Back to Search Start Over

Ion-ion interactions in the denatured state contribute to the stabilization of CutA1 proteins.

Authors :
Yutani K
Matsuura Y
Naitow H
Joti Y
Source :
Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2018 May 16; Vol. 8 (1), pp. 7613. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 May 16.
Publication Year :
2018

Abstract

In order to elucidate features of the denatured state ensembles that exist in equilibrium with the native state under physiological conditions, we performed 1.4-μs molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at 400 K and 450 K using the monomer subunits of three CutA1 mutants from Escherichia coli: an SH-free mutant (Ec0SH) with denaturation temperature (T <subscript>d</subscript> ) = 85.6 °C, a hydrophobic mutant (Ec0VV) with T <subscript>d</subscript>  = 113.3 °C, and an ionic mutant (Ec0VV_6) with T <subscript>d</subscript>  = 136.8 °C. The occupancy of salt bridges by the six substituted charged residues in Ec0VV_6 was 140.1% at 300 K and 89.5% at 450 K, indicating that even in the denatured state, salt bridge occupancy was high, approximately 60% of that at 300 K. From these results, we can infer that proteins from hyperthermophiles with a high ratio of charged residues are stabilized by a decrease in conformational entropy due to ion-ion interactions in the denatured state. The mechanism must be comparable to the stabilization conferred by disulfide bonds within a protein. This suggests that introduction of charged residues, to promote formation of salt bridges in the denatured state, would be a simple way to rationally design stability-enhanced mutants.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2045-2322
Volume :
8
Issue :
1
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Scientific reports
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
29769700
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25825-7