The behavior of the active site salt bridge of bovine neurophysins as monitored by 15N NMR spectroscopy and chemical substitution. Relationship to biochemical properties

Novel mutant vasopressin-neurophysin II gene associated with familial neurohypophyseal diabetes insipidus

We describe a novel missense mutant of arginine vasopressin (AVP)-dependent neurohypophyseal diabetes insipidus in an autosomal dominant family. A 54-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer. After thyroidectomy she was found to have hypernatremia and polyuria and polydipsia both of which had been present from childhood. She had no obstructive hydronephrosis. Her father, father's younger sister and her third son also had polyuria and polydipsia. Basal plasma AVP concentration at normal plasma osmolality was normal but did not respond to increased plasma osmolality despite hyperosmolality during infusion of hypertonic saline infusion, indicating that plasma AVP secretion was impaired. Sodium concentration in urine and urine osmolality were low and increased after nasal administration of DDAVP. There was a diminished but bright signal of pituitary posterior gland on magnetic resonance T1 weighted image. Molecular genetic analysis demonstrated that the patient and her son had a single heterozygous missense mutation (G-->A) at nucleotide 1829 in 1 AVP allele, yielding an abnormal AVP precursor with lacking Glu-47 in its neurophysin II moiety. The abnormal AVP precursor may be related to the impaired AVP secretion.

Structures of an unliganded neurophysin and its vasopressin complex: implications for binding and allosteric mechanisms

The structures of des 1-6 bovine neurophysin-II in the unliganded state and as its complex with lysine vasopressin were determined crystallographically at resolutions of 2.4 A and 2.3 A, respectively. The structure of the protein component of the vasopressin complex was, with some local differences, similar to that determined earlier of the full-length protein complexed with oxytocin, but relatively large differences, probably intrinsic to the hormones, were observed between the structures of bound oxytocin and bound vasopressin at Gln 4. The structure of the unliganded protein is the first structure of an unliganded neurophysin. Comparison with the liganded state indicated significant binding-induced conformational changes that were the largest in the loop region comprising residues 50-58 and in the 7-10 region. A subtle binding-induced tightening of the subunit interface of the dimer also was shown, consistent with a role for interface changes in neurophysin allosteric mechanism, but one that is probably not predominant. Interface changes are suggested to be communicated from the binding site through the strands of beta-sheet that connect these two regions, in part with mediation by Gly 23. Comparison of unliganded and liganded states additionally reveals that the binding site for the hormone alpha-amino group is largely preformed and accessible in the unliganded state, suggesting that it represents the initial site of hormone protein recognition. The potential molecular basis for its thermodynamic contribution to binding is discussed.

Structural basis of neurophysin hormone specificity: Geometry, polarity, and polarizability in aromatic ring interactions

The structural origins of the specificity of the neurophysin hormone-binding site for an aromatic residue in peptide position 2 were explored by analyzing the binding of a series of peptides in the context of the crystal structure of liganded neurophysin. A new modeling method for describing the van der Waals surface of binding sites assisted in the analysis. Particular attention was paid to the unusually large (5 kcal/mol) difference in binding free energy between Phe and Leu in position 2, a value representing more than three times the maximum expected based on hydrophobicity alone, and additionally remarkable since modeling indicated that the Leu side chain was readily accommodated by the binding pocket. Although evidence was obtained of a weak thermodynamic linkage between the binding interactions of the residue 2 side chain and of the peptide alpha-amino group, two factors are considered central. (1) The bound Leu side chain can establish only one-third of the van der Waals contacts available to a Phe side chain. (2) The bound Phe side chain appears to be additionally stabilized relative to Leu by more favorable dipole and induced dipole interactions with nonaromatic polar and sulfur ligands in the binding pocket, as evidenced by examination of its interactions in the pocket, analysis of the detailed energetics of transfer of Phe and Leu side chains from water to other phases, and comparison with thermodynamic and structural data for the binding of residue 1 side chains in this system. While such polar interactions of aromatic rings have been previously observed, the present results suggest their potential for significant thermodynamic contributions to protein structure and ligand recognition.