Structural and mechanistic exploration of acid resistance: kinetic stability facilitates evolution of extremophilic behavior

In-cell kinetic stability is an essential trait in metallo-β-lactamase evolution

Protein stability is an essential property for biological function. In contrast to the vast knowledge on protein stability in vitro, little is known about the factors governing in-cell stability. Here we show that the metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) New Delhi MBL-1 (NDM-1) is a kinetically unstable protein on metal restriction that has evolved by acquiring different biochemical traits that optimize its in-cell stability. The nonmetalated (apo) NDM-1 is degraded by the periplasmic protease Prc that recognizes its partially unstructured C-terminal domain. Zn(II) binding renders the protein refractory to degradation by quenching the flexibility of this region. Membrane anchoring makes apo-NDM-1 less accessible to Prc and protects it from DegP, a cellular protease degrading misfolded, nonmetalated NDM-1 precursors. NDM variants accumulate substitutions at the C terminus that quench its flexibility, enhancing their kinetic stability and bypassing proteolysis. These observations link MBL-mediated resistance with the essential periplasmic metabolism, highlighting the importance of the cellular protein homeostasis.

Exploring the Evolutionary History of Kinetic Stability in the α-Lytic Protease Family

In addition to encoding the tertiary fold and stability, the primary sequence of a protein encodes the folding trajectory and kinetic barriers that determine the speed of folding. How these kinetic barriers are encoded is not well understood. Here, we use evolutionary sequence variation in the α-lytic protease (αLP) protein family to probe the relationship between sequence and energy landscape. αLP has an unusual energy landscape: the native state of αLP is not the most thermodynamically favored conformation and, instead, remains folded due to a large kinetic barrier preventing unfolding. To fold, αLP utilizes an N-terminal pro region similar in size to the protease itself that functions as a folding catalyst. Once folded, the pro region is removed, and the native state does not unfold on a biologically relevant time scale. Without the pro region, αLP folds on the order of millennia. A phylogenetic search uncovers αLP homologs with a wide range of pro region sizes, including some with no pro region at all. In the resulting phylogenetic tree, these homologs cluster by pro region size. By studying homologs naturally lacking a pro region, we demonstrate they can be thermodynamically stable, fold much faster than αLP, yet retain the same fold as αLP. Key amino acids thought to contribute to αLP's extreme kinetic stability are lost in these homologs, supporting their role in kinetic stability. This study highlights how the entire energy landscape plays an important role in determining the evolutionary pressures on the protein sequence.

Remarks on Computational Method for Identifying Acid and Alkaline Enzymes

The catalytic efficiency of the enzyme is thousands of times higher than that of ordinary catalysts. Thus, they are widely used in industrial and medical fields. However, enzymes with protein structure can be destroyed and inactivated in high temperature, over acid or over alkali environment. It is well known that most of enzymes work well in an environment with pH of 6-8, while some special enzymes remain active only in an alkaline environment with pH > 8 or an acidic environment with pH < 6. Therefore, the identification of acidic and alkaline enzymes has become a key task for industrial production. Because of the wide varieties of enzymes, it is hard work to determine the acidity and alkalinity of the enzyme by experimental methods, and even this task cannot be achieved. Converting protein sequences into digital features and building computational models can efficiently and accurately identify the acidity and alkalinity of enzymes. This review summarized the progress of the digital features to express proteins and computational methods to identify acidic and alkaline enzymes. We hope that this paper will provide more convenience, ideas, and guides for computationally classifying acid and alkaline enzymes.

Evolutionary trend toward kinetic stability in the folding trajectory of RNases H

Proper folding of proteins is critical to producing the biological machinery essential for cellular function. The rates and energetics of a protein's folding process, which is described by its energy landscape, are encoded in the amino acid sequence. Over the course of evolution, this landscape must be maintained such that the protein folds and remains folded over a biologically relevant time scale. How exactly a protein's energy landscape is maintained or altered throughout evolution is unclear. To study how a protein's energy landscape changed over time, we characterized the folding trajectories of ancestral proteins of the ribonuclease H (RNase H) family using ancestral sequence reconstruction to access the evolutionary history between RNases H from mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria. We found that despite large sequence divergence, the overall folding pathway is conserved over billions of years of evolution. There are robust trends in the rates of protein folding and unfolding; both modern RNases H evolved to be more kinetically stable than their most recent common ancestor. Finally, our study demonstrates how a partially folded intermediate provides a readily adaptable folding landscape by allowing the independent tuning of kinetics and thermodynamics.

Biochemical and molecular characterization of new keratinoytic protease from Actinomadura viridilutea DZ50

A new extracellular thermostable keratinolytic protease, designated KERDZ, was purified and characterized from a thermophilic actinomycetes Actinomadura viridilutea DZ50 isolated from Algerian fishing port. The isolate exhibited high keratinase production when grown in chicken-feather meal media (18,000U/ml) after 96-h of incubation at 45°C. The enzyme was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation (35-55%)-dialysis and heat treatment (30min at 75°C) followed by UNO S-1 FPLC cation exchange chromatography and size exclusion HPLC column. The biochemical characterizations carried on include physico-chemical determination and spectroscopic analysis. The MALDI-TOF/MS analysis revealed that the purified enzyme was a monomer with a molecular mass of 19536.10-Da. The sequence of the 25 N-terminal residues of KERDZ showed high homology with those of actinomycetes keratinases. Optimal activity was achieved at pH 11 and 80°C. KERDZ was completely inhibited by PMSF and DFP suggested its belonging to the serine keratinase family. KERDZ displayed higher levels of hydrolysis and catalytic efficiency than bacterial keratinases (KERAK-29, Actinase E, and KERAB) and subtilisins (subtilisin Carlsberg and subtilisin Novo). The kerDZ gene encoding KERDZ was isolated and its DNA sequence was determined. These properties make KERDZ a potential, promising and eco-friendly alternative to the conventional chemicals used for industrial applications.

Aerobically respiring prokaryotic strains exhibit a broader temperature-pH-salinity space for cell division than anaerobically respiring and fermentative strains

Biological processes on the Earth operate within a parameter space that is constrained by physical and chemical extremes. Aerobic respiration can result in adenosine triphosphate yields up to over an order of magnitude higher than those attained anaerobically and, under certain conditions, may enable microbial multiplication over a broader range of extremes than other modes of catabolism. We employed growth data published for 241 prokaryotic strains to compare temperature, pH and salinity values for cell division between aerobically and anaerobically metabolizing taxa. Isolates employing oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor exhibited a considerably more extensive three-dimensional phase space for cell division (90% of the total volume) than taxa using other inorganic substrates or organic compounds as the electron acceptor (15% and 28% of the total volume, respectively), with all groups differing in their growth characteristics. Understanding the mechanistic basis of these differences will require integration of research into microbial ecology, physiology and energetics, with a focus on global-scale processes. Critical knowledge gaps include the combined impacts of diverse stress parameters on Gibbs energy yields and rates of microbial activity, interactions between cellular energetics and adaptations to extremes, and relating laboratory-based data to in situ limits for cell division.

Propeptides as modulators of functional activity of proteases

Most proteases are synthesized in the cell as precursor-containing propeptides. These structural elements can determine the folding of the cognate protein, function as an inhibitor/activator peptide, mediate enzyme sorting, and mediate the protease interaction with other molecules and supramolecular structures. The data presented in this review demonstrate modulatory activity of propeptides irrespective of the specific mechanism of action. Changes in propeptide structure, sometimes minor, can crucially alter protein function in the living organism. Modulatory activity coupled with high variation allows us to consider propeptides as specific evolutionary modules that can transform biological properties of proteases without significant changes in the highly conserved catalytic domains. As the considered properties of propeptides are not unique to proteases, propeptide-mediated evolution seems to be a universal biological mechanism.

A new alkaline lipase obtained from the metagenome of marine sponge Ircinia sp

Microorganisms associated with marine sponges are potential resources for marine enzymes. In this study, culture-independent metagenomic approach was used to isolate lipases from the complex microbiome of the sponge Ircinia sp. obtained from the South China Sea. A metagenomic library was constructed, containing 6568 clones, and functional screening on 1 % tributyrin agar resulted in the identification of a positive lipase clone (35F4). Following sequence analysis 35F4 clone was found to contain a putative lipase gene lipA. Sequence analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence of LipA revealed that it is a member of subfamily I.1 of lipases, with 63 % amino acid similarity to the lactonizing lipase from Aeromonas veronii (WP_021231793). Based on the predicted secondary structure, LipA was predicted to be an alkaline enzyme by sequence/structure analysis. Heterologous expression of lipA in E. coli BL21 (DE3) was performed and the characterization of the recombinant enzyme LipA showed that it is an alkaline enzyme with high tolerance to organic solvents. The isolated lipase LipA was active in the broad alkaline range, with the highest activity at pH 9.0, and had a high level of stability over a pH range of 7.0-12.0. The activity of LipA was increased in the presence of 5 mM Ca(2+) and some organic solvents, e.g. methanol, acetone and isopropanol. The optimum temperature for the activity of LipA is 40 °C and the molecular weight of LipA was determined to be ~30 kDa by SDS-PAGE. LipA is an alkaline lipase and shows good tolerance to some organic solvents, which make it of potential utility in the detergent industry and enzyme mediated organic synthesis. The result of this study has broadened the diversity of known lipolytic genes and demonstrated that marine sponges are an important source for new enzymes.

Nocardiopsis species: Incidence, ecological roles and adaptations

Members of the genus Nocardiopsis are ecologically versatile and biotechnologically important. They produce a variety of bioactive compounds such as antimicrobial agents, anticancer substances, tumor inducers, toxins and immunomodulators. They also secrete novel extracellular enzymes such as amylases, chitinases, cellulases, β-glucanases, inulinases, xylanases and proteases. Nocardiopsis species are aerobic, Gram-positive, non-acid-fast, catalase-positive actinomycetes with nocardioform substrate mycelia and their aerial mycelia bear long chains of spores. Their DNA possesses high contents of guanine and cytosine. There is a marked variation in properties of the isolates obtained from different ecological niches and their products. An important feature of several species is their halophilic or halotolerant nature. They are associated with a variety of marine and terrestrial biological forms wherein they produce antibiotics and toxins that help their hosts in evading pathogens and predators. Two Nocardiopsis species, namely, N. dassonvillei and N. synnemataformans (among the thirty nine reported ones) are opportunistic human pathogens and cause mycetoma, suppurative infections and abscesses. Nocardiopsis species are present in some plants (as endophytes or surface microflora) and their rhizospheres. Here, they are reported to produce enzymes such as α-amylases and antifungal agents that are effective in warding-off plant pathogens. They are prevalent as free-living entities in terrestrial locales, indoor locations, marine ecosystems and hypersaline habitats on account of their salt-, alkali- and desiccation-resistant behavior. In such natural locations, Nocardiopsis species mainly help in recycling organic compounds. Survival under these diverse conditions is mediated by the production of extracellular enzymes, antibiotics, surfactants, and the accumulation of compatible solutes. The accommodative genomic features of Nocardiopsis species support their existence under the diverse conditions where they prevail.

Acid stability of the kinetically stable alkaline serine protease possessing polyproline II fold

The kinetically stable alkaline serine protease from Nocardiopsis sp.; NprotI, possessing polyproline II fold (PPII) was characterized for its pH stability using proteolytic assay, fluorescence and Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). NprotI was found to be functionally stable when incubated at pH 1.0, even after 24 h, while after incubation at pH 10.0, drastic loss in the activity was observed. The enzyme showed enhanced activity after incubation at pH 1.0 and 3.0, at higher temperature (50-60 °C). NprotI maintained the overall PPII fold in broad pH range as seen using far UV CD spectroscopy. The PPII fold of NprotI incubated at pH 1.0 remained fairly intact up to 70 °C. Based on the isodichroic point and Tm values revealed by secondary structural transitions, different modes of thermal denaturation at pH 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 were observed. DSC studies of NprotI incubated at acidic pH (pH 1.0-5.0) showed Tm values in the range of 74-76 °C while significant decrease in Tm (63.8 °C) was observed at pH 10.0. NprotI could be chemically denatured at pH 5.0 (stability pH) only with guanidine thiocynate. NprotI can be classified as type III protein among the three acid denatured states. Acid tolerant and thermostable NprotI can serve as a potential candidate for biotechnological applications.

Nocardiopsis species as potential sources of diverse and novel extracellular enzymes

Members of the genus Nocardiopsis are generally encountered in locations that are inherently extreme. They are present in frozen soils, desert sand, compost, saline or hypersaline habitats (marine systems, salterns and soils) and alkaline places (slag dumps, lake soils and sediments). In order to survive under these severe conditions, they produce novel and diverse enzymes that allow them to utilize the available nutrients and to thrive. The members of this genus are multifaceted and release an assortment of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. They produce enzymes that are cold-adapted (α-amylases), thermotolerant (α-amylases and xylanases), thermoalkalotolerant (cellulases, β-1,3-glucanases), alkali-tolerant thermostable (inulinases), acid-stable (keratinase) and alkalophilic (serine proteases). Some of the enzymes derived from Nocardiopsis species act on insoluble polymers such as glucans (pachyman and curdlan), keratin (feathers and prion proteins) and polyhydroxyalkanoates. Extreme tolerance exhibited by proteases has been attributed to the presence of some amino acids (Asn and Pro) in loop structures, relocation of multiple salt bridges to outer regions of the protein or the presence of a distinct polyproline II helix. The range of novel enzymes is projected to increase in the forthcoming years, as new isolates are being continually reported, and the development of processes involving such enzymes is envisaged in the future.

In silico classification of proteins from acidic and neutral cytoplasms

Protein acidostability is a common problem in biopharmaceutical and other industries. However, it remains a great challenge to engineer proteins for enhanced acidostability because our knowledge of protein acidostabilization is still very limited. In this paper, we present a comparative study of proteins from bacteria with acidic (AP) and neutral cytoplasms (NP) using an integrated statistical and machine learning approach. We construct a set of 393 non-redundant AP-NP ortholog pairs and calculate a total of 889 sequence based features for these proteins. The pairwise alignments of these ortholog pairs are used to build a residue substitution propensity matrix between APs and NPs. We use Gini importance provided by the Random Forest algorithm to rank the relative importance of these features. A scoring function using the 10 most significant features is developed and optimized using a hill climbing algorithm. The accuracy of the score function is 86.01% in predicting AP-NP ortholog pairs and is 76.65% in predicting non-ortholog AP-NP pairs, suggesting that there are significant differences between APs and NPs which can be used to predict relative acidostability of proteins. The overall trends uncovered in the study can be used as general guidelines for designing acidostable proteins. To best of our knowledge, this work represents the first systematic comparative study of the acidostable proteins and their non-acidostable orthologs.

Functional modulation of a protein folding landscape via side-chain distortion

Ultrahigh-resolution (< 1.0 Å) structures have revealed unprecedented and unexpected details of molecular geometry, such as the deformation of aromatic rings from planarity. However, the functional utility of such energetically costly strain is unknown. The 0.83 Å structure of α-lytic protease (αLP) indicated that residues surrounding a conserved Phe side-chain dictate a rotamer which results in a ~6° distortion along the side-chain, estimated to cost 4 kcal/mol. By contrast, in the closely related protease Streptomyces griseus Protease B (SGPB), the equivalent Phe adopts a different rotamer and is undistorted. Here, we report that the αLP Phe side-chain distortion is both functional and conserved in proteases with large pro regions. Sequence analysis of the αLP serine protease family reveals a bifurcation separating those sequences expected to induce distortion and those that would not, which correlates with the extent of kinetic stability. Structural and folding kinetics analyses of family members suggest that distortion of this side-chain plays a role in increasing kinetic stability within the αLP family members that use a large Pro region. Additionally, structural and kinetic folding studies of mutants demonstrate that strain alters the folding free energy landscape by destabilizing the transition state (TS) relative to the native state (N). Although side-chain distortion comes at a cost of foldability, it suppresses the rate of unfolding, thereby enhancing kinetic stability and increasing protein longevity under harsh extracellular conditions. This ability of a structural distortion to enhance function is unlikely to be unique to αLP family members and may be relevant in other proteins exhibiting side-chain distortions.

Slow formation of aggregation-resistant beta-sheet folding intermediates

Protein folding has been studied extensively for decades, yet our ability to predict how proteins reach their native state from a mechanistic perspective is still rudimentary at best, limiting our understanding of folding-related processes in vivo and our ability to manipulate proteins in vitro. Here, we investigate the in vitro refolding mechanism of a large beta-helix protein, pertactin, which has an extended, elongated shape. At 55 kDa, this single domain, all-beta-sheet protein allows detailed analysis of the formation of beta-sheet structure in larger proteins. Using a combination of fluorescence and far-UV circular dichroism spectroscopy, we show that the pertactin beta-helix refolds remarkably slowly, with multiexponential kinetics. Surprisingly, despite the slow refolding rates, large size, and beta-sheet-rich topology, pertactin refolding is reversible and not complicated by off-pathway aggregation. The slow pertactin refolding rate is not limited by proline isomerization, and 30% of secondary structure formation occurs within the rate-limiting step. Furthermore, site-specific labeling experiments indicate that the beta-helix refolds in a multistep but concerted process involving the entire protein, rather than via initial formation of the stable core substructure observed in equilibrium titrations. Hence pertactin provides a valuable system for studying the refolding properties of larger, beta-sheet-rich proteins, and raises intriguing questions regarding the prevention of aggregation during the prolonged population of partially folded, beta-sheet-rich refolding intermediates. Proteins 2010. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Unfolding simulations reveal the mechanism of extreme unfolding cooperativity in the kinetically stable alpha-lytic protease

Kinetically stable proteins, those whose stability is derived from their slow unfolding kinetics and not thermodynamics, are examples of evolution's best attempts at suppressing unfolding. Especially in highly proteolytic environments, both partially and fully unfolded proteins face potential inactivation through degradation and/or aggregation, hence, slowing unfolding can greatly extend a protein's functional lifetime. The prokaryotic serine protease α-lytic protease (αLP) has done just that, as its unfolding is both very slow (t_1/2 ∼1 year) and so cooperative that partial unfolding is negligible, providing a functional advantage over its thermodynamically stable homologs, such as trypsin. Previous studies have identified regions of the domain interface as critical to αLP unfolding, though a complete description of the unfolding pathway is missing. In order to identify the αLP unfolding pathway and the mechanism for its extreme cooperativity, we performed high temperature molecular dynamics unfolding simulations of both αLP and trypsin. The simulated αLP unfolding pathway produces a robust transition state ensemble consistent with prior biochemical experiments and clearly shows that unfolding proceeds through a preferential disruption of the domain interface. Through a novel method of calculating unfolding cooperativity, we show that αLP unfolds extremely cooperatively while trypsin unfolds gradually. Finally, by examining the behavior of both domain interfaces, we propose a model for the differential unfolding cooperativity of αLP and trypsin involving three key regions that differ between the kinetically stable and thermodynamically stable classes of serine proteases.

Proteins, synthesized as linear polymers of amino acids, fold up into compact native states, burying their hydrophobic amino acids into their interiors. Protein folding minimizes the non-specific interactions that unfolded protein chains can make, which include aggregation with other proteins and degradation by proteases. Unfortunately, even in the native state, proteins can partially unfold, opening up regions of their structure and making these adverse events possible. Some proteins, particularly those in harsh environments full of proteases, have evolved to virtually eliminate partial unfolding, significantly reducing their rate of degradation. This elimination of partial unfolding is termed “cooperative,” because unfolding is an all-or-none process. One class of proteins has diverged into two families, one bacterial and highly cooperative and the other animal and non-cooperative. We have used detailed simulations of unfolding for members of each family, α-lytic protease (bacterial) and trypsin (animal) to understand the unfolding pathways of each and the mechanism for the differential unfolding cooperativity. Our results explain prior biochemical experiments, reproduce the large difference in unfolding cooperativity between the families, and point to the interface between α-lytic protease's two domains as essential to establishing unfolding cooperativity. As seen in an unrelated protein family, generation of a cooperative domain interface may be a common evolutionary response for ensuring the highest protein stability.

Intra-molecular chaperone: the role of the N-terminal in conformational selection and kinetic control

The vast majority of the proteins in nature are under thermodynamic control, consistent with the universally accepted notion that proteins exist in their thermodynamically most stable state. Yet, recently a number of examples of proteins whose fold is under kinetic control have come to light. Their functions and environments vary. The first among these are some proteases, discovered in the early 1990s. There, an N-terminal proregion is self-cleaved after the protein folded, leaving the remainder of the chain in a kinetically trapped state. A related scenario was observed for microcin J25, an antibacterial peptide. This peptide presents a trapped covalently knotted conformation. The third and the most recently discovered case is the multidrug-resistant transporter protein, P-glycoprotein. There, a synonymous 'silent' mutation leads to ribosome stalling with a consequent altered kinetically trapped state. Here we argue that in all three examples, the N-terminal plays the role of an intra-molecular chaperone, that is, the N-terminal conformation selects among all competing local conformations of a downstream segment. By providing a pattern, the N-terminal chaperone segment assists the protein folding process. If the N-terminal is subsequently cleaved, the protein can be under kinetic control, since it is trapped in a thermodynamically less-stable state.

How general is the nucleation-condensation mechanism?

We investigate the structures of the major folding transition states of nine proteins by correlation of published Phi-values with inter-residue contact maps. Combined with previous studies on six proteins, the analysis suggests that at least 10 of the 15 small globular proteins fold via a nucleation-condensation mechanism with a concurrent build-up of secondary and tertiary structure contacts, but a structural consolidation that is clearly nonuniformly distributed over the molecule and most intense in a single structural region suggesting the occurrence of a single folding nucleus. However, on average helix- and sheet-forming residues show somewhat larger Phi-values in the major transition state, suggesting that secondary structure formation is one important driving force in the nucleation-condensation in many proteins and that secondary-structure forming residues tend to be more prominent in folding nuclei. We synthesize the combined information on these 10 of 15 proteins into a unified nucleation-condensation mechanism which also accounts for effects described by the framework, hydrophobic collapse, zipper, and funnel models.

Between-species variation in the kinetic stability of TIM proteins linked to solvation-barrier free energies

Theoretical, computational, and experimental studies have suggested the existence of solvation barriers in protein unfolding and denaturation processes. These barriers are related to the finite size of water molecules and can be envisioned as arising from the asynchrony between water penetration and breakup of internal interactions. Solvation barriers have been proposed to play roles in protein cooperativity and kinetic stability; therefore, they may be expected to be subject to natural selection. We study the thermal denaturation, in the presence and in the absence of chemical denaturants, of triosephosphate isomerases (TIMs) from three different species: Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei, and Leishmania mexicana. In all cases, denaturation was irreversible and kinetically controlled. Surprisingly, however, we found large differences between the kinetic denaturation parameters, with T. cruzi TIM showing a much larger activation energy value (and, consequently, much lower room-temperature, extrapolated denaturation rates). This disparity cannot be accounted for by variations in the degree of exposure to solvent in transition states (as measured by kinetic urea m values) and is, therefore, to be attributed mainly to differences in solvation-barrier contributions. This was supported by structure-energetics analyses of the transition states and by application of a novel procedure to estimate from experimental data the solvation-barrier impact at the entropy and free-energy levels. These analyses were actually performed with an extended protein set (including six small proteins plus seven variants of lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus and spanning a wide range of activation parameters), allowing us to delineate the general trends of the solvation-barrier contributions. Overall, this work supports that proteins sharing the same structure and function but belonging to different organisms may show widely different solvation barriers, possibly as a result of different levels of the selection pressure associated with cooperativity, kinetic stability, and related factors.

Identifying the subproteome of kinetically stable proteins via diagonal 2D SDS/PAGE

Most proteins are in equilibrium with partially and globally unfolded conformations. In contrast, kinetically stable proteins (KSPs) are trapped by an energy barrier in a specific state, unable to transiently sample other conformations. Among many potential roles, it appears that kinetic stability (KS) is a feature used by nature to allow proteins to maintain activity under harsh conditions and to preserve the structure of proteins that are prone to misfolding. The biological and pathological significance of KS remains poorly understood because of the lack of simple experimental methods to identify this property and its infrequent occurrence in proteins. Based on our previous correlation between KS and a protein's resistance to the denaturing detergent SDS, we show here the application of a diagonal 2D (D2D) SDS/PAGE assay to identify KSPs in complex mixtures. We applied this method to the lysate of Escherichia coli and upon proteomics analysis have identified 50 nonredundant proteins that were SDS-resistant (i.e., kinetically stable). Structural and functional analyses of a subset (44) of these proteins with known 3D structure revealed some potential structural and functional biases toward and against KS. This simple D2D SDS/PAGE assay will allow the widespread investigation of KS, including the proteomics-level identification of KSPs in different systems, potentially leading to a better understanding of the biological and pathological significance of this intriguing property of proteins.

Mesophile versus thermophile: insights into the structural mechanisms of kinetic stability

Obtaining detailed knowledge of folding intermediate and transition state (TS) structures is critical for understanding protein folding mechanisms. Comparisons between proteins adapted to survive extreme temperatures with their mesophilic homologs are likely to provide valuable information on the interactions relevant to the unfolding transition. For kinetically stable proteins such as alpha-lytic protease (alphaLP) and its family members, their large free energy barrier to unfolding is central to their biological function. To gain new insights into the mechanisms that underlie kinetic stability, we have determined the structure and high temperature unfolding kinetics of a thermophilic homolog, Thermobifida fusca protease A (TFPA). These studies led to the identification of a specific structural element bridging the N and C-terminal domains of the protease (the "domain bridge") proposed to be associated with the enhanced high temperature kinetic stability in TFPA. Mutagenesis experiments exchanging the TFPA domain bridge into alphaLP validate this hypothesis and illustrate key structural details that contribute to TFPA's increased kinetic thermostability. These results lead to an updated model for the unfolding transition state structure for this important class of proteases in which domain bridge undocking and unfolding occurs at or before the TS. The domain bridge appears to be a structural element that can modulate the degree of kinetic stability of the different members of this class of proteases.