cAMP receptor protein (CRP) is the prototype of a super-family of transcription factors. One key feature of CRP's biological activity that has been the focus of this laboratory's research is the fundamental rules that govern the allosteric activation by cAMP of its sequence-specific DMA binding. Recently we established, for the first time in any allosteric system, that the energetics of allosteric parameters are linear functions of protein dynamics. Using protein dynamics as the focus, there is a convergence among the results derived from crystallographic, computational and functional energetic data. This preliminary success enables us to focus our research effort on protein dynamics as the fundamental physical property to establish quantitative linkages between CRP structure and mechanism(s) of allostery. For coming years we will address these issues: 1. Is protein dynamics one of the fundamental properties of protein that modulate allostery? Two strategies will be employed to test the validity of this relationship: a) loops which are solvent accessible are targeted as structural elements to alter protein dynamics and allostery; b) Osmolytes, which affect dynamic motions of proteins, will be employed as solvent additives to perturb protein dynamics and allostery. 2. Is there a network of structural elements that is particularly affected by allosteric regulation? The structural elements the perturbation of which can lead to changes in protein dynamics and allostery will be identified by: a) changes in the thermal B-factors in X-ray data due to mutation; b) H/D exchange measurements coupled with mass spectrometry; and c) computation evidence for structural connectivity. 3. Can one use the knowledge gained in Aims 1 and 2 to assist in defining the structural elements that exert long range effects in defining specificity of the activating effectors? CRP is activated most efficiently by cAMP, although it can bind other cNMP without being activated. Literature results imply that polypeptide outside of the cAMP binding site, specifically the DNA binding domain, dictates the ability of CRP to respond to the bound ligand. Based on the preliminary computation results which show connectivity between the cAMP binding site and the DNA binding domain, mutants will be used to test the connectivity pattern. X-ray structural data of the cAMP binding domain will be used to test if the presence of the DNA binding domain alters the structural connectivity pattern in the cAMP binding domain.
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