Alpha Geometry to Describe Protein Secondary Structure and Motifs

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Alpha Geometry to Describe Protein Secondary Structure and Motifs Using C-Alpha Geometry to Describe Protein Secondary Structure and Motifs by Christopher Joseph Williams Department of Biochemistry Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ David C. Richardson, Co-Supervisor ___________________________ Jane S. Richardson, Co-Supervisor ___________________________ Charles William Carter, Jr. ___________________________ Harold P. Erickson ___________________________ Terrence G. Oas ___________________________ Maria A. Schumacher Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Biochemistry in the Graduate School of Duke University 2015 ABSTRACT Using C-Alpha Geometry to Describe Protein Secondary Structure and Motifs by Christopher Joseph Williams Department of Biochemistry Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ David C. Richardson, Co-Supervisor ___________________________ Jane S. Richardson, Co-Supervisor ___________________________ Charles William Carter, Jr. ___________________________ Harold P. Erickson ___________________________ Terrence G. Oas ___________________________ Maria A. Schumacher An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Biochemistry in the Graduate School of Duke University 2015 Copyright © by Christopher Joseph Williams 2015 All rights reserved except the rights granted by the Creative Commons Attribution- Noncommercial License Abstract X-ray crystallography 3D atomic models are used in a variety of research areas to understand and manipulate protein structure. Research and application are dependent on the quality of the models. Low-resolution experimental data is a common problem in crystallography Which makes solving structures and producing the reliable models that many scientists depend on difficult. In this Work, I develop neW, automated tools for validation and correction of loW-resolution structures. These tools are gathered under the name CaBLAM, for C- alpha Based LoW-resolution Annotation Method. CaBLAM uses a unique, Cα geometry- based parameter space to identify outliers in protein backbone geometry, and to identify secondary structure that may be masked by modeling errors. CaBLAM Was developed in the Python programming language as part of the Phenix crystallography suite and the open CCTBX Project. It makes use of architecture and methods available in the CCTBX toolbox. Quality-filtered databases of high- resolution protein structures, especially the Top8000, Were used to construct contours of expected protein behavior for CaBLAM. CaBLAM has also been integrated into the codebase for the Richardson Lab’s online MolProbity validation service. CaBLAM succeeds in providing useful validation feedback for protein structures in the 2.5-4.0Å resolution range. This success demonstrates the relative reliability of the iv Cα trace of a protein in this resolution range. Full mainchain information can be extrapolated from the Cα trace, especially for regular secondary structure elements. CaBLAM has also informed our approach to validation for loW-resolution structures. Moderation of feedback, to reduce validation overload and to focus user attention on modeling errors that are both significant and correctable, is one of our goals. CaBLAM and the related methods that have groWn around it demonstrate the progress toWards this goal. v Dedication Ars gratia artis. Mens gratia mentis. vi Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... xvi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ xvii AcknoWledgements ................................................................................................................. xxiii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 2. CASP Retrospective ............................................................................................................... 7 2.1 The CASP experiment ...................................................................................................... 7 2.2 My CASP tools .................................................................................................................. 8 2.2.1 Completeness ............................................................................................................... 8 2.2.2 Sidechain alignment .................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Lessons from CASP ........................................................................................................ 12 2.3.1 Mainchain reality score ............................................................................................. 12 2.3.2 Adjusted clash cutoff ................................................................................................ 13 2.4 Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 15 3. Challenges of loW-resolution protein modeling ............................................................. 17 3.1 Causes of loW-resolution data ...................................................................................... 17 3.1.1 Resolution ................................................................................................................... 17 3.1.2 Crystal quality ............................................................................................................ 19 3.1.3 Mobility and disorder ............................................................................................... 20 3.1.4 Correlation of Interest and Difficulty ..................................................................... 22 vii 3.2 Data quality ..................................................................................................................... 23 3.2.1 Ambiguous density ................................................................................................... 24 3.2.2 Misleading density .................................................................................................... 25 3.2.3 Missing density .......................................................................................................... 27 3.2.4 Core versus surface density ..................................................................................... 27 3.3 Missing and truncated sidechains ................................................................................ 28 3.4 Loops ................................................................................................................................ 30 3.5 Data versus geometry restraints ................................................................................... 32 3.6 Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 35 4. The Cα geometry parameter spaces .................................................................................. 37 4.1 Problems With all-atom parameter spaces .................................................................. 37 4.1.1 Ramachandran analysis at loW resolution ............................................................. 37 4.1.2 DSSP annotation at loW resolution ......................................................................... 42 4.2 Developing the Cα parameter space ............................................................................ 45 4.2.1 Cα pseudodihedrals .................................................................................................. 47 4.2.2 The peptide plane dihedral ...................................................................................... 49 4.2.3 The Cα virtual angle ................................................................................................. 51 4.3 Representations of the parameter space ...................................................................... 52 4.3.1 3D CaBLAM space .................................................................................................... 53 4.3.2 2D CaBLAM space .................................................................................................... 53 4.3.3 3D Cα geometry space .............................................................................................. 53 4.4 Populating the 3D parameter spaces ........................................................................... 54 viii 4.4.1 Dataset selection ........................................................................................................ 54 4.4.2 Residue-level quality filtering ................................................................................. 55 4.4.3 3D parameter spaces ................................................................................................. 56 4.5 DSSP letter-code prediction With CaBLAM ............................................................... 62 4.5.1 Dataset selection .......................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Simulations of Я-Hairpin Folding Confined to Spherical Pores Using
    Simulations of ␤-hairpin folding confined to spherical pores using distributed computing D. K. Klimov*†, D. Newfield‡, and D. Thirumalai*† *Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742; and ‡Parabon Computation, 3930 Walnut Street, Suite 100, Fairfax, VA 22030-4738 Communicated by George H. Lorimer, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, April 12, 2002 (received for review December 18, 2001) 3 ϱ We report the thermodynamics and kinetics of an off-lattice Go radius of gyration of a chain Rg at D (the size of a chain in ␤ Ӎ ␯ model -hairpin from Ig-binding protein confined to an inert bulk solution) to N according to Rg aN . If the chain is ideal, ␯ ϭ ⌬ ϭ ͞ 2 spherical pore. Confinement enhances the stability of the hairpin then 0.5 and FU RTN(a D) . Because of the reduction due to the decrease in the entropy of the unfolded state. Compared in the translational entropy, confinement also increases the free ⌬ Ͼ ⌬ ͞⌬ ϽϽ with their values in the bulk, the rates of hairpin formation increase energy of the native state, i.e., FN 0. If FN FU 1, then in the spherical pore. Surprisingly, the dependence of the rates on localization of a protein in a confined space stabilizes the native the pore radius, Rs, is nonmonotonic. The rates reach a maximum state compared with the bulk. It also follows that there is a range ͞ b Ӎ b at Rs Rg,N 1.5, where Rg,N is the radius of gyration of the folded of D values over which stability is maximized.
    [Show full text]
  • MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES in STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY Contents 0. Introduction 4 1. Molecular Genetics: DNA 6 1.1. Genetic Code 6 1.2. T
    MATHEMATICAL TECHNIQUES IN STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY J. R. QUINE Contents 0. Introduction 4 1. Molecular Genetics: DNA 6 1.1. Genetic code 6 1.2. The geometry of DNA 6 1.3. The double helix 6 1.4. Larger organization of DNA 7 1.5. DNA and proteins 7 1.6. Problems 7 2. Molecular Genetics: Proteins 10 2.1. Amino Acids 10 2.2. The genetic code 10 2.3. Amino acid template 11 2.4. Tetrahedral geometry 11 2.5. Amino acid structure 13 2.6. The peptide bond 13 2.7. Protein structure 14 2.8. Secondary structure 14 3. Frames and moving frames 19 3.1. Basic definitions 19 3.2. Frames and gram matrices 19 3.3. Frames and rotations 20 3.4. Frames fixed at a point 20 3.5. The Frenet Frame 20 3.6. The coiled-coil 22 3.7. The Frenet formula 22 3.8. Problems 24 4. Orthogonal transformations and Rotations 25 4.1. The rotation group 25 4.2. Complex form of a rotation 28 4.3. Eigenvalues of a rotation 28 4.4. Properties of rotations 29 4.5. Problems 30 5. Torsion angles and pdb files 33 5.1. Torsion Angles 33 5.2. The arg function 34 5.3. The torsion angle formula 34 5.4. Protein torsion angles. 35 5.5. Protein Data Bank files. 35 1 2 J. R. QUINE 5.6. Ramachandran diagram 36 5.7. Torsion angles on the diamond packing 37 5.8. Appendix, properties of cross product 38 5.9. Problems 38 6.
    [Show full text]
  • The Structure of Small Beta Barrels
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/140376; this version posted May 24, 2017. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. The Structure of Small Beta Barrels Philippe Youkharibache*, Stella Veretnik1, Qingliang Li, Philip E. Bourne*1 National Center for Biotechnology Information, The National Library of Medicine, The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland 20894 USA. *To whom correspondence should be addressed at [email protected] and [email protected] 1 Current address: Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Virginia, Charlottesville VA 22908 USA. 1 bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/140376; this version posted May 24, 2017. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. Abstract The small beta barrel is a protein structural domain, highly conserved throughout evolution and hence exhibits a broad diversity of functions. Here we undertake a comprehensive review of the structural features of this domain. We begin with what characterizes the structure and the variable nomenclature that has been used to describe it. We then go on to explore the anatomy of the structure and how functional diversity is achieved, including through establishing a variety of multimeric states, which, if misformed, contribute to disease states.
    [Show full text]
  • Inclusion of a Furin Cleavage Site Enhances Antitumor Efficacy
    toxins Article Inclusion of a Furin Cleavage Site Enhances Antitumor Efficacy against Colorectal Cancer Cells of Ribotoxin α-Sarcin- or RNase T1-Based Immunotoxins Javier Ruiz-de-la-Herrán 1, Jaime Tomé-Amat 1,2 , Rodrigo Lázaro-Gorines 1, José G. Gavilanes 1 and Javier Lacadena 1,* 1 Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid 28040, Spain; [email protected] (J.R.-d.-l.-H.); [email protected] (J.T.-A.); [email protected] (R.L.-G.); [email protected] (J.G.G.) 2 Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (UPM-INIA), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid 28223, Spain * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +34-91-394-4266 Received: 3 September 2019; Accepted: 10 October 2019; Published: 12 October 2019 Abstract: Immunotoxins are chimeric molecules that combine the specificity of an antibody to recognize and bind tumor antigens with the potency of the enzymatic activity of a toxin, thus, promoting the death of target cells. Among them, RNases-based immunotoxins have arisen as promising antitumor therapeutic agents. In this work, we describe the production and purification of two new immunoconjugates, based on RNase T1 and the fungal ribotoxin α-sarcin, with optimized properties for tumor treatment due to the inclusion of a furin cleavage site. Circular dichroism spectroscopy, ribonucleolytic activity studies, flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and cell viability assays were carried out for structural and in vitro functional characterization. Our results confirm the enhanced antitumor efficiency showed by these furin-immunotoxin variants as a result of an improved release of their toxic domain to the cytosol, favoring the accessibility of both ribonucleases to their substrates.
    [Show full text]
  • Protein Structure Databases and Classification
    Protein Structure Databases and Classification •SCOP, CATH classification schemes, what they mean. •Motifs: classic turn types. Extended turn types. •TOPS: drawing a protein molecule The SCOP database • Contains information about classification of protein structures and within that classification, their sequences • Go to http://scop.berkeley.edu SCOP classification heirarchy global characteristics (no (1) class evolutionary relation) (2) fold Similar “topology” . Distant (3) superfamily evolutionary cousins? (4) family Clear structural homology (5) protein Clear sequence homology (6) species functionally identical unique sequences protein classes 1. all α (126) number of sub-categories 2. all β (81) 3. α/β (87) 4. α+β (151) 5. multidomain (21) 6. membrane (21) 7. small (10) 8. coiled coil (4) 9. low-resolution (4) possibly not complete, or 10. peptides (61) erroneous 11. designed proteins (17) class: α/β proteins Mainly parallel beta sheets (beta-alpha-beta units) Folds: TIM-barrel (22) swivelling beta/beta/alpha domain (5) spoIIaa-like (2) flavodoxin-like (10) restriction endonuclease-like (2) ribokinase-like (2) Many folds have historical names. chelatase-like (2) “TIM” barrel was first seen in TIM. These classifications are done by eye, mostly. fold: flavodoxin-like 3 layers, α/β/α; parallel beta-sheet of 5 strand, order 21345 Superfamilies: 1.Catalase, C-terminal domain (1) Note the term: “layers” 2.CheY-like (1) 3.Succinyl-CoA synthetase domains (1) These are not domains. 4.Flavoproteins (3) No implication of 5.Cobalamin (vitamin B12)-binding domain (1) structural independence. 6.Ornithine decarboxylase N-terminal "wing" domain (1) Note how beta sheets are 7.Cutinase-like (1) described: number of 8.Esterase/acetylhydrolase (2) strands, order (N->C) 9.Formate/glycerate dehydrogenase catalytic domain-like (3) 10.Type II 3-dehydroquinate dehydratase (1) fold-level similarity common topological features catalase flavodoxin At the fold level, a common core of secondary structure is conserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Β-Barrel Oligomers As Common Intermediates of Peptides Self
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN β-barrel Oligomers as Common Intermediates of Peptides Self-Assembling into Cross-β Received: 20 April 2018 Accepted: 22 June 2018 Aggregates Published: xx xx xxxx Yunxiang Sun, Xinwei Ge, Yanting Xing, Bo Wang & Feng Ding Oligomers populated during the early amyloid aggregation process are more toxic than mature fbrils, but pinpointing the exact toxic species among highly dynamic and heterogeneous aggregation intermediates remains a major challenge. β-barrel oligomers, structurally-determined recently for a slow-aggregating peptide derived from αB crystallin, are attractive candidates for exerting amyloid toxicity due to their well-defned structures as therapeutic targets and compatibility to the “amyloid- pore” hypothesis of toxicity. To assess whether β-barrel oligomers are common intermediates to amyloid peptides - a necessary step toward associating β-barrel oligomers with general amyloid cytotoxicity, we computationally studied the oligomerization and fbrillization dynamics of seven well- studied fragments of amyloidogenic proteins with diferent experimentally-determined aggregation morphologies and cytotoxicity. In our molecular dynamics simulations, β-barrel oligomers were only observed in fve peptides self-assembling into the characteristic cross-β aggregates, but not the other two that formed polymorphic β-rich aggregates as reported experimentally. Interestingly, the latter two peptides were previously found nontoxic. Hence, the observed correlation between β-barrel oligomers formation and cytotoxicity supports the hypothesis of β-barrel oligomers as the common toxic intermediates of amyloid aggregation. Aggregation of proteins and peptides into amyloid fbrils is associated with more than 25 degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD)1,2, Parkinson’s disease (PD)3,4, prion conditions5 and type-2 diabetes (T2D)6,7.
    [Show full text]
  • Predicting Protein Secondary and Supersecondary Structure
    29 Predicting Protein Secondary and Supersecondary Structure 29.1 Introduction............................................ 29-1 Background • Difficulty of general protein structure prediction • A bottom-up approach 29.2 Secondary structure ................................... 29-5 Early approaches • Incorporating local dependencies • Exploiting evolutionary information • Recent developments and conclusions 29.3 Tight turns ............................................. 29-13 29.4 Beta hairpins........................................... 29-15 29.5 Coiled coils ............................................. 29-16 Early approaches • Incorporating local dependencies • Predicting oligomerization • Structure-based predictions • Predicting coiled-coil protein interactions Mona Singh • Promising future directions Princeton University 29.6 Conclusions ............................................ 29-23 29.1 Introduction Proteins play a key role in almost all biological processes. They take part in, for example, maintaining the structural integrity of the cell, transport and storage of small molecules, catalysis, regulation, signaling and the immune system. Linear protein molecules fold up into specific three-dimensional structures, and their functional properties depend intricately upon their structures. As a result, there has been much effort, both experimental and computational, in determining protein structures. Protein structures are determined experimentally using either x-ray crystallography or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. While
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded from Ref
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/201152; this version posted October 10, 2017. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC 4.0 International license. Touching proteins with virtual bare hands: how to visualize protein-drug complexes and their dynamics in virtual reality Erick Martins Ratamero,1 Dom Bellini,2 Christopher G. Dowson,2 and Rudolf A. R¨omer1, ∗ 1Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK 2School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK (Dated: Revision : 1:0, compiled October 10, 2017) Abstract The ability to precisely visualize the atomic geometry of the interactions between a drug and its protein target in structural models is critical in predicting the correct modifications in previously identified inhibitors to create more effective next generation drugs. It is currently common practice among medicinal chemists while attempting the above to access the information contained in three-dimensional structures by using two-dimensional projections, which can preclude disclosure of useful features. A more precise visualization of the three-dimensional configuration of the atomic geometry in the models can be achieved through the implementation of immersive virtual reality (VR). In this work, we present a freely available software pipeline for visualising protein structures through VR. New customer hardware, such as the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift utilized in this study, are available at reasonable prices. Moreover, we have combined VR visualization with fast algorithms for simulating intramolecular motions of protein flexibility, in an effort to further improve structure-lead drug design by exposing molecular interactions that might be hidden in the less informative static models.
    [Show full text]
  • JBB2026 Fall 2018 Gil Privé Protein Structure • Peptide Conformations
    JBB2026 Fall 2018 Gil Privé Protein Structure • peptide conformations and residue preferences • elements of secondary structure • supersecondary structure and motifs • packing of helices and sheets • chain topologies • internal packing • protein interfaces • membrane proteins • multimeric proteins • domain motions The Machinery of Life David S. Goodsell http://mgl.scripps.edu/people/goodsell Figure 1. Transcription and RNA processing in the nucleus. Figure 2. Transport through the nuclear pore. Figure 3. Endoplasmic reticulum. Figure 4. Transport from the endoplasmic reticulum. Figure 5. Protein sorting in the Golgi. Plasma cell - IgG secretion Figure 6. Transport from the Golgi. Figure 7. Transport of a vesicle through the cytoplasm. David Goodsell The Machinery of Life Figure 8. Export of proteins across the cell membrane. http://www.3dmoleculardesigns.com/Teacher-Resources/Tour-of-a-Human-Cell.htm Eukaryotic cell panorama 1. Transcription and RNA processing in the nucleus. 2. Transport through the nuclear pore. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education Yellow: DNA, proteins Volume 39, Issue 2, pages 91-101, 28 MAR 2011 DOI: 10.1002/bmb.20494 Pink: RNA, proteins http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bmb.20494/full#fig2 Blue: Cytoplasmic proteins http://www.3dmoleculardesigns.com/Teacher-Resources/Tour-of-a-Human-Cell.htm Purple: Ribosomes Green: Membranes,proteins 1. Transcription and RNA 2. Transport through the 3. Endoplasmic reticulum. processing in the nucleus. nuclear pore. 4. Transport from the endoplasmic reticulum. 5. Protein sorting in the golgi. 6. Transport from the golgi. 7. Transport of a vesicle 8. Export of proteins across the through the cytoplasm. cell membrane. Tyr Thr Gly Cys Ile Ile Ala Gly The structure (conformer) defined by the dihedral angles main chain (φ,ψ) side chains (!1, !2, …) φ =180 ; ψ=180 φ =-60 ; ψ=-45 φ ψ ω φ ψ Note: unsaturated C-N bond length is 1.45 Å -Peptide bond has ~40% double bond character - dihedral is constrained.
    [Show full text]
  • Greek) Key to Structures Review of Neural Adhesion Molecules
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector Neuron, Vol. 16, 261±273, February, 1996, Copyright 1996 by Cell Press The (Greek) Key to Structures Review of Neural Adhesion Molecules Daniel E. Vaughn* and Pamela J. Bjorkman*² 1988; Yoshihara et al., 1991). Many neural CAM Ig super- *Division of Biology family members include Fn-III domains arranged in tan- ² Howard Hughes Medical Institute dem with Ig-like domains (Figure 1). Three-dimensional California Institute of Technology structures are available for domains of several classes Pasadena, California 91125 of Ig-like domains and for Fn-III domains; thus, one can mentally (or using computer graphics; e.g., see Figure 4) piece together the likely structures of the extracellular Cells need to adhere specifically to cellular and extracel- regions of many neural CAMs. Cadherins are also impor- lular components of their environment to carry out di- tant neural CAMs, forming homophilic adhesion inter- verse physiological functions. Examples of such func- faces in the presence of calcium (Geiger and Ayalon, tions within the nervous system include neurite 1992). Two recent structures of cadherin domains pro- extension, synapse formation, and the myelination of vide a clue about how the adhesive interface is formed. axons. The ability to recognize multiple environmental The classification of Ig-like domains has evolved since cues and to undergo specific adhesion is critical to each the first description of the Ig superfamily (Williams and of these complex cellular functions. Recognition and Barclay, 1988) because of many recent structure deter- adhesion are mediated by cell adhesion molecules minations.
    [Show full text]
  • Beta Structure Motifs of Islet Amyloid Polypeptides Identified Through Surface-Mediated Assemblies
    Beta structure motifs of islet amyloid polypeptides identified through surface-mediated assemblies Xiao-Bo Mao (毛晓波)a,1, Chen-Xuan Wang (王晨轩)a,b,1, Xing-Kui Wu (吴兴奎)a, Xiao-Jing Ma (马晓晶)a,c, Lei Liu (刘磊)a,LanZhang(张岚)a,LinNiu(牛琳)a, Yuan-Yuan Guo (郭元元)a,Deng-HuaLi(李灯华)a, Yan-Lian Yang (杨延莲)a,2, and Chen Wang (王琛)a,2 aNational Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, China; bDepartment of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; and cState Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, Changchun 130022, China Edited by* David Eisenberg, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, and approved September 29, 2011 (received for review February 22, 2011) We report here the identification of the key sites for the beta struc- been made in the aggregation behaviors of the mutant analogs ture motifs of the islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) analogs by using of IAPP (2, 7, 12, 15, 21–24), while more evidence is still needed scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Duplex folding structures in to gain insight into the relationship between primary sequences of human IAPP8–37 (hIAPP8–37) assembly were observed featuring the IAPP analogs and the conformational variants. a hairpin structure. The multiplicity in rIAPP assembly structures It is generally acknowledged that the noncrystalline nature of indicates the polydispersity of the rat IAPP8–37 (rIAPP8–37) beta-like the fibril structures formed by amyloidal peptides makes it experi- motifs. The bimodal length distribution of beta structure motifs mentally challenging for structural analyses at molecular level.
    [Show full text]
  • Booklet-The-Structures-Of-Life.Pdf
    The Structures of Life U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES NIH Publication No. 07-2778 National Institutes of Health Reprinted July 2007 National Institute of General Medical Sciences http://www.nigms.nih.gov Contents PREFACE: WHY STRUCTURE? iv CHAPTER 1: PROTEINS ARE THE BODY’S WORKER MOLECULES 2 Proteins Are Made From Small Building Blocks 3 Proteins in All Shapes and Sizes 4 Computer Graphics Advance Research 4 Small Errors in Proteins Can Cause Disease 6 Parts of Some Proteins Fold Into Corkscrews 7 Mountain Climbing and Computational Modeling 8 The Problem of Protein Folding 8 Provocative Proteins 9 Structural Genomics: From Gene to Structure, and Perhaps Function 10 The Genetic Code 12 CHAPTER 2: X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY: ART MARRIES SCIENCE 14 Viral Voyages 15 Crystal Cookery 16 Calling All Crystals 17 Student Snapshot: Science Brought One Student From the Coast of Venezuela to the Heart of Texas 18 Why X-Rays? 20 Synchrotron Radiation—One of the Brightest Lights on Earth 21 Peering Into Protein Factories 23 Scientists Get MAD at the Synchrotron 24 CHAPTER 3: THE WORLD OF NMR: MAGNETS, RADIO WAVES, AND DETECTIVE WORK 26 A Slam Dunk for Enzymes 27 NMR Spectroscopists Use Tailor-Made Proteins 28 NMR Magic Is in the Magnets 29 The Many Dimensions of NMR 30 NMR Tunes in on Radio Waves 31 Spectroscopists Get NOESY for Structures 32 The Wiggling World of Proteins 32 Untangling Protein Folding 33 Student Snapshot: The Sweetest Puzzle 34 CHAPTER 4: STRUCTURE-BASED DRUG DESIGN: FROM THE COMPUTER TO THE CLINIC 36 The Life of an AIDS
    [Show full text]