title: The 1.8 A crystal structure of winged bean albumin 1, the major albumin from Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (L.) DC.
abstract: Winged bean albumin-1 (WBA) is the main seed albumin of Psophocarpus tetragonolobus, a legume that has excellent potential as a protein-rich food source for humid tropical climates. WBA crystallises in a tetragonal space group and the structure was solved by X-ray crystallography with a combination of multiple isomorphous replacement using four heavy atom derivatives and molecular replacement with a model based on the structure of Erythrina caffra trypsin inhibitor (ETI). Refinement of the structure proceeded to 1.8 A. WBA has a beta-trefoil fold, similar to that found in the STI-Kunitz type trypsin inhibitors. The final structure has an overall R-factor of 19% for 15 to 1.8 A resolution data, all residues in the allowed regions of the Ramachandran plot, and good agreement with ideal geometry. WBA has sequence similarity with the STI-Kunitz trypsin inhibitors, including the apparent conservation of the functional reactive site residue, lysine 64, at the position of the scissile bond (position P1) in the STI-Kunitz type trypsin inhibitors, however, WBA does not inhibit trypsin. The reason for the lack of inhibitory activity against trypsin is clearly evident from the structure. The loop corresponding to the inhibitory loop in the STI-Kunitz trypsin inhibitors does not conform to the canonical conformation of the inhibitory loops of the "small inhibitors". The lysine residue assigned to the P1 position from sequence alignments is instead part of a four amino acid insertion between residues structurally equivalent to residues P1 and P2 of the inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Biomolecular Research Institute, Royal Parade, Parkville, Australia.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kortt
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000737:chemistry*; D002918:Chymotrypsin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004583:Electrons; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D055314:Seed Storage Proteins; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry*; D014360:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kunitz Soybean / Q000737:chemistry; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D055314:Seed Storage Proteins; D014361:Trypsin Inhibitors; C059657:WBA-1 protein, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus; C053884:trypsin inhibitor, Erythrina caffra; D014360:Trypsin Inhibitor, Kunitz Soybean; D002918:Chymotrypsin