@article{BaxaWeintraubSeckler2020, author = {Baxa, Ulrich and Weintraub, Andrej and Seckler, Robert}, title = {Self-competitive inhibition of the bacteriophage P22 Tailspike endorhamnosidase by O-antigen oligosaccharides}, series = {Biochemistry}, volume = {59}, journal = {Biochemistry}, number = {51}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0006-2960}, doi = {10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00872}, pages = {4845 -- 4855}, year = {2020}, abstract = {The P22 tailspike endorhamnosidase confers the high specificity of bacteriophage P22 for some serogroups of Salmonella differing only slightly in their O-antigen polysaccharide. We used several biophysical methods to study the binding and hydrolysis of O-antigen fragments of different lengths by P22 tailspike protein. O-Antigen saccharides of defined length labeled with fluorophors could be purified with higher resolution than previously possible. Small amounts of naturally occurring variations of 0antigen fragments missing the nonreducing terminal galactose could be used to determine the contribution of this part to the free energy of binding to be similar to 7 kJ/mol. We were able to show via several independent lines of evidence that an unproductive binding mode is highly favored in binding over all other possible binding modes leading to hydrolysis. This is true even under circumstances under which the O-antigen fragment is long enough to be cleaved efficiently by the enzyme. The high-affinity unproductive binding mode results in a strong self-competitive inhibition in addition to product inhibition observed for this system. Self-competitive inhibition is observed for all substrates that have a free reducing end rhamnose. Naturally occurring O-antigen, while still attached to the bacterial outer membrane, does not have a free reducing end and therefore does not perform self-competitive inhibition.}, language = {en} } @article{WolffSchuelerGastetal.2020, author = {Wolff, Martin and Sch{\"u}ler, Anja and Gast, Klaus and Seckler, Robert and Evers, Andreas and Pfeiffer-Marek, Stefania and Kurz, Michael and Nagel, Norbert and Haack, Torsten and Wagner, Michael and Thalhammer, Anja}, title = {Self-Assembly of Exendin-4-Derived Dual Peptide Agonists is Mediated by Acylation and Correlated to the Length of Conjugated Fatty Acyl Chains}, series = {Molecular pharmaceutics}, volume = {17}, journal = {Molecular pharmaceutics}, number = {3}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1543-8384}, doi = {10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.9b01195}, pages = {965 -- 978}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Dual glucagon-like peptide-1/glucagon receptor agonists have emerged as promising candidates for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. Issues of degradation sensitivity and rapid renal clearance are addressed, for example, by the conjugation of peptides to fatty acid chains, promoting reversible albumin binding. We use combined dynamic and static light scattering to directly measure the self-assembly of a set of dual peptide agonists based on the exendin-4 structure with varying fatty acid chain lengths in terms of apparent molecular mass and hydrodynamic radius (R-S). We use NMR spectroscopy to gain an insight into the molecular architecture of the assembly. We investigate conformational changes of the monomeric subunits resulting from peptide self-assembly and assembly stability as a function of the fatty acid chain length using circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. Our results demonstrate that self-assembly of the exendin-4-derived dual agonist peptides is essentially driven by hydrophobic interactions involving the conjugated acyl chains. The fatty acid chain length affects assembly equilibria and the assembly stability, although the peptide subunits in the assembly retain a dynamic secondary structure. The assembly architecture is characterized by juxtaposition of the fatty acyl side chains and a hydrophobic cluster of the peptide moiety. This cluster experiences local conformational changes in the assembly compared to the monomeric unit leading to a reduction in solvent exposure. The N-terminal half of the peptide and a C-terminal loop are not in contact with neighboring peptide subunits in the assemblies. Altogether, our study contributes to a thorough understanding of the association characteristics and the tendency toward self-assembly in response to lipidation. This is important not only to achieve the desired bioavailability but also with respect to the physical stability of peptide solutions.}, language = {en} } @article{WolffGastEversetal.2021, author = {Wolff, Martin and Gast, Klaus and Evers, Andreas and Kurz, Michael and Pfeiffer-Marek, Stefania and Sch{\"u}ler, Anja and Seckler, Robert and Thalhammer, Anja}, title = {A Conserved Hydrophobic Moiety and Helix-Helix Interactions Drive the Self-Assembly of the Incretin Analog Exendin-4}, series = {Biomolecules}, volume = {11}, journal = {Biomolecules}, number = {9}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2218-273X}, doi = {10.3390/biom11091305}, pages = {20}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Exendin-4 is a pharmaceutical peptide used in the control of insulin secretion. Structural information on exendin-4 and related peptides especially on the level of quaternary structure is scarce. We present the first published association equilibria of exendin-4 directly measured by static and dynamic light scattering. We show that exendin-4 oligomerization is pH dependent and that these oligomers are of low compactness. We relate our experimental results to a structural hypothesis to describe molecular details of exendin-4 oligomers. Discussion of the validity of this hypothesis is based on NMR, circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, and light scattering data on exendin-4 and a set of exendin-4 derived peptides. The essential forces driving oligomerization of exendin-4 are helix-helix interactions and interactions of a conserved hydrophobic moiety. Our structural hypothesis suggests that key interactions of exendin-4 monomers in the experimentally supported trimer take place between a defined helical segment and a hydrophobic triangle constituted by the Phe22 residues of the three monomeric subunits. Our data rationalize that Val19 might function as an anchor in the N-terminus of the interacting helix-region and that Trp25 is partially shielded in the oligomer by C-terminal amino acids of the same monomer. Our structural hypothesis suggests that the Trp25 residues do not interact with each other, but with C-terminal Pro residues of their own monomers.}, language = {en} } @misc{WolffGastEversetal.2021, author = {Wolff, Martin and Gast, Klaus and Evers, Andreas and Kurz, Michael and Pfeiffer-Marek, Stefania and Sch{\"u}ler, Anja and Seckler, Robert and Thalhammer, Anja}, title = {A Conserved Hydrophobic Moiety and Helix-Helix Interactions Drive the Self-Assembly of the Incretin Analog Exendin-4}, series = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, journal = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, number = {9}, issn = {1866-8372}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-52208}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-522081}, pages = {22}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Exendin-4 is a pharmaceutical peptide used in the control of insulin secretion. Structural information on exendin-4 and related peptides especially on the level of quaternary structure is scarce. We present the first published association equilibria of exendin-4 directly measured by static and dynamic light scattering. We show that exendin-4 oligomerization is pH dependent and that these oligomers are of low compactness. We relate our experimental results to a structural hypothesis to describe molecular details of exendin-4 oligomers. Discussion of the validity of this hypothesis is based on NMR, circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy, and light scattering data on exendin-4 and a set of exendin-4 derived peptides. The essential forces driving oligomerization of exendin-4 are helix-helix interactions and interactions of a conserved hydrophobic moiety. Our structural hypothesis suggests that key interactions of exendin-4 monomers in the experimentally supported trimer take place between a defined helical segment and a hydrophobic triangle constituted by the Phe22 residues of the three monomeric subunits. Our data rationalize that Val19 might function as an anchor in the N-terminus of the interacting helix-region and that Trp25 is partially shielded in the oligomer by C-terminal amino acids of the same monomer. Our structural hypothesis suggests that the Trp25 residues do not interact with each other, but with C-terminal Pro residues of their own monomers.}, language = {en} } @article{WolffSchuelerGastetal.2020, author = {Wolff, Martin and Sch{\"u}ler, Anja and Gast, Klaus and Seckler, Robert and Evers, Andreas and Pfeiffer-Marek, Stefania and Kurz, Michael and Nagel, Norbert and Haack, Torsten and Wagner, Michael and Thalhammer, Anja}, title = {Self-Assembly of Exendin-4-Derived Dual Peptide Agonists is Mediated by Acylation and Correlated to the Length of Conjugated Fatty Acyl Chains}, series = {Molecular pharmaceutics}, volume = {17}, journal = {Molecular pharmaceutics}, number = {3}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1543-8384}, doi = {10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.9b01195}, pages = {965 -- 978}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Dual glucagon-like peptide-1/glucagon receptor agonists have emerged as promising candidates for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. Issues of degradation sensitivity and rapid renal clearance are addressed, for example, by the conjugation of peptides to fatty acid chains, promoting reversible albumin binding. We use combined dynamic and static light scattering to directly measure the self-assembly of a set of dual peptide agonists based on the exendin-4 structure with varying fatty acid chain lengths in terms of apparent molecular mass and hydrodynamic radius (R-S). We use NMR spectroscopy to gain an insight into the molecular architecture of the assembly. We investigate conformational changes of the monomeric subunits resulting from peptide self-assembly and assembly stability as a function of the fatty acid chain length using circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. Our results demonstrate that self-assembly of the exendin-4-derived dual agonist peptides is essentially driven by hydrophobic interactions involving the conjugated acyl chains. The fatty acid chain length affects assembly equilibria and the assembly stability, although the peptide subunits in the assembly retain a dynamic secondary structure. The assembly architecture is characterized by juxtaposition of the fatty acyl side chains and a hydrophobic cluster of the peptide moiety. This cluster experiences local conformational changes in the assembly compared to the monomeric unit leading to a reduction in solvent exposure. The N-terminal half of the peptide and a C-terminal loop are not in contact with neighboring peptide subunits in the assemblies. Altogether, our study contributes to a thorough understanding of the association characteristics and the tendency toward self-assembly in response to lipidation. This is important not only to achieve the desired bioavailability but also with respect to the physical stability of peptide solutions.}, language = {en} } @article{GastSchuelerWolffetal.2017, author = {Gast, Klaus and Sch{\"u}ler, Anja and Wolff, Martin and Thalhammer, Anja and Berchtold, Harald and Nagel, Norbert and Lenherr, Gudrun and Hauck, Gerrit and Seckler, Robert}, title = {Rapid-acting and human insulins}, series = {Pharmaceutical research}, volume = {34}, journal = {Pharmaceutical research}, number = {795}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0724-8741}, doi = {10.1007/s11095-017-2233-0}, pages = {2270 -- 2286}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Comparison of the dissociation kinetics of rapid-acting insulins lispro, aspart, glulisine and human insulin under physiologically relevant conditions. Dissociation kinetics after dilution were monitored directly in terms of the average molecular mass using combined static and dynamic light scattering. Changes in tertiary structure were detected by near-UV circular dichroism. Glulisine forms compact hexamers in formulation even in the absence of Zn2+. Upon severe dilution, these rapidly dissociate into monomers in less than 10 s. In contrast, in formulations of lispro and aspart, the presence of Zn2+ and phenolic compounds is essential for formation of compact R6 hexamers. These slowly dissociate in times ranging from seconds to one hour depending on the concentration of phenolic additives. The disadvantage of the long dissociation times of lispro and aspart can be diminished by a rapid depletion of the concentration of phenolic additives independent of the insulin dilution. This is especially important in conditions similar to those after subcutaneous injection, where only minor dilution of the insulins occurs. Knowledge of the diverging dissociation mechanisms of lispro and aspart compared to glulisine will be helpful for optimizing formulation conditions of rapid-acting insulins.}, language = {en} } @misc{SchmidtEckardtMarszałeketal.2014, author = {Schmidt, Anna and Eckardt, Barbara and Marszałek, Magdalena and G{\"o}rlich, Petra and Bieber, Sabine and Kampe, Heike and J{\"a}ger, Sophie and Horn-Conrad, Antje and G{\"u}nther, Oliver and Seckler, Robert and Sepp{\"a}, Silvana and Guske, Katja and Szameitat, Ulrike and Bezzenberger, Tilman and S{\"u}tterlin, Sabine and Weller, Nina and Klauke, Lars}, title = {Portal = Sommer an der Uni: Leere H{\"o}rs{\"a}le? Volle Terminkalender!}, number = {03/2014}, organization = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam, Referat f{\"u}r Presse- und {\"O}ffentlichkeitsarbeit}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-44302}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-443021}, pages = {42}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Aus dem Inhalt: - Sommer an der Uni: Leere H{\"o}rs{\"a}le? Volle Terminkalender! - St{\"a}rken st{\"a}rken - Unter Stress}, language = {de} } @misc{GastSchuelerWolffetal.2017, author = {Gast, Klaus and Sch{\"u}ler, Anja and Wolff, Martin and Thalhammer, Anja and Berchtold, Harald and Nagel, Norbert and Lenherr, Gudrun and Hauck, Gerrit and Seckler, Robert}, title = {Rapid-acting and human insulins}, series = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, journal = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, number = {795}, issn = {1866-8372}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-43157}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-431572}, pages = {2270 -- 2286}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Purpose: Comparison of the dissociation kinetics of rapid-acting insulins lispro, aspart, glulisine and human insulin under physiologically relevant conditions. Methods: Dissociation kinetics after dilution were monitored directly in terms of the average molecular mass using combined static and dynamic light scattering. Changes in tertiary structure were detected by near-UV circular dichroism. Results: Glulisine forms compact hexamers in formulation even in the absence of Zn2+. Upon severe dilution, these rapidly dissociate into monomers in less than 10 s. In contrast, in formulations of lispro and aspart, the presence of Zn2+ and phenolic compounds is essential for formation of compact R6 hexamers. These slowly dissociate in times ranging from seconds to one hour depending on the concentration of phenolic additives. The disadvantage of the long dissociation times of lispro and aspart can be diminished by a rapid depletion of the concentration of phenolic additives independent of the insulin dilution. This is especially important in conditions similar to those after subcutaneous injection, where only minor dilution of the insulins occurs. Conclusion: Knowledge of the diverging dissociation mechanisms of lispro and aspart compared to glulisine will be helpful for optimizing formulation conditions of rapid-acting insulins.}, language = {en} } @misc{GraefSecklerHagemannetal.2012, author = {Gr{\"a}f, Ralph and Seckler, Robert and Hagemann, Alfred and D'Aprile, Iwan-Michelangelo and Schulte, Christoph and Zimmermann, Matthias and Blom, Hans and Horn-Conrad, Antje and Kampe, Heike and J{\"a}ger, Sophie and Haase, Jana and Eckardt, Barbara and Priebs-Tr{\"o}ger, Astrid and Walz, Bernd}, title = {Portal Wissen = Raum}, number = {01/2012}, organization = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam, Referat f{\"u}r Presse- und {\"O}ffentlichkeitsarbeit}, issn = {2194-4237}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-44078}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-440785}, pages = {98}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Mit „Portal Wissen" laden wir Sie ein, die Forschung an der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam zu entdecken und in ihrer Vielfalt kennenzulernen. In der ersten Ausgabe dreht sich alles um „R{\"a}ume". R{\"a}ume, in denen geforscht wird, solche, die es zu erforschen gilt, andere, die durch Wissenschaft zug{\"a}nglich oder erschlossen werden, aber auch R{\"a}ume, die Wissenschaft braucht, um sich entfalten zu k{\"o}nnen. Forschung vermisst R{\"a}ume: „Wissenschaft wird von Menschen gemacht", schrieb der Physiker Werner Heisenberg. Umgekehrt l{\"a}sst sich sagen: Wissenschaft macht Menschen, widmet sich ihnen, beeinflusst sie. Dieser Beziehung ist „Portal Wissen" nachgegangen. Wir haben Wissenschaftler getroffen, sie gefragt, wie aus ihren Fragen Projekte entstehen, haben sie auf dem oft verschlungenen Weg zum Ziel begleitet. Ein besonderes Augenmerk dieses Heftes gilt den „Kulturellen Begegnungsr{\"a}umen", denen ein eigener Profilbereich der Forschung an der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam gewidmet ist. Forschung hat R{\"a}ume: Labore, Bibliotheken, Gew{\"a}chsh{\"a}user oder Archive - hier ist Wissenschaft zu Liebe Leserinnen und Leser, Hause. All diese Orte sind so einzigartig wie die Wissenschaftler, die in ihnen arbeiten, oder die Untersuchungen, die hier stattfinden. Erst die Vision davon, wie ein Problem zu l{\"o}sen ist, macht aus einfachen Zimmern „Laborr{\"a}ume". Wir haben ihre T{\"u}ren ge{\"o}ffnet, um zu zeigen, was - und wer - sich dahinter befindet. Forschung er{\"o}ffnet R{\"a}ume: Wenn Wissenschaft erfolgreich ist, bewegt sie uns, bringt uns voran. Auf dem Weg einer wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnis aus dem Labor in den Alltag stehen mitunter H{\"u}rden, die meist nicht auf den ersten Blick zu erkennen sind. Auf jeden Fall aber ist ihre Anwendung erster Ausgangspunkt von Wissenschaft, Antrieb und Motivation jedes Forschers. „Portal Wissen" zeigt, welche „Praxisr{\"a}ume" sich aus der {\"U}bersetzung von Forschungsresultaten ergeben. Dort, wo wir es unbedingt erwarten, und dort, wo vielleicht nicht. Forschung erschließt R{\"a}ume: Bei Expeditionen, Feldversuchen und Exkursionen wird nahezu jede Umgebung zum mobilen Labor. So er{\"o}ffnet Wissenschaft Zug{\"a}nge auch zu Orten, die auf vielfach andere Weise verschlossen oder unzug{\"a}nglich scheinen. Wir haben uns in Forscher- Reisetaschen gemogelt, um bei Entdeckungsreisen dabei zu sein, die weit weg - vor allem nach Afrika - f{\"u}hren. Zugleich haben wir beobachtet, wie „Entwicklungsr{\"a}ume" sich auch von Potsdam aus erschließen lassen oder zumindest ihre Vermessung in Potsdam beginnen kann. Forschung braucht R{\"a}ume: Wissenschaft hat zwei Geschlechter, endlich. Noch nie waren so viele Frauen in der Forschung t{\"a}tig wie derzeit. Ein Grund zum Ausruhen ist dies gleichwohl nicht. Deutschlandweit ist aktuell nur jede f{\"u}nfte Professur von einer Frau besetzt. „Portal Wissen" schaut, welche „Entwicklungsr{\"a}ume" Frauen sich in der Wissenschaft, aber auch dar{\"u}ber hinaus geschaffen haben. Und wo sie ihnen verwehrt werden. Wir w{\"u}nschen Ihnen eine anregende Lekt{\"u}re und dass auch Sie einen Raum finden, der Sie inspiriert. Prof. Dr. Robert Seckler Vizepr{\"a}sident f{\"u}r Forschung und wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs}, language = {de} } @article{SeulMuellerAndresetal.2014, author = {Seul, Anait and M{\"u}ller, J{\"u}rgen J. and Andres, Dorothee and Stettner, Eva and Heinemann, Udo and Seckler, Robert}, title = {Bacteriophage P22 tailspike: structure of the complete protein and function of the interdomain linker}, series = {Acta crystallographica : Section D, Biological crystallography}, volume = {70}, journal = {Acta crystallographica : Section D, Biological crystallography}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {1399-0047}, doi = {10.1107/S1399004714002685}, pages = {1336 -- 1345}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Attachment of phages to host cells, followed by phage DNA ejection, represents the first stage of viral infection of bacteria. Salmonella phage P22 has been extensively studied, serving as an experimental model for bacterial infection by phages. P22 engages bacteria by binding to the sugar moiety of lipopolysaccharides using the viral tailspike protein for attachment. While the structures of the N-terminal particle-binding domain and the major receptor-binding domain of the tailspike have been analyzed individually, the three-dimensional organization of the intact protein, including the highly conserved linker region between the two domains, remained unknown. A single amino-acid exchange in the linker sequence made it possible to crystallize the full-length protein. Two crystal structures of the linker region are presented: one attached to the N-terminal domain and the other present within the complete tailspike protein. Both retain their biological function, but the mutated full-length tailspike displays a retarded folding pathway. Fitting of the full-length tailspike into a published cryo-electron microscopy map of the P22 virion requires an elastic distortion of the crystal structure. The conservation of the linker suggests a role in signal transmission from the distal tip of the molecule to the phage head, eventually leading to DNA ejection.}, language = {en} } @article{HundertmarkDimovaLengefeldetal.2011, author = {Hundertmark, Michaela and Dimova, Rumiana and Lengefeld, Jan and Seckler, Robert and Hincha, Dirk K.}, title = {The intrinsically disordered late embryogenesis abundant protein LEA18 from Arabidopsis thaliana modulates membrane stability through binding and folding}, series = {Biochimica et biophysica acta : Biomembranes}, volume = {1808}, journal = {Biochimica et biophysica acta : Biomembranes}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0005-2736}, doi = {10.1016/j.bbamem.2010.09.010}, pages = {446 -- 453}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) constitute a substantial part of cellular proteomes. late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are mostly predicted to be IDPs associated with dehydration tolerance in many plant, animal and bacterial species. Their functions, however, are largely unexplored and also their structure and interactions with potential target molecules have only recently been experimentally investigated in a small number of proteins. Here, we report on the structure and interactions with membranes of the Pfam LEA_1 protein LEA18 from the higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana. This functionally uncharacterized positively charged protein specifically aggregated and destabilized negatively charged liposomes. Isothermal titration calorimetry showed binding of the protein to both charged and uncharged membranes. LEA18 alone was largely unstructured in solution. While uncharged membranes had no influence on the secondary structure of LEA18, the protein partially folded into beta-sheet structure in the presence of negatively charged liposomes. These data suggest that LEA18 does not function as a membrane stabilizing protein, as suggested for other LEA proteins. Instead, a possible function of LEA18 could be the composition-dependent modulation of membrane stability, e.g., during signaling or vesicle-mediated transport.}, language = {en} } @article{PopovaHundertmarkSeckleretal.2011, author = {Popova, Antoaneta V. and Hundertmark, Michaela and Seckler, Robert and Hincha, Dirk K.}, title = {Structural transitions in the intrinsically disordered plant dehydration stress protein LEA7 upon drying are modulated by the presence of membranes}, series = {Biochimica et biophysica acta : Biomembranes}, volume = {1808}, journal = {Biochimica et biophysica acta : Biomembranes}, number = {7}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0005-2736}, doi = {10.1016/j.bbamem.2011.03.009}, pages = {1879 -- 1887}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Dehydration stress-related late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins have been found in plants, invertebrates and bacteria. Most LEA proteins are unstructured in solution, but some fold into amphipathic a-helices during drying. The Pfam LEA_4 (Group 3) protein LEA7 from the higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana was predicted to be 87\% alpha-helical, while CD spectroscopy showed it to be largely unstructured in solution and only 35\% alpha-helical in the dry state. However, the dry protein contained 15\% beta-sheets. FTIR spectroscopy revealed the (beta-sheets to be largely due to aggregation. beta-Sheet content was reduced and alpha-helix content increased when LEA7 was dried in the presence of liposomes with secondary structure apparently influenced by lipid composition. Secondary structure was also affected by the presence of membranes in the fully hydrated state. A temperature-induced increase in the flexibility of the dry protein was also only observed in the presence of membranes. Functional interactions of LEA7 with membranes in the dry state were indicated by its influence on the thermotropic phase transitions of the lipids and interactions with the lipid headgroup phosphates.}, language = {en} } @article{HundertmarkPopovaRauschetal.2012, author = {Hundertmark, Michaela and Popova, Antoaneta V. and Rausch, Saskia and Seckler, Robert and Hincha, Dirk K.}, title = {Influence of drying on the secondary structure of intrinsically disordered and globular proteins}, series = {Biochemical and biophysical research communications}, volume = {417}, journal = {Biochemical and biophysical research communications}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {San Diego}, issn = {0006-291X}, doi = {10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.11.067}, pages = {122 -- 128}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy of five Arabidopsis late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins constituting the plant specific families LEA_5 and LEA_6 showed that they are intrinsically disordered in solution and partially fold during drying. Structural predictions were comparable to these results for hydrated LEA_6, but not for LEA_5 proteins. FTIR spectroscopy showed that verbascose, but not sucrose, strongly affected the structure of the dry proteins. The four investigated globular proteins were only mildly affected by drying in the absence, but strongly in the presence of sugars. These data highlight the larger structural flexibility of disordered compared to globular proteins and the impact of sugars on the structure of both disordered and globular proteins during drying.}, language = {en} } @article{AndresRoskeDoeringetal.2012, author = {Andres, Dorothee and Roske, Yvette and Doering, Carolin and Heinemann, Udo and Seckler, Robert and Barbirz, Stefanie}, title = {Tail morphology controls DNA release in two Salmonella phages with one lipopolysaccharide receptor recognition system}, series = {Molecular microbiology}, volume = {83}, journal = {Molecular microbiology}, number = {6}, publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {0950-382X}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2958.2012.08006.x}, pages = {1244 -- 1253}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Bacteriophages use specific tail proteins to recognize host cells. It is still not understood to molecular detail how the signal is transmitted over the tail to initiate infection. We have analysed in vitro DNA ejection in long-tailed siphovirus 9NA and short-tailed podovirus P22 upon incubation with Salmonella typhimurium lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We showed for the first time that LPS alone was sufficient to elicit DNA release from a siphovirus in vitro. Crystal structure analysis revealed that both phages use similar tailspike proteins for LPS recognition. Tailspike proteins hydrolyse LPS O antigen to position the phage on the cell surface. Thus we were able to compare in vitro DNA ejection processes from two phages with different morphologies with the same receptor under identical experimental conditions. Siphovirus 9NA ejected its DNA about 30 times faster than podovirus P22. DNA ejection is under control of the conformational opening of the particle and has a similar activation barrier in 9NA and P22. Our data suggest that tail morphology influences the efficiencies of particle opening given an identical initial receptor interaction event.}, language = {en} } @article{BroekerGohlkeMuelleretal.2013, author = {Br{\"o}ker, Nina Kristin and Gohlke, Ulrich and M{\"u}ller, J{\"u}rgen J. and Uetrecht, Charlotte and Heinemann, Udo and Seckler, Robert and Barbirz, Stefanie}, title = {Single amino acid exchange in bacteriophage HK620 tailspike protein results in thousand-fold increase of its oligosaccharide affinity}, series = {Glycobiology}, volume = {23}, journal = {Glycobiology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Cary}, issn = {0959-6658}, doi = {10.1093/glycob/cws126}, pages = {59 -- 68}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Bacteriophage HK620 recognizes and cleaves the O-antigen polysaccharide of Escherichia coli serogroup O18A1 with its tailspike protein (TSP). HK620TSP binds hexasaccharide fragments with low affinity, but single amino acid exchanges generated a set of high-affinity mutants with submicromolar dissociation constants. Isothermal titration calorimetry showed that only small amounts of heat were released upon complex formation via a large number of direct and solvent-mediated hydrogen bonds between carbohydrate and protein. At room temperature, association was both enthalpy- and entropy-driven emphasizing major solvent rearrangements upon complex formation. Crystal structure analysis showed identical protein and sugar conformers in the TSP complexes regardless of their hexasaccharide affinity. Only in one case, a TSP mutant bound a different hexasaccharide conformer. The extended sugar binding site could be dissected in two regions: first, a hydrophobic pocket at the reducing end with minor affinity contributions. Access to this site could be blocked by a single aspartate to asparagine exchange without major loss in hexasaccharide affinity. Second, a region where the specific exchange of glutamate for glutamine created a site for an additional water molecule. Side-chain rearrangements upon sugar binding led to desolvation and additional hydrogen bonding which define this region of the binding site as the high-affinity scaffold.}, language = {en} } @article{AndresGohlkeBroekeretal.2013, author = {Andres, Dorothee and Gohlke, Ulrich and Br{\"o}ker, Nina Kristin and Schulze, Stefan and Rabsch, Wolfgang and Heinemann, Udo and Barbirz, Stefanie and Seckler, Robert}, title = {An essential serotype recognition pocket on phage P22 tailspike protein forces Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A O-antigen fragments to bind as nonsolution conformers}, series = {Glycobiology}, volume = {23}, journal = {Glycobiology}, number = {4}, publisher = {Oxford Univ. Press}, address = {Cary}, issn = {0959-6658}, doi = {10.1093/glycob/cws224}, pages = {486 -- 494}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Bacteriophage P22 recognizes O-antigen polysaccharides of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica (S.) with its tailspike protein (TSP). In the serovars S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, and S. Paratyphi A, the tetrasaccharide repeat units of the respective O-antigens consist of an identical main chain trisaccharide but different 3,6-dideoxyhexose substituents. Here, the epimers abequose, tyvelose and paratose determine the specific serotype. P22 TSP recognizes O-antigen octasaccharides in an extended binding site with a single 3,6-dideoxyhexose binding pocket. We have isolated S. Paratyphi A octasaccharides which were not available previously and determined the crystal structure of their complex with P22 TSP. We discuss our data together with crystal structures of complexes with S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis octasaccharides determined earlier. Isothermal titration calorimetry showed that S. Paratyphi A octasaccharide binds P22 TSP less tightly, with a difference in binding free energy of similar to 7 kJ mol(-1) at 20 degrees C compared with S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis octasaccharides. Individual protein-carbohydrate contacts were probed by amino acid replacements showing that the dideoxyhexose pocket contributes to binding of all three serotypes. However, S. Paratyphi A octasaccharides bind in a conformation with an energetically unfavorable phi/epsilon glycosidic bond angle combination. In contrast, octasaccharides from the other serotypes bind as solution-like conformers. Two water molecules are conserved in all P22 TSP complexes with octasaccharides of different serotypes. They line the dideoxyhexose binding pocket and force the S. Paratyphi A octasaccharides to bind as nonsolution conformers. This emphasizes the role of solvent as part of carbohydrate binding sites.}, language = {en} } @article{KuesterSeckler2008, author = {K{\"u}ster, Frank and Seckler, Robert}, title = {Pea seed lectin folds and oligomerizes via an intermediate not represented in the structural hierarchy}, issn = {0006-2960}, doi = {10.1021/Bi7019047}, year = {2008}, abstract = {Large oligomeric proteins are usually thought to fold and assemble hierarchically: Domains fold and coalesce to form the subunits, and folded subunits can then associate to form the multimeric structure. We have investigated the refolding pathway of the ;-sheet protein pea seed lectin using spectroscopic and hydrodynamic techniques. In vivo, it is proteolytically processed post-translationally, so that the single-domain subunits of the initial homodimer themselves become heterodimers of intertwined fragment polypeptide chains. Despite this complex topology, mature pea seed lectin reassembles with considerable efficiency at low total protein concentration (10 ;g/mL) and low temperature (10 °C), albeit very slowly (t1/2 ; 2 days). Contrary to expectations, the primary assembly product is not the intact ;-sheet domain, but the larger fragment chains first dimerize to form the native-like subunit interface. The smaller fragment chains then associate with this preformed dimer.}, language = {en} } @article{HoffmannKaneNettelsetal.2007, author = {Hoffmann, Armin S. and Kane, Avinash S. and Nettels, Daniel and Hertzog, David E. and Baumg{\"a}rtel, Peter and Lengefeld, Jan and Reichardt, Gerd and Horsley, David A. and Seckler, Robert and Bakajin, Olgica and Schuler, Benjamin}, title = {Mapping protein collapse with single molecule fluorescence and kinetic synchrotron radiation circular dichroism spectroscopy}, issn = {0027-8424}, year = {2007}, language = {en} } @article{SecklerLilie2005, author = {Seckler, Robert and Lilie, Hauke}, title = {Folding and association of multi-domain and oligomeric proteins}, isbn = {978- 3-527-30784-5}, year = {2005}, language = {en} } @article{MishraBhatSeckler2007, author = {Mishra, Rajesh and Bhat, Rajiv and Seckler, Robert}, title = {Chemical chaperone mediated protein folding : stabilization of P22 tailspike folding intermediates by glycerol}, issn = {1431-6730}, year = {2007}, language = {en} }