In vitro evolution of allergy vaccine candidates, with maintained structure, but reduced B cell and T cell activation capacity.

Allergy and asthma to cat (Felis domesticus) affects about 10% of the population in affluent countries. Immediate allergic symptoms are primarily mediated via IgE antibodies binding to B cell epitopes, whereas late phase inflammatory reactions are mediated via activated T cell recognition of allergen-specific T cell epitopes. Allergen-specific immunotherapy relieves symptoms and is the only treatment inducing a long-lasting protection by induction of protective immune responses.

Determinants of activity in glutaredoxins: an in vitro evolved Grx1-like variant of Escherichia coli Grx3.

The Escherichia coli glutaredoxins 1 and 3 (Grx1 and Grx3) are structurally similar (37% sequence identity), yet have different activities in vivo. Unlike Grx3, Grx1 efficiently reduces protein disulfides in proteins such as RR (ribonucleotide reductase), whereas it is poor at reducing S-glutathionylated proteins. An E.

WD40 domain divergence is important for functional differences between the fission yeast Tup11 and Tup12 co-repressor proteins.

We have previously demonstrated that subsets of Ssn6/Tup target genes have distinct requirements for the Schizosaccharomyces pombe homologs of the Tup1/Groucho/TLE co-repressor proteins, Tup11 and Tup12. The very high level of divergence in the histone interacting repression domains of the two proteins suggested that determinants distinguishing Tup11 and Tup12 might be located in this domain. Here we have combined phylogenetic and structural analysis as well as phenotypic characterization, under stress conditions that specifically require Tup12, to identify and characterize the domains involved in Tup12-specific action.

Activator-binding domains of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex characterized in vitro are required for its recruitment to promoters in vivo.

Interaction between acidic activation domains and the activator-binding domains of Swi1 and Snf5 of the yeast SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex has previously been characterized in vitro. Although deletion of both activator-binding domains leads to phenotypes that differ from the wild-type, their relative importance for SWI/SNF recruitment to target genes has not been investigated. In the present study, we used chromatin immunoprecipitation assays to investigate the individual and collective importance of the activator-binding domains for SWI/SNF recruitment to genes within the GAL regulon in vivo.

Mutational analysis of amino acid residues involved in IgE-binding to the Malassezia sympodialis allergen Mala s 11.

The yeast Malassezia sympodialis, which is an integral part of the normal cutaneous flora, has been shown to elicit specific IgE- and T-cell reactivity in atopic eczema (AE) patients. The M. sympodialis allergen Mala s 11 has a high degree of amino acid sequence homology to manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) from Homo sapiens (50%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (56%).

Quantifying Escherichia coli glutaredoxin-3 substrate specificity using ligand-induced stability.

Traditionally, quantification of protein-ligand affinity is performed using kinetic or equilibrium measurements. However, if the binding reaction proceeds via a stable covalent complex, these approaches are often limited. By exploiting the fact that the conformational stabilization of a protein is altered upon ligand binding due to specific interactions, and using an array of selectively chosen ligand analogs, one can quantify the contribution individual interactions have on specificity.

Thermal unfolding of the archaeal DNA and RNA binding protein Ssh10.

The reversible thermal unfolding of the archaeal histone-like protein Ssh10b from the extremophile Sulfolobus shibatae was studied using differential scanning calorimetry and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Analytical ultracentrifugation and gel filtration showed that Ssh10b is a stable dimer in the pH range 2.5-7.

Structural elements underlying the high binding affinity of human cytomegalovirus UL18 to leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor-1.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) encodes UL18, a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I homologue that binds to the leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor (LIR)-1 (also called ILT2/CD85j/LILRB1), an inhibitory receptor expressed on myeloid and lymphoid immune cells. The molecular basis underlying the high affinity binding of UL18 to LIR-1, compared to MHC class I molecules (MHC-I), is unclear. Based on a comparative structural analysis of a molecular model of UL18 with the crystal structure of the HLA-A2/LIR-1 complex, we identified three regions in UL18 influencing interaction with LIR-1.

Redox properties and evolution of human glutaredoxins.

Glutaredoxins (Grxs) are glutathione-dependent oxidoreductases that belong to the thioredoxin superfamily catalyzing thiol-disulfide exchange reactions via active site cysteine residues. Focusing on the human dithiol glutaredoxins having a C-X-Y-C active site sequence motif, the redox potentials of hGrx1 and hGrx2 were determined to be -232 and -221 mV, respectively, using a combination of redox buffers, protein-protein equilibrium and thermodynamic linkage. In addition, a nonactive site disulfide was identified between Cys28 and Cys113 in hGrx2 using redox buffers and chemical digestion.

Effect of urea on peptide conformation in water: molecular dynamics and experimental characterization.

Molecular dynamics simulations of a ribonuclease A C-peptide analog and a sequence variant were performed in water at 277 and 300 K and in 8 M urea to clarify the molecular denaturation mechanism induced by urea and the early events in protein unfolding. Spectroscopic characterization of the peptides showed that the C-peptide analog had a high alpha-helical content, which was not the case for the variant. In the simulations, interdependent side-chain interactions were responsible for the high stability of the alpha-helical C-peptide analog in the different solvents.

Mechanism of transcription factor recruitment by acidic activators.

Many transcriptional activators are intrinsically unstructured yet display unique, defined conformations when bound to target proteins. Target-induced folding provides a mechanism by which activators could form specific interactions with an array of structurally unrelated target proteins. Evidence for such a binding mechanism has been reported previously in the context of the interaction between the cancer-related c-Myc protein and the TATA-binding protein, which can be modeled as a two-step process in which a rapidly forming, low affinity complex slowly converts to a more stable form, consistent with a coupled binding and folding reaction.

Codon optimization reveals critical factors for high level expression of two rare codon genes in Escherichia coli: RNA stability and secondary structure but not tRNA abundance.

Expression patterns in Escherichia coli of two small archaeal proteins with a natural content of about 30% rare codons were analyzed. The proteins, a histone-like protein from Sulfolobus shibatae (Ssh10), and a glutaredoxin-like protein from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum (mtGrx), were produced with expression plasmids encoding wild-type genes, codon-optimized synthetic, and GST-fusion genes. These constructs were expressed in BL21 (DE3), its LysS derivative, and modified strains carrying copies for rare codon tRNAs or deletions in the RNAseE gene.

Structural and thermodynamic studies on a salt-bridge triad in the NADP-binding domain of glutamate dehydrogenase from Thermotoga maritima: cooperativity and electrostatic contribution to stability.

Cooperative interactions within ion-pair networks of hyperthermostable proteins are thought to be a major determinant for extreme protein stability. While the favorable thermodynamic contributions of optimized electrostatics in general as well as those of pairwise interactions have been documented, cooperativity between pairwise interactions has not yet been studied thermodynamically in proteins from hyperthermophiles. In this study we use the isolated cofactor binding domain of glutamate dehydrogenase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima to analyze pairwise and cooperative interactions within the salt-bridge triad Arg190-Glu231-Lys193.

Structure of bacterial 3beta/17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase at 1.2 A resolution: a model for multiple steroid recognition.

The enzyme 3beta/17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta/17beta-HSD) is a steroid-inducible component of the Gram-negative bacterium Comamonas testosteroni. It catalyzes the reversible reduction/dehydrogenation of the oxo/beta-hydroxy groups at positions 3 and 17 of steroid compounds, including hormones and isobile acids. Crystallographic analysis at 1.

Human spermatid-specific thioredoxin-1 (Sptrx-1) is a two-domain protein with oxidizing activity.

Spermatid-specific thioredoxin-1 (Sptrx-1) is the first member of the thioredoxin family of proteins with a tissue-specific expression pattern, found exclusively in the tail of elongating spermatids and spermatozoa. We describe here further biochemical characterization of human Sptrx-1 protein structure and enzymatic activity. In gel filtration chromatography human Sptrx-1 eluates as a 400 kDa protein consistent with either an oligomeric form, not maintained by intermolecular disulfide bonding, and/or a highly asymmetrical structure.

Critical residues for structure and catalysis in short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases.

Short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases form a large, evolutionarily old family of NAD(P)(H)-dependent enzymes with over 60 genes found in the human genome. Despite low levels of sequence identity (often 10-30%), the three-dimensional structures display a highly similar alpha/beta folding pattern. We have analyzed the role of several conserved residues regarding folding, stability, steady-state kinetics, and coenzyme binding using bacterial 3beta/17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and selected mutants.