Nuclear Overhauser enhancement evidence for inverse temperature dependence of hydrophobic side chain proximity in the polytetrapeptide of tropoelastin

Coacervation of tropoelastin

The coacervation of tropoelastin represents the first major stage of elastic fiber assembly. The process has been modeled in vitro by numerous studies, initially with mixtures of solubilized elastin, and subsequently with synthetic elastin peptides that represent hydrophobic repeat units, isolated hydrophobic domains, segments of alternating hydrophobic and cross-linking domains, or the full-length monomer. Tropoelastin coacervation in vitro is characterized by two stages: an initial phase separation, which involves a reversible inverse temperature transition of monomer to n-mer; and maturation, which is defined by the irreversible coalescence of coacervates into large species with fibrillar structures. Coacervation is an intrinsic ability of tropoelastin. It is primarily influenced by the number, sequence, and contextual arrangement of hydrophobic domains, although hydrophilic sequences can also affect the behavior of the hydrophobic domains and thus affect coacervation. External conditions including ionic strength, pH, and temperature also directly influence the propensity of tropoelastin to self-associate. Coacervation is an endothermic, entropically-driven process driven by the cooperative interactions of hydrophobic domains following destabilization of the clathrate-like water shielding these regions. The formation of such assemblies is believed to follow a helical nucleation model of polymerization. Coacervation is closely associated with conformational transitions of the monomer, such as increased β-structures in hydrophobic domains and α-helices in cross-linking domains. Tropoelastin coacervation in vivo is thought to mainly involve the central hydrophobic domains. In addition, cell-surface glycosaminoglycans and microfibrillar proteins may regulate the process. Coacervation is essential for progression to downstream elastogenic stages, and impairment of the process can result in elastin haploinsufficiency disorders such as supravalvular aortic stenosis.

Elastic-contractile model proteins: Physical chemistry, protein function and drug design and delivery

This review presents the structure and physico-chemical properties of ECMPs, elastic-contractile model proteins using sparse design modifications of elastic (GVGVP)(n); it describes the capacity of ECMP to perform the energy conversions that sustain living organisms; it arrives at the hydration thermodynamics of ECMP in terms of the change in Gibbs free energy of hydrophobic association, ΔG(HA), and the apolar-polar repulsive free energy of hydration, ΔG(ap); it applies ΔG(HA), ΔG(ap), and the nature of elasticity to describe the function of basic diverse proteins, namely - the F₁-motor of ATP synthase, Complex III of mitochondria, the KscA potassium-channel, and the molecular chaperonin, GroEL/ES; it applies ΔG(HA) and ΔG(ap) to describe the function of ABC exporter proteins that confer multi-drug resistance (MDR) on micro-organisms and human carcinomas and suggests drug modifications with which to overcome MDR. Using ECMP, means are demonstrated, for quantifying drug hydrophobicity with which to combat MDR and for preparing ECMP drug delivery nanoparticles, ECMPddnp, decorated with synthetic antigen-binding fragments, Fab1 and Fab2, with which to target specific up-regulated receptors, characteristic of human carcinoma cells, for binding and localized drug release.

Two-dimensional proton NMR studies on poly(VPGVG) and its cyclic conformational correlate, cyclo(VPGVG)3

Two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement (2D NOESY) data are reported for the polypentapeptide of elastin, poly(VPGVG), and the cyclopentadecapeptide, cyclo(VPGVG)3. In both, the repeating type II Pro2-Gly3 beta-turn can be derived from the NOE data, providing confirmation of many previous studies. In addition, other through-space connectivities are detailed that also compare favorably with previously determined crystal and solution structures for cyclo(VPGVG)3. Also, near identical data for the cyclopentadecapeptide and the polypentapeptide demonstrate the cyclic conformation-linear (helical) conformational correlate relationship between the two molecules. The 2D NOESY experiment is seen to be an effective means of establishing the presence or absence of a conformational relationship between a cyclic repeating sequence and its higher molecular weight linear counterpart. This is an approach of substantial practical value when developing the conformation of sequential polypeptides and when attempting to identify the presence of the conformation of a repeating peptide sequence within a more complex primary structure. Having established the basic conformational relationship between a cyclic conformation and its linear helical counterpart, cross peaks present in the linear helical structure that are not present in the cyclic conformational correlate can provide information on the interactions between adjacent turns of the helix. In this connection, a Val gamma CH3 in equilibrium Pro beta CH2 interaction is reported that can be the basis for determining the number of pentamers per turn of helix once it is determined whether it is dominantly the Val1 or Val4 gamma CH3 that is interacting with the Pro2 beta CH2.

Mechanochemical coupling in synthetic polypeptides by modulation of an inverse temperature transition

For the polypentapeptide of elastin, (L-Val-L-Pro-Gly-L-Val-Gly)n, and appropriate analogs when suitably cross-linked, it has been previously demonstrated that development of elastomeric force at fixed length and length changes at fixed load occur as the result of an inverse temperature transition, with the temperature of the transition being inversely dependent on the hydrophobicity of the polypeptide. This suggests that at fixed temperature a chemical means of reversibly changing the hydrophobicity could be used for mechanochemical coupling. Evidence for this mechanism of mechanochemical coupling is given here with a 4%-Glu-polypentapeptide, in which the valine in position 4 is replaced in 1 out of 5 pentamers by a glutamic acid residue. Before cross-linking, the temperature for aggregation of 4%-Glu-polypentapeptide is remarkably sensitive to pH, shifting from 25 degrees C at pH 2 to 70 degrees C at pH 7.4 in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). At 37 degrees C, the cross-linked 4%-Glu-polypentapeptide matrix in PBS undergoes a pH-modulated contraction and relaxation with a change from pH 4.3 to 3.3 and back. The mean distance between carboxylates at pH 4.3 in the elastomeric matrix is greater than 40 A, twice the mean distance between negatively charged species in PBS. Accordingly, charge-charge repulsion is expected to make little or no contribution to the coupling. Mechanochemical coupling is demonstrated at fixed load by monitoring pH dependence of length and at constant length by monitoring pH dependence of force. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of mechanochemical coupling in a synthetic polypeptide and the first system to provide a test of the recent proposal that chemical modulation of an inverse temperature transition can be a mechanism for mechanochemical coupling. It is suggested that phosphorylation and dephosphorylation may modulate structure and forces in proteins by locally shifting the temperatures of inverse temperature transitions.

Entropic elastic processes in protein mechanisms. I. Elastic structure due to an inverse temperature transition and elasticity due to internal chain dynamics

Numerous physical characterizations clearly demonstrate that the polypentapeptide of elastin (Val1-Pro2-Gly3-Val4-Gly5)n in water undergoes an inverse temperature transition. Increase in order occurs both intermolecularly and intramolecularly on raising the temperature from 20 to 40 degrees C. The physical characterizations used to demonstrate the inverse temperature transition include microscopy, light scattering, circular dichroism, the nuclear Overhauser effect, temperature dependence of composition, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation, dielectric relaxation, and temperature dependence of elastomer length. At fixed extension of the cross-linked polypentapeptide elastomer, the development of elastomeric force is seen to correlate with increase in intramolecular order, that is, with the inverse temperature transition. Reversible thermal denaturation of the ordered polypentapeptide is observed with composition and circular dichroism studies, and thermal denaturation of the crosslinked elastomer is also observed with loss of elastomeric force and elastic modulus. Thus, elastomeric force is lost when the polypeptide chains are randomized due to heating at high temperature. Clearly, elastomeric force is due to nonrandom polypeptide structure. In spite of this, elastomeric force is demonstrated to be dominantly entropic in origin. The source of the entropic elastomeric force is demonstrated to be the result of internal chain dynamics, and the mechanism is called the librational entropy mechanism of elasticity. There is significant application to the finding that elastomeric force develops due to an inverse temperature transition. By changing the hydrophobicity of the polypeptide, the temperature range for the inverse temperature transition can be changed in a predictable way, and the temperature range for the development of elastomeric force follows. Thus, elastomers have been prepared where the development of elastomeric force is shifted over a 40 degrees C temperature range from a midpoint temperature of 30 degrees C for the polypentapeptide to 10 degrees C by increasing hydrophobicity with addition of a single CH2 moiety per pentamer and to 50 degrees C by decreasing hydrophobicity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Use of nuclear Overhauser effect in the study of peptides and proteins

The nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) leads to changes in the intensity of signal(s) of a set of nuclei as a function of their respective distances. The use of NOE allows to obtain structural informations on peptides and proteins in solution as well as the study of interactions between small ligands and biomolecules. In this review, aspects of the basic theory of the NOE will be presented and the more recent applications of homonuclear and heteronuclear NOE's in biomolecules will be surveyed. Typical examples will be illustrated and limitations of the method will be discussed.

Reverse turns in peptides and proteins

The evidence that reverse turns frequently occur as structural components of proteins, as well as of linear and cyclic peptides, is overwhelming. This review summarizes and examines critically the experimental evidence derived from physical methods such as 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, spin-lattice relaxation time, circular dichroism, IR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. Secondly, theoretical evidence obtained from energy calculations, which rely on empirical energy functions, and correlative methods, which rely on algorithms based on the frequency of occurrence of amino acids, is evaluated. In particular, those theoretical studies for which complementary physical studies have been completed are emphasized. Finally, examples of structure-function relationships involving reverse turns and their biological recognition are demonstrated.

Solution conformation of peptides by the intramolecular nuclear Overhauser effect experiment. Study of valinomycin-K+

This study demonstrates how the intramolecular nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) experiment can be employed quantitatively to select from a set of possible conformations for a peptide or a protein the particular conformation (or a group of conformations) most consistent with the data. This procedure is demonstrated on a model depsipeptide system--valinomycin K+ in CDCl3--for which the solution conformation has been inferred by other methods. The NOE enhancements are very sensitive to the conformations assumed by this antibiotic. It is shown that the set of conformations, collectively labeled as A2 (including the X-ray crystallographic structure) gives a very good description of the NOE enhancements. The structure proposed by Bystrov et al. (1977. Eur. J. Biochem. 78:63) for the uncomplexed valinomycin in nonpolar solvents is also consistent with the experimental data on the potassium complex. Using statistical hypothesis testing involving the Hamilton R-factor ratio criterion, all the other models have been rejected as inconsistent with the experimental data. A general formalism is presented for describing the NOE effects in isotropically reorienting molecules. The formalism is not restricted to the extreme narrowing limit of the rotational correlation times and hence applies to both small and large molecules. Some of the factors that can influence the NOE measurements, viz. anisotropic rotational diffusion, conformational averaging, and nuclear spin diffusion, have been considered in this study.