Conformational Changes of Anoplin,W-MreB1–9, and (KFF)3K Peptides near the Membranes

Many peptides interact with biological membranes, but elucidating these interactions is challenging because cellular membranes are complex and peptides are structurally flexible. To contribute to understanding how the membrane-active peptides behave near the membranes, we investigated peptide structural changes in different lipid surroundings. We focused on two antimicrobial peptides, anoplin and W-MreB_1–9, and one cell-penetrating peptide, (KFF)₃K. Firstly, by using circular dichroism spectroscopy, we determined the secondary structures of these peptides when interacting with micelles, liposomes, E. coli lipopolysaccharides, and live E. coli bacteria. The peptides were disordered in the buffer, but anoplin and W-MreB_1–9 displayed lipid-induced helicity. Yet, structural changes of the peptide depended on the composition and concentration of the membranes. Secondly, we quantified the destructive activity of peptides against liposomes by monitoring the release of a fluorescent dye (calcein) from the liposomes treated with peptides. We observed that only for anoplin and W-MreB_1–9 calcein leakage from liposomes depended on the peptide concentration. Thirdly, bacterial growth inhibition assays showed that peptide conformational changes, evoked by the lipid environments, do not directly correlate with the antimicrobial activity of the peptides. However, understanding the relation between peptide structural properties, mechanisms of membrane disruption, and their biological activities can guide the design of membrane-active peptides.     

Evidence for a role of the membrane-proximal region of herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein H in membrane fusion and virus inhibition

We have identified a putative membrane-interacting domain preceding the transmembrane domain of the Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein H (gH). Peptides derived from this region interact strongly with membranes and show a high tendency to partition at the interface. This region is predicted to bind at the membrane interface by adopting an alpha helical structure. Peptides representing either the HSV-1 gH pretransmembrane region or a scrambled control with a different hydrophobic profile at the point of interface have been studied. The peptides derived from this domain of gH induce the fusion of liposomal membranes, adopt helical conformations in membrane mimetic environments and are able to inhibit HSV-1 infectivity. The pretransmembrane region appears to be a common feature in viral fusion proteins of several virus families, and such a feature might be related to their fusogenic function. The identification of membrane-interacting regions capable of modifying the biophysical properties of phospholipid membranes lends weight to the view that such domains might function directly in the fusion process and could facilitate the future development of HSV-1 entry inhibitors.     

Applications of circular dichroism for structural analysis of gelatin and antimicrobial peptides

Circular dichroism (CD) is a useful technique for monitoring changes in the conformation of antimicrobial peptides or gelatin. In this study, interactions between cationic peptides and gelatin were observed without affecting the triple helical content of the gelatin, which was more strongly affected by anionic surfactant. The peptides did not adopt a secondary structure in the presence of aqueous solution or Tween 80, but a peptide secondary structure formed upon the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The peptides bound to the phosphate group of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and displayed an alpha-helical conformation while (KW)(4) adopted a folded conformation. Further, the peptides did not specifically interact with the fungal cell wall components of mannan or laminarin. Tryptophan blue shift assay indicated that these peptides interacted with SDS, LPS, and gelatin but not with Tween 80, mannan, or laminarin. The peptides also displayed antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa without cytotoxicity against HaCaT cells at MIC, except for HPA3NT3-analog peptide. In this study, we used a CD spectroscopic method to demonstrate the feasibility of peptide characterization in numerous environments. The CD method can thus be used as a screening method of gelatin-peptide interactions for use in wound healing applications.     

The identification and characterization of fusogenic domains in herpes virus glycoprotein B molecules

The molecular mechanism of entry of herpes viruses requires a multicomponent fusion system. Virus entry and cell-cell fusion of Herpes simplex virus (HSV) requires four glycoproteins: gD, gB and gH/gL. The role of gB remained elusive until recently, when the crystal structure of HSV-1 gB became available. Glycoprotein B homologues represent the most highly conserved group of herpes virus glycoproteins; however, despite the high degree of sequence and structural conservation, differences in post-translational processing are observed for different members of this virus family. Whereas gB of HSV is not proteolytically processed after oligomerization, most other gB homologues are cleaved by a cellular protease into subunits that remain linked through disulfide bonds. Proteolytic cleavage is common for activation of many other viral fusion proteins, so it remains difficult to envisage a common role for different herpes virus gB structures in the fusion mechanism. We selected bovine herpes virus type 1 (BoHV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) as representative viruses expressing cleaved and uncleaved gBs, and have screened their amino acid sequences for regions of highly interfacial hydrophobicity. Synthetic peptides corresponding to such regions were tested for their ability to induce the fusion of large unilamellar vesicles and to inhibit herpes virus infection. These results underline that several regions of the gB protein are involved in the mechanism of membrane interaction.     

Comparison of scales of amino acid side chain properties by conservation during evolution of four proteins

As the amino acid sequence of a given protein changes alongthe phylogenetic tree, enough of the overall folding patternmust be conserved to ensure that the protein still fulfils itsbiological function. Eighteen published scales which tabulatevarious side chain properties are compared here by computingthe variance of each scale when applied to each of several proteinfamilies. The conservation of each scale of side chain propertiesis examined for the 20 627 residues in 60 mammalian myoglobins,31 mammalian ribonucleases, insulin A and B chains (29 sequenceseach), 29 vertebrate and 28 plant cytochrome c's. Those scaleswhich are the most highly conserved through the evolution ofeach protein family may well be the best predictors of proteinfolding patterns. The mean-area-buried scale and the optimizedmatching hydrophobicities scale are more conserved than otherscales. An additional result is the relatively poor conservationacross evolution of the Chou-Fasman secondary structure predictors.     

Specific isotope labeling of colicin E1 and B channel domains for membrane topological analysis by oriented solid-state NMR spectroscopy

An approach is presented to selectively label the methionines of the colicin E1 and B channel domains, each about 200 residues in size, and use them for oriented solid-state NMR investigations. By combining site-directed mutagenesis, bacterial overexpression in a methionine auxotroph E. coli strain and biochemical purification, quantitative amounts of the proteins for NMR structural investigations were obtained. The proteins were selectively labeled with (15)N at only one, or at a few, selected sites. Multidimensional heteronuclear correlation high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry were used to monitor the quality of isotopic labeling. Thereafter the proteins were reconstituted into oriented phospholipid bilayers and investigated by proton-decoupled (15)N solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The colicin E1 thermolytic fragment that carries a single (15)N methionine within its hydrophobic helix 9 region exhibited (15)N resonances that are characteristic of helices that are oriented predominantly parallel to the membrane surface at low temperature, and a variety of alignments and conformations at room temperature. This suggests that the protein can adopt both umbrella and pen-knife conformations.     

Highly specific targeting and imaging of live cancer cells by using a peptide probe developed from rationally designed peptides

Specific detection and in vivo tracing of cancer biomarkers are important for cancer analysis. In this work, a simple and effective strategy for developing peptide probes was established. Peptides were rationally designed by using an antisense peptide approach directed towards an extracellular fragment (EL2) of a novel tumor-related protein LAPTM4B. Positional-scanning and stepwise affinity screening was employed to obtain an optimal peptide AP2H (IHGHHIISVG). The dissociation constant between the two small peptides, AP2H and the target EL2, was 5.51 μM under physiological conditions. Fluorescence imaging assays indicated that AP2H can recognize live hepatoma cells by targeting the LAPTM4B protein on the cell surface with high specificity, low cytotoxicity and desirable cell penetrability. Compared to negative control cells, AP2H could differentiate cells with different expression levels of LAPTM4B. The screened peptide probe for molecular signatures of cancer cells, based on targeting the LAPTM4B protein, has potential applications in cancer diagnosis and targetable drug delivery.     

Recognition of hormones by membrane potential and circular dichroism of immobilized protein membranes

The shifts in membrane potential, caused by the injection of hormones into a permeation cell, were measured using immobilized (entrapped) serum albumin and γ-globulin membranes. The effective fixed charge density was estimated to increase after the injection of estradiol and testosterone in both albumin and γ-globulin membranes, while the charge density was estimated to decrease after the injection of progesterone in the γ-globulin membranes. Because the change in the charge density originates from the conformational change of proteins in the membranes, the change in the circular dichroism induced by the hormones was measured in the membranes. The α-helix content in both albumin and γ-globulin membranes was found from the circular dichroism measurements to increase when estradiol and testosterone was bound to the proteins, while the α-helix content in the albumin membrane decreased on the binding of progesterone. Some discrepancy was found between the conformational change of the proteins in the membranes detected by the membrane potential measurements and the circular dichroism measurements. This is explained by the fact that the circular dichroism measurements do not directly contribute to the change in the charge density induced by the binding of hormones to proteins in the membranes. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 65:251–259, 1997     

Metal Binding Properties of Fluorescent Analogues of Trichogin GA IV: A Conformational Study by Time‐Resolved Spectroscopy and Molecular Mechanics Investigations

The metal ion binding properties of two fluorescent analogues of trichogin GA IV, which is a natural undecapeptide showing significant antimicrobial activity, were studied by circular dichroism, time‐resolved optical spectroscopy, and molecular mechanics calculations. Binding of Ca^II and Gd^III to the peptides investigated was shown to promote a structural transition from highly helical conformations to folded structures characterized by formation of a loop that embedded the metal ion. Time‐resolved spectroscopy revealed that peptide dynamics is also remarkably affected by ion binding: peptide‐backbone motions slowed down to the microsecond time scale. Finally, molecular mechanics calculations emphasized the role of the central Gly5‐Gly6 motif, which allowed for the twisting of the peptide segment that gave rise to the formation of the binding cavity.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift: comparison of estimated secondary structures in peptides by nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism

Traditionally, CD has been used extensively for peptides insecondary structure analysis. In recent years, NMR chemicalshifts and nuclear Overhauser enhancements have been widelyused in conjunction with CD to assess the secondary structuresof peptides and proteins; however, there are many instanceswhere the estimation of secondary structure contents differssignificantly between the two methods. In order to elucidatethe perceived differences between the two methods, secondarystructure estimations by CD and ¹H NMR chemical shifts werecompared for over 50 peptides. The linear peptides investigatedwere largely unstructured, {small tilde}15–50 residuesin size, and lacked stable tertiary conformation. These peptideswere studied in different solvent systems including water, alcohol—water,micelles and urea. A strong correlation exists for secondarystructure assessment by CD and NMR chemical shifts; however,an interesting trend of higher estimation of helical contentsby NMR was observed for peptide fragments from globular proteinsstudied in water. This may be a result of associative propertiesof these peptides in water. Addition-ally, a new method of quantitatingsecondary structure contents based on ¹H NMR chemical shiftsis reported.     

Fabrication of porous scaffolds with a controllable microstructure and mechanical properties by porogen fusion technique

Macroporous scaffolds with controllable pore structure and mechanical properties were fabricated by a porogen fusion technique. Biodegradable material poly (d, l-lactide) (PDLLA) was used as the scaffold matrix. The effects of porogen size, PDLLA concentration and hydroxyapatite (HA) content on the scaffold morphology, porosity and mechanical properties were investigated. High porosity (90% and above) and highly interconnected structures were easily obtained and the pore size could be adjusted by varying the porogen size. With the increasing porogen size and PDLLA concentration, the porosity of scaffolds decreases, while its mechanical properties increase. The introduction of HA greatly increases the impact on pore structure, mechanical properties and water absorption ability of scaffolds, while it has comparatively little influence on its porosity under low HA contents. These results show that by adjusting processing parameters, scaffolds could afford a controllable pore size, exhibit suitable pore structure and high porosity, as well as good mechanical properties, and may serve as an excellent substrate for bone tissue engineering.     

Emulsifying and foaming properties of native and chemically modified peptides from the 2S and 12S proteins of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

The 2S and 12S proteins of rapeseed were isolated and subsequently hydrolyzed by pepsin or a combination of pepsin plus trypsin. The resulting hydrolysates had a 15% degree of hydrolysis and were purified by gel filtration chromatography in order to obtain homogeneous peptide fractions. Three major fractions, having an average peptide chain length of 7.5–11 amino acids, were recovered. Purified peptide fractions were acylated with butyric anhydride and sulfamidated with p-toluenesulfonyl chloride. The degree of modification was always higher than 90%. Emulsifying and foaming properties of native and chemically modified peptides were studied and compared to those of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as standard. A peptide fraction from the 15% hydrolysis of the 12S protein exhibited the best foaming properties. After sulfamidation, this peptide fraction showed a foam formation similar to that of SDS. Whereas the attachment of toluene groups generally improved the surface properties, the incorporation of an aliphatic chain of four atoms of carbon was detrimental in most of the cases. On the other hand, none of the native or hydrophobized peptide fractions was able to form a stable emulsion.     

Effects of novel peptides derived from the acidic tail of synuclein (ATS) on the aggregation and stability of fusion proteins

The acidic tail of alpha-synuclein (ATSalpha) has been shown to protect the glutathione S-transferase (GST)-ATSalpha fusion protein from environmental stresses, such as heat, pH and metal ions. In this study, we further demonstrated that the introduction of ATSalpha into other proteins, such as dehydrofolate reductase and adiponectin, renders the fusion proteins resistant to heat-induced aggregation and that the acidic tail of beta- or gamma-synuclein can also protect the fusion proteins from heat-induced aggregation. Interestingly, the heat resistance of GST-ATSalpha deletion mutants, which contain shorter peptides derived from the highly charged regions of ATSalpha, was approximately proportional to the number of added Glu/Asp residues. However, the negative charges in the ATSalpha-derived peptides appear insufficient to explain the extreme heat resistance of the fusion proteins, since polyglutamates appeared to be much less effective than the ATSalpha-derived peptides in conferring heat resistance on the fusion proteins. These results suggest that not only the negatively charged residues but also the specific amino acid sequence of ATSalpha play an important role in conferring extreme heat resistance on the fusion proteins. Furthermore, the heat-induced secondary structural changes and thermal inactivation curves of GST-ATSalpha deletion mutants indicated that the introduction of ATSalpha-derived peptides does not significantly affect the intrinsic stability of the fusion proteins.     

不同气氛下Ca-Fe二元助剂改变高硅铝煤灰熔融温度的规律和机制

准格尔高硅铝煤灰熔融温度（AFT）高,易引发液态排渣气化炉排渣口堵塞问题,需添加助熔剂降低AFT。利用灰熔融温度测试仪研究了不同质量比CaO/Fe₂O₃（Ca/Fe）助剂的助熔效果,结合热机械分析仪、热重-示差扫描量热仪、XRD以及热力学计算对比分析了氩气气氛与弱还原气氛下Ca-Fe协同助熔机理。研究发现,弱还原与氩气气氛下,AFT均随Ca/Fe增加先降低后升高,在Ca/Fe=1/1时AFT最低,但弱还原气氛下Ca-Fe的助熔效果优于氩气气氛。不同Ca-Fe助剂煤灰在变形温度（DT）、软化温度（ST）、半球温度（HT）和流动温度（FT）时对应的收缩程度差异较大,并且氩气气氛下熔融温度范围（DT~FT）内灰柱的收缩速率显著高于弱还原气氛下的收缩速率。氩气与弱还原气氛下煤灰的收缩过程均可分为三个阶段,且其收缩程度依次递增,但弱还原气氛下第一、二阶段收缩程度较氩气气氛下高。进一步研究表明第一阶段的收缩主要以化学反应引起的固相烧结为主,第二阶段以初始液相形成的液相烧结为主,而第三阶段的收缩行为最终决定煤灰的AFT。高温矿物演化行为显示莫来石和钙长石单独存在时AFT很高,但两者可以与含铁组分形成低共熔物降低AFT,并且Fe²⁺可以促进低共熔物的形成,促使弱还原气氛下低共熔物的生成温度低于氩气气氛下的。     

不同气氛下Ca-Fe二元助剂改变高硅铝煤灰熔融温度的规律和机制

准格尔高硅铝煤灰熔融温度（AFT）高,易引发液态排渣气化炉排渣口堵塞问题,需添加助熔剂降低AFT。利用灰熔融温度测试仪研究了不同质量比CaO/Fe₂O₃（Ca/Fe）助剂的助熔效果,结合热机械分析仪、热重-示差扫描量热仪、XRD以及热力学计算对比分析了氩气气氛与弱还原气氛下Ca-Fe协同助熔机理。研究发现,弱还原与氩气气氛下,AFT均随Ca/Fe增加先降低后升高,在Ca/Fe=1/1时AFT最低,但弱还原气氛下Ca-Fe的助熔效果优于氩气气氛。不同Ca-Fe助剂煤灰在变形温度（DT）、软化温度（ST）、半球温度（HT）和流动温度（FT）时对应的收缩程度差异较大,并且氩气气氛下熔融温度范围（DT~FT）内灰柱的收缩速率显著高于弱还原气氛下的收缩速率。氩气与弱还原气氛下煤灰的收缩过程均可分为三个阶段,且其收缩程度依次递增,但弱还原气氛下第一、二阶段收缩程度较氩气气氛下高。进一步研究表明第一阶段的收缩主要以化学反应引起的固相烧结为主,第二阶段以初始液相形成的液相烧结为主,而第三阶段的收缩行为最终决定煤灰的AFT。高温矿物演化行为显示莫来石和钙长石单独存在时AFT很高,但两者可以与含铁组分形成低共熔物降低AFT,并且Fe²⁺可以促进低共熔物的形成,促使弱还原气氛下低共熔物的生成温度低于氩气气氛下的。     

Studies on structural and functional properties of sericin recovered from silk degumming liquor by membrane technology

This article describes the recovery of silk sericin from three different degumming liquors, that is, high temperature high pressure (HTHP), alkaline, and soap plus alkali (SPA), using membrane filtration technology. The recovery of sericin by membrane technology results in the reduction of about 78–85% chemical oxygen demand as well as biological oxygen demand values in the final discharge liquor. The sericin powders produced from the purified degumming liquors have been characterized in terms of color, nitrogen content, protein content, ash content, and thermogravimetric analysis and compared. It has been found that the sericin recovered from HTHP degumming liquor has about 98% protein content as compared to that recovered from alkaline (92%) and SPA (67%) degumming liquors. The molecular weight distribution and secondary structure of the recovered sericin powders have been determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, respectively. The molecular weight range of sericin recovered from HTHP, alkaline, and SPA degumming liquor was 20–>205 kDa, 20–97 kDa, and 20–43 kDa, respectively. The secondary structure of sericin recovered from HTHP degumming showed random coil conformation with some β sheet structure. The sericin recovered from alkaline and SPA degumming liquors showed denaturation with some random coil, β sheet, and α helix conformation. The functional properties of the three different recovered sericin powder samples in terms of moisture content and ultra protection factor (UPF) have also been evaluated and compared. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Early Events, Kinetic Intermediates and the Mechanism of Protein Folding in Cytochrome c

Kinetic studies of the early events in cytochrome c folding are reviewed with a focus on the evidence for folding intermediates on the submillisecond timescale. Evidence from time-resolved absorption, circular dichroism, magnetic circular dichroism, fluorescence energy and electron transfer, small-angle X-ray scattering and amide hydrogen exchange studies on the t ≤ 1 ms timescale reveals a picture of cytochrome c folding that starts with the ~ 1-μs conformational diffusion dynamics of the unfolded chains. A fractional population of the unfolded chains collapses on the 1 – 100 μs timescale to a compact intermediate I_C containing some native-like secondary structure. Although the existence and nature of I_C as a discrete folding intermediate remains controversial, there is extensive high time-resolution kinetic evidence for the rapid formation of I_C as a true intermediate, i.e., a metastable state separated from the unfolded state by a discrete free energy barrier. Final folding to the native state takes place on millisecond and longer timescales, depending on the presence of kinetic traps such as heme misligation and proline mis-isomerization. The high folding rates observed in equilibrium molten globule models suggest that I_C may be a productive folding intermediate. Whether it is an obligatory step on the pathway to the high free energy barrier associated with millisecond timescale folding to the native state, however, remains to be determined.     

Modulation of magnetic and structural properties of cobalt thin films by means of electrodeposition

Cobalt electrodeposits were prepared from an electrolytic bath containing cobalt perchlorate. The effect of different species, organic (thiourea and sodium gluconate) and inorganic (boric acid), on the crystallographic structure, morphology, magnetic properties and electrochemical behaviour of cobalt electrodeposits was investigated. Amorphous cobalt, hcp cobalt and a non-usual primitive cubic cobalt phase were observed depending on the bath composition. Depending on the structure, different morphologies and magnetic properties were found. Coercivity values of the cobalt coatings ranged from around 15 Oe for amorphous, nodular deposits to 380 Oe for cobalt coatings showing acicular morphology and hcp structure with a (002) preferred orientation. Knowledge of the influence of the species on the properties of cobalt makes it possible to obtain tailored cobalt films.