Amino acid replacement is a change from one amino acid to a different amino acid in a protein due to point mutation in the corresponding DNA sequence. It is caused by nonsynonymousmissense mutation which changes the codon sequence to code other amino acid instead of the original.
Conservative and radical replacements
Not all amino acid replacements have the same effect on function or structure of protein. The magnitude of this process may vary depending on how similar or dissimilar the replaced amino acids are, as well as on their position in the sequence or the structure. Similarity between amino acids can be calculated based on substitution matrices, physico-chemical distance, or simple properties such as amino acid size or charge[1] (see also amino acid chemical properties). Usually amino acids are thus classified into two types:[2]
Conservative replacement - an amino acid is exchanged into another that has similar properties. This type of replacement is expected to rarely result in dysfunction in the corresponding protein [citation needed].
Radical replacement - an amino acid is exchanged into another with different properties. This can lead to changes in protein structure or function, which can cause potentially lead to changes in phenotype, sometimes pathogenic. A well known example in humans is sickle cell anemia, due to a mutation in beta globin where at position 6 glutamic acid (negatively charged) is exchanged with valine (not charged).
Physicochemical distances
Physicochemical distance is a measure that assesses the difference between replaced amino acids. The value of distance is based on properties of amino acids. There are 134 physicochemical properties that can be used to estimate similarity between amino acids.[3] Each physicochemical distance is based on different composition of properties.
Properties of amino acids employed for estimating overall similarity[3]
Two-state characters
Properties
1-5
Presence respectively of: β―CH2, γ―CH2, δ―CH2 (proline scored as positive), ε―CH2 group and a―CH3 group
6-10
Presence respectively of: ω―SH, ω―COOH, ω―NH2 (basic), ω―CONH2 and ―CHOH groups
11-15
Presence respectively of: benzene ring (including tryptophan as positive), branching in side chain by a CH group, a second CH3 group, two but not three ―H groups at the ends of the side chain (proline scored as positive) and a C―S―C group
16-20
Presence respectively of: guanido group, α―NH2, α―NH group in ring, δ―NH group in ring, ―N= group in ring
21-25
Presence respectively of: ―CH=N, indolyl group, imidazole group, C=O group in side chain, and configuration at α―C potentially changing direction of the peptide chain (only proline scores positive)
Water structure former, respectively moderate and strong
79
Water structure breaker
80-82
Mobile electrons few, moderate and many, respectively (scored additively)
83-85
Heat and age stability moderate, high and very high, respectively (scored additively)
86-89
RF in phenol-water paper chromatography in steps of 0·2 (scored additively)
90-93
RF in toluene-pyridine-glycolchlorhydrin (paper chromatography of DNP-derivative) in steps of 0·2 (scored additively: for lysine the di-DNP derivative)
94-97
Ninhydrin colour after collidine-lutidine chromatography and heating 5 min at 100 °C, respectively purple, pink, brown and yellow
98
End of side-chain furcated
99-101
Number of substituents on the β-carbon atom, respectively 1, 2 or 3 (scored additively)
102-111
The mean number of lone pair electrons on the side-chain (scored additively)
112-115
Number of bonds in the side-chain allowing rotation (scored additively)
116-117
Ionic volume within rings slight, or moderate (scored additively)
118-124
Maximum moment of inertia for rotation at the α―β bond (scored additively in seven approximate steps)
125-131
Maximum moment of inertia for rotation at the β―γ bond (scored additively in seven approximate steps)
132-134
Maximum moment of inertia for rotation at the γ―δ bond (scored additively in three approximate steps)
Grantham's distance
Grantham's distance depends on three properties: composition, polarity and molecular volume.[4]
Distance difference D for each pair of amino acid i and j is calculated as:
where c = composition, p = polarity, and v = molecular volume; and are constants of squares of the inverses of the mean distance for each property, respectively equal to 1.833, 0.1018, 0.000399. According to Grantham's distance, most similar amino acids are leucine and isoleucine and the most distant are cysteine and tryptophan.
Sneath's index takes into account 134 categories of activity and structure.[3] Dissimilarity index D is a percentage value of the sum of all properties not shared between two replaced amino acids. It is percentage value expressed by , where S is Similarity.
Epstein's coefficient of difference is based on the differences in polarity and size between replaced pairs of amino acids.[5] This index that distincts the direction of exchange between amino acids, described by 2 equations:
when smaller hydrophobic residue is replaced by larger hydrophobic or polar residue
when polar residue is exchanged or larger residue is replaced by smaller
Miyata's distance is based on 2 physicochemical properties: volume and polarity.[6]
Distance between amino acids ai and aj is calculated as where is value of polarity difference between replaced amino acids and and is difference for volume; and are standard deviations for and
Experimental Exchangeability was devised by Yampolsky and Stoltzfus.[7] It is the measure of the mean effect of exchanging one amino acid into a different amino acid.
It is based on analysis of experimental studies where 9671 amino acids replacements from different proteins, were compared for effect on protein activity.
Exchangeability (x1000) by source (row) and destination (column)[7]
Cys
Ser
Thr
Pro
Ala
Gly
Asn
Asp
Glu
Gln
His
Arg
Lys
Met
Ile
Leu
Val
Phe
Tyr
Trp
Exsrc
Cys
.
258
121
201
334
288
109
109
270
383
258
306
252
169
109
347
89
349
349
139
280
Ser
373
.
481
249
490
418
390
314
343
352
353
363
275
321
270
295
358
334
294
160
351
Thr
325
408
.
164
402
332
240
190
212
308
246
299
256
152
198
271
362
273
260
66
287
Pro
345
392
286
.
454
404
352
254
346
384
369
254
231
257
204
258
421
339
298
305
335
Ala
393
384
312
243
.
387
430
193
275
320
301
295
225
549
245
313
319
305
286
165
312
Gly
267
304
187
140
369
.
210
188
206
272
235
178
219
197
110
193
208
168
188
173
228
Asn
234
355
329
275
400
391
.
208
257
298
248
252
183
236
184
233
233
210
251
120
272
Asp
285
275
245
220
293
264
201
.
344
263
298
252
208
245
299
236
175
233
227
103
258
Glu
332
355
292
216
520
407
258
533
.
341
380
279
323
219
450
321
351
342
348
145
363
Gln
383
443
361
212
499
406
338
68
439
.
396
366
354
504
467
391
603
383
361
159
386
His
331
365
205
220
462
370
225
141
319
301
.
275
332
315
205
364
255
328
260
72
303
Arg
225
270
199
145
459
251
67
124
250
288
263
.
306
68
139
242
189
213
272
63
259
Lys
331
376
476
252
600
492
457
465
272
441
362
440
.
414
491
301
487
360
343
218
409
Met
347
353
261
85
357
218
544
392
287
394
278
112
135
.
612
513
354
330
308
633
307
Ile
362
196
193
145
326
160
172
27
197
191
221
124
121
279
.
417
494
331
323
73
252
Leu
366
212
165
146
343
201
162
112
199
250
288
185
171
367
301
.
275
336
295
152
248
Val
382
326
398
201
389
269
108
228
192
280
253
190
197
562
537
333
.
207
209
286
277
Phe
176
152
257
112
236
94
136
90
62
216
237
122
85
255
181
296
291
.
332
232
193
Tyr
142
173
.
194
402
357
129
87
176
369
197
340
171
392
.
362
.
360
.
303
258
Trp
137
92
17
66
63
162
.
.
65
61
239
103
54
110
.
177
110
364
281
.
142
Exdest
315
311
293
192
411
321
258
225
262
305
290
255
225
314
293
307
305
294
279
172
291
Typical and idiosyncratic amino acids
Amino acids can also be classified according to how many different amino acids they can be exchanged by through single nucleotide substitution.
Typical amino acids - there are several other amino acids which they can change into through single nucleotide substitution. Typical amino acids and their alternatives usually have similar physicochemical properties. Leucine is an example of a typical amino acid.
Idiosyncratic amino acids - there are few similar amino acids that they can mutate to through single nucleotide substitution. In this case most amino acid replacements will be disruptive for protein function. Tryptophan is an example of an idiosyncratic amino acid.[8]
Tendency to undergo amino acid replacement
Some amino acids are more likely to be replaced. One of the factors that influences this tendency is physicochemical distance. Example of a measure of amino acid can be Graur's Stability Index.[9] The assumption of this measure is that the amino acid replacement rate and protein's evolution is dependent on the amino acid composition of protein. Stability index S of an amino acid is calculated based on physicochemical distances of this amino acid and its alternatives than can mutate through single nucleotide substitution and probabilities to replace into these amino acids. Based on Grantham's distance the most immutable amino acid is cysteine, and the most prone to undergo exchange is methionine.
Example of calculating stability index[9] for Methionine coded by AUG based on Grantham's physicochemical distance
Evolution of proteins is slower than DNA since only nonsynonymous mutations in DNA can result in amino acid replacements. Most mutations are neutral to maintain protein function and structure. Therefore, the more similar amino acids are, the more probable that they will be replaced. Conservative replacements are more common than radical replacements, since they can result in less important phenotypic changes.[10] On the other hand, beneficial mutations, enhancing protein functions are most likely to be radical replacements.[11] Also, the physicochemical distances, which are based on amino acids properties, are negatively correlated with probability of amino acids substitutions. Smaller distance between amino acids indicates that they are more likely to undergo replacement.
References
^Dagan, Tal; Talmor, Yael; Graur, Dan (July 2002). "Ratios of Radical to Conservative Amino Acid Replacement are Affected by Mutational and Compositional Factors and May Not Be Indicative of Positive Darwinian Selection". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 19 (7): 1022–1025. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a004161. PMID12082122.
^Zuckerkandl; Pauling (1965). "Evolutionary divergence and convergence in proteins". New York: Academic Press: 97–166.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Dagan, Tal; Talmor, Yael; Graur, Dan (2002-07-01). "Ratios of radical to conservative amino acid replacement are affected by mutational and compositional factors and may not be indicative of positive Darwinian selection". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 19 (7): 1022–1025. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a004161. ISSN0737-4038. PMID12082122.