Weakly polar interactions in proteins

Aromatic-aromatic interactions in the zinc finger motif. Analysis of the two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance structure of a mutant domain

The folding and stability of globular proteins are determined by a variety of chemical mechanisms, including hydrogen bonds, salt bridges and the hydrophobic effect. Of particular interest are weakly polar interactions involving aromatic rings, which are proposed to regulate the geometry of closely packed protein interiors. Such interactions reflect the electrostatic contribution of pi-electrons and, unlike van der Waals' interactions and the hydrophobic effect, may, in principle, introduce a directional force in a protein's hydrophobic core. Although the weakly polar hypothesis is supported by a statistical analysis of protein structures, the general importance of such contributions to protein folding and stability is unclear. Here, we show the presence of alternative aromatic-aromatic interactions in the two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance structure of a mutant Zn finger. Changes in aromatic packing lead in turn to local and non-local differences between the structures of a wild-type and mutant domain. The results provide insight into the evolution of Zn finger sequences and have implications for understanding how geometric relationships may be chemically encoded in a simple sequence template.

Three-dimensional structure for the beta 2 adrenergic receptor protein based on computer modeling studies

Computer-aided model building techniques have been used to construct three-dimensional model structures for hamster beta 2 adrenergic receptor. Experimental data were used as constraints to guide the model building procedure, and a number of rather strict criteria were applied to assess the physical plausibility of model structures. We present details of our best model structure to date, which is consistent with a large body of experimental data. We also discuss in detail our model building procedures and evaluation criteria, which we believe may be of general utility in modeling projects.

Hydrogen bond connectivity patterns and hydrophobic interactions in crystal structures of small, acyclic peptides

Crystal structures of all available unblocked linear peptides with two to five residues were retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database and their intermolecular contacts and packing modes studied using molecular graphics. This survey reveals that interactions between hydrophobic portions of the molecules are critically important in determining the overall features of their crystal packing patterns. Distinct hydrophobic columns or layers are observed in almost all crystal structures. Analyses of the relationships between these interactions and crystal growth properties of small peptides are given. It is suggested that needle growth is promoted by hydrophobic packing, usually along a short crystallographic axis (4.6-6.0 angstroms). Also contributing to these morphologic characteristics are entropic factors associated with hydrophobic aggregation as well as tightly bound water molecules on hydrophobic faces. The paper also provides a comprehensive overview of hydrogen bond patterns in acyclic peptide crystals. It is demonstrated that one of their primary roles is to provide a scaffolding within which hydrophobic groups can aggregate. Even though there is a high density of hydrogen bonds in the crystals, often with complex patterns and networks, certain motifs are found to recur in a number of structures indicating specific hydrogen bond preferences. Water, for example, is an integral part of the hydrogen bond networks in these crystals, usually acting as the primary donor for main-chain carboxylate groups in peptide hydrates.

Protein stability and molecular adaptation to extreme conditions

Proteins, due to the delicate balance of stabilizing and destabilizing interactions, are only marginally stable. Adaptation to extreme environments tends to shift the 'mesophilic' characteristics of proteins to the respective extremes of temperature, hydrostatic pressure, pH and salinity, such that, under the mutual physiological conditions, the molecular properties are similar regarding overall topology, flexibility and solvation. Enhanced intrinsic stability requires only minute local structural changes so that general strategies of stabilization cannot be established. Apart from mutative changes of amino-acid sequences, extrinsic factors (or cellular components) may be involved in 'extremophilic adaptation'. The molecular basis of acidophilic, alkalophilic and barophilic adaptation is still obscure. Mechanisms of enhanced thermal stability involve improved packing density, as well as specific local interactions. In halophiles, water and salt binding of the intrinsically stable protein inventory is accomplished by favoring acidic over basic amino acid residues and decreased hydrophobicity. General limits of viability are: (a) the susceptibility of the covalent structure of the polypeptide chain toward hydrolysis or hydrothermal degradation; (b) the competition of extreme solvent parameters with the weak electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions involved in protein stabilization; (c) perturbations of the folding and assembly of proteins; and (d) 'dislocation' of biochemical pathways due to effects of extreme conditions on the intricate network of metabolic reactions.

Do interhelical side chain-backbone hydrogen bonds participate in formation of leucine zipper coiled coils?

The leucine zipper proteins are a group of transcriptional regulators that dimerize to form a DNA binding domain. It has been proposed that this dimerization results from the hydrophobic association of the alpha-helices of two leucine zipper monomers into a coiled coil. We propose a model for a coiled coil based on a periodic hydrophobic-hydrophilic amino acid motif found in the leucine zipper regions of 11 transcriptional regulatory proteins. This model predicts the symmetrical formation of secondary hydrogen bonds between the polar side chains of one helix and the peptide carbonyls of the opposite chain, supplementing the interactions between hydrophobic side chains. Physical modeling (CPK) and in vacuo molecular mechanics calculations of the stability of the GCN4 leucine zipper coiled coil configured in accordance with this model demonstrate a greater stability for this conformer than for a conformer configured according to a current hydrophobic model. Molecular dynamics simulations show similar stability of the two models in vacuo but a higher stability of the hydrophobic model in water.

Architectural rules of the zinc-finger motif: comparative two-dimensional NMR studies of native and "aromatic-swap" domains define a "weakly polar switch"

The Zn-finger motif, encoding a globular minidomain with characteristic structure, provides a striking example of a sequence template for protein folding. Insight into architectural rules relating the amino acid sequence of a protein to its structure and stability may be obtained by comparative study of analogues. As our first step toward defining such rules for the Zn finger, we have recently described the design of an "aromatic-swap" analogue based on the ZFY two-finger repeat: a conserved alternation in sequence pattern observed among odd- and even-numbered domains in a family of sex-related vertebrate transcription factors. Consensus and "swapped" aromatic residues, introduced as revertants of less stable "aromaticless" analogues, were observed to provide equivalent contributions to the thermodynamic stability of the Zn finger. Here we describe and compare the solution structures of a wild-type domain and an aromatic-swap analogue, as determined by two-dimensional NMR and distance-geometry/restrained molecular dynamics calculations. The wild-type and aromatic-swap analogue each contain an N-terminal beta-sheet and a C-terminal alpha-helix (beta beta alpha motif), as observed in other systems, and exhibit a highly ordered hydrophobic core in which the native or swapped aromatic ring is closely packed. Remarkably, however, the two structures are stabilized by alternative aromatic-aromatic interactions, which in turn alter the respective DNA-binding surfaces. Our results suggest that native and swapped Zn-finger sequences encode a "weakly polar switch" between thermodynamically equivalent but functionally distinct architectures for DNA recognition.

Constraints on amino acid substitutions in the N-terminal helix of cytochrome c explored by random mutagenesis

The interaction of the N- and C-terminal helices is a hallmark of the cytochrome c family. Oligodeoxyribonucleotide-directed random mutagenesis within the gene encoding the C102T protein variant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae iso-1-cytochrome c was used to generate a library of mutations at the evolutionary invariant residues Gly-6 and Phe-10 in the N-terminal helix. Transformation of this library (contained on a low-copy-number yeast shuttle phagemid) into a yeast strain lacking a functional cytochrome c, followed by selection for cytochrome c function, reveals that 4-10% of the 400 possible amino acid substitutions are compatible with function. DNA sequence analysis of phagemids isolated from transformants exhibiting the functional phenotype elucidates the requirements for a stable helical interface. Basic residues are not tolerated at position 6 or 10. There is a broad volume constraint for amino acids at position 6. The amino acid substitutions observed to be compatible with function at Phe-10 show that the hydrophobic effect alone is sufficient to promote helical association. There are severe constraints that limit the combinations consistent with function, but the number of functionally consistent combinations observed exemplifies the plasticity of proteins.

Comparison of the structures of three carboxypeptidase A-phosphonate complexes determined by X-ray crystallography

The structures of the complexes of carboxypeptidase A (CPA) with two tight-binding phosphonate inhibitors have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The inhibitors, Cbz-Phe-ValP-(O)-Phe[ZFVP(O)F] and Cbz-Ala-GlyP-(O)-Phe[ZAGP(O)F], bind noncovalently to CPA with dissociation constants (Ki's) of 11 fM and 710 pM, respectively. The CPA-ZFVP(O)F complex crystallizes in the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit cell parameters a = 65.3 A, b = 63.4 A, and c = 76.0 A, and the CPA-ZAGP(O)F complex crystallizes in the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit cell parameters a = 63.4 A, b = 65.9 A, and c = 74.4 A. Both structures were determined by molecular replacement to a resolution of 2.0 A. The final crystallographic residuals are 0.189 for the CPA-ZFVP(O)F complex and 0.191 for the CPA-ZAGP(O)F complex. The CPA-ZFVP(O)F complex exhibits the lowest Ki yet determined for an enzyme-inhibitor interaction. Comparison of the CPA-ZFVP(O)F structure with that of the CPA-ZAAP(O)F complex [Kim, H., & Lipscomb, W.N. (1990) Biochemistry 29, 5546-5555] indicates the likely important contributions of hydrophobic and weakly polar enzyme-inhibitor interactions to the exceptional stability of the CPA-ZFVP(O)F complex. Among these interactions is a network of four aromatic rings of CPA and ZFVP(O)F in a configuration that allows stabilizing aromatic-aromatic edge-to-face interactions from one ring to the next. A comparison of the structures of the CPA-ZFVP(O)F, CPA-ZAAP(O)F and CPA-ZAGP(O)F complexes shows that all three phosphonates assume a similar binding mode in the active-site binding groove of CPA. For ZAGP(O)F, the glycyl P1 residue does not lead to an anomalous or a partially disordered binding mode as seen in some previous complexes of CPA involving dipeptide analogue inhibitors with glycyl P1 residues. The additional enzyme-inhibitor interactions for these tripeptide phosphonates secure a binding mode in which a Pi portion of the inhibitor is clearly bound by the corresponding Si binding subsite. These three phosphonates have been implicated as transition-state analogues of the CPA-catalyzed reaction. The phosphinyl groups of these phosphonates coordinate to the active-site zinc in a manner that has been proposed as a characteristic feature of the general-base (Zn-hydroxyl or Zn-water) mechanism for the CPA-catalyzed reaction. Further mechanistic proposals are made for Arg-127, whose probable role in binding substrates is apparent in these CPA-phosphonate complexes.

Modeling of nucleic acid complexes with cationic ligands: a specialized molecular mechanics force field and its application

A potential energy force field designed for modeling nucleic acids and particularly their complexes with cationic ligands is presented. The force field is a modified version of that developed by Weiner, S.J., Kollman, P.A., Nguyen, D.T. and Case, D.A.,J. Comp. Chem. 7,230-252 (1986) and is based upon the use of a distance dependent dielectric constant, epsilon = 4rij, and partially neutralized phosphates to represent solvent and counterion. Changes from the Weiner et al. force field include additional atom types and modifications to van der Waals, electrostatic, hydrogen bonding and torsional parameters. Molecular modeling test cases of the force field are presented for a number of simple small molecules, as well as uracil and benzene dimerization, thymine-adenine and cytosine-guanine base pair formation, and adenosine/deoxyadenosine pseudorotation. Several DNA and RNA oligomers and DNA/RNA intercalation complexes with ethidium are also modeled with the force field. In all cases, the modeling results compare favorably with available experimental results. Additionally, conformational trends observed experimentally for nucleic acids by NMR and X-ray crystallographic techniques are reproduced. The modeling results for ethidium intercalation indicate a complex in which the favorable interactions are primarily van der Waals contacts, and in which electrostatic interactions are a relatively minor component. We feel the force field is particularly useful for molecular mechanics aided drug design, and an analysis of modeling results with respect to design of drugs which bind selectively to RNA is presented.

Evidence for an acid-induced molten-globule state in interleukin-2; a fluorescence and circular dichroism study

The effect of low pH on the secondary and tertiary structure of the monomeric single-disulphide protein interleukin-2 (IL2) was monitored by fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Between pH 4 and pH 2 there is a gradual loosening of the tertiary structure as revealed by changes in tyrosine and tryptophan fluorescence emission, tryptophan fluorescence anisotropy, accessibility to the fluorescence quencher acrylamide and aromatic circular dichroism. The overall molecular size and secondary structure content are not significantly changed by acidification. These data are consistent with a 'molten globule' state for IL2 at low pH, in which the hydrophobic core/secondary structure is largely intact but the tertiary structure is flexible. Similar effects to low pH are seen at sub-denaturing concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride. Analysis of fluorescence lifetimes and derivative emission spectra of the single tryptophan, Trp-121, shows the existence of two distinct orientations for this side-chain, one of which is affected by a quenching group (the effect of which diminishes upon acidification) and another which is essentially unquenched. The identity of the quenching group is unclear but may well be Cys-125. The formation of the molten globule titrates with a pKa of about 2.3; this is unusually low for the acidic groups in proteins and indicates a perturbed pKa of a residue involved in a structurally important interaction such as a salt bridge. Candidate residues are Glu-15 or Asp-20, close to His-16 on the N-terminal helix of IL-2.

Manganese superoxide dismutase from Thermus thermophilus. A structural model refined at 1.8 A resolution

The structure of Mn(III) superoxide dismutase (Mn(III)SOD) from Thermus thermophilus, a tetramer of chains 203 residues in length, has been refined by restrained least-squares methods. The R-factor [formula: see text] for the 54,056 unique reflections measured between 10.0 and 1.8 A (96% of all possible reflections) is 0.176 for a model comprising the protein dimer and 180 bound solvents, the asymmetric unit of the P4(1)2(1)2 cell. The monomer chain forms two domains as determined by distance plots: the N-terminal domain is dominated by two long antiparallel helices (residues 21 to 45 and 69 to 89) and the C-terminal domain (residues 100 to 203) is an alpha + beta structure including a three-stranded sheet. Features that may be important for the folding and function of this MnSOD include: (1) a cis-proline in a turn preceding the first long helix; (2) a residue inserted at position 30 that distorts the helix near the first Mn ligand; and (3) the locations of glycine and proline residues in the domain connector (residues 92 to 99) and in the vicinity of the short cross connection (residues 150 to 159) that links two strands of the beta-sheet. Domain-domain contacts include salt bridges between arginine residues and acidic side chains, an extensive hydrophobic interface, and at least ten hydrogen-bonded interactions. The tetramer possesses 222 symmetry but is held together by only two types of interfaces. The dimer interface at the non-crystallographic dyad is extensive (1000 A2 buried surface/monomer) and incorporates 17 trapped or structural solvents. The dimer interface at the crystallographic dyad buries fewer residues (750 A2/monomer) and resembles a snap fastener in which a type I turn thrusts into a hydrophobic basket formed by a ring of helices in the opposing chain. Each of the metal sites is fully occupied, with the Mn(III) five-co-ordinate in trigonal bipyramidal geometry. One of the axial ligands is solvent; the four protein ligands are His28, His83, Asp166 and His170. Surrounding the metal-ligand cluster is a shell of predominantly hydrophobic residues from both chains of the asymmetric unit (Phe86A, Trp87A, Trp132A, Trp168A, Tyr183A, Tyr172B, Tyr173B), and both chains collaborate in the formation of a solvent-lined channel that terminates at Tyr36 and His32 near the metal ion and is presumed to be the path by which substrate or other inner-sphere ligands reach the metal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Isolation and in vitro characterization of temperature-sensitive mutants of the bacteriophage f1 gene V protein

In vivo selections were used to isolate 43 temperature-sensitive gene V mutants of the bacteriophage f1 from a collection of mutants constructed by saturation mutagenesis of the gene. The sites of temperature-sensitive substitutions are found in both the beta-sheets and the turns of the protein, and some sites are exposed to the solvent while others are not. Thirteen of the variant proteins were purified and characterized to evaluate their free energy changes upon unfolding and their affinities for single-stranded DNA, and eight were tested for their tendencies to aggregate at 42 degrees C. Each of the three temperature-sensitive mutants at buried sites and six of ten at surface sites had free energy changes of unfolding substantially lower (less stabilizing) than the wild-type at 25 degrees C. A seventh mutant at a surface site had a substantially altered unfolding transition and its free energy of unfolding was not estimated. The affinities of the mutant proteins for single-stranded DNA varied considerably, but two mutants at a surface site, Lys69, had much weaker binding to single-stranded DNA than any of the other mutants, while two mutants at another surface site, Glu30, had the highest DNA-binding affinities. The wild-type gene V protein is stable at 42 degrees C, but six of the eight mutants tested aggregated within a few minutes and the remaining two aggregated within 30 minutes at this temperature. Overall, each of the temperature-sensitive proteins tested had a tendency to aggregate at 42 degrees C, and most also had either a low free energy of unfolding (at 25 degrees C), or weak DNA binding. We suggest that any of these properties can lead to a temperature-sensitive gene V phenotype.

Pi-pi interactions: the geometry and energetics of phenylalanine-phenylalanine interactions in proteins

The geometries of aromatic-aromatic interactions between phenylalanine residues in proteins are analysed in detail and correlated with energy calculations. A new definition of the interplanar angle is important for distinguishing favourable edge-to-face and unfavourable face-to-face orientations. The experimental observations are scattered over a wide range of conformational space, with no strongly preferred single orientation. However, Phe-Phe interactions occur almost exclusively in electrostatically attractive geometries: electrostatically unfavourable regions are only sparsely populated. Electrostatics dominate the geometry of interaction, while van der Waals' interactions are less significant, probably due to the hydrophobic environment of the protein core. The observations on proteins support the Hunter-Sanders rules for pi-pi interactions. In particular, offset stacked geometries, which theory predicts to be favourable, are observed experimentally. For monocyclic aromatics, use of a C-H dipole, the approach used in molecular mechanics calculations, accounts well for these aromatic-aromatic interactions. Comparison with the results obtained from the small molecules database indicates that the protein and small molecule crystal environments are very different.

Hydrophobic clustering in nonnative states of a protein: interpretation of chemical shifts in NMR spectra of denatured states of lysozyme

Chemical shifts of resonances of specific protons in the 1H NMR spectrum of thermally denatured hen lysozyme have been determined by exchange correlation with assigned native state resonances in 2D NOESY spectra obtained under conditions where the two states are interconverting. There are subtle but widespread deviations of the measured shifts from the values which would be anticipated for a random coil; in the case of side chain protons these are virtually all net upfield shifts and it is shown that this may be the averaged effect of interactions with aromatic rings in a partially collapsed denatured state. In a very few cases, notably that of two sequential tryptophan residues, it is possible to interpret these effects in terms of specific, local interresidue interactions. Generally, however, there is no correlation with either native state shift perturbations or with sequence proximity to aromatic groups. Diminution of most of the residual shift perturbations on reduction of the disulfide cross-links confirms that they are not simply effects of residues adjacent in the sequence. Similar effects of chemical denaturants, with the disulfides intact, demonstrate that the shift perturbations reflect an enhanced tendency to side chain clustering in the thermally denatured state. The temperature dependences of the shift perturbations suggest that this clustering is noncooperative and is driven by small, favorable enthalpy changes. While the extent of conformational averaging is clearly much greater than that observed for a homologous protein, alpha-lactalbumin, in its partially folded "molten globule" state, the results clearly show that thermally denatured lysozyme differs substantially from a random coil, principally in that it is partially hydrophobically collapsed.

Energetics of repacking a protein interior

To test whether interactions in the hydrophobic core of a protein can be adequately modeled based on the properties of a liquid hydrocarbon, we measured the unfolding free energies of the wild-type bacteriophage f1 gene V protein and 29 mutants with apolar substitutions at positions 35 and 47. Stability changes arising from identical mutations at these two buried sites are quite different, suggesting that one site is more rigid than the other. Reversals of residues at positions 35 and 47 confirm that their environments are distinct. Mutants containing weakly polar residues at these two sites suggest that the protein interior is more polar than a liquid hydrocarbon. Interactions between residues at the two sites appear to be minimal. These observations are compatible with a view of protein interiors that incorporates properties of liquid hydrocarbons but also includes polar interactions and a site-dependent "packing energy" associated with changes in internal structure.

The frequency of ion-pair substructures in proteins is quantitatively related to electrostatic potential: a statistical model for nonbonded interactions

A statistical analysis of ion pairs in protein crystal structures shows that their abundance with respect to uncharged controls is accurately predicted by a Boltzmann-like function of electrostatic potential. It appears that the mechanisms of protein folding and/or evolution combine to produce a "thermal" distribution of local nonbonded interactions, as has been suggested by statistical-mechanical theories. Using this relationship, we develop a maximum likelihood methodology for estimation of apparent energetic parameters from the data base of known structures, and we derive electrostatic potential functions that lead to optimal agreement of observed and predicted ion-pair frequencies. These are similar to potentials of mean force derived from electrostatic theory, but departure from Coulombic behavior is less than has been suggested.

Structural biology of zinc

The biological function of zinc is governed by the composition of its tetrahedral coordination polyhedron in the metalloprotein, and each ligand group that coordinates to the metal ion does so with a well-defined stereochemical preference. Consequently, protein-zinc recognition and discrimination requires proper chemical composition and proper stereochemistry of the metal-ligand environment. However, it should be noted that the entire protein behaves as the "zinc ligand," since residues that are quite distant from the metal affect recognition and function by through-space (either solvent or the protein milieu) or through-hydrogen bond coulombic interactions. Additionally, long-range interactions across hydrogen bonds serve to orient ligands and therefore minimize the entropy loss incurred on metal binding. Since zinc is not subject to ligand field stabilization effects, it is easy for the tetrahedral protein-binding site to discriminate zinc from other first-row transition metal ions: It is only for Zn2+ that the change from an octahedral to a tetrahedral ligand field is not energetically disfavored. Structural considerations such as these must illuminate the engineering of de novo zinc-binding sites in proteins. Zinc serves chemical, structural, and regulatory roles in biological systems. In biological chemistry zinc serves as an electrophilic catalyst; that is, it stabilizes negative charges encountered during an enzyme-catalyzed reaction. The coordination polyhedron of catalytic zinc is usually dominated by histidine side chains. In biological structure zinc is typically sequestered from solvent, and its coordination polyhedron is almost exclusively dominated by cysteine thiolates. Structural or regulatory zinc is found as either a single metal ion or as part of a cluster of two or more metals. In multinuclear clusters cysteine thiolates either bridge two metal ions or serve as terminal ligands to a single metal ion. Even in complex multinuclear clusters, Zn2+ displays tetrahedral coordination. The structural biology of zinc continues to receive attention in catalytic and regulatory systems such as leucine aminopeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, transcription factors, and steroid receptors. For example, zinc-mediated hormone-receptor association has recently been demonstrated in the binding of human growth hormone to the extracellular binding domain of the human prolactin receptor (Cunningham et al., 1990). To be sure, structural studies of zinc in biology will continue to be a fruitful source of bioinorganic advances, as well as surprises, in the future.

Strength and co-operativity of contributions of surface salt bridges to protein stability

Many of the interactions that stabilize proteins are co-operative and cannot be reduced to a sum of pairwise interactions. Such interactions may be analysed by protein engineering methods using multiple thermodynamic cycles comprising wild-type protein and all combinations of mutants in the interacting residues. There is a triad of charged residues on the surface of barnase, comprising residues Asp8, Asp12 and Arg110, that interact by forming two exposed salt bridges. The three residues have been mutated to alanine to give all the single, double and triple mutants. The free energies of unfolding of wild-type and the seven mutant proteins have been determined and the results analysed to give the contributions of the residues in the two salt bridges to protein stability. It is possible to isolate the energies of forming the salt bridges relative to the solvation of the separated ions by water. In the intact triad, the apparent contribution to the stabilization energy of the protein of the salt bridge between Asp12 and Arg110 is -1.25 kcal mol-1, whereas that of the salt bridge between Asp8 with Arg110 is -0.98 kcal mol-1. The strengths of the two salt bridges are coupled: the energy of each is reduced by 0.77 kcal mol-1 when the other is absent. The salt-linked triad, relative to alanine residues at the same positions, does not contribute to the stability of the protein since the favourable interactions of the salt bridges are more than offset by other electrostatic and non-electrostatic energy terms. Salt-linked triads occur in other proteins, for example, haemoglobin, where the energy of only the salt-bridge term is important and so the coupling of salt bridges could be of general importance to the stability and function of proteins.

Synthesis and crystal structures of Boc-L-Asn-L-Pro-OBzl.CH3OH and dehydration side product, Boc-beta-cyano-L-alanine-L-Pro-OBzl

Boc-L-Asn-L-Pro-OBzl: C21H29O6N3.CH3OH, Mr = 419.48 + CH3 OH, monoclinic, P2(1), a = 10.049(1), b = 10.399(2), c = 11.702(1) A, beta = 92.50(1)degrees, V = 1221.7(3) A3, dx = 1.14 g.cm-3, Z = 2, CuK alpha (lambda = 1.54178 A), F(000) = 484 (with solvent), 23 degrees, unique reflections (I greater than 3 sigma(I)) = 1745, R = 0.043, Rw = 0.062, S = 1.66. Boc-beta-cyano-L-alanine-L-Pro-OBzl: C21H27O5N3, Mr = 401.46, orthorhombic, P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 15.741(3), b = 21.060(3), c = 6.496(3) A, V = 2153(1) A3, dx = 1.24 g.cm-3, Z = 4, CuK alpha (lambda = 1.54178 A), F(000) = 856, 23 degrees, unique reflections (I greater than 3 sigma(I)) = 1573, R = 0.055, Rw = 0.078, S = 1.86. The tert.-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc) protected dipeptide benzyl ester (OBzl), Boc-L-Asn-L-Pro-OBzl, prepared from a mixed anhydride reaction using isobutylchloroformate, Boc-L-asparagine, and HCl.L-proline-OBzl, crystallized with one methanol per asymmetric unit in an extended conformation with the Asn-Pro peptide bond trans. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding occurs between the methanol and the Asn side chain and between the peptide backbone and the Asn side chain. A minor impurity due to the dehydration of the Asn side chain to a beta-CNala crystallized with a similar extended conformation and a single intermolecular hydrogen bond.

Hydrogen bond stereochemistry in protein structure and function

Fifty high resolution protein structures from the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank have been analyzed for recurring motifs in hydrogen bond stereochemistry. Although an exhaustive analysis of hydrogen bond statistics has been presented by Baker & Hubbard, a detailed stereochemical analysis of classical donor (N-H, O-H, or S-H) and acceptor (N:, O:, or S:) structure within proteins is lacking. Here, we describe the preferential hydrogen bond stereochemistry for the side-chains of glutamate and aspartate (carboxylate), glutamine and asparagine (carboxamide), arginine (guanidinium), histidine (imidazole/imidazolium), tryptophan (indole), tyrosine (phenolic hydroxyl), lysine (ammonium), serine and threonine (alkyl hydroxyl), cysteine (thiol), methionine (thioether) and cystine (disulfide). Preferential hydrogen bond stereochemistry is governed by (1) the electronic configuration of acceptor atoms, (2) the steric accessibility of donor atoms and (3) the conformation of amino acid side-chains. Applications of hydrogen bond stereochemistry are useful in the interpretation of protein structure, function and stability. Additionally, this stereochemistry is a prerequisite to the interpretation of protein-other molecule recognition and biological catalysis.

Contribution of histidine residues to the conformational stability of ribonuclease T1 and mutant Glu-58----Ala

The pK values of the histidine residues in ribonuclease T1 (RNase T1) are unusually high: 7.8 (His-92), 7.9 (His-40), and 7.3 (His-27) [Inagaki et al. (1981) J. Biochem. 89, 1185-1195]. In the RNase T1 mutant Glu-58----Ala, the first two pK values are reduced to 7.4 (His-92) and 7.1 (His-40). These lower pKs were expected since His-92 (5.5 A) and His-40 (3.7 A) are in close proximity to Glu-58 at the active site. The conformational stability of RNase T1 increases by over 4 kcal/mol between pH 9 and 5, and this can be entirely accounted for by the greater affinity for protons by the His residues in the folded protein (average pK = 7.6) than in the unfolded protein (pk approximately 6.6). Thus, almost half of the net conformational stability of RNase T1 results from a difference between the pK values of the histidine residues in the folded and unfolded conformations. In the Glu-58----Ala mutant, the increase in stability between pH 9 and 5 is halved (approximately 2 kcal/mol), as expected on the basis of the lower pK values for the His residues in the folded protein (average pK = 7.1). As a consequence, RNase T1 is more stable than the mutant below pH 7.5, and less stable above pH 7.5. These results emphasize the importance of measuring the conformational stability as a function of pH when comparing proteins differing in structure.

Proteins under extreme physical conditions

Life on earth is ubiquitous within the limits from -5 to 110 degrees C for temperature, 0.1 to 120 MPa for hydrostatic pressure, 1.0 to 0.6 for water activity and pH 1 to 12. In general, mutative adaptation of proteins to changing environmental conditions tends to maintain 'corresponding states' regarding overall topology, flexibility and hydration. Due to the minute changes in the free energy of stabilization responsible for enhanced stability, nature provides a wide variety of different adaptative strategies. In the case of thermophilic proteins, improved packing densities are crucial. In halophilic proteins, decreased hydrophobicity and clustered surface charges serve to increase water and salt binding required for solubilization at high salt concentration. In the case of barophiles, high-pressure adaptation is expected to be less important than adaptation to low temperatures governing the deep sea. Nothing is known with respect to the mechanisms underlying psychrophilic and acidophilic/alkalophilic adaptation.

Refined crystal structure of the triphosphate conformation of H-ras p21 at 1.35 A resolution: implications for the mechanism of GTP hydrolysis

The crystal structure of the H-ras oncogene protein p21 complexed to the slowly hydrolysing GTP analogue GppNp has been determined at 1.35 A resolution. 211 water molecules have been built into the electron density. The structure has been refined to a final R-factor of 19.8% for all data between 6 A and 1.35 A. The binding sites of the nucleotide and the magnesium ion are revealed in high detail. For the stretch of amino acid residues 61-65, the temperature factors of backbone atoms are four times the average value of 16.1 A2 due to the multiple conformations. In one of these conformations, the side chain of Gln61 makes contact with a water molecule, which is perfectly placed to be the nucleophile attacking the gamma-phosphate of GTP. Based on this observation, we propose a mechanism for GTP hydrolysis involving mainly Gln61 and Glu63 as activating species for in-line attack of water. Nucleophilic displacement is facilitated by hydrogen bonds from residues Thr35, Gly60 and Lys16. A mechanism for rate enhancement by GAP is also proposed.

Substitution of Tyr254 with Phe at the active site of flavocytochrome b2: consequences on catalysis of lactate dehydrogenation

A role for Tyr254 in L-lactate dehydrogenation catalyzed by flavocytochrome b2 has recently been proposed on the basis of the known active-site structure and of studies that had suggested a mechanism involving the initial formation of a lactate carbanion [Lederer, F., & Mathews, F.S. (1987) in Flavins and Flavoproteins, Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium, Atlanta, GA, 1987 (Edmondson, D.E., & McCormick, D.B., Eds.) pp 133-142, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin]. This role is now examined after replacement of Tyr254 with phenylalanine. The kcat is decreased about 40-fold, Km for lactate appears unchanged, and the mainly rate-limiting step is still alpha-hydrogen abstraction, as judged from the steady-state deuterium isotope effect. Modeling studies with lactate introduced into the active site indicate two possible substrate conformations with different hydrogen-bonding partners for the substrate hydroxyl. If the hydrogen bond is formed with Tyr254, as was initially postulated, the mechanism must involve removal by His373 of the C2 hydrogen, with carbanion formation. If, in the absence of the Tyr254 phenol group, the hydrogen bond is formed with His373 N3, the substrate is positioned in such a way that the reaction must proceed by hydride transfer. Therefore the mechanism of the Y254F enzyme was investigated so as to distinguish between the two mechanistic possibilities. 2-Hydroxy-3-butynoate behaves with the mutant as a suicide reagent, as with the wild-type enzyme. Similarly, the mutant protein also catalyzes the reduction and the dehydrohalogenation of bromopyruvate under transhydrogenation conditions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Modeling of agonist binding to the ligand-gated ion channel superfamily of receptors

A generalized model is presented of agonist binding to ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs). Broad similarity in the structure of agonists suggests that the binding sites of LGICs may have evolved from a protobinding site. Aligned sequence data identified as a candidate for such a site a highly conserved 15 residue stretch of primary structure in the N-terminal extracellular region of all known LGIC subunits. We modeled this subregion, termed the cys-loop, as a rigid, amphiphilic beta-hairpin and propose that it may form a major determinant of a conserved structural binding cleft. In the model of the binding complex (1) an invariant aspartate residue at position 11 of the cys-loop is the anionic site interacting with the positively charged amine group of agonists, (2) a local dipole within the pi-electron system of agonists is favorably oriented in the electrostatic field of the invariant aspartate, (3) the epsilon ring-proton of a conserved aromatic residue at the turn of the cys-loop interacts orthogonally with the agonist pi-electron density at its electronegative center, and (4) selective recognition is partly a result of the type of amino acid residue at position 6 of the cys-loop. Additionally, formation of a hydrogen bond between the electronegative atom of the pi-electron system of agonist and a complementary group in the receptor may be important in the high-affinity binding of agonists.

Stability of protein pharmaceuticals

Recombinant DNA technology has now made it possible to produce proteins for pharmaceutical applications. Consequently, proteins produced via biotechnology now comprise a significant portion of the drugs currently under development. Isolation, purification, formulation, and delivery of proteins represent significant challenges to pharmaceutical scientists, as proteins possess unique chemical and physical properties. These properties pose difficult stability problems. A summary of both chemical and physical decomposition pathways for proteins is given. Chemical instability can include proteolysis, deamidation, oxidation, racemization, and beta-elimination. Physical instability refers to processes such as aggregation, precipitation, denaturation, and adsorption to surfaces. Current methodology to stabilize proteins is presented, including additives, excipients, chemical modification, and the use of site-directed mutagenesis to produce a more stable protein species.

Protein conformational prediction

The prediction of the secondary and tertiary structure of globular and membrane proteins is reviewed. Prospects are encouraging for future developments, but present algorithms require cautious interpretation.

Protein adsorption on polymer surfaces: calculation of adsorption energies

In an attempt to understand the mechanisms of protein adsorption at the solid-liquid interface, we have calculated the interaction potential energy between the protein and the polymer surface by a computer simulation approach. The adsorption of four proteins--lysozyme, trypsin, immunoglobulin Fab, and hemoglobin--on five polymer surfaces was examined. The model polymers used for the calculation were polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate), and poly(vinyl alcohol). All possible orientations of the protein on the polymer surfaces were simulated and the corresponding interaction energies for the initial contact stage of protein adsorption were calculated. In the calculation of interaction energies, the hydrophobic interaction was not treated explicitly owing to the difficulty in the theoretical treatment. The results showed that the interaction energy was dependent on the orientation of the protein on the polymer surfaces. The energy varied from -850 to +600 kJ/mol with an average of about -155 kJ/mol. The interaction energy was also dependent on the type of polymer. The average interaction energies of the four proteins with poly(vinyl alcohol) were always lower than those with the other polymers. The interaction energy was not dependent on the protein size. It was found that the dispersion attraction played the major role in protein adsorption on neutral polymer surfaces.