scholarly journals Elements of secondary structure in a human epithelial mucin core peptide fragment

1990 ◽  
Vol 267 (3) ◽  
pp. 733-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
S J B Tendler

The protein core of human epithelial mucin has previously been shown to consist of tandem repeats of a 20-amino-acid sequence that carries the epitopes for a number of tumour-marking monoclonal antibodies. High-field n.m.r. studies have now been undertaken on an 11-amino-acid fragment of this sequence dissolved in dimethyl sulphoxide. The studies reveal elements of secondary structure to be present: a type I beta-turn has been identified from Asp2 to Arg4 of this peptide, and this turn is extended by Pro5 being in the trans form. The observed turn region extends into the known epitopes for the antibodies C595 and NCRC-11 and may form the basis for how the antibodies recognize these peptides.

1991 ◽  
Vol 280 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
J K Sagoo ◽  
C Bose ◽  
N R A Beeley ◽  
S J B Tendler

High-field n.m.r. studies were undertaken upon a peptide fragment of the C-terminal region of human beta-calcitonin-gene-related peptide (beta-hCGRP). Studies on the antigenic [Bu(t)-Cys18]beta-hCGRP-(19-37)-fragment revealed that several elements of secondary structure were present when the peptide was dissolved in [2H6]dimethyl sulphoxide. In particular an unspecified turn in the region of Ser19-Gly20 and a type I beta-turn in the region of Asn31-Val32-Gly33 were identified. Through-space connections between the terminal Phe37 amide group and the beta-protons of Thr50 suggest that the peptide may be folded into a loop-type conformation. These structural elements appear to overlap with the epitopes of a number of monoclonal antibodies and provide a molecular basis for understanding the role of the terminal Phe37 amide residue in the immune recognition of beta-hCGRP.


1993 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-853 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Gounari ◽  
A Merdes ◽  
R Quinlan ◽  
J Hess ◽  
P G FitzGerald ◽  
...  

The cDNA coding for calf filensin, a membrane-associated protein of the lens fiber cells, has been cloned and sequenced. The predicted 755-amino acid-long open reading frame shows primary and secondary structure similarity to intermediate filament (IF) proteins. Filensin can be divided into an NH2-terminal domain (head) of 38 amino acids, a middle domain (rod) of 279 amino acids, and a COOH-terminal domain (tail) of 438 amino acids. The head domain contains a di-arginine/aromatic amino acid motif which is also found in the head domains of various intermediate filament proteins and includes a potential protein kinase A phosphorylation site. By multiple alignment to all known IF protein sequences, the filensin rod, which is the shortest among IF proteins, can be subdivided into three subdomains (coils 1a, 1b, and 2). A 29 amino acid truncation in the coil 2 region accounts for the smaller size of this domain. The filensin tail contains 6 1/2 tandem repeats which match analogous motifs of mammalian neurofilament M and H proteins. We suggest that filensin is a novel IF protein which does not conform to any of the previously described classes. Purified filensin fails to form regular filaments in vitro (Merdes, A., M. Brunkener, H. Horstmann, and S. D. Georgatos. 1991. J. Cell Biol. 115:397-410), probably due to the missing segment in the coil 2 region. Participation of filensin in a filamentous network in vivo may be facilitated by an assembly partner.


2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Campbell ◽  
Lukasz Kurgan

Development of accurate β-turn (beta-turn) type prediction methods would contribute towards the prediction of the tertiary protein structure and would provide useful insights/inputs for the fold recognition and drug design. Only one existing sequence-only method is available for the prediction of beta-turn types (for type I and II) for the entire protein chains, while the proposed method allows for prediction of type I, II, IV, VII, and non-specific (NS) beta-turns, filling in the gap. The proposed predictor, which is based solely on protein sequence, is shown to provide similar performance to other sequence-only methods for prediction of beta-turns and beta-turn types. The main advantage of the proposed method is simplicity and interpretability of the underlying model. We developed novel sequence-based features that allow identifying beta-turns types and differentiating them from non-beta-turns. The features, which are based on tetrapeptides (entire beta-turns) rather than a window centered over the predicted residues as in the case of recent competing methods, provide a more biologically sound model. They include 12 features based on collocation of amino acid pairs, focusing on amino acids (Gly, Asp, and Asn) that are known to be predisposed to form beta-turns. At the same time, our model also includes features that are geared towards exclusion of non-beta-turns, which are based on amino acids known to be strongly detrimental to formation of beta-turns (Met, Ile, Leu, and Val).


Microbiology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 149 (11) ◽  
pp. 3311-3319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Adamczyk-Popławska ◽  
Aneta Kondrzycka ◽  
Katarzyna Urbanek ◽  
Andrzej Piekarowicz

All known type I restriction and modification (R–M) systems of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica belong to one of four discrete families: type IA, IB, IC or ID. The classification of type I systems from a wide range of other genera is mainly based on complementation and molecular evidence derived from the comparison of the amino acid similarity of the corresponding subunits. This affiliation was seldom based on the strictest requirement for membership of a family, which depends on relatedness as demonstrated by complementation tests. This paper presents data indicating that the type I NgoAV R–M system from Neisseria gonorrhoeae, despite the very high identity of HsdM and HsdR subunits with members of the type IC family, does not show complementation with E. coli type IC R–M systems. Sequence analysis of the HsdS subunit of several different potential type IC R–M systems shows that the presence of different tetra-amino-acid sequence repeats, e.g. TAEL, LEAT, SEAL, TSEL, is characteristic for type IC R–M systems encoded by distantly related bacteria. The other regions of the HsdS subunits potentially responsible for subunit interaction are also different between a group of distantly related bacteria, but show high similarity within these bacteria. Complementation between the NgoAV R–M system and members of the EcoR124 R–M family can be restored by changing the tetra-amino-acid repeat within the HsdS subunit. The authors propose that the type IC family of R–M systems could consist of several complementation subgroups whose specificity would depend on differences in the conserved regions of the HsdS polypeptide.


1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (04) ◽  
pp. 351-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Murakawa ◽  
Takashi Okamura ◽  
Takumi Kamura ◽  
Tsunefumi Shibuya ◽  
Mine Harada ◽  
...  

SummaryThe partial amino acid sequences of fibrinogen Aα-chains from five mammalian species have been inferred by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). From the genomic DNA of the rhesus monkey, pig, dog, mouse and Syrian hamster, the DNA fragments coding for α-C domains in the Aα-chains were amplified and sequenced. In all species examined, four cysteine residues were always conserved at the homologous positions. The carboxy- and amino-terminal portions of the α-C domains showed a considerable homology among the species. However, the sizes of the middle portions, which corresponded to the internal repeat structures, showed an apparent variability because of several insertions and/or deletions. In the rhesus monkey, pig, mouse and Syrian hamster, 13 amino acid tandem repeats fundamentally similar to those in humans and the rat were identified. In the dog, however, tandem repeats were found to consist of 18 amino acids, suggesting an independent multiplication of the canine repeats. The sites of the α-chain cross-linking acceptor and α2-plasmin inhibitor cross-linking donor were not always evolutionally conserved. The arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid (RGD) sequence was not found in the amplified region of either the rhesus monkey or the pig. In the canine α-C domain, two RGD sequences were identified at the homologous positions to both rat and human RGD S. In the Syrian hamster, a single RGD sequence was found at the same position to that of the rat. Triplication of the RGD sequences was seen in the murine fibrinogen α-C domain around the homologous site to the rat RGDS sequence. These findings are of some interest from the point of view of structure-function and evolutionary relationships in the mammalian fibrinogen Aα-chains.


Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 149 (1) ◽  
pp. 445-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Goldman ◽  
Jeffrey L Thorne ◽  
David T Jones

Abstract Empirically derived models of amino acid replacement are employed to study the association between various physical features of proteins and evolution. The strengths of these associations are statistically evaluated by applying the models of protein evolution to 11 diverse sets of protein sequences. Parametric bootstrap tests indicate that the solvent accessibility status of a site has a particularly strong association with the process of amino acid replacement that it experiences. Significant association between secondary structure environment and the amino acid replacement process is also observed. Careful description of the length distribution of secondary structure elements and of the organization of secondary structure and solvent accessibility along a protein did not always significantly improve the fit of the evolutionary models to the data sets that were analyzed. As indicated by the strength of the association of both solvent accessibility and secondary structure with amino acid replacement, the process of protein evolution—both above and below the species level—will not be well understood until the physical constraints that affect protein evolution are identified and characterized.


Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 329
Author(s):  
Andrew Holmes ◽  
Jessie Sadlon ◽  
Keith Weaver

A majority of toxins produced by type I toxin–antitoxin (TA-1) systems are small membrane-localized proteins that were initially proposed to kill cells by forming non-specific pores in the cytoplasmic membrane. The examination of the effects of numerous TA-1 systems indicates that this is not the mechanism of action of many of these proteins. Enterococcus faecalis produces two toxins of the Fst/Ldr family, one encoded on pheromone-responsive conjugative plasmids (FstpAD1) and the other on the chromosome, FstEF0409. Previous results demonstrated that overexpression of the toxins produced a differential transcriptomic response in E. faecalis cells. In this report, we identify the specific amino acid differences between the two toxins responsible for the differential response of a gene highly induced by FstpAD1 but not FstEF0409. In addition, we demonstrate that a transporter protein that is genetically linked to the chromosomal version of the TA-1 system functions to limit the toxicity of the protein.


2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (22) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomofumi Mochizuki ◽  
Rie Ohara ◽  
Marilyn J. Roossinck

ABSTRACTThe effect of large-scale synonymous substitutions in a small icosahedral, single-stranded RNA viral genome on virulence, viral titer, and protein evolution were analyzed. The coat protein (CP) gene of the Fny stain of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) was modified. We created four CP mutants in which all the codons of nine amino acids in the 5′ or 3′ half of the CP gene were replaced by either the most frequently or the least frequently used synonymous codons in monocot plants. When the dicot host (Nicotiana benthamiana) was inoculated with these four CP mutants, viral RNA titers in uninoculated symptomatic leaves decreased, while all mutants eventually showed mosaic symptoms similar to those for the wild type. The codon adaptation index of these four CP mutants against dicot genes was similar to those of the wild-type CP gene, indicating that the reduction of viral RNA titer was due to deleterious changes of the secondary structure of RNAs 3 and 4. When two 5′ mutants were serially passaged inN. benthamiana, viral RNA titers were rapidly restored but competitive fitness remained decreased. Although no nucleic acid changes were observed in the passaged wild-type CMV, one to three amino acid changes were observed in the synonymously mutated CP of each passaged virus, which were involved in recovery of viral RNA titer of 5′ mutants. Thus, we demonstrated that deleterious effects of the large-scale synonymous substitutions in the RNA viral genome facilitated the rapid amino acid mutation(s) in the CP to restore the viral RNA titer.IMPORTANCERecently, it has been known that synonymous substitutions in RNA virus genes affect viral pathogenicity and competitive fitness by alteration of global or local RNA secondary structure of the viral genome. We confirmed that large-scale synonymous substitutions in the CP gene of CMV resulted in decreased viral RNA titer. Importantly, when viral evolution was stimulated by serial-passage inoculation, viral RNA titer was rapidly restored, concurrent with a few amino acid changes in the CP. This novel finding indicates that the deleterious effects of large-scale nucleic acid mutations on viral RNA secondary structure are readily tolerated by structural changes in the CP, demonstrating a novel part of the adaptive evolution of an RNA viral genome. In addition, our experimental system for serial inoculation of large-scale synonymous mutants could uncover a role for new amino acid residues in the viral protein that have not been observed in the wild-type virus strains.


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