Local conformational flexibility provides a basis for facile polymer formation in human neuroserpin.
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ABSTRACT: Neuroserpin is a regulator of neuronal growth and plasticity. Like other members of the serpin family, neuroserpin undergoes a large conformational change as part of its function. Unlike other serpins such as ?(1)-antitrypsin, wild-type neuroserpin will polymerize under near-physiological conditions, and will spontaneously transition to the latent state. To probe the origins of this conformational lability, we have performed hydrogen exchange measurements and molecular-dynamics simulations on human neuroserpin. Hydrogen exchange indicates that neuroserpin has greater flexibility in the breach region and in ?-strand 1C compared with ?(1)-antitrypsin. Molecular-dynamics simulations show that the distance between the top of ?-strands 3 and 5A averages 4.6 Å but becomes as large as 7.5 Å in neuroserpin while it remains stable at ?3.5 Å in ?(1)-antitrypsin. Further simulations show that the stabilizing S340A mutation suppresses these fluctuations in neuroserpin. The first principal component calculated from the simulations shows a movement of helix F away from the face of ?-sheet A in neuroserpin while no such movement is evident in ?(1)-antitrypsin. The increased mobility of these regions in neuroserpin relative to ?(1)-antitrypsin provides a basis for neuroserpin's increased tendency toward the formation of polymers and/or the latent state.
SUBMITTER: Sarkar A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3183757 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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