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Genceroglu MY, Cavdar C, Manioglu S, Bayraktar H. Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Probe for Detection of Heme-Induced Conformational Changes in Cytochrome c. BIOSENSORS 2023; 13:890. [PMID: 37754124 PMCID: PMC10526477 DOI: 10.3390/bios13090890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Cytochrome c (Cytc) is a key redox protein for energy metabolism and apoptosis in cells. The activation of Cytc is composed of several steps, including its transfer to the mitochondrial membrane, binding to cytochrome c heme lyase (CCHL) and covalent attachment to heme. The spectroscopic methods are often applied to study the structural changes of Cytc. However, they require the isolation of Cytc from cells and have limited availability under physiological conditions. Despite recent studies to elucidate the tightly regulated folding mechanism of Cytc, the role of these events and their association with different conformational states remain elusive. Here, we provide a genetically encoded fluorescence method that allows monitoring of the conformational changes of Cytc upon binding to heme and CCHL. Cerulean and Venus fluorescent proteins attached at the N and C terminals of Cytc can be used to determine its unfolded, intermediate, and native states by measuring FRET amplitude. We found that the noncovalent interaction of heme in the absence of CCHL induced a shift in the FRET signal, indicating the formation of a partially folded state. The higher concentration of heme and coexpression of CCHL gave rise to the recovery of Cytc native structure. We also found that Cytc was weakly associated with CCHL in the absence of heme. As a result, a FRET-based fluorescence approach was demonstrated to elucidate the mechanism of heme-induced Cytc conformational changes with spatiotemporal resolution and can be applied to study its interaction with small molecules and other protein partners in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehmet Yunus Genceroglu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul 34467, Turkey
| | - Cansu Cavdar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul 34467, Turkey
| | - Selen Manioglu
- Biomedical Science and Engineering Program, Koç University, Istanbul 34450, Turkey
| | - Halil Bayraktar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul 34467, Turkey
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2
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Alvarez-Paggi D, Hannibal L, Castro MA, Oviedo-Rouco S, Demicheli V, Tórtora V, Tomasina F, Radi R, Murgida DH. Multifunctional Cytochrome c: Learning New Tricks from an Old Dog. Chem Rev 2017; 117:13382-13460. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Damián Alvarez-Paggi
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química
Física and INQUIMAE (CONICET-UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas
y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. 2, piso 1, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Luciana Hannibal
- Department
of Pediatrics, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Mathildenstrasse 1, Freiburg 79106, Germany
- Departamento
de Bioquímica and Center for Free Radical and Biomedical Research,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av.
Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - María A. Castro
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química
Física and INQUIMAE (CONICET-UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas
y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. 2, piso 1, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Santiago Oviedo-Rouco
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química
Física and INQUIMAE (CONICET-UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas
y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. 2, piso 1, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
| | - Veronica Demicheli
- Departamento
de Bioquímica and Center for Free Radical and Biomedical Research,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av.
Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Veronica Tórtora
- Departamento
de Bioquímica and Center for Free Radical and Biomedical Research,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av.
Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Florencia Tomasina
- Departamento
de Bioquímica and Center for Free Radical and Biomedical Research,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av.
Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Rafael Radi
- Departamento
de Bioquímica and Center for Free Radical and Biomedical Research,
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av.
Gral. Flores 2125, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay
| | - Daniel H. Murgida
- Departamento
de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química
Física and INQUIMAE (CONICET-UBA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas
y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. 2, piso 1, Buenos Aires C1428EHA, Argentina
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3
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Muneeswaran G, Kartheeswaran S, Muthukumar K, Dharmaraj CD, Karunakaran C. Effects of different solvents on the conformations of apoptotic cytochrome c: Structural insights from molecular dynamics simulation. J Mol Graph Model 2017; 76:234-241. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2017.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Revised: 06/18/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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4
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Babbitt SE, Sutherland MC, San Francisco B, Mendez DL, Kranz RG. Mitochondrial cytochrome c biogenesis: no longer an enigma. Trends Biochem Sci 2015; 40:446-55. [PMID: 26073510 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2015.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2015] [Revised: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cytochromes c (cyt c) and c1 are heme proteins that are essential for aerobic respiration. Release of cyt c from mitochondria is an important signal in apoptosis initiation. Biogenesis of c-type cytochromes involves covalent attachment of heme to two cysteines (at a conserved CXXCH sequence) in the apocytochrome. Heme attachment is catalyzed in most mitochondria by holocytochrome c synthase (HCCS), which is also necessary for the import of apocytochrome c (apocyt c). Thus, HCCS affects cellular levels of cyt c, impacting mitochondrial physiology and cell death. Here, we review the mechanisms of HCCS function and the roles of heme and residues in the CXXCH motif. Additionally, we consider concepts emerging within the two prokaryotic cytochrome c biogenesis pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shalon E Babbitt
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | | | | | - Deanna L Mendez
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Robert G Kranz
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA.
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5
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Zinck N, Stark AK, Wilson DJ, Sharon M. An improved rapid mixing device for time-resolved electrospray mass spectrometry measurements. ChemistryOpen 2014; 3:109-14. [PMID: 25050229 PMCID: PMC4101726 DOI: 10.1002/open.201402002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Time series data can provide valuable insight into the complexity of biological reactions. Such information can be obtained by mass-spectrometry-based approaches that measure pre-steady-state kinetics. These methods are based on a mixing device that rapidly mixes the reactants prior to the on-line mass measurement of the transient intermediate steps. Here, we describe an improved continuous-flow mixing apparatus for real-time electrospray mass spectrometry measurements. Our setup was designed to minimize metal–solution interfaces and provide a sheath flow of nitrogen gas for generating stable and continuous spray that consequently enhances the signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, the device was planned to enable easy mounting onto a mass spectrometer replacing the commercial electrospray ionization source. We demonstrate the performance of our apparatus by monitoring the unfolding reaction of cytochrome C, yielding improved signal-to-noise ratio and reduced experimental repeat errors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Zinck
- Department of Chemistry, York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 (Canada)
| | - Ann-Kathrin Stark
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science 76100 Rehovot (Israel) E-mail:
| | - Derek J Wilson
- Department of Chemistry, York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 (Canada)
| | - Michal Sharon
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science 76100 Rehovot (Israel) E-mail:
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6
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Méndez J, Morales Cruz M, Delgado Y, Figueroa CM, Orellano EA, Morales M, Monteagudo A, Griebenow K. Delivery of chemically glycosylated cytochrome c immobilized in mesoporous silica nanoparticles induces apoptosis in HeLa cancer cells. Mol Pharm 2013; 11:102-11. [PMID: 24294910 DOI: 10.1021/mp400400j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Cytochrome c (Cyt c) is a small mitochondrial heme protein involved in the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Once Cyt c is released into the cytosol, the caspase mediated apoptosis cascade is activated resulting in programmed cell death. Herein, we explore the covalent immobilization of Cyt c into mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) to generate a smart delivery system for intracellular drug delivery to cancer cells aiming at affording subsequent cell death. Cyt c was modified with sulfosuccinimidyl-6-[3'-(2-pyridyldithio)-propionamido] hexanoate (SPDP) and incorporated into SH-functionalized MSN by thiol-disulfide interchange. Unfortunately, the delivery of Cyt c from the MSN was not efficient in inducing apoptosis in human cervical cancer HeLa cells. We tested whether chemical Cyt c glycosylation could be useful in overcoming the efficacy problems by potentially improving Cyt c thermodynamic stability and reducing proteolytic degradation. Cyt c lysine residues were modified with lactose at a lactose-to-protein molar ratio of 3.7 ± 0.9 using mono(lactosylamido)-mono(succinimidyl) suberate linker chemistry. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra demonstrated that part of the activity loss of Cyt c was due to conformational changes upon its modification with the SPDP linker. These conformational changes were prevented in the glycoconjugate. In agreement with the unfolding of Cyt c by the linker, a proteolytic assay demonstrated that the Cyt c-SPDP conjugate was more susceptible to proteolysis than Cyt c. Attachment of the four lactose molecules reversed this increased susceptibility and protected Cyt c from proteolytic degradation. Furthermore, a cell-free caspase-3 assay revealed 47% and 87% of relative caspase activation by Cyt c-SPDP and the Cyt c-lactose bioconjugate, respectively, when compared to Cyt c. This again demonstrates the efficiency of the glycosylation to improve maintaining Cyt c structure and thus function. To test for cytotoxicity, HeLa cells were incubated with Cyt c loaded MSN at different Cyt c concentrations (12.5, 25.0, and 37.5 μg/mL) for 24-72 h and cellular metabolic activity determined by a cell proliferation assay. While MSN-SPDP-Cyt c did not induced cell death, the Cyt c-lactose bioconjugate induced significant cell death after 72 h, reducing HeLa cell viability to 67% and 45% at the 25 μg/mL and 37.5 μg/mL concentrations, respectively. Confocal microscopy confirmed that the MSN immobilized Cyt c-lactose bioconjugate was internalized by HeLa cells and that the bioconjugate was capable of endosomal escape. The results clearly demonstrate that chemical glycosylation stabilized Cyt c upon formulation of a smart drug delivery system and upon delivery into cancer cells and highlight the general potential of chemical protein glycosylation to improve the stability of protein drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Méndez
- Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico , Río Piedras Campus, P.O. Box 23346, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00931-3346, United States
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7
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Muenzner J, Pletneva EV. Structural transformations of cytochrome c upon interaction with cardiolipin. Chem Phys Lipids 2013; 179:57-63. [PMID: 24252639 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2013.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2013] [Revised: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Interactions of cytochrome c (cyt c) with cardiolipin (CL) play a critical role in early stages of apoptosis. Upon binding to CL, cyt c undergoes changes in secondary and tertiary structure that lead to a dramatic increase in its peroxidase activity. Insertion of the protein into membranes, insertion of CL acyl chains into the protein interior, and extensive unfolding of cyt c after adsorption to the membrane have been proposed as possible modes for interaction of cyt c with CL. Dissociation of Met80 is accompanied by opening of the heme crevice and binding of another heme ligand. Fluorescence studies have revealed conformational heterogeneity of the lipid-bound protein ensemble with distinct polypeptide conformations that vary in the degree of protein unfolding. We correlate these recent findings to other biophysical observations and rationalize the role of experimental conditions in defining conformational properties and peroxidase activity of the cyt c ensemble. Latest time-resolved studies propose the trigger and the sequence of cardiolipin-induced structural transitions of cyt c.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Muenzner
- Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, United States
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8
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Muenzner J, Toffey JR, Hong Y, Pletneva EV. Becoming a peroxidase: cardiolipin-induced unfolding of cytochrome c. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:12878-86. [PMID: 23713573 DOI: 10.1021/jp402104r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Interactions of cytochrome c (cyt c) with a unique mitochondrial glycerophospholipid cardiolipin (CL) are relevant for the protein's function in oxidative phosphorylation and apoptosis. Binding to CL-containing membranes promotes cyt c unfolding and dramatically enhances the protein's peroxidase activity, which is critical in early stages of apoptosis. We have employed a collection of seven dansyl variants of horse heart cyt c to probe the sequence of steps in this functional transformation. Kinetic measurements have unraveled four distinct processes during CL-induced cyt c unfolding: rapid protein binding to CL liposomes; rearrangements of protein substructures with small unfolding energies; partial insertion of the protein into the lipid bilayer; and extensive protein restructuring leading to "open" extended structures. While early rearrangements depend on a hierarchy of foldons in the native structure, the later process of large-scale unfolding is influenced by protein interactions with the membrane surface. The opening of the cyt c structure exposes the heme group, which enhances the protein's peroxidase activity and also frees the C-terminal helix to aid in the translocation of the protein through CL membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Muenzner
- Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College , Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, United States
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9
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Resetca D, Wilson DJ. Characterizing rapid, activity-linked conformational transitions in proteins via sub-second hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. FEBS J 2013; 280:5616-25. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.12332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2013] [Revised: 04/26/2013] [Accepted: 05/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Diana Resetca
- Department of Chemistry; York University; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Derek J. Wilson
- Department of Chemistry; York University; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Center for Research in Mass Spectrometry; Department of Chemistry; York University; Toronto Ontario Canada
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10
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Khan MKA, Rahaman H, Ahmad F. Conformation and thermodynamic stability of pre-molten and molten globule states of mammalian cytochromes-c. Metallomics 2011; 3:327-38. [DOI: 10.1039/c0mt00078g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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11
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Buchner GS, Murphy RD, Buchete NV, Kubelka J. Dynamics of protein folding: probing the kinetic network of folding-unfolding transitions with experiment and theory. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2010; 1814:1001-20. [PMID: 20883829 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2010.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2010] [Revised: 09/14/2010] [Accepted: 09/16/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The problem of spontaneous folding of amino acid chains into highly organized, biologically functional three-dimensional protein structures continues to challenge the modern science. Understanding how proteins fold requires characterization of the underlying energy landscapes as well as the dynamics of the polypeptide chains in all stages of the folding process. In recent years, important advances toward these goals have been achieved owing to the rapidly growing interdisciplinary interest and significant progress in both experimental techniques and theoretical methods. Improvements in the experimental time resolution led to determination of the timescales of the important elementary events in folding, such as formation of secondary structure and tertiary contacts. Sensitive single molecule methods made possible probing the distributions of the unfolded and folded states and following the folding reaction of individual protein molecules. Discovery of proteins that fold in microseconds opened the possibility of atomic-level theoretical simulations of folding and their direct comparisons with experimental data, as well as of direct experimental observation of the barrier-less folding transition. The ultra-fast folding also brought new questions, concerning the intrinsic limits of the folding rates and experimental signatures of barrier-less "downhill" folding. These problems will require novel approaches for even more detailed experimental investigations of the folding dynamics as well as for the analysis of the folding kinetic data. For theoretical simulations of folding, a main challenge is how to extract the relevant information from overwhelmingly detailed atomistic trajectories. New theoretical methods have been devised to allow a systematic approach towards a quantitative analysis of the kinetic network of folding-unfolding transitions between various configuration states of a protein, revealing the transition states and the associated folding pathways at multiple levels, from atomistic to coarse-grained representations. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein Dynamics: Experimental and Computational Approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ginka S Buchner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA; Universität Würzbug, Würzburg, Germany
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12
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Haldar S, Mitra S, Chattopadhyay K. Role of protein stabilizers on the conformation of the unfolded state of cytochrome c and its early folding kinetics: investigation at single molecular resolution. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:25314-23. [PMID: 20538585 PMCID: PMC2919094 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110.116673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2010] [Revised: 05/31/2010] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
An insight into the conformation and dynamics of unfolded and early intermediate states of a protein is essential to understand the mechanism of its aggregation and to design potent inhibitor molecules. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy has been used to study the effects of several model protein stabilizers on the conformation of the unfolded state and early folding dynamics of tetramethyl rhodamine-labeled cytochrome c from Saccharomyces cerevisiae at single molecular resolution. Special attention has been given to arginine, which is a widely used stabilizer for improving refolding yield of different proteins. The value of the hydrodynamic radius (r(H)) obtained by analyzing the intensity fluctuations of the diffusing molecules has been found to increase in a two-state manner as the protein is unfolded by urea. The results further show that the presence of arginine and other protein stabilizers favors a relatively structured conformation of the unfolded states (r(H) of 29 A) over an extended one (r(H) of 40 A), which forms in their absence. Also, the time constant of a kinetic component (tau(R)) of about 30 micros has been observed by analyzing the correlation functions, which represents formation of a collapsed state. This time constant varies with urea concentration representing an inverted Chevron plot that shows a roll-over and behavior in the absence of arginine. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first applications of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to study direct folding kinetics of a protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shubhasis Haldar
- From the Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Samaresh Mitra
- From the Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Krishnananda Chattopadhyay
- From the Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, 4, Raja S. C. Mullick Road, Kolkata 700032, India
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13
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McMaster J, Oganesyan VS. Magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy as a probe of the structures of the metal sites in metalloproteins. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2010; 20:615-22. [PMID: 20619632 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2010.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2010] [Revised: 06/07/2010] [Accepted: 06/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) is a powerful probe of the electronic and geometric structures of metal centres in metalloproteins. MCD has provided significant insight into the nature of the axial donors at haem centres and, more recently, sophisticated methods for the analysis of MCD spectra have had a major impact on the study of the electronic structures of the ground states of a range of Cu, non-haem iron and Mo-containing active sites. This detail, together with data from other complimentary spectroscopies, has played a major role in defining the chemistry underpinning the catalysis achieved by these metal centres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan McMaster
- School of Chemistry, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
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