Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.2.1.17 (lysozyme)
 21,489 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

To enhance the already high quality of diffraction data for crystals of the hydrophobic protein crambin, X-ray data were collected at 130 K by the method of H. Hope to 0.83 A resolution. Refinement with PROLSQ yields a model with an R value of 10.5%. The final model had three parameter anisotropic vibration factors for all atoms, which included 367 protein heavy atoms, 372 hydrogen atoms and 144 solvent atoms with one ethanol molecule. Dihedral angles and hydrogen-bonding distances generally agree with earlier studies of high-resolution protein structures, but some new patterns are noted. Solvent-related helix distortions are reminiscent of those described by others. Helix and beta-sheet regions show distinct patterns in their side-chain conformations. Despite crambin's hydrophobic nature, its accessible surface area in the crystal is surprisingly close to that of water-soluble proteins like myoglobin and carboxypeptidase A. More of crambin's hydrophobic surface is buried in the crystal, perhaps accounting for its high order of diffraction. A total of 24% of the 46 residues show discrete disorder at 130 K. This includes five side-chains at both 300 and 130 K, and six more side-chains and an ethanol molecule at 130 K. Disorder is associated with the sequence microheterogeneity at Pro/Ser22 and Leu/Ile25, with space filling or with solvent disorder. Correlated conformations extend over three to five residues. The patterns of disorder in this structure reveal important principles of protein structure and its dynamics. Finding disordered groups correlated over 5 to 8 A suggests that co-ordinated motion extends in groups rather than simply as uncorrelated movement around an atom center. Thermal diffuse scattering experiments on insulin and lysozyme are consistent with this interpretation. Nearly all of the protein-bound solvent has been located. Less than 1% of protein accessible surface area remains uncovered by solvent or crystal contacts. Preliminary analysis of the solvent network reveals two main networks in each of four solvent regions.
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PMID:Atomic resolution (0.83 A) crystal structure of the hydrophobic protein crambin at 130 K. 845 May 43

The amyloidogenic prefibrillar partially denatured intermediate of human lysozyme, prepared by heating the native protein to 57 degrees C at pH 2.0, was studied using Raman optical activity (ROA). A positive band in the room temperature ROA spectrum of the native protein at approximately 1345 cm(-1), assigned to a hydrated form of alpha-helix, is not present in that of the prefibrillar intermediate, where a new strong positive band at approximately 1318 cm(-1) appears instead that is assigned to the poly(l-proline) II (PPII)-helical conformation. A sharp negative band at approximately 1241 cm(-1) in the native protein, assigned to beta-strand, shows little change in the ROA spectrum of the prefibrillar intermediate. The disappearance of a positive ROA band at approximately 1551 cm(-1) assigned to vibrations of tryptophan side-chains indicates that major conformational changes have occurred among the five tryptophan residues present in human lysozyme, four of which are located in the alpha-domain. The various ROA data suggest that a substantial loss of tertiary structure has occurred in the prefibrillar intermediate and that this is located more in the alpha-domain than in the beta-domain. There is no evidence for any increase in beta-structure. The ROA spectrum of hen lysozyme, which does not form amyloid fibrils so readily, remains much more native-like on heating to 57 degrees C at pH 2.0. The thermal behaviour of the alanine-rich alpha-helical peptide AK21 in aqueous solution was found to be similar to that of human lysozyme. Hydrated alpha-helix therefore appears to readily undergo a conformational change to PPII structure on heating, which may be a key step in the conversion of alpha-helix into beta-sheet in the formation of amyloid fibrils in human lysozyme. Since it is extended, flexible, lacks intrachain hydrogen bonds and is fully hydrated in aqueous solution, PPII helix has the appropriate characteristics to be implicated as a critical conformational element in many conformational diseases. Disorder of the PPII type may be a sine qua non for the formation of regular fibrils; whereas the more dynamic disorder of the random coil may lead only to amorphous aggregates.
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PMID:Is polyproline II helix the killer conformation? A Raman optical activity study of the amyloidogenic prefibrillar intermediate of human lysozyme. 1092 27