Structural properties of an artificial protein that regulates the nucleation of inorganic and organic crystals

C-terminal amidation of an osteocalcin-derived peptide promotes hydroxyapatite crystallization

Genesis of natural biocomposite-based materials, such as bone, cartilage, and teeth, involves interactions between organic and inorganic systems. Natural biopolymers, such as peptide motif sequences, can be used as a template to direct the nucleation and crystallization of hydroxyapatite (HA). In this study, a natural motif sequence consisting of 13 amino acids present in the first helix of osteocalcin was selected based on its calcium binding ability and used as substrate for nucleation of HA crystals. The acidic (acidic osteocalcin-derived peptide (OSC)) and amidic (amidic osteocalcin-derived peptide (OSN)) forms of this sequence were synthesized to investigate the effects of different C termini on the process of biomineralization. Electron microscopy analyses show the formation of plate-like HA crystals with random size and shape in the presence of OSN. In contrast, spherical amorphous calcium phosphate is formed in the presence of OSC. Circular dichroism experiments indicate conformational changes of amidic peptide to an open and regular structure as a consequence of interaction with calcium and phosphate. There is no conformational change detectable in OSC. It is concluded that HA crystal formation, which only occurred in OSN, is attributable to C-terminal amidation of a natural peptide derived from osteocalcin. It is also proposed that natural peptides with the ability to promote biomineralization have the potential to be utilized in hard tissue regeneration.

A further insight into the biosorption mechanism of Au(III) by infrared spectrometry

Background

The interactions of microbes with metal ions form an important basis for our study of biotechnological applications. Despite the recent progress in studying some properties of Au(III) adsorption and reduction by Bacillus megatherium D01 biomass, there is still a need for additional data on the molecular mechanisms of biosorbents responsible for their interactions with Au(III) to have a further insight and to make a better exposition.

Results

The biosorption mechanism of Au(III) onto the resting cell of Bacillus megatherium D01 biomass on a molecular level has been further studied here. The infrared (IR) spectroscopy on D01 biomass and that binding Au(III) demonstrates that the molecular recognition of and binding to Au(III) appear to occur mostly with oxygenous- and nitrogenous-active groups of polysaccharides and proteins in cell wall biopolymers, such as hydroxyl of saccharides, carboxylate anion of amino-acid residues (side-chains of polypeptide backbone), peptide bond (amide I and amide II bands), etc.; and that the active groups must serve as nucleation sites for Au(0) nuclei growth. A further investigation on the interactions of each of the soluble hydrolysates of D01, Bacillus licheniformis R08, Lactobacillus sp. strain A09 and waste Saccharomyces cerevisiae biomasses with Au(III) by IR spectrometry clearly reveals an essential biomacromolecule-characteristic that seems the binding of Au(III) to the oxygen of the peptide bond has caused a significant, molecular conformation-rearrangement in polypeptide backbones from β-pleated sheet to α-helices and/or β-turns of protein secondary structure; and that this changing appears to be accompanied by the occurrence, in the peptide bond, of much unbound -C=O and H-N- groups, being freed from the inter-molecular hydrogen-bonding of the β-pleated sheet and carried on the helical forms, as well as by the alternation in side chain steric positions of protein primary structure. This might be reasonably expected to result in higher-affinity interactions of peptide bond and side chains with Au(III).

Conclusions

The evidence suggests that the polypeptides appear to be activated by the intervention of Au(III) via the molecular reconformation and in turn react upon Au(III) actively and exert profound impacts on the course of Au(0) nucleation and crystal growth.

Critical amino acid residues for the specific binding of the Ti-recognizing recombinant ferritin with oxide surfaces of titanium and silicon

The interactions of ferritins fused with a Ti-recognizing peptide (RKLPDA) and their mutants with titanium oxide substrates were explored with an atomic force microscope (AFM). The amino acid sequence of the peptide was systematically modified to elucidate the role of each amino acid residue in the specific interaction. Force measurements revealed a clear correlation among the sequences in the N-terminal domain of ferritin, surface potentials, and long-range electrostatic interactions. Measurements of adhesion forces clearly revealed that hydrogen bonds take part in the specific binding as well as the electrostatic interaction between charged residues and surface charges of Ti oxides. Moreover, our results indicated that not only the charged and polar residues but also a neutral residue (proline) govern the strength of the specific binding, with the order of the residues also being significant. These results demonstrate that the local structure of the peptide governs the special arrangement of charged residues and strongly affects the strength of the bindings.

Effect of molecular conformations on the adsorption behavior of gold-binding peptides

Despite extensive recent reports on combinatorially selected inorganic-binding peptides and their bionanotechnological utility as synthesizers and molecular linkers, there is still only limited knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of peptide binding to solid surfaces. There is, therefore, much work that needs to be carried out in terms of both the fundamentals of solid-binding kinetics of peptides and the effects of peptide primary and secondary structures on their recognition and binding to solid materials. Here we discuss the effects of constraints imposed on FliTrx-selected gold-binding peptide molecular structures upon their quantitative gold-binding affinity. We first selected two novel gold-binding peptide (AuBP) sequences using a FliTrx random peptide display library. These were, then, synthesized in two different forms: cyclic (c), reproducing the original FliTrx gold-binding sequence as displayed on bacterial cells, and linear (l) dodecapeptide gold-binding sequences. All four gold-binding peptides were then analyzed for their adsorption behavior using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. The peptides exhibit a range of binding affinities to and adsorption kinetics on gold surfaces, with the equilibrium constant, Keq, varying from 2.5x10(6) to 13.5x10(6) M(-1). Both circular dichroism and molecular mechanics/energy minimization studies reveal that each of the four peptides has various degrees of random coil and polyproline type II molecular conformations in solution. We found that AuBP1 retained its molecular conformation in both the c- and l-forms, and this is reflected in having similar adsorption behavior. On the other hand, the c- and l-forms of AuBP2 have different molecular structures, leading to differences in their gold-binding affinities.

Molecular specifications of a mineral modulation sequence derived from the aragonite-promoting protein n16

In the nacre layer of the mollusk, proteins play an important role in regulating the morphology and lattice structure of calcium carbonate minerals. However, this process remains elusive due to the fact that we do not understand how protein sequences control the structure and morphology of biominerals. To take us a step further in this direction, we report the molecular structure of a 30 AA N-terminal mineral interactive sequence (n16N) of the aragonite-promoting protein, n16, and contrast these findings to those previously reported for two "calcite-blocker" nacre-associated sequences, AP7N and AP24N. We find that n16N is conformationally labile and adopts a random-coil conformation that possesses short, dispersed extended beta-strand segments that are located at the A1-Y2, K5-Y9, Y11-I14, and D21-N25 sequence blocks. Like AP7N and AP24N, Ca(II) ion interactions with n16N alter chain dynamics and local structure, and n16N is adsorbed onto calcite crystals and cannot easily be displaced via differential washing techniques. Furthermore, all three sequences have planar surface regions that could serve as putative sites for mineral interactions or ion cluster formation. However, what sets n16N apart from AP7N and AP24N are different folding propensities as well as unique molecular surface features and amino acid composition. n16N has a more condensed structure that, in the presence of TFE, folds into a beta-strand. This contrasts with the more open structures of AP7N and AP24N that are induced by TFE to fold into alpha-helices. Mapping of the n16N molecular surface reveals significant cationic regions and diffuse anionic charge, which contrasts with the small anionic "pocket" regions of AP7N/AP24N. Finally, n16N has 50% fewer sites for mineral surface- or ion cluster-associated water interactions compared to AP7N and AP24N. Overall, the structure of n16N is "tuned" to a different function within the in vitro mineralization scheme. The different features found in AP7N, AP24N, and n16N could be exploited for engineering polypeptides that recognize and bind to different surface features of inorganic crystalline solids.

Identification and structural characterization of an unusual RING-like sequence within an extracellular biomineralization protein, AP7

The RING or Really Interesting New Gene represents a family of eukaryotic sequences that bind Zn (II) ions and participate in intracellular processes involving protein-protein interaction. Although found in over 400 different proteins, very little is known regarding the structure-function properties of these domains because of the aggregation problems associated with RING sequences. To augment this data set, we report an unusual 36 AA C-terminal sequence of an extracellular matrix mollusk shell protein, AP7, that exhibits partial homology to the RING family. This Cys, His-containing sequence, termed AP7C, binds Zn (II) and other multivalent ions, but does not utilize a tetracoordinate complexation scheme for binding such as that found in Zn (II) finger polypeptides. Moreover, unlike Zn (II) finger and RING domains, this 36 AA can fold into a relatively stable structure in the absence of Zn (II). This folded structure consists of three short helical segments (A, B, and C), with segments A and B separated by a 4 AA type I beta-turn region and segments B and C separated by a 7 AA loop-like region. Interestingly, the putative RING-like region, -RRPFHECALCYSI-, experiences slow conformational exchange between two structural states in solution, most likely in response to imido ring interconversion at P8 and P21. Poisson-Boltzmann solvation calculations reveal that the AP7C molecular surface possesses a cationic region near its N-terminus, which lies adjacent to the 30 AA mineral modification domain in the AP7 protein. Given that the AP7C sequence does not influence mineralization, it is probable that this cationic pseudo-RING region is utilized by the AP7 protein for other tasks such as protein-protein interaction within the mollusk shell matrix.

Regulation of in vitro calcium phosphate mineralization by combinatorially selected hydroxyapatite-binding peptides

We report selection and characterization of hydroxyapatite-binding heptapeptides from a peptide-phage library and demonstrate the effects of two peptides, with different binding affinities and structural properties, on the mineralization of calcium phosphate mineral. In vitro mineralization studies carried out using one strong- and one weak-binding peptide, HABP1 and HABP2, respectively, revealed that the former exhibited a drastic outcome on mineralization kinetics and particle morphology. Strong-binding peptide yielded significantly larger crystals, as observed by electron microscopy, in comparison to those formed in the presence of a weak-binding peptide or in the negative control. Molecular structural studies carried out by circular dichroism revealed that HABP1 and HABP2 differed in their secondary structure and conformational stability. The results indicate that sequence, structure, and molecular stability strongly influence the mineralization activity of these peptides. The implication of the research is that the combinatorially selected short-sequence peptides may be used in the restoration or regeneration of hard tissues through their control over of the formation of calcium phosphate biominerals.