title: Probing the structure and stability of a hybrid protein: the human-E. coli thioredoxin chimera.
abstract: The structure and stability of a hybrid protein composed of N-terminal human and C-terminal E. coli thioredoxin domains were investigated by NMR, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. We demonstrate that the chimeric protein is correctly folded and exhibits the common thioredoxin architecture. However, the stability of the hybrid protein toward thermal and chemical denaturation is clearly reduced when compared with both parent proteins. Altogether, our data indicate that the interface between the two folding units of thioredoxin is tolerant toward changes in exact interdigitation of side chains, allowing for the formation of the unique overall thioredoxin fold. Further, the gene encoding the human-E. coli chimera was tested in vivo whether it supports the assembly of filamentous phages. No complementation of a thioredoxin-deficient E. coli mutant for the replication of the phages M13 or fd was observed, suggesting that parts of the overall protein structure in the N-terminal domain are crucial for this activity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Louis
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Georgescu
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Tasayco
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tcherkasskaya
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gronenborn
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D004926:Escherichia coli; D019791:Guanidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics; D013879:Thioredoxins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D013879:Thioredoxins; D019791:Guanidine