Concatenated Composite Pulses Applied to Liquid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

The error-robust and short composite operations named ConCatenated Composite Pulses (CCCPs), developed as high-precision unitary operations in quantum information processing (QIP), are derived from composite pulses widely employed in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). CCCPs simultaneously compensate for two types of systematic errors, which was not possible with the known composite pulses in NMR. Our experiments demonstrate that CCCPs are powerful and versatile tools not only in QIP but also in NMR.

Polymorphism of collagen triple helix revealed by 19F NMR of model peptide [Pro-4(R)-hydroxyprolyl-Gly]3-[Pro-4(R)-fluoroprolyl-Gly]-[Pro-4(R)-hydroxyprolyl-Gly]3.

We have characterized various structures of (Pro-Hyp(R)-Gly)(3)-Pro-fPro(R)-Gly-(Pro-Hyp(R)-Gly)(3) in the process of cis-trans isomerization and helix-coil transition by exploiting the sole (19)F NMR probe in 4(R)-fluoroproline (fPro(R)). Around the transition temperature (T(m)), we detected a species with a triple helical structure distinct from the ordinary one concerning the alignment of three strands. The (19)F-(19)F exchange spectroscopy showed that this misaligned and that the ordinary triple helices were interchangeable only indirectly via an extended monomer strand with all-trans peptide bonds at Pro-fPro(R), Pro-Hyp(R), and Gly-Pro in the central segment.

Conformation of the calmodulin-binding domain of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 7 and its interaction with calmodulin.

Calmodulin (CaM), a Ca(2+)-binding protein, is a well-known regulator of various cellular functions. One of the targets of CaM is metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGluR7), which serves as a low-pass filter for glutamate in the pre-synaptic terminal to regulate neurotransmission. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR), circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic spectroscopy (NMR) were performed to study the structure of the peptides corresponding to the CaM-binding domain of mGluR7 and their interaction with CaM.

Synthesis of D-trigalacturonic acid methylglycoside and conformational comparison with its sulfur analogue.

D-Trigalacturonic acid methylglycoside (3) was synthesized to evaluate the previously synthesized sulfur analogue 1 by comparison. The NOE experiments revealed that both 3 and 1 took on a similar conformation around their glycosyl linkage.

Three-dimensional solution structure of an archaeal FKBP with a dual function of peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase and chaperone-like activities.

Here we report the solution structure of an archaeal FK506-binding protein (FKBP) from a thermophilic archaeum, Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus (MtFKBP17), which has peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) and chaperone-like activities, to reveal the structural basis for the dual function. In addition to a typical PPIase domain, a newly identified domain is formed in the flap loop by a 48-residue insert that is required for the chaperone-like activity. The new domain, called IF domain (the Insert in the Flap), is a novel-folding motif and exposes a hydrophobic surface, which we consider to play an important role in the chaperone-like activity.

Low-temperature-induced structural changes in human lysozyme elucidated by three-dimensional NMR spectroscopy.

The three-dimensional solution structures of human lysozyme were determined at 35 and 4 degrees C using the heteronuclear multidimensional NMR spectroscopy, which were compared with each other to clarify the structural response of this enzyme to lowering of the temperature. Together with the data of the temperature dependence experiments of the lytic activity against Micrococcus luteus, we consider the implication of the observed structural change for the low-temperature-induced reduction of the activity of human lysozyme. The structures of human lysozyme determined at the two temperatures are found to be similar, both of which comprise four alpha-helices (A- to D-helices) and three antiparallel beta-strands (beta(1)-beta(3)), leading to the constructions of the alpha- and beta-domains as previously identified in the X-ray crystal structure.

Solution structure of ascidian trypsin inhibitor determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

The three-dimensional solution structure of ascidian trypsin inhibitor (ATI), a 55 amino acid residue protein with four disulfide bridges, was determined by means of two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) spectroscopy. The resulting structure of ATI was characterized by an alpha-helical conformation in residues 35-42 and a three-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet in residues 22-26, 29-32, and 48-50. The presence of an alpha-helical conformation was predicted from the consensus sequences of the cystine-stabilized alpha-helical (CSH) motif, which is characterized by an alpha-helix structure in the Cys-X(1)-X(2)-X(3)-Cys portion (corresponding to residues 37-41), linking to the Cys-X-Cys portion (corresponding to residues 12-14) folded in an extended structure.