Analysis of side-chain conformation in proteins

The crystal structures of a number of globular proteins are currently available. An analysis of the distribution of side-chains among different allowed conformations in these proteins has been carried out. The observed conformations of individual residues are discussed on the basis of well-known stereochemical criteria. The population distribution of side-chains in different allowed regions in conformational space can be explained largely on the basis of simple steric considerations. In addition to examining the conformational behaviour of individual residues, some population distributions of conformational angles of general interest involving groups of residues have also been analyzed.

Involvement of cytoskeletal structures in nerve-growth-factor-mediated induction of ornithine decarboxylase

Induction of ornithine decarboxylase elicited in response to nerve-growth factor in target organs is greatly decreased by preincubation of these tissues with cytoskeletal poisons such as vinblastine, diamide, cytochalasin B and colchicine. These results are interpreted as evidence for the involvement of receptor-associated cytoskeletal structures in mediating the nerve-growth-factor-specific induction of ornithine decarboxylase.

A glossary of DNA structures from A to Z

The right-handed double-helical Watson-Crick model for B-form DNA is the most commonly known DNA structure. In addition to this classic structure, several other forms of DNA have been observed and it is clear that the DNA molecule can assume different structures depending on the base sequence and environment. The various forms of DNA have been identified as A, B, C etc. In fact, a detailed inspection of the literature reveals that only the letters F, Q, U, V and Y are now available to describe any new DNA structure that may appear in the future. It is also apparent that it may be more relevant to talk about the A, B or C type dinucleotide steps, since several recent structures show mixtures of various different geometries and a careful analysis is essential before identifying it as a 'new structure'. This review provides a glossary of currently identified DNA structures and is quite timely as it outlines the present understanding of DNA structure exactly 50 years after the original discovery of DNA structure by Watson and Crick

Interaction Energy Based Protein Structure Networks

The three dimensional structure of a protein is formed and maintained by the noncovalent interactions among the amino acid residues of the polypeptide chain These interactions can be represented collectively in the form of a network So far such networks have been investigated by considering the connections based on distances between the amino acid residues Here we present a method of constructing the structure network based on interaction energies among the amino acid residues in the protein We have investigated the properties of such protein energy based networks (PENs) and have shown correlations to protein structural features such as the clusters of residues involved in stability formation of secondary and super secondary structural units Further we demonstrate that the analysis of PENs in terms of parameters such as hubs and shortest paths can provide a variety of biologically important information such as the residues crucial for stabilizing the folded units and the paths of communication between distal residues in the protein Finally the energy regimes for different levels of stabilization in the protein structure have clearly emerged from the PEN analysis

High-quality annotation of promoter regions for 913 bacterial genomes

Motivation: The number of bacterial genomes being sequenced is increasing very rapidly and hence, it is crucial to have procedures for rapid and reliable annotation of their functional elements such as promoter regions, which control the expression of each gene or each transcription unit of the genome. The present work addresses this requirement and presents a generic method applicable across organisms. Results: Relative stability of the DNA double helical sequences has been used to discriminate promoter regions from non-promoter regions. Based on the difference in stability between neighboring regions, an algorithm has been implemented to predict promoter regions on a large scale over 913 microbial genome sequences. The average free energy values for the promoter regions as well as their downstream regions are found to differ, depending on their GC content. Threshold values to identify promoter regions have been derived using sequences flanking a subset of translation start sites from all microbial genomes and then used to predict promoters over the complete genome sequences. An average recall value of 72% (which indicates the percentage of protein and RNA coding genes with predicted promoter regions assigned to them) and precision of 56% is achieved over the 913 microbial genome dataset.

X-ray studies on crystalline complexes involving amino acids and peptides XIX. Effects of change in chirality in the complexes of succinic acid with dl- and l-arginine

Crystals of dl-arginine hemisuccinate dihydrate (I)(monoclinic; P21/c; a = 5.292, b = 16.296, c = 15.203 Å; α= 92.89°; Z = 4) and l-arginine hemisuccinate hemisuccinic acid monohydrate (II) (triclinic; P1; a = 5.099; b = 10.222, c = 14.626 Å; α= 77.31, β= 89.46, γ= 78.42°; Z = 2) were grown under identical conditions from aqueous solutions of the components in molar proportions. The structures were solved by direct methods and refined to R = 0.068 for 2585 observed reflections in the case of (I) and R = 0.036 for 2154 observed reflections in the case of (11). Two of the three crystallographically independent arginine molecules in the complexes have conformations different from those observed so far in the crystal structures containing arginine. The succinic acid molecules and the succinate ions in the structures are centrosymmetric and planar. The crystal structure of (II) is highly pseudosymmetric. Arginine-succinate interactions in both the complexes involve specific guanidyl-carboxylate interactions. The basic elements of aggregation in both the structures are ribbons made up of alternating arginine dimers and succinate ions. However, the ribbons pack in different ways in the two structures. (II) presents an interesting case in which two ionisation states of the same molecule coexist in a crystal. The two complexes provide a good example of the effect of change in chirality on stoichiometry, conformation, aggregation, and ionisation state in the solid state.

X-ray studies on crystalline complexes involving amino acids and peptides. XXI. Structure of a (1:1) complex between L-phenylalanine and D-valine

CsHllNO2.C9HilNO2, Mr = 282.3, P1, a = 5.245 (1), b = 5.424 (1), c = 14.414 (2) A, a = 97.86 (1), fl = 93-69 (2), y = 70-48 (2) °, V= 356 A 3, Z = 1, O m = 1-32 (2), Dx = 1.32 g cm-3, h(Mo Ka) = 0-7107 A, g = 5-9 cm-1, F(000) = 158, T= 298 K, R=0.035 for 1518 observed reflections with I>2tr(I). The molecules aggregate in double layers, one ayer made up of L-phenylalanine molecules and the other of D-valine molecules. Each double layer is stabilized by interactions involving main-chain atoms of both types of molecules. The interactions include hydrogen bonds which give rise to two head-to-tail sequences. The arrangement of molecules in the complex is almost the same as that in the structure of DL-valine (and DL-leucine and DL-isoleucine) except for the change in the side chain of L molecules. The molecules in crystals containing an equal number of L and O hydrophobic amino-acid molecules thus appear to aggregate in a similar fashion, irrespective of the precise details of the side chain.