title: Preliminary structural studies of the hydrophobic ribosomal P0 protein from Trypanosoma cruzi, a part of the P0/P1/P2 complex.
abstract: The Trypanosoma cruzi ribosomal P0 protein (TcP0) is part of the ribosomal stalk, which is an elongated lateral protuberance of the large ribosomal subunit involved in the translocation step of protein synthesis. The TcP0 C-terminal peptide is highly antigenic and a major target of the antibody response in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and patients suffering chronic heart disease produced by Trypanosoma cruzi infection. The structural properties of TcP0 have been explored by circular dichroism, tryptophan fluorescence and limited proteolysis experiments. These studies were complemented by secondary structure consensus prediction analysis. The results suggest that the tertiary structure of TcP0 could be described as a compact, stable, trypsin-resistant, 200 residues long N-terminal domain belonging to the alpha/beta class and a more flexible, degradable, helical, 123 residues long C-terminal domain which could be involved in the formation of an unusual hydrophobic zipper with the ribosomal P1/P2 proteins to form the P0/P1/P2 complex.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología Molecular Estructural, Facultad de Química, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejército de los Andes 950, 5700 San Luis, Argentina.
authors.forename: Maximiliano Juri
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ayub
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Barroso
authors.forename: Mariano J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Carlos F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Aguilar
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; C054675:ribosomal protein P0