pdi gene from Medicago sativa L. ,encoding Protein Disulfide Isomerase（ mPDI ）, has been cloned and sequenced. According to the mRNA and amino acid sequence, the character of mPDI such as the physical and chemical p...pdi gene from Medicago sativa L. ,encoding Protein Disulfide Isomerase（ mPDI ）, has been cloned and sequenced. According to the mRNA and amino acid sequence, the character of mPDI such as the physical and chemical properties, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, signal peptide, secondary structure, coiled coil, transmembrane domains, O-glycogylation site, active site, subcellular localization, functional structural domains and three-dimensional structure were analyzed by a series of bioinformatics software. The results showed that mPDI was a hydrophobic and stable protein with 3 coiled coils, 30-glycogylation sites, 2 structural domains of thioredoxin, 2 active sites of thioredoxin, and located in rough endoplasmic reticulum. It has 512 amino acids, the theoretical pl is 4.98, and signal peptide located in 1-24AA. In the secondary structure, a-helix, random coil, extended chain is 26.37%, 53.32%, 20.31% respectively. The validation of modeling accords with the stereochemistry.展开更多
Abstract Objective To investigate the theoretical model of the three-dimensional structure of mosquitocida Cry3OCa2 and its molecular docking with N-acetylgalactosamine. Methods The theoretical model of Cry30Ca2 was t...Abstract Objective To investigate the theoretical model of the three-dimensional structure of mosquitocida Cry3OCa2 and its molecular docking with N-acetylgalactosamine. Methods The theoretical model of Cry30Ca2 was the Cry4Ba. Docking studies were performed N-acetylgalactosamine on the putative receptor. predicted by homology modeling on the structure of to investigate the interaction of Cry3OCa2 with Results Cry3OCa2 toxin is a rather compact molecule composed of three distinct domains and has approximate overall dimensions of 95 by 75 by 60A. Domain I is a helix bundle, Domain Ⅱ consists of three antiparallel β-sheets, Domain Ⅲ is composed of two β-sheets that adopt a 13-sandwich fold. Residue 32111e in loop1, residues 342Gin 343Thr and 345Gin in loop2, residue 393Tyr in loop3 of Cry3OCa2 are responsible for the interactions with GalNAc via 7 hydrogen bonds, 6 of them were related to the oxygen atoms of hydroxyls of the ligand, and one to the nitrogen of the ligand. Conclusion The 3D structure of Cry3OCa2 resembles the previously reported Cry toxin structures but shows still some distinctions. Several residues in the loops of the apex of domain Ⅱ are responsible for the interactions with N-acetylgalactosamine.展开更多
Objective To understand the molecular basis for a potential reaction mechanism and develop novel antibiotics with homology modeling for 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A （HMG-CoA） synthase （HMGS）. Methods The ...Objective To understand the molecular basis for a potential reaction mechanism and develop novel antibiotics with homology modeling for 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A （HMG-CoA） synthase （HMGS）. Methods The genetic engineering technology and the composer module of SYBYL7.0 program were used, while the HMGS three-dimensional structure was analyzed by homology modeling. Results The mvaS gene was cloned from Streptococcus pneumoniae and overexpressed in Escherichia coli from a pET28 vector. The expressed enzyme （about 46 kDa） was purified by affinity chromatography with a specific activity of 3.24 μmol/min/mg. Optimal conditions were pH 9.75 and 10 mmol/L MgCl2 at 37 ℃ The Vmax and Km were 4.69 μmol/min/mg and 213 μmol/L respectively. The 3D model of S.pneumoniae HMGS was established based on structure template of HMGS of Enterococcus faecalis. Conelusion The structure of HMGS will facilitate the structure-based design of alternative drugs to cholesterol-lowering therapies or to novel antibiotics to the Gram-positive cocci, whereas the recombinant HMGS will prove useful for drug development against a different enzyme in the mevalonate pathway.展开更多
The gene iscS-3 from ,4cidithiobacillus ferrooxidans may play a central role in the delivery of sulfur to a variety of metabolic pathways in this organism. For insight into the sulfur metabolic mechanism of the bacter...The gene iscS-3 from ,4cidithiobacillus ferrooxidans may play a central role in the delivery of sulfur to a variety of metabolic pathways in this organism. For insight into the sulfur metabolic mechanism of the bacteria, an integral three-dimensional （3D） molecular structure of the protein encoded by this gene was built by homology modeling techniques, refined by molecular dynamics simulations, assessed by PROFILE-3D and PROSTAT programs and further used to search bind sites, carry out flexible docking with cofactor pyridoxal 5＇-phosphate（PLP） and substrate cysteine and hereby detect its key residues. Through these procedures, the detail conformations of PLP-IscS（P-I） and cysteine-PLP-IscS（C-P-I） complexes were obtained. In P-I complex, the residues of Lys208, His106, Thr78, Ser205, His207, Asp182 and Gln185 have large interaction energies and/or hydrogen bonds fixation with PLP. In C-P-I complex, the amino group in cysteine is very near His106, Lys208 and PLP, the interaction energies for cysteine with them are very high. The above results are well consistent with those experimental facts of the homologues from other sources. Interestingly, the four residues of Glul05, Glu79, Ser203 and Hisl80 in P-I docking and the residue of Lys213 in C-P-I docking also have great interaction energies, which are fitly conservation in IscSs from all kinds of sources but have not been identified before. From these results, this gene can be confirmed at 3D level to encode the iron-sulfur cluster assembly protein IscS and subsequently play a sulfur traffic role. Furthermore, the substrate cysteine can be presumed to be effectively recruited into the active site. Finally, the above detected key residues can be conjectured to be directly responsible for the bind and/or catalysis of PLP and cysteine.展开更多
The gene sod in Acidithiobacillusferrooxidans may play a crucial role in its tolerance to the extremely acidic, toxic and oxidative environment of bioleaching. For insight into the anti-toxic mechanism of the bacteria...The gene sod in Acidithiobacillusferrooxidans may play a crucial role in its tolerance to the extremely acidic, toxic and oxidative environment of bioleaching. For insight into the anti-toxic mechanism of the bacteria, a three-dimensional （3D） molecular structure of the protein encoded by this gene was built by homology modeling techniques, refined by molecular dynamics simulations, assessed by PROFILE-3D and PROSTAT programs and its key residues were further detected by evolutionary trace analysis. Through these procedures, some trace residues were identified and spatially clustered. Among them, the residues of Asn38, Glyl03 and Glul61 are randomly scattered throughout the mapped structure; interestingly, the other residues are all distinctly clustered in a subgroup near Fe atom. From these results, this gene can be confirmed at 3D level to encode the Fe-depending superoxide dismutase and subsequently play an anti-toxic role. Furthermore, the detected key residues around Fe binding site can be conjectured to be directly responsible for Fe binding and catalytic function.展开更多
α_(1)-Adrenergic receptor(AR)blockers can be effective for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms(BPH/LUTS),their usage is limited by cardiovascular-related side effects that are c...α_(1)-Adrenergic receptor(AR)blockers can be effective for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms(BPH/LUTS),their usage is limited by cardiovascular-related side effects that are caused by the subtype nonselective nature or low selectivity of many current drugs.We previously reported that phenylpiperazine analogues with amide and propane linker were moderateα_(1D/1A)adrenoceptor antagonists and exhibited better anti-BPH effect than lead compound naftopidil(NAF)in vivo,however,with modestα_(1D/1A)-subtype selectivity.Herein,we replaced propane moiety with2-hydroxypropanol linker and synthesized twenty-seven racemic derivatives with modified aromatic and hetero aromatic groups.Of these new compounds,quinoline surrogate 17 exhibited extremely weak antagonistic affinity onα_(1B)in both cell-based calcium assay and tissue-based functional assay,so that elicited significantα_(1A/1B)andα_(1D/1B)selectivity.Intriguingly,the R enantiomer of 17 preferentially displayed superior anti-BPH effect in rat model compared with S-17,supporting ligand regulates the receptor in a highly stereospecific manner.Finally,the computer-aided modelling research was also performed in order to deeply understand the unique binding mode of R-17 in complex withα_(1A)and the subtype receptor selectivity for R-17 was also rationalized in this study.Taken together,our work enriched the diversity of phenylpiperazines for the treatment of BPH/LUTS,and provided a basis for discovery ofα_(1D/1A)-selective ligands.展开更多
Using the latest reported homologous Chemokine receptors （PDB ID： 3ODU, 3OE0 and 3OE6） as templates, twenty models of angiotensin II （Ang II） type 1 （AT1） receptor （known as p30556） were generated by multiple...Using the latest reported homologous Chemokine receptors （PDB ID： 3ODU, 3OE0 and 3OE6） as templates, twenty models of angiotensin II （Ang II） type 1 （AT1） receptor （known as p30556） were generated by multiple templates homology modeling. According to the results of the initial validation of these twenty models, the model 0020 was finally chosen as the best one for further studies. Then, a 2 ns molecular dynamic （MD） simulation for model 0020 was conducted in normal saline （0.9%, w/F） under periodical boundary conditions, which was followed by docking studies of model 0020 with several existing AT1 receptor blockers （ARBs）. The docking results reveal that model 0020 possesses good affinities with these docked ARBs which are in accordance with both the IC50 inhibitor values and their curative effects. The results also show more potent interactions between the model 0020 and its ARBs than those of ever reported results, such as hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, and especially cation-n interactions and π-π interactions which have never been reported before. This may reveal that the structure of the model 0020 is quite close to its real crystal structure and the model 0020 may have the potential to be used for structure based drug design：展开更多
Background： Pregnancy associated glycoproteins form a diverse family of glycoproteins that are variably expressed at different stages of gestation. They are probably involved in immunosuppression of the dam against t...Background： Pregnancy associated glycoproteins form a diverse family of glycoproteins that are variably expressed at different stages of gestation. They are probably involved in immunosuppression of the dam against the fetomaternal placentome. The presence of the products of binucleate cells in maternal circulation has also been correlated with placentogenesis and placental re-modeling. The exact structure and function of the gene product is unknown due to limitations on obtaining purified pregnancy associated glycoprotein preparations.Results： Our study describes an in silico derived 3D model for bubaline pregnancy associated glycoprotein 2. Structure-activity features of the protein were characterized, and functional studies predict bubaline pregnancy associated glycoprotein 2 as an inducible, extra-cellular, non-essential, N-glycosylated, aspartic pro-endopeptidase that is involved in down-regulation of complement pathway and immunity during pregnancy. The protein is also predicted to be involved in nutritional processes, and apoptotic processes underlying fetal morphogenesis and remodeling of feto-maternal tissues.Conclusion： The structural and functional annotation of buPAG2 shall allow the designing of mutants and inhibitors for dissection of the exact physiological role of the protein.展开更多
Addiction to nicotine, and possibly other tobacco constituents, is a major factor that contributes to the difficulties smokers face when attempting to quit smoking. Amongst the various subtypes of nicotinic acetylchol...Addiction to nicotine, and possibly other tobacco constituents, is a major factor that contributes to the difficulties smokers face when attempting to quit smoking. Amongst the various subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), the α4β2 subtype plays an important role in mediating the addiction process. The characterization of human α4β2-ligand binding interactions provides a molecular framework for understanding ligand-receptor interactions, rendering insights into mechanisms of nicotine addiction and may furnish a tool for efficiently identifying ligands that can bind the nicotine receptor. Therefore, we constructed a homology model of human α4β2 nAChR and performed molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to elucidate the potential human α4β2-ligand binding modes for eleven compounds known to bind to this receptor. Residues V96, L97 and F151 of the α4 subunit and L111, F119 and F121 of the β2 subunit were found to be involved in hydrophobic interactions while residues S153 and W154 of the α4 subunit were involved in the formation of hydrogen bonds between the receptor and respective ligands. The homology model and its eleven ligand-bound structures will be used to develop a virtual screening program for identifying tobacco constituents that are potentially addictive.展开更多
Urate acid transporter 1(URAT1)is the main transporter of uric acid reabsorption,which closely related to the pathogenesis of hyperuricemia.Screening URAT1 inhibitors and studying their possible metabolic processes is...Urate acid transporter 1(URAT1)is the main transporter of uric acid reabsorption,which closely related to the pathogenesis of hyperuricemia.Screening URAT1 inhibitors and studying their possible metabolic processes is a hot spot in the development of uric acid-lowering drugs.Studies have shown that many food-borne plant polyphenols have uric acid lowering activity with non-toxic side eff ects,and can be used to improve and alleviate hyperuricemia.In this study,we take galangin(GAL)as an example to explore the mechanism of plant polyphenols aff ecting hyperuricemia by inhibiting URAT1.Homology modeling was used to construct a three-dimensional model of URAT1 protein,and the structure was optimized.Ramachandran diagram was used to verify the rationality of model protein structure.A known URAT1 inhibitor,benzbromarone(BBR),was used to dock with URAT1 to determine the docking site and show the key amino acids.GAL and model protein were docked by molecular docking method to analyze their interaction.Meanwhile,comparing the interaction of BBR and GAL with the key amino acids of model proteins,the binding of GAL was more stable,suggesting that GAL could aff ects hyperuricemia by inhibiting URAT1.This paper aims to provide theoretical guidance for the development of new functional food ingredients for lowering uric acid.展开更多
（S）-Scoulerine 9-O-methyltransferase （SMT）, belonging to the S-adenosyl-L-methionine （SAM）-dependent O-methyltransferase family, is an essential enzyme in the berberine biosynthetic pathways. In order to study t...（S）-Scoulerine 9-O-methyltransferase （SMT）, belonging to the S-adenosyl-L-methionine （SAM）-dependent O-methyltransferase family, is an essential enzyme in the berberine biosynthetic pathways. In order to study the in- teractions of SMT with its substrate and further to understand the catalytic mechanism and substrate specificity, a three dimensional model of SMT from Coptis chinensis was constructed by homology modeling using the crystal structure of caffeic acid/5-hydroxyferulic acid 3/5-O-methyltransferase （COMT） as a template. The three dimen- sional structure of SMT, which was mainly composed of a-helices and some fl-sheets, was similar to that of COMT. In contrast with COMT, the non-conserved residues in the substrate binding pocket of SMT might be responsible for their differences in the substrate specificity. Val119 and Asp254 in SMT were the key residues for orienting substrate for methylation as both residues had H-bonds with （S）-scoulerine. The methylation of （S）-scoulerine in- volved deprotonation of the 9-hydroxyl group by His253 and Asp254 in SMT followed by a nucleophilic attack on the SAM-methyl resulting in the product, （S）-tetrahydrocolumbamine.展开更多
Leptospirosis is an infectious bacterial disease caused by Leptospira species. In this study, we cloned and se- quenced the gene encoding the immunodominant protein GroEL from L. interrogans serovar Autumnalis strain ...Leptospirosis is an infectious bacterial disease caused by Leptospira species. In this study, we cloned and se- quenced the gene encoding the immunodominant protein GroEL from L. interrogans serovar Autumnalis strain N2, which was isolated from the urine of a patient during an outbreak of leptospirosis in Chennai, India. This groEL gene encodes a protein of 60 kDa with a high degree of homology （99% similarity） to those of other leptospiral serovars. Recombinant GroEL was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. lmmunoblot analysis indi- cated that the sera from confirmed leptospirosis patients showed strong reactivity with the recombinant GroEL while no reactivity was observed with the sera from seronegative control patient. In addition, the 3D structure of GroEL was constructed using chaperonin complex cpn60 from Thermus thermophilus as template and vali- dated. The results indicated a Z-score of -8.35, which is in good agreement with the expected value for a pro- tein. The superposition of the Ca traces of cpn60 structure and predicted structure of leptospiral GroEL indicates good agreement of secondary structure elements with an RMSD value of 1.5A. Further study is necessary to evaluate GroEL for serological diagnosis of leptospirosis and for its potential as a vaccine component.展开更多
To reveal the potential fungicidal mechanism of 5-((4-((4-chlorophenoxy)methyl)-5-iodo-1H-1,2,3-triazole-1-yl)methyl)-2-methylpyrimidin-4-amine(PA-1)against Botrytis cinerea(B.cinerea),the three-dimensional structure ...To reveal the potential fungicidal mechanism of 5-((4-((4-chlorophenoxy)methyl)-5-iodo-1H-1,2,3-triazole-1-yl)methyl)-2-methylpyrimidin-4-amine(PA-1)against Botrytis cinerea(B.cinerea),the three-dimensional structure of B.cinerea pyruvate dehydrogenase complex E1 component(PDHc-E1)is homology modeled,as the PA-1 shows potent E.coli PDHc-E1 and B.cinerea inhibition.Subsequent molecular docking indicates the PA-1 can tightly bind to B.cinerea PDHc-E1.Molecular dynamic simulation and MM-PBSA calculation both demonstrate that two in-termolecular interactions,π-πstacking and hydrophobic forces,provide the most contributions to the binding of PA-1 and B.cinerea PDHc-E1.Furthermore,the halogen bonding interaction between the iodine atom in PA-1 and OH in Ser181 is also crucial.The present study provides a valuable attempt to homology model the structure of B.cinerea PDHc-E1 and some key factors for the rational structure optimization of PA-1.展开更多
ATP-binding cassette（ABC） transporter multidrug resistance protein 4（MRP4, ABCC4） is involved in multidrug resistance（MDR）, which is an increasing challenge to the treatment of cancers and infections. MRP4 is ov...ATP-binding cassette（ABC） transporter multidrug resistance protein 4（MRP4, ABCC4） is involved in multidrug resistance（MDR）, which is an increasing challenge to the treatment of cancers and infections. MRP4 is overexpressed in several types of cancers, and MRP4 inhibition shows striking effects against cancer progression and drug resistance. However, the structural knowledge of this protein remains unclear due to lack of an MRP4 X-ray structure, and homology modeling approach is an effective way to obtain three-dimensional structure of MRP4. We constructed three molecular models of human MRP4 mainly based on the inward facing Caenorhabditis elegans P-glycoprotein（P-gp）, the Thermotoga maritima heterodimeric ABC transporter TM287-TM288（TM287/288） and the outward facing Staphylococcus aureus Sav1866 crystal structures, which represented substrate uptake, transport and release state, respectively. The structures were further energy minimized and optimized by molecular dynamic simulations（MDS）. All the models were validated by various tools and servers, and the results showed that the quality of the models was reasonable and acceptable. These MRP4 models could be used as working tools for experimental studies on the structure and functions of MRP4 and designing more specific membrane transport modulating agents（MTMA）.展开更多
Homology models of the ligand binding domain of the wild-type and Y151S mutant brown planthopper {Nilaparvata lugens)α1 and rat(Rattus norvegicus)β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor(nAChR) subunits were generated ba...Homology models of the ligand binding domain of the wild-type and Y151S mutant brown planthopper {Nilaparvata lugens)α1 and rat(Rattus norvegicus)β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor(nAChR) subunits were generated based on the crystal structure of acetylcholine binding protein of Lymnaea stagnalis.Neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid was docked into the putative binding site of wild-type and mutantα1β2 dimeric receptors by Surflex-docking,and the calculated docking energies were in agreement with experimen...展开更多
EMR2 is an EGF-like module containing mucin-like hormone receptor-2 precursor, a G-protein coupled receptor （G-PCR）. Mutation in EMR2 causes complicated disorders like polycystic kidney disease （PKD）. The structur...EMR2 is an EGF-like module containing mucin-like hormone receptor-2 precursor, a G-protein coupled receptor （G-PCR）. Mutation in EMR2 causes complicated disorders like polycystic kidney disease （PKD）. The structure of EMR2 shows that the fifth domain is comprised of EGF-TM7 helices. Functional assignment of EMR2 by support vector machine （SVM） revealed that along with transporter activity, several novel functions are predicted. A twenty amino acid sequence ＂MGGRVFLVFLAFCVWLTLPG＂ acts as the signal peptide responsible for post- translational transport. Eight amino acids are involved in N-glycosylation sites and two cleavage sites are LeuS17 and SerS18 in EMR2. The residue Arg241 is responsible for interaction with glycosaminoglycan and chondroitin sulfate. On the basis of structure, function and ligand binding sites, competitive EMR2 inhibitors designed may decrease the rate of human diseases like Usher＇s syndrome, bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria and PKD.展开更多
A reliable 3-D structure of Triacylglycerol lipase from Bacillus thermocatenulanatus was constructed by homology modeling. Under molecular dynamics simulation, it was refined and checked. The model was further used as...A reliable 3-D structure of Triacylglycerol lipase from Bacillus thermocatenulanatus was constructed by homology modeling. Under molecular dynamics simulation, it was refined and checked. The model was further used as a receptor to search binding sites and carry out flexible docking with a range of substrates, whose enzyme activities were already measured. By inputting a series of docking results, virtual substrates screening models were established and assessed. Monadic nonlinear solution demanded less data but was weak in fitting enzyme activity data with little difference; its mean absolute percentage error （MAPE） of regression was 0.67 and mean square error （MSE） was 1.73 U/mg. Both quadratic stepwise regression and BP neural network were good in regression and prediction; however, more data were required. In the cross-validation of 12 groups, overall MAPE of regression and prediction for the former were 0.18 and 0.49, while the latter was 0.55 and 0.36. MSE values for these two methods were 0.95 and 1.20 U/mg, respectively. Therefore, monadic nonlinear regression model can be used as a preliminary screening one; quadratic stepwise regression and BP neural network approach can be applied to precise screening.展开更多
Steroid 5alpha-reductase of human is an enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway from testosterone （T） to dihydrotestosterone （DHT）. Up to now, no crystal structure of this enzyme has been reported. However, knowledge o...Steroid 5alpha-reductase of human is an enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway from testosterone （T） to dihydrotestosterone （DHT）. Up to now, no crystal structure of this enzyme has been reported. However, knowledge of the tertiary structure and possible active sites is essential for understanding the catalysis mechanism and for the design of inhibitors. A model with putative active sites has been created and evaluated by using homology modeling and molecular docking techniques based on the bioinformatics knowledge. The homology model is optimized in Swiss PDB Viewer with MM method and substrate structures before docking are also optimized on HF/6-31G. The active site for the docking of NADP, T, DHT and Finasteride is located near the N-terminus of enzyme. Four active amino acids in the active site are identified as Ala26, Arg53, Arg176 and Lys177. Reaction procedure, binding pattern of active sites, the types of weak interaction and so on are also discussed.展开更多
Multidrug resistance protein 5 (MRP5/ABCC5) is a 161 kDa member of the super family of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily of transmembrane transporters that is clinically relevant for its ability to confer multidr...Multidrug resistance protein 5 (MRP5/ABCC5) is a 161 kDa member of the super family of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily of transmembrane transporters that is clinically relevant for its ability to confer multidrug resistance by actively e?uxing anticancer drugs. ABCC5 has also been identified as an efflux transporter of cGMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate). Elevated intracellular levels of cGMP in cancer cells have been implicated in several clinical studies, that may induce apoptosis, and as a result many different cancer cells seem to overcome this deleterious effect by increased efflux of cGMP through ABCC5. Thus inhibition of ABCC5 may have cytotoxic effects mediated through cGMP and it will also increase the intracellular concentration of other drugs that are aimed for the treatment of cancer which are otherwise exported out of the cells. Considering the functional importance and lack of X-ray crystal structure of ABCC5, present work was undertaken to construct 3D structure of protein using homology modeling protocol of YASARA structure (V. 16.3.28). In this study, five different ABC templates (PDB ID’s: 4F4C, 4Q9H, 4M1M, 4M2T and 4KSD) were used for homology modeling. Five models were constructed on each template and a hybrid model was built using all five templates. All models were refined and ranked as per their overall Z-score. The top ranked ABBC5 model was based on template 4Q9H that had 91.2% of residues in allowed regions as revealed by PROCHECK-NMR and the QMEAN score was 0.54 which indicated a reliable model. The results of the study and the proposed model can be further used for elucidating the structural and functional aspects of ABCC5 and to gain more insights to the molecular basis of ABCC5 inhibition through docking studies.展开更多
The cDNA encoding the luciferase from lantern mRNA of one diurnal firefly Pyrocoelia pygidialis Pic, 1926 has been cloned, sequenced and functionally expressed. The cDNA sequence of P pygidialis luciferase is 1647 bas...The cDNA encoding the luciferase from lantern mRNA of one diurnal firefly Pyrocoelia pygidialis Pic, 1926 has been cloned, sequenced and functionally expressed. The cDNA sequence of P pygidialis luciferase is 1647 base pairs in length, coding a protein of 548 amino acid residues. Sequence analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence showed that this luciferase had 97.8% resemblance to luciferases from the fireflies Lampyris noctiluca, Lampyris turkestanicus and Nyctophila cf. caucasica. Phylogenetic analysis using deduced amino acid sequence showed that P pygidialis located at the base of Lampyris＋Nyctophila clade with robust support （BP=97%）; but did not show a monophyletic relationship with its congeneric species P pectoralis, P tufa and P miyako, all three are strong luminous and nocturnal species. The expression worked in recombinant Escherichia coli. Expression product had a 70kDa band and emitted yellow-green luminescence in the presence of luciferin. Five loops in the P pygidialis luciferase, L1 （NI98-G208）, L2 （T240-G247）, L3 （G317-K322）, L4 （L343-I350） and L5 （G522-D532）, were found from the structure modeling analysis in the cleft, where it was considered the active site for the substrate compound entering and binding. Different amino acid residues between the luciferases of P. pygidialis and the three other known strong luminous species can not explain the situation of weak or strong luminescence. Future study of these loops, residues or crystal structure analysis may be helpful in understanding the real differences between the luciferases between diurnal and nocturnal species.展开更多
文摘pdi gene from Medicago sativa L. ,encoding Protein Disulfide Isomerase（ mPDI ）, has been cloned and sequenced. According to the mRNA and amino acid sequence, the character of mPDI such as the physical and chemical properties, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, signal peptide, secondary structure, coiled coil, transmembrane domains, O-glycogylation site, active site, subcellular localization, functional structural domains and three-dimensional structure were analyzed by a series of bioinformatics software. The results showed that mPDI was a hydrophobic and stable protein with 3 coiled coils, 30-glycogylation sites, 2 structural domains of thioredoxin, 2 active sites of thioredoxin, and located in rough endoplasmic reticulum. It has 512 amino acids, the theoretical pl is 4.98, and signal peptide located in 1-24AA. In the secondary structure, a-helix, random coil, extended chain is 26.37%, 53.32%, 20.31% respectively. The validation of modeling accords with the stereochemistry.
基金supported by grants from Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(No.12JJ3021)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.30670052,30570050)863 Program of China(2006AA02Z187)
文摘Abstract Objective To investigate the theoretical model of the three-dimensional structure of mosquitocida Cry3OCa2 and its molecular docking with N-acetylgalactosamine. Methods The theoretical model of Cry30Ca2 was the Cry4Ba. Docking studies were performed N-acetylgalactosamine on the putative receptor. predicted by homology modeling on the structure of to investigate the interaction of Cry3OCa2 with Results Cry3OCa2 toxin is a rather compact molecule composed of three distinct domains and has approximate overall dimensions of 95 by 75 by 60A. Domain I is a helix bundle, Domain Ⅱ consists of three antiparallel β-sheets, Domain Ⅲ is composed of two β-sheets that adopt a 13-sandwich fold. Residue 32111e in loop1, residues 342Gin 343Thr and 345Gin in loop2, residue 393Tyr in loop3 of Cry3OCa2 are responsible for the interactions with GalNAc via 7 hydrogen bonds, 6 of them were related to the oxygen atoms of hydroxyls of the ligand, and one to the nitrogen of the ligand. Conclusion The 3D structure of Cry3OCa2 resembles the previously reported Cry toxin structures but shows still some distinctions. Several residues in the loops of the apex of domain Ⅱ are responsible for the interactions with N-acetylgalactosamine.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30771429)Science and Technology Research Project of Ministry of Education (No.106116)+1 种基金Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (No. 20060511002)the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (No. 2006ABA197)
文摘Objective To understand the molecular basis for a potential reaction mechanism and develop novel antibiotics with homology modeling for 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A （HMG-CoA） synthase （HMGS）. Methods The genetic engineering technology and the composer module of SYBYL7.0 program were used, while the HMGS three-dimensional structure was analyzed by homology modeling. Results The mvaS gene was cloned from Streptococcus pneumoniae and overexpressed in Escherichia coli from a pET28 vector. The expressed enzyme （about 46 kDa） was purified by affinity chromatography with a specific activity of 3.24 μmol/min/mg. Optimal conditions were pH 9.75 and 10 mmol/L MgCl2 at 37 ℃ The Vmax and Km were 4.69 μmol/min/mg and 213 μmol/L respectively. The 3D model of S.pneumoniae HMGS was established based on structure template of HMGS of Enterococcus faecalis. Conelusion The structure of HMGS will facilitate the structure-based design of alternative drugs to cholesterol-lowering therapies or to novel antibiotics to the Gram-positive cocci, whereas the recombinant HMGS will prove useful for drug development against a different enzyme in the mevalonate pathway.
基金Project(2004CB619201) supported by the National Basic Research Program of China Project(50321402) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘The gene iscS-3 from ,4cidithiobacillus ferrooxidans may play a central role in the delivery of sulfur to a variety of metabolic pathways in this organism. For insight into the sulfur metabolic mechanism of the bacteria, an integral three-dimensional （3D） molecular structure of the protein encoded by this gene was built by homology modeling techniques, refined by molecular dynamics simulations, assessed by PROFILE-3D and PROSTAT programs and further used to search bind sites, carry out flexible docking with cofactor pyridoxal 5＇-phosphate（PLP） and substrate cysteine and hereby detect its key residues. Through these procedures, the detail conformations of PLP-IscS（P-I） and cysteine-PLP-IscS（C-P-I） complexes were obtained. In P-I complex, the residues of Lys208, His106, Thr78, Ser205, His207, Asp182 and Gln185 have large interaction energies and/or hydrogen bonds fixation with PLP. In C-P-I complex, the amino group in cysteine is very near His106, Lys208 and PLP, the interaction energies for cysteine with them are very high. The above results are well consistent with those experimental facts of the homologues from other sources. Interestingly, the four residues of Glul05, Glu79, Ser203 and Hisl80 in P-I docking and the residue of Lys213 in C-P-I docking also have great interaction energies, which are fitly conservation in IscSs from all kinds of sources but have not been identified before. From these results, this gene can be confirmed at 3D level to encode the iron-sulfur cluster assembly protein IscS and subsequently play a sulfur traffic role. Furthermore, the substrate cysteine can be presumed to be effectively recruited into the active site. Finally, the above detected key residues can be conjectured to be directly responsible for the bind and/or catalysis of PLP and cysteine.
基金Project(2004CB619201) supported by the National Basic Research Program of ChinaProject (50321402) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘The gene sod in Acidithiobacillusferrooxidans may play a crucial role in its tolerance to the extremely acidic, toxic and oxidative environment of bioleaching. For insight into the anti-toxic mechanism of the bacteria, a three-dimensional （3D） molecular structure of the protein encoded by this gene was built by homology modeling techniques, refined by molecular dynamics simulations, assessed by PROFILE-3D and PROSTAT programs and its key residues were further detected by evolutionary trace analysis. Through these procedures, some trace residues were identified and spatially clustered. Among them, the residues of Asn38, Glyl03 and Glul61 are randomly scattered throughout the mapped structure; interestingly, the other residues are all distinctly clustered in a subgroup near Fe atom. From these results, this gene can be confirmed at 3D level to encode the Fe-depending superoxide dismutase and subsequently play an anti-toxic role. Furthermore, the detected key residues around Fe binding site can be conjectured to be directly responsible for Fe binding and catalytic function.
基金supported by Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(Nos.2021A1515010101,2021A1515011372,2023A1515011895)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.21807017,82273759,32371529)Guangzhou Medical University Scientific Research Capacity Improvement Project(No.02-410-2405104)。
文摘α_(1)-Adrenergic receptor(AR)blockers can be effective for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms(BPH/LUTS),their usage is limited by cardiovascular-related side effects that are caused by the subtype nonselective nature or low selectivity of many current drugs.We previously reported that phenylpiperazine analogues with amide and propane linker were moderateα_(1D/1A)adrenoceptor antagonists and exhibited better anti-BPH effect than lead compound naftopidil(NAF)in vivo,however,with modestα_(1D/1A)-subtype selectivity.Herein,we replaced propane moiety with2-hydroxypropanol linker and synthesized twenty-seven racemic derivatives with modified aromatic and hetero aromatic groups.Of these new compounds,quinoline surrogate 17 exhibited extremely weak antagonistic affinity onα_(1B)in both cell-based calcium assay and tissue-based functional assay,so that elicited significantα_(1A/1B)andα_(1D/1B)selectivity.Intriguingly,the R enantiomer of 17 preferentially displayed superior anti-BPH effect in rat model compared with S-17,supporting ligand regulates the receptor in a highly stereospecific manner.Finally,the computer-aided modelling research was also performed in order to deeply understand the unique binding mode of R-17 in complex withα_(1A)and the subtype receptor selectivity for R-17 was also rationalized in this study.Taken together,our work enriched the diversity of phenylpiperazines for the treatment of BPH/LUTS,and provided a basis for discovery ofα_(1D/1A)-selective ligands.
基金Project(20876180)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘Using the latest reported homologous Chemokine receptors （PDB ID： 3ODU, 3OE0 and 3OE6） as templates, twenty models of angiotensin II （Ang II） type 1 （AT1） receptor （known as p30556） were generated by multiple templates homology modeling. According to the results of the initial validation of these twenty models, the model 0020 was finally chosen as the best one for further studies. Then, a 2 ns molecular dynamic （MD） simulation for model 0020 was conducted in normal saline （0.9%, w/F） under periodical boundary conditions, which was followed by docking studies of model 0020 with several existing AT1 receptor blockers （ARBs）. The docking results reveal that model 0020 possesses good affinities with these docked ARBs which are in accordance with both the IC50 inhibitor values and their curative effects. The results also show more potent interactions between the model 0020 and its ARBs than those of ever reported results, such as hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, and especially cation-n interactions and π-π interactions which have never been reported before. This may reveal that the structure of the model 0020 is quite close to its real crystal structure and the model 0020 may have the potential to be used for structure based drug design：
文摘Background： Pregnancy associated glycoproteins form a diverse family of glycoproteins that are variably expressed at different stages of gestation. They are probably involved in immunosuppression of the dam against the fetomaternal placentome. The presence of the products of binucleate cells in maternal circulation has also been correlated with placentogenesis and placental re-modeling. The exact structure and function of the gene product is unknown due to limitations on obtaining purified pregnancy associated glycoprotein preparations.Results： Our study describes an in silico derived 3D model for bubaline pregnancy associated glycoprotein 2. Structure-activity features of the protein were characterized, and functional studies predict bubaline pregnancy associated glycoprotein 2 as an inducible, extra-cellular, non-essential, N-glycosylated, aspartic pro-endopeptidase that is involved in down-regulation of complement pathway and immunity during pregnancy. The protein is also predicted to be involved in nutritional processes, and apoptotic processes underlying fetal morphogenesis and remodeling of feto-maternal tissues.Conclusion： The structural and functional annotation of buPAG2 shall allow the designing of mutants and inhibitors for dissection of the exact physiological role of the protein.
文摘Addiction to nicotine, and possibly other tobacco constituents, is a major factor that contributes to the difficulties smokers face when attempting to quit smoking. Amongst the various subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), the α4β2 subtype plays an important role in mediating the addiction process. The characterization of human α4β2-ligand binding interactions provides a molecular framework for understanding ligand-receptor interactions, rendering insights into mechanisms of nicotine addiction and may furnish a tool for efficiently identifying ligands that can bind the nicotine receptor. Therefore, we constructed a homology model of human α4β2 nAChR and performed molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to elucidate the potential human α4β2-ligand binding modes for eleven compounds known to bind to this receptor. Residues V96, L97 and F151 of the α4 subunit and L111, F119 and F121 of the β2 subunit were found to be involved in hydrophobic interactions while residues S153 and W154 of the α4 subunit were involved in the formation of hydrogen bonds between the receptor and respective ligands. The homology model and its eleven ligand-bound structures will be used to develop a virtual screening program for identifying tobacco constituents that are potentially addictive.
基金This work was supported by Young and Middle Aged Teachers’Career Development Support Project of Shenyang Pharmaceutical University(ZQN2019005).
文摘Urate acid transporter 1(URAT1)is the main transporter of uric acid reabsorption,which closely related to the pathogenesis of hyperuricemia.Screening URAT1 inhibitors and studying their possible metabolic processes is a hot spot in the development of uric acid-lowering drugs.Studies have shown that many food-borne plant polyphenols have uric acid lowering activity with non-toxic side eff ects,and can be used to improve and alleviate hyperuricemia.In this study,we take galangin(GAL)as an example to explore the mechanism of plant polyphenols aff ecting hyperuricemia by inhibiting URAT1.Homology modeling was used to construct a three-dimensional model of URAT1 protein,and the structure was optimized.Ramachandran diagram was used to verify the rationality of model protein structure.A known URAT1 inhibitor,benzbromarone(BBR),was used to dock with URAT1 to determine the docking site and show the key amino acids.GAL and model protein were docked by molecular docking method to analyze their interaction.Meanwhile,comparing the interaction of BBR and GAL with the key amino acids of model proteins,the binding of GAL was more stable,suggesting that GAL could aff ects hyperuricemia by inhibiting URAT1.This paper aims to provide theoretical guidance for the development of new functional food ingredients for lowering uric acid.
文摘（S）-Scoulerine 9-O-methyltransferase （SMT）, belonging to the S-adenosyl-L-methionine （SAM）-dependent O-methyltransferase family, is an essential enzyme in the berberine biosynthetic pathways. In order to study the in- teractions of SMT with its substrate and further to understand the catalytic mechanism and substrate specificity, a three dimensional model of SMT from Coptis chinensis was constructed by homology modeling using the crystal structure of caffeic acid/5-hydroxyferulic acid 3/5-O-methyltransferase （COMT） as a template. The three dimen- sional structure of SMT, which was mainly composed of a-helices and some fl-sheets, was similar to that of COMT. In contrast with COMT, the non-conserved residues in the substrate binding pocket of SMT might be responsible for their differences in the substrate specificity. Val119 and Asp254 in SMT were the key residues for orienting substrate for methylation as both residues had H-bonds with （S）-scoulerine. The methylation of （S）-scoulerine in- volved deprotonation of the 9-hydroxyl group by His253 and Asp254 in SMT followed by a nucleophilic attack on the SAM-methyl resulting in the product, （S）-tetrahydrocolumbamine.
文摘Leptospirosis is an infectious bacterial disease caused by Leptospira species. In this study, we cloned and se- quenced the gene encoding the immunodominant protein GroEL from L. interrogans serovar Autumnalis strain N2, which was isolated from the urine of a patient during an outbreak of leptospirosis in Chennai, India. This groEL gene encodes a protein of 60 kDa with a high degree of homology （99% similarity） to those of other leptospiral serovars. Recombinant GroEL was overexpressed in Escherichia coli. lmmunoblot analysis indi- cated that the sera from confirmed leptospirosis patients showed strong reactivity with the recombinant GroEL while no reactivity was observed with the sera from seronegative control patient. In addition, the 3D structure of GroEL was constructed using chaperonin complex cpn60 from Thermus thermophilus as template and vali- dated. The results indicated a Z-score of -8.35, which is in good agreement with the expected value for a pro- tein. The superposition of the Ca traces of cpn60 structure and predicted structure of leptospiral GroEL indicates good agreement of secondary structure elements with an RMSD value of 1.5A. Further study is necessary to evaluate GroEL for serological diagnosis of leptospirosis and for its potential as a vaccine component.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21807084)
文摘To reveal the potential fungicidal mechanism of 5-((4-((4-chlorophenoxy)methyl)-5-iodo-1H-1,2,3-triazole-1-yl)methyl)-2-methylpyrimidin-4-amine(PA-1)against Botrytis cinerea(B.cinerea),the three-dimensional structure of B.cinerea pyruvate dehydrogenase complex E1 component(PDHc-E1)is homology modeled,as the PA-1 shows potent E.coli PDHc-E1 and B.cinerea inhibition.Subsequent molecular docking indicates the PA-1 can tightly bind to B.cinerea PDHc-E1.Molecular dynamic simulation and MM-PBSA calculation both demonstrate that two in-termolecular interactions,π-πstacking and hydrophobic forces,provide the most contributions to the binding of PA-1 and B.cinerea PDHc-E1.Furthermore,the halogen bonding interaction between the iodine atom in PA-1 and OH in Ser181 is also crucial.The present study provides a valuable attempt to homology model the structure of B.cinerea PDHc-E1 and some key factors for the rational structure optimization of PA-1.
基金National High Technology Research and Development Program 863(Grant No.2012AA020308)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.21272017)
文摘ATP-binding cassette（ABC） transporter multidrug resistance protein 4（MRP4, ABCC4） is involved in multidrug resistance（MDR）, which is an increasing challenge to the treatment of cancers and infections. MRP4 is overexpressed in several types of cancers, and MRP4 inhibition shows striking effects against cancer progression and drug resistance. However, the structural knowledge of this protein remains unclear due to lack of an MRP4 X-ray structure, and homology modeling approach is an effective way to obtain three-dimensional structure of MRP4. We constructed three molecular models of human MRP4 mainly based on the inward facing Caenorhabditis elegans P-glycoprotein（P-gp）, the Thermotoga maritima heterodimeric ABC transporter TM287-TM288（TM287/288） and the outward facing Staphylococcus aureus Sav1866 crystal structures, which represented substrate uptake, transport and release state, respectively. The structures were further energy minimized and optimized by molecular dynamic simulations（MDS）. All the models were validated by various tools and servers, and the results showed that the quality of the models was reasonable and acceptable. These MRP4 models could be used as working tools for experimental studies on the structure and functions of MRP4 and designing more specific membrane transport modulating agents（MTMA）.
文摘Homology models of the ligand binding domain of the wild-type and Y151S mutant brown planthopper {Nilaparvata lugens)α1 and rat(Rattus norvegicus)β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor(nAChR) subunits were generated based on the crystal structure of acetylcholine binding protein of Lymnaea stagnalis.Neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid was docked into the putative binding site of wild-type and mutantα1β2 dimeric receptors by Surflex-docking,and the calculated docking energies were in agreement with experimen...
基金supported by the project "Establishment of Biomedical Informatics Center at RMRIRMS,Patan" by ICMR (Govt. of India),New Delhi
文摘EMR2 is an EGF-like module containing mucin-like hormone receptor-2 precursor, a G-protein coupled receptor （G-PCR）. Mutation in EMR2 causes complicated disorders like polycystic kidney disease （PKD）. The structure of EMR2 shows that the fifth domain is comprised of EGF-TM7 helices. Functional assignment of EMR2 by support vector machine （SVM） revealed that along with transporter activity, several novel functions are predicted. A twenty amino acid sequence ＂MGGRVFLVFLAFCVWLTLPG＂ acts as the signal peptide responsible for post- translational transport. Eight amino acids are involved in N-glycosylation sites and two cleavage sites are LeuS17 and SerS18 in EMR2. The residue Arg241 is responsible for interaction with glycosaminoglycan and chondroitin sulfate. On the basis of structure, function and ligand binding sites, competitive EMR2 inhibitors designed may decrease the rate of human diseases like Usher＇s syndrome, bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria and PKD.
基金Supported by the Research Found for Doctoral Foundation of Institutions of Higher Education of China (20070385001)
文摘A reliable 3-D structure of Triacylglycerol lipase from Bacillus thermocatenulanatus was constructed by homology modeling. Under molecular dynamics simulation, it was refined and checked. The model was further used as a receptor to search binding sites and carry out flexible docking with a range of substrates, whose enzyme activities were already measured. By inputting a series of docking results, virtual substrates screening models were established and assessed. Monadic nonlinear solution demanded less data but was weak in fitting enzyme activity data with little difference; its mean absolute percentage error （MAPE） of regression was 0.67 and mean square error （MSE） was 1.73 U/mg. Both quadratic stepwise regression and BP neural network were good in regression and prediction; however, more data were required. In the cross-validation of 12 groups, overall MAPE of regression and prediction for the former were 0.18 and 0.49, while the latter was 0.55 and 0.36. MSE values for these two methods were 0.95 and 1.20 U/mg, respectively. Therefore, monadic nonlinear regression model can be used as a preliminary screening one; quadratic stepwise regression and BP neural network approach can be applied to precise screening.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.21073034)the State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry(No.20090060)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province(X0650070)the Science and Technology Development Foundation of Fuzhou University(2010-XY-9)
文摘Steroid 5alpha-reductase of human is an enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway from testosterone （T） to dihydrotestosterone （DHT）. Up to now, no crystal structure of this enzyme has been reported. However, knowledge of the tertiary structure and possible active sites is essential for understanding the catalysis mechanism and for the design of inhibitors. A model with putative active sites has been created and evaluated by using homology modeling and molecular docking techniques based on the bioinformatics knowledge. The homology model is optimized in Swiss PDB Viewer with MM method and substrate structures before docking are also optimized on HF/6-31G. The active site for the docking of NADP, T, DHT and Finasteride is located near the N-terminus of enzyme. Four active amino acids in the active site are identified as Ala26, Arg53, Arg176 and Lys177. Reaction procedure, binding pattern of active sites, the types of weak interaction and so on are also discussed.
文摘Multidrug resistance protein 5 (MRP5/ABCC5) is a 161 kDa member of the super family of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily of transmembrane transporters that is clinically relevant for its ability to confer multidrug resistance by actively e?uxing anticancer drugs. ABCC5 has also been identified as an efflux transporter of cGMP (cyclic guanosine monophosphate). Elevated intracellular levels of cGMP in cancer cells have been implicated in several clinical studies, that may induce apoptosis, and as a result many different cancer cells seem to overcome this deleterious effect by increased efflux of cGMP through ABCC5. Thus inhibition of ABCC5 may have cytotoxic effects mediated through cGMP and it will also increase the intracellular concentration of other drugs that are aimed for the treatment of cancer which are otherwise exported out of the cells. Considering the functional importance and lack of X-ray crystal structure of ABCC5, present work was undertaken to construct 3D structure of protein using homology modeling protocol of YASARA structure (V. 16.3.28). In this study, five different ABC templates (PDB ID’s: 4F4C, 4Q9H, 4M1M, 4M2T and 4KSD) were used for homology modeling. Five models were constructed on each template and a hybrid model was built using all five templates. All models were refined and ranked as per their overall Z-score. The top ranked ABBC5 model was based on template 4Q9H that had 91.2% of residues in allowed regions as revealed by PROCHECK-NMR and the QMEAN score was 0.54 which indicated a reliable model. The results of the study and the proposed model can be further used for elucidating the structural and functional aspects of ABCC5 and to gain more insights to the molecular basis of ABCC5 inhibition through docking studies.
基金the Natural Foundation of Sciences of Yunnan Province (2006C0046Q)Partly by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (O706551141)
文摘The cDNA encoding the luciferase from lantern mRNA of one diurnal firefly Pyrocoelia pygidialis Pic, 1926 has been cloned, sequenced and functionally expressed. The cDNA sequence of P pygidialis luciferase is 1647 base pairs in length, coding a protein of 548 amino acid residues. Sequence analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence showed that this luciferase had 97.8% resemblance to luciferases from the fireflies Lampyris noctiluca, Lampyris turkestanicus and Nyctophila cf. caucasica. Phylogenetic analysis using deduced amino acid sequence showed that P pygidialis located at the base of Lampyris＋Nyctophila clade with robust support （BP=97%）; but did not show a monophyletic relationship with its congeneric species P pectoralis, P tufa and P miyako, all three are strong luminous and nocturnal species. The expression worked in recombinant Escherichia coli. Expression product had a 70kDa band and emitted yellow-green luminescence in the presence of luciferin. Five loops in the P pygidialis luciferase, L1 （NI98-G208）, L2 （T240-G247）, L3 （G317-K322）, L4 （L343-I350） and L5 （G522-D532）, were found from the structure modeling analysis in the cleft, where it was considered the active site for the substrate compound entering and binding. Different amino acid residues between the luciferases of P. pygidialis and the three other known strong luminous species can not explain the situation of weak or strong luminescence. Future study of these loops, residues or crystal structure analysis may be helpful in understanding the real differences between the luciferases between diurnal and nocturnal species.
