Site-directed mutagenesis of phosphate-contacting amino acids of bovine pancreatic deoxyribonuclease I

Bovine pancreatic deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) is an endonuclease which cleaves double-stranded DNA. Cocrystal structures of DNase I with oligonucleotides have revealed interactions between the side chains of several amino acids (N74, R111, N170, S206, T207, and Y211) and the DNA phosphates. The effects these interactions have on enzyme catalysis and DNA hydrolysis selectivity have been investigated by site-directed mutagenesis. Mutations to R111, N170, T207, and Y211 severely compromised activity toward both DNA and a small chromophoric substrate. A hydrogen bond between R111 (which interacts with the phosphate immediately 5' to the cutting site) and the essential amino acid H134 is probably required to maintain this histidine in the correct orientation for efficient hydrolysis. Both T207 and Y211 bind to the phosphate immediately 3' to the cleavage site. Additionally, T207 is involved in binding an essential, structural, calcium ion, and Y211 is the nearest neighbor to D212, a critical catalytic residue. N170 interacts with the scissile phosphate and appears to play a direct role in the catalytic mechanism. The mutation N74D, which interacts with a phosphate twice removed from the scissile group, strongly reduced DNA hydrolysis. However, a comparison of DNase I variants from several species suggests that certain amino acids, which allow interaction with phosphates (positively charged or hydrogen bonding), are tolerated. S206, which binds to a DNA phosphate two positions away from the cleavage site, appears to play a relatively unimportant role. None of the enzyme variants, including a triple mutation in which N74, R111, and Y211 were altered, affected DNA hydrolysis selectivity. This suggests that phosphate binding residues play no role in the selection of DNA substrates.     

Residues of E. coli topoisomerase I conserved for interaction with a specific cytosine base to facilitate DNA cleavage

Bacterial and archaeal topoisomerase I display selectivity for a cytosine base 4 nt upstream from the DNA cleavage site. Recently, the solved crystal structure of Escherichia coli topoisomerase I covalently linked to a single-stranded oligonucleotide revealed that R169 and R173 interact with the cytosine base at the −4 position via hydrogen bonds while the phenol ring of Y177 wedges between the bases at the −4 and the −5 position. Substituting R169 to alanine changed the selectivity of the enzyme for the base at the −4 position from a cytosine to an adenine. The R173A mutant displayed similar sequence selectivity as the wild-type enzyme, but weaker cleavage and relaxation activity. Mutation of Y177 to serine or alanine rendered the enzyme inactive. Although mutation of each of these residues led to different outcomes, R169, R173 and Y177 work together to interact with a cytosine base at the −4 position to facilitate DNA cleavage. These strictly conserved residues might act after initial substrate binding as a Molecular Ruler to form a protein–DNA complex with the scissile phosphate positioned at the active site for optimal DNA cleavage by the tyrosine hydroxyl nucleophile to facilitate DNA cleavage in the reaction pathway.     

The genome-wide DNA sequence specificity of the anti-tumour drug bleomycin in human cells

The cancer chemotherapeutic agent, bleomycin, cleaves DNA at specific sites. For the first time, the genome-wide DNA sequence specificity of bleomycin breakage was determined in human cells. Utilising Illumina next-generation DNA sequencing techniques, over 200 million bleomycin cleavage sites were examined to elucidate the bleomycin genome-wide DNA selectivity. The genome-wide bleomycin cleavage data were analysed by four different methods to determine the cellular DNA sequence specificity of bleomycin strand breakage. For the most highly cleaved DNA sequences, the preferred site of bleomycin breakage was at 5′-GT* dinucleotide sequences (where the asterisk indicates the bleomycin cleavage site), with lesser cleavage at 5′-GC* dinucleotides. This investigation also determined longer bleomycin cleavage sequences, with preferred cleavage at 5′-GT*A and 5′- TGT* trinucleotide sequences, and 5′-TGT*A tetranucleotides. For cellular DNA, the hexanucleotide DNA sequence 5′-RTGT*AY (where R is a purine and Y is a pyrimidine) was the most highly cleaved DNA sequence. It was striking that alternating purine–pyrimidine sequences were highly cleaved by bleomycin. The highest intensity cleavage sites in cellular and purified DNA were very similar although there were some minor differences. Statistical nucleotide frequency analysis indicated a G nucleotide was present at the ?3 position (relative to the cleavage site) in cellular DNA but was absent in purified DNA.     

Mutational analysis of primosome assembly sites. Evidence for alternative DNA structures

Primosome assembly sites are complex DNA structures that share common functions (they elicit the DNA-dependent ATPase of replication factor Y from Escherichia coli and serve as origins of complementary strand DNA synthesis), but display little sequence homology. In order to ascertain a common basis for factor Y-DNA recognition, a primosome assembly site and its mutated derivatives have been functionally and structurally analyzed. Under conditions in which they lose the capacity to function as ATPase effectors these DNA templates have been (i) assayed for their ability to bind factor Y, and (ii) probed, with pancreatic DNase, for structural alterations. In this ATPase-inactivating environment (suboptimal concentrations of MgCl2 and NaCl, and high levels of the E. coli single-stranded DNA binding protein), factor Y does not bind to its cognate DNA and the DNase cleavage pattern characteristic of this site is perceptibly changed: compared to the DNase digest obtained under activating conditions, cleavage is notably decreased in the 5' half of the site and enhanced at the 3' end. The results of this study strongly indicate that the structure of the primosome assembly site under analysis consists of two hairpins which interact with each other. When the sites of pancreatic DNase attack are plotted on the proposed double hairpin structure, the 5' cleavage sites all map to one duplex while the 3' sites map to the other. The observation that, under factor Y ATPase-activating conditions, the 3' hairpin is largely refractory to the action of pancreatic DNase indicates that tertiary interactions between the two duplexes render a portion of the DNA structure inaccessible to the nuclease.     

A role for the metal binding domain in determining the DNA sequence selectivity of Fe-bleomycin.

Previous studies of Fe-bleomycin-mediated DNA cleavage have established that the bithiazole moiety + C-terminal substituent of bleomycin are required for DNA binding, while the metal binding domain is responsible for O2 activation. Although recent studies have indicated that the metal binding domain also participates in DNA unwinding, and in determining the sequence and strand selectivity of DNA cleavage, no study has defined the structural domain that bears primary responsibility for the observed pattern of bleomycin-mediated DNA degradation. Presently, by the use of four synthetic analogs of bleomycin demethyl A2 having the functional domains connected by rigid spacers of varying lengths, the source of DNA cleavage specificity has been determined. When the four analogs cleaved 242- and 127-base pair 5'-32P-end-labeled DNA restriction fragments containing isolated Fe-bleomycin cleavage sites, all four produced cleavage at the same preferred sites. Because the (oligo)glycine spacers altered the distance between the domains by as much as 14 A, the identical cleavage patterns argue that the primary determinant of sequence specificity for these analogs is the metal binding domain.     

Footprinting: a method for determining the sequence selectivity, affinity and kinetics of DNA-binding ligands

Footprinting is a simple method for assessing the sequence selectivity of DNA-binding ligands. The method is based on the ability of the ligand to protect DNA from cleavage at its binding site. This review describes the use of DNase I and hydroxyl radicals, the most commonly used footprinting probes, in footprinting experiments. The success of a footprinting experiment depends on using an appropriate DNA substrate and we describe how these can best be chosen or designed. Although footprinting was originally developed for assessing a ligand's sequence selectivity, it can also be employed to estimate the binding strength (quantitative footprinting) and to assess the association and dissociation rate constants for slow binding reactions.     

X-ray structure of the DNase I-d(GGTATACC)2 complex at 2.3 A resolution.

The crystal structure of a complex between DNase I and the self-complementary octamer duplex d(GGTATACC)2 has been solved using the molecular replacement method and refined to a crystallographic R-factor of 18.8% for all data between 6.0 and 2.3 A resolution. In contrast to the structure of the DNase I-d(GCGATCGC)2 complex solved previously, the DNA remains uncleaved in the crystal. The general architecture of the two complexes is highly similar. DNase I binds in the minor groove of a right-handed DNA duplex, and to the phosphate backbones on either side over five base-pairs, resulting in a widening of the minor groove and a concurrent bend of the DNA away from the bound enzyme. There is very little change in the structure of the DNase I on binding the substrate. Many other features of the interaction are conserved in the two complexes, in particular the stacking of a deoxyribose group of the DNA onto the side-chain of a tyrosine residue (Y76), which affects the DNA conformation and the binding of an arginine side-chain in the minor groove. Although the structures of the DNA molecules appear at first sight rather similar, detailed analysis reveals some differences that may explain the relative resistance of the d(GGTATACC)2 duplex to cleavage by DNase I: whilst some backbone parameters are characteristic of a B-conformation, the spatial orientation of the base-pairs in the d(GGTATACC)2 duplex is close to that generally observed in A-DNA. These results further support the hypothesis that the minor-groove width and depth and the intrinsic flexibility of DNA are the most important parameters affecting the interaction. The disposition of residues around the scissile phosphate group suggests that two histidine residues, H134 and H252, are involved in catalysis.     

Mutational analysis of human DNase I at the DNA binding interface: implications for DNA recognition,catalysis, and metal ion dependence.

Human deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I), an enzyme used to treat cystic fibrosis patients, has been systematically analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis of residues at the DNA binding interface. Crystal structures of bovine DNase I complexed with two different oligonucleotides have implicated the participation of over 20 amino acids in catalysis or DNA recognition. These residues have been classified into four groups based on the characterization of over 80 human DNase I variants. Mutations at any of the four catalytic amino acids His 134, His 252, Glu 78, and Asp 212 drastically reduced the hydrolytic activity of DNase I. Replacing the three putative divalent metal ion-coordinating residues Glu 39, Asp 168, or Asp 251 led to inactive variants. Amino acids Gln 9, Arg 41, Tyr 76, Arg 111, Asn 170, Tyr 175, and Tyr 211 were also critical for activity, presumably because of their close proximity to the active site, while more peripheral DNA interactions stemming from 13 other positions were of minimal significance. The relative importance of these 27 positions is consistent with evolutionary relationships among DNase I across different species, DNase I-like proteins, and bacterial sphingomyelinases, suggesting a fingerprint for a family of DNase I-like proteins. Furthermore, we found no evidence for a second active site that had been previously implicated in Mn2+-dependent DNA degradation. Finally, we correlated our mutational analysis of human DNase I to that of bovine DNase I with respect to their specific activity and dependence on divalent metal ions.     

Role of the 2-amino group of deoxyguanosine in sequence recognition by EcoRI restriction and modification enzymes.

The dG residues within the EcoRI recognition sequence of ColE1 DNA have been selectively replaced with dI. Methylation of the altered sequence by the EcoRI modification enzyme is extremely slow as compared with methyl transfer to the natural recognition site. Since the affinity of the modification enzyme for the dI-containing sequence is considerably less than that for the natural sequence, we have concluded that the 2-amino group of dG has an important role in DNA site recognition by this enzyme. In contrast, the altered site is subject to cleavage by EcoRI endonuclease at rates essentially identical with those observed with the natural sequence. These results strongly suggest that the two enzymes utilize different contacts within the EcoRI site and are consisted with our conclusion (Rubin, R. A., and Modrich, P. (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 7265-7272) that the two proteins interact with their common recognition sequence in different ways.     

Demethylation of thymine residues affects DNA cleavage by endonucleases but not sequence recognition by drugs.

The 5-methyl group of thymidine residues protrudes into the major groove of double helical DNA. The structural influence of this exocyclic substituent has been examined using a PCR-made 160 bp fragment in which thymidine residues were replaced with uridine residues. We show that the dT-->dU substitution and the consequent deletion of the methyl group affects the cleavage of DNA by deoxyribonuclease I and micrococcal nuclease. Analysis of the DNase I cleavage sites, in terms of di and trinucleotides, indicates that homopolymeric tracts of d(AT) become significantly more susceptible to DNase I cleavage when uridine is substituted for thymidine residues. The results indicate that removal of the thymidine methyl groups from the major groove at AT tracts induces structural perturbations that transmit into the opposite minor groove, where they can be detected by endonuclease probing. In contrast, DNase I footprinting experiments with different mono and bis-intercalating drugs reveal that dT-->dU substitution does not markedly affect sequence-specific drug-DNA recognition in the minor or major groove of the double helix. The consequences of demethylation of thymidine residues are discussed in terms of changes in the minor groove width connected to variations in the flexibility of DNA and the intrinsic curvature associated with AT tracts. The study identifies the methyl group of thymine as an important molecular determinant controlling the width of the minor groove and/or the flexibility of the DNA.     

A mutational analysis of the PD...D/EXK motif suggests that McrC harbors the catalytic center for DNA cleavage by the GTP-dependent restriction enzyme McrBC from Escherichia coli

McrBC is a unique restriction enzyme which binds specifically to the bipartite recognition sequence R(m)CN( approximately )(30)(-)( approximately )(2000)R(m)C and in the presence of GTP translocates the DNA and cleaves both strands at multiple positions within the two R(m)C "half-sites". It is known that McrBC is composed of two subunits: McrB which binds and hydrolyzes GTP and specifically interacts with DNA and McrC whose function is not clear but which has been suspected to harbor the catalytic center for DNA cleavage. A multiple-sequence alignment of the amino acid sequence of Escherichia coli McrC and of six presumably homologous open reading frames from various bacterial species shows that a sequence motif found in many restriction enzymes, but also in other nucleases, the PD.D/EXK motif, is conserved among these sequences. A mutational analysis, in which the carboxylates (aspartic acid in McrC) of this motif were substituted with alanine or asparagine and lysine was substituted with alanine or arginine, strongly suggests that Asp244, Asp257, and Lys259 represent the catalytic center of E. coli McrC. Whereas the variants D244A (or -N), D257A (or -N), and K259A are inactive in DNA cleavage (K259R has residual DNA cleavage activity), they interact with McrB like wild-type McrC, as can be deduced from the finding that they stimulate the McrB-catalyzed GTP hydrolysis to the same extent as wild-type McrC. Thus, whereas McrC variants defective in DNA cleavage can stimulate the GTPase activity of McrB, the DNase activity of McrC is not supported by McrB variants defective in GTP hydrolysis.     

Partial amino acid sequence of the glutamate dehydrogenase of human liver and a revision of the sequence of the bovine enzyme.

The glutamate dehydrogenase from a single human liver has been studied. The subunit size was found to be 55,200 +/- 1,500 by sedimentation equilibrium. The partial specific volume is 0.732 as calculated from the amino acid composition. The sequence was determined by isolation of peptides after cyanogen bromide (CNBr) cleavage; the fraction containing the largest peptides was hydrolyzed by trypsin after maleylation. Studies on these peptides accounted for 454 residues of the 505 residues that are presumably present in the protein. For the 51 residues that were not represented in isolated peptides, we have tentatively assumed that the sequence is the same as that of the bovine enzyme. Methionine and arginine residues in these peptides could be placed on the basis of the specificity of cleavage by CNBr or trypsin. In all, 349 residues were placed in sequence, and were aligned by homology with the corresponding peptides of the bovine and chicken enzymes. From the present information, there are 24 known differences in sequence between the human and bovine enzymes and 41 between the human and chicken enzymes. In addition, the human enzyme contains 4 additional residues at the NH2 terminus as compared to the bovine enzyme. In a peptide from the human enzyme, an additional residue, isoleucine 385, was detected by automated Edman degradation. Reinvestigation of the bovine sequence demonstrated that this residue is also present in the bovine enzyme (and presumably in the chicken enzyme also). Residue 384 of the bovine enzyme, previously reported as Glx has now been shown to be glutamine.     

Mutational Analysis of Highly Conserved Residues in the Phage PhiC31 Integrase Reveals Key Amino Acids Necessary for the DNA Recombination

Background

Amino acid sequence alignment of phage phiC31 integrase with the serine recombinases family revealed highly conserved regions outside the catalytic domain. Until now, no system mutational or biochemical studies have been carried out to assess the roles of these conserved residues in the recombinaton of phiC31 integrase.

Methodology/Principal Findings

To determine the functional roles of these conserved residues, a series of conserved residues were targeted by site-directed mutagenesis. Out of the 17 mutants, 11 mutants showed impaired or no recombination ability, as analyzed by recombination assay both in vivo and in vitro. Results of DNA binding activity assays showed that mutants (R18A, I141A, L143A,E153A, I432A and V571A) exhibited a great decrease in DNA binding affinity, and mutants (G182A/F183A, C374A, C376A/G377A, Y393A and V566A) had completely lost their ability to bind to the specific target DNA attB as compared with wild-type protein. Further analysis of mutants (R18A, I141A, L143A and E153A) synapse and cleavage showed that these mutants were blocked in recombination at the stage of strand cleavage.

Conclusions/Significance

This data reveals that some of the highly conserved residues both in the N-terminus and C-terminus region of phiC31 integrase, play vital roles in the substrate binding and cleavage. The cysteine-rich motif and the C-tail val-rich region of phiC31 integrase may represent the major DNA binding domains of phiC31 integrase.     

In vivo cleavage of Escherichia coli BIME-2 repeats by DNA gyrase: genetic characterization of the target and identification of the cut site

The Escherichia coli chromosome contains about 300 bacterial interspersed mosaic elements (BIMEs). These elements, located at the 3' end of genes, are composed of three types of alternating repetitive extragenic palindromes (REPs). Based on the type of REP they contain and on their ability to interact with the integration host factor (IHF), BIMEs are subdivided into two families: BIME-1 elements contain an IHF binding site flanked by converging Y and Z1 REPs, whereas BIME-2 elements contain a variable number of alternating Y and Z2 REPs without an IHF site. Although some BIMEs have been implicated in the protection of mRNA against 3' exonucleolytic degradation, the main role of elements belonging to both families remains to be elucidated. In this paper, we used oxolinic acid, a drug that reveals potential sites of DNA gyrase action, to demonstrate that DNA gyrase interacts in vivo with BIME-2 elements. The frequency of cleavage varied from one element to another, and the cleavage pattern observed in elements containing several REPs indicated that DNA gyrase cut DNA every two REPs. A single cleavage site has been identified in the Y REP in six out of seven instances, and the nucleotide sequence of a 44 bp fragment containing the scission point displayed conserved residues at six positions. The lack of one of the conserved residues accounted for the absence of cleavage in most of the Z2 REPs. Our results also showed that cleaved REPs were always associated with another REP, suggesting that a pair of diverging REPs constitutes the target of DNA gyrase. DNA gyrase cleavage at repetitive BIME-2 elements may have consequences for DNA topology and genomic rearrangements.     

High sequence specificity of micrococcal nuclease.

The substrate specificity of micrococcal nuclease (EC 3.1.4.7.) has been studied. The enzyme recognises features of nucleotide composition, nucleotide sequence and tertiary structure of DNA. Kinetic analysis indicates that the rate of cleavage is 30 times greater at the 5' side of A or T than at G or C. Digestion of end-labelled linear DNA molecules of known sequence revealed that only a limited number of sites are cut, generating a highly specific pattern of fragments. The frequency of cleavage at each site has been determined and it may reflect the poor base overlap in the 5' T-A 3' stack as well as the length of contiguous A and T residues. The same sequence preferences are found when DNA is assembled into nucleosomes. Deoxyribonuclease 1 (EC 3.1.4.5.) recognises many of the same sequence features. Micrococcal nuclease also mimics nuclease S1 selectively cleaving an inverted repeat in supercoiled pBR322. The value of micrococcal nuclease as a "non-specific" enzymatic probe for studying nucleosome phasing is questioned.     

DNA sequence recognition by the antitumor drug ditercalinium

The antitumor drug ditercalinium is a rare example of a noncovalent DNA-binding ligand that forms bisintercalation complexes via the major groove of the double helix. Previous structural studies have revealed that the two connected pyridocarbazolium chromophores intercalate into DNA with the positively charged bis(ethylpiperidinium) linking chain oriented to the wide groove side of the helix. Although the interaction of ditercalinium with short oligonucleotides containing 4-6 contiguous GC base pairs has been examined in detail by biophysical and theoretical approaches, the sequence preference for ditercalinium binding to long DNA fragments that offer a wide variety of binding sites has been investigated only superficially. Here we have investigated both sequence preferences and possible molecular determinants of selectivity in the binding of ditercalinium to DNA, primarily using methods based upon DNase I footprinting. A range of multisite DNA substrates, including several natural restriction fragments and different PCR-generated fragments containing unconventional bases (2,6-diaminopurine, inosine, uridine, 5-fluoro- and 5-methylcytosine, 7-deazaguanine, 7-deazaadenine, and N(7)-cyanoboranoguanine), have been employed to show that ditercalinium selectively recognizes certain GC-rich sequences in DNA and to identify some of the factors which affect its DNA-binding sequence selectivity. Specifically, the footprinting data have revealed that the 2-amino group on the purines or the 5-methyl group on the pyrimidines is not essential for the formation of ditercalinium-DNA complexes whereas the major groove-oriented N(7) of guanine does appear as a key element in the molecular recognition process. The loss of N(7) at guanines but not adenines is sufficient to practically abolish sequence-selective binding of ditercalinium to DNA. Thus, as expected for a major groove binding drug, the N(7) of guanine is normally required for effective complex formation with GC base pairs, but interestingly the substitution of the N(7) with a relatively bulky cyanoborane group does not markedly affect the sequence recognition process. Therefore, the hydrogen bond accepting capability at N(7) of guanines is not sufficient to explain the GC-selective drug-DNA association, and the implications of these findings are considered.     

The complete amino-acid sequence of a trout-testis non-histone protein, H6, localized in a subset of nucleosomes and its similarity to calf-thymus non-histone proteins HMG-14 and HMG-17.

The complete amino acid sequence of a basic non-histone protein, H6, isolated from the chromatin of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdnerii) testis cells, has been determined. Protein H6, first described by D. T. Wigle and G. H. Dixon [J. Biol. Chem. 246, 5636--5644 (1971)] was extracted with 5% trichloracetic acid and purified by ion-exchange chromatography on carboxymethyl-cellulose (CM-52). Sequence analysis was performed by automatic Edman degradation of the amino terminus of the intact protein and a series of large fragments derived by cleavage with chymotrypsin, staphylococcal protease and with mild acid to cleave at aspartic acid residues. Protein H6 possesses 69 residues and shows considerable similarities to the 89-residue calf thymus HMG-17 protein previously sequenced [Walker, J. M., Hastings, J. R. B. & Johns, E. W. (1977) Eur. J. Biochem. 76, 461--468]. B. Levy W. and G. H. Dixon [Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 2810--2814 (1977)] have shown that H6 is selectively solubilized when trout testis nuclei (or chromatin) are digested with DNase I under conditions which preferentially hydrolyze that portion of DNA enriched in transcribed sequences [Levy, W. B. & Dixon, G. H. (1977) Nucleic Acids Res. 4, 883--898]. Recently H6 has been located as a stoichiometric component of a distinct subset of trout testis nucleosomes that are complexed with a core nucleosome comprising 140 base pairs of DNA and the inner histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 [Levy, W. B., Connor, W. & Dixon, G. H. (1979) J. Biol. Chem., in the press].     

Characterisation of a mobile protein-binding epitope in the translocation domain of colicin E9

The 61 kDa colicin E9 protein toxin enters the cytoplasm of susceptible cells by interacting with outer membrane and periplasmic helper proteins, and kills them by hydrolysing their DNA. The membrane translocation function is located in the N-terminal domain of the colicin, with a key signal sequence being a pentapeptide region that governs the interaction with the helper protein TolB (the TolB box). Previous NMR studies (Collins et al., 2002 J. Mol. Biol. 318, 787-804) have shown that the N-terminal 83 residues of colicin E9, which includes the TolB box, is largely unstructured and highly flexible. In order to further define the properties of this region we have studied a fusion protein containing residues 1-61 of colicin E9 connected to the N-terminus of the E9 DNase by an eight-residue linking sequence. 53 of the expected 58 backbone NH resonances for the first 61 residues and all of the expected 7 backbone NH resonances of the linking sequence were assigned with 3D (1)H-(13)C-(15)N NMR experiments, and the backbone dynamics of these regions investigated through measurement of (1)H-(15)N relaxation properties. Reduced spectral density mapping, extended Lipari-Szabo modelling, and fitting backbone R(2) relaxation rates to a polymer dynamics model identifies three clusters of interacting residues, each containing a tryptophan. Each of these clusters is perturbed by TolB binding to the intact colicin, showing that the significant region for TolB binding extends beyond the recognized five amino acids of the TolB box and demonstrating that the binding epitope for TolB involves a considerable degree of order within an otherwise disordered and flexible domain. Abbreviations : Im9, the immunity protein for colicin E9; E9 DNase, the endonuclease domain of colicin E9; HSQC, heteronuclear single quantum coherence; ppm, parts per million; DSS, 2,2-(dimethylsilyl)propanesulfonic acid; TSP, sodium 3-trimethylsilypropionate; T(1 - 61)-DNase fusion protein, residues 1-61 of colicin E9 connected to the N-terminus of the E9 DNase by an eight residue thrombin cleavage sequence.