Combined effects of ionic strength and enzymatic pre-treatment in thermal gelation of peanut proteins extracts.

Peanut proteins are mostly composed of arachins and conarachins, globular proteins that can form gels under thermal denaturation or enzymatic treatment. We explored here how ionic strength (0.5 M or 0.8 M) and gelation process (a thermal treatment preceded or not by an enzymatic pre-treatment) could affect peanut protein gel properties. Gel formation and final properties were characterized by rheology, and gel structure was observed by confocal microscopy. We found that the ionic strength imposed during protein extraction determines the arachins/conarachins ratio, and that conarachins-rich samples give stronger gels, which is attributed to their higher content in free thiol groups and lysine residues. The gel storage modulus exhibited a power-law dependence with the protein concentration, which exponent depended on the gelation process. Rheological results, together with confocal microscopy imaging, showed that an enzymatic pre-treatment resulted in denser structures than when a simple thermal treatment was applied.

Deuterium MAS NMR studies of dynamics on multiple timescales: histidine and oxalic acid.

Deuterium ((2) H) magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance is applied to monitor the dynamics of the exchanging labile deuterons of polycrystalline L-histidine hydrochloride monohydrate-d7 and α-oxalic acid dihydrate-d6 . Direct experimental evidence of fast dynamics is obtained from T1Z and T1Q measurements. Further motional information is extracted from two-dimensional single-quantum (SQ) and double-quantum (DQ) MAS spectra. Differences between the SQ and DQ linewidths clearly indicate the presence of motions on intermediate timescales for the carboxylic moiety and the D2 O in α-oxalic acid dihydrate, and for the amine group and the D2 O in L-histidine hydrochloride monohydrate. Comparison of the relaxation rate constants of Zeeman and quadrupolar order with the relaxation rate constants of the DQ coherences suggests the co-existence of fast and slow motional processes.

NMR studies of protonation and hydrogen bond states of internal aldimines of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate acid-base in alanine racemase, aspartate aminotransferase, and poly-L-lysine.

Using (15)N solid-state NMR, we have studied protonation and H-bonded states of the cofactor pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) linked as an internal aldimine in alanine racemase (AlaR), aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT), and poly-L-lysine. Protonation of the pyridine nitrogen of PLP and the coupled proton transfer from the phenolic oxygen (enolimine form) to the aldimine nitrogen (ketoenamine form) is often considered to be a prerequisite to the initial step (transimination) of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction. Indeed, using (15)N NMR and H-bond correlations in AspAT, we observe a strong aspartate-pyridine nitrogen H-bond with H located on nitrogen. After hydration, this hydrogen bond is maintained. By contrast, in the case of solid lyophilized AlaR, we find that the pyridine nitrogen is neither protonated nor hydrogen bonded to the proximal arginine side chain. However, hydration establishes a weak hydrogen bond to pyridine. To clarify how AlaR is activated, we performed (13)C and (15)N solid-state NMR experiments on isotopically labeled PLP aldimines formed by lyophilization with poly-L-lysine. In the dry solid, only the enolimine tautomer is observed. However, a fast reversible proton transfer involving the ketoenamine tautomer is observed after treatment with either gaseous water or gaseous dry HCl. Hydrolysis requires the action of both water and HCl. The formation of an external aldimine with aspartic acid at pH 9 also produces the ketoenamine form stabilized by interaction with a second aspartic acid, probably via a H-bond to the phenolic oxygen. We postulate that O-protonation is an effectual mechanism for the activation of PLP, as is N-protonation, and that enzymes that are incapable of N-protonation employ this mechanism.

"On-the-fly" kinetics of enzymatic racemization using deuterium NMR in DNA-based chiral oriented media.

We report the in situ and real-time monitoring of the interconversion of L- and D-alanine-d3 by alanine racemase from Bacillus stearothermophilus directly observed by (2)H NMR spectroscopy in anisotropic phase. The enantiomers are distinguished by the difference of their (2)H quadrupolar splittings in a chiral liquid crystal containing short DNA fragments. The proof-of-principle, the reliability, and the robustness of this new method is demonstrated by the determination of the turnover rates of the enzyme using the Michaelis-Menten model.

Probing structural and motional features of the C-terminal part of the Human Centrin 2/P17-XPC microcrystalline complex by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

Insight into structural and motional features of the C-terminal part of the Human Centrin 2 in complex with the peptide P17-XPC was obtained by using complementary solid-state NMR methods. We demonstrate that the experimental conditions and procedures of sample crystallization determine the quality of solid-state NMR spectra and the internal mobility of the protein. Two-dimensional (2D) (13)C-(13)C and (15)N-(15)N correlation spectra reveal intra- and inter-residue dipolar connectivities and provide partial, site-specific assignments of (13)C and (15)N resonance signals. The secondary structure of the C-ter HsCen2/P17-XPC complex in a microcrystalline state appears similar to that found in solution. Conformational flexibility is probed through relaxation-compensated measurements of dipolar order parameters that exploit the dynamics of cross-polarization in multidimensional experiments. The extracted dipolar coupling constants and relevant order parameters reveal increased backbone flexibility of the loops except for residues involved in coordination with the Ca(2+) cation that stabilizes the hydrophobic pocket containing the peptide P17-XPC.

Critical hydrogen bonds and protonation states of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate revealed by NMR.

In this contribution we review recent NMR studies of protonation and hydrogen bond states of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) and PLP model Schiff bases in different environments, starting from aqueous solution, the organic solid state to polar organic solution and finally to enzyme environments. We have established hydrogen bond correlations that allow one to estimate hydrogen bond geometries from (15)N chemical shifts. It is shown that protonation of the pyridine ring of PLP in aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT) is achieved by (i) an intermolecular OHN hydrogen bond with an aspartate residue, assisted by the imidazole group of a histidine side chain and (ii) a local polarity as found for related model systems in a polar organic solvent exhibiting a dielectric constant of about 30. Model studies indicate that protonation of the pyridine ring of PLP leads to a dominance of the ketoenamine form, where the intramolecular OHN hydrogen bond of PLP exhibits a zwitterionic state. Thus, the PLP moiety in AspAT carries a net positive charge considered as a pre-requisite to initiate the enzyme reaction. However, it is shown that the ketoenamine form dominates in the absence of ring protonation when PLP is solvated by polar groups such as water. Finally, the differences between acid-base interactions in aqueous solution and in the interior of proteins are discussed. This article is part of a special issue entitled: Pyridoxal Phosphate Enzymology.

NMR studies of the stability, protonation States, and tautomerism of (13)C- AND (15)N-labeled aldimines of the coenzyme pyridoxal 5'-phosphate in water.

We have measured the pH-dependent (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N NMR spectra of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate ((13)C(2)-PLP) mixed with equal amounts of either doubly (15)N-labeled diaminopropane, (15)N(α)-labeled l-lysine, or (15)N(ε)-labeled l-lysine as model systems for various intermediates of the transimination reaction in PLP-dependent enzymes. At low pH, only the hydrate and aldehyde forms of PLP and the free protonated diamines are present. Above pH 4, the formation of single- and double-headed aldimines (Schiff bases) with the added diamines is observed, and their (13)C and (15)N NMR parameters have been characterized. For 1:1 mixtures the single-headed aldimines dominate. In a similar way, the NMR parameters of the geminal diamine formed with diaminopropane at high pH are measured. However, no geminal diamine is formed with l-lysine. In contrast to the aldimine formed with the ε-amino group of lysine, the aldimine formed with the α-amino group is unstable at moderately high pH but dominates slightly below pH 10. By analyzing the NMR data, both the mole fractions of the different PLP species and up to 6 different protonation states including their pK(a) values were obtained. Furthermore, the data show that all Schiff bases are subject to a proton tautomerism along the intramolecular OHN hydrogen bond, where the zwitterionic form is favored before deprotonation occurs at high pH. This observation, as well as the observation that around pH 7 the different PLP species are present in comparable amounts, sheds new light on the mechanism of the transimination reaction.

Effects of hydration on the acid-base interactions and secondary structures of poly-L-lysine probed by 15N and 13C solid state NMR.

Using high resolution solid state (15)N and (13)C NMR spectroscopy we have studied the effects of successive hydration on the (15)N labeled side chain amino groups of solid poly-L-lysine (PLL) in the presence of acids. Generally, hydration leads to the formation of local "ionic fluid" phases composed by flexible side chain ammonium groups, acid anions and small amounts of water. The associated local dynamics reduces the widths of the inhomogeneously broadened (15)N amino signals found for the dry states. The hydration of free base PLL--which consists of mixtures of alpha-helices and beta-pleated sheets--is monitored by a small low-field shift of the amino group signal arising from hydrogen bonding with water, reaching eventually the value of PLL in water at pH 13. No difference for the two conformations is observed. PLL x HF adopts a similar secondary structure with isolated NHF hydrogen bonds; hydration leads only to small low-field shifts which are nevertheless compatible with the formation of ammonium groups in aqueous solution. PLL doped with small amounts of HCl contains ammonium groups which are internally solvated by neighboring free amino groups. Both nitrogen environments are characterized by different chemical shifts. Hydration with less than one water molecule per amino group leads already to a chemical shift averaging arising from fast proton motions along NHN-hydrogen bonds and fast side chain and anion motions.By contrast, the hydration of fully doped PLL x HBr and PLL x HCl is more complex. These systems exist only in beta-pleated sheet conformations forming alkyl ammonium salt structures. Separate (15)N signal components are observed for (i) the dry states, for (ii) wet beta-pleated sheets and for (iii) wet alpha-helices which are successively formed upon hydration. Exchange between these environments is slow, but water motions lead to averaged amino group signals within each of the two wet environments. These results indicate that the different environments form domains. As the replacement of NHBr or of NHCl hydrogen bonds by NHO hydrogen bonds leads to high-field shifts the observation of separated signals is the result of different water content in the three domains. In agreement with previous X-ray powder diffraction studies we observe a dominance of the alpha-helical regions at above 3 water molecules per amino group in the case of PLL x HBr and at about 5 water molecules in the case of PLL x HCl, an effect arising from the limited space between beta-pleated sheets and the larger volume of bromide as compared to chloride.