title: Calcium and magnesium binding to human centrin 3 and interaction with target peptides.
abstract: There are four isoforms of centrin in mammals, with variable sequence, tissue expression, and functional properties. We have recently characterized a number of structural, ion, and target binding properties of human centrin isoform HsCen2. This paper reports a similar characterization of HsCen3, overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified by phase-reversed chromatography. Equilibrium and dynamic binding studies revealed that HsCen3 has one mixed Ca(2+)/Mg(2+) binding site of high affinity (K(d) = 3 and 10 microM for Ca(2+) and Mg(2+), respectively) and two Ca(2+)-specific sites of low affinity (K(d) = 140 microM). The metal-free protein is fragmented by an unidentified protease into a polypeptide segment of 11 kDa, which was purified by HPLC, and identified by mass spectrometry as the segment of residues 21-112. Similarly, controlled trypsinolysis on Ca(2+)-bound HsCen3 yielded a mixture of segments of residues 1-124 and 1-125. The Ca(2+)/Mg(2+) site could be assigned to this segment and thus resides in the N-terminal half of HsCen3. Temperature denaturation experiments, circular dichroism, and utilization of fluorescence hydrophobic probes allowed us to propose that the metal-free protein has molten globule characteristics and that the dication-bound forms are compact with a polar surface for the Mg(2+) form and a hydrophobic exposed surface for the Ca(2+) form. Thus, HsCen3 could be classified as a Ca(2+) sensor protein. In addition, it is able to bind strongly to a model target peptide (melittin), as well as to peptides derived from the protein XPC and Kar1p, with a moderate Ca(2+) dependence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Geneva, Geneva 4, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jos A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tirone
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Durussel
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Firanescu
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Blouquit
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Duchambon
authors.forename: Constantin T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Craescu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002151:Calorimetry; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D008274:Magnesium / Q000378:metabolism*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: C107745:CETN3 protein, human; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D008274:Magnesium; D002118:Calcium