scholarly journals Binding of a tetracationic meso-porphyrin to polyadenylic acid: a spectroscopic study

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Ryazanova ◽  
Igor Voloshin ◽  
Victor Zozulya

Binding of a tetracationic porphyrin (TMPyP4+) to poly(rA) has been studied in neutral buffered solution of low ionic strength in a wide range of molar phosphate-to-dye ratios (P/D) using absorption spectroscopy, polarized fluorescence and fluorimetric titration. Two competitive binding modes were identified: partial intercalation of porphyrin chromophores between adenine bases prevailing at P/D > 20 and its outside binding to poly(rA) backbone dominating at P/D < 6. Both of them were accompanied by enhancement of the porphyrin emission. Absence of the emission quenching near stoichiometric P/D ratios allowed us to assume that external binding occurs without the self-stacking of the porphyrin chromophores.

1987 ◽  
Vol 243 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
A J Mathews ◽  
T Brittain

The reaction kinetics of native and carbodi-imide-modified tuna and horse heart cytochromes c with both a strong (dithionite) and a relatively weak (ascorbate) reducing agent were studied over a wide range of conditions. In their reactions with dithionite both the native and modified cytochromes exhibit single exponential time courses. The effects of dithionite concentration and ionic strength on the rate of the reduction are complex and can best be explained in terms of the model proposed by Lambeth & Palmer [(1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 6095-6103]. According to this model, at low ionic strength the native proteins are reduced almost exclusively by S2O4(2-) whereas the modified proteins showed reactivity towards both S2O4(2-) and SO2.-. These findings are interpreted in terms of the different charge characteristics of the carbodi-imide-modified proteins relative to the native proteins. The findings that the modified proteins react with ascorbate in a biphasic manner are explained as arising from ascorbate binding to a reducible form of the protein, before electron transfer, with an equilibrium between the ascorbate-reducible form of the protein and a non-reducible form. Estimates were obtained for both the ascorbate equilibrium binding constant and the rate constant for the internal electron transfer for both the native and modified horse and tuna proteins. The effect of pH on the reactions indicates that the active reductant in all cases is ascorbate2-. The studies of ascorbate reactivity yield important information concerning the proposed correlation between ascorbate reducibility and the presence of a 695 nm-absorption band, and the study of dithionite reactivity illustrates the effect of protein charge and solution ionic strength on the relative contributions made by the species SO2.- and S2O4(2-) to the reduction of ferricytochrome c.


1982 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 714-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Lange ◽  
RA Hadesman ◽  
TL Steck

In order to examine the widely held hypothesis that the reticulum of proteins which covers the cytoplamsic surface of the human erythrocyte membrane controls cell stability and shape, we have assessed some of its properties. The reticulum, freed of the bilayer by extraction with Triton X-100, was found to be mechanically stable at physiological ionic strength but physically unstable at low ionic strength. The reticulum broke down after a characteristic lag period which decreased 500-fold between 0 degrees and 37 degrees C. The release of polypeptide band 4.1 from the reticulum preceded that of spectrin and actin, suggesting that band 4.1 might stabilize the ensemble but is not essential to its integrity. The time-course of breakdown was similar for ghosts, the reticulum inside of ghosts, and the isolated reticulum. However, at very low ionic strength, the reticulum was less stable within the ghost than when free; at higher ionic strength, the reverse was true. Over a wide range of conditions the membrane broke down to vesicles just as the reticulum disintegrated, presumably because the bilayer was mechanically stabilized by this network. The volume of both ghosts and naked reticula varied inversely and reversibly with ionic strength. The volume of the naked reticulum varied far more widely than the ghost, suggesting that its deformation was normally limited by the less extensible bilayer. The contour of the isolated reticulum was discoid and often dimpled or indented, as visualized in the fluorescence microscope after labeling of the ghosts with fluoroscein isothiocyanate. Reticula derived from ghosts which had lost the ability to crenate in isotonic saline were shriveled, even though the bilayer was smooth and expanded. Conversly, ghosts crenated by dinitrophenol yielded smooth, expanded reticula. We conclude that the reticulum is a durable, flexible, and elastic network which assumes and stabilizes the contour of the membrane but is not responsible for its crenation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 191 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott D. Hansen ◽  
R. Dyche Mullins

Ena/VASP proteins regulate the actin cytoskeleton during cell migration and morphogenesis and promote assembly of both filopodial and lamellipodial actin networks. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying their cellular functions we used total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy to visualize VASP tetramers interacting with static and growing actin filaments in vitro. We observed multiple filament binding modes: (1) static side binding, (2) side binding with one-dimensional diffusion, and (3) processive barbed end tracking. Actin monomers antagonize side binding but promote high affinity (Kd = 9 nM) barbed end attachment. In low ionic strength buffers, VASP tetramers are weakly processive (Koff = 0.69 s−1) polymerases that deliver multiple actin monomers per barbed end–binding event and effectively antagonize filament capping. In higher ionic strength buffers, VASP requires profilin for effective polymerase and anti-capping activity. Based on our observations, we propose a mechanism that accounts for all three binding modes and provides a model for how VASP promotes actin filament assembly.


1991 ◽  
Vol 280 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-44
Author(s):  
S M Pemrick ◽  
P A Martinez

In the absence of troponin and tropomyosin, skeletal actomyosin MgATPase activity can be altered by 2-3-fold by divalent cations. The ‘sign’ of this effect (i.e. inhibition or activation) varies with ionic strength. To investigate the mechanism, P(i) liberation was analysed at both low and high ionic strength with three concentrations of MgATP and over a wide range of Mg2+ concentrations. This procedure separated the effects of two dependent variables, Mg2+ and ATP4-/3- (ATPfree), to provide the following observations. (1) ATPfree, not Mg2+ (nor Ca2+), was the modifier. (2) ATPfree was an activator at low ionic strength and an inhibitor at high ionic strength, with half-maximal activation/inhibition occurring between 0.75 and 0.8 mM-ATPfree. (3) The rate constants controlling Vmax. with respect to actin were increased up to 3-fold by ATPfree at low ionic strength, and decreased up to 3-fold by ATPfree at high ionic strength. (4) The effect of ATPfree required near-native levels of the LC2 light chain bound to myosin (i.e. 2 mol of LC2/mol of myosin). (5) Sensitivity of P(i) liberation to a 50% decrease in the LC2 content of myosin required high ATPfree concentrations. It is concluded that LC2 and ATPfree are interdependent, non-additive, modifiers of MgATPase. These results are consistent with thin filament regulation of skeletal muscle contraction, and begin to explain why both positive and negative effects on MgATPase have been attributed to LC2.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina A. Khristenko ◽  
Jussara Amato ◽  
Sandrine Livet ◽  
Bruno Pagano ◽  
Antonio Randazzo ◽  
...  

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has become popular to characterize biomolecule folding. Numerous studies have shown that proteins that are folded in solution remain folded in the gas phase, whereas proteins that are unfolded in solution adopt more extended conformations in the gas phase. Here, we discuss how general this tenet is. We studied single-stranded DNAs (human telomeric cytosine-rich sequences with CCCTAA repeats), which fold into an intercalated motif (i-motif) structure in a pH-dependent manner, thanks to the formation of C‒H+‒C base pairs. As i-motif formation is favored at low ionic strength, we could investigate the ESI-IMS-MS behavior of i-motif structures at pH ~5.5 over a wide range of ammonium acetate concentrations (15 mM to 100 mM). The control experiments consisted of either the same sequence at pH ~7.5, wherein the sequence is unfolded, or sequence variants that cannot form i-motifs (CTCTAA repeats). The surprising results came from the control experiments. We found that the ionic strength of the solution had a greater effect on the compactness of the gas-phase structures than the solution folding state. This means that electrosprayed ions keep a memory of the charging process, which is influenced by the electrolyte concentration. We discuss these results in light of the analyte partitioning between the droplet interior and droplet surface, which in turn influences the probability of being ionized via a charged residue pathway or a chain extrusion pathway.<br>


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina A. Khristenko ◽  
Jussara Amato ◽  
Sandrine Livet ◽  
Bruno Pagano ◽  
Antonio Randazzo ◽  
...  

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has become popular to characterize biomolecule folding. Numerous studies have shown that proteins that are folded in solution remain folded in the gas phase, whereas proteins that are unfolded in solution adopt more extended conformations in the gas phase. Here, we discuss how general this tenet is. We studied single-stranded DNAs (human telomeric cytosine-rich sequences with CCCTAA repeats), which fold into an intercalated motif (i-motif) structure in a pH-dependent manner, thanks to the formation of C‒H+‒C base pairs. As i-motif formation is favored at low ionic strength, we could investigate the ESI-IMS-MS behavior of i-motif structures at pH ~5.5 over a wide range of ammonium acetate concentrations (15 mM to 100 mM). The control experiments consisted of either the same sequence at pH ~7.5, wherein the sequence is unfolded, or sequence variants that cannot form i-motifs (CTCTAA repeats). The surprising results came from the control experiments. We found that the ionic strength of the solution had a greater effect on the compactness of the gas-phase structures than the solution folding state. This means that electrosprayed ions keep a memory of the charging process, which is influenced by the electrolyte concentration. We discuss these results in light of the analyte partitioning between the droplet interior and droplet surface, which in turn influences the probability of being ionized via a charged residue pathway or a chain extrusion pathway.<br>


1971 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. MacGregor ◽  
J. M. Bowness

Equilibrium dialysis was used to study the distribution of calcium or phosphate ions at equilibrium in dialysis cells containing proteoglycan or chondroitin sulfate in one compartment. A higher concentration of calcium or lower concentration of phosphate was found in the cell compartment containing the polymer than in the compartment separated from it by a semipermeable membrane. The difference in calcium concentration across the boundary represents bound calcium. The formation constant (K) for the complex of bound calcium with chondroitin sulfate was investigated and found to be affected by two main factors: ionic strength and calcium/glucuronate ratio. K decreased rapidly with increasing ionic strength up to 0.15. At low ionic strength and high Ca2+/glucuronate ratios, evidence has been obtained that more calcium is bound by the polymers than can be accounted for by the simple equilibrium system, involving the combination of one calcium per disaccharide unit period, whose operation is consistent with the K values found at low Ca/glucuronate ratios over a wide range of ionic strengths. Infrared spectra obtained at high and low Ca2+/glucuronate ratios also indicate the existence of two calcium forms of proteoglycans. Viscosity and ultracentrifugal data show that differences exist between proteoglycans in calcium and sodium solutions. The data for disaggregated proteoglycan preparations indicate that their calcium-binding properties are very similar to those of chondroitin 4-sulfate and are determined by the same factors. One aggregated puppy rib proteoglycan, however, showed significantly greater K values than chondroitin 4-sulfate; these decreased after disaggregation.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina A. Khristenko ◽  
Jussara Amato ◽  
Sandrine Livet ◽  
Bruno Pagano ◽  
Antonio Randazzo ◽  
...  

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has become popular to characterize biomolecule folding. Numerous studies have shown that proteins that are folded in solution remain folded in the gas phase, whereas proteins that are unfolded in solution adopt more extended conformations in the gas phase. Here, we discuss how general this tenet is. We studied single-stranded DNAs (human telomeric cytosine-rich sequences with CCCTAA repeats), which fold into an intercalated motif (i-motif) structure in a pH-dependent manner, thanks to the formation of C‒H+‒C base pairs. As i-motif formation is favored at low ionic strength, we could investigate the ESI-IMS-MS behavior of i-motif structures at pH ~5.5 over a wide range of ammonium acetate concentrations (15 mM to 100 mM). The control experiments consisted of either the same sequence at pH ~7.5, wherein the sequence is unfolded, or sequence variants that cannot form i-motifs (CTCTAA repeats). The surprising results came from the control experiments. We found that the ionic strength of the solution had a greater effect on the compactness of the gas-phase structures than the solution folding state. This means that electrosprayed ions keep a memory of the charging process, which is influenced by the electrolyte concentration. We discuss these results in light of the analyte partitioning between the droplet interior and droplet surface, which in turn influences the probability of being ionized via a charged residue pathway or a chain extrusion pathway.<br>


Author(s):  
J.S. Wall ◽  
V. Maridiyan ◽  
S. Tumminia ◽  
J. Hairifeld ◽  
M. Boublik

The high contrast in the dark-field mode of dedicated STEM, specimen deposition by the wet film technique and low radiation dose (1 e/Å2) at -160°C make it possible to obtain high resolution images of unstained freeze-dried macromolecules with minimal structural distortion. Since the image intensity is directly related to the local projected mass of the specimen it became feasible to determine the molecular mass and mass distribution within individual macromolecules and from these data to calculate the linear density (M/L) and the radii of gyration.2 This parameter (RQ), reflecting the three-dimensional structure of the macromolecular particles in solution, has been applied to monitor the conformational transitions in E. coli 16S and 23S ribosomal RNAs in solutions of various ionic strength.In spite of the differences in mass (550 kD and 1050 kD, respectively), both 16S and 23S RNA appear equally sensitive to changes in buffer conditions. In deionized water or conditions of extremely low ionic strength both appear as filamentous structures (Fig. la and 2a, respectively) possessing a major backbone with protruding branches which are more frequent and more complex in 23S RNA (Fig. 2a).


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