Cysteine conformal change

Fluorescence determinations are important to analyze cysteine, guanidine, proteins, (LSD), steroids, a number of enzymes and coenzymes, and some vitamins, as well as several hundred more substances. A fluorometer can be used to verify conformational changes in multipartite operator recognition by. -repressor as explained in a journal article by Deb et al. (2000). Upon titration with single operators site, the tryptophan fluorescence quenches to different degrees, suggesting different conformations of the DNA-protein complexes. 

Figure 12-15 Schematic drawing of the active site of a cysteine protease of the papain family with a partial structure of an acyl-enzyme intermediate in green. The thiolate-imidazolium pair of Cys 25 His 159 lies deep in the substrate-binding cleft and bridges an interface between two major structural domains, just as the Ser His pair does in serine proteases (Fig. 12-10). This may facilitate small conformational changes during the catalytic cycle. Asn 175 provides a polarizable acceptor for positive charge, helping to stabilize the preformed ion pair, and allows easy transfer of an imidazolium proton to the product of substrate cleavage. The peptide NH of Cys 25 and the side chain of Gin 19 form an oxyanion hole.

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