NMR characterization of physicochemical properties of rat D-dopachrome tautomerase.

D-dopachrome tautomerase (DOPD) catalyzes the conversion of D-dopachrome to 5,6-dihydroxyindole. DOPD was found to have amino acid sequence homology with macrophage migration inhibitor factor (MIF), suggesting that DOPD functions as a proinflammatory cytokine. We here demonstrate the physicochemical properties of DOPD by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The native molecular weight of rat DOPD was about 37 kDa as calculated from Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. Since the deduced molecular weight of its cDNA (117 amino acid residues) is 12.5 kDa, it is assumed that DOPD exists as a homotrimer in native form. Since several methyl proton resonances were observed in the high magnetic field region of the one-dimensional 1H-NMR spectrum, DOPD appeared to have a hydrophobic core in which methyl groups and aromatic groups are located close to each other. From a simple integration of one-dimensional 1H-NMR spectra, the contents of the alpha-helix, beta-strand, and random coil were calculated to be 16%, 68%, and 16%, respectively. Since the denaturation temperature of DOPD is exceedingly high at the range between 90-100 degrees C, it is considered that the high beta-strand content may contribute to its heat stability.

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