Crystal structure of the closed form of chicken cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase at 1.9 A resolution.

The crystal structure of chicken cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase (cAATase; EC 2.6.1.1) has been solved and refined at 1.9 A resolution. Orthorhombic crystals, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 56.4 A, b = 126.0 A and c = 142.3 A, were grown from polyethylene glycol solutions in the presence of maleate, a dicarboxylic inhibitor that forms a Michaelis-like complex. The pyridoxal form of the enzyme was used for crystallization. Diffraction data were collected using synchrotron radiation. The structure of the new orthorhombic crystal form was solved by molecular replacement using the partially refined 2.8 A resolution structure of the high-salt crystal form as a search model. The final value of the crystallographic R-factor after rigid body and restrained least-squares refinement is 0.175 with very good model geometry. The two 2-fold-related subunits of cAATase have distinct environments in the crystal lattice. Domain movement is strictly hindered by the lattice contacts in one subunit, while the second one possesses conformational freedom. Despite their different environments, both subunits were found in the closed conformation with one maleate molecule tightly bound in each active site. The present study allows a detailed comparison of the highly refined structures of the aspartate aminotransferase isozymes, and thus provide better insight into the role of conserved and variable residues in substrate recognition and catalysis.

A simplified multidimensional search used for crystal structure solution of pCpGpCpGpCpG with two duplexes pre asymmetric unit.

A simplified multidimensional search was applied to determine the structure of deoxyhexamer CGCGCG in the crystal form belonging to the space group C222(1) (a = 45.6 A, b = 37.3 A, c = 70.3 A). This crystal form contains two Z-DNA duplexes per asymmetric unit in a similar orientation. The search consists of several main steps. As a first step, the analysis of packing modes is carried out and constraints for the position of duplexes in asymmetric unit are formulated. In order to choose true packing mode duplexes are represented as cylinders of a constant density and global search is carried out. Only reflections belonging to the plane in reciprocal space perpendicular to DNA axis were used in the calculations. An analytical representation of diffraction from a hollow cylinder is given which allows further refinement of corresponding parameters. During the global search the value of a linear correlation coefficient is estimated for each solution to pick up the best one. At the second step the "more local" search is carried out. The DNA model of a certain conformation (in our case Z-DNA) is taken and several parameters are being varied. These are: a) rotations of the independent duplexes around their axes (only two rotational parameters for two duplexes in our example) and b) a few positional parameters for which there is no corresponding constraint in the packing mode tested. In our case we had to vary only x1 and y2, where subindex corresponds to molecule number. The last stage concerned is quite similar to the multidimensional search realised in program ULTIMA. The only difference that the number of variable parameters is less in our search. This number for the case under consideration was 4 instead of 12 that would be necessary in a conventional multidimensional search.

[X-ray structural study of the crystalline structure of human progastricsin by a molecular replacement method]. / Rentgenostrukturnoe issledovanie kristallicheskoi struktury progastriksina cheloveka metodom molekuliarnogo zameshcheniia.

The human progastricsin crystal structure has been solved by the molecular replacement method. The intensities of reflections from native progastricsin crystals were measured at the 4.0 A resolution by the omega-scan method with a Nicolet P3 diffractometer operated in automatic regime. To determine the orientation and position of progastricsin molecules in the unit cell, programme packages MERLOT and BRUTE were applied running on a MicroVAX-II computer. Prior to the translation search, several rotation function peaks were subjected to a rigid body refinement against the correlation coefficient between the observed and calculated structure factors. This approach clearly identified the correct orientation of the molecule. The solution obtained from the BRUTE translation function map was refined by the 6-dimensional correlation search and then by programme CORELS. The human progastricsin molecules packing in the crystal unit ell is described.

Crystal structure of NAD-dependent formate dehydrogenase.

The ternary complex of NAD-dependent formate dehydrogenase (FDH) from the methylotrophic bacterium Pseudomonas sp. 101 (enzyme-NAD-azide) has been crystallised in the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with cell dimensions a = 11.60 nm, b = 11.33 nm, c = 6.34 nm. There is 1 dimeric molecule/asymmetric unit. An electron density map was calculated using phases from multiple isomorphous replacement at 0.30 nm resolution. Four heavy atom derivatives were used. The map was improved by solvent flattening and molecular averaging. The atomic model, including 2 x 393 amino acid residues, was refined by the CORELS and PROLSQ packages using data between 1.0 nm and 0.30 nm excluding structure factors less than 1 sigma. The current R factor is 27.1% and the root mean square deviation from ideal bond lengths is 4.2 pm. The FDH subunit is folded into a globular two-domain (coenzyme and catalytic) structure and the active centre and NAD binding site are situated at the domain interface. The beta sheet in the FDH coenzyme binding domain contains an additional beta strand compared to other dehydrogenases. The difference in quaternary structure between FDH and the other dehydrogenases means that FDH constitutes a new subfamily of NAD-dependent dehydrogenases: namely the P-oriented dimer. The FDH nucleotide binding region of the structure is aligned with the three dimensional structures of four other dehydrogenases and the conserved residues are discussed. The amino acid residues which contribute to the active centre and which make contact with NAD have been identified.

The polypeptide chain fold in tyrosine phenol-lyase, a pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme.

The tyrosine phenol lyase (EC 4.1.99.2) from Citrobacter intermedius has been crystallised in the apo form by vapour diffusion. The space group is P2(1)2(1)2. The unit cell has dimensions a = 76.0 A, b = 138.3 A, c = 93.5 A and it contains two subunits of the tetrameric molecule in the asymmetric unit. Diffraction data for the native enzyme and two heavy atom derivatives have been collected with synchrotron radiation and an image plate scanner. The structure has been solved at 2.7 A resolution by isomorphous replacement with subsequent modification of the phases by averaging the density around the non-crystallographic symmetry axis. The electron density maps clearly show the relative orientation of the subunits and most of the trace of the polypeptide chain. Each subunit consists of two domains. The topology of the large domain appears to be similar to that of the aminotransferases.

[X-ray structural study of leucine aminopeptidase with a resolution of 4 Angstroms]. / Rentgenostrukturnoe issledovanie leitsinaminopeptidazy s razresheniem 4 A.

An X-ray crystallographic structure determination has been carried out on bovine lens leucine aminopeptidase at 4.0 A resolution by using a combination of isomorphous replacement and solvent flattening. The two heavy atom derivatives used were obtained by soaking crystals in ethyl mercury chloride, which bound at four sites, and phenyl mercury acetate, which bound at one site in the monomer. The electron density map reveals that the enzyme hexameric oligomer, arranged in 32 symmetry, has a triangular barrel appearance and dimensions, of height 88 A and maximal width 118 A in barrel equatorial plane. Each subunit in an elongated ellipsoid of approximate length 92 A. Subunits contacts have been described. From an analysis of the map each subunit appears to contain some 36% alpha-helix and is organized into two distinct globular domains. Direct location of zinc cluster and competitive inhibitor binding site are presented.

Comparison of structures of dry and wet hen egg-white lysozyme molecule at 1.8 A resolution.

A high resolution structure of hen egg-white lysozyme containing 36 +/- 1 mol H2O per mol of protein has been obtained using triclinic (P1) crystals cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. Analysis of dehydration-induced structural changes has revealed displacement in relative position of domains and numerous small displacements in positions of individual atoms with r.m.s. deviation of main atoms 0.60 A, and that of all atoms 0.97 A. An increase in the average packing density of atoms in dry lysozyme by 4-6% seems to be the most probable reason for the loss of its activity and mobility.

[Structural basis for differences in substrate specificity of aspartate aminotransferase isoenzymes]. / Strukturnye osnovy nekotorykh razlichii v substratnoi spetsifichnosti izofermentov aspartat-aminotransferazy.

X-Ray structural data concerning the substrate binding site of cytosolic chicken aspartate aminotransferase (AspAT) are reported. The structure of the complex of AspAT with the substrate-like inhibitor maleate has been refined at 2.2 A resolution. The lengths of hydrogen bonds between a bound molecule of maleate and side chains of amino acid residues in the active site are presented as well as other interatomic distances in the substrate binding site. The data obtained for the cytosolic AspAT have been compared with those for the mitochondrial chicken AspAT. It has been inferred that differences in substrate specificity of the AspAT isoenzymes are determined by interactions involving amino acid residues which are situated in the immediate vicinity of the active site and influence ionization or orientation of functional groups interacting with substrate. An explanation is suggested for different rates of transamination of aromatic amino acids in the active sites of the cytosolic and mitochondrial isoenzymes.