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Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) enables atomic resolution structures to be determined from vanishingly small crystals. Soluble proteins typically grow crystals that are tens to hundreds of microns in size for X-ray crystallography. But membrane protein crystals often grow crystals that are too small for X-ray diffraction and yet too large for MicroED. These crystals are often formed in thick, viscous media that challenge traditional cryoEM grid preparation. Here, we describe two approaches for preparing membrane protein crystals for MicroED data collection: application of a crystal slurry directly to EM grids, and focused ion beam milling in a Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM). We summarize the case of preparing an ion channel, NaK, and the workflow of focused ion-beam milling. By milling away the excess media and crystalline material, crystals of any size may be prepared for MicroED. Finally, an energy filter may be used to help minimize inelastic scattering leading to lower noise on recorded images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W. Martynowycz
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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52
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Abstract
Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (MicroED) enables structure determination of very small crystals that are much too small to be of use for other conventional diffraction techniques. MicroED has been used to determine the structures of many proteins and small organic molecules, and the technique can be performed on most standard cryo-TEM instruments equipped with high-speed detectors capable of collecting electron diffraction data. Here, we present protocols for MicroED sample preparation and data collection for protein microcrystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanhong Bu
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Brent L Nannenga
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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53
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Martynowycz MW, Khan F, Hattne J, Abramson J, Gonen T. MicroED structure of lipid-embedded mammalian mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:32380-32385. [PMID: 33293416 PMCID: PMC7768720 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020010117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A structure of the murine voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) was determined by microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). Microcrystals of an essential mutant of VDAC grew in a viscous bicelle suspension, making it unsuitable for conventional X-ray crystallography. Thin, plate-like crystals were identified using scanning-electron microscopy (SEM). Crystals were milled into thin lamellae using a focused-ion beam (FIB). MicroED data were collected from three crystal lamellae and merged for completeness. The refined structure revealed unmodeled densities between protein monomers, indicative of lipids that likely mediate contacts between the proteins in the crystal. This body of work demonstrates the effectiveness of milling membrane protein microcrystals grown in viscous media using a focused ion beam for subsequent structure determination by MicroED. This approach is well suited for samples that are intractable by X-ray crystallography. To our knowledge, the presented structure is a previously undescribed mutant of the membrane protein VDAC, crystallized in a lipid bicelle matrix and solved by MicroED.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Martynowycz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Farha Khan
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Johan Hattne
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Jeff Abramson
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095;
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
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54
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Polovinkin V, Khakurel K, Babiak M, Angelov B, Schneider B, Dohnalek J, Andreasson J, Hajdu J. Demonstration of electron diffraction from membrane protein crystals grown in a lipidic mesophase after lamella preparation by focused ion beam milling at cryogenic temperatures. J Appl Crystallogr 2020; 53:1416-1424. [PMID: 33304220 PMCID: PMC7710488 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576720013096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Electron crystallography of sub-micrometre-sized 3D protein crystals has emerged recently as a valuable field of structural biology. In meso crystallization methods, utilizing lipidic mesophases, particularly lipidic cubic phases (LCPs), can produce high-quality 3D crystals of membrane proteins (MPs). A major step towards realizing 3D electron crystallography of MP crystals, grown in meso, is to demonstrate electron diffraction from such crystals. The first task is to remove the viscous and sticky lipidic matrix that surrounds the crystals without damaging the crystals. Additionally, the crystals have to be thin enough to let electrons traverse them without significant multiple scattering. In the present work, the concept that focused ion beam milling at cryogenic temperatures (cryo-FIB milling) can be used to remove excess host lipidic mesophase matrix is experimentally verified, and then the crystals are thinned to a thickness suitable for electron diffraction. In this study, bacteriorhodopsin (BR) crystals grown in a lipidic cubic mesophase of monoolein were used as a model system. LCP from a part of a hexagon-shaped plate-like BR crystal (∼10 µm in thickness and ∼70 µm in the longest dimension), which was flash-frozen in liquid nitro-gen, was milled away with a gallium FIB under cryogenic conditions, and a part of the crystal itself was thinned into a ∼210 nm-thick lamella with the ion beam. The frozen sample was then transferred into an electron cryo-microscope, and a nanovolume of ∼1400 × 1400 × 210 nm of the BR lamella was exposed to 200 kV electrons at a fluence of ∼0.06 e Å-2. The resulting electron diffraction peaks were detected beyond 2.7 Å resolution (with an average peak height to background ratio of >2) by a CMOS-based Ceta 16M camera. The results demonstrate that cryo-FIB milling produces high-quality lamellae from crystals grown in lipidic mesophases and pave the way for 3D electron crystallography on crystals grown or embedded in highly viscous media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitaly Polovinkin
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Krishna Khakurel
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Babiak
- CEITEC – Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5/4, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Borislav Angelov
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Bohdan Schneider
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, BIOCEV, Prumyslova 595, CZ-252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Dohnalek
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, BIOCEV, Prumyslova 595, CZ-252 50 Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Jakob Andreasson
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Janos Hajdu
- ELI Beamlines, Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Science, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3 (Box 596), SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
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55
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Lermyte F. Roles, Characteristics, and Analysis of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins: A Minireview. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E320. [PMID: 33266184 PMCID: PMC7761095 DOI: 10.3390/life10120320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a growing understanding that a significant fraction of the eukaryotic proteome is intrinsically disordered, and that these conformationally dynamic proteins play a myriad of vital biological roles in both normal and pathological states. In this review, selected examples of intrinsically disordered proteins are highlighted, with particular attention for a few which are relevant in neurological disorders and in viral infection. Next, the underlying causes for the intrinsic disorder are discussed, along with computational methods used to predict whether a given amino acid sequence is likely to adopt a folded or unfolded state in the solution. Finally, biophysical methods for the analysis of intrinsically disordered proteins will be discussed, as well as the unique challenges they pose in this context due to their highly dynamic nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederik Lermyte
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Darmstadt, Alarich-Weiss-Straße 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
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56
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Zhu L, Bu G, Jing L, Shi D, Lee MY, Gonen T, Liu W, Nannenga BL. Structure Determination from Lipidic Cubic Phase Embedded Microcrystals by MicroED. Structure 2020; 28:1149-1159.e4. [PMID: 32735770 PMCID: PMC7544639 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2020.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The lipidic cubic phase (LCP) technique has proved to facilitate the growth of high-quality crystals that are otherwise difficult to grow by other methods. However, the crystal size optimization process could be time and resource consuming, if it ever happens. Therefore, improved techniques for structure determination using these small crystals is an important strategy in diffraction technology development. Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) is a technique that uses a cryo-transmission electron microscopy to collect electron diffraction data and determine high-resolution structures from very thin micro- and nanocrystals. In this work, we have used modified LCP and MicroED protocols to analyze crystals embedded in LCP converted by 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol or lipase, including Proteinase K crystals grown in solution, cholesterol crystals, and human adenosine A2A receptor crystals grown in LCP. These results set the stage for the use of MicroED to analyze microcrystalline samples grown in LCP, especially for those highly challenging membrane protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Zhu
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, 551 East University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Guanhong Bu
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Liang Jing
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, 551 East University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Dan Shi
- Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Ming-Yue Lee
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, 551 East University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, 551 East University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
| | - Brent L Nannenga
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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57
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Nguyen C, Gonen T. Beyond protein structure determination with MicroED. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2020; 64:51-58. [PMID: 32610218 PMCID: PMC7321661 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2020.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) was first coined and developed in 2013 at the Janelia Research Campus as a new modality in electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM). Since then, MicroED has not only made important contributions in pushing the resolution limits of cryoEM protein structure characterization but also of peptides, small-organic and inorganic molecules, and natural-products that have resisted structure determination by other methods. This review showcases important recent developments in MicroED, highlighting the importance of the technique in fields of studies beyond protein structure determination where MicroED is beginning to have paradigm shifting roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Nguyen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, 615 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA90095, United States
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, 615 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA90095, United States; Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, 615 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA90095, United States; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA90095, United States.
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58
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Martynowycz MW, Gonen T. Ligand Incorporation into Protein Microcrystals for MicroED by On-Grid Soaking. Structure 2020; 29:88-95.e2. [PMID: 33007196 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2020.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A high throughout method for soaking ligands into protein microcrystals on TEM grids is presented. Every crystal on the grid is soaked simultaneously using only standard cryoelectron microscopy vitrification equipment. The method is demonstrated using proteinase K microcrystals soaked with the 5-amino-2,4,6-triodoisophthalic acid (I3C) magic triangle. A soaked microcrystal is milled to a thickness of approximately 200 nm using a focused ion beam, and MicroED data are collected. A high-resolution structure of the protein with four ligands at high occupancy is determined. Both the number of ligands bound and their occupancy is higher using on-grid soaking of microcrystals compared with much larger crystals treated similarly and investigated by X-ray crystallography. These results indicate that on-grid soaking ligands into microcrystals results in efficient uptake of ligands into protein microcrystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Martynowycz
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, 615 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, 615 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA90095, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, 615 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, 615 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA90095, USA.
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59
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Roslova M, Smeets S, Wang B, Thersleff T, Xu H, Zou X. InsteaDMatic: towards cross-platform automated continuous rotation electron diffraction. J Appl Crystallogr 2020; 53:1217-1224. [PMID: 33117109 PMCID: PMC7534539 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576720009590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
A DigitalMicrograph script, InsteaDMatic, has been developed to facilitate rapid automated 3D electron diffraction/microcrystal electron diffraction data acquisition by continuous rotation of a crystal with a constant speed, denoted as continuous rotation electron diffraction. The script coordinates microscope functions, such as stage rotation, and camera functions relevant for data collection, and stores the experiment metadata. The script is compatible with any microscope that can be controlled by DigitalMicrograph and has been tested on both JEOL and Thermo Fisher Scientific microscopes. A proof of concept has been performed through employing InsteaDMatic for data collection and structure determination of a ZSM-5 zeolite. The influence of illumination settings and electron dose rate on the quality of diffraction data, unit-cell determination and structure solution has been investigated in order to optimize the data acquisition procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Roslova
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (MMK), Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden
| | - Stef Smeets
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (MMK), Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden
| | - Bin Wang
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (MMK), Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden
| | - Thomas Thersleff
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (MMK), Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden
| | - Hongyi Xu
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (MMK), Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden
| | - Xiaodong Zou
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (MMK), Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, Stockholm SE-10691, Sweden
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60
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Beale EV, Waterman DG, Hecksel C, van Rooyen J, Gilchrist JB, Parkhurst JM, de Haas F, Buijsse B, Evans G, Zhang P. A Workflow for Protein Structure Determination From Thin Crystal Lamella by Micro-Electron Diffraction. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:179. [PMID: 32850967 PMCID: PMC7417479 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroED has recently emerged as a powerful method for the analysis of biological structures at atomic resolution. This technique has been largely limited to protein nanocrystals which grow either as needles or plates measuring only a few hundred nanometers in thickness. Furthermore, traditional microED data processing uses established X-ray crystallography software that is not optimized for handling compound effects that are unique to electron diffraction data. Here, we present an integrated workflow for microED, from sample preparation by cryo-focused ion beam milling, through data collection with a standard Ceta-D detector, to data processing using the DIALS software suite, thus enabling routine atomic structure determination of protein crystals of any size and shape using microED. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the workflow by determining the structure of proteinase K to 2.0 Å resolution and show the advantage of using protein crystal lamellae over nanocrystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma V Beale
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - David G Waterman
- STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, United Kingdom.,CCP4, Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Corey Hecksel
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Jason van Rooyen
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - James B Gilchrist
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - James M Parkhurst
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Felix de Haas
- Materials and Structural Analysis, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Bart Buijsse
- Materials and Structural Analysis, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Gwyndaf Evans
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Peijun Zhang
- Electron Bio-Imaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom.,Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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61
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Richards LS, Millán C, Miao J, Martynowycz MW, Sawaya MR, Gonen T, Borges RJ, Usón I, Rodriguez JA. Fragment-based determination of a proteinase K structure from MicroED data using ARCIMBOLDO_SHREDDER. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2020; 76:703-712. [PMID: 32744252 PMCID: PMC7397493 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798320008049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Structure determination of novel biological macromolecules by X-ray crystallography can be facilitated by the use of small structural fragments, some of only a few residues in length, as effective search models for molecular replacement to overcome the phase problem. Independence from the need for a complete pre-existing model with sequence similarity to the crystallized molecule is the primary appeal of ARCIMBOLDO, a suite of programs which employs this ab initio algorithm for phase determination. Here, the use of ARCIMBOLDO is investigated to overcome the phase problem with the electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM) method known as microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). The results support the use of the ARCIMBOLDO_SHREDDER pipeline to provide phasing solutions for a structure of proteinase K from 1.6 Å resolution data using model fragments derived from the structures of proteins sharing a sequence identity of as low as 20%. ARCIMBOLDO_SHREDDER identified the most accurate polyalanine fragments from a set of distantly related sequence homologues. Alternatively, such templates were extracted in spherical volumes and given internal degrees of freedom to refine towards the target structure. Both modes relied on the rotation function in Phaser to identify or refine fragment models and its translation function to place them. Model completion from the placed fragments proceeded through phase combination of partial solutions and/or density modification and main-chain autotracing using SHELXE. The combined set of fragments was sufficient to arrive at a solution that resembled that determined by conventional molecular replacement using the known target structure as a search model. This approach obviates the need for a single, complete and highly accurate search model when phasing MicroED data, and permits the evaluation of large fragment libraries for this purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan S. Richards
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA–DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Claudia Millán
- Crystallographic Methods, Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona (IBMB–CSIC), Barcelona Science Park, Helix Building, Baldiri Reixac 15, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jennifer Miao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA–DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Michael W. Martynowycz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Michael R. Sawaya
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Rafael J. Borges
- Crystallographic Methods, Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona (IBMB–CSIC), Barcelona Science Park, Helix Building, Baldiri Reixac 15, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isabel Usón
- Crystallographic Methods, Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona (IBMB–CSIC), Barcelona Science Park, Helix Building, Baldiri Reixac 15, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose A. Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA–DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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62
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Clabbers MTB, Fisher SZ, Coinçon M, Zou X, Xu H. Visualizing drug binding interactions using microcrystal electron diffraction. Commun Biol 2020; 3:417. [PMID: 32737395 PMCID: PMC7395157 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01155-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Visualizing ligand binding interactions is important for structure-based drug design and fragment-based screening methods. Rapid and uniform soaking with potentially reduced lattice defects make small macromolecular crystals attractive targets for studying drug binding using microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). However, so far no drug binding interactions could unambiguously be resolved by electron diffraction alone. Here, we use MicroED to study the binding of a sulfonamide inhibitor to human carbonic anhydrase isoform II (HCA II). We show that MicroED data can efficiently be collected on a conventional transmission electron microscope from thin hydrated microcrystals soaked with the clinical drug acetazolamide (AZM). The data are of high enough quality to unequivocally fit and resolve the bound inhibitor. We anticipate MicroED can play an important role in facilitating in-house fragment screening for drug discovery, complementing existing methods in structural biology such as X-ray and neutron diffraction. Clabbers et al. utilize MicroED to present the structure of both apo and inhibitor-bound human carbonic anhydrase II at a high resolution to clearly identify the interaction of the inhibitor, acetazolamide. This method eases the difficulty of both crystallizing the protein and soaking the inhibitor in a smaller protein crystal.
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63
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Thompson MC, Yeates TO, Rodriguez JA. Advances in methods for atomic resolution macromolecular structure determination. F1000Res 2020; 9:F1000 Faculty Rev-667. [PMID: 32676184 PMCID: PMC7333361 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.25097.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent technical advances have dramatically increased the power and scope of structural biology. New developments in high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy, serial X-ray crystallography, and electron diffraction have been especially transformative. Here we highlight some of the latest advances and current challenges at the frontiers of atomic resolution methods for elucidating the structures and dynamical properties of macromolecules and their complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C. Thompson
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of California, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Todd O. Yeates
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jose A. Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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64
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An endoxylanase rapidly hydrolyzes xylan into major product xylobiose via transglycosylation of xylose to xylotriose or xylotetraose. Carbohydr Polym 2020; 237:116121. [PMID: 32241400 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.116121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Here, we proposed an effective strategy to enhance a novel endoxylanase (Taxy11) activity and elucidated an efficient catalysis mechanism to produce xylooligosaccharides (XOSs). Codon optimization and recruitment of natural propeptide in Pichia pastoris resulted in achievement of Taxy11 activity to 1405.65 ± 51.24 U/mL. Analysis of action mode reveals that Taxy11 requires at least three xylose (xylotriose) residues for hydrolysis to yield xylobiose. Results of site-directed mutagenesis indicate that residues Glu119, Glu210, and Asp53 of Taxy11 are key catalytic sites, while Asp203 plays an auxiliary role. The novel mechanism whereby Taxy11 catalyzes conversion of xylan or XOSs into major product xylobiose involves transglycosylation of xylose to xylotriose or xylotetraose as substrate, to form xylotetraose or xylopentaose intermediate, respectively. Taxy11 displayed highly hydrolytic activity toward corncob xylan, producing 50.44 % of xylobiose within 0.5 h. This work provides a cost-effective and sustainable way to produce value-added biomolecules XOSs (xylobiose-enriched) from agricultural waste.
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Gevorkov Y, Barty A, Brehm W, White TA, Tolstikova A, Wiedorn MO, Meents A, Grigat RR, Chapman HN, Yefanov O. pinkIndexer - a universal indexer for pink-beam X-ray and electron diffraction snapshots. Acta Crystallogr A Found Adv 2020; 76:121-131. [PMID: 32124850 PMCID: PMC7053222 DOI: 10.1107/s2053273319015559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A crystallographic indexing algorithm, pinkIndexer, is presented for the analysis of snapshot diffraction patterns. It can be used in a variety of contexts including measurements made with a monochromatic radiation source, a polychromatic source or with radiation of very short wavelength. As such, the algorithm is particularly suited to automated data processing for two emerging measurement techniques for macromolecular structure determination: serial pink-beam X-ray crystallography and serial electron crystallography, which until now lacked reliable programs for analyzing many individual diffraction patterns from crystals of uncorrelated orientation. The algorithm requires approximate knowledge of the unit-cell parameters of the crystal, but not the wavelengths associated with each Bragg spot. The use of pinkIndexer is demonstrated by obtaining 1005 lattices from a published pink-beam serial crystallography data set that had previously yielded 140 indexed lattices. Additionally, in tests on experimental serial crystallography diffraction data recorded with quasi-monochromatic X-rays and with electrons the algorithm indexed more patterns than other programs tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaroslav Gevorkov
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Vision Systems, Hamburg University of Technology, 21071 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anton Barty
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Brehm
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas A. White
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Aleksandra Tolstikova
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Max O. Wiedorn
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alke Meents
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rolf-Rainer Grigat
- Vision Systems, Hamburg University of Technology, 21071 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Henry N. Chapman
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Oleksandr Yefanov
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
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66
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Wolff AM, Young ID, Sierra RG, Brewster AS, Martynowycz MW, Nango E, Sugahara M, Nakane T, Ito K, Aquila A, Bhowmick A, Biel JT, Carbajo S, Cohen AE, Cortez S, Gonzalez A, Hino T, Im D, Koralek JD, Kubo M, Lazarou TS, Nomura T, Owada S, Samelson AJ, Tanaka T, Tanaka R, Thompson EM, van den Bedem H, Woldeyes RA, Yumoto F, Zhao W, Tono K, Boutet S, Iwata S, Gonen T, Sauter NK, Fraser JS, Thompson MC. Comparing serial X-ray crystallography and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) as methods for routine structure determination from small macromolecular crystals. IUCRJ 2020; 7:306-323. [PMID: 32148858 PMCID: PMC7055375 DOI: 10.1107/s205225252000072x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Innovative new crystallographic methods are facilitating structural studies from ever smaller crystals of biological macromolecules. In particular, serial X-ray crystallography and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) have emerged as useful methods for obtaining structural information from crystals on the nanometre to micrometre scale. Despite the utility of these methods, their implementation can often be difficult, as they present many challenges that are not encountered in traditional macromolecular crystallography experiments. Here, XFEL serial crystallography experiments and MicroED experiments using batch-grown microcrystals of the enzyme cyclophilin A are described. The results provide a roadmap for researchers hoping to design macromolecular microcrystallography experiments, and they highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the two methods. Specifically, we focus on how the different physical conditions imposed by the sample-preparation and delivery methods required for each type of experiment affect the crystal structure of the enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M. Wolff
- Graduate Program in Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Iris D. Young
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Raymond G. Sierra
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Aaron S. Brewster
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Michael W. Martynowycz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Eriko Nango
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Michihiro Sugahara
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Takanori Nakane
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Ito
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Laboratory for Drug Discovery, Pharmaceuticals Research Center, Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, 632-1 Mifuku, Izunokuni-shi, Shizuoka 410-2321, Japan
| | - Andrew Aquila
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Asmit Bhowmick
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Justin T. Biel
- Graduate Program in Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Sergio Carbajo
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Aina E. Cohen
- SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Saul Cortez
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Ana Gonzalez
- SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Tomoya Hino
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama-cho, Minami, Tottori 680-8552, Japan
- Center for Research on Green Sustainable Chemistry, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
| | - Dohyun Im
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Jake D. Koralek
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Minoru Kubo
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Graduate School of Life Science, University of Hyogo, Ako-gun, Hyogo 678-1297, Japan
| | | | - Takashi Nomura
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Shigeki Owada
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Avi J. Samelson
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Tomoyuki Tanaka
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Rie Tanaka
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Erin M. Thompson
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Graduate Program in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Henry van den Bedem
- Bioscience Department, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Rahel A. Woldeyes
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Graduate Program in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Fumiaki Yumoto
- Structural Biology Research Center, Institute of Materials Structure Science, KEK/High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0034, Japan
| | - Wei Zhao
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Kensuke Tono
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Sebastien Boutet
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - So Iwata
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Nicholas K. Sauter
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - James S. Fraser
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Michael C. Thompson
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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Martynowycz MW, Hattne J, Gonen T. Experimental Phasing of MicroED Data Using Radiation Damage. Structure 2020; 28:458-464.e2. [PMID: 32023481 PMCID: PMC7313391 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2020.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
We previously demonstrated that microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) can be used to determine atomic-resolution structures from vanishingly small three-dimensional crystals. Here, we present an example of an experimentally phased structure using only MicroED data. The structure of a seven-residue peptide is solved starting from differences to the diffraction intensities induced by structural changes due to radiation damage. The same wedge of reciprocal space was recorded twice by continuous-rotation MicroED from a set of 11 individual crystals. The data from the first pass were merged to make a "low-dose dataset." The data from the second pass were similarly merged to form a "damaged dataset." Differences between these two datasets were used to identify a single heavy-atom site from a Patterson difference map, and initial phases were generated. Finally, the structure was completed by iterative cycles of modeling and refinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Martynowycz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Johan Hattne
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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68
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Mouchlis VD, Melagraki G, Zacharia LC, Afantitis A. Computer-Aided Drug Design of β-Secretase, γ-Secretase and Anti-Tau Inhibitors for the Discovery of Novel Alzheimer's Therapeutics. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E703. [PMID: 31973122 PMCID: PMC7038192 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21030703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging-associated neurodegenerative diseases, which are characterized by progressive neuronal death and synapses loss in human brain, are rapidly growing affecting millions of people globally. Alzheimer's is the most common neurodegenerative disease and it can be caused by genetic and environmental risk factors. This review describes the amyloid-β and Tau hypotheses leading to amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, respectively which are the predominant pathways for the development of anti-Alzheimer's small molecule inhibitors. The function and structure of the druggable targets of these two pathways including β-secretase, γ-secretase, and Tau are discussed in this review article. Computer-Aided Drug Design including computational structure-based design and ligand-based design have been employed successfully to develop inhibitors for biomolecular targets involved in Alzheimer's. The application of computational molecular modeling for the discovery of small molecule inhibitors and modulators for β-secretase and γ-secretase is summarized. Examples of computational approaches employed for the development of anti-amyloid aggregation and anti-Tau phosphorylation, proteolysis and aggregation inhibitors are also reported.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Georgia Melagraki
- Division of Physical Sciences & Applications, Hellenic Military Academy, Vari 16672, Greece;
| | - Lefteris C. Zacharia
- Department of Life and Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, Nicosia 1700, Cyprus;
| | - Antreas Afantitis
- Department of ChemoInformatics, NovaMechanics Ltd., Nicosia 1046, Cyprus
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69
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Gruza B, Chodkiewicz ML, Krzeszczakowska J, Dominiak PM. Refinement of organic crystal structures with multipolar electron scattering factors. Acta Crystallogr A Found Adv 2020; 76:92-109. [PMID: 31908353 PMCID: PMC8127334 DOI: 10.1107/s2053273319015304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A revolution in resolution is occurring now in electron microscopy arising from the development of methods for imaging single particles at cryogenic temperatures and obtaining electron diffraction data from nanocrystals of small organic molecules or macromolecules. Near-atomic or even atomic resolution of molecular structures can be achieved. The basis of these methods is the scattering of an electron beam due to the electrostatic potential of the sample. To analyse these high-quality experimental data, it is necessary to use appropriate atomic scattering factors. The independent atom model (IAM) is commonly used although various more advanced models, already known from X-ray diffraction, can also be applied to enhance the analysis. In this study a comparison is presented of IAM and TAAM (transferable aspherical atom model), the latter with the parameters of the Hansen-Coppens multipole model transferred from the University at Buffalo Databank (UBDB). By this method, TAAM takes into account the fact that atoms in molecules are partially charged and are not spherical. Structure refinements were performed on a carbamazepine crystal using electron structure-factor amplitudes determined experimentally [Jones et al. (2018). ACS Cent. Sci. 4, 1587-1592] or modelled with theoretical quantum-mechanical methods. The results show the possibilities and limitations of the TAAM method when applied to electron diffraction. Among others, the method clearly improves model fitting statistics, when compared with IAM, and allows for reliable refinement of atomic thermal parameters. The improvements are more pronounced with poorer-resolution diffraction data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Gruza
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, ul. Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warsaw, 02-089, Poland
| | - Michał Leszek Chodkiewicz
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, ul. Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warsaw, 02-089, Poland
| | - Joanna Krzeszczakowska
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, ul. Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warsaw, 02-089, Poland
| | - Paulina Maria Dominiak
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, ul. Żwirki i Wigury 101, Warsaw, 02-089, Poland
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70
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Nannenga BL. MicroED methodology and development. STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS (MELVILLE, N.Y.) 2020; 7:014304. [PMID: 32071929 PMCID: PMC7018523 DOI: 10.1063/1.5128226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction, or MicroED, is a method that is capable of determining structure from very small and thin 3D crystals using a transmission electron microscope. MicroED has been successfully used on microcrystalline samples, including proteins, peptides, and small organic molecules, in many cases to very high resolutions. In this work, the MicroED workflow will be briefly described and areas of future method development will be highlighted. These areas include improvements in sample preparation, data collection, and structure determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent L Nannenga
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA and Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, USA
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71
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Ahmad MS, Akbar Z, Choudhary MI. Insight into the binding affinity of thiourea in the calcium binding pocket of proteinase K, through high resolution X-ray crystallography. Bioorg Chem 2019; 94:103443. [PMID: 31812259 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2019.103443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2019] [Revised: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Proteinase K is a stable serine protease, crystallized and extensively used in the study of molecular interactions at the atomic level. During the current study, crystal structure of proteinase K with thiourea (TU) was solved at 1.45 Å (angstrom) resolution. Proteinase K showed its binding affinity with thiourea after soaking with 200 mM (millimolar) concentration of thiourea solution for 6 h. The binding affinity of proteinase K was evaluated with three different molecules i.e., thiourea, acetamide, and thiosemicarbazide. Interestingly, only the thiourea went into the calcium-binding region, and showed interactions with those amino acids which have also displayed interactions with calcium previously. Pro175 (proline 175), Ser197 (Serine 197), Val198 (valine 198), and Asp200 (aspartic acid 200) were the key amino acids involved in the binding of thiourea with proteinase K. Thiourea showed strong hydrogen bondings with Pro175 (2.85 Å), Ser197 (2.88 Å), and Asp200 (2.90 Å, and 3.30 Å), as the key interactions involved in the binding of thiourea with proteinase K. This study provides an insight into the binding mechanism of thiourea with calcium-binding pocket of proteinase K, and thus can be extrapolated to other calcium-binding proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malik Shoaib Ahmad
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan; H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan.
| | - Zeeshan Akbar
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
| | - M Iqbal Choudhary
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan; H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21412, Saudi Arabia
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72
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Beale JH, Bolton R, Marshall SA, Beale EV, Carr SB, Ebrahim A, Moreno-Chicano T, Hough MA, Worrall JAR, Tews I, Owen RL. Successful sample preparation for serial crystallography experiments. J Appl Crystallogr 2019; 52:1385-1396. [PMID: 31798361 PMCID: PMC6878878 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576719013517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Serial crystallography, at both synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser light sources, is becoming increasingly popular. However, the tools in the majority of crystallization laboratories are focused on producing large single crystals by vapour diffusion that fit the cryo-cooled paradigm of modern synchrotron crystallography. This paper presents several case studies and some ideas and strategies on how to perform the conversion from a single crystal grown by vapour diffusion to the many thousands of micro-crystals required for modern serial crystallography grown by batch crystallization. These case studies aim to show (i) how vapour diffusion conditions can be converted into batch by optimizing the length of time crystals take to appear; (ii) how an understanding of the crystallization phase diagram can act as a guide when designing batch crystallization protocols; and (iii) an accessible methodology when attempting to scale batch conditions to larger volumes. These methods are needed to minimize the sample preparation gap between standard rotation crystallography and dedicated serial laboratories, ultimately making serial crystallography more accessible to all crystallographers.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H. Beale
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Avenue, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Rachel Bolton
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Avenue, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Stephen A. Marshall
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, UK
| | - Emma V. Beale
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Avenue, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Stephen B. Carr
- Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Oxford, Didcot OX11 0FA, UK
| | - Ali Ebrahim
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Avenue, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Tadeo Moreno-Chicano
- Institute de Biologie Structurale, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Michael A. Hough
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | | | - Ivo Tews
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Robin L. Owen
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Fermi Avenue, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
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73
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CryoEM: a crystals to single particles round-trip. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2019; 58:59-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2019.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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74
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Khakurel KP, Angelov B, Andreasson J. Macromolecular Nanocrystal Structural Analysis with Electron and X-Rays: A Comparative Review. Molecules 2019; 24:E3490. [PMID: 31561479 PMCID: PMC6804143 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24193490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Crystallography has long been the unrivaled method that can provide the atomistic structural models of macromolecules, using either X-rays or electrons as probes. The methodology has gone through several revolutionary periods, driven by the development of new sources, detectors, and other instrumentation. Novel sources of both X-ray and electrons are constantly emerging. The increase in brightness of these sources, complemented by the advanced detection techniques, has relaxed the traditionally strict need for large, high quality, crystals. Recent reports suggest high-quality diffraction datasets from crystals as small as a few hundreds of nanometers can be routinely obtained. This has resulted in the genesis of a new field of macromolecular nanocrystal crystallography. Here we will make a brief comparative review of this growing field focusing on the use of X-rays and electrons sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna P Khakurel
- Institute of Physics, ELI Beamlines, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Slovance 2, CZ-18221 Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Borislav Angelov
- Institute of Physics, ELI Beamlines, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Slovance 2, CZ-18221 Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Jakob Andreasson
- Institute of Physics, ELI Beamlines, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Slovance 2, CZ-18221 Prague, Czech Republic.
- Department of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden.
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75
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Hattne J, Martynowycz MW, Penczek PA, Gonen T. MicroED with the Falcon III direct electron detector. IUCRJ 2019; 6:921-926. [PMID: 31576224 PMCID: PMC6760445 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252519010583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) combines crystallography and electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) into a method that is applicable to high-resolution structure determination. In MicroED, nanosized crystals, which are often intractable using other techniques, are probed by high-energy electrons in a transmission electron microscope. Diffraction data are recorded by a camera in movie mode: the nanocrystal is continuously rotated in the beam, thus creating a sequence of frames that constitute a movie with respect to the rotation angle. Until now, diffraction-optimized cameras have mostly been used for MicroED. Here, the use of a direct electron detector that was designed for imaging is reported. It is demonstrated that data can be collected more rapidly using the Falcon III for MicroED and with markedly lower exposure than has previously been reported. The Falcon III was operated at 40 frames per second and complete data sets reaching atomic resolution were recorded in minutes. The resulting density maps to 2.1 Å resolution of the serine protease proteinase K showed no visible signs of radiation damage. It is thus demonstrated that dedicated diffraction-optimized detectors are not required for MicroED, as shown by the fact that the very same cameras that are used for imaging applications in electron microscopy, such as single-particle cryo-EM, can also be used effectively for diffraction measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Hattne
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Michael W. Martynowycz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Pawel A. Penczek
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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76
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Carter R, Luchini A, Liotta L, Haymond A. Next Generation Techniques for Determination of Protein-Protein Interactions: Beyond the Crystal Structure. CURRENT PATHOBIOLOGY REPORTS 2019; 7:61-71. [PMID: 33094031 PMCID: PMC7577580 DOI: 10.1007/s40139-019-00198-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We discuss recent advancements in structural biology methods for investigating sites of protein-protein interactions. We will inform readers outside the field of structural biology about techniques beyond crystallography, and how these different technologies can be utilized for drug development. RECENT FINDINGS Advancements in cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) and micro-electron diffraction (microED) may change how we view atomic resolution structural biology, such that well-ordered macrocrystals of protein complexes are not required for interface identification. However, some drug discovery applications, such as lead peptide compound generation, may not require atomic resolution; mass spectrometry techniques can provide an expedited path to generation of lead compounds. New crosslinking compounds, more user-friendly data analysis, and novel protocols such as protein painting can advance drug discovery programs, even in the absence of atomic resolution structural data. Finally, artificial intelligence and machine learning methods, while never truly replacing experimental methods, may provide rational ways to stratify potential druggable regions identified with mass spectrometry into higher and lower priority candidates. SUMMARY Electron diffraction of nanocrystals combines the benefits of both x-ray diffraction and cryoEM, and may prove to be the next generation of atomic resolution protein-protein interface identification. However, in situations such as peptide drug discovery, mass spectrometry techniques supported by advancements in computational methods will likely prove sufficient to support drug discovery efforts. In addition, these methods can be significantly faster than any crystallographic or cryoEM methods for identification of interacting regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Carter
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, Manassas, VA
| | - Alessandra Luchini
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, Manassas, VA
| | - Lance Liotta
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, Manassas, VA
| | - Amanda Haymond
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, Manassas, VA
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77
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Gemmi M, Mugnaioli E, Gorelik TE, Kolb U, Palatinus L, Boullay P, Hovmöller S, Abrahams JP. 3D Electron Diffraction: The Nanocrystallography Revolution. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2019; 5:1315-1329. [PMID: 31482114 PMCID: PMC6716134 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.9b00394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Crystallography of nanocrystalline materials has witnessed a true revolution in the past 10 years, thanks to the introduction of protocols for 3D acquisition and analysis of electron diffraction data. This method provides single-crystal data of structure solution and refinement quality, allowing the atomic structure determination of those materials that remained hitherto unknown because of their limited crystallinity. Several experimental protocols exist, which share the common idea of sampling a sequence of diffraction patterns while the crystal is tilted around a noncrystallographic axis, namely, the goniometer axis of the transmission electron microscope sample stage. This Outlook reviews most important 3D electron diffraction applications for different kinds of samples and problematics, related with both materials and life sciences. Structure refinement including dynamical scattering is also briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Gemmi
- Center
for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza S. Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Enrico Mugnaioli
- Center
for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza S. Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Tatiana E. Gorelik
- University
of Ulm, Central Facility for Electron Microscopy, Electron Microscopy
Group of Materials Science (EMMS), Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Ute Kolb
- Institut
für Anorganische Chemie und Analytische Chemie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institut
für Angewandte Geowissenschaften, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstraße 9, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Lukas Palatinus
- Department
of Structure Analysis, Institute of Physics
of the CAS, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czechia
| | - Philippe Boullay
- CRISMAT,
Normandie Université, ENSICAEN, UNICAEN, CNRS UMR 6508, 6 Bd Maréchal Juin, F-14050 Cedex Caen, France
| | - Sven Hovmöller
- Inorganic
and Structural Chemistry, Department of Materials and Environmental
Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Pieter Abrahams
- Center
for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C−CINA), Biozentrum, Basel University, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department
of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer
Institut (PSI), CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
- Leiden
Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
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78
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Rivera-Calzada A, Carroni M. Editorial: Technical Advances in Cryo-Electron Microscopy. Front Mol Biosci 2019; 6:72. [PMID: 31508425 PMCID: PMC6713907 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2019.00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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79
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Data-driven challenges and opportunities in crystallography. Emerg Top Life Sci 2019; 3:423-432. [PMID: 33523208 PMCID: PMC7289006 DOI: 10.1042/etls20180177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Structural biology is in the midst of a revolution fueled by faster and more powerful instruments capable of delivering orders of magnitude more data than their predecessors. This increased pace in data gathering introduces new experimental and computational challenges, frustrating real-time processing and interpretation of data and requiring long-term solutions for data archival and retrieval. This combination of challenges and opportunities is driving the exploration of new areas of structural biology, including studies of macromolecular dynamics and the investigation of molecular ensembles in search of a better understanding of conformational landscapes. The next generation of instruments promises to yield even greater data rates, requiring a concerted effort by institutions, centers and individuals to extract meaning from every bit and make data accessible to the community at large, facilitating data mining efforts by individuals or groups as analysis tools improve.
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80
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Martynowycz MW, Zhao W, Hattne J, Jensen GJ, Gonen T. Qualitative Analyses of Polishing and Precoating FIB Milled Crystals for MicroED. Structure 2019; 27:1594-1600.e2. [PMID: 31422911 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2019.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) leverages the strong interaction between matter and electrons to determine protein structures from vanishingly small crystals. This strong interaction limits the thickness of crystals that can be investigated by MicroED, mainly due to absorption. Recent studies have demonstrated that focused ion-beam (FIB) milling can thin crystals into ideal-sized lamellae; however, it is not clear how to best apply FIB milling for MicroED. Here, the effects of polishing the lamellae, whereby the last few nanometers are milled away using a low-current gallium beam, are explored in both the platinum-precoated and uncoated samples. Our results suggest that precoating samples with a thin layer of platinum followed by polishing the crystal surfaces prior to data collection consistently led to superior results as indicated by higher signal-to-noise ratio, higher resolution, and better refinement statistics. This study lays the foundation for routine and reproducible methodology for sample preparation in MicroED.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Martynowycz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Wei Zhao
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Johan Hattne
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Grant J Jensen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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81
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Zhou H, Luo F, Luo Z, Li D, Liu C, Li X. Programming Conventional Electron Microscopes for Solving Ultrahigh-Resolution Structures of Small and Macro-Molecules. Anal Chem 2019; 91:10996-11003. [PMID: 31334636 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b01162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) is becoming a powerful tool in determining the crystal structures of biological macromolecules and small organic compounds. However, wide applications of this technique are still limited by the special requirement for radiation-tolerated movie-mode camera and the lack of automated data collection methods. Herein, we develop a stage-camera synchronization scheme to minimize the hardware requirements and enable the use of the conventional electron cryo-microscope with a single-frame CCD camera, which ensures not only the acquisition of ultrahigh-resolution diffraction data but also low cost in practice. This method renders the structure determination of both peptide and small organic compounds at ultrahigh resolution up to ∼0.60 Å with unambiguous assignment of nearly all hydrogen atoms. The present work provides a widely applicable solution for routine structure determination of MicroED and demonstrates the capability of the low-end 120 kV microscope with a CCD camera in solving ultrahigh resolution structures of both organic compounds and biological macromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences ( Tsinghua University ), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100084 , China.,School of Life Sciences , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Feng Luo
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 201210 , China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | - Zhipu Luo
- Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences ( Tsinghua University ), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100084 , China.,School of Life Sciences , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
| | - Dan Li
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education , Shanghai Jiao Tong University , Shanghai 200030 , China
| | - Cong Liu
- Interdisciplinary Research Center on Biology and Chemistry, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Shanghai 201210 , China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | - Xueming Li
- Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences ( Tsinghua University ), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100084 , China.,School of Life Sciences , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
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82
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Xu H, Lebrette H, Clabbers MTB, Zhao J, Griese JJ, Zou X, Högbom M. Solving a new R2lox protein structure by microcrystal electron diffraction. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaax4621. [PMID: 31457106 PMCID: PMC6685719 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax4621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) has recently shown potential for structural biology. It enables the study of biomolecules from micrometer-sized 3D crystals that are too small to be studied by conventional x-ray crystallography. However, to date, MicroED has only been applied to redetermine protein structures that had already been solved previously by x-ray diffraction. Here, we present the first new protein structure-an R2lox enzyme-solved using MicroED. The structure was phased by molecular replacement using a search model of 35% sequence identity. The resulting electrostatic scattering potential map at 3.0-Å resolution was of sufficient quality to allow accurate model building and refinement. The dinuclear metal cofactor could be located in the map and was modeled as a heterodinuclear Mn/Fe center based on previous studies. Our results demonstrate that MicroED has the potential to become a widely applicable tool for revealing novel insights into protein structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyi Xu
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- Corresponding author. (H.X.); (M.H.); (X.Z.)
| | - Hugo Lebrette
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Max T. B. Clabbers
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julia J. Griese
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, 75124 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Xiaodong Zou
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- Corresponding author. (H.X.); (M.H.); (X.Z.)
| | - Martin Högbom
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- Corresponding author. (H.X.); (M.H.); (X.Z.)
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83
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Mugnaioli E, Gorelik TE. Structure analysis of materials at the order–disorder borderline using three-dimensional electron diffraction. ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION B-STRUCTURAL SCIENCE CRYSTAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS 2019; 75:550-563. [DOI: 10.1107/s2052520619007339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Diffuse scattering, observed as intensity distribution between the Bragg peaks, is associated with deviations from the average crystal structure, generally referred to as disorder. In many cases crystal defects are seen as unwanted perturbations of the periodic structure and therefore they are often ignored. Yet, when it comes to the structure analysis of nano-volumes, what electron crystallography is designed for, the significance of defects increases. Twinning and polytypic sequences are other perturbations from ideal crystal structure that are also commonly observed in nanocrystals. Here we present an overview of defect types and review some of the most prominent studies published on the analysis of defective nanocrystalline structures by means of three-dimensional electron diffraction.
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84
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3D-structured supports create complete data sets for electron crystallography. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3316. [PMID: 31346178 PMCID: PMC6658500 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11326-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
3D electron crystallography has recently attracted much attention due to its complementarity to X-ray crystallography in determining the structure of compounds from submicrometre sized crystals. A big obstacle lies in obtaining complete data, required for accurate structure determination. Many crystals have a preferred orientation on conventional, flat sample supports. This systematically shades some part of the sample and prevents the collection of complete data, even when several data sets are combined. We introduce two types of three-dimensional sample supports that enable the collection of complete data sets. In the first approach the carbon layer forms coils on the sample support. The second approach is based on chaotic nylon fibres. Both types of grids disrupt the preferred orientation as we demonstrate with a well suited crystal type of MFI-type zeolites. The easy-to-obtain three-dimensional sample supports have different features, ensuring a broad spectrum of applications for these 3D support grids. 3D electron crystallography enables structure determination of submicron-sized crystals, but obtaining complete data is difficult due to preferred orientations. Here the authors develop sample supports that allow sampling nanocrystals with full data completeness, and demonstrate this with ZSM-5 zeolites.
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85
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Zatsepin NA, Li C, Colasurd P, Nannenga BL. The complementarity of serial femtosecond crystallography and MicroED for structure determination from microcrystals. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2019; 58:286-293. [PMID: 31345629 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2019.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, nano and microcrystals have emerged as a valuable source of high-resolution structural information owing to the invention of serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) with X-ray free electron lasers and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) using electron cryomicroscopes. Once considered useless for structure determination, nano/microcrystals now confer significant advantages for static and time-resolved structure determination from a wide variety of difficult-to-study targets. MicroED has been used to obtain sub-Ångstrom resolution maps in which hydrogen atoms can be clearly resolved from only a few nano/microcrystals, while SFX has been used to probe protein dynamics following reaction initiation on time scales from femtoseconds to minutes. We review these two complementary techniques and their abilities for high-resolution structure determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia A Zatsepin
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871504, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Chufeng Li
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871504, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Paige Colasurd
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Brent L Nannenga
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
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86
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Cachau RE, Zhu J, Nicklaus MC. The upcoming subatomic resolution revolution. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2019; 58:53-58. [PMID: 31233975 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2019.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Subatomic resolution macromolecular crystallography has been revealing the most fascinating details of macromolecular structures for many years. This most extreme form of macromolecular crystallography is going through rapid changes. A new generation of superbrilliant X-ray sources and detectors is facilitating the rapid acquisition of high-quality datasets. Equally important, a new breed of methods and highly integrated advanced computational tools for structure refinement and analysis is poised to change the way we use subatomic resolution data and reposition high-resolution macromolecular crystallography in medicinal chemistry studies. Subatomic resolution macromolecular crystallography may soon be a routine source of detailed molecular information besides precise geometries, including binding energies and other chemical descriptors, opening new possibilities of application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul E Cachau
- Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
| | - Jianghai Zhu
- Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Marc C Nicklaus
- Chemical Biology Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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87
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Del Amo-Maestro L, Marino-Puertas L, Goulas T, Gomis-Rüth FX. Recombinant production, purification, crystallization, and structure analysis of human transforming growth factor β2 in a new conformation. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8660. [PMID: 31209258 PMCID: PMC6572864 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44943-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Transforming growth factor β is a disulfide-linked dimeric cytokine that occurs in three highly related isoforms (TGFβ1–TGFβ3) engaged in signaling functions through binding of cognate TGFβ receptors. To regulate this pathway, the cytokines are biosynthesized as inactive pro-TGFβs with an N-terminal latency-associated protein preceding the mature moieties. Due to their pleiotropic implications in physiology and pathology, TGFβs are privileged objects of in vitro studies. However, such studies have long been limited by the lack of efficient human recombinant expression systems of native, glycosylated, and homogenous proteins. Here, we developed pro-TGFβ2 production systems based on human Expi293F cells, which yielded >2 mg of pure histidine- or Strep-tagged protein per liter of cell culture. We assayed this material biophysically and in crystallization assays and obtained a different crystal form of mature TGFβ2, which adopted a conformation deviating from previous structures, with a distinct dimeric conformation that would require significant rearrangement for binding of TGFβ receptors. This new conformation may be reversibly adopted by a certain fraction of the mature TGβ2 population and represent a hitherto undescribed additional level of activity regulation of the mature growth factor once the latency-associated protein has been separated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Del Amo-Maestro
- Proteolysis Lab; Structural Biology Unit; "María-de-Maeztu" Unit of Excellence, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (CSIC); Barcelona Science Park, c/Baldiri Reixac, 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Laura Marino-Puertas
- Proteolysis Lab; Structural Biology Unit; "María-de-Maeztu" Unit of Excellence, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (CSIC); Barcelona Science Park, c/Baldiri Reixac, 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Theodoros Goulas
- Proteolysis Lab; Structural Biology Unit; "María-de-Maeztu" Unit of Excellence, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (CSIC); Barcelona Science Park, c/Baldiri Reixac, 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - F Xavier Gomis-Rüth
- Proteolysis Lab; Structural Biology Unit; "María-de-Maeztu" Unit of Excellence, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (CSIC); Barcelona Science Park, c/Baldiri Reixac, 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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88
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de la Cruz MJ, Martynowycz MW, Hattne J, Gonen T. MicroED data collection with SerialEM. Ultramicroscopy 2019; 201:77-80. [PMID: 30986656 PMCID: PMC6752703 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2019.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The cryoEM method Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (MicroED) involves transmission electron microscope (TEM) and electron detector working in synchrony to collect electron diffraction data by continuous rotation. We previously reported several protein, peptide, and small molecule structures by MicroED using manual control of the microscope and detector to collect data. Here we present a procedure to automate this process using a script developed for the popular open-source software package SerialEM. With this approach, SerialEM coordinates stage rotation, microscope operation, and camera functions for automated continuous-rotation MicroED data collection. Depending on crystal and substrate geometry, more than 300 datasets can be collected overnight in this way, facilitating high-throughput MicroED data collection for large-scale data analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Jason de la Cruz
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Structural Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Michael W Martynowycz
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Johan Hattne
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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89
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Basu S, Olieric V, Leonarski F, Matsugaki N, Kawano Y, Takashi T, Huang CY, Yamada Y, Vera L, Olieric N, Basquin J, Wojdyla JA, Bunk O, Diederichs K, Yamamoto M, Wang M. Long-wavelength native-SAD phasing: opportunities and challenges. IUCRJ 2019; 6:373-386. [PMID: 31098019 PMCID: PMC6503925 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252519002756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Native single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (SAD) is an attractive experimental phasing technique as it exploits weak anomalous signals from intrinsic light scatterers (Z < 20). The anomalous signal of sulfur in particular, is enhanced at long wavelengths, however the absorption of diffracted X-rays owing to the crystal, the sample support and air affects the recorded intensities. Thereby, the optimal measurable anomalous signals primarily depend on the counterplay of the absorption and the anomalous scattering factor at a given X-ray wavelength. Here, the benefit of using a wavelength of 2.7 over 1.9 Å is demonstrated for native-SAD phasing on a 266 kDa multiprotein-ligand tubulin complex (T2R-TTL) and is applied in the structure determination of an 86 kDa helicase Sen1 protein at beamline BL-1A of the KEK Photon Factory, Japan. Furthermore, X-ray absorption at long wavelengths was controlled by shaping a lysozyme crystal into spheres of defined thicknesses using a deep-UV laser, and a systematic comparison between wavelengths of 2.7 and 3.3 Å is reported for native SAD. The potential of laser-shaping technology and other challenges for an optimized native-SAD experiment at wavelengths >3 Å are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shibom Basu
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Olieric
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Filip Leonarski
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Naohiro Matsugaki
- Structural Biology Research Center, Photon Factory, Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Tsukuba, 305-0801, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Kawano
- Advanced Photon Technology Division, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Tomizaki Takashi
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Chia-Ying Huang
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Yusuke Yamada
- Structural Biology Research Center, Photon Factory, Institute of Materials Structure Science, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, Tsukuba, 305-0801, Japan
| | - Laura Vera
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Natacha Olieric
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, PSI 5232, Switzerland
| | - Jerome Basquin
- Department of Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Munich, Germany
| | - Justyna A. Wojdyla
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Bunk
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Kay Diederichs
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78457, Germany
| | - Masaki Yamamoto
- Advanced Photon Technology Division, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Meitian Wang
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, 5232, Switzerland
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90
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Nannenga BL, Gonen T. The cryo-EM method microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). Nat Methods 2019; 16:369-379. [PMID: 31040436 PMCID: PMC6568260 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-019-0395-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
In 2013 we established a cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) technique called microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). Since that time, data collection and analysis schemes have been fine-tuned, and structures for more than 40 different proteins, oligopeptides and organic molecules have been determined. Here we review the MicroED technique and place it in context with other structure-determination methods. We showcase example structures solved by MicroED and provide practical advice to prospective users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent L Nannenga
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport, and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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91
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Lin G, Weiss SC, Vergara S, Camacho C, Calero G. Transcription with a laser: Radiation-damage-free diffraction of RNA Polymerase II crystals. Methods 2019; 159-160:23-28. [PMID: 31029767 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2019.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Well-diffracting crystals are essential to obtain relevant structural data that will lead to understanding of RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) transcriptional processes at a molecular level. Here we present a strategy to study Pol II crystals using negative stain transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and a methodology to optimize radiation damage free data collection using free electron laser (FEL) at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). The use of negative stain TEM allowed visualization and optimization of crystal diffraction by monitoring the lattice quality of crystallization conditions. Nano crystals bearing perfect lattices were seeded and used to grow larger crystals for FEL data collection. Moreover, the use of in house designed crystal loops together with ultra-violet (UV) microscopy for crystal detection facilitated data collection. Such strategy permitted collection of multiple crystals of radiation-free-damage data, resulting in the highest resolution of wild type (WT) Pol II crystals ever observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guowu Lin
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States
| | - Simon C Weiss
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States
| | - Sandra Vergara
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States
| | - Carlos Camacho
- Department of Computanional and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States
| | - Guillermo Calero
- Department of Structural Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States.
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92
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Abstract
Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) enables structure determination of macromolecular objects and their assemblies. Although the techniques have been developing for nearly four decades, they have gained widespread attention in recent years due to technical advances on numerous fronts, enabling traditional microscopists to break into the world of molecular structural biology. Many samples can now be routinely analyzed at near-atomic resolution using standard imaging and image analysis techniques. However, numerous challenges to conventional workflows remain, and continued technical advances open entirely novel opportunities for discovery and exploration. Here, I will review some of the main methods surrounding cryo-EM with an emphasis specifically on single-particle analysis, and I will highlight challenges, open questions, and opportunities for methodology development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Lyumkis
- From the Laboratory of Genetics and Helmsley Center for Genomic Medicine, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037
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93
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Zhou H, Luo Z, Li X. Using focus ion beam to prepare crystal lamella for electron diffraction. J Struct Biol 2019; 205:59-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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94
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Lanza A, Margheritis E, Mugnaioli E, Cappello V, Garau G, Gemmi M. Nanobeam precession-assisted 3D electron diffraction reveals a new polymorph of hen egg-white lysozyme. IUCRJ 2019; 6:178-188. [PMID: 30867915 PMCID: PMC6400191 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252518017657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in 3D electron diffraction have allowed the structure determination of several model proteins from submicrometric crystals, the unit-cell parameters and structures of which could be immediately validated by known models previously obtained by X-ray crystallography. Here, the first new protein structure determined by 3D electron diffraction data is presented: a previously unobserved polymorph of hen egg-white lysozyme. This form, with unit-cell parameters a = 31.9, b = 54.4, c = 71.8 Å, β = 98.8°, grows as needle-shaped submicrometric crystals simply by vapor diffusion starting from previously reported crystallization conditions. Remarkably, the data were collected using a low-dose stepwise experimental setup consisting of a precession-assisted nanobeam of ∼150 nm, which has never previously been applied for solving protein structures. The crystal structure was additionally validated using X-ray synchrotron-radiation sources by both powder diffraction and single-crystal micro-diffraction. 3D electron diffraction can be used for the structural characterization of submicrometric macromolecular crystals and is able to identify novel protein polymorphs that are hardly visible in conventional X-ray diffraction experiments. Additionally, the analysis, which was performed on both nanocrystals and microcrystals from the same crystallization drop, suggests that an integrated view from 3D electron diffraction and X-ray microfocus diffraction can be applied to obtain insights into the molecular dynamics during protein crystal growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arianna Lanza
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Eleonora Margheritis
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Enrico Mugnaioli
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Valentina Cappello
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Gianpiero Garau
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Gemmi
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
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95
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Gallagher-Jones M, Ophus C, Bustillo KC, Boyer DR, Panova O, Glynn C, Zee CT, Ciston J, Mancia KC, Minor AM, Rodriguez JA. Nanoscale mosaicity revealed in peptide microcrystals by scanning electron nanodiffraction. Commun Biol 2019; 2:26. [PMID: 30675524 PMCID: PMC6338664 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0263-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in lattice structure across sub-regions of protein crystals are challenging to assess when relying on whole crystal measurements. Because of this difficulty, macromolecular structure determination from protein micro and nanocrystals requires assumptions of bulk crystallinity and domain block substructure. Here we map lattice structure across micron size areas of cryogenically preserved three-dimensional peptide crystals using a nano-focused electron beam. This approach produces diffraction from as few as 1500 molecules in a crystal, is sensitive to crystal thickness and three-dimensional lattice orientation. Real-space maps reconstructed from unsupervised classification of diffraction patterns across a crystal reveal regions of crystal order/disorder and three-dimensional lattice tilts on the sub-100nm scale. The nanoscale lattice reorientation observed in the micron-sized peptide crystal lattices studied here provides a direct view of their plasticity. Knowledge of these features facilitates an improved understanding of peptide assemblies that could aid in the determination of structures from nano- and microcrystals by single or serial crystal electron diffraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Gallagher-Jones
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Colin Ophus
- National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Karen C. Bustillo
- National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - David R. Boyer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Ouliana Panova
- National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Calina Glynn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Chih-Te Zee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Jim Ciston
- National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Kevin Canton Mancia
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
| | - Andrew M. Minor
- National Center for Electron Microscopy, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA
| | - Jose A. Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA
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96
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Collection of Continuous Rotation MicroED Data from Ion Beam-Milled Crystals of Any Size. Structure 2019; 27:545-548.e2. [PMID: 30661853 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) allows for macromolecular structure solution from nanocrystals. To create crystals of suitable size for MicroED data collection, sample preparation typically involves sonication or pipetting a slurry of crystals from a crystallization drop. The resultant crystal fragments are fragile and the quality of the data that can be obtained from them is sensitive to subsequent sample preparation for cryoelectron microscopy as interactions in the water-air interface can damage crystals during blotting. Here, we demonstrate the use of a focused ion beam to generate lamellae of macromolecular protein crystals for continuous rotation MicroED that are of ideal thickness, easy to locate, and require no blotting optimization. In this manner, crystals of nearly any size may be scooped and milled to desired dimensions prior to data collection, thus streamlining the methodology for sample preparation for MicroED.
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97
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MicroED structures of HIV-1 Gag CTD-SP1 reveal binding interactions with the maturation inhibitor bevirimat. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:13258-13263. [PMID: 30530702 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1806806115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 protease (PR) cleavage of the Gag polyprotein triggers the assembly of mature, infectious particles. Final cleavage of Gag occurs at the junction helix between the capsid protein CA and the SP1 spacer peptide. Here we used MicroED to delineate the binding interactions of the maturation inhibitor bevirimat (BVM) using very thin frozen-hydrated, 3D microcrystals of a CTD-SP1 Gag construct with and without bound BVM. The 2.9-Å MicroED structure revealed that a single BVM molecule stabilizes the six-helix bundle via both electrostatic interactions with the dimethylsuccinyl moiety and hydrophobic interactions with the pentacyclic triterpenoid ring. These results provide insight into the mechanism of action of BVM and related maturation inhibitors that will inform further drug discovery efforts. This study also demonstrates the capabilities of MicroED for structure-based drug design.
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98
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Jones C, Martynowycz MW, Hattne J, Fulton TJ, Stoltz BM, Rodriguez JA, Nelson HM, Gonen T. The CryoEM Method MicroED as a Powerful Tool for Small Molecule Structure Determination. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2018; 4:1587-1592. [PMID: 30555912 PMCID: PMC6276044 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.8b00760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
In the many scientific endeavors that are driven by organic chemistry, unambiguous identification of small molecules is of paramount importance. Over the past 50 years, NMR and other powerful spectroscopic techniques have been developed to address this challenge. While almost all of these techniques rely on inference of connectivity, the unambiguous determination of a small molecule's structure requires X-ray and/or neutron diffraction studies. In practice, however, X-ray crystallography is rarely applied in routine organic chemistry due to intrinsic limitations of both the analytes and the technique. Here we report the use of the electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM) method microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) to provide routine and unambiguous structural determination of small organic molecules. From simple powders, with minimal sample preparation, we could collect high-quality MicroED data from nanocrystals (∼100 nm, ∼10-15 g) resulting in atomic resolution (<1 Å) crystal structures in minutes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher
G. Jones
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
David Geffen School of Medicine, Departments of Biological Chemistry
and Physiology, and UCLA-DOE Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Michael W. Martynowycz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
David Geffen School of Medicine, Departments of Biological Chemistry
and Physiology, and UCLA-DOE Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Johan Hattne
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
David Geffen School of Medicine, Departments of Biological Chemistry
and Physiology, and UCLA-DOE Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Tyler J. Fulton
- The
Warren and Katharine Schlinger Laboratory of Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
| | - Brian M. Stoltz
- The
Warren and Katharine Schlinger Laboratory of Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States
- (B.M.S.) E-mail:
| | - Jose A. Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
David Geffen School of Medicine, Departments of Biological Chemistry
and Physiology, and UCLA-DOE Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- (J.A.R.) E-mail:
| | - Hosea M. Nelson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
David Geffen School of Medicine, Departments of Biological Chemistry
and Physiology, and UCLA-DOE Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- (H.M.N.) E-mail:
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
David Geffen School of Medicine, Departments of Biological Chemistry
and Physiology, and UCLA-DOE Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- (T.G.) E-mail:
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99
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Wang C, Steiner U, Sepe A. Synchrotron Big Data Science. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2018; 14:e1802291. [PMID: 30222245 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201802291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Revised: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The rapid development of synchrotrons has massively increased the speed at which experiments can be performed, while new techniques have increased the amount of raw data collected during each experiment. While this has created enormous new opportunities, it has also created tremendous challenges for national facilities and users. With the huge increase in data volume, the manual analysis of data is no longer possible. As a result, only a fraction of the data collected during the time- and money-expensive synchrotron beam-time is analyzed and used to deliver new science. Additionally, the lack of an appropriate data analysis environment limits the realization of experiments that generate a large amount of data in a very short period of time. The current lack of automated data analysis pipelines prevents the fine-tuning of beam-time experiments, further reducing their potential usage. These effects, collectively known as the "data deluge," affect synchrotrons in several different ways including fast data collection, available local storage, data management systems, and curation of the data. This review highlights the Big Data strategies adopted nowadays at synchrotrons, documenting this novel and promising hybridization between science and technology, which promise a dramatic increase in the number of scientific discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunpeng Wang
- Big Data Science Center, Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 201204, Shanghai, China
| | - Ullrich Steiner
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Alessandro Sepe
- Big Data Science Center, Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 201204, Shanghai, China
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, CH-1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
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100
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Dułak D, Gadzała M, Banach M, Ptak M, Wiśniowski Z, Konieczny L, Roterman I. Filamentous Aggregates of Tau Proteins Fulfil Standard Amyloid Criteria Provided by the Fuzzy Oil Drop (FOD) Model. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E2910. [PMID: 30257460 PMCID: PMC6213535 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19102910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Abnormal filamentous aggregates that are formed by tangled tau protein turn out to be classic amyloid fibrils, meeting all the criteria defined under the fuzzy oil drop model in the context of amyloid characterization. The model recognizes amyloids as linear structures where local hydrophobicity minima and maxima propagate in an alternating manner along the fibril's long axis. This distribution of hydrophobicity differs greatly from the classic monocentric hydrophobic core observed in globular proteins. Rather than becoming a globule, the amyloid instead forms a ribbonlike (or cylindrical) structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawid Dułak
- ABB Business Services Sp. z o.o. ul. Żegańska 1, 04-713 Warszawa, Poland.
| | | | - Mateusz Banach
- Department of Bioinformatics and Telemedicine, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Łazarza 16, 31-530 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Magdalena Ptak
- Department of Bioinformatics and Telemedicine, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Łazarza 16, 31-530 Kraków, Poland.
- Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Zdzisław Wiśniowski
- Department of Bioinformatics and Telemedicine, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Łazarza 16, 31-530 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Leszek Konieczny
- Chair of Medical Biochemistry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Kopernika 7, 31-034 Kraków, Poland.
| | - Irena Roterman
- Department of Bioinformatics and Telemedicine, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Łazarza 16, 31-530 Kraków, Poland.
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