Trigger factor, one of the Escherichia coli chaperone proteins, is an original member of the FKBP family

AbstractThe trigger factor of Escherichia coli is known as a chaperone protein which forms soluble complexes with the precursor to outer membrane protein A and assists in the maintenance of translocation competence. Sequence analysis shows that trigger factor contains a domain belonging to the FK506-binding protein (FKBP) family and possessing all the amino acids necessary for FK506 binding and peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (Ppiase) activity. Consequently, this protein could be directly involved in the unfolding/folding processes occurring during translocation across the E. coli plasma membrane and, more generally, in facilitating protein folding. The central position of the FKBP domain within the trigger factor sequence as well as several original features of the loops surrounding the FK506-binding pocket are not found in any other FKBPs, making it undetectable by the Fkbp-Ppiase signature patterns

Characterization of Non-Trivial Neighborhood Fold Constraints from Protein Sequences using Generalized Topohydrophobicity

Prediction of key features of protein structures, such as secondary structure, solvent accessibility and number of contacts between residues, provides useful structural constraints for comparative modeling, fold recognition, ab-initio fold prediction and detection of remote relationships. In this study, we aim at characterizing the number of non-trivial close neighbors, or long-range contacts of a residue, as a function of its “topohydrophobic” index deduced from multiple sequence alignments and of the secondary structure in which it is embedded. The “topohydrophobic” index is calculated using a two-class distribution of amino acids, based on their mean atom depths. From a large set of structural alignments processed from the FSSP database, we selected 1485 structural sub-families including at least 8 members, with accurate alignments and limited redundancy. We show that residues within helices, even when deeply buried, have few non-trivial neighbors (0–2), whereas β-strand residues clearly exhibit a multimodal behavior, dominated by the local geometry of the tetrahedron (3 non-trivial close neighbors associated with one tetrahedron; 6 with two tetrahedra). This observed behavior allows the distinction, from sequence profiles, between edge and central β-strands within β-sheets. Useful topological constraints on the immediate neighborhood of an amino acid, but also on its correlated solvent accessibility, can thus be derived using this approach, from the simple knowledge of multiple sequence alignments

Prediction of the general transcription factors associated with RNA polymerase II in Plasmodium falciparum: conserved features and differences relative to other eukaryotes

BACKGROUND: To date, only a few transcription factors have been identified in the genome of the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria. Moreover, no detailed molecular analysis of its basal transcription machinery, which is otherwise well-conserved in the crown group of eukaryotes, has yet been reported. In this study, we have used a combination of sensitive sequence analysis methods to predict the existence of several parasite encoded general transcription factors associated with RNA polymerase II. RESULTS: Several orthologs of general transcription factors associated with RNA polymerase II can be predicted among the hypothetical proteins of the P. falciparum genome using the two-dimensional Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis (HCA) together with profile-based search methods (PSI-BLAST). These predicted orthologous genes encoding putative transcription factors include the large subunit of TFIIA and two candidates for its small subunit, the TFIIE β-subunit, which would associate with the previously known TFIIE α-subunit, the TFIIF β-subunit, as well as the p62/TFB1 subunit of the TFIIH core. Within TFIID, the putative orthologs of TAF1, TAF2, TAF7 and TAF10 were also predicted. However, no candidates for TAFs with classical histone fold domain (HFD) were found, suggesting an unusual architecture of TFIID complex of RNA polymerase II in the parasite. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results suggest that more general transcription factors may be present in the P. falciparum proteome than initially thought. The prediction of these orthologous general transcription factors opens the way for further studies dealing with transcriptional regulation in P. falciparum. These alternative and sensitive sequence analysis methods can help to identify candidates for other transcriptional regulatory factors in P. falciparum. They will also facilitate the prediction of biological functions for several orphan proteins from other apicomplexan parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium parvum and Eimeria

A generalized analysis of hydrophobic and loop clusters within globular protein sequences

BACKGROUND: Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis (HCA) is an efficient way to compare highly divergent sequences through the implicit secondary structure information directly derived from hydrophobic clusters. However, its efficiency and application are currently limited by the need of user expertise. In order to help the analysis of HCA plots, we report here the structural preferences of hydrophobic cluster species, which are frequently encountered in globular domains of proteins. These species are characterized only by their hydrophobic/non-hydrophobic dichotomy. This analysis has been extended to loop-forming clusters, using an appropriate loop alphabet. RESULTS: The structural behavior of hydrophobic cluster species, which are typical of protein globular domains, was investigated within banks of experimental structures, considered at different levels of sequence redundancy. The 294 more frequent hydrophobic cluster species were analyzed with regard to their association with the different secondary structures (frequencies of association with secondary structures and secondary structure propensities). Hydrophobic cluster species are predominantly associated with regular secondary structures, and a large part (60 %) reveals preferences for α-helices or β-strands. Moreover, the analysis of the hydrophobic cluster amino acid composition generally allows for finer prediction of the regular secondary structure associated with the considered cluster within a cluster species. We also investigated the behavior of loop forming clusters, using a "PGDNS" alphabet. These loop clusters do not overlap with hydrophobic clusters and are highly associated with coils. Finally, the structural information contained in the hydrophobic structural words, as deduced from experimental structures, was compared to the PSI-PRED predictions, revealing that β-strands and especially α-helices are generally over-predicted within the limits of typical β and α hydrophobic clusters. CONCLUSION: The dictionary of hydrophobic clusters described here can help the HCA user to interpret and compare the HCA plots of globular protein sequences, as well as provides an original fundamental insight into the structural bricks of protein folds. Moreover, the novel loop cluster analysis brings additional information for secondary structure prediction on the whole sequence through a generalized cluster analysis (GCA), and not only on regular secondary structures. Such information lays the foundations for developing a new and original tool for secondary structure prediction

Alignment of transmembrane regions in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel pore

Different transmembrane (TM) α helices are known to line the pore of the cystic fibrosis TM conductance regulator (CFTR) Cl− channel. However, the relative alignment of these TMs in the three-dimensional structure of the pore is not known. We have used patch-clamp recording to investigate the accessibility of cytoplasmically applied cysteine-reactive reagents to cysteines introduced along the length of the pore-lining first TM (TM1) of a cysteine-less variant of CFTR. We find that methanethiosulfonate (MTS) reagents irreversibly modify cysteines substituted for TM1 residues K95, Q98, P99, and L102 when applied to the cytoplasmic side of open channels. Residues closer to the intracellular end of TM1 (Y84–T94) were not apparently modified by MTS reagents, suggesting that this part of TM1 does not line the pore. None of the internal MTS reagent-reactive cysteines was modified by extracellular [2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl] MTS. Only K95C, closest to the putative intracellular end of TM1, was apparently modified by intracellular [2-sulfonatoethyl] MTS before channel activation. Comparison of these results with recent work on CFTR-TM6 suggests a relative alignment of these two important TMs along the axis of the pore. This alignment was tested experimentally by formation of disulfide bridges between pairs of cysteines introduced into these two TMs. Currents carried by the double mutants K95C/I344C and Q98C/I344C, but not by the corresponding single-site mutants, were inhibited by the oxidizing agent copper(II)-o-phenanthroline. This inhibition was irreversible on washing but could be reversed by the reducing agent dithiothreitol, suggesting disulfide bond formation between the introduced cysteine side chains. These results allow us to develop a model of the relative positions, functional contributions, and alignment of two important TMs lining the CFTR pore. Such functional information is necessary to understand and interpret the three-dimensional structure of the pore

Timing of CFTR Pore Opening and Structure of Its Transition State

In CFTR, the chloride ion channel mutated in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, pore opening is coupled to ATP-binding-induced dimerization of two cytosolic nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) and closure to dimer disruption following ATP hydrolysis. CFTR opening rate, unusually slow because of its high-energy transition state, is further slowed by CF mutation DeltaF508. Here, we exploit equilibrium gating of hydrolysis-deficient CFTR mutant D1370N and apply rate-equilibrium free-energy relationship analysis to estimate relative timing of opening movements in distinct protein regions. We find clear directionality of motion along the longitudinal protein axis and identify an opening transition-state structure with the NBD dimer formed but the pore still closed. Thus, strain at the NBD/pore-domain interface, the DeltaF508 mutation locus, underlies the energetic barrier for opening. Our findings suggest a therapeutic opportunity to stabilize this transition-state structure pharmacologically in DeltaF508-CFTR to correct its opening defect, an essential step toward restoring CFTR function