A specific response of human serum neutralizing antibodies (nAb) to a conformational epitope as a result of vaccination of human subjects with the surface envelope glycoprotein (gp120) of HIV-1 has not previously been documented. Here, we used computational analysis to assess the epitope-specific responses of human subjects, which were immunized with recombinant gp120 immunogens in the VAX003 a...

In eukaryotes, DNA is packaged into a basic unit, the nucleosome which consists of 147 bp of DNA wrapped around a histone octamer composed of two copies each of the histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4. Nucleosome structures are diverse not only by histone variants, histone modifications, histone composition but also through accommodating different conformational states such as DNA breathing and dimer ...

Recent investigations of supramolecular polymers based on chiral triphenylene-2,6,10-tricarboxamides (TTAs) showed how temperature-induced changes in solvation can greatly influence the preferred helical conformation formed. Here, we combine TTA with achiral copolymerization partners to further investigate temperature-dependent effects. Systematic variation system's composition shows clear impa...

Proteins are molecules that behave in beautiful and astounding ways in the course of their biological function, and all biological processes involve protein conformational changes. These processes might be enzyme catalysis, transport and signaling, dynamic scaffolding for structures, charge transfer, or mechanical or electrical energy transduction. Our view of such processes is colored by the m...

The family of conserved colicin DNases E2, E7, E8, and E9 are microbial toxins that kill bacteria through random degradation of the chromosomal DNA. In the present work, we compare side by side the conformational stabilities of these four highly homologous colicin DNases. Our results indicate that the apo-forms of these colicins are at room temperature and neutral pH in a dynamic conformational...

mndo semi-empirical scf mo calculations are used to study the pyramidal nitrogen atom inversion and configurational equilibria in the title compounds.

Deciphering the effects of nonsynonymous mutations on protein structure is central to many areas of biomedical research and is of fundamental importance to the study of molecular evolution. Much of the investigation of protein evolution has focused on mutations that leave a protein's folded structure essentially unchanged. However, to evolve novel folds of proteins, mutations that lead to large...

To be able to detect in situ changes in protein conformation without perturbing the physiological environment would be a major step forward in understanding the precise mechanism occurring in protein interaction. We have developed a novel approach to monitoring conformational changes of proteins in intact cells. A double-labelled fluorescent green fluorescent protein-yellow fluorescent protein ...

Tau, a natively unstructured protein that regulates the organization of neuronal microtubules, is also found in high concentrations in neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. The conformational transition between these vastly different healthy and pathological forms remains poorly understood. We have measured residual dipolar couplings (RDCs), J-cou...