Identification and structural influence of a differentially modified N-terminal methionine in human S100b

The calcium-binding protein S100b is a homodimer comprised of two identical 91-residue beta-subunits. Recombinant S100b is a heterogeneous protein, although the basis of this heterogeneity has not been established. We have used mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy to determine that heterogeneity in S100b arises from a mixture of formyl-S100b and desformyl-S100b when expressed in Escherichia coli. Reversed-phase HPLC purification of these two forms of S100b has allowed the differences in N-terminal composition to be used as a probe for tertiary contacts in the protein. The presence or absence of the N-terminal formyl group affected the chemical shifts of sequence neighboring residues and those in the linker of the protein (residues 40-43), indicating that these two regions are close in space.