H-1 NMR has been used to investigate the structural properties of RANT
ES, a protein from the C-C branch of the chemotactic cytokine family t
hat has a strong chemoattractive effect on monocytes, lymphocytes, and
eosinophils. Titration of pH from 5.0 to 2.5 indicates that RANTES is
extensively aggregated in solution above pH 4.0. At pH 3.7 the protei
n is mostly dimeric, although this species does dissociate to the mono
mer with a K-d of 35 mu M. NMR data have been acquired and resonance a
ssignments made for the dimeric species. Structures of the dimer have
been generated by distance geometry and simulated annealing calculatio
ns that utilized 1956 intramolecular distance restraints, 120 intermol
ecular distance restraints, 164 dihedral angle restraints, and 68 rest
raints enforcing 34 hydrogen bonds (17.0 restraints per residue). The
structure is well-defined (average root mean square deviation from the
average structure of 0.38 +/- 0.06 and 0.53 +/- 0.12 Angstrom for bac
kbone heavy atoms of residues 4-66 of the monomer and dimer, respectiv
ely). Each monomer consists of a C-terminal alpha-helix packing agains
t a three-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet and two short N-terminal be
ta-strands; dimerization occurs between the N-terminal regions of each
monomer. This quaternary structure is very different from that of the
C-X-C chemokines such as interleukin-8 and melanoma growth stimulator
y activity but similar to that found for the C-C chemokine macrophage
inflammatory factor 1 beta. Distinct structural differences between RA
NTES and other chemokines at both the tertiary and quaternary level ar
e discussed with regard to the distinct biological functions of the C-
C and C-X-C members of this protein family.