Frederic M. Richards

The Interpretation of Protein Structures: Estimation of Static Accessibility

A program is described for drawing the van der Waal’s surface of a protein molecule. An extension of the program permits the accessibility of atoms, or groups of atoms, to solvent or solute molecules of specifiedsize to be quantitatively assessed. As defined in this study, the accessibility is proportional to surface area. The accessibility of all atoms in the twenty common amino acids in model tripeptides of the type Ala-X-Ala are given for defined conformation. The accessibilities are also given for all atoms in ribonuclease-S, lysozyme and myogobhn. Internal cavities are defined and discussed. Various summaries of these data are provided. Forty to fifty per cent of the surface area of each protein is occupied by non-polar atoms. The actual numerical results are sensitive to the values chosen for the van der Waal’s radii of the various groups. Since there is uncertainty over the correct values for these radii, the derived numbers should only be used as a qualitative guide at this stage. The average change in accessibility for the atoms of all three proteins in going from a hypothetical extended chain to the folded conformation of the native protein is about a factor of 3. This number applies to both polar (nitrogen and oxygen) and non-polar (carbon and sulfur) atoms considered separately. The larger non-polar amino acids tend to be more “buried” in the native form of all three proteins. However, for all classes and for residues within a given class the accessibility changes on folding tend to be highly variable.

Relationship between nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift and protein secondary structure

An analysis of the 1H nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift assignments and secondary structure designations for over 70 proteins has revealed some very strong and unexpected relationships. Similar studies, performed on smaller databases, for 13C and 15N chemical shifts reveal equally strong correlations to protein secondary structure. Among the more interesting results to emerge from this work is the finding that all 20 naturally occurring amino acids experience a mean alpha-1H upfield shift of 0.39 parts per million (from the random coil value) when placed in a helical configuration. In a like manner, the alpha-1H chemical shift is found to move downfield by an average of 0.37 parts per million when the residue is placed in a beta-strand or extended configuration. Similar changes are also found for amide 1H, carbonyl 13C, alpha-13C and amide 15N chemical shifts. Other relationships between chemical shift and protein conformation are also uncovered; in particular, a correlation between helix dipole effects and amide proton chemical shifts as well as a relationship between alpha-proton chemical shifts and main-chain flexibility. Additionally, useful relationships between alpha-proton chemical shifts and backbone dihedral angles as well as correlations between amide proton chemical shifts and hydrogen bond effects are demonstrated.

The interpretation of protein structures: Total volume, group volume distributions and packing density☆

Following the general procedure of Bernal & Finney (1967) using Voronoi polyhedra, volumes occupied by all the atoms, or groups of atoms, in lysozyme and ribonuclease S have been estimated from the atomic co-ordinates provided by crystal structure studies. The average packing density for the interior of both proteins is close to 0.75, which is in the middle of the range found for crystals of most small organic molecules. For all atom types the mean packing densities fall between 0.7 and 0.8 with standard deviations between ± 0.1 and ± 0.2. It is suggested that simple geometrical packing considerations may provide useful criteria in guiding and evaluating trial structures in theoretical studies of protein folding, especially the association of distant parts of a peptide chain. Packing densities averaged over a relatively small number of atoms (5 to 15) appear to vary substantially in different parts of the same protein. Low densities representing packing defects may permit relatively easy motions, for example in an active site. Surrounding areas of high density may serve as relatively incompressible regions which transmit or correlate motions over considerable distances. The total volume of each of these two proteins as derived from the co-ordinate list appears to be larger than that estimated from the partial specific volume by 7 to 10%. If this volume difference is attributed to a change in the packing of water in a monolayer surrounding the protein, it would correspond to an average decrease, relative to bulk water, of 1 to 2 A3 per water molecule in this monolayer. Such a change is about half of the decrease that occurs on the melting of ice.

Crystal structure of hen egg-white lysozyme at a hydrostatic pressure of 1000 atmospheres

The crystal structure of tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme at a hydrostatic pressure of 1000 atmospheres has been determined by X-ray diffraction to a nominal resolution of 2 A. The crystals, originally grown in 0.83 M-NaCl, had to be transferred to 1.4 M-NaCl to prevent crystal cracking at 300 to 400 atm. The a and b axes of the unit cell contracted by 0.6%, whilst the c axis increased by 0.1%. The unit cell volume contracted by 1.1%. Both the 1 atm and the 1000 atm structures were refined by restrained least-squares to yield final R factors of 14.9% in each case. Since the data were collected by an accurate difference protocol, the change in structure is considered to be more accurate than the absolute structure. The probable accuracy of the atomic shifts is shown to be +/- 0.06 A. The estimated volume decrease of the whole molecule corresponded to an isothermal compressibility of 4.7 X 10(-3) kbar-1. The contraction was non-uniformly distributed. Domain 2 (residues 40 to 88) was essentially incompressible, whilst domain 1 (residues 1 to 39, 89 to 129) had a compressibility of 5.7 X 10(-3) kbar-1. The interdomain region was also compressible. The average B factor decreased about 1 A2 at 1000 atm, but there was a wide range of decreases and increases in individual values. The pressure-induced deformation was analyzed with difference distance matrices. The beta-sheet (residues 42 to 60) and helix 2 (residues 24 to 36) were deformed the least under pressure. The other helices were more deformed and one loop region (residues 61 to 87) actually appeared to expand. The main-chain atoms of the beta-sheet and helix 2 were used to perform a least-squares superposition of the 1 atm and 1000 atm models. The root-mean-square pressure-induced shift for all atoms was 0.2 A, with a few atoms moving more than 1 A. There was no evidence for co-ordinated movement about the hinge axis defined by alpha carbon atoms 38 and 97. The 1 atm and 1000 atm refined structures included 151 and 163 ordered water molecules, respectively. The changes in these ordered water molecules and the mean compressibility of all of the solvent in the crystal will be described elsewhere.

Construction of new ligand binding sites in proteins of known structure: I. Computer-aided modeling of sites with pre-defined geometry☆

We have devised a molecular model building computer program (DEZYMER) which builds new ligand binding sites into a protein of known three-dimensional structure. It alters only the sequence and the side-chain structure of the protein, leaving the protein backbone fold intact by definition. The program searches for a constellation of backbone positions arranged such that if appropriate side-chains were placed there, they would bind the ligand according to a pre-defined geometry of interaction specified by the experimentalist. These binding sites are introduced by the program by taking into account simple rules such as steric hindrance, atomic close-packing and hydrogen bond patterns, which are known to maintain the integrity of a protein structure to a first approximation. A test case is presented in this paper where the copper binding site found in blue-copper proteins such as plastocyanin, azurin and cupredoxin is introduced into Escherichia coli thioredoxin. The model building of one of the solutions found by the program is presented in some detail. The experimental construction and properties of this new protein are described in an accompanying paper. It is hoped that this program provides a general method for the design of ligand binding sites and enzyme active sites, which can then be tested experimentally.

24 Bovine Pancreatic Ribonuclease

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the process of isolation, chromatography, structure, and molecular and catalytic properties of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease. At present there are three simple and widely used chromatographic procedures: (1) Hirs base their method on the carboxyl ion exchange resin IRC-50 with 0.2 M phosphate buffer pH 6.45 as the eluting medium. The principal active component of the enzyme preparation is well retarded and is universally referred to as ribonuclease-A. Several poorly resolved faster running peaks are usually seen, the area having the highest activity and running closest to A normally being called ribonuclease B. The ratio of A to B varies with the preparation but may be as high as 10 to 1. (2) Taborsky has described a system based on carboxymethyl cellulose as the exchanger operated in Tris buffer at pH 8 with a sodium chloride gradient. The excellent and adjustable resolution of this system is frequently useful. The principal peak, labeled D by Taborsky, is indistinguishable from ribonuclease-A in the IRC-50 system. (3) Crestfield found chromatography on sulfoethyl Sephadex valuable. Ribonuclease-A may develop heterogeneity during lyophilization and storage. Aggregation appears to occur. A careful study of the preparation problem has been made by Crestfield by using chromatography on Sephadex G-75, and sulfoethyl Sephadex C-25 as well as IRC-50. These authors recommended that RNase-A be stored as a solution in phosphate buffer at –20°C, that salts be exchanged by dialysis or pre-equilibrated Sephadex columns, and that concentration, if necessary, be effected by ultrafiltration. If lyophilization is necessary, it should be carried out from dilute salt-free solution to minimize aggregate formation. The aggregates can be converted to monomers by heating to 60° for a few minutes at neutral pH. The properties of the ribonuclease dimer are also discussed in the chapter.

An analysis of packing in the protein folding problem.

The number of globular proteins for which high resolution structures are available is rapidly increasing. In each case the particular sequence of the polypeptide appears to yield only a single, compact, biologically active structure. However, peptides with no obvious sequence similarity may form remarkably similar structures.

An experimental procedure for increasing the structural resolution of chemical hydrogen-exchange measurements on proteins: Application to ribonuclease S peptide

Abstract A method is described which extends the structural resolution of the usual hydrogen-exchange experiment by quantifying the exchange kinetics from known regions of a protein. In the usual out-exchange experiment with tritium-labeled protein, all exchange events are simultaneously monitored by measuring total protein-bound radioactivity at various specified times. In the present procedure, the protein is adjusted from the out-exchange conditions to pH 2.8 at 8 °C, immediately digested with an acid protease and the digest run on a high pressure column at the same temperature and pH. The specific activities of the individual peptide peaks are then determined. The entire analytical process requires 20 to 30 minutes depending on the position of the peptide in the chromatogram. Since the peptides are fully exposed to solvent during the analysis, this time corresponds to several half-lives of exchange. However, with sufficient isotope in the starting material large amounts of radioactivity remain associated with each peptide fragment allowing accurate analyses. With care, the digestion and separation can be made very reproducible. The procedure was tested on the ribonuclease S system using labeled S-peptide (providing an extension of the observations of Schreier & Baldwin, 1976). At pH 2.8 and pH 4.2 free S-peptide exchanges at rates which agree quite well with the values predicted by the data of Molday et al. (1972). In complex with S-protein, the S-peptide protons are not all protected to the same extent. For residues 7 through 13, 7 and 8 are more highly protected than 13, while 10 and 11 are essentially unaffected by complex formation. The model based on the X-ray structure determination indicates that all of these residues are part of an α-helical segment in the chain.

Protein folding: evaluation of some simple rules for the assembly of helices into tertiary structures with myoglobin as an example.

Abstract A computer program designed to fold a peptide chain consisting solely of helical segments and connecting links of known length is described and evaluated. This study is a detailed extension of certain aspects of the earlier work of Ptitsyn & Rashin (1975). Possible interaction sites on the helices are sequence dependent and are calculated as described by Richmond & Richards (1978) using probable changes in solvent contact area as a guide. The helices are then paired according to the list of potential sites, with each helix being paired at least once. The lists of pairings are then examined geometrically, each site having a defined dihedral helix axis angle, a specified inter-helix axis distance, and defined rotations, when required, about each helix axis. Two simplified filters are used: (1) lengths of connecting links must be equal to or greater than the end-to-end distances of the helices; and (2) non-paired helices must not collide. With myoglobin as a test example and only six of the eight helices being considered, a conformation space consisting of more than 3 × 108 structures was surveyed. The two filters reduced the acceptable structure list to 121. Slight readjustment of the parameters in the filters would have reduced this to 20 structures. Of these 20, one closely resembles the actual distribution of helices in myoglobin. The possible utility and pitfalls of this approach as part of an overall protein folding program are discussed.

Packing defects, cavities, volume fluctuations, and access to the interior of proteins. Including some general comments on surface area and protein structure

A brief review is given of the use of molecular surface area in estimations of hydrophobic forces and of their influence on protein structure. Molecular area can be used as an estimate of the free energy of transfer of a solute between solvents of differing polarity. Area changes that occur on forming secondary and tertiary structural units are examined including the possible uses of such estimates in algorithms for folding peptide chains.In 1975Lumry andRosenberg introduced the concept of mobile defects in discussing protein dynamics with particular reference to hydrogen exchange experiments (25). This idea is examined quantitatively in this paper. A first order approach is taken by assuming volume changes to occur by isometric expansion and contraction of the small cavities that occur as packing defects in the structures of all proteins. The positions and mean volume of these defects can be derived from the known X-ray structure using the Voronoi construction. The volume fluctuations of these cavities are assumed to follow a normal distribution leading to a probability of expansion to any preset value, vo. The standard deviation of the fluctuation, σ, is related to the mean isothermal compressibility of the protein and is a characteristic of that particular molecule (8). The parameter vo is related to the process being considered and should be the same for all proteins. For hydrogen exchange it should be related to the volume of a water molecule. For fluorescence quenching it would reflect the molecular volume of the quencher. The theory has been applied to myoglobin and pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. Reasonable agreement with hydrogen exchange data for the slowly exhanging amide protons can be obtained, but there is difficulty with the rapidly exchanging protons and access to the protein surface. No explicit account has yet been taken of the changes in exchange rate due to primary or secondary structure, factors which will particularly effect the surface positions.