There is a significant overlap between brain areas with Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) pathological dys-homeostasis and those in which the nerve growth factor (NGF) performs its biological role. The protein NGF is necessary for the development and maintenance of the sympathetic and sensory nervous systems. Its flexible N-terminal region has been shown to be a critical domain for TrkA receptor binding and activation. Computational analyses show that Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) form pentacoordinate complexes involving both the His4 and His8 residues of the N-terminal domain of one monomeric unit and the His84 and Asp105 residues of the other monomeric unit of the NGF active dimer. To date, neither experimental data on the coordination features have been reported, nor has one of the hypotheses according to which Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) may have different binding environments or the Ser1 α-amino group could be involved in coordination been supported. The peptide fragment, encompassing the 1-14 sequence of the human NGF amino-terminal domain (NGF(1-14)), blocked at the C terminus, was synthesised and its Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) complexes characterized by means of potentiometric and spectroscopic (UV/Vis, CD, NMR, and EPR) techniques. The N-terminus-acetylated form of NGF(1-14) was also investigated to evaluate the involvement of the Ser1 α-amino group in metal-ion coordination. Our results demonstrate that the amino group is the first anchoring site for Cu(2+) and is involved in Zn(2+) coordination at physiological pH. Finally, a synergic proliferative activity of both NGF(1-14) and the whole protein on SHSY5Y neuroblastoma cell line was found after treatment in the presence of Cu(2+). This effect was not observed after treatment with the N-acetylated peptide fragment, demonstrating a functional involvement of the N-terminal amino group in metal binding and peptide activity.

The recent characterization of the prokaryotic Cys2His2 zinc-finger domain, identified in Ros protein from Agrobacterium tumefaciens, has demonstrated that, although possessing a similar zinc coordination sphere, this domain is structurally very different from its eukaryotic counterpart. A search in the databases has identified Ϸ300 homologues with a high sequence identity to the Ros protein, including the amino acids that form the extensive hydrophobic core in Ros. Surprisingly, the Cys2His2 zinc coordination sphere is generally poorly conserved in the Ros homologues, raising the question of whether the zinc ion is always preserved in these proteins. Here, we present a functional and structural study of a point mutant of Ros protein, Ros56-142C82D, in which the second coordinating cysteine is replaced by an aspartate, 5 previously-uncharacterized representative Ros homologues from Mesorhizobium loti, and 2 mutants of the homologues. Our results indicate that the prokaryotic zinc-finger domain, which in Ros protein tetrahedrally coordinates Zn(II) through the typical Cys2His2 coordination, in Ros homologues can either exploit a CysAspHis2 coordination sphere, previously never described in DNA binding zinc finger domains to our knowledge, or lose the metal, while still preserving the DNA-binding activity. We demonstrate that this class of prokaryotic zinc-finger domains is structurally very adaptable, and surprisingly single mutations can transform a zinc-binding domain into a nonzinc-binding domain and vice versa, without affecting the DNA-binding ability. In light of our findings an evolutionary link between the prokaryotic and eukaryotic zinc-finger domains, based on bacteria-to-eukaryota horizontal gene transfer, is discussed.Cys2His2 zinc finger ͉ DNA binding proteins ͉ metal binding proteins ͉ Ros protein I n eukaryotic organisms the abundant Cys 2 His 2 zinc-finger domain, involved in relevant protein-nucleic acid and proteinprotein interactions, consists of Ͻ30 aa and a zinc ion, tetrahedrally coordinated by 2 histidine nitrogens and 2 cysteine sulfurs and essential for stabilizing the ␤␤␣ fold (1-5). In prokaryotic organisms, the first Cys 2 His 2 zinc-finger domain has been identified only recently in the transcriptional regulator Ros from Agrobacterium tumefaciens (6). The Ros zinc-binding domain contains 2 cysteines occupying the first 2 coordinating positions and 3 histidines (His-92, His-96, and His-97; see Fig. 1). We (7) demonstrated that in the Ros protein the histidines involved in zinc coordination are His-92, acting as the third coordinating residue, and His-97 as the fourth; when His-97 is mutated in Ala, the protein is still able to bind zinc and DNA with His-96 acting as the fourth coordinating residue. The NMR structure of Ros DNA-binding domain ) has shown that the prokaryotic Cys 2 His 2 zinc-finger domain, although having a similar zinc coordination sphere, possesses a novel protein fold, which is very different from that of the eukaryotic counterpart (8). In particular, Ros 56 -142 gl...

Mutations in the protein DJ-1 are associated with familial forms of Parkinson's disease, indicating that DJ-1 may be involved in pathways related to the etiology of this disorder. Here we have used solution state NMR and circular dichroism spectroscopies to evaluate the extent of structural perturbations associated with five different Parkinson's disease linked DJ-1mutations: L166P, E64D, M26I, A104T, and D149A. Comparison of the data with those obtained for the wild-type protein shows that the L166P mutation leads to severe and global destabilization and unfolding of the protein structure, while the structure of the E64D mutation, as expected, is nearly unperturbed. Interestingly, the remaining three mutants all show different degrees of structural perturbation, which are accompanied by a reduction in the thermodynamic stability of the protein. The observed structural and thermodynamic differences are likely to underlie any functional variations between these mutants and the wild type, which in turn are likely responsible for the pathogenicity of these mutations.

The first putative prokaryotic Cys2His2 zinc-finger domain has been identified in the transcriptional regulator Ros from Agrobacterium tumefaciens, indicating that the Cys2His2 zinc-finger domain, originally thought to be confined to the eukaryotic kingdom, could be widespread throughout the living kingdom from eukaryotic, both animal and plant, to prokaryotic. In this article we report the NMR solution structure of Ros DNA-binding domain (Ros87), providing 79 structural characterization of a prokaryotic Cys2His2 zinc-finger domain. The NMR structure of Ros87 shows that the putative prokaryotic Cys2His2 zinc-finger sequence is indeed part of a significantly larger zinc-binding globular domain that possesses a novel protein fold very different from the classical fold reported for the eukaryotic classical zinc-finger. The Ros87 globular domain consists of 58 aa (residues 9 -66), is arranged in a ␤␤␤␣␣ topology, and is stabilized by an extensive 15-residue hydrophobic core. A backbone dynamics study of Ros87, based on 15 N R1, 15 N R2, and heteronuclear 15 N-{ 1 H}-NOE measurements, has further confirmed that the globular domain is uniformly rigid and flanked by two flexible tails. Mapping of the amino acids necessary for the DNA binding onto Ros87 structure reveals the protein surface involved in the DNA recognition mechanism of this new zinc-binding protein domain.DNA binding proteins ͉ NMR spectroscopy ͉ Ros protein

Conclusion:Our results show that it is possible to widen the activity spectrum of an antimicrobial peptide by subtle changes of the primary structure. TB_KKG6A, having a simple composition, broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and a very low hemolytic activity, is a promising candidate for the design of novel antimicrobial peptides. General significance:The activity of antimicrobial peptides is strongly related to the ability of the peptide to interact and break the bacterial membrane. Our studies on TB_KKG6A indicate that efficient interactions with LPS can be achieved when the peptide is not perfectly amphipatic, since this feature seems to help the toroidal pores formation process. Highlights A new Temporin B analogue, TB_KKG6A, was designed.TB_KKG6A is active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.The peptide strongly interacts with the LPS of E.coli.The peptide folds into a kinked helix upon interaction with LPS. The peptide shows very low hemolytic activity.

The critical role of integrins in tumor progression and metastasis has stimulated intense efforts to identify pharmacological agents that can modulate integrin function. In recent years, αv β3 and αv β5 integrin antagonists were demonstrated to be effective in blocking tumor progression. RGDechi-hCit, a chimeric peptide containing a cyclic RGD motif linked to an echistatin C-terminal fragment, is able to recognize selectively αv β3 integrin both in vitro and in vivo. High-resolution molecular details of the selective αv β3 recognition of the peptide are certainly required, nonetheless RGDechi-hCit internalization limited the use of classical in cell NMR experiments. To overcome such limitations, we used WM266 isolated cellular membranes to accomplish a detailed NMR interaction study that, combined with a computational analysis, provides significant structural insights into αv β3 molecular recognition by RGDechi-hCit. Remarkably, on the basis of the identified molecular determinants, we design a RGDechi-hCit mutant that is selective for αv β5 integrin.

Transcriptional factors bearing a Cys(2)His(2) zinc finger were thought to be confined to eukaryotes, but recent studies have suggested their presence also in prokaryotes. In this paper, we report the first complete functional characterization of the DNA binding domain present in the putative Cys(2)His(2) zinc finger-containing prokaryotic transcriptional regulator Ros from Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We demonstrate that in the single zinc binding motif present in the Ros protein the metal ion is coordinated by two cysteines (Cys79 and Cys82) and two histidines (His92 and His97), separated by a shorter spacer with respect to the eukaryotic classical Cys(2)His(2) domains. The Cys(2)His(2) zinc finger motif is essential for Ros DNA binding and is part of a larger DNA binding domain which includes four basic regions located on either side of the finger, one at the N-terminus and three at the C-terminus. The one described here is a novel type of DNA binding domain containing a noncanonical Cys(2)His(2) zinc finger motif which, by sequence alignment, seems to be conserved in all the bacterial putative zinc finger proteins identified so far. Interestingly, basic amino acids have been shown to be important in stabilizing the DNA binding of eukaryotic single Cys(2)His(2) zinc finger domains, confirming that the modality of DNA binding using a single zinc finger motif flanked by basic residues is widespread throughout the living kingdom from eukaryotic, both animal and plant, to prokaryotic, even if in each kingdom it presents its peculiarity.

In the funneled landscape, proteins fold to their native states through a stochastic process in which the free energy decreases spontaneously and unfolded, transition, native, and possible intermediate states correspond to local minima or saddle points. Atomic description of the folding pathway appears therefore to be essential for a deep comprehension of the folding mechanism. In metallo-proteins, characterization of the folding pathways becomes even more complex, and therefore, despite their fundamental role in critical biological processes, little is known about their folding and assembly. The study of the mechanisms through which a cofactor influences the protein folding/unfolding reaction has been the rationale of the present study aimed at contributing to the search for cofactors' general roles in protein folding reactions. In particular, we have investigated the folding pathway of two homologous proteins, Ros87, which contains a prokaryotic zinc finger domain, and Ml452-151, lacking the zinc ion. Using a combination of CD, DSC and NMR techniques, we determined the thermodynamics and the structural features, at an atomic level, of the thermal unfolding of Ros87 and compared them to the behavior of Ml452-151. Our results, also corroborated by NMR (1)H/(2)H exchange measurements, show that the presence of the structural Zn(II) in Ros87 implies a switch from the Ml452-151 fully cooperative to a two-step unfolding process in which the intermediate converts to the native state through a downhill barrierless transition. This observation, which has never been reported for any metal ion so far, may have a significant role in the understanding of the protein misfolding associated with the presence of metal ions, as observed in neurodegenerative diseases.