title: The crystal structure of the Bacillus lentus alkaline protease, subtilisin BL, at 1.4 A resolution.
abstract: The crystal structure of subtilisin BL, an alkaline protease from Bacillus lentus with activity at pH 11, has been determined to 1.4 A resolution. The structure was solved by molecular replacement starting with the 2.1 A structure of subtilisin BPN' followed by molecular dynamics refinement using X-PLOR. A final crystallographic R-factor of 19% overall was obtained. The enzyme possesses stability at high pH, which is a result of the high pI of the protein. Almost all of the acidic side-chains are involved in some type of electrostatic interaction (ion pairs, calcium binding, etc.). Furthermore, three of seven tyrosine residues have potential partners for forming salt bridges. All of the potential partners are arginine with a pK around 12. Lysine would not function well in a salt bridge with tyrosine as it deprotonates at around the same pH as tyrosine ionizes. Stability at high pH is acquired in part from the pI of the protein, but also from the formation of salt bridges (which would affect the pI). The overall structure of the enzyme is very similar to other subtilisins and shows that the subtilisin fold is more highly conserved than would be expected from the differences in amino acid sequence. The amino acid side-chains in the hydrophobic core are not conserved, though the inter-residue interactions are. Finally, one third of the serine side-chains in the protein have multiple conformations. This presents an opportunity to correlate computer simulations with observed occupancies in the crystal structure.
authors.affiliation: COGNIS, Inc., Santa Rosa, CA 95407.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Goddette
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paech
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Mielenz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bystroff
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wilke
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Fletterick
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001407:Bacillus / Q000201:enzymology*; D001665:Binding Sites; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004563:Electrochemistry; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D013381:Subtilisins / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D013381:Subtilisins; C032923:microbial serine proteinases; D002118:Calcium