Refined structure in solution of the sea anemone neurotoxin ShI.

A high resolution structure in solution has been determined for the polypeptide neurotoxin I, from the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus, using NMR data, distance geometry calculations, and refinement by back-calculation of two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) spectra. A set of 913 distance constraints derived from NOEs was used, together with a large set of lower distance bounds based on the absence of NOEs in the spectrum. Eight published structures for neurotoxin I were refined independently to give structures which agree better with the experimental data, as reflected in reduced R factors calculated over well resolved cross-peaks of the two-dimensional NOE spectra and a lower total volume of peaks in back-calculated spectra that are absent from experimental spectra. The refined structures are also more precisely defined, with mean pairwise root mean square differences over backbone heavy atoms of 0.62 A for well defined residues and 1.14 A for all residues, compared with previous values of 1.09 and 2.41 A, respectively. The consensus constraint set from the 8 refined structures was also used to generate 12 new structures, with corresponding root mean square differences of 0.76 and 1.26 A. In all 20 structures the loop linking the first and second strands of the beta-sheet is considerably better defined than before. A type I beta-turn encompassing the functionally important residues Asp6, Asp7, and Glu8 is evident in the refined structures.

(1)H, (13)C and (15)N NMR backbone assignments of the 269-residue serine protease PB92 from Bacillus alcalophilus.

The (1)H, (13)C and (15)N NMR resonances of the backbone of serine protease PB92 have been assigned. This 269-residue protein is one of the largest monomeric proteins assigned so far. The amount and quality of information available suggest that even larger proteins could be assigned with present methods. Measured chemical shifts show excellent agreement with the secondary structure.

Time-saving methods for heteronuclear multidimensional NMR of ((13)C, (15)N) doubly labeled proteins.

Heteronuclear 2D ((13)C, (1)H) and ((15)N, (1)H) correlation spectra of ((13)C, (15)N) fully enriched proteins can be acquired simultaneously with virtually no sensitivity loss or increase in artefact levels. Three pulse sequences are described, for 2D 'time-shared' or TS-HSQC, 2D TS-HMQC and 2D TS-HSMQC spectra, respectively. Independent spectral widths can be sampled for both heteronuclei. The sequences can be greatly improved by combining them with field-gradient methods. By applying the sequences to 3D and 4D NMR spectroscopy, considerable time savings can be obtained. The method is demonstrated for the 18 kDa HU protein.

Complete 1H, 13C and 15N NMR assignments and secondary structure of the 269-residue serine protease PB92 from Bacillus alcalophilus.

The 1H, 13C and 15N NMR resonances of serine protease PB92 have been assigned using 3D triple-resonance NMR techniques. With a molecular weight of 27 kDa (269 residues) this protein is one of the largest monomeric proteins assigned so far. The side-chain assignments were based mainly on 3D H(C)CH and 3D (H)CCH COSY and TOCSY experiments. The set of assignments encompasses all backbone carbonyl and CHn carbons, all amide (NH and NH2) nitrogens and 99.2% of the amide and CHn protons. The secondary structure and general topology appear to be identical to those found in the crystal structure of serine protease PB92 [Van der Laan et al. (1992) Protein Eng., 5, 405-411], as judged by chemical shift deviations from random coil values, NH exchange data and analysis of NOEs between backbone NH groups.

Solution structure of neurotoxin I from the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus. A nuclear magnetic resonance, distance geometry, and restrained molecular dynamics study.

The three-dimensional structure of the sea anemone polypeptide Stichodactyla helianthus neurotoxin I in aqueous solution has been determined using distance geometry and restrained molecular dynamics simulations based on NMR data acquired at 500 MHz. A set of 470 nuclear Overhauser enhancement values was measured, of which 216 were used as distance restraints in the structure determination along with 15 dihedral angles derived from coupling constants. After restrained molecular dynamics refinement, the eight structures that best fit the input data form a closely related family. They describe a structure that consists of a core of twisted, four-stranded, antiparallel beta-sheet encompassing residues 1-3, 19-24, 29-34, and 40-47, joined by three loops, two of which are well defined by the NMR data. The third loop, encompassing residues 7-16, is poorly defined by the data and is assumed to undergo conformational averaging in solution. Pairwise root mean square displacement values for the backbone heavy atoms of the eight best structures are 1.3 +/- 0.2A when the poorly defined loop is excluded and 3.6 +/- 1.0A for all backbone atoms. Refinement using restrained molecular dynamics improved the quality of the structures generated by distance geometry calculations with respect to the number of nuclear Overhauser enhancements violated, the size of the total distance violations and the total potential energies of the structures. The family of structures for S. heliathus neurotoxin I is compared with structures of related sea anemone proteins that also bind to the voltage-gated sodium channel.

Solution structure of the LexA repressor DNA binding domain determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy.

The structure of the 84 residue DNA binding domain of the Escherichia coli LexA repressor has been determined from NMR data using distance geometry and restrained molecular dynamics. The assignment of the 1H NMR spectrum of the molecule, derived from 2- and 3-D homonuclear experiments, is also reported. A total of 613 non-redundant distance restraints were used to give a final family of 28 structures. The structured region of the molecule consisted of residues 4-69 and yielded a r.m.s. deviation from an average of 0.9 A for backbone and 1.6 A for all heavy atoms. The structure contains three regular alpha-helices at residues 6-21 (I), 28-35 (II) and 41-52 (III), and an antiparallel beta-sheet at residues 56-58 and 66-68. Helices II and III form a variant helix-turn-helix DNA binding motif, with an unusual one residue insert at residue 38. The topology of the LexA DNA binding domain is found to be the same as for the DNA binding domains of the catabolic activator protein, human histone 5, the HNF-3/fork head protein and the Kluyveromyces lactis heat shock transcription factor.

Sequence-specific 1H NMR assignments and secondary structure in the sea anemone polypeptide Stichodactyla helianthus neurotoxin I.

Sequence-specific assignments are reported for the 500-MHz 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum of the 48-residue polypeptide neurotoxin I from the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus (Sh I). Spin systems were first identified by using two-dimensional relayed or multiple quantum filtered correlation spectroscopy, double quantum spectroscopy, and spin lock experiments. Specific resonance assignments were then obtained from nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) connectivities between protons from residues adjacent in the amino acid sequence. Of a total of 265 potentially observable resonances, 248 (i.e., 94%) were assigned, arising from 39 completely and 9 partially assigned amino acid spin systems. The secondary structure of Sh I was defined on the basis of the pattern of sequential NOE connectivities, NOEs between protons on separate strands of the polypeptide backbone, and backbone amide exchange rates. Sh I contains a four-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet encompassing residues 1-5, 16-24, 30-33, and 40-46, with a beta-bulge at residues 17 and 18 and a reverse turn, probably a type II beta-turn, involving residues 27-30. No evidence of alpha-helical structure was found.

A model for the LexA repressor DNA complex.

A structural model for the interaction of the LexA repressor DNA binding domain (DBD) with operator DNA is derived by means of Monte Carlo docking. Protein-DNA complexes were generated by docking the LexA repressor DBD NMR solution structure onto both rigid and bent B-DNA structures while giving energy bonuses for contacts in agreement with experimental data. In the resulting complexes, helix III of the LexA repressor DBD is located in the major groove of the DNA and residues Asn-41, Glu-44, and Glu-45 form specific hydrogen bonds with bases of the CTGT DNA sequence. Ser-39, Ala-42, and Asn-41 are involved in a hydrophobic interaction with the methyl group of the first thymine base. Residues in the loop region connecting the two beta-sheet strands are involved in nonspecific contacts near the dyad axis of the operator. The contacts observed in the docked complexes cover the entire consensus CTGT half-site DNA operator, thus explaining the specificity of the LexA repressor for such sequences. In addition, a large number of nonspecific interactions between protein and DNA is observed. The agreement between the derived model for the LexA repressor DBD/DNA complex and experimental biochemical results is discussed.

The structure of mouse HP1 suggests a unique mode of single peptide recognition by the shadow chromo domain dimer.

The heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) family of proteins is involved in gene silencing via the formation of heterochromatic structures. They are composed of two related domains: an N-terminal chromo domain and a C-terminal shadow chromo domain. Present results suggest that chromo domains may function as protein interaction motifs, bringing together different proteins in multi-protein complexes and locating them in heterochromatin. We have previously determined the structure of the chromo domain from the mouse HP1beta protein, MOD1. We show here that, in contrast to the chromo domain, the shadow chromo domain is a homodimer. The intact HP1beta protein is also dimeric, where the interaction is mediated by the shadow chromo domain, with the chromo domains moving independently of each other at the end of flexible linkers. Mapping studies, with fragments of the CAF1 and TIF1beta proteins, show that an intact, dimeric, shadow chromo domain structure is required for complex formation.