The Central Helix of Calmodulin and Homologs Effects of Solvent Exposure on Stability

1990 ◽  
pp. 93-100
Author(s):  
Robert H. Kretsinger ◽  
Nancy D. Moncrief ◽  
Anthony Persechini
Keyword(s):  
Solvent Exposure ◽  
Central Helix

Spectroscopic Studies of Asparaginyl-tRNA Synthetase from Entamoeba histolytica

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 435-448
Author(s):  
Priyanka Biswas ◽  
Dillip K. Sahu ◽  
Kalyanasis Sahu ◽  
Rajat Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Circular Dichroism ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Entamoeba Histolytica ◽  
Protein Concentration ◽  
Trna Synthetase ◽  
Solvent Exposure ◽  
Steady State Fluorescence ◽  
State Process ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Circular Dichroïsm

Background: Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases play an important role in catalyzing the first step in protein synthesis by attaching the appropriate amino acid to its cognate tRNA which then transported to the growing polypeptide chain. Asparaginyl-tRNA Synthetase (AsnRS) from Brugia malayi, Leishmania major, Thermus thermophilus, Trypanosoma brucei have been shown to play an important role in survival and pathogenesis. Entamoeba histolytica (Ehis) is an anaerobic eukaryotic pathogen that infects the large intestines of humans. It is a major cause of dysentery and has the potential to cause life-threatening abscesses in the liver and other organs making it the second leading cause of parasitic death after malaria. Ehis-AsnRS has not been studied in detail, except the crystal structure determined at 3 Å resolution showing that it is primarily α-helical and dimeric. It is a homodimer, with each 52 kDa monomer consisting of 451 amino acids. It has a relatively short N-terminal as compared to its human and yeast counterparts. Objective: Our study focusses to understand certain structural characteristics of Ehis-AsnRS using biophysical tools to decipher the thermodynamics of unfolding and its binding properties. Methods: Ehis-AsnRS was cloned and expressed in E. coli BL21DE3 cells. Protein purification was performed using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography, following which the protein was used for biophysical studies. Various techniques such as steady-state fluorescence, quenching, circular dichroism, differential scanning fluorimetry, isothermal calorimetry and fluorescence lifetime studies were employed for the conformational characterization of Ehis-AsnRS. Protein concentration for far-UV and near-UV circular dichroism experiments was 8 µM and 20 µM respectively, while 4 µM protein was used for the rest of the experiments. Results: The present study revealed that Ehis-AsnRS undergoes unfolding when subjected to increasing concentration of GdnHCl and the process is reversible. With increasing temperature, it retains its structural compactness up to 45ºC before it unfolds. Steady-state fluorescence, circular dichroism and hydrophobic dye binding experiments cumulatively suggest that Ehis-AsnRS undergoes a two-state transition during unfolding. Shifting of the transition mid-point with increasing protein concentration further illustrate that dissociation and unfolding processes are coupled indicating the absence of any detectable folded monomer. Conclusion: This article indicates that GdnHCl induced denaturation of Ehis-AsnRS is a two – state process and does not involve any intermediate; unfolding occurs directly from native dimer to unfolded monomer. The solvent exposure of the tryptophan residues is biphasic, indicating selective quenching. Ehis-AsnRS also exhibits a structural as well as functional stability over a wide range of pH.

scholarly journals Solvent Exposure and Ionic Condensation Drive Fuzzy Dimerization of Disordered Heterochromatin Protein Sequence

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 915
Author(s):  
Jazelli Mueterthies ◽  
Davit A. Potoyan
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Low Complexity ◽  
Nuclear Bodies ◽  
Disordered Proteins ◽  
Solvent Exposure ◽  
Ion Release ◽  
Dimer Formation ◽  
Eukaryotic Organisms

Proteins with low complexity, disordered sequences are receiving increasing attention due to their central roles in the biogenesis and regulation of membraneless organelles. In eukaryotic organisms, a substantial fraction of disordered proteins reside in the nucleus, thereby facilitating the formation of nuclear bodies, nucleolus, and chromatin compartmentalization. The heterochromatin family of proteins (HP1) is an important player in driving the formation of gene silenced mesoscopic heterochromatin B compartments and pericentric regions. Recent experiments have shown that the HP1a sequence of Drosophila melanogaster can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation under both in vitro and in vivo conditions, induced by changes of the monovalent salt concentration. While the phase separation of HP1a is thought to be the mechanism underlying chromatin compartmentalization, the molecular level mechanistic picture of salt-driven phase separation of HP1a has remained poorly understood. The disordered hinge region of HP1a is seen as the driver of salt-induced condensation because of its charge enriched sequence and post-translational modifications. Here, we set out to decipher the mechanisms of salt-induced condensation of HP1a through a systematic study of salt-dependent conformations of single chains and fuzzy dimers of disordered HP1a hinge sequences. Using multiple independent all-atom simulations with and without enhanced sampling, we carry out detailed characterization of conformational ensembles of disordered HP1a chains under different ionic conditions using various polymeric and structural measures. We show that the mobile ion release, enhancement of local transient secondary structural elements, and side-chain exposure to solvent are robust trends that accompany fuzzy dimer formation. Furthermore, we find that salt-induced changes in the ensemble of conformations of HP1a disordered hinge sequence fine-tune the inter-chain vs. self-chain interactions in ways that favor fuzzy dimer formation under low salt conditions in the agreement with condensation trends seen in experiments.

scholarly journals The differential solvent exposure of N-terminal residues provides ‘fingerprints’ of alpha-synuclein fibrillar polymorphs

2021 ◽  
pp. 100737
Author(s):  
Maud Landureau ◽  
Virginie Redeker ◽  
Tracy Bellande ◽  
Stéphanie Eyquem ◽  
Ronald Melki
Keyword(s):  
Alpha Synuclein ◽  
Solvent Exposure

scholarly journals Pore-forming Esx proteins mediate toxin secretion by Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uday Tak ◽  
Terje Dokland ◽  
Michael Niederweis
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Pore Formation ◽  
Molecular Switches ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Solvent Exposure ◽  
Membrane Channel ◽  
Toxin Secretion ◽  
Outer Membrane Channel ◽  
Membrane Spanning

AbstractMycobacterium tuberculosis secretes the tuberculosis necrotizing toxin (TNT) to kill host cells. Here, we show that the WXG100 proteins EsxE and EsxF are essential for TNT secretion. EsxE and EsxF form a water-soluble heterodimer (EsxEF) that assembles into oligomers and long filaments, binds to membranes, and forms stable membrane-spanning channels. Electron microscopy of EsxEF reveals mainly pentameric structures with a central pore. Mutations of both WXG motifs and of a GXW motif do not affect dimerization, but abolish pore formation, membrane deformation and TNT secretion. The WXG/GXW mutants are locked in conformations with altered thermostability and solvent exposure, indicating that the WXG/GXW motifs are molecular switches controlling membrane interaction and pore formation. EsxF is accessible on the bacterial cell surface, suggesting that EsxEF form an outer membrane channel for toxin export. Thus, our study reveals a protein secretion mechanism in bacteria that relies on pore formation by small WXG proteins.

Investigation of a genetically engineered mutant of barnacle troponin C containing a central helix deletion

1999 ◽  
Vol 439 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allhouse L. ◽  
T. Miller ◽  
Q. Li ◽  
G. Guzman ◽  
Potter J. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Troponin C ◽  
Genetically Engineered ◽  
Central Helix

scholarly journals Multiple proteolytic events in caspase-6 self-activation impact conformations of discrete structural regions

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (38) ◽  
pp. E7977-E7986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Dagbay ◽  
Jeanne A. Hardy
Keyword(s):  
Substrate Binding ◽  
Complete Removal ◽  
Bound State ◽  
Solvent Exposure ◽  
Strategic Design ◽  
Intrinsically Disordered ◽  
Parkinson’S Diseases ◽  
Active Substrate ◽  
Hydrogen Deuterium ◽  
Caspase 6

Caspase-6 is critical to the neurodegenerative pathways of Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s diseases and has been identified as a potential molecular target for treatment of neurodegeneration. Thus, understanding the global and regional changes in dynamics and conformation provides insights into the unique properties of caspase-6 that may contribute to achieving control of its function. In this work, hydrogen/deuterium exchange MS (H/DX–MS) was used to map the local changes in the conformational flexibility of procaspase-6 at the discrete states that reflect the series of cleavage events that ultimately lead to the fully active, substrate-bound state. Intramolecular self-cleavage at Asp-193 evoked higher solvent exposure in the regions of the substrate-binding loops L1, L3, and L4 and in the 130s region, the intersubunit linker region, the 26–32 region as well as in the stabilized loop 2. Additional removal of the linker allowed caspase-6 to gain more flexibility in the 130s region and in the L2 region converting caspase-6 to a competent substrate-binding state. The prodomain region was found to be intrinsically disordered independent of the activation state of caspase-6; however, its complete removal resulted in the protection of the adjacent 26–32 region, suggesting that this region may play a regulatory role. The molecular details of caspase-6 dynamics in solution provide a comprehensive scaffold for strategic design of therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative disorders.

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