Qualitative comparison of the bilayer-associated structures of diacylglycerol and a fluorinated analog based upon oriented sample NMR data

NMR studies of p7 protein from hepatitis C virus

The p7 protein of hepatitis C virus (HCV) plays an important role in the viral lifecycle. Like other members of the viroporin family of small membrane proteins, the amino acid sequence of p7 is largely conserved over the entire range of genotypes, and it forms ion channels that can be blocked by a number of established channel-blocking compounds. Its characteristics as a membrane protein make it difficult to study by most structural techniques, since it requires the presence of lipids to fold and function properly. Purified p7 can be incorporated into phospholipid bilayers and micelles. Initial solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of p7 in 14-O-PC/6-O-PC bicelles indicate that the protein contains helical segments that are tilted approximately 10° and 25° relative to the bilayer normal. A truncated construct corresponding to the second transmembrane domain of p7 is shown to have properties similar to those of the full-length protein, and was used to determine that the helix segment tilted at 10° is in the C-terminal portion of the protein. The addition of the channel blocker amantadine to the full-length protein resulted in selective chemical shift changes, demonstrating that NMR has a potential role in the development of drugs targeted to p7.

Diacylglycerols, multivalent membrane modulators

Diacylglycerols are second messengers confined to biomembranes and, although relatively simple molecules from the structural point of view, they are able of triggering a surprisingly wide range of biological responses. Diacylglycerols are recognized by a well conserved protein motif, such as the C1 domain. This domain was observed for the first time in protein kinases C but is now known to be present in many other proteins. The effect of diacylglycerols is not limited to binding to C1 domains and they are able to alter the biophysical properties of biomembranes and hence modulate the activity of membrane associated proteins and also facilitate some processes like membrane fusion.

Three-dimensional structure of the transmembrane domain of Vpu from HIV-1 in aligned phospholipid bicelles

The three-dimensional backbone structure of the transmembrane domain of Vpu from HIV-1 was determined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy in two magnetically-aligned phospholipid bilayer environments (bicelles) that differed in their hydrophobic thickness. Isotopically labeled samples of Vpu(2-30+), a 36-residue polypeptide containing residues 2-30 from the N-terminus of Vpu, were incorporated into large (q = 3.2 or 3.0) phospholipid bicelles composed of long-chain ether-linked lipids (14-O-PC or 16-O-PC) and short-chain lipids (6-O-PC). The protein-containing bicelles are aligned in the static magnetic field of the NMR spectrometer. Wheel-like patterns of resonances characteristic of tilted transmembrane helices were observed in two-dimensional (1)H/(15)N PISEMA spectra of uniformly (15)N-labeled Vpu(2-30+) obtained on bicelle samples with their bilayer normals aligned perpendicular or parallel to the direction of the magnetic field. The NMR experiments were performed at a (1)H resonance frequency of 900 MHz, and this resulted in improved data compared to lower-resonance frequencies. Analysis of the polarity-index slant-angle wheels and dipolar waves demonstrates the presence of a transmembrane alpha-helix spanning residues 8-25 in both 14-O-PC and 16-O-PC bicelles, which is consistent with results obtained previously in micelles by solution NMR and mechanically aligned lipid bilayers by solid-state NMR. The three-dimensional backbone structures were obtained by structural fitting to the orientation-dependent (15)N chemical shift and (1)H-(15)N dipolar coupling frequencies. Tilt angles of 30 degrees and 21 degrees are observed in 14-O-PC and 16-O-PC bicelles, respectively, which are consistent with the values previously determined for the same polypeptide in mechanically-aligned DMPC and DOPC bilayers. The difference in tilt angle in C14 and C16 bilayer environments is also consistent with previous results indicating that the transmembrane helix of Vpu responds to hydrophobic mismatch by changing its tilt angle. The kink found in the middle of the helix in the longer-chain C18 bilayers aligned on glass plates was not found in either of these shorter-chain (C14 or C16) bilayers.

Phospholipid Bicelles That Align with Their Normals Parallel to the Magnetic Field

We have recently reported phospholipid bicelles (bilayered micelles) that have positive anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility and align with their normals parallel to an external magnetic field [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 1537]. Improvements have been made via the synthesis of a new phospholipid, 1-dodecanoyl-2-(4-(4-biphenyl)butanoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DBBPC). Bicelles can be formed by mixing DBBPC with a short-chain phospholipid, 1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) in a ratio between 5.1:1 and 6.5:1 in an aqueous medium. The (31)P NMR spectra clearly show that these bicelles align with their principal axes parallel to the magnetic field within a wide temperature range. The (31)P chemical shifts indicate that the conformation of the polar headgroup in these bicelles may be different from that in common bicelles. The phase behavior of a mixture of DBBPC/DHPC with 6:1 mole ratio was investigated in the temperature range of 10-75 degrees C using (31)P, (2)H, and (23)Na NMR. At lower temperatures (10-54 degrees C), the system is dominated by the bicellar phase. At higher temperatures (54-75 degrees C), isotropic micelles are formed and coexist with the bicelles. The partial alignment of maltotriose in the DBBPC/DHPC system was studied at three temperatures, and the (1)H-(13)C dipolar coupling constants are compared with those obtained for two other bicelle solutions.

Structure and functional properties of diacylglycerols in membranes

1. 1,2-Diacyl-sn-glycerols (DAG) are minor components of cell membranes (about 1 mole% of the lipids) and yet they are potent regulators of both the physical properties of the lipid bilayer and the catalytic behaviour of several membrane-related enzymes. 2. In the pure state DAG's present a considerable polymorphism, with several crystalline phases in addition to the neat fluid phase. The most stable crystalline phase is the so-called beta' phase, a monoclinic crystalline form with orthorhombic perpendicular subcell chain packing, in which both acyl chains lie parallel to each other in a hairpinlike configuration about the sn-1 and sn-2 glycerol carbon atoms. The molecules are organized in a bilayer, with the glycerol backbone roughly parallel to the plane of the bilayer, and the acyl chains tilted at approximately 60 degrees with respect to that plane. Acyl chain unsaturation, and particularly a single cis unsaturation, impairs chain packing in mixed-chain DAG's, and this results in an increased number of metastable crystalline phases. 3. DAG's mix with phospholipids in fluid bilayers when their melting temperature is below or close enough to the melting temperature of the bilayer system. When incorporated in phospholipid bilayers, the conformation of DAG is such that the glycerol backbone is nearly perpendicular to the bilayer, with the sn-1 chain extending from the glycerol Cl carbon into the hydrophobic matrix of the bilayer and the sn-2 chain first extending parallel to the bilayer surface, then making a 90 degrees bend at the position of the sn-1 carbonyl to become parallel to the sn-1 chain. DAG's are located in phospholipid bilayers about two CH2 units deeper than the adjacent phospholipids. DAG's mix nonideally with phospholipids, giving rise to in-plane separations of DAG-rich and -poor domains, even in the fluid state. DAG molecules also increase the separation between phospholipid headgroups, and decrease the hydration of the bilayer surface. Also, because the transversal section of the DAG headgroup is small when compared to that of the acyl chains, DAG favours the (negative) curvature of the lipid monolayers, and DAG-phospholipid mixtures tend to convert into inverted nonlamellar hexagonal or cubic phases. 4. A number of membrane enzyme activities are modulated (activated) by DAG, most notably protein kinase C, phospholipases and other enzymes of lipid metabolism. Protein kinase C activation (and perhaps that of other enzymes as well) occurs as the combined result of a number of DAG-induced modifications of lipid bilayers that include: changes in lipid headgroup conformation, interspacing and hydration, changes in the bilayer propensity to form inverted nonlamellar phases, and lateral phase separations of DAG-rich and -poor domains. Among the DAG-activated enzymes, phospholipases C show the peculiarity of yielding the activator DAG as their reaction product, and this allows the self-induced transition from a low- to a high-activity status. 5. DAG's induce or enhance membrane fusion in a number of ways, mainly through partial dehydration of the bilayer surface, increase in lipid monolayer curvature and perhaps lateral phase separation. DAG-increased fusion rates have been demonstrated in several instances of cation-induced fusion of model membranes, as well as in Ca(2+)-induced fusion of chromaffin granules with plasma membrane vesicles. Also phospholipase C has been shown to induce vesicle aggregation and fusion through the catalytic generation of DAG in the bilayers. A rather general property of DAG is that it promotes vesicular or interparticle aggregation. 6. In the living cell, DAG is often generated through phospholipid degradation in response to an extracellular agonist binding a specific receptor in the cell surface. DAG is said to act as an intracellular second messenger. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Conformationally constrained analogues of diacylglycerol (DAG). 14. Dissection of the roles of the sn-1 and sn-2 carbonyls in DAG mimetics by isopharmacophore replacement

The replacement of the sn-1 and sn-2 carbonyl esters in DAG-surrogate lactones by sulfonate esters showed that their isosteric properties in protein kinase C binding are controlled by the location of the hydrophobic alkyl chain on the molecule. The CO and SO2 groups appear to be true isosteres only when they are adjacent to the alkyl chain, which is presumed to insert normal to the lipid bilayer.

Escherichia coli diacylglycerol kinase is an evolutionarily optimized membrane enzyme and catalyzes direct phosphoryl transfer

In this contribution the kinetic mechanism and substrate specificity of Escherichia coli diacylglycerol kinase were examined. Steady state kinetic studies were carried out under mixed micellar conditions using a novel continuous coupled assay system. The kinetic data were consistent with a random equilibrium mechanism, implying that diacylglycerol kinase catalyzes direct phosphoryl transfer from MgATP to diacylglycerol. This was supported by failure to detect an enzyme-phosphate covalent intermediate and by the observation that the bisubstrate analog adenosine 5'-tetraphosphoryl-3-O-(1,2-dihexanoyl)-sn-glycerol inhibits the enzyme (Ki << Km,DAG). While diacylglycerol kinase's kcat/Km is modest compared with the efficiency of many water-soluble enzymes, the enzyme nevertheless appears to be an evolutionarily optimized biocatalyst in the sense that its chemical reaction rate approaches the substrate diffusion-controlled limit. The in vivo rate-limiting step of DAGK's reaction appears to be, in part, the transbilayer diffusion of diacylglycerol from the outer leaflet to the inner leaflet of the cytoplasmic membrane where DAGK's active site is located. DAGK was observed to maintain a high nucleotide substrate specificity, with most of this specificity being expressed in the form of reductions in kcat for ATP analogs.

Dynamic chain conformations in dimyristoyl glycerol-dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine mixtures. 2H-NMR studies

The dynamic molecular lipid chain conformations in fully hydrated dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC)-dimyristoyl glycerol (DMG) mixtures have been investigated by 2H-NMR spectroscopy of the individual lipid components, the sn-2 chains of which were perdeuterated or, in the case of DMG, specifically deuterated at the C-2 position. Mixtures of compositions corresponding to the three different regions of the binary phase diagram in which the fluid phase is lamellar (DMPC:DMG 70:30 mol/mol), inverted hexagonal (DMPC:DMG 45:55 and 40:60 mol/mol), or isotropic (DMPC:DMG 20:80 mol/mol) were investigated. The gel phase in all three regions of the phase diagram has a lamellar structure, with the lipid chains rotating about the molecular long axis but executing only limited angular excursions. In the fluid lamellar phase of the 70:30 mol/mol DMPC-DMG mixture the profile of segmental chain flexibility is similar to that in single-component phospholipid bilayers and is characterized by an order parameter plateau for both lipid components. The chain order of the DMPC component is greater than in bilayers of DMPC alone and is also greater than that of the DMG component. In the inverted hexagonal phase of the 45:55 mol/mol DMPC-DMG mixture the chain flexibility profile is characterized by more widely spaced segmental order parameters off the plateau region. The intrinsic degree of chain order in the inverted hexagonal phase is less than in the lamellar phase of the 70:30 mol/mol mixture, and the difference in chain order between the DMPC and DMG components is reduced relative to that in the lamellar phase. The unique conformational features at the C-2 position of the sn-2 chain that characterize bilayers of diacyl phospholipids are found also for the diacylglycerol molecules in the fluid lamellar phase and most probably also in the inverted hexagonal phase. The DMG molecules are therefore integrated in the membrane (or nonlamellar lipid phase) in a configuration that is similar to that of the phospholipids and different from the crystal structure of diacylglycerols.

Reconstitution of membrane proteins into lipid-rich bilayered mixed micelles for NMR studies

This paper describes a study undertaken to assess the possibility and practical consequences of reconstituting integral and peripheral membrane proteins into bilayered discoidal mixed micelles ("bicelles") composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine and smaller amounts of either CHAPSO or short-chain phosphatidylcholine. The amphiphilic assemblies in these mixtures are uniquely suited for use in NMR structural studies because they can be magnetically oriented with experimentally-tunable system order. The first step of this study was to test about 15 membrane-associating polypeptides and proteins for their ability to interfere with magnetic orientation of the bicellar assemblies. A variety of results were obtained ranging from no perturbation to a complete disruption of orientation. Second, the suitability of bicelles as mimics of natural bilayers was tested by reconstituting diacylglycerol kinase, an integral membrane enzyme. The kinase was observed to be functional and completely stable for at least 24 h when incubated at 38 degrees C in bicelles. Third, the NMR spectra from a number of bicelle-reconstituted proteins were examined. In some cases, 13C NMR resonances from reconstituted proteins were extremely broad and asymmetric. In other cases, resonances from reconstituted proteins were moderately broad, but much less so than resonances from proteins reconstituted into multilayers oriented by mechanical methods. In the cases of two surface-associating proteins (cytochrome c and leucine enkephalin), oriented sample 13C NMR spectra of extremely high resolution were obtained. For these proteins it was also demonstrated that the experimentally variable order of the bicellar assemblies could be exploited to provide a means of screening for detergent-specific structural perturbations, for making spectral assignments, and for measuring chemical shift anisotropies and dipolar couplings. Taken as a whole, these results indicate that bicelles may be uniquely and effectively employed as model membranes to facilitate NMR structural studies of many, but not all, membrane proteins.