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OneDep, a unified system for deposition, biocuration, and validation of experimentally determined structures of biological macromolecules to the Protein Data Bank (PDB) archive, has been developed as a global collaboration by the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) partners. This new system was designed to ensure that the wwPDB could meet the evolving archiving requirements of the scientific community over the coming decades. OneDep unifies deposition, biocuration, and validation pipelines across all wwPDB, EMDB, and BMRB deposition sites with improved focus on data quality and completeness in these archives, while supporting growth in the number of depositions and increases in their average size and complexity. In this paper, we describe the design, functional operation, and supporting infrastructure of the OneDep system, and provide initial performance assessments.

The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the single global repository for experimentally determined 3D structures of biological macromolecules and their complexes with ligands. The worldwide PDB (wwPDB) is the international collaboration that manages the PDB archive according to the FAIR principles: Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability. The wwPDB recently developed OneDep, a unified tool for deposition, validation and biocuration of structures of biological macromolecules. All data deposited to the PDB undergo critical review by wwPDB Biocurators. This article outlines the importance of biocuration for structural biology data deposited to the PDB and describes wwPDB biocuration processes and the role of expert Biocurators in sustaining a high-quality archive. Structural data submitted to the PDB are examined for self-consistency, standardized using controlled vocabularies, cross-referenced with other biological data resources and validated for scientific/technical accuracy. We illustrate how biocuration is integral to PDB data archiving, as it facilitates accurate, consistent and comprehensive representation of biological structure data, allowing efficient and effective usage by research scientists, educators, students and the curious public worldwide. Database URL: https://www.wwpdb.org/

Biomolecular structures at atomic resolution present a valuable resource for the understanding of biology. NMR spectroscopy accounts for 11 % of all structures in the PDB repository. In response to serious problems with the accuracy of some of the NMR-derived structures and in order to facilitate proper analysis of the experimental models, a number of program suites are available. We discuss nine of these tools in this review: PROCHECK-NMR, PSVS, GLM-RMSD, CING, Molprobity, Vivaldi, ResProx, NMR constraints analyzer and QMEAN. We evaluate these programs for their ability to assess the structural quality, restraints and their violations, chemical shifts, peaks and the handling of multi-model NMR ensembles. We document both the input required by the programs and output they generate. To discuss their relative merits we have applied the tools to two representative examples from the PDB: a small, globular monomeric protein (Staphylococcal nuclease from S. aureus, PDB entry 2kq3) and a small, symmetric homodimeric protein (a region of human myosin-X, PDB entry 2lw9).

Second-generation catalysts of the general formula Cl2Ru(SIMes)(L)(3-phenylinden-1-ylidene), 3a (L = PCy3), 3b (L = PPh3), 3c (L = py), and Cl2Ru(SIMe)(L)(3-phenylinden-1-ylidene), 4a (L = PCy3), 4b (L = PPh3), 4c (L = py) were found to be of interest in various metathesis transformations. The catalysts containing SIMe ligands showed improved initiation compared to the more robust SIMes substituted catalysts. A strong temperature effect was noted on all of the reactions tested. Interestingly, complex 3a, showing the lowest initiation rate at room temperature, emerged as the most productive of all systems examined at elevated temperature. It is shown that complexes containing the SIMe ligand display higher initiation efficiency than their corresponding SIMes analogues. Since the higher initiation is related to the ease of phosphane dissociation while phosphane dissociation also promotes catalyst decomposition, complexes bearing the SIMe ligand decompose faster. The complete 1H, 13C and 31P resonance assignment and the procedure applied to obtain these from a combination of 1D and 2D NMR techniques, is also reported. Combined with the ROESY technique, these enabled to investigate several conformational processes involving rotations around N–phenyl and C–Ru bonds on the millisecond to second timescale. A clear correlation is demonstrated between the bulkiness of the axial ligand (L) and the rotational freedom of the SIMe(s) ligand. A qualitative analysis also suggests that the extra para-methyl of SIMes leads to additional steric interactions with the 3-phenylinden-1-ylidene ligand. The data reported in this paper demonstrates that substitution patterns of the N-aryl have a significant influence on the activity of the second-generation indenylidene catalysts for a given metathesis reaction.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)

Dermorphin analogues, containing a (S)- and (R)-4-amino1,2,4,5-tetrahydro-2-benzazepin-3-one scaffold (Aba) and the alpha-methylated analogues as conformationally constrained phenylalanines, were prepared. Asymmetric phase-transfer catalysis was unable to provide the (S)-alpha-Me-o-cyanophenylalanine precursor for (S)-alpha-MeAba in acceptable enantiomeric purity. However, by using a Schollkopf chiral auxiliary, this intermediate was obtained in 88% ee. [(S)-Aba 3-Gly 4] dermorphin retained mu-opioid affinity but displayed an increased delta-affinity. The corresponding R epimer was considerably less potent. In contrast, the [(R)-alpha-MeAba3-Gly4] dermorphin isomer was more potent than its S epimer. Tar-MD simulations of both non-methylated [Aba 3-Gly 4] dermorphin analogues showed a degree of folding at the C-terminal residues toward the N terminus of the peptide, without however, adopting a stabilized beta-turn conformation. The alpha-methylated analogues, on the other hand, exhibited a type I/I' beta-turn conformation over the alpha-MeAba3 and Gly4 residues, which was stabilized by a hydrogen bond involving Tyr5-H(N) and D-Ala 2-CO.

The synthesis of complexes of the general formula Cl2Ru(SIMes)(L)(3-phenylinden-1-ylidene), 3a (L = PCy3), 3b (L = PPh3), 3c (L = py) and Cl2Ru(SIMe)(L)(3-phenylinden-1-ylidene), 4c (L = PCy3), 4b (L = PPh3), 4c (L = py) from commercially available Cl2Ru(PR3)2(3-phenylinden-1-ylidene), 2a (R = Cy), 2b (R = Ph), is reported, and the summed complexes proved to be useful catalysts for various ring-closing metathesis reactions. The catalytic data reported furthermore demonstrate that the substitution pattern of the N-aryl group has a definite influence on the activity of the second generation indenylidene catalysts for a given metathesis reaction, i.e. catalysts containing the SIMe-ligand showed improved initiation compared to the more robust SIMes substituted catalysts. A strong temperature effect was observed on all of the reactions tested. It is shown that complexes containing the SIMe-ligand display higher initiation efficiency then their corresponding SIMes analogues.

The NMR conformational study of three asymmetric phenylindenylidene ruthenium complexes 4.1-4.3, is presented. Complete (1)H and (13)C assignments could be obtained for 4.1-4.3 in benzene solution from multiple 2D homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR techniques. Our NMR analysis shows that each complex exists as a 55:45 mixture of two rotational isomers in slow exchange on the NMR chemical shift timescale. They are shown to be related by a 180 degrees flip of the indenylidene ligand along the Ru=CR bond. Both rotational isomers can be discriminated by means of NOEs contacts between the various ligands coordinating to the Ru. By matching these stereospecific assignments to the chemical shift, a chemical shift based fingerprint of the isomers that may allow straightforward assignment of future asymmetric phenylindenylidene ruthenium complexes is proposed.

Pseudodesmin A is a cyclic lipodepsipeptide (CLP) of the viscosin group with a moderate in vitro biological activity. For several CLPs, including members of this group, this activity has been related to the ability to form ion pores in cellular membranes. As their size does not allow individual CLPs to span the membrane bilayer, individual monomers must somehow assemble into a larger structure. NMR spectroscopy has been used to demonstrate that in chloroform and other apolar organic solvents, pseudodesmin A monomers assemble into a supramolecular structure. These self-assembled structures can become sufficiently large to span the membrane bilayer as demonstrated with translational diffusion NMR spectroscopic measurements. With the aim to obtain more insight into the structural nature of this assembly, the solution conformation of pseudodesmin A was first determined by using ROESY (rOe) restraints measured in acetonitrile, in which no self-association occurs. The structure, which is found to be mostly similar to the previously described crystal structure, is shown to be retained within the supramolecular complex. Intermolecular rOe contacts obtained in chloroform together with chemical shift perturbation data provides structural insight into the organization of the self-associated complex. Based upon this analysis, a model for the organization of pseudodesmin A monomers in the supramolecular assembly is proposed, which is in agreement with the formation of bilayer spanning hydrophilic pores and provides the basis for a structure-function relationship for this type of CLPs. Finally, it is demonstrated that the differences previously reported between the crystal and solution conformation of the white line inducing principle (WLIP), a close analogue of pseudodesmin A, are the result of the use of dimethyl sulfoxide as solvent, whose strong hydrogen-bonding capacity induces conformational exchange.

Because of its presence in many molecules of biological relevance, the conformational analysis of five-membered rings using (3)J(HH) scalar coupling data from NMR is a topic of considerable interest. Typically, conformational analysis involves the use of a well-established mathematical procedure, originally developed by de Leeuw et al., that fits two rigid conformations to the available experimental data. This so-called pseudorotation analysis approach is not without problems, however, as chemically unrealistic conformations are sometimes generated from the data. Here, we present our investigations in the use of time-averaged restrained molecular dynamics simulations as a generic tool to determine the conformations that agree with experimental (3)J(HH) scalar coupling data. For this purpose, a set of six ribose-based molecules has been used as model compounds. The influence of several modeling parameters is assessed and optimized values are proposed. The results obtained with the tar-MD approach arecompared to those obtained from the two conformer fitting procedure. Interpretation of the latter is facilitated by the introduction of a fitting error analysis that allows mapping the solution space of the fitting procedure. The relative merits of both methods and the advantages that result from the use of a force field and a time-averaged restraint potential for the experimental data are discussed. When combined, both techniques allow an enhanced understanding of the molecules' conformational behavior and prevent possible overinterpretation. In view of the very reasonable computational burden of a tar-MD Simulation for the systems investigated here, the approach should be generally applicable. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 31: 561-572, 2010

Copolymers of acrylamide and quaternised dimethylaminoethyl acrylate (DMAEA-Q) constitute an economically important range of cationic polyelectrolytes used in sludge conditioning. The latter treatment involves charge neutralisation and bridging induced by these polymers. Since both of these phenomena rely on charge-driven sorption onto the negatively charged colloidal particles, the accurate assessment of their charge density is of primary importance in polyelectrolyte characterisation. The experimental determination of this characteristic generally relies on colloidal charge titration, in which the cationic polymer is titrated against an anionic polymer. Hereby, one of the requirements to have a stoichiometric reaction between the oppositely charged polymers is a sufficiently low polymer concentration. In this study, it is shown that such a low polymer concentration may entail a pronounced hydrolysis effect for DMAEA-Q-based polymers, which leads to a release of the cationic side groups and hence causes considerable errors on the charge titration results. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was applied to investigate the fast hydrolysis kinetics of DMAEA-Q polymers together with time-dependent charge titration measurements. Diffusion NMR spectroscopy was used to assist in establishing the nature of the hydrolysis compounds. The results from both techniques indicate that a high degree of hydrolysis is reached within minutes after dilution of a concentrated polymer stock solution into aqueous solutions of slightly acidic to neutral pH values. Therefore, a modification to the classic colloid titration procedure is proposed, using a buffered dilution liquid to avoid polymer hydrolysis. It is shown that a buffer pH value of 4.5 avoids not only polymer hydrolysis effects but also possible protonation of the anionic titrant, thereby avoiding overestimation of the charge density. By means of this procedure, reproducible and time-independent charge titration results are obtained.

The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the single global archive of 3D biomacromolecular structure data. The archive is managed by the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB; wwpdb.org) organisation through its partners, the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics (RCSB PDB), the Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj), the Protein Data Bank in Europe and the Biological Magnetic Resonance Bank (BMRB). Analogously, the Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB) is managed by the EMDataBank (emdatabank.org) organisation. A few years ago, realising the needs and opportunities to assess the quality of biomacromolecular structures deposited in the PDB, the wwPDB and EMDataBank partners established Validation Task Forces (VTFs) to advice them on up-to-date and community-agreed methods and standards to validate X-ray, NMR and 3DEM structures and data. All three VTFs have now published their recommendations (1, 2, 3) and these are getting implemented as validation-software pipelines . The pipelines are integrated in the new joint wwPDB deposition and annotation system (http://deposit.wwpdb.org/deposition/). In addition, stand-alone servers are provided to allow practising structural biologists to validate models prior to publication and deposition (http://wwpdb.org/validation-servers.html). The validation pipelines and the output they produce (human-readable PDF reports and machine-readable XML files) will be described.

The Protein Data Bank in Europe (http://pdbe.org) accepts and annotates depositions of macromolecular structure data in the PDB and EMDB archives and enriches, integrates and disseminates structural information in a variety of ways. The PDBe website has been redesigned based on an analysis of user requirements, and now offers intuitive access to improved and value-added macromolecular structure information. Unique value-added information includes lists of reviews and research articles that cite or mention PDB entries as well as access to figures and legends from full-text open-access publications that describe PDB entries. A powerful new query system not only shows all the PDB entries that match a given query, but also shows the 'best structures' for a given macromolecule, ligand complex or sequence family using data-quality information from the wwPDB validation reports. A PDBe RESTful API has been developed to provide unified access to macromolecular structure data available in the PDB and EMDB archives as well as value-added annotations, e.g. regarding structure quality and up-to-date cross-reference information from the SIFTS resource. Taken together, these new developments facilitate unified access to macromolecular structure data in an intuitive way for non-expert users and support expert users in analysing macromolecular structure data.