scholarly journals CCFold: rapid and accurate prediction of coiled-coil structures and application to modelling intermediate filaments

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmytro Guzenko ◽  
Sergei V. Strelkov
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Coiled Coils ◽  
Filament Assembly ◽  
Protein Dimer ◽  
Protein Classes ◽  
Elementary Building ◽  
Experimental Structure ◽  
Or Modelling

AbstractAccurate molecular structure of the protein dimer representing the elementary building block of intermediate filaments (IFs) is essential towards the understanding of the filament assembly, rationalizing their mechanical properties and explaining the effect of disease-related IF mutations. The dimer contains a ∼300-residue long α-helical coiled coil which is not assessable to either direct experimental structure determination or modelling using standard approaches. At the same time, coiled coils are well-represented in structural databases. Here we present CCFold, a generally applicable threading-based algorithm which produces coiled-coil models from protein sequence only. The algorithm is based on a statistical analysis of experimentally determined structures and can handle any hydrophobic repeat patterns in addition to the most common heptads. We demonstrate that CCFold outperforms general-purpose computational folding in terms of accuracy, while being faster by orders of magnitude. By combining the CCFold algorithm and Rosetta folding we generate representative dimer models for all IF protein classes. The source code is freely available at https://github.com/biocryst/IF

Hierarchical nanomechanics of vimentin alpha helical coiled-coil proteins

2006 ◽  
Vol 978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodor Ackbarow ◽  
Markus J. Buehler
Keyword(s):  
Atomistic Simulation ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Tensile Tests ◽  
Coiled Coils ◽  
Atomistic Modeling ◽  
Alpha Helices ◽  
Hierarchical Assembly ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Elementary Building

AbstractCoiled-coil alpha-helical dimers are the elementary building blocks of intermediate filaments (IFs), an important component of the cell's cytoskeleton. Therefore, IFs play a leading role in the mechanical integrity of the cells. Here we use atomistic simulation to carry out tensile tests on coiled-coils as well as on single alpha-helices of the 2B segment of the vimentin dimer that has been shown to control the large-deformation behavior of cells. We compare the characteristic force-strain curves of both structures and suggest explanations for the differences on this fundamental level of hierarchical assembly. We further systematically explore the strain rate dependence of the mechanical properties of the vimentin coiled-coil protein. We develop a simple continuum model capable of reproducing the atomistic modeling results. The model enables us to extrapolate to much lower deformation rates approaching those used in experiment.

scholarly journals Effect of shampoo, conditioner and permanent waving on the molecular structure of human hair

PeerJ ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. e1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuchen Zhang ◽  
Richard J. Alsop ◽  
Asfia Soomro ◽  
Fei-Chi Yang ◽  
Maikel C. Rheinstädter
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Coiled Coils ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Disulfide Linkages ◽  
Coil Structure ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Keratin Proteins ◽  
Cell Membrane Complex

The hair is a filamentous biomaterial consisting of thecuticle, thecortexand themedulla, all held together by the cell membrane complex. Thecortexmostly consists of helical keratin proteins that spiral together to form coiled-coil dimers, intermediate filaments, micro-fibrils and macro-fibrils. We used X-ray diffraction to study hair structure on the molecular level, at length scales between ∼3–90 Å, in hopes of developing a diagnostic method for diseases affecting hair structure allowing for fast and noninvasive screening. However, such an approach can only be successful if common hair treatments do not affect molecular hair structure. We found that a single use of shampoo and conditioner has no effect on packing of keratin molecules, structure of the intermediate filaments or internal lipid composition of the membrane complex. Permanent waving treatments are known to break and reform disulfide linkages in the hair. Single application of a perming product was found to deeply penetrate the hair and reduce the number of keratin coiled-coils and change the structure of the intermediate filaments. Signals related to the coiled-coil structure of theα-keratin molecules at 5 and 9.5 Å were found to be decreased while a signal associated with the organization of the intermediate filaments at 47 Å was significantly elevated in permed hair. Both these observations are related to breaking of the bonds between two coiled-coil keratin dimers.

scholarly journals Bend, Push, Stretch: Remarkable Structure and Mechanics of Single Intermediate Filaments and Meshworks

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1960
Author(s):  
K. Tanuj Sapra ◽  
Ohad Medalia
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Eukaryotic Cell ◽  
Coiled Coils ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Mechanical Pressure ◽  
Mechanical Feature ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Nuclear Lamins ◽  
Filament Networks ◽  
And Function

The cytoskeleton of the eukaryotic cell provides a structural and functional scaffold enabling biochemical and cellular functions. While actin and microtubules form the main framework of the cell, intermediate filament networks provide unique mechanical properties that increase the resilience of both the cytoplasm and the nucleus, thereby maintaining cellular function while under mechanical pressure. Intermediate filaments (IFs) are imperative to a plethora of regulatory and signaling functions in mechanotransduction. Mutations in all types of IF proteins are known to affect the architectural integrity and function of cellular processes, leading to debilitating diseases. The basic building block of all IFs are elongated α-helical coiled-coils that assemble hierarchically into complex meshworks. A remarkable mechanical feature of IFs is the capability of coiled-coils to metamorphize into β-sheets under stress, making them one of the strongest and most resilient mechanical entities in nature. Here, we discuss structural and mechanical aspects of IFs with a focus on nuclear lamins and vimentin.

scholarly journals Coiled-coil networking shapes cell molecular machinery

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (19) ◽  
pp. 3911-3922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongqiang Wang ◽  
Xinlei Zhang ◽  
Hong Zhang ◽  
Yi Lu ◽  
Haolong Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Coiled Coils ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Kinetochore Assembly ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Molecular Machinery ◽  
Systematic Understanding

The highly abundant α-helical coiled-coil motif not only mediates crucial protein–protein interactions in the cell but is also an attractive scaffold in synthetic biology and material science and a potential target for disease intervention. Therefore a systematic understanding of the coiled-coil interactions (CCIs) at the organismal level would help unravel the full spectrum of the biological function of this interaction motif and facilitate its application in therapeutics. We report the first identified genome-wide CCI network in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which consists of 3495 pair-wise interactions among 598 predicted coiled-coil regions. Computational analysis revealed that the CCI network is specifically and functionally organized and extensively involved in the organization of cell machinery. We further show that CCIs play a critical role in the assembly of the kinetochore, and disruption of the CCI network leads to defects in kinetochore assembly and cell division. The CCI network identified in this study is a valuable resource for systematic characterization of coiled coils in the shaping and regulation of a host of cellular machineries and provides a basis for the utilization of coiled coils as domain-based probes for network perturbation and pharmacological applications.

scholarly journals ARCIMBOLDOon coiled coils

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iracema Caballero ◽  
Massimo Sammito ◽  
Claudia Millán ◽  
Andrey Lebedev ◽  
Nicolas Soler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Coiled Coils ◽  
Translational Symmetry ◽  
Command Line ◽  
Phase Problem ◽  
Final Solution ◽  
Resolution Limit ◽  
Helical Structures ◽  
Small Model ◽  
Test Pool

ARCIMBOLDOsolves the phase problem by combining the location of small model fragments usingPhaserwith density modification and autotracing usingSHELXE. Mainly helical structures constitute favourable cases, which can be solved using polyalanine helical fragments as search models. Nevertheless, the solution of coiled-coil structures is often complicated by their anisotropic diffraction and apparent translational noncrystallographic symmetry. Long, straight helices have internal translational symmetry and their alignment in preferential directions gives rise to systematic overlap of Patterson vectors. This situation has to be differentiated from the translational symmetry relating different monomers.ARCIMBOLDO_LITEhas been run on single workstations on a test pool of 150 coiled-coil structures with 15–635 amino acids per asymmetric unit and with diffraction data resolutions of between 0.9 and 3.0 Å. The results have been used to identify and address specific issues when solving this class of structures usingARCIMBOLDO. Features fromPhaserv.2.7 onwards are essential to correct anisotropy and produce translation solutions that will pass the packing filters. As the resolution becomes worse than 2.3 Å, the helix direction may be reversed in the placed fragments. Differentiation between true solutions and pseudo-solutions, in which helix fragments were correctly positioned but in a reverse orientation, was found to be problematic at resolutions worse than 2.3 Å. Therefore, after every new fragment-placement round, complete or sparse combinations of helices in alternative directions are generated and evaluated. The final solution is once again probed by helix reversal, refinement and extension. To conclude, density modification andSHELXEautotracing incorporating helical constraints is also exploited to extend the resolution limit in the case of coiled coils and to enhance the identification of correct solutions. This study resulted in a specialized mode withinARCIMBOLDOfor the solution of coiled-coil structures, which overrides the resolution limit and can be invoked from the command line (keyword coiled_coil) orARCIMBOLDO_LITEtask interface inCCP4i.

scholarly journals Assembly of the elongated collagen prolyl 4-hydroxylase α2β2 heterotetramer around a central α2 dimer

2017 ◽  
Vol 474 (5) ◽  
pp. 751-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kristian Koski ◽  
Jothi Anantharajan ◽  
Petri Kursula ◽  
Prathusha Dhavala ◽  
Abhinandan V. Murthy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Β Subunit ◽  
Dimerization Domain ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Protein Dimer ◽  
Symmetric Molecule ◽  
Asymmetric Shape ◽  
Proline Rich Peptide ◽  
Α Subunits

Collagen prolyl 4-hydroxylase (C-P4H), an α2β2 heterotetramer, is a crucial enzyme for collagen synthesis. The α-subunit consists of an N-terminal dimerization domain, a central peptide substrate-binding (PSB) domain, and a C-terminal catalytic (CAT) domain. The β-subunit [also known as protein disulfide isomerase (PDI)] acts as a chaperone, stabilizing the functional conformation of C-P4H. C-P4H has been studied for decades, but its structure has remained elusive. Here, we present a three-dimensional small-angle X-ray scattering model of the entire human C-P4H-I heterotetramer. C-P4H is an elongated, bilobal, symmetric molecule with a length of 290 Å. The dimerization domains from the two α-subunits form a protein–protein dimer interface, assembled around the central antiparallel coiled-coil interface of their N-terminal α-helices. This region forms a thin waist in the bilobal tetramer. The two PSB/CAT units, each complexed with a PDI/β-subunit, form two bulky lobes pointing outward from this waist region, such that the PDI/β-subunits locate at the far ends of the βααβ complex. The PDI/β-subunit interacts extensively with the CAT domain. The asymmetric shape of two truncated C-P4H-I variants, also characterized in the present study, agrees with this assembly. Furthermore, data from these truncated variants show that dimerization between the α-subunits has an important role in achieving the correct PSB–CAT assembly competent for catalytic activity. Kinetic assays with various proline-rich peptide substrates and inhibitors suggest that, in the competent assembly, the PSB domain binds to the procollagen substrate downstream from the CAT domain.

scholarly journals α/β coiled coils

eLife ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus D Hartmann ◽  
Claudia T Mendler ◽  
Jens Bassler ◽  
Ioanna Karamichali ◽  
Oswin Ridderbusch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Repeat Unit ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Coiled Coils ◽  
Heptad Repeat ◽  
Protein Fold ◽  
Local Formation ◽  
Unexpected Formation ◽  
New Type ◽  
Backbone Structure ◽  
Level Of Understanding

Coiled coils are the best-understood protein fold, as their backbone structure can uniquely be described by parametric equations. This level of understanding has allowed their manipulation in unprecedented detail. They do not seem a likely source of surprises, yet we describe here the unexpected formation of a new type of fiber by the simple insertion of two or six residues into the underlying heptad repeat of a parallel, trimeric coiled coil. These insertions strain the supercoil to the breaking point, causing the local formation of short β-strands, which move the path of the chain by 120° around the trimer axis. The result is an α/β coiled coil, which retains only one backbone hydrogen bond per repeat unit from the parent coiled coil. Our results show that a substantially novel backbone structure is possible within the allowed regions of the Ramachandran space with only minor mutations to a known fold.

Modeling α-helical coiled-coil interactions: The axial and azimuthal alignment of 1B segments from vimentin intermediate filaments

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomasin A. Smith ◽  
Paul D. Hempstead ◽  
Christopher C. Palliser ◽  
David A.D. Parry
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Coiled Coil

scholarly journals Integration of Rotation and Piston Motions in Coiled-Coil Signal Transduction

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (16) ◽  
pp. 6048-6056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Gao ◽  
David G. Lynn
Keyword(s):  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Dynamic Environment ◽  
Coiled Coils ◽  
Signal Integration ◽  
Signaling Mechanisms ◽  
Protein Receptor ◽  
Single Protein ◽  
Environmental Responses ◽  
Multiple Signaling ◽  
Host Signals

ABSTRACT A coordinated response to a complex and dynamic environment requires an organism to simultaneously monitor and interpret multiple signaling cues. In bacteria and some eukaryotes, environmental responses depend on the histidine autokinases (HKs). For example, VirA, a large integral membrane HK from Agrobacterium tumefaciens, regulates the expression of virulence genes in response to signals from multiple molecular classes (phenol, pH, and sugar). The ability of this pathogen to perceive inputs from different known host signals within a single protein receptor provides an opportunity to understand the mechanisms of signal integration. Here we exploited the conserved domain organization of the HKs and engineered chimeric kinases to explore the signaling mechanisms of phenol sensing and pH/sugar integration. Our data implicate a piston-assisted rotation of coiled coils for integration of multiple inputs and regulation of critical responses during pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Coiled-Coils: The Molecular Zippers that Self-Assemble Protein Nanostructures

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Won Min Park
Keyword(s):  
Modular Design ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Molecular Complexes ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Coiled Coils ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Protein Motifs ◽  
Self Assembling ◽  
Current Design

Coiled-coils, the bundles of intertwined helical protein motifs, have drawn much attention as versatile molecular toolkits. Because of programmable interaction specificity and affinity as well as well-established sequence-to-structure relationships, coiled-coils have been used as subunits that self-assemble various molecular complexes in a range of fields. In this review, I describe recent advances in the field of protein nanotechnology, with a focus on programming assembly of protein nanostructures using coiled-coil modules. Modular design approaches to converting the helical motifs into self-assembling building blocks are described, followed by a discussion on the molecular basis and principles underlying the modular designs. This review also provides a summary of recently developed nanostructures with a variety of structural features, which are in categories of unbounded nanostructures, discrete nanoparticles, and well-defined origami nanostructures. Challenges existing in current design strategies, as well as desired improvements for controls over material properties and functionalities for applications, are also provided.

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