Retrostructural analysis of metalloproteins: application to the design of a minimal model for diiron proteins.

ABSTRACT: De novo protein design provides an attractive approach for the construction of models to probe the features required for function of complex metalloproteins. The metal-binding sites of many metalloproteins lie between multiple elements of secondary structure, inviting a retrostructural approach to constructing minimal models of their active sites. The backbone geometries comprising the metal-binding sites of zinc fingers, diiron proteins, and rubredoxins may be described to within approximately 1 A rms deviation by using a simple geometric model with only six adjustable parameters. These geometric models provide excellent starting points for the design of metalloproteins, as illustrated in the construction of Due Ferro 1 (DF1), a minimal model for the Glu-Xxx-Xxx-His class of dinuclear met

SUBMITTER: Lombardi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC18597 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature