Solution structure and dynamics of ribonuclease Sa

Identification of Conformational B-cell Epitopes in Diphtheria Toxin at Varying Temperatures Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The changes in temperature levels can potentially affect the toxins in terms of stability and immunological properties via alteration of their structures. Diphtheria Toxin (DT) is highly considered by scientists since its mechanism of action is similar to those of most bacterial toxins, such as botulinum, tetanus, and anthrax. The protection of conformational B-cell epitopes is critically important in the process of diphtheria vaccine production. This study aimed to evaluate the conformational changes of the DT structure at three different temperature levels (27˚C, 37˚C, and 47˚C) using molecular dynamic simulations. Secondary structures were analyzed in YASARA software. According to the results, significant decreases were observed in percentages of the β-sheets, turns, and the helices of the DT structure at 47˚C in comparison with those at 27˚C and 37˚C. Furthermore, the tertiary structure of the DT was compared at different temperatures using the contact map. Accordingly, the results showed that the root-mean-square deviation of the DT structure increased upon temperature rising. In addition, amino acids D68, G128, G171, C186, and K534-S535 at 27˚C and 37˚C, as well as amino acids G26, P38, S291, T267, H384, A356, and V518 at 47˚C showed higher root mean square fluctuation values. The finding demonstrated that the stability of the DT structure decreased at high temperature (47˚C). The solvent-accessible surface area diagram showed that the hydrophobicity of the DT structure increased via temperature rising, and the amino acid residues belonging to B-cell epitopes extended through increasing temperature. However, B-cell epitopes belonging to the junction region of chains A and B were only present at 37˚C. The results of this study are expected to be applicable for determining a suitable temperature level for the production process of the diphtheria vaccine.

Observation of Fast Two-Dimensional NMR Spectra during Protein Folding Using Polarization Transfer from Hyperpolarized Water

Nuclear spin hyperpolarized water is utilized to obtain protein spectra not only in the folded state but also during the refolding process. Polarization transfer to Ribonuclease Sa through proton exchange and the nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) results in NMR signal enhancements of amide protons by up to 24-fold. These enhancements enable the measurement of fast two-dimensional NMR spectra on the same time scale as the folding. Resolved amide proton signals corresponding to the folded protein are observed both under folded and refolding conditions, whereby the refolding protein shows smaller transferred signals. Residue-specific evaluation of contributions to the polarization transfer indicates that signals attributed to a relayed intramolecular NOE are not observable in the refolding experiment. These differences are explained by the absence of long-range contacts and faster molecular motions in the unfolded protein. Applications of this method include accessing residue-specific information on structure and dynamics during multistate protein folding.

Conformational dynamics of Ribonuclease Sa and its S48P mutant: Implications for the stability of the mutant protein

The optimization of β-turns has been used as a strategy to increase protein thermal stability. One example is the S48P mutation in Ribonuclease Sa, introduced to optimize a β-turn, which increases the stability of the protein as determined experimentally. Here, we have studied ⁴⁸SYGY⁵¹ β-turn and its S48P mutant from RNase Sa, as a peptide and as part of the protein, using molecular dynamics simulations. The turn propensity of the region ⁴⁸SYGY⁵¹ shows an increase in both the peptide and protein models on S48P mutation. The mutant protein shows an overall decrease in conformational dynamics and a decrease in conformational heterogeneity as compared to the wildtype protein. A comparatively restricted sampling of the φ-ψ region of GLN47, a pre PRO48 residue, in the mutant protein and some local changes in hydrogen bonding patterns involving residues 20-24 might be contributing to the mutant protein stability. In addition, some long-range hydrogen bonding interactions involving the 60s loop and the salt-bridge interaction involving ASP17-ARG63 could also be contributing to the increase in rigidity and stability of the mutant protein.

Ensemblator v3: Robust atom-level comparative analyses and classification of protein structure ensembles

Ensembles of protein structures are increasingly used to represent the conformational variation of a protein as determined by experiment and/or by molecular simulations, as well as uncertainties that may be associated with structure determinations or predictions. Making the best use of such information requires the ability to quantitatively compare entire ensembles. For this reason, we recently introduced the Ensemblator (Clark et al., Protein Sci 2015; 24:1528), a novel approach to compare user-defined groups of models, in residue level detail. Here we describe Ensemblator v3, an open-source program that employs the same basic ensemble comparison strategy but includes major advances that make it more robust, powerful, and user-friendly. Ensemblator v3 carries out multiple sequence alignments to facilitate the generation of ensembles from non-identical input structures, automatically optimizes the key global overlay parameter, optionally performs "ensemble clustering" to classify the models into subgroups, and calculates a novel "discrimination index" that quantifies similarities and differences, at residue or atom level, between each pair of subgroups. The clustering and automatic options mean that no pre-knowledge about an ensemble is required for its analysis. After describing the novel features of Ensemblator v3, we demonstrate its utility using three case studies that illustrate the ease with which complex analyses are accomplished, and the kinds of insights derived from clustering into subgroups and from the detailed information that locates significant differences. The Ensemblator v3 enhances the structural biology toolbox by greatly expanding the kinds of problems to which this ensemble comparison strategy can be applied.

Elucidating the Conformational Dependence of Calculated pKa Values

The variability within calculated protein residue pKa values calculated using Poisson-Boltzmann continuum theory with respect to small conformational fluctuations is investigated. As a general rule, sites buried in the protein core have the largest pKa fluctuations but the least amount of conformational variability; conversely, sites on the protein surface generally have large conformational fluctuations but very small pKa fluctuations. These results occur because of the heterogeneous or uniform nature of the electrostatic microenvironments at the protein core or surface, respectively. Atypical surface sites with large pKa fluctuations occur at the interfaces between significant anionic and cationic potentials.

Residue-level global and local ensemble-ensemble comparisons of protein domains

Many methods of protein structure generation such as NMR-based solution structure determination and template-based modeling do not produce a single model, but an ensemble of models consistent with the available information. Current strategies for comparing ensembles lose information because they use only a single representative structure. Here, we describe the ENSEMBLATOR and its novel strategy to directly compare two ensembles containing the same atoms to identify significant global and local backbone differences between them on per-atom and per-residue levels, respectively. The ENSEMBLATOR has four components: eePREP (ee for ensemble-ensemble), which selects atoms common to all models; eeCORE, which identifies atoms belonging to a cutoff-distance dependent common core; eeGLOBAL, which globally superimposes all models using the defined core atoms and calculates for each atom the two intraensemble variations, the interensemble variation, and the closest approach of members of the two ensembles; and eeLOCAL, which performs a local overlay of each dipeptide and, using a novel measure of local backbone similarity, reports the same four variations as eeGLOBAL. The combination of eeGLOBAL and eeLOCAL analyses identifies the most significant differences between ensembles. We illustrate the ENSEMBLATOR's capabilities by showing how using it to analyze NMR ensembles and to compare NMR ensembles with crystal structures provides novel insights compared to published studies. One of these studies leads us to suggest that a "consistency check" of NMR-derived ensembles may be a useful analysis step for NMR-based structure determinations in general. The ENSEMBLATOR 1.0 is available as a first generation tool to carry out ensemble-ensemble comparisons.

Determination of ensemble-average pairwise root mean-square deviation from experimental B-factors

Root mean-square deviation (RMSD) after roto-translational least-squares fitting is a measure of global structural similarity of macromolecules used commonly. On the other hand, experimental x-ray B-factors are used frequently to study local structural heterogeneity and dynamics in macromolecules by providing direct information about root mean-square fluctuations (RMSF) that can also be calculated from molecular dynamics simulations. We provide a mathematical derivation showing that, given a set of conservative assumptions, a root mean-square ensemble-average of an all-against-all distribution of pairwise RMSD for a single molecular species, <RMSD(2)>(1/2), is directly related to average B-factors (<B>) and <RMSF(2)>(1/2). We show this relationship and explore its limits of validity on a heterogeneous ensemble of structures taken from molecular dynamics simulations of villin headpiece generated using distributed-computing techniques and the Folding@Home cluster. Our results provide a basis for quantifying global structural diversity of macromolecules in crystals directly from x-ray experiments, and we show this on a large set of structures taken from the Protein Data Bank. In particular, we show that the ensemble-average pairwise backbone RMSD for a microscopic ensemble underlying a typical protein x-ray structure is approximately 1.1 A, under the assumption that the principal contribution to experimental B-factors is conformational variability.

Structure of RNase Sa2 complexes with mononucleotides--new aspects of catalytic reaction and substrate recognition

Although the mechanism of RNA cleavage by RNases has been studied for many years, there remain aspects that have not yet been fully clarified. We have solved the crystal structures of RNase Sa2 in the apo form and in complexes with mononucleotides. These structures provide more details about the mechanism of RNA cleavage by RNase Sa2. In addition to Glu56 and His86, which are the principal catalytic residues, an important role in the first reaction step of RNA cleavage also seems to be played by Arg67 and Arg71, which are located in the phosphate-binding site and form hydrogen bonds with the oxygens of the phosphate group of the mononucleotides. Their positive charge very likely causes polarization of the bonds between the oxygens and the phosphorus atom, leading to electron deficiency on the phosphorus atom and facilitating nucleophilic attack by O2' of the ribose on the phosphorus atom, leading to cyclophosphate formation. The negatively charged Glu56 is in position to attract the proton from O2' of the ribose. Extended molecular docking of mononucleotides, dinucleotides and trinucleotides into the active site of the enzyme allowed us to better understand the guanosine specificity of RNase Sa2 and to predict possible binding subsites for the downstream base and ribose of the second and third nucleotides.

Tryptophan fluorescence reveals the presence of long-range interactions in the denatured state of ribonuclease Sa

Characterizing the denatured state ensemble is crucial to understanding protein stability and the mechanism of protein folding. The aim of this research was to see if fluorescence could be used to gain new information on the denatured state ensemble. Ribonuclease Sa (RNase Sa) contains no Trp residues. We made five variants of RNase Sa by adding Trp residues at locations where they are found in other members of the microbial ribonuclease family. To better understand the protein denatured state, we also studied the fluorescence properties of the following peptides: N-acetyl-Trp-amide (NATA), N-acetyl-Ala-Trp-Ala-amide (AWA), N-acetyl-Ala-Ala-Trp-Ala-Ala-amide (AAWAA), and the five pentapeptides with the same sequence as the Trp substitution sites in RNase Sa. The major conclusions are: 1), the wavelength of maximum fluorescence intensity, lambda(max), does not differ significantly for the peptides and the denatured proteins; 2), the fluorescence intensity at lambda(max), I(F), differs significantly for the five Trp containing variants of RNase Sa; 3), the I(F) differences for the denatured proteins are mirrored in the peptides, showing that the short-range effects giving rise to the I(F) differences in the peptides are also present in the proteins; 4) the I(F) values for the denatured proteins are more than 30% greater than for the peptides, showing the presence of long-range effects in the proteins; 5), fluorescence quenching of Trp by acrylamide and iodide is more than 50% greater in the peptides than in the denatured proteins, showing that long-range effects limit the accessibility of the quenchers to the Trp side chains in the proteins; and 6), these results show that nonlocal effects in the denatured states of proteins influence Trp fluorescence and accessibility significantly.

Hydrogen Bonding Markedly Reduces the pK of Buried Carboxyl Groups in Proteins

The ionizable groups in proteins with the lowest pKs are the carboxyl groups of aspartic acid side-chains. One of the lowest, pK=0.6, is observed for Asp76 in ribonuclease T1. This low pK appeared to result from hydrogen bonds to a water molecule and to the side-chains of Asn9, Tyr11, and Thr91. The results here confirm this by showing that the pK of Asp76 increases to 1.7 in N9A, to 4.0 in Y11F, to 4.2 in T91V, to 4.4 in N9A+Y11F, to 4.9 in N9A+T91V, to 5.9 in Y11F+T91V, and to 6.4 in the triple mutant: N9A+Y11F+T91V. In ribonuclease Sa, the lowest pK=2.4 for Asp33. This pK increases to 3.9 in T56A, which removes the hydrogen bond to Asp33, and to 4.4 in T56V, which removes the hydrogen bond and replaces the -OH group with a -CH(3) group. It is clear that hydrogen bonds are able to markedly lower the pK values of carboxyl groups in proteins. These same hydrogen bonds make large contributions to the conformational stability of the proteins. At pH 7, the stability of D76A ribonuclease T1 is 3.8 kcal mol(-1) less than wild-type, and the stability of D33A ribonuclease Sa is 4.1 kcal mol(-1) less than wild-type. There is a good correlation between the changes in the pK values and the changes in stability. The results suggest that the pK values for these buried carboxyl groups would be greater than 8 in the absence of hydrogen bonds, and that the hydrogen bonds and other interactions of the carboxyl groups contribute over 8 kcal mol(-1) to the stability.

Molecular basis for nucleotide-binding specificity: role of the exocyclic amino group "N2" in recognition by a guanylyl-ribonuclease

Proteins interact with nucleotides to perform a multitude of functions within cells. These interactions are highly specific; however, the molecular basis for this specificity is not well understood. To identify factors critical for protein-guanine nucleotide recognition the binding of two closely related ligands, guanosine 3'-monophosphate (3'GMP) and inosine 3'-monophosphate (3'IMP), to Ribonuclease Sa (RNase Sa), a small, guanylyl-endoribonuclease from Streptomyces aureofaciens, was compared using isothermal titration calorimetry, NMR, X-ray crystallography and molecular dynamics simulations. This comparison has allowed for the determination of the contribution of the exocyclic amino group "N2" of the guanine base to nucleotide binding specificity. Calorimetric measurements indicate that RNase Sa has a higher affinity for 3'GMP (K=(1.5+/-0.2)x10(5)) over 3'IMP (K=(3.1+/-0.2)x10(4)) emphasizing the importance of N2 as a key determinant of RNase Sa guanine binding specificity. This result was unexpected as the published structural data for RNase Sa in complex with 3'GMP showed only a potential long-range interaction (>3.3A) between N2 and the side-chain of Glu41 of RNase Sa. The observed difference in affinity is largely due to a reduction in the favorable enthalpy change by 10 kJ/mol for 3'IMP binding as compared to 3'GMP that is accompanied by a significant difference in the heat capacity changes observed for binding the two ligands. To aid interpretation of the calorimetric data, the first crystal structure of a small, guanylyl ribonuclease bound to 3'IMP was determined to 2.0 A resolution. This structure has revealed small yet unexpected changes in the ligand conformation and differences in the conformations of the side-chains contacting the sugar and phosphate moieties as compared to the 3'GMP complex. The structural data suggest the less favorable enthalpy change is due to an overall lengthening of the contacts between RNase Sa and 3'IMP as compared to 3'GMP. The long-range interaction between N2 and Glu41 is critical for positioning of the nucleotide in the binding cleft for optimal contact formation. Thus, combined, the data demonstrate how a long-range interaction can have a significant impact on nucleotide binding affinity and energetics.

The salt-dependence of a protein-ligand interaction: ion-protein binding energetics

Using the binding of a nucleotide inhibitor (guanosine-3'-monophosphate) to a ribonuclease (ribonuclease Sa) as a model system, we show that the salt-dependence of the interaction arises due to specific ion binding at the site of nucleotide binding. The presence of specific ion-protein binding is concluded from a combination of differential scanning calorimetry and NMR data. Isothermal titration calorimetry data are then fit to determine the energetic profile (enthalpy, entropy, and heat capacity) for both the ion-protein and nucleotide-protein interactions. The results provide insight into the energetics of charge-charge interactions, and have implications for the interpretation of an observed salt-dependence. Further, the presence of specific ion-binding leads to a system behavior as a function of temperature that is drastically different from that predicted from Poisson-Boltzmann calculations.

Protein structure, stability and solubility in water and other solvents

Proteins carry out the most difficult tasks in living cells. They do so by interacting specifically with other molecules. This requires that they fold to a unique, globular conformation that is only marginally more stable than the large ensemble of unfolded states. The folded state is stabilized mainly by the burial and tight packing of over 80% of the peptide groups and non-polar side chains. If life as we know it is to exist in a solvent other than water, the folded state must be stable and soluble in the new solvent. Our analysis suggests that proteins will be unstable in most polar solvents such as ethanol, extremely stable in non-polar solvents such as cyclohexane, and even more stable in a vacuum. Our solubility studies suggest that protein solubility will be markedly lower in polar solvents such as ethanol and that proteins will be essentially insoluble in non-polar solvents such as cyclohexane. For these and other reasons it seems unlikely that the life we know could exist in any solvent system other than water.

Contribution of single tryptophan residues to the fluorescence and stability of ribonuclease Sa

Ribonuclease Sa (RNase Sa) contains no tryptophan (Trp) residues. We have added single Trp residues to RNase Sa at sites where Trp is found in four other microbial ribonucleases, yielding the following variants of RNase Sa: Y52W, Y55W, T76W, and Y81W. We have determined crystal structures of T76W and Y81W at 1.1 and 1.0 A resolution, respectively. We have studied the fluorescence properties and stabilities of the four variants and compared them to wild-type RNase Sa and the other ribonucleases on which they were based. Our results should help others in selecting sites for adding Trp residues to proteins. The most interesting findings are: 1), Y52W is 2.9 kcal/mol less stable than RNase Sa and the fluorescence intensity emission maximum is blue-shifted to 309 nm. Only a Trp in azurin is blue-shifted to a greater extent (308 nm). This blue shift is considerably greater than observed for Trp71 in barnase, the Trp on which Y52W is based. 2), Y55W is 2.1 kcal/mol less stable than RNase Sa and the tryptophan fluorescence is almost completely quenched. In contrast, Trp59 in RNase T1, on which Y55W is based, has a 10-fold greater fluorescence emission intensity. 3), T76W is 0.7 kcal/mol more stable than RNase Sa, indicating that the Trp side chain has more favorable interactions with the protein than the threonine side chain. The fluorescence properties of folded Y76W are similar to those of the unfolded protein, showing that the tryptophan side chain in the folded protein is largely exposed to solvent. This is confirmed by the crystal structure of the T76W which shows that the side chain of the Trp is only approximately 7% buried. 4), Y81W is 0.4 kcal/mol less stable than RNase Sa. Based on the crystal structure of Y81W, the side chain of the Trp is 87% buried. Although all of the Trp side chains in the variants contribute to the unusual positive circular dichroism band observed near 235 nm for RNase Sa, the contribution is greatest for Y81W.

Contribution of active site residues to the activity and thermal stability of ribonuclease Sa

We have used site-specific mutagenesis to study the contribution of Glu 74 and the active site residues Gln 38, Glu 41, Glu 54, Arg 65, and His 85 to the catalytic activity and thermal stability of ribonuclease Sa. The activity of Gln38Ala is lowered by one order of magnitude, which confirms the involvement of this residue in substrate binding. In contrast, Glu41Lys had no effect on the ribonuclease Sa activity. This is surprising, because the hydrogen bond between the guanosine N1 atom and the side chain of Glu 41 is thought to be important for the guanine specificity in related ribonucleases. The activities of Glu54Gln and Arg65Ala are both lowered about 1000-fold, and His85Gln is totally inactive, confirming the importance of these residues to the catalytic function of ribonuclease Sa. In Glu74Lys, k(cat) is reduced sixfold despite the fact that Glu 74 is over 15 A from the active site. The pH dependence of k(cat)/K(M) is very similar for Glu74Lys and wild-type RNase Sa, suggesting that this is not due to a change in the pK values of the groups involved in catalysis. Compared to wild-type RNase Sa, the stabilities of Gln38Ala and Glu74Lys are increased, the stabilities of Glu41Lys, Glu54Gln, and Arg65Ala are decreased and the stability of His85Gln is unchanged. Thus, the active site residues in the ribonuclease Sa make different contributions to the stability.

The contribution of polar group burial to protein stability is strongly context-dependent

We previously suggested that proteins gain more stability from the burial and hydrogen bonding of polar groups than from the burial of nonpolar groups (Pace, C. N. (2001) Biochemistry 40, 310-313). To study this further, we prepared eight Thr-to-Val mutants of RNase Sa, four in which the Thr side chain is hydrogen-bonded and four in which it is not. We measured the stability of these mutants by analyzing their thermal denaturation curves. The four hydrogen-bonded Thr side chains contribute 1.3 +/- 0.9 kcal/mol to the stability; those that are not still contribute 0.4 +/- 0.9 kcal/mol to the stability. For 40 Thr-to-Val mutants of 11 proteins, the average decrease in stability is 1.0 +/- 1.0 kcal/mol when the Thr side chain is hydrogen-bonded and 0.0 +/- 0.5 kcal/mol when it is not. This is clear evidence that hydrogen bonds contribute favorably to protein stability. In addition, we prepared four Val-to-Thr mutants of RNase Sa, measured their stability, and determined their crystal structures. In all cases, the mutants are less stable than the wild-type protein, with the decreases in stability ranging from 0.5 to 4.4 kcal/mol. For 41 Val-to-Thr mutants of 11 proteins, the average decrease in stability is 1.8 +/- 1.3 kcal/mol and is unfavorable for 40 of 41 mutants. This shows that placing an [bond]OH group at a site designed for a [bond]CH3 group is very unfavorable. So, [bond]OH groups can contribute favorably to protein stability, even if they are not hydrogen-bonded, if the site was selected for an [bond]OH group, but they will make an unfavorable contribution to stability, even if they are hydrogen-bonded, when they are placed at a site selected for a [bond]CH3 group. The contribution that polar groups make to protein stability depends strongly on their environment.

Charge-charge interactions are key determinants of the pK values of ionizable groups in ribonuclease Sa (pI=3.5) and a basic variant (pI=10.2)

The pK values of the titratable groups in ribonuclease Sa (RNase Sa) (pI=3.5), and a charge-reversed variant with five carboxyl to lysine substitutions, 5K RNase Sa (pI=10.2), have been determined by NMR at 20 degrees C in 0.1M NaCl. In RNase Sa, 18 pK values and in 5K, 11 pK values were measured. The carboxyl group of Asp33, which is buried and forms three intramolecular hydrogen bonds in RNase Sa, has the lowest pK (2.4), whereas Asp79, which is also buried but does not form hydrogen bonds, has the most elevated pK (7.4). These results highlight the importance of desolvation and charge-dipole interactions in perturbing pK values of buried groups. Alkaline titration revealed that the terminal amine of RNase Sa and all eight tyrosine residues have significantly increased pK values relative to model compounds.A primary objective in this study was to investigate the influence of charge-charge interactions on the pK values by comparing results from RNase Sa with those from the 5K variant. The solution structures of the two proteins are very similar as revealed by NMR and other spectroscopic data, with only small changes at the N terminus and in the alpha-helix. Consequently, the ionizable groups will have similar environments in the two variants and desolvation and charge-dipole interactions will have comparable effects on the pK values of both. Their pK differences, therefore, are expected to be chiefly due to the different charge-charge interactions. As anticipated from its higher net charge, all measured pK values in 5K RNase are lowered relative to wild-type RNase Sa, with the largest decrease being 2.2 pH units for Glu14. The pK differences (pK(Sa)-pK(5K)) calculated using a simple model based on Coulomb's Law and a dielectric constant of 45 agree well with the experimental values. This demonstrates that the pK differences between wild-type and 5K RNase Sa are mainly due to changes in the electrostatic interactions between the ionizable groups. pK values calculated using Coulomb's Law also showed a good correlation (R=0.83) with experimental values. The more complex model based on a finite-difference solution to the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, which considers desolvation and charge-dipole interactions in addition to charge-charge interactions, was also used to calculate pK values. Surprisingly, these values are more poorly correlated (R=0.65) with the values from experiment. Taken together, the results are evidence that charge-charge interactions are the chief perturbant of the pK values of ionizable groups on the protein surface, which is where the majority of the ionizable groups are positioned in proteins.

pK values of histidine residues in ribonuclease Sa: effect of salt and net charge

The primary goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of the effect of environment and ionic strength on the pK values of histidine residues in proteins. The salt-dependence of pK values for two histidine residues in ribonuclease Sa (RNase Sa) (pI=3.5) and a variant in which five acidic amino acids have been changed to lysine (5K) (pI=10.2) was measured and compared to pK values of model histidine-containing peptides. The pK of His53 is elevated by two pH units (pK=8.61) in RNase Sa and by nearly one pH unit (pK=7.39) in 5K at low salt relative to the pK of histidine in the model peptides (pK=6.6). The pK for His53 remains elevated in 1.5M NaCl (pK=7.89). The elevated pK for His53 is a result of screenable electrostatic interactions, particularly with Glu74, and a non-screenable hydrogen bond interaction with water. The pK of His85 in RNase Sa and 5K is slightly below the model pK at low salt and merges with this value at 1.5M NaCl. The pK of His85 reflects mainly effects of long-range Coulombic interactions that are screenable by salt. The tautomeric states of the neutral histidine residues are changed by charge reversal. The histidine pK values in RNase Sa are always higher than the pK values in the 5K variant. These results emphasize that the net charge of the protein influences the pK values of the histidine residues. Structure-based pK calculations capture the salt-dependence relatively well but are unable to predict absolute histidine pK values.

Tyrosine hydrogen bonds make a large contribution to protein stability

The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the contribution of hydrogen bonds by tyrosine -OH groups to protein stability. The amino acid sequences of RNases Sa and Sa3 are 69 % identical and each contains eight Tyr residues with seven at equivalent structural positions. We have measured the stability of the 16 tyrosine to phenylalanine mutants. For two equivalent mutants, the stability increases by 0.3 kcal/mol (RNase Sa Y30F) and 0.5 kcal/mol (RNase Sa3 Y33F) (1 kcal=4.184 kJ). For all of the other mutants, the stability decreases with the greatest decrease being 3.6 kcal/mol for RNase Sa Y52F. Seven of the 16 tyrosine residues form intramolecular hydrogen bonds and the average decrease in stability for these is 2.0(+/-1.0) kcal/mol. For the nine tyrosine residues that do not form intramolecular hydrogen bonds, the average decrease in stability is 0.4(+/-0.6) kcal/mol. Thus, most tyrosine -OH groups contribute favorably to protein stability even if they do not form intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Generally, the stability changes for equivalent positions in the two proteins are remarkably similar. Crystal structures were determined for two of the tyrosine to phenylalanine mutants of RNase Sa: Y80F (1.2 A), and Y86F (1.7 A). The structures are very similar to that of wild-type RNase Sa, and the hydrogen bonding partners of the tyrosine residues always form intermolecular hydrogen bonds to water in the mutants. These results provide further evidence that the hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions of polar groups in the tightly packed interior of folded proteins are more favorable than similar interactions with water in the unfolded protein, and that polar group burial makes a substantial contribution to protein stability.