Chromatin proteins are believed to represent reactive sites for metal ion binding. We have synthesized the 31 amino acid peptide Ac-NSFVNDIFERIAGEASRLAHYNKRSTITSRE-NH2, corresponding to the 63-93 fragment of the histone H2B and studied its interaction with Cu(II) and Ni(II). Potentiometric and spectroscopic studies (UV-vis, CD, NMR and EPR) showed that histidine 21 acts as an anchoring binding site for the metal ion. Complexation of the studied peptide with Cu(II) starts at pH 4 with the formation of the monodentate species CuH2L. At physiological pH values, the 3N complex (N(Im), 2N(-)), CuL is favoured while at basic pH values the 4N (N(Im), 3N(-)) coordination mode is preferred. Ni(II) forms several complexes with the peptide starting from the distorted octahedral NiH2L at about neutral pH, to a square planar complex where the peptide is bound through a (N(Im), 3N(-)) mode in an equatorial plane at basic pH values. These results could be important in revealing more information about the mechanism of metal induced toxicity and carcinogenesis.

Type XXV collagen, or Collagen-Like Amyloidogenic Component (CLAC), is a component of amyloid plaques, and recent studies suggest this collagen affects amyloid fibril elongation and has a genetic association with Alzheimer’s disease. The relationship between the collagen triple helix and amyloid fibrils was investigated by studying peptide models, including a very stable triple helical peptide (Pro-Hyp-Gly)10; an amyloidogenic peptide GNNQQNY; and a hybrid peptide where the GNNQQNY sequence was incorporated between (GPO)n domains. CD and NMR spectroscopy showed the GNNQQNY peptide formed a random coil structure, while the hybrid peptide contained a central disordered GNNQQNY region transitioning to triple-helical ends. Light scattering confirmed the GNNQQNY peptide had a high propensity to form amyloid fibrils, while amyloidogenesis was delayed in the hybrid peptide. NMR data suggested the triple-helix constraints on the GNNQQNY sequence within the hybrid peptide may disfavor the conformational change necessary for aggregation. Independent addition of a triple-helical peptide to the GNNQQNY peptide under aggregating conditions delayed nucleation and amyloid fibril growth. The inhibition of amyloid nucleation depended on the Gly-Xaa-Yaa sequence and required the triple-helix conformation. The inhibitory effect of the collagen triple-helix on an amyloidogenic sequence, when in the same molecule or when added separately, suggests type XXV collagen, and possibly other collagens, may play a role in regulating amyloid fibril formation.

Integrin receptors bind collagen via metal-mediated interactions that are modulated by magnesium (Mg) levels in the extracellular matrix. Nuclear magnetic resonance-based relaxation experiments, isothermal titration calorimetry, and adhesion assays reveal that Mg functions as both a structural anchor and dynamic switch of the αβ integrin I domain (αI). Specifically, Mg binding activates micro- to millisecond timescale motions of residues distal to the binding site, particularly those surrounding the salt bridge at helix 7 and near the metal ion-dependent adhesion site. Mutagenesis of these residues impacts αI functional activity, thereby suggesting that Mg-bound αI dynamics are important for collagen binding and consequent allosteric rearrangement of the low-affinity closed to high-affinity open conformation. We propose a multistep recognition mechanism for αI-Mg-collagen interactions involving both conformational selection and induced-fit processes. Our findings unravel the multifaceted role of Mg in integrin-collagen recognition and assist in elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which metals regulate protein-protein interactions.

Fibrillar collagens are the most abundant proteins in the extracellular matrix. Not only do they provide structural integrity to all of the connective tissues in the human body, but also their interactions with multiple cell receptors and other matrix molecules are essential to cell functions, such as growth, repair, and cell adhesion. Although specific binding sequences of several receptors have been determined along the collagen monomer, processes by which collagen binding partners recognize their binding sites in the collagen fibril, and the critical driving interactions, are poorly understood. The complex molecular assembly of bundled triple helices within the collagen fibril makes essential ligand binding sites cryptic or hidden from the molecular surface. Yet, critical biological processes that require collagen ligands to have access to interaction sites still occur. In this contribution, we will discuss the molecular packing of the collagen I fibril from the perspective of how collagen ligands access their known binding regions within the fibril, and we will present our analysis of binding site accessibility from the fibril surface. Understanding the basis of these interactions at the atomic level sets the stage for developing drug targets against debilitating collagen diseases and using collagen as drug delivery systems and new biomaterials.

The behaviour of the 31 mer peptide (Ac-NSFVNDIFERIAG(13)EASRL(18)A(19)H(20)YNKRS(25)TITSRE-NH(2)), modelling the histone-fold domain (63 to 93 residues) of H2B, towards Ni(ii) was investigated by multidimensional NMR spectroscopy (1D, 2D TOCSY, NOESY and (13)C-HSQC). The coordination involved the imidazole of His20 and three amide nitrogens of His20, Ala19 and Leu18, similar to the one shown by the hexapeptide LAHYNK contained in the 31 mer peptide. The solution structure of the Ni(ii) complex with the tridecapeptide comprising histone's H2B 75-87 residues, was elucidated from the NOE cross correlations observed in the 2D-NOESY spectrum. A severe change in the peptide's conformation was observed, passing from a partially helical to a well-defined ordered structure around the metal ion. A remarkable structural feature is the position of the aromatic ring of Tyr21 below the coordination plane. This and the hydrophobic fence created by Leu18 and Ala19, together with the position of Arg17 and Arg24 side chains seem to be relevant to the complex stability. We believe that these structural modifications may be physiologically important in the mechanism of nickel induced carcinogenesis.