitterionic lipid and the nonionic detergent exerted less pronounced effects. Sedimentation velocity and equilibrium measurements have been used to define quantitatively the effects of lysophosphatidylcholine. The sedimentation coefficient increases up to a lipid:protein ratio of 4:1 and then remains constant up to a ratio of 12:1. The sedimentation equilibrium data suggest that the mode of protein-protein interaction is the same as in the absence of lipid but with substantially increased association constants. The dimerization constant is increased from 1.20 X 10(2) M-1 to 1.0 X 10(3) M-1 and the isodesmic association constant from 3.4 X 10(4) M-1 to 1.2 X 10(5) M-1. The effects of detergents on myelin basic protein are compared with the effects on other proteins, and the implications for the state of the protein with myelin are discussed.

A novel mode of protein-protein interaction. Water bridged cation-cation interaction in trypsin-inhibitor complex

A novel mode of protein-protein interaction. Water bridged cation-cation interaction in trypsin-inhibitor complex