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The technique of scanning microcalorimetry was used to study the effect exerted by ethanol and by the pH of the medium on the number and size of cooperative regions in a pepsin molecule. Ethanol addition lowered the temperature of protein denaturation, but did not change the number of energetic domains. The number of thermodynamic cooperative units (determined as a delta Hcal to delta Heff ratio) was reduced from four to two when the pH changed from 6.7 to 2.0. As was demonstrated using the CD technique, this process involved no changes either in the secondary structure or in the local surroundings of aromatic amino acids. Therefore, variations in the cooperative properties of a pepsin globule at different pH values are associated with the electrostatic interactions of individual parts of the molecule.

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Ethanol and pH influence on the number and dimensions of cooperative regions in pepsin molecule was studied by scanning microcalorimetry. It is shown that ethanol solution causes a decrease of temperature of protein denaturation but does not influence the number of energetic domains. While changing pH from 6.7 to 2.0 the number of thermodynamic cooperative units (defined as the ratio delta Hcal/delta Heff) decreases from four to two. This process, as shown by CD technique, is followed by changes neither in the secondary structure, nor in the local environment of aromatic amino acids. A conclusion is made that the distinctions in cooperative characteristics of the protein globule at different pH are determined by electrostatic interactions of separate parts of the molecule.

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Among clostripain hydrolysate peptides of beef pancreas tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase the peptide Ile-Ser-Phe-Pro-Ala-Ile-Asn-Gln-Phe-Ala-Ala-Pro-Ser-Gln-Phe-Ser-Ile-Arg was revealed which contains the continuous antigenic determinant for monoclonal antibody Am1. This antibody specifically cross-reacts with tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetases of procaryotes, eucaryotes and archebacteriae. The synthetic peptide with identical amino acid sequence plus N-terminal Arg residue (S-peptide), being immobilized on enzyme immunoassay (EIA) microtitration plate, also binds with Am1. Am1 affinity constant (M-1) measured by non-competitive EIA was (3.0 +/- 0.3).10(7) for S peptide and (1.4 +/- 0.3).10(9) for the native enzyme. The sequence of immunoreactive peptide adopts with high probability the secondary structure including beta-turn(s) and antiparallel beta-sheet composed of inverted repeats. At the same time, the analysis of circular dichroism spectrum (in the far UV) of the peptide dissolved in water comes closest to 16% beta-turn and only 8% beta-sheet. The binding of Am1 with peptide was not observed in aqueous solution.

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Two independently melting regions (energetic domains) were localized in Bacillus intermedius 7P ribonuclease by methods of circular dichroism and high resolution X-ray analysis: the lov-temperature melting domain, containing C-terminal region of the molecule with five strands in antiparallel beta-structure and the high-temperature melting alpha-helical domain in the N-terminal region. The contact between these domains is stabilized mainly by ionic interaction Asp-22 - Lys+-48. At pH 2.4 and 30.5 0 C, when the low-temperature domain melts, half of the beta-structure content in binase is destroyed though the alpha-helical structure content is conserved. It has been shown that in pH interval 2.4-4.8 at 15 0 C no changes in secondary structure and local surrounding of aromatic amino acid residues could be identified. Thus, the changes in ionic interactions in the binase molecule due to protonation of Asp side chain groups does not effect the secondary or tertiary structure, though it changes the energetical state of the binase molecule, revealing a change of number and size of energetic domains.

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It has been shown by 1H-NMR, circular dichroism, fluorescence and viscometry techniques that equilibrium unfolding of carbonic anhydrase B (a one-domain globular protein) in urea guanidine hydrochloride consists of two sequential stages. The first stage is connected with a decrease of intramolecular interactions, stabilizing the rigid tertiary structure and with the increase of mobility of aliphatic side chain groups. At the second stage the decrease of protein secondary structure and hydrophobic interactions take place as well as the increase of mobility of massive aromatic side chain groups.

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By conformational analysis and circular dichroism the structure of peptide hormone secretin and its shortened N-terminal fragments in different solvents (water, aqueous solutions of alpha-L-phosphatidic acid and sodium dodecyl sulfate) have been studied. The results obtained by the two methods are compared.

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A method that accounts for the contribution made by aromatic amino acid residues in circular dichroism spectra of proteins has been used in order to analyze the structure of bovine carboanhydrase B, bovine and human alpha-lactalbumin in the native state and when denatured with acid and temperature. At acid- and temperature-induced transitions of the secondary structure of these proteins has been shown not to change. However the rigidity of their tertiary structure decreases (the environment of aromatic amino acid residues is made more symmetrical).

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A new method for determination of the secondary protein structure from the CD spectra taking into account the contribution of aromatic amino acid residues is proposed. New proteins reference CD spectra for five secondary structures (alpha-helices, antiparallel and parallel beta-structures, beta-bends and irregular form) without contribution of aromatic residues are obtained. By means of this new method the secondary structure of sixteen different proteins was analysed. There is a good correlation of these results with the X-ray data.

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We describe a novel physical state of a protein molecule which is nearly as compact as the native state and has pronounced secondary structure, but differs from the native state by the large increase of thermal fluctuations (in particular, by the large mobility of side groups). This state has been characterized in detail for the acid form of bovine alpha-lactalbumin as a result of the study of physical properties of this state by a large variety of different methods (hydrodynamics, diffuse X-ray scattering, circular dichroism and infrared spectra, polarization of the luminescence, proton magnetic resonance, deuterium exchange and microcalorimetry). It has been shown that bovine alpha-lactalbumin can be transformed into a similar state by thermal denaturation. This process is thermodynamically two state (i.e. all-or-none transition), which means that this state differs from the native one by a phase transition of the first order.

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Rat liver gamma-cystathionase has been purified to homogeneity (verified by SDS electrophoresis and ultracentrifugation). The secondary and tertiary structures of the enzyme were studied by circular dichroism spectra. Our studies revealed that the holoenzyme molecule comprises approximately 22% of alpha-helices, 14% of beta-structure, 14% of beta-bends, and 50% of unordered structure. Conformational alterations of the enzyme molecule resulting from enzyme PLP elimination, reduction with sodium borohydride and irreversible inhibition by propargylglycine were examined. The enzyme's secondary structure was shown to be stable whereas the tertiary structure is labile. Saturation with PLP maintains the enzyme's optimal (catalytically active) tridimensional structure. Sodium dodecylsulfate alters its secondary (the amount of alpha-helix being raised to 34%) and tertiary structures.

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Kinetics of folding and unfolding of bovine carbonic anhydrase B were monitored by circular dichroism, viscometry and esterase activity. It was shown that kinetic intermediate states accumulating in folding process reveal a native-like compactness and secondary structure but have a symmetrized average environment of aromatic side groups and no esterase activity. These properties allow one to consider these intermediate states as the 'molten-globule' state of a protein molecule previously described by us for several equilibrium forms of bovine and human alpha-lactalbumins and bovine carbonic anhydrase B.

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The secondary and tertiary structures of bacteriophage cro protein were studied by circular dichroism. The pH dependence of this structure was investigated: cro protein is stable over pH 4.5-10.5. At these pH-values cro protein contains approximately 35% alpha-helix, approximately 20% antiparallel beta-structure and approximately 15% beta-turn, while the remaining part of the protein molecule is in the irregular state. The secondary and tertiary structures of the protein are modified abruptly at more acid and more alkaline pH-values. The curves characterizing the secondary and tertiary structures of the protein are symbatic. The effect of Gu-HCl on the secondary and tertiary structures of cro protein at 22 degrees C and pH 7.2 was studied also. The conformational transition occurs within 0.6-1.9 M Gu-HCl. The changes in the secondary and tertiary structures of the protein have a symbatic character. Thermal denaturation of cro protein was examined. A possible mechanism of the protein denaturation is discussed.

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By means of atomic absorption spectroscopy up to 0.9 Zn2+ atom per molecule of bovine tryptophanyl-tRNA-synthetase (E. C. 6.1.1.2) was found. Treatment of the enzyme with orthophenanthroline (Zn2+-chelating agent) or prolonged dialysis leading to the removal of bound Zn2+ causes inactivation of the enzyme whereas the addition of Zn2+ reactivates it. Kinetic analysis of the inhibiting action of orthophenanthroline at various concentrations of tryptophan, ATP and tRNA leads to the conclusion that removal of Zn2+ prevents the binding of the ATP molecule to tryptophanyl-tRNA-synthetase. By means of chemical modification it is shown that exposed histidine residues and the carboxylic groups of the enzyme participate in Zn2+ binding. According to circular dichroism data removal of Zn2+ has no influence on the secondary structure although some local alterations of the ternary structure are revealed.

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The secondary structure and amino acid composition of a protein complex (LMM-Rp) bound to the heavy chains (HC) of light meromyosin (LMM), and the secondary structures of LMM and its fractions obtained at an intermediate stage of LMM-Rp preparation were studied. The data obtained were compared with the similar ones for LMM HC and for the myosin light chains (LC). For the secondary structure study the data of CD-spectra were used. This structure was characterized by molar parts of the amino acid residues belonging to four different conformations: alpha-helices, beta-structures, beta-bends and irregular coils. In LMM-Rp unlike HC and LC, the alpha-helices are nearly absent, and appreciable parts of irregular coils and beta-bends are present. The amino acid compositions of LMM-Rp, HC and LC markedly differ. This difference is more significant when LMM-Rp is compared with HC, then with LC. This is an accordance with comparable data for the secondary structure.

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Protein-derived basic CD spectra for alpha-helix, antiparallel and parallel beta-structures, beta-bends and irregular form of proteins have been determined from the experimental CD spectra of six (myoglobin, lysozyme, ribonuclease A, papain, lactate dehydrogenase, subtilisin BPN') or seven (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase added) reference proteins and the analysis of the X-ray data. The secondary structures of thirteen proteins (seven reference and six additional ones) have been analysed using the basic CD spectra thus obtained. The data obtained have been compared with the results of the X-ray data analysis. It is shown that the accuracy of determination of the beta-structure and beta-bends contents using our basic CD spectra is about 2-3 times better than using the basic spectra reported by Chang et al. (Analyt. Biochem. 91, 13-31, 1978).

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It is shown that to obtain the protein-derived basic CD spectra for alpha-helical, beta-structural and irregular regions it is necessary to use a common criterion for isolation of secondary structures for all the reference proteins. Using the "rigid" criterion proposed by Finkelstein, Ptitsyn, Kozytsyn and the "mild" one (as proposed by Levitt and Greer) isolation of the alpha- and beta-structural regions for 5 reference proteins (myoglobin, lysozyme, ribonuclease A, papain, lactate dehydrogenase) has been carried out. Using the f alpha, f beta and f irregular thus obtained and the experimental CD spectra of these proteins, the basic CD spectra for alpha-helical, beta-structural and irregular regions in the proteins have been calculated. It is shown that the use of criterions common for all the proteins leads to good agreement between the calculated basic CD spectra for alpha-helical, beta-structural and irregular forms and the CD spectra of polylysine in the corresponding conformations. The secondary structure of the proteins studied has been analysed using the new protein-derived basic spectra and fairly good quantitative agreement with the X-ray data was achieved.

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Protein-derived basic CD spectra for alpha-helical, beta-structural, beta-bends and irregular regions of the proteins have been determined from the experimental CD spectra of five reference proteins (myoglobin, lysozyme, ribonuclease A, papain, lactate dehydrogenase) with the knowledge of the fractions of the residues in the corresponding conformation. The alpha-helical and beta-structural regions of the reference proteins have been isolated from the X-ray data using the common "rigid" criteria for all the proteins, as proposed by Finkelstein and Ptitsyn. The residues in the beta-bend have been isolated using the data of Chou and Fasman and also three assumptions formulated in the present paper. The basic CD spectra thus obtained have been used for the analysis of secondary structures of 10 proteins (5 reference and 5 additional ones). There is a good agreement between the results of the X-ray data and those obtained from the CD spectra.

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