Conformation, enzymic activity, and immunochemistry of a lysozyme derivative modified at tryptophan 123 by reaction with 2,3-dioxo-5-indolinesulfonic acid.

Reaction of hen egg-white lysozyme with 2,3-dioxo-5-indolinesulfonic acid (DISA) yielded a homogeneous derivative which was modified at a single tryptophan residue. The modification was located at Trp-123. The absorption spectrum of the derivative showed a new peak in the visible range with lambdamax at 365 nm. In addition, the absorption maximum in the ultraviolet which appears in lysozyme at 280 nm was shifted to 270 nm in the derivative and appreciably enhanced. In ORD measurements, the rotatory behaviors of lysozyme and its derivative were identical at the 233 nm negative minimum and the 199 nm positive extremum. CD measurements gave equal [theta] values for lysozyme and derivative at the two negative ellipticity bands at 208 and 220 nm. Although no conformational differences between lysozyme and derivative were observed by ORD and CD measurements, some changes were detectable by chemical methods. Accessibility to tryptic hydrolysis and susceptibility of the disulfide bonds to reduction were increased in the derivative relative to lysozyme. The lytic activity of the derivative, which retained the same pH optimum as native lysozyme, was greatly (50%) decreased, probably as a result of the slight conformational change. With several antisera to lysozyme, the native protein and its derivative had equal antigenic reactivities. The findings were instrumental in further delineation of an antigenic reactive site in lysozyme.     

Synthesis and conformation of a polyoxyethylene-bound undecapeptide of the alamethicin helix and (2-methylalanyl-L-alanine)1–7

The stepwise synthesis and conformational studies of the N-terminal helical partial sequence of the membrane-modifying polypeptide antibiotic alamethicin are described. The polyoxyethylen esters of the fragments N-t-Boc-L -Pro-Aib-Ala-Gln-Aib-Val-Aib-Gly-OH and N-Ac-Aib-L -Pro-Aib-Ala-Aib-Ala-Gln-Aib-Val-Aib-Gly-OH are synthesized using polyoxyethylene (molecular mass 10,000) as solubilizing support. CD spectra of each intermediate in ethanol show α-helix formation of the N-protected peptide polymers beginning with the nonapeptide and of the N-protonated sequences beginning with the decapeptide. Compared to the helix of alamethicin, temperature- and solvent-dependent CD measurements indicate analogous conformational behavior. The results suggest that in lipophilic media the alamethicin helix can extend the full length of the partial sequence between the two proline residues and that aqueous media favor an increase of random-coil conformation. For model studies of the particular lipid interaction of alamethicin, the stepwise synthesis of peptides with the alternating (Aib-L -Ala)_n sequence (n = 1–7) was carried out on a polyoxyethylene support (molecular mass 6000). CD and ORD studies in ethanol showed a change from the random coil to a right-handed α-helix with increasing peptide length. This change is observed for the N-protected peptides at a chain length of 8 residues and for the N-protonated peptides at a length of 9 residues. The comparison of the CD data of free and polyoxyethylene-bound peptides revealed that the solubilizing polymeric support cannot induce conformational changes. The intensities of the CD bands of t-Boc-(Aib-L -Ala)_n-OPOE (n ≥ 6) are higher than those of alamethicin, and these model peptides show similar temperature and solvent inducible changes of their helix contents.     

Alternative conformations of DNA modified by N-2-acetylaminofluorene

Modification of DNA by the carcinogen N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene gives two adducts, a major one at the C-8 position of guanine and a minor one at the N-2 position with differing conformations. Binding at the C-8 position results in a large distortion of the DNA helix referred to as the “base displacement model” with the carcinogen inserted into the DNA helix and the guanosine displaced to the outside. The result is increased susceptibility to nuclease S, digestion due to the presence of large, single-stranded regions in the modified DNA. In contrast, the N-2 adduct results in much less distortion of the helix and is less susceptible to nuclease S₁ digestion. A third and predominant adduct is formed in vivo, the deacetylated C-8 guanine adduct. The conformation of this adduct has been investigated using the dimer dApdG as a model for DNA. The attachment of aminofluorene (AF) residues introduced smaller changes in the circular dichroism (CD) spectra of dApdG than binding of acetylaminofluorene (AAF) residues. Similarly, binding of AF residues caused lower upfield shifts for the H-2 and H-8 protons of adenine than the AAF residues. These results suggest that AF residues are less stacked with neighboring bases than AAF and induce less distortion in conformation of the modified regions than AAF. An alternative conformation of AAF-modified deoxyguanosine has been suggested based on studies of poly(dG-dC)·poly(dG-dC). Modification of this copolymer with AAF to an extent of 28% showed a CD spectrum that had the characteristics of the left-handed Z conformation seen in unmodified poly-(dG-dC)·poly(dG-dC) at high ethanol or salt concentrations. Poly(dG)·poly(dC), which docs not undergo the B to Z transition at high ethanol concentrations, did not show this type of conformational change with high AAF modification. Differences in conformation were suggested by single-strand specific nuclease S₁ digestion and reactivity with anticytidine antibodies. Highly modified poly(dG-dC)·poly(dG-dC) was almost completely resistant to nuclease S₁ hydrolysis, while, modified DNA and poly(dG)·poly(dC) are highly susceptible to digestion. Two possible conformations for deoxyguanosine modified at the C-8 position by AAF are compared depending on whether its position is in alternating purine-pyrimidine sequences or random sequence DNA.     

Simple Synthesis of (R)-5-Hexadecanolide

Chemical modification of tryptophan residues in abrin-a with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) was studied with regard to saccharide-binding. The number of tryptophan residues available for NBS oxidation increased with lowering pH, and 11 out of the 13 tryptophan residues in abrin-a were eventually modified with NBS at pH 4.0, while 6 tryptophan residues were modified at pH 6.0 in the absence of specific saccharides. Modification of tryptophan residues at pH 6.0 greatly decreased the saccharide-binding ability of abrin-a, and only 2% of the hemagglutinating activity was retained after modification of 3 residues/mol. When the modification was done in the presence of lactose or galactose, 1 out of 3 residues/mol remained unmodified with a retention of a fairly high hemagglutinating activity. However, GalNAc did not show such a protective effect. NBS-oxidation led to a great loss of the fluorescence of abrin-a, and after modification of 3 tryptophan residues/mol, the fluorescence intensity at 345 nm was only 38% of that of the unmodified abrin-a. The binding of lactose to abrin-a altered the environment of the tryptophan residue at the saccharide-binding site of abrin-a, leading to a blue shift of the fluorescence spectrum. The ability to generate such fluorescence spectroscopic changes induced by lactose-binding was retained in the derivative in which 2 tryptophan residues/mol were oxidized in the presence of lactose, but not in the derivative in which 3 tryptophan residues/mol were oxidized in the absence of lactose. Importance of the tryptophan residue(s) in the saccharide-binding of abrin-a is suggested.     

Synthesis and physicochemical properties in aqueous solution of the sequential polypeptide poly(Tyr-Ala-Glu)

A polypeptide having the repealing sequence (Tyr-Ala-Glu)_n was synthesized by the polymerization of the N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of O-benzyl-L -tyrosyl-L -alanyl-γ-benzyl-L -glutamate, followed by the removal of the benzyl groups by means of hydrogen bromide. The main fraction obtained on gel filtration had an average molecular weight of over 60, 000, corresponding to over 500 amino acid residues per polypcptide chain. The polymer is soluble in water above pH 5.5, and precipitates on lowering the pH. The x-ray powder photographs show features of an α-helical structure. The dependence of the ultraviolet absorption spectrum, the optical rotatory dispersion, and the fluorescence of poly(Tyr-Ala-Glu) on pH, in salt-free as well as in salt-containing aqueous solutions, was compared with the corresponding properties of a copolymer containing equimolar proportions of tyrosine, alanine, and glutamic acid in a random sequence. From these measurements it was concluded that poly(Tyr-Ala-Glu ) has a helical con formation at low pH and a random coil conformation at high pH, the transition taking place at pH 6 in the absence of salt and pH II in the presence of salt. Thus, in the range pH 7 to l0. random coil-to-helix transition can be achieved by merely increasing the ionic strength. A model is proposed for the structure of the helical poly peptide which accounts for the Stability of the helical conformation by assuming hydrogen bonding between the carboxylate group of the ith glutamic acid residue and the hydroxyl group of the (i + 4 )th tyrosine residue. The complex ORD of helical poly(Tyr-Ala-Glu) is explained as being due to a superposition of the ORD of an α-helix and that of a regular array of phenolic ehroniopholes originating from the immobilization of the aromatic rings in the specific structure of the polymer.     

Effect of succinylation (3-carboxypropionylation) on the conformation and immunological activity of ovalbumin.

The epsilon-amino groups of ovalbumin were modified with succinic anhydride; as many as 16 lysine residues were succinylated (3-carboxypropionylated). The five succinylated derivatives thus prepared were homogeneous with respect to the extent of chemical modification as shown by electrophoretic and immunological data. Succinylation of the amino groups altered electrophoretic mobility and isoionic pH of ovalbumin in the expected direction. U.v.-absorption and fluorescence spectra suggested changes in the microenvironment of the chromophores in the modified proteins. The difference-spectral results showed greater exposure of tyrosine and tryptophan residues in the succinylated ovalbumin. Increase in susceptibility to tryptic digestion, Stokes radius and intrinsic viscosity of native ovalbumin, which was observed on successive increase in the chemical modification, demonstrated a conformational change that was proportional to the extent of modification. The loss of immunological reactivity caused by chemical modification also indicated a conformational change in succinylated ovalbumin. The fact that the intrinsic viscosity of maximally modified ovalbumin was less than one-third of that for the completely denatured protein in 6M-guanidinium chloride suggested that the modified protein contained significant residual native structure. The latter presumably accommodates some antigenic determinants accounting for 37% residual immunological activity observed with maximally succinylated ovalbumin.     

Photoreactions of bacteriopheophytins and bacteriochlorophylls in reaction centers of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides and Chloroflexus aurantiacus

A comparison of spectral properties of reaction centers from Chloroflexus aurantiacus and Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides (R-26) is reported. Treatment of reaction centers from Rps. sphaeroides with NaBH₄ leads to a decrease of the dipole strength of the 800-nm band by factor of approx. 1.75-1.95 and to the formation of new bacteriopheophytin, BPh-715, which is almost completely removed during the purification of reaction centers. The modification of the reaction centers does not change the quantum yield of P photooxidation and the spectrum of BPh-545 (H₁) photoreduction which includes the changing of the 800-nm band. This implies the preservation of the photoactive chain P-B₁-H₁-Q_A (where B₁ is the bacteriochlorophyll (BChl)-800 molecule situated between P and H₁) and the modification of the second BChl-800 (B₂). The preparation of modified reaction centers is a mixture of at least three types of reaction centers with different contents of B₂ and of the second BPh (H₂). Some of the reaction centers (5-25%) contain the original B₂ and H₂ molecules (type I). In the CD spectrum of modified reaction centers a decrease of the 800-nm band and the appearance of a positive band at 765 nm is observed. This spectrum is similar to the CD spectrum of Chloroflexus reaction centers containing 3 BPh's and 3 BChl's. This implies that in some (approx. 40%) of the modified Rps. sphaeroides reaction centers (type II) B₂ has been replaced by BPh a which interacts with H₂. Probably some of the modified reaction centers (approx. 40%) have lost both B₂ and H₂ (type III). The modification of reaction centers leads to a considerable decrease of the CD bands at 800 (+) nm and 810 (−) nm and to a decrease of the absorbance changes near 800 nm in the difference absorption spectrum of the oxidation of P. The data are interpreted in terms of the interaction between P and B₁ molecules which gives two transitions at 790-800 and 810 nm with different orientations in modified Rps. sphaeroides as well as in Chloroflexus reaction centers. Similar transitions are observed for the interaction between P and B₂. The spectral analysis shows the existence of two chains P-B₁-H₁, and P-B₂-H₂ in which the distances between the centers of molecules are 1.3 nm or less.     

DNA-copper (II) complex and the DNA conformation

Spectrophotometric, sedimentation, infrared, optical rotatory dispersion (ORD), and circular dichroism (CD) methods have been used to demonstrate the structural changes in DNA induced by the interaction of copper(II) with bases and to elucidate the complex binding sites. As shown by the electrolyte-induced reversion (addition of salts) of temperature-denatured copper DNA the effectiveness of re-formation of the double-stranded structure depends on the temperature, copper(II) ion concentration, and on the base composition of the DNA. Exposure of heat-denatured copper DNA to higher temperatures decreases the reversion effect on addition of electrolyte. The results indicate that a greater fraction with a cooperative transition appears on heating DNA to 80 or 100°C at a Cu²⁺/DNA-P ratio of 2 : 1 than at a Cu²⁺/DNA-P ratio of 1 : 1. With AT-rich copper DNA, reversion to the native DNA structure was not observed. Selective methylation of guanine residues in DNA also affects the electrolyte-induced reversion, indicating the importance of GC pairs for copper(II) binding and the reversion to the native structure. Temperature-denatured copper DNA shows an increased sedimentation coefficient Which decreases again after electrolyte-induced reversion. This change in s is reduced by selective methylation of DNA. Complex formation between copper(II) and the bases is accompanied by a conformational change of the DNA double-helical structure as demonstrated by ORD and CD experiments. The ORD profile of GC-rich DNA is much more affected by copper(II) than that of AT-rich ones. Even at very low copper(II) concentrations, e.g., at 0.02 and 0.2 Cu²⁺/DNA-P, the ORD and CD measurements exhibit conformational changes of the DNA secondary structure at room temperature. By comparing the infrared spectra of deoxynucleosides with that of DNA of different GC content it has been shown that both guanine and cytosine are involved in the formation of the complex of copper(II) with DNA. N-7 and O at C-6 in guanine and N-3 as well as O of C-2 in cytosine are discussed as the most probable binding sites in DNA. A binding model for the coordination of the copper(II) ion between guanine and cytosine of the opposite strands is suggested. The results are in good agreement with the assumptions and predictions made by Eichhorn and Clark about the complexing of copper(II) with DNA. The recent proposal made by Schreiber and Daune about an interaction of the type guanine–Cu²⁺–guanine cannot be excluded as an additional kind of coordination of copper(II) in DNA.     

N-2-acetylaminofluorene modification of poly(dG-m5dC)·poly(dG-m5dC) induces the Z-DNA conformation

Poly(dG-m⁵dC)·poly(dG-m⁵dC) was modified by treatment with N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-Aco-AAF) and its conformation examined by circular dichroism (CD) and susceptibility to S₁ nuclease digestion. A sample with a modification level of 10% shows a CD spectrum characteristic of the Z form and is resistant to digestion by S₁ nuclease. The relative reactivity of several polymers with N-Aco-AAF was shown to follow the order of ease of formation of Z DNA: poly(dG-m⁵dC)·poly(dG-m⁵dC) > poly(dG-dC)·poly(dG-dC) > poly(dG)·poly(dC). This suggests that AAF reacts more readily with Z DNA than B DNA.     

Circular dichroism of the complex between N-N′-diethylpseudoisocyanine and sodium poly(L-glutamate) in aqueous solutions

In the presence of sodium poly(L -glutamate) at pH = 7.5 the dye pseudoisocyanine in dilute aqueous solution (C_d = 1.10 × 10^?5 M) and low P/D values exhibits an absorption spectrum with a very sharp red-shifted J-band. Under the same conditions circular dichroism (CD) in the visible region is observed with an extremely sharp peak at the position of the J-band. At pH = 4.6, where the polypeptide is in the α-helix conformation, no such J-band is observed and no CD spectrum can be detected at the same P/D values. CD spectra in the uv range demonstrate that the occurrence of the dye–polypeptide complex which gives rise to the J-band at slightly alkaline pH is not accompanied by a conformational transition of the polypeptide towards the α-helical form.     

Binding of [(dien)PtCl] Cl to poly(dG-dC)-poly(dG-dC) facilitates the B goes to Z conformational transition.

Chlorodiethylenetriamineplatinum(II) chloride, [(dien)PtCl]Cl, bound to less than or equal to 10% of the nucleotide bases of poly(dG-dC) . poly(dG-dC) reduces the amount of ethanol necessary to bring about the B goes to Z conformational transition in proportion to the amount of platinum complex bound as monitored by CD spectroscopy. The transition may be effected by 25% ethanol with 9.3% of the bases modified polymer an ethanol with 5.4% of the bases modified. With an unmodified polymer an ethanol concentration of 55-60% is necessary to bring about the transition. The assignment of the Z conformation was supported by 31P NMR spectroscopy. This covalent modification of the DNA is reversed by treatment with cyanide ion after which the normal amount of ethanol is necessary to achieve the transition. The platinum complex shows no enhanced binding to DNA in the Z versus the B conformation. Between 20 and 33% (saturation binding) modification, [(dien)PtCl]Cl binds cooperatively to the heterocopolymer as judged by CD spectroscopy. At this high level of modification it is no longer possible to induce the Z DNA structure with ethanol. When [(dien)PtCl]Cl is bound to preformed (with ethanol) Z DNA at saturating levels the CD spectrum is altered but reverts to the spectrum of highly modified DNA upon removal of ethanol. The antitumor drug cis-diaminedichloroplatinum(II), cis-DDP, binds to poly(dG-dC) . poly(dG-dC) and alters the CD spectrum. It does not facilitate the B goes to Z conformational change, however, and actually prevents it from happening even at very high ethanol concentrations.     

The geranyl-modified tryptophan residue is crucial for ComXRO-E-2 pheromone biological activity

The ComX pheromone is an isoprenoidal oligopeptide containing a modified tryptophan residue, which stimulates natural genetic competence in gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus. We have reported the structure of the ComX_RO-E-2 pheromone, which is produced by the RO-E-2 strain of Bacillus subtilis. ComX_RO-E-2 analogs with substituted amino acids and isoprenoid modified tryptophan residues (e.g., prenyl, geranyl, and farnesyl), were synthesized and examined for biological activity. These results indicate that Phe-Trp^∗(Ger)-NH₂ is the minimum pharmacophore of the ComX_RO-E-2 pheromone. Furthermore, the length of the isoprenoid moiety (i.e., modification style), and the presence of double bonds, are crucial for biological activity. The modification style of the ComX pheromone is more important than the peptide sequence with respect to biological activity.     

The iron and subunit binding sites of hemerythrin. The role of histidine,tyrosine and tryptophan

Of the three tyrosine residues available for nitration by tetranitromethane in hemerythrin, nitration of tyrosine residue 70 has no effect on dissociation of octomers to monomers, but nitration of tyrosines 18 and/or 67 results in dissociation to monomers. The latter data suggests these residues are important for subunit association. The reactive sulfhydryl, the modification of which produces dissociation, was protected as a mixed disulfide during the nitration but was regenerated for analysis of the state of association. Residue 70 can be selectively modified because of its exposed position and perhaps because of its slightly lower pK_a of 6.9, compared to 7.3 as an average of all nitrotyrosines in a completely nitrated hemerythrin.Solvent perturbation studies in 20% Me₂SO indicate that 3 tyrosines, in agreement with the nitration results, and 2 tryptophan residues are exposed; however, oxidation at a 2-fold molar excess of N-bromosuccinimide oxidizes three tryptophan whereas a 3.5-fold excess oxidizes all four, but results in a rapid active site destruction. Photo-oxidation with methylene blue results in oxidation of only two tryptophan residues. These data have been interpreted to indicate that two tryptophans are free and two are involved in subunit association.Photo-oxidation with methylene blue results in the destruction of three histidines but no decrease in active site absorption. Histidine modification with diethyloxydiformate shows that three histidines react with no change in active site absorption. These results indicate that four histidines are unreactive toward these modifying agents and are therefore either buried or are ligands to the iron.     

Physical studies on three lectins from the seeds of Abrus precatorius

The physical properties of three lectins from the seeds of the Abrus precatorius plant, abrin C, abrin A and the Abrus agglutinin, were studied. All three exhibited similar circular dichroic (CD) spectra in the near-ultraviolet having negative maxima at 286 and 293 nm. In addition, d-galactose induced similar conformational alterations in the three proteins as observed through changes in the near-ultraviolet CD from 280 to 295 nm. The near-ultraviolet CD spectrum of the toxic subunit of abrin C was very different from that of the parent molecule. The fluorescence emission spectra of the three proteins were also studied. All exhibited fluorescence near 335 nm which is quenched 9% by galactose. Iodide quenching of fluorescence using the Stern-Volmer analysis indicated different tryptophan accessibilities in the presence and absence of d-galactose for the Abrus agglutinin. The result suggest that there is a saccharide-induced conformational change which buries several partially exposed tryptophan residues. A comparable analysis of the closely related Ricinus agglutinin revealed that its tryptophan residues are more buried than those of the Abrus agglutinin and, unlike the Abrus agglutinin, there was no saccharide-induced change in tryptophan accessibility.     

Spectroscopic Investigation of the Interaction Between Copper (II) 2-oxo-propionic Acid Salicyloyl Hydrazone Complex and Bovine Serum Albumin

The interaction between copper (II) 2-oxo-propionic acid salicyloyl hydrazone (Cu^IIL) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) under physiological conditions was investigated by the methods of fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-Vis absorption, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Fluorescence data showed that the fluorescence quenching of BSA by Cu^IIL was the result of the formation of the BSA–Cu^IIL complex. The apparent binding constants (K _a) between Cu^IIL and BSA at four different temperatures were obtained according to the modified Stern–Volmer equation. The thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS), for the reaction were calculated to be ?80.79 kJ mol^?1 and ?175.48 J mol^?1 K^?1 according to van’t Hoff equation. The results indicated that van der Waals force and hydrogen bonds were the dominant intermolecular force in stabilizing the complex. The binding distance (r) between Cu^IIL and the tryptophan residue of BSA was obtained to be 4.1 nm according to Förster’s nonradioactive energy transfer theory. The conformational investigation showed that the application of Cu^IIL increased the hydrophobicity of amino acid residues and decreased the α-helical content of BSA (from 62.71% to 37.31%), which confirmed some microenvironmental and conformational changes of BSA molecules.     

Structural change in β-sheet A of Z α(1)-antitrypsin is responsible for accelerated polymerization and disease

The presence of the Z mutation (Glu342Lys) is responsible for more than 95% of α₁-antitrypsin (α₁AT) deficiency cases. It leads to increased polymerization of the serpin α₁AT during its synthesis and in circulation. It has been proposed that the Z mutation results in a conformational change within the folded state of antitrypsin that enhances its polymerization. In order to localize the conformational change, we have created two single tryptophan mutants of Z α₁AT and analyzed their fluorescence properties. α₁AT contains two tryptophan residues that are located in distinct regions of the molecule: Trp194 at the top of β-sheet A and Trp238 on β-sheet B. We have replaced each tryptophan residue individually with a phenylalanine in order to study the local environment of the remaining tryptophan residue in both M and Z α₁AT. A detailed fluorescence spectroscopic analysis of each mutant was carried out, and we detected differences in the emission spectrum, the Stern-Volmer constant for potassium iodide quenching and the anisotropy of only Trp194 in Z α₁AT compared to M α₁AT. Our data reveal that the Z mutation results in a conformational change at the top of β-sheet A but does not affect the structural integrity of β-sheet B.     

A system for automatic temperature-programmed recording of circular dichroism and optical rotatory dispersion

The effect of temperature on the circular dichroism (CD) and the optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) of macromolecules, and particularly nucleic acids, provides useful information regarding macromolecular conformation (1–3). Instruments which can perform this function, however, are not commercially available. The dependence of CD upon temperature is usually measured by manual variation of the temperature of a jacketed-cell assembly positioned within the spectropolarimeter. We wish to report a modification of the Beckman T_m Analyzer ¹, which is designed to record temperature-optical density profiles, permitting the use of this instrument in conjunetion with a Durrum-Jasco recording spectropolarimeter ². This assembly provides for automatic recording of CD or ORD versus temperature at wavelengths between 190 and 700 mμ. We recently employed this system in studies of the temperature dependence of CD in DNA-ethidium bromide complexes (4,5).     

Modification of a single tryptophan of the inorganic pyrophosphatase from thermophilic bacterium PS-3: possible involvement in its substrate binding.

The effect of N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) on the activity of the inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPiase) from thermophilic bacterium PS-3 was studied. The enzyme was almost completely inactivated on chemical modification with NBS, depending upon the concentration of NBS. The presence of a complex of Mg2+ and a substrate analogue, imidodiphosphate (PNP), provided extensive protection against the inactivation, whereas Mg2+ or PNP alone showed no protective effect. Amino acid analysis of the NBS-modified enzyme after hydrolysis with 6 M HCl indicated no change in the amino acid composition. However, the magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) bands around 293 nm due to the tryptophan residue and the optical density at 280 nm, decreased concomitantly with modification by NBS. These results strongly suggested that the tryptophan residue at position 143, which is the only tryptophan residue per subunit in the thermophilic PPiase (Ichiba, T., Takenaka, O., Samejima, T. and Hachimori, A. (1990) J. Biochem. 108, 572-578), might be involved in the active site or be located in the vicinity of the active site. The circular dichroism (CD) spectrum in the far ultraviolet region showed no significant alteration during the modification, indicating that the polypeptide chain backbone of the enzyme remained unaltered. However, the modification considerably altered the CD bands in, the near ultraviolet region, indicating that a conformational change occurred in the vicinity of the active site in the enzyme molecule.     

pH dependence of individual tryptophan N-1 hydrogen exchange rates in lysozyme and its chemically modified derivatives

Nuclear magnetic resonance analyses have been made of the individual hydrogen-deuterium exchange rates of tryptophan indole N-1 hydrogens in native lysozyme and its chemically modified derivatives including lysozyme with an ester cross-linkage between Glu-35 and Trp-108, lysozyme with an internal amide cross-linking between the epsilon-amino group of Lys-13 and the alpha-carboxyl group of Leu-129, and lysozyme with the beta-aspartyl sequence at Asp-101. The pH dependence curves of the exchange rates for Trp-63 and Trp-108 are different from those expected for tryptophan. The pH dependence curve for Trp-108 exchange exhibits the effects from molecular aggregation at pH above 5 and from a transition between the two conformational fluctuations at around pH 4. The exchange rates for tryptophan residues in native lysozyme and modified derivatives are not correlated with the thermodynamic or kinetic parameters in protein denaturation, suggesting that the fluctuations responsible for the exchange are not global ones. The exchange rates for tryptophan residues remote from the modification site are perturbed. Such tryptophan residues are found to be involved in a small but distinct conformational change due to the modification. Therefore, the perturbations of the N-1 hydrogen exchange rates are related to the minor change in local conformation or in conformational strain induced by the chemical modification.     

Comparative circular dichroism studies of an anti-fluorescein monoclonal antibody (Mab 4-4-20) and its derivatives.

This study presents circular dichroism (CD) spectra of a high-affinity monoclonal anti-fluorescein antibody (Mab 4-4-20), its Fab fragments, and corresponding single-chain antibody (SCA). In the region 200-250 nm, the differences in the CD spectra between these proteins reflect the uneven distribution of chromophores (tryptophan and tyrosine) rather than a major conformational change. On the basis of near-UV CD spectra, binding of the hapten fluorescein to these protein antibodies elicits an increased asymmetry in the microenvironment of the chromophoric residues in contact with the hapten and also perturbs the interface between VL and VH domains. The hapten-binding site provides a chiral microenvironment for fluorescein that elicits a pronounced induced fluorescein CD spectrum in both the visible and UV regions. In contrast to the parent molecules, SCA is thermolabile. Our results demonstrate that (1) UV CD spectra are useful for assessing the chromophoric microenvironment in the binding portion of antibodies and (2) the extrinsic fluorescein hapten CD spectra provide information about the interaction of hapten with the binding pocket.