Domain Interfaces (domain + interface)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


The role of interface framework residues in determining antibody VH/VL interaction strength and antigen-binding affinity

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 10 2006
Kenji Masuda
While many antibodies with strong antigen-binding affinity have stable variable regions with a strong antibody heavy chain variable region fragment (VH)/antibody light chain variable region fragment (VL) interaction, the anti-lysozyme IgG HyHEL-10 has a fairly strong affinity, yet a very weak VH/VL interaction strength, in the absence of antigen. To investigate the possible relationship between antigen-binding affinity and VH/VL interaction strength, a novel phage display system that can switch two display modes was employed. We focused on the two framework region 2 regions of the HyHEL-10 VH and VL, facing each other at the domain interface, and a combinatorial library was made in which each framework region 2 residue was mixed with that of D1.3, which has a far stronger VH/VL interaction. The phagemid library, encoding VH gene 7 and VL amber codon gene 9, was used to transform TG-1 (sup+), and the phages displaying functional variable regions were selected. The selected phages were then used to infect a nonsuppressing strain, and the culture supernatant containing VH -displaying phages and soluble VL fragment was used to evaluate the VH/VL interaction strength. The results clearly showed the existence of a key framework region 2 residue (H39) that strongly affects VH/VL interaction strength, and a marked positive correlation between the antigen-binding affinity and the VH/VL interaction, especially in the presence of a set of particular VL residues. The effect of the H39 mutation on the wild-type variable region was also confirmed by a SPR biosensor as a several-fold increase in antigen-binding affinity owing to an increased association rate, while a slight decrease was observed for the single-chain variable region. [source]


Response of native and denatured hen lysozyme to high pressure studied by 15N/1H NMR spectroscopy

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 6 2001
Yuji O. Kamatari
High-pressure 15N/1H NMR techniques were used to characterize the conformational fluctuations of hen lysozyme, in its native state and when denatured in 8 m urea, over the pressure range 30,2000 bar. Most 1H and 15N signals of native lysozyme show reversible shifts to low field with increasing pressure, the average pressure shifts being 0.069 ± 0.101 p.p.m. (1H) and 0.51 ± 0.36 p.p.m. (15N). The shifts indicate that the hydrogen bonds formed to carbonyl groups or water molecules by the backbone amides are, on average, shortened by ,,0.02 Å as a result of pressure. In native lysozyme, six residues in the , domain or at the ,/, domain interface have anomalously large nonlinear 15N and 1H chemical-shift changes. All these residues lie close to water-containing cavities, suggesting that there are conformational changes involving these cavities, or the water molecules within them, at high pressure. The pressure-induced 1H and 15N shifts for lysozyme denatured in 8 m urea are much more uniform than those for native lysozyme, with average backbone amide shifts of 0.081 ± 0.029 p.p.m. (1H) and 0.57 ± 0.14 p.p.m. (15N). The results show that overall there are no significant variations in the local conformational properties of denatured lysozyme with pressure, although larger shifts in the vicinity of a persistent hydrophobic cluster indicate that interactions in this part of the sequence may rearrange. NMR diffusion measurements demonstrate that the effective hydrodynamic radius of denatured lysozyme, and hence the global properties of the denatured ensemble, do not change detectably at high pressure. [source]


An electrostatic network and long-range regulation of Src kinases

PROTEIN SCIENCE, Issue 11 2008
Elif Ozkirimli
Abstract The regulatory mechanism of Src tyrosine kinases includes conformational activation by a change in the catalytic domain tertiary structure and in domain,domain contacts between the catalytic domain and the SH2/SH3 regulatory domains. The kinase is activated when tyrosine phosphorylation occurs on the activation loop, but without phosphorylation of the C-terminal tail. Activation also occurs by allostery when contacts between the catalytic domain (CD) and the regulatory SH3 and SH2 domains are released as a result of exogenous protein binding. The aim of this work is to examine the proposed role of an electrostatic network in the conformational transition and to elucidate the molecular mechanism for long-range, allosteric conformational activation by using a combination of experimental enzyme kinetics and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. Salt dependence of the induction phase is observed in kinetic assays and supports the role of an electrostatic network in the transition. In addition, simulations provide evidence that allosteric activation involves a concerted motion coupling highly conserved residues, and spanning several nanometers from the catalytic site to the regulatory domain interface to communicate between the CD and the regulatory domains. [source]


Transglutaminase-1 gene mutations in autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis: Summary of mutations (including 23 novel) and modeling of TGase-1,

HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 4 2009
Matthew L. Herman
Abstract Autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI) is a heterogeneous group of rare cornification diseases. Germline mutations in TGM1 are the most common cause of ARCI in the United States. TGM1 encodes for the TGase-1 enzyme that functions in the formation of the cornified cell envelope. Structurally defective or attenuated cornified cell envelop have been shown in epidermal scales and appendages of ARCI patients with TGM1 mutations. We review the clinical manifestations as well as the molecular genetics of ARCI. In addition, we characterized 115 TGM1 mutations reported in 234 patients from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (Caucasion Americans, Norwegians, Swedish, Finnish, German, Swiss, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Hispanics, Iranian, Tunisian, Moroccan, Egyptian, Afghani, Hungarian, African Americans, Korean, Japanese and South African). We report 23 novel mutations: 71 (62%) missense; 20 (17%) nonsense; 9 (8%) deletion; 8 (7%) splice-site, and 7 (6%) insertion. The c.877-2A>G was the most commonly reported TGM1 mutation accounting for 34% (147 of 435) of all TGM1 mutant alleles reported to date. It had been shown that this mutation is common among North American and Norwegian patients due to a founder effect. Thirty-one percent (36 of 115) of all mutations and 41% (29 of 71) of missense mutations occurred in arginine residues in TGase-1. Forty-nine percent (35 of 71) of missense mutations were within CpG dinucleotides, and 74% (26/35) of these mutations were C>T or G>A transitions. We constructed a model of human TGase-1 and showed that all mutated arginines that reside in the two beta-barrel domains and two (R142 and R143) in the beta-sandwich are located at domain interfaces. In conclusion, this study expands the TGM1 mutation spectrum and summarizes the current knowledge of TGM1 mutations. The high frequency of mutated arginine codons in TGM1 may be due to the deamination of 5, methylated CpG dinucleotides. Hum Mutat 0, 1,12, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Asynchronous multi-domain variational integrators for non-linear problems

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 9 2008
Mark Gates
Abstract We develop an asynchronous time integration and coupling method with domain decomposition for linear and non-linear problems in mechanics. To ensure stability in the time integration and in coupling between domains, we use variational integrators with local Lagrange multipliers to enforce continuity at the domain interfaces. The asynchronous integrator lets each domain step with its own time step, using a smaller time step where required by stability and accuracy constraints and a larger time step where allowed. We show that in practice the time step is limited by accuracy requirements rather than by stability requirements. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Solid,Solid Phase Transitions: Interface Controlled Reactivity and Formation of Intermediate Structures

CHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 36 2007
Stefano Leoni Dr.
Abstract Finding new pathways to novel materials is an open challenge in modern solid-state chemistry. Among the reasons that still prevent a rational planning of synthetic routes is the lack of an atomistic understanding at the moment of phase formation. Metastable phases are, in this respect, powerful points of access to new materials. For the synthetic efforts to fully take advantage of such peculiar intermediates, a precise atomistic understanding of critical processes in the solid state in its many facets, that is, nucleation patterns, formation and propagation of interfaces, intermediate structures, and phase growth, is mandatory. Recently we have started a systematic theoretical study of phase transitions, especially of processes with first-order thermodynamics, to reach a firm understanding of the atomistic mechanisms governing polymorphism in the solid state. A clear picture is emerging of the interplay between nucleation patterns, the evolution of domain interfaces and final material morphology. Therein intermediate metastable structural motifs with distinct atomic patterns are identified, which become exciting targets for chemical synthesis. Accordingly, a new way of implementing simulation strategies as a powerful support to the chemical intuition is emerging. Simulations of real materials under conditions corresponding to the experiments are shedding light onto yet elusive aspects of solid,solid transformations. Particularly, sharp insights into local nucleation and growth events allow the formulation of new concepts for rationalizing interfaces formed during phase nucleation and growth. Structurally different and confined in space, metastable interfaces occurring during polymorph transformations bring about distinct diffusion behavior of the chemical species involved. More generally, stable structures emerge as a result of the concurrence of the transformation mechanism and of chemical reactions within the phase-growth fronts. [source]


Spectrum of novel mutations in the human PKLR gene in pyruvate kinase-deficient Indian patients with heterogeneous clinical phenotypes

CLINICAL GENETICS, Issue 2 2009
P Kedar
Eighteen unrelated pyruvate kinase (PK)-deficient Indian patients were identified in the past 4 years with varied clinical phenotypes ranging from a mild chronic haemolytic anaemia to a severe transfusion-dependent disorder. We identified 17 different mutations in the PKLR gene among the 36 mutated alleles. Ten novel mutations were identified: 427G>A, 499C>A, 1072G>A, 1180G>T, 1216G>A, 1220A>G, 644delG, IVS5 (+20) C>A, IVS9 (+44) C>T, and IVS9 (+93) A>C. A severe syndrome was commonly associated with some mutations, 992A>G, 1436G>A, 1220A>G, 644delG and IVS9 (+93) A>C, in the PKLR gene. Molecular graphics analysis of human red blood cell PK (RPK), based on the crystal structure of human PK, shows that mutations located near the substrate or fructose 1,6-diphosphate binding site may change the conformation of the active site, resulting in very low PK activity and severe clinical symptoms. The mutations target distinct regions of RPK structure, including domain interfaces and catalytic and allosteric sites. In particular, the 1216G>A and 1219G>A mutations significantly affect the interdomain interaction because they are located near the catalytic site in the A/B interface domains. The most frequent mutations in the Indian population appear to be 1436G>A (19.44%), followed by 1456C>T (16.66%) and 992A>G (16.66%). This is the first study to correlate the clinical profile with the molecular defects causing PK deficiency from India where 10 novel mutations that produce non-spherocytic haemolytic anaemia were identified. [source]