title: Stabilization of short collagen-like triple helices by protein engineering.
abstract: Recombinant expression of collagens and fragments of collagens is often difficult, as their biosynthesis requires specific post-translational enzymes, in particular prolyl 4-hydroxylase. Although the use of hydroxyproline-deficient variants offers one possibility to overcome this difficulty, these proteins usually differ markedly in stability when compared with the hydroxyproline-containing analogs. Here, we report a method to stabilize collagen-like peptides by fusing them to the N terminus of the bacteriophage T4 fibritin foldon domain. The isolated foldon domain and the chimeric protein (GlyProPro)(10)foldon were expressed in a soluble form in Escherichia coli. The recombinant proteins and the synthetic (ProProGly)(10) peptide were characterized by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and analytical ultracentrifugation. We show that the foldon domain, which comprises only 27 amino acid residues, forms an obligatory trimer with a high degree of thermal stability. The CD thermal unfolding profiles recorded from foldon are monophasic and completely reversible upon cooling. Similar Van't Hoff and calorimertic enthalpy values of trimer formation indicated a cooperative all-or-none transition. As reported previously, (ProProGly)(10) peptides form collagen triple helices of only moderate stability. When fused to the foldon domain, however, triple helix formation of (GlyProPro)(10) is concentration independent, and the midpoint temperature of the triple helix unfolding is significantly increased. The stabilizing function of the trimeric foldon domain is explained by the close vicinity of its N termini, which induce a high local concentration in the range of 1 M for the C termini of the collagen-like-peptide. Collagen-foldon fusion proteins should be potentially useful to study receptor-collagen interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Biozentrum, Universität Basel, Basel, CH 4056, Switzerland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kammerer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mechling
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schulthess
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Landwehr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bann
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lustig
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Bächinger
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engel
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017122:Bacteriophage T4 / Q000737:chemistry*; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D003094:Collagen / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015202:Protein Engineering; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012995:Solubility; D013696:Temperature; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014461:Ultracentrifugation; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D010455:Peptides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C057839:fibritin protein, Enterobacteria phage T4; D003094:Collagen