Increasing the hydrophobic interaction between terminal W-motifs enhances the stability of Salmonella typhimurium sialidase. A general strategy for the stabilization of beta-propeller protein fold.

Protein engineering of the beta-propeller protein aimed at enhancing the structural stability of the protein was carried out using a monomeric single domain beta-propeller protein, Salmonella typhimurium sialidase, as a model. Ala53 and Ala69 each located at strands B and C of the W1 motif were mutated to Leu and Val, respectively, to increase the hydrophobic interaction between W1 and W6 motifs. The mutants showed enhanced stability towards guanidine hydrochloride and thermal unfolding. Ala53Leu showed higher stability, probably owing to the capability of the mutated Leu to interact extensively with more residues involved in the hydrophobic interactions between the terminal W-motifs. The mutations, which are located far from the active site, have no significant effect on the enzymatic properties. The strategy to enhance the stability proposed here might be applied to the other beta-propeller proteins.