Monomer/Oligomer Quasi-Racemic Protein Crystallography

J Am Chem Soc. 2016 Nov 2;138(43):14497-14502. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6b09545. Epub 2016 Oct 21.

Abstract

Racemic or quasi-racemic crystallography recently emerges as a useful technology for solution of the crystal structures of biomacromolecules. It remains unclear to what extent the biomacromolecules of opposite handedness can differ from each other in racemic or quasi-racemic crystallography. Here we report a finding that monomeric d-ubiquitin (Ub) has propensity to cocrystallize with different dimers, trimers, and even a tetramer of l-Ub. In these cocrystals the unconnected monomeric d-Ubs can self-assemble to form pseudomirror images of different oligomers of l-Ub. This monomer/oligomer cocrystallization phenomenon expands the concept of racemic crystallography. Using the monomer/oligomer cocrystallization technology we obtained, for the first time the X-ray structures of linear M1-linked tri- and tetra-Ubs and a K11/K63-branched tri-Ub.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Models, Molecular
  • Protein Multimerization*
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary
  • Stereoisomerism
  • Ubiquitin / chemistry*

Substances

  • Ubiquitin