The role of the Val57 amino-acid residue in the hinge loop of the human cystatin C. Conformational studies of the beta2-L1-beta3 segments of wild-type human cystatin C and its mutants

Arabidopsis thaliana Phytocystatin 6 Forms Functional Oligomer and Amyloid Fibril States

Cystatins encode a high functional variability not only because of their ability to inhibit different classes of proteases but also because of their propensity to form oligomers and amyloid fibrils. Phytocystatins, essential regulators of protease activity in plants, specifically inhibit papain-like cysteine proteases (PLCPs) and legumains through two distinct cystatin domains. Mammalian cystatins can form amyloid fibrils; however, the potential for amyloid fibril formation of phytocystatins remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis thaliana phytocystatin 6 (AtCYT6) exists as a mixture of monomeric, dimeric, and oligomeric forms in solution. Noncovalent oligomerization was facilitated by the N-terminal cystatin domain, while covalent dimerization occurred through disulfide bond formation in the interdomain linker. The noncovalent dimeric form of AtCYT6 retained activity against its target proteases, papain and legumain, albeit with reduced inhibitory potency. Additionally, we observed the formation of amyloid fibrils by AtCYT6 under acidic pH conditions and upon heating. The amyloidogenic potential could be attributed to the AtCYT6's N-terminal domain (AtCYT6-NTD). Importantly, AtCYT6 amyloid fibrils harbored inhibitory activities against both papain and legumain. These findings shed light on the oligomerization and amyloidogenic behavior of AtCYT6, expanding our understanding of phytocystatin biology and its potential functional implications for plant protease regulation.

Identification of a Steric Zipper Motif in the Amyloidogenic Core of Human Cystatin C and Its Use for the Design of Self-Assembling Peptides

Amyloid fibrils have been known for many years. Unfortunately, their fame stems from negative aspects related to amyloid diseases. Nevertheless, due to their properties, they can be used as interesting nanomaterials. Apart from their remarkable stability, amyloid fibrils may be regarded as a kind of a storage medium and as a source of active peptides. In many cases, their structure may guarantee a controlled and slow release of peptides in their active form; therefore, they can be used as a potential nanomaterial in drug delivery systems. In addition, amyloid fibrils display controllable stiffness, flexibility, and satisfactory mechanical strength. In addition, they can be modified and functionalized very easily. Understanding the structure and genesis of amyloid assemblies derived from a broad range of amyloidogenic proteins could help to better understand and use this unique material. One of the factors responsible for amyloid aggregation is the steric zipper. Here, we report the discovery of steric zipper-forming peptides in the sequence of the amyloidogenic protein, human cystatin C (HCC). The ability of short peptides derived from this fragment of HCC to form fibrillar structures with defined self-association characteristics and the factors influencing this aggregation are also presented in this paper.

The Influence of the Mixed DPC:SDS Micelle on the Structure and Oligomerization Process of the Human Cystatin C

Human cystatin C (hCC), a member of the superfamily of papain-like cysteine protease inhibitors, is the most widespread cystatin in human body fluids. Physiologically active hCC is a monomer, which dimerization and oligomerization lead to the formation of the inactive, insoluble amyloid form of the protein, strictly associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy, a severe state causing death among young patients. It is known, that biological membranes may accelerate the oligomerization processes of amyloidogenic proteins. Therefore, in this study, we describe an influence of membrane mimetic environment-mixed dodecylphosphocholine:sodium dodecyl sulfate (DPC:SDS) micelle (molar ratio 5:1)-on the effect of the hCC oligomerization. The hCC-micelle interactions were analyzed with size exclusion chromatography, circular dichroism, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The experiments were performed on the wild-type (WT) cystatin C, and two hCC variants-V57P and V57G. Collected experimental data were supplemented with molecular dynamic simulations, making it possible to highlight the binding interface and select the residues involved in interactions with the micelle. Obtained data shows that the mixed DPC:SDS micelle does not accelerate the oligomerization of protein and even reverses the hCC dimerization process.

New Disulphide Bond in Cystatin-Based Protein Scaffold Prevents Domain-Swap-Mediated Oligomerization and Stabilizes the Functionally Active Form

Peptide aptamers built using engineered scaffolds are a valuable alternative to monoclonal antibodies in many research applications because of their smaller size, versatility, specificity for chosen targets, and ease of production. However, inserting peptides needed for target binding may affect the aptamer structure, in turn compromising its activity. We have shown previously that a stefin A-based protein scaffold with AU1 and Myc peptide insertions (SQT-1C) spontaneously forms dimers and tetramers and that inserted loops mediate this process. In the present study, we show that SQT-1C forms tetramers by self-association of dimers and determine the kinetics of monomer-dimer and dimer-tetramer transitions. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we show that while slow domain swapping defines the rate of dimerization, conserved proline P80 is involved in the tetramerization process. We also demonstrate that the addition of a disulphide bond at the base of the engineered loop prevents domain swapping and dimer formation, also preventing subsequent tetramerization. Formation of SQT-1C oligomers compromises the presentation of inserted peptides for target molecule binding, diminishing aptamer activity; however, the introduction of the disulphide bond locking the monomeric state enables maximum specific aptamer activity, while also increasing its thermal and colloidal stability. We conclude that stabilizing scaffold proteins by adding disulphide bonds at peptide insertion sites might be a useful approach in preventing binding-epitope-driven oligomerization, enabling creation of very stable aptamers with maximum binding activity.

NMR and crystallographic structural studies of the extremely stable monomeric variant of human cystatin C with single amino acid substitution

Human cystatin C (hCC), a member of the superfamily of papain-like cysteine protease inhibitors, is the most widespread cystatin in human body fluids. This small protein, in addition to its physiological function, is involved in various diseases, including cerebral amyloid angiopathy, cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, and dementia. Physiologically active hCC is a monomer. However, all structural studies based on crystallization led to the dimeric structure formed as a result of a three-dimensional exchange of the protein domains (3D domain swapping). The monomeric structure was obtained only for hCC variant V57N and for the protein stabilized by an additional disulfide bridge. With this study, we extend the number of models of monomeric hCC by an additional hCC variant with a single amino acid substitution in the flexible loop L1. The V57G variant was chosen for the X-ray and NMR structural analysis due to its exceptional conformational stability in solution. In this work, we show for the first time the structural and dynamics studies of human cystatin C variant in solution. We were also able to compare these data with the crystal structure of the hCC V57G and with other cystatins. The overall cystatin fold is retained in the solute form. Additionally, structural information concerning the N terminus was obtained during our studies and presented for the first time. DATABASE: Crystallographic structure: structural data are available in PDB databases under the accession number 6ROA. NMR structure: structural data are available in PDB and BMRB databases under the accession numbers 6RPV and 34399, respectively.

Exploring the Roles of Proline in Three-Dimensional Domain Swapping from Structure Analysis and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Three-dimensional (3D) domain swapping is a mechanism to form protein oligomers. It has been proposed that several factors, including proline residues in the hinge region, may affect the occurrence of 3D domain swapping. Although introducing prolines into the hinge region has been found to promote domain swapping for some proteins, the opposite effect has also been observed in several studies. So far, how proline affects 3D domain swapping remains elusive. In this work, based on a large set of 3D domain-swapped structures, we performed a systematic analysis to explore the correlation between the presence of proline in the hinge region and the occurrence of 3D domain swapping. We further analyzed the conformations of proline and pre-proline residues to investigate the roles of proline in 3D domain swapping. We found that more than 40% of the domain-swapped structures contained proline residues in the hinge region. Unexpectedly, conformational transitions of proline residues were rarely observed upon domain swapping. Our analyses showed that hinge regions containing proline residues preferred more extended conformations, which may be beneficial for the occurrence of domain swapping by facilitating opening of the exchanged segments.

Structural and functional analysis of cystatin E reveals enzymologically relevant dimer and amyloid fibril states

Protein activity is often regulated by altering the oligomerization state. One mechanism of multimerization involves domain swapping, wherein proteins exchange parts of their structures and thereby form long-lived dimers or multimers. Domain swapping has been specifically observed in amyloidogenic proteins, for example the cystatin superfamily of cysteine protease inhibitors. Cystatins are twin-headed inhibitors, simultaneously targeting the lysosomal cathepsins and legumain, with important roles in cancer progression and Alzheimer's disease. Although cystatin E is the most potent legumain inhibitor identified so far, nothing is known about its propensity to oligomerize. In this study, we show that conformational destabilization of cystatin E leads to the formation of a domain-swapped dimer with increased conformational stability. This dimer was active as a legumain inhibitor by forming a trimeric complex. By contrast, the binding sites toward papain-like proteases were buried within the cystatin E dimer. We also showed that the dimers could further convert to amyloid fibrils. Unexpectedly, cystatin E amyloid fibrils contained functional protein, which inhibited both legumain and papain-like enzymes. Fibril formation was further regulated by glycosylation. We speculate that cystatin amyloid fibrils might serve as a binding platform to stabilize the pH-sensitive legumain and cathepsins in the extracellular environment, contributing to their physiological and pathological functions.

Application of amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry for epitope mapping in human cystatin C

Human cystatin C (hCC) is a small cysteine protease inhibitor whose oligomerization by propagated domain swapping is linked to certain neurological disorders. One of the ways to prevent hCC dimerization and fibrillogenesis is to enable its interaction with a proper antibody. Herein, the sites of interaction of hCC with dimer-preventing mouse monoclonal anti-hCC antibodies Cyst28 are studied and compared with the binding sites found for mAb Cyst10 that has almost no effect on hCC dimerization. In addition, hCC epitopes in complexes with native polyclonal antibodies extracted from human serum were studied. The results obtained with hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX MS) were compared with the previous findings made using the excision/extraction MS approach. The main results from the two complementary MS-based approaches are found to be in agreement with each other, with some differences being attributed to the specificity of each method. The findings of the current studies may be important for future design of hCC dimerization inhibitors.

Structural studies of the C-terminal 19-peptide of serum amyloid A and its Pro → Ala variants interacting with human cystatin C

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a multifunctional acute-phase protein whose concentration in serum increases markedly following a number of chronic inflammatory and neoplastic diseases. Prolonged high SAA level may give rise to reactive systemic amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis, where the N-terminal segment of SAA is deposited as amyloid fibrils. Besides, recently, well-documented association of SAA with high-density lipoprotein or glycosaminoglycans, in particular heparin/heparin sulfate (HS), and specific interaction between SAA and human cystatin C (hCC), the ubiquitous inhibitor of cysteine proteases, was proved. Using a combination of selective proteolytic excision and high-resolution mass spectrometry, a hCC binding site in the SAA sequence was determined as SAA(86-104). The role of this SAA C-terminal fragment as a ligand-binding locus is still not clear. It was postulated important in native SAA folding and in pathogenesis of AA amyloidosis. In the search of conformational details of this SAA fragment, we did its structure and affinity studies, including its selected double/triple Pro → Ala variants. Our results clearly show that the SAA(86-104) 19-peptide has rather unordered structure with bends in its C-terminal part, which is consistent with the previous results relating to the whole protein. The results of affinity chromatography, fluorescent ELISA-like test, CD and NMR studies point to an importance of proline residues on structure of SAA(86-104). Conformational details of SAA fragment, responsible for hCC binding, may help to understand the objective of hCC-SAA complex formation and its importance for pathogenesis of reactive amyloid A amyloidosis.

Interaction of serum amyloid A with human cystatin C--assessment of amino acid residues crucial for hCC-SAA formation (part II)

Secondary amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis is an important complication of some chronic inflammatory diseases, primarily rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is a serious, potentially life-threatening disorder caused by the deposition of AA fibrils, which are derived from the circulatory, acute-phase-reactant, serum amyloid A protein (SAA). Recently, a specific interaction between SAA and the ubiquitous inhibitor of cysteine proteases--human cystatin C (hCC)--has been proved. Using a combination of selective proteolytic excision and high-resolution mass spectrometry, the binding sites in the SAA and hCC sequences were assessed as SAA(86-104) and hCC(96-102), respectively. Here, we report further details concerning the hCC-SAA interaction. With the use of affinity tests and florescent ELISA-like assays, the amino acid residues crucial for the protein interaction were determined. It was shown that all amino acid residues in the SAA sequence, essential for the formation of the protein complex, are basic ones, which suggests an electrostatic interaction character. The idea is corroborated by the fact that the most important residues in the hCC sequence are Ser-98 and Tyr-102; these residues are able to form hydrogen bonds via their hydroxyl groups. The molecular details of hCC-SAA complex formation might be helpful for the design of new compounds modulating the biological role of both proteins.

Structural characterization of V57D and V57P mutants of human cystatin C, an amyloidogenic protein

Wild-type human cystatin C (hCC wt) is a low-molecular-mass protein (120 amino-acid residues, 13,343 Da) that is found in all nucleated cells. Physiologically, it functions as a potent regulator of cysteine protease activity. While the biologically active hCC wt is a monomeric protein, all crystallization efforts to date have resulted in a three-dimensional domain-swapped dimeric structure. In the recently published structure of a mutated hCC, the monomeric fold was preserved by a stabilization of the conformationally constrained loop L1 caused by a single amino-acid substitution: Val57Asn. Additional hCC mutants were obtained in order to elucidate the relationship between the stability of the L1 loop and the propensity of human cystatin C to dimerize. In one mutant Val57 was substituted by an aspartic acid residue, which is favoured in β-turns, and in the second mutant proline, a residue known for broadening turns, was substituted for the same Val57. Here, 2.26 and 3.0 Å resolution crystal structures of the V57D andV57P mutants of hCC are reported and their dimeric architecture is discussed in terms of the stabilization and destabilization effects of the introduced mutations.

Steered molecular dynamics simulation of the binding of the β2 and β3 regions in domain-swapped human cystatin C dimer

The crystal structure of the human cystatin C (hCC) dimer revealed that a stable twofold-symmetric dimer was formed via 3D domain swapping. Domain swapping with the need for near-complete unfolding has been proposed as a possible route for amyloid fibril initiation. Thus, the interesting interactions that occur between the two molecules may be important for the further aggregation of the protein. In this work, we performed steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations to investigate the dissociation of the β2 and β3 strands in the hCC dimer. The energy changes observed during the SMD simulations showed that electrostatic interactions were the dominant interactions involved in stabilizing the two parts of the dimer during the early stages of SMD simulation, whereas van der Waals (VDW) interactions and electrostatic interactions were equally matched during the latter stages. Furthermore, our data indicated that the two parts of the dimer are stabilized by intermolecular hydrogen bonds among the residues Arg51 (β2), Gln48 (β2), Asp65 (β3), and Glu67 (β3), salt bridges among the residues Arg53 (β2), Arg51 (β2), and Asp65 (β3), and VDW interactions among the residues Gln48 (β2), Arg51 (β2), Glu67 (β3), Asp65 (β3), Phe63 (β3), and Asn61 (β3). The residues Gln48 (β2), Arg51 (β2), Asp65 (β3) and Glu67 (β3) appear to be crucial, as they play important roles in both electrostatic and VDW interactions. Thus, the present study determined the key residues involved in the stabilization of the domain-swapped dimer structure, and also provided molecular-level insights into the dissociation process of the hCC dimer.

Influence of point mutations on the stability, dimerization, and oligomerization of human cystatin C and its L68Q variant

Human cystatin C (hCC) is a small but very intriguing protein. Produced by all nucleated cells is found in almost all tissues and body fluids where, at physiological conditions, plays a role of a very potent inhibitor of cysteine proteases. Biologically active hCC is a monomeric protein but during cellular trafficking it forms dimers, transiently losing its inhibitory activity. In vitro, dimerization of cystatin C was observed for the mature protein during crystallization trials, revealing that the mechanism of this process is based on the three dimensional swapping of the protein domains. In our work we have focused on the impact of two proposed "hot spots" in cystatin C structure on its conformational stability. Encouraged by promising results of the theoretical calculations, we designed and produced several hCC hinge region point mutation variants that display a variety of conformational stability and propensity for dimerization and aggregation. A similar approach, i.e., rational mutagenesis, has been also applied to study the amyloidogenic L68Q variant to determine the contribution of hydrophobic interactions and steric effect on the stability of monomeric cystatin C. In this overview we would like to summarize the results of our studies. The impact of a particular mutation on the properties of the studied proteins will be presented in the context of their thermal and mechanical stability, in vitro dimerization tendency as well as the outcome of crystallization. Better understanding of the mechanism and, especially, factors affecting conformational stability of cystatin C and access to stable monomeric and dimeric versions of the protein opens new perspectives in explaining the role of dimers and the domain swapping process in hCC oligomerization, as well as designing potential inhibitors of this process.

Pressure as a denaturing agent in studies of single-point mutants of an amyloidogenic protein human cystatin c

Recently, we presented a convenient method combining a deuterium-hydrogen exchange and electrospray mass spectrometry for studying high-pressure denaturation of proteins (Stefanowicz et al., Biosci Rep 2009; 30:91-99). Here, we present results of pressure-induced denaturation studies of an amyloidogenic protein-the wild-type human cystatin C (hCC) and its single-point mutants, in which Val57 residue from the hinge region was substituted by Asn, Asp or Pro, respectively. The place of mutation and the substituting residues were chosen mainly on a basis of theoretical calculations. Observation of H/D isotopic exchange proceeding during pressure induced unfolding and subsequent refolding allowed us to detect differences in the proteins stability and folding dynamics. On the basis of the obtained results we can conclude that proline residue at the hinge region makes cystatin C structure more flexible and dynamic, what probably facilitates the dimerization process of this hCC variant. Polar asparagine does not influence stability of hCC conformation significantly, whereas charged aspartic acid in 57 position makes the protein structure slightly more prone to unfolding. Our experiments also point out pressure denaturation as a valuable supplementary method in denaturation studies of mutated proteins.

Influence of point mutations on the stability, dimerization, and oligomerization of human cystatin C and its L68Q variant

Human cystatin C (hCC) is a small but very intriguing protein. Produced by all nucleated cells is found in almost all tissues and body fluids where, at physiological conditions, plays a role of a very potent inhibitor of cysteine proteases. Biologically active hCC is a monomeric protein but during cellular trafficking it forms dimers, transiently losing its inhibitory activity. In vitro, dimerization of cystatin C was observed for the mature protein during crystallization trials, revealing that the mechanism of this process is based on the three dimensional swapping of the protein domains. In our work we have focused on the impact of two proposed "hot spots" in cystatin C structure on its conformational stability. Encouraged by promising results of the theoretical calculations, we designed and produced several hCC hinge region point mutation variants that display a variety of conformational stability and propensity for dimerization and aggregation. A similar approach, i.e., rational mutagenesis, has been also applied to study the amyloidogenic L68Q variant to determine the contribution of hydrophobic interactions and steric effect on the stability of monomeric cystatin C. In this overview we would like to summarize the results of our studies. The impact of a particular mutation on the properties of the studied proteins will be presented in the context of their thermal and mechanical stability, in vitro dimerization tendency as well as the outcome of crystallization. Better understanding of the mechanism and, especially, factors affecting conformational stability of cystatin C and access to stable monomeric and dimeric versions of the protein opens new perspectives in explaining the role of dimers and the domain swapping process in hCC oligomerization, as well as designing potential inhibitors of this process.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of Val57 mutants of the amyloidogenic protein human cystatin C

Human cystatin C (hCC) is a low-molecular-mass protein (120 amino-acid residues, 13 343 Da) found in all nucleated cells. Its main physiological role is regulation of the activity of cysteine proteases. Biologically active hCC is a monomeric protein, but all crystallization efforts have resulted in a dimeric domain-swapped structure. Recently, two monomeric structures were reported for cystatin C variants. In one of them stabilization was achieved by abolishing the possibility of domain swapping by the introduction of an additional disulfide bridge connecting the two protein domains (Cys47-Cys69). In the second structure, reported by this group, the monomeric hCC fold was preserved by stabilization of the conformationally constrained loop (L1) by a single-amino-acid substitution (V57N). To further assess the influence of changes in the sequence and properties of loop L1 on the dimerization propensity of cystatin C, two additional hCC mutants were obtained: one with a residue favoured in β-turns (V57D) and another with proline (V57P), a residue that is known to be a structural element that can rigidify but also broaden turns. Here, the expression, purification and crystallization of V57D and V57P variants of recombinant human cystatin C are described. Crystals were grown by the vapour-diffusion method. Several diffraction data sets were collected using a synchrotron source at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago, USA.

Cystatin C in macular and neuronal degenerations: implications for mechanism(s) of age-related macular degeneration

Cystatin C is a strong inhibitor of cysteine proteinases expressed by diverse cells. Variant B cystatin C, which was associated with increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, differs from the wild type protein by a single amino acid (A25T) in the signal sequence responsible for its targeting to the secretory pathway. The same variant conveys susceptibility to Alzheimer disease. Our investigations of the trafficking and processing of variant B cystatin C in living RPE cells highlight impaired secretion of extracellular modulators and inappropriate protein retention in RPE cells as potential molecular mechanisms underpinning macular, and possibly neuronal, degeneration.