scholarly journals Computational design and experimental verification of a symmetric protein homodimer

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (34) ◽  
pp. 10714-10719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Mou ◽  
Po-Ssu Huang ◽  
Fang-Ciao Hsu ◽  
Shing-Jong Huang ◽  
Stephen L. Mayo
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Computational Design ◽  
Atomic Level ◽  
Protein Interfaces ◽  
Unknown Structure ◽  
Α Helix ◽  
Distinct Features ◽  
Novel Protein

Homodimers are the most common type of protein assembly in nature and have distinct features compared with heterodimers and higher order oligomers. Understanding homodimer interactions at the atomic level is critical both for elucidating their biological mechanisms of action and for accurate modeling of complexes of unknown structure. Computation-based design of novel protein–protein interfaces can serve as a bottom-up method to further our understanding of protein interactions. Previous studies have demonstrated that the de novo design of homodimers can be achieved to atomic-level accuracy by β-strand assembly or through metal-mediated interactions. Here, we report the design and experimental characterization of a α-helix–mediated homodimer with C2 symmetry based on a monomeric Drosophila engrailed homeodomain scaffold. A solution NMR structure shows that the homodimer exhibits parallel helical packing similar to the design model. Because the mutations leading to dimer formation resulted in poor thermostability of the system, design success was facilitated by the introduction of independent thermostabilizing mutations into the scaffold. This two-step design approach, function and stabilization, is likely to be generally applicable, especially if the desired scaffold is of low thermostability.

scholarly journals Atomic-level characterization of protein–protein association

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (10) ◽  
pp. 4244-4249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert C. Pan ◽  
Daniel Jacobson ◽  
Konstantin Yatsenko ◽  
Duluxan Sritharan ◽  
Thomas M. Weinreich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Information ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Atomic Level ◽  
Conformational Ensemble ◽  
Native State ◽  
Protein Interfaces ◽  
Study Association ◽  
Functionally Diverse

Despite the biological importance of protein–protein complexes, determining their structures and association mechanisms remains an outstanding challenge. Here, we report the results of atomic-level simulations in which we observed five protein–protein pairs repeatedly associate to, and dissociate from, their experimentally determined native complexes using a molecular dynamics (MD)–based sampling approach that does not make use of any prior structural information about the complexes. To study association mechanisms, we performed additional, conventional MD simulations, in which we observed numerous spontaneous association events. A shared feature of native association for these five structurally and functionally diverse protein systems was that if the proteins made contact far from the native interface, the native state was reached by dissociation and eventual reassociation near the native interface, rather than by extensive interfacial exploration while the proteins remained in contact. At the transition state (the conformational ensemble from which association to the native complex and dissociation are equally likely), the protein–protein interfaces were still highly hydrated, and no more than 20% of native contacts had formed.

scholarly journals Design and Characterization of Long and Stable de novo Single α-Helix Domains

2017 ◽  
Vol 112 (3) ◽  
pp. 189a
Author(s):  
Marcin Wolny ◽  
Matthew Batchelor ◽  
Gail J. Bartlett ◽  
Emily G. Baker ◽  
Marta Kurzawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Α Helix

Computational design, construction, and characterization of a set of specificity determining residues in protein-protein interactions

2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (10) ◽  
pp. 2426-2436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chioko Nagao ◽  
Nozomi Izako ◽  
Shinji Soga ◽  
Samia Haseeb Khan ◽  
Shigeki Kawabata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Computational Design ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Design Construction

scholarly journals Structural and Computational Characterization of Disease-Related Mutations Involved in Protein-Protein Interfaces

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 1583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dàmaris Navío ◽  
Mireia Rosell ◽  
Josu Aguirre ◽  
Xavier de la Cruz ◽  
Juan Fernández-Recio
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Computational Analysis ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Binding Free Energy ◽  
Evolutionary Conservation ◽  
Core Region ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
The Core ◽  
Protein Interfaces

One of the known potential effects of disease-causing amino acid substitutions in proteins is to modulate protein-protein interactions (PPIs). To interpret such variants at the molecular level and to obtain useful information for prediction purposes, it is important to determine whether they are located at protein-protein interfaces, which are composed of two main regions, core and rim, with different evolutionary conservation and physicochemical properties. Here we have performed a structural, energetics and computational analysis of interactions between proteins hosting mutations related to diseases detected in newborn screening. Interface residues were classified as core or rim, showing that the core residues contribute the most to the binding free energy of the PPI. Disease-causing variants are more likely to occur at the interface core region rather than at the interface rim (p < 0.0001). In contrast, neutral variants are more often found at the interface rim or at the non-interacting surface rather than at the interface core region. We also found that arginine, tryptophan, and tyrosine are over-represented among mutated residues leading to disease. These results can enhance our understanding of disease at molecular level and thus contribute towards personalized medicine by helping clinicians to provide adequate diagnosis and treatments.

scholarly journals Using anchoring motifs for the computational design of protein–protein interactions

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 1141-1145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy M. Jacobs ◽  
Brian Kuhlman
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Metal Binding ◽  
Interface Design ◽  
Computational Design ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Native Proteins ◽  
Hydrogen Bond Networks ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Anchor Points ◽  
Α Helix

The computer-based design of PPIs (protein–protein interactions) is a challenging problem because large desolvation and entropic penalties must be overcome by the creation of favourable hydrophobic and polar contacts at the target interface. Indeed, many computationally designed interactions fail to form when tested in the laboratory. In the present article, we highlight strategies our laboratory has been pursuing to make interface design more tractable. Our general approach has been to make use of structural motifs found in native proteins that are predisposed to interact with a particular binding geometry, and then further bolster these anchor points with favourable hydrophobic contacts. We describe the use of three different anchor points, i.e. β-strand pairing, metal binding and the docking of α-helix into a groove, to successfully design new interfaces. In several cases, high-resolution crystal structures show that the design models closely match the experimental structure. In addition, we have tested the use of buried hydrogen-bond networks as a source of affinity and specificity at interfaces. In these cases, the designed complexes did not form, highlighting the challenges associated with designing buried polar interactions.

scholarly journals Computational design of a modular protein sense-response system

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 366 (6468) ◽  
pp. 1024-1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anum A. Glasgow ◽  
Yao-Ming Huang ◽  
Daniel J. Mandell ◽  
Michael Thompson ◽  
Ryan Ritterson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
De Novo ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Computational Design ◽  
Metabolic Intermediate ◽  
Protein Interfaces ◽  
Substantial Progress ◽  
Valuable Compounds ◽  
Protein Sensors ◽  
New Protein

Sensing and responding to signals is a fundamental ability of living systems, but despite substantial progress in the computational design of new protein structures, there is no general approach for engineering arbitrary new protein sensors. Here, we describe a generalizable computational strategy for designing sensor-actuator proteins by building binding sites de novo into heterodimeric protein-protein interfaces and coupling ligand sensing to modular actuation through split reporters. Using this approach, we designed protein sensors that respond to farnesyl pyrophosphate, a metabolic intermediate in the production of valuable compounds. The sensors are functional in vitro and in cells, and the crystal structure of the engineered binding site closely matches the design model. Our computational design strategy opens broad avenues to link biological outputs to new signals.

scholarly journals Synthetic beta-solenoid proteins with the fragment-free computational design of a beta-hairpin extension

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (37) ◽  
pp. 10346-10351 ◽  
Author(s):  
James T. MacDonald ◽  
Burak V. Kabasakal ◽  
David Godding ◽  
Sebastian Kraatz ◽  
Louie Henderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Repeat Unit ◽  
Computational Design ◽  
Atomic Level ◽  
Repeat Family ◽  
Repeat Proteins ◽  
Synthetic Protein ◽  
Beta Hairpin ◽  
Repetitive Protein

The ability to design and construct structures with atomic level precision is one of the key goals of nanotechnology. Proteins offer an attractive target for atomic design because they can be synthesized chemically or biologically and can self-assemble. However, the generalized protein folding and design problem is unsolved. One approach to simplifying the problem is to use a repetitive protein as a scaffold. Repeat proteins are intrinsically modular, and their folding and structures are better understood than large globular domains. Here, we have developed a class of synthetic repeat proteins based on the pentapeptide repeat family of beta-solenoid proteins. We have constructed length variants of the basic scaffold and computationally designed de novo loops projecting from the scaffold core. The experimentally solved 3.56-Å resolution crystal structure of one designed loop matches closely the designed hairpin structure, showing the computational design of a backbone extension onto a synthetic protein core without the use of backbone fragments from known structures. Two other loop designs were not clearly resolved in the crystal structures, and one loop appeared to be in an incorrect conformation. We have also shown that the repeat unit can accommodate whole-domain insertions by inserting a domain into one of the designed loops.

scholarly journals Atomic-level characterization of protein-protein association

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert C. Pan ◽  
Daniel Jacobson ◽  
Konstantin Yatsenko ◽  
Duluxan Sritharan ◽  
Thomas M. Weinreich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Information ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Atomic Level ◽  
Conformational Ensemble ◽  
Native State ◽  
Protein Interfaces ◽  
Study Association ◽  
Functionally Diverse

Despite the biological importance of protein-protein complexes, determining their structures and association mechanisms remains an outstanding challenge. Here, we report the results of atomic-level simulations in which we observed five protein-protein pairs repeatedly associate to, and dissociate from, their experimentally determined native complexes using a new molecular dynamics (MD)-based sampling approach that does not make use of any prior structural information about the complexes. To study association mechanisms, we performed additional, conventional MD simulations, in which we observed numerous spontaneous association events. A shared feature of native association for these five structurally and functionally diverse protein systems was that if the proteins made contact far from the native interface, the native state was reached by dissociation and eventual re-association near the native interface, rather than by extensive interfacial exploration while the proteins remained in contact. At the transition state (the conformational ensemble from which association to the native complex and dissociation are equally likely), the protein-protein interfaces were still highly hydrated, and no more than 20% of native contacts had formed.

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