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Molten Globule (molten + globule)
Terms modified by Molten Globule Selected AbstractsStepwise proteolytic removal of the , subdomain in ,-lactalbuminFEBS JOURNAL, Issue 15 2001The protein remains folded, can form the molten globule in acid solution Bovine ,-lactalbumin (,-LA) is an ,/, protein which adopts partly folded states when dissolved at low pH (A-state), by removal of the protein-bound calcium at neutral pH and low salt concentration (apo-state), as well as in aqueous trifluoroethanol. Previous spectroscopic studies have indicated that the A-state of ,-LA at pH 2.0, considered a prototype molten globule, has a native-like fold in which the helical core is mostly retained, while the , subdomain is less structured. Here, we investigate the conformational features of three derivatives of ,-LA characterized by a single peptide bond fission or a deletion of 12 or 19/22 amino-acid residues of the , subdomain of the native protein (approximately from residue 34 to 57). These ,-LA derivatives were obtained by limited proteolysis of the protein in its partly folded state(s). A nicked ,-LA species consisting of fragments 1-,3,40 and 41,123 (nicked-LA) was prepared by thermolytic digestion of the 123-residue chain of ,-LA in 50% (v/v) aqueous trifluoroethanol. Two truncated or gapped protein species given by fragments 1,40 and 53,123 (des,1-LA) or fragments 1,34 and 54-,57,123 (des,2-LA) were obtained by digestion of ,-LA with pepsin in acid or with proteinase K at neutral pH in its apo-state, respectively. The two protein fragments of nicked or gapped ,-LA are covalently linked by the four disulfide bridges of the native protein. CD measurements revealed that, in aqueous solution at neutral pH and in the presence of calcium, the three protein species maintain the helical secondary structure of intact ,-LA, while the tertiary structure is strongly affected by the proteolytic cleavages of the chain. Temperature effects of CD signals in the far- and near-UV region reveal a much more labile tertiary structure in the ,-LA derivatives, while the secondary structure is mostly retained even upon heating. In acid solution at pH 2.0, the three ,-LA variants adopt a conformational state essentially identical to the molten globule displayed by intact ,-LA, as demonstrated by CD measurements. Moreover, they bind strongly the fluorescent dye 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate, which is considered a diagnostic feature of the molten globule of proteins. Therefore, the , subdomain can be removed from the ,-LA molecule without impairing the capability of the rest of the chain to adopt a molten globule state. The results of this protein dissection study provide direct experimental evidence that in the ,-LA molten globule only the , domain is structured. [source] Nutritional and Physiologic Significance of ,-Lactalbumin in InfantsNUTRITION REVIEWS, Issue 9 2003Bo Lönnerdal PhD ,-Lactalbumin is the major protein in breast milk (20 -25% of total protein) and has been described to have several physiologic functions in the neonatal period. In the mammary gland, it participates in lactose synthesis, thereby creating an osmotic "drag" to facilitate milk production and secretion. ,-Lactalbumin binds divalent cations (Ca, Zn) and may facilitate the absorption of essential minerals, and it provides a well-balanced supply of essential amino acids to the growing infant. During its digestion, peptides appear to be transiently formed that have antibacterial and immunostimulatory properties, thereby possibly aiding in the protection against infection. A novel folding variant ("molten globule state") of multimeric ,-lactalbumin has recently been discovered that has anti-infective activity and enhances apoptosis, thus possibly affecting mucosal cell turnover and proliferation. Cow milk also contains ,-lactalbumin, albeit less than human milk (2-5% of total protein in bovine milk), and protein fractions enriched with ,-lactalbumin may now be added to infant formula to provide some of the benefits of human ,-lactalbumin. [source] Design of a minimal protein oligomerization domain by a structural approachPROTEIN SCIENCE, Issue 12 2000Peter Burkhard Abstract Because of the simplicity and regularity of the ,-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 ,-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. [source] The acid-induced folded state of Sac7d is the native statePROTEIN SCIENCE, Issue 10 2000Jennifer L. Bedell Abstract Sac7d unfolds at low pH in the absence of salt, with the greatest extent of unfolding obtained at pH 2. We have previously shown that the acid unfolded protein is induced to refold by decreasing the pH to 0 or by addition of salt (McCrary BS, Bedell J, Edmondson SP, Shriver JW, 1998, J Mol Biol 276:203,224). Both near-ultraviolet circular dichroism spectra and ANS fluorescence enhancements indicate that the acid- and salt-induced folded states have a native fold and are not molten globular. 1H, 15N heteronuclear single quantum coherence NMR spectra confirm that the native, acid-, and salt-induced folded states are essentially identical. The most significant differences in amide 1H and 15N chemical shifts are attributed to hydrogen bonding to titrating carboxyl side chains and through-bond inductive effects. The 1H NMR chemical shifts of protons affected by ring currents in the hydrophobic core of the acid- and salt-induced folded states are identical to those observed in the native. The radius of gyration of the acid-induced folded state at pH 0 is shown to be identical to that of the native state at pH 7 by small angle X-ray scattering. We conclude that acid-induced collapse of Sac7d does not lead to a molten globule but proceeds directly to the native state. The folding of Sac7d as a function of pH and anion concentration is summarized with a phase diagram that is similar to those observed for other proteins that undergo acid-induced folding except that the A-state is encompassed by the native state. These results demonstrate that formation of a molten globule is not a general property of proteins that are refolded by acid. [source] Low versus high molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol)-induced states of stem bromelain at low pH: Stabilization of molten globule and unfolded statesBIOPOLYMERS, Issue 5 2006Basir Ahmad Abstract The effect of low, medium, and high molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) (e.g., PEG-400, -6000, and -20,000) on the structure of the acid unfolded state of unmodified stem bromelain (SB) obtained at pH 2.0 has been studied by various spectroscopic methods. The conformation of stem bromelain at pH 2.0 exhibits substantial loss of secondary structure and almost complete loss of native tertiary contacts and has been termed the acid unfolded state (AU). Addition of PEG-400 to AU led to an increase in the mean residue ellipticity (MRE) value at 222 nm, indicating formation of ,-helical structure. On the other hand, PEG-6000 and 20,000 led to a decrease in the MRE value at 222 nm, indicating unfolding of the AU state. Interestingly, at 70% (w/v) PEG-400 and 40% (w/v) PEG-20,000, MRE values at 222 nm almost approach the native state at pH 7.0 and the unfolded state (6 M GnHCl) of stem bromelain, respectively. The probes for tertiary structure showed formation of nonnative tertiary contacts in the presence of 70% (w/v) PEG-400, while 40% (w/v) PEG-6000 and 20,000 were found to stabilize the unfolded state of SB. An increase in binding of 1-anilino 8-naphthalene sulfonic acid and a decrease in fractional accessibility of tryptophan residues (fa) compared to AU in the presence of 70% PEG-400 indicate that the PEG-400,induced state has a significant amount of exposed hydrophobic patches and is more compact than AU. The results imply that the PEG-400,induced state has characteristics of molten globule, and higher molecular weight PEGs led to the unfolding of the AU state. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 81: 350,359, 2006 This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The "Published Online" date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com [source] A Designed Well-Folded Monomeric Four-Helix Bundle Protein Prepared by Fmoc Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis and Native Chemical Ligation,CHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 5 2006Gunnar T. Dolphin Dr. Abstract The design and total chemical synthesis of a monomeric native-like four-helix bundle protein is presented. The designed protein, GTD-Lig, consists of 90 amino acids and is based on the dimeric structure of the de novo designed helix-loop-helix GTD-43. GTD-Lig was prepared by the native chemical ligation strategy and the fragments (45 residues long) were synthesized by applying standard fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc) chemistry. The required peptide,thioester fragment was prepared by anchoring the free ,-carboxy group of Fmoc-Glu-allyl to the solid phase. After chain elongation the allyl moiety was orthogonally removed and the resulting carboxy group was functionalized with a glycine,thioester followed by standard trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) cleavage to produce the unprotected peptide,thioester. The structure of the synthetic protein was examined by far- and near-UV circular dichroism (CD), sedimentation equilibrium ultracentrifugation, and NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy. The spectroscopic methods show a highly helical and native-like monomeric protein consistent with the design. Heat-induced unfolding was studied by tryptophan absorbance and far-UV CD. The thermal unfolding of GTD-Lig occurs in two steps; a cooperative transition from the native state to an intermediate state and thereafter by noncooperative melting to the unfolded state. The intermediate exhibits the properties of a molten globule such as a retained native secondary structure and a compact hydrophobic core. The thermodynamics of GuHCl-induced unfolding were evaluated by far-UV CD monitoring and the unfolding exhibited a cooperative transition that is well-fitted by a two-state mechanism from the native to the unfolded state. GTD-Lig clearly shows the characteristics of a native protein with a well-defined structure and typical unfolding transitions. The design and synthesis presented herein is of general applicability for the construction of large monomeric proteins. [source] Glycerol-induced folding of unstructured disulfide-deficient lysozyme into a native-like conformationBIOPOLYMERS, Issue 8 2009Keiko Sakamoto Abstract 2SS[6-127,64-80] variant of lysozyme which has two disulfide bridges, Cys6-Cys127 and Cys64-Cys80, and lacks the other two disulfide bridges, Cys30-Cys115 and Cys76-Cys94, was quite unstructured in water, but a part of the polypeptide chain was gradually frozen into a native-like conformation with increasing glycerol concentration. It was monitored from the protection factors of amide hydrogens against H/D exchange. In solution containing various concentrations of glycerol, H/D exchange reactions were carried out at pH* 3.0 and 4°C. Then, 1H- 15N-HSQC spectra of partially deuterated protein were measured in a quenching buffer for H/D exchange (95% DMSO/5% D2O mixture at pH* 5.5 adjusted with dichloroacetate). In a solution of 10% glycerol, the protection factors were nearly equal to 10 at most of residues. With increasing glycerol concentration, some selected regions were further protected, and their protection factors reached about a 1000 in 30% glycerol solution. The highly protected residues were included in A-, B-, and C-helices and ,3-strand, and especially centered on Ile 55 and Leu 56. In 2SS[6-127,64-80], long-range interactions were recovered due to the preferential hydration by glycerol in the hydrophobic box of the ,-domain. Glycerol-induced recovering of the native-like structure is discussed from the viewpoint of molten globules growing with the protein folding. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 91: 665,675, 2009. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The "Published Online" date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com [source] |