Helix switching

Wharton, R.P., Brown, E.L., Ptashne, M. Substituting an a helix switches the sequence-specific DNA interactions of a repressor. Cell 38 361-369, 1984. 

A knowledge and understanding on the nature of the helix switching may be helpful in designing PM-transition capability and characteristics in diverse screw-sense inversion related applications, such as chiroptical switches and memory, switchable chiral separation columns, molecular recognition and molecular motor applications. 

This is precisely where the catalytically essential zinc atom is found. This zinc atom is located precisely at this switch point, where it is firmly anchored to the protein by three side-chain ligands, His 69, Glu 72, and His 196 (Figure 4.20). The last residue of p strand 3 is residue 66, so the two zinc ligands His 69 and Glu 72 are at the beginning of the loop region that connects this p strand with its corresponding a helix. The last residue of p strand 5 is the third zinc ligand. His 196. 

The 3 isozymes are activated by G protein-coupled receptors through two different mechanisms [2]. The first involves activated a-subunits of the Gq family of heterotrimeric G proteins (Gq, Gn, Gi4, G15/16). These subunits activate the (31, (33 and (34 PLC isozymes through direct interaction with a sequence in the C terminus. The domain on the Gqa-subunit that interacts with the (3 isozymes is located on a surface a-helix that is adjacent to the Switch III region, which undergoes a marked conformational change during activation. The second mechanism of G protein activation of PLC 3 isozymes involves (3y-subunits released from Gi/0 G proteins by their pertussis toxin-sensitive activation by certain receptors. The 3y-subunits activate the 32 and 33 PLC isozymes by interacting with a sequence between the conserved X and Y domains. 

Tetracycline has a secondary binding site in the H27 switch region that may also be fimctionally significant. The dtug binds at the interface of the three domains of 16S rRNA, close to helix 44 and between helices 11 and 27. As with the primary binding site, contacts are made from the hydrophilic face of the dtug to the backbone of 16S rRNA. In this binding site, tetracycline may function to stabilize the ram state. 

Recent advances of the Seeman group led to the construction of a nanomechanical device from DNA [89]. In this molecular apparatus, the ion-dependent transition of B-DNA into the Z-conformation is used to alter the distance between two DNA DX domains attached to the switchable double helix. Atomic displacements of about 2-6 nm were attained. Ionic switching of nanoparticles by means of DNA supercoiling has also been reported [53]. Additional advances regarding the use of DNA is nanomechanical devices have been reported by Fritz et al., who showed that an array of cantilevers can be used to... 

Switching Preferential Screw Sense by Helix-Helix Transition... 

Figure 8.20 Structure and phase sequence of prototypical bent-core mesogen NOBOW (8) are given, along with space-filling model showing one of many conformational minima obtained using MOPAC with AMI force field. With observation by Tokyo Tech group of polar EO switching for B2 smectic phases formed by mesogens of this type, banana LC field was bom. Achiral, polar C2v layer structure, with formation of macroscopic spontaneous helix in polarization field (and concomitant chiral symmetry breaking), was proposed to account for observed EO behavior.

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