Crystal structure of Onconase at 1.1 A resolution--insights into substrate binding and collective motion.

ABSTRACT: Onconase(®) (ONC) is an amphibian member of the pancreatic ribonuclease superfamily that is selectively toxic to tumor cells. It is a much less efficient enzyme than the archetypal ribonuclease A and, in an attempt to gain further insight, we report the first atomic resolution crystal structure of ONC, determined in complex with sulfate ions at 100 K. The electron density map is of a quality sufficient to reveal significant nonplanarity in several peptide bonds. The majority of active site residues are very well defined, with the exceptions being Lys31 from the catalytic triad and Lys33 from the B(1) subsite, which are relatively mobile but rigidify upon nucleotide binding. Cryocooling causes a compaction of the unit cell and the protein contained within. This is principally the result of

SUBMITTER: Holloway DE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3397563 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature