The x-ray crystal structure of a peptide designed to form a double-stranded parallel coiled coil shows that it is actually a triple-stranded coiled coil formed by three alpha-helices. Unlike the designed parallel coiled coil, the helices run up-up-down. The structure is stabilized by a distinctive hydrophobic interface consisting of eight layers. As in the design, each alpha-helix in the coiled coil contributes one leucine side chain to each layer. The structure suggests that hydrophobic interactions are a dominant factor in the stabilization of coiled coils. The stoichiometry and geometry of coiled coils are primarily determined by side chain packing in the solvent-inaccessible interior, but electrostatic interactions also contribute.

No abstract

No abstract

The relationships between release of (3)H-labeled lipoyl moieties by trypsin and lipoamidase and accompanying loss of overall enzymatic activity of the Escherichia coli pyruvate and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes were studied. Trypsin releases lipoyl domains together with their covalently attached lipoyl moieties from the "inner" core of the dihydrolipoyl transacetylase and the dihydrolipoyl transsuccinylase whereas lipoamidase releases only the lipoyl moieties. The results show that release of lipoyl domains by trypsin and release of lipoyl moieties by lipoamidase proceeded at faster rates than the accompanying loss of overall activity of the two complexes. Trypsin released about half of the lipoyl domains in the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex without significant effect on the overall activity. A model is presented to explain these and other observations on active-site coupling via lipoyl moieties.

No abstract