Apolactoferrin structure demonstrates ligand-induced conformational change in transferrins

Proteins of the transferrin family, which contains serum transferrin and lactoferrin, control iron levels in higher animals through their very tight (Kapp approximately 10(20)) but reversible binding of iron. These bilobate molecules have two binding sites, one per lobe, each housing one Fe3+ and the synergistic CO3(2-) ion. Crystallographic studies of human lactoferrin and rabbit serum transferrin in their iron-bound forms have characterized their binding sites and protein structure. Physical studies show that a substantial conformational change accompanies iron binding and release. We have addressed this phenomenon through crystal structure analysis of human apolactoferrin at 2.8 A resolution. In this structure the N-lobe binding cleft is wide open, following a domain rotation of 53 degrees, mediated by the pivoting of two helices and flexing of two interdomain polypeptide strands. Remarkably, the C-lobe cleft is closed, but unliganded. These observations have implications for transferrin function and for binding proteins in general.     

淡水养殖鱼类血清转铁蛋白耐低氧特性的研究

用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳、含铁蛋白质专一染色法及利凡诺 ( Rivanol)溶液沉淀法确定了鲤鱼、鲫鱼等 1 2种淡水养殖鱼的血清转铁蛋白在聚丙烯酰胺凝胶中的位置 ,鉴定出 8类鲤鱼、6类鲫鱼和 3类白鲢的血清转铁蛋白的特异类型 ,并分析了转铁蛋白多态体的表现型和基因型 .测定了鲤鱼、鲫鱼、白鲢和鳙鱼的血清铁浓度、铁结合能力及铁饱和度 .通过分析淡水养殖鱼类耗氧量及窒息点临界含氧量与血清转铁蛋白的关系 ,证实了鱼类转铁蛋白具有耐低氧的特性 .     

细菌铁(Ⅲ)结合蛋白:结构与机理(英文)

铁是生命体必需的微量元素,在大多数环境中铁是有限的资源.高效摄取铁是入侵属主的微生物生存和毒力的关键.许多致病细菌进化出一个特异的铁吸收系统,利用特定的外膜受体和周质铁离子结合蛋白(FBP或FbpA)从属主偷取铁离子.FBP在高效摄取铁的过程中,无论从自由铁源摄取铁或从属主体内转铁蛋白和乳铁蛋白摄取结合的铁,都起着至关重要的作用.FBP的铁结合机制在不同物种间高度保守.结构数据显示,FBP的三维折叠类似于哺乳动物转铁蛋白(TF)的一叶,铁(Ⅲ)在FBP的两个结构域之间的间隙结合但其铁结合位点较其在转铁蛋白中更暴露于溶剂.该小综述总结了FBP铁转运系统,主要讨论了铁结合蛋白的结构和配位化学特征以及铁转运及调控机理.     

Structural basis for iron piracy by pathogenic Neisseria

Neisseria are obligate human pathogens causing bacterial meningitis, septicaemia and gonorrhoea. Neisseria require iron for survival and can extract it directly from human transferrin for transport across the outer membrane. The transport system consists of TbpA, an integral outer membrane protein, and TbpB, a co-receptor attached to the cell surface; both proteins are potentially important vaccine and therapeutic targets. Two key questions driving Neisseria research are how human transferrin is specifically targeted, and how the bacteria liberate iron from transferrin at neutral pH. To address these questions, we solved crystal structures of the TbpA-transferrin complex and of the corresponding co-receptor TbpB. We characterized the TbpB-transferrin complex by small-angle X-ray scattering and the TbpA-TbpB-transferrin complex by electron microscopy. Our studies provide a rational basis for the specificity of TbpA for human transferrin, show how TbpA promotes iron release from transferrin, and elucidate how TbpB facilitates this process.     

Expression of functional interleukin-2 receptors in human light chain/Tac transgenic mice

The growth of mature T lymphocytes is regulated by interaction between interleukin-2 (IL-2) and its receptor. Three distinct binding sites for IL-2, namely low- (Kd 10 nM), intermediate- (Kd 100 pM) and high- (Kd 10 pM) affinity sites, have been found on human and primate T lymphocytes. Chemical crosslinking of labelled IL-2 to human T cells shows that two polypeptide chains, p55 (L chain) and p75 (H chain), bind IL-2 with low and intermediate affinities respectively. The high-affinity binding was shown to arise from ternary complex formation of IL-2, L and H chains. Construction of mutants of the L-chain complementary DNA indicated that the L chain is not directly involved in growth signal transduction. Nevertheless, expression of the IL-2 receptor L chain is tightly regulated by antigen or mitogen stimulation. To investigate the L chain function, we have produced transgenic mice using human L-chain cDNA of the IL-2 receptor under the control of a constitutive promoter. Studies on the L-chain transgenic mice showed that functionally active IL-2 receptors with high affinity were expressed on unstimulated spleen and thymus cells. The results indicate that the H chain of the IL-2 receptor is constitutively expressed in T cells.     

Crystal structure of the hereditary haemochromatosis protein HFE complexed with transferrin receptor

HFE is related to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I proteins and is mutated in the iron-overload disease hereditary haemochromatosis. HFE binds to the transferrin receptor (TfR), a receptor by which cells acquire iron-loaded transferrin. The 2.8 A crystal structure of a complex between the extracellular portions of HFE and TfR shows two HFE molecules which grasp each side of a twofold symmetric TfR dimer. On a cell membrane containing both proteins, HFE would 'lie down' parallel to the membrane, such that the HFE helices that delineate the counterpart of the MHC peptide-binding groove make extensive contacts with helices in the TfR dimerization domain. The structures of TfR alone and complexed with HFE differ in their domain arrangement and dimer interfaces, providing a mechanism for communicating binding events between TfR chains. The HFE-TfR complex suggests a binding site for transferrin on TfR and sheds light upon the function of HFE in regulating iron homeostasis.     

X-ray structure of a protein-conducting channel

A conserved heterotrimeric membrane protein complex, the Sec61 or SecY complex, forms a protein-conducting channel, allowing polypeptides to be transferred across or integrated into membranes. We report the crystal structure of the complex from Methanococcus jannaschii at a resolution of 3.2 A. The structure suggests that one copy of the heterotrimer serves as a functional translocation channel. The alpha-subunit has two linked halves, transmembrane segments 1-5 and 6-10, clamped together by the gamma-subunit. A cytoplasmic funnel leading into the channel is plugged by a short helix. Plug displacement can open the channel into an 'hourglass' with a ring of hydrophobic residues at its constriction. This ring may form a seal around the translocating polypeptide, hindering the permeation of other molecules. The structure also suggests mechanisms for signal-sequence recognition and for the lateral exit of transmembrane segments of nascent membrane proteins into lipid, and indicates binding sites for partners that provide the driving force for translocation.     

玉米精细胞质膜特异糖蛋白胶体金免疫定位

用亲和层析,SDS-PAGE及印迹技术,从玉米精细胞中分离纯化质膜蛋白。用ConA-HRP检测获得分子量为37和39kD两种糖蛋白特异成分。用它们分别免疫小鼠得到多克隆抗体,以兔抗鼠IgG胶体金(15nm)为探针,检查此两种蛋白在精细胞质膜上的分布。免疫定位表明,37kD, 39kD多肽是玉米精细胞质膜所特异的。有关此多肽的功能有待进一步研究。     

人转铁蛋白基因的克隆及序列分析

目的:克隆人转铁蛋白基因并对其编码序列进行分析.方法:以人胎肝cDNA为模板,利用PCR方法克隆人转铁蛋白基因;通过与基因组序列对比分析基因组结构;通过TargetP 1.1和SignalP 3.0预测信号肽;通过Clustal X(1.81)进行蛋白序列联配.结果:PCR扩增了一个长2 160 bp的基因片断,序列分析表明其覆盖了完整编码框,编码由698个氨基酸组成的人转铁蛋白.进一步分析发现人转铁蛋白基因有19个外显子和18个内含子,编码人转铁蛋白N端具有19个氨基酸组成的信号肽序列.人转铁蛋白与猩猩、猴子、兔子和老鼠的转铁蛋白氨基酸相似率分别为94%、91%、78%、73%.生物信息分析表明,人转铁蛋白含有高度保守的参与蛋白二硫键形成的半胱氨酸以及铁离子结合位点,有两个序列较同源的结构域.结论:成功克隆人转铁蛋白基因,人转铁蛋白与其它物种转铁蛋白同源.     

The covalent and tertiary structure of bovine liver rhodanese

Bovine liver rhodanese is a single polypeptide of 293 amino acids in which the halves of the molecule assume analogous tertiary structures in the absence of substantial sequence homology. The sulphur atom transferred during catalysis is bound in persulphide linkage to Cys-247. Substrate binding seems to involve Arg-186 and Lys-249.     

~（51）VNMR可以作为铁传递蛋白中金属键合的探针

本文给出了利用５１ＶＮＭＲ研究鸡卵铁传递蛋白的实验过程和结果，显示出卵铁传递蛋白的两个结合金属的部位（Ｃ末端与Ｎ末端）在结构和作用上的相似性和差别，并表明了５１ＶＮＭＲ是钒与卵铁传递蛋白结合的高灵敏度的探测工具，可用于研究钒与其它金属蛋白的结合。     

The essential light chains constitute part of the active site of smooth muscle myosin

Myosin, a major contractile protein, characteristically possesses a long coiled-coil alpha-helical tail and two heads. Each head contains both an actin binding site and an ATPase site and is formed from the NH2-terminal half of one of the two heavy chains (relative molecular mass, Mr, 200,000) and a pair of light chains; the so-called regulatory and essential light chains of approximately Mr 20,000 each. Recently we have identified Trp 130 of the myosin heavy chain from rabbit skeletal muscle as an active-site amino-acid residue after labelling with a new photoaffinity analogue of ADP, N-(4-azido-2-nitrophenyl)-2-aminoethyl diphosphate (NANDP). Nonspecific labelling was eliminated by first trapping NANDP at the active site with thiol crosslinking agents. Exclusive labelling of the heavy chains with no labelling of the light chains agreed with previous findings that the heavy chains alone contain the actin-activated Mg-ATPase activity of rabbit skeletal myosin. Here we report similar photolabelling experiments with smooth muscle myosin (chicken gizzard) in which 3H-NANDP is trapped at the active site with vanadate and which show that both the heavy chains and the essential light chains are labelled. The results indicate that both chains contribute to the ATP binding site and represent the first direct evidence for participation of the essential light chains in the active site of any type of myosin.     

Structure of the E. coli protein-conducting channel bound to a translating ribosome

Secreted and membrane proteins are translocated across or into cell membranes through a protein-conducting channel (PCC). Here we present a cryo-electron microscopy reconstruction of the Escherichia coli PCC, SecYEG, complexed with the ribosome and a nascent chain containing a signal anchor. This reconstruction shows a messenger RNA, three transfer RNAs, the nascent chain, and detailed features of both a translocating PCC and a second, non-translocating PCC bound to mRNA hairpins. The translocating PCC forms connections with ribosomal RNA hairpins on two sides and ribosomal proteins at the back, leaving a frontal opening. Normal mode-based flexible fitting of the archaeal SecYEbeta structure into the PCC electron microscopy densities favours a front-to-front arrangement of two SecYEG complexes in the PCC, and supports channel formation by the opening of two linked SecY halves during polypeptide translocation. On the basis of our observation in the translocating PCC of two segregated pores with different degrees of access to bulk lipid, we propose a model for co-translational protein translocation.     

Penicillopepsin from Penicillium janthinellum crystal structure at 2.8 A and sequence homology with porcine pepsin.

The polypeptide chain of the acid protease penicillo pepsin folds via an 18-stranded mixed beta-sheet into two distinct lobes separated by a 30-A long groove which is the extended substrate binding site. The catalytic residues Asp-32 and Asp-215 are located in this groove and their carboxyl groups are in intimate contact. Alignment of the amino acid sequence with that of pepsin shows regions of high homology.     

Peptide mimetics of an actin-binding site on myosin span two functional domains on actin

The sites on the myosin heavy chain that interact with actin and are responsible for force generation are ill-defined: crosslinking and experiments with isolated domains of the myosin head implicate regions in both the 50K and 20K (molecular weights in thousands) domains of the myosin head (subfragment 1, S1) in this process. We have synthesized peptides from the sequence around the fast-reacting SH1 thiol residue in the 20K domain of S1 in order to delineate precisely an actin-binding site. We used a combination of 1H-NMR and enzyme inhibition assay and also assessed the effects of peptides on skinned rabbit psoas muscle fibres to show that the region of amino acids 690-725 contains an actin-binding site. Peptides from this region bind to actin, act as mixed inhibitors of the actin-stimulated S1 Mg2(+)-ATPase, and influence the contractile force developed in skinned fibres, whereas peptides flanking this sequence are without effect in our test systems. Remarkably, peptides from the N-terminal half of this segment 690-725 increase force development in skinned fibres at submaximal activating concentrations of Ca2+, that is, they behave as calcium-sensitizers; C-terminal peptides, however, inhibit force development without effecting sensitivity to calcium. These different responses indicate that this region is probably binding at two functionally distinct sites on actin.     

Structure of porphobilinogen deaminase reveals a flexible multidomain polymerase with a single catalytic site.

The three-domain structure of porphobilinogen deaminase, a key enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of tetrapyrroles, has been defined by X-ray analysis at 1.9 A resolution. Two of the domains structurally resemble the transferrins and periplasmic binding proteins. The dipyrromethane cofactor is covalently linked to domain 3 but is bound by extensive salt-bridges and hydrogen-bonds within the cleft between domains 1 and 2, at a position corresponding to the binding sites for small-molecule ligands in the analogous proteins. The X-ray structure and results from site-directed mutagenesis provide evidence for a single catalytic site. Interdomain flexibility may aid elongation of the polypyrrole product in the active-site cleft of the enzyme.     

Synchronised transmembrane insertion and glycosylation of a nascent membrane protein.

Studies of the synthesis and incorporation of the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein into membranes in a synchronised cell-free system demonstrate a tight coupling between polypeptide synthesis and membrane insertion, as a result of which the nascent chain crosses the membrane. The studies reveal a surprisingly precise sequence by which the nascent chain of this membrane glycoprotein is glycosylated in two steps. These findings have important implications for the mechanisms of membrane assembly.     

Differential localization of type I and type II benzodiazepine binding sites in substantia nigra

A number of studies have suggested the existence of multiple benzodiazepine binding sites in the brain. We have recently reported the physical separation of two apparent benzodiazepine binding site subtypes, the pharmacological properties, and distribution in tissue sections of which correspond to the putative type I and type II sites. Benzodiazepine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors have been shown to interact, and lesions of the GABAergic striatonigral pathway, which lead to GABA supersensitivity, both increase the numbers of GABA binding sites and enhance GABA-stimulated benzodiazepine binding. We demonstrate here that degeneration of striatonigral fibres increases the density of putative type I benzodiazepine binding sites in the substantia nigra and decreases the density of the putative type II sites. This suggests that type I sites that increase after denervation are postsynaptic, whereas the type II sites reduced by the lesion may be localized to axons or terminals of the striatonigral pathways.