Structure and solvation of melittin in hexafluoroacetone/water

Intermolecular (1)H[(19)F] and (1)H[(1)H] nuclear Overhauser effects have been used to explore interaction of solvent components with melittin dissolved in 50% hexafluoroacetone trihydrate (HFA)/water. Standard nuclear Overhauser effect experiments and an analysis of C(alpha)H proton chemical shifts confirm that the conformation of the peptide in this solvent is alpha-helical from residues Ala4 to Thr11 and from Leu13 to Arg24. The two helical regions are not collinear; the interhelix angle (144 +/- 20 degrees ) found in this work is near that observed in the solid state and previous NMR studies. Intermolecular NOEs arising from interactions between spins of the solvent and the solute indicate that both fluoroalcohol and water molecules are strongly enough bound to the peptide that solvent-solute complexes persist for > or =2 ns. Preferential interactions of HFA with many hydrophobic side chains of the peptide are apparent while water molecules appear to be localized near hydrophilic side chains. These results indicate that interactions of both HFA and water are qualitatively different from those present when the peptide is dissolved in 35% hexafluoro-2-propanol/water, a chemically similar helix-supporting solvent system.     

Effects of internal motions on the development of the two-dimensional transferred nuclear Overhauser effect

Summary In this paper we address the influence of internal motions on the development of the transferred nuclear Overhauser effect in a ligand undergoing chemical exchange between a free and a bound state. We examine the effects of varying the effective correlation time as well as the motional order parameter for methyl group and phenyl ring rotations in the free and bound ligand conformations. The effect of decreasing the motional order for a proton pair on a methyl group or phenyl ring is to decrease the effective correlation time of the internuclear vector, and thus to decrease the cross-relaxation rate between the proton pair. This functions to dampen the effects of spin diffusion, especially in the bound ligand- where cross-relaxation rates are much faster than in the free ligand. The effect of changing the effective correlation time for methyl group motions has little effect on the build-up behaviour of the transferred nuclear Overhauser effect for small values of fraction bound, but a larger effect on how fast it decays. This effect is greater for internal motions in the free peptide than it is for internal motions in the bound peptide.Dedicated to the memory of Professor V.F. Bystrov     

The homonuclear Overhauser effect in H2O solution of low-spin hemeproteins

Proton-proton Overhauser effects were observed in ¹H₂O solutions of sperm whale metcyano myoglobin. Dipolar connectivities involving hyperfine-shifted exchangeable protons such as the proximal and distal histidine ring NH's allowed us to categorize signals as arising from residues located on one side of the heme plane or on the other. With these connectivities, as well as spin-lattice relaxation times, spectral assignments were reached that were used to derive structural and dynamic information about the heme environment. Thus, it was shown that the distal histidine residue does not titrate down to pH 4.1 and that the CH₂ of the proximal histidine side chain tumbles with the same correlation time as the protein. Some other applications and limitations are presented.     

Suppression of spin diffusion in selected frequency bands of nuclear Overhauser spectra

Summary A variant of two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) is described that yields information about cross-relaxation rates between pairs of spins, while the migration of magnetization through several consecutive steps (spin diffusion via neighboring spins) is largely suppressed. This can be achieved by inserting a doubly-selective inversion pulse in a conventional NOESY sequence.     

Solution conformation of a tetradecapeptide stabilized by two di‐n‐propyl glycine residues

The solution conformation of a designed tetradecapeptide Boc‐Val‐Ala‐Leu‐Dpg‐Val‐Ala‐Leu‐Val‐Ala‐Leu‐Dpg‐Val‐Ala‐Leu‐OMe (Dpg‐14) containing two di‐n‐propyl glycine (Dpg) residues has been investigated by ¹H NMR and circular dichroism in organic solvents. The peptide aggregates formed at a concentration of 3 mM in the apolar solvent CDCl₃ were broken by the addition of 12% v/v of the more polar solvent DMSO‐d₆. Successive N_iH N_i+1H NOEs observed over the entire length of the sequence in this solvent mixture together with the observation of several characteristic medium‐range NOEs support a major population of continuous helical conformations for Dpg‐14. Majority of the observed coupling constants ( ) also support ? values in the helical conformation. Circular dichroism spectra recorded in methanol and propan‐2‐ol give further support in favor of helical conformation for Dpg‐14 and the stability of the helix at higher temperature. Copyright © 2010 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cosolvent,ions, and temperature effects on the structural properties of cecropin A‐Magainin 2 hybrid peptide in solutions

Antimicrobial peptides are promising alternative to traditional antibiotics and antitumor drugs for the battle against new antibiotic resistant bacteria strains and cancer maladies. The study of their structural and dynamics properties at physiological conditions can help to understand their stability, delivery mechanisms, and activity in the human body. In this article, we have used molecular dynamics simulations to study the effects of solvent environment, temperature, ions concentration, and peptide concentration on the structural properties of the antimicrobial hybrid peptide Cecropin A–Magainin 2. In TFE/water mixtures, the structure of the peptide retained α‐helix contents and an average hinge angle in close agreement with the experimental NMR and CD measurements reported in literature. Compared to the TFE/water mixture, the peptide simulated at the same ionic concentration lost most of its α‐helix structure. The increase of peptide concentration at both 300 and 310 K resulted in the peptide aggregation. The peptides in the complex retained the initial N‐ter α‐helix segment during all the simulation. The α‐helix stabilization is further enhanced in the high salt concentration simulations. The peptide aggregation was not observed in TFE/water mixture simulations and, the peptide aggregate, obtained from the water simulation, simulated in the same conditions did dissolve within few tens of nanoseconds. The results of this study provide insights at molecular level on the structural and dynamics properties of the CA‐MA peptide at physiological and membrane mimic conditions that can help to better understand its delivery and interaction with biological interfaces. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 103: 1–14, 2015.     

Contributions from hydration of carboxylate groups to the spectrum of water-polypeptide proton-proton Overhauser effects in aqueous solution

Summary Nuclear Overhauser effects (NOE) were measured between water protons and protons of the glutamic acid side chain of the bicyclic decapeptide in aqueous solution. Positive NOEs were observed between the CH₂ group of Glu and the water resonance, with similar NOE intensities at pH 2.0 and pH 6.3 in both the laboratory frame and the rotating frame of reference. These results indicate that the residence times of the hydration water molecules near the side-chain methylene protons are shorter than 500 ps for both the charged form and the uncharged form of Glu, and hence comparable to the water residence times near uncharged amino acid side chains. Furthermore, this study shows that the acidic proton in protonated carboxylic acid groups is not likely to interfere with the observation of polypeptide-hydration water NOEs, which is in contrast to the hydroxyl protons of the side chains of serine, threonine and tyrosine.Abbreviations NOE nuclear Overhauser effect - NOESY NOE spectroscopy in the laboratory frame - ROESY NOE spectroscopy in the rotating frame - ID one-dimensional - 2D two-dimensional - HPLC high-pressure liquid chromatography     

Protein dynamics by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: Peptide backbone of the coat protein in fd bacteriophage

¹³C and ¹⁵N chemical shift anisotropy and ¹⁵N¹H dipolar powder patterns from backbone sites of the coat protein in fd bacteriophage are not averaged by motion. This means that the polypeptide backbone of the protein has no large amplitude motions rapid compared to 10⁴ Hz. Relaxation studies on the ¹³C_α and ¹⁵N amide resonances indicate the presence of motions on the 10⁹ Hz timescale. These results are reconciled with a model where an otherwise rigid backbone undergoes small amplitude, rapid motions.     

Translational diffusion coefficient of cycloamylose in aqueous sodium hydroxide

Seven cyclic (1 --> 4)-alpha-D-glucan (cycloamylose) samples ranging in weight-average molecular weight from 5 x 10(3) to 1.8 x 10(4) and gamma-cyclodextrin have been studied by sedimentation equilibrium in dimethylsulfoxide (at 25 degrees C) and by dynamic light scattering in 0.5 N aqueous sodium hydroxide (at 25 degrees C), a good solvent for linear amylose. The measured translational diffusion coefficients D in the aqueous NaOH agree fairly closely with previous Monte Carlo results for cyclic (1 --> 4)-alpha-D-glucan chains with excluded volume, when correction is made for the effects of bead diameter and fluctuating hydrodynamic interaction (HI) on the Kirkwood theory on which the computation of D was based. These D data are also explained almost quantitatively by Yamakawa and Fujii's expression for the associated KP ring (based on the Kratky-Porod wormlike chain) with the molecular parameters for linear amylose if the fluctuating HI and excluded-volume effects are taken into account. It is concluded that the translational diffusion behavior of cycloamylose in the aqueous NaOH is consistent with the conformational characteristics derived from the conformational energy of maltose and dilute-solution data for linear amylose.     

Enhanced stability of cis Pro-Pro peptide bond in Pro-Pro-Phe sequence motif

Identification of sequence motifs that favor cis peptide bonds in proteins is important for understanding and designing proteins containing turns mediated by cis peptide conformations. From (1)H NMR solution studies on short peptides, we show that the Pro-Pro peptide bond in Pro-Pro-Phe almost equally populates the cis and trans isomers, with the cis isomer stabilized by a CHc...pi interaction involving the terminal Pro and Phe. We also show that Phe is over-represented at sequence positions immediately following cis Pro-Pro motifs in known protein structures. Our results demonstrate that the Pro-Pro cis conformer in Pro-Pro-Phe sequence motifs is as important as the trans conformer, both in short peptides as well as in natively folded proteins.     

A nuclear Overhauser enhancement study on the imino proton resonances of a DNA pentadecamer comprising the specific target site of the cyclic AMP receptor protein in the ara BAD operon

A 500 MHz 1H-NMR study on a synthetic DNA pentadecamer comprising the specific target site of the cAMP receptor protein in the ara BAD operon is presented. Using pre-steady state NOE measurements, unambiguous assignments of all the imino proton resonances and associated adenine (H2) resonances are obtained. From the NOE data interbase pair interproton distances involving the imino and adenine (H2) protons are determined. It is shown that these distances are very similar to those expected for classical B DNA (RMS difference of 0.5 A), but are significantly different from those expected for classical A DNA (RMS difference of 1.1 A).     

Development of potent anti-infective agents from Silurana tropicalis: Conformational analysis of the amphipathic,alpha-helical antimicrobial peptide XT-7 and its non-haemolytic analogue [G4K]XT-7

Peptide XT-7 (GLLGP⁵LLKIA¹⁰AKVGS¹⁵NLL.NH₂) is a cationic, leucine-rich peptide, first isolated from skin secretions of the frog, Silurana tropicalis (Pipidae). The peptide shows potent, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity but its therapeutic potential is limited by haemolytic activity (LC₅₀ = 140 µM). The analogue [G4K]XT-7, however, retains potent antimicrobial activity but is non-haemolytic (LC₅₀ > 500 µM). In order to elucidate the molecular basis for this difference in properties, the three dimensional structures of XT-7 and the analogue have been investigated by proton NMR spectroscopy and molecular modelling. In aqueous solution, both peptides lack secondary structure. In a 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE-d₃)-H₂O mixed solvent system, XT-7 is characterised by a right handed α-helical conformation between residues Leu³ and Leu¹⁷ whereas [G4K]XT-7 adopts a more restricted α-helical conformation between residues Leu⁶ and Leu¹⁷. A similar conformation for XT-7 in 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) micellular media was observed with a helical segment between Leu³ and Leu¹⁷. However, differences in side chain orientations restricting the hydrophilic residues to a smaller patch resulted in an increased hydrophobic surface relative to the conformation in TFE-H₂O. Molecular modelling of the structures obtained in our study demonstrates the amphipathic character of the helical segments. It is proposed that the marked decrease in haemolytic activity produced by the substitution Gly⁴ → Lys in XT-7 arises from a decrease in both helicity and hydrophobicity. These studies may facilitate the development of potent but non-toxic anti-infective agents based upon the structure of XT-7.     

A Small-Molecule Probe Induces a Conformation in HIV TAR RNA Capable of Binding Drug-Like Fragments

The HIV-1 transactivation response (TAR) element-Tat interaction is a potentially valuable target for treating HIV infection, but efforts to develop TAR-binding antiviral drugs have not yet yielded a successful candidate for clinical development. In this work, we describe a novel approach toward screening fragments against RNA that uses a chemical probe to target the Tat-binding region of TAR. This probe fulfills two critical roles in the screen: by locking the RNA into a conformation capable of binding other fragments, it simultaneously allows the identification of proximal binding fragments by ligand-based NMR. Using this approach, we have discovered six novel TAR-binding fragments, three of which were docked relative to the probe-RNA structure using experimental NMR restraints. The consistent orientations of functional groups in our data-driven docked structures and common electrostatic properties across all fragment leads reveal a surprising level of selectivity by our fragment-sized screening hits. These models further suggest linking strategies for the development of higher-affinity lead compounds for the inhibition of the TAR-Tat interaction.     

Observation of Pseudocapacitive Effect and Fast Ion Diffusion in Bimetallic Sulfides as an Advanced Sodium‐Ion Battery Anode

Sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) are promising next‐generation alternatives due to the low cost and abundance of sodium sources. Yet developmental electrodes in SIBs such as transition metal sulfides have huge volume expansion, sluggish Na⁺ diffusion kinetics, and poor electrical conductivity. Here bimetallic sulfide (Co₉S₈/ZnS) nanocrystals embedded in hollow nitrogen‐doped carbon nanosheets are demonstrated with a high sodium diffusion coefficient, pseudocapacitive effect, and excellent reversibility. Such a unique composite structure is designed and synthesized via a facile sulfidation of the CoZn‐MOFs followed by calcination and is highly dependant on the reaction time and temperature. The optimized Co₁Zn₁‐S(600) electrode exhibits excellent sodium storage performance, including a high capacity of 542 mA h g^?1 at 0.1 A g^?1, good rate capability at 10 A g^?1, and excellent cyclic stability up to 500 cycles for half‐cell. It also shows potential in full‐cell configuration. Such capabilities will accelerate the adoption of sodium‐ion batteries for electrical energy applications.     

BioMagResBank database with sets of experimental NMR constraints corresponding to the structures of over 1400 biomolecules deposited in the Protein Data Bank

Experimental constraints associated with NMR structures are available from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) in the form of `Magnetic Resonance' (MR) files. These files contain multiple types of data concatenated without boundary markers and are difficult to use for further research. Reported here are the results of a project initiated to annotate, archive, and disseminate these data to the research community from a searchable resource in a uniform format. The MR files from a set of 1410 NMR structures were analyzed and their original constituent data blocks annotated as to data type using a semi-automated protocol. A new software program called Wattos was then used to parse and archive the data in a relational database. From the total number of MR file blocks annotated as constraints, it proved possible to parse 84% (3337/3975). The constraint lists that were parsed correspond to three data types (2511 distance, 788 dihedral angle, and 38 residual dipolar couplings lists) from the three most popular software packages used in NMR structure determination: XPLOR/CNS (2520 lists), DISCOVER (412 lists), and DYANA/DIANA (405 lists). These constraints were then mapped to a developmental version of the BioMagResBank (BMRB) data model. A total of 31 data types originating from 16 programs have been classified, with the NOE distance constraint being the most commonly observed. The results serve as a model for the development of standards for NMR constraint deposition in computer-readable form. The constraints are updated regularly and are available from the BMRB web site (http://www.bmrb.wisc.edu).     

Local structural preferences and dynamics restrictions in the urea-denatured state of SUMO-1: NMR characterization

We have investigated by multidimensional NMR the structural and dynamic characteristics of the urea-denatured state of activated SUMO-1, a 97-residue protein belonging to the growing family of ubiquitin-like proteins involved in post-translational modifications. Complete backbone amide and 15N resonance assignments were obtained in the denatured state by using HNN and HN(C)N experiments. These enabled other proton assignments from TOCSY-HSQC spectra. Secondary Halpha chemical shifts and 1H-1H NOE indicate that the protein chain in the denatured state has structural preferences in the broad beta-domain for many residues. Several of these are seen to populate the (phi,psi) space belonging to polyproline II structure. Although there is no evidence for any persistent structures, many contiguous stretches of three or more residues exhibit structural propensities suggesting possibilities of short-range transient structure formation. The hetero-nuclear 1H-15N NOEs are extremely weak for most residues, except for a few at the C-terminal, and the 15N relaxation rates show sequence-wise variation. Some of the regions of slow motions coincide with those of structural preferences and these are interspersed by highly flexible residues. The implications of these observations for the early folding events starting from the urea-denatured state of activated SUMO-1 have been discussed.     

Structural analysis of linear hydroxyproline-bound O-glycans of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii--conservation of the inner core in Chlamydomonas and land plants

Linear hydroxyproline-bound O-glycans of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were isolated from outer cell wall glycoproteins and their structure elucidated by chemical and spectroscopic methods. They consist exclusively of arabinose and galactose, the latter in the furanose form, unusual for plants. The first two arabinoses linked to hydroxyproline have the same anomeric configuration and linkage to each other as do the arabinosides isolated from land plants, suggesting that these two steps of hydroxyproline-O-glycosylation have been conserved during evolution. In a concomitant analysis of Hyp-bound O-tri- and tetraarabinans isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana, we were able to unambiguously identify the natural trans-4-l-Hyp-bound O-glycans and the artificially produced d-allo forms and to identify diagnostic signals in NMR spectra of these compounds for the first time.