Backbone dynamics of bacteriorhodopsin as studied by (13)C solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Dynamics properties of membrane proteins in native cell membranes revealed by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Cell membranes provide an environment that is essential to the functions of membrane proteins. Cell membranes are mainly composed of proteins and highly diverse phospholipids. The influence of diverse lipid compositions of native cell membranes on the dynamics of the embedded membrane proteins has not been examined. Here we employ solid-state NMR to investigate the dynamics of E. coli Aquaporin Z (AqpZ) in its native inner cell membranes, and reveal the influence of diverse lipid compositions on the dynamics of AqpZ by comparing it in native cell membranes to that in POPC/POPG bilayers. We demonstrate that the dynamic rigidity of AqpZ generally conserves in both native cell membranes and POPC/POPG bilayers, due to its tightly packed tetrameric structure. In the gel and the liquid crystal phases of lipids, our experimental results show that AqpZ is more dynamic in native cell membranes than that in POPC/POPG bilayers. In addition, we observe that phase transitions of lipids in native membranes are less sensitive to temperature variations compared with that in POPC/POPG bilayers, which results in that the dynamics of AqpZ is less affected by the phase transitions of lipids in native cell membranes than that in POPC/POPG bilayers. This study provides new insights into the dynamics of membrane proteins in native cell membranes.

The Dynamics of the Neuropeptide Y Receptor Type 1 Investigated by Solid-State NMR and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

We report data on the structural dynamics of the neuropeptide Y (NPY) G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) type 1 (Y1R), a typical representative of class A peptide ligand GPCRs, using a combination of solid-state NMR and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. First, the equilibrium dynamics of Y1R were studied using 15N-NMR and quantitative determination of 1H-13C order parameters through the measurement of dipolar couplings in separated-local-field NMR experiments. Order parameters reporting the amplitudes of the molecular motions of the C-H bond vectors of Y1R in DMPC membranes are 0.57 for the Cα sites and lower in the side chains (0.37 for the CH2 and 0.18 for the CH3 groups). Different NMR excitation schemes identify relatively rigid and also dynamic segments of the molecule. In monounsaturated membranes composed of longer lipid chains, Y1R is more rigid, attributed to a higher hydrophobic thickness of the lipid membrane. The presence of an antagonist or NPY has little influence on the amplitude of motions, whereas the addition of agonist and arrestin led to a pronounced rigidization. To investigate Y1R dynamics with site resolution, we conducted extensive all-atom MD simulations of the apo and antagonist-bound state. In each state, three replicas with a length of 20 μs (with one exception, where the trajectory length was 10 μs) were conducted. In these simulations, order parameters of each residue were determined and showed high values in the transmembrane helices, whereas the loops and termini exhibit much lower order. The extracellular helix segments undergo larger amplitude motions than their intracellular counterparts, whereas the opposite is observed for the loops, Helix 8, and termini. Only minor differences in order were observed between the apo and antagonist-bound state, whereas the time scale of the motions is shorter for the apo state. Although these relatively fast motions occurring with correlation times of ns up to a few µs have no direct relevance for receptor activation, it is believed that they represent the prerequisite for larger conformational transitions in proteins.

Integration of Cell-Free Expression and Solid-State NMR to Investigate the Dynamic Properties of Different Sites of the Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor

Cell-free expression represents an attractive method to produce large quantities of selectively labeled protein for NMR applications. Here, cell-free expression was used to label specific regions of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) with NMR-active isotopes. The GHSR is a member of the class A family of G protein-coupled receptors. A cell-free expression system was established to produce the GHSR in the precipitated form. The solubilized receptor was refolded in vitro and reconstituted into DMPC lipid membranes. Methionines, arginines, and histidines were chosen for ¹³C-labeling as they are representative for the transmembrane domains, the loops and flanking regions of the transmembrane α-helices, and the C-terminus of the receptor, respectively. The dynamics of the isotopically labeled residues was characterized by solid-state NMR measuring motionally averaged ¹H-¹³C dipolar couplings, which were converted into molecular order parameters. Separated local field DIPSHIFT experiments under magic-angle spinning conditions using either varying cross polarization contact times or direct excitation provided order parameters for these residues showing that the C-terminus was the segment with the highest motional amplitude. The loop regions and helix ends as well as the transmembrane regions of the GHSR represent relatively rigid segments in the overall very flexible receptor molecule. Although no site resolution could be achieved in the experiments, the previously reported highly dynamic character of the receptor concluded from uniformly ¹³C labeled receptor samples could be further specified by this segmental labeling approach, leading to a more diversified understanding of the receptor dynamics under equilibrium conditions.

On the direct relation between REDOR and DIPSHIFT experiments in solid-state NMR

Rotational-echo double resonance (REDOR) and Dipolar-coupling chemical-shift correlation (DIPSHIFT) are commonly used experiments to probe heteronuclear dipole-dipole couplings between isolated pairs of spin-12 nuclei in magic-angle-spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR. Their widespread use is due to their robustness to experimental imperfections and a straightforward interpretation of data. Both of these experiments use rotor-synchronised π pulses to recouple the heteronuclear dipole-dipole couplings, and the observed intensity of resonances is modulated by a recoupled phase factor depending on the position or duration of the recoupling pulses. Several modifications to both of these experiments have been proposed, for example, the development of DIPSHIFT which employs strategies that mimic the multi-rotor-period nature of REDOR. We show here that REDOR and DIPSHIFT are in fact alternate implementations of the same experiment. The overt similarity in the design of REDOR and DIPSHIFT is also reflected in their theoretical description. Dipolar dephasing curves in REDOR are obtained by increasing the recoupling duration whilst keeping the position of the pulses constant, which results in a dephasing factor that is a function of only the dephasing time. DIPSHIFT, on the other hand, is a constant-time version of REDOR; the dipolar dephasing is a function of the position of the pulses with respect to the rotor period. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each implementation and suggest domains of applicability for these sequences.

Solid-State NMR Provides Evidence for Small-Amplitude Slow Domain Motions in a Multispanning Transmembrane α-Helical Protein

Proteins are dynamic entities and populate ensembles of conformations. Transitions between states within a conformational ensemble occur over a broad spectrum of amplitude and time scales, and are often related to biological function. Whereas solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy has recently been used to characterize conformational ensembles of proteins in the microcrystalline states, its applications to membrane proteins remain limited. Here we use SSNMR to study conformational dynamics of a seven-helical transmembrane (TM) protein, Anabaena Sensory Rhodopsin (ASR) reconstituted in lipids. We report on site-specific measurements of the 15N longitudinal R1 and rotating frame R1ρ relaxation rates at two fields of 600 and 800 MHz and at two temperatures of 7 and 30 °C. Quantitative analysis of the R1 and R1ρ values and of their field and temperature dependencies provides evidence of motions on at least two time scales. We modeled these motions as fast local motions and slower collective motions of TM helices and of structured loops, and used the simple model-free and extended model-free analyses to fit the data and estimate the amplitudes, time scales and activation energies. Faster picosecond (tens to hundreds of picoseconds) local motions occur throughout the protein and are dominant in the middle portions of the TM helices. In contrast, the amplitudes of the slower collective motions occurring on the nanosecond (tens to hundreds of nanoseconds) time scales, are smaller in the central parts of helices, but increase toward their cytoplasmic sides as well as in the interhelical loops. ASR interacts with a soluble transducer protein on its cytoplasmic surface, and its binding affinity is modulated by light. The larger amplitude of motions on the cytoplasmic side of the TM helices correlates with the ability of ASR to undergo large conformational changes in the process of binding/unbinding the transducer.

Expression, Functional Characterization, and Solid-State NMR Investigation of the G Protein-Coupled GHS Receptor in Bilayer Membranes

The expression, functional reconstitution and first NMR characterization of the human growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) receptor reconstituted into either DMPC or POPC membranes is described. The receptor was expressed in E. coli. refolded, and reconstituted into bilayer membranes. The molecule was characterized by ¹⁵N and ¹³C solid-state NMR spectroscopy in the absence and in the presence of its natural agonist ghrelin or an inverse agonist. Static ¹⁵N NMR spectra of the uniformly labeled receptor are indicative of axially symmetric rotational diffusion of the G protein-coupled receptor in the membrane. In addition, about 25% of the ¹⁵N sites undergo large amplitude motions giving rise to very narrow spectral components. For an initial quantitative assessment of the receptor mobility, ¹H-¹³C dipolar coupling values, which are scaled by molecular motions, were determined quantitatively. From these values, average order parameters, reporting the motional amplitudes of the individual receptor segments can be derived. Average backbone order parameters were determined with values between 0.56 and 0.69, corresponding to average motional amplitudes of 40–50° of these segments. Differences between the receptor dynamics in DMPC or POPC membranes were within experimental error. Furthermore, agonist or inverse agonist binding only insignificantly influenced the average molecular dynamics of the receptor.

The dynamics of the G protein-coupled neuropeptide Y2 receptor in monounsaturated membranes investigated by solid-state NMR spectroscopy

In contrast to the static snapshots provided by protein crystallography, G protein-coupled receptors constitute a group of proteins with highly dynamic properties, which are required in the receptors' function as signaling molecule. Here, the human neuropeptide Y2 receptor was reconstituted into a model membrane composed of monounsaturated phospholipids and solid-state NMR was used to characterize its dynamics. Qualitative static (15)N NMR spectra and quantitative determination of (1)H-(13)C order parameters through measurement of the (1)H-(13)C dipolar couplings of the CH, CH2 and CH3 groups revealed axially symmetric motions of the whole molecule in the membrane and molecular fluctuations of varying amplitude from all molecular segments. The molecular order parameters (S(backbone) = 0.59-0.67, S(CH2) = 0.41-0.51 and S(CH3) = 0.22) obtained in directly polarized (13)C NMR experiments demonstrate that the Y2 receptor is highly mobile in the native-like membrane. Interestingly, according to these results the receptor was found to be slightly more rigid in the membranes formed by the monounsaturated phospholipids than by saturated phospholipids as investigated previously. This could be caused by an increased chain length of the monounsaturated lipids, which may result in a higher helical content of the receptor. Furthermore, the incorporation of cholesterol, phosphatidylethanolamine, or negatively charged phosphatidylserine into the membrane did not have a significant influence on the molecular mobility of the Y2 receptor.

Recent advances in magic angle spinning solid state NMR of membrane proteins

Membrane proteins mediate many critical functions in cells. Determining their three-dimensional structures in the native lipid environment has been one of the main objectives in structural biology. There are two major NMR methodologies that allow this objective to be accomplished. Oriented sample NMR, which can be applied to membrane proteins that are uniformly aligned in the magnetic field, has been successful in determining the backbone structures of a handful of membrane proteins. Owing to methodological and technological developments, Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy has emerged as another major technique for the complete characterization of the structure and dynamics of membrane proteins. First developed on peptides and small microcrystalline proteins, MAS ssNMR has recently been successfully applied to large membrane proteins. In this review we describe recent progress in MAS ssNMR methodologies, which are now available for studies of membrane protein structure determination, and outline a few examples, which highlight the broad capability of ssNMR spectroscopy.

Avoiding bias effects in NMR experiments for heteronuclear dipole-dipole coupling determinations: principles and application to organic semiconductor materials

Carbon-proton dipole-dipole couplings between bonded atoms represent a popular probe of molecular dynamics in soft materials or biomolecules. Their site-resolved determination, for example, by using the popular DIPSHIFT experiment, can be challenged by spectral overlap with nonbonded carbon atoms. The problem can be solved by using very short cross-polarization (CP) contact times, however, the measured modulation curves then deviate strongly from the theoretically predicted shape, which is caused by the dependence of the CP efficiency on the orientation of the CH vector, leading to an anisotropic magnetization distribution even for isotropic samples. Herein, we present a detailed demonstration and explanation of this problem, as well as providing a solution. We combine DIPSHIFT experiments with the rotor-directed exchange of orientations (RODEO) method, and modifications of it, to redistribute the magnetization and obtain undistorted modulation curves. Our strategy is general in that it can also be applied to other types of experiments for heteronuclear dipole-dipole coupling determinations that rely on dipolar polarization transfer. It is demonstrated with perylene-bisimide-based organic semiconductor materials, as an example, in which measurements of dynamic order parameters reveal correlations of the molecular dynamics with the phase structure and functional properties.

Recoupled separated-local-field experiments and applications to study intermediate-regime molecular motions

A specific separated-local-field NMR experiment, dubbed Dipolar-Chemical-Shift Correlation (DIPSHIFT) is frequently used to study molecular motions by probing reorientations through the changes in XH dipolar coupling and T₂. In systems where the coupling is weak or the reorientation angle is small, a recoupled variant of the DIPSHIFT experiment is applied, where the effective dipolar coupling is amplified by a REDOR-like π-pulse train. However, a previously described constant-time variant of this experiment is not sensitive to the motion-induced T₂ effect, which precludes the observation of motions over a large range of rates ranging from hundreds of Hz to around a MHz. We present a DIPSHIFT implementation which amplifies the dipolar couplings and is still sensitive to T₂ effects. Spin dynamics simulations, analytical calculations and experiments demonstrate the sensitivity of the technique to molecular motions, and suggest the best experimental conditions to avoid imperfections. Furthermore, an in-depth theoretical analysis of the interplay of REDOR-like recoupling and proton decoupling based on Average-Hamiltonian Theory was performed, which allowed explaining the origin of many artifacts found in literature data.

Dynamics of reassembled thioredoxin studied by magic angle spinning NMR: snapshots from different time scales

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy can be used to probe internal protein dynamics in the absence of the overall molecular tumbling. In this study, we report (15)N backbone dynamics in differentially enriched 1-73(U-(13)C,(15)N)/74-108(U-(15)N) reassembled thioredoxin on multiple time scales using a series of 2D and 3D MAS NMR experiments probing the backbone amide (15)N longitudinal relaxation, (1)H-(15)N dipolar order parameters, (15)N chemical shift anisotropy (CSA), and signal intensities in the temperature-dependent and (1)H T(2)'-filtered NCA experiments. The spin-lattice relaxation rates R(1) (R(1) = 1/T(1)) were observed in the range from 0.012 to 0.64 s(-1), indicating large site-to-site variations in dynamics on pico- to nanosecond time scales. The (1)H-(15)N dipolar order parameters, <S>, and (15)N CSA anisotropies, delta(sigma), reveal the backbone mobilities in reassembled thioredoxin, as reflected in the average <S> = 0.89 +/- 0.06 and delta(sigma) = 92.3 +/- 5.2 ppm, respectively. From the aggregate of experimental data from different dynamics methods, some degree of correlation between the motions on the different time scales has been suggested. Analysis of the dynamics parameters derived from these solid-state NMR experiments indicates higher mobilities for the residues constituting irregular secondary structure elements than for those located in the alpha-helices and beta-sheets, with no apparent systematic differences in dynamics between the alpha-helical and beta-sheet residues. Remarkably, the dipolar order parameters derived from the solid-state NMR measurements and the corresponding solution NMR generalized order parameters display similar qualitative trends as a function of the residue number. The comparison of the solid-state dynamics parameters to the crystallographic B-factors has identified the contribution of static disorder to the B-factors. The combination of longitudinal relaxation, dipolar order parameter, and CSA line shape analyses employed in this study provides snapshots of dynamics and a new insight on the correlation of these motions on multiple time scales.

Participation of the surface structure of Pharaonis phoborhodopsin, ppR and its A149S and A149V mutants, consisting of the C-terminal alpha-helix and E-F loop, in the complex-formation with the cognate transducer pHtrII, as revealed by site-directed 13C solid-state NMR

We have recorded 13C solid state NMR spectra of [3-13C]Ala-labeled pharaonis phoborhodopsin (ppR) and its mutants, A149S and A149V, complexed with the cognate transducer pharaonis halobacterial transducer II protein (pHtrII) (1-159), to gain insight into a possible role of their cytoplasmic surface structure including the C-terminal alpha-helix and E-F loop for stabilization of the 2:2 complex, by both cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CP-MAS) and dipolar decoupled (DD)-MAS NMR techniques. We found that 13C CP-MAS NMR spectra of [3-13C]Ala-ppR, A149S and A149V complexed with the transducer pHtrII are very similar, reflecting their conformation and dynamics changes caused by mutual interactions through the transmembrane alpha-helical surfaces. In contrast, their DD-MAS NMR spectral features are quite different between [3-13C]Ala-A149S and A149V in the complexes with pHtrII: 13C DD-MAS NMR spectrum of [3-13C]Ala-A149S complex is rather similar to that of the uncomplexed form, while the corresponding spectral feature of A149V complex is similar to that of ppR complex in the C-terminal tip region. This is because more flexible surface structure detected by the DD-MAS NMR spectra are more directly influenced by the dynamics changes than the CP-MAS NMR. It turned out, therefore, that an altered surface structure of A149S resulted in destabilized complex as viewed from the 13C NMR spectrum of the surface areas, probably because of modified conformation at the corner of the helix E in addition to the change of hydropathy. It is, therefore, concluded that the surface structure of ppR including the C-terminal alpha-helix and the E-F loops is directly involved in the stabilization of the complex through conformational stability of the helix E.

Surface and Dynamic Structures of Bacteriorhodopsin in a 2D Crystal, a Distorted or Disrupted Lattice, as Revealed by Site-directed Solid-state 13C NMR†

The 3D structure of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) obtained by X-ray diffraction or cryo-electron microscope studies is not always sufficient for a picture at ambient temperature where dynamic behavior is exhibited. For this reason, a site-directed solid-state 13C NMR study of fully hydrated bR from purple membrane (PM), or a distorted or disrupted lattice, is very valuable in order to gain insight into the dynamic picture. This includes the surface structure, at the physiologically important ambient temperature. Almost all of the 13C NMR signals are available from [3-13C]Ala or [1-13C]Val-labeled bR from PM, although the 13C NMR signals from the surface areas, including loops and transmembrane alpha-helices near the surface (8.7 angstroms depth), are suppressed for preparations labeled with [1-13C]Gly, Ala, Leu, Phe, Tyr, etc. due to a failure of the attempted peak-narrowing by making use of the interfered frequency of the frequency of fluctuation motions with the frequency of magic angle spinning. In particular, the C-terminal residues, 226-235, are present as the C-terminal alpha-helix which is held together with the nearby loops to form a surface complex, although the remaining C-terminal residues undergo isotropic motion even in a 2D crystalline lattice (PM) under physiological conditions. Surprisingly, the 13C NMR signals could be further suppressed even from [3-13C]Ala- or [1-13C]Val-bR, due to the acquired fluctuation motions with correlation times in the order of 10(-4) to 10(-5) s, when the 2D lattice structure is instantaneously distorted or completely disrupted, either in photo-intermediate, removed retinal or when embedded in the lipid bilayers.

Structural and dynamic studies of proteins by solid-state NMR spectroscopy: rapid movement forward

Starting only a few years ago, many solid-state NMR spectroscopy laboratories have become engaged in solving the complete structures of biological macromolecules using high-resolution methods based on magic angle spinning. These efforts typically involve structurally homogeneous samples, and utilize recently developed pulse sequences for the sequential correlation of resonances, the detection of tertiary contacts and the characterization of torsion angles. Thereby, systems have been studied that evaded other, more established, structure determination methods.