For a successful analysis of the relation between amino acid sequence and protein structure, an unambiguous and physically meaningful definition of secondary structure is essential. We have developed a set of simple and physically motivated criteria for secondary structure, programmed as a pattern-recognition process of hydrogen-bonded and geometrical features extracted from x-ray coordinates. Cooperative secondary structure is recognized as repeats of the elementary hydrogen-bonding patterns “turn” and “bridge.” Repeating turns are “helices,” repeating bridges are “ladders,” connected ladders are “sheets.” Geometric structure is defined in terms of the concepts torsion and curvature of differential geometry. Local chain “chirality” is the torsional handedness of four consecutive Cα positions and is positive for right-handed helices and negative for ideal twisted β-sheets. Curved pieces are defined as “bends.” Solvent “exposure” is given as the number of water molecules in possible contact with a residue. The end result is a compilation of the primary structure, including SS bonds, secondary structure, and solvent exposure of 62 different globular proteins. The presentation is in linear form: strip graphs for an overall view and strip tables for the details of each of 10.925 residues. The dictionary is also available in computer-readable form for protein structure prediction work.

Dictionary of protein secondary structure: pattern recognition of hydrogen-bonded and geometrical features

We demonstrate in this work that the surface tension, water-organic solvent, transfer-free energies and the thermodynamics of melting of linear alkanes provide fundamental insights into the nonpolar driving forces for protein folding and protein binding reactions. We first develop a model for the curvature dependence of the hydrophobic effect and find that the macroscopic concept of interfacial free energy is applicable at the molecular level. Application of a well-known relationship involving surface tension and adhesion energies reveals that dispersion forces play little or no net role in hydrophobic interactions; rather, the standard model of disruption of water structure (entropically driven at 25 degrees C) is correct. The hydrophobic interaction is found, in agreement with the classical picture, to provide a major driving force for protein folding. Analysis of the melting behavior of hydrocarbons reveals that close packing of the protein interior makes only a small free energy contribution to folding because the enthalpic gain resulting from increased dispersion interactions (relative to the liquid) is countered by the freezing of side chain motion. The identical effect should occur in association reactions, which may provide an enormous simplification in the evaluation of binding energies. Protein binding reactions, even between nearly planar or concave/convex interfaces, are found to have effective hydrophobicities considerably smaller than the prediction based on macroscopic surface tension. This is due to the formation of a concave collar region that usually accompanies complex formation. This effect may preclude the formation of complexes between convex surfaces.

Protein folding and association: insights from the interfacial and thermodynamic properties of hydrocarbons.

Reviewing the thermodynamic parameters characterizing self-association and ligand binding of proteins at 25 OC, we find AGO, AHo, AS\", and ACpo are often all of negative sign. It is thus not possible to account for the stability of association complexes of proteins on the basis of hydrophobic interactions alone. We present a conceptual model of protein association consisting of two steps: the mutual penetration of hydration layers causing disordering of the solvent followed by further short-range interactions. The net AGO for the complete association process is primarily determined by the positive entropy change accompanying the first step and the negative enthalpy change of the second step. On the basis of the thermochemical behavior of small molecule interactions, we conclude that the strengthening of hydrogen bonds in the I n the past decade, a complete thermodynamic description of the self-association of many proteins and their interactions From the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (P.D.R.) and Laboratory of Nutrition and Endocrinology (S.S.), National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20205. Received September 23, 1980. low dielectric macromolecular interior and van der Waals' interactions introduced as a consequence of the hydrophobic effect are the most important factors contributing to the observed negative values of AHo and ASo and hence to the stability of protein association complexes. The X-ray crystallographic structures of these complexes are consonant with this analysis. The tendency for protein association reactions to become entropy dominated and/or entropy-enthalpy assisted at low temperatures and enthalpy dominated at high temperatures (a consequence of the typically negative values of AC,\") arises from the diminution of the hydrophobic effect with increasing temperature which is a general property of the solvent, water. with small molecular substrates has become available. Concomitantly, X-ray crystallography has provided a detailed picture of some of these associations, and this has stimulated a number of theoretical studies (Levitt & Warshel, 1975; Gelin & Karplus, 1975; Chothia & Janin, 1975), based upon energetic considerations, to account for these structures. The This article not subject to U S . Copyright. Published 1981 by the American Chemical Society T H E R M O D Y N A M I C S O F P R O T E I N A S S O C I A T I O N V O L . 2 0 , N O . 1 1 , 1 9 8 1 3097 Table I: Thermodynamics of Protein Association' association process A G \" ~ AiY A s o , A c p o (kcal mol-') (kcal mol-l) (cal K-I mol-') (cal K-I mol-I) refb trypsin (bovine) + inhibitor (soybean) -14.6 8.6 78 -440 c, d deoxyhemoglobin S gelation -3.4 2.0 18 -200 e, f lysozyme self-association (indefinite) -3.9 -6 .4 -8.3 g glucagon trimerization -12.1 -3 1 -64 -430 h, i hemoglobin t haptoglobin -11.5 -3 3 -7 3 -940 i a-chymotrypsin dimerization -7.1 -35 -9 5 k, I S-peptide + S-protein (ribonuclease) -13 -40 -90 -1100 m, n All thermodynamic parameters expressed per mole of complex formed except the indefinite association cases of hemoglobin S and lysozyme for which the mole refers to the monomeric protein reacted. Unitary entropy and free energy are given for processes of defined stoichiometry. Standard states are hypothetical 1 M protein, pH at which the reaction was measured. All pHs were close to 7 except for trypsin, pH 5, haptoglobin, pH 5.5, and glucagon, pH 10.5. All data for 25 \"C except glucagon, T = 30 \"C. ence is to calorimetric work and the second is to X-ray crystallographic structure determination. al. (1974). e Rosset al. (1977). Wishner e t al. (1975). g Banerjee et al. (1975). Johnson et al. (1979). * Sasaki et al. (1975). For each entry, the first referSweet et Baugh & Trowbridge (1972). Lavialle et al. (1974). Shiao & Sturtevant (1969). lVandlen &Tulinsky (1973). Hearn et al. (1971). Wyckoff e t al. (1970). methodology and problems involved in such calculations have been critically reviewed by NBmethy & Scheraga (1977). In this paper we review the thermodynamics of protein association processes for the examples best characterized in terms of their chemistry and structure. From this survey we find that the thermodynamic parameters AGO, Ai?, AS\", and ACpo are predominantly of negative sign. This result poses severe difficulties for interpretations of protein association based upon the entropically driven hydrophobic effect. The aim of this paper is to attempt to account for the signs and magnitudes of these thermodynamic parameters for protein association reactions in terms of known molecular forces and the thermochemistry of small molecule interactions.

Thermodynamics of protein association reactions: forces contributing to stability

Small Angle X-Ray Scattering

Infrared spectroscopy of proteins.

Environment and exposure to solvent of protein atoms. Lysozyme and insulin.

Publisher Summary Hydration can be considered a process of adding water incrementally to dry protein, until a level of hydration is reached beyond which further addition of water produces no change and only dilutes the protein. The hydration process has several stages and an end point, reflected similarly in different types of measurements. Time-average measurements appear to have a common pattern and most closely fit a single picture of the process. Dynamic measurements sometimes show a dependence on hydration level that lies outside the common pattern of the time-average results. The chapter summarizes the literature that bears on the protein hydration process and the hydration shell, categorized by type of measurement, and provides picture of the hydration process and the hydration shell and an assessment of the ways in which the hydration shell may modulate enzyme and other protein functions. The percolation model is discussed that focuses on the long-range connectivity established at a threshold coverage of a surface or volume with conducting or otherwise functional elements.

Protein hydration and function.

https://www.cell.com/trends/biochemical-sciences/pdf/0968-0004(83)90063-4.pdf

Water and globular proteins

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on vertebrate lysozymes, particularly hen egg-white (HEW) lysozyme. Lysozymes of other types generally are distinguishable from HEW lysozyme in having higher molecular weights and somewhat different enzymic activities. Lysozyme is small and basic, and it separates well on weak acid resins, like Amberlite XE-64 or Bio-Rex 70 or carboxymethyl cellulose and on calcium phosphate gel. Affinity chromatography of lysozyme has been carried out using dispersed chitin or carboxymethyl (CM)-chitin. The conditions required for elution from chitin columns suggest that there are two classes of adsorbent sites that are differently affected by pH and ionic strength in their interaction with the enzyme. The preparation of lysozyme from diverse animal sources is generally achieved in four main steps, which include (1) the preparation of a lysozyme-rich extract, (2) chromatography on CM-cellulose, (3) filtration on Sephadex G-25, and (4) ion exchange chromatography on Amberlite CG-50 at 20° C with a 0.2 M phosphate buffer. The chromatography is sensitive to the pH and small variation of no more than 0.1 pH unit can involve complete retention or exclusion.

21 Vertebrate Lysozymes

The bulk of the fluorescence of lysozyme is located in Trp 62 and Trp 108. By examination of the fluorescence of derivatives in which Trp 62 and/or Trp 108 are specifically oxidized, it has been possible to detect a pH-dependent interaction between tryptophan residues. This interaction is interpreted as energy transfer from Trp 108 to Trp 62.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/69/5/1151.full.pdf

John A. Rupley

Papers

Environment and exposure to solvent of protein atoms. Lysozyme and insulin.

Protein hydration and function.

Water and globular proteins

21 Vertebrate Lysozymes

Fluorescence of lysozyme: emissions from tryptophan residues 62 and 108 and energy migration.