Regions Of Protein Surface Research Articles

A Fourier Fingerprint-Based Method for Protein Surface Representation

A crucial enabling technology for structural genomics is the development of algorithms that can predict the putative function of novel protein structures: the proposed functions can subsequently be experimentally tested by functional studies. Testable assignments of function can be made if it is possible to attribute a putative, or indeed probable, function on the basis of the shapes of the binding sites on the surface of a protein structure. However the comparison of the surfaces of 3D protein structures is a computationally demanding task. Here we present four surface representations that can be used locally to describe the global shape of specifically bounded local region models. The most successful of these representations is obtained by a Fourier analysis of the distribution of surface curvature on concentric spheres around a surface point and summarizes a 24 A diameter spherically clipped region of protein surface by a fingerprint of 18 Fourier amplitude values. Searching experiments using these fingerprints on a set of 366 proteins demonstrate that this provides an effective and an efficient technique for the matching of protein surfaces.

PvSOAR: detecting similar surface patterns of pocket and void surfaces of amino acid residues on proteins.

Detecting similar protein surfaces provides an important route for discovering unrecognized or novel functional relationship between proteins. The web server pvSOAR (pocket and void Surfaces Of Amino acid Residues) provides an online resource to identify similar protein surface regions. pvSOAR can take a structure either uploaded by a user or obtained from the Protein Data Bank, and identifies similar surface patterns based on geometrically defined pockets and voids. It provides several search modes to compare protein surfaces by similarity in local sequence, local shape and local orientation. Statistically significant search results are reported for visualization and interactive exploration. pvSOAR can be used to predict biological functions of proteins with known three-dimensional structures but unknown biological roles. It can also be used to study functional relationship between proteins and for exploration of the evolutionary origins of structural elements important for protein function. We present an example using pvSOAR to explore the biological roles of a protein whose structure was solved by the structural genomics project. The pvSOAR web server is available at http://pvsoar.bioengr.uic.edu/.

1P045 原子局所環境の物理化学的特徴を利用したタンパク質表面領域間類似性検出法の開発(蛋白質 B) 構造・機能相関)

1P045 原子局所環境の物理化学的特徴を利用したタンパク質表面領域間類似性検出法の開発(蛋白質 B) 構造・機能相関)

SURFACE: a database of protein surface regions for functional annotation.

The SURFACE (SUrface Residues and Functions Annotated, Compared and Evaluated, URL http://cbm.bio.uniroma2.it/surface/) database is a repository of annotated and compared protein surface regions. SURFACE contains the results of a large-scale protein annotation and local structural comparison project. A non-redundant set of protein chains is used to build a database of protein surface patches, defined as putative surface functional sites. Each patch is annotated with sequence and structure-derived information about function or interaction abilities. A new procedure for structure comparison is used to perform an all-versus-all patches comparison. Selection of the results obtained with stringent parameters offers a similarity score that can be used to associate different patches and allows reliable annotation by similarity. Annotation exerted through the comparison of regions of protein surface allows the highlighting of similarities that cannot be recognized by other methods of sequence or structure comparison. A graphic representation of the surface patches, functional annotations and the structural superpositions is available through the web interface.

Development of computational tools for the inference of protein interaction specificity rules and functional annotation using structural information

Relatively few protein structures are known, compared to the enormous amount of sequence data produced in the sequencing of different genomes, and relatively few protein complexes are deposited in the PDB with respect to the great amount of interaction data coming from high-throughput experiments (two-hybrid or affinity purification of protein complexes and mass spectrometry). Nevertheless, we can rely on computational techniques for the extraction of high-quality and information-rich data from the known structures and for their spreading in the protein sequence space. We describe here the ongoing research projects in our group: we analyse the protein complexes stored in the PDB and, for each complex involving one domain belonging to a family of interaction domains for which some interaction data are available, we can calculate its probability of interaction with any protein sequence. We analyse the structures of proteins encoding a function specified in a PROSITE pattern, which exhibits relatively low selectivity and specificity, and build extended patterns. To this aim, we consider residues that are well-conserved in the structure, even if their conservation cannot easily be recognized in the sequence alignment of the proteins holding the function. We also analyse protein surface regions and, through the annotation of the solvent-exposed residues, we annotate protein surface patches via a structural comparison performed with stringent parameters and independently of the residue order in the sequence. Local surface comparison may also help in identifying new sequence patterns, which could not be highlighted with other sequence-based methods.

Structural basis for recognition by an in vitro evolved affibody.

The broad binding repertoire of antibodies has permitted their use in a wide range of applications. However, some uses of antibodies are precluded due to limitations in the efficiency of antibody generation. In vitro evolved binding proteins, selected from combinatorial libraries generated around various alternative structural scaffolds, are promising alternatives to antibodies. We have solved the crystal structure of a complex of an all alpha-helical in vitro selected binding protein (affibody) bound to protein Z, an IgG Fc-binding domain derived from staphylococcal protein A. The structure of the complex reveals an extended and complementary binding surface with similar properties to protein-antibody interactions. The surface region of protein Z recognized by the affibody is strikingly similar to the one used for IgG(1) Fc binding, suggesting that this surface contains potential hot-spots for binding. The implications of the selected affibody binding-mode for its application as a universal binding protein are discussed.

Reversible S-glutathionylation of Cys 374 regulates actin filament formation by inducing structural changes in the actin molecule.

S-glutathionylation, the reversible formation of mixed disulphides of cysteinyl residues in target proteins with glutathione, occurs under conditions of oxidative stress; this could be a posttranslational mechanism through which protein function is regulated by the cellular redox status. A novel physiological relevance of actin polymerization regulated by glutathionylation of Cys(374) has been recently suggested. In the present study we showed that glutathionylated actin (GS-actin) has a decreased capacity to polymerize compared to native actin, filament elongation being the polymerization step actually inhibited. Actin polymerizability recovers completely after dethiolation, indicating that S-glutathionylation does not induce any protein denaturation and is therefore a reversible oxidative modification. The increased exposure of hydrophobic regions of protein surface observed upon S-glutathionylation indicates changes in actin conformation. Structural alterations are confirmed by the increased rate of ATP exchange as well as by the decreased susceptibility to proteolysis of the subtilisin cleavage site between Met(47) and Gly(48), in the DNase-I-binding loop of the actin subdomain 2. Structural changes in the surface loop 39-51 induced by S-glutathionylation could influence actin polymerization in view of the involvement of the N-terminal portion of this loop in intermonomer interactions, as predicted by the atomic models of F-actin.

Side-chain conformational entropy at protein-protein interfaces.

Protein-protein interactions are the key to many biological processes. How proteins selectively and correctly associate with their required protein partner(s) is still unclear. Previous studies of this "protein-docking problem" have found that shape complementarity is a major determinant of interaction, but the detailed balance of energy contributions to association remains unclear. This study estimates side-chain conformational entropy (per unit solvent accessible area) for various protein surface regions, using a self-consistent mean field calculation of rotamer probabilities. Interfacial surface regions were less flexible than the rest of the protein surface for calculations with monomers extracted from homodimer datasets in 21 of 25 cases, and in 8 of 9 for the large protomer from heterodimer datasets. In surface patch analysis, based on side-chain conformational entropy, 68% of true interfaces were ranked top for the homodimer set and 66% for the large protomer/heterodimer set. The results indicate that addition of a side-chain entropic term could significantly improve empirical calculations of protein-protein association.

Conformationally variable Rab protein surface regions mapped by limited proteolysis and homology modelling.

Tryptic proteolysis of the small GTPases Rab4 and Rab5 is a multi-step, nucleotide-dependent process. Using N-terminal peptide sequencing, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight MS and molecular modelling, we identified the three initial sites of proteolysis in Rab5 as Arg-4, Arg-81 and Arg-197. Arg-4 and Arg-81 lie within regions previously implicated in Rab5 endocytic function, and Arg-197 lies in a region involved in membrane targeting. Topologically, Arg-81 lies within the conformationally variable Switch II region shown to be important for protein-protein interactions of other GTPases. Homology modelling studies on Rab5 indicate that the Arg-81 side chain is buried in the Rab5 GTP conformation, but is solvent-accessible in the GDP conformation, explaining the dependence of proteolysis on nucleotides. Peptide mapping of Rab4 was performed to take advantage of additional scissile bonds within Switch II to determine more precisely the limits of the nucleotide-dependent protease-accessible region. The Rab4 cleavage sites corresponded to Arg-81 and Pro-87 of Rab5, and taken together with the finding that Rab5 was not cleaved at Arg-91 this analysis defines an eight-residue surface-exposed conformationally variable region lying in the centre of Switch II. A sequence comparison of Rab proteins shows these eight residues to have a loosely conserved motif that we term Switch II(v) for its relative variability. C-terminal to Switch II(v) is a highly conserved Rab-specific YYRGA motif that we term Switch II(c) for its constant sequence. N-terminal to Switch II(v) is a sequence-invariant G-domain involved in nucleotide binding and hydrolysis. We propose that the Rab Switch II(v) region imparts specificity to nucleotide-dependent protein-protein interactions.

Packing at the protein-water interface.

We have determined the packing efficiency at the protein-water interface by calculating the volumes of atoms on the protein surface and nearby water molecules in 22 crystal structures. We find that an atom on the protein surface occupies, on average, a volume approximately 7% larger than an atom of equivalent chemical type in the protein core. In these calculations, larger volumes result from voids between atoms and thus imply a looser or less efficient packing. We further find that the volumes of individual atoms are not related to their chemical type but rather to their structural location. More exposed atoms have larger volumes. Moreover, the packing around atoms in locally concave, grooved regions of protein surfaces is looser than that around atoms in locally convex, ridge regions. This as a direct manifestation of surface curvature-dependent hydration. The net volume increase for atoms on the protein surface is compensated by volume decreases in water molecules near the surface. These waters occupy volumes smaller than those in the bulk solvent by up to 20%; the precise amount of this decrease is directly related to the extent of contact with the protein.

Flexibility plot of proteins.

The flexibility plot of a protein lies on the observation that amino acid residues with the highest turn potential, i.e. located in highly mobile regions of protein surface, also possess the smallest volumes as well as the lowest hydrophobicities. The plot is generated by shifting a five residue window along the protein sequence and calculating the value of the hydrophobicity-volume product for consecutive quintuplets of amino acid residues. The concomitant occurrence of small volumes and low hydrophobicities results in very deep minima. A threshold value has also been introduced in order to discriminate significant minima. To substantiate the interpretation that the selected minima actually indicate very flexible segments of a protein (loops, turns, etc.), we have compared plots obtained for model proteins (lysozyme, myoglobin, ribonuclease, trypsin, thermolysin and T4 lysozyme) with X-ray thermal factors profiles available for the same proteins. When compared to thermal profiles, the majority of flexible segments evidenced by our plots have been found to be in agreement with regions characterized by high thermal factors. Results have also been discussed in the light of local organization possessed by examined proteins.

Conformations in the Solid State and Solubility Properties of Protected Homooligopeptides of Glycine and β-Alanine

Abstract IR spectroscopic conformational analyses of Boc–Glyn–OBzl (n=3–7) and Boc–(β-Ala)n–OBzl (n=3–8) were performed in the solid state, suggesting the occurrence of the β-sheet structure in the higher oligomers (n=5–8). Solubility data indicate that insolubilities of Boc–Glyn–OBzl and Boc–(β-Ala)n–OBzl in high-polar solvents begin at hexa- and heptapeptide levels, respectively. Insolubility of protected homooligopeptides of Gly and β-Ala was estimated to be caused by β-sheet aggregation. The high potential for the β-sheet formation of Boc–Glyn–OBzl and Boc–(β-Ala)n–OBzl (n≥5) could clearly be attributed to the great freedom of the peptide backbone dihedral angles of each of the Gly and β-Ala residues in the β-sheet structure. The implications of a replacement of a few Gly residues with β-Ala residues in surface regions of proteins are also discussed.

Shape complementarity at the hemoglobin alpha 1 beta 1 subunit interface.

AbstractA computational method for attempting to predict protein complexes from the coordinates of the individual proteins has been developed. It is based on matching complementary patterns of knobs and holes. The computer algorithm correctly and uniquely predicts the association of the alpha and beta subunits to form the αβ dimer corresponding to the α1β1 interface in the hemoglobin tetramer. It fails to correctly dock trypsin inhibitor onto trypsin. Nevertheless, this lone success is still a significant advance over previous protein‐docking algorithms. The method is also important because it introduces several ways to measure the shape of protein surface regions.

Measurement of protein surface shape by solid angles

A method for measuring the gross shape of local regions of protein surface is presented and applied to an examination of three proteins. Any point on the protein surface can be assigned a number that measures the degree of convexity or concavity of the surface in the vicinity of the point. This number is computed by centring a sphere at that point and measuring how much of the sphere lies inside the protein. The sphere radius is a parameter chosen according to the scale of the features that are being analysed. The amount of sphere intersecting the protein is interpreted as a solid angle, denoted omega. Three proteins are analysed by this method: lysozyme, Superoxide dismutase and chymotrypsin. The resulting omega values are used to colour code the protein surfaces displayed on a colour raster graphics terminal. The method can be seen to reliably identify protrusions and depressions. The difficulty of developing a generally useful method for measuring protein surface shape is discussed. Possible applications of the solid-angle method include the analysis of shape complementarity at protein interfaces, the development of computer algorithms for predicting complexes between proteins, or between proteins and ligands, the identification of homologous epitopes on different proteins that might be immunologically crossreactive, and the determination of correlations between surface geometry and chemical properties.

Kinetic studies on 1 : 1 electron-transfer reactions involving blue copper proteins. Part 6. Competitive inhibition of the [Co(phen)3]3+(phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) oxidation of parsley plastocyanin PCu(I) by redox-inactive complexes

A search has been carried out for redox-inactive inorganic complexes which exhibit competitive inhibition (i.e. blocking) of the [Co(phen)3]3+(phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) oxidation of negatively charged parsley plastocyanin, PCu(I), at 25 °C and I= 0.10 M (NaCl). Three complexes have been identified which give greater association (KB/M–1) with PCu(I) than that previously determined for [Cr(phen)3]3+(176 M–1). Association constants (M–1) obtained at pH 7.5 are: [Co(NH3)3]3+, 470; [Pt(NH3)6]4+, 22 300; and [(NH3)5Co(NH2)Co(NH3)5]5+, 16 000. Acid dissociation of [Pt(NH3)6]4+, pKa 7.1, requires that a lower pH be used for maximum effectiveness of this complex. Partial blocking only is observed in all three cases, and it is concluded that the site for electron transfer involves a broad region of protein surface incorporating Tyr 83 and the negative patch of residues including 42–45. The size of the effect for the 4+ and 5+ complexes makes these complexes most appropriate for further studies in which use of this site is tested for. It has been demonstrated with [Pt(NH3)6]4+ that association with PCu(I) becomes less effective at pH < 6.6. The protein acid dissociation pKa of 5.8 which is obtained is coincident with pKa values reported previously for the inactivation of PCu(I). A possible explanation involving a co-operative effect between the active site and negative patch 42–45 is proposed. No similar competitive inhibition of the [Fe(CN)6]3– oxidation of PCu(I) by redox-inactive complexes [Zr(C2O4)4]4– and [Mo(CN)8]4– is observed at pH 7.5.

Structurally inherent antigenic sites. Localization of the antigenic sites of the alpha-chain of human haemoglobin in three host species by a comprehensive synthetic approach.

The antigenic structure of the alpha-chain of human haemoglobin was studied by a synthetic approach consisting of the synthesis of a series of consecutive overlapping peptides that together systematically represent the entire primary structure of the protein. This approach enabled the identification of a full profile of immunochemically active alpha-chain peptides and the localization of its major 'continuous' antigenic sites. Antibodies to haemoglobin raised in each of three different species (goat, rabbit and mouse) recognize similar sites on the alpha-chain. Further, the molecular locations of these sites coincide with alpha-chain regions extrapolated from antigenic sites of the conformationally similar myoglobin molecule. These findings support our earlier proposed concept of 'structurally inherent antigenic sites', namely that antigenicity is conferred on certain surface regions of proteins by virtue of their three-dimensional locations. Thus the antigenic sites of conformationally related proteins are likely to have similar molecular locations.