51
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Sbailò L, Noé F. An efficient multi-scale Green's function reaction dynamics scheme. J Chem Phys 2018; 147:184106. [PMID: 29141429 DOI: 10.1063/1.5010190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular Dynamics-Green's Function Reaction Dynamics (MD-GFRD) is a multiscale simulation method for particle dynamics or particle-based reaction-diffusion dynamics that is suited for systems involving low particle densities. Particles in a low-density region are just diffusing and not interacting. In this case, one can avoid the costly integration of microscopic equations of motion, such as molecular dynamics (MD), and instead turn to an event-based scheme in which the times to the next particle interaction and the new particle positions at that time can be sampled. At high (local) concentrations, however, e.g., when particles are interacting in a nontrivial way, particle positions must still be updated with small time steps of the microscopic dynamical equations. The efficiency of a multi-scale simulation that uses these two schemes largely depends on the coupling between them and the decisions when to switch between the two scales. Here we present an efficient scheme for multi-scale MD-GFRD simulations. It has been shown that MD-GFRD schemes are more efficient than brute-force molecular dynamics simulations up to a molar concentration of 102 μM. In this paper, we show that the choice of the propagation domains has a relevant impact on the computational performance. Domains are constructed using a local optimization of their sizes and a minimal domain size is proposed. The algorithm is shown to be more efficient than brute-force Brownian dynamics simulations up to a molar concentration of 103 μM and is up to an order of magnitude more efficient compared with previous MD-GFRD schemes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Sbailò
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Noé
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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52
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Worster S, Mouritsen H, Hore PJ. A light-dependent magnetoreception mechanism insensitive to light intensity and polarization. J R Soc Interface 2018; 14:rsif.2017.0405. [PMID: 28878033 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Billions of migratory birds navigate thousands of kilometres every year aided by a magnetic compass sense, the biophysical mechanism of which is unclear. One leading hypothesis is that absorption of light by specialized photoreceptors in the retina produces short-lived chemical intermediates known as radical pairs whose chemistry is sensitive to tiny magnetic interactions. A potentially serious but largely ignored obstacle to this theory is how directional information derived from the Earth's magnetic field can be separated from the much stronger variations in the intensity and polarization of the incident light. Here we propose a simple solution in which these extraneous effects are cancelled by taking the ratio of the signals from two neighbouring populations of magnetoreceptors. Geometric and biological arguments are used to derive a set of conditions that make this possible. We argue that one likely location of the magnetoreceptor molecules would be in association with ordered opsin dimers in the membrane discs of the outer segments of double-cone photoreceptor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susannah Worster
- Department of Chemistry, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
| | - Henrik Mouritsen
- Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany.,Research Centre for Neurosensory Sciences, University of Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - P J Hore
- Department of Chemistry, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
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53
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Behnen P, Felline A, Comitato A, Di Salvo MT, Raimondi F, Gulati S, Kahremany S, Palczewski K, Marigo V, Fanelli F. A Small Chaperone Improves Folding and Routing of Rhodopsin Mutants Linked to Inherited Blindness. iScience 2018; 4:1-19. [PMID: 30240733 PMCID: PMC6147235 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The autosomal dominant form of retinitis pigmentosa (adRP) is a blindness-causing conformational disease largely linked to mutations of rhodopsin. Molecular simulations coupled to the graph-based protein structure network (PSN) analysis and in vitro experiments were conducted to determine the effects of 33 adRP rhodopsin mutations on the structure and routing of the opsin protein. The integration of atomic and subcellular levels of analysis was accomplished by the linear correlation between indices of mutational impairment in structure network and in routing. The graph-based index of structural perturbation served also to divide the mutants in four clusters, consistent with their differences in subcellular localization and responses to 9-cis retinal. The stability core of opsin inferred from PSN analysis was targeted by virtual screening of over 300,000 anionic compounds leading to the discovery of a reversible orthosteric inhibitor of retinal binding more effective than retinal in improving routing of three adRP mutants. In silico and in vitro analyses of adRP rhodopsin mutants bridged folding and routing Structure network analysis grouped mutants amenable to treatment with small chaperones Virtual compound screening against the stability core of opsin found a small chaperone The pharmacoperone is a reversible orthosteric inhibitor of retinal binding
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Behnen
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Angelo Felline
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Antonella Comitato
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Di Salvo
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Francesco Raimondi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Sahil Gulati
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University, 1819 East 101st Street, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Shirin Kahremany
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Krzysztof Palczewski
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, Case Western Reserve University, 1819 East 101st Street, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Valeria Marigo
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy; Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy.
| | - Francesca Fanelli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy; Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, via Campi 287, 41125 Modena, Italy.
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54
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Protein-enriched outer membrane vesicles as a native platform for outer membrane protein studies. Commun Biol 2018; 1:23. [PMID: 30271910 PMCID: PMC6123736 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0027-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Most studies characterizing the folding, structure, and function of membrane proteins rely on solubilized or reconstituted samples. Whereas solubilized membrane proteins lack the functionally important lipid membrane, reconstitution embeds them into artificial lipid bilayers, which lack characteristic features of cellular membranes including lipid diversity, composition and asymmetry. Here, we utilize outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) released from Escherichia coli to study outer membrane proteins (Omps) in the native membrane environment. Enriched in the native membrane of the OMV we characterize the assembly, folding, and structure of OmpG, FhuA, Tsx, and BamA. Comparing Omps in OMVs to those reconstituted into artificial lipid membranes, we observe different unfolding pathways for some Omps. This observation highlights the importance of the native membrane environment to maintain the native structure and function relationship of Omps. Our fast and easy approach paves the way for functional and structural studies of Omps in the native membrane. Johannes Thoma et al. overexpress outer membrane proteins (Omps) in Escherichia coli and collect the expelled outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) to study Omp assembly, folding and structure. They find that Omps in OMVs show different unfolding pathways compared to Omps reconstituted in artificial lipid membranes.
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55
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Novales Flamarique I. A vertebrate retina with segregated colour and polarization sensitivity. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0759. [PMID: 28878058 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Besides colour and intensity, some invertebrates are able to independently detect the polarization of light. Among vertebrates, such separation of visual modalities has only been hypothesized for some species of anchovies whose cone photoreceptors have unusual ultrastructure that varies with retinal location. Here, I tested this hypothesis by performing physiological experiments of colour and polarization discrimination using the northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax Optic nerve recordings showed that the ventro-temporal (VT), but not the ventro-nasal (VN), retina was polarization sensitive, and this coincided with the exclusive presence of polarization-sensitive photoreceptors in the VT retina. Spectral (colour) sensitivity recordings from the VN retina indicated the contribution of two spectral cone mechanisms to the optic nerve response, whereas only one contributed to the VT retina. This was supported by the presence of only one visual pigment in the VT retina and two in the VN retina, suggesting that only the VN retina was associated with colour sensitivity. Behavioural tests further demonstrated that anchovies could discriminate colour and the polarization of light using the ventral retina. Thus, in analogy with the visual system of some invertebrates, the northern anchovy has a retina with segregated retinal pathways for colour and polarization vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iñigo Novales Flamarique
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V3J 4M5 .,Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
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56
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de Assis LVM, Moraes MN, Magalhães-Marques KK, Castrucci AMDL. Melanopsin and rhodopsin mediate UVA-induced immediate pigment darkening: Unravelling the photosensitive system of the skin. Eur J Cell Biol 2018; 97:150-162. [PMID: 29395480 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2018.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Revised: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian skin has a photosensitive system comprised by several opsins, including rhodopsin (OPN2) and melanopsin (OPN4). Recently, our group showed that UVA (4.4 kJ/m2) leads to immediate pigment darkening (IPD) in murine normal and malignant melanocytes. We show the role of OPN2 and OPN4 as UVA sensors: UVA-induced IPD was fully abolished when OPN4 was pharmacologically inhibited by AA9253 or when OPN2 and OPN4 were knocked down by siRNA in both cell lines. Our data, however, demonstrate that phospholipase C/protein kinase C pathway, a classical OPN4 pathway, is not involved in UVA-induced IPD in either cell line. Nonetheless, in both cell types we have shown that: a) intracellular calcium signal is necessary for UVA-induced IPD; b) the involvement of CaMK II, whose inhibition, abolished the UVA-induced IPD; c) the role of CAMK II/NOS/sGC/cGMP pathway in the process since inhibition of either NOS or sGC abolished the UVA-induced IPD. Taken altogether, we show that OPN2 and OPN4 participate in IPD induced by UVA in murine normal and malignant melanocytes through a conserved common pathway. Interestingly, upon knockdown of OPN2 or OPN4, the UVA-driven IPD is completely lost, which suggests that both opsins are required and cooperatively signal in murine both cell lines. The participation of OPN2 and OPN4 system in UVA radiation-induced response, if proven to take place in human skin, may represent an interesting pharmacological target for the treatment of depigmentary disorders and skin-related cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Vinícius Monteiro de Assis
- Laboratory of Comparative Physiology of Pigmentation, Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Nathalia Moraes
- Laboratory of Comparative Physiology of Pigmentation, Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Keila Karoline Magalhães-Marques
- Laboratory of Comparative Physiology of Pigmentation, Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria de Lauro Castrucci
- Laboratory of Comparative Physiology of Pigmentation, Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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57
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Günther A, Einwich A, Sjulstok E, Feederle R, Bolte P, Koch KW, Solov’yov IA, Mouritsen H. Double-Cone Localization and Seasonal Expression Pattern Suggest a Role in Magnetoreception for European Robin Cryptochrome 4. Curr Biol 2018; 28:211-223.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2017] [Revised: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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58
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Athanasiou D, Aguila M, Bellingham J, Li W, McCulley C, Reeves PJ, Cheetham ME. The molecular and cellular basis of rhodopsin retinitis pigmentosa reveals potential strategies for therapy. Prog Retin Eye Res 2018; 62:1-23. [PMID: 29042326 PMCID: PMC5779616 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2017.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Inherited mutations in the rod visual pigment, rhodopsin, cause the degenerative blinding condition, retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Over 150 different mutations in rhodopsin have been identified and, collectively, they are the most common cause of autosomal dominant RP (adRP). Mutations in rhodopsin are also associated with dominant congenital stationary night blindness (adCSNB) and, less frequently, recessive RP (arRP). Recessive RP is usually associated with loss of rhodopsin function, whereas the dominant conditions are a consequence of gain of function and/or dominant negative activity. The in-depth characterisation of many rhodopsin mutations has revealed that there are distinct consequences on the protein structure and function associated with different mutations. Here we categorise rhodopsin mutations into seven discrete classes; with defects ranging from misfolding and disruption of proteostasis, through mislocalisation and disrupted intracellular traffic to instability and altered function. Rhodopsin adRP offers a unique paradigm to understand how disturbances in photoreceptor homeostasis can lead to neuronal cell death. Furthermore, a wide range of therapies have been tested in rhodopsin RP, from gene therapy and gene editing to pharmacological interventions. The understanding of the disease mechanisms associated with rhodopsin RP and the development of targeted therapies offer the potential of treatment for this currently untreatable neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Monica Aguila
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - James Bellingham
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Wenwen Li
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Caroline McCulley
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK
| | - Philip J Reeves
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Essex CO4 3SQ, UK.
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59
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Tikidji-Hamburyan A, Reinhard K, Storchi R, Dietter J, Seitter H, Davis KE, Idrees S, Mutter M, Walmsley L, Bedford RA, Ueffing M, Ala-Laurila P, Brown TM, Lucas RJ, Münch TA. Rods progressively escape saturation to drive visual responses in daylight conditions. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1813. [PMID: 29180667 PMCID: PMC5703729 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01816-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Rod and cone photoreceptors support vision across large light intensity ranges. Rods, active under dim illumination, are thought to saturate at higher (photopic) irradiances. The extent of rod saturation is not well defined; some studies report rod activity well into the photopic range. Using electrophysiological recordings from retina and dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of cone-deficient and visually intact mice, we describe stimulus and physiological factors that influence photopic rod-driven responses. We find that rod contrast sensitivity is initially strongly reduced at high irradiances, but progressively recovers to allow responses to moderate contrast stimuli. Surprisingly, rods recover faster at higher light levels. A model of rod phototransduction suggests that phototransduction gain adjustments and bleaching adaptation underlie rod recovery. Consistently, exogenous chromophore reduces rod responses at bright background. Thus, bleaching adaptation renders mouse rods responsive to modest contrast at any irradiance. Paradoxically, raising irradiance across the photopic range increases the robustness of rod responses. Rod photoreceptors are thought to be saturated under bright light. Here, the authors describe the physiological parameters that mediate response saturation of rod photoreceptors in mouse retina, and show that rods can drive visual responses in photopic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Tikidji-Hamburyan
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Neurosurgery and Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305-4085, USA
| | - Katja Reinhard
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.,Visual Circuits Laboratory, Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, IMEC, KU Leuven and VIB, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Riccardo Storchi
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Johannes Dietter
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hartwig Seitter
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.,Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Innsbruck, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Katherine E Davis
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Saad Idrees
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marion Mutter
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lauren Walmsley
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Robert A Bedford
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.,Stryker Imorphics, Worthington House, Towers Business Park, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 2HJ, UK
| | - Marius Ueffing
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Petri Ala-Laurila
- Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering (NBE), Aalto University School of Science and Technology, 00076, Espoo, Finland
| | - Timothy M Brown
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Robert J Lucas
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
| | - Thomas A Münch
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany. .,Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
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60
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Maity S, Ilieva N, Laio A, Torre V, Mazzolini M. New views on phototransduction from atomic force microscopy and single molecule force spectroscopy on native rods. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12000. [PMID: 28931892 PMCID: PMC5607320 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11912-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
By combining atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging and single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), we analyzed membrane proteins of the rod outer segments (OS). With this combined approach we were able to study the membrane proteins in their natural environment. In the plasma membrane we identified native cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels which are organized in single file strings. We also identified rhodopsin located both in the discs and in the plasma membrane. SMFS reveals strikingly different mechanical properties of rhodopsin unfolding in the two environments. Molecular dynamic simulations suggest that this difference is likely to be related to the higher hydrophobicity of the plasma membrane, due to the higher cholesterol concentration. This increases rhodopsin mechanical stability lowering the rate of transition towards its active form, hindering, in this manner, phototransduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sourav Maity
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA-ISAS) via Bonomea 265, 34136, Trieste, Italy
| | - Nina Ilieva
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA-ISAS) via Bonomea 265, 34136, Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandro Laio
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA-ISAS) via Bonomea 265, 34136, Trieste, Italy
| | - Vincent Torre
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA-ISAS) via Bonomea 265, 34136, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Monica Mazzolini
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA-ISAS) via Bonomea 265, 34136, Trieste, Italy.
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61
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Recent advances in biophysical studies of rhodopsins - Oligomerization, folding, and structure. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2017; 1865:1512-1521. [PMID: 28844743 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2017.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2017] [Revised: 08/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Retinal-binding proteins, mainly known as rhodopsins, function as photosensors and ion transporters in a wide range of organisms. From halobacterial light-driven proton pump, bacteriorhodopsin, to bovine photoreceptor, visual rhodopsin, they have served as prototypical α-helical membrane proteins in a large number of biophysical studies and aided in the development of many cutting-edge techniques of structural biology and biospectroscopy. In the last decade, microbial and animal rhodopsin families have expanded significantly, bringing into play a number of new interesting structures and functions. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in biophysical approaches to retinal-binding proteins, primarily microbial rhodopsins, including those in optical spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and electron paramagnetic resonance, as applied to such fundamental biological aspects as protein oligomerization, folding, and structure.
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62
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Wagner J, Schaffer M, Fernández-Busnadiego R. Cryo-electron tomography-the cell biology that came in from the cold. FEBS Lett 2017; 591:2520-2533. [PMID: 28726246 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.12757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Revised: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) provides high-resolution 3D views into cells pristinely preserved by vitrification. Recent technical advances such as direct electron detectors, the Volta phase plate and cryo-focused ion beam milling have dramatically pushed image quality and expanded the range of cryo-ET applications. Cryo-ET not only allows mapping the positions and interactions of macromolecules within their intact cellular context, but can also reveal their in situ structure at increasing resolution. Here, we review how recent work using cutting-edge cryo-ET technologies is starting to provide fresh views into different aspects of cellular biology at an unprecedented level of detail. We anticipate that these developments will soon make cryo-ET a fundamental technique in cell biology.
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63
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Seno K, Hayashi F. Palmitoylation is a prerequisite for dimerization-dependent raftophilicity of rhodopsin. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:15321-15328. [PMID: 28747438 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.804880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 07/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The visual photopigment rhodopsin (Rh) is a prototypical G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) responsible for initiation of the phototransduction cascade in rod photoreceptors. Similar to other GPCRs, Rh can form dimers or even higher oligomers and tends to have a supramolecular organization that is likely important in the dim light response. Rh also exhibits high affinity for lipid rafts (i.e. raftophilicity) upon light-dependent binding with the cognate G protein transducin (Gt), suggesting the presence of lipid raft-like domains in the retinal disk membrane and their importance in phototransduction. However, the relationship between Rh oligomerization and lipid rafts in the disk membrane remains to be explored. Given previous findings that Gt binds to dimeric Rh and that Rh is posttranslationally modified with two highly raftophilic palmitoyl moieties, we hypothesized that Rh becomes raftophilic upon dimerization. Here, using biochemical assays, we found that Rh*-Gt complexes in the detergent-resistant membrane are partially resistant to cholesterol depletion by methyl-β-cyclodextrin and that the Rh-to-Gt stoichiometry in this methyl-β-cyclodextrin-resistant complex is 2:1. Next, we found that IgG-mediated Rh-Rh cross-linking renders Rh highly raftophilic, supporting the premise that Rh becomes raftophilic upon dimerization. Rh depalmitoylation via reduction of thioester linkages blocked the translocation of IgG-cross-linked Rh to the detergent-resistant membrane, highlighting that the two palmitoyl moieties are important for the dimerization-dependent raftophilicity of Rh. These results indicate that palmitoylated GPCRs such as Rh can acquire raftophilicity upon G protein-stabilized dimerization and thereby organize receptor-cluster rafts by recruiting raftophilic lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiji Seno
- From the Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, and.,International Mass Imaging Center, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan and
| | - Fumio Hayashi
- the Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
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Abstract
Fertilization is exceptionally complex and, depending on the species, happens in entirely different environments. External fertilizers in aquatic habitats, like marine invertebrates or fish, release their gametes into the seawater or freshwater, whereas sperm from most internal fertilizers like mammals cross the female genital tract to make their way to the egg. Various chemical and physical cues guide sperm to the egg. Quite generally, these cues enable signaling pathways that ultimately evoke a cellular Ca2+ response that modulates the waveform of the flagellar beat and, hence, the swimming path. To cope with the panoply of challenges to reach and fertilize the egg, sperm from different species have developed their own unique repertoire of signaling molecules and mechanisms. Here, we review the differences and commonalities for sperm sensory signaling in marine invertebrates (sea urchin), fish (zebrafish), and mammals (mouse, human).
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Affiliation(s)
- Dagmar Wachten
- Minerva Max Planck Research Group, Molecular Physiology, Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), 53175 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jan F Jikeli
- Minerva Max Planck Research Group, Molecular Physiology, Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), 53175 Bonn, Germany
| | - U Benjamin Kaupp
- Department Molecular Sensory Systems, Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), 53175 Bonn, Germany
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65
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Rakshit T, Senapati S, Parmar VM, Sahu B, Maeda A, Park PSH. Adaptations in rod outer segment disc membranes in response to environmental lighting conditions. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2017. [PMID: 28645515 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2017.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The light-sensing rod photoreceptor cell exhibits several adaptations in response to the lighting environment. While adaptations to short-term changes in lighting conditions have been examined in depth, adaptations to long-term changes in lighting conditions are less understood. Atomic force microscopy was used to characterize the structure of rod outer segment disc membranes, the site of photon absorption by the pigment rhodopsin, to better understand how photoreceptor cells respond to long-term lighting changes. Structural properties of the disc membrane changed in response to housing mice in constant dark or light conditions and these adaptive changes required output from the phototransduction cascade initiated by rhodopsin. Among these were changes in the packing density of rhodopsin in the membrane, which was independent of rhodopsin synthesis and specifically affected scotopic visual function as assessed by electroretinography. Studies here support the concept of photostasis, which maintains optimal photoreceptor cell function with implications in retinal degenerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatini Rakshit
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Subhadip Senapati
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Vipul M Parmar
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Bhubanananda Sahu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Akiko Maeda
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Paul S-H Park
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
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66
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Hofrnann L, Alexander NS, Sun W, Zhang J, Orban T, Palczewski K. Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry of Human Green Opsin Reveals a Conserved Pro-Pro Motif in Extracellular Loop 2 of Monostable Visual G Protein-Coupled Receptors. Biochemistry 2017; 56:2338-2348. [PMID: 28402104 PMCID: PMC5501310 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Opsins comprise the protein component of light sensitive G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the retina of the eye that are responsible for the transduction of light into a biochemical signal. Here, we used hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange coupled with mass spectrometry to map conformational changes in green cone opsin upon light activation. We then compared these findings with those reported for rhodopsin. The extent of H/D exchange in green cone opsin was greater than in rhodopsin in the dark and bleached states, suggesting a higher structural heterogeneity for green cone opsin. Further analysis revealed that green cone opsin exists as a dimer in both dark (inactive) and bleached (active) states, and that the predicted glycosylation sites at N32 and N34 are indeed glycosylated. Comparison of deuterium uptake between inactive and active states of green cone opsin also disclosed a reduced solvent accessibility of the extracellular N-terminal region and an increased accessibility of the chromophore binding site. Increased H/D exchange at the extracellular side of transmembrane helix four (TM4) combined with an analysis of sequence alignments revealed a conserved Pro-Pro motif in extracellular loop 2 (EL2) of monostable visual GPCRs. These data present new insights into the locus of chromophore release at the extracellular side of TM4 and TM5 and provide a foundation for future functional evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Hofrnann
- Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Nathan S. Alexander
- Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Wenyu Sun
- Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Jianye Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Tivadar Orban
- Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Krzysztof Palczewski
- Department of Pharmacology and Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
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67
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The release and trans-synaptic transmission of Tau via exosomes. Mol Neurodegener 2017; 12:5. [PMID: 28086931 PMCID: PMC5237256 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-016-0143-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 431] [Impact Index Per Article: 61.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Tau pathology in AD spreads in a hierarchical pattern, whereby it first appears in the entorhinal cortex, then spreads to the hippocampus and later to the surrounding areas. Based on this sequential appearance, AD can be classified into six stages (“Braak stages”). The mechanisms and agents underlying the progression of Tau pathology are a matter of debate. Emerging evidence indicates that the propagation of Tau pathology may be due to the transmission of Tau protein, but the underlying pathways and Tau species are not well understood. In this study we investigated the question of Tau spreading via small extracellular vesicles called exosomes. Methods Exosomes from different sources were analyzed by biochemical methods and electron microscopy (EM) and cryo-EM. Microfluidic devices that allow the culture of cell populations in different compartments were used to investigate the spreading of Tau. Results We show that Tau protein is released by cultured primary neurons or by N2a cells overexpressing different Tau constructs via exosomes. Neuron-derived exosomal Tau is hypo-phosphorylated, compared with cytosolic Tau. Depolarization of neurons promotes release of Tau-containing exosomes, highlighting the importance of neuronal activity. Using microfluidic devices we show that exosomes mediate trans-neuronal transfer of Tau depending on synaptic connectivity. Tau spreading is achieved by direct transmission of exosomes between neurons. In organotypic hippocampal slices, Tau-containing exosomes in conditioned medium are taken up by neurons and microglia, not astrocytes. In N2a cells, Tau assemblies are released via exosomes. They can induce inclusions of other Tau molecules in N2a cells expressing mutant human Tau. We also studied exosomes from cerebrospinal fluid in AD and control subjects containing monomeric and oligomeric Tau. Split-luciferase complementation reveals that exosomes from CSF can promote Tau aggregation in cultured cells. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that exosomes contribute to trans-synaptic Tau transmission, and thus offer new approches to control the spreading of pathology in AD and other tauopathies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13024-016-0143-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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68
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Jastrzebska B, Comar WD, Kaliszewski MJ, Skinner KC, Torcasio MH, Esway AS, Jin H, Palczewski K, Smith AW. A G Protein-Coupled Receptor Dimerization Interface in Human Cone Opsins. Biochemistry 2017; 56:61-72. [PMID: 28045251 PMCID: PMC5274527 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) detect a wide variety of physical and chemical signals and transmit that information across the cellular plasma membrane. Dimerization is a proposed modulator of GPCR signaling, but the structure and stability of class A GPCR dimerization have been difficult to establish. Here we investigated the dimerization affinity and binding interface of human cone opsins, which initiate and sustain daytime color vision. Using a time-resolved fluorescence approach, we found that human red cone opsin exhibits a strong propensity for dimerization, whereas the green and blue cone opsins do not. Through mutagenesis experiments, we identified a dimerization interface in the fifth transmembrane helix of human red cone opsin involving amino acids I230, A233, and M236. Insights into this dimerization interface of red cone opsin should aid ongoing investigations of the structure and function of GPCR quaternary interactions in cell signaling. Finally, we demonstrated that the same residues needed for dimerization are also partially responsible for the spectral tuning of red cone opsin. This last observation has the potential to open up new lines of inquiry regarding the functional role of dimerization for red cone opsin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Jastrzebska
- Department of Pharmacology, Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 2109 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - William D. Comar
- Department of Chemistry, University of Akron, 190 Buchtel Common, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Megan J. Kaliszewski
- Department of Chemistry, University of Akron, 190 Buchtel Common, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Kevin C. Skinner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Akron, 190 Buchtel Common, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Morgan H. Torcasio
- Department of Chemistry, University of Akron, 190 Buchtel Common, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Anthony S. Esway
- Department of Chemistry, University of Akron, 190 Buchtel Common, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
| | - Hui Jin
- Department of Pharmacology, Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 2109 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Krzysztof Palczewski
- Department of Pharmacology, Cleveland Center for Membrane and Structural Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 2109 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Adam W. Smith
- Department of Chemistry, University of Akron, 190 Buchtel Common, Akron, Ohio 44325, United States
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69
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Ploier B, Caro LN, Morizumi T, Pandey K, Pearring JN, Goren MA, Finnemann SC, Graumann J, Arshavsky VY, Dittman JS, Ernst OP, Menon AK. Dimerization deficiency of enigmatic retinitis pigmentosa-linked rhodopsin mutants. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12832. [PMID: 27694816 PMCID: PMC5059438 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a blinding disease often associated with mutations in rhodopsin, a light-sensing G protein-coupled receptor and phospholipid scramblase. Most RP-associated mutations affect rhodopsin's activity or transport to disc membranes. Intriguingly, some mutations produce apparently normal rhodopsins that nevertheless cause disease. Here we show that three such enigmatic mutations—F45L, V209M and F220C—yield fully functional visual pigments that bind the 11-cis retinal chromophore, activate the G protein transducin, traffic to the light-sensitive photoreceptor compartment and scramble phospholipids. However, tests of scramblase activity show that unlike wild-type rhodopsin that functionally reconstitutes into liposomes as dimers or multimers, F45L, V209M and F220C rhodopsins behave as monomers. This result was confirmed in pull-down experiments. Our data suggest that the photoreceptor pathology associated with expression of these enigmatic RP-associated pigments arises from their unexpected inability to dimerize via transmembrane helices 1 and 5. Retinitis pigmentosa is often caused by mutations that affect the activity or transport of rhodopsin, but some mutations cause disease even though an apparently functional protein is produced. Here the authors show that three such enigmatic mutants retain scramblase activity but are unable to dimerize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Ploier
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Lydia N Caro
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Takefumi Morizumi
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Kalpana Pandey
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Jillian N Pearring
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
| | - Michael A Goren
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Silvia C Finnemann
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Cancer, Genetic Diseases and Gene Regulation, Fordham University, Bronx, New York 10458, USA
| | - Johannes Graumann
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA.,Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Qatar Foundation, Education City P.O.Box 24144, Doha, State of Qatar
| | - Vadim Y Arshavsky
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.,Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
| | - Jeremy S Dittman
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Oliver P Ernst
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Anant K Menon
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA
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70
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Abstract
Retinal photoreceptor cells contain a specialized outer segment (OS) compartment that functions in the capture of light and its conversion into electrical signals in a process known as phototransduction. In rods, photoisomerization of 11-cis to all-trans retinal within rhodopsin triggers a biochemical cascade culminating in the closure of cGMP-gated channels and hyperpolarization of the cell. Biochemical reactions return the cell to its 'dark state' and the visual cycle converts all-trans retinal back to 11-cis retinal for rhodopsin regeneration. OS are continuously renewed, with aged membrane removed at the distal end by phagocytosis and new membrane added at the proximal end through OS disk morphogenesis linked to protein trafficking. The molecular basis for disk morphogenesis remains to be defined in detail although several models have been proposed, and molecular mechanisms underlying protein trafficking are under active investigation. The aim of this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster is to highlight our current understanding of photoreceptor structure, phototransduction, the visual cycle, OS renewal, protein trafficking and retinal degenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert S Molday
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Centre for Macular Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z3 Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Centre for Macular Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5Z 3N9
| | - Orson L Moritz
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Centre for Macular Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5Z 3N9
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71
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Quaternary structures of opsin in live cells revealed by FRET spectrometry. Biochem J 2016; 473:3819-3836. [PMID: 27623775 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20160422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Rhodopsin is a prototypical G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that initiates phototransduction in the retina. The receptor consists of the apoprotein opsin covalently linked to the inverse agonist 11-cis retinal. Rhodopsin and opsin have been shown to form oligomers within the outer segment disc membranes of rod photoreceptor cells. However, the physiological relevance of the observed oligomers has been questioned since observations were made on samples prepared from the retina at low temperatures. To investigate the oligomeric status of opsin in live cells at body temperatures, we utilized a novel approach called Förster resonance energy transfer spectrometry, which previously has allowed the determination of the stoichiometry and geometry (i.e. quaternary structure) of various GPCRs. In the current study, we have extended the method to additionally determine whether or not a mixture of oligomeric forms of opsin exists and in what proportion. The application of this improved method revealed that opsin expressed in live Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells at 37°C exists as oligomers of various sizes. At lower concentrations, opsin existed in an equilibrium of dimers and tetramers. The tetramers were in the shape of a near-rhombus. At higher concentrations of the receptor, higher-order oligomers began to form. Thus, a mixture of different oligomeric forms of opsin is present in the membrane of live CHO cells and oligomerization occurs in a concentration-dependent manner. The general principles underlying the concentration-dependent oligomerization of opsin may be universal and apply to other GPCRs as well.
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72
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Abstract
It is a deeply engrained notion that the visual pigment rhodopsin signals light as a monomer, even though many G protein-coupled receptors are now known to exist and function as dimers. Nonetheless, recent studies (albeit all in vitro) have suggested that rhodopsin and its chromophore-free apoprotein, R-opsin, may indeed exist as a homodimer in rod disk membranes. Given the overwhelmingly strong historical context, the crucial remaining question, therefore, is whether pigment dimerization truly exists naturally and what function this dimerization may serve. We addressed this question in vivo with a unique mouse line (S-opsin(+)Lrat(-/-)) expressing, transgenically, short-wavelength-sensitive cone opsin (S-opsin) in rods and also lacking chromophore to exploit the fact that cone opsins, but not R-opsin, require chromophore for proper folding and trafficking to the photoreceptor's outer segment. In R-opsin's absence, S-opsin in these transgenic rods without chromophore was mislocalized; in R-opsin's presence, however, S-opsin trafficked normally to the rod outer segment and produced functional S-pigment upon subsequent chromophore restoration. Introducing a competing R-opsin transmembrane helix H1 or helix H8 peptide, but not helix H4 or helix H5 peptide, into these transgenic rods caused mislocalization of R-opsin and S-opsin to the perinuclear endoplasmic reticulum. Importantly, a similar peptide-competition effect was observed even in WT rods. Our work provides convincing evidence for visual pigment dimerization in vivo under physiological conditions and for its role in pigment maturation and targeting. Our work raises new questions regarding a potential mechanistic role of dimerization in rhodopsin signaling.
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73
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Affiliation(s)
- P. J. Hore
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom;
| | - Henrik Mouritsen
- Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, DE-26111 Oldenburg, Germany;
- Research Centre for Neurosensory Sciences, University of Oldenburg, DE-26111 Oldenburg, Germany
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74
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Zhao X, Thapa D, Wang B, Lu Y, Gai S, Yao X. Stimulus-evoked outer segment changes in rod photoreceptors. JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL OPTICS 2016; 21:65006. [PMID: 27334933 PMCID: PMC4917604 DOI: 10.1117/1.jbo.21.6.065006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Rod-dominated transient retinal phototropism (TRP) has been recently observed in freshly isolated mouse and frog retinas. Comparative confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography revealed that the TRP was predominantly elicited from the rod outer segment (OS). However, the biophysical mechanism of rod OS dynamics is still unknown. Mouse and frog retinal slices, which displayed a cross-section of retinal photoreceptors and other functional layers, were used to test the effect of light stimulation on rod OSs. Time-lapse microscopy revealed stimulus-evoked conformational changes of rod OSs. In the center of the stimulated region, the length of the rod OS shrunk, while in the peripheral region, the rod OS swung toward the center region. Our experimental observation and theoretical analysis suggest that the TRP may reflect unbalanced rod disc-shape changes due to localized visible light stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Zhao
- Hebei University, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei Key Lab of Optic-Electronic Information Materials, Baoding 071002, China
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Damber Thapa
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Benquan Wang
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Yiming Lu
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Shaoyan Gai
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
| | - Xincheng Yao
- Hebei University, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei Key Lab of Optic-Electronic Information Materials, Baoding 071002, China
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Bioengineering, Chicago, Illinois 60607, United States
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
- Address all correspondence to: Xincheng Yao, E-mail:
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75
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Goldberg AFX, Moritz OL, Williams DS. Molecular basis for photoreceptor outer segment architecture. Prog Retin Eye Res 2016; 55:52-81. [PMID: 27260426 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2016.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 05/27/2016] [Accepted: 05/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
To serve vision, vertebrate rod and cone photoreceptors must detect photons, convert the light stimuli into cellular signals, and then convey the encoded information to downstream neurons. Rods and cones are sensory neurons that each rely on specialized ciliary organelles to detect light. These organelles, called outer segments, possess elaborate architectures that include many hundreds of light-sensitive membranous disks arrayed one atop another in precise register. These stacked disks capture light and initiate the chain of molecular and cellular events that underlie normal vision. Outer segment organization is challenged by an inherently dynamic nature; these organelles are subject to a renewal process that replaces a significant fraction of their disks (up to ∼10%) on a daily basis. In addition, a broad range of environmental and genetic insults can disrupt outer segment morphology to impair photoreceptor function and viability. In this chapter, we survey the major progress that has been made for understanding the molecular basis of outer segment architecture. We also discuss key aspects of organelle lipid and protein composition, and highlight distributions, interactions, and potential structural functions of key OS-resident molecules, including: kinesin-2, actin, RP1, prominin-1, protocadherin 21, peripherin-2/rds, rom-1, glutamic acid-rich proteins, and rhodopsin. Finally, we identify key knowledge gaps and challenges that remain for understanding how normal outer segment architecture is established and maintained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F X Goldberg
- Eye Research Institute, Oakland University, 417 Dodge Hall, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA.
| | - Orson L Moritz
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - David S Williams
- Department of Ophthalmology and Jules Stein Eye Institute, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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76
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Abstract
Rhodopsin has been intensively characterized in its role as a visual pigment and G protein-coupled receptor responsible for dim-light vision. We recently discovered that it also functions as an ATP-independent phospholipid scramblase: when reconstituted into large unilamellar vesicles, rhodopsin accelerates the normally sluggish transbilayer translocation of common phospholipids by more than 1000-fold, to rates in excess of 10 000 phospholipids transported per rhodopsin per second. Here we summarize the work leading to this discovery and speculate on the mechanism by which rhodopsin scrambles phospholipids. We also present a hypothesis that rhodopsin's scramblase activity is necessary for the function of the ABC transporter ABCA4 that is responsible for mitigating the toxic accumulation of 11-cis-retinal and bis-retinoids in the retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver P Ernst
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1A8 and Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1A8.
| | - Anant K Menon
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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77
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Gragg M, Kim TG, Howell S, Park PSH. Wild-type opsin does not aggregate with a misfolded opsin mutant. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:1850-9. [PMID: 27117643 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Revised: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Megan Gragg
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Tae Gyun Kim
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Scott Howell
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - P S-H Park
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
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78
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Nguyen ONP, Böhm S, Gießl A, Butz ES, Wolfrum U, Brandstätter JH, Wahl-Schott C, Biel M, Becirovic E. Peripherin-2 differentially interacts with cone opsins in outer segments of cone photoreceptors. Hum Mol Genet 2016; 25:2367-2377. [PMID: 27033727 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Revised: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Peripherin-2 is a glycomembrane protein exclusively expressed in the light-sensing compartments of rod and cone photoreceptors designated as outer segments (OS). Mutations in peripherin-2 are associated with degenerative retinal diseases either affecting rod or cone photoreceptors. While peripherin-2 has been extensively studied in rods, there is only little information on its supramolecular organization and function in cones. Recently, we have demonstrated that peripherin-2 interacts with the light detector rhodopsin in OS of rods. It remains unclear, however, if peripherin-2 also binds to cone opsins. Here, using a combination of co-immunoprecipitation analyses, transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-based immunolabeling experiments, and quantitative fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements in cone OS of wild type mice, we demonstrate that peripherin-2 binds to both, S-opsin and M-opsin. However, FRET-based quantification of the respective interactions indicated significantly less stringent binding of peripherin-2 to S-opsin compared to its interaction with M-opsin. Subsequent TEM-studies also showed less co-localization of peripherin-2 and S-opsin in cone OS compared to peripherin-2 and M-opsin. Furthermore, quantitative FRET analysis in acutely isolated cone OS revealed that the cone degeneration-causing V268I mutation in peripherin-2 selectively reduced binding to M-opsin without affecting the peripherin-2 interaction to S-opsin or rhodopsin. The differential binding of peripherin-2 to cone opsins and the mutant-specific interference with the peripherin-2/M-opsin binding points to a novel role of peripherin-2 in cones and might contribute to understanding the differential penetrance of certain peripherin-2 mutations in rods and cones. Finally, our results provide a proof-of-principle for quantitative FRET measurements of protein-protein interactions in cone OS.
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Affiliation(s)
- O N Phuong Nguyen
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPS , 81377 München, Germany, .,Department of Pharmacy-Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Sybille Böhm
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPS , 81377 München, Germany, .,Department of Pharmacy-Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Andreas Gießl
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany and
| | - Elisabeth S Butz
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPS , 81377 München, Germany, .,Department of Pharmacy-Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Uwe Wolfrum
- Cell and Matrix Biology, Institute of Zoology, Johannes-Gutenberg Universität Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Johann H Brandstätter
- Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany and
| | - Christian Wahl-Schott
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPS , 81377 München, Germany, .,Department of Pharmacy-Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Martin Biel
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPS , 81377 München, Germany, .,Department of Pharmacy-Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Elvir Becirovic
- Munich Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPS , 81377 München, Germany, .,Department of Pharmacy-Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 München, Germany
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79
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Membrane omega-3 fatty acids modulate the oligomerisation kinetics of adenosine A2A and dopamine D2 receptors. Sci Rep 2016; 6:19839. [PMID: 26796668 PMCID: PMC4726318 DOI: 10.1038/srep19839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω-3 PUFA), are decreased in common neuropsychiatric disorders. DHA modulates key cell membrane properties like fluidity, thereby affecting the behaviour of transmembrane proteins like G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). These receptors, which have special relevance for major neuropsychiatric disorders have recently been shown to form dimers or higher order oligomers, and evidence suggests that DHA levels affect GPCR function by modulating oligomerisation. In this study, we assessed the effect of membrane DHA content on the formation of a class of protein complexes with particular relevance for brain disease: adenosine A2A and dopamine D2 receptor oligomers. Using extensive multiscale computer modelling, we find a marked propensity of DHA for interaction with both A2A and D2 receptors, which leads to an increased rate of receptor oligomerisation. Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) experiments performed on living cells suggest that this DHA effect on the oligomerisation of A2A and D2 receptors is purely kinetic. This work reveals for the first time that membrane ω-3 PUFAs play a key role in GPCR oligomerisation kinetics, which may have important implications for neuropsychiatric conditions like schizophrenia or Parkinson’s disease.
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80
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Abstract
In this issue of Structure, Gunkel et al. describe cryoelectron tomography analysis of the nano-organization of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) rhodopsin in the rod photoreceptor disk membranes in a near-native environment. Their data strongly suggest that rhodopsin is organized in the native rod disk as dimers arranged in parallel tracks aligned to the incisure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gebhard F X Schertler
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland; Department of Biology, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 27, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
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81
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Koch KW, Dell'Orco D. Protein and Signaling Networks in Vertebrate Photoreceptor Cells. Front Mol Neurosci 2015; 8:67. [PMID: 26635520 PMCID: PMC4646965 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2015.00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate photoreceptor cells are exquisite light detectors operating under very dim and bright illumination. The photoexcitation and adaptation machinery in photoreceptor cells consists of protein complexes that can form highly ordered supramolecular structures and control the homeostasis and mutual dependence of the secondary messengers cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and Ca2+. The visual pigment in rod photoreceptors, the G protein-coupled receptor rhodopsin is organized in tracks of dimers thereby providing a signaling platform for the dynamic scaffolding of the G protein transducin. Illuminated rhodopsin is turned off by phosphorylation catalyzed by rhodopsin kinase (GRK1) under control of Ca2+-recoverin. The GRK1 protein complex partly assembles in lipid raft structures, where shutting off rhodopsin seems to be more effective. Re-synthesis of cGMP is another crucial step in the recovery of the photoresponse after illumination. It is catalyzed by membrane bound sensory guanylate cyclases (GCs) and is regulated by specific neuronal Ca2+-sensor proteins called guanylate cyclase-activating proteins (GCAPs). At least one GC (ROS-GC1) was shown to be part of a multiprotein complex having strong interactions with the cytoskeleton and being controlled in a multimodal Ca2+-dependent fashion. The final target of the cGMP signaling cascade is a cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel that is a hetero-oligomeric protein located in the plasma membrane and interacting with accessory proteins in highly organized microdomains. We summarize results and interpretations of findings related to the inhomogeneous organization of signaling units in photoreceptor outer segments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl-Wilhelm Koch
- Department of Neurosciences, Biochemistry Group, University of Oldenburg Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Daniele Dell'Orco
- Department of Neurological, Biomedical and Movement Sciences, Section of Biological Chemistry and Center for BioMedical Computing (CBMC), University of Verona Verona, Italy
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82
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Rhodopsin Forms Nanodomains in Rod Outer Segment Disc Membranes of the Cold-Blooded Xenopus laevis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141114. [PMID: 26492040 PMCID: PMC4619631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 10/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Rhodopsin forms nanoscale domains (i.e., nanodomains) in rod outer segment disc membranes from mammalian species. It is unclear whether rhodopsin arranges in a similar manner in amphibian species, which are often used as a model system to investigate the function of rhodopsin and the structure of photoreceptor cells. Moreover, since samples are routinely prepared at low temperatures, it is unclear whether lipid phase separation effects in the membrane promote the observed nanodomain organization of rhodopsin from mammalian species. Rod outer segment disc membranes prepared from the cold-blooded frog Xenopus laevis were investigated by atomic force microscopy to visualize the organization of rhodopsin in the absence of lipid phase separation effects. Atomic force microscopy revealed that rhodopsin nanodomains form similarly as that observed previously in mammalian membranes. Formation of nanodomains in ROS disc membranes is independent of lipid phase separation and conserved among vertebrates.
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83
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Jastrzebska B, Chen Y, Orban T, Jin H, Hofmann L, Palczewski K. Disruption of Rhodopsin Dimerization with Synthetic Peptides Targeting an Interaction Interface. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:25728-44. [PMID: 26330551 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.662684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Although homo- and heterodimerizations of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are well documented, GPCR monomers are able to assemble in different ways, thus causing variations in the interactive interface between receptor monomers among different GPCRs. Moreover, the functional consequences of this phenomenon, which remain to be clarified, could be specific for different GPCRs. Synthetic peptides derived from transmembrane (TM) domains can interact with a full-length GPCR, blocking dimer formation and affecting its function. Here we used peptides corresponding to TM helices of bovine rhodopsin (Rho) to investigate the Rho dimer interface and functional consequences of its disruption. Incubation of Rho with TM1, TM2, TM4, and TM5 peptides in rod outer segment (ROS) membranes shifted the resulting detergent-solubilized protein migration through a gel filtration column toward smaller molecular masses with a reduced propensity for dimer formation in a cross-linking reaction. Binding of these TM peptides to Rho was characterized by both mass spectrometry and a label-free assay from which dissociation constants were calculated. A BRET (bioluminescence resonance energy transfer) assay revealed that the physical interaction between Rho molecules expressed in membranes of living cells was blocked by the same four TM peptides identified in our in vitro experiments. Although disruption of the Rho dimer/oligomer had no effect on the rates of G protein activation, binding of Gt to the activated receptor stabilized the dimer. However, TM peptide-induced disruption of dimer/oligomer decreased receptor stability, suggesting that Rho supramolecular organization could be essential for ROS stabilization and receptor trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Jastrzebska
- From the Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4965
| | - Yuanyuan Chen
- From the Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4965
| | - Tivadar Orban
- From the Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4965
| | - Hui Jin
- From the Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4965
| | - Lukas Hofmann
- From the Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4965
| | - Krzysztof Palczewski
- From the Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4965
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84
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Lohse MJ, Hofmann KP. Spatial and Temporal Aspects of Signaling by G-Protein-Coupled Receptors. Mol Pharmacol 2015; 88:572-8. [PMID: 26184590 DOI: 10.1124/mol.115.100248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 07/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Signaling by G-protein-coupled receptors is often considered a uniform process, whereby a homogeneously activated proportion of randomly distributed receptors are activated under equilibrium conditions and produce homogeneous, steady-state intracellular signals. While this may be the case in some biologic systems, the example of rhodopsin with its strictly local single-quantum mode of function shows that homogeneity in space and time cannot be a general property of G-protein-coupled systems. Recent work has now revealed many other systems where such simplicity does not prevail. Instead, a plethora of mechanisms allows much more complex patterns of receptor activation and signaling: different mechanisms of protein-protein interaction; temporal changes under nonequilibrium conditions; localized receptor activation; and localized second messenger generation and degradation-all of which shape receptor-generated signals and permit the creation of multiple signal types. Here, we review the evidence for such pleiotropic receptor signaling in space and time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin J Lohse
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Rudolf Virchow Center, and Comprehensive Heart Failure Center, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany (M.J.L.); Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik (CC2), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany (K.P.H.); and Zentrum für Biophysik und Bioinformatik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (K.P.H.)
| | - Klaus Peter Hofmann
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Rudolf Virchow Center, and Comprehensive Heart Failure Center, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany (M.J.L.); Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik (CC2), Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany (K.P.H.); and Zentrum für Biophysik und Bioinformatik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany (K.P.H.)
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85
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Rakshit T, Park PSH. Impact of reduced rhodopsin expression on the structure of rod outer segment disc membranes. Biochemistry 2015; 54:2885-94. [PMID: 25881629 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.5b00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Rhodopsin is the light receptor embedded in rod outer segment (ROS) disc membranes of photoreceptor cells that initiates vision via phototransduction. The relationship between rhodopsin expression and the formation of membrane structures in the ROS is unclear but important to better understand both normal function and pathological conditions. To determine the impact of reduced rhodopsin expression on the structure of ROS discs and the supramolecular organization of rhodopsin, ROS disc membrane samples from heterozygous rhodopsin knockout mice were examined by atomic force microscopy. Similar to rhodopsin in wild-type mice, rhodopsin formed nanodomains in ROS disc membranes of heterozygous knockout mice. The reduced rhodopsin expression in heterozygous knockout mice resulted in ROS disc membranes that were smaller compared to those in wild-type mice at all ages tested. Changes in ROS disc membrane properties were observed between 4 and 6 weeks of age in heterozygous knockout mice that were not present in age-matched wild-type mice. In 4 week old mice, the number and density of rhodopsin in ROS disc membranes was lower than that in age-matched wild-type mice. In contrast, 6 and 8 week old mice had more rhodopsin molecules present in disc membranes compared to 4 week old mice, which resulted in rhodopsin densities similar to those found in age-matched wild-type mice. Thus, mechanisms appear to be present that maintain a constant density of rhodopsin within ROS disc membranes even when reducing the expression of the light receptor by about half. These adaptive mechanisms, however, only occur after 4 weeks of age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatini Rakshit
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Paul S-H Park
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
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86
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Strünker T, Alvarez L, Kaupp UB. At the physical limit - chemosensation in sperm. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2015; 34:110-6. [PMID: 25768273 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2015.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Revised: 02/18/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Many cells probe their environment for chemical cues. Some cells respond to picomolar concentrations of neuropeptides, hormones, pheromones, or chemoattractants. At such low concentrations, cells encounter only a few molecules. The mechanistic underpinnings of single-molecule sensitivity are not known for any eukaryotic cell. Sea urchin sperm offer a unique model to unveil in quantitative terms the principles underlying chemosensation at the physical limit. Here, we discuss the mechanisms of such exquisite sensitivity and the computational operations performed by sperm during chemotactic steering. Moreover, we highlight commonalities and differences between signalling in sperm and photoreceptors and among sperm from different species.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Strünker
- Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, Bonn 53175, Germany
| | - L Alvarez
- Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, Bonn 53175, Germany
| | - U B Kaupp
- Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (caesar), Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, Bonn 53175, Germany.
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