Role of the sulfur to α-carbon thioether bridges in thurincin H

Thurincin H is a small protein produced by Bacillus thuringiensis SF361 with gram-positive antimicrobial properties. The toxins produced by B. thuringiensis are widely used in the agriculture as, e.g. natural preservatives in dairy products. The structure of thurincin H possesses four covalent sulfur to [Formula: see text]-carbon bonds that involve the cysteine side-chains; these bonds are probably responsible for the shape and stability of the protein and, thereby, for its antimicrobial properties. To examine the influence of the formation of the sulfur-carbon bonds on the folding pathways and stability of the protein, a series of canonical and multiplexed replica-exchange simulations with the coarse-grained UNRES force field was carried out without and with distance restraints imposed on selected S-C[Formula: see text] atom pairs. It was found that the order of the formation and breaking of the S-C[Formula: see text] thioether bonds significantly impacts on the foldability and stability of the thurincin H. It was also observed that thioether bridges play a major role in stabilizing the global fold of the protein, although it significantly diminishes the entropy of the system. The maximum foldability of thurincin H was observed in the presence of the optimal set of three out of four thioether bridges. Thus, the results suggest that the presence of ThnB enzyme and other agents that catalyze the formation of thioether bridges can be essential for correct folding of thurincin H and that the formation of the fourth bridge does not seem to facilitate folding; instead, it seems to rigidify the loop and prevent proteolysis.