nils-herrmann/clean_scirepeval huggingface dataset:
Amyloid structure and assembly: insights from scanning transmission electron microscopy.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Amyloid fibrils are filamentous protein aggregates implicated in several common diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and type II diabetes. Similar structures are also the molecular principle of the infectious spongiform encephalopathies such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, scrapie in sheep, and of the so-called yeast prions, inherited non-chromosomal elements found in yeast and fungi. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is often used to delineate the assembly mechanism and structural properties of amyloid aggregates. In this review we consider specifically contributions and limitations of STEM for the investigation of amyloid assembly pathways, fibril polymorphisms and structural models of amyloid fibrils. This type of microscopy provides the only method to directly measure the mass-per-length (MPL) of individual filaments. Made on both in vitro assembled and ex vivo samples, STEM mass measurements have illuminated the hierarchical relationships between amyloid fibrils and revealed that polymorphic fibrils and various globular oligomers can assemble simultaneously from a single polypeptide. The MPLs also impose strong constraints on possible packing schemes, assisting in molecular model building when combined with high-resolution methods like solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).
Automated screening of 2D crystallization trials using transmission electron microscopy: a high-throughput tool-chain for sample preparation and microscopic analysis.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

We have built and extensively tested a tool-chain to prepare and screen two-dimensional crystals of membrane proteins by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at room temperature. This automated process is an extension of a new procedure described recently that allows membrane protein 2D crystallization in parallel (Iacovache et al., 2010). The system includes a gantry robot that transfers and prepares the crystalline solutions on grids suitable for TEM analysis and an entirely automated microscope that can analyze 96 grids at once without human interference. The operation of the system at the user level is solely controlled within the MATLAB environment: the commands to perform sample handling (loading/unloading in the microscope), microscope steering (magnification, focus, image acquisition, etc.) as well as automatic crystal detection have been implemented. Different types of thin samples can efficiently be screened provided that the particular detection algorithm is adapted to the specific task. Hence, operating time can be shared between multiple users. This is a major step towards the integration of transmission electron microscopy into a high throughput work-flow.
Exploring vitreous cryo-section-induced compression at the macromolecular level using electron cryo-tomography; 80S yeast ribosomes appear unaffected.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Vitreous cryo-section-induced compression influences the interpretation and the reliability of electron microscopy images and tomographic reconstructions. Previous studies of this deformation have been focused at the cellular level where considerable compression occurs, yet the degree of possible intracellular macromolecular deformation has remained unclear. Here, electron cryo-tomographic reconstructions of vitreous cryo-sections show that 80S ribosomes, both intracellular and in an isolated state, appear able to resist section-induced compression. Our observations indicate that vitreous section-induced compression is non-uniform between whole cells that have been sectioned and their intracellular macromolecular complexes. We conclude that electron cryo-tomography of vitreous cryo-sections, in spite of section-induced compression, is a suitable technique for charting the structural organization of cellular nanomachines, such as ribosomes, in a cellular environment.
Conformational dynamics of supramolecular protein assemblies.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Supramolecular protein assemblies including molecular motors, cytoskeletal filaments, chaperones, and ribosomes play a central role in a broad array of cellular functions ranging from cell division and motility to RNA and protein synthesis and folding. Single-particle reconstructions of such assemblies have been growing rapidly in recent years, providing increasingly high resolution structural information under native conditions. While the static structure of these assemblies provides essential insight into their mechanism of biological function, their dynamical motions provide additional important information that cannot be inferred from structure alone. Here we present an unsupervised computational framework for the analysis of high molecular weight protein assemblies and use it to analyze the conformational dynamics of structures deposited in the Electron Microscopy Data Bank. Protein assemblies are modeled using a recently introduced coarse-grained modeling framework based on the finite element method, which is used to compute equilibrium thermal fluctuations, elastic strain energy distributions associated with specific conformational transitions, and dynamical correlations in distant molecular domains. Results are presented in detail for the ribosome-bound termination factor RF2 from Escherichia coli, the nuclear pore complex from Dictyostelium discoideum, and the chaperonin GroEL from E. coli. Elastic strain energy distributions reveal hinge-regions associated with specific conformational change pathways, and correlations in collective molecular motions reveal dynamical coupling between distant molecular domains that suggest new, as well as confirm existing, allosteric mechanisms. Results are publically available for use in further investigation and interpretation of biological function including cooperative transitions, allosteric communication, and molecular mechanics, as well as in further classification and refinement of electron microscopy based structures.
Matching structural densities from different biophysical origins with gain and bias.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

The registration of volumetric structures in real space involves geometric and density transformations that align a target map and a probe map in the best way possible. Many computational docking strategies exist for finding the geometric transformations that superimpose maps, but the problem of finding an optimal density transformation, for the purposes of difference calculations or segmentation, has received little attention in the literature. We report results based on simulated and experimental electron microscopy maps, showing that a single scale factor (gain) may be insufficient when it comes to minimizing the density discrepancy between an aligned target and probe. We propose an affine transformation, with gain and bias, that is parameterized by known surface isovalues and by an interactive centering of the "cancellation peak" in the surface thresholded difference map histogram. The proposed approach minimizes discrepancies across a wide range of interior densities. Owing to having only two parameters, it avoids overfitting and requires only minimal knowledge of the probe and target maps. The linear transformation also preserves phases and relative amplitudes in Fourier space. The histogram matching strategy was implemented in the newly revised volhist tool of the Situs package, version 2.6.
Crystal structure of a dimeric archaeal cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Proteins of the metallo-β-lactamase (MβL) fold form a large superfamily of metallo-hydrolase/oxidoreductases. Members of this family are found in all three domains of life and are involved in a variety of biological functions related to hydrolysis, redox processes, DNA repair and uptake, and RNA processing. We classified the archaeal homologs of this superfamily based on sequence similarity and characterized a subfamily of the Cleavage and Polyadenylation Specificity Factor (CPSF) with an uncommon domain composition: in addition to an extended MβL domain, which accommodates the active site for RNA cleavage, this group has two N-terminal KH domains. Here, we present the crystal structure of a member of this group from Methanosarcina mazei. It reveals a dimerization mode of the MβL domain that has not been observed before and suggests that RNA is bound across the dimer interface, recognized by the KH domains of one monomer, and cleaved at the active site of the other.
Amorphous calcium carbonate in the shells of adult Unionoida.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Shells of adult individuals from two different bivalve families, Hyriopsis cumingii and Diplodon chilensis patagonicus, were studied by Micro-Raman spectroscopy and Focussed Ion Beam-assisted TEM. The shells contain amorphous calcium carbonate in a zone at the interface between the periostracum and the prismatic layer. In this area, the initial prism structures protrude from the inner periostracum layer and it is demonstrated that these structures systematically consist of highly disordered and amorphous calcium carbonate. Within this zone, ordered and disordered areas are intermingled discounting the existence of a crystallization front and favouring models of domainal crystallization processes via so-called mesocrystals. These observations are the first documentation of the use of amorphous calcium carbonate as a precursor phase by adult mollusc species and lend further support to hypotheses postulating widespread use of amorphous phases as building material of skeletal tissue in biology.
Structural basis for reversible and irreversible inhibition of human cathepsin L by their respective dipeptidyl glyoxal and diazomethylketone inhibitors.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Cathepsin L plays a key role in many pathophysiological conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, tumor invasion and metastasis, bone resorption and remodeling. Here we report the crystal structures of two analogous dipeptidyl inhibitor complexes which inhibit human cathepsin L in reversible and irreversible modes, respectively. To-date, there are no crystal structure reports of complexes of proteases with their glyoxal inhibitors or complexes of cathepsin L and their diazomethylketone inhibitors. These two inhibitors - inhibitor 1, an α-keto-β-aldehyde and inhibitor 2, a diazomethylketone, have different groups in the S1 subsite. Inhibitor 1 [Z-Phe-Tyr (OBut)-COCHO], with a K(i) of 0.6nM, is the most potent, reversible, synthetic peptidyl inhibitor of cathepsin L reported to-date. The structure of the inhibitor 1 complex was refined up to 2.2Å resolution. The structure of the complex of the inhibitor 2 [Z-Phe-Tyr (t-Bu)-diazomethylketone], an irreversible inhibitor that can inactivate cathepsin L at μM concentrations, was refined up to 1.76Å resolution. These two inhibitors have substrate-like interactions with the active site cysteine (Cys25). Inhibitor 1 forms a tetrahedral hemithioacetal adduct, whereas the inhibitor 2 forms a thioester with Cys25. The inhibitor 1 β-aldehyde group is shown to make a hydrogen bond with catalytic His163, whereas the ketone carbonyl oxygen of the inhibitor 2 interacts with the oxyanion hole. tert-Butyl groups of both inhibitors are found to make several non-polar contacts with S' subsite residues of cathepsin L. These studies, combined with other complex structures of cathepsin L, reveal the structural basis for their potency and selectivity.
The utility of geometrical and chemical restraint information extracted from predicted ligand-binding sites in protein structure refinement.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Exhaustive exploration of molecular interactions at the level of complete proteomes requires efficient and reliable computational approaches to protein function inference. Ligand docking and ranking techniques show considerable promise in their ability to quantify the interactions between proteins and small molecules. Despite the advances in the development of docking approaches and scoring functions, the genome-wide application of many ligand docking/screening algorithms is limited by the quality of the binding sites in theoretical receptor models constructed by protein structure prediction. In this study, we describe a new template-based method for the local refinement of ligand-binding regions in protein models using remotely related templates identified by threading. We designed a Support Vector Regression (SVR) model that selects correct binding site geometries in a large ensemble of multiple receptor conformations. The SVR model employs several scoring functions that impose geometrical restraints on the Cα positions, account for the specific chemical environment within a binding site and optimize the interactions with putative ligands. The SVR score is well correlated with the RMSD from the native structure; in 47% (70%) of the cases, the Pearson's correlation coefficient is >0.5 (>0.3). When applied to weakly homologous models, the average heavy atom, local RMSD from the native structure of the top-ranked (best of top five) binding site geometries is 3.1Å (2.9Å) for roughly half of the targets; this represents a 0.1 (0.3)Å average improvement over the original predicted structure. Focusing on the subset of strongly conserved residues, the average heavy atom RMSD is 2.6Å (2.3Å). Furthermore, we estimate the upper bound of template-based binding site refinement using only weakly related proteins to be ∼2.6Å RMSD. This value also corresponds to the plasticity of the ligand-binding regions in distant homologues. The Binding Site Refinement (BSR) approach is available to the scientific community as a web server that can be accessed at
Young's modulus of peritubular and intertubular human dentin by nano-indentation tests.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

The local Young modulus of dry dentin viewed as a hierarchical composite was measured by nano-indentation using two types of experiments, both in a continuous stiffness measurement mode. First, tests were performed radially along straight lines running across highly mineralized peritubular dentin sections and through less mineralized intertubular dentin areas. These tests revealed a gradual decrease in Young's modulus from the bulk of the peritubular dentin region where modulus values of up to ∼40-42GPa were observed, down to approximately constant values of ∼17GPa in the intertubular dentin region. A second set of nano-indentation experiments was performed on the facets of an irregular polyhedron specimen cut from the intertubular dentin region, so as to probe the modulus of intertubular dentin specimens at different orientations relative to the tubular direction. The results demonstrated that the intertubular dentin region may be considered to be quasi-isotropic, with a slightly higher modulus value (∼22GPa) when the indenting tip axis is parallel to the tubular direction, compared to the values (∼18GPa) obtained when the indenting tip axis is perpendicular to the tubule direction.
Structure modeling from small angle X-ray scattering data with elastic network normal mode analysis.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Computational algorithms to construct structural models from SAXS experimental data are reviewed. SAXS data provides a wealth of information to study the structure and dynamics of biological molecules, however it does not provide atomic details of structures. Thus combining the low-resolution data with already known X-ray structure is a common approach to study conformational transitions of biological molecules. This review provides a survey of SAXS modeling approaches. In addition, we will discuss theoretical backgrounds and performance of our approach, in which elastic network normal mode analysis is used to predict reasonable conformational transitions from known X-ray structures, and find alternative conformations that are consistent with SAXS data.
A tool for the qualitative comparison of membrane-embedded and detergent-solubilized membrane protein structures in projection.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

The calculation of projection structures (PSs) from Protein Data Bank (PDB)-coordinate files of membrane proteins is not well-established. Reports on such attempts exist but are rare. In addition, the different procedures are barely described and thus difficult if not impossible to reproduce. Here we present a simple, fast and well-documented method for the calculation and visualization of PSs from PDB-coordinate files of membrane proteins: the projection structure visualization (PSV)-method. The PSV-method was successfully validated using the PS of aquaporin-1 (AQP1) from 2D crystals and cryo-transmission electron microscopy, and the PDB-coordinate file of AQP1 determined from 3D crystals and X-ray crystallography. Besides AQP1, which is a relatively rigid protein, we also studied a flexible membrane transport protein, i.e. the L-arginine/agmatine antiporter AdiC. Comparison of PSs calculated from the existing PDB-coordinate files of substrate-free and L-arginine-bound AdiC indicated that conformational changes are detected in projection. Importantly, structural differences were found between the PSV-method calculated PSs of the detergent-solubilized AdiC proteins and the PS from cryo-TEM of membrane-embedded AdiC. These differences are particularly exciting since they may reflect a different conformation of AdiC induced by the lateral pressure in the lipid bilayer.
Three-dimensional molecular modeling with single molecule FRET.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Single molecule fluorescence energy transfer experiments enable investigations of macromolecular conformation and folding by the introduction of fluorescent dyes at specific sites in the macromolecule. Multiple such experiments can be performed with different labeling site combinations in order to map complex conformational changes or interactions between multiple molecules. Distances that are derived from such experiments can be used for determination of the fluorophore positions by triangulation. When combined with a known structure of the macromolecule(s) to which the fluorophores are attached, a three-dimensional model of the system can be determined. However, care has to be taken to properly derive distance from fluorescence energy transfer efficiency and to recognize the systematic or random errors for this relationship. Here we review the experimental and computational methods used for three-dimensional modeling based on single molecule fluorescence resonance transfer, and describe recent progress in pushing the limits of this approach to macromolecular complexes.
Slow down of actin depolymerization by cross-linking molecules.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

The ability to control the assembly and disassembly dynamics of actin filaments is an essential property of the cellular cytoskeleton. While many different proteins are known which accelerate the polymerization of monomers into filaments or promote their disintegration, much less is known on mechanisms which guarantee the kinetic stability of the cytoskeletal filaments. Previous studies indicate that cross-linking molecules might fulfill these stabilizing tasks, which in addition facilitates their ability to regulate the organization of cytoskeletal structures in vivo. The effect of depolymerization factors on such structures or the mechanism which leads finally to their disintegration remain unknown. Here, we use multiple depolymerization methods in order to directly demonstrate that cross-linking and bundling proteins effectively suppress the actin depolymerization in a concentration dependent manner. Even the actin depolymerizing factor cofilin is not sufficient to facilitate a fast disintegration of highly cross-linked actin networks unless molecular motors are used simultaneously. The drastic modification of actin kinetics by cross-linking molecules can be expected to have wide-ranging implications for our understanding of the cytoskeleton, where cross-linking molecules are omnipresent and essential.
The elusive π-helix.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Central to protein architecture is the local arrangement or secondary structure of the polypeptide backbone. Thirty to forty percent of protein domains are α-helices with 3.6 residues per turn. π-Helices, in which the peptide chain is more loosely coiled (4.4 residues per turn), have also been proposed. However, such structures necessitate an energetically unfavorable ∼1Å central helical hole. We show that rather than being composed of idealized π-helices, helical regions formed from putative π-helices actually consist of a series of concatenated wide turns with unique elliptical configurations. These structures have a larger helical radius akin to that of a π-helix, but without the loss of favorable cross-core van der Waals interactions. This not only obviates the helical void, but also endows proteins with important functionalities, including metal ion coordination, enhanced flexibility and specific enzyme-substrate binding interactions.
The structure of a COPII tubule.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Nearly a third of all eukaryotic proteins are transported from the ER to the Golgi apparatus through the secretory pathway using COPII coated vesicles. Evidence suggests that this transport occurs via 500-900 Å vesicles that bud from the ER membrane. It has been shown that procollagen molecules utilize the COPII proteins for transport, but it is unclear how the COPII coat can accommodate these ∼3000 Å long molecules. We now present a cryogenic electron tomographic reconstruction of a Sec13/31 tubule that is approximately 3300 Å long containing a hollow cylindrical interior that is 300 Å in diameter, dimensions that are consistent with those that are required to encapsulate a procollagen molecule wrapped in a membrane and accessory COPII components. This structure suggests a novel mechanism that the COPII coat may employ to transport elongated cargo.
Cryo transmission X-ray imaging of the malaria parasite, P. falciparum.
Venue: Journal of structural biology

Cryo transmission X-ray microscopy in the "water window" of photon energies has recently been introduced as a method that exploits the natural contrast of biological samples. We have used cryo tomographic X-ray imaging of the intra-erythrocytic malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to undertake a survey of the cellular features of this important human pathogen. We examined whole hydrated cells at different stages of growth and defined some of the structures with different X-ray density, including the parasite nucleus, cytoplasm, digestive vacuole and the hemoglobin degradation product, hemozoin. As the parasite develops from an early cup-shaped morphology to a more rounded shape, puncta of hemozoin are formed; these coalesce in the mature trophozoite into a central compartment. In some trophozoite stage parasites we observed invaginations of the parasite surface and, using a selective permeabilization process, showed that these remain connected to the RBC cytoplasm. Some of these invaginations have large openings consistent with phagocytic structures and we observed independent endocytic vesicles in the parasite cytoplasm which appear to play a role in hemoglobin uptake. In schizont stage parasites staggered mitosis was observed and X-ray-dense lipid-rich structures were evident at their apical ends of the developing daughter cells. Treatment of parasites with the antimalarial drug artemisinin appears to affect parasite development and their ability to produce the hemoglobin breakdown product, hemozoin.