1
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Guo HB, Huntington B, Perminov A, Smith K, Hastings N, Dennis P, Kelley-Loughnane N, Berry R. AlphaFold2 modeling and molecular dynamics simulations of an intrinsically disordered protein. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301866. [PMID: 38739602 PMCID: PMC11090348 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
We use AlphaFold2 (AF2) to model the monomer and dimer structures of an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP), Nvjp-1, assisted by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We observe relatively rigid dimeric structures of Nvjp-1 when compared with the monomer structures. We suggest that protein conformations from multiple AF2 models and those from MD trajectories exhibit a coherent trend: the conformations of an IDP are deviated from each other and the conformations of a well-folded protein are consistent with each other. We use a residue-residue interaction network (RIN) derived from the contact map which show that the residue-residue interactions in Nvjp-1 are mainly transient; however, those in a well-folded protein are mainly persistent. Despite the variation in 3D shapes, we show that the AF2 models of both disordered and ordered proteins exhibit highly consistent profiles of the pLDDT (predicted local distance difference test) scores. These results indicate a potential protocol to justify the IDPs based on multiple AF2 models and MD simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Bo Guo
- Material and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, Mason, OH, United States of America
- UES Inc., Dayton, OH, United States of America
| | - Baxter Huntington
- Material and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, Mason, OH, United States of America
- Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States of America
| | - Alexander Perminov
- Material and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, Mason, OH, United States of America
- Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States of America
| | - Kenya Smith
- United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America
| | - Nicholas Hastings
- United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America
| | - Patrick Dennis
- Material and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, Mason, OH, United States of America
| | - Nancy Kelley-Loughnane
- Material and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, Mason, OH, United States of America
| | - Rajiv Berry
- Material and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, WPAFB, Mason, OH, United States of America
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2
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Gupta MN, Uversky VN. Protein structure-function continuum model: Emerging nexuses between specificity, evolution, and structure. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e4968. [PMID: 38532700 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
The rationale for replacing the old binary of structure-function with the trinity of structure, disorder, and function has gained considerable ground in recent years. A continuum model based on the expanded form of the existing paradigm can now subsume importance of both conformational flexibility and intrinsic disorder in protein function. The disorder is actually critical for understanding the protein-protein interactions in many regulatory processes, formation of membrane-less organelles, and our revised notions of specificity as amply illustrated by moonlighting proteins. While its importance in formation of amyloids and function of prions is often discussed, the roles of intrinsic disorder in infectious diseases and protein function under extreme conditions are also becoming clear. This review is an attempt to discuss how our current understanding of protein function, specificity, and evolution fit better with the continuum model. This integration of structure and disorder under a single model may bring greater clarity in our continuing quest for understanding proteins and molecular mechanisms of their functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Munishwar Nath Gupta
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
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3
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Udupa A, Kotha SR, Staller MV. Commonly asked questions about transcriptional activation domains. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 84:102732. [PMID: 38056064 PMCID: PMC11193542 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic transcription factors activate gene expression with their DNA-binding domains and activation domains. DNA-binding domains bind the genome by recognizing structurally related DNA sequences; they are structured, conserved, and predictable from protein sequences. Activation domains recruit chromatin modifiers, coactivator complexes, or basal transcriptional machinery via structurally diverse protein-protein interactions. Activation domains and DNA-binding domains have been called independent, modular units, but there are many departures from modularity, including interactions between these regions and overlap in function. Compared to DNA-binding domains, activation domains are poorly understood because they are poorly conserved, intrinsically disordered, and difficult to predict from protein sequences. This review, organized around commonly asked questions, describes recent progress that the field has made in understanding the sequence features that control activation domains and predicting them from sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Udupa
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, USA
| | - Sanjana R Kotha
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, USA; Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, USA
| | - Max V Staller
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, USA; Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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4
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Sethi V, Cohen-Gerassi D, Meir S, Ney M, Shmidov Y, Koren G, Adler-Abramovich L, Chilkoti A, Beck R. Modulating hierarchical self-assembly in thermoresponsive intrinsically disordered proteins through high-temperature incubation time. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21688. [PMID: 38066072 PMCID: PMC10709347 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48483-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The cornerstone of structural biology is the unique relationship between protein sequence and the 3D structure at equilibrium. Although intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) do not fold into a specific 3D structure, breaking this paradigm, some IDPs exhibit large-scale organization, such as liquid-liquid phase separation. In such cases, the structural plasticity has the potential to form numerous self-assembled structures out of thermal equilibrium. Here, we report that high-temperature incubation time is a defining parameter for micro and nanoscale self-assembly of resilin-like IDPs. Interestingly, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy micrographs reveal that an extended incubation time leads to the formation of micron-size rods and ellipsoids that depend on the amino acid sequence. More surprisingly, a prolonged incubation time also induces amino acid composition-dependent formation of short-range nanoscale order, such as periodic lamellar nanostructures. We, therefore, suggest that regulating the period of high-temperature incubation, in the one-phase regime, can serve as a unique method of controlling the hierarchical self-assembly mechanism of structurally disordered proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaishali Sethi
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dana Cohen-Gerassi
- The Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sagi Meir
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Max Ney
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Yulia Shmidov
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Gil Koren
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lihi Adler-Abramovich
- The Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Oral Biology, The Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ashutosh Chilkoti
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Roy Beck
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- The Center for Physics and Chemistry of Living Systems, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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5
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Schäffler M, Samantray S, Strodel B. Transition Networks Unveil Disorder-to-Order Transformations in A β Caused by Glycosaminoglycans or Lipids. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11238. [PMID: 37510997 PMCID: PMC10380057 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides, particularly of Aβ1-42, has been linked to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we focus on the conformational change of Aβ1-42 in the presence of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) lipids using molecular dynamics simulations. We analyze the conformational changes that occur in Aβ by extracting the key structural features that are then used to generate transition networks. Using the same three features per network highlights the transitions from intrinsically disordered states ubiquitous in Aβ1-42 in solution to more compact states arising from stable β-hairpin formation when Aβ1-42 is in the vicinity of a GAG molecule, and even more compact states characterized by a α-helix or β-sheet structures when Aβ1-42 interacts with a POPC lipid cluster. We show that the molecular mechanisms underlying these transitions from disorder to order are different for the Aβ1-42/GAG and Aβ1-42/POPC systems. While in the latter the hydrophobicity provided by the lipid tails facilitates the folding of Aβ1-42, in the case of GAG there are hardly any intermolecular Aβ1-42-GAG interactions. Instead, GAG removes sodium ions from the peptide, allowing stronger electrostatic interactions within the peptide that stabilize a β-hairpin. Our results contribute to the growing knowledge of the role of GAGs and lipids in the conformational preferences of the Aβ peptide, which in turn influences its aggregation into toxic oligomers and amyloid fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Schäffler
- Institute of Biological Information Processing, Structural Biochemistry (IBI-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Suman Samantray
- Institute of Biological Information Processing, Structural Biochemistry (IBI-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Birgit Strodel
- Institute of Biological Information Processing, Structural Biochemistry (IBI-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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6
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Kulkarni P, Brocca S, Dunker AK, Longhi S. Per Aspera ad Chaos: Vladimir Uversky's Odyssey through the Strange World of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1015. [PMID: 37371595 DOI: 10.3390/biom13061015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Until the late 1990s, we believed that protein function required a unique, well-defined 3D structure encrypted in the amino acid sequence [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash Kulkarni
- Department of Medical Oncology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Stefania Brocca
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milan-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - A Keith Dunker
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Sonia Longhi
- Architecture and Function of Biological Macromolecules (AFMB), UMR 7257, Aix Marseille University and CNRS, 13288 Marseille, France
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7
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Zanetti-Polzi L, Daidone I, Iacobucci C, Amadei A. Thermodynamic Evolution of a Metamorphic Protein: A Theoretical-Computational Study of Human Lymphotactin. Protein J 2023:10.1007/s10930-023-10123-7. [PMID: 37233895 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-023-10123-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Metamorphic, or fold-switching, proteins feature different folds that are physiologically relevant. The human chemokine XCL1 (or Lymphotactin) is a metamorphic protein that features two native states, an [Formula: see text] and an all[Formula: see text] fold, which have similar stability at physiological condition. Here, extended molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, principal component analysis of atomic fluctuations and thermodynamic modeling based on both the configurational volume and free energy landscape, are used to obtain a detailed characterization of the conformational thermodynamics of human Lymphotactin and of one of its ancestors (as was previously obtained by genetic reconstruction). Comparison of our computational results with the available experimental data show that the MD-based thermodynamics can explain the experimentally observed variation of the conformational equilibrium between the two proteins. In particular, our computational data provide an interpretation of the thermodynamic evolution in this protein, revealing the relevance of the configurational entropy and of the shape of the free energy landscape within the essential space (i.e., the space defined by the generalized internal coordinates providing the largest, typically non-Gaussian, structural fluctuations).
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Zanetti-Polzi
- Center S3, CNR-Institute of Nanoscience, Via Campi 213/A, 100190, Modena, Italy
| | - Isabella Daidone
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio (Coppito 1), 67010, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Claudio Iacobucci
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio (Coppito 1), 67010, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Andrea Amadei
- Department of Chemical Science and Technology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via Della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00185, Rome, Italy.
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8
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Illuminating Intrinsically Disordered Proteins with Integrative Structural Biology. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13010124. [PMID: 36671509 PMCID: PMC9856150 DOI: 10.3390/biom13010124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Intense study of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) did not begin in earnest until the late 1990s when a few groups, working independently, convinced the community that these 'weird' proteins could have important functions. Over the past two decades, it has become clear that IDPs play critical roles in a multitude of biological phenomena with prominent examples including coordination in signaling hubs, enabling gene regulation, and regulating ion channels, just to name a few. One contributing factor that delayed appreciation of IDP functional significance is the experimental difficulty in characterizing their dynamic conformations. The combined application of multiple methods, termed integrative structural biology, has emerged as an essential approach to understanding IDP phenomena. Here, we review some of the recent applications of the integrative structural biology philosophy to study IDPs.
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9
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Frixione E, Ruiz-Zamarripa L. Proteins turn "Proteans" - The over 40-year delayed paradigm shift in structural biology: From "native proteins in uniquely defined configurations" to "intrinsically disordered proteins". Biomol Concepts 2023; 14:bmc-2022-0030. [PMID: 37326425 DOI: 10.1515/bmc-2022-0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The current millennium brought up a revolutionary paradigm shift in molecular biology: many operative proteins, rather than being quasi-rigid polypeptide chains folded into unique configurations - as believed throughout most of the past century - are now known to be intrinsically disordered, dynamic, pleomorphic, and multifunctional structures with stochastic behaviors. Yet, part of this knowledge, including suggestions about possible mechanisms and plenty of evidence for the same, became available by the 1950s and 1960s to remain then nearly forgotten for over 40 years. Here, we review the main steps toward the classic notions about protein structures, as well as the neglected precedents of present views, discuss possible explanations for such long oblivion, and offer a sketch of the current panorama in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Frixione
- Department of Cell Biology, Center for Research and Advanced Studies IPN (Cinvestav), Mexico City 07360, Mexico
| | - Lourdes Ruiz-Zamarripa
- Department of Cell Biology, Center for Research and Advanced Studies IPN (Cinvestav), Mexico City 07360, Mexico
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10
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Brender JR, Ramamoorthy A, Gursky O, Bhunia A. Intrinsic disorder and structural biology: Searching where the light isn't. Biophys Chem 2023; 292:106912. [PMID: 36335754 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2022.106912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey R Brender
- Radiation Biology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy
- Biophysics, Department of Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, and Macromolecular Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055, USA
| | - Olga Gursky
- Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, W302, 700 Albany St, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Anirban Bhunia
- Biomolecular NMR and Drug Design Laboratory, Department of Biophysics, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VII (M), Kolkata 700054, India
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11
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Biological soft matter: intrinsically disordered proteins in liquid-liquid phase separation and biomolecular condensates. Essays Biochem 2022; 66:831-847. [PMID: 36350034 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20220052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The facts that many proteins with crucial biological functions do not have unique structures and that many biological processes are compartmentalized into the liquid-like biomolecular condensates, which are formed via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and are not surrounded by the membrane, are revolutionizing the modern biology. These phenomena are interlinked, as the presence of intrinsic disorder represents an important requirement for a protein to undergo LLPS that drives biogenesis of numerous membrane-less organelles (MLOs). Therefore, one can consider these phenomena as crucial constituents of a new IDP-LLPS-MLO field. Furthermore, intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), LLPS, and MLOs represent a clear link between molecular and cellular biology and soft matter and condensed soft matter physics. Both IDP and LLPS/MLO fields are undergoing explosive development and generate the ever-increasing mountain of crucial data. These new data provide answers to so many long-standing questions that it is difficult to imagine that in the very recent past, protein scientists and cellular biologists operated without taking these revolutionary concepts into account. The goal of this essay is not to deliver a comprehensive review of the IDP-LLPS-MLO field but to provide a brief and rather subjective outline of some of the recent developments in these exciting fields.
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12
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Schäffler M, Khaled M, Strodel B. ATRANET – Automated generation of transition networks for the structural characterization of intrinsically disordered proteins. Methods 2022; 206:18-26. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2022.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022] Open
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13
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Piersimoni L, Abd El Malek M, Bhatia T, Bender J, Brankatschk C, Calvo Sánchez J, Dayhoff GW, Di Ianni A, Figueroa Parra JO, Garcia-Martinez D, Hesselbarth J, Köppen J, Lauth LM, Lippik L, Machner L, Sachan S, Schmidt L, Selle R, Skalidis I, Sorokin O, Ubbiali D, Voigt B, Wedler A, Wei AAJ, Zorn P, Dunker AK, Köhn M, Sinz A, Uversky VN. Lighting up Nobel Prize-winning studies with protein intrinsic disorder. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:449. [PMID: 35882686 PMCID: PMC11072364 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04468-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins and regions (IDPs and IDRs) and their importance in biology are becoming increasingly recognized in biology, biochemistry, molecular biology and chemistry textbooks, as well as in current protein science and structural biology curricula. We argue that the sequence → dynamic conformational ensemble → function principle is of equal importance as the classical sequence → structure → function paradigm. To highlight this point, we describe the IDPs and/or IDRs behind the discoveries associated with 17 Nobel Prizes, 11 in Physiology or Medicine and 6 in Chemistry. The Nobel Laureates themselves did not always mention that the proteins underlying the phenomena investigated in their award-winning studies are in fact IDPs or contain IDRs. In several cases, IDP- or IDR-based molecular functions have been elucidated, while in other instances, it is recognized that the respective protein(s) contain IDRs, but the specific IDR-based molecular functions have yet to be determined. To highlight the importance of IDPs and IDRs as general principle in biology, we present here illustrative examples of IDPs/IDRs in Nobel Prize-winning mechanisms and processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lolita Piersimoni
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Marina Abd El Malek
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Twinkle Bhatia
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Julian Bender
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Christin Brankatschk
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jaime Calvo Sánchez
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Guy W Dayhoff
- Department of Chemistry, College of Art and Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA
| | - Alessio Di Ianni
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | | | - Dailen Garcia-Martinez
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Julia Hesselbarth
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Janett Köppen
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Luca M Lauth
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Laurin Lippik
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Lisa Machner
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Shubhra Sachan
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Lisa Schmidt
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Robin Selle
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Ioannis Skalidis
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Oleksandr Sorokin
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Daniele Ubbiali
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Bruno Voigt
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Alice Wedler
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Alan An Jung Wei
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Peter Zorn
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Alan Keith Dunker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Marcel Köhn
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.
| | - Andrea Sinz
- Research Training Group RTG2467, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine, USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
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14
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Konkankit C, Rackovsky S. The dynamic basis of structural order in proteins. Proteins 2022; 90:1115-1118. [PMID: 34981860 PMCID: PMC9007817 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
We compare the sequences of folded and intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), using bioinformatic methods recently developed to study protein dynamic properties. We demonstrate that the two classes of sequences are organized in diametrically opposite ways with respect to long-length-scale dynamic properties. We further demonstrate a statistically significant difference between the amino acid compositions of folded and disordered proteins, which is expressed in dynamic properties. Our results indicate that the long-length-scale properties of sequences are critical in determining whether proteins are able to fold, and, more generally, that they are central to an understanding of protein physics. They further provide a physical basis for the empirically observed differences in amino acid composition between folded and IDPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chilaluck Konkankit
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - S Rackovsky
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
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15
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Effect of Trehalose and Ceftriaxone on the Stability of Aggregating-Prone Tau Peptide Containing PHF6* Sequence: An SRCD Study. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23062932. [PMID: 35328353 PMCID: PMC8951053 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23062932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The tau protein, a soluble protein associated with microtubules, which is involved in the assembly and stabilization of cytoskeletal elements, was found to form neurofibrillary tangles in different neurodegenerative diseases. Insoluble tau aggregates were observed to be organized in paired helical filaments (PHFs) and straight filaments (SFs). Recently, two small sequences (306–311 and 275–280) in the microtubule-binding region (MTBR), named PHF6 and PHF6*, respectively, were found to be essential for tau aggregation. Since a possible therapeutic approach consists of impairing amyloid formation either by stabilizing the native proteins or reducing the level of amyloid precursors, here we use synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) at Diamond B23 beamline to evaluate the inhibitory effects of two small molecules, trehalose and ceftriaxone, against the aggregation of a small peptide containing the PHF6* sequence. Our results indicate that both these molecules, ceftriaxone and trehalose, increased the stability of the peptide toward aggregation, in particular that induced by heparin. With trehalose being present in many fruits, vegetables, algae and processed foods, these results support the need to investigate whether a diet richer in trehalose might exert a protective effect toward pathologies linked to protein misfolding.
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16
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Interactions of intrinsically disordered proteins with the unconventional chaperone human serum albumin: From mechanisms of amyloid inhibition to therapeutic opportunities. Biophys Chem 2022; 282:106743. [PMID: 35093643 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2021.106743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Human Serum Albumin (HSA), the most abundant protein in plasma, serves a diverse repertoire of biological functions including regulation of oncotic pressure and redox potential, transport of serum solutes, but also chaperoning of misfolded proteins. Here we review how HSA interacts with a wide spectrum of client proteins including intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) such as Aβ, the islet amyloid peptide (IAPP), alpha synuclein and stressed globular proteins such as insulin. The comparative analysis of the HSA chaperone - client interactions reveals that the amyloid-inhibitory function of HSA arises from at least four emerging mechanisms. Two mechanisms (the monomer stabilizer model and the monomer competitor model) involve the direct binding of HSA to either IDP monomers or oligomers, while other mechanisms (metal chelation and membrane protection) rely on the indirect modulation by HSA of other factors that drive IDP aggregation. While HSA is not the only extracellular chaperone, given its abundance, HSA is likely to account for a significant fraction of the chaperoning effects in plasma, thus opening new therapeutic opportunities in the context of the peripheral sink hypothesis.
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17
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Kulkarni P, Leite VBP, Roy S, Bhattacharyya S, Mohanty A, Achuthan S, Singh D, Appadurai R, Rangarajan G, Weninger K, Orban J, Srivastava A, Jolly MK, Onuchic JN, Uversky VN, Salgia R. Intrinsically disordered proteins: Ensembles at the limits of Anfinsen's dogma. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2022; 3:011306. [PMID: 38505224 PMCID: PMC10903413 DOI: 10.1063/5.0080512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are proteins that lack rigid 3D structure. Hence, they are often misconceived to present a challenge to Anfinsen's dogma. However, IDPs exist as ensembles that sample a quasi-continuum of rapidly interconverting conformations and, as such, may represent proteins at the extreme limit of the Anfinsen postulate. IDPs play important biological roles and are key components of the cellular protein interaction network (PIN). Many IDPs can interconvert between disordered and ordered states as they bind to appropriate partners. Conformational dynamics of IDPs contribute to conformational noise in the cell. Thus, the dysregulation of IDPs contributes to increased noise and "promiscuous" interactions. This leads to PIN rewiring to output an appropriate response underscoring the critical role of IDPs in cellular decision making. Nonetheless, IDPs are not easily tractable experimentally. Furthermore, in the absence of a reference conformation, discerning the energy landscape representation of the weakly funneled IDPs in terms of reaction coordinates is challenging. To understand conformational dynamics in real time and decipher how IDPs recognize multiple binding partners with high specificity, several sophisticated knowledge-based and physics-based in silico sampling techniques have been developed. Here, using specific examples, we highlight recent advances in energy landscape visualization and molecular dynamics simulations to discern conformational dynamics and discuss how the conformational preferences of IDPs modulate their function, especially in phenotypic switching. Finally, we discuss recent progress in identifying small molecules targeting IDPs underscoring the potential therapeutic value of IDPs. Understanding structure and function of IDPs can not only provide new insight on cellular decision making but may also help to refine and extend Anfinsen's structure/function paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash Kulkarni
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California 91010, USA
| | - Vitor B. P. Leite
- Departamento de Física, Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Susmita Roy
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, West Bengal 741246, India
| | - Supriyo Bhattacharyya
- Translational Bioinformatics, Center for Informatics, Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California 91010, USA
| | - Atish Mohanty
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California 91010, USA
| | - Srisairam Achuthan
- Center for Informatics, Division of Research Informatics, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California 91010, USA
| | - Divyoj Singh
- Center for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Rajeswari Appadurai
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Govindan Rangarajan
- Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Keith Weninger
- Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA
| | | | - Anand Srivastava
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Mohit Kumar Jolly
- Center for BioSystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Jose N. Onuchic
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005-1892, USA
| | | | - Ravi Salgia
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, California 91010, USA
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18
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Shukla S, Agarwal P, Kumar A. Disordered regions tune order in chromatin organization and function. Biophys Chem 2022; 281:106716. [PMID: 34844028 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2021.106716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins or hybrid proteins with ordered domains and disordered regions (both collectively designated as IDP(R)s) defy the well-established structure-function paradigm due to their ability to perform multiple biological functions even in the absence of a well-defined 3D structure. IDP(R)s have a unique ability to exist as a functional heterogeneous ensemble, where they adopt multiple thermodynamically stable conformations with low energy barriers between states. The resultant structural plasticity or conformational adaptability provides them with a high functional diversity and ease of regulation. Hence, IDP(R)s are highly efficient biological machinery to mediate intricate cellular functions such as signaling, gene expression, and assembly of complex structures. One such structure is the nucleoprotein complex known as Chromatin. Interestingly, the proteins involved in shaping up the structure and function of chromatin are abundant in disordered regions, which serve more than just as mere flexible linkers. The disordered regions are involved in crucial processes such as gene expression regulation, chromatin architecture maintenance, and liquid-liquid phase separation initiation. This review is an attempt to explore the advantages and the functional and regulatory roles of intrinsic disorder in several Chromatin Associated Proteins from a mechanistic standpoint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivangi Shukla
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India
| | - Prakhar Agarwal
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India
| | - Ashutosh Kumar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, India.
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