Geometric criteria of hydrogen bonds in proteins and identification of `bifurcated' hydrogen bonds

Geometric criteria of hydrogen bonds in proteins and identification of "bifurcated" hydrogen bonds.

Empirical criteria for identification of hydrogen bonds were analyzed to produce a set of geometrically consistent criteria. For a data set of 30 structures, application of a set of purely geometrical criteria, along with exclusion of abnormal backbone conformations, also excluded a common interaction of Ser/Thr side chains with Asp/Glu side chains ([ST]/[DE] pairs). These interactions were ter...

NMR detection of bifurcated hydrogen bonds in large proteins.

Hydrogen bonds play critical roles in protein structure, stability, and function. Most hydrogen bonds in proteins are derived from their crystal structures and the use of standard covalent geometry information, because the positions of hydrogen atoms are defined only in a limited number of ultrahigh-resolution crystal structures. On the other hand, NMR structure calculations rely mostly on the ...

Short hydrogen bonds in proteins.

Short hydrogen bonds are present in many chemical and biological systems. It is well known that these short hydrogen bonds are found in the active site of enzymes and aid enzyme catalysis. This study aims to systematically characterize all short hydrogen bonds from a nonredundant dataset of protein structures. The study has revealed that short hydrogen bonds are commonly found in proteins and a...

Hydrogen Bonds

Interplay of hydrogen bonds and n→π* interactions in proteins.

Protein structures are stabilized by multiple weak interactions, including the hydrophobic effect, hydrogen bonds, electrostatic effects, and van der Waals interactions. Among these interactions, the hydrogen bond is distinct in having its origins in electron delocalization. Recently, another type of electron delocalization, the n→π* interaction between carbonyl groups, has been shown to play a...