Solvent structure in crystals of trypsin determined by X-ray and neutron diffraction

First-passage fingerprints of water diffusion near glutamine surfaces

The extent to which biological interfaces affect the dynamics of water plays a key role in the exchange of matter and chemical interactions that are essential for life. The density and the mobility of water molecules depend on their proximity to biological interfaces and can play an important role in processes such as protein folding and aggregation. In this work, we study the dynamics of water near glutamine surfaces-a system of interest in studies of neurodegenerative diseases. Combining molecular-dynamics simulations and stochastic modelling, we study how the mean first-passage time and related statistics of water molecules escaping subnanometer-sized regions vary from the interface to the bulk. Our analysis reveals a dynamical complexity that reflects underlying chemical and geometrical properties of the glutamine surfaces. From the first-passage time statistics of water molecules, we infer their space-dependent diffusion coefficient in directions normal to the surfaces. Interestingly, our results suggest that the mobility of water varies over a longer length scale than the chemical potential associated with the water-protein interactions. The synergy of molecular dynamics and first-passage techniques opens the possibility for extracting space-dependent diffusion coefficients in more complex, inhomogeneous environments that are commonplace in living matter.

In Situ Generated Silver Nanodot Förster Resonance Energy Transfer Pair Reveals Nanocage Sizes

Characterizing nanocages in macromolecules is one of the keys to understanding various biological activities and further utilizing nanocages for novel materials synthesis. However, fast and straightforward detection of the nanocage size remains challenging. Here, we present a new approach to detect the diameter of a nanocage by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) of luminescent silver nanodot pairs with reverse micelles as a model. Silver nanodot FRET pairs can be generated in situ from a single silver nanodot species with critical energy transfer distances, R₀, of 4.8-6.5 nm. We have applied this approach to clarify the size variation of the water nanocage in nonionic surfactant Triton X-100-based reverse micelles. FRET efficiency decreases as more water is added, indicating that the size of the reverse micelles continuously expands with water content. The silver element in the nanocage also enhances the visualization of the nanocage under cryo-TEM imaging. The diameter of the water nanocage measured with the above approach is consistent with that obtained by cryo-TEM, demonstrating that the FRET measurement of silver nanodots can be a fast and accurate tool to detect nanocage dimensions. The above demonstration allows us to apply our strategy to other protein-based nanocages.

Effect of Crosslinker Topology on Enzymatic Degradation of Hydrogels

Despite the widespread use of hydrogels in biomedical applications, little is known regarding the effect of crosslinker topology on hydrogel degradation. Dendritic and linear elastin-like peptides (ELPs) were used as crosslinkers for hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels, and their enzymatic degradation was studied using trypsin. Rheological studies revealed that hydrogels crosslinked with ELP dendrimers (HA_denELPs) degraded more slowly than those crosslinked with the otherwise equivalent linear ELPs (i.e., both molecules have the same number of pentamers and peripheral lysine residues). The origin of this phenomenon was evaluated using solution studies in which various dendritic and linear ELPs were treated with trypsin. Apart from the expected steric hindrances due to the dendritic topology, we identified the dual directionality of the peptide sequences (generated by a central branching lysine residue) and the likelihood of cleaving a productive crosslinking point as two additional contributors to the lesser degradability of HA_denELPs. Overall, these results highlight how the molecular design of crosslinker topology represents a novel strategy to tune the degradation rate of hydrogels.

Applications of water molecules for analysis of macromolecule properties

Water molecules maintain proteins' structures, functions, stabilities and dynamics. They can occupy certain positions or pass quickly via a protein's interior. Regardless of their behaviour, water molecules can be used for the analysis of proteins' structural features and biochemical properties. Here, we present a list of several software programs that use the information provided by water molecules to: i) analyse protein structures and provide the optimal positions of water molecules for protein hydration, ii) identify high-occupancy water sites in order to analyse ligand binding modes, and iii) detect and describe tunnels and cavities. The analysis of water molecules' distribution and trajectories sheds a light on proteins' interactions with small molecules, on the dynamics of tunnels and cavities, on protein composition and also on the functionality, transportation network and location of functionally relevant residues. Finally, the correct placement of water molecules in protein crystal structures can significantly improve the reliability of molecular dynamics simulations.

Mobility of water and of protein atoms at the protein-water interface, monitored by anisotropic atomic displacement parameters, are largely uncorrelated

A non-redundant set of 231 protein crystal structures refined at a resolution better than (or equal to) 1 Å was extracted from the Protein Data Bank and the degree of conformational rigidity at the protein-water interface was examined by means of the Hirshfeld test and by comparing the orientations of the anisotropic Us for contacting protein and water atoms. Contacts between protein and water atoms are more rigid that contacts between water atoms and the degree of rigidity increases for shorter contacts and for more hydrogen-bonded atoms. Nevertheless, water and protein atoms are not rigidly held together. On the contrary, they seem to have little influence on their mobility to such an extent that hydration water, different from the protein atoms, cannot be considered to be properly in the solid state.

Structural and dynamical heterogeneities at glutamine-water interfaces

The behavior of water at the surfaces of solid amino acid crystals has received little attention despite its importance in nucleation processes. In this work, we take a first step to fill this gap by using molecular dynamics simulations to study the structural and dynamical properties of water near the (100), (010) and (001) surfaces of l-glutamine crystals. These highly hydrophilic surfaces serve as excellent model systems for interrogating the behavior of water. Despite having the same molecular composition, water at each surface displays characteristic structural, orientational and dynamical correlations. This behavior is tuned by how the different chemical groups of amino acids make contact with the liquid phase. All three surfaces yield a glassy layer of interfacial water which is reflected in different ways such as the presence of a rotationally arrested layer of water molecules and substantial slow down of the diffusion of water near the interface. By increasing the concentration of molecules in solution, we show that the binding of glutamine molecules to the crystal surface creates a crowded environment involving pockets of trapped water molecules altering the water dynamics in a highly non-trivial manner suggesting that the solvent dynamics may have important implications on crystal nucleation.

Water Dynamics in the Hydration Shells of Biomolecules

The structure and function of biomolecules are strongly influenced by their hydration shells. Structural fluctuations and molecular excitations of hydrating water molecules cover a broad range in space and time, from individual water molecules to larger pools and from femtosecond to microsecond time scales. Recent progress in theory and molecular dynamics simulations as well as in ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy has led to new and detailed insight into fluctuations of water structure, elementary water motions, electric fields at hydrated biointerfaces, and processes of vibrational relaxation and energy dissipation. Here, we review recent advances in both theory and experiment, focusing on hydrated DNA, proteins, and phospholipids, and compare dynamics in the hydration shells to bulk water.

Insight into the intermolecular recognition mechanism involved in complement component 4 activation through serine protease-trypsin

Serine protease cleaved-complement component 4 (C4) at sessile loop, which is significant for completion of lectin and classical complement pathways at the time of infections. The co-crystalized structure of C4 with Mannose-binding protein-associated serine protease 2 (MASP2) provided the structural and functional aspects of its interaction and underlined the C4 activation by MASP2. The same study also revealed the significance of complement control protein (CCP) domain through mutational study, where mutated CCP domain led to the inhibition of C4 activation. However, the interaction of trypsin serine domain with C4α sessile loop revealed another aspect of C4 activation. The human C4 cleavage by Trypsin (Tryp) in a control manner was explored but not yet revealed the identification of cleaved fragments. Hence, the present study investigated the Tryp mediated C4 activation using computational approach (protein-protein docking and molecular dynamics simulation) by comparing with the co-crystalized structure of C4-MASP2. Docking result identified the crucial interacting residues Gly219, Gln178, and Asn102 of Tryp catalytic pocket which were interacting with Arg756 and Glu759 (sessile loop) of α-Chain (C4) in a similar manner to C4-MASP2 co-crystallized complex. Moreover, MD simulation results and mutational study underlined the conformational rearrangements in the C4 due to the Tryp interaction. Comparative analysis of C4 alone, C4-Tryp, and C4-MASP2 revealed the impact of Tryp on C4 was similar as MASP2. These studies designate the role of sessile loop in the interaction with serine domain, which could be useful to understand the various interactions of C4 with other complement components.

Fifteen years of the Protein Crystallography Station: the coming of age of macromolecular neutron crystallography

The Protein Crystallography Station (PCS), located at the Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center (LANSCE), was the first macromolecular crystallography beamline to be built at a spallation neutron source. Following testing and commissioning, the PCS user program was funded by the Biology and Environmental Research program of the Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-OBER) for 13 years (2002-2014). The PCS remained the only dedicated macromolecular neutron crystallography station in North America until the construction and commissioning of the MaNDi and IMAGINE instruments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which started in 2012. The instrument produced a number of research and technical outcomes that have contributed to the field, clearly demonstrating the power of neutron crystallo-graphy in helping scientists to understand enzyme reaction mechanisms, hydrogen bonding and visualization of H-atom positions, which are critical to nearly all chemical reactions. During this period, neutron crystallography became a technique that increasingly gained traction, and became more integrated into macromolecular crystallography through software developments led by investigators at the PCS. This review highlights the contributions of the PCS to macromolecular neutron crystallography, and gives an overview of the history of neutron crystallography and the development of macromolecular neutron crystallography from the 1960s to the 1990s and onwards through the 2000s.

Structural mechanism of voltage-dependent gating in an isolated voltage-sensing domain

The transduction of transmembrane electric fields into protein motion has an essential role in the generation and propagation of cellular signals. Voltage-sensing domains (VSDs) carry out these functions through reorientations of positive charges in the S4 helix. Here, we determined crystal structures of the Ciona intestinalis VSD (Ci-VSD) in putatively active and resting conformations. S4 undergoes an ~5-Å displacement along its main axis, accompanied by an ~60° rotation. This movement is stabilized by an exchange in countercharge partners in helices S1 and S3 that generates an estimated net charge transfer of ~1 eo. Gating charges move relative to a ''hydrophobic gasket' that electrically divides intra- and extracellular compartments. EPR spectroscopy confirms the limited nature of S4 movement in a membrane environment. These results provide an explicit mechanism for voltage sensing and set the basis for electromechanical coupling in voltage-dependent enzymes and ion channels.

Homology modeling and virtual screening for antagonists of protease from yellow head virus

Yellow head virus (YHV) is one of the causative agents of shrimp viral disease. The prevention of YHV infection in shrimp has been developed by various methods, but it is still insufficient to protect the mass mortality in shrimp. New approaches for the antiviral drug development for viral infection have been focused on the inhibition of several potent viral enzymes, and thus the YHV protease is one of the interesting targets for developing antiviral drugs according to the pivotal roles of the enzyme in an early stage of viral propagation. In this study, a theoretical modeling of the YHV protease was constructed based on the folds of several known crystal structures of other viral proteases, and was subsequently used as a target for virtual screening—molecular docking against approximately 1364 NCI structurally diversity compounds. A complex between the protease and the hit compounds was investigated for intermolecular interactions by molecular dynamics simulations. Five best predicted compounds (NSC122819, NSC345647, NSC319990, NSC50650, and NSC5069) were tested against bacterial expressed YHV. The NSC122819 showed the best inhibitory characteristic among the candidates, while others showed more than 50 % of inhibition in the assay condition. These compounds could potentially be inhibitors for curing YHV infection.

Reintroducing electrostatics into macromolecular crystallographic refinement: application to neutron crystallography and DNA hydration

Most current crystallographic structure refinements augment the diffraction data with a priori information consisting of bond, angle, dihedral, planarity restraints, and atomic repulsion based on the Pauli exclusion principle. Yet, electrostatics and van der Waals attraction are physical forces that provide additional a priori information. Here, we assess the inclusion of electrostatics for the force field used for all-atom (including hydrogen) joint neutron/X-ray refinement. Two DNA and a protein crystal structure were refined against joint neutron/X-ray diffraction data sets using force fields without electrostatics or with electrostatics. Hydrogen-bond orientation/geometry favors the inclusion of electrostatics. Refinement of Z-DNA with electrostatics leads to a hypothesis for the entropic stabilization of Z-DNA that may partly explain the thermodynamics of converting the B form of DNA to its Z form. Thus, inclusion of electrostatics assists joint neutron/X-ray refinements, especially for placing and orienting hydrogen atoms.

Accommodating a nonconservative internal mutation by water-mediated hydrogen bonding between β-sheet strands: a comparison of human and rat type B (mitochondrial) cytochrome b5

Mammalian type B (mitochondrial) b(5) cytochromes exhibit greater amino acid sequence diversity than their type A (microsomal) counterparts, as exemplified by the type B proteins from human (hCYB5B) and rat (rCYB5B). The comparison of X-ray crystal structures of hCYB5B and rCYB5B reported herein reveals a striking difference in packing involving the five-strand β-sheet, which can be attributed to fully buried residue 21 in strand β4. The greater bulk of Leu21 in hCYB5B in comparison to that of Thr21 in rCYB5B results in a substantial displacement of the first two residues in β5, and consequent loss of two of the three hydrogen bonds between β5 and β4. Hydrogen bonding between the residues is instead mediated by two well-ordered, fully buried water molecules. In a 10 ns molecular dynamics simulation, one of the buried water molecules in the hCYB5B structure exchanged readily with solvent via intermediates having three water molecules sandwiched between β4 and β5. When the buried water molecules were removed prior to a second 10 ns simulation, β4 and β5 formed persistent hydrogen bonds identical to those in rCYB5B, but the Leu21 side chain was forced to adopt a rarely observed conformation. Despite the apparently greater ease of access of water to the interior of hCYB5B than of rCYB5B suggested by these observations, the two proteins exhibit virtually identical stability, dynamic, and redox properties. The results provide new insight into the factors stabilizing the cytochrome b(5) fold.

A novel evaluation of residue and protein volumes by means of Laguerre tessellation

Amino acids control the protein folding process and maintain its functional fold. This study underlines the interest of the Laguerre tessellation to determine relevant amino acid volumes in proteins. Previous studies used a limited number of proteins and only buried residues. The present computations improve the method and results on three main points: (i) a large, high-quality updated and refined data bank of proteins is used; (ii) all residues are taken into account, including those at the protein surface, thanks to (iii) the addition of a realistic solvent. The new values of the average and standard deviation of amino acid volumes show significant corrections with respect to previous studies. Another issue of the method is the polyhedral protein/water interface area (PIA) which quantifies the exposure of atoms or residues to the solvent. We propose this PIA as a new, parameter-free, alternative for measuring accessibility. The comparison with NACCESS is satisfactory; however, the methods disagree in pointing out buried residues: where NACCESS evaluates to zero, the exposure given by PIA ranges from 0 to 20%. Variations of average residue volumes have been analyzed under several conditions, e.g., how they depend on protein size and on secondary structure environments. As it is based on strong mathematical grounds and on numerous high-quality protein structures, our work gives a reliable methodology and up-to-date values of amino acid volumes and surface accessibility.

Probability distributions of hydration water molecules around polar protein atoms obtained by a database analysis

Hydration structures on protein surfaces are visualized by high-resolution cryogenic X-ray crystallography. We calculated the probability distributions of 4,831,570 hydration water molecules found around the 4,214,227 polar atoms in main chains and hydrophilic side chains from the 17,984 crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank. The structures are refined using the diffraction data collected below 150 K and at resolutions of better than 2.2 A. The calculated distributions were nonrandom but condensed into a few clusters. The clusters were decomposed into the distance and angular distributions by viewing from the polar coordinate system. The major peaks in the clusters were almost located along the directions of the N-H and O-H bonds or the lone pairs of oxygen atoms. The Gaussian fitting method was applied for the distribution profiles to evaluate quantitatively the peak positions and the widths. The parameters characterizing the distributions apparently depended on the hydrogen-bond partners of water molecules and on the modes whether the water molecules acted as donors or acceptors of protons. This led to propose the different roles of NH(n) (n = 1, 3), OH, and CO groups in protein hydration and possible in protein-ligand and protein-protein interaction: While C horizontal lineO groups appear to control the H-bond distances, NH(n) groups likely limit the angular range of H-bonds. The OH groups have both characteristics. In addition, it was also demonstrated that polar protein atoms were arranged to satisfy the tetrahedral hydrogen-bond geometry of water molecules, suggesting essential roles of water molecules in the folding process and in the stabilization of protein structures. These probability distributions are probably one of fundamental data to better understand the roles of hydration water molecules in the folding process and the stability of proteins in solution.

Crystallographic study of hydration of an internal cavity in engineered proteins with buried polar or ionizable groups

Although internal water molecules are essential for the structure and function of many proteins, the structural and physical factors that govern internal hydration are poorly understood. We have examined the molecular determinants of internal hydration systematically, by solving the crystal structures of variants of staphylococcal nuclease with Gln-66, Asn-66, and Tyr-66 at cryo (100 K) and room (298 K) temperatures, and comparing them with existing cryo and room temperature structures of variants with Glu-66, Asp-66, Lys-66, Glu-92 or Lys-92 obtained under conditions of pH where the internal ionizable groups are in the neutral state. At cryogenic temperatures the polar moieties of all these internal side chains are hydrated except in the cases of Lys-66 and Lys-92. At room temperature the internal water molecules were observed only in variants with Glu-66 and Tyr-66; water molecules in the other variants are probably present but they are disordered and therefore undetectable crystallographically. Each internal water molecule establishes between 3 and 5 hydrogen bonds with the protein or with other internal water molecules. The strength of interactions between internal polar side chains and water molecules seems to decrease from carboxylic acids to amides to amines. Low temperature, low cavity volume, and the presence of oxygen atoms in the cavity increase the positional stability of internal water molecules. This set of structures and the physical insight they contribute into internal hydration will be useful for the development and benchmarking of computational methods for artificial hydration of pockets, cavities, and active sites in proteins.

Serpins in plants and green algae

Control of proteolysis is important for plant growth, development, responses to stress, and defence against insects and pathogens. Members of the serpin protein family are likely to play a critical role in this control through irreversible inhibition of endogenous and exogenous target proteinases. Serpins have been found in diverse species of the plant kingdom and represent a distinct clade among serpins in multicellular organisms. Serpins are also found in green algae, but the evolutionary relationship between these serpins and those of plants remains unknown. Plant serpins are potent inhibitors of mammalian serine proteinases of the chymotrypsin family in vitro but, intriguingly, plants and green algae lack endogenous members of this proteinase family, the most common targets for animal serpins. An Arabidopsis serpin with a conserved reactive centre is now known to be capable of inhibiting an endogenous cysteine proteinase. Here, knowledge of plant serpins in terms of sequence diversity, inhibitory specificity, gene expression and function is reviewed. This was advanced through a phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequences of expressed plant serpins, delineation of plant serpin gene structures and prediction of inhibitory specificities based on identification of reactive centres. The review is intended to encourage elucidation of plant serpin functions.

A molecular dynamics simulation study of the solvent isotope effect on copper plastocyanin

The effect of heavy water on the structure and dynamics of copper plastocyanin as well as on some aspects of the solvent dynamics at the protein-solvent interfacial region have been investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. The simulated system has been analyzed in terms of the atomic root mean square deviation and fluctuations, intraprotein H-bond pattern, dynamical cross-correlation map and the results have been compared with those previously obtained for plastocyanin in H2O (Ciocchetti et al. Biophys. Chem. 69 (1997), 185-198). The simulated plastocyanin structure in the two solvents, averaging 1 ns, is very similar along the beta-structure regions, while the most significant differences are registered, analogous to the turns and the regions likely involved in the electron transfer pathway. Moreover, plastocyanin in D2O shows an increase in the number of both the intraprotein H-bonds and the residues involved in correlated motions. An analysis of the protein-solvent coupling evidenced that D2O makes the H-bond formation more difficult with the solvent molecules for positively charged and polar residues, while an opposite trend is observed for negatively charged residues. On the other hand, the frequency of exchange of the solvent molecules involved in the protein-solvent H-bond formation is significantly depressed in D2O. The results are discussed also in connection with protein functionality and briefly with some experimental results connected with the thermostability of proteins in D2O.

Locating missing water molecules in protein cavities by the three-dimensional reference interaction site model theory of molecular solvation

Water molecules confined in protein cavities are of great importance in understanding the protein structure and functions. However, it is a nontrivial task to locate such water molecules in protein by the ordinary molecular simulation and modeling techniques as well as experimental methods. The present study proves that the three-dimensional reference interaction site model (3D-RISM) theory, a recently developed statistical-mechanical theory of molecular solvation, has an outstanding advantage in locating such water molecules. In this paper, we demonstrate that the 3D-RISM theory is able to reproduce the structure and the number of water molecules in cavities of hen egg-white lysozyme observed commonly in the X-ray structures of different resolutions and conditions. Furthermore, we show that the theory successfully identified a water molecule in a cavity, the existence of which has been ambiguous even from the X-ray results. In contrast, we confirmed that molecular dynamics simulation is helpless at present to find such water molecules because the results substantially depend on the initial coordinates of water molecules. Possible applications of the theory to problems in the fields of biochemistry and biophysics are also discussed.

Atomic hydration potentials using a Monte Carlo Reference State (MCRS) for protein solvation modeling

Background

Accurate description of protein interaction with aqueous solvent is crucial for modeling of protein folding, protein-protein interaction, and drug design. Efforts to build a working description of solvation, both by continuous models and by molecular dynamics, yield controversial results. Specifically constructed knowledge-based potentials appear to be promising for accounting for the solvation at the molecular level, yet have not been used for this purpose.

Results

We developed original knowledge-based potentials to study protein hydration at the level of atom contacts. The potentials were obtained using a new Monte Carlo reference state (MCRS), which simulates the expected probability density of atom-atom contacts via exhaustive sampling of structure space with random probes. Using the MCRS allowed us to calculate the expected atom contact densities with high resolution over a broad distance range including very short distances. Knowledge-based potentials for hydration of protein atoms of different types were obtained based on frequencies of their contacts at different distances with protein-bound water molecules, in a non-redundant training data base of 1776 proteins with known 3D structures. Protein hydration sites were predicted in a test set of 12 proteins with experimentally determined water locations. The MCRS greatly improves prediction of water locations over existing methods. In addition, the contribution of the energy of macromolecular solvation into total folding free energy was estimated, and tested in fold recognition experiments. The correct folds were preferred over all the misfolded decoys for the majority of proteins from the improved Rosetta decoy set based on the structure hydration energy alone.

Conclusion

MCRS atomic hydration potentials provide a detailed distance-dependent description of hydropathies of individual protein atoms. This allows placement of water molecules on the surface of proteins and in protein interfaces with much higher precision. The potentials provide a means to estimate the total solvation energy for a protein structure, in many cases achieving a successful fold recognition. Possible applications of atomic hydration potentials to structure verification, protein folding and stability, and protein-protein interactions are discussed.

Molecular surface generation using a variable-radius solvent probe

Protein-ligand binding occurs through interactions at the molecular surface. Hence, a proper description of this surface is essential to our understanding of the process of molecular recognition. Recent studies have noted the inadequacy of using a fixed 1.4 A solvent probe radius to generate the molecular surface. This assumes that water molecules approach all surface atoms at an equal distance irrespective of polarity, which is not the case. To adequately model the protein-water boundary requires that the solvent probe radius change according to the polarity of its contacting atoms, smaller near polar atoms and larger near apolar atoms. To our knowledge, no method currently exists to generate the molecular surface of a protein in this manner. Using a modification of the marching tetrahedra algorithm, we present a method to generate molecular surfaces using a variable radius solvent probe. The resulting surface lacks many of the unrealistic small crevices in nonpolar regions that are found when utilizing an invariant 1.4 A solvent probe, while maintaining the fine detail of the surface at polar regions. On application of the method on a test set of 20 protein structures taken from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), we also find far fewer empty unsolvated cavities that are present when using only a 1.4 A solvent probe, while the majority of solvated and polar cavities is retained. This suggests that the majority of empty cavities previously observed in protein structures might simply be artifacts of the surfacing method. We also find that the variable probe surface can have significant effects on electrostatic calculations by generating a better tuned description of the protein-water boundary. We also examined the binding interfaces of a diverse set of 55 protein-protein complexes. We find that using a variable probe results in an increase in perceived shape complementarity at these sites compared to using a 1.4 A solvent probe. The molecular volume and surface area are geometric values that determine various important properties for macromolecules, and the altered description afforded by a variable solvent probe molecular surface can have significant implications in protein recognition, energetics, folding, and stability calculations.

In silico discovery of enzyme-substrate specificity-determining residue clusters

The binding between an enzyme and its substrate is highly specific, despite the fact that many different enzymes show significant sequence and structure similarity. There must be, then, substrate specificity-determining residues that enable different enzymes to recognize their unique substrates. We reason that a coordinated, not independent, action of both conserved and non-conserved residues determine enzymatic activity and specificity. Here, we present a surface patch ranking (SPR) method for in silico discovery of substrate specificity-determining residue clusters by exploring both sequence conservation and correlated mutations. As case studies we apply SPR to several highly homologous enzymatic protein pairs, such as guanylyl versus adenylyl cyclases, lactate versus malate dehydrogenases, and trypsin versus chymotrypsin. Without using experimental data, we predict several single and multi-residue clusters that are consistent with previous mutagenesis experimental results. Most single-residue clusters are directly involved in enzyme-substrate interactions, whereas multi-residue clusters are vital for domain-domain and regulator-enzyme interactions, indicating their complementary role in specificity determination. These results demonstrate that SPR may help the selection of target residues for mutagenesis experiments and, thus, focus rational drug design, protein engineering, and functional annotation to the relevant regions of a protein.

Water-protein interactions from high-resolution protein crystallography

To understand the role of water in life at molecular and atomic levels, structures and interactions at the protein-water interface have been investigated by cryogenic X-ray crystallography. The method enabled a much clearer visualization of definite hydration sites on the protein surface than at ambient temperature. Using the structural models of proteins, including several hydration water molecules, the characteristics in hydration structures were systematically analysed for the amount, the interaction geometries between water molecules and proteins, and the local and global distribution of water molecules on the surface of proteins. The tetrahedral hydrogen-bond geometry of water molecules in bulk solvent was retained at the interface and enabled the extension of a three-dimensional chain connection of a hydrogen-bond network among hydration water molecules and polar protein atoms over the entire surface of proteins. Networks of hydrogen bonds were quite flexible to accommodate and/or to regulate the conformational changes of proteins such as domain motions. The present experimental results may have profound implications in the understanding of the physico-chemical principles governing the dynamics of proteins in an aqueous environment and a discussion of why water is essential to life at a molecular level.

Solvent-based deuterium isotope effects on the redox thermodynamics of cytochrome c

The reduction thermodynamics of cytochrome c (cytc), determined electrochemically, are found to be sensitive to solvent H/D isotope effects. Reduction of cytochrome c is enthalpically more favored in D(2)O with respect to H(2)O, but is disfavored on entropic grounds. This is consistent with a reduction-induced strengthening of the H-bonding network within the hydration sphere of the protein. No significant changes in E degrees ' occur, since the above variations are compensative. As a main result, this work shows that the oxidation-state-dependent differences in protein solvation, including electrostatics and solvent reorganization effects, play an important role in determining the individual enthalpy and entropy changes of the reduction process. It is conceivable that this is a common thermodynamic feature of all electron transport metalloproteins. The isotope effects turn out to be sensitive to buffer anions which specifically bind to cytc. Evidence is gained that the solvation thermodynamics of both redox forms of cytc are sensibly affected by strongly hydrated anions.

Structural basis for the substrate specificity of tobacco etch virus protease

Because of its stringent sequence specificity, the 3C-type protease from tobacco etch virus (TEV) is frequently used to remove affinity tags from recombinant proteins. It is unclear, however, exactly how TEV protease recognizes its substrates with such high selectivity. The crystal structures of two TEV protease mutants, inactive C151A and autolysis-resistant S219D, have now been solved at 2.2- and 1.8-A resolution as complexes with a substrate and product peptide, respectively. The enzyme does not appear to have been perturbed by the mutations in either structure, and the modes of binding of the product and substrate are virtually identical. Analysis of the protein-ligand interactions helps to delineate the structural determinants of substrate specificity and provides guidance for reengineering the enzyme to further improve its utility for biotechnological applications.

Positive contribution of hydration structure on the surface of human lysozyme to the conformational stability

Water molecules make a hydration structure with the network of hydrogen bonds, covering on the surface of proteins. To quantitatively estimate the contribution of the hydration structure to protein stability, a series of hydrophilic mutant human lysozymes (Val to Ser, Tyr, Asp, Asn, and Arg) modified at three different positions on the surface, which are located in the alpha-helix (Val-110), the beta-sheet (Val-2), and the loop (Val-74), were constructed. Their thermodynamic parameters of denaturation and crystal structures were examined by calorimetry and by x-ray crystallography at 100 K, respectively. The introduced polar residues made hydrogen bonds with protein atoms and/or water molecules, sometimes changing the hydration structure around the mutation site. Changes in the stability of the mutant proteins can be evaluated by a unique equation that considers the conformational changes resulting from the substitutions. Using this analysis, the relationship between the changes in the stabilities and the hydration structures for mutant human lysozymes substituted on the surface could be quantitatively estimated. The analysis indicated that the hydration structure on protein surface plays an important role in determining the conformational stability of the protein.

Histidine mapping of serine protease: a synergic study by IMAC and molecular modelling

The immobilized metal ion affinity (IMA) interaction of different serine proteases, namely porcine and bovine trypsins and BPN' and Carlsberg subtilisins, was studied on Sepharose-IDA-CuII. Both trypsins were resolved into their different subspecies, whereas the subtilisins appeared as only one species. The use of diethyl pyrocarbonate-modified enzymes demonstrated the contribution of histidine(s) as the sole interacting site(s). The use of different peptidic and chemical inhibitors complexed to the enzymes confirmed the contribution of histidine(s) as the interacting site(s) and further resulted in different chromatographic patterns for the free and complexed serine proteases. Comparison of the chromatographic data for each enzyme with the accessible surface area calculation by molecular modelling on the available crystallographic structure allowed us to hypothesize a map of the surface-accessible histidine on each enzyme.

Molecular dynamics simulation of solvated azurin: correlation between surface solvent accessibility and water residence times

A system containing the globular protein azurin and 3,658 water molecules has been simulated to investigate the influence on water dynamics exerted by a protein surface. Evaluation of water mean residence time for elements having different secondary structure did not show any correlation. Identically, comparison of solvent residence time for atoms having different charge and polarity did not show any clear trend. The main factor influencing water residence time in proximity to a specific site was found to be its solvent accessibility. In detail for atoms belonging to lateral chains and having solvent-accessible surface lower than approximately 16 A(2)a relation is found for which charged and polar atoms are surrounded by water molecules characterized by residence times longer than the non polar ones. The involvement of the low accessible protein atom in an intraprotein hydrogen bond further modulates the length of the water residence time. On the other hand for surfaces having high solvent accessibility, all atoms, independently of their character, are surrounded by water molecules which rapidly exchange with the bulk solvent. Proteins 2000;39:56-67.

Protein structure alignment using a genetic algorithm

We have developed a novel, fully automatic method for aligning the three-dimensional structures of two proteins. The basic approach is to first align the proteins' secondary structure elements and then extend the alignment to include any equivalent residues found in loops or turns. The initial secondary structure element alignment is determined by a genetic algorithm. After refinement of the secondary structure element alignment, the protein backbones are superposed and a search is performed to identify any additional equivalent residues in a convergent process. Alignments are evaluated using intramolecular distance matrices. Alignments can be performed with or without sequential connectivity constraints. We have applied the method to proteins from several well-studied families: globins, immunoglobulins, serine proteases, dihydrofolate reductases, and DNA methyltransferases. Agreement with manually curated alignments is excellent. A web-based server and additional supporting information are available at http://engpub1.bu.edu/-josephs.

Neutrons expand the field of structural biology

Neutron protein crystallography aids the identification of all the hydrogen atoms in biological macromolecules and has helped to establish hydration patterns in proteins. Recent technical innovations, such as the development of the neutron imaging plate, have made it possible to shorten the prohibitively long amount of time required to collect a full diffraction data set. These instrumental advances have been applied to Laue diffractometry, as well as to more conventional data collection techniques, such as those using monochromatized neutron beams.

Recruiting Zn2+ to mediate potent, specific inhibition of serine proteases

As regulators of ubiquitous biological processes, serine proteases can cause disease states when inappropriately expressed or regulated, and are thus rational targets for inhibition by drugs. Recently we described a new inhibition mechanism applicable for the development of potent, selective small molecule serine protease inhibitors that recruit physiological Zn2+ to mediate high affinity (sub-nanomolar) binding. To demonstrate some of the structural principles by which the selectivity of Zn2+-mediated serine protease inhibitors can be developed toward or against a particular target, here we determine and describe the structures of thrombin-BABIM-Zn2+, -keto-BABIM-Zn2+, and -hemi-BABIM-Zn2+ (where BABIM is bis(5-amidino-2-benzimidazolyl)methane, keto-BABIM is bis(5-amidino-2-benzimidazolyl)methane ketone, and hemi-BABIM is (5-amidino-2-benzimidazolyl)(2-benzimidazolyl)methane), and compare them with the corresponding trypsin-inhibitor-Zn2+ complexes. Inhibitor binding is mediated by a Zn ion tetrahedrally coordinated by two benzimidazole nitrogen atoms of the inhibitor, by N(epsilon2)His57, and by O(gamma)Ser195. The structures of Zn2+-free trypsin-BABIM and -hemi-BABIM were also determined at selected pH values for comparison with the corresponding Zn2+-mediated complexes. To assess some of the physiological parameters important for harnessing Zn2+ as a co-inhibitor, crystal structures at multiple pH and [Zn2+] values were determined for trypsin-keto-BABIM. The Kdvalue of Zn2+ for the binary trypsin-keto-BABIM complex was estimated to be <12 nM at pH 7.06 by crystallographic determination of the occupancy of bound Zn2+ in trypsin-keto-BABIM crystals soaked at this pH in synthetic mother liquor containing inhibitor and 100 nM Zn2+. In synthetic mother liquor saturated in Zn2+, trypsin-bound keto-BABIM is unhydrated at pH 9.00 and 9.93, and has an sp2 hybridized ketone carbon bridging the 5-amidinobenzimidazoles, whereas at pH 7.00 and 8.00 it undergoes hydration and a change in geometry upon addition of water to the bridging carbonyl group. To show how Zn2+ could be recruited as a co-inhibitor of other enzymes, a method was developed for locating in protein crystals Zn2+ binding sites where design of Zn2+-mediated ligands can be attempted. Thus, by soaking trypsin crystals in high concentrations of Zn2+ in the absence of a molecular inhibitor, the site where Zn2+ mediates binding of BABIM and analogs was identified, as well as another Zn2+ binding site.

Crystal structure of neuropsin, a hippocampal protease involved in kindling epileptogenesis

Neuropsin is a novel serine protease, the expression of which is highly localized in the limbic areas of the mouse brain and which is suggested to be involved in kindling epileptogenesis and hippocampal plasticity. The 2.1-A resolution crystal structure of neuropsin provides the first three-dimensional view of one of the serine proteases highly expressed in the nervous system, and reveals a serine protease fold that exhibits chimeric features between trypsin and nerve growth factor-gamma (NGFgamma), a member of the kallikrein family. Neuropsin possesses an N-glycosylated "kallikrein loop" but forms six disulfide bonds corresponding to those of trypsin. The ordered kallikrein loop projects proline toward the active site to restrict smaller residues or proline at the P2 position of substrates. Loop F, which participates in forming the S3/S4 sites, is similar to trypsin rather than NGFgamma. The unique conformations of loops G and H form an S1 pocket specific for both arginine and lysine. These characteristic loop structures forming the substrate-binding site suggest the novel substrate specificity of neuropsin and give a clue to the design of its specific inhibitors.

X-ray studies on two forms of bovine beta-trypsin crystals in neat cyclohexane

Two orthorhombic forms (Vm values are 2.3 and 3.0 A3/Da) of bovine beta-trypsin crystals in neat cyclohexane were determined to 1.93 A resolution, by X-ray diffraction. Both structures in organic solvent are similar to those in aqueous solution. In the high packing density form, one cyclohexane molecule is found in a hydrophobic site near the active center. One sulfate locates at the active site with hydrogen or salt bond to the Ser-His catalytic diad, and five more sulfates bind on the molecular surface. The conformation of the side chains near the sulfates changed greatly. In the low packing density form, one cyclohexane and three sulfates are found. In both structures, one benzamidine molecule locates at the hydrophobic pocket of the active center. Most water molecules on the enzyme surface are retained except some with high temperature factors.

Cluster analysis of consensus water sites in thrombin and trypsin shows conservation between serine proteases and contributions to ligand specificity

Cluster analysis is presented as a technique for analyzing the conservation and chemistry of water sites from independent protein structures, and applied to thrombin, trypsin, and bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) to locate shared water sites, as well as those contributing to specificity. When several protein structures are superimposed, complete linkage cluster analysis provides an objective technique for resolving the continuum of overlaps between water sites into a set of maximally dense microclusters of overlapping water molecules, and also avoids reliance on any one structure as a reference. Water sites were clustered for ten superimposed thrombin structures, three trypsin structures, and four BPTI structures. For thrombin, 19% of the 708 microclusters, representing unique water sites, contained water molecules from at least half of the structures, and 4% contained waters from all 10. For trypsin, 77% of the 106 microclusters contained water sites from at least half of the structures, and 57% contained waters from all three. Water site conservation correlated with several environmental features: highly conserved microclusters generally had more protein atom neighbors, were in a more hydrophilic environment, made more hydrogen bonds to the protein, and were less mobile. There were significant overlaps between thrombin and trypsin conserved water sites, which did not localize to their similar active sites, but were concentrated in buried regions including the solvent channel surrounding the Na+ site in thrombin, which is associated with ligand selectivity. Cluster analysis also identified water sites conserved in thrombin but not trypsin, and vice versa, providing a list of water sites that may contribute to ligand discrimination. Thus, in addition to facilitating the analysis of water sites from multiple structures, cluster analysis provides a useful tool for distinguishing between conserved features within a protein family and those conferring specificity.

Crystal structure of recombinant human tissue kallikrein at 2.0 A resolution

Human tissue kallikrein, a trypsin-like serine protease involved in blood pressure regulation and inflammation processes, was expressed in a deglycosylated form at high levels in Pichia pastoris, purified, and crystallized. The crystal structure at 2.0 A resolution is described and compared with that of porcine kallikrein and of other trypsin-like proteases. The active and S1 sites (nomenclature of Schechter I, Berger A, 1967, Biochem Biophys Res Commun 27:157-162) are similar to those of porcine kallikrein. Compared to trypsin, the S1 site is enlarged owing to the insertion of an additional residue, cis-Pro 219. The replacement Tyr 228 --> Ala further enlarges the S1 pocket. However, the replacement of Gly 226 in trypsin with Ser in human tissue kallikrein restricts accessibility of substrates and inhibitors to Asp 189 at the base of the S1 pocket; there is a hydrogen bond between O delta1Asp189 and O gammaSer226. These changes in the architecture of the S1 site perturb the binding of inhibitors or substrates from the modes determined or inferred for trypsin. The crystal structure gives insight into the structural differences responsible for changes in specificity in human tissue kallikrein compared with other trypsin-like proteases, and into the structural basis for the unusual specificity of human tissue kallikrein in cleaving both an Arg-Ser and a Met-Lys peptide bond in its natural protein substrate, kininogen. A Zn+2-dependent, small-molecule competitive inhibitor of kallikrein (Ki = 3.3 microM) has been identified and the bound structure modeled to guide drug design.

Conserved water molecules in the specificity pocket of serine proteases and the molecular mechanism of Na+ binding

Conservation of clusters of buried water molecules is a structural motif present throughout the serine protease family. Frequently, these clusters are shaped as water channels forming extensive hydrogen-bonding networks linked to the protein backbone. The most conspicuous example is the water channel present in the specificity pocket of trypsin and thrombin. In thrombin, other vitamin K-dependent proteases, and some complement factors, Na+ binds in this water channel and enhances allosterically the catalytic activity of the enzyme, whereas digestive and fibrinolytic proteases are devoid of such regulation. A comparative analysis of proteases with and without Na+ binding capability reveals the role of the water channel in maintaining the structural organization of the specificity pocket and in Na+ coordination. This enables the formulation of a molecular mechanism for Na+ binding in thrombin and leads to the identification of the structural changes necessary to engineer a functional Na+ site and enhanced catalytic activity in trypsin and other proteases.

Binding of biotin to streptavidin stabilizes intersubunit salt bridges between Asp61 and His87 at low pH

The remarkable stability of the streptavidin tetramer towards subunit dissociation becomes even greater upon binding of biotin. At two equivalent extensive monomer-monomer interfaces, monomers tightly associate into dimers that in turn associate into the tetramer at a less extensive dimer-dimer interface. To probe the structural basis for the enhancement of the stability of streptavidin by biotin, the crystal structures of apostreptavidin and its complexes with biotin and other small molecule and cyclic peptide ligands were determined and compared at resolutions as high as 1.36 A over a range of pH values from as low as 1.39. At low pH dramatic changes occur in the conformation and intersubunit hydrogen bonds involving the loop comprising Asp61 to Ser69. The hydrogen-bonded salt bridge between Asp61 Odelta2 and His87 Ndelta1, observed at higher pH, is replaced with a strong hydrogen bond between Asp61 Odelta1 and Asn85 Odelta1. Through crystallography at multiple pH values, the pH where this conformational change occurs, and thus the pKa of Asp61, was determined in crystals of space group I222 and/or I4122 of apostreptavidin and complexes. A range in pKa values for Asp61 was observed in these structures, the lowest being 1.78+/-0.19 for I222 streptavidin-biotin in 2.9 M (NH4)2SO4. At low pH the decrease in pKa of Asp61 and preservation of the intersubunit Asp61 Odelta2-Ndelta1 His87 hydrogen-bonded salt bridge in streptavidin-biotin versus apostreptavidin or streptavidin-peptide complexes is associated with an ordering of the flexible flap comprising residues Ala46 to Glu51, that in turn orders the Arg84 side-chain of a neighboring loop through resulting hydrogen bonds. Ordering of Arg84 in close proximity to the strong intersubunit interface appears to stabilize the conformation associated with the Asp61 Odelta2-Ndelta1 His87 hydrogen-bonded salt bridge. Thus, in addition to the established role of biotin in tetramer stabilization by direct mediation of intersubunit interactions at the weak interface through contact with Trp120, biotin may enhance tetramer stability at the strong interface more indirectly by ordering loop residues.

Neutron Laue diffractometry with an imaging plate provides an effective data collection regime for neutron protein crystallography

Neutron quasi-Laue diffraction data (2 A resolution) from tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme were collected in ten days with neutron imaging plates. The data processing Laue software, LAUEGEN, developed for X-ray Laue diffractometry, was adapted for neutron diffractometry with a cylindrical detector. The data analysis software, X-PLOR, was modified and used for the refinement of hydrogen atoms, and the positions of 960 hydrogen atoms in the protein and 157 bound water molecules, were determined. Several examples are given of the methods used to identify hydrogen atoms and water molecules.

In crystals of complexes of streptavidin with peptide ligands containing the HPQ sequence the pKa of the peptide histidine is less than 3.0

The pH dependences of the affinities for streptavidin of linear and cyclic peptide ligands containing the HPQ sequence discovered by phage display were determined by plasmon resonance measurements. At pH values ranging from 3.0 to 9.0, the Kd values for Ac-AEFSHPQNTIEGRK-NH2, cyclo-Ac-AE[CHPQGPPC]IEGRK-NH2, and cyclo-Ac-AE[CHPQFC]IEGRK-NH2, were determined by competition, and those for cyclo-[5-S-valeramide-HPQGPPC]K-NH2 were determined directly by equilibrium affinity measurements. The Kd values of the ligands increase by an average factor of 3.0 +/- 0.8 per decrease in pH unit between pH approximately 4.5 and pH approximately 6.3. Below pH approximately 4.5 there is a smaller increase in Kd values, and above pH approximately 6.3 the Kd values become relatively pH-independent. We determined the crystal structures of complexes of streptavidin with cyclo-[5-S-valeramide-HPQGPPC]K-NH2 at pH 1.5, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5, with cyclo-Ac-[CHPQFC]-NH2 at pH 2.0, 3.0, 3.6, 4.2, 4.8, and 11.8, with cyclo-Ac-[CHPQGPPC]-NH2 at pH 2.5, 2.9, and 3.7, and with FSHPQNT at pH 4.0 and compared the structures with one another and with those previously determined at other pH values. At pH values from 3.0 to 11.8, the electron density for the peptide His side chain is strong, flat, and well defined. A hydrogen bond between the Ndelta1 atom of the His and the peptide Gln amide group indicates the His of the bound peptide in the crystals is uncharged at pH >/= 3.0. By determining selected structures in two different space groups, I222 with two crystallographically inequivalent ligand sites and I4122 with one site, we show that below pH approximately 3.0, the pKa of the bound peptide His in the crystals is influenced by crystal packing interactions. The presence of the Ndelta1His-NGln hydrogen bond along with pH dependences of the peptide affinities suggest that deprotonation of the peptide His is required for high affinity binding of HPQ-containing peptides to streptavidin both in the crystals and in solution.

Enzyme-inhibitor association thermodynamics: explicit and continuum solvent studies

Studying the thermodynamics of biochemical association reactions at the microscopic level requires efficient sampling of the configurations of the reactants and solvent as a function of the reaction pathways. In most cases, the associating ligand and receptor have complementary interlocking shapes. Upon association, loosely connected or disconnected solvent cavities at and around the binding site are formed. Disconnected solvent regions lead to severe statistical sampling problems when simulations are performed with explicit solvent. It was recently proposed that, when such limitations are encountered, they might be overcome by the use of the grand canonical ensemble. Here we investigate one such case and report the association free energy profile (potential of mean force) between trypsin and benzamidine along a chosen reaction coordinate as calculated using the grand canonical Monte Carlo method. The free energy profile is also calculated for a continuum solvent model using the Poisson equation, and the results are compared to the explicit water simulations. The comparison shows that the continuum solvent approach is surprisingly successful in reproducing the explicit solvent simulation results. The Monte Carlo results are analyzed in detail with respect to solvation structure. In the binding site channel there are waters bridging the carbonyl oxygen groups of Asp189 with the NH2 groups of benzamidine, which are displaced upon inhibitor binding. A similar solvent-bridging configuration has been seen in the crystal structure of trypsin complexed with bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. The predicted locations of other internal waters are in very good agreement with the positions found in the crystal structures, which supports the accuracy of the simulations.

Packing at the protein-water interface

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

31P solid-state NMR measurements used to detect interactions between NADPH and water and to determine the ionisation state of NADPH in a protein-ligand complex subjected to low-level hydration

31P-NMR spectra of NADPH and NADPH bound to Lactobacillus casei dihydrofolate reductase have been recorded using the techniques of cross-polarization, magic-angle spinning and high-power proton-decoupling on both lyophilized and hydrated samples. Previous studies on the lyophilized complex of L. casei dihydrofolate reductase with NADPH and methotrexate, measuring the isotropic shifts and principal components of the chemical shift tensors, have shown that the 2'-phosphate group of bound NADPH exists as a mixture of the dianionic and monoanionic states [Gerothanassis, I. P, Barrie, P. J., Birdsall, B. & Feeney, J. (1994) Eur J. Biochem. 226, 211-218]. In the present study on hydrated samples, the characterization of the isotropic shift and chemical shift tensors of the 2'-phosphate signal indicates that the 2'-phosphate is almost exclusively in the dianionic state. This is in agreement with earlier 31P-NMR studies in solution [Feeney, J., Birdsall, B., Roberts, G. C. K. & Burgen, A. S. V. (1975) Nature 257, 564-566]. In experiments examining progressively hydrated (6%, 12%, 15%, by mass) samples, the observed signals become increasingly narrower probably because the microenvironments of the 31P nuclei become more homogeneous upon sample hydration. Chemical exchange between mobile water molecules and bound protons close to individual sites on NADPH has been indirectly monitored on a hydrated sample (15% water, by mass) using a pulse sequence proposed by Harbison and coworkers [Harbison, G. S., Roberts, J. E., Herzfeld, J. & Griffin, R. G. (1988) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 110, 7221-7223]. In this experiment, the two diphosphate signals are totally suppressed while the 2'-phosphate phosphorus signal remains: this indicates a significant polarization of the 2'-phosphate nuclei from protons in exchange with those of mobile water molecules.