The structure of the 56-residue B1 immunoglobulin-binding domain from streptococcal protein G has been determined in two different crystal forms. The crystal structures were deduced by molecular replacement, based on the structure of the B2 domain (Brookhaven accession code 1PGX). Final R values are 0.174 and 0.198 for orthorhombic and trigonal forms, for diffraction data from 6.0 to 2.07 A and from 6 to 1.92 A, respectively. The orthorhombic crystals have an unusually high packing density for protein crystals, with Vm = 1.66 and a solvent content of 26%. The protein structure is found to be very similar (rms deviation 0.25 A for 56 C alpha's) in the two crystal forms, with an efficiently packed hydrophobic core between a four-stranded beta-sheet and a four-turn alpha-helix. The B1 domain has the same fold and general structure as the B2 domain (rms deviations 0.36 and 0.39 A), despite the six residue differences between them. The crystallographic models differ from NMR-derived models in several local regions, primarily in the loop involving residues 46-51; other significant variations are observed in the helix and in the structure of bound water. The primary crystal contact is the same in both crystal forms, involving both sheet edges to form extended beta-sheets throughout the crystals.
The structure of the complex supports a unimolecular mechanism for prosubtilisin cleavage, involving a 25 A rearrangement of the SBT N terminus in a late folding step. A mechanism of folding catalysis in which the two helices and their connecting beta strand form a prosegment-stabilized folding nucleus is proposed. While this putative nucleus is stabilized by prosegment binding, the N-terminal and C-terminal subdomains of SBT could fold by propagation.
Biosynthesis of subtilisin is dependent on a 77 amino acid, N-terminal prodomain, which is autocatalytically processed to create the mature form of the enzyme [Ikemura, H., Takagi, H., & Inouye, M. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 7859-7864]. In order to better understand the role of the prodomain in subtilisin folding, we have determined the structure of the processed complex between the prodomain and subtilisin Sbt-70, a mutant engineered for facilitated folding. The prodomain is largely unstructured by itself but folds into a compact structure with a four-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet and two three-turn alpha-helices when complexed with subtilisin. The Ka of the complex is 2 x 10(8) M-1 at 25 degrees C. The prodomain binds on subtilisin's two parallel surface alpha-helices and supplies caps to the N-termini of the two helices. The C-terminal strand of the prodomain binds in the subtilisin substrate binding cleft. While Sbt-70 is capable of independent folding, the prodomain accelerates the process by a factor of > 10(7) M-1 of prodomain in 30 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.5, at 25 degrees C. X-ray structures of the mutant subtilisin folded in vitro either with or without the prodomain are compared and show that the identical folded state is achieved in either case. A model of the folding reaction of Sbt-70 and the prodomain is described as the following equilibria: P + Su<-->Pf--SI<-->Pf--Sf, where Su and P are Sbt-70 and prodomain, respectively, which are largely unstructured at the start of the reaction, Pf--SI is a collision complex of a partially folded Sbt-70 and folded prodomain, and Pf--Sf is the complex of folded Sbt-70 and prodomain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.