To investigate the cooperativity of hydrophobic interactions, the potential of mean force of two- and three-molecule methane clusters in water was determined by molecular dynamics simulations using two methods: umbrella-sampling with the weighted histogram analysis method and thermodynamic integration. Two water models, TIP3P and TIP4P, were used, while each methane molecule was modeled as a united atom. It was found that the three-body potential of mean force is not additive, i.e., it cannot be calculated as a sum of two-body contributions, but requires an additional three-body cooperative term. The cooperative term, which amounts to only about 10% of the total hydrophobic association free energy, was found to increase the strength of hydrophobic association; this finding differs from the results of earlier Monte Carlo studies with the free energy perturbation method of Rank and Baker (1997). As in the work of Rank and Baker, the solvent contribution to the potential of mean force was found to be well approximated by the molecular surface of two methane molecules. Moreover, we also found that the cooperative term is well represented by the difference between the molecular surface of the three-methane cluster and those of all three pairs of methane molecules. In addition, it was found that, while there is a cooperative contribution to the hydrophobic association free energy albeit a small one, the errors associated with the use of pairwise potentials are comparable to or larger than this contribution.

The effect of pressure on amide 15N chemical shifts was studied in uniformly 15N-labeled basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI) in 90%1H2O/10%2H2O, pH 4.6, by 1H-15N heteronuclear correlation spectroscopy between 1 and 2,000 bar. Most 15N signals were low field shifted linearly and reversibly with pressure (0.468 ± 0.285 ppm/2 kbar), indicating that the entire polypeptide backbone structure is sensitive to pressure. A significant variation of shifts among different amide groups (0–1.5 ppm/2 kbar) indicates a heterogeneous response throughout within the three-dimensional structure of the protein. A tendency toward low field shifts is correlated with a decrease in hydrogen bond distance on the order of 0.03 Å/2 kbar for the bond between the amide nitrogen atom and the oxygen atom of either carbonyl or water. The variation of 15N shifts is considered to reflect site-specific changes in φ, ψ angles. For β-sheet residues, a decrease in ψ angles by 1–2°/2 kbar is estimated. On average, shifts are larger for helical and loop regions (0.553 ± 0.343 and 0.519 ± 0.261 ppm/2 kbar, respectively) than for β-sheet (0.295 ± 0.195 ppm/2 kbar), suggesting that the pressure-induced structural changes (local compressibilities) are larger in helical and loop regions than in β-sheet. Because compressibility is correlated with volume fluctuation, the result is taken to indicate that the volume fluctuation is larger in helical and loop regions than in β-sheet. An important aspect of the volume fluctuation inferred from pressure shifts is that they include motions in slower time ranges (less than milliseconds) in which many biological processes may take place.

The crystal structure of the S642A mutant of mitochondrial aconitase (mAc) with citrate bound has been determined at 1.8 Å resolution and 100 K to capture this binding mode of substrates to the native enzyme. The 2.0 Å resolution, 100 K crystal structure of the S642A mutant with isocitrate binding provides a control, showing that the Ser → Ala replacement does not alter the binding of substrates in the active site. The aconitase mechanism requires that the intermediate product, cis-aconitate, flip over by 180° about the Cα–Cβ double bond. Only one of these two alternative modes of binding, that of the isocitrate mode, has been previously visualized. Now, however, the structure revealing the citrate mode of binding provides direct support for the proposed enzyme mechanism.

We describe a simple experimental approach for the rapid determination of protein global folds. This strategy utilizes site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) in combination with isotope enrichment to determine long-range distance restraints between amide protons and the unpaired electron of a nitroxide spin label using the paramagnetic effect on relaxation rates. The precision and accuracy of calculating a protein global fold from only paramagnetic effects have been demonstrated on barnase, a well-characterized protein. Two monocysteine derivatives of barnase, (H102C) and (H102A/Q15C), were 15N enriched, and the paramagnetic nitroxide spin label, MTSSL, attached to the single Cys residue of each. Measurement of amide 1H longitudinal relaxation times, in both the oxidized and reduced states, allowed the determination of the paramagnetic contribution to the relaxation processes. Correlation times were obtained from the frequency dependence of these relaxation processes at 800, 600, and 500 MHz. Distances in the range of 8 to 35 Å were calculated from the magnitude of the paramagnetic contribution to the relaxation processes and individual amide 1H correlation times. Distance restraints from the nitroxide spin to amide protons were used as restraints in structure calculations. Using nitroxide to amide 1H distances as long-range restraints and known secondary structure restraints, barnase global folds were calculated having backbone RMSDs <3 Å from the crystal structure. This approach makes it possible to rapidly obtain the overall topology of a protein using a limited number of paramagnetic distance restraints.

Excitable cells and tissues like muscle or brain show a highly fluctuating consumption of ATP, which is efficiently regenerated from a large pool of phosphocreatine by the enzyme creatine kinase (CK). The enzyme exists in tissue—as well as compartment-specific isoforms. Numerous pathologies are related to the CK system: CK is found to be overexpressed in a wide range of solid tumors, whereas functional impairment of CK leads to a deterioration in energy metabolism, which is phenotypic for many neurodegenerative and age-related diseases. The crystal structure of chicken cytosolic brain-type creatine kinase (BB-CK) has been solved to 1.41 Å resolution by molecular replacement. It represents the most accurately determined structure in the family of guanidino kinases. Except for the N-terminal region (2–12), the structures of both monomers in the biological dimer are very similar and closely resemble those of the other known structures in the family. Specific Ca2+-mediated interactions, found between two dimers in the asymmetric unit, result in structurally independent heterodimers differing in their N-terminal conformation and secondary structure.

The high-resolution structure of BB-CK presented in this work will assist in designing new experiments to reveal the molecular basis of the multiple isoform-specific properties of CK, especially regarding different subcellular locations and functional interactions with other proteins. The rather similar fold shared by all known guanidino kinase structures suggests a model for the transition state complex of BB-CK analogous to the one of arginine kinase (AK). Accordingly, we have modeled a putative conformation of CK in the transition state that requires a rigid body movement of the entire N-terminal domain by rms 4 Å from the structure without substrates.

KNI-272 is a powerful HIV-1 protease inhibitor with a reported inhibition constant in the picomolar range. In this paper, a complete experimental dissection of the thermodynamic forces that define the binding affinity of this inhibitor to the wild-type and drug-resistant mutant V82F/I84V is presented. Unlike other protease inhibitors, KNI-272 binds to the protease with a favorable binding enthalpy. The origin of the favorable binding enthalpy has been traced to the coupling of the binding reaction to the burial of six water molecules. These bound water molecules, previously identified by NMR studies, optimize the atomic packing at the inhibitor/protein interface enhancing van der Waals and other favorable interactions. These interactions offset the unfavorable enthalpy usually associated with the binding of hydrophobic molecules. The association constant to the drug resistant mutant is 100–500 times weaker. The decrease in binding affinity corresponds to an increase in the Gibbs energy of binding of 3–3.5 kcal/mol, which originates from less favorable enthalpy (1.7 kcal/mol more positive) and entropy changes. Calorimetric binding experiments performed as a function of pH and utilizing buffers with different ionization enthalpies have permitted the dissection of proton linkage effects. According to these experiments, the binding of the inhibitor is linked to the protonation/deprotonation of two groups. In the uncomplexed form these groups have pKs of 6.0 and 4.8, and become 6.6 and 2.9 in the complex. These groups have been identified as one of the aspartates in the catalytic aspartyl dyad in the protease and the isoquinoline nitrogen in the inhibitor molecule. The binding affinity is maximal between pH 5 and pH 6. At those pH values the affinity is close to 6 × 1010 M−1 (Kd = 16 pM). Global analysis of the data yield a buffer- and pH-independent binding enthalpy of −6.3 kcal/mol. Under conditions in which the exchange of protons is zero, the Gibbs energy of binding is −14.7 kcal/mol from which a binding entropy of 28 cal/K mol is obtained. Thus, the binding of KNI-272 is both enthalpically and entropically favorable. The structure-based thermodynamic analysis indicates that the allophenylnorstatine nucleus of KNI-272 provides an important scaffold for the design of inhibitors that are less susceptible to resistant mutations.

The lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia represents a widely applied catalyst for highly enantioselective resolution of chiral secondary alcohols. While its stereopreference is determined predominantly by the substrate structure, stereoselectivity depends on atomic details of interactions between substrate and lipase. Thirty secondary alcohols with published E values using P. cepacia lipase in hydrolysis or esterification reactions were selected, and models of their octanoic acid esters were docked to the open conformation of P. cepacia lipase. The two enantiomers of 27 substrates bound preferentially in either of two binding modes: the fast-reacting enantiomer in a productive mode and the slow-reacting enantiomer in a nonproductive mode. Nonproductive mode of fast-reacting enantiomers was prohibited by repulsive interactions. For the slow-reacting enantiomers in the productive binding mode, the substrate pushes the active site histidine away from its proper orientation, and the distance d(HNε − Oalc) between the histidine side chain and the alcohol oxygen increases. d(HNε − Oalc) was correlated to experimentally observed enantioselectivity: in substrates for which P. cepacia lipase has high enantioselectivity (E > 100), d(HNε − Oalc) is >2.2 Å for slow-reacting enantiomers, thus preventing efficient catalysis of this enantiomer. In substrates of low enantioselectivity (E < 20), the distance d(HNε − Oalc) is less than 2.0 Å, and slow- and fast-reacting enantiomers are catalyzed at similar rates. For substrates of medium enantioselectivity (20 < E < 100), d(HNε − Oalc) is around 2.1 Å. This simple model can be applied to predict enantioselectivity of P. cepacia lipase toward a broad range of secondary alcohols.

Much computational research aimed at understanding ionizable group interactions in proteins has focused on numerical solutions of the Poisson–Boltzmann (PB) equation, incorporating protein exclusion zones for solvent and counterions in a continuum model. Poor agreement with measured pKas and pH-dependent stabilities for a (protein, solvent) relative dielectric boundary of (4,80) has lead to the adoption of an intermediate (20,80) boundary. It is now shown that a simple Debye–Hückel (DH) calculation, removing both the low dielectric and counterion exclusion regions associated with protein, is equally effective in general pKa calculations. However, a broad-based discrepancy to measured pH-dependent stabilities is maintained in the absence of ionizable group interactions in the unfolded state. A simple model is introduced for these interactions, with a significantly improved match to experiment that suggests a potential utility in predicting and analyzing the acid pH-dependence of protein stability. The methods are applied to the relative pH-dependent stabilities of the pore-forming domains of colicins A and N. The results relate generally to the well-known preponderance of surface ionizable groups with solvent-mediated interactions. Although numerical PB solutions do not currently have a significant advantage for overall pKa estimations, development based on consideration of microscopic solvation energetics in tandem with the continuum model could combine the large ΔpKas of a subset of ionizable groups with the overall robustness of the DH model.

Asn deamidation was monitored in Ala-based octadecapeptides of varying α-helicity. Gly was substituted for Ala residues at positions 6 and 16 to create a peptide with less helicity. Ala → Gly substitutions were made at three or more residues from the Asn to negate known primary sequence effects on deamidation rates. The extent of helicity and rate of Asn deamidation for alkaline aqueous solutions of each peptide was measured as a function of temperature by circular dichroism and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. The rate of deamidation in the peptides was inversely proportional to the extent of α-helicity. The results support the conclusion that Asn deamidation only occurs in the nonhelical population of conformers.

The relative orientations of adjacent structural elements without many well-defined NOE contacts between them are typically poorly defined in NMR structures. For apo-S100B(ββ) and the structurally homologous protein calcyclin, the solution structures determined by conventional NMR exhibited considerable differences and made it impossible to draw unambiguous conclusions regarding the Ca2+-induced conformational change required for target protein binding. The structure of rat apo-S100B(ββ) was recalculated using a large number of constraints derived from dipolar couplings that were measured in a dilute liquid crystalline phase. The dipolar couplings orient bond vectors relative to a single-axis system, and thereby remove much of the uncertainty in NOE-based structures. The structure of apo-S100B(ββ) indicates a minimal change in the first, pseudo-EF-hand Ca2+ binding site, but a large reorientation of helix 3 in the second, classical EF-hand upon Ca2+ binding.

Glucosamine 6-phosphate synthase converts fructose-6P into glucosamine-6P or glucose-6P depending on the presence or absence of glutamine. The isomerase activity is associated with a 40-kDa C-terminal domain, which has already been characterized crystallographically. Now the three-dimensional structures of the complexes with the reaction product glucose-6P and with the transition state analog 2-amino-2-deoxyglucitol-6P have been determined. Glucose-6P binds in a cyclic form whereas 2-amino-2-deoxyglucitol-6P is in an extended conformation. The information on ligand-protein interactions observed in the crystal structures together with the isotope exchange and site-directed mutagenesis data allow us to propose a mechanism of the isomerase activity of glucosamine-6P synthase. The sugar phosphate isomerization involves a ring opening step catalyzed by His504 and an enolization step with Glu488 catalyzing the hydrogen transfer from C1 to C2 of the substrate. The enediol intermediate is stabilized by a helix dipole and the ε-amino group of Lys603. Lys485 may play a role in deprotonating the hydroxyl O1 of the intermediate.

Immunoglobulins of human heavy chain subgroup III have a binding site for Staphylococcal protein A on the heavy chain variable domain (VH), in addition to the well-known binding site on the Fc portion of the antibody. Thermodynamic characterization of this binding event and localization of the Fv-binding site on a domain of protein A is described. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to characterize the interaction between protein A or fragments of protein A and variants of the hu4D5 antibody Fab fragment. Analysis of binding isotherms obtained for titration of hu4D5 Fab with intact protein A suggests that 3–4 of the five immunoglobulin binding domains of full length protein A can bind simultaneously to Fab with a Ka of 5.5 ± 0.5 × 105 M−1. A synthetic single immunoglobulin binding domain, Z-domain, does not bind appreciably to hu4D5 Fab, but both the E and D domains are functional for hu4D5 Fab binding. Thermodynamic parameters for titration of the E-domain with hu4D5 Fab are n = 1.0 ± 0.1, Ka = 2.0 ± 0.3 × 105 M−1, and ΔH = −7.1 ± 0.4 kcal mol−1. Similar binding thermodynamics are obtained for titration of the isolated VH domain with E-domain indicating that the E-domain binding site on Fab resides within VH. E-domain binding to an IgG1 Fc yields a higher affinity interaction with thermodynamic parameters n = 2.2 ± 0.1, Ka > 1.0 × 107 M−1, and ΔH = −24.6 ± 0.6 kcal mol−1. Fc does not compete with Fab for binding to E-domain indicating that the two antibody fragments bind to different sites. Amide 1H and 15N resonances that undergo large changes in NMR chemical shift upon Fv binding map to a surface defined by helix-2 and helix-3 of E-domain, distinct from the Fc-binding site observed in the crystal structure of the B-domain/Fc complex. The Fv-binding region contains negatively charged residues and a small hydrophobic patch which complements the basic surface of the region of the VH domain implicated previously in protein A binding.

The contributions of backbone NH group dynamics to the conformational heat capacity of the B1 domain of Streptococcal protein G have been estimated from the temperature dependence of 15N NMR-derived order parameters. Longitudinal (R1) and transverse (R2) relaxation rates, transverse cross-relaxation rates (ηxy), and steady state {1H}–15N nuclear Overhauser effects were measured at temperatures of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 °C for 89–100% of the backbone secondary amide nitrogen nuclei in the B1 domain. The ratio R2/ηxy was used to identify nuclei for which conformational exchange makes a significant contribution to R2. Relaxation data were fit to the extended model-free dynamics formalism, incorporating an axially symmetric molecular rotational diffusion tensor. The temperature dependence of the order parameter (S2) was used to calculate the contribution of each NH group to conformational heat capacity (Cp) and a characteristic temperature (T*), representing the density of conformational energy states accessible to each NH group. The heat capacities of the secondary structure regions of the B1 domain are significantly higher than those of comparable regions of other proteins, whereas the heat capacities of less structured regions are similar to those in other proteins. The higher local heat capacities are estimated to contribute up to ∼0.8 kJ/mol K to the total heat capacity of the B1 domain, without which the denaturation temperature would be ∼9 °C lower (78 °C rather than 87 °C). Thus, variation of backbone conformational heat capacity of native proteins may be a novel mechanism that contributes to high temperature stabilization of proteins.

The crystal structure of the FMN-binding domain of human NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (P450R-FMN), a key component in the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system, has been determined to 1.93 Å resolution and shown to be very similar both to the global fold in solution (Barsukov I et al., 1997, J Biomol NMR 10:63–75) and to the corresponding domain in the 2.6 Å crystal structure of intact rat P450R (Wang M et al., 1997, Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 94:8411–8416). The crystal structure of P450R-FMN reported here confirms the overall similarity of its α-β-α architecture to that of the bacterial flavodoxins, but reveals differences in the position, number, and length of the helices relative to the central β-sheet. The marked similarity between P450R-FMN and flavodoxins in the interactions between the FMN and the protein, indicate a striking evolutionary conservation of the FMN binding site. The P450R-FMN molecule has an unusual surface charge distribution, leading to a very strong dipole, which may be involved in docking cytochrome P450 into place for electron transfer near the FMN. Several acidic residues near the FMN are identified by mutagenesis experiments to be important for electron transfer to P4502D6 and to cytochrome c, a clear indication of the part of the molecular surface that is likely to be involved in substrate binding. Somewhat different parts are found to be involved in binding cytochrome P450 and cytochrome c.

The protein–protein interaction energy of 12 nonhomologous serine protease-inhibitor and 15 antibody-antigen complexes is calculated using a molecular mechanics formalism and dissected in terms of the main-chain vs. side-chain contribution, nonrotameric side-chain contributions, and amino acid residue type involvement in the interface interaction.

There are major differences in the interactions of the two types of protein–protein complex. Protease-inhibitor complexes interact predominantly through a main-chain–main-chain mechanism while antibody-antigen complexes interact predominantly through a side-chain–side-chain or a side-chain–main-chain mechanism. However, there is no simple correlation between the main-chain–main-chain interaction energy and the percentage of main-chain surface area buried on binding. The interaction energy is equally effected by the presence of nonrotameric side-chain conformations, which constitute ∼20% of the interaction energy. The ability to reproduce the interface interaction energy of the crystal structure if original side-chain conformations are removed from the calculation is much greater in the protease-inhibitor complexes than the antibody-antigen complexes. The success of a rotameric model for protein–protein docking appears dependent on the extent of the main-chain–main-chain contribution to binding.

Analysis of (1) residue type and (2) residue pair interactions at the interface show that antibody-antigen interactions are very restricted with over 70% of the antibody energy attributable to just six residue types (Tyr > Asp > Asn > Ser > Glu > Trp) in agreement with previous studies on residue propensity. However, it is found here that 50% of the antigen energy is attributable to just four residue types (Arg = Lys > Asn > Asp). On average just 12 residue pair interactions (6%) contribute over 40% of the favorable interaction energy in the antibody-antigen complexes, with charge-charge and charge/polar-tyrosine interactions being prominent. In contrast protease inhibitors use a diverse set of residue types and residue pair interactions.

Self-association of ClpB (a mixture of 95- and 80-kDa subunits) has been studied with gel filtration chromatography, analytical ultracentrifugation, and electron microscopy. Monomeric ClpB predominates at low protein concentration (0.07 mg/mL), while an oligomeric form is highly populated at >4 mg/mL. The oligomer formation is enhanced in the presence of 2 mM ATP or adenosine 5′-O-thiotriphosphate (ATPγS). In contrast, 2 mM ADP inhibits full oligomerization of ClpB. The apparent size of the ATP- or ATPγS-induced oligomer, as determined by gel filtration, sedimentation velocity and electron microscopy image averaging, and the molecular weight, as determined by sedimentation equilibrium, are consistent with those of a ClpB hexamer. These results indicate that the oligomerization reactions of ClpB are similar to those of other Hsp100 proteins.

It is now possible to identify over 30 functional subfamilies among the WD-repeat-containing proteins found in the completed genomes. The majority of these subfamilies have at least one member for which experimental data allow assignment to a cellular pathway or process. Half of the 63 WD-repeat-containing proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, half of the 70 in Caenorhabditis elegans, and a third of the 100 plus predicted in Drosophila can be assigned to 23 of these functional subfamilies. Perhaps indicative of the future, 33 WD-repeat-containing proteins from the partial genome of Arabidopsis thaliana can now be assigned to 18 of these subfamilies. These assignments have been made possible by combining traditional sequence similarity with an implied common beta propeller structural context to obtain measures of protein–protein surface similarity. The beta propeller structural context is represented in the form of a Hidden Markov Model. The procedure is completely automated.

The energetics of structural changes in the holo and apo forms of α-lactalbumin and the transition between their native and denatured states induced by binding Ca2+ and Na+ have been studied by differential scanning and isothermal titration microcalorimetry and circular dichroism spectroscopy under various solvent conditions. Removal of Ca2+ from the protein enhances its sensitivity to pH and ionic conditions due to noncompensated negative charge–charge interactions at the cation binding site, which significantly reduces its overall stability. At neutral pH and low ionic strength, the native structure of apo-α-lactalbumin is stable below 14 °C and undergoes a conformational change to a native-like molten globule intermediate at temperatures above 25 °C. The denaturation of either holo- or apo-α-lactalbumin is a highly cooperative process that is characterized by an enthalpy of similar magnitude when calculated at the same temperature. Measured by direct calorimetric titration, the enthalpy of Ca2+-binding to apo-LA at pH 7.5 is −7.1 kJ mol−1 at 5.0 °C, which is essentially invariant to protonation effects. This small enthalpy effect infers that stabilization of α-lactalbumin by Ca2+ is primarily an entropy driven process, presumably arising from electrostatic interactions and the hydration effect. In contrast to the binding of calcium, the interaction of sodium with apo-LA does not produce a noticeable heat effect and is characterized by its ionic nature rather than specific binding to the metal-binding site. Characterization of the conformational stability and ligand binding energetics of α-lactalbumin as a function of solvent conditions furnishes significant insight regarding the molecular flexibility and regulatory mechanism mediated by this protein.

We have developed a method for the prediction of an amino acid sequence that is compatible with a three-dimensional backbone structure. Using only a backbone structure of a protein as input, the algorithm is capable of designing sequences that closely resemble natural members of the protein family to which the template structure belongs. In general, the predicted sequences are shown to have multiple sequence profile scores that are dramatically higher than those of random sequences, and sometimes better than some of the natural sequences that make up the superfamily. As anticipated, highly conserved but poorly predicted residues are often those that contribute to the functional rather than structural properties of the protein. Overall, our analysis suggests that statistical profile scores of designed sequences are a novel and valuable figure of merit for assessing and improving protein design algorithms.

At least four mRNAs for oat phytochrome A (phyA) are present in etiolated oat tissue. The complete amino acid sequences of two phyA isoforms (A3 and A4) and the N-terminal amino acid sequence of a third isoform (A5) were deduced from cDNA sequencing (Hershey et al., 1985). In the present study, heterogeneity of phyA on a protein level was studied by tryptic mapping using electrospray ionization mass-spectrometry (ESIMS). The total tryptic digest of iodoacetamide-modified phyA was fractionated by gel filtration chromatography followed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. ESIMS was used to identify peptides. Amino acid sequences of the peptides were confirmed or determined by collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry (CID MS), MS/MS, or by subdigestion of the tryptic peptides followed by ESIMS analysis. More than 97% of the phyA3 sequence (1,128 amino acid residues) was determined in the present study. Mass-spectrometric analysis of peptides unique to each form showed that phyA purified from etiolated oat seedling is represented by three isoforms A5, A3, and A4, with ratio 3.4:2.3:1.0. Possible light-induced changes in phytochrome in vivo phosphorylation site at Ser7 (Lapko VN et al., 1997, Biochemistry 36:10595–10599) as well at Ser17 and Ser598 (known as in vitro phosphorylation sites) were also analyzed. The extent of phosphorylation at Ser7 appears to be the same for phyA isolated from dark-grown and red-light illuminated seedlings. In addition to Ser7, Ser598 was identified as an in vivo phosphorylation site in oat phyA. Ser598 phosphorylation was found only in phyA from the red light-treated seedlings, suggesting that the protein phosphorylation plays a functional role in the phytochrome A-mediated light-signal transduction.