Nicastrin, a presenilin-interacting protein, contains an aminopeptidase/transferrin receptor superfamily domain.

Nicastrin, a protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, has a domain that is found in the aminopeptidase/transferrin receptor superfamily. In nicastrin, this domain might possess catalytic activity (as observed with aminopeptidases) or it could serve merely as a binding domain (with analogy to the transferrin receptors) for the beta-amyloid precursor protein.

Insights into protein function through large-scale computational analysis of sequence and structure.

Functional genomic and proteomic technologies are producing biological data relating to hundreds, or even thousands of proteins per experiment. Rapid and accurate computational analysis of the molecular function of these proteins is therefore crucial in order to interpret these data and prioritize further experiments.

HOMSTRAD: a database of protein structure alignments for homologous families.

We describe a database of protein structure alignments for homologous families. The database HOMSTRAD presently contains 130 protein families and 590 aligned structures, which have been selected on the basis of quality of the X-ray analysis and accuracy of the structure. For each family, the database provides a structure-based alignment derived using COMPARER and annotated with JOY in a special format that represents the local structural environment of each amino acid residue. HOMSTRAD also provides a set of superposed atomic coordinates obtained using MNYFIT, which can be viewed with a graphical user interface or used for comparative modeling studies. The database is freely available on the World Wide Web at: http://www-cryst.bioc.cam. ac.uk/-homstrad/, with search facilities and links to other databases.

JOY: protein sequence-structure representation and analysis.

MOTIVATION: JOY is a program to annotate protein sequence alignments with three-dimensional (3D) structural features. It was developed to display 3D structural information in a sequence alignment and to help understand the conservation of amino acids in their specific local environments. RESULTS: : The JOY representation now constitutes an essential part of the two databases of protein structure alignments: HOMSTRAD (http://www-cryst.bioc.cam.ac.uk/homstrad ) and CAMPASS (http://www-cryst.bioc.cam.ac. uk/campass). It has also been successfully used for identifying distant evolutionary relationships. AVAILABILITY: The program can be obtained via anonymous ftp from torsa.bioc.cam.ac.uk from the directory /pub/joy/. The address for the JOY server is http://www-cryst.bioc.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/joy.cgi. CONTACT: kenji@cryst.bioc.cam.ac.uk

Protein three-dimensional structural databases: domains, structurally aligned homologues and superfamilies.

This paper reports the availability of a database of protein structural domains (DDBASE), an alignment database of homologous proteins (HOMSTRAD) and a database of structurally aligned superfamilies (CAMPASS) on the World Wide Web (WWW). DDBASE contains information on the organization of structural domains and their boundaries; it includes only one representative domain from each of the homologous families. This database has been derived by identifying the presence of structural domains in proteins on the basis of inter-secondary structural distances using the program DIAL [Sowdhamini & Blundell (1995), Protein Sci. 4, 506-520]. The alignment of proteins in superfamilies has been performed on the basis of the structural features and relationships of individual residues using the program COMPARER [Sali & Blundell (1990), J. Mol. Biol. 212, 403-428]. The alignment databases contain information on the conserved structural features in homologous proteins and those belonging to superfamilies. Available data include the sequence alignments in structure-annotated formats and the provision for viewing superposed structures of proteins using a graphical interface. Such information, which is freely accessible on the WWW, should be of value to crystallographers in the comparison of newly determined protein structures with previously identified protein domains or existing families.

Derivation of rules for comparative protein modeling from a database of protein structure alignments.

We describe a database of protein structure alignments as well as methods and tools that use this database to improve comparative protein modeling. The current version of the database contains 105 alignments of similar proteins or protein segments. The database comprises 416 entries, 78,495 residues, 1,233 equivalent entry pairs, and 230,396 pairs of equivalent alignment positions. At present, the main application of the database is to improve comparative modeling by satisfaction of spatial restraints implemented in the program MODELLER (Sali A, Blundell TL, 1993, J Mol Biol 234:779-815). To illustrate the usefulness of the database, the restraints on the conformation of a disulfide bridge provided by an equivalent disulfide bridge in a related structure are derived from the alignments; the prediction success of the disulfide dihedral angle classes is increased to approximately 80%, compared to approximately 55% for modeling that relies on the stereochemistry of disulfide bridges alone. The second example of the use of the database is the derivation of the probability density function for comparative modeling of the cis/trans isomerism of the proline residues; the prediction success is increased from 0% to 82.9% for cis-proline and from 93.3% to 96.2% for trans-proline. The database is available via electronic mail.

Comparative modelling of major house dust mite allergen Der p I: structure validation using an extended environmental amino acid propensity table.

A model of the 3-D structure of a major house dust mite allergen Der p I associated with hypersensitivity reactions in humans was built from its amino acid sequence and its homology to three known structures, papain, actinidin and papaya proteinase omega of the cysteine proteinase family. Comparative modelling using COMPOSER was used to arrive at an initial model. This was refined using interactive graphics and energy minimization with the AMBER force field incorporated in SYBYL (Tripos Associates). Compatibility of the Der p I amino acid sequence with the cysteine proteinase fold was checked using an environment-dependent amino acid propensity table incorporated into a new program HARMONY with a variable length windowing facility. A five-residue window was used to probe local conformational integrity. Propensities were derived from a structural alignment database of homologous proteins using a robust entropy-driven smoothing procedure. Der p I shares essential structural and mechanistic features with other papain-like cysteine proteinases, including cathepsin B. The active-site thiolate-imidazolium ion pair comprises the side chains of Cys34 and His170. A cystine disulfide not present in other known structures bridges residue 4 of an N-terminal extension and the core residue 117. Two conserved disulfide bridges are formed by residues 31 and 71 and residues 65 and 103. Model building of peptide substrate analogue complexes suggests a preference for phenylalanyl or basic residues at the P2 position, whilst selectivity may be of minor importance at the S1 subsite. The electrostatic influences on the Der p I active-site ion pair and extended peptide binding region are markedly different from those in known structures. A highly immunogenic surface exposed region (residues 107-131), comprising several overlapping T cell epitope sites, has no shared sequence identity with human liver cathepsin B and contains three insertion-deletion sites. The structure provides a basis for testing the substrate specificity of Der p I and the potential role of proteinase activity in hypersensitivity reactions. These studies may offer a new treatment strategy by hyposensitization with inactive mutants or mutants with significantly altered proteinase activity, either alone or complexed with antibody.

The prediction and orientation of alpha-helices from sequence alignments: the combined use of environment-dependent substitution tables, Fourier transform methods and helix capping rules.

Amino acid substitution tables are used to estimate the extent to which amino acids in families of homologous proteins are exposed to the solvent. The approach depends on the comparison of difference environment-dependent tables for solvent accessible/inaccessible residues with amino acid substitutions at each position in an aligned set of sequences. The periodicity in the predicted accessible/inaccessible residues is calculated using a Fourier transform procedure modified from that used to calculate hydrophobic moments. alpha-Helices are identified from the characteristic periodicities and the solvent accessible face of the helix is defined. The initial helix predictions are refined using rules for identifying the N- and C-termini of helices from sequence alignments. These rules have been defined from a study of protein structures. The combined method correctly predicts 79% of the residues in helices and incorrectly predicts only 12% of the nonhelical residues as helical. In addition, since the method is reliable at predicting the correct number of helices in the correct position in the sequence and since it also predicts the internal face of each helix, the results can be used to postulate 3-D arrangements of the secondary structure elements.

A structural basis for sequence comparisons. An evaluation of scoring methodologies.

A residue-exchange matrix has been derived that is suitable for comparison of amino acid sequences. This matrix is based on the tabulation of 207,795 amino acid replacements observed in 65 homologous sets of structurally aligned three-dimensional structures (235 proteins). The majority of the data is from structural comparisons where there is between 15 and 40% sequence identity. As a result, a scoring matrix such as the one devised here should provide a sensitive basis for the comparison of amino acid sequences and the search for homologous sequences in amino acid databases. In order to assess the value of this matrix we have made a comparative analysis with 12 other published scoring matrices that have been used for the alignment of protein amino acid sequences. We find that the matrix derived here is among the better performers in terms of alignment significance, detection of homologous sequences and the accuracy of alignments.

Alignment and searching for common protein folds using a data bank of structural templates.

We introduce an approach to protein comparisons in which tertiary-structure information is exploited in the alignment of a protein sequence of known tertiary structure, or an aligned set of sequences of known homologous structures, with one or more sequences. The local tertiary environments of residues in the one or more three-dimensional structures (defined in terms of residue accessibility to solvent, secondary structure and hydrogen bonding) are used to select position-specific amino acid substitution scores and produce a scoring template suitable for aligning sequences or searching sequence data banks. The amino acid substitution scores have been accumulated from 72 families of protein structures in which the observed substitutions have been classified according to features of the local structure. Hence, the value attributed to a particular amino acid interchange in the template is not a constant, but is dependent upon the environmental context in which that substitution has occurred. We have used these structural templates to align proteins, as well as to search an amino acid sequence data bank for proteins having a similar fold. Indeed, a database of templates that corresponds to both unique structures and aligned homologous structures from the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank has been produced. A new sequence can be searched against the database of templates in order to identify a similar tertiary fold even if the sequence is not significantly similar to any proteins of known three-dimensional structure.

Modelling of the lignin peroxidase LIII of Phlebia radiata: use of a sequence template generated from a 3-D structure.

A model of the lignin peroxidase LIII of Phlebia radiata was constructed on the basis of the structure of cytochrome c peroxidase (CCP). Because of the low percentage of amino acid identity between the CCP and the lignin peroxidase LIII of Phlebia radiata, alignment of the sequences was based on the generation of a template from a knowledge of the 3-D structure of CCP and consensus sequences of lignin peroxidases. This approach gave an alignment in which all the insertions in the lignin peroxidase were placed at loop regions of CCP, with a 21.1% identity for these two proteins. The model was constructed using this alignment and the computer program COMPOSER, which assembles the model as a series of rigid fragments derived from CCP and other proteins. Manual intervention was required for some of the longer loop regions. The alpha-helices forming the structural framework, and especially the haem environment of CCP, are conserved in the LIII model and the core is close packed without holes. A possible site of the substrate oxidation at the haem edge of LIII is discussed.

Modeling alpha-helical transmembrane domains: the calculation and use of substitution tables for lipid-facing residues.

Amino acid substitution tables are calculated for residues in membrane proteins where the side chain is accessible to the lipid. The analysis is based upon the knowledge of the three-dimensional structures of two homologous bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers and alignments of their sequences with the sequences of related proteins. The patterns of residue substitutions show that the lipid-accessible residues are less conserved and have distinctly different substitution patterns from the inaccessible residues in water-soluble proteins. The observed substitutions obtained from sequence alignments of transmembrane regions (identified from, e.g., hydrophobicity analysis) can be compared with the patterns derived from the substitution tables to predict the accessibility of residues to the lipid. A Fourier transform method, similar to that used for the calculation of a hydrophobic moment, is used to detect periodicity in the predicted accessibility that is compatible with the presence of an alpha-helix. If the putative transmembrane region is identified as helical, then the buried and exposed faces can be discriminated. The presence of charged residues on the lipid-exposed face can help to identify the regions that are in contact with the polar environment on the borders of the bilayer, and the construction of a meaningful three-dimensional model is then possible. This method is tested on an alignment of bacteriorhodopsin and two related sequences for which there are structural data at near atomic resolution.

Fragment ranking in modelling of protein structure. Conformationally constrained environmental amino acid substitution tables.

Conformationally constrained environment-dependent amino acid residue substitution tables have been constructed from a database comprising 33 homologous families of protein sequences aligned on the basis of their three-dimensional structures. Residues are allotted to one of 216 (or 54) classes of combinations of structural features. These include nine main-chain conformation classes, three classes of side-chain accessibility and eight (or two) classes of side-chain involvement in three types of hydrogen bond. Seven different main-chain conformational classes outside of regions of regular structure were identified in an analysis of the distributions of phi-psi torsion angles in 84 high-resolution crystallographic structures. Residue substitutions at equivalent positions in the structural alignments are included where the main-chain conformational class is conserved. Frequency data in the form of 216 (or 54) environment specific (20 x 20 residue type) matrices are then converted to probabilities. Two smoothing regimes incorporating entropy-driven weights were applied to the set of 54 tables. Predicted residue substitutions have been generated for individual residue positions in beta-hairpins and the hypervariable regions of the immunoglobulins. These have been compared with the observed sequence variation at the same positions using rank correlation methods. Measurements of chi 2 distances demonstrate the considerable improvement in predictive power at key residue positions identified from interactive graphics studies when compared to the Dayhoff MDM250 mutation matrix. An illustrative example is given of an application of the method in the ranking of loop fragments in model building studies of structurally variable regions in two subtilisins. A combined template scoring procedure is found to be 26-fold more discriminatory than the Dayhoff matrix. The success rate is approximately 85%.

Environment-specific amino acid substitution tables: tertiary templates and prediction of protein folds.

The local environment of an amino acid in a folded protein determines the acceptability of mutations at that position. In order to characterize and quantify these structural constraints, we have made a comparative analysis of families of homologous proteins. Residues in each structure are classified according to amino acid type, secondary structure, accessibility of the side chain, and existence of hydrogen bonds from the side chains. Analysis of the pattern of observed substitutions as a function of local environment shows that there are distinct patterns, especially for buried polar residues. The substitution data tables are available on diskette with Protein Science. Given the fold of a protein, one is able to predict sequences compatible with the fold (profiles or templates) and potentially to discriminate between a correctly folded and misfolded protein. Conversely, analysis of residue variation across a family of aligned sequences in terms of substitution profiles can allow prediction of secondary structure or tertiary environment.

Structure-function relationships in the cysteine proteinases actinidin, papain and papaya proteinase omega. Three-dimensional structure of papaya proteinase omega deduced by knowledge-based modelling and active-centre characteristics determined by two-hydronic-state reactivity probe kinetics and kinetics of catalysis.

1. A model of the three-dimensional structure of papaya proteinase omega, the most basic cysteine proteinase component of the latex of papaya (Carica papaya), was built from its amino acid sequence and the two currently known high-resolution crystal structures of the homologous enzymes papain (EC 3.4.22.2) and actinidin (EC 3.4.22.14). The method used a knowledge-based approach incorporated in the COMPOSER suite of programs and refinement by using the interactive graphics program FRODO on an Evans and Sutherland PS 390 and by energy minimization using the GROMOS program library. 2. Functional similarities and differences between the three cysteine proteinases revealed by analysis of pH-dependent kinetics of the acylation process of the catalytic act and of the reactions of the enzyme catalytic sites with substrate-derived 2-pyridyl disulphides as two-hydronic-state reactivity probes are reported and discussed in terms of the knowledge-based model. 3. To facilitate analysis of complex pH-dependent kinetic data, a multitasking application program (SKETCHER) for parameter estimation by interactive manipulation of calculated curves and a simple method of writing down pH-dependent kinetic equations for reactions involving any number of reactive hydronic states by using information matrices were developed. 4. Papaya proteinase omega differs from the other two enzymes in the ionization characteristics of the common (Cys)-SH/(His)-Im+H catalytic-site system and of the other acid/base groups that modulate thiol reactivity towards substrate-derived inhibitors and the acylation process of the catalytic act. The most marked difference in the Cys/His system is that the pKa for the loss of the ion-pair state to form -S-/-Im is 8.1-8.3 for papaya proteinase omega, whereas it is 9.5 for both actinidin and papain. Papaya proteinase omega is similar to actinidin in that it lacks the second catalytically influential group with pKa approx. 4 present in papain and possesses a catalytically influential group with pKa 5.5-6.0. 5. Papaya proteinase omega occupies an intermediate position between actinidin and papain in the sensitivity with which hydrophobic interaction in the S2 subsite is transmitted to produce changes in transition-state geometry in the catalytic site, a fact that may be linked with differences in specificity in P2-S2 interaction exhibited by the three enzymes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)