1
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Cross JA, Dawson WM, Shukla SR, Weijman JF, Mantell J, Dodding MP, Woolfson DN. A de novo designed coiled coil-based switch regulates the microtubule motor kinesin-1. Nat Chem Biol 2024:10.1038/s41589-024-01640-2. [PMID: 38849529 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-024-01640-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Many enzymes are allosterically regulated via conformational change; however, our ability to manipulate these structural changes and control function is limited. Here we install a conformational switch for allosteric activation into the kinesin-1 microtubule motor in vitro and in cells. Kinesin-1 is a heterotetramer that accesses open active and closed autoinhibited states. The equilibrium between these states centers on a flexible elbow within a complex coiled-coil architecture. We target the elbow to engineer a closed state that can be opened with a de novo designed peptide. The alternative states are modeled computationally and confirmed by biophysical measurements and electron microscopy. In cells, peptide-driven activation increases kinesin transport, demonstrating a primary role for conformational switching in regulating motor activity. The designs are enabled by our understanding of ubiquitous coiled-coil structures, opening possibilities for controlling other protein activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Cross
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
| | | | - Shivam R Shukla
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | - Judith Mantell
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Mark P Dodding
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
- Bristol BioDesign Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
| | - Derek N Woolfson
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
- Bristol BioDesign Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
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2
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Yin B, Wang R, Guo Y, Li L, Hu X. Injectable Thermo-Responsive Peptide Hydrogels and Its Enzyme Triggered Dynamic Self-Assembly. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:1221. [PMID: 38732690 PMCID: PMC11085460 DOI: 10.3390/polym16091221] [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: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Endogenous stimuli-responsive injectable hydrogels hold significant promise for practical applications due to their spatio-temporal controllable drug delivery. Herein, we report a facile strategy to construct a series of in situ formation polypeptide hydrogels with thermal responsiveness and enzyme-triggered dynamic self-assembly. The thermo-responsive hydrogels are from the diblock random copolymer mPEG-b-P(Glu-co-Tyr). The L-glutamic acid (Glu) segments with different γ-alkyl groups, including methyl, ethyl, and n-butyl, offer specific secondary structure, facilitating the formation of hydrogel. The L-tyrosine (Tyr) residues not only provide hydrogen-bond interactions and thus adjust the sol-gel transition temperatures, but also endow polypeptide enzyme-responsive properties. The PTyr segments could be phosphorylated, and the phosphotyrosine copolymers were amphiphilies, which could readily self-assemble into spherical aggregates and transform into sheet-like structures upon dephosphorylation by alkaline phosphatase (ALP). P(MGlu-co-Tyr/P) and P(MGlu-co-Tyr) copolymers showed good compatibility with both MC3T3-E1 and Hela cells, with cell viability above 80% at concentrations up to 1000 μg/mL. The prepared injectable polypeptide hydrogel and its enzyme-triggered self-assemblies show particular potential for biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Xiuli Hu
- Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China; (B.Y.); (R.W.); (Y.G.); (L.L.)
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3
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Pham TL, Thomas F. Design of Functional Globular β-Sheet Miniproteins. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202300745. [PMID: 38275210 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300745] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The design of discrete β-sheet peptides is far less advanced than e. g. the design of α-helical peptides. The reputation of β-sheet peptides as being poorly soluble and aggregation-prone often hinders active design efforts. Here, we show that this reputation is unfounded. We demonstrate this by looking at the β-hairpin and WW domain. Their structure and folding have been extensively studied and they have long served as model systems to investigate protein folding and folding kinetics. The resulting fundamental understanding has led to the development of hyperstable β-sheet scaffolds that fold at temperatures of 100 °C or high concentrations of denaturants. These have been used to design functional miniproteins with protein or nucleic acid binding properties, in some cases with such success that medical applications are conceivable. The β-sheet scaffolds are not always completely rigid, but can be specifically designed to respond to changes in pH, redox potential or presence of metal ions. Some engineered β-sheet peptides also exhibit catalytic properties, although not comparable to those of natural proteins. Previous reviews have focused on the design of stably folded and non-aggregating β-sheet sequences. In our review, we now also address design strategies to obtain functional miniproteins from β-sheet folding motifs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Truc Lam Pham
- Truc Lam Pham, Prof. Dr. Franziska Thomas, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 270, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Franziska Thomas
- Truc Lam Pham, Prof. Dr. Franziska Thomas, Institute of Organic Chemistry, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 270, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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4
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Ramirez DA, Hough LE, Shirts MR. Coiled-coil domains are sufficient to drive liquid-liquid phase separation in protein models. Biophys J 2024; 123:703-717. [PMID: 38356260 PMCID: PMC10995412 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.02.007] [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: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is thought to be a main driving force in the formation of membraneless organelles. Examples of such organelles include the centrosome, central spindle, and stress granules. Recently, it has been shown that coiled-coil (CC) proteins, such as the centrosomal proteins pericentrin, spd-5, and centrosomin, might be capable of LLPS. CC domains have physical features that could make them the drivers of LLPS, but it is unknown if they play a direct role in the process. We developed a coarse-grained simulation framework for investigating the LLPS propensity of CC proteins, in which interactions that support LLPS arise solely from CC domains. We show, using this framework, that the physical features of CC domains are sufficient to drive LLPS of proteins. The framework is specifically designed to investigate how the number of CC domains, as well as the multimerization state of CC domains, can affect LLPS. We show that small model proteins with as few as two CC domains can phase separate. Increasing the number of CC domains up to four per protein can somewhat increase LLPS propensity. We demonstrate that trimer-forming and tetramer-forming CC domains have a dramatically higher LLPS propensity than dimer-forming coils, which shows that multimerization state has a greater effect on LLPS than the number of CC domains per protein. These data support the hypothesis of CC domains as drivers of protein LLPS, and have implications in future studies to identify the LLPS-driving regions of centrosomal and central spindle proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique A Ramirez
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Loren E Hough
- Department of Physics and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Michael R Shirts
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado.
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5
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Huddy TF, Hsia Y, Kibler RD, Xu J, Bethel N, Nagarajan D, Redler R, Leung PJY, Weidle C, Courbet A, Yang EC, Bera AK, Coudray N, Calise SJ, Davila-Hernandez FA, Han HL, Carr KD, Li Z, McHugh R, Reggiano G, Kang A, Sankaran B, Dickinson MS, Coventry B, Brunette TJ, Liu Y, Dauparas J, Borst AJ, Ekiert D, Kollman JM, Bhabha G, Baker D. Blueprinting extendable nanomaterials with standardized protein blocks. Nature 2024; 627:898-904. [PMID: 38480887 PMCID: PMC10972742 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07188-4] [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: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
A wooden house frame consists of many different lumber pieces, but because of the regularity of these building blocks, the structure can be designed using straightforward geometrical principles. The design of multicomponent protein assemblies, in comparison, has been much more complex, largely owing to the irregular shapes of protein structures1. Here we describe extendable linear, curved and angled protein building blocks, as well as inter-block interactions, that conform to specified geometric standards; assemblies designed using these blocks inherit their extendability and regular interaction surfaces, enabling them to be expanded or contracted by varying the number of modules, and reinforced with secondary struts. Using X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy, we validate nanomaterial designs ranging from simple polygonal and circular oligomers that can be concentrically nested, up to large polyhedral nanocages and unbounded straight 'train track' assemblies with reconfigurable sizes and geometries that can be readily blueprinted. Because of the complexity of protein structures and sequence-structure relationships, it has not previously been possible to build up large protein assemblies by deliberate placement of protein backbones onto a blank three-dimensional canvas; the simplicity and geometric regularity of our design platform now enables construction of protein nanomaterials according to 'back of an envelope' architectural blueprints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy F Huddy
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Yang Hsia
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ryan D Kibler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jinwei Xu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Neville Bethel
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Rachel Redler
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Philip J Y Leung
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Connor Weidle
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alexis Courbet
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Erin C Yang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Biological Physics, Structure and Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Asim K Bera
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nicolas Coudray
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Precision Medicine, Department of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - S John Calise
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Fatima A Davila-Hernandez
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Hannah L Han
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kenneth D Carr
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zhe Li
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ryan McHugh
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gabriella Reggiano
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alex Kang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Banumathi Sankaran
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Miles S Dickinson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Brian Coventry
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - T J Brunette
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Yulai Liu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Justas Dauparas
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Andrew J Borst
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Damian Ekiert
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Justin M Kollman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gira Bhabha
- Applied Bioinformatics Laboratories, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Baker
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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6
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Dalley NA, Stern KL, Kitchen RR, Lloyd KB, Price JL. Electrostatic origin of a stabilizing synergistic interaction among b-, c-, and f-residues in a trimeric coiled coil. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2024; 116:e24336. [PMID: 38882551 PMCID: PMC11175585 DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Coiled coils are one of most common protein quaternary structures and represent the best understood relationship between amino acid sequence and protein conformation. Whereas the roles of residues at the canonical heptad positions the a, d, e, and g are understood in precise detail, conventional approaches often assume that the solvent-exposed b-, c-, and f-positions can be varied broadly for application-specific purposes with minimal consequences. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that interactions among these b, c, and f residues can contribute substantially to coiled-coil conformational stability. In the trimeric coiled coil described here, we find that b-position Glu10 engages in a stabilizing long-range synergistic interaction with c-position Lys18 (ΔΔΔGf = -0.65 ± 0.02 kcal/mol). This favorable interaction depends strongly on the presence of two nearby f-position residues: Lys 7 and Tyr14. Extensive mutational analysis of these residues in the presence of added salt vs. denaturant suggests that this long-range synergistic interaction is primarily electrostatic in origin, but also depends on the precise location and acidity of a side-chain hydrogen-bond donor within f-position Tyr14.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A Dalley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Kimberlee L Stern
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Richard R Kitchen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Keegan B Lloyd
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
| | - Joshua L Price
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602
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7
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Schweke H, Pacesa M, Levin T, Goverde CA, Kumar P, Duhoo Y, Dornfeld LJ, Dubreuil B, Georgeon S, Ovchinnikov S, Woolfson DN, Correia BE, Dey S, Levy ED. An atlas of protein homo-oligomerization across domains of life. Cell 2024; 187:999-1010.e15. [PMID: 38325366 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Protein structures are essential to understanding cellular processes in molecular detail. While advances in artificial intelligence revealed the tertiary structure of proteins at scale, their quaternary structure remains mostly unknown. We devise a scalable strategy based on AlphaFold2 to predict homo-oligomeric assemblies across four proteomes spanning the tree of life. Our results suggest that approximately 45% of an archaeal proteome and a bacterial proteome and 20% of two eukaryotic proteomes form homomers. Our predictions accurately capture protein homo-oligomerization, recapitulate megadalton complexes, and unveil hundreds of homo-oligomer types, including three confirmed experimentally by structure determination. Integrating these datasets with omics information suggests that a majority of known protein complexes are symmetric. Finally, these datasets provide a structural context for interpreting disease mutations and reveal coiled-coil regions as major enablers of quaternary structure evolution in human. Our strategy is applicable to any organism and provides a comprehensive view of homo-oligomerization in proteomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Schweke
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Martin Pacesa
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tal Levin
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Casper A Goverde
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Prasun Kumar
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK; School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK; Bristol BioDesign Institute, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK; Max Planck-Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Yoan Duhoo
- Protein Production and Structure Characterization Core Facility (PTPSP), School of Life Sciences, École polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lars J Dornfeld
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Benjamin Dubreuil
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Sandrine Georgeon
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sergey Ovchinnikov
- John Harvard Distinguished Science Fellowship Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Derek N Woolfson
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK; School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK; Bristol BioDesign Institute, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK; Max Planck-Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK.
| | - Bruno E Correia
- Laboratory of Protein Design and Immunoengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Sucharita Dey
- Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.
| | - Emmanuel D Levy
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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8
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Kortemme T. De novo protein design-From new structures to programmable functions. Cell 2024; 187:526-544. [PMID: 38306980 PMCID: PMC10990048 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.028] [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: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Methods from artificial intelligence (AI) trained on large datasets of sequences and structures can now "write" proteins with new shapes and molecular functions de novo, without starting from proteins found in nature. In this Perspective, I will discuss the state of the field of de novo protein design at the juncture of physics-based modeling approaches and AI. New protein folds and higher-order assemblies can be designed with considerable experimental success rates, and difficult problems requiring tunable control over protein conformations and precise shape complementarity for molecular recognition are coming into reach. Emerging approaches incorporate engineering principles-tunability, controllability, and modularity-into the design process from the beginning. Exciting frontiers lie in deconstructing cellular functions with de novo proteins and, conversely, constructing synthetic cellular signaling from the ground up. As methods improve, many more challenges are unsolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Kortemme
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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9
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Britton D, Christians LF, Liu C, Legocki J, Xiao Y, Meleties M, Yang L, Cammer M, Jia S, Zhang Z, Mahmoudinobar F, Kowalski Z, Renfrew PD, Bonneau R, Pochan DJ, Pak AJ, Montclare JK. Computational Prediction of Coiled-Coil Protein Gelation Dynamics and Structure. Biomacromolecules 2024; 25:258-271. [PMID: 38110299 PMCID: PMC10777397 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Protein hydrogels represent an important and growing biomaterial for a multitude of applications, including diagnostics and drug delivery. We have previously explored the ability to engineer the thermoresponsive supramolecular assembly of coiled-coil proteins into hydrogels with varying gelation properties, where we have defined important parameters in the coiled-coil hydrogel design. Using Rosetta energy scores and Poisson-Boltzmann electrostatic energies, we iterate a computational design strategy to predict the gelation of coiled-coil proteins while simultaneously exploring five new coiled-coil protein hydrogel sequences. Provided this library, we explore the impact of in silico energies on structure and gelation kinetics, where we also reveal a range of blue autofluorescence that enables hydrogel disassembly and recovery. As a result of this library, we identify the new coiled-coil hydrogel sequence, Q5, capable of gelation within 24 h at 4 °C, a more than 2-fold increase over that of our previous iteration Q2. The fast gelation time of Q5 enables the assessment of structural transition in real time using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) that is correlated to coarse-grained and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations revealing the supramolecular assembling behavior of coiled-coils toward nanofiber assembly and gelation. This work represents the first system of hydrogels with predictable self-assembly, autofluorescent capability, and a molecular model of coiled-coil fiber formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin Britton
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Luc F. Christians
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Chengliang Liu
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Jakub Legocki
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Yingxin Xiao
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Michael Meleties
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Lin Yang
- National
Synchrotron Light Source-II, Brookhaven
National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, United States
| | - Michael Cammer
- Microscopy
Laboratory, New York University Langone
Health, New York, New York 10016, United States
| | - Sihan Jia
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Zihan Zhang
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Farbod Mahmoudinobar
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
- Center for
Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, New York, New York 10010, United States
| | - Zuzanna Kowalski
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - P. Douglas Renfrew
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
| | - Richard Bonneau
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
- Center
for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York
University, New York, New York 10003, United States
- Courant
Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Computer Science Department, New York University, New York, New York 10009, United States
| | - Darrin J. Pochan
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Alexander J. Pak
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- Quantitative
Biosciences and Engineering, Colorado School
of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Jin Kim Montclare
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York 11201, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10012, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New
York University, New York, New York 11201, United States
- Bernard
and Irene Schwartz Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department
of Radiology, New York University School
of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, United States
- Department of Biomaterials, New York University
College of Dentistry, New York, New York 10010, United States
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10
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Chen X, Xia C, Guo P, Wang C, Zuo X, Jiang YB, Jiang T. Preserving Structurally Labile Peptide Nanosheets After Molecular Functionalization of the Self-Assembling Peptides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202315296. [PMID: 38009674 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202315296] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
A significant challenge in creating supramolecular materials is that conjugating molecular functionalities to building blocks often results in dissociation or undesired morphological transformation of their assemblies. Here we present a facile strategy to preserve structurally labile peptide assemblies after molecular modification of the self-assembling peptides. Sheet-forming peptides are designed to afford a staggered alignment with the segments bearing chemical modification sites protruding from the sheet surfaces. The staggered assembly allows for simultaneous separation of attached molecules from each other and from the underlying assembly motifs. Strikingly, using PEGs as the external molecules, PEG400 - and PEG700 -peptide conjugates directly self-associate into nanosheets with the PEG chains localized on the sheet surfaces. In contrast, the sheet formation based on in-register lateral packing of peptides does not recur upon the peptide PEGylation. This strategy allows for fabrication of densely modified assemblies with a variety of molecules, as demonstrated using biotin (hydrophobic molecule), c(RGDfK) (cyclic pentapeptide), and nucleic acid aptamer (negatively charged ssDNA). The staggered co-assembly also enables extended tunability of the amount/density of surface molecules, as exemplified by screening ligand-appended assemblies for cell targeting. This study paves the way for functionalization of historically challenging fragile assemblies while maintaining their overall morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Chen
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Cai Xia
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Pan Guo
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Chenru Wang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Xiaobing Zuo
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Yun-Bao Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, Xiamen, 361005, China
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11
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Kumar P, Petrenas R, Dawson WM, Schweke H, Levy ED, Woolfson DN. CC + : A searchable database of validated coiled coils in PDB structures and AlphaFold2 models. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4789. [PMID: 37768271 PMCID: PMC10588367 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4789] [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: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
α-Helical coiled coils are common tertiary and quaternary elements of protein structure. In coiled coils, two or more α helices wrap around each other to form bundles. This apparently simple structural motif can generate many architectures and topologies. Coiled coil-forming sequences can be predicted from heptad repeats of hydrophobic and polar residues, hpphppp, although this is not always reliable. Alternatively, coiled-coil structures can be identified using the program SOCKET, which finds knobs-into-holes (KIH) packing between side chains of neighboring helices. SOCKET also classifies coiled-coil architecture and topology, thus allowing sequence-to-structure relationships to be garnered. In 2009, we used SOCKET to create a relational database of coiled-coil structures, CC+ , from the RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB). Here, we report an update of CC+ following an update of SOCKET (to Socket2) and the recent explosion of structural data and the success of AlphaFold2 in predicting protein structures from genome sequences. With the most-stringent SOCKET parameters, CC+ contains ≈12,000 coiled-coil assemblies from experimentally determined structures, and ≈120,000 potential coiled-coil structures within single-chain models predicted by AlphaFold2 across 48 proteomes. CC+ allows these and other less-stringently defined coiled coils to be searched at various levels of structure, sequence, and side-chain interactions. The identified coiled coils can be viewed directly from CC+ using the Socket2 application, and their associated data can be downloaded for further analyses. CC+ is available freely at http://coiledcoils.chm.bris.ac.uk/CCPlus/Home.html. It will be updated automatically. We envisage that CC+ could be used to understand coiled-coil assemblies and their sequence-to-structure relationships, and to aid protein design and engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasun Kumar
- School of ChemistryUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | | | | | - Hugo Schweke
- Department of Chemical and Structural BiologyWeizmann Institute of ScienceRehovotIsrael
| | - Emmanuel D. Levy
- Department of Chemical and Structural BiologyWeizmann Institute of ScienceRehovotIsrael
| | - Derek N. Woolfson
- School of ChemistryUniversity of BristolBristolUK
- School of BiochemistryUniversity of Bristol, Medical Sciences Building, University WalkBristolUK
- Bristol BioDesign Institute, School of ChemistryUniversity of BristolBristolUK
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12
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Cavini IA, Winter AJ, D’Muniz Pereira H, Woolfson DN, Crump MP, Garratt RC. X-ray structure of the metastable SEPT14-SEPT7 coiled coil reveals a hendecad region crucial for heterodimerization. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2023; 79:881-894. [PMID: 37712436 PMCID: PMC10565730 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798323006514] [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: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Septins are membrane-associated, GTP-binding proteins that are present in most eukaryotes. They polymerize to play important roles as scaffolds and/or diffusion barriers as part of the cytoskeleton. α-Helical coiled-coil domains are believed to contribute to septin assembly, and those observed in both human SEPT6 and SEPT8 form antiparallel homodimers. These are not compatible with their parallel heterodimeric organization expected from the current model for protofilament assembly, but they could explain the interfilament cross-bridges observed by microscopy. Here, the first structure of a heterodimeric septin coiled coil is presented, that between SEPT14 and SEPT7; the former is a SEPT6/SEPT8 homolog. This new structure is parallel, with two long helices that are axially shifted by a full helical turn with reference to their sequence alignment. The structure also has unusual knobs-into-holes packing of side chains. Both standard seven-residue (heptad) and the less common 11-residue (hendecad) repeats are present, creating two distinct regions with opposite supercoiling, which gives rise to an overall straight coiled coil. Part of the hendecad region is required for heterodimerization and therefore may be crucial for selective septin recognition. These unconventional sequences and structural features produce a metastable heterocomplex that nonetheless has enough specificity to promote correct protofilament assembly. For instance, the lack of supercoiling may facilitate unzipping and transitioning to the antiparallel homodimeric state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Italo A. Cavini
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Avenida João Dagnone 1100, São Carlos, SP 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Ashley J. Winter
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
| | - Humberto D’Muniz Pereira
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Avenida João Dagnone 1100, São Carlos, SP 13563-120, Brazil
| | - Derek N. Woolfson
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Medical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, United Kingdom
- BrisSynBio, University of Bristol, School of Chemistry, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew P. Crump
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock’s Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
- BrisSynBio, University of Bristol, School of Chemistry, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
| | - Richard C. Garratt
- São Carlos Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Avenida João Dagnone 1100, São Carlos, SP 13563-120, Brazil
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13
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Ono S, Watabe E, Morisaki K, Ono K, Kuroyanagi H. Alternative splicing of a single exon causes a major impact on the affinity of Caenorhabditis elegans tropomyosin isoforms for actin filaments. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1208913. [PMID: 37745299 PMCID: PMC10512467 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1208913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Tropomyosin is generally known as an actin-binding protein that regulates actomyosin interaction and actin filament stability. In metazoans, multiple tropomyosin isoforms are expressed, and some of them are involved in generating subpopulations of actin cytoskeleton in an isoform-specific manner. However, functions of many tropomyosin isoforms remain unknown. Here, we report identification of a novel alternative exon in the Caenorhabditis elegans tropomyosin gene and characterization of the effects of alternative splicing on the properties of tropomyosin isoforms. Previous studies have reported six tropomyosin isoforms encoded by the C. elegans lev-11 tropomyosin gene. We identified a seventh isoform, LEV-11U, that contained a novel alternative exon, exon 7c (E7c). LEV-11U is a low-molecular-weight tropomyosin isoform that differs from LEV-11T only at the exon 7-encoded region. In silico analyses indicated that the E7c-encoded peptide sequence was unfavorable for coiled-coil formation and distinct from other tropomyosin isoforms in the pattern of electrostatic surface potentials. In vitro, LEV-11U bound poorly to actin filaments, whereas LEV-11T bound to actin filaments in a saturable manner. When these isoforms were transgenically expressed in the C. elegans striated muscle, LEV-11U was present in the diffuse cytoplasm with tendency to form aggregates, whereas LEV-11T co-localized with sarcomeric actin filaments. Worms with a mutation in E7c showed reduced motility and brood size, suggesting that this exon is important for the optimal health. These results indicate that alternative splicing of a single exon can produce biochemically diverged tropomyosin isoforms and suggest that a tropomyosin isoform with poor actin affinity has a novel biological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoichiro Ono
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Eichi Watabe
- Laboratory of Gene Expression, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keita Morisaki
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Kanako Ono
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Hidehito Kuroyanagi
- Laboratory of Gene Expression, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of the Ryukyus Graduate School of Medicine, Okinawa, Japan
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14
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Sučec I, Mammeri NE, Dregni AJ, Hong M. Rapid Determination of the Topology of Oligomeric α-Helical Membrane Proteins by Water- and Lipid-Edited Methyl NMR. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:7518-7530. [PMID: 37606918 PMCID: PMC10893779 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c05295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Single-span oligomeric α-helical transmembrane proteins are common in virus ion channels, which are targets of antiviral drugs. Knowledge about the high-resolution structures of these oligomeric α-helical bundles is so far scarce. Structure determination of these membrane proteins by solid-state NMR traditionally requires resolving and assigning protein chemical shifts and measuring many interhelical distances, which are time-consuming. To accelerate experimental structure determination, here we introduce a simple solid-state NMR approach that uses magnetization transfer from water and lipid protons to the protein. By detecting the water- and lipid-transferred intensities of the high-sensitivity methyl 13C signals of Leu, Val, and Ile residues, which are highly enriched in these membrane proteins, we can derive models of the topology of these homo-oligomeric helical bundles. The topology is specified by the positions of amino acid residues in heptad repeats and the orientations of residues relative to the channel pore, lipids, and the helical interface. We demonstrate this water- and lipid-edited methyl NMR approach on the envelope (E) protein of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. We show that water-edited and lipid-edited 2D 13C-13C correlation spectra can be measured with sufficient sensitivity. Even without resolving multiple residues of the same type in the NMR spectra, we can obtain the helical bundle topology. We apply these experiments to the structurally unknown E proteins of the MERS coronavirus and the human coronavirus NL63. The resulting structural topologies show interesting differences in the positions of the aromatic residues in these three E proteins, suggesting that these viroporins may have different mechanisms of activation and ion conduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iva Sučec
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Nadia El Mammeri
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Aurelio J. Dregni
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Mei Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 170 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
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15
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Satler T, Hadži S, Jerala R. Crystal Structure of de Novo Designed Coiled-Coil Protein Origami Triangle. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:16995-17000. [PMID: 37486611 PMCID: PMC10416210 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c05531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Coiled-coil protein origami (CCPO) uses modular coiled-coil building blocks and topological principles to design polyhedral structures distinct from those of natural globular proteins. While the CCPO strategy has proven successful in designing diverse protein topologies, no high-resolution structural information has been available about these novel protein folds. Here we report the crystal structure of a single-chain CCPO in the shape of a triangle. While neither cyclization nor the addition of nanobodies enabled crystallization, it was ultimately facilitated by the inclusion of a GCN2 homodimer. Triangle edges are formed by the orthogonal parallel coiled-coil dimers P1:P2, P3:P4, and GCN2 connected by short linkers. A triangle has a large central cavity and is additionally stabilized by side-chain interactions between neighboring segments at each vertex. The crystal lattice is densely packed and stabilized by a large number of contacts between triangles. Interestingly, the polypeptide chain folds into a trefoil-type protein knot topology, and AlphaFold2 fails to predict the correct fold. The structure validates the modular CC-based protein design strategy, providing molecular insight underlying CCPO stabilization and new opportunities for the design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadej Satler
- Department
of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National
Institute of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Interdisciplinary
Doctoral Programme in Biomedicine, University
of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - San Hadži
- Department
of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National
Institute of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department
of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Roman Jerala
- Department
of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, National
Institute of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- EN-FIST
Centre of Excellence, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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16
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Madeo G, Savojardo C, Manfredi M, Martelli PL, Casadio R. CoCoNat: a novel method based on deep learning for coiled-coil prediction. Bioinformatics 2023; 39:btad495. [PMID: 37540220 PMCID: PMC10425188 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btad495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Coiled-coil domains (CCD) are widespread in all organisms and perform several crucial functions. Given their relevance, the computational detection of CCD is very important for protein functional annotation. State-of-the-art prediction methods include the precise identification of CCD boundaries, the annotation of the typical heptad repeat pattern along the coiled-coil helices as well as the prediction of the oligomerization state. RESULTS In this article, we describe CoCoNat, a novel method for predicting coiled-coil helix boundaries, residue-level register annotation, and oligomerization state. Our method encodes sequences with the combination of two state-of-the-art protein language models and implements a three-step deep learning procedure concatenated with a Grammatical-Restrained Hidden Conditional Random Field for CCD identification and refinement. A final neural network predicts the oligomerization state. When tested on a blind test set routinely adopted, CoCoNat obtains a performance superior to the current state-of-the-art both for residue-level and segment-level CCD. CoCoNat significantly outperforms the most recent state-of-the-art methods on register annotation and prediction of oligomerization states. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION CoCoNat web server is available at https://coconat.biocomp.unibo.it. Standalone version is available on GitHub at https://github.com/BolognaBiocomp/coconat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Madeo
- Biocomputing Group, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Castrense Savojardo
- Biocomputing Group, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Matteo Manfredi
- Biocomputing Group, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Pier Luigi Martelli
- Biocomputing Group, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Rita Casadio
- Biocomputing Group, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy
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17
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Huddy TF, Hsia Y, Kibler RD, Xu J, Bethel N, Nagarajan D, Redler R, Leung PJY, Courbet A, Yang EC, Bera AK, Coudray N, Calise SJ, Davila-Hernandez FA, Weidle C, Han HL, Li Z, McHugh R, Reggiano G, Kang A, Sankaran B, Dickinson MS, Coventry B, Brunette TJ, Liu Y, Dauparas J, Borst AJ, Ekiert D, Kollman JM, Bhabha G, Baker D. Blueprinting expandable nanomaterials with standardized protein building blocks. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.09.544258. [PMID: 37333359 PMCID: PMC10274926 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.09.544258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
A wooden house frame consists of many different lumber pieces, but because of the regularity of these building blocks, the structure can be designed using straightforward geometrical principles. The design of multicomponent protein assemblies in comparison has been much more complex, largely due to the irregular shapes of protein structures 1 . Here we describe extendable linear, curved, and angled protein building blocks, as well as inter-block interactions that conform to specified geometric standards; assemblies designed using these blocks inherit their extendability and regular interaction surfaces, enabling them to be expanded or contracted by varying the number of modules, and reinforced with secondary struts. Using X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy, we validate nanomaterial designs ranging from simple polygonal and circular oligomers that can be concentrically nested, up to large polyhedral nanocages and unbounded straight "train track" assemblies with reconfigurable sizes and geometries that can be readily blueprinted. Because of the complexity of protein structures and sequence-structure relationships, it has not been previously possible to build up large protein assemblies by deliberate placement of protein backbones onto a blank 3D canvas; the simplicity and geometric regularity of our design platform now enables construction of protein nanomaterials according to "back of an envelope" architectural blueprints.
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18
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Lupu A, Gradinaru LM, Gradinaru VR, Bercea M. Diversity of Bioinspired Hydrogels: From Structure to Applications. Gels 2023; 9:gels9050376. [PMID: 37232968 DOI: 10.3390/gels9050376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks with a variety of structures and functions that have a remarkable ability to absorb huge amounts of water or biological fluids. They can incorporate active compounds and release them in a controlled manner. Hydrogels can also be designed to be sensitive to external stimuli: temperature, pH, ionic strength, electrical or magnetic stimuli, specific molecules, etc. Alternative methods for the development of various hydrogels have been outlined in the literature over time. Some hydrogels are toxic and therefore are avoided when obtaining biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, or therapeutic products. Nature is a permanent source of inspiration for new structures and new functionalities of more and more competitive materials. Natural compounds present a series of physico-chemical and biological characteristics suitable for biomaterials, such as biocompatibility, antimicrobial properties, biodegradability, and nontoxicity. Thus, they can generate microenvironments comparable to the intracellular or extracellular matrices in the human body. This paper discusses the main advantages of the presence of biomolecules (polysaccharides, proteins, and polypeptides) in hydrogels. Structural aspects induced by natural compounds and their specific properties are emphasized. The most suitable applications will be highlighted, including drug delivery, self-healing materials for regenerative medicine, cell culture, wound dressings, 3D bioprinting, foods, etc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Lupu
- "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41-A Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania
| | - Luiza Madalina Gradinaru
- "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41-A Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania
| | - Vasile Robert Gradinaru
- Faculty of Chemistry, "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University, 11 Carol I Bd., 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Maria Bercea
- "Petru Poni" Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41-A Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania
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