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Banerjee S, Smith IM, Hengen AC, Stroka KM. Methods for studying mammalian aquaporin biology. Biol Methods Protoc 2023; 8:bpad031. [PMID: 38046463 PMCID: PMC10689382 DOI: 10.1093/biomethods/bpad031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs), transmembrane water-conducting channels, have earned a great deal of scrutiny for their critical physiological roles in healthy and disease cell states, especially in the biomedical field. Numerous methods have been implemented to elucidate the involvement of AQP-mediated water transport and downstream signaling activation in eliciting whole cell, tissue, and organ functional responses. To modulate these responses, other methods have been employed to investigate AQP druggability. This review discusses standard in vitro, in vivo, and in silico methods for studying AQPs, especially for biomedical and mammalian cell biology applications. We also propose some new techniques and approaches for future AQP research to address current gaps in methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohini Banerjee
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, MD 20742, United States
| | - Ian M Smith
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, MD 20742, United States
| | - Autumn C Hengen
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, MD 20742, United States
| | - Kimberly M Stroka
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, MD 20742, United States
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore MD 21201, United States
- Biophysics Program, University of Maryland, MD 20742, United States
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore MD 21201, United States
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2
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Inada M, Kinoshita M, Matsumori N. Archaeal Glycolipid S-TGA-1 Is Crucial for Trimer Formation and Photocycle Activity of Bacteriorhodopsin. ACS Chem Biol 2020; 15:197-204. [PMID: 31647217 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Although it has been demonstrated that membrane proteins (MPs) require lipids to ensure their structural and functional integrity, details on how lipid-MP interactions regulate MPs are still unclear. Recently, we developed a concise method for quantitatively evaluating lipid-MP interactions and applied it to bacteriorhodopsin (bR), a halobacterial MP that forms trimers and acts as a light-driven proton pump. Consequently, we found that the halobacterial glycolipid, S-TGA-1, has the highest affinity for bR, among other lipids. In this study, we examined the effects of S-TGA-1 on bR via visible circular dichroism spectroscopy, flash photolysis, and proton influx measurement. The results showed that S-TGA-1 efficiently promotes trimer formation, photocycle, and proton pumping in bR. Our data also suggested that the bR photocycle is restored as a consequence of the trimerization induced by the lipid. This study demonstrates clearly that lipids specifically interacting with MPs can have significant impacts on MP structure and/or function. The methodology adopted in our studies can be applied to other MPs and will help elucidate the physiological functions of lipids in terms of lipid-MP interactions, thus accelerating "lipid chemical biology" studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masataka Inada
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Masanao Kinoshita
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Nobuaki Matsumori
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
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3
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Hall JE, Freites JA, Tobias DJ. Experimental and Simulation Studies of Aquaporin 0 Water Permeability and Regulation. Chem Rev 2019; 119:6015-6039. [PMID: 31026155 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
We begin with the history of aquaporin zero (AQP0), the most prevalent membrane protein in the eye lens, from the early days when AQP0 was a protein of unknown function known as Major Intrinsic Protein 26. We progress through its joining the aquaporin family as a water channel in its own right and discuss how regulation of its water permeability by pH and calcium came to be discovered experimentally and linked to lens homeostasis and development. We review the development of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of lipid bilayers and membrane proteins, including aquaporins, with an emphasis on simulation studies that have elucidated the mechanisms of water conduction, selectivity, and proton exclusion by aquaporins in general. We also review experimental and theoretical progress toward understanding why mammalian AQP0 has a lower water permeability than other aquaporins and the evolution of our present understanding of how its water permeability is regulated by pH and calcium. Finally, we discuss how MD simulations have elucidated the nature of lipid interactions with AQP0.
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Corradi V, Sejdiu BI, Mesa-Galloso H, Abdizadeh H, Noskov SY, Marrink SJ, Tieleman DP. Emerging Diversity in Lipid-Protein Interactions. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5775-5848. [PMID: 30758191 PMCID: PMC6509647 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 245] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
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Membrane
lipids interact with proteins in a variety of ways, ranging
from providing a stable membrane environment for proteins to being
embedded in to detailed roles in complicated and well-regulated protein
functions. Experimental and computational advances are converging
in a rapidly expanding research area of lipid–protein interactions.
Experimentally, the database of high-resolution membrane protein structures
is growing, as are capabilities to identify the complex lipid composition
of different membranes, to probe the challenging time and length scales
of lipid–protein interactions, and to link lipid–protein
interactions to protein function in a variety of proteins. Computationally,
more accurate membrane models and more powerful computers now enable
a detailed look at lipid–protein interactions and increasing
overlap with experimental observations for validation and joint interpretation
of simulation and experiment. Here we review papers that use computational
approaches to study detailed lipid–protein interactions, together
with brief experimental and physiological contexts, aiming at comprehensive
coverage of simulation papers in the last five years. Overall, a complex
picture of lipid–protein interactions emerges, through a range
of mechanisms including modulation of the physical properties of the
lipid environment, detailed chemical interactions between lipids and
proteins, and key functional roles of very specific lipids binding
to well-defined binding sites on proteins. Computationally, despite
important limitations, molecular dynamics simulations with current
computer power and theoretical models are now in an excellent position
to answer detailed questions about lipid–protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Corradi
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences , University of Calgary , 2500 University Drive NW , Calgary , Alberta T2N 1N4 , Canada
| | - Besian I Sejdiu
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences , University of Calgary , 2500 University Drive NW , Calgary , Alberta T2N 1N4 , Canada
| | - Haydee Mesa-Galloso
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences , University of Calgary , 2500 University Drive NW , Calgary , Alberta T2N 1N4 , Canada
| | - Haleh Abdizadeh
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 7 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - Sergei Yu Noskov
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences , University of Calgary , 2500 University Drive NW , Calgary , Alberta T2N 1N4 , Canada
| | - Siewert J Marrink
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute and Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials , University of Groningen , Nijenborgh 7 , 9747 AG Groningen , The Netherlands
| | - D Peter Tieleman
- Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences , University of Calgary , 2500 University Drive NW , Calgary , Alberta T2N 1N4 , Canada
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5
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Inada M, Kinoshita M, Sumino A, Oiki S, Matsumori N. A concise method for quantitative analysis of interactions between lipids and membrane proteins. Anal Chim Acta 2019; 1059:103-112. [PMID: 30876624 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2019.01.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Although interactions between lipids and membrane proteins (MPs) have been considered crucially important for understanding the functions of lipids, lack of useful and convincing experimental methods has hampered the analysis of the interactions. Here, we developed a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based concise method for quantitative analysis of lipid-MP interactions, coating the sensor chip surface with self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with C6-chain. To develop this method, we used bacteriorhodopsin (bR) as an MP, and examined its interaction with various types of lipids. The merits of using C6-SAM-modified sensor chip are as follows: (1) alkyl-chains of SAM confer a better immobilization of MPs because of the efficient preconcentration due to hydrophobic contacts; (2) SAM provides immobilized MPs with a partial membranous environment, which is important for the stabilization of MPs; and (3) a thinner C6-SAM layer (1 nm) compared with MP size forces the MP to bulge outward from the SAM surface, allowing extraneously injected lipids to be accessible to the hydrophobic transmembrane regions. Actually, the amount of bR immobilized on C6-SAM is 10 times higher than that on a hydrophilic CM5 sensor chip, and AFM observations confirmed that bR molecules are exposed on the SAM surface. Of the lipids tested, S-TGA-1, a halobacterium-derived glycolipid, had the highest specificity to bR with a nanomolar dissociation constant. This is consistent with the reported co-crystal structure that indicates the formation of several intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Therefore, we not only reproduced the specific lipid-bR recognition, but also succeeded in its quantitative evaluation, demonstrating the validity and utility of this method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masataka Inada
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Masanao Kinoshita
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Ayumi Sumino
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan; High-speed AFM for Biological Application Unit, Institute for Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan; Bio-AFM Frontier Research Center, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Shigetoshi Oiki
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan
| | - Nobuaki Matsumori
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
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Abe K, Fujiyoshi Y. Cryo-electron microscopy for structure analyses of membrane proteins in the lipid bilayer. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2016; 39:71-78. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2016.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Revised: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Lasala R, Coudray N, Abdine A, Zhang Z, Lopez-Redondo M, Kirshenbaum R, Alexopoulos J, Zolnai Z, Stokes DL, Ubarretxena-Belandia I. Sparse and incomplete factorial matrices to screen membrane protein 2D crystallization. J Struct Biol 2014; 189:123-34. [PMID: 25478971 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2014.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Revised: 11/18/2014] [Accepted: 11/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Electron crystallography is well suited for studying the structure of membrane proteins in their native lipid bilayer environment. This technique relies on electron cryomicroscopy of two-dimensional (2D) crystals, grown generally by reconstitution of purified membrane proteins into proteoliposomes under conditions favoring the formation of well-ordered lattices. Growing these crystals presents one of the major hurdles in the application of this technique. To identify conditions favoring crystallization a wide range of factors that can lead to a vast matrix of possible reagent combinations must be screened. However, in 2D crystallization these factors have traditionally been surveyed in a relatively limited fashion. To address this problem we carried out a detailed analysis of published 2D crystallization conditions for 12 β-barrel and 138 α-helical membrane proteins. From this analysis we identified the most successful conditions and applied them in the design of new sparse and incomplete factorial matrices to screen membrane protein 2D crystallization. Using these matrices we have run 19 crystallization screens for 16 different membrane proteins totaling over 1300 individual crystallization conditions. Six membrane proteins have yielded diffracting 2D crystals suitable for structure determination, indicating that these new matrices show promise to accelerate the success rate of membrane protein 2D crystallization.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Lasala
- New York Structural Biology Center, 89 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - N Coudray
- New York Structural Biology Center, 89 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - A Abdine
- Department of Structural and Chemical Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Z Zhang
- New York Structural Biology Center, 89 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - M Lopez-Redondo
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - R Kirshenbaum
- Department of Structural and Chemical Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - J Alexopoulos
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Z Zolnai
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 433 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - D L Stokes
- New York Structural Biology Center, 89 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA; Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - I Ubarretxena-Belandia
- New York Structural Biology Center, 89 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Structural and Chemical Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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8
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Pogozheva ID, Mosberg HI, Lomize AL. Life at the border: adaptation of proteins to anisotropic membrane environment. Protein Sci 2014; 23:1165-96. [PMID: 24947665 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2014] [Revised: 06/17/2014] [Accepted: 06/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
This review discusses main features of transmembrane (TM) proteins which distinguish them from water-soluble proteins and allow their adaptation to the anisotropic membrane environment. We overview the structural limitations on membrane protein architecture, spatial arrangement of proteins in membranes and their intrinsic hydrophobic thickness, co-translational and post-translational folding and insertion into lipid bilayers, topogenesis, high propensity to form oligomers, and large-scale conformational transitions during membrane insertion and transport function. Special attention is paid to the polarity of TM protein surfaces described by profiles of dipolarity/polarizability and hydrogen-bonding capacity parameters that match polarity of the lipid environment. Analysis of distributions of Trp resides on surfaces of TM proteins from different biological membranes indicates that interfacial membrane regions with preferential accumulation of Trp indole rings correspond to the outer part of the lipid acyl chain region-between double bonds and carbonyl groups of lipids. These "midpolar" regions are not always symmetric in proteins from natural membranes. We also examined the hydrophobic effect that drives insertion of proteins into lipid bilayer and different free energy contributions to TM protein stability, including attractive van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds, side-chain conformational entropy, the hydrophobic mismatch, membrane deformations, and specific protein-lipid binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina D Pogozheva
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1065
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Tong J, Briggs MM, McIntosh TJ. Water permeability of aquaporin-4 channel depends on bilayer composition, thickness, and elasticity. Biophys J 2013. [PMID: 23199918 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.09.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is the primary water channel in the mammalian brain, particularly abundant in astrocytes, whose plasma membranes normally contain high concentrations of cholesterol. Here we test the hypothesis that the water permeabilities of two naturally occurring isoforms (AQP4-M1 and AQP4-M23) depend on bilayer mechanical/structural properties modulated by cholesterol and phospholipid composition. Osmotic stress measurements were performed with proteoliposomes containing AQP4 and three different lipid mixtures: 1), phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG); 2), PC, PG, with 40 mol % cholesterol; and 3), sphingomyelin (SM), PG, with 40 mol % cholesterol. The unit permeabilities of AQP4-M1 were 3.3 ± 0.4 × 10(-13) cm(3)/s (mean ± SE), 1.2 ± 0.1 × 10(-13) cm(3)/s, and 0.4 ± 0.1 × 10(-13) cm(3)/s in PC:PG, PC:PG:cholesterol, and SM:PG:cholesterol, respectively. The unit permeabilities of AQP4-M23 were 2.1 ± 0.2 × 10(-13) cm(3)/s, 0.8 ± 0.1 × 10(-13) cm(3)/s, and 0.3 ± 0.1 × 10(-13) cm(3)/s in PC:PG, PC:PG:cholesterol, and SM:PG:cholesterol, respectively. Thus, for each isoform the unit permeabilities strongly depended on bilayer composition and systematically decreased with increasing bilayer compressibility modulus and bilayer thickness. These observations suggest that altering lipid environment provides a means of regulating water channel permeability. Such permeability changes could have physiological consequences, because AQP4 water permeability would be reduced by its sequestration into SM:cholesterol-enriched raft microdomains. Conversely, under ischemic conditions astrocyte membrane cholesterol content decreases, which could increase AQP4 permeability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihong Tong
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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Tong J, Canty JT, Briggs MM, McIntosh TJ. The water permeability of lens aquaporin-0 depends on its lipid bilayer environment. Exp Eye Res 2013; 113:32-40. [PMID: 23680159 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2013.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2013] [Revised: 04/16/2013] [Accepted: 04/30/2013] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Aquaporin-0 (AQP0), the primary water channel in lens fiber cells, is critical to lens development, organization, and function. In the avascular lens there is thought to be an internal microcirculation associated with fluid movement. Although AQP0 is known to be important in fluid fluxes across membranes, the water permeability of this channel has only been measured in Xenopus oocytes and in outer lens cortical membranes, but not in inner nuclear membranes, which have an increased cholesterol/phospholipid ratio. Here we measure the unit water permeability of AQP0 in different proteoliposomes with cholesterol/phospholipid ratios and external pHs similar to those found in the cortex and nucleus of the lens. Osmotic stress measurements were performed with proteoliposomes containing AQP0 and three different lipids mixtures: (1) phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG), (2) PC, PG, with 40 mol% cholesterol, and (3) sphingomyelin (SM), PG, with 40 mol% cholesterol. At pH 7.5 the unit permeabilities of AQP0 were 3.5 ± 0.5 × 10(-14) cm(3)/s (mean ± SEM), 1.1 ± 0.1 × 10(-14) cm(3)/s, and 0.50 ± 0.04 × 10(-14) cm(3)/s in PC:PG, PC:PG:cholesterol, and SM:PG:cholesterol, respectively. For lipid mixtures at pH 6.5, corresponding to conditions found in the lens nucleus, the AQP0 permeabilities were 1.5 ± 0.4 × 10(-14) cm(3)/s and 0.76 ± 0.03 × 10(-14) cm(3)/s in PC:PG:cholesterol and SM:PG:cholesterol, respectively. Thus, although AQP0 unit permeability can be modified by changes in pH, it is also sensitive to changes in bilayer lipid composition, and decreases with increasing cholesterol and SM content. These data imply that AQP0 water permeability is regulated by bilayer lipid composition, so that AQP0 permeability would be significantly less in the lens nucleus than in the lens cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihong Tong
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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11
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Shadiac N, Nagarajan Y, Waters S, Hrmova M. Close allies in membrane protein research: Cell-free synthesis and nanotechnology. Mol Membr Biol 2013; 30:229-45. [DOI: 10.3109/09687688.2012.762125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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12
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Dong H, Sharma M, Zhou HX, Cross TA. Glycines: role in α-helical membrane protein structures and a potential indicator of native conformation. Biochemistry 2012; 51:4779-89. [PMID: 22650985 DOI: 10.1021/bi300090x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Among the growing number of membrane protein structures in the Protein Data Bank, there are many transmembrane domains that appear to be native-like; at the same time, there are others that appear to have less than complete native-like character. Hence, there is an increasing need for validation tools that distinguish native-like from non-native-like structures. Membrane mimetics used in protein structural characterizations differ in numerous physicochemical properties from native membranes and provide many opportunities for introducing non-native-like features into membrane protein structures. One possible approach for validating membrane protein structures is based on the use of glycine residues in transmembrane domains. Here, we have reviewed the membrane protein structure database and identified a set of benchmark proteins that appear to be native-like. In these structures, conserved glycine residues rarely face the lipid interstices, and many of them participate in close helix-helix packing. Glycine-based validation allowed the identification of non-native-like features in several membrane proteins and also shows the potential for verifying the native-like character for numerous other membrane protein structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Dong
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA
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13
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Molecular driving forces defining lipid positions around aquaporin-0. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:9887-92. [PMID: 22679286 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1121054109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipid-protein interactions play pivotal roles in biological membranes. Electron crystallographic studies of the lens-specific water channel aquaporin-0 (AQP0) revealed atomistic views of such interactions, by providing high-resolution structures of annular lipids surrounding AQP0. It remained unclear, however, whether these lipid structures are representative of the positions of unconstrained lipids surrounding an individual protein, and what molecular determinants define the lipid positions around AQP0. We addressed these questions by using molecular dynamics simulations and crystallographic refinement, and calculated time-averaged densities of dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine lipids around AQP0. Our simulations demonstrate that, although the experimentally determined crystallographic lipid positions are constrained by the crystal packing, they appropriately describe the behavior of unconstrained lipids around an individual AQP0 tetramer, and thus likely represent physiologically relevant lipid positions.While the acyl chains were well localized, the lipid head groups were not. Furthermore, in silico mutations showed that electrostatic interactions do not play a major role attracting these phospholipids towards AQP0. Instead, the mobility of the protein crucially modulates the lipid localization and explains the difference in lipid density between extracellular and cytoplasmic leaflets. Moreover, our simulations support a general mechanism in which membrane proteins laterally diffuse accompanied by several layers of localized lipids, with the positions of the annular lipids being influenced the most by the protein surface. We conclude that the acyl chains rather than the head groups define the positions of dimyristoyl-phosphatidylcholine lipids around AQP0. Lipid localization is largely determined by the mobility of the protein surface, whereas hydrogen bonds play an important but secondary role.
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14
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Ubarretxena-Belandia I, Stokes DL. Membrane protein structure determination by electron crystallography. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2012; 22:520-8. [PMID: 22572457 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2012.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2012] [Revised: 04/12/2012] [Accepted: 04/16/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
During the past year, electron crystallography of membrane proteins has provided structural insights into the mechanism of several different transporters and into their interactions with lipid molecules within the bilayer. From a technical perspective there have been important advances in high-throughput screening of crystallization trials and in automated imaging of membrane crystals with the electron microscope. There have also been key developments in software, and in molecular replacement and phase extension methods designed to facilitate the process of structure determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iban Ubarretxena-Belandia
- Department of Structural and Chemical Biology, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, United States
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15
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Kimble-Hill AC. A review of factors affecting the success of membrane protein crystallization using bicelles. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s11515-012-1208-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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16
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Eddy MT, Ong TC, Clark L, Teijido O, van der Wel PCA, Garces R, Wagner G, Rostovtseva TK, Griffin RG. Lipid dynamics and protein-lipid interactions in 2D crystals formed with the β-barrel integral membrane protein VDAC1. J Am Chem Soc 2012; 134:6375-87. [PMID: 22435461 PMCID: PMC3333839 DOI: 10.1021/ja300347v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
We employ a combination of (13)C/(15)N magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR and (2)H NMR to study the structural and functional consequences of different membrane environments on VDAC1 and, conversely, the effect of VDAC1 on the structure of the lipid bilayer. MAS spectra reveal a well-structured VDAC1 in 2D crystals of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and diphytanoylphosphatidylcholine (DPhPC), and their temperature dependence suggests that the VDAC structure does not change conformation above and below the lipid phase transition temperature. The same data show that the N-terminus remains structured at both low and high temperatures. Importantly, functional studies based on electrophysiological measurements on these same samples show fully functional channels, even without the presence of Triton X-100 that has been found necessary for in vitro-refolded channels. (2)H solid-state NMR and differential scanning calorimetry were used to investigate the dynamics and phase behavior of the lipids within the VDAC1 2D crystals. (2)H NMR spectra indicate that the presence of protein in DMPC results in a broad lipid phase transition that is shifted from 19 to ~27 °C and show the existence of different lipid populations, consistent with the presence of both annular and bulk lipids in the functionally and structurally homogeneous samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T. Eddy
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ta-Chung Ong
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Lindsay Clark
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Oscar Teijido
- Program in Physical Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Patrick C. A. van der Wel
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Robert Garces
- Department of Biological and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Gerhard Wagner
- Department of Biological and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Tatiana K. Rostovtseva
- Program in Physical Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Robert G. Griffin
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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17
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Molecular dynamics simulations of PfAQP from the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Mol Med Rep 2012; 5:1197-201. [PMID: 22395337 PMCID: PMC3787859 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2012.822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2012] [Accepted: 02/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are widely distributed in all kingdoms of life and act as facilitators in the transport of water and other small solutes through cell membranes. Since the plasmodial and human AQPs are different in their primary and secondary structure, an intervention targeting plasmodial AQP without affecting human AQPs is discussed to identify an attractive novel target against malaria. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the action mechanisms of these plasmodial AQPs. To explore the progression of the plasmodial real AQPs in vivo at work, a molecular dynamic simulation system was successfully developed for a PfAQP tetramer in silico. The results showed that the transporting work was not synchronous in the four channels at the same time, and that it was different at different times in the same channel. The hole sizes varied in different channels with time. The structure analysis showed that both hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues composed the inner surface of the channels, and the asparagines Asn-193 and Asn-70 assembled into two motifs of NLA and NPS in the center of the channel in place of the signature motifs of NPA in other AQPs. In brief, we successfully developed an equilibrated PfAQP-lipid system by molecular dynamics simulations, and investigated the structure of the PfAQP channel, which should aid our understanding of the AQP structure and its functional implications.
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18
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Wisedchaisri G, Reichow SL, Gonen T. Advances in structural and functional analysis of membrane proteins by electron crystallography. Structure 2012; 19:1381-93. [PMID: 22000511 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2011.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2011] [Revised: 09/01/2011] [Accepted: 09/06/2011] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Electron crystallography is a powerful technique for the study of membrane protein structure and function in the lipid environment. When well-ordered two-dimensional crystals are obtained the structure of both protein and lipid can be determined and lipid-protein interactions analyzed. Protons and ionic charges can be visualized by electron crystallography and the protein of interest can be captured for structural analysis in a variety of physiologically distinct states. This review highlights the strengths of electron crystallography and the momentum that is building up in automation and the development of high throughput tools and methods for structural and functional analysis of membrane proteins by electron crystallography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goragot Wisedchaisri
- Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
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19
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Gerle C. Stabilization of Fo/Vo/Ao by a radial electric field. Biophysics (Nagoya-shi) 2011; 7:99-104. [PMID: 27857597 PMCID: PMC5036770 DOI: 10.2142/biophysics.7.99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2011] [Accepted: 09/26/2011] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The membrane domain of rotary ATPases (Fo/Vo/Ao) contains a membrane-embedded rotor ring which rotates against an adjacent cation channel-forming subunit during catalysis. The mechanism that allows stabilization of the highly mobile and yet tightly connected domains during operation while not impeding rotation is unknown. Remarkably, all known ATPase rotor rings are filled by lipids. In the crystal structure of the rotor ring of a V-ATPase from Enterococcus hirae the ring filling lipids form a proper membrane that is lower with respect to the embedding membrane surrounding both subunits. I propose first, that a vertical shift between lumenal lipids and embedding outside membrane is a general feature of rotor rings and second that it leads to a radial potential fall-off between rotor ring and cation channel, creating attractive forces that impact rotor-stator interaction in Fo/Vo/Ao during rotation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Gerle
- Career Path Promotion Unit for Young Life Scientists, Kyoto University, Bldg. E, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
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20
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Interaction between sodium dodecyl sulfate and membrane reconstituted aquaporins: A comparative study of spinach SoPIP2;1 and E. coli AqpZ. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2011; 1808:2600-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2011.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2011] [Revised: 05/27/2011] [Accepted: 05/31/2011] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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21
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Sanders CR, Mittendorf KF. Tolerance to changes in membrane lipid composition as a selected trait of membrane proteins. Biochemistry 2011; 50:7858-67. [PMID: 21848311 DOI: 10.1021/bi2011527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Membrane lipid composition can vary dramatically across the three domains of life and even within single organisms. Here we review evidence that the lipid-exposed surfaces of membrane proteins have generally evolved to maintain correct structure and function in the face of major changes in lipid composition. Such tolerance has allowed evolution to extensively remodel membrane lipid compositions during the emergence of new species without having to extensively remodel the associated membrane proteins. The tolerance of membrane proteins also permits single-cell organisms to vary their membrane lipid composition in response to their changing environments and allows dynamic and organelle-specific variations in the lipid compositions of eukaryotic cells. Membrane protein structural biology has greatly benefited from this seemingly intrinsic property of membrane proteins: the majority of structures determined to date have been characterized under model membrane conditions that little resemble those of native membranes. Nevertheless, with a few notable exceptions, most experimentally determined membrane protein structures appear, to a good approximation, to faithfully report on native structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles R Sanders
- Department of Biochemistry and Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-8725, USA.
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22
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Schneggenburger PE, Beerlink A, Weinhausen B, Salditt T, Diederichsen U. Peptide model helices in lipid membranes: insertion, positioning, and lipid response on aggregation studied by X-ray scattering. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL : EBJ 2011; 40:417-36. [PMID: 21181143 PMCID: PMC3070074 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-010-0645-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2010] [Revised: 11/08/2010] [Accepted: 11/12/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Studying membrane active peptides or protein fragments within the lipid bilayer environment is particularly challenging in the case of synthetically modified, labeled, artificial, or recently discovered native structures. For such samples the localization and orientation of the molecular species or probe within the lipid bilayer environment is the focus of research prior to an evaluation of their dynamic or mechanistic behavior. X-ray scattering is a powerful method to study peptide/lipid interactions in the fluid, fully hydrated state of a lipid bilayer. For one, the lipid response can be revealed by observing membrane thickening and thinning as well as packing in the membrane plane; at the same time, the distinct positions of peptide moieties within lipid membranes can be elucidated at resolutions of up to several angstroms by applying heavy-atom labeling techniques. In this study, we describe a generally applicable X-ray scattering approach that provides robust and quantitative information about peptide insertion and localization as well as peptide/lipid interaction within highly oriented, hydrated multilamellar membrane stacks. To this end, we have studied an artificial, designed β-helical peptide motif in its homodimeric and hairpin variants adopting different states of oligomerization. These peptide lipid complexes were analyzed by grazing incidence diffraction (GID) to monitor changes in the lateral lipid packing and ordering. In addition, we have applied anomalous reflectivity using synchrotron radiation as well as in-house X-ray reflectivity in combination with iodine-labeling in order to determine the electron density distribution ρ(z) along the membrane normal (z axis), and thereby reveal the hydrophobic mismatch situation as well as the position of certain amino acid side chains within the lipid bilayer. In the case of multiple labeling, the latter technique is not only applicable to demonstrate the peptide's reconstitution but also to generate evidence about the relative peptide orientation with respect to the lipid bilayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp E. Schneggenburger
- Institut für Organische und Biomolekulare Chemie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Tammannstr. 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - André Beerlink
- Institut für Röntgenphysik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Britta Weinhausen
- Institut für Röntgenphysik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tim Salditt
- Institut für Röntgenphysik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ulf Diederichsen
- Institut für Organische und Biomolekulare Chemie, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Tammannstr. 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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23
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Goldstein DL, Frisbie J, Diller A, Pandey RN, Krane CM. Glycerol uptake by erythrocytes from warm- and cold-acclimated Cope's gray treefrogs. J Comp Physiol B 2010; 180:1257-65. [PMID: 20652259 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-010-0496-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2009] [Revised: 05/28/2010] [Accepted: 07/01/2010] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Cope's gray treefrogs, Hyla chrysoscelis, accumulate glycerol during the period of cold acclimation that leads to the development of freeze tolerance. Glycerol must cross cell membranes in numerous processes during this time, including exit from hepatocytes where glycerol is synthesized and entry into other tissues, where glycerol is cryoprotective. Thus, we hypothesized that erythrocytes from H. chrysoscelis would be permeable to glycerol and that that permeability would be up-regulated during cold acclimation. Further, we hypothesized that glycerol permeability would be associated with the expression of aquaporins, particularly those from the glyceroporin sub-family. Erythrocytes from warm-acclimated treefrogs had high glycerol permeability at 20°C, as assessed by the time required for osmotic lysis following suspension in 0.2 M glycerol. That osmotic lysis, as well as uptake of radio-labeled glycerol, was inhibited by 0.3 mM HgCl(3). Permeability assessed via osmotic lysis was markedly reduced at 5°C. These properties were similar in animals deriving from northern (Ohio) and southern (Alabama) populations, although suggestive (through statistical interactions) of greater glycerol permeability in northern animals. Erythrocytes expressed mRNA and protein for a previously described glyceroporin, HC-3. In cold-acclimated animals, HC-3 protein expression was up-regulated, but we could not detect a concomitant enhancement of glycerol permeability.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Goldstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45435, USA.
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24
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Hite RK, Li Z, Walz T. Principles of membrane protein interactions with annular lipids deduced from aquaporin-0 2D crystals. EMBO J 2010; 29:1652-8. [PMID: 20389283 PMCID: PMC2876970 DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2010.68] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2010] [Accepted: 03/23/2010] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously described the interactions of aquaporin-0 (AQP0) with dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) lipids. We have now determined the 2.5 Å structure of AQP0 in two-dimensional (2D) crystals formed with Escherichia coli polar lipids (EPLs), which differ from DMPC both in headgroups and acyl chains. Comparison of the two structures shows that AQP0 does not adapt to the different length of the acyl chains in EPLs and that the distance between the phosphodiester groups in the two leaflets of the DMPC and EPL bilayers is almost identical. The EPL headgroups interact differently with AQP0 than do those of DMPC, but the acyl chains in the EPL and DMPC bilayers occupy similar positions. The interactions of annular lipids with membrane proteins seem to be driven by the propensity of the acyl chains to fill gaps in the protein surface. Interactions of the lipid headgroups may be responsible for the specific interactions found in tightly bound lipids but seem to have a negligible effect on interactions of generic annular lipids with membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard K Hite
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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25
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Schenk AD, Hite RK, Engel A, Fujiyoshi Y, Walz T. Electron crystallography and aquaporins. Methods Enzymol 2010; 483:91-119. [PMID: 20888471 DOI: 10.1016/s0076-6879(10)83005-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Electron crystallography of two-dimensional (2D) crystals can provide information on the structure of membrane proteins at near-atomic resolution. Originally developed and used to determine the structure of bacteriorhodopsin (bR), electron crystallography has recently been applied to elucidate the structure of aquaporins (AQPs), a family of membrane proteins that form pores mostly for water but also other solutes. While electron crystallography has made major contributions to our understanding of the structure and function of AQPs, structural studies on AQPs, in turn, have fostered a number of technical developments in electron crystallography. In this contribution, we summarize the insights electron crystallography has provided into the biology of AQPs, and describe technical advancements in electron crystallography that were driven by structural studies on AQP 2D crystals. In addition, we discuss some of the lessons that were learned from electron crystallographic work on AQPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas D Schenk
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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26
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Reichow SL, Gonen T. Lipid-protein interactions probed by electron crystallography. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2009; 19:560-5. [PMID: 19679462 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2009.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2009] [Revised: 07/16/2009] [Accepted: 07/17/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Electron crystallography is arguably the only electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM) technique able to deliver an atomic-resolution structure of membrane proteins embedded in the lipid bilayer. In the electron crystallographic structures of the light driven ion pump, bacteriorhodopsin, and the water channel, aquaporin-0, sufficiently high resolution was obtained and both lipid and protein were visualized, modeled, and described in detail. An extensive network of lipid-protein interactions mimicking native membranes is established and maintained in two-dimensional (2D) crystalline vesicles used for structural analysis by electron crystallography. Lipids are tightly integrated into the protein's architecture where they can affect the function, structure, quaternary assembly, and the stability of the membrane protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve L Reichow
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Box 357350, Seattle, WA 98195-7350, USA
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27
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Raunser S, Walz T. Electron crystallography as a technique to study the structure on membrane proteins in a lipidic environment. Annu Rev Biophys 2009; 38:89-105. [PMID: 19416061 DOI: 10.1146/annurev.biophys.050708.133649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The native environment of integral membrane proteins is a lipid bilayer. The structure of a membrane protein is thus ideally studied in a lipidic environment. In the first part of this review we describe some membrane protein structures that revealed the surrounding lipids and provide a brief overview of the techniques that can be used to study membrane proteins in a lipidic environment. In the second part of this review we focus on electron crystallography of two-dimensional crystals as potentially the most suitable technique for such studies. We describe the individual steps involved in the electron crystallographic determination of a membrane protein structure and discuss current challenges that need to be overcome to transform electron crystallography into a technique that can be routinely used to analyze the structure of membrane proteins embedded in a lipid bilayer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Raunser
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.
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28
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Ménétret JF, Hegde RS, Aguiar M, Gygi SP, Park E, Rapoport TA, Akey CW. Single copies of Sec61 and TRAP associate with a nontranslating mammalian ribosome. Structure 2008; 16:1126-37. [PMID: 18611385 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2008.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2008] [Revised: 05/12/2008] [Accepted: 05/12/2008] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
During cotranslational protein translocation, the ribosome associates with a membrane channel, formed by the Sec61 complex, and recruits the translocon-associated protein complex (TRAP). Here we report the structure of a ribosome-channel complex from mammalian endoplasmic reticulum in which the channel has been visualized at 11 A resolution. In this complex, single copies of Sec61 and TRAP associate with a nontranslating ribosome and this stoichiometry was verified by quantitative mass spectrometry. A bilayer-like density surrounds the channel and can be attributed to lipid and detergent. The crystal structure of an archaeal homolog of the Sec61 complex was then docked into the map. In this model, two cytoplasmic loops of Sec61 may interact with RNA helices H6, H7, and H50, while the central pore is located below the ribosome tunnel exit. Hence, this copy of Sec61 is positioned to capture and translocate the nascent chain. Finally, we show that mammalian and bacterial ribosome-channel complexes have similar architectures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Ménétret
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, 700 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118-2526, USA
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29
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Abstract
Aquaporins are a family of ubiquitous membrane proteins that form a pore for the permeation of water. Both electron and X-ray crystallography played major roles in determining the atomic structures of a number of aquaporins. This review focuses on electron crystallography, and its contribution to the field of aquaporin biology. We briefly discuss electron crystallography and the two-dimensional crystallization process. We describe features of aquaporins common to both electron and X-ray crystallographic structures; as well as some structural insights unique to electron crystallography, including aquaporin junction formation and lipid-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Andrews
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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30
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Sasaki S. Introduction for Special issue for Aquaporin: expanding the world of aquaporins: new members and new functions. Pflugers Arch 2008; 456:647-9. [PMID: 18205009 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-007-0442-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2007] [Accepted: 12/25/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sei Sasaki
- Department of Nephrology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
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31
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Engel A, Fujiyoshi Y, Gonen T, Walz T. Junction-forming aquaporins. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2008; 18:229-35. [PMID: 18194855 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2007.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2007] [Revised: 11/06/2007] [Accepted: 11/07/2007] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of ubiquitous membrane channels that conduct water and solutes across membranes. This review focuses on AQP0 and AQP4, which in addition to forming water channels also appear to play a role in cell adhesion. We discuss the recently determined structures of the membrane junctions mediated by these two AQPs, the mechanisms that regulate junction formation, and evidence that supports a role for AQP0 and AQP4 in cell adhesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Engel
- Maurice E. Mueller Institute, University of Basel, Biozentrum, Klingelberstrasse 70, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
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