An off-lattice frustrated model protein with a six-stranded β-barrel structure

We apply a global optimization method, which is conformational space annealing (CSA) to a challenging problem of the 69-residue protein with the sequence B(9)N(3)(LB)(4)N(3)B(9)N(3)(LB)(4)N(3)B(9)N(3)(LB)(5)L, where B, L, and N designate hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and neutral residues, respectively. The 69-residue BLN protein folds into a six-stranded β-barrel structure. The CSA method always maintains the diversity of sampling and is able to cross the high energy barriers between local minima. The CSA successfully located the global minimum of the 69-residue BLN protein for all 100 independent runs. For a single run, it takes about 3 h and 30 min on average to obtain the global minimum on a Linux PC. Also, we investigate the properties of the 69-residue BLN protein, and the general behavior of the M-residue BLN protein for CSA runs.     

“Topohydrophobic positions” as key markers of globular protein folds

The positions of a given fold always occupied by strong hydrophobic amino acids (V, I, L, F, M, Y, W), which we call “topohydrophobic positions”, were detected and their properties demonstrated within 153 non-redundant families of homologous domains, through 3D structural alignments. Sets of divergent sequences possessing at least four to five members appear to be as informative as larger sets, provided that their mean pairwise sequence identity is low. Amino acids in topohydrophobic positions exhibit several interesting features: they are much more buried than their equivalents in non-topohydrophobic positions, their side chains are far less dispersed; and they often constitute a lattice of close contacts in the inner core of globular domains. In most cases, each regular secondary structure possesses one to three topohydrophobic positions, which cluster in the domain core. Moreover, using sensitive alignment processes such as hydrophobic cluster analysis (HCA), it is possible to identify topohydrophobic positions from only a small set of divergent sequences. Amino acids in topohydrophobic positions, which can be identified directly from sequences, constitute key markers of protein folds, define long-range structural constraints, which, together with secondary structure predictions, limit the number of possible conformations for a given fold. Received: 24 April 1998 / Accepted: 4 August 1998 / Published online: 16 November 1998     

Reactions of 1,2,4-triazole derivatives with a “model” thiirane

Reactions of 3-mono- and 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazoles with a “model” thiirane, 8-bromo-1,3-dimethyl-7-(thiiran-2-ylmethyl)-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-diones proceed at the positions N¹ and N² of the triazole ring and yield 7-(5-R-3-R′-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl- and/or 7-(5-R′-3-R-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl-1,3-dimethyl-6,7-dihydro[1,3]thiazolo[2,3-f]-purine-2,4-(1H,3H)-diones. 3-Methylsulfonyl-1,2,4-triazole reacted regiospecifically at the position N¹ forming 1,3-dimethyl-7-[(3-methyl-sulfonyl-1,2,4-triazole-1-yl)-methyl]-6,7-dihydro[1,3]thiazolo-[2,3-f]purine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione.     

The protein folding transition-state ensemble from a Gō-like model

Characterizing the structure of transition states (TS) is a first step towards understanding two-state protein folding mechanisms. However, a direct experimental characterization of these states is challenging and indirect information derived from protein engineering methodologies (?-value analysis) is often difficult to interpret. We present here a theoretical study on the nature of the transition state ensemble for three representative proteins covering the major structural classes using a mean-field C(α)-based Gō-model. We identify that transition state ensembles are dominated by local contacts, indicating that most non-local contacts form only upon crossing the macroscopic folding free energy barrier. We demonstrate that the mean ?-value corresponds to the fraction of stabilization energy gained at the barrier-top in two-state-like systems, and that it depends monotonically on the stability conditions. Furthermore, we show that there is a fundamental connection between small destabilization and large ?-values that in turn depends on the location of the mutated residue in the structure. These results that are in agreement with the recent empirical findings highlight the importance of local energetics in determining folding mechanisms.     

A rhodium complex-linked β-barrel protein as a hybrid biocatalyst for phenylacetylene polymerization

Our group recently prepared a hybrid catalyst containing a rhodium complex, Rh(Cp)(cod), with a maleimide moiety at the peripheral position of the Cp ligand. This compound was then inserted into a β-barrel protein scaffold of a mutant of aponitrobindin (Q96C) via a covalent linkage. The hybrid protein is found to act as a polymerization catalyst and preferentially yields trans-poly(phenylacetylene) (PPA), although the rhodium complex without the protein scaffold normally produces cis PPA.     

Preparation of a butyl–silica hybrid monolithic column with a “one-pot” process for bioseparation by capillary liquid chromatography

A butyl–silica hybrid monolithic column for bioseparation by capillary liquid chromatography (cLC) was prepared with butyl methacrylate and alkoxysilanes through a “one-pot” process. The effects of polycondensation temperature, volume percentage of N,N′-dimethylformamide, and content of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and butyl methacrylate on the morphologies of the hybrid monolithic columns prepared were investigated in detail. Baseline separations of proteins and small peptides on the hybrid monolithic column were achieved by cLC with gradient elution. In addition, the resulting hybrid column was also applied for analysis of tryptic digests of bovine serum albumin by cLC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The results demonstrate its potential application in separation of complex biological samples.     

Description of the system HCl/H2O with a ‘local composition’ equation for the activity coefficient and a suitable dissociation model

The establishment of a dissociation model makes the application of a ‘local composition’ equation to electrolyte solutions possible. The model states, that only water is in the immediate neighbourhood of ions. This is considered by establishing an equilibrium reaction for the formation of complexes, which consist of water and ions. Only similar species are in the solution if the ion and its ‘water cloud’ are conceived as one component in the mixture.     

GalaxyDock BP2 score: a hybrid scoring function for accurate protein–ligand docking

Protein–ligand docking is a useful tool for providing atomic-level understanding of protein functions in nature and design principles for artificial ligands or proteins with desired properties. The ability to identify the true binding pose of a ligand to a target protein among numerous possible candidate poses is an essential requirement for successful protein–ligand docking. Many previously developed docking scoring functions were trained to reproduce experimental binding affinities and were also used for scoring binding poses. However, in this study, we developed a new docking scoring function, called GalaxyDock BP2 Score, by directly training the scoring power of binding poses. This function is a hybrid of physics-based, empirical, and knowledge-based score terms that are balanced to strengthen the advantages of each component. The performance of the new scoring function exhibits significant improvement over existing scoring functions in decoy pose discrimination tests. In addition, when the score is used with the GalaxyDock2 protein–ligand docking program, it outperformed other state-of-the-art docking programs in docking tests on the Astex diverse set, the Cross2009 benchmark set, and the Astex non-native set. GalaxyDock BP2 Score and GalaxyDock2 with this score are freely available at http://galaxy.seoklab.org/softwares/galaxydock.html.     

Hydrolytic cleavage of a DNA-model phosphodiester: a new inorganic–organic hybrid constructed from a Zn-cluster with a polyoxometalate

An inorganic–organic hybrid constructed from a Zn-cluster with a polyoxometalate {[Zn₃Na₂(μ-OH)₂(bpdo)₆(H₂O)₁₆][PW₁₂O₄₀]₂}·(bpdo)₃·C₂H₅OH·2H₂O (bpdo?=?4,4′-bis(pyridine-N-oxide)) (1) has been synthesized by hydrothermal reaction and characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The structural analysis indicates that 1 is an S-like complex constructed by [Zn₃Na₂(μ-OH)₂(bpdo)₆(H₂O)₁₆]^6? with two PW₁₂O₄₀ ^3? with water occupying several coordination sites and have the potential to act as labile ligands, allowing for substrate and nucleophile binding. Kinetic experiments for hydrolytic cleavage of the DNA-model phosphodiester bis(p-nitropheny1)phosphate (BNPP) were followed spectrophotometrically for absorbance increase at 400?nm in 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-1–propane sulfonic acid (EPPS) buffer solution due to the formation of p-nitrophenoxide with 1 at pH 4.0 and 50?°C. UV spectroscopy indicates cleavage of the phosphodiester bond proceeds with pseudo-first-order rate constant 6.7(±0.2)?×?10^?7?s^?1, giving an inorganic phosphate and p-nitrophenol as the final products of hydrolysis. The results demonstrate that 1 exhibits good catalytic activity and reusability for hydrolytic cleavage of BNPP.     

A helix-forming αβγ-chimeric peptide with catalytic activity: a hybrid peptide ligase

We describe the catalytic activity of the first chimeric ligase containing a foldameric sequence of β- and γ-amino acids. The chimeric backbone provides for the spatial arrangement of all functional groups involved in the formation of the catalytic site to allow efficient catalysis to take place. Our finding indicates significant progress in the field of functionally active artificial motifs.     

Cobalt cystathionine β-synthase: a cobalt-substituted heme protein with a unique thiolate ligation motif

Human cystathionine β-synthase (hCBS), a key enzyme in the trans-sulfuration pathway, catalyzes the condensation of serine with homocysteine to produce cystathionine. CBS from higher organisms is the only known protein that binds pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) and heme. Intriguingly, the function of the heme in hCBS has yet to be elucidated. Herein, we describe the characterization of a cobalt-substituted variant of hCBS (Co hCBS) in which CoPPIX replaces FePPIX (heme). Co(III) hCBS is a unique Co-substituted heme protein: the Co(III) ion is 6-coordinate, low-spin, diamagnetic, and bears a cysteine(thiolate) as one of its axial ligands. The peak positions and intensities of the electronic absorption and MCD spectra of Co(III) hCBS are distinct from those of previously Co-substituted heme proteins; TD-DFT calculations reveal that the unique features arise from the 6-coordinate Co bound axially by cysteine(thiolate) and a neutral donor, presumably histidine. Reactivity of Co(III) hCBS with HgCl(2) is consistent with a loss of the cysteine(thiolate) ligand. Co(III) hCBS is slowly reduced to Co(II) hCBS, which contains a 5-coordinate, low-spin, S = 1/2 Co-porphyrin that does not retain the cysteine(thiolate) ligand; this form of Co(II) hCBS binds NO((g)) but not CO((g)). Co(II) hCBS is reoxidized in the air to form a new Co(III) form, which does not contain a cysteine(thiolate) ligand. Canonical and alternative CBS assays suggest that maintaining the native heme ligation motif of wild-type Fe hCBS (Cys/His) is essential in maintaining maximal activity in Co hCBS. Correlation between the coordination structures and enzyme activity in both native Fe and Co-substituted proteins implicates a structural role for the heme in CBS.     

Intracellular protein labeling with prodrug-like probes using a mutant β-lactamase tag

Intracellular protein labeling with small molecular probes that do not require a washing step for the removal of excess probe is greatly desired for real-time investigation of protein dynamics in living cells. Successful labeling of proteins on the cell membrane has been performed using mutant β-lactamase tag (BL-tag) technology. In the present study, intracellular protein labeling with novel cell membrane permeable probes based on β-lactam prodrugs is described. The prodrug-based probes quickly permeated the plasma membranes of living mammalian cells, and efficiently labeled intracellular proteins at low probe concentrations. Because these cell-permeable probes were activated only inside cells, simultaneous discriminative labeling of intracellular and cell surface BL-tag fusion proteins was attained by using cell-permeable and impermeable probes. Thus, this technology enables adequate discrimination of the location of proteins labeled with the same protein tag, in conjunction with different color probes, by dual-color fluorescence. Moreover, the combination of BL-tag technology and the prodrug-based probes enabled the labeling of target proteins without requiring a washing step, owing to the efficient entry of probes into cells and the fast covalent labeling achieved with BL-tag technology after bioactivation. This prodrug-based probe design strategy for BL-tags provides a simple experimental procedure with application to cellular studies with the additional advantage of reduced stress to living cells.     

On the hydrodynamics of a superfluid with a three-particle “condensate”

Abstract

Since 1974 there have been serious experimental and also theoretical pointers to the possibility that no Bose condensation occurs in superfluid He⁴. Evans presented a theoretical argument against a condesate, suggesting a “pairing” model of superfluid helium. As yet, experiment connot decide if the concept of a one-particle condensate can be replaced by the idea of a two-particle condensate. March and Galasiewicz have argued that, if there is no one-particle condensate in He⁴, a ground state wave function cannot be built from a product of pairs but must fundamentally include three-particle correlations at least. So the idea of a three (not two) particle condensate seems worth some attention. It is demonstrated here that assuming a three-particle condensate we can regain from microscopic theory the Landau hydrodynamic equation for the superfluid velocity.     

Threshold dynamics of a stochastic Keizer’s model with stochastic incidence

In this paper, we incorporate stochastic incidence of a chemical reaction into the standard Keizer’s open chemical reaction. We prove that a positive stationary distribution (PSD) for the associated chemical master equation exists and is globally asymptotically stable. We present threshold dynamics of the stochastic Keizer’s model in term of the profile of the PSD for both finite and infinite volume size V. This establishes a sharp link between deterministic Keizer’s model and the stochastic model. In this way, we resolve Keizer’s paradox from a new perspective. This simple model reveals that such stochastic incidence incorporated, though negligible when V goes to infinity, may play an indispensable role in the stochastic formulation for irreversible biochemical reactions.     

Forces mediating protein–protein interactions: a computational study of p53 “approaching” MDM2

The protein MDM2 forms a complex with the tumor suppressing protein p53 and targets it for proteolysis in order to down-regulate p53 in normal cells. Inhibition of this interaction is of therapeutic importance. Molecular dynamics simulations of the association between p53 and MDM2 have revealed mutual modulation of the two surfaces. Analysis of the simulations of the two species approaching each other in solution shows how long range electrostatics steers these two proteins together. The net electrostatics is controlled largely by a few cationic residues that surround the MDM2 binding site. There is an overall separation in electrostatics of MDM2 and p53 that are mutually complementary and drive association. Upon close approach, there is significant energetic strain as the charges are occluded from water (desolvated). However, the complexation is driven by packing interactions that lead to highly favorable van der Waals interactions. Although the complementarity of the electrostatics of the two surfaces is essential for the two partners to form a complex, steric collisions of Y100 and short ranged van der Waals interactions of F19, W23, L26 of p53 determine the final steps of native complex formation. The electrostatics seem to be evolutionarily conserved, including variations in both partners.     

How many dimensions are required to approximate the potential energy landscape of a model protein?

A scheme to approximate the multidimensional potential energy landscape in terms of a minimal number of degrees of freedom is proposed using a linear transformation of the original atomic Cartesian coordinates. For one particular off-lattice model protein the inherent frustration can only be reproduced satisfactorily when a relatively large number of coordinates are employed. However, when this frustration is removed in a Go-type model, the number of coordinates required is significantly lower, especially around the global potential energy minimum. To aid our interpretation of the results we consider modified disconnectivity graphs where a measure of the structural diversity and a metric relation between the stationary points are incorporated.     

Unravelling the interaction between α-cyclodextrin with the thaumatin protein and a peptide mimic

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are responsible for signal transduction; through these transmembrane proteins, our senses are evoked: sight, smell and taste. Thaumatin is a natural sweet-tasting protein that is 100,000 times sweeter than sucrose but its use in food products has been hampered due to a liquorice aftertaste. Thaumatin has been shown to bind to a class C GPCR and the active binding site of the thaumatin protein is known. Here, we report on the binding of a well-known food grade host: α-cyclodextrin to thaumatin. We show through a combination of one- and two-dimensional NMR experiments that α-cyclodextrin binds to aromatic residues on thaumatin with K_a = 8.5 ± 2.4 M ^? 1. We also synthesise a heptapeptide KTGDRGF that mimics the active binding site of thaumatin and show that α-cyclodextrin binds to the C-terminal solvent accessible phenylalanine residue of this peptide with K_a = 8.8 ± 3.1 M ^? 1. This indicates that α-cyclodextrin may interact with the active binding site on thaumatin, suggesting that α-cyclodextrin could be used to modify the interaction of thaumatin with GPCRs and hence its sweet-taste profile.     

Influence of the chain stiffness on the thermodynamics of a Gō-type model for protein folding

The relative importance of local and long range interactions in the characteristics of the protein folding process has long been a matter of controversy. Computer simulations based on Gō-type models have been widely used to study this topic, but without much agreement on which type of interactions is more relevant for the foldability of a protein. In this work, the authors also employ a topology-based potential and simulation model to analyze the influence of local and long range interactions on the thermodynamics of the folding transition. The former are mainly used to control the degree of flexibility (or stiffness) of the chain, mostly appreciable in the unfolded (noncompact) state. Our results show the different effects that local and nonlocal interactions have on the entropy and the energy of the system. This implies that a balance between both types of interactions is required, so that a free energy barrier exists between the native and the denatured states. The variations in the contribution of both types of interactions have also a direct effect on the stability of the chain conformations, including the possible appearance of thermodynamic folding intermediates.     

Unlocking a (Pseudo)-Mechanically Interlocked Molecule with a Coronene “Shoehorn”

Mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) have gained increasing interest during the last decades, not only because of their aesthetic appeal, but also because their unique properties have allowed them to find applications in nanotechnology, catalysis, chemosensing and biomedicine. Herein we describe how a pyrene molecule with four octynyl substituents can be easily encapsulated within the cavity of a tetragold(I) rectangle-like metallobox, by template formation of the metallo-assembly in the presence of the guest. The resulting assembly behaves as a mechanically interlocked molecule (MIM), in which the four long limbs of the guest protrude from the entrances of the metallobox, thus locking the guest inside the cavity of the metallobox. The new assembly resembles a metallo-suit[4]ane, given the number of protruding long limbs and the presence of the metal atoms in the host molecule. However, unlike normal MIMs, this molecule can release the tetra-substituted pyrene guest by the addition of coronene, which can smoothly replace the guest in the cavity of the metallobox. Combined experimental and computational studies allowed the role of the coronene molecule in facilitating the release of the tetrasubstituted pyrene guest to be explained, through a process that we named “shoehorning”, as the coronene compresses the flexible limbs of the guest so that it can reduce its size to slide in and out the metallobox.