The Preliminary Study on the Structure of Cop Protein by CD and NMR

Cop protein is the transcription repressor protein in rolling circle replication plasmid. With antisense RNA, Cop protein controls the copy number of plasmid. Cop family proteins have been found in various plasmids. Among Cop family proteins, Cop studied in this paper consists of 55 amino acids (Mw. 6,400), and was known to have trimer structure. Since no structural facts are elucidated, we have carried out preliminary experiments aimed at the elucidation of its three dimensional structure. The secondary structure of Cop is studied by CD and NMR. To solve the aggregation of Cop at high concentration, we tested various detergents and salts. The addition of detergents and salts could not solve the aggregation problem. However, we found that concentration is important in solving the aggregation problem. We knew that 0.18mM in 50mM potassium phosphate without any other ingredients is maximum concentration not to aggregate. Wa also investigated the pH dependence of Cop protein, and knew that Cop protein is more stable in acid state. At various temperatures, 15N-1H HSQC spectra were measured in order to find the optimal experimental condition. To enhance the peak resolution, 3D NOESY-HSQC spectrum is acquired. Since there are NOE peaks in the NH-NH region, we knew that Cop protein has $\alpha$-helical content, which was also confirmed by CD.