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dc.contributor.advisorPeter S. Kim.en_US
dc.contributor.authorAkey, David L. (David Lloyd), 1967-en_US
dc.contributor.otherMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Biology.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2005-08-23T18:20:08Z
dc.date.available2005-08-23T18:20:08Z
dc.date.copyright2001en_US
dc.date.issued2001en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8211
dc.descriptionThesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology, 2001.en_US
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references.en_US
dc.description.abstractExperimental studies were performed to determine the effects of single polar residues at the a and the d positions of a reference coiled coil, GCN4-pVL. The reference coiled coil is very stable in solution and exists as a mixture of dimers and trimers. The placement of single polar residues in the otherwise hydrophobic core of GCN4-pVL has dramatic effects on both stability and oligomeric specificity. The effects vary with regard to both the identity and the position (a vs d position) of the polar substitution. The d position is more sensitive to polar residues. Two residues, asparagine and glutamine, were found to be much more destabilizing when placed at d positions than any residues at the a positions. In addition to the known ability of a single asparagine at the a position to specify coiled-coil dimers, it was found that a single threonine at the d postion can specify a coiled-coil trimer. The crystal structures of four coiled coils, with either a single serine or threonine at either the a or the d position, were determined. These structures show that threonine residues tend to form intra-helical hydrogen bonds when packed in the coiled-coil core. Serine residues tend to show more variability in their packing when placed in the core positions. Polar residues can affect the local coiled-coil geometry. The most dramatic effect was as a result of serine residues at the d position in which in a local decrease in the supercoil radius of 0.5A centered around the buried serine position was observed.en_US
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityby David L. Akey.en_US
dc.format.extent90 leavesen_US
dc.format.extent5397035 bytes
dc.format.extent5396795 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherMassachusetts Institute of Technologyen_US
dc.rightsM.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.en_US
dc.rights.urihttp://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
dc.subjectBiology.en_US
dc.titleStructural specificity in coiled coils : a and d position polar residuesen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.description.degreePh.D.en_US
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
dc.identifier.oclc50120426en_US


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