scholarly journals NMR structure and dynamics of monomeric neutrophil-activating peptide 2

1999 ◽  
Vol 338 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen YOUNG ◽  
Vikram ROONGTA ◽  
Thomas J. DALY ◽  
Kevin H. MAYO

Neutrophil-activating peptide 2 (NAP-2), which demonstrates a range of proinflammatory activities, is a 72-residue protein belonging to the α-chemokine family. Although NAP-2, like other α-chemokines, is known to self-associate into dimers and tetramers, it has been shown that the monomeric form is physiologically active. Here we investigate the solution structure of monomeric NAP-2 by multi-dimensional 1H-NMR and 15N-NMR spectroscopy and computational modelling. The NAP-2 monomer consists of an amphipathic, triple-stranded, anti-parallel β-sheet on which is folded a C-terminal α-helix and an aperiodic N-terminal segment. The backbone fold is essentially the same as that found in other α-chemokines. 15N T1, T2 and nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) have been measured for backbone NH groups and used in a model free approach to calculate order parameters and conformational exchange terms that map out motions of the backbone. N-terminal residues 1 to 17 and the C-terminus are relatively highly flexible, whereas the β-sheet domain forms the most motionally restricted part of the fold. Conformational exchange occurring on the millisecond time scale is noted at the top of the C-terminal helix and at proximal residues from β-strands 1 and 2 and the connecting loop. Dissociation to the monomeric state is apparently responsible for increased internal mobility in NAP-2 compared with dimeric and tetrameric states in other α-chemokines.

2001 ◽  
Vol 360 (3) ◽  
pp. 539-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan M. TORRES ◽  
R. Manjunatha KINI ◽  
Nirthanan SELVANAYAGAM ◽  
Philip W. KUCHEL

A high-resolution solution structure of bucandin, a neurotoxin from Malayan krait (Bungarus candidus), was determined by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics. The average backbone root-mean-square deviation for the 20 calculated structures and the mean structure is 0.47 Å (1 Å = 0.1nm) for all residues and 0.24 Å for the well-defined region that spans residues 23–58. Secondary-structural elements include two antiparallel β-sheets characterized by two and four strands. According to recent X-ray analysis, bucandin adopts a typical three-finger loop motif and yet it has some peculiar characteristics that set it apart from other common α-neurotoxins. The presence of a fourth strand in the second antiparallel β-sheet had not been observed before in three-finger toxins, and this feature was well represented in the NMR structure. Although the overall fold of the NMR structure is similar to that of the X-ray crystal structure, there are significant differences between the two structures that have implications for the pharmacological action of the toxin. These include the extent of the β-sheets, the conformation of the region spanning residues 42–49 and the orientation of some side chains. In comparison with the X-ray structure, the NMR structure shows that the hydrophobic side chains of Trp27 and Trp36 are stacked together and are orientated towards the tip of the middle loop. The NMR study also showed that the two-stranded β-sheet incorporated in the first loop, as defined by residues 1–22, and the C-terminus from Asn59, is probably flexible relative to the rest of the molecule. On the basis of the dispositions of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic side chains, the structure of bucandin is clearly different from those of cytotoxins.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (10) ◽  
pp. 3496-3501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Gutiérrez ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Michael J. Osborne ◽  
Ekaterina Pomerantseva ◽  
Qian Liu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The carbon storage regulator A (CsrA) is a protein responsible for the repression of a variety of stationary-phase genes in bacteria. In this work, we describe the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based structure of the CsrA dimer and its RNA-binding properties. CsrA is a dimer of two identical subunits, each composed of five strands, a small α-helix and a flexible C terminus. NMR titration experiments suggest that the β1-β2 and β3-β4 loops and the C-terminal helix are important elements in RNA binding. Even though the β3-β4 loop contains a highly conserved RNA-binding motif, GxxG, typical of KH domains, our structure excludes CsrA from being a member of this protein family, as previously suggested. A mechanism for the recognition of mRNAs downregulated by CsrA is proposed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 435 (2) ◽  
pp. 441-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgeni Yu. Zernii ◽  
Konstantin E. Komolov ◽  
Sergei E. Permyakov ◽  
Tatiana Kolpakova ◽  
Daniele Dell'orco ◽  
...  

NCS (neuronal Ca2+ sensor) proteins belong to a family of calmodulin-related EF-hand Ca2+-binding proteins which, in spite of a high degree of structural similarity, are able to selectively recognize and regulate individual effector enzymes in a Ca2+-dependent manner. NCS proteins vary at their C-termini, which could therefore serve as structural control elements providing specific functions such as target recognition or Ca2+ sensitivity. Recoverin, an NCS protein operating in vision, regulates the activity of rhodopsin kinase, GRK1, in a Ca2+-dependent manner. In the present study, we investigated a series of recoverin forms that were mutated at the C-terminus. Using pull-down assays, surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and rhodopsin phosphorylation assays, we demonstrated that truncation of recoverin at the C-terminus significantly reduced the affinity of recoverin for rhodopsin kinase. Site-directed mutagenesis of single amino acids in combination with structural analysis and computational modelling of the recoverin–kinase complex provided insight into the protein–protein interface between the kinase and the C-terminus of recoverin. Based on these results we suggest that Phe3 from the N-terminal helix of rhodopsin kinase and Lys192 from the C-terminal segment of recoverin form a cation–π interaction pair which is essential for target recognition by recoverin. Taken together, the results of the present study reveal a novel rhodopsin-kinase-binding site within the C-terminal region of recoverin, and highlights its significance for target recognition and regulation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (16) ◽  
pp. 5993-6001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garry W. Buchko ◽  
Chang-Yub Kim ◽  
Thomas C. Terwilliger ◽  
Michael A. Kennedy

ABSTRACT The Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein Rv2302 (80 residues; molecular mass of 8.6 kDa) has been characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. While the biochemical function of Rv2302 is still unknown, recent microarray analyses show that Rv2302 is upregulated in response to starvation and overexpression of heat shock proteins and, consequently, may play a role in the biochemical processes associated with these events. Rv2302 is a monomer in solution as shown by size exclusion chromatography and NMR spectroscopy. CD spectroscopy suggests that Rv2302 partially unfolds upon heating and that this unfolding is reversible. Using NMR-based methods, the solution structure of Rv2302 was determined. The protein contains a five-strand, antiparallel β-sheet core with one C-terminal α-helix (A61 to A75) nestled against its side. Hydrophobic interactions between residues in the α-helix and β-strands 3 and 4 hold the α-helix near the β-sheet core. The electrostatic potential on the solvent-accessible surface is primarily negative with the exception of a positive arginine pocket composed of residues R18, R70, and R74. Steady-state {1H}-15N heteronuclear nuclear Overhauser effects indicate that the protein's core is rigid on the picosecond timescale. The absence of amide cross-peaks for residues G13 to H19 in the 1H-15N heteronuclear single quantum correlation spectrum suggests that this region, a loop between β-strands 1 and 2, undergoes motion on the millisecond to microsecond timescale. Dali searches using the structure closest to the average structure do not identify any high similarities to any other known protein structure, suggesting that the structure of Rv2302 may represent a novel protein fold.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (14) ◽  
pp. e2024151118
Author(s):  
Hamidreza Rahmani ◽  
Wen Ma ◽  
Zhongjun Hu ◽  
Nadia Daneshparvar ◽  
Dianne W. Taylor ◽  
...  

The atomic structure of the complete myosin tail within thick filaments isolated from Lethocerus indicus flight muscle is described and compared to crystal structures of recombinant, human cardiac myosin tail segments. Overall, the agreement is good with three exceptions: the proximal S2, in which the filament has heads attached but the crystal structure doesn’t, and skip regions 2 and 4. At the head–tail junction, the tail α-helices are asymmetrically structured encompassing well-defined unfolding of 12 residues for one myosin tail, ∼4 residues of the other, and different degrees of α-helix unwinding for both tail α-helices, thereby providing an atomic resolution description of coiled-coil “uncoiling” at the head–tail junction. Asymmetry is observed in the nonhelical C termini; one C-terminal segment is intercalated between ribbons of myosin tails, the other apparently terminating at Skip 4 of another myosin tail. Between skip residues, crystal and filament structures agree well. Skips 1 and 3 also agree well and show the expected α-helix unwinding and coiled-coil untwisting in response to skip residue insertion. Skips 2 and 4 are different. Skip 2 is accommodated in an unusual manner through an increase in α-helix radius and corresponding reduction in rise/residue. Skip 4 remains helical in one chain, with the other chain unfolded, apparently influenced by the acidic myosin C terminus. The atomic model may shed some light on thick filament mechanosensing and is a step in understanding the complex roles that thick filaments of all species undergo during muscle contraction.


2005 ◽  
Vol 388 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Najet SRAIRI-ABID ◽  
Joseba Iñaki GUIJARRO ◽  
Rym BENKHALIFA ◽  
Massimo MANTEGAZZA ◽  
Amani CHEIKH ◽  
...  

We have purified and characterized two peptides, named KAaH1 and KAaH2 (AaH polypeptides 1 and 2 active on K+ channels, where AaH stands for Androctonus australis Hector), from the venom of A. australis Hector scorpions. Their sequences contain 58 amino acids including six half-cysteines and differ only at positions 26 (Phe/Ser) and 29 (Lys/Gln). Although KAaH1 and KAaH2 show important sequence similarity with anti-mammal β toxins specific for voltage-gated Na+ channels, only weak β-like effects were observed when KAaH1 or KAaH2 (1 μM) were tested on brain Nav1.2 channels. In contrast, KAaH1 blocks Kv1.1 and Kv1.3 channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes with IC50 values of 5 and 50 nM respectively, whereas KAaH2 blocks only 20% of the current on Kv1.1 and is not active on Kv1.3 channels at a 100 nM concentration. KAaH1 is thus the first member of a new subfamily of long-chain toxins mainly active on voltage-gated K+ channels. NMR spectra of KAaH1 and KAaH2 show good dispersion of signals but broad lines and poor quality. Self-diffusion NMR experiments indicate that lines are broadened due to a conformational exchange on the millisecond time scale. NMR and CD indicate that both polypeptides adopt a similar fold with α-helical and β-sheet structures. Homology-based molecular models generated for KAaH1 and KAaH2 are in accordance with CD and NMR data. In the model of KAaH1, the functionally important residues Phe26 and Lys29 are close to each other and are located in the α-helix. These residues may constitute the so-called functional dyad observed for short α-KTx scorpion toxins in the β-sheet.


2020 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Zuo ◽  
Zongyun Chen ◽  
Zhijian Cao ◽  
Wenxin Li ◽  
Yingliang Wu

: The scorpion toxins are the largest potassium channel-blocking peptide family. The understanding of toxin binding interfaces is usually restricted by two classical binding interfaces: one is the toxin α-helix motif, the other is the antiparallel β-sheet motif. In this review, such traditional knowledge was updated by another two different binding interfaces: one is BmKTX toxin using the turn motif between the α-helix and antiparallel β-sheet domains as the binding interface, the other is Ts toxin using turn motif between the β-sheet in the N-terminal and α-helix domains as the binding interface. Their interaction analysis indicated that the scarce negatively charged residues in the scorpion toxins played a critical role in orientating the toxin binding interface. In view of the toxin negatively charged amino acids as “binding interface regulator”, the law of scorpion toxin-potassium channel interaction was proposed, that is, the polymorphism of negatively charged residue distribution determines the diversity of toxin binding interfaces. Such law was used to develop scorpion toxin-potassium channel recognition control technique. According to this technique, three Kv1.3 channel-targeted peptides, using BmKTX as the template, were designed with the distinct binding interfaces from that of BmKTX through modulating the distribution of toxin negatively charged residues. In view of the potassium channel as the common targets of different animal toxins, the proposed law was also shown to helpfully orientate the binding interfaces of other animal toxins. Clearly, the toxin-potassium channel interaction law would strongly accelerate the research and development of different potassium channelblocking animal toxins in the future.


Open Biology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 130100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhisheng Lu ◽  
Julien R. C. Bergeron ◽  
R. Andrew Atkinson ◽  
Torsten Schaller ◽  
Dennis A. Veselkov ◽  
...  

The HIV-1 viral infectivity factor (Vif) neutralizes cell-encoded antiviral APOBEC3 proteins by recruiting a cellular ElonginB (EloB)/ElonginC (EloC)/Cullin5-containing ubiquitin ligase complex, resulting in APOBEC3 ubiquitination and proteolysis. The suppressors-of-cytokine-signalling-like domain (SOCS-box) of HIV-1 Vif is essential for E3 ligase engagement, and contains a BC box as well as an unusual proline-rich motif. Here, we report the NMR solution structure of the Vif SOCS–ElonginBC (EloBC) complex. In contrast to SOCS-boxes described in other proteins, the HIV-1 Vif SOCS-box contains only one α-helical domain followed by a β-sheet fold. The SOCS-box of Vif binds primarily to EloC by hydrophobic interactions. The functionally essential proline-rich motif mediates a direct but weak interaction with residues 101–104 of EloB, inducing a conformational change from an unstructured state to a structured state. The structure of the complex and biophysical studies provide detailed insight into the function of Vif's proline-rich motif and reveal novel dynamic information on the Vif–EloBC interaction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ukrit Thamma ◽  
Tia J. Kowal ◽  
Matthias M. Falk ◽  
Himanshu Jain

AbstractThe nanostructure of engineered bioscaffolds has a profound impact on cell response, yet its understanding remains incomplete as cells interact with a highly complex interfacial layer rather than the material itself. For bioactive glass scaffolds, this layer comprises of silica gel, hydroxyapatite (HA)/carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA), and absorbed proteins—all in varying micro/nano structure, composition, and concentration. Here, we examined the response of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblast cells to 30 mol% CaO–70 mol% SiO2 porous bioactive glass monoliths that differed only in nanopore size (6–44 nm) yet resulted in the formation of HA/CHA layers with significantly different microstructures. We report that cell response, as quantified by cell attachment and morphology, does not correlate with nanopore size, nor HA/CHO layer micro/nano morphology, or absorbed protein amount (bovine serum albumin, BSA), but with BSA’s secondary conformation as indicated by its β-sheet/α-helix ratio. Our results suggest that the β-sheet structure in BSA interacts electrostatically with the HA/CHA interfacial layer and activates the RGD sequence of absorbed adhesion proteins, such as fibronectin and vitronectin, thus significantly enhancing the attachment of cells. These findings provide new insight into the interaction of cells with the scaffolds’ interfacial layer, which is vital for the continued development of engineered tissue scaffolds.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
David A. Armstrong ◽  
Ai-Hua Jin ◽  
Nayara Braga Emidio ◽  
Richard J. Lewis ◽  
Paul F. Alewood ◽  
...  

Conotoxins are disulfide-rich peptides found in the venom of cone snails. Due to their exquisite potency and high selectivity for a wide range of voltage and ligand gated ion channels they are attractive drug leads in neuropharmacology. Recently, cone snails were found to have the capability to rapidly switch between venom types with different proteome profiles in response to predatory or defensive stimuli. A novel conotoxin, GXIA (original name G117), belonging to the I3-subfamily was identified as the major component of the predatory venom of piscivorous Conus geographus. Using 2D solution NMR spectroscopy techniques, we resolved the 3D structure for GXIA, the first structure reported for the I3-subfamily and framework XI family. The 32 amino acid peptide is comprised of eight cysteine residues with the resultant disulfide connectivity forming an ICK+1 motif. With a triple stranded β-sheet, the GXIA backbone shows striking similarity to several tarantula toxins targeting the voltage sensor of voltage gated potassium and sodium channels. Supported by an amphipathic surface, the structural evidence suggests that GXIA is able to embed in the membrane and bind to the voltage sensor domain of a putative ion channel target.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document