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SP1 (108 amino acids) is a boiling-stable stress-responsive protein. It has no significant sequence homology to other stress-related proteins or to small heat-shock proteins (sHsps). SP1 activity is ATP-independent, similar to other small... more
SP1 (108 amino acids) is a boiling-stable stress-responsive protein. It has no significant sequence homology to other stress-related proteins or to small heat-shock proteins (sHsps). SP1 activity is ATP-independent, similar to other small heat-shock proteins. Based on these features, it is expected that the structure-function relationship of SP1 will be unique. In this work, the crystallization and preliminary crystallographic data of native SP1 and its selenomethionine derivative are described. Recombinant SP1 and its selenomethionine derivative were expressed in Escherichia coli and used for crystallization experiments. SP1 crystals were grown from 0.1 M HEPES pH 7.5, 20% PEG 3K, 0.2 M NaCl. One to four single crystals appeared in each droplet within a few Days and grew to dimensions of about 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.8 mm after about two weeks. Diffraction studies of these crystals at low temperature indicated that they belong to space group I422, with unit-cell parameters a = 89, b = 89, c = 187 A. Efforts to crystallize the selenomethionine derivative of SP1 are in progress.
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Among numerous reported biochemical effects the lithium-inhibitable enzyme inositol-monophosphatase (IMPase) remains a viable target for lithium's therapeutic mechanism of action. Calbindin-D28k (calbindin) interacts with IMPase... more
Among numerous reported biochemical effects the lithium-inhibitable enzyme inositol-monophosphatase (IMPase) remains a viable target for lithium's therapeutic mechanism of action. Calbindin-D28k (calbindin) interacts with IMPase enhancing its activity. In the present study in silico modeling of IMPase-calbindin binding using the program MolFit indicated that the 55-66 amino acid segment of IMPase anchors calbindin via Lys59 and Lys61 with a glutamate in between (Lys-Glu-Lys motif). The model further suggested that the Lys-Glu-Lys motif interacts with residues Asp24 and Asp26 of calbindin. Indeed, we found that differently from wildtype calbindin, IMPase was not activated by mutated calbindin in which Asp24 and Asp26 were replaced by alanine. Calbindin's effect was significantly reduced by a peptide with the sequence of amino acids 58-63 of IMPase (peptide 1) and by six amino-acid peptides including at least part of the Lys-Glu-Lys motif. The three amino-acid peptide Lys-Glu-...
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Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Psychiatry Research Unit, Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of... more
Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Psychiatry Research Unit, Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel Department of Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Institute of Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Two crystal forms of Escherichia coli tryptophanase (tryptophan indole-lyase, Trpase) were obtained under the same crystallization conditions. Both forms belonged to the same space group P43212 but had slightly different unit-cell... more
Two crystal forms of Escherichia coli tryptophanase (tryptophan indole-lyase, Trpase) were obtained under the same crystallization conditions. Both forms belonged to the same space group P43212 but had slightly different unit-cell parameters. The holo crystal form, with pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) bound to Lys270 of both polypeptide chains in the asymmetric unit, diffracted to 2.9 Å resolution. The second crystal form diffracted to 3.2 Å resolution. Of the two subunits in the asymmetric unit, one was found in the holo form, while the other appeared to be in the apo form in a wide-open conformation with two sulfate ions bound in the vicinity of the active site. The conformation of all holo subunits is the same in both crystal forms. The structures suggest that Trpase is flexible in the apo form. Its conformation partially closes upon binding of PLP. The closed conformation might correspond to the enzyme in its active state with both cofactor and substrate bound in a similar way as in t...
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Lithium salts (Li) are used to treat bipolar disorder patients. Li inhibits inositol-monophosphatase (IMPase)-1. Calbindin D28k (calbindin) and S100B enhance IMPase-1 activity. We compared our in silico model of the IMPase-1/calbindin... more
Lithium salts (Li) are used to treat bipolar disorder patients. Li inhibits inositol-monophosphatase (IMPase)-1. Calbindin D28k (calbindin) and S100B enhance IMPase-1 activity. We compared our in silico model of the IMPase-1/calbindin complex with the crystal structure of S100B. Although calbindin and S100B have a low sequence homology, they seem to activate IMPase-1 in a similar mode. It is reasonable that molecules interfering with the interaction of IMPase-1 with either of its activators will have Li-like effects.
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Research Interests: Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Medicine, Macromolecular X-Ray Crystallography, and 14 moreHumans, Sequence alignment, X-ray crystallography, Glycoproteins, Aspergillus niger, Glycosylation, Protein Conformation, Amino Acid Sequence, Ribonucleases, Molecular Sequence Data, binding sites, Angiogenesis inhibitors, Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, and Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
Biosynthesis of subtilisin is dependent on a 77 amino acid, N-terminal prodomain, which is autocatalytically processed to create the mature form of the enzyme [Ikemura, H., Takagi, H., & Inouye, M. (1987) J. Biol. Chem.... more
Biosynthesis of subtilisin is dependent on a 77 amino acid, N-terminal prodomain, which is autocatalytically processed to create the mature form of the enzyme [Ikemura, H., Takagi, H., & Inouye, M. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 7859-7864]. In order to better understand the role of the prodomain in subtilisin folding, we have determined the structure of the processed complex between the prodomain and subtilisin Sbt-70, a mutant engineered for facilitated folding. The prodomain is largely unstructured by itself but folds into a compact structure with a four-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet and two three-turn alpha-helices when complexed with subtilisin. The Ka of the complex is 2 x 10(8) M-1 at 25 degrees C. The prodomain binds on subtilisin's two parallel surface alpha-helices and supplies caps to the N-termini of the two helices. The C-terminal strand of the prodomain binds in the subtilisin substrate binding cleft. While Sbt-70 is capable of independent folding, the prodomain accelerates the process by a factor of > 10(7) M-1 of prodomain in 30 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5, at 25 degrees C. X-ray structures of the mutant subtilisin folded in vitro either with or without the prodomain are compared and show that the identical folded state is achieved in either case. A model of the folding reaction of Sbt-70 and the prodomain is described as the following equilibria: P + Su<-->Pf--SI<-->Pf--Sf, where Su and P are Sbt-70 and prodomain, respectively, which are largely unstructured at the start of the reaction, Pf--SI is a collision complex of a partially folded Sbt-70 and folded prodomain, and Pf--Sf is the complex of folded Sbt-70 and prodomain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Background Oligomeric enzymes can undergo a reversible loss of activity at low temperatures. One such enzyme is tryptophanase (Trpase) from Escherichia coli. Trpase is a pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)-dependent tetrameric enzyme with a Mw of... more
Background Oligomeric enzymes can undergo a reversible loss of activity at low temperatures. One such enzyme is tryptophanase (Trpase) from Escherichia coli. Trpase is a pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)-dependent tetrameric enzyme with a Mw of 210 kD. PLP is covalently bound through an enamine bond to Lys270 at the active site. The incubation of holo E. coli Trpases at 2°C for 20 h results in breaking this enamine bond and PLP release, as well as a reversible loss of activity and dissociation into dimers. This sequence of events is termed cold lability and its understanding bears relevance to protein stability and shelf life. Results We studied the reversible cold lability of E. coli Trpase and its Y74F, C298S and W330F mutants. In contrast to the holo E. coli Trpase all apo forms of Trpase dissociated into dimers already at 25°C and even further upon cooling to 2°C. The crystal structures of the two mutants, Y74F and C298S in their apo form were determined at 1.9Å resolution. These apo mu...
Research Interests: Chemistry, High Pressure, Medicine, Macromolecular X-Ray Crystallography, Protein Stability, and 15 moreCrystal structure, SHELF LIFE, Escherichia coli, Temperature, Enzyme, Pressure, Active site, Time Factors, Amino Acid Profile, Low Temperature, Tryptophanase, Amino Acid Sequence, Protein Quaternary Structure, Recombinant Proteins, and Conformational Change
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A new crystal form of E. coli tryptophanase (tryptophan indole-lyase, Trpase) (space group P43212, a=b=109.97 A, c=238.40 A) was obtained under the same conditions as the tetragonal crystals of holo E. coli. Trpase. The structure was... more
A new crystal form of E. coli tryptophanase (tryptophan indole-lyase, Trpase) (space group P43212, a=b=109.97 A, c=238.40 A) was obtained under the same conditions as the tetragonal crystals of holo E. coli. Trpase. The structure was solved by molecular replacement at 3.2 A resolution using the coordinates of apo E. coli Trpase (PDB code 2OQX) as a search model and refined to R=21.3 %, Rfree=28.9 %. Out of two polypeptide chains contained in the asymmetric unit, one was found in holo form with PLP covalently attached to Lys271, while the other appeared to be in the apo form. The overall conformation of the holo subunit is the same as in the holo form of tyrosine phenol-lyase. The apo subunit is found in a wide-open conformation very similar to the one observed in the crystal structure of apo Trpase. Taking into account the flexibility of apo Trpase as seen in the known structures and difference in the crystallization conditions (pH, precipitant) and crystal packing, this finding is quite unexpected. We suggest that apo Trpase is found in the solution predominantly in the wide-open conformation which partially closes upon binding of PLP. The closed conformation might correspond to the enzyme state with both cofactor and substrate bound, in a way similar to tyrosine phenol-lyase. In addition, the conformation of the loop 301-310 is different in apo and holo subunits of the new structure suggesting that this conformational change is not induced by the oxidation of Cys298.
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The 77-amino acid pro-domain greatly accelerates the in vitro folding of subtilisin in a bimolecular reaction whose product is a tight complex between folded subtilisin and folded pro-domain. In this complex the pro-domain has a compact... more
The 77-amino acid pro-domain greatly accelerates the in vitro folding of subtilisin in a bimolecular reaction whose product is a tight complex between folded subtilisin and folded pro-domain. In this complex the pro-domain has a compact structure with a four-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet and two three-turn alpha-helixes. When isolated from subtilisin, however, the pro-domain is 97% unfolded even under optimal folding conditions. The instability of the isolated pro-domain suggests that there may be a thermodynamic linkage between the stability of the pro-domain and its ability to facilitate subtilisin folding. On the basis of the X-ray crystal structure of the pro-domain subtilisin complex, we have designed stabilizing mutations in three areas of the pro-domain: alpha-helix 23-32 (E32Q), beta-strands 35-51 (Q40L), and alpha-helix 53-61 (K57E). These amino acid positions were selected because they do not contact subtilisin in the complex and because they appear to be in regions of the structure which are not well packed in the wild type pro-domain. Since none of the mutations directly contact subtilisin, their effects on the folding of subtilisin are linked to whether or not they stabilize a conformation of the pro-domain which promotes subtilisin folding. By sequentially introducing the three stabilizing mutations, the equilibrium for folding the pro-domain was shifted from 97% unfolded to 65% folded. By measuring the ability of these mutants to fold subtilisin, we are able to establish a correlation between the stability of the pro-domain and its ability to accelerate subtilisin folding. As the pro-domain is stabilized, the folding reaction becomes faster and distinctly biphasic. A detailed mechanism was determined for the double mutant, Q40L-K57E, which is 50% folded: P + Su if (30 800 M-1 s-1, 0.04 s-1) PSI if (0.07 s-1, <0.005 s-1) PS. PSI is an intermediate complex which accumulates in the course of the reaction, and PS is the fully folded complex. The more stable the pro-domain, the faster the folding reaction up to the point at which the isomerization of the intermediate into the fully folded complex becomes the rate-limiting step in the folding process.
Research Interests: Biochemistry, Thermodynamics, Protein Folding, Kinetics, Protein Engineering, and 15 moreProtein Stability, Mutation, Circular Dichroism, Differential scanning calorimetry, Escherichia coli, Temperature, Molecular cloning, Protein Secondary Structure Prediction, Bacillus subtilis, Protein Conformation, Recombinant Proteins, Protein Binding, Protein Denaturation, Biochemistry and cell biology, and Medical biochemistry and metabolomics
Tryptophanase (Trpase) is a pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent homotetrameric enzyme which catalyzes the degradation of L-tryptophan. Trpase is also known for its cold lability, which is a reversible loss of activity at low... more
Tryptophanase (Trpase) is a pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent homotetrameric enzyme which catalyzes the degradation of L-tryptophan. Trpase is also known for its cold lability, which is a reversible loss of activity at low temperature (2°C) that is associated with the dissociation of the tetramer.Escherichia coliTrpase dissociates into dimers, whileProteus vulgarisTrpase dissociates into monomers. As such, this enzyme is an appropriate model to study the protein–protein interactions and quaternary structure of proteins. The aim of the present study was to understand the differences in the mode of dissociation between theE. coliandP. vulgarisTrpases. In particular, the effect of mutations along the molecular axes of homotetrameric Trpase on its dissociation was studied. To answer this question, two groups of mutants of theE. colienzyme were created to resemble the amino-acid sequence ofP. vulgarisTrpase. In one group, residues 15 and 59 that are located along the molecular axisR...
Research Interests: Kinetics, Gene expression, Macromolecular X-Ray Crystallography, Biocatalysis, Biological Sciences, and 13 moreMutation, Escherichia coli, Physical sciences, Tryptophan, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, Protein Secondary Structure Prediction, Tryptophanase, Species Specificity, Recombinant Proteins, Protein Binding, Proteus Vulgaris, Pyridoxal Phosphate, and binding sites
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The mechanism of hepatitis C virus (HCV) -induced hepatotocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unknown, but in vitro studies clearly suggest that HCV proteins exert a direct effect on liver carcinogenesis. HCV NS3 serine protease is known to... more
The mechanism of hepatitis C virus (HCV) -induced hepatotocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unknown, but in vitro studies clearly suggest that HCV proteins exert a direct effect on liver carcinogenesis. HCV NS3 serine protease is known to play a key role in the life cycle of the virus and may interact with the host cellular regulatory proteins. The aim of the present study was to conduct a genetic analysis of the HCV NS3 gene coding for the serine protease isolated from serum, tumor, and nontumor tissue of HCC patients. RNA was extracted and HCV cDNA was amplified by nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Sequence comparison yielded unique changes at the vicinity of the catalytic sites of the NS3 clones isolated only from HCC tissue. These changes included the insertion of a "large" and charged amino acid, substitution of a polar with a hydrophobic amino acid, and substitution of a charged with a polar amino acid. Those changes affect the electros...
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ABSTRACT Photosystem I core complex (CCI) of the thermophilic cyanobacterium Mastigocladus laminosus has been purified and characterized in two oligomers; a monomeric form and a trimeric form. The purified preparations of both the monomer... more
ABSTRACT Photosystem I core complex (CCI) of the thermophilic cyanobacterium Mastigocladus laminosus has been purified and characterized in two oligomers; a monomeric form and a trimeric form. The purified preparations of both the monomer and the trimer were used for crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis. Both preparations produced three dimensional single crystals of several crystal habits in various crystallization conditions. An examination of the crystals in comparison to the related pre-crystallization preparations demonstrated that both forms of the CCI complex are not altered by the crystallization process. Two of the monomeric crystal habits showed X-ray diffraction suitable for crystallographic analysis. The “hexagonal plate” crystals have an hexagonal unit cell with dimensions of 192×192×163 Å and diffract X-ray to about 5.5 Å resolution. The “boat” crystals have an hexagonal unit cell with dimensions of 221×221×149 Å and diffract X-ray to about 6Å resolution. Both of these hexagonal crystal forms contain six CCI monomers, in a probably similar crystal packing. The differences in cell dimensions could be a result of a different content of solvent and detergent in the crystal. Assuming that in both forms the c axis is parallel to the transmembranal molecular axis, and that there are two layers of monomers along this crystallographic axis, it is estimated that the upper limit thickness of the CCI monomeric complex is 79 Å. A preliminary model of ferredoxin-like subunit (PsaC or VII) of CCI was also constructed. The initial model was built from segments of the backbone structure of two related ferredoxins of known structure, and the amino acid sequence of subunit VII of the spinach CCI. The structure of the initial model was then refined with conventional molecular mechanics techniques. The energy minimization converged to an optimized structure which can be used as a working model for biologically relevant questions.
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A recombinant Fv construct of the B1 monoclonal antibody that recognizes the LewisY-related carbohydrate epitope on human carcinoma cells has been prepared. The Fv is composed of the polypeptide chains of the VH and VL domains expressed... more
A recombinant Fv construct of the B1 monoclonal antibody that recognizes the LewisY-related carbohydrate epitope on human carcinoma cells has been prepared. The Fv is composed of the polypeptide chains of the VH and VL domains expressed independently and isolated as inclusion bodies. The Fv is prepared by combining and refolding equimolar amounts of guanidine chloride solubilized inclusion bodies. The Fv is stabilized by an engineered interchain disulfide bridge between residues VL100 and VH44. This construct has a similar binding affinity as that of the single-chain construct (Benhar and Pastan, Clin. Cancer Res. 1:1023-1029, 1995). The B1 disulfide-stabilized Fv (BldsFv) crystallizes in space group P6(1)22 with the unit cell parameters a = b = 80.1 A, and c = 138.1 A. The crystal structure of the BldsFv has been determined at 2.1-A resolution using the molecular replacement technique. The final structure has a crystallographic R-value of 0.187 with a root mean square deviation in bond distance of 0.014 A and in bond angle of 2.74 degrees. Comparisons of the BldsFv structure with known structures of Fv regions of other immunoglobulin fragments shows closely related secondary and tertiary structures. The antigen combining site of BldsFv is a deep depression 10-A wide and 17-A long with the walls of the depression composed of residues, many of which are tyrosines, from complementarity determining regions L1, L3, H1, H2, and H3. Model building studies indicate that the LewisY tetrasaccharide, Fuc-Gal-Nag-Fuc, can be accommodated in the antigen combining site in a manner consistent with the epitope predicted in earlier biochemical studies (Pastan, Lovelace, Gallo, Rutherford, Magnani, and Willingham, Cancer Res. 51:3781-3787, 1991). Thus, the engineered disulfide bridge appears to cause little, if any, distortion in the Fv structure, making it an effective substitute for the B1 Fab.
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We determine and compare the crystal structure of two proteases belonging to the subtilisin superfamily: S41, a cold-adapted serine protease produced by Antarctic bacilli, at 1.4 A resolution and Sph, a mesophilic serine protease produced... more
We determine and compare the crystal structure of two proteases belonging to the subtilisin superfamily: S41, a cold-adapted serine protease produced by Antarctic bacilli, at 1.4 A resolution and Sph, a mesophilic serine protease produced by Bacillus sphaericus, at 0.8 A resolution. The purpose of this comparison was to find out whether multiple calcium ion binding is a molecular factor responsible for the adaptation of S41 to extreme low temperatures. We find that these two subtilisins have the same subtilisin fold with a root mean square between the two structures of 0.54 A. The final models for S41 and Sph include a calcium-loaded state of five ions bound to each of these two subtilisin molecules. None of these calcium-binding sites correlate with the high affinity known binding site (site A) found for other subtilisins. Structural analysis of the five calcium-binding sites found in these two crystal structures indicate that three of the binding sites have two side chains of an acidic residue coordinating the calcium ion, whereas the other two binding sites have either a main-chain carbonyl, or only one acidic residue side chain coordinating the calcium ion. Thus, we conclude that three of the sites are of high affinity toward calcium ions, whereas the other two are of low affinity. Because Sph is a mesophilic subtilisin and S41 is a psychrophilic subtilisin, but both crystal structures were found to bind five calcium ions, we suggest that multiple calcium ion binding is not responsible for the adaptation of S41 to low temperatures.
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Controlled formation of complex nanostructures is one of the main goals of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Stable Protein 1 (SP1) is a boiling-stable ring protein complex, 11 nm in diameter, which self-assembles from 12 identical... more
Controlled formation of complex nanostructures is one of the main goals of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Stable Protein 1 (SP1) is a boiling-stable ring protein complex, 11 nm in diameter, which self-assembles from 12 identical monomers. SP1 can be utilized to form large ordered arrays; it can be easily modified by genetic engineering to produce various mutants; it is also capable of binding gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and thus forming protein-GNP chains made of alternating SP1s and GNPs. We report the formation and the protocols leading to the formation of those nanostructures and their characterization by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and electrostatic force microscopy. Further control over the GNP interdistances within the protein-GNP chains may lead to the formation of nanowires and structures that may be useful for nanoelectronics.
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The X-ray crystal structure of the enzyme Streptomyces griseus aminopeptidase (SGAP) has been determined in its double zinc form to 1.75 A resolution, in its apo-enzyme from (zinc removed) to 2.1 A resolution, and as a mercury replaced... more
The X-ray crystal structure of the enzyme Streptomyces griseus aminopeptidase (SGAP) has been determined in its double zinc form to 1.75 A resolution, in its apo-enzyme from (zinc removed) to 2.1 A resolution, and as a mercury replaced derivative to 2.1 A resolution. The structure solution was achieved by single isomorphous replacement with phasing from anomalous scattering (SIRAS), followed by density modification with histogram matching. The protein consists of a central beta-sheet made up of eight parallel and antiparallel strands, surrounded by helices on either side. The active site is located at the carbonyl ends of two middle strands of the beta-sheet region. Two sections of the chain that could not be traced were Glu196 to Arg202, which borders the active site, and the final seven C-terminal residues starting with Gly278. The active site contains two zinc cations, each with similar ligands, at a distance of 3.6 A from each other. An unknown molecule appears to be bound to both zinc ions in the active site at partial occupancy and has been modelled as a phosphate ion. A calcium binding site has also been identified, consistent with the observations that calcium modulates the activity of the enzyme, and increases its heat stability. The mechanism by which the calcium cation modulates enzyme activity is not apparent, since the location of the calcium binding site is approximately 25 A distant from the active site zinc ions. Comparison of the structure of SGAP to other known aminopeptidases shows that the enzyme is most similar to Aeromonas proteolytica aminopeptidase (AAP). Both enzymes share a similar topology, although the overall sequence identity is very low (24% in aligned regions). The coordination of the two active site zinc cations in SGAP resembles that of AAP. These two microbial enzymes differ from bovine lens leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) in both overall structure and in coordination of the two zinc ions.
Research Interests: Molecular Biology, Calcium, Macromolecular X-Ray Crystallography, X Rays, Mercury, and 14 moreAnimals, Zinc, Aeromonas, Enzyme, Cattle, Active site, Protein Secondary Structure Prediction, Enzyme activity, Protein Conformation, Amino Acid Sequence, Binding Site, Oxidation-Reduction, Biochemistry and cell biology, and Molecular Structure
We have previously isolated sphericase (Sph), an extracellular mesophilic serine protease produced by Bacillus sphaericus. The Sph amino acid sequence is highly homologous to two cold-adapted subtilisins from Antarctic bacilli S39 and S41... more
We have previously isolated sphericase (Sph), an extracellular mesophilic serine protease produced by Bacillus sphaericus. The Sph amino acid sequence is highly homologous to two cold-adapted subtilisins from Antarctic bacilli S39 and S41 (76% and 74% identity, respectively). Sph is calcium-dependent, 310 amino acid residues long and has optimal activity at pH 10.0. S41 and S39 have not as yet been structurally analysed. In the present work, we determined the crystal structure of Sph by the Eu/multiwavelength anomalous diffraction method. The structure was extended to 0.93A resolution and refined to a crystallographic R-factor of 9.7%. The final model included all 310 amino acid residues, one disulfide bond, 679 water molecules and five calcium ions. Although Sph is a mesophilic subtilisin, its amino acid sequence is similar to that of the psychrophilic subtilisins, which suggests that the crystal structure of these subtilisins is very similar. The presence of five calcium ions bound to a subtilisin molecule, as found here for Sph, has not been reported for the subtilisin superfamily. None of these calcium-binding sites correlates with the well-known high-affinity calcium-binding site (site I or site A), and only one site has been described previously. This calcium-binding pattern suggests that a reduction in the flexibility of the surface loops of Sph by calcium binding may be responsible for its adaptation to mesophilic organisms.
Research Interests: Molecular Biology, Calcium, Macromolecular X-Ray Crystallography, Crystal structure, Bacillus, and 11 moreRoot-Mean Square Error, Polyethylene Glycol, Amino Acid Profile, Protein Conformation, Amino Acid Sequence, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Serine Protease, Binding Site, Ions, Biochemistry and cell biology, and Disulfide bond
We previously reported on a new boiling stable protein isolated from aspen plants (Populus tremula), which we named SP1. SP1 is a stress-related protein with no significant sequence homology to other stress-related proteins. It is a... more
We previously reported on a new boiling stable protein isolated from aspen plants (Populus tremula), which we named SP1. SP1 is a stress-related protein with no significant sequence homology to other stress-related proteins. It is a 108-amino-acid hydrophilic polypeptide with a molecular mass of 12.4 kDa (Wang, W. X., Pelah, D., Alergand, T., Shoseyov, O., and Altman, A. (2002) Plant Physiol. 130, 865-875) and is found in an oligomeric form. Preliminary electron microscopy studies and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry experiments showed that SP1 is a dodecamer composed of two stacking hexamers. We performed a SDS-PAGE analysis, a differential scanning calorimetric study, and crystal structure determination to further characterize SP1. SDS-PAGE indicated a spontaneous assembly of SP1 to one stable oligomeric form, a dodecamer. Differential scanning calorimetric showed that SP1 has high thermostability i.e. Tm of 107 degrees C (at pH 7.8). The crystal structure of SP1 was initially determined to 2.4 A resolution by multi-wavelength anomalous dispersion method from a crystal belonging to the space group I422. The phases were extended to 1.8 A resolution using data from a different crystal form (P21). The final refined molecule includes 106 of the 108 residues and 132 water molecules (on average for each chain). The R-free is 20.1%. The crystal structure indicated that the SP1 molecule has a ferredoxin-like fold. Strong interactions between each two molecules create a stable dimer. Six dimers associate to form a ring-like-shaped dodecamer strongly resembling the particle visualized in the electron microscopy studies. No structural similarity was found between the crystal structure of SP1 and the crystal structure of other stress-related proteins such as small heat shock proteins, whose structure has been already determined. This structural study further supports our previous report that SP1 may represent a new family of stress-related proteins with high thermostability and oligomerization.
Research Interests: Electron Microscopy, Biological Chemistry, Macromolecular X-Ray Crystallography, Biological Sciences, Populus, and 13 moreDifferential scanning calorimetry, Biological, Temperature, Peptides, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, Protein Secondary Structure Prediction, Heat Shock Proteins, Protein Conformation, Amino Acid Sequence, PLANT PROTEINS, Glutamic Acid, and Dimerization
The murine monoclonal IgG1 antibody 7A9 binds specifically to the endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (E-selectin), inhibiting the attachment of neutrophils to endothelial cells. The primary and three-dimensional structures of the... more
The murine monoclonal IgG1 antibody 7A9 binds specifically to the endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (E-selectin), inhibiting the attachment of neutrophils to endothelial cells. The primary and three-dimensional structures of the Fab fragment of 7A9 are reported. The amino acid sequence was determined by automated Edman degradation analysis of proteolytic fragments of both the heavy and light chains of the Fab. The sequences of the two chains are consistent with that of the IgG1 class with an associated kappa light chain with two intrachain disulfide bridges in each of the heavy and light chains. The tertiary structure of the antibody fragment was determined by x-ray crystallographic methods at 2.8 A resolution. The F(ab')2 molecule, treated with dithiothreitol, crystallizes in the space group P2(1) 2(1) 2(1) with unit cell parameters a = 44.5 A, b = 83.8 A, and c = 132.5 A with one Fab molecule in the asymmetric unit. The structure was solved by the molecular replacement method and subsequently refined using simulated annealing followed by conventional least squares optimization of the coordinates. The resulting model has reasonable stereochemistry with an R factor of 0.195. The 7A9 Fab structure has an elbow bend of 162 degrees and is remarkably similar to that of the monoclonal anti-intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) antibody Fab fragment. The 7A9 antigen combining site presents a groove resembling the structure of the anti-ICAM-1 antibody, and other antibodies raised against surface receptors and peptides. Residues from the six complementary determining regions (CDRs) and framework residues form the floor and walls of the groove that is approximately 22 A wide and 8 A deep and that is lined with many aromatic residues. The groove is large enough to accommodate the loop between beta-strands beta4 and beta5 of the lectin domain of E-selectin that has been implicated in neutrophil adhesion (1).
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The crystal structures of two thermally stabilized subtilisin BPN' variants, S63 and S88, are reported here at 1.8 and 1.9 A resolution, respectively. The micromolar affinity calcium... more
The crystal structures of two thermally stabilized subtilisin BPN' variants, S63 and S88, are reported here at 1.8 and 1.9 A resolution, respectively. The micromolar affinity calcium binding site (site A) has been deleted (Delta75-83) in these variants, enabling the activity and thermostability measurements in chelating conditions. Each of the variants includes mutations known previously to increase the thermostability of calcium-independent subtilisin in addition to new stabilizing mutations. S63 has eight amino acid replacements: D41A, M50F, A73L, Q206W, Y217K, N218S, S221C, and Q271E. S63 has 75-fold greater stability than wild type subtilisin in chelating conditions (10 mm EDTA). The other variant, S88, has ten site-specific changes: Q2K, S3C, P5S, K43N, M50F, A73L, Q206C, Y217K, N218S, and Q271E. The two new cysteines form a disulfide bond, and S88 has 1000 times greater stability than wild type subtilisin in chelating conditions. Comparisons of the two new crystal structures (S63 in space group P2(1) with A cell constants 41.2, 78.1, 36.7, and beta = 114.6 degrees and S88 in space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with cell constants 54.2, 60.4, and 82.7) with previous structures of subtilisin BPN' reveal that the principal changes are in the N-terminal region. The structural bases of the stabilization effects of the new mutations Q2K, S3C, P5S, D41A, Q206C, and Q206W are generally apparent. The effects are attributed to the new disulfide cross-link and to improved hydrophobic packing, new hydrogen bonds, and other rearrangements in the N-terminal region.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... Inorganica Chimica Acta, 213 (1993) 99-102 The structure of oxo-bridged trinuclear ruthenium and iridium hexacarboxylates Orna Almog, Avi Bino* and Diana Garfinkel ... Elements such as V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ru, Rh and Ir, mainly in the +... more
... Inorganica Chimica Acta, 213 (1993) 99-102 The structure of oxo-bridged trinuclear ruthenium and iridium hexacarboxylates Orna Almog, Avi Bino* and Diana Garfinkel ... Elements such as V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ru, Rh and Ir, mainly in the + 3 state, have a profound tendency to form ...