title: Isomers of epidermal growth factor with Ser --> Cys mutation at the N-terminal sequence: isomerization, stability, unfolding, refolding, and structure.
abstract: The structure of human epidermal growth factor (EGF, 53 amino acids) comprises three distinct loops (A, B, and C) connected correspondingly by the three native disulfide bonds, Cys(6)-Cys(20), Cys(14)-Cys(31), and Cys(33)-Cys(42). The connection of Cys(6) and Cys(20) forming the N-terminal A loop is essential for the biological activity of EGF [Barnham et al. (1998) Protein Sci. 7, 1738-1749] and has also been shown to represent a major kinetic trap in the oxidative folding of EGF [Chang et al. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 4845-4852]. To further understand the chemical nature of this kinetic trap, we have prepared three EGF mutants each with a single Ser --> Cys mutation at Ser residues (Ser(2), Ser(4), and Ser(9)) flanking Cys(6). This allows competition between Cys(6) and mutated Cys(2), Cys(4), and Cys(9) to link with Cys(20) and to form EGF isomers containing different sizes of the A loop. The results show that, in the cases of EGF(S2C) and EGF(S4C), native Cys(6)-Cys(20) is favored over Cys(2)-Cys(20) and Cys(4)-Cys(20) by 4.5- and 9-fold, respectively, in the state of equilibrium. However, in the case of EGF(S9C), a non-native Cys(9)-Cys(20) is thermodynamically more stable than the native Cys(6)-Cys(20) by a free-energy difference (DeltaG degrees ) of 1.12 kcal/mol. Implications of these data in the formation of kinetic trap of EGF folding are discussed. Stabilized isomers of EGF were further generated from denaturation of wild-type and mutant EGF via the method of disulfide scrambling. Properties of these diverse isomers of EGF, including their isomerization, stability, unfolding, refolding, and disulfide structures, are described in this paper.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Protein Chemistry, Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Bao-Yuan
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Chuantao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Jui-Yoa
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007536:Isomerism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009154:Mutation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D017510:Protein Folding; D012694:Serine / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D012694:Serine; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D003545:Cysteine