Structural origin of weakly ordered nitroxide motion in spin-labeled proteins.

ABSTRACT: A disulfide-linked nitroxide side chain (R1) used in site-directed spin labeling of proteins often exhibits an EPR spectrum characteristic of a weakly ordered z-axis anisotropic motion at topographically diverse surface sites, including those on helices, loops and edge strands of beta-sheets. To elucidate the origin of this motion, the first crystal structures of R1 that display simple z-axis anisotropic motion at solvent-exposed helical sites (131 and 151) and a loop site (82) in T4 lysozyme have been determined. Structures of 131R1 and 151R1 determined at cryogenic or ambient temperature reveal an intraresidue C(alpha)--H...S(delta) interaction that immobilizes the disulfide group, consistent with a model in which the internal motions of R1 are dominated by rotations about the two termin

SUBMITTER: Fleissner MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2771293 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature