Alternative models for two crystal structures of bovine rhodopsin.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Stenkamp RE
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2483493 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:The formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the blood vessel walls is the result of LDL particle uptake, and consequently of cholesterol accumulation in macrophage cells. Excess cholesterol accumulation eventually results in cholesterol crystal deposition, the hallmark of mature atheromas. We followed the formation of cholesterol crystals in J774A.1 macrophage cells with time, during accumulation of LDL particles, using a previously developed correlative cryosoft X-ray tomography (cryo-SXT) and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) technique. We show, in the initial accumulation stages, formation of small quadrilateral crystal plates associated with the cell plasma membrane, which may subsequently assemble into large aggregates. These plates match crystals of the commonly observed cholesterol monohydrate triclinic structure. Large rod-like cholesterol crystals form at a later stage in intracellular locations. Using cryotransmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) and cryoelectron diffraction (cryo-ED), we show that the structure of the large elongated rods corresponds to that of monoclinic cholesterol monohydrate, a recently determined polymorph of the triclinic crystal structure. These monoclinic crystals form with an unusual hollow cylinder or helical architecture, which is preserved in the mature rod-like crystals. The rod-like morphology is akin to that observed in crystals isolated from atheromas. We suggest that the crystals in the atherosclerotic plaques preserve in their morphology the memory of the structure in which they were formed. The identification of the polymorph structure, besides explaining the different crystal morphologies, may serve to elucidate mechanisms of cholesterol segregation and precipitation in atherosclerotic plaques.
| S-EPMC6065044 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Recently, progress in IR sources has led to the discovery that humans can detect infrared (IR) light. This is hypothesized to be due to the two-photon absorption (TPA) events promoting the retina dim-light rod photoreceptor rhodopsin to the same excited state populated via one-photon absorption (OPA). Here, we combine quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics and extended multiconfiguration quasi-degenerate perturbation theory calculations to simulate the TPA spectrum of bovine rhodopsin (Rh) as a model for the human photoreceptor. The results show that the TPA spectrum of Rh has an intense S0 → S1 band but shows also S0 → S2 and S0 → S3 transitions whose intensities, relative to the S0 → S1 band, are significantly increased when compared to the corresponding bands of the OPA spectrum. In conclusion, we show that IR light in the 950 nm region can be perceived by rod photoreceptors, thus supporting the two-photon origin of the IR perception. We also found that the same photoreceptor can perceive red (i.e., close to 680 nm) light provided that TPA induces population of S2.
| S-EPMC7141604 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The structure of ethyl 1-[N-(4-methyl-phen-yl)-N-(methyl-sulfon-yl)alan-yl]piperidine-4-carboxyl-ate, C19H28N2O5S, I, a compound of inter-est as activator of Ubiquitin C-terminal Hydro-lase-L1 (UCH-L1), was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) analysis. In order to find new activators, a derivative of compound I, namely, 1-[N-(4-methyl-phen-yl)-N-(methyl-sulfon-yl)alan-yl]piperidine-4-carb-oxy-lic acid, C17H24N2O5S, II, was studied. The synthesis and crystal structure are also reported. Despite being analogues, different crystal packings are observed. Compound II bears a carb-oxy-lic group, which favors a strong hydrogen bond. A polymorph risk assessment was carried out to study inter-actions in compound II.
| S-EPMC8587977 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The first structural model of duplex DNA reported in 1953 by Watson & Crick presented the double helix in B-form, the form that genomic DNA exists in much of the time. Thus, artificial DNA seeking to mimic the properties of natural DNA should also be able to adopt B-form. Using a host-guest system in which Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase serves as the host and DNA as the guests, we determined high-resolution crystal structures of three complexes including 5'-CTTBPPBBSSZZSAAG, 5'-CTTSSPBZPSZBBAAG and 5'-CTTZZPBSBSZPPAAG with 10 consecutive unnatural nucleobase pairs in B-form within self-complementary 16 bp duplex oligonucleotides. We refer to this ALternative Isoinformational ENgineered (ALIEN) genetic system containing two nucleobase pairs (P:Z, pairing 2-amino-imidazo-[1,2-a]-1,3,5-triazin-(8H)-4-one with 6-amino-5-nitro-(1H)-pyridin-2-one, and B:S, 6-amino-4-hydroxy-5-(1H)-purin-2-one with 3-methyl-6-amino-pyrimidin-2-one) as ALIEN DNA. We characterized both position- and sequence-specific helical, nucleobase pair and dinucleotide step parameters of P:Z and B:S pairs in the context of B-form DNA. We conclude that ALIEN DNA exhibits structural features that vary with sequence. Further, Z can participate in alternative stacking modes within a similar sequence context as captured in two different structures. This finding suggests that ALIEN DNA may have a larger repertoire of B-form structures than natural DNA. This article is part of the theme issue 'Reactivity and mechanism in chemical and synthetic biology'.
| S-EPMC9835606 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Rhodopsin, the photoreceptor of rod cells, absorbs light to mediate the first step of vision by activating the G protein transducin (Gt). Several human diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa or congenital night blindness, are linked to rhodopsin malfunctions. Most of the corresponding in vivo studies and structure-function analyses (e.g. based on protein x-ray crystallography or spectroscopy) have been carried out on murine or bovine rhodopsin. Because these rhodopsins differ at several amino acid positions from human rhodopsin, we conducted a comprehensive spectroscopic characterization of human rhodopsin in combination with molecular dynamics simulations. We show by FTIR and UV-visible difference spectroscopy that the light-induced transformations of the early photointermediates are very similar. Significant differences between the pigments appear with formation of the still inactive Meta I state and the transition to active Meta II. However, the conformation of Meta II and its activity toward the G protein are essentially the same, presumably reflecting the evolutionary pressure under which the active state has developed. Altogether, our results show that although the basic activation pathways of human and bovine rhodopsin are similar, structural deviations exist in the inactive conformation and during receptor activation, even between closely related rhodopsins. These differences between the well studied bovine or murine rhodopsins and human rhodopsin have to be taken into account when the influence of point mutations on the activation pathway of human rhodopsin are investigated using the bovine or murine rhodopsin template sequences.
| S-EPMC4536423 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The Tyr92-Pro93 peptide group of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) exists in the cis conformation in the native state. From unfolding/refolding kinetic studies of the disulfide-intact wild-type protein and of a variant in which Pro93 had been replaced by Ala, it had been suggested that the Tyr92-Ala93 peptide group also exists in the cis conformation in the native state. Here, we report the crystal structure of the P93A variant. Although there is disorder in the region of residues 92 and 93, the best structural model contains a cis peptide at this position, lending support to the results of the kinetics experiments. We also report the crystal structure of the C[40, 95]A variant, which is an analog of the major rate-determining three-disulfide intermediate in the oxidative folding of RNase A, missing the 40-95 disulfide bond. As had been detected by NMR spectroscopy, the crystal structure of this analog shows disorder in the region surrounding the missing disulfide. However, the global chain fold of the remainder of the protein, including the disulfide bond between Cys65 and Cys72, appears to be unaffected by the mutation.
| S-EPMC2143996 | biostudies-other
Project description:The title compounds, 5-(2H-1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-N-cyclo-hexyl-penta-2,4-dienamide, C18H21NO3 (I), and 5-(2H-1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-1-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)penta-2,4-dien-1-one C16H17NO3 (II), are derivatives of piperine, which is known as a pungent component of pepper. Their geometrical parameters are similar to those of the three polymorphs of piperine, which indicate conjugation of electrons over the length of the mol-ecules. The extended structure of (I) features N-H?O amide hydrogen bonds, which generate C(4) [010] chains. The crystal of (II) features aromatic ?-? stacking, as for two of three known piperine polymorphs.
| S-EPMC7199259 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Two polymorphs, (I) and (II), of (S)-{2-[(8S,9S,10R,11S,13S,14S,17R)-11,17-dihy-droxy-10,13-dimethyl-3-oxo-2,6,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16-deca-hydro-1H-cyclo-penta-[a]phenanthren-17-yl]-2-oxoeth-yl} 2,2-di-methyl-propane-thio-ate, C26H38O5S, have been identified. They are ortho-rhom-bic, non-centrosymmetric (P212121). The structures display layers of mol-ecules conected via O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds along the b-axis direction in polymorph (I) and along the c-axis direction in polymorph (II). The structure of (II) exhibits disorder of the main mol-ecule.
| S-EPMC8340970 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The title compounds consist of a bornane skeleton with attached acetamide, C12H21NO (±)-(1) {systematic name: (±)-N-[(1RS,2RS,4RS)-1,7,7-tri-methylbi-cyclo-[2.2.1]heptan-2-yl]acetamide}, and chloro-acetamide, C12H20ClNO (±)-(2) {systematic name: (±)-2-chloro-N-[(1RS,2RS,4RS)-1,7,7-tri-methylbi-cyclo-[2.2.1]heptan-2-yl]-acetamide}, functionalities to the 2-exo-position. The crystal structure of the first monoclinic polymorph of (±)-(1) has been reported previously [Ung et al. (2014 ▸). Monatsh. Chem. 145, 983-992]. Compound (±)-(1) crystallizes in the space group P21/n with two independent mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit, in contrast to the above-mentioned polymorph which crystallized in the space group C2/c with one mol-ecule in the asymmetric unit. In the title compounds, the bicyclic bornane moieties have normal geometries. In the crystals of both compounds, mol-ecules are linked by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, reinforced by C-H⋯O contacts, forming trans-amide chains propagating along the a-axis direction. In the case of compound (±)-(1), neighbouring chains are linked by further C-H⋯O contacts, forming double-chain ribbons along [100].
| S-EPMC4647407 | biostudies-literature
Project description:X-ray crystallography provides the most accurate models of protein-ligand structures. These models serve as the foundation of many computational methods including structure prediction, molecular modelling, and structure-based drug design. The success of these computational methods ultimately depends on the quality of the underlying protein-ligand models. X-ray crystallography offers the unparalleled advantage of a clear mathematical formalism relating the experimental data to the protein-ligand model. In the case of X-ray crystallography, the primary experimental evidence is the electron density of the molecules forming the crystal. The first step in the generation of an accurate and precise crystallographic model is the interpretation of the electron density of the crystal, typically carried out by construction of an atomic model. The atomic model must then be validated for fit to the experimental electron density and also for agreement with prior expectations of stereochemistry. Stringent validation of protein-ligand models has become possible as a result of the mandatory deposition of primary diffraction data, and many computational tools are now available to aid in the validation process. Validation of protein-ligand complexes has revealed some instances of overenthusiastic interpretation of ligand density. Fundamental concepts and metrics of protein-ligand quality validation are discussed and we highlight software tools to assist in this process. It is essential that end users select high quality protein-ligand models for their computational and biological studies, and we provide an overview of how this can be achieved.
| S-EPMC4531100 | biostudies-other