Structures of the deoxy and CO forms of haemoglobin from Dasyatis akajei, a cartilaginous fish

1999 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 1291-1300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khoon Tee Chong ◽  
Gentaro Miyazaki ◽  
Hideki Morimoto ◽  
Yutaka Oda ◽  
Sam-Yong Park
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Main Chain ◽  
Quaternary Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Oxygen Affinity ◽  
Organic Phosphate ◽  
Phosphate Binding ◽  
Phosphate Effect ◽  
Structural Differences ◽  
Dasyatis Akajei

The three-dimensional structures of the deoxy- and carbonmonoxyhaemoglobin (Hb) from Dasyatis akajei, a stingray, have been determined at 1.6 and 1.9 Å resolution, respectively. This is one of the most distantly related vertebrate Hbs to human HbA. Both structures resemble the respective forms of HbA, indicating that the α2β2-type tetramer and the mode of the quaternary structure change are common to Hbs of jawed vertebrates. Larger deviations between D. akajei Hb and human HbA are observed in various parts of the molecule, even in the E and F helices. Significant mutations and/or conformational changes are also observed around the haems, in the C-terminal region of the β subunit, in the α1β2 interface and in the organic phosphate-binding site of HbA. Despite these structural differences, the oxygen affinity, haem–haem interaction, Bohr effect and organic phosphate effect of D. akajei Hb are all only moderately reduced. Compared with human HbA, the overall r.m.s. deviation of main-chain atoms in the helical regions of bony fish Hbs is smaller than that of D. akajei Hb.

Electron Microscopy and image reconstruction reveal the structural basis for spectrin's elastic properties

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 510-511
Author(s):  
Amy M. McGough ◽  
Robert Josephs
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Quaternary Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Membrane Skeleton ◽  
Projection Algorithm ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Iterative Approximation ◽  
Membrane Skeletons

The remarkable deformability of the erythrocyte derives in large part from the elastic properties of spectrin, the major component of the membrane skeleton. It is generally accepted that spectrin's elasticity arises from marked conformational changes which include variations in its overall length (1). In this work the structure of spectrin in partially expanded membrane skeletons was studied by electron microscopy to determine the molecular basis for spectrin's elastic properties. Spectrin molecules were analysed with respect to three features: length, conformation, and quaternary structure. The results of these studies lead to a model of how spectrin mediates the elastic deformation of the erythrocyte.Membrane skeletons were isolated from erythrocyte membrane ghosts, negatively stained, and examined by transmission electron microscopy (2). Particle lengths and end-to-end distances were measured from enlarged prints using the computer program MACMEASURE. Spectrin conformation (straightness) was assessed by calculating the particles’ correlation length by iterative approximation (3). Digitised spectrin images were correlation averaged or Fourier filtered to improve their signal-to-noise ratios. Three-dimensional reconstructions were performed using a suite of programs which were based on the filtered back-projection algorithm and executed on a cluster of Microvax 3200 workstations (4).

scholarly journals Haemoglobin polymorphisms affect the oxygen-binding properties in Atlantic cod populations

2008 ◽  
Vol 276 (1658) ◽  
pp. 833-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Øivind Andersen ◽  
Ola Frang Wetten ◽  
Maria Cristina De Rosa ◽  
Carl Andre ◽  
Cristiana Carelli Alinovi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Quaternary Structure ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Oxygen Affinity ◽  
Oxygen Binding ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Binding Properties ◽  
Important Species ◽  
The North

A major challenge in evolutionary biology is to identify the genes underlying adaptation. The oxygen-transporting haemoglobins directly link external conditions with metabolic needs and therefore represent a unique system for studying environmental effects on molecular evolution. We have discovered two haemoglobin polymorphisms in Atlantic cod populations inhabiting varying temperature and oxygen regimes in the North Atlantic. Three-dimensional modelling of the tetrameric haemoglobin structure demonstrated that the two amino acid replacements Met55β 1 Val and Lys62β 1 Ala are located at crucial positions of the α 1 β 1 subunit interface and haem pocket, respectively. The replacements are proposed to affect the oxygen-binding properties by modifying the haemoglobin quaternary structure and electrostatic feature. Intriguingly, the same molecular mechanism for facilitating oxygen binding is found in avian species adapted to high altitudes, illustrating convergent evolution in water- and air-breathing vertebrates to reduction in environmental oxygen availability. Cod populations inhabiting the cold Arctic waters and the low-oxygen Baltic Sea seem well adapted to these conditions by possessing the high oxygen affinity Val55–Ala62 haplotype, while the temperature-insensitive Met55–Lys62 haplotype predominates in the southern populations. The distinct distributions of the functionally different haemoglobin variants indicate that the present biogeography of this ecologically and economically important species might be seriously affected by global warming.

scholarly journals Rely on Each Other: DNA Binding Cooperativity Shapes p53 Functions in Tumor Suppression and Cancer Therapy

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2422
Author(s):  
Oleg Timofeev ◽  
Thorsten Stiewe
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Tumor Suppression ◽  
Quaternary Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Sequence Specificity ◽  
Cell Fate Decisions ◽  
Cancer Mutations

p53 is a tumor suppressor that is mutated in half of all cancers. The high clinical relevance has made p53 a model transcription factor for delineating general mechanisms of transcriptional regulation. p53 forms tetramers that bind DNA in a highly cooperative manner. The DNA binding cooperativity of p53 has been studied by structural and molecular biologists as well as clinical oncologists. These experiments have revealed the structural basis for cooperative DNA binding and its impact on sequence specificity and target gene spectrum. Cooperativity was found to be critical for the control of p53-mediated cell fate decisions and tumor suppression. Importantly, an estimated number of 34,000 cancer patients per year world-wide have mutations of the amino acids mediating cooperativity, and knock-in mouse models have confirmed such mutations to be tumorigenic. While p53 cancer mutations are classically subdivided into “contact” and “structural” mutations, “cooperativity” mutations form a mechanistically distinct third class that affect the quaternary structure but leave DNA contacting residues and the three-dimensional folding of the DNA-binding domain intact. In this review we discuss the concept of DNA binding cooperativity and highlight the unique nature of cooperativity mutations and their clinical implications for cancer therapy.

The first crystal structure of the peptidase domain of the U32 peptidase family

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 2505-2512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Schacherl ◽  
Angelika A. M. Montada ◽  
Elena Brunstein ◽  
Ulrich Baumann
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Catalytic Mechanism ◽  
Quaternary Structure ◽  
Catalytic Domain ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Zinc Ion ◽  
Crystal Structure Analysis ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Sequence Motifs ◽  
Conserved Sequence

The U32 family is a collection of over 2500 annotated peptidases in the MEROPS database with unknown catalytic mechanism. They mainly occur in bacteria and archaea, but a few representatives have also been identified in eukarya. Many of the U32 members have been linked to pathogenicity, such as proteins fromHelicobacterandSalmonella. The first crystal structure analysis of a U32 catalytic domain fromMethanopyrus kandleri(genemk0906) reveals a modified (βα)8TIM-barrel fold with some unique features. The connecting segment between strands β7 and β8 is extended and helix α7 is located on top of the C-terminal end of the barrel body. The protein exhibits a dimeric quaternary structure in which a zinc ion is symmetrically bound by histidine and cysteine side chains from both monomers. These residues reside in conserved sequence motifs. No typical proteolytic motifs are discernible in the three-dimensional structure, and biochemical assays failed to demonstrate proteolytic activity. A tunnel in which an acetate ion is bound is located in the C-terminal part of the β-barrel. Two hydrophobic grooves lead to a tunnel at the C-terminal end of the barrel in which an acetate ion is bound. One of the grooves binds to aStrep-Tag II of another dimer in the crystal lattice. Thus, these grooves may be binding sites for hydrophobic peptides or other ligands.

scholarly journals The Core and Holoenzyme Forms of RNA Polymerase from Mycobacterium smegmatis

2018 ◽  
Vol 201 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomáš Kouba ◽  
Jiří Pospíšil ◽  
Jarmila Hnilicová ◽  
Hana Šanderová ◽  
Ivan Barvík ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Mycobacterium Smegmatis ◽  
Drug Target ◽  
Conformational Dynamics ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Bacterial Rna ◽  
High Degree

ABSTRACT Bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) is essential for gene expression and as such is a valid drug target. Hence, it is imperative to know its structure and dynamics. Here, we present two as-yet-unreported forms of Mycobacterium smegmatis RNAP: core and holoenzyme containing σA but no other factors. Each form was detected by cryo-electron microscopy in two major conformations. Comparisons of these structures with known structures of other RNAPs reveal a high degree of conformational flexibility of the mycobacterial enzyme and confirm that region 1.1 of σA is directed into the primary channel of RNAP. Taken together, we describe the conformational changes of unrestrained mycobacterial RNAP. IMPORTANCE We describe here three-dimensional structures of core and holoenzyme forms of mycobacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) solved by cryo-electron microscopy. These structures fill the thus-far-empty spots in the gallery of the pivotal forms of mycobacterial RNAP and illuminate the extent of conformational dynamics of this enzyme. The presented findings may facilitate future designs of antimycobacterial drugs targeting RNAP.

Modelling of form in thermotropic polymers

1994 ◽  
Vol 348 (1686) ◽  
pp. 73-96 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystalline ◽  
Main Chain ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Point Singularity ◽  
Dimensional Solution ◽  
Crystalline Polymers ◽  
Elasticity Equations ◽  
Lower Total Energy ◽  
Third Dimension ◽  
Crystalline Microstructure

A lattice model of liquid crystalline microstructure has been developed. It provides the basis for the three-dimensional solution of the Frank elasticity equations for given boundary conditions while, in addition, providing a mechanistic representation of the development of texture as the microstructure relaxes with time. It is also able to represent disclination motion and the processes associated with their interaction. In particular, it has been used to study (s = ± 1/2) disclination loops, both those described by a single rotation vector, 17, and those in which 17 has a constant angular relationship with the loop line and are equivalent to a point singularity at a distance much larger than the loop radius. The application of the model to disclinations of unit strength, which are unstable both energetically and topologically, has shown that the decomposition into two 1/2 strength lines of lower total energy occurs much more readily than topological escape in the third dimension. The implication for structures observed in capillary tubes is discussed. The influence on microstructure of a splay constant much higher than that of twist or bend is explored in the context of main-chain liquid crystalline polymers, in particular, the stabilization of tangential +1 lines under such conditions is predicted in accord with observed microstructural features.

Orthorhombic lysozyme crystallization at acidic pH values driven by phosphate binding

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 480-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Plaza-Garrido ◽  
M. Carmen Salinas-Garcia ◽  
Ana Camara-Artigas
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Protein Crystallization ◽  
Amyloid Formation ◽  
Acidic Ph ◽  
Phosphate Binding ◽  
Cell Parameters ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
Phosphate Ion ◽  
Α Helix

The structure of orthorhombic lysozyme has been obtained at 298 K and pH 4.5 using sodium chloride as the precipitant and in the presence of sodium phosphate at a concentration as low as 5 mM. Crystals belonging to space groupP212121(unit-cell parametersa= 30,b= 56,c= 73 Å, α = β = γ = 90.00°) diffracted to a resolution higher than 1 Å, and the high quality of these crystals permitted the identification of a phosphate ion bound to Arg14 and His15. The binding of this ion produces long-range conformational changes affecting the loop containing Ser60–Asn74. The negatively charged phosphate ion shields the electrostatic repulsion of the positively charged arginine and histidine residues, resulting in higher stability of the phosphate-bound lysozyme. Additionally, a low-humidity orthorhombic variant was obtained at pH 4.5, and comparison with those previously obtained at pH 6.5 and 9.5 shows a 1.5 Å displacement of the fifth α-helix towards the active-site cavity, which might be relevant to protein function. Since lysozyme is broadly used as a model protein in studies related to protein crystallization and amyloid formation, these results indicate that the interaction of some anions must be considered when analysing experiments performed at acidic pH values.

scholarly journals Chemical Decorations of “MARs” Residents in Orchestrating Eukaryotic Gene Regulation

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanaya Roychowdhury ◽  
Samit Chattopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Gene Regulation ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Functional Outcomes ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
3D Matrix

Genome organization plays a crucial role in gene regulation, orchestrating multiple cellular functions. A meshwork of proteins constituting a three-dimensional (3D) matrix helps in maintaining the genomic architecture. Sequences of DNA that are involved in tethering the chromatin to the matrix are called scaffold/matrix attachment regions (S/MARs), and the proteins that bind to these sequences and mediate tethering are termed S/MAR-binding proteins (S/MARBPs). The regulation of S/MARBPs is important for cellular functions and is altered under different conditions. Limited information is available presently to understand the structure–function relationship conclusively. Although all S/MARBPs bind to DNA, their context- and tissue-specific regulatory roles cannot be justified solely based on the available information on their structures. Conformational changes in a protein lead to changes in protein–protein interactions (PPIs) that essentially would regulate functional outcomes. A well-studied form of protein regulation is post-translational modification (PTM). It involves disulfide bond formation, cleavage of precursor proteins, and addition or removal of low-molecular-weight groups, leading to modifications like phosphorylation, methylation, SUMOylation, acetylation, PARylation, and ubiquitination. These chemical modifications lead to varied functional outcomes by mechanisms like modifying DNA–protein interactions and PPIs, altering protein function, stability, and crosstalk with other PTMs regulating subcellular localizations. S/MARBPs are reported to be regulated by PTMs, thereby contributing to gene regulation. In this review, we discuss the current understanding, scope, disease implications, and future perspectives of the diverse PTMs regulating functions of S/MARBPs.

scholarly journals The three-dimensional structure of a class-Pi glutathione S-transferase complexed with glutathione: the active-site hydration provides insights into the reaction mechanism

1998 ◽  
Vol 333 (3) ◽  
pp. 811-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio PÁRRAGA ◽  
Isabel GARCÍA-SÁEZ ◽  
Sinead B. WALSH ◽  
Timothy J. MANTLE ◽  
Miquel COLL
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Water Molecules ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Glutathione S Transferase ◽  
X Ray ◽  
The Right

The structure of mouse liver glutathione S-transferase P1-1 complexed with its substrate glutathione (GSH) has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. No conformational changes in the glutathione moiety or in the protein, other than small adjustments of some side chains, are observed when compared with glutathione adduct complexes. Our structure confirms that the role of Tyr-7 is to stabilize the thiolate by hydrogen bonding and to position it in the right orientation. A comparison of the enzyme–GSH structure reported here with previously described structures reveals rearrangements in a well-defined network of water molecules in the active site. One of these water molecules (W0), identified in the unliganded enzyme (carboxymethylated at Cys-47), is displaced by the binding of GSH, and a further water molecule (W4) is displaced following the binding of the electrophilic substrate and the formation of the glutathione conjugate. The possibility that one of these water molecules participates in the proton abstraction from the glutathione thiol is discussed.

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