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MacKenzie DWS, Schaefer A, Steckner J, Leo CA, Naser D, Artikis E, Broom A, Ko T, Shah P, Ney MQ, Tran E, Smith MTJ, Fuglestad B, Wand AJ, Brooks CL, Meiering EM. A fine balance of hydrophobic-electrostatic communication pathways in a pH-switching protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2119686119. [PMID: 35737838 PMCID: PMC9245636 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2119686119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Allostery is the phenomenon of coupling between distal binding sites in a protein. Such coupling is at the crux of protein function and regulation in a myriad of scenarios, yet determining the molecular mechanisms of coupling networks in proteins remains a major challenge. Here, we report mechanisms governing pH-dependent myristoyl switching in monomeric hisactophilin, whereby the myristoyl moves between a sequestered state, i.e., buried within the core of the protein, to an accessible state, in which the myristoyl has increased accessibility for membrane binding. Measurements of the pH and temperature dependence of amide chemical shifts reveal protein local structural stability and conformational heterogeneity that accompany switching. An analysis of these measurements using a thermodynamic cycle framework shows that myristoyl-proton coupling at the single-residue level exists in a fine balance and extends throughout the protein. Strikingly, small changes in the stereochemistry or size of core and surface hydrophobic residues by point mutations readily break, restore, or tune myristoyl switch energetics. Synthesizing the experimental results with those of molecular dynamics simulations illuminates atomistic details of coupling throughout the protein, featuring a large network of hydrophobic interactions that work in concert with key electrostatic interactions. The simulations were critical for discerning which of the many ionizable residues in hisactophilin are important for switching and identifying the contributions of nonnative interactions in switching. The strategy of using temperature-dependent NMR presented here offers a powerful, widely applicable way to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of allostery in proteins at high resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Schaefer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Julia Steckner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Christopher A. Leo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Dalia Naser
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Efrosini Artikis
- Department of Chemistry and Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Aron Broom
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Travis Ko
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Purnank Shah
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Mikaela Q. Ney
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Elisa Tran
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Martin T. J. Smith
- Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Brian Fuglestad
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - A. Joshua Wand
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Charles L. Brooks
- Department of Chemistry and Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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Bhate SH, Udgaonkar JB, Das R. Destabilization of polar interactions in the prion protein triggers misfolding and oligomerization. Protein Sci 2021; 30:2258-2271. [PMID: 34558139 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The prion protein (PrP) misfolds and oligomerizes at pH 4 in the presence of physiological salt concentrations. Low pH and salt cause structural perturbations in the monomeric prion protein that lead to misfolding and oligomerization. However, the changes in stability within different regions of the PrP prior to oligomerization are poorly understood. In this study, we have characterized the local stability in PrP at high resolution using amide temperature coefficients (TC ) measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The local stability of PrP was investigated under native as well as oligomerizing conditions. We have also studied the rapidly oligomerizing PrP variant (Q216R) and the protective PrP variant (A6). We report that at low pH, salt destabilizes PrP at several polar residues, and the hydrogen bonds in helices α2 and α3 are weakened. In addition, salt changes the curvature of the α3 helix, which likely disrupts α2-α3 contacts and leads to oligomerization. These results are corroborated by the TC values of rapidly oligomerizing Q216R-PrP. The poly-alanine substitution in A6-PrP stabilizes α2, which prevents oligomerization. Altogether, these results highlight the importance of native polar interactions in determining the stability of PrP and reveal the structural disruptions in PrP that lead to misfolding and oligomerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suhas H Bhate
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore, India
| | - Jayant B Udgaonkar
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore, India.,Indian Institute for Science Education and Research, Pune, India
| | - Ranabir Das
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bangalore, India
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Chatterjee KS, Das R. An "up" oriented methionine-aromatic structural motif in SUMO is critical for its stability and activity. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:100970. [PMID: 34274315 PMCID: PMC8353491 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein structural bioinformatic analyses suggest preferential associations between methionine and aromatic amino acid residues in proteins. Ab initio energy calculations highlight a conformation-dependent stabilizing interaction between the interacting sulfur-aromatic molecular pair. However, the relevance of buried methionine-aromatic motifs to protein folding and function is relatively unexplored. The Small Ubiquitin-Like Modifier (SUMO) is a β-grasp fold protein and a common posttranslational modifier that affects diverse cellular processes, including transcriptional regulation, chromatin remodeling, metabolic regulation, mitosis, and meiosis. SUMO is a member of the Ubiquitin-Like (UBL) protein family. Herein, we report that a highly conserved and buried methionine-phenylalanine motif is a unique signature of SUMO proteins but absent in other homologous UBL proteins. We also detect that a specific "up" conformation between the methionine-phenylalanine pair of interacting residues in SUMO is critical to its β-grasp fold. The noncovalent interactions of SUMO with its ligands are dependent on the methionine-phenylalanine pair. MD simulations, NMR, and biophysical and biochemical studies suggest that perturbation of the methionine-aromatic motif disrupts native contacts, modulates noncovalent interactions, and attenuates SUMOylation activity. Our results highlight the importance of conserved orientations of Met-aromatic structural motifs inside a protein core for its structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Sankar Chatterjee
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, India
| | - Ranabir Das
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, India.
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