Predicted secondary and tertiary structures of carp gamma-crystallins with high methionine content: role of methionine residues in the protein stability

J Biochem. 1992 Sep;112(3):341-5. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a123902.

Abstract

A systematic structural comparison of several carp gamma-crystallins with high methionine contents was made by the secondary-structure prediction together with computer model-building based on the established X-ray structure of calf gamma-II crystallin. The overall surface hydrophilicity profile and the distribution of helices, beta-sheets, and beta-turns along the polypeptide chains are very similar among these carp gamma-crystallins. In addition, their general polypeptide packing is close to the characteristic 2 domain/4 motif Greek key three-dimensional conformation depicted for the calf gamma-II crystallin. Interestingly, most hydrophobic methionine residues are located on the protein surface with only a few buried inside the protein surface or in the interface between two motifs of each domain. The exposed hydrophobic and polarizable methionine cluster on the protein surface may have a bearing on the crystallin stability and dense packing in the piscine species, and probably also provides a malleable nonpolar surface for the interaction with other crystallin components for the maintenance of a clear and transparent lens.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Carps
  • Computer Simulation
  • Crystallins / chemistry*
  • Crystallins / ultrastructure
  • Drug Stability
  • Methionine / chemistry
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Substances

  • Crystallins
  • Methionine