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Ma L, Ge J, Bian X, Zhang Y. Single-Molecule Optical Tweezers Study of Protein-Membrane Interactions. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2473:367-383. [PMID: 35819776 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2209-4_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Numerous proteins directly or indirectly bind membranes to exert their roles in a wide variety of biological processes. Such membrane binding often occurs in the presence of an external mechanical force. It remains challenging to quantify these interactions using traditional experimental approaches based on a large number of molecules, due to ensemble averaging or the lack of mechanical force. Here we described a new single-molecule approach based on high-resolution optical tweezers to characterize protein-membrane interactions. A single membrane binding protein is attached to the lipid bilayer coated on a silica bead via a flexible polypeptide linker, tethered to another bead via a long DNA handle, and pulled away from the bilayer using optical tweezers. Dynamic protein binding and unbinding is detected by the corresponding changes in the extension of the protein-DNA tether with high spatiotemporal resolution, which reveals the membrane binding affinity, kinetics, and intermediates. We demonstrated the method using C2 domains of extended synaptotagmin 2 (E-Syt2) with a detailed protocol. The method can be widely applied to investigate complex protein-membrane interactions under well-controlled experimental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Ma
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinghua Ge
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Xin Bian
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yongli Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Jin H, Ge J, Yang J, Zhang Y. Single-Molecule Manipulation Study of Chaperoned SNARE Folding and Assembly with Optical Tweezers. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2478:461-481. [PMID: 36063331 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2229-2_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Intracellular membrane fusion is primarily driven by coupled folding and assembly of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs). SNARE assembly is intrinsically inefficient and must be chaperoned by a family of evolutionarily and structurally conserved Sec1/Munc-18 (SM) proteins. The physiological pathway of the chaperoned SNARE assembly has not been well understood, partly due to the difficulty in dissecting the many intermediates and pathways of SNARE assembly and measure their associated energetics and kinetics. Optical tweezers have proven to be a powerful tool to characterize the intermediates involved in the chaperoned SNARE assembly. Here, we demonstrate the application of optical tweezers combined with a homemade microfluidic system into studies of synaptic SNARE assembly chaperoned by their cognate SM protein Munc18-1. Three synaptic SNAREs and Munc18-1 constitute the core machinery for synaptic vesicle fusion involved in neurotransmitter release. Many other proteins further regulate the core machinery to enable fusion at the right time and location. The methods described here can be applied to other proteins that regulate SNARE assembly to control membrane fusion involved in numerous biological and physiological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaizhou Jin
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Jinghua Ge
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jie Yang
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Yongli Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Jiao J, He M, Port SA, Baker RW, Xu Y, Qu H, Xiong Y, Wang Y, Jin H, Eisemann TJ, Hughson FM, Zhang Y. Munc18-1 catalyzes neuronal SNARE assembly by templating SNARE association. eLife 2018; 7:41771. [PMID: 30540253 PMCID: PMC6320071 DOI: 10.7554/elife.41771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Sec1/Munc18-family (SM) proteins are required for SNARE-mediated membrane fusion, but their mechanism(s) of action remain controversial. Using single-molecule force spectroscopy, we found that the SM protein Munc18-1 catalyzes step-wise zippering of three synaptic SNAREs (syntaxin, VAMP2, and SNAP-25) into a four-helix bundle. Catalysis requires formation of an intermediate template complex in which Munc18-1 juxtaposes the N-terminal regions of the SNARE motifs of syntaxin and VAMP2, while keeping their C-terminal regions separated. SNAP-25 binds the templated SNAREs to induce full SNARE zippering. Munc18-1 mutations modulate the stability of the template complex in a manner consistent with their effects on membrane fusion, indicating that chaperoned SNARE assembly is essential for exocytosis. Two other SM proteins, Munc18-3 and Vps33, similarly chaperone SNARE assembly via a template complex, suggesting that SM protein mechanism is conserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyi Jiao
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Mengze He
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Sarah A Port
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Richard W Baker
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Yonggang Xu
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Hong Qu
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Yujian Xiong
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Yukun Wang
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Huaizhou Jin
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Travis J Eisemann
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Frederick M Hughson
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Yongli Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
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