Conformational Entropy as a Determinant of the Thermodynamic Stability of the p53 Core Domain

Mutations in the core domain of tumor suppressor protein p53 have been associated with ∼50% of the occurrences of human cancers. A majority of these mutations inactivate p53 function by destabilizing its native structure. Although studies have shown p53's function can be restored by stabilizing the mutants to their wild-type conformation with immense therapeutic potential, its applicability has been restricted because of our limited understanding of the precise nature of destabilization arising from changes in the mutant p53's structure and dynamics. Here, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, we have probed the conformational flexibility in three of the most widespread and clinically important "hot spot" mutants of the p53 core domain. Our results show that NMR order parameter-derived conformational entropy is linearly correlated with the change in free energy of urea-mediated denaturation, the latter being a well-established reporter of stability in p53 core domain mutants. Using a linear regression function, we show that the three parameters of equilibrium denaturation experiments, i.e., the free energy of denaturation (Δ G_D-N^H), the slope of the transition ( m), and the urea concentration at 50% denaturation ([urea]_50%), can be used to predict the conformational entropy in p53 core domain mutants, thereby demonstrating a method for using these parameters as predictors of a protein's conformational entropy, which has been known to shape the functional properties of proteins.