1
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Wimalasiri VW, Jurczak KA, Wieliniec MK, Nilaweera TD, Nakamoto RK, Cafiso DS. A disulfide chaperone knockout facilitates spin labeling and pulse EPR spectroscopy of outer membrane transporters. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4704. [PMID: 37312651 PMCID: PMC10288552 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4704] [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: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Pulse EPR measurements provide information on distances and distance distributions in proteins but require the incorporation of pairs of spin labels that are usually attached to engineered cysteine residues. In previous work, we demonstrated that efficient in vivo labeling of the Escherichia coli outer membrane vitamin B12 transporter, BtuB, could only be achieved using strains defective in the periplasmic disulfide bond formation (Dsb) system. Here, we extend these in vivo measurements to FecA, the E. coli ferric citrate transporter. As seen for BtuB, pairs of cysteines cannot be labeled when the protein is present in a standard expression strain. However, incorporating plasmids that permit an arabinose induced expression of FecA into a strain defective in the thiol disulfide oxidoreductase, DsbA, enables efficient spin-labeling and pulse EPR of FecA in cells. A comparison of the measurements made on FecA in cells with measurements made in reconstituted phospholipid bilayers suggests that the cellular environment alters the behavior of the extracellular loops of FecA. In addition to these in situ EPR measurements, the use of a DsbA minus strain for the expression of BtuB improves the EPR signals and pulse EPR data obtained in vitro from BtuB that is labeled, purified, and reconstituted into phospholipid bilayers. The in vitro data also indicate the presence of intermolecular BtuB-BtuB interactions, which had not previously been observed in a reconstituted bilayer system. This result suggests that in vitro EPR measurements on other outer membrane proteins would benefit from protein expression in a DsbA minus strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viranga W. Wimalasiri
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane BiologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Kinga A. Jurczak
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane BiologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Monika K. Wieliniec
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane BiologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Thushani D. Nilaweera
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane BiologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
- Present address:
Genetics and Biochemistry BranchNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney DiseasesBethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Robert K. Nakamoto
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological PhysicsUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - David S. Cafiso
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane BiologyUniversity of VirginiaCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
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2
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Galazzo L, Bordignon E. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in structural-dynamic studies of large protein complexes. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2023; 134-135:1-19. [PMID: 37321755 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2022.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Macromolecular protein assemblies are of fundamental importance for many processes inside the cell, as they perform complex functions and constitute central hubs where reactions occur. Generally, these assemblies undergo large conformational changes and cycle through different states that ultimately are connected to specific functions further regulated by additional small ligands or proteins. Unveiling the 3D structural details of these assemblies at atomic resolution, identifying the flexible parts of the complexes, and monitoring with high temporal resolution the dynamic interplay between different protein regions under physiological conditions is key to fully understanding their properties and to fostering biomedical applications. In the last decade, we have seen remarkable advances in cryo-electron microscopy (EM) techniques, which deeply transformed our vision of structural biology, especially in the field of macromolecular assemblies. With cryo-EM, detailed 3D models of large macromolecular complexes in different conformational states became readily available at atomic resolution. Concomitantly, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) have benefited from methodological innovations which also improved the quality of the information that can be achieved. Such enhanced sensitivity widened their applicability to macromolecular complexes in environments close to physiological conditions and opened a path towards in-cell applications. In this review we will focus on the advantages and challenges of EPR techniques with an integrative approach towards a complete understanding of macromolecular structures and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Galazzo
- Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Geneva, Quai Ernest Ansermet 30, CH-1211 Genève 4, Switzerland.
| | - Enrica Bordignon
- Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Geneva, Quai Ernest Ansermet 30, CH-1211 Genève 4, Switzerland.
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3
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Webby MN, Oluwole AO, Pedebos C, Inns PG, Olerinyova A, Prakaash D, Housden NG, Benn G, Sun D, Hoogenboom BW, Kukura P, Mohammed S, Robinson CV, Khalid S, Kleanthous C. Lipids mediate supramolecular outer membrane protein assembly in bacteria. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadc9566. [PMID: 36322653 PMCID: PMC9629720 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adc9566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
β Barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs) cluster into supramolecular assemblies that give function to the outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria. How such assemblies form is unknown. Here, through photoactivatable cross-linking into the Escherichia coli OM, coupled with simulations, and biochemical and biophysical analysis, we uncover the basis for OMP clustering in vivo. OMPs are typically surrounded by an annular shell of asymmetric lipids that mediate higher-order complexes with neighboring OMPs. OMP assemblies center on the abundant porins OmpF and OmpC, against which low-abundance monomeric β barrels, such as TonB-dependent transporters, are packed. Our study reveals OMP-lipid-OMP complexes to be the basic unit of supramolecular OMP assembly that, by extending across the entire cell surface, couples the requisite multifunctionality of the OM to its stability and impermeability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa N. Webby
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Abraham O. Oluwole
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
- The Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
| | - Conrado Pedebos
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Patrick G. Inns
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Anna Olerinyova
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
| | - Dheeraj Prakaash
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Nicholas G. Housden
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Georgina Benn
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1H 0AH, UK
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Dawei Sun
- Structural Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, USA
| | - Bart W. Hoogenboom
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, London WC1H 0AH, UK
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, WC1E 6BT London, UK
| | - Philipp Kukura
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
| | - Shabaz Mohammed
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
- Department of Chemistry, Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
- Mechanistic Proteomics, Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell Campus, Didcot OX11 OFA, UK
| | - Carol V. Robinson
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
- The Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, UK
| | - Syma Khalid
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Colin Kleanthous
- Department of Biochemistry, South Parks Road, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
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4
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Zmyslowski AM, Baxa MC, Gagnon IA, Sosnick TR. HDX-MS performed on BtuB in E. coli outer membranes delineates the luminal domain's allostery and unfolding upon B12 and TonB binding. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2119436119. [PMID: 35549554 PMCID: PMC9171809 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2119436119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To import large metabolites across the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, TonB-dependent transporters (TBDTs) undergo significant conformational change. After substrate binding in BtuB, the Escherichia coli vitamin B12 TBDT, TonB binds and couples BtuB to the inner-membrane proton motive force that powers transport [N. Noinaj, M. Guillier, T. J. Barnard, S. K. Buchanan, Annu. Rev. Microbiol. 64, 43–60 (2010)]. However, the role of TonB in rearranging the plug domain of BtuB to form a putative pore remains enigmatic. Some studies focus on force-mediated unfolding [S. J. Hickman, R. E. M. Cooper, L. Bellucci, E. Paci, D. J. Brockwell, Nat. Commun. 8, 14804 (2017)], while others propose force-independent pore formation by TonB binding [T. D. Nilaweera, D. A. Nyenhuis, D. S. Cafiso, eLife 10, e68548 (2021)], leading to breakage of a salt bridge termed the “Ionic Lock.” Our hydrogen–deuterium exchange/mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) measurements in E. coli outer membranes find that the region surrounding the Ionic Lock, far from the B12 site, is fully destabilized upon substrate binding. A comparison of the exchange between the B12-bound and the B12+TonB–bound complexes indicates that B12 binding is sufficient to unfold the Ionic Lock region, with the subsequent binding of a TonB fragment having much weaker effects. TonB binding accelerates exchange in the third substrate-binding loop, but pore formation does not obviously occur in this or any region. This study provides a detailed structural and energetic description of the early stages of B12 passage that provides support both for and against current models of the transport process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M. Zmyslowski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Michael C. Baxa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Isabelle A. Gagnon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Tobin R. Sosnick
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
- Prizker School for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
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5
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Nilaweera TD, Nyenhuis DA, Cafiso DS. Structural intermediates observed only in intact Escherichia coli indicate a mechanism for TonB-dependent transport. eLife 2021; 10:68548. [PMID: 34251336 PMCID: PMC8341980 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Outer membrane TonB-dependent transporters facilitate the uptake of trace nutrients and carbohydrates in Gram-negative bacteria and are essential for pathogenic bacteria and the health of the microbiome. Despite this, their mechanism of transport is still unknown. Here, pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements were made in intact cells on the Escherichia coli vitamin B12 transporter, BtuB. Substrate binding was found to alter the C-terminal region of the core and shift an extracellular substrate binding loop 2 nm toward the periplasm; moreover, this structural transition is regulated by an ionic lock that is broken upon binding of the inner membrane protein TonB. Significantly, this structural transition is not observed when BtuB is reconstituted into phospholipid bilayers. These measurements suggest an alternative to existing models of transport, and they demonstrate the importance of studying outer membrane proteins in their native environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thushani D Nilaweera
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States
| | - David A Nyenhuis
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States
| | - David S Cafiso
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States
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6
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Pieńko T, Czarnecki J, Równicki M, Wojciechowska M, Wierzba AJ, Gryko D, Bartosik D, Trylska J. Vitamin B 12-peptide nucleic acids use the BtuB receptor to pass through the Escherichia coli outer membrane. Biophys J 2021; 120:725-737. [PMID: 33453274 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Short modified oligonucleotides that bind in a sequence-specific way to messenger RNA essential for bacterial growth could be useful to fight bacterial infections. One such promising oligonucleotide is peptide nucleic acid (PNA), a synthetic DNA analog with a peptide-like backbone. However, the limitation precluding the use of oligonucleotides, including PNA, is that bacteria do not import them from the environment. We have shown that vitamin B12, which most bacteria need to take up for growth, delivers PNAs to Escherichia coli cells when covalently linked with PNAs. Vitamin B12 enters E. coli via a TonB-dependent transport system and is recognized by the outer-membrane vitamin B12-specific BtuB receptor. We engineered the E. coli ΔbtuB mutant and found that transport of the vitamin B12-PNA conjugate requires BtuB. Thus, the conjugate follows the same route through the outer membrane as taken by free vitamin B12. From enhanced sampling all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we determined the mechanism of conjugate permeation through BtuB. BtuB is a β-barrel occluded by its luminal domain. The potential of mean force shows that conjugate passage is unidirectional and its movement into the BtuB β-barrel is energetically favorable upon luminal domain unfolding. Inside BtuB, PNA extends making its permeation mechanically feasible. BtuB extracellular loops are actively involved in transport through an induced-fit mechanism. We prove that the vitamin B12 transport system can be hijacked to enable PNA delivery to E. coli cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Pieńko
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; Department of Drug Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy with the Laboratory Medicine Division, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Jakub Czarnecki
- Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland; Bacterial Genome Plasticity, Department of Genomes and Genetics, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Marcin Równicki
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | | | - Dorota Gryko
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Joanna Trylska
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
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7
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Madej M, White JBR, Nowakowska Z, Rawson S, Scavenius C, Enghild JJ, Bereta GP, Pothula K, Kleinekathoefer U, Baslé A, Ranson NA, Potempa J, van den Berg B. Structural and functional insights into oligopeptide acquisition by the RagAB transporter from Porphyromonas gingivalis. Nat Microbiol 2020; 5:1016-1025. [PMID: 32393857 PMCID: PMC7610489 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0716-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Porphyromonas gingivalis, an asaccharolytic member of the Bacteroidetes, is a keystone pathogen in human periodontitis that may also contribute to the development of other chronic inflammatory diseases. P. gingivalis utilizes protease-generated peptides derived from extracellular proteins for growth, but how these peptides enter the cell is not clear. Here, we identify RagAB as the outer-membrane importer for these peptides. X-ray crystal structures show that the transporter forms a dimeric RagA2B2 complex, with the RagB substrate-binding surface-anchored lipoprotein forming a closed lid on the RagA TonB-dependent transporter. Cryo-electron microscopy structures reveal the opening of the RagB lid and thus provide direct evidence for a 'pedal bin' mechanism of nutrient uptake. Together with mutagenesis, peptide-binding studies and RagAB peptidomics, our work identifies RagAB as a dynamic, selective outer-membrane oligopeptide-acquisition machine that is essential for the efficient utilization of proteinaceous nutrients by P. gingivalis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariusz Madej
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Joshua B R White
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- The Harvard Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center for Structural Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zuzanna Nowakowska
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Shaun Rawson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- The Harvard Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center for Structural Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carsten Scavenius
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) and the Department of Molecular Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jan J Enghild
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) and the Department of Molecular Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Grzegorz P Bereta
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Karunakar Pothula
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Arnaud Baslé
- Biosciences Institute, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Neil A Ranson
- Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
| | - Jan Potempa
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Louisville School of Dentistry, Louisville, KY, USA.
| | - Bert van den Berg
- Biosciences Institute, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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8
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Extracellular loops of BtuB facilitate transport of vitamin B12 through the outer membrane of E. coli. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1008024. [PMID: 32609716 PMCID: PMC7360065 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Vitamin B12 (or cobalamin) is an enzymatic cofactor essential both for mammals and bacteria. However, cobalamin can be synthesized only by few microorganisms so most bacteria need to take it up from the environment through the TonB-dependent transport system. The first stage of cobalamin import to E. coli cells occurs through the outer-membrane receptor called BtuB. Vitamin B12 binds with high affinity to the extracellular side of the BtuB protein. BtuB forms a β-barrel with inner luminal domain and extracellular loops. To mechanically allow for cobalamin passage, the luminal domain needs to partially unfold with the help of the inner-membrane TonB protein. However, the mechanism of cobalamin permeation is unknown. Using all-atom molecular dynamics, we simulated the transport of cobalamin through the BtuB receptor embedded in an asymmetric and heterogeneous E. coli outer-membrane. To enhance conformational sampling of the BtuB loops, we developed the Gaussian force-simulated annealing method (GF-SA) and coupled it with umbrella sampling. We found that cobalamin needs to rotate in order to permeate through BtuB. We showed that the mobility of BtuB extracellular loops is crucial for cobalamin binding and transport and resembles an induced-fit mechanism. Loop mobility depends not only on the position of cobalamin but also on the extension of luminal domain. We provided atomistic details of cobalamin transport through the BtuB receptor showing the essential role of the mobility of BtuB extracellular loops. A similar TonB-dependent transport system is used also by many other compounds, such as haem and siderophores, and importantly, can be hijacked by natural antibiotics. Our work could have implications for future delivery of antibiotics to bacteria using this transport system.
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9
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Nyenhuis DA, Nilaweera TD, Niblo JK, Nguyen NQ, DuBay KH, Cafiso DS. Evidence for the Supramolecular Organization of a Bacterial Outer-Membrane Protein from In Vivo Pulse Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:10715-10722. [PMID: 32452197 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c01754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
In the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, membrane proteins are thought to be organized into domains or islands that play a role in the segregation, movement, and turnover of membrane components. However, there is presently limited information on the structure of these domains or the molecular interactions that mediate domain formation. In the present work, the Escherichia coli outer membrane vitamin B12 transporter, BtuB, was spin-labeled, and double electron-electron resonance was used to measure the distances between proteins in intact cells. These data together with Monte Carlo simulations provide evidence for the presence of specific intermolecular contacts between BtuB monomers that could drive the formation of string-like oligomers. Moreover, the EPR data provide evidence for the location of the interacting interfaces and indicate that lipopolysaccharide mediates the contacts between BtuB monomers.
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10
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Sarver JL, Zhang M, Liu L, Nyenhuis D, Cafiso DS. A Dynamic Protein-Protein Coupling between the TonB-Dependent Transporter FhuA and TonB. Biochemistry 2018; 57:1045-1053. [PMID: 29338257 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b01223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial outer membrane TonB-dependent transporters function by executing cycles of binding and unbinding to the inner membrane protein TonB. In the vitamin B12 transporter BtuB and the ferric citrate transporter FecA, substrate binding increases the periplasmic exposure of the Ton box, an energy-coupling segment. This increased exposure appears to enhance the affinity of the transporter for TonB. Here, continuous wave and pulse EPR spectroscopy were used to examine the state of the Ton box in the Escherichia coli ferrichrome transporter FhuA. In its apo state, the Ton box of FhuA samples a broad range of positions and multiple conformational substates. When bound to ferrichrome, the Ton box does not extend further into the periplasm, although the structural states sampled by the FhuA Ton box are altered. When bound to a soluble fragment of TonB, the TonB-FhuA complex remains heterogeneous and dynamic, indicating that TonB does not make strong, specific contacts with either the FhuA barrel or the core region of the transporter. This result differs from that seen in the crystal structure of the TonB-FhuA complex. These data indicate that unlike BtuB and FecA, the periplasmic exposure of the Ton box in FhuA does not change significantly in the presence of substrate and that allosteric control of transporter-TonB interactions functions by a different mechanism than that seen in either BtuB or FecA. Moreover, the data indicate that models involving a rotation of TonB relative to the transporter are unlikely to underlie the mechanism that drives TonB-dependent transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Sarver
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia , McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Michael Zhang
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia , McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Lishan Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia , McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - David Nyenhuis
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia , McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - David S Cafiso
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia , McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
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11
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Lawson ADG, MacCoss M, Heer JP. Importance of Rigidity in Designing Small Molecule Drugs To Tackle Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) through Stabilization of Desired Conformers. J Med Chem 2017; 61:4283-4289. [PMID: 29140691 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b01120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Tackling PPIs, particularly by stabilizing clinically favored conformations of target proteins, with orally available, bona fide small molecules remains a significant but immensely worthwhile challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. Success may be more likely through the application of nature's learnings to build intrinsic rigidity into the design of clinical candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Malcolm MacCoss
- Bohicket Pharma Consulting LLC , 2556 Seabrook Island Road , Seabrook Island , South Carolina 29455 , United States
| | - Jag P Heer
- UCB , 216 Bath Road , Slough SL1 3WE , United Kingdom
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12
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Gonzalez-Gutierrez G, Wang Y, Cymes GD, Tajkhorshid E, Grosman C. Chasing the open-state structure of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. J Gen Physiol 2017; 149:1119-1138. [PMID: 29089419 PMCID: PMC5715906 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201711803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel family have been crystallized in different conformations, including one in which the transmembrane pore is surprisingly wide. Gonzalez-Gutierrez et al. show that the open-channel conformation of animal members is more similar to the models with narrow pores. Remarkable advances have been made toward the structural characterization of ion channels in the last two decades. However, the unambiguous assignment of well-defined functional states to the obtained structural models has proved challenging. In the case of the superfamily of nicotinic-receptor channels (also referred to as pentameric ligand-gated ion channels [pLGICs]), for example, two different types of model of the open-channel conformation have been proposed on the basis of structures solved to resolutions better than 4.0 Å. At the level of the transmembrane pore, the open-state models of the proton-gated pLGIC from Gloeobacter violaceus (GLIC) and the invertebrate glutamate-gated Cl– channel (GluCl) are very similar to each other, but that of the glycine receptor (GlyR) is considerably wider. Indeed, the mean distances between the axis of ion permeation and the Cα atoms at the narrowest constriction of the pore (position −2′) differ by ∼2 Å in these two classes of model, a large difference when it comes to understanding the physicochemical bases of ion conduction and charge selectivity. Here, we take advantage of the extreme open-channel stabilizing effect of mutations at pore-facing position 9′. We find that the I9′A mutation slows down entry into desensitization of GLIC to the extent that macroscopic currents decay only slightly by the end of pH 4.5 solution applications to the extracellular side for several minutes. We crystallize (at pH 4.5) two variants of GLIC carrying this mutation and solve their structures to resolutions of 3.12 Å and 3.36 Å. Furthermore, we perform all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of ion permeation and picrotoxinin block, using the different open-channel structural models. On the basis of these results, we favor the notion that the open-channel structure of pLGICs from animals is much closer to that of the narrow models (of GLIC and GluCl) than it is to that of the GlyR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuhang Wang
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.,Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Gisela D Cymes
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Emad Tajkhorshid
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.,Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Claudio Grosman
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL .,Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.,Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
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13
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Carrington B, Myers WK, Horanyi P, Calmiano M, Lawson ADG. Natural Conformational Sampling of Human TNFα Visualized by Double Electron-Electron Resonance. Biophys J 2017; 113:371-380. [PMID: 28746848 PMCID: PMC5529296 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 05/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Double electron-electron resonance in conjunction with site-directed spin labeling has been used to probe natural conformational sampling of the human tumor necrosis factor α trimer. We suggest a previously unreported, predeoligomerization conformation of the trimer that has been shown to be sampled at low frequency. A model of this trimeric state has been constructed based on crystal structures using the double-electron-electron-resonance distances. The model shows one of the protomers to be rotated and tilted outward at the tip end, leading to a breaking of the trimerous symmetry and distortion at a receptor-binding interface. The new structure offers opportunities to modulate the biological activity of tumor necrosis factor α through stabilization of the distorted trimer with small molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - William K Myers
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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14
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Sikora A, Joseph B, Matson M, Staley JR, Cafiso DS. Allosteric Signaling Is Bidirectional in an Outer-Membrane Transport Protein. Biophys J 2017; 111:1908-1918. [PMID: 27806272 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.09.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Revised: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In BtuB, the Escherichia coli TonB-dependent transporter for vitamin B12, substrate binding to the extracellular surface unfolds a conserved energy coupling motif termed the Ton box into the periplasm. This transmembrane signaling event facilitates an interaction between BtuB and the inner-membrane protein TonB. In this study, continuous-wave and pulse electron paramagnetic resonance in a native outer-membrane preparation demonstrate that signaling also occurs from the periplasmic to the extracellular surface in BtuB. The binding of a TonB fragment to the periplasmic interface alters the configuration of the second extracellular loop and partially dissociates a spin-labeled substrate analog. Moreover, mutants in the periplasmic Ton box that are transport-defective alter the binding site for vitamin B12 in BtuB. This work demonstrates that the Ton box and the extracellular substrate binding site are allosterically coupled in BtuB, and that TonB binding may initiate a partial round of transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Sikora
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Benesh Joseph
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Morgan Matson
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Jacob R Staley
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - David S Cafiso
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
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15
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Jeschke G. The Making and Breaking of a Substrate Trap. Biophys J 2017; 112:1-2. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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16
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TonB-dependent ligand trapping in the BtuB transporter. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:3105-3112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Revised: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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17
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Abdullin D, Hagelueken G, Schiemann O. Determination of nitroxide spin label conformations via PELDOR and X-ray crystallography. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:10428-37. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cp01307d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
PELDOR is used to unravel the position and orientation of MTSSL in six singly-labelled azurin mutants. A comparison with X-ray structures of the mutants shows good agreement with respect to the position and orientation of the nitroxide group.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Abdullin
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- University of Bonn
- 53115 Bonn
- Germany
| | - G. Hagelueken
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- University of Bonn
- 53115 Bonn
- Germany
| | - O. Schiemann
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- University of Bonn
- 53115 Bonn
- Germany
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18
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Kim SS, Upshur MA, Saotome K, Sahu ID, McCarrick RM, Feix JB, Lorigan GA, Howard KP. Cholesterol-Dependent Conformational Exchange of the C-Terminal Domain of the Influenza A M2 Protein. Biochemistry 2015; 54:7157-67. [PMID: 26569023 PMCID: PMC4734095 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.5b01065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The C-terminal amphipathic helix of the influenza A M2 protein plays a critical cholesterol-dependent role in viral budding. To provide atomic-level detail on the impact cholesterol has on the conformation of M2 protein, we spin-labeled sites right before and within the C-terminal amphipathic helix of the M2 protein. We studied the spin-labeled M2 proteins in membranes both with and without cholesterol. We used a multipronged site-directed spin-label electron paramagnetic resonance (SDSL-EPR) approach and collected data on line shapes, relaxation rates, accessibility of sites to the membrane, and distances between symmetry-related sites within the tetrameric protein. We demonstrate that the C-terminal amphipathic helix of M2 populates at least two conformations in POPC/POPG 4:1 bilayers. Furthermore, we show that the conformational state that becomes more populated in the presence of cholesterol is less dynamic, less membrane buried, and more tightly packed than the other state. Cholesterol-dependent changes in M2 could be attributed to the changes cholesterol induces in bilayer properties and/or direct binding of cholesterol to the protein. We propose a model consistent with all of our experimental data that suggests that the predominant conformation we observe in the presence of cholesterol is relevant for the understanding of viral budding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangwoo S. Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
| | - Mary Alice Upshur
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
| | - Kei Saotome
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
| | - Indra D. Sahu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056
| | - Robert M. McCarrick
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056
| | - Jimmy B. Feix
- Department of Biophysics, National Biomedical EPR Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Gary A. Lorigan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056
| | - Kathleen P. Howard
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
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19
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Altenbach C, López CJ, Hideg K, Hubbell WL. Exploring Structure, Dynamics, and Topology of Nitroxide Spin-Labeled Proteins Using Continuous-Wave Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Methods Enzymol 2015; 564:59-100. [PMID: 26477248 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2015.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Structural and dynamical characterization of proteins is of central importance in understanding the mechanisms underlying their biological functions. Site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) combined with continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance (CW EPR) spectroscopy has shown the capability of providing this information with site-specific resolution under physiological conditions for proteins of any degree of complexity, including those associated with membranes. This chapter introduces methods commonly employed for SDSL and describes selected CW EPR-based methods that can be applied to (1) map secondary and tertiary protein structure, (2) determine membrane protein topology, (3) measure protein backbone flexibility, and (4) reveal the existence of conformational exchange at equilibrium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Altenbach
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Carlos J López
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Kálmán Hideg
- Institute of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Wayne L Hubbell
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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20
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Claxton DP, Kazmier K, Mishra S, Mchaourab HS. Navigating Membrane Protein Structure, Dynamics, and Energy Landscapes Using Spin Labeling and EPR Spectroscopy. Methods Enzymol 2015; 564:349-87. [PMID: 26477257 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2015.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A detailed understanding of the functional mechanism of a protein entails the characterization of its energy landscape. Achieving this ambitious goal requires the integration of multiple approaches including determination of high-resolution crystal structures, uncovering conformational sampling under distinct biochemical conditions, characterizing the kinetics and thermodynamics of transitions between functional intermediates using spectroscopic techniques, and interpreting and harmonizing the data into novel computational models. With increasing sophistication in solution-based and ensemble-oriented biophysical approaches such as electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, atomic resolution structural information can be directly linked to conformational sampling in solution. Here, we detail how recent methodological and technological advances in EPR spectroscopy have contributed to the elucidation of membrane protein mechanisms. Furthermore, we aim to assist investigators interested in pursuing EPR studies by providing an introduction to the technique, a primer on experimental design, and a description of the practical considerations of the method toward generating high quality data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek P Claxton
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
| | - Kelli Kazmier
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Smriti Mishra
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Hassane S Mchaourab
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
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21
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Song J, Han OH, Han S. Nanometer-Scale Water- and Proton-Diffusion Heterogeneities across Water Channels in Polymer Electrolyte Membranes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201408318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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22
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Song J, Han OH, Han S. Nanometer-scale water- and proton-diffusion heterogeneities across water channels in polymer electrolyte membranes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2015; 54:3615-20. [PMID: 25630609 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201408318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2014] [Revised: 10/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Nafion, the most widely used polymer for electrolyte membranes (PEMs) in fuel cells, consists of a fluorocarbon backbone and acidic groups that, upon hydration, swell to form percolated channels through which water and ions diffuse. Although the effects of the channel structures and the acidic groups on water/ion transport have been studied before, the surface chemistry or the spatially heterogeneous diffusivity across water channels has never been shown to directly influence water/ion transport. By the use of molecular spin probes that are selectively partitioned into heterogeneous regions of the PEM and Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization relaxometry, this study reveals that both water and proton diffusivity are significantly faster near the fluorocarbon and the acidic groups lining the water channels than within the water channels. The concept that surface chemistry at the (sub)nanometer scale dictates water and proton diffusivity invokes a new design principle for PEMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsuk Song
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (USA)
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23
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Iyalomhe O, Herrick DZ, Cafiso DS, Maloney PC. Closure of the cytoplasmic gate formed by TM5 and TM11 during transport in the oxalate/formate exchanger from Oxalobacter formigenes. Biochemistry 2014; 53:7735-44. [PMID: 25409483 PMCID: PMC4270380 DOI: 10.1021/bi5012173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
![]()
OxlT, the oxalate/formate exchanger
of Oxalobacter
formigenes, is a member of the major facilitator superfamily
of transporters. In the present work, substrate (oxalate) was found
to enhance the reactivity of the cysteine mutant S336C on the cytoplasmic
end of helix 11 to methanethiosulfonate ethyl carboxylate. In addition,
S336C is found to spontaneously cross-link to S143C in TM5 in either
native or reconstituted membranes under conditions that support transport.
Continuous wave EPR measurements are consistent with this result and
indicate that positions 143 and 336 are in close proximity in the
presence of substrate. These two residues are localized within helix
interacting GxxxG-like motifs (G140LASG144 and
S336DIFG340) at the cytoplasmic poles of TM5
and TM11. Pulse EPR measurements were used to determine distances
and distance distributions across the cytoplasmic or periplasmic ends
of OxlT and were compared with the predictions of an inside-open homology
model. The data indicate that a significant population of transporter
is in an outside-open configuration in the presence of substrate;
however, each end of the transporter exhibits significant conformational
heterogeneity, where both inside-open and outside-open configurations
are present. These data indicate that TM5 and TM11, which form part
of the transport pathway, transiently close during transport and that
there is a conformational equilibrium between inside-open and outside-open
states of OxlT in the presence of substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osigbemhe Iyalomhe
- Department of Physiology, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine , 725 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
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24
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Cafiso DS. Identifying and quantitating conformational exchange in membrane proteins using site-directed spin labeling. Acc Chem Res 2014; 47:3102-9. [PMID: 25152957 PMCID: PMC4204925 DOI: 10.1021/ar500228s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Protein structures are not static but sample different conformations
over a range of amplitudes and time scales. These fluctuations may
involve relatively small changes in bond angles or quite large rearrangements
in secondary structure and tertiary fold. The equilibrium between
discrete structural substates on the microsecond to millisecond time
scale is sometimes termed conformational exchange. Protein dynamics
and conformational exchange are believed to provide the basis for
many important activities, such as protein–protein and protein–ligand
interactions, enzymatic activity and protein allostery; however, for
many proteins, the dynamics and conformational exchange that lead
to function are poorly defined. Spectroscopic methods, such
as NMR, are among the most important
methods to explore protein dynamics and conformational exchange; however,
they are difficult to implement in some systems and with some types
of exchange events. Site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) is an EPR based
approach that is particularly well-suited to high molecular-weight
systems such as membrane proteins. Because of the relatively fast
time scale for EPR spectroscopy, it is an excellent method to examine
exchange. Conformations that are in exchange are captured as distinct
populations in the EPR spectrum, and this feature when combined with
the use of methods that can shift the free energy of conformational
substates allows one to identify regions of proteins that are in dynamic
exchange. In addition, modern pulse EPR methods have the ability to
examine conformational heterogeneity, resolve discrete protein states,
and identify the substates in exchange. Protein crystallography
has provided high-resolution models for
a number of membrane proteins; but because of conformational exchange,
these models do not always reflect the structures that are present
when the protein is in a native bilayer environment. In the case of
the Escherichia coli vitamin B12 transporter,
BtuB, the energy coupling segment of this protein undergoes a substrate-dependent
unfolding, which acts to couple this outer-membrane protein to the
inner-membrane protein TonB. EPR spectroscopy demonstrates that the
energy coupling segment is in equilibrium between ordered and disordered
states, and that substrate binding shifts this equilibrium to favor
an unfolded state. However, in crystal structures of BtuB, this segment
is resolved and folded within the protein, and neither the presence
of this equilibrium nor the substrate-induced change is revealed.
This is a result of the solute environment and the crystal lattice,
both of which act to stabilize one conformational substate of the
transporter. Using SDSL, it can be shown that conformational
exchange is present
in other regions of BtuB and in other members of this transporter
family. Conformational exchange has also been examined in systems
such as the plasma membrane SNARE protein, syntaxin 1A, where dynamics
are controlled by regulatory proteins such as munc18. Regulating the
microsecond to millisecond time scale dynamics in the neuronal SNAREs
is likely to be a key feature that regulates assembly of the SNAREs
and neurotransmitter release.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S. Cafiso
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4319, United States
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25
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Kazmier K, Sharma S, Quick M, Islam SM, Roux B, Weinstein H, Javitch JA, McHaourab HS. Conformational dynamics of ligand-dependent alternating access in LeuT. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2014; 21:472-9. [PMID: 24747939 PMCID: PMC4050370 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The leucine transporter (LeuT) from Aquifex aeolicus is a bacterial homolog of neurotransmitter/sodium symporters (NSSs) that catalyze reuptake of neurotransmitters at the synapse. Crystal structures of wild-type and mutants of LeuT have been interpreted as conformational states in the coupled transport cycle. However, the mechanistic identities inferred from these structures have not been validated, and the ligand-dependent conformational equilibrium of LeuT has not been defined. Here, we used distance measurements between spin-label pairs to elucidate Na(+)- and leucine-dependent conformational changes on the intracellular and extracellular sides of the transporter. The results identify structural motifs that underlie the isomerization of LeuT between outward-facing, inward-facing and occluded states. The conformational changes reported here present a dynamic picture of the alternating-access mechanism of LeuT and NSSs that is different from the inferences reached from currently available structural models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelli Kazmier
- 1] Chemical and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. [2]
| | - Shruti Sharma
- 1] Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. [2]
| | - Matthias Quick
- 1] Center for Molecular Recognition, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA. [2] Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA. [3] New York State Psychiatric Institute, Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York, New York, USA
| | - Shahidul M Islam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Benoît Roux
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Harel Weinstein
- 1] Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA. [2] HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jonathan A Javitch
- 1] Center for Molecular Recognition, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA. [2] Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA. [3] New York State Psychiatric Institute, Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York, New York, USA. [4] Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hassane S McHaourab
- 1] Chemical and Physical Biology Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. [2] Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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26
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Liang B, Dawidowski D, Ellena JF, Tamm LK, Cafiso DS. The SNARE motif of synaptobrevin exhibits an aqueous-interfacial partitioning that is modulated by membrane curvature. Biochemistry 2014; 53:1485-94. [PMID: 24552121 PMCID: PMC3985803 DOI: 10.1021/bi401638u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The structure and interfacial association of the full-length vesicle SNARE, synaptobrevin, were compared in four different lipid environments using nuclear magnetic resonance and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. In micelles, segments of the SNARE motif are helical and associated with the interface. However, the fraction of helix and interfacial association decreases as synaptobrevin is moved from micelle to bicelle to bilayer environments, indicating that the tendency toward interfacial association is sensitive to membrane curvature. In bilayers, the SNARE motif of synaptobrevin transiently associates with the lipid interface, and regions that are helical in micelles are in conformational and environmental exchange in bicelles and bilayers. This work demonstrates that the SNARE motif of synaptobrevin has a significant propensity to form a helix and exchange with the membrane interface prior to SNARE assembly. This transient interfacial association and its sensitivity to membrane curvature are likely to play a role in SNARE recognition events that regulate membrane fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binyong Liang
- Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance Research Core, University of Virginia , P.O. Box 800741, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
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27
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Hubbell WL, López CJ, Altenbach C, Yang Z. Technological advances in site-directed spin labeling of proteins. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2013; 23:725-33. [PMID: 23850140 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2013.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 231] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Molecular flexibility over a wide time range is of central importance to the function of many proteins, both soluble and membrane. Revealing the modes of flexibility, their amplitudes, and time scales under physiological conditions is the challenge for spectroscopic methods, one of which is site-directed spin labeling EPR (SDSL-EPR). Here we provide an overview of some recent technological advances in SDSL-EPR related to investigation of structure, structural heterogeneity, and dynamics of proteins. These include new classes of spin labels, advances in measurement of long range distances and distance distributions, methods for identifying backbone and conformational fluctuations, and new strategies for determining the kinetics of protein motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wayne L Hubbell
- Jules Stein Eye Institute and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States.
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28
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Jeschke G. Conformational dynamics and distribution of nitroxide spin labels. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2013; 72:42-60. [PMID: 23731861 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2013] [Revised: 03/26/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Long-range distance measurements based on paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) in NMR, quantification of surface water dynamics near biomacromolecules by Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and sensitivity enhancement by solid-state DNP all depend on introducing paramagnetic species into an otherwise diamagnetic NMR sample. The species can be introduced by site-directed spin labeling, which offers precise control for positioning the label in the sequence of a biopolymer. However, internal flexibility of the spin label gives rise to dynamic processes that potentially influence PRE and DNP behavior and leads to a spatial distribution of the electron spin even in solid samples. Internal dynamics of spin labels and their static conformational distributions have been studied mainly by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, with a large body of results for the most widely applied methanethiosulfonate spin label MTSL. These results are critically discussed in a unifying picture based on rotameric states of the group that carries the spin label. Deficiencies in our current understanding of dynamics and conformations of spin labeled groups and of their influence on NMR observables are highlighted and directions for further research suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Jeschke
- ETH Zürich, Laboratory Physical Chemistry, Zürich, Switzerland.
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29
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Freed DM, Lukasik SM, Sikora A, Mokdad A, Cafiso DS. Monomeric TonB and the Ton box are required for the formation of a high-affinity transporter-TonB complex. Biochemistry 2013; 52:2638-48. [PMID: 23517233 DOI: 10.1021/bi3016108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The energy-dependent uptake of trace nutrients by Gram-negative bacteria involves the coupling of an outer membrane transport protein to the transperiplasmic protein TonB. In this study, a soluble construct of Escherichia coli TonB (residues 33-239) was used to determine the affinity of TonB for outer membrane transporters BtuB, FecA, and FhuA. Using fluorescence anisotropy, TonB(33-239) was found to bind with high affinity (tens of nanomolar) to both BtuB and FhuA; however, no high-affinity binding to FecA was observed. In BtuB, the high-affinity binding of TonB(33-239) was eliminated by mutations in the Ton box, which yield transport-defective protein, or by the addition of a Colicin E3 fragment, which stabilizes the Ton box in a folded state. These results indicate that transport requires a high-affinity transporter-TonB interaction that is mediated by the Ton box. Characterization of TonB(33-239) using double electron-electron resonance (DEER) demonstrates that a significant population of TonB(33-239) exists as a dimer; moreover, interspin distances are in approximate agreement with interlocked dimers observed previously by crystallography for shorter TonB fragments. When the TonB(33-239) dimer is bound to the outer membrane transporter, DEER shows that the TonB(33-239) dimer is converted to a monomeric form, suggesting that a dimer-monomer conversion takes place at the outer membrane during the TonB-dependent transport cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Freed
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4319, USA
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Cafiso DS. Taking the pulse of protein interactions by EPR spectroscopy. Biophys J 2012; 103:2047-8. [PMID: 23200037 PMCID: PMC3512033 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Accepted: 10/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
An article by Gaffney et al. in this issue establishes a method using pulse electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the location of protein substrates or binding partners with high precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Cafiso
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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Mokdad A, Herrick DZ, Kahn AK, Andrews E, Kim M, Cafiso DS. Ligand-induced structural changes in the Escherichia coli ferric citrate transporter reveal modes for regulating protein-protein interactions. J Mol Biol 2012; 423:818-30. [PMID: 22982293 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2012.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2012] [Revised: 08/30/2012] [Accepted: 09/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Outer-membrane TonB-dependent transporters, such as the Escherichia coli ferric citrate transporter FecA, interact with the inner-membrane protein TonB through an energy-coupling segment termed the Ton box. In FecA, which regulates its own transcription, the Ton box is preceded by an N-terminal extension that interacts with the inner-membrane protein FecR. Here, site-directed spin labeling was used to examine the structural basis for transcriptional signaling and Ton box regulation in FecA. EPR spectroscopy indicates that regions of the N-terminal domain are in conformational exchange, consistent with its role as a protein binding element; however, the local fold and dynamics of the domain are not altered by substrate or TonB. Distance restraints derived from pulse EPR were used to generate models for the position of the extension in the apo, substrate-, and TonB-bound states. In the apo state, this domain is positioned at the periplasmic surface of FecA, where it interacts with the Ton box and blocks access of the Ton box to the periplasm. Substrate addition rotates the transcriptional domain and exposes the Ton box, leading to a disorder transition in the Ton box that may facilitate interactions with TonB. When a soluble fragment of TonB is bound to FecA, the transcriptional domain is displaced to one edge of the barrel, consistent with a proposed β-strand exchange mechanism. However, neither substrate nor TonB displaces the N-terminus further into the periplasm. This result suggests that the intact TonB system mediates both signaling and transport by unfolding portions of the transporter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Mokdad
- Department of Chemistry and the Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4319, USA
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Flores Jiménez RH, Cafiso DS. The N-terminal domain of a TonB-dependent transporter undergoes a reversible stepwise denaturation. Biochemistry 2012; 51:3642-50. [PMID: 22497281 DOI: 10.1021/bi300118a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Gram-negative bacteria contain a family of outer membrane transport proteins that function in the uptake of rare nutrients, such as iron and vitamin B(12). These proteins are termed TonB-dependent because transport requires an interaction with the inner-membrane protein TonB. Using a combination of site-directed spin labeling and chemical denaturation, we examined the site-specific unfolding of regions of the Escherichia coli vitamin B(12) transporter, BtuB. The data indicate that a portion of the N-terminal region of the protein, which occupies the lumen of the BtuB barrel, denatures prior to the unfolding of the barrel and that the free energy of folding for the N-terminus is smaller than that typically seen for globular proteins. Moreover, the data indicate that the N-terminal domain does not unfold in a single event but unfolds in a series of independent steps. The unfolding of the N-terminus is reversible, and removal of denaturant restores the native fold of the protein. These data are consistent with proposed transport mechanisms that involve a transient rearrangement or unfolding of the N-terminus of the protein, and they provide evidence of a specific protein conformation that might be an intermediate accessed during transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo H Flores Jiménez
- Department of Chemistry, Biophysics Program, and Center for Membrane Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4319, United States
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Sarver JL, Townsend JE, Rajapakse G, Jen-Jacobson L, Saxena S. Simulating the dynamics and orientations of spin-labeled side chains in a protein-DNA complex. J Phys Chem B 2012; 116:4024-33. [PMID: 22404310 PMCID: PMC3325110 DOI: 10.1021/jp211094n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Site-directed spin labeling, wherein a nitroxide side chain is introduced into a protein at a selected mutant site, is increasingly employed to investigate biological systems by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. An understanding of the packing and dynamics of the spin label is needed to extract the biologically relevant information about the macromolecule from ESR measurements. In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed on the spin-labeled restriction endonuclease, EcoRI in complex with DNA. Mutants of this homodimeric enzyme were previously constructed, and distance measurements were performed using the double electron electron resonance experiment. These correlated distance constraints have been leveraged with MD simulations to learn about side chain packing and preferred conformers of the spin label on sites in an α-helix and a β-strand. We found three dihedral angles of the spin label side chain to be most sensitive to the secondary structure where the spin label was located. Conformers sampled by the spin label differed between secondary structures as well. C(α)-C(α) distance distributions were constructed and used to extract details about the protein backbone mobility at the two spin labeled sites. These simulation studies enhance our understanding of the behavior of spin labels in proteins and thus expand the ability of ESR spectroscopy to contribute to knowledge of protein structure and dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Sarver
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh 219 Parkman Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15260
| | - Jacqueline E. Townsend
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 4249 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15260
| | - Gayathri Rajapakse
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh 219 Parkman Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15260
| | - Linda Jen-Jacobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 4249 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15260
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh 219 Parkman Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15260
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Mutations that stabilize the open state of the Erwinia chrisanthemi ligand-gated ion channel fail to change the conformation of the pore domain in crystals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:6331-6. [PMID: 22474383 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1119268109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The determination of structural models of the various stable states of an ion channel is a key step toward the characterization of its conformational dynamics. In the case of nicotinic-type receptors, different structures have been solved but, thus far, these different models have been obtained from different members of the superfamily. In the case of the bacterial member ELIC, a cysteamine-gated channel from Erwinia chrisanthemi, a structural model of the protein in the absence of activating ligand (and thus, conceivably corresponding to the closed state of this channel) has been previously generated. In this article, electrophysiological characterization of ELIC mutants allowed us to identify pore mutations that slow down the time course of desensitization to the extent that the channel seems not to desensitize at all for the duration of the agonist applications (>20 min). Thus, it seems reasonable to conclude that the probability of ELIC occupying the closed state is much lower for the ligand-bound mutants than for the unliganded wild-type channel. To gain insight into the conformation adopted by ELIC under these conditions, we solved the crystal structures of two of these mutants in the presence of a concentration of cysteamine that elicits an intracluster open probability of >0.9. Curiously, the obtained structural models turned out to be nearly indistinguishable from the model of the wild-type channel in the absence of bound agonist. Overall, our findings bring to light the limited power of functional studies in intact membranes when it comes to inferring the functional state of a channel in a crystal, at least in the case of the nicotinic-receptor superfamily.
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McHaourab HS, Steed PR, Kazmier K. Toward the fourth dimension of membrane protein structure: insight into dynamics from spin-labeling EPR spectroscopy. Structure 2012; 19:1549-61. [PMID: 22078555 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2011.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2011] [Revised: 10/19/2011] [Accepted: 10/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Trapping membrane proteins in the confines of a crystal lattice obscures dynamic modes essential for interconversion between multiple conformations in the functional cycle. Moreover, lattice forces could conspire with detergent solubilization to stabilize a minor conformer in an ensemble thus confounding mechanistic interpretation. Spin labeling in conjunction with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy offers an exquisite window into membrane protein dynamics in the native-like environment of a lipid bilayer. Systematic application of spin labeling and EPR identifies sequence-specific secondary structures, defines their topology and their packing in the tertiary fold. Long range distance measurements (60 Å-80 Å) between pairs of spin labels enable quantitative analysis of equilibrium dynamics and triggered conformational changes. This review highlights the contribution of spin labeling to bridging structure and mechanism. Efforts to develop methods for determining structures from EPR restraints and to increase sensitivity and throughput promise to expand spin labeling applications in membrane protein structural biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassane S McHaourab
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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Schalk IJ, Mislin GLA, Brillet K. Structure, function and binding selectivity and stereoselectivity of siderophore-iron outer membrane transporters. CURRENT TOPICS IN MEMBRANES 2012; 69:37-66. [PMID: 23046646 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-394390-3.00002-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
To get access to iron, microorganisms produce and release into their environment small organic metal chelators called siderophores. In parallel, they produce siderophore-iron outer membrane transporters (also called TonB-Dependent Transporters or TBDT) embedded in the outer membrane; these proteins actively reabsorb the siderophore loaded with iron from the extracellular medium. This active uptake requires energy in the form of the proton motive force transferred from the inner membrane to the outer membrane transporter via the inner membrane TonB complex. Siderophores produced by microorganisms are structurally very diverse with molecular weights of 150 up to 2000Da. Siderophore-iron uptake from the extracellular medium by TBDTs is a highly selective and sometimes even stereoselective process, with each siderophore having a specific TBDT. Unlike the siderophores, all TBDTs have similar structures and belong to the outer membrane β-barrel protein superfamily. The way in which the siderophore-iron complex passes through the TBDT is still unclear. In some bacteria, TBDTs are also partners of signaling cascades regulating the expression of proteins involved in siderophore biosynthesis and siderophore-iron acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle J Schalk
- UMR 7242, Université de Strasbourg-CNRS, ESBS, Boulevard Sébastien Brant, Strasbourg, France.
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Freed DM, Khan AK, Horanyi PS, Cafiso DS. Molecular origin of electron paramagnetic resonance line shapes on β-barrel membrane proteins: the local solvation environment modulates spin-label configuration. Biochemistry 2011; 50:8792-803. [PMID: 21894979 DOI: 10.1021/bi200971x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In this work, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography were used to examine the origins of EPR line shapes from spin-labels at the protein-lipid interface on the β-barrel membrane protein BtuB. Two atomic-resolution structures were obtained for the methanethiosulfonate spin-label derivatized to cysteines on the membrane-facing surface of BtuB. At one of these sites, position 156, the label side chain resides in a pocket formed by neighboring residues; however, it extends from the protein surface and yields a single-component EPR spectrum in the crystal that results primarily from fast rotation about the fourth and fifth bonds linking the spin-label to the protein backbone. In lipid bilayers, site 156 yields a multicomponent spectrum resulting from different rotameric states of the labeled side chain. Moreover, changes in the lipid environment, such as variations in bilayer thickness, modulate the EPR spectrum by modulating label rotamer populations. At a second site, position 371, the labeled side chain interacts with a pocket on the protein surface, leading to a highly immobilized single-component EPR spectrum that is not sensitive to hydrocarbon thickness. This spectrum is similar to that seen at other sites that are deep in the hydrocarbon, such as position 170. This work indicates that the rotameric states of spin-labels on exposed hydrocarbon sites are sensitive to the environment at the protein-hydrocarbon interface, and that this environment may modulate weak interactions between the labeled side chain and the protein surface. In the case of BtuB, lipid acyl chain packing is not symmetric around the β-barrel, and EPR spectra from labeled hydrocarbon-facing sites in BtuB may reflect this asymmetry. In addition to facilitating the interpretation of EPR spectra of membrane proteins, these results have important implications for the use of long-range distance restraints in protein structure refinement that are obtained from spin-labels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Freed
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4319, USA
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Polyhach Y, Bordignon E, Jeschke G. Rotamer libraries of spin labelled cysteines for protein studies. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2010; 13:2356-66. [PMID: 21116569 DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01865a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 348] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Studies of structure and dynamics of proteins using site-directed spin labelling rely on explicit modelling of spin label conformations. The large computational effort associated with such modelling with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be avoided by a rotamer library approach based on a coarse-grained representation of the conformational space of the spin label. We show here that libraries of about 200 rotamers, obtained by iterative projection of a long MD trajectory of the free spin label onto a set of canonical dihedral angles, provide a representation of the underlying trajectory adequate for EPR distance measurements. Rotamer analysis was performed on selected X-ray structures of spin labelled T4 lysozyme mutants to characterize the spin label rotamer ensemble on a single protein site. Furthermore, predictions based on the rotamer library approach are shown to be in nearly quantitative agreement with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) distance data on the Na(+)/H(+) antiporter NhaA and on the light-harvesting complex LHCII whose structures are known from independent cryo electron microscopy and X-ray studies, respectively. Suggestions for the selection of labelling sites in proteins are given, limitations of the approach discussed, and requirements for further development are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yevhen Polyhach
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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