The self-association of the giant hemoglobin from the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris.

Background: The crystallographic structure of the gigantic hemoglobin (erythrocruorin) of the annelid worm, Lumbricus terrestris, provides a molar mass of 3.6MDa for the hexagonal bilayer structure. Prior to this determination, some light-scattering and ultracentrifugal measurements indicated higher masses: 4.

Calcium-dependent stoichiometries of the KCa2.2 (SK) intracellular domain/calmodulin complex in solution.

Ca(2+) activates SK Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels through the protein Ca(2+) sensor, calmodulin (CaM). To understand how SK channels operate, it is necessary to determine how Ca(2+) regulates CaM binding to its target on SK. Tagless, recombinant SK peptide (SKp), was purified for binding studies with CaM at low and high Ca(2+) concentrations.

Purification and characterization of tagless recombinant human elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF-2K) expressed in Escherichia coli.

The eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF-2K) modulates the rate of protein synthesis by impeding the elongation phase of translation by inactivating the eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF-2) via phosphorylation. eEF-2K is known to be activated by calcium and calmodulin, whereas the mTOR and MAPK pathways are suggested to negatively regulate kinase activity. Despite its pivotal role in translation regulation and potential role in tumor survival, the structure, function, and regulation of eEF-2K have not been described in detail.

Activated ERK2 is a monomer in vitro with or without divalent cations and when complexed to the cytoplasmic scaffold PEA-15.

The extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase, ERK2, fully activated by phosphorylation and without a His(6) tag, shows little tendency to dimerize with or without either calcium or magnesium ions when analyzed by light scattering or analytical ultracentrifugation. Light scattering shows that ~90% of ERK2 is monomeric. Sedimentation equilibrium data (obtained at 4.

Indefinite noncooperative self-association of chicken deoxy hemoglobin D.

The minor tetrameric hemoglobin (Hb), Hb D, of chicken red blood cells self-associates upon deoxygenation. This self-association enhances the cooperativity of oxygen binding. The maximal Hill coefficient is greater than 4 at high Hb concentrations.

Role of dimerization in the catalytic properties of the Escherichia coli disulfide isomerase DsbC.

The bacterial protein-disulfide isomerase DsbC is a homodimeric V-shaped enzyme that consists of a dimerization domain, two alpha-helical linkers, and two opposing thioredoxin fold catalytic domains. The functional significance of the two catalytic domains of DsbC is not well understood yet. We have engineered heterodimer-like DsbC derivatives covalently linked via (Gly(3)-Ser) flexible linkers.

Mini-hemoglobins from nemertean worms.

Hemoglobins (Hbs) found in members of the phylum Nemertea are smaller than any other known Hb molecules. These mini-Hbs have been of great interest because of their unique three-dimensional structure and their stable ligand-binding properties. Also of interest is the expression of mini-Hb in neural tissue, body wall muscle tissue, and red blood cells.

Component D of chicken hemoglobin and the hemoglobin of the embryonic Tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii) self-associate upon deoxygenation: Effect on oxygen binding.

Extensive measurements of oxygen binding by some vertebrate hemoglobins (Hbs) have suggested an unusually high degree of cooperativity with reported Hill coefficients, n(H), greater than 4.0. We have reexamined this possibility of "super-cooperativity" with chicken Hb components A (alpha(A) (2)beta(2)) and D (alpha(D) (2)beta(2)).

Apparent specific volume of human hemoglobin: effect of ligand state and contribution of heme.

The apparent specific volumes of human deoxy-, oxy-, met-, and CN-met hemoglobin (Hb) were measured with a vibrating tube densitometer. The values were calculated from the difference in density between protein solutions and solvents with which they were in dialysis equilibrium. The results obtained were very similar to the value for horse HbCO often used for sedimentation studies of Hbs.

Properties and regulation of a transiently assembled ERK2.Ets-1 signaling complex.

ERK2 is a proline-directed protein kinase that displays a high specificity for a single threonine (Thr-38) on the substrate Ets-1, which lies within the consensus sequence 36phi-chi-Thr-Pro39 (where phi is typically a small hydrophobic residue and chi appears to be unrestricted). Thr-38 lies in a long flexible N-terminal tail (residues 1-52), which also contains a second potential phosphorylation site, Ser-26. How Ets-1 binds ERK2 to promote the phosphorylation of Thr-38 while simultaneously discriminating against the phosphorylation of Ser-26 is unclear.

Linker chains of the gigantic hemoglobin of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris: primary structures of linkers L2, L3, and L4 and analysis of the connectivity of the disulfide bonds in linker L1.

The extracellular hemoglobin (Hb) of the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, has four major kinds of globin chains: a, b, c, and d, present in equimolar proportions, and additional non-heme, non-globin scaffolding chains called linkers that are required for the calcium-dependent assembly of the full-sized molecule. The amino acid sequences of all four of the globin chains and one of the linkers (L1) have previously been determined. The amino acid sequences via cDNA of each of the three remaining linkers, L2, L3, and L4, have been determined so that the sequences of all constituent polypeptides of the hemoglobin are now known.

Thr-E11 regulates O2 affinity in Cerebratulus lacteus mini-hemoglobin.

The mini-hemoglobin from Cerebratulus lacteus (CerHb) belongs to a class of globins containing the polar Tyr-B10/Gln-E7 amino acid pair that normally causes low rates of O2 dissociation and ultra-high O2 affinity, which suggest O2 sensing or NO scavenging functions. CerHb, however, has high rates of O2 dissociation (kO2 = 200-600 s(-1)) and moderate O2 affinity (KO2) approximately 1 microm(-1)) as a result of a third polar amino acid in its active site, Thr-E11. When Thr-E11 is replaced by Val, kO2 decreases 1000-fold and KO2 increases 130-fold at pH 7.

The 109 residue nerve tissue minihemoglobin from Cerebratulus lacteus highlights striking structural plasticity of the alpha-helical globin fold.

A very short hemoglobin (CerHb; 109 amino acids) binds O(2) cooperatively in the nerve tissue of the nemertean worm Cerebratulus lacteus to sustain neural activity during anoxia. Sequence analysis suggests that CerHb tertiary structure may be unique among the known globin fold evolutionary variants. The X-ray structure of oxygenated CerHb (R factor 15.