Replacement Of Pro Research Articles

Improving the catalytic efficiency and substrate affinity of a novel esterase from marine Klebsiella aerogenes by random and site-directed mutation.

A novel esterase (EstKa) from marine Klebsiella aerogenes was characterized with hydrolytic activity against p-nitrophenyl caprylate (pNPC, C8) under optimum conditions (50°C and pH 8.5). After two rounds of mutagenesis, two highly potential mutants (I6E9 and L7B11) were obtained with prominent activity, substrate affinity and thermostability. I6E9 (L90Q/P96T) and L7B11 (A37S/Q100L/S133G/R138C/Q156R) were 1.56- and 1.65-fold higher than EstKa in relative catalytic efficiency. The influence of each amino acid on enzyme activity was explored by site-directed mutation. The mutants Pro96Thr and Gln156Arg showed 1.29- and 1.48-fold increase in catalytic efficiency (Kcat/Km) and 54.4 and 36.2% decrease in substrate affinity (Km), respectively. The compound mutant Pro96Thr/Gln156Arg exhibited 68.9% decrease in Km and 1.41-fold increase in Kcat/Km relative to EstKa. Homology model structure analysis revealed that the replacement of Gln by hydrophilic Arg on the esterase surface improved the microenvironment stability and the activity. The replacement of Pro by Thr enabled the esterase enzyme to retain 90% relative activity after 3h incubation at 45°C. Structural analysis confirmed that the formation of a hydrogen bond leads to a notable increase of catalytic efficiency under high temperature conditions.

Molecular characterization of ligand selectivity of the sex peptide receptors of Drosophila melanogaster and Aedes aegypti

Drosophila melanogaster sex peptide receptor (DrmSPR) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) with ‘dual ligand selectivity’ towards sex peptide (SP) and myoinhibitory peptides (MIPs), which are only remotely related to one another. SPR is conserved in almost all the sequenced lophotrochozoan and ecdysozoan genomes. SPRs from non-drosophilid taxa, such as those from the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti (AeaSPR), Anopheles gambiae (AngSPR), and the sea slug Aplysia californica (ApcSPR), are highly sensitive to MIP, but not to SP. To understand how Drosophila SPRs evolved their SP sensitivity while maintaining MIP sensitivity, we examined ligand selectivity in a series of chimeric GPCRs that combine domains from the SP-sensitive DrmSPR and the SP-insensitive AeaSPR. We found replacement of Pro 238 (P238) in DrmSPR with the corresponding residue from AeaSPR (L310) reduced its SP sensitivity 2.7 fold without altering its MIP sensitivity. The P238 residue located in the third extracellular loop (ECL3) is conserved in Drosophila SPRs and in SPR from the moth Bombyx mori (BomSPR), which is considerably more sensitive to SP than AeaSPR, AngSPR, or ApcSPR. We found, however, that rather than improving AeaSPR's sensitivity to SP, replacement of L310 in AeaSPR with Pro significantly reduces its MIP sensitivity. Thus, our identification of a single amino acid residue critical for SP sensitivity, but not for MIP sensitivity is an important step in clarifying how DrmSPR evolved the ability to detect SP.

In vitro and in silico studies of novel synthetic ACE-inhibitory peptides derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein hydrolysate

The structure-function relation of YR-10 (YGKPVAVPAR) was investigated by synthesizing four structural analogs of that including YHR-10 (YGKHVAVHAR), GA-8 (GKPVAVPA), GHA-8 (GKHVAVHA), and PAR-3 (PAR). GA-8 (GKPVAVPA) was synthesized on the basis of simulated enzymatic gastrointestinal digestion performed by bioinformatics tools (expasy-peptide cutter). This study explains the molecular mechanisms for the interaction of synthetic peptides with ACE. The IC50 values of each were 139.554 ± 2.3, 61.91 ± 1.2, 463.230 ± 3.56, 135.135 ± 2.1, 514.024 ± 5.86 µM, respectively. Results indicated that Pro replacement with His in YR-10 and GA-8 increased ACE inhibitory activity respectively, by 55.63% and 70.82%. Removal of Tyr and Arg from respectively N and C terminal positions of YR-10, following in silico simulated gastrointestinal digestion caused the 3.31 fold decrease in ACE inhibitory activity. YHR-10 showed the best docking poses, and GHA-8 exhibited interaction with Zn2+. Lineweaver–Burk plots of most active peptides suggest that they act as noncompetitive inhibitors against ACE.

Conformational preferences of the 2-methylproline residue and its role in stabilizing β-turn and polyproline II structures of peptides

Conformational preferences of the 2-methylproline (2-MePro) residue and its role in stabilizing β-turn and polyproline II (PII) structures of peptides have been studied using density functional methods in the gas phase and in water. The population of the C7 H-bonded structures of Ac-2-MePro-NHMe is calculated to be dominant in the gas phase, whereas they become significantly depopulated and the populations of polyproline and α-helical structures increase in water. Due to the increased stability of the up-puckered PII structure, the populations of its PII and PI structures are more increased by 10.9% and decreased by 12.2% than Ac-Pro-NHMe in water, respectively. There is a large decrease in the cis population by 20.6% for the prolyl peptide bond by replacing Pro with 2-MePro in water, which is consistent with 13C NMR experiments. For Ac-Ala-2-MePro-NHMe, the conformer with a βI-turn is found to be the most preferred conformer with the population of 25.2% in water, whereas the open conformers are dominantly populated for Ac-Ala-Pro-NHMe. This is consistent with experimental results that the Ala-Pro sequence of the antigen mimotope associated with autoimmune recurrent thrombosis has been known to adopt a stable βI-turn structure with the replacement of Pro by 2-MePro in water. With the replacement of a single Pro by 2-MePro in the middle of the sequences of the polyproline model peptide Ac-(Pro)5-NMe2 and the single-strand model peptide of collagen Ac-(Hyp-Gly-Pro)2-NMe2, the relative stabilities of the PII structures are enhanced by 8.11 and 3.91 kcal mol−1, respectively, although there are only small changes in backbone torsion angles of both PII and PI structures. It can be deduced that the single strands of (Hyp-Gly-2-MePro)n with the stable PII structure might provide more stability to their triple helix.

Structural insights into the potential of 4-fluoroproline to modulate biophysical properties of proteins

The unnatural amino acid 4-fluoroproline (4-FPro) can be used to replace natural proline in peptides and proteins to alter their stability, conformation and folding behavior. Interestingly, the two diastereomers (4R)- and (4S)-FPro behave quite differently resulting for example in increased or decreased protein stabilities. The reasons for the observed, opposed properties seem to be very complex and are not well understood yet, especially as only one single X-ray structure of a 4-FPro-modified protein is available, so far. The crystal structure of the large fragment of Taq DNA polymerase reported here far exceeds the molecular mass and number of 4-FPro residues of previous studied proteins and sheds light on how 4-FPro influences complex protein frameworks. It turns out that all aspects of prolyl Cγ-fluorination have to be considered in a combined fashion to understand how they account for the induced differences in protein stability. The interplay of different effects based on newly formed interactions and on the conformational preferences of 4-FPro determines whether the accepted diastereomer stabilizes or destabilizes the target protein. Due to counterbalanced effects, 4-FPro seems to be a very promising tool to even modify the properties of large enzymes with a high number of Pro residues since mono-fluorination at multiple sites is well tolerated by the target protein. Notably, the replacement of Pro by 4-FPro apparently also led to an improved crystallization capability of the DNA polymerase.

Triple Hyp→Pro replacement in integramide A, a peptaib inhibitor of HIV‐1 integrase: Effect on conformation and bioactivity

AIDS is produced by HIV-induced infections. HIV integrase is an important enzyme as it is critical for the integration of the HIV genome into that of the host cell. This complex process is exclusively carried out by a viral enzyme not found in the host cell. Therefore, this protein represents a safe target for the development of single or combined anti-HIV therapy. Integramide A is a 16-mer long, effective peptaib inhibitor of HIV-1 integrase. We have previously described a versatile synthetic strategy in solution to afford this natural compound and its diastereomer at positions 14 and 15. We also found that both peptides display a significant inhibitory activity. Here, we present our data on the synthesis in solution, in-depth conformational analysis, and biological activity against HIV-integrase of the analogs of the two above mentioned peptides in which all of the three (2S,4R)-Hyp residues at positions 2, 9, and 13 are replaced by L-Pro. This study definitely confirms that the mixed α-/3(10) - helical conformation of natural integramide A plays a key role in its mechanism of inhibition. Moreover, our data provide evidence that the amphipathic character of this helical structure is not required for the activity of integramide A against HIV-1 integrase. These observations will hopefully help us to further clarify the precise mechanism of inhibition of this interesting peptaib and to identify shorter peptide sequences active against HIV-1 integrase.

Effect of the -Gly-3(S)-hydroxyprolyl-4(R)-hydroxyprolyl- tripeptide unit on the stability of collagen model peptides

In order to evaluate the role of 3(S)-hydroxyproline [3(S)-Hyp] in the triple-helical structure, we produced a series of model peptides with nine tripeptide units including 0-9 3(S)-hydroxyproline residues. The sequences are H-(Gly-Pro-4(R)Hyp)(l)-(Gly-3(S)Hyp-4(R)Hyp)(m)-(Gly-Pro-4(R)Hyp)(n)-OH, where (l, m, n) = (9, 0, 0), (4, 1, 4), (3, 2, 4), (3, 3, 3), (1, 7, 1) and (0, 9, 0). All peptides showed triple-helical CD spectra at room temperature and thermal transition curves. Sedimentation equilibrium analysis showed that peptide H-(Gly-3(S)Hyp-4(R)Hyp)(9)-OH is a trimer. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that replacement of Pro residues with 3(S)Hyp residues decreased the transition enthalpy, and the transition temperature increases by 4.5 degrees C from 52.0 degrees C for the peptide with no 3(S)Hyp residues to 56.5 degrees C for the peptide with nine 3(S)Hyp residues. The refolding kinetics of peptides H-(Gly-3(S)Hyp-4(R)Hyp)(9)-OH, H-(Gly-Pro-4(R)Hyp)(9)-OH and H-(Gly-4(R)Hyp-4(R)Hyp)(9)-OH were compared, and the apparent reaction orders of refolding at 10 degrees C were n = 1.5, 1.3 and 1.2, respectively. Replacement of Pro with 3(S)Hyp or 4(R)Hyp has little effect on the refolding kinetics. This result suggests that the refolding kinetics of collagen model peptides are influenced mainly by the residue in the Yaa position of the -Gly-Xaa-Yaa- repeated sequence. The experiments indicate that replacement of a Pro residue by a 3(S)Hyp residue in the Xaa position of the -Gly-Xaa-4(R)Hyp- repeat of collagen model peptides increases the stability, mainly due to entropic factors.

Synthesis and immunosuppressive activity of new cyclolinopeptide A analogs modified with β‐prolines

Immune response suppressors are used in the medical praxis to prevent graft rejection after organ transplantation and in the therapy of some autoimmune diseases. As a continuation of our previous work searching for new, effective suppressors devoid of toxicity, we present the synthesis, conformational analysis, and biological activity of nonapeptides 1-6, analogs of naturally existing immunomodulatory peptide CLA. New CLA analogs were modified with (S)-beta(2)-iso-proline 7 or (S)-beta(3)-homo-proline 8, respectively. The conformational influence of the beta-iso-proline and beta-homo-proline building blocks was analyzed by NMR spectroscopy. Peptides 1-6 exist as a mixture of four isomers due to cis/trans isomerization of the Xxx-Pro peptide bond. The major isomers of peptides 1, 3, and 4 contain all peptide bonds of the trans geometry. The geometry of the proline-proline bond of the second populated isomer of peptides 3 and 4 is cis. The proline-proline peptide bond is cis for the major isomers of peptides 2, 5, and 6. The peptides were tested for their ability to suppress the proliferative response of mouse splenocytes to T- and B-cell mitogens and the secondary humoral immune response to sheep erythrocytes in vitro in parallel with a reference drug-cyclosporine A. The immunoregulatory actions of the peptides depended on the position and content of proline isomers and were, with some exceptions, strongly inhibitory at the highest dose tested (100 microg/ml). In addition, the peptides were practically devoid of toxicity at that dose. In conclusion, the replacement of Pro by beta-Pro may be useful for fine-tuning CLA immunosuppressive potency and undesirable toxicity.

Structure of FBP11 WW1-PL Ligand Complex Reveals the Mechanism of Proline-rich Ligand Recognition by Group II/III WW Domains

FBP11/HYPA is a mammalian homologue of yeast splicing factor Prp40. The first WW domain of FBP11/HYPA (FBP11 WW1) is essential for preventing severe neurological diseases such as Huntington disease and Rett syndrome and strongly resembles the WW domain of FCA, the essential regulator for flowering time control. We have solved the structure of FBP11 WW1 and a Pro-Pro-Leu-Pro ligand complex, and demonstrated the binding mechanism with mutational analysis using surface plasmon resonance. The overall structure of FBP11 WW1 in the complex form is quite similar to the structures of WW domains from Group I and IV in complexes. In addition, conformation of FBP11 WW1 does not change much upon ligand binding. The binding orientation of the ligand against FBP11 WW1 is the same as that of the Group IV WW domain-ligand complex, but opposite to that of the Group I complex. The ligand interacts with two grooves formed by surface aromatic residues. The Pro and Leu residues in the ligand interact with the grooves and the Loop I region of FBP11 WW1, respectively, which are necessary interactions for binding the ligand. Interestingly, the two aromatic grooves recognize the Pro residues in entirely different manners, which allows FBP11 WW1 to recognize shorter sequences than the SH3 domain. Combined with homology models of other WW domains, the present report shows the detailed mechanism of ligand binding by Group II/III WW domains, and provides information useful in designing drugs to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

Structural Characterization of Peptide-Mediated Inhibition of Porphyromonas gingivalis Biofilm Formation

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a periodontal pathogen whose primary niche is the anaerobic environment of subgingival dental plaque, but initial colonization of the oral cavity is likely to occur on supragingival surfaces that already support robust biofilm communities. Our studies have shown that P. gingivalis adheres to Streptococcus gordonii through interaction of the minor fimbrial antigen Mfa1 with a specific region of the streptococcal SspB polypeptide (residues 1167 to 1193) designated BAR. We show that a synthetic peptide comprising the BAR sequence potently inhibits P. gingivalis adherence to S. gordonii (50% inhibitory concentration = 1.3 microM) and prevents the development of P. gingivalis biofilms. However, a retroinverso peptide that possessed the same side chain topology as that of BAR was inactive, suggesting that interactions of Mfa1 with the peptide backbone of BAR are important for binding. A conformationally constrained analog of BAR inhibited P. gingivalis adherence and biofilm formation but at a lower specific activity than that of BAR. Therefore, to further define the structural features of the Mfa1-BAR interaction, we functionally screened combinatorial libraries of BAR in which active site residues (Asn1182, Thr1184, and Val1185) were replaced with each of the 19 common amino acids. Peptides containing positively charged amino acids at position 1182 or hydrophobic residues at position 1185 bound P. gingivalis more efficiently than did control peptides containing Asn and Val at these positions, suggesting that electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions may contribute to Mfa1-SspB binding. In contrast, replacement of Pro or Gly at these positions was detrimental to adherence, suggesting that perturbation of the BAR secondary structure influences activity. The net effect of substitutions for Thr1184 was less pronounced either positively or negatively than that at the other sites. These results define physicochemical characteristics of the interacting interface of Mfa1 and SspB and suggest that peptides or peptidomimetics with greater specific inhibitory activity than that of BAR can be developed. These compounds may represent potential therapeutics that target some of the first molecular interactions that allow P. gingivalis to colonize the oral cavity.

Essential of Proline and Valine Residues in the Peptide Derived from Lactoferrin for Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition

We synthesized Leu-Arg-Pro-Val-Ala-Ala-Glu, the peptide contained in lactoferrin (Lf), to identify the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition. In an attempt to know the structure-activity relationship of this peptide, we replaced Pro (the third amino acid residues from N-terminal) or Val (the fourth amino acid residues from N-terminal) with Ala (neutral amino acid), Glu (acidic amino acid) or Lys (basic amino acid) to produce six peptides. From the in vitro ACE inhibition (IC50) of these synthesized peptides, the original peptide (Leu-Arg-Pro-Val-Ala-Ala-Glu) showed higher ACE inhibition than the replaced six peptides. Thus, replacement of Pro at the third amino acid residues or Val at the fourth position with Ala, Glu or Lys revealed the ACE inhibition to be lower than the original form of Leu-Arg-Pro-Val-Ala-Ala-Glu. Otherwise, we added one peptide at the C-terminal of Leu-Arg-Pro-Val-Ala-Ala-Glu and found both products with an addition of Val (Leu-Arg-Pro-Val-Ala-Ala-Glu-Val) or Ile (Leu-Arg-Pro-Val-Ala-Ala-Glu-Ile) showing a lower ACE inhibition than the original one. The ACE inhibitions produced by both replaced peptides were without significance. Also, deletion of the last peptide at the C-terminal (Leu-Arg-Pro-Val-Ala-Ala) failed to produce a marked change of ACE inhibition as compared to the original one. These results suggest that Pro and Val are essential in the peptide for inhibition of ACE activity.

Identification of Conserved Prolyl Residue Important for Transport Activity and the Substrate Specificity Range of Yeast Plasma Membrane Na+/H+ Antiporters

Yeast plasma membrane Na+/H+ antiporters are divided according to their substrate specificity in two distinct subfamilies. To identify amino acid residues responsible for substrate specificity determination (recognition of K+), the Zygosaccharomyces rouxii Sod2-22 antiporter (non-transporting K+) was mutagenized and a collection of ZrSod2-22 mutants that improved the KCl tolerance of a salt-sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain was isolated. Several independent ZrSod2-22 mutated alleles contained the replacement of a highly conserved proline 145 with a residue containing a hydroxyl group (Ser, Thr). Site-directed mutagenesis of Pro145 proved that an amino acid with a hydroxyl group at this position is enough to enable ZrSod2-22p to transport K+. Simultaneously, the P145(S/T) mutation decreased the antiporter transport activity for both Na+ and Li+. Replacement of Pro145 with glycine resulted in a ZrSod2-22p with extremely low activity only for Na+, and the exchange of a charged residue (Asp, Lys) for Pro145 completely stopped the activity. Mutagenesis of the corresponding proline in the S. cerevisiae Nha1 antiporter (Pro146) confirmed that this proline of the fifth transmembrane domain is a critical residue for antiporter function. This is the first evidence that a non-polar amino acid residue is important for the substrate specificity and activity of yeast Nha antiporters.

Genetic Association, Post-translational Modification, and Protein-Protein Interactions in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a complex disorder with a strong genetic component. Inherited complex disease susceptibility in humans is most commonly associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms. The mechanisms by which this occurs are still poorly understood. Here we focus on analyzing the effect of a set of disease-causing missense variations of the monogenetic form of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and a set of disease-associated nonsynonymous variations in comparison with that of nonsynonymous variations without any experimental evidence for association with any disease. Analysis of different properties such as evolutionary conservation status, solvent accessibility, secondary structure, etc. suggests that disease-causing variations are associated with extreme changes in the value of the parameters relating to evolutionary conservation and/or protein stability. Disease-associated variations are rather moderately conserved and have a milder effect on protein function and stability. The majority of the genes harboring these variations are clustered in or near the insulin signaling network. Most of these variations are identified as potential sites for post-translational modifications; certain predictions have already reported experimental evidence. Overall our results indicate that Type 2 diabetes mellitus may result from a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms that impair modular domain function and post-translational modifications involved in signaling. Our emphasis is more on conserved corresponding residues than the variation alone. We believe that the approach of considering a stretch of peptide sequence involving a polymorphism would be a better method of defining the role of the polymorphism in the manifestation of this disease. Because most of the variations associated with the disease are rare, we hypothesize that this disease is a "mosaic model" of interaction between a large number of rare alleles and a small number of common alleles along with the environment, which is little contrary to the existing common disease common variant model.

Replacement of proline with valine does not remove an apparent proline isomerization-dependent folding event in CRABP I.

Site-directed mutagenesis has frequently been used to replace proline with other amino acids in order to determine if proline isomerization is responsible for a slow phase during refolding. Replacement of Pro 85 with alanine in cellular retinoic acid binding protein I (CRABP-I) abolished the slowest refolding phase, suggesting that this phase is due to proline isomerization in the unfolded state. To further test this assumption, we mutated Pro 85 to valine, which is the conservative replacement in the two most closely related proteins in the family (cellular retinoic acid binding protein II and cellular retinol binding protein I). The mutant protein was about 1 kcal/mole more stable than wild type. Retinoic acid bound equally well to wild type and P85V-CRABP I, confirming the functional integrity of this mutation. The refolding and unfolding kinetics of the wild-type and mutant proteins were characterized by stopped flow fluorescence and circular dichroism. The mutant P85V protein refolded with three kinetic transitions, the same number as wild-type protein. This result conflicts with the P85A mutant, which lost the slowest refolding rate. The P85V mutation also lacked a kinetic unfolding intermediate found for wild-type protein. These data suggest that proline isomerization may not be responsible for the slowest folding phase of CRABP I. As such, the loss of a slow refolding phase upon mutation of a proline residue may not be diagnostic for proline isomerization effects on protein folding.

Deciphering the molecular basis of the broad substrate specificity of alpha-glucosidase from Bacillus sp. SAM1606.

The alpha-glucosidase of Bacillus sp. strain SAM1606 is a member of glycosyl hydrolase family 13, and shows an extraordinarily broad substrate specificity and is one of very few alpha-glucosidases that can efficiently hydrolyze the alpha-1,1-glucosidic linkage of alpha,alpha'-trehalose (trehalose). Phylogenetic analysis of family-13 enzymes suggests that SAM1606 alpha-glucosidase may be evolutionally derived from an alpha-1,6-specific ancestor, oligo-1,6-glucosidase (O16G). Indeed, replacement of Pro(273*) and Thr(342*) of B. cereus O16G by glycine and asparagine (the corresponding residues in the SAM1606 enzyme), respectively, was found to cause 192-fold enhancement of the relative catalytic efficiency for trehalose, suggesting that O16G may easily "evolved" into an enzyme with an extended substrate specificity by substitution of a limited number of amino acids, including that at position 273* (an asterisk indicates the amino-acid numbering of the SAM1606 sequence). To probe the role of the amino acid at position 273* of alpha-glucosidase in determination of the substrate specificity, the amino acid at position 273 of SAM1606 alpha-glucosidase was replaced by all other naturally occurring amino acids, and the resultant mutants were kinetically characterized. The results showed that substitution of bulky residues (e.g., isoleucine and methionine) for glycine at this position resulted in large increases in the K(m) values for trehalose and maltose, whereas the affinity to isomaltose was only minimally affected by such an amino-acid substitution at this position. Three-dimensional structural models of the enzyme-substrate complexes of the wild-type and mutant SAM1606 alpha-glucosidases were built to explore the mechanism responsible for these observations. It is proposed that substitution by glycine at position 273* could eliminate steric hindrance around subsite +1 that originally occurred in parental O16G and is, at least in part, responsible for the acquired broad substrate specificity of SAM1606 alpha-glucosidase.

NMR and CD spectroscopy show that imino acid restriction of the unfolded state leads to efficient folding.

Protein folding is determined by molecular features in the unfolded state, as well as the native folded structure. In the unfolded state, imino acids both restrict conformational space and present cis-trans isomerization barriers to folding. Because of its high proline and hydroxyproline content, the collagen triple-helix offers an opportunity to characterize the impact of imino acids on the unfolded state and folding kinetics. Here, NMR and CD spectroscopy are used to characterize the role of imino acids in a triple-helical peptide, T1-892, which contains an 18-residue sequence from type I collagen and a C-terminal (Gly-Pro-Hyp)(4) domain. The replacement of Pro or Hyp by an Ala in the (Gly-Pro-Hyp)(4) region significantly decreases the folding rate at low but not high concentrations, consistent with less efficient nucleation. To understand the molecular basis of the decreased folding rate, changes in the unfolded as well as the folded states of the peptides were characterized. While the trimer states of the peptides are all similar, NMR dynamics studies show monomers with all trans (Gly-Pro-Hyp)(4) are less flexible than monomers containing Pro --> Ala or Hyp --> Ala substitutions. Nucleation requires all trans bonds in the (Gly-Pro-Hyp)(4) domain and the constrained monomer state of the all trans nucleation domain in T1-892 increases its competency to initiate triple-helix formation and illustrates the impact of the unfolded state on folding kinetics.

트립토판 중합호소 α 소단위 잔기 치환체 Pro96→Leu의 구조 변화에 영향을 미치는 139 및 258 잔기의 치환 효과

대장균 트립토판 중합효소(tryptophan synthase) <TEX>$\alpha$</TEX> 소단 위체의 96번, 139번 과 258번 자리를 돌연변이 시킨 이중 돌연변이체 P96L/F139W, P6L/F258W와 삼중 돌연변이체 P96L/F139W/F258W의 효소 활성도와 형광 분광계를 이용한 분광학적 성질을 조사하였다. 이중 돌연변이체의 효소 활성도는 야생형과 유사하나 삼중 돌연변이체는 40% 감소된 활성도를 가진다. P96L/F139W 와 P96L/F258W의 형광세기는 야생형에 비해 감소하였으나 P96L/F139W/F258W는 야생형에 비해 증가하였다. 효소 활성도와 형광 결과는 96번의 치환이 8번 알파구조와 4번 베타 구조와 4번 알파구조 사이의 loop의 안정성에 영향을 준 것을 나타낸다. 이 결과로부터 P96L/F139W/F258W는 야생형과 다른 3차 구조를 가지나 139번과 258면 주위는 더 조밀한 구조를 가지고 있다는 것을 보여준다. Enzymatic activities and fluorescence spectroscopic properties of the double mutant proteins P96L/F139W, P96L/F258W and a triple mutant protein P96L/F139W/F258W of tryptophan synthase <TEX>$\alpha$</TEX> subunit from Escherichia coli was examined to study tertiary and local structure changes around the tryptophan residues. The enzymatic activities of P96l./F139W and P96L/F258W were similar, but P96L/F139W/F258W had lower activity, as compared to wild type. The fluorescence intensities of double mutant, P96L/F139W and P96L/F258W, were decreased but that of a triple mutant, P96L/F139W/F258W, was increased when compared to wild type. The sum of the maximum fluorescence intensity (fluorescence intensity at the λ<TEX>$_{max}$</TEX>) for the double mutant proteins was not equal to the intensity seen in the triple mutant protein. The enzymatic activity and fluorescence data indicate that the replacement of Pro<TEX>$^{96}$</TEX> longrightarrowLeu might affect on the stability of helix 8 and the loop located between strand 4 and helix4. The result suggests that the tertiary structure of triple mutant (P96L/F139W/F258W), being different from wild type, might have more compact residual structure at the vicinity of 139 and 258.8.

N‐terminal contributions of the γ‐subunit of fetal hemoglobin to its tetramer strength: Remote effects at subunit contacts

The greatly increased tetramer strength of liganded fetal hemoglobin compared with adult hemoglobin is shown by its 70-fold smaller tetramer-dimer dissociation constant. This property has been shown previously to be only partially caused by the 5-amino-acid differences at both types of interfaces in each hemoglobin. A major contributor to tetramer strengthening is the 18-amino-acid N-terminal A helix of the gamma-subunit of fetal hemoglobin, which differs from the beta-subunit of adult hemoglobin at eight amino acid residues. This long-distance communication between the A helix and the distant C helix and FG helical corner comprising the subunit contacts at the allosteric interface represents internal signaling. Physiologically, its greater tetramer strength endows fetal hemoglobin with the capacity to abstract oxygen from maternal adult hemoglobin. It also leads to resistance of fetal red cells to the malaria parasite because the HbF tetramer does not dissociate to dimers as readily as HbA; dimers are digested by malaria proteases but tetramers are not. In this communication, we report which sites on the A helix of the gamma-subunit are important for tetramer strengthening in HbF by substituting certain amino acids in the beta-subunit by the corresponding residues in the gamma-subunit. The recombinant hemoglobins containing up to five replacements together have been extensively characterized. Mass values were within 1 unit of theory. Gly 1 (gamma) of HbF with its high pK(a) of 8.1 compared with a 7.1 value for Val 1 (beta) of HbA creates a highly electropositive N terminus that may couple with the electronegative sequence just after it on the gamma-subunit. The Leu 3 to Phe replacement has no apparent role; however, position 5 is important because replacement of Pro 5 (beta) by Glu 5 (gamma) promotes tetramer strengthening. The Glu --> Asp replacement at position 7 enhances this effect because of the lower pK(a) of Asp but the Val --> Ile substitution at position 11 has no effect. Thus, the three positive/negative sites at positions 1, 5, and 7 account for practically all of the tetramer strength of HbF, as illustrated by an electrostatic surface potential analysis. The pathway by which information is transmitted to the distant allosteric subunit interfaces is currently under study. Oxygen-binding properties of the hemoglobins with charged substitutions more closely resemble those of HbA rather than those of HbF. Thus, whereas the A helix has a major role in controlling the strength of interactions at the tetramer-dimer allosteric interface, oxygen-binding properties of HbA and HbF are influenced by sequences in the C helix and at the FG helical corner constituting the allosteric interface.

Glycosylation/Hydroxylation-induced Stabilization of the Collagen Triple Helix: 4-trans-HYDROXYPROLINE IN THE Xaa POSITION CAN STABILIZE THE TRIPLE HELIX

We have shown recently that glycosylation of threonine in the peptide Ac-(Gly-Pro-Thr)(10)-NH(2) with beta-d-galactose induces the formation of a collagen triple helix, whereas the nonglycosylated peptide does not. In this report, we present evidence that a collagen triple helix can also be formed in the Ac-(Gly-Pro-Thr)(10)-NH(2) peptide, if the proline (Pro) in the Xaa position is replaced with 4-trans-hydroxyproline (Hyp). Furthermore, replacement of Pro with Hyp in the sequence Ac-(Gly-Pro-Thr(beta-d-Gal))(10)-NH(2) increases the T(m) of the triple helix by 15.7 degrees C. It is generally believed that Hyp in the Xaa position destabilizes the triple helix because (Pro-Pro-Gly)(10) and (Pro-Hyp-Gly)(10) form stable triple helices but the peptide (Hyp-Pro-Gly)(10) does not. Our data suggest that the destabilizing effect of Hyp relative to Pro in the Xaa position is only true in the case of (Hyp-Pro-Gly)(10). Increasing concentrations of galactose in the solvent stabilize the triple helix of Ac-(Gly-Hyp-Thr)(10)-NH(2) but to a much lesser extent than that achieved by covalently linked galactose. The data explain some of the forces governing the stability of the annelid/vestimentiferan cuticle collagens.

Structure–activity relationships of the Helix neuropeptide, SEPYLRFamide, and its N-terminally modified analogues on identified Helix lucorum neurones

Metabotropic and ionotropic effects evoked by the endogenous Helix heptapeptide, SEPYLRFamide, and four analogues, i.e., where the amino acid sequences at the N-terminal (EPYLRFamide, SEGYLRFamide, SRPYLRFamide and SKPYLRFamide) were modified, were compared on identified Helix lucorum LPa2, LPa3, RPa3, RPa2 neurones using two electrode voltage clamp and current clamp techniques. All peptides (bath application) reduce reversibly the inward current to local ionophoretic application of acetylcholine onto the neurone soma with an order of potency: EPYLRFamide=SEGYLRFamide=SRPYLRFamide>SEPYLRFamide>SKPYLRFamide. The reductions of the acetylcholine-induced inward current evoked by SEPYLRFamide and its analogues at concentrations of 0.01–10 μM are not accompanied by a change of amplitude of the leak inward current caused by constant negative shift of a holding potential. At concentration of 50 μM all peptides increase reversibly the resting membrane conductance to an equal degree. Local application under pressure of SEPYLRFamide and its analogues onto the soma of neurones evoke hyperpolarizations with similar values. These results indicate that the N-terminal three amino acids of the peptide molecule are not responsible for the degree of ionotropic effect on the neurones studied. In contrast the amino acid sequence at the N-terminal modifies the degree of the modulatory effects of the YLRFamide-related analogues. Changes at the SEPYLRFamide N-terminal (Ser 1-Glu 2-Pro 3) intensify the inhibitory action of the analogues as compared with effect evoked by the endogenous peptide, that is, removal of Ser 1 (Glu 1-Pro 2), replacement of Pro 3 with Gly 3 (Ser 1-Glu 2-Gly 3), replacement of Glu 2 with Arg 2 (Ser 1-Arg 2-Pro 3). Replacement of Glu 2 with Lys 2 (Ser 1-Lys 2-Pro 3) reduces the modulatory potency. It is concluded that ionotropic and metabotropic effects of these YLRFamide-related peptides may occur at different membrane binding sites.