Fluorescence Lifetime Distribution Brings Out Mechanisms Involving Biomolecules While Quantifying Population Heterogeneity

Characterization of a novel MgtE homolog and its structural dynamics in membrane mimetics

Magnesium (Mg2+) is the most abundant divalent cation in the cell and is critical for numerous cellular processes. Despite its importance, the mechanisms of intracellular Mg2+ transport and its regulation are poorly understood. MgtE is the main Mg2+ transport system in almost half of bacterial species and is an ortholog of mammalian SLC41A1 transporters, which are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. To date, only MgtE from Thermus thermophilus (MgtETT) has been extensively characterized, mostly in detergent micelles, and gating-related structural dynamics in biologically relevant membranes are scarce. The MgtE homolog from Bacillus firmus (MgtEBF) is unique since it lacks the entire Mg2+-sensing N-domain but has conserved structural motifs in the TM-domain for Mg2+ transport. In this work, we have successfully purified this novel homolog in a stable and functional form, and ColabFold structure prediction analysis suggests a homodimer. Further, microscale thermophoresis experiments show that MgtEBF binds Mg2+ and ATP, similar to MgtETT. Importantly, we show that, despite lacking the N-domain, MgtEBF mediates Mg2+ transport function in the presence of an inwardly directed Mg2+ gradient in reconstituted proteoliposomes. Furthermore, comparison of the organization and dynamics of Trp residues in the TM-domain of MgtEBF in membrane mimetics, in apo- and Mg2+-bound forms, suggests that the cytoplasmic binding of Mg2+ might involve modest gating-related conformational changes at the TM-domain. Overall, our results show that the gating-related structural dynamics (hydration dynamics, conformational heterogeneity) of the full-length MgtEBF is significantly changed in functionally pertinent membrane environment, emphasizing the importance of lipid-protein interactions in MgtE gating mechanisms.

Cholesterol modulates the structural dynamics of the paddle motif loop of KvAP voltage sensor

KvAP is a prokaryotic Kv channel, which has been widely used as a model system to understand voltage- and lipid-dependent gating mechanisms. In phospholipid membranes, the KvAP-VSD adopts the activated/'Up' conformation, whereas the presence of non-phospholipids in membranes favours the structural transition to resting/'Down' state. The S3b-S4 paddle motif loop of KvAP-VSD is functionally important as this participates in protein-protein interactions and is the target for animal toxins. In this study, we have monitored the modulatory role of cholesterol - the physiologically-relevant non-phospholipid - on the organization and dynamics of the S3b-S4 loop of the isolated KvAP-VSD in membranes by site-directed fluorescence approaches using the environmental sensitivity of 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl-ethylenediamine (NBD) fluorescence. Our results show that cholesterol alters the dynamic nature (rotational and hydration dynamics) of S3b-S4 loop in a segmental fashion, i.e., the residues 110 to 114 and 115 to 117 behave differently in the presence of cholesterol, which is accompanied by considerable change in conformational heterogeneity. Further, quantitative depth measurements using the parallax quenching method reveal that the sensor loop is located at the shallow interfacial region of cholesterol-containing membranes, suggesting that the sensor loop organization is not directly correlated with S4 helix movement. Our results clearly show that cholesterol-induced changes in bilayer properties may not be the predominant factor for the sensor loop's altered structural dynamics, but can be attributed to the conformational change of the KvAP-VSD in cholesterol-containing membranes. Overall, these results are relevant for gating mechanisms, particularly the lipid-dependent gating, of Kv channels in membranes.

Conformational heterogeneity of the voltage sensor loop of KvAP in micelles and membranes: A fluorescence approach

KvAP is a tetrameric voltage-gated potassium channel that is composed of a pore domain and a voltage-sensing domain (VSD). The VSD is crucial for sensing transmembrane potential and gating. At 0 mV, the VSD adopts an activated conformation in both n-octylglucoside (OG) micelles and phospholipid membranes. Importantly, gating-modifier toxins that bind at S3b-S4 loop of KvAP-VSD exhibit pronounced differences in binding affinity in these membrane-mimetic systems. However, the conformational heterogeneity of this functionally-important sensor loop in membrane mimetics is poorly understood, and is the focus of this work. In this paper, we establish, using intrinsic fluorescence of the uniquely positioned W70 in KvAP-VSD and environment-sensitive NBD (7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl-ethylenediamine) fluorescence of the labelled S3b-S4 loop, that the surface charge of the membrane does not significantly affect the topology and structural dynamics of the sensor loop in membranes. Importantly, the dynamic variability of the sensor loop is preserved in both zwitterionic (POPC) and anionic (POPC/POPG) membranes. Further, the lifetime distribution analysis for the NBD-labelled residues by maximum entropy method (MEM) demonstrates that, in contrast to micelles, the membrane environment not only reduces the relative discrete population of sensor loop conformations, but also broadens the lifetime distribution peaks. Overall, our results strongly suggest that the conformational heterogeneity of the sensor loop is significantly altered in membranes and this correlates well with its environmental heterogeneity. This constitutes the first report demonstrating that MEM-lifetime distribution could be a powerful tool to distinguish changes in conformational heterogeneity in potassium channels with similar architecture and topology.

Gating-related Structural Dynamics of the MgtE Magnesium Channel in Membrane-Mimetics Utilizing Site-Directed Tryptophan Fluorescence

Magnesium is the most abundant divalent cation present in the cell, and an abnormal Mg²⁺ homeostasis is associated with several diseases in humans. However, among ion channels, the mechanisms of intracellular regulation and transport of Mg²⁺ are poorly understood. MgtE is a homodimeric Mg²⁺-selective channel and is negatively regulated by high intracellular Mg²⁺ concentration where the cytoplasmic domain of MgtE acts as a Mg²⁺ sensor. Most of the previous biophysical studies on MgtE have been carried out in detergent micelles and the information regarding gating-related structural dynamics of MgtE in physiologically-relevant membrane environment is scarce. In this work, we monitored the changes in gating-related structural dynamics, hydration dynamics and conformational heterogeneity of MgtE in micelles and membranes using the intrinsic site-directed Trp fluorescence. For this purpose, we have engineered six single-Trp mutants in the functional Trp-less background of MgtE to obtain site-specific information on the gating-related structural dynamics of MgtE in membrane-mimetic systems. Our results indicate that Mg²⁺-induced gating might involve the possibility of a 'conformational wave' from the cytosolic N-domain to transmembrane domain of MgtE. Although MgtE is responsive to Mg²⁺-induced gating in both micelles and membranes, the organization and dynamics of MgtE is substantially altered in physiologically important phospholipid membranes compared to micelles. This is accompanied by significant changes in hydration dynamics and conformational heterogeneity. Overall, our results highlight the importance of lipid-protein interactions and are relevant for understanding gating mechanism of magnesium channels in general, and MgtE in particular.