Proline residues in the transmembrane (TM) alpha-helices of integral membrane proteins have long been suspected to play a key role for helix packing and signal transduction by inducing regions of helix distortion and/or dynamic flexibility (hinges). In this study we try to characterise the effect of proline on the geometric properties of TM alpha-helices. We have examined 199 transmembrane alpha-helices from polytopic membrane proteins of known structure. After examining the location of proline residues within the amino acid sequences of TM helices, we estimated the helix axes either side of a hinge and hence identified a hinge residue. This enabled us to calculate helix kink and swivel angles. The results of this analysis show that proline residues occur with a significant concentration in the centre of sequences of TM alpha-helices. In this location, they may induce formation of molecular hinges, located on average about four residues N-terminal to the proline residue. A superposition of proline-containing TM helices structures shows that the distortion induced is anisotropic and favours certain relative orientations (defined by helix kink and swivel angles) of the two helix segments.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0022-2836(02)01006-9 | DOI Listing |
Biochem Pharmacol
January 2025
The Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines. Electronic address:
Conusvenoms are composed of peptides that are commonly post-translationally modified, increasing their chemical diversity beyond what is encoded in the genome and enhancing their potency and selectivity. This study describes how PTMs alter an α-conotoxin's selectivity for specific nAChR subtypes. Venom from the cone snailConus(Asprella)neocostatuswas fractionated using high-performance liquid chromatography and tested using a behavioral intracranial mouse bioassay and a cholinergic calcium imaging assay using SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFEBS J
January 2025
Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP2) interacts with the regulatory protein 14-3-3ζ in a cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) phosphorylation dependent manner. Using selective phosphorylation, calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance, chemical crosslinking, and X-ray crystallography, we characterized interactions of 14-3-3ζ with various binding regions of MAP2c. Although PKA phosphorylation increases the affinity of MAP2c for 14-3-3ζ in the proline rich region and C-terminal domain, unphosphorylated MAP2c also binds the dimeric 14-3-3ζ via its microtubule binding domain and variable central domain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRSC Chem Biol
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Emory University Atlanta GA 30322 USA
Members of the old yellow enzyme (OYE) family utilize a flavin mononucleotide cofactor to catalyze the asymmetric reduction of activated alkenes. The 2-enoate reductase (2-ER) subfamily are of particular industrial relevance as they can reduce α/β alkenes near electron-withdrawing groups. While the broader OYE family is being extensively explored for biocatalytic applications, oxygen sensitivity and poor expression yields associated with the presence of an Fe/S cluster in 2-ERs have hampered their characterization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngew Chem Int Ed Engl
January 2025
Nanjing University, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, No. 163 Xianlin Road, 210023, Nanjing, CHINA.
Hydroxylation, an extensive post-translational modification on proline, is critical for the modulation of protein structures, further dominating their functions in life systems. However, current mass spectrometry-based identification, could hardly distinguish hydroxylation from neighboring oxidation due to the same mass shifts, as well as challenges posed by low abundance and exogenous oxidation during sample preparation. To address these, an engineered nanopore was designed, capable of discriminating single hydroxyl group, to achieve the identification of proline hydroxylation on individual native peptides directly in the mixture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaccines (Basel)
December 2024
National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand.
Background: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes severe respiratory illness in humans and currently lacks an approved vaccine. The Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vector is a well-established, safe, and effective platform for vaccine development. With recent advancements in stabilizing coronavirus spike proteins to enhance their antigenicity, this study aimed to determine whether modifications to the MERS-CoV spike protein could improve its presentation on NDV particles, allowing the resulting virus to be used as an inactivated vaccine.
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