The temperature dependence of the activity and structure of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase was studied. The Arrhenius plot shows a jump which is seen usually in proteins with more than one subunit or with one subunit but more than one domain. Since carbonic anhydrase has only one subunit with one domain, the fine conformational changes of the protein motifs could only be detected through circular dichroism polarimetry. It seems that the jump in Arrhenius plot is a result of some slight structural changes in the secondary and tertiary structures of the enzyme.
Cytochrome c is an important electron transfer protein in the respiratory chain, shuttling electrons from cytochrome c reductase to cytochrome c oxidase. Extensive chemical modification studies indicate significant electrostatic interactions between these proteins and show that all structural and conformational changes of cytochrome c can influence the electron transport. In the present work we examine the effect of an anticancer ruthenium complex, trans-Indazolium (bisindazole) tetrachlororuthenate(III) (HInd[RuInd2Cl4]), on the conformation of cytochrome c, the state of the heme moiety, formation of the protein dimer and on the folding state of apocytochrome c. For this purpose, gel-filtration chromatography, absorption second derivative spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP(AES)) were used. The present data have revealed that binding of the potential anticancer drug HInd[RuInd2Cl4] complex to cytochrome c induces a conformation of the protein with less organized secondary and tertiary structure.
Proteins' thermal stabilization is a significant problem in various biomedical, biotechnological, and technological applications. We investigated thermal stability of hen egg white lysozyme in aqueous solutions of the following stabilizing osmolytes: Glycine (GLY), N-methylglycine (NMG), N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG), N,N,N-trimethylglycine (TMG), and trimethyl-N-oxide (TMAO). Results of CD-UV spectroscopic investigation were compared with FTIR hydration studies' results. Selected osmolytes increased lysozyme's thermal stability in the following order: Gly>NMG>TMAO≈DMG>TMG. Theoretical calculations (DFT) showed clearly that osmolytes' amino group protons and water molecules interacting with them played a distinctive role in protein thermal stabilization. The results brought us a step closer to the exact mechanism of protein stabilization by osmolytes.
The non-structural protein 3 (NS3) of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a bifunctional enzyme with RNA-dependent NTPase/RNA helicase and serine protease activities, and thus represents a promising target for anti-HCV therapy. These functions are performed by two distinct moieties; the N-terminal protease domain and the C-terminal helicase domain that further folds into three structural subdomains. To obtain lower molecular mass proteins suitable for nuclear magnetic resonance studies of helicase-inhibitor complexes, helicase domains 1, 2, and 1+2 devoid of a hydrophobic β-loop were overexpressed and purified. Circular dichroism studies were carried out to confirm the secondary structure content and to determine thermodynamic parameters describing the stability of the proteins. Both thermal and GuHCl-induced unfolding experiments confirmed the multidomain organization of the helicase. The unfolding transition observed for domain 1+2 was in agreement with the model of two well-resolved successive steps corresponding to the independent unfolding of domains 1 and 2, respectively. In the case of the full-length helicase, the presence of domain 3 remarkably changed the transition profile, leading to fast and irreversible transformation of partially unfolded protein.
Thiopental (TPL) is a commonly used barbiturate anesthetic. Its binding with human serum albumin (HSA) was studied to explore the anesthetic-induced protein dysfunction. The basic binding interaction was studied by UV-absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. An increase in the binding affinity (K) and in the number of binding sites (n) with the increasing albumin concentration was observed. The interaction was conformation-dependent and the highest for the F isomer of HSA, which implicates its slow elimination. The mode of binding was characterized using various thermodynamic parameters. Domain II of HSA was found to possess a high affinity binding site for TPL. The effect of micro-metal ions on the binding affinity was also investigated. The molecular distance, r, between donor (HSA) and acceptor (TPL) was estimated by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Correlation between the stability of the TPL-N and TPL-F complexes and drug distribution is discussed. The structural changes in the protein investigated by circular dichroism (CD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy reflect perturbation of the albumin molecule and provide an explanation for the heterogeneity of action of this anesthetic.
In solution most of the peptides assume multiple flexible conformations. Determination of the dominant conformers and evaluation of their populations is the aim of peptide conformation studies, in which theoretical and experimental methods play complementary roles. Molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo methods are quite effective in searching the conformational space accessible to a peptide but they are not able to estimate, precisely enough, the populations of various conformations. Therefore, they must be supplemented by experimental data. In this paper, a short review of the experimental methods, most widely used in peptide conformational studies, is presented. Among them NMR plays the leading role. Valuable information is also obtained from hydrogen exchange, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, and circular dichroism measurements. The advantages and shortcomings of these methods are discussed.
Annexin VI (AnxVI) of molecular mass 68-70 kDa belongs to a multigenic family of ubiquitous Ca2+ - and phospholipid-binding proteins. In this report, we describe the GTP-binding properties of porcine liver AnxVI, determined with a fluorescent GTP analogue, 2'-(or 3')-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)guanosine 5'-triphosphate (TNP-GTP). The optimal binding of TNP-GTP to AnxVI was observed in the presence of Ca2+ and asolectin liposomes, as evidenced by a 5.5-fold increase of TNP-GTP fluorescence and a concomitant blue shift (by 17 nm) of its maximal emission wavelength. Titration of AnxVI with TNP-GTP resulted in the determination of the dissociation constant (Kd) and binding stoichiometry that amounted to 1.3 μM and 1:1 TNP-GTP/AnxVI, mole/mole, respectively. In addition, the intrinsic fluorescence of the membrane-bound form of AnxVI was quenched by TNP-GTP and this was accompanied by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from AnxVI Trp residues to TNP-GTP. This indicates that the GTP-binding site within the AnxVI molecule is probably located in the vicinity of a Trp-containing domain of the protein. By controlled proteolysis of human recombinant AnxVI, followed by purification of the proteolytic fragments by affinity chromatography on GTP-agarose, we isolated a 35 kDa fragment corresponding to the N-terminal half of AnxVI containing Trp192. On the basis of these results, we suggest that AnxVI is a GTP-binding protein and the binding of the nucleotide may have a regulatory impact on the interaction of annexin with membranes, e.g. formation of ion channels by the protein.
The overall size and shape of the chicken gizzard calponin (CaP) h1 molecule was investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. From the DLS experiments, a z-averaged translational diffusion coefficient is derived (5.75 ± 0.3) × 10-7cm2s-1, which corresponds to a hydrodynamic radius of 3.72 nm for calponin. The frictional ratio (1.8 for the unhydrated molecule and 1.5 for the hydrated one) suggests a pronounced anisotropic structure for the molecule. An ellipsoidal model in length 19.4 nm and with a diameter of 2.6 nm used for hydrodynamic calculations was found to reproduce the DLS experimental data. The evaluation of the secondary structure of CaP h1 from the CD spectra by two independent methods has revealed that it contains, on average, 23% helix, 19% β-strand, 18% β-turns and loops, and 40% of remainder structures. These values are in good agreement with those predicted from the amino-acid sequence. Predictions used for CaP h1 were applied to other isoforms of known sequences and revealed that all calponins share a common secondary structure. Moreover, the predicted structure of the calponin CH domain is identical to that found by X-ray studies of the spectrin, fimbrin and utrophin CH domains.
Quercetin (QUE) is a plant flavonoid with a multifarious spectrum of properties. It is a prominent component of the human diet, considered to be safe and beneficial for human health. Acrylamide (ACR) and sodium nitrate III (NaNO2) are also present in the diet and may demonstrate adverse and toxic effects on the macromolecules and tissues of the human organism. Albumin, the most abundant blood protein, is the most susceptible to the action of various exogenous factors, which may lead to structural damage and functional disturbances. The aim of this study was to estimate ACR- and NaNO2-induced changes in the secondary structure of bovine serum albumin (BSA), using circular dichroism (CD), and to determine the impact of quercetin on these modifications. BSA was incubated with ACR and NaNO2 solutions in the absence and presence of QUE in two different concentrations (3 mM and 500 µM), and changes in albumin alpha-helical structure were determined by CD. BSA secondary structure was vulnerable to alterations upon treatment with acrylamide and NaNO2, as well as quercetin. QUE, depending on concentration and incubation time, caused a decrease of around 13-19% in the alpha-helix content of BSA molecules, but also prevented the changes in the protein alpha-helical structure initiated by ACR and NaNO2. The most spectacular inhibition was revealed for QUE in lower concentrations after 24h of incubation with NaNO2. Although QUE reveals protective effect towards albumin modifications, it is difficult to unambiguously define whether this effect is advantageous, because quercetin itself causes alterations in BSA structure.
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