GENETIC ANALYSIS OF BACTERIOPHAGE LYSOZYME STRUCTURE

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The broad, long-term objective of the proposed research is understanding of the sequence determinants of protein structure and function. A genetics-intensive approach is proposed, focused on bacteriophage T4 lysozyme as a model system. Specific aims include: 1 . Isolating revertants of T4 lysozyme mutants bearing deleterious single amino acid substitutions, screening for secondary site revertants among them, and sequencing verified second-site revertants. 2. Characterizing selected mutant lysozymes with regard to stability in vivo and in vitro, purification, and catalytic activity; in collaboration with others, determining their structures. 3. Studying the involvement of two parts of the lysozyme molecule in catalysis: the previously implicated residue AsP20, the nature of whose mechanistic contribution is now called into question; and a substructure, located in the large domain, identified in previous studies, that appears to provide structural stabilization of the key catalytic residue Glu11. Lysozymes bearing substitutions in these positions will be purified, and their catalytic properties (affinity for substrate, catalytic efficiency) will be determined in kinetic experiments. The functional properties of proteins are determined by their three-dimensional structures, which in turn are determined by the sequences of their polypeptide subunits. Knowledge of the rules by which sequences of amino acids fold into unique structures, would greatly aid in the design of new proteins, as well as modification of existing ones, to serve as exquisitely specific antigens or therapeutic agents.