希土离子Eu3+、Tb3+对钙调素二级结构的影响

０引言作为一类非生物必需元素,希土元素对生物体的作用机制及其对人体的长期毒性问题正日益受到人们的关注。为深入探讨这一问题,我们选择钙调素（Ｃａｌｍｏｄｕｌｉｎ,简称ＣａＭ）为研究对象。钙调素亦称钙调蛋白,是广泛存在于真核细胞中的重要钙结合蛋白。它不仅...     

光谱法研究钙调素与蜂毒肽片断及其类似物的相互作用

设计合成了蜂毒肽片断及其类似物:Mel15,Mel15(8F)和Mel15(7P),这些多肽与钙调素有很强的结合力,而且链段很短,因此它们可作为钙调素可结合蛋白质的结合部位的模型.本文采用光谱法研究了它们与钙调素的相互作用.荧光发射光谱法结果表明,多肽Mel15在与钙调素相互作用时,肽链中的Trp基团的微环境变得更加疏水,说明Mel15中的Trp残基可能与钙调素的疏水性表面靠近.紫外差谱测试表明,只有当钙调素分子结合2个Ca~(2+)后,才可以与多肽Mel15(8F)结合.圆二色谱法研究表明,多肽与钙调素结合后多肽分子和钙调素分子的α-螺旋结构的含量都被诱导而增加,结合力越大,则越多的残基被诱导形成α-螺旋结构.     

基体辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱法测定钙调素的分子量

近几年来，由于各种“软”电离技术的发展和应用「‘，’‘，为利用质谱分析生物大分子提供了一条十分有效的途径［‘j，其中基体辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱法（MALDI－TOF－MS）是最有前途的技术之一D‘．钙调素（CaM）是动植物中普遍存在的多功能的胞内钙受体蛋白，参与调控许多生理反应［”．最近几年也在细胞外区域发现了钙调素及其功能［”．钙调素分子量的准确、快速测定是钙调素性质、结构和功能研究的首要问题．目前CaM分子量的测定大多采用SDS－PAGE、凝胶过滤和沉淀平衡等方法，例如对牛脑CaM分子量的SDS－PAGE测…     

钙调素离子选择性的理论研究

通过分子动力学模拟计算研究了Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+与钙调素形成复合物的结构和能量特征. 计算得到了结合不同离子后的钙调素结构差异, 阐明了钙调素对这几种离子具有不同结合性质的结构和动力学原因. 其中, Ca2+与钙调素EF-hand基序中侧链残基上的氧原子形成配位键, 从而使其复合物的结构有较大的改变, 而和Ca2+同一主族, 性质相似的Mg2+及不同主族的Na+和K+, 它们与钙调素的结合能力比Ca2+与钙调素的弱许多, 对钙调素结构的影响也较小, 由此推测钙调素与Ca2+的结合机制和钙调素对Ca2+具有选择性的原因是由离子与钙调素中EF-hand基序的结合强度和构型共同决定的.     

多肽对钙调素亲和力的预测

根据前文提出的钙调素可结合多肽的钙调素结合部位的模型,并综合钙调素可结合多肽的报道,提出一种简单方法来预测多肽的钙调素结合部位和其复合物的解离常数,研究了多肽的疏水性、形成α螺旋结构的倾向、碱性等因素对解离常数的影响.为了进一步检验模型和预测方法,设计合成了模型肽,合成的模型肽与钙调素的复合物的解离常数的实测值与预测值相符.     

La3+诱导钙调蛋白与鼠脑组织钙调蛋白亲合蛋白的结合

应用固定化钙调蛋白(CaM)亲合色谱法、变性丙烯酰胺电泳(SDS-PAGE)和基质辅助激光解析电离飞行时间质谱(MALDI-TOF-MS)等方法研究了La3+诱导CaM在大鼠脑匀浆液中的钙调蛋白亲合蛋白(CaMBP)谱以及CaM-CaMBP在模拟细胞环境下结合作用的La3+浓度依赖关系, 并与Ca2+的作用进行了比较. 实验结果表明, (1) La3+参与的CaMBP物种与Ca2+的基本相同. 鉴定了其中含量高且稳定出现的5种CaMBP分别是参与糖酵解反应的6-磷酸果糖激酶和3-磷酸甘油醛脱氢酶、细胞骨架类的微管蛋白和肌动蛋白以及应激反应相关的71000热休克同源蛋白, 表明稀土离子可能参与多种细胞过程; (2) La3+诱导CaM与5种CaMBP结合的浓度依赖曲线因CaMBP物种的不同而存在差别. 热休克同源蛋白、肌动蛋白或微管蛋白对La3+相对敏感, La3+在金属-CaM-CaMBP三元体系中与CaM的结合常数K与Ca2+的相近或稍高; 而6-磷酸果糖激酶和3-磷酸甘油醛脱氢酶体系对La3+的敏感性明显低于Ca2+. 其原因可能在于模拟细胞环境的复杂性以及CaM-CaMBP蛋白质相互作用对金属离子与CaM配位结合的调节.     

离子电极电位滴定法研究钙与钙调素结合平衡及其应用

利用钙离子与钙调素(CaM)有4个结合位点的特点,以钙离子选择电极络合电位滴定法测定了Ca2+与CaM络合反应的滴定终点,用滴定终点时Ca2+的准确浓度,结合cCa2＋＝4cCaM计算得到CaM浓度。此方法一般可估算低至5×10-6mol／L的钙调素浓度。所求钙调素浓度与凯氏定氮法测定的结果一致。采用此方法测量钙调素浓度具有用量少、方法简便、准确性高的优点。     

光谱法研究钙调素与蜂毒肽片断及其类似物的相互作用

设计合成了蜂毒肽片断及其类似物: Mel15, Mel15(8F)和Mel15(7P), 这些多肽与钙调素有很强的结合力, 而且链段很短, 因此它们可作为钙调素可结合蛋白质的结合部位的模型。本文采用光谱法研究了它们与钙调素的相互作用。荧光发射光谱法结果表明, 多肽Mel15在与钙调素相互作用时, 肽链中的Trp基团的微环境变得更加疏水, 说明Mel15中的Trp残基可能与钙调素的疏水性表面靠近。紫外差谱测试表明, 只有当钙调素分子结合2个Ca^2^+后, 才可以与多肽Mel15(8F)结合。圆二色谱法研究表明, 多肽与钙调素结合后多肽分子和钙调素分子的α-螺旋结构的含量都被诱导而增加, 结合力越大, 则越多的残基被诱导形成α-螺旋结构。     

稀土离子诱导钙调蛋白构象变化后的单克隆抗体制备

采用单克隆抗体技术研究了三价稀土离子与钙调蛋白作用后对其与靶分子识别能力的影响。牛脑钙调蛋白经2.4-二硝基氟苯修饰后再结合三价的铕离子,然后免疫Balb/c小鼠,经过3次免疫后在小鼠血清中检测到相应的抗体,抗体效价为1:12000;用杂交瘤细胞技术制备出一株抗钙调蛋白的单克隆抗体细胞株2C3;酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)测定结果证实钙调蛋白结合稀土离子前后对该抗体的识别能力存在显着差异,表明该抗体可以用于进一步研究金属离子对钙调蛋白构象变化及其对靶分子识别的影响。     

基于胶体金检测核酸适配子与蛋白相互作用的新方法

基于核酸适配子对靶蛋白的高特异性及胶体金比色法的高度灵敏性,建立了一种分析核酸适配子与靶蛋白亲和力以及简便快速检测蛋白质的新方法.核酸适配子保护的胶体金在高盐条件下可保持稳定,靶蛋白与胶体金竞争结合适配子,使胶体金发生聚沉,呈现颜色变化,可通过检测A520值分析适配子与靶蛋白的亲和力以及蛋白浓度.通过对适配子浓度、靶蛋白浓度、共孵育时间、竞争反应时间和氯化钠浓度等关键因素进行优化,确定了最佳检测条件.     

Multivalent-Interaction-Driven Assembly of Discrete,Flexible, and Asymmetric Supramolecular Protein Nano-Prisms

Current approaches to design monodisperse protein assemblies require rigid, tight, and symmetric interactions between oligomeric protein units. Herein, we introduce a new multivalent-interaction-driven assembly strategy that allows flexible, spaced, and asymmetric assembly between protein oligomers. We discovered that two polygonal protein oligomers (ranging from triangle to hexagon) dominantly form a discrete and stable two-layered protein prism nanostructure via multivalent interactions between fused binding pairs. We demonstrated that protein nano-prisms with long flexible peptide linkers (over 80 amino acids) between protein oligomer layers could be discretely formed. Oligomers with different structures could also be monodispersely assembled into two-layered but asymmetric protein nano-prisms. Furthermore, producing higher-order architectures with multiple oligomer layers, for example, 3-layered nano-prisms or nanotubes, was also feasible.     

Detection of discriminative sequence motifs in proteins obtained from prokaryotes grown at various temperatures

Recent investigations on the stability of proteins have demonstrated various structural factors, but few have considered sequence factors such as protein motifs. These motifs represent highly conserved regions and describe critical regions that may only exist on proteins that remain functional at high temperatures. This investigation presents a method for identifying and comparing corresponding mesophilic and thermophilic sequence motifs between protein families. Discriminative motifs that are conserved only in the mesophilic or thermophilic subfamily are identified. Analysis of the results shows that, although the subfamilies of most protein families share similar motifs, some discriminative motifs are present in particular thermophilic/mesophilic subfamilies. The thermophilic discriminative motifs are conserved only in thermophilic organisms, revealing that physiochemical principles support thermostability.     

An Off‐Pathway Folding Intermediate of an Acyl Carrier Protein Domain Coexists with the Folded and Unfolded States under Native Conditions

A protein can exist in multiple states under native conditions and those states with low populations are often critical to biological function and self‐assembly. To investigate the role of the minor states of an acyl carrier protein, NMR techniques were applied to determine the number of minor states and characterize their structures and kinetics. The acyl carrier protein from Micromonospora echinospora was found to exist in one major folded state (95.2 %), one unfolded state (4.1 %), and one intermediate state (0.7 %) under native conditions. The three states are in dynamic equilibrium and the intermediate state very likely adopts a native‐like structure and is an off‐pathway folding product. The intermediate state may mediate the formation of oligomers in vitro and play an important role in the recognition of partner enzymes in vivo.     

Chitin-binding antifungal protein from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ficus carica</Emphasis> latex

A low-molecular-weight protein with antifungal activity was isolated from freshly collected latex of the Inzhir tree (Ficus carica L.) by successive affinity chromatography over chitin, cation-exchange chromatography over SP-Sephadex C-50, and reversed-phase HPLC. The molecular weight of 6481 and the partial N-terminus sequence of the protein were determined (MALDI-TOFMS). __________ Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 171–173, March–April, 2008.     

Substitution of an Internal Disulfide Bridge with a Diselenide Enhances both Foldability and Stability of Human Insulin

Insulin analogues, mainstays in the modern treatment of diabetes mellitus, exemplify the utility of protein engineering in molecular pharmacology. Whereas chemical syntheses of the individual A and B chains were accomplished in the early 1960s, their combination to form native insulin remains inefficient because of competing disulfide pairing and aggregation. To overcome these limitations, we envisioned an alternative approach: pairwise substitution of cysteine residues with selenocysteine (Sec, U). To this end, Cys^A6 and Cys^A11 (which form the internal intrachain A6–A11 disulfide bridge) were each replaced with Sec. The A chain[C6U, C11U] variant was prepared by solid-phase peptide synthesis; while sulfitolysis of biosynthetic human insulin provided wild-type B chain-di-S-sulfonate. The presence of selenium atoms at these sites markedly enhanced the rate and fidelity of chain combination, thus solving a long-standing challenge in chemical insulin synthesis. The affinity of the Se-insulin analogue for the lectin-purified insulin receptor was indistinguishable from that of WT-insulin. Remarkably, the thermodynamic stability of the analogue at 25 °C, as inferred from guanidine denaturation studies, was augmented (ΔΔG_u ≈0.8 kcal mol⁻¹). In accordance with such enhanced stability, reductive unfolding of the Se-insulin analogue and resistance to enzymatic cleavage by Glu-C protease occurred four times more slowly than that of WT-insulin. 2D-NMR and X-ray crystallographic studies demonstrated a native-like three-dimensional structure in which the diselenide bridge was accommodated in the hydrophobic core without steric clash.     

Cellular Synthesis and X‐ray Crystal Structure of a Designed Protein Heterocatenane

Herein, we report the biosynthesis of protein heterocatenanes using a programmed sequence of multiple post‐translational processing events including intramolecular chain entanglement, in situ backbone cleavage, and spontaneous cyclization. The approach is general, autonomous, and can obviate the need for any additional enzymes. The catenane topology was convincingly proven using a combination of SDS‐PAGE, LC‐MS, size exclusion chromatography, controlled proteolytic digestion, and protein crystallography. The X‐ray crystal structure clearly shows two mechanically interlocked protein rings with intact folded domains. It opens new avenues in the nascent field of protein‐topology engineering.     

Screening the molecular surface of human anticoagulant protein C: A search for interaction sites

Protein C (PC), a 62 kDa multi-modular zymogen, is activated to an anticoagulant serine protease (activated PC or APC) by thrombin bound to thrombomodulin on the surface of endothelial cells. PC/APC interacts with many proteins and the characterisation of these interactions is not trivial. However, molecular modelling methods help to study these complex biological processes and provide basis for rational experimental design and interpretation of the results. PC/APC consists of a Gla domain followed by two EGF modules and a serine protease domain. In this report, we present two structural models for full-length APC and two equivalent models for full-length PC, based on the X-ray structures of Gla-domainless APC and of known serine protease zymogens. The overall elongated shape of the models is further cross-validated using size exclusion chromatography which allows evaluation of the Stokes radius (r_s for PC = 33.15 Å r_s for APC = 34.19 Å), frictional ratio and axial ratio. We then propose potential binding sites at the surface of PC/APC using surface hydrophobicity as a determinant of the preferred sites of intermolecular recognition. Most of the predicted binding sites are consistent with previously reported experimental data, while some clusters highlight new regions that should be involved in protein-protein interactions.     

SpyTag/SpyCatcher Cyclization Confers Resilience to Boiling on a Mesophilic Enzyme

SpyTag is a peptide that spontaneously forms an amide bond with its protein partner SpyCatcher. SpyTag was fused at the N terminus of β‐lactamase and SpyCatcher at the C terminus so that the partners could react to lock together the termini of the enzyme. The wild‐type enzyme aggregates above 37 °C, with irreversible loss of activity. Cyclized β‐lactamase was soluble even after heating at 100 °C; after cooling, the catalytic activity was restored. SpyTag/SpyCatcher cyclization led to a much larger increase in stability than that achieved through point mutation or alternative approaches to cyclization. Cyclized dihydrofolate reductase was similarly resilient. Analyzing unfolding through calorimetry indicated that cyclization did not increase the unfolding temperature but rather facilitated refolding after thermal stress. SpyTag/SpyCatcher sandwiching represents a simple and efficient route to enzyme cyclization, with potential to greatly enhance the robustness of biocatalysts.