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Recent technological advances in NMR spectroscopy have alleviated the size limitations for the determination of biomolecular structures in solution. At the same time, novel NMR parameters such as residual dipolar couplings are providing greater accuracy. As this review shows, the structures of protein-protein and protein-nucleic acid complexes up to 50 kDa can now be accurately determined. Although de novo structure determination still requires considerable effort, information on interaction surfaces from chemical shift perturbations is much easier to obtain. Advances in modelling and data-driven docking procedures allow this information to be used for determining approximate structures of biomolecular complexes. As a result, a wealth of information has become available on the way in which proteins interact with other biomolecules. Of particular interest is the fact that these NMR-based methods can be applied to weak and transient protein-protein complexes that are difficult to study by other structural methods.

We have shown previously that given high-resolution structures of the unbound molecules, structure determination of protein com- plexes is possible by including biochemical and/or biophysical data as highly ambiguous distance re- straints in a docking approach. We applied this method, implemented in the HADDOCK (High Ambi- guity Driven DOCKing) package (Dominguez et al., J Am Chem Soc 2003;125:1731-1737), to the targets in the fourth and fifth rounds of CAPRI. Here we describe our results and analyze them in detail. Special attention is given to the role of flexibility in our docking method and the way in which this improves the docking results. We describe exten- sions to our approach that were developed as a direct result of our participation in CAPRI. In addi- tion to experimental information, we also included interface residue predictions from PPISP (Protein- Protein Interaction Site Predictor; Zhou and Shan, Proteins 2001;44:336 -343), a neural network method. Using HADDOCK we were able to generate accept- able structures for 6 of the 8 targets, and to submit at least 1 acceptable structure for 5 of them. Of these 5 submissions, 3 were of medium quality (Targets 10, 11, and 15) and 2 of high quality (Targets 13 and 14). In all cases, predictions were obtained containing at least 40% of the correct epitope at the interface for both ligand and receptor simultaneously. Proteins 2005;60:232-238. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

We present two new databases of NMR-derived distance and dihedral angle restraints: the Database Of Converted Restraints (DOCR) and the Filtered Restraints Database (FRED). These databases currently correspond to 545 proteins with NMR structures deposited in the Protein Databank (PDB). The criteria for inclusion were that these should be unique, monomeric proteins with author-provided experimental NMR data and coordinates available from the PDB capable of being parsed and prepared in a consistent manner. The Wattos program was used to parse the files, and the CcpNmr FormatConverter program was used to prepare them semi-automatically. New modules, including a new implementation of Aqua in the BioMagResBank (BMRB) software Wattos were used to analyze the sets of distance restraints (DRs) for inconsistencies, redundancies, NOE completeness, classification and violations with respect to the original coordinates. Restraints that could not be associated with a known nomenclature were flagged. The coordinates of hydrogen atoms were recalculated from the positions of heavy atoms to allow for a full restraint analysis. The DOCR database contains restraint and coordinate data that is made consistent with each other and with IUPAC conventions. The FRED database is based on the DOCR data but is filtered for use by test calculation protocols and longitudinal analyses and validations. These two databases are available from websites of the BMRB and the Macromolecular Structure Database (MSD) in various formats: NMR-STAR, CCPN XML, and in formats suitable for direct use in the software packages CNS and CYANA.

We present a CPU efficient protocol for refinement of protein structures in a thin layer of explicit solvent and energy parameters with completely revised dihedral angle terms. Our approach is suitable for protein structures determined by theoretical (e.g., homology modeling or threading) or experimental methods (e.g., NMR). In contrast to other recently proposed refinement protocols, we put a strong emphasis on consistency with widely accepted covalent parameters and computational efficiency. We illustrate the method for NMR structure calculations of three proteins: interleukin- 4, ubiquitin, and crambin. We show a comparison of their structure ensembles before and after refinement in water with and without a force field energy term for the dihedral angles; crambin was also refined in DMSO. Our results demonstrate the significant improvement of structure quality by a short refinement in a thin layer of solvent. Further, they show that a dihedral angle energy term in the force field is beneficial for structure calculation and refinement. We discuss the optimal weight for the energy constant for the backbone angle omega and include an extensive discussion of meaning and relevance of the calculated validation criteria, in particular root mean square Z scores for covalent parameters such as bond lengths. Proteins 2003;50: 496–506.

A 0.2 μs molecular dynamics simulation of ubiquitin in water is presented, which allows us to assess both the global tumbling in solution and the internal dynamics. The latter reveals slow motions outside the classical NMR timewindow, in agreement with recent RDC and cross-correlation measurements. Analysis of back-calculated relaxation rates using the classical NMR model-free approach reproduces the amplitudes of internal motions expressed in the order parameter, while it severely underestimates the corresponding time scales present in the simulation.

Nisin is an example of type-A lantibiotics that contain cyclic lanthionine rings and unusual dehydrated amino acids. Among the numerous pore-forming antimicrobial peptides, type-A lantibiotics form an unique family of post-translationally modified peptides. Via the recognition of cell wall precursor lipid II, nisin has the capacity to form pores against Gram-positive bacteria with an extremely high activity in the nanomolar (nM) range. Here we report a high-resolution NMR spectroscopy study of nisin/lipid II interactions in SDS micelles as a model membrane system in order to elucidate the mechanism of molecular recognition at residue level. The binding to lipid II was studied through (15)N-(1)H HSQC titration, backbone amide proton temperature coefficient analysis, and heteronuclear (15)N[(1)H]-NOE relaxation dynamics experiments. Upon the addition of lipid II, significant changes were monitored in the N-terminal part of nisin. An extremely low amide proton temperature coefficient (Delta delta/Delta T) was found for the amide proton of Ala3 (> -0.1 ppb/K) in the complex form. This suggests tight hydrogen bonding and/or isolation from the bulk solvent for this residue. Large chemical shift perturbations were also observed in the first two rings. In contrast, the C-terminal part of nisin was almost unaffected. This part of the molecule remains flexible and solvent-exposed. On the basis of our results, a multistep pore-forming mechanism is proposed. The N-terminal part of nisin first binds to lipid II, and a subsequent structural rearrangement takes place. The C-terminal part of nisin is possibly responsible for the activation of the pore formation. In light of the emerging antibiotic resistance problems, an understanding of the specific recognition mechanism of nisin with lipid II at the residue specific level may therefore aid in the development of novel antibiotics.

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Proteins involved in signal transduction can usually be present in two states: an inactive and an active (signaling) state. In the case of photoreceptors such as PYP, it has been shown that the signaling state has a large degree of structural and dynamic disorder. Conventional structural NMR approaches present difficulties in describing such partially unfolded states. Owing to the disordered dynamical and transient nature of such states classical NOE-based information, when present, is sparse. Chemical shift changes upon partial unfolding can, however, be easily monitored from HSQC spectra. We show here that such states can be modeled by defining native-like inter-residue contacts for those residues that do not shift significantly upon partial unfolding. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated using lysozyme as a test case and applied to model the partially unfolded signaling state (pB) of a truncated form of the photoactive yellow protein for which a ‘‘classical’’ NOE-based structure is available for validation. This approach should be generally applicable to systems in which part of the structure remains in a well-defined native-like conformation.

The emerging antibiotics-resistance problem has underlined the urgent need for novel antimicrobial agents. Lantibiotics (lanthionine-containing antibiotics) are promising candidates to alleviate this problem. Nisin, a member of this family, has a unique pore-forming activity against bacteria. It binds to lipid II, the essential precursor of cell wall synthesis. As a result, the membrane permeabilization activity of nisin is increased by three orders of magnitude. Here we report the solution structure of the complex of nisin and lipid II. The structure shows a novel lipid II-binding motif in which the pyrophosphate moiety of lipid II is primarily coordinated by the N-terminal backbone amides of nisin via intermolecular hydrogen bonds. This cage structure provides a rationale for the conservation of the lanthionine rings among several lipid II-binding lantibiotics. The structure of the pyrophosphate cage offers a template for structure-based design of novel antibiotics.

Contains fulltext : 57416.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Several studies have shown that biomolecular NMR structures are often of lower quality when compared to crystal structures, and consequently they are often excluded from structural analyses. We present a publicly available database of re-refined NMR structures, exhibiting significantly improved quality. This database (available at http://www.cmbi.kun.nl/dress/) presents a uniformly refined and validated set of structural models that improves the value of these NMR structures as input for experimental and theoretical studies in many fields of research.

We present an in silico, structure-based approach for design and evaluation of conformationally restricted peptide-vaccines. In particular, we designed four cyclic peptides of ten or 11 residues mimicking the crystallographically observed beta-turn conformation of a predicted immunodominant loop of PorA from Neisseria meningitidis. Conformational correctness and stability of the peptide designs, as evaluated by molecular dynamics simulations, correctly predicted the immunogenicity of the peptides. We observed a peptide-induced functional antibody response that, remarkably, exceeded the response induced by the native protein in outer membrane vesicles, without losing specificity for related strains. The presented approach offers tools for a priori design and selection of peptide-vaccine candidates with full biological activity. This approach could be widely applicable: to outer membrane proteins of Gram-negative bacteria, and to other epitopes in a large range of pathogens.

The structure determination of protein-protein complexes is a rather tedious and lengthy process, by both NMR and X-ray crystallography. Several methods based on docking to study protein complexes have also been well developed over the past few years. Most of these approaches are not driven by experimental data but are based on a combination of energetics and shape complementarity. Here, we present an approach called HADDOCK (High Ambiguity Driven protein-protein Docking) that makes use of biochemical and/or biophysical interaction data such as chemical shift perturbation data resulting from NMR titration experiments or mutagenesis data. This information is introduced as Ambiguous Interaction Restraints (AIRs) to drive the docking process. An AIR is defined as an ambiguous distance between all residues shown to be involved in the interaction. The accuracy of our approach is demonstrated with three molecular complexes. For two of these complexes, for which both the complex and the free protein structures have been solved, NMR titration data were available. Mutagenesis data were used in the last example. In all cases, the best structures generated by HADDOCK, that is, the structures with the lowest intermolecular energies, were the closest to the published structure of the respective complexes (within 2.0 Å backbone RMSD).

The retinoid X receptor (RXR) is a prominent member of the nuclear receptor family of ligand-inducible transcription factors. Many proteins of this family exert their function as heterodimers with RXR as a common upstream partner. Studies of the DNA-binding domains of several nuclear receptors reveal differences in structure and dynamics, both between the different proteins and between the free- and DNA-bound receptor DBDs. We investigated the differences in dynamics between RXR free in solution and in complex with a 14 base-pair oligonucleotide, using (1)H and (15)N relaxation studies. Nano- to picosecond dynamics were probed on (15)N, employing Lipari-Szabo analysis with an axially symmetric tumbling model to estimate the exchange contributions to the transverse relaxation rates. Furthermore, milli- to microsecond dynamics were estimated qualitatively for (1)H and (15)N, using CPMG-HSQC and CPMG-T(2) measurements with differential pulse spacing. RXR shows hardly any nano- to picosecond time-scale internal motion. Upon DNA binding, the order parameters show a tiny increase. Dynamics in the milli- to microsecond time scale is more prevalent. It is localized in the first and second zinc fingers of the free RXR. Upon DNA-binding, exchange associated with specific/aspecific DNA-binding of RXR is observed throughout the sequence, whereas conformational flexibility of the D-box and the second zinc finger of RXR is greatly reduced. Since this DNA-binding induced folding transition occurs remote from the DNA in a region which is involved in protein-protein interactions, it may very well be related to the cooperativity of dimeric DNA binding.

Pax-8 is a transcription factor belonging to the PAX genes superfamily and its crucial role has been proven both in embryo and in the adult organism. Pax-8 activity is regulated via a redoxbased mechanism centered on the glutathionylation of specific cysteines in the N-terminal region (Cys45 and Cys57). These residues belong to a highly evolutionary conserved DNA binding site: the Paired Box (Prd) domain. Crystallographic protein-DNA complexes of the homologues Pax-6 and Pax-5 showed a bipartite Prd domain consisting of two helix-turn-helix (HTH) motifs separated by an extended linker region. Here, by means of nuclear magnetic resonance, we show for the first time that the HTH motifs are largely defined in the unbound Pax-8 Prd domain. Our findings contrast with previous induced fit models, in which Pax-8 is supposed to largely fold upon DNA binding. Importantly, our data provide the structural basis for the enhanced chemical reactivity of residues Cys45 and Cys57 and explain clinical missense mutations that are not obviously related to the DNA binding interface of the paired box domain. Finally, sequence conservation suggests that our findings could be a general feature of the Pax family transcription factors.

State-of-the-art methods based on CNS and CYANA were used to recalculate the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) solution structures of 500 proteins for which coordinates and NMR restraints are available from the Protein Data Bank. Curated restraints were obtained from the BioMagResBank FRED database. Although the original NMR struc- tures were determined by various methods, they all were recalculated by CNS and CYANA and refined subsequently by restrained molecular dynamics (CNS) in a hydrated environment. We present an extensive analysis of the results, in terms of various quality indicators generated by PROCHECK and WHAT- _CHECK. On average, the quality indicators for pack- ing and Ramachandran appearance moved one stan- dard deviation closer to the mean of the reference database. The structural quality of the recalculated structures is discussed in relation to various parame- ters, including number of restraints per residue, NOE completeness and positional root mean square devia- tion (RMSD). Correlations between pairs of these quality indicators were generally low; for example, there is a weak correlation between the number of restraints per residue and the Ramachandran appear- ance according to WHAT_CHECK (r 0.31). The set of recalculated coordinates constitutes a unified data- base of protein structures in which potential user- and software-dependent biases have been kept as small as possible. The database can be used by the structural biology community for further develop- ment of calculation protocols, validation tools, struc- ture-based statistical approaches and modeling. The RECOORD database of recalculated structures is pub- licly available from http://www.ebi.ac.uk/msd/reco

The interaction of bovine microsomal ferricytochrome b5 with yeast iso-1-ferri and ferrocytochrome c has been investigated using heteronuclear NMR techniques. Chemical-shift perturbations for 1H and 15N nuclei of both cytochromes, arising from the interactions with the unlabeled partner proteins, were used for mapping the interacting surfaces on both proteins. The similarity of the binding shifts observed for oxidized and reduced cytochrome c indicates that the complex formation is not influenced by the oxidation state of the cytochrome c. Protein–protein docking simulations have been performed for the binary cytochrome b5–cytochrome c and ternary (cytochrome b5)–(cytochrome c)2 complexes using a novel HADDOCK approach. The docking procedure, which makes use of the experimental data to drive the docking, identified a range of orientations assumed by the proteins in the complex. It is demonstrated that cytochrome c uses a confined surface patch for interaction with a much more extensive surface area of cytochrome b5. Taken together, the experimental data suggest the presence of a dynamic ensemble of conformations assumed by the proteins in the complex.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis can be induced in susceptible animals by immunodominant determinants of myelin basic protein (MBP). To characterize the molecular features of antigenic sites important for designing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis suppressing molecules, we report structural studies, based on NMR experimental data in conjunction with molecular dynamic simulations, of the potent linear dodecapeptide epitope of guinea pig MBP, Gln74-Lys75-Ser76-Gln77-Arg78-Ser79-Gln80-Asp81-Glu82-Asn83-Pro84-Val85 [MBP(74-85)], and its antagonist analogue Ala81MBP(74-85). The two peptides were studied in both water and Me(2)SO in order to mimic solvent-dependent structural changes in MBP. The agonist MBP(74-85) adopts a compact conformation because of electrostatic interactions of Arg78 with the side chains of Asp81 and Glu82. Arg78 is 'locked' in a well-defined conformation, perpendicular to the peptide backbone which is practically solvent independent. These electrostatic interactions are, however, absent from the antagonist Ala81MBP(74-85), resulting in great flexibility of the side chain of Arg78. Sequence alignment of the two analogues with several species of MBP suggests a critical role for the positively charged residue Arg78, firstly, in the stabilization of the local microdomains (epitopes) of the integral protein, and secondly, in a number of post-translational modifications relevant to multiple sclerosis, such as the conversion of charged arginine residues to uncharged citrullines. Flexible docking calculations on the binding of the MBP(74-85) antigen to the MHC class II receptor site I-A(u) using haddock indicate that Gln74, Ser76 and Ser79 are MHC II anchor residues. Lys75, Arg78 and Asp81 are prominent, solvent-exposed residues and, thus, may be of importance in the formation of the trimolecular T-cell receptor-MBP(74-85)-MHC II complex.

The protein CNOT4 possesses an N-terminal RING finger domain that acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase and specifically interacts with UbcH5B, a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme. The structure of the CNOT4 RING domain has been solved and the amino acids important for the binding to UbcH5B have been mapped. Here, the residues of UbcH5B important for the binding to CNOT4 RING domain were identified by NMR chemical shift perturbation experiments, and these data were used to generate structural models of the complex with the program HADDOCK. Together with the NMR data, additional biochemical data were included in a second docking, and comparisons of the resulting model with the structure of the c-Cbl/UbcH7 complex reveal some significant differences, notably at specific residues, and give structural insights into the E2/E3 specificity.

A method to measure 13C-13C cross-relaxation rates in a fully 13C labeled protein has been developed that can give information about the mobility of side chains in proteins. The method makes use of the (H)CCH-NOESY pulse sequence and includes a suppression scheme for zero-quantum (ZQ) coherences that allows the extraction of initial rates from NOE buildup curves. The method has been used to measure 13C-13C cross-relaxation rates in the 269-residue serine-protease PB92. We focused on Cα-Cβ cross-relaxation rates, which could be extracted for 64% of all residues, discarding serine residues because of imperfect ZQ suppression, and methyl 13C-13C cross-relaxation rates, which could be extracted for 47% of the methyl containing C-C pairs. The Cα-Cβ cross-relaxation rates are on average larger in secondary structure elements as compared to loop regions, in agreement with the expected higher rigidity in these elements. The cross-relaxation rates for methyl containing C-C pairs show a general decrease of rates further into the side chain, indicating more flexibility with increasing separation from the main chain. In the case of leucine residues also long-range Cβ-Cδ cross-peaks are observed. Surprisingly, for most of the leucines a cross-peak with only one of the methyl Cδ carbons is observed, which correlates well with the χ2 torsion-angle and can be explained by a difference in mobility for the two methyl groups due to an anisotropic side chain motion.

Structural genomics, the determination of protein structures on a genome-wide scale, is still in its infancy for eukaryotes due to the number and size of their genes. Low protein expression and solubility of eukaryotic geneproducts are the major bottlenecks in high-throughput (HTP) recombinant protein production with the E. coli expression systems. To circumvent this problem we decided to focus on separate protein domains. We describe here a fast microtiterplate based, expression and solubility screening procedure, using a combination of in vitro and in vivo expression, and purification with nickel-NTA magnetic beads. All steps are optimized for automatic HTP processing using a liquid handling station. Furthermore, large-scale expression and protein purification conditions are optimized, permitting the purification of 24 protein samples per week. We further show that results obtained from the expression screening can be extrapolated to the production of protein samples for NMR. Starting with 81 cloned human protein domains, in vivo expression was detected in 54 cases, and from 28 of those milligrams of protein were purified. An informative HSQC spectrum was recorded for 18 proteins (22%), half of which were indicative of a folded protein. The success rate and quality of the HSQC spectra suggest that the domain approach holds promise for human proteins.

Sequence-specific protein-DNA interactions are responsible for the regulation of key biological functions such as replication of the genome, initiation of transcription, and repair of damaged DNA. All of these regulatory pathways are built on the foundation that proteins are able to bind selectively to a particular DNA site in the genome. The most challenging issue for specific protein-DNA recognition is that the target sequence is immersed in a huge molar excess of nonspecific DNA sequences, which also compete for the same protein. The distribution of protein between regulatory and nonspecific sequences determines the occupancy of the target site in the cell and, hence, the transcriptional activity of the corresponding promoter. The problem is much more acute than it is for other protein-ligand interactions, because obviously the protein cannot differentiate between these sites on the basis of their size or shape.1 For repressor molecules, such as the lactose (lac) repressor, the problem of finding the correct site is even more severe, as only a few copies ( 10) of the protein exist in the cell. Thus, to compete with the large excess of nonspecific genomic DNA, these proteins have evolved to bind with a very high specificity ratio ( 107).

The entry of HIV-1 into a target cell requires gp120 and receptor CD4 as well as coreceptor CCR5/CXCR4 recognition events associated with conformational changes of the involved proteins. The binding of CD4 to gp120 is the initiation step of the whole process involving structural rearrangements that are crucial for subsequent pathways. Despite the wealth of knowledge about the gp120/CD4 interactions, details of the conformational changes occurring at this stage remain elusive. We have performed molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent based on the gp120/CD4/CD4i crystal structure in conjunction with modeled V3 and V4 loops to gain insight into the dynamics of the binding process. Three differentiated interaction modes between CD4 and gp120 were found, which involve electrostatics, hydrogen bond and van der Waals networks. A “binding funnel” model is proposed based on the dynamical nature of the binding interface together with a CD4-attraction gradient centered in gp120 at the CD4-Phe43-binding cavity. Distinct dynamical behaviors of free and CD4-bound gp120 were monitored, which likely represent the ground and pre-fusogenic states, respectively. The transition between these states revealed concerted motions in gp120 leading to: i) loop contractions around the CD4-Phe43-insertion cavity; ii) stabilization of the four-stranded “bridging sheet” structure; and iii) translocation and clustering of the V3 loop and the bridging sheet leading to the formation of the coreceptor binding site. Our results provide new insight into the dynamic of the underlying molecular recognition mechanism that complements the biochemical and structural studies. Proteins 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A structural model of the transient complex between the yeast copper chaperone Atx1 and the first soluble domain of the copper transporting ATPase Ccc2 was obtained with HADDOCK, combining NMR chemical shift mapping information with in silico docking. These two proteins are involved in copper trafficking in yeast cells. Calculations were performed starting with the copper ion either bound to Atx1 or to Ccc2 and using the experimental structures of the copper-loaded and apo forms of each protein. The copper binding motifs of the two proteins are found in close proximity. Copper tends to move from Atx1 to Ccc2, consistent with the physiological direction of transfer, with concomitant structural rearrangements, in agreement with experimental observations. The interaction is mainly of an electrostatic nature with hydrogen bonds stabilizing the complex. The structural data are relevant for a number of proteins homologous to Atx1 and Ccc2 and conserved from bacteria to humans.

The homodimeric HU protein from the hyperthermophile Thermotoga maritima (HUTmar) is a model system which can yield insights into the molecular determinants of thermostability in proteins. Unusually for a thermostable protein, HUTmar exists in a structurally heterogeneous state as evidenced by the assignment of two distinct and approximately equally populated forms in solution. Relaxation measurements combined with chemical shift, hydrogen exchange, and nuclear Overhauser enhancement data confirm the main structural features of both forms. In addition, these data support a two-state model for HUTmar in which the major form closely resembles the X-ray structure while the very flexible minor form is less structured. HUTmar may therefore be a new example of the small class of hyperthermostable proteins with unexpected flexibility.

The structure in solution of crambin, a small protein of 46 residues, has been determined from 2D NMR data using an iterative relaxation matrix approach (IRMA) together with distance geometry, distance bound driven dynamics, molecular dynamics, and energy minimization. A new protocol based on an “ensemble” approach is proposed and compared to the more standard initial rate analysis approach and a “single structure” relaxation matrix approach. The effects of fast local motions are included and R-factor calculations are performed on NOE build-ups to describe the quality of agreement between theory and experiment. A new method for stereospecific assignment of prochiral groups, based on a comparison of theoretical and experimental NOE intensities, has been applied. The solution structure of crambin could be determined with a precision (rmsd from the average structure) of 0.7 A on backbone atoms and 1.1 A on all heavy atoms and is largely similar to the crystal structure with a small difference observed in the position of the side chain of Tyr-29 which is determined in solution by both J-coupling and NOE data. Regions of higher structural variability (suggesting higher mobility) are found hi the solution structure, in particular for the loop between the two helices (Gly-20 to Pro-22). © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Specific protein–protein interactions play crucial roles in the regulation of any biological process. Recently, a new protein–protein interaction domain termed PB1 (Phox and Bem1) was identified, which is conserved throughout evolution and present in diverse proteins functioning in signal transduction, cell polarity and survival. Here, we investigated the structure and molecular interactions of the PB1 heterodimer complex composed of the PB1 domains of the yeast proteins Bem1 and Cdc24. A structural model of the Cdc24 PB1 was built by homology modeling and molecular dynamics simulations, and experimentally validated by 15N nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY)–heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) analysis. Residues at the interface of the complex for both proteins were identified by NMR titration experiments. A model of the heterodimer was obtained by docking of the two PB1 domains with HADDOCK, which applies ambiguous interaction restraints on residues at the interface to drive the docking procedure. The refined model was validated by site-directed mutagenesis on both Bem1 and Cdc24. Finally, the docking was repeated from the newly published NMR structure of Cdc24, allowing us to assess the performance of homology-based docking. Our results provide insight into the molecular structure of the Bem1–Cdc24 PB1-mediated heterodimer, which allowed identification of critical residues at the binding interface.

The high sensitivity of modern NMR instrumentation, in combination with full deuteration, enabled the measurement of long-range NOEs between amide protons in a fully deuterated protein corresponding to distances up to 8 Å. These are beyond the limit normally observed in protonated samples. Such long-distance NOEs could be observed using long mixing times, which became possible due to reduced spin diffusion and T1 relaxation of the amide protons in the fully deuterated sample. This information was used in combination with secondary structure restraints derived from secondary chemical shifts for structure calculations. With these backbone amide proton NOEs only, a unique fold could be obtained with positional root mean square deviations from the average of 1.30 and 2.25 Å for backbone and heavy atoms, respectively. Despite the low density of restraints, no mirror image problems were observed. Addition of sidechain NOE information increased the precision of the ensemble and in particular of the core packing. The structures obtained in this way were close to the published crystal structure. NOE completeness analysis revealed that the cumulative completeness is still more than 80% for an 8.0 Å cut-off distance.

Mersacidin belongs to the type B lantibiotics (lanthionine-containing antibiotics) that contain post-translationally modified amino acids and cyclic ring structures. It targets the cell wall precursor lipid II and thereby inhibits cell wall synthesis. In light of the emerging antibiotics resistance problem, the understanding of the antibacterial activity on a structural basis provides a key to circumvent this issue. Here we present solution NMR studies of mersacidin-lipid II interaction in dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelles. Distinct solution structures of mersacidin were determined in three different states: in water/methanol solution and in DPC micelles with and without lipid II. The structures in various sample conditions reveal remarkable conformational changes in which the junction between Ala-12 and Abu-13 (where Abu is aminobutyric acid) effectively serves as the hinge for the opening and closure of the ring structures. The DPC micelle-bound form resembles the previously determined NMR and x-ray crystal structures of mersacidin in pure methanol but substantially deviates from the other two states in our current report. The structural changes delineate the large chemical shift perturbations observed during the course of a twostep 15N-1H heteronuclear single quantum coherence titration. They also modulate the surface charge distribution of mersacidin suggesting that electrostatics playa central role in the mersacidin-lipid II interaction. The observed conformational adaptability of mersacidin might be a general feature of lipid II-interacting antibiotics/peptides.

The long-lived light-induced intermediate (pB) of the E46Q mutant (glutamic acid is replaced by glutamine at position 46) of photoactive yellow protein (PYP) has been investigated by NMR spectroscopy. The ground state of this mutant is very similar to that of wild-type PYP (WT), whereas the pB state, formed upon illumination, appears to be much more structured in E46Q than in WT. The differences are most striking in the N-terminal domain of the protein. In WT, the side-chain carboxylic group of E46 is known to donate its proton to the chromophore upon illumination. The absence of the carboxylic group near the chromophore in the E46Q mutant prohibits the formation of a negative charge at this position upon formation of pB. This prevents the partial unfolding of the mutant, as evidenced from NMR chemical shift comparison and proton/deuterium (H/D) exchange studies.

Biomolecular structures provide the basis for many studies in research areas such as structure-based drug design and homology modeling. In order to use molecular coordinates it is important that they are reliable in terms of accurate description of the experimental data and in terms of the overall and local geometry. Besides these primary quality criteria an indication is needed for the uncertainty in the atomic coordinates that may arise from the dynamic behavior of the considered molecules as well as from experimental- and computational procedures. In contrast to the crystallographic B-factor, a good measure for the uncertainty in NMR-derived atomic coordinates is still not available. It has become clear in recent years that the widely used atomic Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD), which is a measure for the precision of the data, overestimates the accuracy of NMR structure ensembles and therefore is a problematic measure for the uncertainty in the atomic coordinates. In this study we report a method that yields a more realistic estimate of the uncertainty in the atomic coordinates by maximizing the RMSD of an ensemble of structures, while maintaining the accordance with the experimentally derived data. The results indicate that the RMSD of most NMR structure ensembles can be significantly increased compromising neither geometric quality nor NMR data. This maximized RMSD therefore seems a better estimate of the true uncertainty in the atomic coordinates.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), including extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) analysis, has been carried out at the Zn K edge of the N-terminal part of the integrase protein of the human immunodeficiency virus, type 2 (HIV-2), and of some zinc coordination compounds. In the presence of excess β-mercaptoethanol, which was present in the NMR structure elucidation of the protein [Eijkelenboom et al. (1997), Curr. Biol.7, 739–746; (2000), J. Biomol. NMR, 18, 119–28], the protein spectrum was nearly identical to that recorded in its absence. Comparison of the XANES of the protein with that of model compounds and literature data permits the conclusion that the Zn ion is four-coordinated. The major shell of the EXAFS provides evidence for a mixed (N or O as well as S) coordination sphere, while the minor shells indicate imidazole coordination. Our approach to the analysis of the EXAFS, including quantification of the imidazole by multiple scattering simulations with EXCURV92, was validated on the model compounds. An important result is that with multiple scattering simulations using restraints on the parameters of the imidazole rings the number of imidazoles and their orientation could be determined. The integrase spectra can be fitted with two sulfur ligands at 2.26 Å (Debye–Waller-type factor 0.009 Å2) and two imidazole ligands with the N atoms at 1.99 Å (Debye–Waller-type factor 0.005 Å2). The XAS-derived geometry is fully consistent with that found in the NMR structure determination and, allowing for the volume contraction due to the temperature difference between the experiments, justifies the restraints applied in the structure calculation (Zn—S and Zn—N distances of 2.3 Å and 2.0 Å, respectively).

The localisation and dynamics of sodium counterions around the DNA duplex d(AGCGTACTAGTACGCT)2 corresponding to the trp operator fragment used in the crystal structure of the half site complex has been studied by a 1.4 ns molecular dynamics simulation in explicit solvent. A continuous and well-defined counterion density is shown to be present around the minor groove, while density patches are found in the major groove in regions where DNA bending is observed. A residence time analysis reveals the dynamic nature of these distributions. The resulting picture agrees with previous theoretical and experimental studies of A-tract DNA sequences, and is consistent with the polyelectrolyte condensation model.

Sequence-specific high mobility group (HMG) box factors bind and bend DNA via interactions in the minor groove. Three-dimensional NMR analyses have provided the structural basis for this interaction. The cognate HMG domain DNA motif is generally believed to span 6-8 bases. However, alignment of promoter elements controlled by the yeast genes ste11 and Rox1 has indicated strict conservation of a larger DNA motif. By site selection, we identify a highly specific 12-base pair motif for Ste11, AGAACAAAGAAA. Similarly, we show that Tcf1, MatMc, and Sox4 bind unique, highly specific DNA motifs of 12, 12, and 10 base pairs, respectively. Footprinting with a deletion mutant of Ste11 reveals a novel interaction between the 3' base pairs of the extended DNA motif and amino acids C-terminal to the HMG domain. The sequence-specific interaction of Ste11 with these 3' base pairs contributes significantly to binding and bending of the DNA motif.

Interaction of regulatory DNA binding proteins with their target sites is usually preceded by binding to nonspecific DNA. This speeds up the search for the target site by several orders of magnitude. We report the solution structure and dynamics of the complex of a dimeric lac repressor DNA binding domain with nonspecific DNA. The same set of residues can switch roles from a purely electrostatic interaction with the DNA backbone in the nonspecific complex to a highly specific binding mode with the base pairs of the cognate operator sequence. The protein-DNA interface of the nonspecific complex is flexible on biologically relevant time scales that may assist in the rapid and efficient finding of the target site.

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a hormone dependent nuclear receptor that regulates gene transcription when bound to the glucocorticoid response element (GRE). The GRE acts as an allosteric effector, inducing a structural change in the GR DNA-binding domain (GR DBD) upon binding, thereby switching the GR to an active conformation. A similar conformational change can be induced by two single point mutations: Ser459Ala and Pro493Arg . Structural and dynamical aspects of the conformational switch have been investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. Our results indicate that these two mutants, which share a similar phenotype, exert their action at a structural level through different mechanisms. In the Arg 493 mutant, the D-loop and the second helix are stabilized in a conformation that preforms the protein–protein dimer interface. In the Ala 459 mutant, the structurally important hydrogen bond between Arg 496 and Ser 459 is missing, which leads to a core reorganization and a reorientation of the second helical region. Although remote, both in sequence and three dimensional structure, these two mutations induce structural changes that are ultimately reflected in similar regions of the GR DBD structure, namely the D-loop and the short second helical region. These correspond to hot area of the GR DBD that are important both for DNA-binding and for the proper formation of the protein–protein interface. The conformational rearrangements in these area are proposed to decrease unfavorable protein–DNA and protein–protein contacts and allow unspecific DNA-binding leading to the squelching phenotype of the mutants. The GR DBD can thus exist in two states, a transcriptionally active and an inactive state. Switching between these states can be accomplished either by GRE binding or by the described mutations.