Abstract

The first and last four residues of alpha-helices differ from the rest by not being able to make the intrehelical hydrogen bonds between the backbone greater than C=O groups of one turn and the greater than NH groups of the next. Physico-chemical arguments and statistical analysis suggest that there is a preference for certain residues at the C and N termini (The C- and N-caps) that can fulfil the hydrogen bonding requirements. We have tested this hypothesis by constructing a series of mutations in the two N-caps of barnase (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ribonuclease, positions Thr 6 and Thr 26) and determining the change in their stability. The N-cap is found to stabilize the protein by up to approximately 2.5 kcal mol(-1). The presence of a negative charge of the N-cap adds some 1.6 kcal mol(-1) of stabilization energy because of the interaction with the macroscopic electrostatic dipole of the helix. Study holds ProTherm entries: 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 Extra Details: electrostatic dipole; barnase; protein stability;,alpha-helices; hydrogen bonding; physico-chemical

Submission Details

ID: XC84aLHs

Submitter: Connie Wang

Submission Date: April 24, 2018, 8:18 p.m.

Version: 1

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