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The structure of chicken skeletal muscle troponin C (TnC) has been refined to an R value of 0.168, using 14 788 reflections, in the resolution range 8.0-1.78 .~,. Our earlier 2 ,A, resolution structure [Satyshur, Rao, Pyzalska, Drendel, Greaser & Sundaralingam (1988).J. Biol. Chem. 263, 1628-1647 served as the starting model. The refined model includes atoms for all protein residues (1-162), 2 Ca 2+ ions, 169 water molecules and one sulfate ion. The high-resolution refinement shows more clearly the details of the protein and water structure. The side chains Glu63, Cysl01, Arg123, Aspl40 and Asp152 adopt two discretely ordered conformations. The long central helix is only slightly curved/bent (7.9 ° ) and all the central helix NH-.-O--C hydrogen bonds are intact. Seven of the nine carbonyl O atoms of the mid segment of this helix, including the D/E linker region, are hydrogen bonded to water molecules which weakens the helix hydrogen bonds. In contrast, in each of the protected upper and lower thirds of the long central helix, only two carbonyl O atoms are hydrogen bonded to water molecules. The hydrogen-bonding patterns displayed by some of the carbonyl O atoms of NT and A helices of the N-terminal domain and the F and H helices of the C-terminal domain, which are on the exposed surface of the protein, are similar. The B helix of the calcium-free site I is kinked, with the local helix axes at either end making an angle of 39 ° , by two inserted water molecules between N--H and O--C groups, breaking the adjacent helix hydrogen bonds. A sul-

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O4-Methylthymidine (O4medT) is a promutagen. To correlate its biological properties to changes in the electronic, geometric, and conformational properties of the pyrimidine base resulting from the keto to enol shift arising from methylation, an X-ray study of O4medT was undertaken. The crystal data are a = 4.950 (2) A, b = 12.648 (1) A, c = 19.305 (2) A, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), Z = 4, and R = 0.042. The D-deoxyribofuranosyl ring is puckered in the uncommon 1T2 twist conformation with the phase angle of pseudorotation P = 133.8 (5)degrees. The amplitude of puckering tau m = 31.4 (3)degrees shows that the ring is considerably flattened. The base is in the anti conformation [chi CN = 40.6 (4)degrees], and the exocyclic C(4')-C(5') bond (psi) is gauche+ [46.2 (5)degrees]. Methylation produces cytosine-like conjugation for the thymine base. The methoxy group takes the syn-periplanar conformation. Two types of mispairings with guanine are possible, and both require the anti conformation for the O(4) methoxy group. Semiempirical energy calculations have been carried out and reveal that the anti conformation can be energetically assumed in the double helix by widening the exocyclic angles C(5)-C(4)-O(4) and C(4)-C(5)-C(7) and the angle C(4)-O(4)-C(8) at the methoxy group. Such coordinated expansion relieves unfavorable interactions between the C(7) and C(8) methyl groups.

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