Application of principal component analysis to determine the key structural features contributing to iron superoxide dismutase thermostability

Iron superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD) is predominantly found in bacteria and mitochondria. The thermal stability of Fe-SOD from different sources can vary dramatically. We have studied the influence of structural parameters on Fe-SOD thermostability by principal component analysis (PCA). The results show that an increased α-helical and turn content, an increased α-helix and loop length, an increase in the number of main-main chains and charged-uncharged hydrogen bonds, a decrease in the 3(10) -helix content, and a decreased β-strand and loop length are all important factors for Fe-SOD thermostability. Interestingly, the use of charged residues to form salt bridges is tendentious in thermophilic Fe-SOD. Negatively charged Arg and positively charged Glu are efficiently used to form salt bridges. The cooperative action of the exposed area, the hydrogen bonds, and the secondary structure plays a crucial role in resisting high temperatures, which demonstrates that the increased stability of thermophilic Fe-SOD is provided by several structural factors acting together.     

Structural basis for the enhanced thermal stability of alcohol dehydrogenase mutants from the mesophilic bacterium Clostridium beijerinckii: contribution of salt bridging

Previous research in our laboratory comparing the three-dimensional structural elements of two highly homologous alcohol dehydrogenases, one from the mesophile Clostridium beijerinckii (CbADH) and the other from the extreme thermophile Thermoanaerobacter brockii (TbADH), suggested that in the thermophilic enzyme, an extra intrasubunit ion pair (Glu224-Lys254) and a short ion-pair network (Lys257-Asp237-Arg304-Glu165) at the intersubunit interface might contribute to the extreme thermal stability of TbADH. In the present study, we used site-directed mutagenesis to replace these structurally strategic residues in CbADH with the corresponding amino acids from TbADH, and we determined the effect of such replacements on the thermal stability of CbADH. Mutations in the intrasubunit ion pair region increased thermostability in the single mutant S254K- and in the double mutant V224E/S254K-CbADH, but not in the single mutant V224E-CbADH. Both single amino acid replacements, M304R- and Q165E-CbADH, in the region of the intersubunit ion pair network augmented thermal stability, with an additive effect in the double mutant M304R/Q165E-CbADH. To investigate the precise mechanism by which such mutations alter the molecular structure of CbADH to achieve enhanced thermostability, we constructed a quadruple mutant V224E/S254K/Q165E/M304R-CbADH and solved its three-dimensional structure. The overall results indicate that the amino acid substitutions in CbADH mutants with enhanced thermal stability reinforce the quaternary structure of the enzyme by formation of an extended network of intersubunit ion pairs and salt bridges, mediated by water molecules, and by forming a new intrasubunit salt bridge.     

Effect of mutations of N- and C-terminal charged residues on the activity of LCAT

On the basis of structural homology calculations, we previously showed that lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), like lipases, belongs to the alpha/beta hydrolase fold family. As there is higher sequence conservation in the N-terminal region of LCAT, we investigated the contribution of the N- and C-terminal conserved basic residues to the catalytic activity of this enzyme. Most basic, and some acidic residues, conserved among LCAT proteins from different species, were mutated in the N-terminal (residues 1;-210) and C-terminal (residues 211;-416) regions of LCAT. Measurements of LCAT-specific activity on a monomeric substrate, on low density lipoprotein (LDL), and on reconstituted high density lipoprotein (rHDL) showed that mutations of N-terminal conserved basic residues affect LCAT activity more than those in the C-terminal region. This agrees with the highest conservation of the alpha/beta hydrolase fold and structural homology with pancreatic lipase observed for the N-terminal region, and with the location of most of the natural mutants reported for human LCAT. The structural homology between LCAT and pancreatic lipase further suggests that residues R80, R147, and D145 of LCAT might correspond to residues R37, K107, and D105 of pancreatic lipase, which form the salt bridges D105-K107 and D105-R37. Natural and engineered mutations at residues R80, D145, and R147 of LCAT are accompanied by a substantial decrease or loss of activity, suggesting that salt bridges between these residues might contribute to the structural stability of the enzyme.     

Homology modeling, molecular dynamics simulations, and analysis of CYP119, a P450 enzyme from extreme acidothermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus

The recent characterization of a thermophilic and barophilic CYP119 from Sulfolobus solfataricus offers a new opportunity to identify the origin of its stability by comparing it with mesophilic P450s with known structures. Since the three-dimensional structure of CYP119 is not yet available, homology modeling techniques were used to build model structures for this enzyme. The overall quality and stability of the models were assessed using three protein analysis programs and by monitoring structural stability during 1 ns of molecular dynamics simulations at 300 and 390 K. The results show the CYP119 models to be of good quality. Possible origins of the thermo- and barostability of CYP119 were then investigated by examining the amino acid compositions and the three-dimensional structure of CYP119 compared with the five mesophilic templates. Three possible factors were identified that could contribute to the enhanced stability of CYP119. The first was the higher relative population of salt bridges and the presence of a few unique salt bridges found in CYP119 that were absent in all five template CYP450s. The second factor was a decreased population of Ala and an increased population of Ile found in the interior of CYP119, which are likely to improve packing in CYP119. The third factor was a more extensive aromatic cluster seen in CYP119 which was not found in all five template P450s. In addition, the model CYP119 three-dimensional structures were also used to determine key properties related to its function. Specifically, binding site residues and surface residues for redox partner interactions were identified. These residues identified together with those residues found that might contribute to the increased stability are suggested for future mutagenesis studies. The results obtained from these experimental studies shall then provide further validation of the suggested origins of stability and the structure-function relationships derived from the model structures of this enzyme.     

Role of loop dynamics in thermal stability of mesophilic and thermophilic adenylosuccinate synthetase: a molecular dynamics and normal mode analysis study

Enzymes from thermophiles are poorly active at temperatures at which their mesophilic homologs exhibit high activity and attain corresponding active states at high temperatures. In this study, comparative molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, supplemented by normal mode analysis, have been performed on an enzyme Adenylosuccinate synthetase (AdSS) from E. coli (mesophilic) and P. horikoshii (thermophilic) systems to understand the effects of loop dynamics on thermal stability of AdSS. In mesophilic AdSS, both ligand binding and catalysis are facilitated through the coordinated movement of five loops on the protein. The simulation results suggest that thermophilic P. horikoshii preserves structure and catalytic function at high temperatures by using the movement of only a subset of loops (two out of five) for ligand binding and catalysis unlike its mesophilic counterpart in E. coli. The pre-arrangement of the catalytic residues in P. horikoshii is well-preserved and salt bridges remain stable at high temperature (363K). The simulations suggest a general mechanism (including pre-arrangement of catalytic residues, increased polar residue content, stable salt bridges, increased rigidity, and fewer loop movements) used by thermophilic enzymes to preserve structure and be catalytically active at elevated temperatures.     

Structural and biophysical characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis dodecin Rv1498A

Dodecins (assembly of twelve monomers) are the smallest known flavoprotein with only 65-73 amino acids and are involved in binding and storage of flavins in archaea. Here we report the crystal structure of Rv1498A, a Mycobacterium tuberculosis dodecin. This bacterial dodecin structure is similar to that of other reported dodecins. Each monomer has a 3 stranded β-sheet and an α-helix perpendicular to it. This protein has polyextreme (halophilic and thermophilic) properties. Interestingly, positively and negatively charged residues aggregate separately and do not seem to contribute to thermophilic and halophilic stability. We have examined the interactions that stabilize the Rv1498A dodecamer by preparing selected point mutants that break salt bridges and hydrophobic contacts, thereby leading to collapse of the assembly.     

Contribution of engineered electrostatic interactions to the stability of cytosolic malate dehydrogenase.

Protein engineering is a promising tool to obtain stable proteins. Comparison between homologous thermophilic and mesophilic enzymes from a given structural family can reveal structural features responsible for the enhanced stability of thermophilic proteins. Structures from pig heart cytosolic and Thermus flavus malate dehydrogenases (cMDH, Tf MDH), two proteins showing a 55% sequence homology, were compared with the aim of increasing cMDH stability using features from the Thermus flavus enzyme. Three potential salt bridges from Tf MDH were selected on the basis of their location in the protein (surface R176-D200, inter-subunit E57-K168 and intrasubunit R149-E275) and implemented on cMDH using site-directed mutagenesis. Mutants containing E275 were not produced in any detectable amount, which shows that the energy penalty of introducing a charge imbalance in a region that was not exposed to solvent was too unfavourable to allow proper folding of the protein. The salt bridge R149-E275, if formed, would not enhance stability enough to overcome this effect. The remaining mutants were expressed and active and no differences from wild-type other than stability were found. Of the mutants assayed, Q57E/L168K led to a stability increase of 0.4 kcal/mol, as determined by either guanidinium chloride denaturalization or thermal inactivation experiments. This results in a 15 degrees C shift in the optimal temperature, thus confirming that the inter-subunit salt bridge initially present in the T.flavus enzyme was formed in the cMDH structure and that the extra energy obtained is transformed into an increase in protein stability. These results indicate that the use of structural features of thermophilic enzymes, revealed by a detailed comparison of three-dimensional structures, is a valid strategy to improve the stability of mesophilic malate dehydrogenases.     

The stability of thermophilic proteins: a study based on comprehensive genome comparison

We address the question of the thermal stability of proteins in thermophiles through comprehensive genome comparison, focussing on the occurrence of salt bridges. We compared a set of 12 genomes (from four thermophilic archaeons, one eukaryote, six mesophilic eubacteria, and one thermophilic eubacteria). Our results showed that thermophiles have a greater content of charged residues than mesophiles, both at the overall genomic level and in alpha helices. Furthermore, we found that in thermophiles the charged residues in helices tend to be preferentially arranged with a 1–4 helical spacing and oriented so that intra-helical charge pairs agree with the helix dipole. Collectively, these results imply that intra-helical salt bridges are more prevalent in thermophiles than mesophiles and thus suggest that they are an important factor stabilizing thermophilic proteins. We also found that the proteins in thermophiles appear to be somewhat shorter than those in mesophiles. However, this later observation may have more to do with evolutionary relationships than with physically stabilizing factors. In all our statistics we were careful to controls for various biases. These could have, for instance, arisen due to repetitive or duplicated sequences. In particular, we repeated our calculation using a variety of random and directed sampling schemes. One of these involved making a "stratified sample," a representative cross-section of the genomes derived from a set of 52 orthologous proteins present roughly once in each genome. For another sample, we focused on the subset of the 52 orthologs that had a known 3D structure. This allowed us to determine the frequency of tertiary as well as main-chain salt bridges. Our statistical controls supported our overall conclusion about the prevalence of salt bridges in thermophiles in comparison to mesophiles. Electronic Publication     

Salt bridge as a gatekeeper against partial unfolding

Salt bridges are frequently observed in protein structures. Because the energetic contribution of salt bridges is strongly dependent on the environmental context, salt bridges are believed to contribute to the structural specificity rather than the stability. To test the role of salt bridges in enhancing structural specificity, we investigated the contribution of a salt bridge to the energetics of native‐state partial unfolding in a cysteine‐free version of Escherichia coli ribonuclease H (RNase H*). Thermolysin cleaves a protruding loop of RNase H^* through transient partial unfolding under native conditions. Lys86 and Asp108 in RNase H^* form a partially buried salt bridge that tethers the protruding loop. Investigation of the global stability of K86Q/D108N RNase H^* showed that the salt bridge does not significantly contribute to the global stability. However, K86Q/D108N RNase H^* is greatly more susceptible to proteolysis by thermolysin than wild‐type RNase H^* is. The free energy for partial unfolding determined by native‐state proteolysis indicates that the salt bridge significantly increases the energy for partial unfolding by destabilizing the partially unfolded form. Double mutant cycles with single and double mutations of the salt bridge suggest that the partially unfolded form is destabilized due to a significant decrease in the interaction energy between Lys86 and Asp108 upon partial unfolding. This study demonstrates that, even in the case that a salt bridge does not contribute to the global stability, the salt bridge may function as a gatekeeper against partial unfolding that disturbs the optimal geometry of the salt bridge.     

Molecular dynamics of mesophilic-like mutants of a cold-adapted enzyme: insights into distal effects induced by the mutations

Networks and clusters of intramolecular interactions, as well as their "communication" across the three-dimensional architecture have a prominent role in determining protein stability and function. Special attention has been dedicated to their role in thermal adaptation. In the present contribution, seven previously experimentally characterized mutants of a cold-adapted α-amylase, featuring mesophilic-like behavior, have been investigated by multiple molecular dynamics simulations, essential dynamics and analyses of correlated motions and electrostatic interactions. Our data elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the ability of single and multiple mutations to globally modulate dynamic properties of the cold-adapted α-amylase, including both local and complex unpredictable distal effects. Our investigation also shows, in agreement with the experimental data, that the conversion of the cold-adapted enzyme in a warm-adapted variant cannot be completely achieved by the introduction of few mutations, also providing the rationale behind these effects. Moreover, pivotal residues, which are likely to mediate the effects induced by the mutations, have been identified from our analyses, as well as a group of suitable candidates for protein engineering. In fact, a subset of residues here identified (as an isoleucine, or networks of mesophilic-like salt bridges in the proximity of the catalytic site) should be considered, in experimental studies, to get a more efficient modification of the features of the cold-adapted enzyme.     

Structural basis for thermostability and identification of potential active site residues for adenylate kinases from the archaeal genus Methanococcus

Sequence comparisons of highly related archaeal adenylate kinases (AKs) from the mesophilic Methanococcus voltae, the moderate thermophile Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus, and two extreme thermophiles Methanococcus igneus and Methanococcus jannaschii, allow identification of interactions responsible for the large variation in temperatures for optimal catalytic activity and thermostabilities observed for these proteins. The tertiary structures of the methanococcal AKs have been predicted by using homology modeling to further investigate the potential role of specific interactions on thermal stability and activity. The alignments for the methanococcal AKs have been generated by using an energy-based sequence–structure threading procedure against high-resolution crystal structures of eukaryotic, eubacterial, and mitochondrial adenylate and uridylate (UK) kinases. From these alignments, full atomic model structures have been produced using the program MODELLER. The final structures allow identification of potential active site interactions and place a polyproline region near the active site, both of which are unique to the archaeal AKs. Based on these model structures, the additional polar residues present in the thermophiles could contribute four additional salt bridges and a higher negative surface charge. Since only one of these possible salt bridges is interior, they do not appear significantly to the thermal stability. Instead, our model structures indicate that a larger and more hydrophobic core, due to a specific increase in aliphatic amino acid content and aliphatic side chain volume, in the thermophilic AKs is responsible for increased thermal stability. © 1997 Wiley-Liss Inc.     

Contribution of salt bridges near the surface of a protein to the conformational stability

Salt bridges play important roles in the conformational stability of proteins. However, the effect of a surface salt bridge on the stability remains controversial even today; some reports have shown little contribution of a surface salt bridge to stability, whereas others have shown a favorable contribution. In this study, to elucidate the net contribution of a surface salt bridge to the conformational stability of a protein, systematic mutant human lysozymes, containing one Glu to Gln (E7Q) and five Asp to Asn mutations (D18N, D49N, D67N, D102N, and D120N) at residues where a salt bridge is formed near the surface in the wild-type structure, were examined. The thermodynamic parameters for denaturation between pH 2.0 and 4.8 were determined by use of a differential scanning calorimeter, and the crystal structures were analyzed by X-ray crystallography. The denaturation Gibbs energy (DeltaG) of all mutant proteins was lower than that of the wild-type protein at pH 4, whereas there was little difference between them near pH 2. This is caused by the fact that the Glu and Asp residues are ionized at pH 4 but protonated at pH 2, indicating a favorable contribution of salt bridges to the wild-type structure at pH 4. Each contribution was not equivalent, but we found that the contributions correlate with the solvent inaccessibility of the salt bridges; the salt bridge contribution was small when 100% accessible, while it was about 9 kJ/mol if 100% inaccessible. This conclusion indicates how to reconcile a number of conflicting reports about role of surface salt bridges in protein stability. Furthermore, the effect of salts on surface salt bridges was also examined. In the presence of 0.2 M KCl, the stability at pH 4 decreased, and the differences in stability between the wild-type and mutant proteins were smaller than those in the absence of salts, indicating the compensation to the contribution of salt bridges with salts. Salt bridges with more than 50% accessibility did not contribute to the stability in the presence of 0.2 M KCl.     

The Contribution of Interchain Salt Bridges to Triple-Helical Stability in Collagen

Studies on collagen and collagen-like peptides suggest that triple-helical stability can vary along the amino acid chain. In this regard, it has been shown that lysine residues in the Y position and acidic residues in the X′ position of (GPO)₃GXYGX′Y′(GPO)₃ peptides lead to triple-helical structures with melting temperatures similar to (GPO)₈ (where O is hydroxyproline), which is generally regarded as the most stable collagen-like sequence of this length. This enhanced stability has been attributed to the formation of salt bridges between adjacent collagen chains. In this study, we explore the relationship between interchain salt bridge formation and triple-helical stability using detailed molecular simulations. Although our results confirm that salt bridges promote triple-helical stability, we find that not all salt bridges are created equal. In particular, lysine-glutamate salt bridges are most stabilizing when formed between residues in the middle strand (B) and the trailing strand (C), whereas lysine-aspartate salt bridges are most stabilizing when formed between residues in the leading (A) and middle (B) strand—the latter observation being consistent with recent NMR data on a heterotrimeric model peptide. Overall, we believe these data clarify the role of salt bridges in modulating triple-helical stability and can be used to guide the design of collagen-like peptides that have specific interchain interactions.     

Probing Structural Elements of Thermal Stability in Bacterial Oligomeric Alcohol Dehydrogenases. I. Construction and Characterization of Chimeras Consisting of Secondary ADHs from Thermoanaerobacter brockii and Clostridium beijerinckii

Two tetrameric secondary alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs), one from the mesophile Clostridium beijerinckii (CBADH) and the other from the extreme thermophile Thermoanaerobacter brockii (TBADH), share 75% sequence identity but differ by 26 °C in thermal stability. To explore the role of linear segments of these similar enzymes in maintaining the thermal stability of the thermostable TBADH, a series of 12 CBadh and TBadh chimeric genes and the two parental wild-type genes were expressed in Escherichia coli, and the enzymes were isolated, purified and characterized. The thermal stability of each chimeric enzyme was approximately exponentially proportional to the content of the amino acid sequence of the thermophilic enzyme, indicating that the amino acid residues contributing to the thermal stability of TBADH are distributed along the whole protein molecule. It is suggested that major structural elements of thermal stability may reside among the nine discrepant amino acid residues between the N-terminal 50-amino acid residues of TBADH and CBADH.     

Cooperative helix stabilization by complex Arg-Glu salt bridges

Among the interactions that stabilize the native state of proteins, the role of electrostatic interactions has been difficult to quantify precisely. Surface salt bridges or ion pairs between acidic and basic side chains have only a modest stabilizing effect on the stability of helical peptides or proteins: estimates are roughly 0.5 kcal/mol or less. On the other hand, theoretical arguments and the occurrence of salt bridge networks in thermophilic proteins suggest that multiple salt bridges may exert a stronger stabilizing effect. We show here that triads of charged side chains, Arg(+)-Glu(-)-Arg(+) spaced at i,i+4 or i,i+3 intervals in a helical peptide stabilize alpha helix by more than the additive contribution of two single salt bridges. The free energy of the triad is more than 1 kcal/mol in excess of the sum of the individual pairs, measured in low salt concentration (10 mM). The effect of spacing the three groups is severe; placing the charges at i,i+4 or i,i+3 sites has a strong effect on stability relative to single bridges; other combinations are weaker. A conservative calculation suggests that interactions of this kind between salt bridges can account for much of the stabilization of certain thermophilic proteins.     

Surface salt bridges contribute to the extreme thermal stability of an FN3-like domain from a thermophilic bacterium

This study uses differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray crystallography, and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the structural basis for the high thermal stability (melting temperature 97.5°C) of a FN3-like protein domain from thermophilic bacteria Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis (FN3tt). FN3tt adopts a typical FN3 fold with a three-stranded beta sheet packing against a four-stranded beta sheet. We identified three solvent exposed arginine residues (R23, R25, and R72), which stabilize the protein through salt bridge interactions with glutamic acid residues on adjacent strands. Alanine mutation of the three arginine residues reduced melting temperature by up to 22°C. Crystal structures of the wild type (WT) and a thermally destabilized (?Tm ?19.7°C) triple mutant (R23L/R25T/R72I) were found to be nearly identical, suggesting that the destabilization is due to interactions of the arginine residues. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the salt bridge interactions in the WT were stable and provided a dynamical explanation for the cooperativity observed between R23 and R25 based on calorimetry measurements. In addition, folding free energy changes computed using free energy perturbation molecular dynamics simulations showed high correlation with melting temperature changes. This work is another example of surface salt bridges contributing to the enhanced thermal stability of thermophilic proteins. The molecular dynamics simulation methods employed in this study may be broadly useful for in silico surface charge engineering of proteins.     

Salt bridges destabilize a leucine zipper designed for maximized ion pairing between helices

Interhelical salt bridges are common in leucine zippers and are thought to stabilize the coiled coil conformation. Here we present a detailed thermodynamic investigation of the designed, disulfide-linked leucine zipper AB(SS) whose high-resolution NMR structure shows six interhelical ion pairs between heptad positions g of one helix and e' of the other helix but no ion pairing within single helices. The average pK(a) value of the Glu side chain carboxyl groups of AB(SS) is slightly higher than the pK(a) of a freely accessible Glu in an unfolded peptide [Marti, D. N., Jelesarov, I., and Bosshard, H. R. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 12804-12818]. This indicates that the salt bridges are destabilizing, a prediction we now have confirmed by determining the pH +/- stability profile of AB(SS). Circular dichroism-monitored unfolding by urea and by heating and differential scanning calorimetry show that the coiled coil conformation is approximately 5 kJ/mol more stable when salt bridges are broken by protonation of the carboxyl side chains. Using guanidinium chloride as the denaturant, the increase in the free energy of unfolding on protonation of the carboxyl side chains is larger, approximately 17 kJ/mol. The discrepancy between urea and guanidinium chloride unfolding can be ascribed to the ionic nature of guanidinium chloride, which screens charge-charge interactions. This work demonstrates the difficulty of predicting the energetic contribution of salt bridges from structural data alone even in a case where the ion pairs are seen in high-resolution NMR structures. The reason is that the contribution to stability results from a fine balance between energetically favorable Coulombic attractions and unfavorable desolvation of charges and conformational constraints of the residues involved in ion pairing. The apparent discrepancy between the results presented here and mutational studies indicating stabilization by salt bridges is discussed and resolved. An explanation is proposed for why interhelical salt bridges are frequently found in natural coiled coils despite evidence that they do not directly contribute to stability.     

Characterization of monomeric dihydrodipicolinate synthase variant reveals the importance of substrate binding in optimizing oligomerization

To gain insights into the role of quaternary structure in the TIM-barrel family of enzymes, we introduced mutations to the DHDPS enzyme of Thermotoga maritima, which we have previously shown to be a stable tetramer in solution. These mutations were aimed at reducing the number of salt bridges at one of the two tetramerization interface of the enzyme, which contains many more interactions than the well characterized equivalent interface of the mesophilic Escherichia coli DHDPS enzyme. The resulting variants had altered quaternary structure, as shown by analytical ultracentrifugation, gel filtration liquid chromatography, and small angle X-ray scattering, and X-ray crystallographic studies confirmed that one variant existed as an independent monomer, but with few changes to the secondary and tertiary structure. Reduction of higher order assembly resulted in a loss of thermal stability, as measured by a variety of methods, and impaired catalytic function. Binding of pyruvate increased the oligomeric status of the variants, with a concomitant increase in thermal stability, suggesting a role for substrate binding in optimizing stable, higher order structures. The results of this work show that the salt bridges located at the tetramerization interface of DHDPS play a significant role in maintaining higher order structures, and demonstrate the importance of quaternary structure in determining protein stability and in the optimization of enzyme catalysis.     

Configurational entropy elucidates the role of salt-bridge networks in protein thermostability

Detailed knowledge of how networks of surface salt bridges contribute to protein thermal stability is essential not only to understand protein structure and function but also to design thermostable proteins for industrial applications. Experimental studies investigating thermodynamic stability through measurements of free energy associated with mutational alterations in proteins provide only macroscopic evidence regarding the structure of salt-bridge networks and assessment of their contribution to protein stability. Using explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations to provide insight on the atomic scale, we investigate here the structural stability, defined in terms of root-mean-square fluctuations, of a short polypeptide designed to fold into a stable trimeric coiled coil with a well-packed hydrophobic core and an optimal number of intra- and interhelical surface salt bridges. We find that the increase of configurational entropy of the backbone and side-chain atoms and decreased pair correlations of these with increased temperature are consistent with nearly constant atom-positional root-mean-square fluctuations, increased salt-bridge occupancies, and stronger electrostatic interactions in the coiled coil. Thus, our study of the coiled coil suggests a mechanism in which well-designed salt-bridge networks could accommodate stochastically the disorder of increased thermal motion to produce thermostability.