scholarly journals xMDFF: molecular dynamics flexible fitting of low-resolution X-ray structures

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (9) ◽  
pp. 2344-2355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan McGreevy ◽  
Abhishek Singharoy ◽  
Qufei Li ◽  
Jingfen Zhang ◽  
Dong Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Real Space ◽  
Low Resolution ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Atomic Structures ◽  
Electron Density Map

X-ray crystallography remains the most dominant method for solving atomic structures. However, for relatively large systems, the availability of only medium-to-low-resolution diffraction data often limits the determination of all-atom details. A new molecular dynamics flexible fitting (MDFF)-based approach, xMDFF, for determining structures from such low-resolution crystallographic data is reported. xMDFF employs a real-space refinement scheme that flexibly fits atomic models into an iteratively updating electron-density map. It addresses significant large-scale deformations of the initial model to fit the low-resolution density, as tested with synthetic low-resolution maps of D-ribose-binding protein. xMDFF has been successfully applied to re-refine six low-resolution protein structures of varying sizes that had already been submitted to the Protein Data Bank. Finally,viasystematic refinement of a series of data from 3.6 to 7 Å resolution, xMDFF refinements together with electrophysiology experiments were used to validate the first all-atom structure of the voltage-sensing protein Ci-VSP.

scholarly journals Identifying, studying and making good use of macromolecular crystals

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (8) ◽  
pp. 993-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo Calero ◽  
Aina E. Cohen ◽  
Joseph R. Luft ◽  
Janet Newman ◽  
Edward H. Snell
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Visible Light ◽  
Structural Biology ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Potential Outcomes ◽  
Structural Knowledge ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Molecular Scale

Structural biology has contributed tremendous knowledge to the understanding of life on the molecular scale. The Protein Data Bank, a depository of this structural knowledge, currently contains over 100 000 protein structures, with the majority stemming from X-ray crystallography. As the name might suggest, crystallography requires crystals. As detectors become more sensitive and X-ray sources more intense, the notion of a crystal is gradually changing from one large enough to embellish expensive jewellery to objects that have external dimensions of the order of the wavelength of visible light. Identifying these crystals is a prerequisite to their study. This paper discusses developments in identifying these crystals during crystallization screening and distinguishing them from other potential outcomes. The practical aspects of ensuring that once a crystal is identified it can then be positioned in the X-ray beam for data collection are also addressed.

scholarly journals Anomalies in the refinement of isoleucine

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 1037-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen R. M. Berntsen ◽  
Gert Vriend
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Secondary Structure ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Side Chain ◽  
Energy Functions ◽  
Torsion Angles ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Target Values

A study of isoleucines in protein structures solved using X-ray crystallography revealed a series of systematic trends for the two side-chain torsion angles χ1and χ2dependent on the resolution, secondary structure and refinement software used. The average torsion angles for the nine rotamers were similar in high-resolution structures solved using either theREFMAC,CNSorPHENIXsoftware. However, at low resolution these programs often refine towards somewhat different χ1and χ2values. Small systematic differences can be observed between refinement software that uses molecular dynamics-type energy terms (for exampleCNS) and software that does not use these terms (for exampleREFMAC). Detailing the standard torsion angles used in refinement software can improve the refinement of protein structures. The target values in the molecular dynamics-type energy functions can also be improved.

scholarly journals Machine learning to estimate the local quality of protein crystal structures

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ikuko Miyaguchi ◽  
Miwa Sato ◽  
Akiko Kashima ◽  
Hiroyuki Nakagawa ◽  
Yuichi Kokabu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Density ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Protein Crystal ◽  
Low Resolution ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Density Maps ◽  
Local Quality ◽  
Density Map ◽  
Electron Density Map

AbstractLow-resolution electron density maps can pose a major obstacle in the determination and use of protein structures. Herein, we describe a novel method, called quality assessment based on an electron density map (QAEmap), which evaluates local protein structures determined by X-ray crystallography and could be applied to correct structural errors using low-resolution maps. QAEmap uses a three-dimensional deep convolutional neural network with electron density maps and their corresponding coordinates as input and predicts the correlation between the local structure and putative high-resolution experimental electron density map. This correlation could be used as a metric to modify the structure. Further, we propose that this method may be applied to evaluate ligand binding, which can be difficult to determine at low resolution.

scholarly journals Computer-aided molecular modeling and structural analysis of the human centromere protein-HIKM complex

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olanrewaju Durojaye
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Protein Complex ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Binding Mode ◽  
Biological Interactions ◽  
Computational Docking ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Human Centromere

Protein-peptide and protein-protein interactions play an essential role in different functional and structural cellular organizational aspects. While X-ray crystallography generates the most complete structural characterization, most biological interactions exist in biomolecular complexes that are neither compliant nor responsive to direct experimental analysis. The development of computational docking approaches is therefore necessary. This starts from component protein structures to the prediction of their complexes, preferentially with precision close to complex structures generated by X-ray crystallography. To guarantee faithful chromosomal segregation, there must be a proper assembling of the kinetochore (a protein complex with multiple subunits) at the centromere during the process of cell division. As an important member of the inner kinetochore, defects in any of the subunits making up the CENP-HIKM complex leads to kinetochore dysfunction and an eventual chromosomal mis-segregation and cell death. Previous studies in an attempt to understand the assembly and mechanism devised by the CENP-HIKM in promoting functionality of the kinetochore, have reconstituted the protein complex from different organisms including fungi and yeast. Here, we present a detailed computational model of the physical interactions that exist between each component of the human CENP-HIKM, while validating each modeled structure using orthologs with existing crystal structures from the protein data bank. Results from this study substantiates the existing hypothesis that the human CENP-HIK complex share a similar architecture with its fungal and yeast orthologs, and likewise validates the binding mode of CENP-M to the C-terminus of the human CENP-I based on existing experimental reports.

scholarly journals SAXS studies of X-ray induced disulfide bond damage: Engineering high-resolution insight from a low-resolution technique

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0239702
Author(s):  
Timothy R. Stachowski ◽  
Mary E. Snell ◽  
Edward H. Snell
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Damage ◽  
Disulfide Bond ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Specific Interaction ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Low Resolution ◽  
Damage Site ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography

A significant problem in biological X-ray crystallography is the radiation chemistry caused by the incident X-ray beam. This produces both global and site-specific damage. Site specific damage can misdirect the biological interpretation of the structural models produced. Cryo-cooling crystals has been successful in mitigating damage but not eliminating it altogether; however, cryo-cooling can be difficult in some cases and has also been shown to limit functionally relevant protein conformations. The doses used for X-ray crystallography are typically in the kilo-gray to mega-gray range. While disulfide bonds are among the most significantly affected species in proteins in the crystalline state at both cryogenic and higher temperatures, there is limited information on their response to low X-ray doses in solution, the details of which might inform biomedical applications of X-rays. In this work we engineered a protein that dimerizes through a susceptible disulfide bond to relate the radiation damage processes seen in cryo-cooled crystals to those closer to physiologic conditions. This approach enables a low-resolution technique, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), to detect and monitor a residue specific process. A dose dependent fragmentation of the engineered protein was seen that can be explained by a dimer to monomer transition through disulfide bond cleavage. This supports the crystallographically derived mechanism and demonstrates that results obtained crystallographically can be usefully extrapolated to physiologic conditions. Fragmentation was influenced by pH and the conformation of the dimer, providing information on mechanism and pointing to future routes for investigation and potential mitigation. The novel engineered protein approach to generate a large-scale change through a site-specific interaction represents a promising tool for advancing radiation damage studies under solution conditions.

Real-Space X-Ray Pair Distribution Function Analysis and Molecular-Dynamics Modelling of Diflunisal Channel Hydrates

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuradha Pallipurath ◽  
Francesco Civati ◽  
Jonathan Skelton ◽  
Dean Keeble ◽  
Clare Crowley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
Distribution Function ◽  
Structural Dynamics ◽  
First Principles ◽  
Pair Distribution Function ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Real Space ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Dynamics Modelling ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

X-ray pair distribution function analysis is used with first-principles molecular dynamics simulations to study the co-operative H<sub>2</sub>O binding, structural dynamics and host-guest interactions in the channel hydrate of diflunisal.

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