The effect of detergents on trimeric G-protein activity in isolated plasma membranes from rat brain cortex: correlation with studies of DPH and Laurdan fluorescence

Scramblase activity of proteorhodopsin confers physiological advantages to Escherichia coli in the absence of light

Microbial rhodopsins are widely distributed in the aqua-ecosystem due to their simple structure and multifaceted functions. Conventionally, microbial rhodopsins are considered to be exclusively light active. Here, we report the discovery of light-independent function of a proteorhodopsin from a psychrophile Psychroflexus torquis (ptqPR). ptqPR could improve the growth and viability of Escherichia coli cells under stressful conditions in the absence of light, and this was achieved by improving the energy maintenance, membrane potential, membrane fluidity, and membrane integrity. We further show that this non-canonical function of PR is related to its scramblase activity. PR mutants which lost scramblase activities also lost their ability to confer physiological advantages in E. coli. These findings shed light on why microbial rhodopsins are widely distributed in ecological systems where light is inaccessible.

Subsynaptic Distribution, Lipid Raft Targeting and G Protein-Dependent Signalling of the Type 1 Cannabinoid Receptor in Synaptosomes from the Mouse Hippocampus and Frontal Cortex

Numerous studies have investigated the roles of the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1) in glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. Here, we used the cell-type-specific CB1 rescue model in mice to gain insight into the organizational principles of plasma membrane targeting and Gαi/o protein signalling of the CB1 receptor at excitatory and inhibitory terminals of the frontal cortex and hippocampus. By applying biochemical fractionation techniques and Western blot analyses to synaptosomal membranes, we explored the subsynaptic distribution (pre-, post-, and extra-synaptic) and CB1 receptor compartmentalization into lipid and non-lipid raft plasma membrane microdomains and the signalling properties. These data infer that the plasma membrane partitioning of the CB1 receptor and its functional coupling to Gαi/o proteins are not biased towards the cell type of CB1 receptor rescue. The extent of the canonical Gαi/o protein-dependent CB1 receptor signalling correlated with the abundance of CB1 receptor in the respective cell type (glutamatergic versus GABAergic neurons) both in frontal cortical and hippocampal synaptosomes. In summary, our results provide an updated view of the functional coupling of the CB1 receptor to Gαi/o proteins at excitatory and inhibitory terminals and substantiate the utility of the CB1 rescue model in studying endocannabinoid physiology at the subcellular level.

GLUT1 is associated with sphingolipid-organized, cholesterol-independent domains in L929 mouse fibroblast cells

Glucose is a preferred metabolite in most mammalian cells, and proper regulation of uptake is critical for organism homeostasis. The glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) is responsible for glucose uptake in a wide variety of cells and appears to be regulated in a tissue specific manner. Therefore, a better understanding of GLUT1 regulation within its various cellular environments is essential for developing therapeutic strategies to treat disorders associated with glucose homeostasis. Previous findings suggest that plasma membrane subdomains called lipid rafts may play a role in regulation of GLUT1 uptake activity. While studying this phenomenon in L929 mouse fibroblast cells, we observed that GLUT1 associates with a low density lipid microdomain distinct from traditionally-defined lipid rafts. These structures are not altered by cholesterol removal with methyl-β-cyclodextrin and lack resistance to cold Triton X-100 extraction. Our data indicate that the GLUT1-containing membrane microdomains in L929 cells, as well as GLUT1's basal activity, are instead sphingolipid-dependent, being sensitive to both myriocin and sphingomyelinase treatment. These microdomains appear to be organized primarily by their lipid composition, as disruption of the actin cytoskeleton or microtubules does not alter the association of GLUT1 with them. Furthermore, the association of GLUT1 with these microdomains appears not to require palmitoylation or glycosylation, as pharmacologic inhibition of these processes had no impact on GLUT1 density in membrane fractions. Importantly, we find no evidence that GLUT1 is actively translocated into or out of low density membrane fractions in response to acute activation in L929 cell.

On measuring the acoustic state changes in lipid membranes using fluorescent probes

Ultrasound is increasingly being used to modulate the properties of biological membranes for applications in drug delivery and neuromodulation. While various studies have investigated the mechanical aspects of the interaction such as acoustic absorption and membrane deformation, it is not clear how these effects transduce into biological functions, for example, changes in the permeability or the enzymatic activity of the membrane. A critical aspect of the activity of an enzyme is the thermal fluctuations of its solvation or hydration shell. Thermal fluctuations are also known to be directly related to membrane permeability. Here solvation shell changes of lipid membranes subject to an acoustic impulse were investigated using a fluorescence probe, Laurdan. Laurdan was embedded in multi-lamellar lipid vesicles in water, which were exposed to broadband pressure impulses of the order of 1 MPa peak amplitude and 10 µs pulse duration. An instrument was developed to monitor changes in the emission spectrum of the dye at two wavelengths with sub-microsecond temporal resolution. The experiments show that changes in the emission spectrum, and hence the fluctuations of the solvation shell, are related to the changes in the thermodynamic state of the membrane and correlated with the compression and rarefaction of the incident sound wave. The results suggest that acoustic fields affect the state of a lipid membrane and therefore can potentially modulate the kinetics of channels and enzymes embedded in the membrane.

Lifetime of muscarinic receptor-G-protein complexes determines coupling efficiency and G-protein subtype selectivity

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are essential for the detection of extracellular stimuli by cells and transfer the encoded information via the activation of functionally distinct subsets of heterotrimeric G proteins into intracellular signals. Despite enormous achievements toward understanding GPCR structures, major aspects of the GPCR-G-protein selectivity mechanism remain unresolved. As this can be attributed to the lack of suitable and broadly applicable assays, we set out to develop a quantitative FRET-based assay to study kinetics and affinities of G protein binding to activated GPCRs in membranes of permeabilized cells in the absence of nucleotides. We measured the association and dissociation kinetics of agonist-induced binding of Gi/o, Gq/11, Gs, and G12/13 proteins to muscarinic M1, M2, and M3 receptors in the absence of nucleotides between fluorescently labeled G proteins and receptors expressed in mammalian cells. Our results show a strong quantitative correlation between not the on-rates of G-protein-M3-R interactions but rather the affinities of Gq and Go proteins to M3-Rs, their GPCR-G-protein lifetime and their coupling efficiencies determined in intact cells, suggesting that the G-protein subtype-specific affinity to the activated receptor in the absence of nucleotides is, in fact, a major determinant of the coupling efficiency. Our broadly applicable FRET-based assay represents a fast and reliable method to quantify the intrinsic affinity and relative coupling selectivity of GPCRs toward all G-protein subtypes.

Soaping the NMDA receptor: Various types of detergents influence differently [(3)H]MK-801 binding to rat brain membranes

Membranes prepared from rat brain were treated with increasing concentrations of cationic, neutral, anionic and zwitterionic surfactants. Potent inactivation of [(3)H]MK-801 binding to NMDA receptors (NRs) was provided by the cation cetyl pyridinium (IC50 25 μM) and the neutral digitonin (IC50 37 μM). A 2 h incubation of rat brain membranes at 24°C with 100 μM of the neutral Triton X-100 resulted in about 50% reversible inhibition (without inactivation). Reversible inhibition was also effected by the anion deoxycholate (IC50 700 μM), and by the zwitterions N-lauryl sulfobetaine (12-SB(±), 400 μM) and CHAPS (1.5 mM), with inactivation at higher concentrations. Keeping the NR cation channel in the closed state significantly protected against inactivation by cations and by 12-SB(±), but not by the other detergents. Inactivation depended differentially on the amount of the membranes, on the duration of the treatment, and on the temperature. Varying the amount of membranes by a factor 8 yielded for cetyl trimethylammonium (16-NMe3(+)) IC50s of inactivation from 10 to 80 μM, while for deoxycholate the IC50 of inactivation was 1.2 mM for all tissue quantities. Some compounds inactivated within a few min (16-NMe3(+), digitonin, CHAPS), while inactivation by others took at least half an hour (Triton X-100, deoxycholate, 12-SB(±)). These last 3 ones also exhibited the steepest temperature dependence. Knowledge about the influence of various parameters is helpful in selecting appropriate conditions allowing the treatment of brain membranes with amphiphiles without risking irreversible inactivation.

High Efficacy but Low Potency of δ-Opioid Receptor-G Protein Coupling in Brij-58-Treated, Low-Density Plasma Membrane Fragments

Principal Findings

HEK293 cells stably expressing PTX-insensitive δ-opioid receptor-Gi1α (C³⁵¹I) fusion protein were homogenized, treated with low concentrations of non-ionic detergent Brij-58 at 0°C and fractionated by flotation in sucrose density gradient. In optimum range of detergent concentrations (0.025–0.05% w/v), Brij-58-treated, low-density membranes exhibited 2-3-fold higher efficacy of DADLE-stimulated, high-affinity [³²P]GTPase and [³⁵S]GTPγS binding than membranes of the same density prepared in the absence of detergent. The potency of agonist DADLE response was significantly decreased. At high detergent concentrations (>0.1%), the functional coupling between δ-opioid receptors and G proteins was completely diminished. The same detergent effects were measured in plasma membranes isolated from PTX-treated cells. Therefore, the effect of Brij-58 on δ-opioid receptor-G protein coupling was not restricted to the covalently bound G_i1α within δ-opioid receptor-G_i1α fusion protein, but it was also valid for PTX-sensitive G proteins of G_i/G_o family endogenously expressed in HEK293 cells. Characterization of the direct effect of Brij-58 on the hydrophobic interior of isolated plasma membranes by steady-state anisotropy of diphenylhexatriene (DPH) fluorescence indicated a marked increase of membrane fluidity. The time-resolved analysis of decay of DPH fluorescence by the “wobble in cone” model of DPH motion in the membrane indicated that the exposure to the increasing concentrations of Brij-58 led to a decreased order and higher motional freedom of the dye.

Summary

Limited perturbation of plasma membrane integrity by low concentrations of non-ionic detergent Brij-58 results in alteration of δ-OR-G protein coupling. Maximum G protein-response to agonist stimulation (efficacy) is increased; affinity of response (potency) is decreased. The total degradation plasma membrane structure at high detergent concentrations results in diminution of functional coupling between δ-opioid receptors and G proteins.

Opioid-Receptor (OR) Signaling Cascades in Rat Cerebral Cortex and Model Cell Lines: the Role of Plasma Membrane Structure

Large number of extracellular signals is received by plasma membrane receptors which, upon activation, transduce information into the target cell interior via trimeric G-proteins (GPCRs) and induce activation or inhibition of adenylyl cyclase enzyme activity (AC). Receptors for opioid drugs such as morphine (μ-OR, δ-OR and κ-OR) belong to rhodopsin family of GPCRs. Our recent results indicated a specific up-regulation of AC I (8-fold) and AC II (2.5-fold) in plasma membranes (PM) isolated from rat brain cortex exposed to increasing doses of morphine (10-50 mg/kg) for 10 days. Increase of ACI and ACII represented the specific effect as the amount of ACIII-ACIX, prototypical PM marker Na, K-ATPase and trimeric G-protein α and β subunits was unchanged. The up-regulation of ACI and ACII faded away after 20 days since the last dose of morphine. Proteomic analysis of these PM indicated that the brain cortex of morphine-treated animals cannot be regarded as being adapted to this drug because significant up-regulation of proteins functionally related to oxidative stress and alteration of brain energy metabolism occurred. The number of δ-OR was increased 2-fold and their sensitivity to monovalent cations was altered. Characterization of δ-OR-G-protein coupling in model HEK293 cell line indicated high ability of lithium to support affinity of δ-OR response to agonist stimulation. Our studies of PM structure and function in context with desensitization of GPCRs action were extended by data indicating participation of cholesterol-enriched membrane domains in agonist-specific internalization of δ-OR. In HEK293 cells stably expressing δ-OR-Gi1α fusion protein, depletion of PM cholesterol was associated with the decrease in affinity of G-protein response to agonist stimulation, whereas maximum response was unchanged. Hydrophobic interior of isolated PM became more “fluid”, chaotically organized and accessible to water molecules. Validity of this conclusion was supported by the analysis of an immediate PM environment of cholesterol molecules in living δ-OR-Gi1α-HEK293 cells by fluorescent probes 22- and 25-NBD-cholesterol. The alteration of plasma membrane structure by cholesterol depletion made the membrane more hydrated. Understanding of the positive and negative feedback regulatory loops among different OR-initiated signaling cascades (µ-, δ-, and κ-OR) is crucial for understanding of the long-term mechanisms of drug addiction as the decrease in functional activity of µ-OR may be compensated by increase of δ-OR and/or κ-OR signaling.

Stabilization of functional recombinant cannabinoid receptor CB(2) in detergent micelles and lipid bilayers

Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is among the most challenging tasks for modern membrane biology. For studies by high resolution analytical methods, these integral membrane receptors have to be expressed in large quantities, solubilized from cell membranes and purified in detergent micelles, which may result in a severe destabilization and a loss of function. Here, we report insights into differential effects of detergents, lipids and cannabinoid ligands on stability of the recombinant cannabinoid receptor CB₂, and provide guidelines for preparation and handling of the fully functional receptor suitable for a wide array of downstream applications. While we previously described the expression in Escherichia coli, purification and liposome-reconstitution of multi-milligram quantities of CB₂, here we report an efficient stabilization of the recombinant receptor in micelles - crucial for functional and structural characterization. The effects of detergents, lipids and specific ligands on structural stability of CB₂ were assessed by studying activation of G proteins by the purified receptor reconstituted into liposomes. Functional structure of the ligand binding pocket of the receptor was confirmed by binding of ²H-labeled ligand measured by solid-state NMR. We demonstrate that a concerted action of an anionic cholesterol derivative, cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHS) and high affinity cannabinoid ligands CP-55,940 or SR-144,528 are required for efficient stabilization of the functional fold of CB₂ in dodecyl maltoside (DDM)/CHAPS detergent solutions. Similar to CHS, the negatively charged phospholipids with the serine headgroup (PS) exerted significant stabilizing effects in micelles while uncharged phospholipids were not effective. The purified CB₂ reconstituted into lipid bilayers retained functionality for up to several weeks enabling high resolution structural studies of this GPCR at physiologically relevant conditions.

Classifying surfactants with respect to their effect on lipid membrane order

We propose classifying surfactants with respect to their effect on membrane order, which is derived from the time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy of DPH. This may help in understanding why certain surfactants, including biosurfactants such as antimicrobial lipopeptides and saponins, often show a superior performance to permeabilize and lyse membranes and/or a better suitability for membrane protein solubilization. Micelle-forming surfactants induce curvature stress in membranes that causes disordering and, finally, lysis. Typical detergents such as C(12)EO(8), octyl glucoside, SDS, and lauryl maltoside initiate membrane lysis after reaching a substantial, apparently critical extent of disordering. In contrast, the fungicidal lipopeptides surfactin, fengycin, and iturin from Bacillus subtilis QST713 as well as digitonin, CHAPS, and lysophosphatidylcholine solubilize membranes without substantial, overall disordering. We hypothesize they disrupt the membrane locally due to a spontaneous segregation from the lipid and/or packing defects and refer to them as heterogeneously perturbing. This may account for enhanced activity, selectivity, and mutual synergism of antimicrobial biosurfactants and reduced destabilization of membrane proteins by CHAPS or digitonin. Triton shows the pattern of a segregating surfactant in the presence of cholesterol.