Download MendeleyAssessing the Structures and Interactions of gamma D-Crystallin Deamidation Variants.
Guseman, A.J., Whitley, M.J., Gonzalez, J.J., Rathi, N., Ambarian, M., Gronenborn, A.M.(2021) Structure 29: 284-291.e3
- PubMed: 33264606
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2020.11.006
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
6W5B, 6WCY - PubMed Abstract:
Cataracts involve the deposition of the crystallin proteins in the vertebrate eye lens, causing opacification and blindness. They are associated with either genetic mutation or protein damage that accumulates over the lifetime of the organism. Deamidation of Asn residues in several different crystallins has been observed and is frequently invoked as a cause of cataract. Here, we investigated the properties of Asp variants, deamidation products of γD-crystallin, by solution NMR, X-ray crystallography, and other biophysical techniques. No substantive structural or stability changes were noted for all seven Asn to Asp γD-crystallins. Importantly, no changes in diffusion interaction behavior could be detected. Our combined experimental results demonstrate that introduction of single Asp residues on the surface of γD-crystallin by deamidation is unlikely to be the driver of cataract formation in the eye lens.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
