Browsing by Author "Stadler, AM"

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    Picosecond dynamics in haemoglobin from different species: a quasielastic neutron scattering study
    (Elsevier, 2014-10) Stadler, AM; Garvey, CJ; Embs, JP; Koza, MM; Unruh, T; Artmann, GM; Zaccai, G
    Background Dynamics in haemoglobin from platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) and saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) were measured to investigate response of conformational motions on the picosecond time scale to naturally occurring variations in the amino acid sequence of structurally identical proteins. Methods Protein dynamics was measured using incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering. The quasielastic broadening was interpreted first with a simple single Lorentzian approach and then by using the Kneller–Volino Brownian dynamics model. Results Mean square displacements of conformational motions, diffusion coefficients of internal dynamics and residence times for jump-diffusion between sites and corresponding effective force constants (resilience) and activation energies were determined from the data. Conclusions Modifications of the physicochemical properties caused by mutations of the amino acids were found to have a significant impact on protein dynamics. Activation energies of local side chain dynamics were found to be similar between the different proteins being close to the energy, which is required for the rupture of single hydrogen bond in a protein. General significance The measured dynamic quantities showed significant and systematic variations between the investigated species, suggesting that they are the signature of an evolutionary adaptation process stimulated by the different physiological environments of the respective protein. © 2014,Elsevier B.V.
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    Thermal fluctuations of haemoglobin from different species: adaptation to temperature via conformational dynamics
    (The Royal Society, 2012-11-07) Stadler, AM; Garvey, CJ; Bocahut, A; Sacquin-Mora, S; Digel, I; Schneider, GJ; Natali, F; Artmann, GM; Zaccai, G
    Thermodynamic stability, configurational motions and internal forces of haemoglobin (Hb) of three endotherms (platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus; domestic chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus and human, Homo sapiens) and an ectotherm (salt water crocodile, Crocodylus porosus) were investigated using circular dichroism, incoherent elastic neutron scattering and coarse-grained Brownian dynamics simulations. The experimental results from Hb solutions revealed a direct correlation between protein resilience, melting temperature and average body temperature of the different species on the 0.1 ns time scale. Molecular forces appeared to be adapted to permit conformational fluctuations with a root mean square displacement close to 1.2 Å at the corresponding average body temperature of the endotherms. Strong forces within crocodile Hb maintain the amplitudes of motion within a narrow limit over the entire temperature range in which the animal lives. In fully hydrated powder samples of human and chicken, Hb mean square displacements and effective force constants on the 1 ns time scale showed no differences over the whole temperature range from 10 to 300 K, in contrast to the solution case. A complementary result of the study, therefore, is that one hydration layer is not sufficient to activate all conformational fluctuations of Hb in the pico- to nanosecond time scale which might be relevant for biological function. Coarse-grained Brownian dynamics simulations permitted to explore residue-specific effects. They indicated that temperature sensing of human and chicken Hb occurs mainly at residues lining internal cavities in the β-subunits. Copyright © The Royal Society 2012.