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Large Conformational Changes (large + conformational_change)
Selected AbstractsMolecular modeling of the dimeric structure of human lipoprotein lipase and functional studies of the carboxyl-terminal domainFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 18 2002Yoko Kobayashi Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) plays a key role in lipid metabolism. Molecular modeling of dimeric LPL was carried out using insight ii based upon the crystal structures of human, porcine, and horse pancreatic lipase. The dimeric model reveals a saddle-shaped structure and the key heparin-binding residues in the amino-terminal domain located on the top of this saddle. The models of two dimeric conformations , a closed, inactive form and an open, active form , differ with respect to how surface-loop positions affect substrate access to the catalytic site. In the closed form, the surface loop covers the catalytic site, which becomes inaccessible to solvent. Large conformational changes in the open form, especially in the loop and carboxyl-terminal domain, allow substrate access to the active site. To dissect the structure,function relationships of the LPL carboxyl-terminal domain, several residues predicted by the model structure to be essential for the functions of heparin binding and substrate recognition were mutagenized. Arg405 plays an important role in heparin binding in the active dimer. Lys413/Lys414 or Lys414 regulates heparin affinity in both monomeric and dimeric forms. To evaluate the prediction that LPL forms a homodimer in a ,head-to-tail' orientation, two inactive LPL mutants , a catalytic site mutant (S132T) and a substrate-recognition mutant (W390A/W393A/W394A) , were cotransfected into COS7 cells. Lipase activity could be recovered only when heterodimerization occurred in a head-to-tail orientation. After cotransfection, 50% of the wild-type lipase activity was recovered, indicating that lipase activity is determined by the interaction between the catalytic site on one subunit and the substrate-recognition site on the other. [source] High resolution X-ray analysis of two mutants of a curaremimetic snake toxinFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 5 2000Jean-François Gaucher A previous mutational analysis of erabutoxin a (Ea), a curaremimetic toxin from sea snake venom, showed that the substitutions S8G and S8T caused, respectively, 176-fold and 780-fold affinity decreases for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AchR). In view of the fact that the side-chain of Ser8 is buried in the wild-type toxin, we wondered whether these affinity changes reflect a direct binding contribution of S8 to the receptor and/or conformational changes that could have occurred in Ea as a result of the introduced mutations. To approach this question, we solved X-ray structures of the two mutants S8G and S8T at high resolution (0.18 nm and 0.17 nm, with R factors of 18.0% and 17.9%, respectively). The data show that none of the mutations significantly modified the toxin structure. Even within the site where the toxin binds to the receptor the backbone conformation remained unchanged. Therefore, the low affinities of the mutants S8T and S8G cannot be explained by a large conformational change of the toxin structure. Although we cannot exclude the possibility that undetectable structural changes have occurred in the toxin mutants, our data support the view that, although buried between loop I and II, S8 is part of the functional epitope of the toxin. [source] Pseudomerohedrally twinned monoclinic structure of unfolded `free' nonactin: comparative analysis of its large conformational change upon encapsulation of alkali metal ionsACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION C, Issue 10 2009Ilia A. Guzei The title compound, C40H64O12, crystallizes in a pseudomerohedrally twinned primitive monoclinic cell with similar contributions of the two twin components. There are two symmetry-independent half-molecules of nonactin in the asymmetric unit. Each molecule has a pseudo- S4 symmetry and resides on a crystallographic twofold axis; the axes pass through the molecular center of mass and are perpendicular to the plane of the macrocycle. The literature description of the room-temperature structure of nonactin as an order,disorder structure in an orthorhombic unit cell is corrected. We report a low-temperature high-precision ordered structure of `free' nonactin that allowed for the first time precise determination of its bond distances and angles. It possesses an unfolded and more planar geometry than its complexes with encapsulated Na+, K+, Cs+, Ca2+ or NH4+ cations that exhibit more isometric overall conformations. [source] High resolution structure and catalysis of O -acetylserine sulfhydrylase isozyme B from Escherichia coliFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 20 2007Georg Zocher The crystal structure of the dimeric O -acetylserine sulfhydrylase isozyme B from Escherichia coli (CysM), complexed with the substrate analog citrate, has been determined at 1.33 Å resolution by X-ray diffraction analysis. The C1-carboxylate of citrate was bound at the carboxylate position of O -acetylserine, whereas the C6-carboxylate adopted two conformations. The activity of the enzyme and of several active center mutants was determined using an assay based on O -acetylserine and thio-nitrobenzoate (TNB). The unnatural substrate TNB was modeled into the reported structure. The substrate model and the observed mutant activities may facilitate future protein engineering attempts designed to broaden the substrate spectrum of the enzyme. A comparison of the reported structure with previously published CysM structures revealed large conformational changes. One of the crystal forms contained two dimers, each of which comprised one subunit in a closed and one in an open conformation. Although the homodimer asymmetry was most probably caused by crystal packing, it indicates that the enzyme can adopt such a state in solution, which may be relevant for the catalytic reaction. [source] Complex molecular assemblies at hand via interactive simulationsJOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY, Issue 15 2009Olivier Delalande Abstract Studying complex molecular assemblies interactively is becoming an increasingly appealing approach to molecular modeling. Here we focus on interactive molecular dynamics (IMD) as a textbook example for interactive simulation methods. Such simulations can be useful in exploring and generating hypotheses about the structural and mechanical aspects of biomolecular interactions. For the first time, we carry out low-resolution coarse-grain IMD simulations. Such simplified modeling methods currently appear to be more suitable for interactive experiments and represent a well-balanced compromise between an important gain in computational speed versus a moderate loss in modeling accuracy compared to higher resolution all-atom simulations. This is particularly useful for initial exploration and hypothesis development for rare molecular interaction events. We evaluate which applications are currently feasible using molecular assemblies from 1900 to over 300,000 particles. Three biochemical systems are discussed: the guanylate kinase (GK) enzyme, the outer membrane protease T and the soluble N -ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors complex involved in membrane fusion. We induce large conformational changes, carry out interactive docking experiments, probe lipid,protein interactions and are able to sense the mechanical properties of a molecular model. Furthermore, such interactive simulations facilitate exploration of modeling parameters for method improvement. For the purpose of these simulations, we have developed a freely available software library called MDDriver. It uses the IMD protocol from NAMD and facilitates the implementation and application of interactive simulations. With MDDriver it becomes very easy to render any particle-based molecular simulation engine interactive. Here we use its implementation in the Gromacs software as an example. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2009 [source] Metal-free MIRAS phasing: structure of apo-S100A3ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 8 2002Peer R. E. Mittl S100 proteins are involved in metal-dependent intracellular signalling. Metal-free S100A3, a cysteine-rich Ca2+ - and Zn2+ -binding protein, has been crystallized by vapour diffusion under the strict exclusion of oxygen and in the absence of divalent metal ions. Metal binding induces large conformational changes, rendering the apo-S100A3 crystals very sensitive to various metal compounds. Therefore, the structure was solved by MIRAS phasing using potassium iodide and xenon derivatives. Iodide replaces a water molecule at the surface of the S100A3 protein, whereas xenon binds in a hydrophobic cavity at the dimer interface. Despite significant non-isomorphism, the combination of both derivatives was sufficient for structure determination. The overall apo-S100A3 structure resembles the structures of metal-free S100B and S100A6 solution structures. In contrast to the NMR structures, the EF-hand loops are well ordered in the apo-S100A3 crystal structure. In the N-terminal pseudo-EF-hand loop a water molecule occupies the position of the Ca2+ ion. The C-terminal canonical EF-hand loop shows an extended conformation and a different helix arrangement to other S100/metal complex crystal structures. [source] ATP-dependent DNA ligase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus displays a tightly closed conformationACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION F (ELECTRONIC), Issue 6 2009Do Jin Kim DNA ligases join the breaks in double-stranded DNA by catalyzing the formation of a phosphodiester bond between adjacent 3,-hydroxyl and 5,-phosphate termini. They fall into two classes that require either ATP or NAD+ as the source of an AMP group that is covalently attached to a strictly conserved lysine. Conformational flexibility is essential for the function of multi-domain DNA ligases because they must undergo large conformational changes involving domain rearrangements during the course of the reaction. In the absence of the nicked DNA substrate, both open and closed conformations have been observed for the ATP-dependent DNA ligases from Sulfolobus solfataricus and Pyrococcus furiosus. Here, the crystal structure of an ATP-dependent DNA ligase from Archaeoglobus fulgidus has been determined in the DNA-unbound unadenylated state. It resembles the closed conformation of P. furiosus DNA ligase but was even more closed, thus enhancing our understanding of the conformational variability of these enzymes. [source] Microreview: Type IV secretion systems: versatility and diversity in functionCELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 9 2010Karin Wallden Summary Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are large protein complexes which traverse the cell envelope of many bacteria. They contain a channel through which proteins or protein,DNA complexes can be translocated. This translocation is driven by a number of cytoplasmic ATPases which might energize large conformational changes in the translocation complex. The family of T4SSs is very versatile, shown by the great variety of functions among family members. Some T4SSs are used by pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria to translocate a wide variety of virulence factors into the host cell. Other T4SSs are utilized to mediate horizontal gene transfer, an event that greatly facilitates the adaptation to environmental changes and is the basis for the spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria. Here we review the recent advances in the characterization of the architecture and mechanism of substrate transfer in a few representative T4SSs with a particular focus on their diversity of structure and function. [source] Influence of a Joining Helix on the BLUF Domain of the YcgF Photoreceptor from Escherichia coliCHEMBIOCHEM, Issue 15 2008Claudia Schroeder Abstract BLUF-domain-comprising photoreceptors sense blue light by utilizing FAD as a chromophore. The ycgF gene product of Escherichia coli is composed of a N-terminal BLUF domain and a C-terminal EAL domain, with the latter postulated to catalyze c-di-GMP hydrolysis. The linkage between these two domains involves a predominantly helical segment. Its role on the function of the YcgF photoreceptor domain was examined by characterizing BLUF domains with and without this segment and reconstituting them with either FAD, FMN or riboflavin. The stability of the light-adapted state of the YcgF BLUF domain depends on the presence of this joining, helical segment and the adenosine diphosphate moiety of FAD. In contrast to other BLUF domains, two-dimensional 1H,15N and one-dimensional 1H NMR spectra of isotope-labeled YcgF-(1,137) revealed large conformational changes during reversion from the light- to the dark-adapted state. Based on these results the function of the joining helix in YcgF during signal transfer and the role of the BLUF domain in regulating c-di-GMP levels is discussed. 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