Molecular characterization of DnaK from the halotolerant cyanobacterium Aphanothece halophytica for ATPase,protein folding,and copper binding under various salinity conditions

Previously, it was found that the dnaK1 gene of the halotolerant cyanobacterium Aphanothece halophytica encodes a polypeptide of 721 amino acids which has a long C-terminal region rich in acidic amino acid residues. To understand whether the A. halophytica DnaK1 possesses chaperone activity at high salinity and to clarify the role of the extra C-terminal amino acids, a comparative study examined three kinds of DnaK molecules for ATPase activity as well as the refolding activity of other urea-denatured proteins under various salinity conditions. DnaK1s from A. halophytica and Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 and the C-terminal deleted A. halophytica DnaK1 were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified. The ATPase activity of A. halophytica DnaK1 was very high even at high salinity (1.0 M NaCl or KCl), whereas this activity in Synechococcus PCC 7942 DnaK1 decreased with increasing concentrations of NaCl or KCl. The salt dependence on the refolding activity of urea-denatured lactate dehydrogenase by DnaK1s was similar to that of ATPase activity of the respective DnaK1s. The deletion of the C-terminal amino acids of A. halophytica DnaK1 had no effect on the ATPase activity, but caused a significant decrease in the refolding activity of other denatured proteins. These facts indicate that the extra C-terminal region of A. halophytica DnaK1 plays an important role in the refolding of other urea-denatured proteins at high salinity. Furthermore, it was shown that DnaK1 could assist the copper binding of precursor apo-plastocyanin as well as that of mature apo-plastocyanin during the folding of these copper proteins.     

Effects of deletion and shift of the A20-B19 disulfide bond on the structure, activity, and refolding of proinsulin

To investigate the role of the A20-B19 disulfide bond in the structure, activity and folding of proinsulin, a human proinsulin (HPI) mutant [A20, B19Ala]-HPI was prepared. This mutant, together with another proinsulin mutant previously constructed with an A19Tyr deletion, which can also be taken as shifted mutant of the A20-B19 disulfide bond, were studied for their in vitro refolding, oxidation of free thiol groups, circular dichroism spectra, antibody and receptor binding activities and sensitivity to trypsin digestion in comparison with native proinsulin. The results indicate that deletion of the A20-B19 disulfide bond results in a large decrease in the alpha-helix content of the molecule and higher sensitivity to tryptic digestion. Both the deletion and shift mutations, especially the latter, cause a great decrease in the biological activity of proinsulin analogues. The folding yields of HPI analogues were much lower than that of HPI. And the shift mutant, [Delta A19Tyr]-HPI, was scarcely refolded correctly in vitro and its refolding yield was extremely low. These results suggest that the A20-B19 disulfide bond plays an important role in the structural stabilization and folding of the insulin precursor. By summarizing the refolding studies on proinsulin, a possible folding pathway is proposed.     

Mutations in the N- and C-terminal tails of potato carboxypeptidase inhibitor influence its oxidative refolding process at the reshuffling stage

A comparative study of the oxidative refolding for nine selected potato carboxypeptidase inhibitor (PCI) mutants was carried out using the disulfide quenching approach. The mutations were performed at the N- and C-terminal tails of PCI outside its disulfide stabilized central core. The differences between the refolding of wild type and mutant proteins were observed in the second phase of the refolding process, the reshuffling of disulfide bridges, although the first phase, nonspecific packing, was not greatly affected by the mutations. Point mutations at the C-tail or deletion of up to three C-terminal residues of PCI resulted in a lower efficiency of the reshuffling process. In the case of the mutants lacking five N-terminal or four or five C-terminal residues, no "native-like" form was observed after the refolding process. On the other hand, the double mutant G35P/P36G did not attain a native-like form either, although one slightly more stable species was observed after being submitted to refolding. The disulfide pairing of this species is different from that of the wtPCI native form. The differences between the refolding process of wild type and mutant forms are interpreted in the light of the new view of protein folding. The results of the present study support the hypothesis that the refolding of this small disulfide-rich protein, and others, is driven by noncovalent interactions at the reshuffling stage. It is also shown that the interactions established between the N- and C-tail residues and the core of PCI are important for the proper refolding of the protein.     

Properties of human vasopressin precursor constructs: inefficient monomer folding in the absence of copeptin as a potential contributor to diabetes insipidus

These studies were aimed at an initial characterization of the human vasopressin precursor and the evaluation of factors leading to misfolding by the pathological 87STOP mutation. This mutation deletes the precursor's glycosylated copeptin segment, which has been considered unnecessary for folding, and the last seven neurophysin residues. We investigated the role in folding of the last seven neurophysin residues by comparing the properties of the 87STOP precursor and its derivative neurophysin with those of the corresponding wild-type proteins from which copeptin had been deleted, leading to the following conclusions. First, despite modulating effects on several protein properties, the last seven neurophysin residues do not make a significant net thermodynamic contribution to precursor folding; stabilities of the mutant and wild-type precursors to both guanidine denaturation and redox buffer unfolding are similar, as are in vitro folding rates. Second, the monomeric forms of both precursors are unstable and predicted to fold inefficiently at physiological pH and temperature, as evidenced by precursor behavior in redox buffers and by thermodynamic calculations. Third, both precursors are significantly less stable than the bovine oxytocin precursor. These results, together with earlier studies elsewhere of vasopressin precursor behavior within rat neurons, are shown to represent a self-consistent argument for a role for glycosylated copeptin in vasopressin precursor folding in vivo, copeptin most probably assisting refolding by facilitating interaction of misfolded monomers with the calnexin/calreticulin system. This hypothesis provides an explanation for the absence of copeptin in the more stable oxytocin precursor and suggests that the loss of copeptin contributes to 87STOP pathogenicity. Reported cell culture studies of rat precursor folding are also discussed in this context. Most generally, the results emphasize the significance of monomer stability in the folding pathways of oligomeric proteins.     

Effects of proline mutations on the unfolding and refolding of human lysozyme: the slow refolding kinetic phase does not result from proline cis-trans isomerization

The unfolding and refolding kinetics of six proline mutants of the human lysozyme (h-lysozyme) were carried out and compared to that of the wild-type protein. Our results show that the slow refolding phase observed in the h-lysozyme refolding kinetics cannot be ascribed to proline isomerization reactions. The h-lysozyme contains two proline residues at positions 71 and 103, both in the trans conformation in the native state. The refolding kinetics of the P71G/P103G mutant, in which both prolines have been replaced by a glycine, were found to be similar to those of the wild-type protein. The same slow phase amplitude of about 10% was found for both proteins, and the slow phase rate constants were also identical within experimental error. Other mutants such as P103G or P71G, in which only one of the two prolines has been replaced by a glycine, and A47P with its three prolines, gave identical slow refolding phases. The X-ray structure analysis and scanning microcalorimetric study of each protein (Herning et al., unpublished experiments) have confirmed that none of the considered mutations affects significantly protein structure and that no major changes in protein stability were brought about by these mutations. Therefore, comparison of the properties of the mutant and wild-type proteins is legitimate. Interestingly, the refolding kinetics of the V110P mutant, in which a proline residue has been introduced at position 110 (N-terminus of an alpha-helix), were clearly triphasic. For this mutant an additional very slow phase with properties similar to those expected from the proline hypothesis was detected. Equilibrium denaturation studies were conducted for each protein, and the refolding pathway of h-lysozyme is partly presented. We also discuss the effect of proline mutations on the energetics of the folding pathway of the h-lysozyme in water.     

Deletion of a highly conserved tetrapeptide sequence of the proinsulin connecting peptide (C-peptide) inhibits proinsulin to insulin conversion by transfected pituitary corticotroph (AtT20) cells

The biological function of the connecting peptide (C-peptide) of proinsulin is unknown. Comparison of all known C-peptide sequences reveals the presence of a highly conserved peptide sequence, Glu/Asp-X-Glu/Asp (X being a hydrophobic amino acid), adjacent to the Arg-Arg doublet at the B chain/C-peptide junction. Furthermore, the next amino acid in the C-peptide sequence is also acidic in many animal species. To test the possible involvement of this hydrophilic domain in insulin biosynthesis, we constructed a mutant of the rat proinsulin II gene lacking the first four amino acids of the C-peptide and expressed either the normal (INS) on the mutated (INSDEL) genes in the AtT20 pituitary corticotroph cell line. In both cases immunoreactive insulin (IRI) was stored by the cells and released upon stimulation by cAMP. In the INS expressing cells, the majority of IRI, whether stored or released in response to a secretagogue, was mature insulin. By contrast, most of the stored and releasable IRI in the INSDEL expressing cells appeared to be (mutant) proinsulin or conversion intermediate with little detectable native insulin. Release of the mutant proinsulin and/or conversion intermediates was stimulated by cAMP. These results suggest that the mutant proinsulin was appropriately targeted to secretory granules and released predominantly via the regulated pathway, but that the C-peptide deletion prevented its conversion to native insulin.     

Conserved residues flanking the thiol/disulfide centers of protein disulfide isomerase are not essential for catalysis of thiol/disulfide exchange.

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) catalyzes the oxidative folding of proteins containing disulfide bonds by increasing the rate of disulfide bond rearrangements which normally occur during the folding process. The amino acid sequences of the N- and C-terminal redox active sites (PWCGHCK) in PDI are completely conserved from yeast to man and display considerable identity with the redox-active center of thioredoxin (EWCGPCK). Available data indicate that the two thiol/disulfide centers of PDI can function independently in the isomerase reaction and that the cysteine residues in each active site are essential for catalysis. To evaluate the role of residues flanking the active-site cysteines of PDI in function, a variety of mutations were introduced into the N-terminal active site of PDI within the context of both a functional C-terminal active site and an inactive C-terminal active site in which serine residues replaced C379 and C382. Replacement of non-cysteine residues (W34 to Ser, G36 to Ala, and K39 to Arg) resulted in only a modest reduction in catalytic activity in both the oxidative refolding of RNase A and the reduction of insulin (10-27%), independent of the status of the C-terminal active site. A somewhat larger effect was observed with the H37P mutation where approximately 80% of the activity attributable to the N-terminal domain (approximately 40%) was lost. However, the H37P mutant N-terminal site expressed within the context of an inactive C-terminal domain exhibits 30% activity, approximately 70% of the activity of the N-terminal site alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The role of a conserved acidic residue in calcium-dependent protein folding for a low density lipoprotein (LDL)-A module: implications in structure and function for the LDL receptor superfamily

One common feature of the more than 1,000 complement-type repeats (or low density lipoprotein (LDL)-A modules) found in LDL receptor and the other members of the LDL receptor superfamily is a cluster of five highly conserved acidic residues in the C-terminal region, DXXXDXXDXXDE. However, the role of the third conserved aspartate of these LDL-A modules in protein folding and ligand recognition has not been elucidated. In this report, using a model LDL-A module and several experimental approaches, we demonstrate that this acidic residue, like the other four conserved acidic residues, is involved in calcium-dependent protein folding. These results suggest an alternative calcium coordination conformation for the LDL-A modules. The proposed model provides a plausible explanation for the conservation of this acidic residue among the LDL-A modules. Furthermore, the model can explain why mutations of this residue in human LDL receptor cause familial hypercholesterolemia.     

In vitro refolding of human proinsulin. Kinetic intermediates,putative disulfide-forming pathway folding initiation site,and potential role of C-peptide in folding process

Human insulin is a double-chain peptide that is synthesized in vivo as a single-chain human proinsulin (HPI). We have investigated the disulfide-forming pathway of a single-chain porcine insulin precursor (PIP). Here we further studied the folding pathway of HPI in vitro. While the oxidized refolding process of HPI was quenched, four obvious intermediates (namely P1, P2, P3, and P4, respectively) with three disulfide bridges were isolated and characterized. Contrary to the folding pathway of PIP, no intermediates with one- or two-disulfide bonds could be captured under different refolding conditions. CD analysis showed that P1, P2, and P3 retained partially structural conformations, whereas P4 contained little secondary structure. Based on the time-dependent distribution, disulfide pair analysis, and disulfide-reshuffling process of the intermediates, we have proposed that the folding pathway of HPI is significantly different from that of PIP. These differences reveal that the C-peptide not only facilitates the folding of HPI but also governs its kinetic folding pathway of HPI. Detailed analysis of the molecular folding process reveals that there are some similar folding mechanisms between PIP and HPI. These similarities imply that the initiation site for the folding of PIP/HPI may reside in the central alpha-helix of the B-chain. The formation of disulfide A20-B19 may guide the transfer of the folding information from the B-chain template to the unstructured A-chain. Furthermore, the implications of this in vitro refolding study on the in vivo folding process of HPI have been discussed.     

Role of the linker between the N- and C-terminal domains in the stability and folding of rabbit muscle creatine kinase

Domain-domain interactions may be very important to the structure and functions of many multidomain proteins. However, little is known about the role of the linker in the folding, stability and function of multidomain proteins. In this research, muscle creatine kinase (CK), a dimeric two-domain protein, was used as a model protein to investigate the role of the linker in CK activity, stability and folding by mutational analysis. Two of the three mutations, L115D and L121D, resulted in a gradual decrease in CK activity and secondary structures, but did not affect CK inactivation induced by heat or guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl). The mutations also caused much more serious aggregation during heat- and GdnHCl-induced denaturation and refolding from the GdnHCl-denatured state. More importantly, none of the three mutants could successfully recover their activities by dilution-initiated refolding, and the rate constant of CK refolding was gradually decreased by the mutations. These results suggested that mutations of the hydrophobic residues in the linker might affect the correct positioning of the domains and thus disrupt the efficient recognition and interactions between the two domains. The results herein indicated that in addition to its role in the in vivo functions, the linker also played a crucial role in the stability and folding of CK.     

Reconstitutive refolding of diacylglycerol kinase, an integral membrane protein

While the formation of kinetically trapped misfolded structural states by membrane proteins is related to a number of diseases, relatively few studies of misfolded membrane proteins in their purified state have been carried out and few methods for refolding such proteins have been reported. In this paper, misfolding of the trimeric integral membrane protein diacylglycerol kinase (DAGK) is documented and a method for refolding the protein is presented; 65 single-cysteine mutants of DAGK were examined. A majority were found to have lower-than-expected activities when purified into micellar solutions, with additional losses in activity often being observed following membrane reconstitution. A variety of evidence indicates that the low activities observed for most of these mutants results from kinetically based misfolding of the protein, with misfolding often being manifested by the formation of aberrant oligomeric states. A method referred to as "reconstitutive refolding" for correcting misfolded DAGK is presented. This method is based upon reconstituting DAGK into multilamellar POPC vesicles by dialyzing the detergent dodecylphosphocholine out of mixed micellar mixtures. For 55 of the 65 mutants tested, there was a gain of DAGK activity during reconstitutive refolding. In 33 of these cases, the gain in activity was greater than 2-fold. The refolding results for cysteine replacement mutants at DAGK sites known to be highly conserved provide teleological insight into whether sites are conserved, because they are critical for catalysis, for maintenance of the proper folding pathway, or for some other reason.     

Independent mutations at the amino terminus of a protein act as surrogate signals for mitochondrial import.

Intracellular delivery of the mitochondrial F1-ATPase beta-subunit precursor from the cytoplasm into the matrix of mitochondria is prevented by deletion of its mitochondrial import signal, a basic amphipathic alpha-helix at its amino terminus. Using a complementation assay, we have selected spontaneous mutations which restore the correct in vivo localization of the protein containing the import signal deletion. Analysis of these mutations revealed that different functional surrogate mitochondrial targeting signals formed within a narrow region of the extreme amino terminus of the import signal deleted beta-subunit. These modifications specifically replace different acidic residues with neutral or basic residues to generate a less acidic amphipathic helix within a region of the protein which is accessible for interaction with the membrane surface. The observations of this study confirm the requirement for amphipathicity as part of the mitochondrial import signal and suggest how mitochondrial targeting signals may have evolved within the extreme amino terminus of mitochondrial proteins.     

Unfolding of human proinsulin. Intermediates and possible role of its C-peptide in folding/unfolding.

We have investigated the in vitro refolding process of human proinsulin (HPI) and an artificial mini-C derivative of HPI (porcine insulin precursor, PIP), and found that they have significantly different disulfide-formation pathways. HPI and PIP differ in their amino acid sequences due to the presence of the C-peptide linker found in HPI, therefore suggesting that the C-peptide linker may be responsible for the observed difference in folding behaviour. However, the manner in which the C-peptide contributes to this difference is still unknown. We have used both the disulfide scrambling method and a redox-equilibrium assay to assess the stability of the disulfide bridges. The results show that disulfide reshuffling is easier to induce in HPI than in PIP by the addition of thiol reagent. Thus, the C-peptide may affect the unique folding pathway of HPI by allowing the disulfide bonds of HPI to be easily accessible. The detailed processes of HPI unfolding by reduction of its disulfide bonds and by disulfide scrambling methods were also investigated. In the reductive unfolding process no accumulation of intermediates was detected. In the process of unfolding by disulfide scrambling, HPI gradually rearranged its disulfide bonds to form three major isomers G1, G2 and G3. The most abundant isomer, G1, contains the B7-B19 disulfide bridge. Based on far-UV CD spectra, native gel analysis and cleavage by endoproteinase V8, the G1 isomer has been shown to resemble the intermediate P4 found in the refolding process of HPI. Finally, the major isomer G1 is allowed to refold to native protein HPI by disulfide rearrangement, which indicates that a similar molecular mechanism may exist for the unfolding and refolding process of HPI.     

Effect of surface histidine mutations and their number on the partitioning and refolding of recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (Cys17Ser) in aqueous two-phase systems containing chelated metal ions

High-level expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli frequently leads to the formation of insoluble protein aggregates, termed inclusion bodies. In order to recover a native protein from inclusion bodies, various protein refolding techniques have been developed. Column-based refolding methods and refolding in aqueous two-phase systems are often an attractive alternative to dilution refolding due to simultaneous purification and improved refolding yields. In this work, the effect of surface histidine mutations and their number on the partitioning and refolding of recombinant human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor Cys17Ser variant (rhG-CSF (C17S)) from solubilized inclusion bodies in aqueous two-phase systems polyethylene glycol (PEG)-dextran, containing metal ions, chelated by dye Light Resistant Yellow 2KT (LR Yellow 2KT)-PEG derivative, was investigated. Human G-CSF is a growth factor that regulates the production of mature neutrophilic granulocytes from the precursor cells. Initially, the role of His156 and His170 residues in the interaction of rhG-CSF (C17S) with Cu(II), Ni(II) and Hg(II) ions, chelated by LR Yellow 2KT-PEG, was investigated at pH 7.0 by means of affinity partitioning of purified, correctly folded rhG-CSF (C17S) mutants. It was determined that both His156 and His170 mutations reduced the affinity of rhG-CSF (C17S) for chelated Cu(II) ions at pH 7.0. His170 mutation significantly reduced the affinity of protein for chelated Ni(II) ions. However, histidine mutations had only a small effect on the affinity of protein for Hg(II) ions. The influence of His156 and His170 mutations on the refolding of rhG-CSF (C17S) from solubilized inclusion bodies in aqueous two-phase systems PEG-dextran, containing chelated Ni(II) and Hg(II) ions, was investigated. Reversible interaction of protein mutants with chelated metal ions was used for refolding in aqueous two-phase systems. Both histidine mutations resulted in a significant decrease of protein refolding efficiency in two-phase systems containing chelated Ni(II) ions, while in the presence of chelated Hg(II) ions their effect on protein refolding was negligible. Refolding studies of rhG-CSF variants with different number of histidine mutations revealed that a direct correlation exists between the number of surface histidine residues and refolding efficiency of rhG-CSF variant in two-phase systems containing chelated Ni(II) ions. This method of protein refolding in aqueous two-phase systems containing chelated metal ions should be applicable to other recombinant proteins that contain accessible histidine residues.     

Structural insights into the evolution of a non-biological protein: importance of surface residues in protein fold optimization

Phylogenetic profiling of amino acid substitution patterns in proteins has led many to conclude that most structural information is carried by interior core residues that are solvent inaccessible. This conclusion is based on the observation that buried residues generally tolerate only conserved sequence changes, while surface residues allow more diverse chemical substitutions. This notion is now changing as it has become apparent that both core and surface residues play important roles in protein folding and stability. Unfortunately, the ability to identify specific mutations that will lead to enhanced stability remains a challenging problem. Here we discuss two mutations that emerged from an in vitro selection experiment designed to improve the folding stability of a non-biological ATP binding protein. These mutations alter two solvent accessible residues, and dramatically enhance the expression, solubility, thermal stability, and ligand binding affinity of the protein. The significance of both mutations was investigated individually and together, and the X-ray crystal structures of the parent sequence and double mutant protein were solved to a resolution limit of 2.8 and 1.65 A, respectively. Comparative structural analysis of the evolved protein to proteins found in nature reveals that our non-biological protein evolved certain structural features shared by many thermophilic proteins. This experimental result suggests that protein fold optimization by in vitro selection offers a viable approach to generating stable variants of many naturally occurring proteins whose structures and functions are otherwise difficult to study.     

Contributions of a highly conserved VH/VL hydrogen bonding interaction to scFv folding stability and refolding efficiency.

The assembly of single-chain Fv (scFv) antibody fragments, consisting of an interconnected variable heavy chain (VH) and variable light chain (VL), is a cooperative process that requires coupled folding and domain association. We report here an initial investigation of VH/VL domain-domain assembly with a site-directed mutagenesis study that probes a highly conserved VH/VL hydrogen bonding interaction. Gln168 of the S5 scFv (Kabat VH 39) is absolutely conserved in 95% of all VH, and Gln44 (Kabat VL 38) is found in 94% of all kappa VL (Glx in 95% of all lambda VL). These side chains form two hydrogen bonds in head-to-tail alignment across the VH/VL interface. Double mutant cycles at Gln168 and Gln44 were constructed to first investigate their contribution to thermodynamic folding stability, second to investigate whether stability can be improved, and third to determine whether refolding efficiencies are affected by mutations at these positions. The results demonstrate that the Gln168-Gln44 interaction is not a key determinant of S5 scFv folding stability, as sequential modification to alanine has no significant effect on the free energy of folding. Several mutations that alter the glutamines to methionine or charged amino acids significantly increase the thermodynamic stability by increasing the m(g) associated with the unfolding isotherm. These effects are hypothesized to arise largely from an increase in the VH/VL association free energy that leads to tighter coupling between domain-domain association and folding. All of the mutants also display a reduced antigen binding affinity. Single and double methionine mutants also displayed significant increases in refolding efficiency of 2.4- to 3-fold over the native scFv, whereas the double alanine/methionine mutants displayed moderate 1.9- to 2.4-fold enhancement. The results suggest that reengineering the VH/VL interface could be useful in improving the stability of single-chain antibodies, as Ala/Met mutations at these conserved positions increase the free energy of folding by 46% while minimally perturbing binding affinity. They also could be useful in improving scFv recovery from inclusion bodies as the mutations increase the refolding efficiency by more than twofold.     

(A-C-B) human proinsulin, a novel insulin agonist and intermediate in the synthesis of biosynthetic human insulin.

The hormone insulin is synthesized in the beta cell of the pancreas as the precursor, proinsulin, where the carboxyl terminus of the B-chain is connected to the amino terminus of the A-chain by a connecting or C-peptide. Proinsulin is a weak insulin agonist that possesses a longer in vivo half-life than does insulin. A form of proinsulin clipped at the Arg65-Gly66 bond has been shown to be more potent than the parent molecule with protracted in vivo activity, presumably as a result of freeing the amino terminal residue of the A-chain. To generate a more active proinsulin-like molecule, we have constructed an "inverted" proinsulin molecule where the carboxyl terminus of the A-chain is connected to the amino terminus of the B-chain by the C-peptide, leaving the critical Gly1 residue free. Transformation of Escherichia coli with a plasmid coding for A-C-B human proinsulin led to the stable production of the protein. By a process of cell disruption, sulfitolysis, anion-exchange chromatography, refolding, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, two forms of the inverted proinsulin differing at their amino termini as Gly1 and Met0-Gly1 were identified and purified to homogeneity. Both proteins were shown by a number of analytical techniques to be of the inverted sequence, with insulin-like disulfide bonding. Biological analyses by in vitro techniques revealed A-C-B human proinsulin to be intermediate in potency when compared to human insulin and proinsulin. The time to maximal lowering of blood glucose in the fasted normal rat appeared comparable to that of proinsulin. Additionally, we were able to generate fully active, native insulin from A-C-B human proinsulin by proteolytic transformation. The results of this study lend themselves to the generation of novel insulin-like peptides while providing a simplified route to the biosynthetic production of insulin.     

Role of amino acid residues at turns in the conformational stability and folding of human lysozyme

To clarify the role of amino acid residues at turns in the conformational stability and folding of a globular protein, six mutant human lysozymes deleted or substituted at turn structures were investigated by calorimetry, GuHCl denaturation experiments, and X-ray crystal analysis. The thermodynamic properties of the mutant and wild-type human lysozymes were compared and discussed on the basis of their three-dimensional structures. For the deletion mutants, Delta47-48 and Delta101, the deleted residues are in turns on the surface and are absent in human alpha-lactalbumin, which is homologous to human lysozyme in amino acid sequence and tertiary structure. The stability of both mutants would be expected to increase due to a decrease in conformational entropy in the denatured state; however, both proteins were destabilized. The destabilizations were mainly caused by the disappearance of intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Each part deleted was recovered by the turn region like the alpha-lactalbumin structure, but there were differences in the main-chain conformation of the turn between each deletion mutant and alpha-lactalbumin even if the loop length was the same. For the point mutants, R50G, Q58G, H78G, and G37Q, the main-chain conformations of these substitution residues located in turns adopt a left-handed helical region in the wild-type structure. It is thought that the left-handed non-Gly residue has unfavorable conformational energy compared to the left-handed Gly residue. Q58G was stabilized, but the others had little effect on the stability. The structural analysis revealed that the turns could rearrange the main-chain conformation to accommodate the left-handed non-Gly residues. The present results indicate that turn structures are able to change their main-chain conformations, depending upon the side-chain features of amino acid residues on the turns. Furthermore, stopped-flow GuHCl denaturation experiments on the six mutants were performed. The effects of mutations on unfolding-refolding kinetics were significantly different among the mutant proteins. The deletion/substitutions in turns located in the alpha-domain of human lysozyme affected the refolding rate, indicating the contribution of turn structures to the folding of a globular protein.     

Effect of multiple prolyl isomerization reactions on the stability and folding kinetics of the notch ankyrin domain: experiment and theory

Studies on the folding kinetics of the Notch ankyrin domain have demonstrated that the major refolding phase is slow, the minor refolding phase is limited by the isomerization of prolyl peptide bonds, and that unfolding is multiexponential. Here, we explore the relationship between prolyl isomerization and folding heterogeneity using a combination of experiment and simulation. Proline residues were replaced with alanine, both singly and in various combinations. These destabilizing substitutions combine to eliminate the minor refolding phase, although unfolding heterogeneity persists even when all seven proline residues are replaced. To test whether prolyl isomerization influences the major refolding phase, we modeled folding and prolyl isomerization as a system of sequential reactions. Simulations that use rate constants of the major folding phase of the Notch ankyrin domain to represent intrinsic folding indicate that even with seven prolyl isomerization reactions, only two significant phases should be observed, and that the fast observed phase provides a good approximation of the intrinsic folding in the absence of prolyl isomerization. These results indicate that the major refolding phase of the Notch ankyrin domain reflects an intrinsically slow folding transition, rather than coupling of fast folding events with slow prolyl isomerization steps. This is consistent with the observation that the single observed refolding phase of a construct in which all proline residues are replaced remains slow. Finally, the simulation fails to produce a second unfolding phase at high urea concentrations, indicating that prolyl isomerization does not play a role in the three-state mechanism that leads to this heterogeneity.     

Mutagenesis of the three conserved valine residues: consequence on the foldability of insulin

Natural polypeptide chain usually can spontaneously fold into tightly compact native structure. This capability is the so-called foldability. However, how the foldability is encoded in the polypeptide chain is still poorly understood. The structure of insulin has been well solved and extensively investigated. Therefore, insulin provides a good model for investigating the role of individual residue to the sequence foldability. In insulins from different species there are three highly conserved Val residues (A3Val, B12Val, and B18Val), but their contribution to the insulin foldability is still unknown. Here, a single-chain insulin (PIP) was used to investigate the contribution of the three conserved valine residues to the foldability. Five PIP mutants, [A3S]PIP, [A3T]PIP, [B12A]PIP, [B18T]PIP, and [B18L]PIP, were used in the studies, and their structural changes, secretion efficiency, structural stability, disulfide stability, and in vitro refolding efficiency were analyzed. The effects of the mutations on the PIP foldability are multifold: as a whole, mutation of A3Val has only moderate effect; while mutation of B12Val has significant detriment; hydrophobic replacement of B18Val is more tolerant than hydrophilic substitution as foldability is concerned. Therefore, the three highly conserved valine residues have different contributions to the insulin foldability, and their contribution might be ranked as B12Val>B18Val>A3Val.