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Gehenn K, Reed J. Tetrad selectivity in polarity-driven switch peptides: the best turn is not always the best nucleation site. J Pept Sci 2010; 17:56-67. [PMID: 20878680 DOI: 10.1002/psc.1296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2009] [Revised: 08/05/2010] [Accepted: 08/06/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
In some naturally occurring protein sequences, an abrupt, concerted refolding from β-sheet to helical conformation occurs when the polarity of the surrounding medium drops below a critical level. This switch-like behaviour was first observed on the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120, where it plays a crucial role in the efficient binding of gp120 to the T-cell receptor CD4. Previous work had shown that an N-terminal amino acid tetrad LPCR and a Trp located 5-20 residues downstream to the tetrad are common motifs in polarity-driven switch peptides. The LPCR tetrad governs the folding of the subsequent residues and acts as a helix initiation site, whereas the Trp is responsible for the cooperative character of the structural change due to multiple, simultaneous interactions of its quadrupole moment with several amino acid residues within the sequences. Here we identify and characterize new families of switch peptides that use different, turn-probable tetrads (LPST and VPSR) as helix initiation sites at the N-terminus. We have also been able to demonstrate that some tetrads with extremely high turn probability do not serve as helix initiation sites. Comparison of these with LPCR and the newly discovered tetrads LPST and VPSR has allowed a more comprehensive description of the physico-chemical properties of helix-inducing tetrads. The deeper understanding of the intrinsic properties of switch sequences allows the design of artificial polarity-driven switches, applicable in engineering of, e.g. controllable binding sites in artificial proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Gehenn
- Biomolecular Interactions, German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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Gianese G, Rosato V, Cleri F, Celino M, Morales P. Atomic-Scale Modeling of the Interaction between Short Polypeptides and Carbon Surfaces. J Phys Chem B 2009; 113:12105-12. [DOI: 10.1021/jp903652v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giulio Gianese
- Ylichron Srl, c/o ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria (RM), Italy, Dipartimento Tecnologie Fisiche e Nuovi Materiali, ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria (RM), Italy, and Institut d’Electronique, Microelectronique et Nanotechnologie (CNRS UMR 8520), Université de Lille I, 59652 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
| | - Vittorio Rosato
- Ylichron Srl, c/o ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria (RM), Italy, Dipartimento Tecnologie Fisiche e Nuovi Materiali, ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria (RM), Italy, and Institut d’Electronique, Microelectronique et Nanotechnologie (CNRS UMR 8520), Université de Lille I, 59652 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
| | - Fabrizio Cleri
- Ylichron Srl, c/o ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria (RM), Italy, Dipartimento Tecnologie Fisiche e Nuovi Materiali, ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria (RM), Italy, and Institut d’Electronique, Microelectronique et Nanotechnologie (CNRS UMR 8520), Université de Lille I, 59652 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
| | - Massimo Celino
- Ylichron Srl, c/o ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria (RM), Italy, Dipartimento Tecnologie Fisiche e Nuovi Materiali, ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria (RM), Italy, and Institut d’Electronique, Microelectronique et Nanotechnologie (CNRS UMR 8520), Université de Lille I, 59652 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
| | - Piero Morales
- Ylichron Srl, c/o ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria (RM), Italy, Dipartimento Tecnologie Fisiche e Nuovi Materiali, ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 S. Maria di Galeria (RM), Italy, and Institut d’Electronique, Microelectronique et Nanotechnologie (CNRS UMR 8520), Université de Lille I, 59652 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
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Li D, He X. Desiccation Induced Structural Alterations in a 66-Amino Acid Fragment of an Anhydrobiotic Nematode Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) Protein. Biomacromolecules 2009; 10:1469-77. [DOI: 10.1021/bm9002688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daixi Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering Program, University of South Carolina, 300 Main Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
| | - Xiaoming He
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering Program, University of South Carolina, 300 Main Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
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