Modeling zymogen protein C

Biophys J. 2000 Dec;79(6):2925-43. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(00)76530-1.

Abstract

A solution structure for the complete zymogen form of human coagulation protein C is modeled. The initial core structure is based on the x-ray crystallographic structure of the gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)-domainless activated form. The Gla domain (residues 1-48) is modeled from the x-ray crystal coordinates of the factor VII(a)/tissue factor complex and oriented with the epidermal growth factor-1 domain to yield an initial orientation consistent with the x-ray crystal structure of porcine factor IX(a). The missing C-terminal residues in the light chain (residues 147-157) and the activation peptide residues 158-169 were introduced using homology modeling so that the activation peptide residues directly interact with the residues in the calcium binding loop. Molecular dynamics simulations (Amber-particle-mesh-Ewald) are used to obtain the complete calcium-complexed solution structure. The individual domain structures of protein C in solution are largely unaffected by solvation, whereas the Gla-epidermal growth factor-1 orientation evolves to a form different from both factors VII(a) and IX(a). The solution structure of the zymogen protein C is compared with the crystal structures of the existing zymogen serine proteases: chymotrypsinogen, proproteinase, and prethrombin-2. Calculated electrostatic potential surfaces support the involvement of the serine protease calcium ion binding loop in providing a suitable electrostatic environment around the scissile bond for II(a)/thrombomodulin interaction.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • 1-Carboxyglutamic Acid
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Crystallography, X-Ray / methods
  • Factor IXa / chemistry
  • Factor VIIa / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptide Fragments / chemistry
  • Protein C / chemistry*
  • Protein Conformation
  • Solutions

Substances

  • Peptide Fragments
  • Protein C
  • Solutions
  • 1-Carboxyglutamic Acid
  • Factor VIIa
  • Factor IXa