Collectins are animal calcium dependent lectins that target the carbohydrate structures on invading pathogens, resulting in the agglutination and enhanced clearance of the microorganism. These proteins form trimers that may assemble into larger oligomers. Each polypeptide chain consists of four regions: a relatively short N-terminal region, a collagen like region, an α-helical coiled-coil, and the lectin domain. Only primary structure data are available for the N-terminal region, while the most important features of the collagen-like region can be derived from its homology with collagen. The structures of the α-helical coiled-coil and the lectin domain are known from crystallographic studies of mannan binding protein (MBP) and lung surfactant protein D (SP-D). Carbohydrate binding has been structurally characterized in several complexes between MBP and carbohydrate; all indicate that the major interaction between carbohydrate and collectin is the binding of two adjacent carbohydrate hydroxyl group to a collectin calcium ion. In addition, these hydroxyl groups hydrogen bond to some of the calcium amino acid ligands. While each collectin trimer contains three such carbohydrate binding sites, deviation from the overall threefold symmetry has been demonstrated for SP-D, which may influence its binding properties. The protein surface between the three binding sites is positively charged in both MBP and SP-D.

Farnesyltransferase (FT) inhibitors can suppress tumor cell proliferation without substantially interfering with normal cell growth, thus holding promise for cancer treatment. A structure-based approach to the design of improved FT inhibitors relies on knowledge of the conformational flexibility of the zinc-containing active site of FT. Although several X-ray structures of FT have been reported, detailed information regarding the active site conformational flexibility of the enzyme is still not available. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of FT can offer the requisite information, but have not been applied due to a lack of effective methods for simulating the four-ligand coordination of zinc in proteins. Here, we report in detail the problems that occurred in the conventional MD simulations of the zinc-bound FT and a solution to these problems by employing a simple method that uses cationic dummy atoms to impose orientational requirement for zinc ligands. A successful 1.0 ns (1.0 fs time step) MD simulation of zinc-bound FT suggests that nine conserved residues (Asn127α, Gln162α, Asn165α, Gln195α, His248β, Lys294β, Leu295β, Lys353β, and Ser357β) in the active site of mammalian FT are relatively mobile. Some of these residues might be involved in the ligand-induced active site conformational rearrangement upon binding and deserve attention in screening and design of improved FT inhibitors for cancer chemotherapy.

CrmA is an unusual viral serpin that inhibits both cysteine and serine proteinases involved in the regulation of host inflammatory and apoptosis processes. It differs from other members of the serpin superfamily by having a reactive center loop that is one residue shorter, and by its apparent inability to form SDS-stable covalent complexes with cysteine proteinases. To obtain insight into the inhibitory mechanism of crmA, we determined the crystal structure of reactive center loop-cleaved crmA to 2.9 Å resolution. The structure, which is the first of a viral serpin, suggests that crmA can inhibit cysteine proteinases by a mechanism analogous to that used by other serpins against serine proteinases. However, one striking difference from other serpins, which may be significant for in vivo function, is an additional highly charged antiparallel strand for β sheet A, whose sequence and length are unique to crmA.

Substrate-assisted catalysis (SAC) is the process by which a functional group in a substrate contributes to catalysis by an enzyme. SAC has been demonstrated for representatives of three major enzyme classes: serine proteases, GTPases, and type II restriction endonucleases, as well as lysozyme and hexose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase. Moreover, structure-based predictions of SAC have been made for many additional enzymes. Examples of SAC include both naturally occurring enzymes such as type II restriction endonucleases as well as engineered enzymes including serine proteases. In the latter case, a functional group from a substrate can substitute for a catalytic residue replaced by site-directed mutagenesis. From a protein engineering perspective, SAC provides a strategy for drastically changing enzyme substrate specificity or even the reaction catalyzed. From a biological viewpoint, SAC contributes significantly to the activity of some enzymes and may represent a functional intermediate in the evolution of catalysis. This review focuses on advances in engineering enzyme specificity and activity by SAC, together with the biological significance of this phenomenon.

With this issue of Protein Science the contract for publication of the journal with Cambridge University Press (CUP), which was negotiated in 1991, is completed. The Protein Society and the Editors of Protein Science wish to express our sincere thanks to the staff of CUP who have worked with us in this venture to launch the journal and to see it develop into one of the premier journals of its field. We thank Lynne Frost, the first Journal Manager with whom we worked; we remember gratefully the late James Alexander who succeeded her in that role; and we thank Ed Barnas, the current Journals Manager, especially for his assistance this past year. We also thank their staffs who worked with us, most recently Steven Price, production editor for Protein Science. We appreciate their assistance and care in their roles in the production of the journal.

Genetically-encoded affinity tags constitute an important strategy for purifying proteins. Here, we have designed a novel affinity matrix based on the bis-arsenical fluorescein dye FlAsH, which specifically recognizes short α-helical peptides containing the sequence CCXXCC (Griffin BA, Adams SR, Tsien RY, 1998, Science 281:269–272). We find that kinesin tagged with this cysteine-containing helix binds specifically to FlAsH resin and can be eluted in a fully active form. This affinity tag has several advantages over polyhistidine, the only small affinity tag in common use. The protein obtained with this single chromatographic step from crude Escherichia coli lysates is purer than that obtained with nickel affinity chromatography of 6xHis tagged kinesin. Moreover, unlike nickel affinity chromatography, which requires high concentrations of imidazole or pH changes for elution, protein bound to the FlAsH column can be completely eluted by dithiothreitol. Because of these mild elution conditions, FlAsH affinity chromatography is ideal for recovering fully active protein and for the purification of intact protein complexes.

The structural study of peptides belonging to the terminal domains of histone H1 can be considered as a step toward the understanding of the function of H1 in chromatin. The conformational properties of the peptide Ac-EPKRSVAFKKTKKEVKKVATPKK (CH-1), which belongs to the C-terminal domain of histone H1° (residues 99–121) and is adjacent to the central globular domain of the protein, were examined by means of 1H-NMR and circular dichroism. In aqueous solution, CH-1 behaved as a mainly unstructured peptide, although turn-like conformations in rapid equilibrium with the unfolded state could be present. Addition of trifluoroethanol resulted in a substantial increase of the helical content. The helical limits, as indicated by (i, i + 3) nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) cross correlations and significant up-field conformational shifts of the Cα protons, span from Pro100 to Val116, with Glu99 and Ala117 as N- and C-caps. A structure calculation performed on the basis of distance constraints derived from NOE cross peaks in 90% trifluoroethanol confirmed the helical structure of this region. The helical region has a marked amphipathic character, due to the location of all positively charged residues on one face of the helix and all the hydrophobic residues on the opposite face. The peptide has a TPKK motif at the C-terminus, following the α-helical region. The observed NOE connectivities suggest that the TPKK sequence adopts a type (I) β-turn conformation, a σ-turn conformation or a combination of both, in fast equilibrium with unfolded states. Sequences of the kind (S/T)P(K/R)(K/R) have been proposed as DNA binding motifs. The CH-1 peptide, thus, combines a positively charged amphipathic helix and a turn as potential DNA-binding motifs.

The 1.9 Å X-ray structure of a membrane-associated glycosyltransferase involved in peptidoglycan biosynthesis is reported. This enzyme, MurG, contains two α/β open sheet domains separated by a deep cleft. Structural analysis suggests that the C-terminal domain contains the UDP-GlcNAc binding site while the N-terminal domain contains the acceptor binding site and likely membrane association site. Combined with sequence data from other MurG homologs, this structure provides insight into the residues that are important in substrate binding and catalysis. We have also noted that a conserved region found in many UDP-sugar transferases maps to a β/α/β/α supersecondary structural motif in the donor binding region of MurG, an observation that may be helpful in glycosyltransferase structure prediction. The identification of a conserved structural motif involved in donor binding in different UDP-sugar transferases also suggests that it may be possible to identify—and perhaps alter—the residues that help determine donor specificity.

On the basis of crystal structures of the pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) dependent enzymes methanol dehydrogenase (MDH) and soluble glucose dehydrogenase (s-GDH), different catalytic mechanisms have been proposed. However, several lines of biochemical and kinetic evidence are strikingly similar for both enzymes. To resolve this discrepancy, we have compared the structures of these enzymes in complex with their natural substrates in an attempt to bring them in line with a single reaction mechanism. In both proteins, PQQ is located in the center of the molecule near the axis of pseudo-symmetry. In spite of the absence of significant sequence homology, the overall binding of PQQ in the respective active sites is similar. Hydrogen bonding interactions are made with polar protein side chains in the plane of the cofactor, whereas hydrophobic stacking interactions are important below and above PQQ. One Arg side chain and one calcium ion are ligated to the ortho-quinone group of PQQ in an identical fashion in either active site, in agreement with their proposed catalytic function of polarizing the PQQ C5-O5 bond. The substrates are bound in a similar position above PQQ and within hydrogen bond distance of the putative general bases Asp297 (MDH) and His144 (s-GDH). On the basis of these similarities, we propose that MDH and s-GDH react with their substrates through an identical mechanism, comprising general base-catalyzed hydride transfer from the substrate to PQQ and subsequent tautomerization of the PQQ intermediate to reduced PQQ.

Well-resolved ion signals of intact large protein assemblies, with molecular masses extending above one million Dalton, have been detected and mass analyzed using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, with an uncertainty in mass of <0.2%. The mass spectral data seem to reflect known solution-phase behavior of the studied protein assembly and have therefore been directly used to probe the protein assembly topology and stability as a function of ionic strength and pH.

The solution structure and stability of N-terminally truncated β2-microglobulin (ΔN6β2-m), the major modification in ex vivo fibrils, have been investigated by a variety of biophysical techniques. The results show that ΔN6β2-m has a free energy of stabilization that is reduced by 2.5 kcal/mol compared to the intact protein. Hydrogen exchange of a mixture of the truncated and full-length proteins at μM concentrations at pH 6.5 monitored by electrospray mass spectrometry reveals that ΔN6β2-m is significantly less protected than its wild-type counterpart. Analysis of ΔN6β2-m by NMR shows that this loss of protection occurs in β strands I, III, and part of II. At mM concentration gel filtration analysis shows that ΔN6β2-m forms a series of oligomers, including trimers and tetramers, and NMR analysis indicates that strand V is involved in intermolecular interactions that stabilize this association. The truncated species of β2-microglobulin was found to have a higher tendency to self-associate than the intact molecule, and unlike wild-type protein, is able to form amyloid fibrils at physiological pH. Limited proteolysis experiments and analysis by mass spectrometry support the conformational modifications identified by NMR and suggest that ΔN6β2-m could be a key intermediate of a proteolytic pathway of β2-microglobulin. Overall, the data suggest that removal of the six residues from the N-terminus of β2-microglobulin has a major effect on the stability of the overall fold. Part of the tertiary structure is preserved substantially by the disulfide bridge between Cys25 and Cys80, but the pairing between β-strands far removed from this constrain is greatly perturbed.

HpTX2 is a toxin from the venom of Heteropoda venatoria spider that has been demonstrated to bind on Kv4.2 potassium channel. We have determined the solution structure of recombinant HpTX2 by use of conventional two-dimensional NMR techniques followed by distance-geometry and molecular dynamics. The calculated structure belongs to the Inhibitory Cystin Knot structural family that consists in a compact disulfide-bonded core, from which four loops emerge. A poorly defined two-stranded antiparallel β-sheet (residues 20–23 and 25–28) is detected. Analysis of the electrostatic charge anisotropy allows us to propose a functional map of HpTX2 different from the one described for κ-conotoxin PVIIA, but strongly related to the one of charybdotoxin. The orientation of the dipole moment of HpTX2 emerges through K27 which could therefore be the critical lysine residue. Close to this lysine are a second basic residue, R23, an aromatic cluster (F7, W25, W30) and an hydrophobic side chain (L24). The high density in aromatic side chains of the putative functional surface as well as the lack of an asparagine is proposed to be the structural basis of the specificity of HpTX2 toward Kv4.2 channel.

The cerebroside-sulfate activator protein (CSAct or Saposin B) is a small water-soluble glycoprotein that plays an essential role in the metabolism of certain glycosphingolipids, especially sulfatide. Deficiency of CSAct in humans leads to sulfatide accumulation and neurodegenerative disease. CSAct activity can be measured in vitro by assay of its ability to activate sulfatide–sulfate hydrolysis by arylsulfatase A. CSAct has seven methionine residues and a mass of 8,845 Da when deglycosylated. Mildly oxidized, deglycosylated CSAct (+16 Da), separated from nonoxidized CSAct by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), showed significant modulation of the in vitro activity. Because oxidation partially protected against CNBr cleavage and could largely be reversed by treatment with dithiothreitol, it was concluded that the major modification was conversion of a single methionine to its sulfoxide. High-resolution RP-HPLC separated mildly oxidized CSAct into seven or more different components with shorter retention times than nonoxidized CSAct. Mass spectrometry showed these components to have identical mass (+16 Da). The shorter retention times are consistent with increased polarity accompanying oxidation of surface-exposed methionyl side chains, in general accordance with the existing molecular model. A mass-spectrometric CNBr mapping protocol allowed identification of five of the seven possible methionine–sulfoxide CSAct oxoforms. The most dramatic suppression of activity occurred upon oxidation of Met61 (26% of control) with other residues in the Q60MMMHMQ66 motif falling in the 30–50% activity range. Under conditions of oxidative stress, accumulation of minimally oxidized CSAct protein in vivo could perturb metabolism of sulfatide and other glycosphingolipids. This, in turn, could contribute to the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disease, especially in situations where the catabolism of these materials is marginal.

Whereas previously we have successfully utilized the folding funnels concept to rationalize binding mechanisms (Ma B, Kumar S, Tsai CJ, Nussinov R, 1999, Protein Eng 12:713–720) and to describe binding (Tsai CJ, Kumar S, Ma B, Nussinov R, 1999, Protein Sci 8:1181–1190), here we further extend the concept of folding funnels, illustrating its utility in explaining enzyme pathways, multimolecular associations, and allostery. This extension is based on the recognition that funnels are not stationary; rather, they are dynamic, depending on the physical or binding conditions (Tsai CJ, Ma B, Nussinov R, 1999, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96:9970–9972). Different binding states change the surrounding environment of proteins. The changed environment is in turn expressed in shifted energy landscapes, with different shapes and distributions of populations of conformers. Hence, the function of a protein and its properties are not only decided by the static folded three-dimensional structure; they are determined by the distribution of its conformational substates, and in particular, by the redistributions of the populations under different environments. That is, protein function derives from its dynamic energy landscape, caused by changes in its surroundings.

The ba3-type cytochrome c oxidase from Thermus thermophilus is known as a two subunit enzyme. Deduced from the crystal structure of this enzyme, we discovered the presence of an additional transmembrane helix “subunit IIa” spanning the membrane. The hydrophobic N-terminally blocked protein was isolated in high yield using high-performance liquid chromatography. Its complete amino acid sequence was determined by a combination of automated Edman degradation of both the deformylated and the cyanogen bromide cleaved protein and automated C-terminal sequencing of the native protein.

The molecular mass of 3,794 Da as determined by MALDI-MS and by ESI requires the N-terminal methionine to be formylated and is in good agreement with the value calculated from the formylmethionine containing sequence (3,766.5 Da + 28 Da = 3,794.5 Da). This subunit consits of 34 residues forming one helix across the membrane (Lys5–Ala34), which corresponds in space to the first transmembrane helix of subunit II of the cytochrome c oxidases from Paracoccus denitrificans and bovine heart, however, with opposite polarity. It is 35% identical to subunit IV of the ba3-cytochrome oxidase from Natronobacterium pharaonis.

The open reading frame encoding this new subunit IIa (cbaD) is located upstream of cbaB in the same operon as the genes for subunit I (cbaA) and subunit II (cbaB).

The solution structure and backbone dynamics of Cu(I) pseudoazurin, a 123 amino acid electron transfer protein from Paracoccus pantotrophus, have been determined using NMR methods. The structure was calculated to high precision, with a backbone RMS deviation for secondary structure elements of 0.35 ± 0.06 Å, using 1,498 distance and 55 torsion angle constraints. The protein has a double-wound Greek-key fold with two α-helices toward its C-terminus, similar to that of its oxidized counterpart determined by X-ray crystallography. Comparison of the Cu(I) solution structure with the X-ray structure of the Cu(II) protein shows only small differences in the positions of some of the secondary structure elements. Order parameters S2, measured for amide nitrogens, indicate that the backbone of the protein is rigid on the picosecond to nanosecond timescale.

The aim of the present study is to understand the structural features responsible for the lethal activity of snake venom cardiotoxins. Comparison of the lethal potency of the five cardiotoxin isoforms isolated from the venom of Taiwan cobra (Naja naja atra) reveals that the lethal potency of CTX I and CTX V are about twice of that exhibited by CTX II, CTX III, and CTX IV. In the present study, the solution structure of CTX V has been determined at high resolution using multidimensional proton NMR spectroscopy and dynamical simulated annealing techniques. Comparison of the high resolution solution structures of CTX V with that of CTX IV reveals that the secondary structural elements in both the toxin isoforms consist of a triple and double-stranded antiparallel β-sheet domains. Critical examination of the three-dimensional structure of CTX V shows that the residues at the tip of Loop III form a distinct “finger-shaped” projection comprising of nonpolar residues. The occurrence of the nonpolar “finger-shaped” projection leads to the formation of a prominent cleft between the residues located at the tip of Loops II and III. Interestingly, the occurrence of a backbone hydrogen bonding (Val27CO to Leu48NH) in CTX IV is found to distort the “finger-shaped” projection and consequently diminish the cleft formation at the tip of Loops II and III. Comparison of the solution structures and lethal potencies of other cardiotoxin isoforms isolated from the Taiwan cobra (Naja naja atra) venom shows that a strong correlation exists between the lethal potency and occurrence of the nonpolar “finger-shaped” projection at the tip of Loop III. Critical analysis of the structures of the various CTX isoforms from the Taiwan cobra suggest that the degree of exposure of the cationic charge (to the solvent) contributed by the invariant lysine residue at position 44 on the convex side of the CTX molecules could be another crucial factor governing their lethal potency.

The Ure2 protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been proposed to undergo a prion-like autocatalytic conformational change, which leads to inactivation of the protein, thereby generating the [URE3] phenotype. The first 65 amino acids, which are dispensable for the cellular function of Ure2p in nitrogen metabolism, are necessary and sufficient for [URE3] (Masison & Wickner, 1995), leading to designation of this domain as the Ure2 prion domain (UPD). We expressed both UPD and Ure2 as glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins in Escherichia coli and observed both to be initially soluble. Upon cleavage of GST-UPD by thrombin, the released UPD formed ordered fibrils that displayed amyloid-like characteristics, such as Congo red dye binding and green-gold birefringence. The fibrils exhibited high β-sheet content by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Fiber formation proceeded in an autocatalytic manner. In contrast, the released, full-length Ure2p formed mostly amorphous aggregates; a small amount polymerized into fibrils of uniform size and morphology. Aggregation of Ure2p could be seeded by UPD fibrils. Our results provide biochemical support for the proposal that the [URE3] state is caused by a self-propagating inactive form of Ure2p. We also found that the uncleaved GST-UPD fusion protein could polymerize into amyloid fibrils by a strictly autocatalytic mechanism, forcing the GST moiety of the protein to adopt a new, β-sheet-rich conformation. The findings on the GST-UPD fusion protein indicate that the ability of the prion domain to mediate a prion-like conversion process is not specific for or limited to the Ure2p.

Members of the serpin family of serine proteinase inhibitors play important roles in the inflammatory, coagulation, fibrinolytic, and complement cascades. An inherent part of their function is the ability to undergo a structural rearrangement, the stressed (S) to relaxed (R) transition, in which an extra strand is inserted into the central A β-sheet. In order for this transition to take place, the A sheet has to be unusually flexible. Malfunctions in this flexibility can lead to aberrant protein linkage, serpin inactivation, and diseases as diverse as cirrhosis, thrombosis, angioedema, emphysema, and dementia. The development of agents that control this conformational rearrangement requires a high resolution structure of an active serpin. We present here the topology of the archetypal serpin α1-antitrypsin to 2 Å resolution. This structure allows us to define five cavities that are potential targets for rational drug design to develop agents that will prevent conformational transitions and ameliorate the associated disease.

Because of the simplicity and regularity of the α-helical coiled coil relative to other structural motifs, it can be conveniently used to clarify the molecular interactions responsible for protein folding and stability. Here we describe the de novo design and characterization of a two heptad-repeat peptide stabilized by a complex network of inter- and intrahelical salt bridges. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and analytical ultracentrifugation show that this peptide is highly α-helical and 100% dimeric under physiological buffer conditions. Interestingly, the peptide was shown to switch its oligomerization state from a dimer to a trimer upon increasing ionic strength. The correctness of the rational design principles used here is supported by details of the atomic structure of the peptide deduced from X-ray crystallography. The structure of the peptide shows that it is not a molten globule but assumes a unique, native-like conformation. This de novo peptide thus represents an attractive model system for the design of a molecular recognition system.