1
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Chang YC, Cao Z, Chen WT, Huang WC. Effects of stand-alone polar residue on membrane protein stability and structure. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2024; 1866:184325. [PMID: 38653423 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2024.184325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Helical membrane proteins generally have a hydrophobic nature, with apolar side chains comprising the majority of the transmembrane (TM) helices. However, whenever polar side chains are present in the TM domain, they often exert a crucial role in structural interactions with other polar residues, such as TM helix associations and oligomerization. Moreover, polar residues in the TM region also often participate in protein functions, such as the Schiff base bonding between Lys residues and retinal in rhodopsin-like membrane proteins. Although many studies have focused on these functional polar residues, our understanding of stand-alone polar residues that are energetically unfavored in TM helixes is limited. Here, we adopted bacteriorhodopsin (bR) as a model system and systematically mutated 17 of its apolar Leu or Phe residues to polar Asn. Stability measurements of the resulting mutants revealed that all of these polar substitutions reduced bR stability to various extents, and the extent of destabilization of each mutant bR is also correlated to different structural factors, such as the relative accessible surface area and membrane depth of the mutation site. Structural analyses of these Asn residues revealed that they form sidechain-to-backbone hydrogen bonds that alleviate the unfavorable energetics in hydrophobic and apolar surroundings. Our results indicate that membrane proteins are able to accommodate certain stand-alone polar residues in the TM region without disrupting overall structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chu Chang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; International Ph.D. Program for Cell Therapy and Regeneration Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Zheng Cao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States of America
| | - Wai-Ting Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chun Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
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2
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Yao J, Hong H. Steric trapping strategy for studying the folding of helical membrane proteins. Methods 2024; 225:1-12. [PMID: 38428472 PMCID: PMC11107808 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2024.02.007] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Elucidating the folding energy landscape of membrane proteins is essential to the understanding of the proteins' stabilizing forces, folding mechanisms, biogenesis, and quality control. This is not a trivial task because the reversible control of folding is inherently difficult in a lipid bilayer environment. Recently, novel methods have been developed, each of which has a unique strength in investigating specific aspects of membrane protein folding. Among such methods, steric trapping is a versatile strategy allowing a reversible control of membrane protein folding with minimal perturbation of native protein-water and protein-lipid interactions. In a nutshell, steric trapping exploits the coupling of spontaneous denaturation of a doubly biotinylated protein to the simultaneous binding of bulky monovalent streptavidin molecules. This strategy has been evolved to investigate key elements of membrane protein folding such as thermodynamic stability, spontaneous denaturation rates, conformational features of the denatured states, and cooperativity of stabilizing interactions. In this review, we describe the critical methodological advancement, limitation, and outlook of the steric trapping strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Yao
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Heedeok Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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3
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Wangamnuayporn S, Kinoshita M, Kawai T, Matsumori N. Gold nanoparticle-powered screening of membrane protein-specific lipids from complex lipid mixtures. Anal Biochem 2024; 687:115447. [PMID: 38141800 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2023.115447] [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: 11/18/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
Membrane proteins (MPs) are affected by binding of specific lipids. We previously developed a methodology for systematically analyzing MP-lipid interactions leveraging surface plasmon resonance (SPR). In this method, the gold sensor chip surface was modified with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM), which allowed for a larger amount of MP-immobilization. However, the laborious lipid purification step remained a bottleneck. To address this issue, a new strategy has been developed utilizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) instead of the gold sensor chip. AuNPs were coated with SAM, on which MP was covalently anchored. The MP-immobilized AuNPs were mixed with a lipid mixture, and the recovered lipids were quantified by LC-MS. Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) was used as an MP to demonstrate this concept. We optimized immobilization conditions and confirmed the efficient immobilization of bR by dynamic light scattering and electron micrographs. Washing conditions for pulldown experiments were optimized to efficiently remove non-specific lipids. A new binding index was introduced to qualitatively reproduce the known affinity of lipids for bR. Consequently, the low-abundant and least-studied lipid S-TeGD was identified as a candidate for bR-specific lipids. This technique can skip the laborious lipid purification process, accelerating the screening of MP-specific lipids from complex lipid mixtures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supakorn Wangamnuayporn
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Masanao Kinoshita
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Takayuki Kawai
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Nobuaki Matsumori
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
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4
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Jacobson DR, Perkins TT. Quantifying a light-induced energetic change in bacteriorhodopsin by force spectroscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313818121. [PMID: 38324569 PMCID: PMC10873598 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313818121] [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: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Ligand-induced conformational changes are critical to the function of many membrane proteins and arise from numerous intramolecular interactions. In the photocycle of the model membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR), absorption of a photon by retinal triggers a conformational cascade that results in pumping a proton across the cell membrane. While decades of spectroscopy and structural studies have probed this photocycle in intricate detail, changes in intramolecular energetics that underlie protein motions have remained elusive to experimental quantification. Here, we measured these energetics on the millisecond time scale using atomic-force-microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy. Precisely, timed light pulses triggered the bR photocycle while we measured the equilibrium unfolding and refolding of the terminal 8-amino-acid region of bR's G-helix. These dynamics changed when the EF-helix pair moved ~9 Å away from this end of the G helix during the "open" portion of bR's photocycle. In ~60% of the data, we observed abrupt light-induced destabilization of 3.4 ± 0.3 kcal/mol, lasting 38 ± 3 ms. The kinetics and pH-dependence of this destabilization were consistent with prior measurements of bR's open phase. The frequency of light-induced destabilization increased with the duration of illumination and was dramatically reduced in the triple mutant (D96G/F171C/F219L) thought to trap bR in its open phase. In the other ~40% of the data, photoexcitation unexpectedly stabilized a longer-lived putative misfolded state. Through this work, we establish a general single-molecule force spectroscopy approach for measuring ligand-induced energetics and lifetimes in membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R. Jacobson
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, CO80309
| | - Thomas T. Perkins
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, CO80309
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO80309
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5
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Abdelfattah AS, Zheng J, Singh A, Huang YC, Reep D, Tsegaye G, Tsang A, Arthur BJ, Rehorova M, Olson CVL, Shuai Y, Zhang L, Fu TM, Milkie DE, Moya MV, Weber TD, Lemire AL, Baker CA, Falco N, Zheng Q, Grimm JB, Yip MC, Walpita D, Chase M, Campagnola L, Murphy GJ, Wong AM, Forest CR, Mertz J, Economo MN, Turner GC, Koyama M, Lin BJ, Betzig E, Novak O, Lavis LD, Svoboda K, Korff W, Chen TW, Schreiter ER, Hasseman JP, Kolb I. Sensitivity optimization of a rhodopsin-based fluorescent voltage indicator. Neuron 2023; 111:1547-1563.e9. [PMID: 37015225 PMCID: PMC10280807 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
The ability to optically image cellular transmembrane voltages at millisecond-timescale resolutions can offer unprecedented insight into the function of living brains in behaving animals. Here, we present a point mutation that increases the sensitivity of Ace2 opsin-based voltage indicators. We use the mutation to develop Voltron2, an improved chemigeneic voltage indicator that has a 65% higher sensitivity to single APs and 3-fold higher sensitivity to subthreshold potentials than Voltron. Voltron2 retained the sub-millisecond kinetics and photostability of its predecessor, although with lower baseline fluorescence. In multiple in vitro and in vivo comparisons with its predecessor across multiple species, we found Voltron2 to be more sensitive to APs and subthreshold fluctuations. Finally, we used Voltron2 to study and evaluate the possible mechanisms of interneuron synchronization in the mouse hippocampus. Overall, we have discovered a generalizable mutation that significantly increases the sensitivity of Ace2 rhodopsin-based sensors, improving their voltage reporting capability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jihong Zheng
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; GENIE Project Team, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Amrita Singh
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Yi-Chieh Huang
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Daniel Reep
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; GENIE Project Team, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Getahun Tsegaye
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; GENIE Project Team, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Arthur Tsang
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; GENIE Project Team, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Benjamin J Arthur
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Monika Rehorova
- Department of Physiology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Carl V L Olson
- Department of Physiology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Yichun Shuai
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Lixia Zhang
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Tian-Ming Fu
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Daniel E Milkie
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Maria V Moya
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Timothy D Weber
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew L Lemire
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | | | - Natalie Falco
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Qinsi Zheng
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Jonathan B Grimm
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Mighten C Yip
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Deepika Walpita
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Allan M Wong
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; GENIE Project Team, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Craig R Forest
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jerome Mertz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael N Economo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Glenn C Turner
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; GENIE Project Team, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Minoru Koyama
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Bei-Jung Lin
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Eric Betzig
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Departments of Molecular and Cell Biology and Physics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ondrej Novak
- Department of Physiology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Luke D Lavis
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Karel Svoboda
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Wyatt Korff
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; GENIE Project Team, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Tsai-Wen Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Eric R Schreiter
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; GENIE Project Team, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.
| | - Jeremy P Hasseman
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; GENIE Project Team, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.
| | - Ilya Kolb
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; GENIE Project Team, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.
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6
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Otzen DE, Pedersen JN, Rasmussen HØ, Pedersen JS. How do surfactants unfold and refold proteins? Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 308:102754. [PMID: 36027673 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2022.102754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Although the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, has been used for more than half a century as a versatile and efficient protein denaturant for protein separation and size estimation, there is still controversy about its mode of interaction with proteins. The term "rod-like" structures for the complexes that form between SDS and protein, originally introduced by Tanford, is not sufficiently descriptive and does not distinguish between the two current vying models, namely protein-decorated micelles a.k.a. the core-shell model (in which denatured protein covers the surface of micelles) versus beads-on-a-string model (where unfolded proteins are surrounded by surfactant micelles). Thanks to a combination of structural, kinetic and computational work particularly within the last 5-10 years, it is now possible to rule decisively in favor of the core-shell model. This is supported unambiguously by a combination of calorimetric and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques and confirmed by increasingly sophisticated molecular dynamics simulations. Depending on the SDS:protein ratio and the protein molecular mass, the formed structures can range from multiple partly unfolded protein molecules surrounding a single shared micelle to a single polypeptide chain decorating multiple micelles. We also have much new insight into how this species forms. It is preceded by the binding of small numbers of SDS molecules which subsequently grow by accretion. Time-resolved SAXS analysis reveals an asymmetric attack by SDS micelles followed by distribution of the increasingly unfolded protein around the micelle. The compactness of the protein chain continues to evolve at higher SDS concentrations according to single-molecule studies, though the protein remains completely denatured on the tertiary structural level. SDS denaturation can be reversed by addition of nonionic surfactants that absorb SDS forming mixed micelles, leaving the protein free to refold. Refolding can occur in parallel tracks if only a fraction of the protein is initially stripped of SDS. SDS unfolding is nearly always reversible unless carried out at low pH, where charge neutralization can lead to superclusters of protein-surfactant complexes. With the general mechanism of SDS denaturation now firmly established, it largely remains to explore how other ionic surfactants (including biosurfactants) may diverge from this path.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Otzen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Jannik Nedergaard Pedersen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Helena Østergaard Rasmussen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jan Skov Pedersen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
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7
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Elazar A, Chandler NJ, Davey AS, Weinstein JY, Nguyen JV, Trenker R, Cross RS, Jenkins MR, Call MJ, Call ME, Fleishman SJ. De novo-designed transmembrane domains tune engineered receptor functions. eLife 2022; 11:75660. [PMID: 35506657 PMCID: PMC9068223 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
De novo-designed receptor transmembrane domains (TMDs) present opportunities for precise control of cellular receptor functions. We developed a de novo design strategy for generating programmed membrane proteins (proMPs): single-pass α-helical TMDs that self-assemble through computationally defined and crystallographically validated interfaces. We used these proMPs to program specific oligomeric interactions into a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that we expressed in mouse primary T cells and found that both in vitro CAR T cell cytokine release and in vivo antitumor activity scaled linearly with the oligomeric state encoded by the receptor TMD, from monomers up to tetramers. All programmed CARs stimulated substantially lower T cell cytokine release relative to the commonly used CD28 TMD, which we show elevated cytokine release through lateral recruitment of the endogenous T cell costimulatory receptor CD28. Precise design using orthogonal and modular TMDs thus provides a new way to program receptor structure and predictably tune activity for basic or applied synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Elazar
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Nicholas J Chandler
- Structural Biology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ashleigh S Davey
- Structural Biology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jonathan Y Weinstein
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Julie V Nguyen
- Structural Biology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Raphael Trenker
- Structural Biology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ryan S Cross
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Misty R Jenkins
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,La Trobe Institute of Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Melissa J Call
- Structural Biology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Matthew E Call
- Structural Biology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarel J Fleishman
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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8
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Schöppe J, Ehrenmann J, Waltenspühl Y, Plückthun A. Universal platform for the generation of thermostabilized GPCRs that crystallize in LCP. Nat Protoc 2022; 17:698-726. [PMID: 35140409 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-021-00660-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Structural studies of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are often limited by difficulties in obtaining well-diffracting crystals suitable for high-resolution structure determination. During the past decade, crystallization in lipidic cubic phase (LCP) has become the most successful and widely used technique for obtaining such crystals. Despite often intense efforts, many GPCRs remain refractory to crystallization, even if receptors can be purified in sufficient amounts. To address this issue, we have developed a highly efficient screening and stabilization strategy for GPCRs, based on a fluorescence thermal stability assay readout, which seems to correlate particularly well with those GPCR constructs that remain native during incorporation into the LCP. Detailed protocols are provided for rapid and cost-efficient mutant and construct generation using sequence- and ligation-independent cloning, high-throughput magnetic bead-based protein purification from small-scale expressions in mammalian cells, the screening and optimal combination of mutations for increased receptor thermostability and the rapid identification of suitable chimeric fusion protein constructs for successful crystallization in LCP. We exemplify the method on three receptors from two different classes: the neurokinin 1 receptor, the oxytocin receptor and the parathyroid hormone 1 receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jendrik Schöppe
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Janosch Ehrenmann
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.,leadXpro AG, PARK InnovAARE, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Yann Waltenspühl
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Plückthun
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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9
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Hong H, Choi HK, Yoon TY. Untangling the complexity of membrane protein folding. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 72:237-247. [PMID: 34995926 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2021.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Delineating the folding steps of helical-bundle membrane proteins has been a challenging task. Many questions remain unanswered, including the conformation and stability of the states populated during folding, the shape of the energy barriers between the states, and the role of lipids as a solvent in mediating the folding. Recently, theoretical frames have matured to a point that permits detailed dissection of the folding steps, and advances in experimental techniques at both single-molecule and ensemble levels enable selective modulation of specific steps for quantitative determination of the folding energy landscapes. We also discuss how lipid molecules would play an active role in shaping the folding energy landscape of membrane proteins, and how folding of multi-domain membrane proteins can be understood based on our current knowledge. We conclude this review by offering an outlook for emerging questions in the study of membrane protein folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heedeok Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
| | - Hyun-Kyu Choi
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Tae-Young Yoon
- School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea.
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10
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Free-energy changes of bacteriorhodopsin point mutants measured by single-molecule force spectroscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2020083118. [PMID: 33753487 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020083118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Single amino acid mutations provide quantitative insight into the energetics that underlie the dynamics and folding of membrane proteins. Chemical denaturation is the most widely used assay and yields the change in unfolding free energy (ΔΔG). It has been applied to >80 different residues of bacteriorhodopsin (bR), a model membrane protein. However, such experiments have several key limitations: 1) a nonnative lipid environment, 2) a denatured state with significant secondary structure, 3) error introduced by extrapolation to zero denaturant, and 4) the requirement of globally reversible refolding. We overcame these limitations by reversibly unfolding local regions of an individual protein with mechanical force using an atomic-force-microscope assay optimized for 2 μs time resolution and 1 pN force stability. In this assay, bR was unfolded from its native bilayer into a well-defined, stretched state. To measure ΔΔG, we introduced two alanine point mutations into an 8-amino-acid region at the C-terminal end of bR's G helix. For each, we reversibly unfolded and refolded this region hundreds of times while the rest of the protein remained folded. Our single-molecule-derived ΔΔG for mutant L223A (-2.3 ± 0.6 kcal/mol) quantitatively agreed with past chemical denaturation results while our ΔΔG for mutant V217A was 2.2-fold larger (-2.4 ± 0.6 kcal/mol). We attribute the latter result, in part, to contact between Val217 and a natively bound squalene lipid, highlighting the contribution of membrane protein-lipid contacts not present in chemical denaturation assays. More generally, we established a platform for determining ΔΔG for a fully folded membrane protein embedded in its native bilayer.
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11
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Ardalan A, Sowlati-Hashjin S, Uwumarenogie SO, Fish M, Mitchell J, Karttunen M, Smith MD, Jelokhani-Niaraki M. Functional Oligomeric Forms of Uncoupling Protein 2: Strong Evidence for Asymmetry in Protein and Lipid Bilayer Systems. J Phys Chem B 2020; 125:169-183. [PMID: 33373220 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c09422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Stoichiometry of uncoupling proteins (UCPs) and their coexistence as functional monomeric and associated forms in lipid membranes remain intriguing open questions. In this study, tertiary and quaternary structures of UCP2 were analyzed experimentally and through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. UCP2 was overexpressed in the inner membrane of Escherichia coli, then purified and reconstituted in lipid vesicles. Structure and proton transport function of UCP2 were characterized by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and fluorescence methods. Findings suggest a tetrameric functional form for UCP2. MD simulations conclude that tetrameric UCP2 is a dimer of dimers, is more stable than its monomeric and dimeric forms, is asymmetrical and induces asymmetry in the membrane's lipid structure, and a biphasic on-off switch between the dimeric units is its possible mode of transport. MD simulations also show that the water density inside the UCP2 monomer is asymmetric, with the cytoplasmic side having a higher water density and a wider radius. In contrast, the structurally comparable adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP)/adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) carrier (AAC1) did not form tetramers, implying that tetramerization cannot be generalized to all mitochondrial carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afshan Ardalan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5
| | - Shahin Sowlati-Hashjin
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 3K7.,Center for Advanced Materials and Biomaterials Research, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6K 3K7
| | - Stephanie O Uwumarenogie
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5
| | - Michael Fish
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5.,Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5
| | - Joel Mitchell
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5
| | - Mikko Karttunen
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 3K7.,Center for Advanced Materials and Biomaterials Research, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6K 3K7.,Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Matthew D Smith
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5
| | - Masoud Jelokhani-Niaraki
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5
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12
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Optimizing the linker length for fusing an alcohol dehydrogenase with a cyclohexanone monooxygenase. Methods Enzymol 2020; 647:107-143. [PMID: 33482986 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2020.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The use of enzymes in organic synthesis is highly appealing due their remarkably high chemo-, regio- and enantioselectivity. Nevertheless, for biosynthetic routes to be industrially useful, the enzymes must fulfill several requirements. Particularly, in case of cofactor-dependent enzymes self-sufficient systems are highly valuable. This can be achieved by fusing enzymes with complementary cofactor dependency. Such bifunctional enzymes are also relatively easy to handle, may enhance stability, and promote product intermediate channeling. However, usually the characteristics of the linker, fusing the target enzymes, are not thoroughly evaluated. A poor linker design can lead to detrimental effects on expression levels, enzyme stability and/or enzyme performance. In this chapter, the effect of the length of a glycine-rich linker was explored for the case study of ɛ-caprolactone synthesis through an alcohol dehydrogenase-cyclohexanone monooxygenase fusion system. The procedure includes cloning of linker variants, expression analysis, determination of thermostability and effect on activity and conversion levels of 15 variants of different linker sizes. The protocols can also be used for the creation of other protein-protein fusions.
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13
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Structural cavities are critical to balancing stability and activity of a membrane-integral enzyme. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:22146-22156. [PMID: 32848056 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1917770117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Packing interaction is a critical driving force in the folding of helical membrane proteins. Despite the importance, packing defects (i.e., cavities including voids, pockets, and pores) are prevalent in membrane-integral enzymes, channels, transporters, and receptors, playing essential roles in function. Then, a question arises regarding how the two competing requirements, packing for stability vs. cavities for function, are reconciled in membrane protein structures. Here, using the intramembrane protease GlpG of Escherichia coli as a model and cavity-filling mutation as a probe, we tested the impacts of native cavities on the thermodynamic stability and function of a membrane protein. We find several stabilizing mutations which induce substantial activity reduction without distorting the active site. Notably, these mutations are all mapped onto the regions of conformational flexibility and functional importance, indicating that the cavities facilitate functional movement of GlpG while compromising the stability. Experiment and molecular dynamics simulation suggest that the stabilization is induced by the coupling between enhanced protein packing and weakly unfavorable lipid desolvation, or solely by favorable lipid solvation on the cavities. Our result suggests that, stabilized by the relatively weak interactions with lipids, cavities are accommodated in membrane proteins without severe energetic cost, which, in turn, serve as a platform to fine-tune the balance between stability and flexibility for optimal activity.
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14
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Yu H, Jacobson DR, Luo H, Perkins TT. Quantifying the Native Energetics Stabilizing Bacteriorhodopsin by Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:068102. [PMID: 32845671 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.068102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We quantified the equilibrium (un)folding free energy ΔG_{0} of an eight-amino-acid region starting from the fully folded state of the model membrane-protein bacteriorhodopsin using single-molecule force spectroscopy. Analysis of equilibrium and nonequilibrium data yielded consistent, high-precision determinations of ΔG_{0} via multiple techniques (force-dependent kinetics, Crooks fluctuation theorem, and inverse Boltzmann analysis). We also deduced the full 1D projection of the free-energy landscape in this region. Importantly, ΔG_{0} was determined in bacteriorhodopsin's native bilayer, an advance over traditional results obtained by chemical denaturation in nonphysiological detergent micelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Yu
- School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - David R Jacobson
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
| | - Hao Luo
- School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Thomas T Perkins
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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15
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Bañó-Polo M, Martínez-Gil L, Barrera FN, Mingarro I. Insertion of Bacteriorhodopsin Helix C Variants into Biological Membranes. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:556-560. [PMID: 31956802 PMCID: PMC6964287 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A peptide corresponding to bacteriorhodopsin (bR) helix C, later named pHLIP, inserts across lipid bilayers as a monomeric α-helix at acidic pH, but is an unstructured surface-bound monomer at neutral pH. As a result of such pH-responsiveness, pHLIP targets acidic tumors and has been used as a vehicle for imaging and drug-delivery cargoes. To gain insights about the insertion of bR helix C into biological membranes, we replaced two key aspartic residues that control the topological transition from the aqueous phase into a lipid bilayer. Here, we used an in vitro transcription-translation system to study the translocon-mediated insertion of helix C-derived segments into rough microsomes. Our data provide the first quantitative biological understanding of this effect. Interestingly, replacing the aspartic residues by glutamic residues does not significantly alters the insertion propensity, while replacement by alanines promotes a transmembrane orientation. These results are consistent with mutational data obtained in synthetic liposomes by manipulating pH conditions. Our findings support the notion that the translocon facilitates topogenesis under physiological pH conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Bañó-Polo
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Estructura de Recerca Interdisciplinar
en Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (ERI BioTecMed), Universitat de València. E-46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Luis Martínez-Gil
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Estructura de Recerca Interdisciplinar
en Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (ERI BioTecMed), Universitat de València. E-46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Francisco N. Barrera
- Department
of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States
| | - Ismael Mingarro
- Departament
de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Estructura de Recerca Interdisciplinar
en Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (ERI BioTecMed), Universitat de València. E-46100 Burjassot, Spain
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16
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Okamoto Y. Protein structure predictions by enhanced conformational sampling methods. Biophys Physicobiol 2019; 16:344-366. [PMID: 31984190 PMCID: PMC6976031 DOI: 10.2142/biophysico.16.0_344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
In this Special Festschrift Issue for the celebration of Professor Nobuhiro Gō's 80th birthday, we review enhanced conformational sampling methods for protein structure predictions. We present several generalized-ensemble algorithms such as multicanonical algorithm, replica-exchange method, etc. and parallel Monte Carlo or molecular dynamics method with genetic crossover. Examples of the results of these methods applied to the predictions of protein tertiary structures are also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Okamoto
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
- Structural Biology Research Center, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
- Center for Computational Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8603, Japan
- Information Technology Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
- JST-CREST, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
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17
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Marinko J, Huang H, Penn WD, Capra JA, Schlebach JP, Sanders CR. Folding and Misfolding of Human Membrane Proteins in Health and Disease: From Single Molecules to Cellular Proteostasis. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5537-5606. [PMID: 30608666 PMCID: PMC6506414 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Advances over the past 25 years have revealed much about how the structural properties of membranes and associated proteins are linked to the thermodynamics and kinetics of membrane protein (MP) folding. At the same time biochemical progress has outlined how cellular proteostasis networks mediate MP folding and manage misfolding in the cell. When combined with results from genomic sequencing, these studies have established paradigms for how MP folding and misfolding are linked to the molecular etiologies of a variety of diseases. This emerging framework has paved the way for the development of a new class of small molecule "pharmacological chaperones" that bind to and stabilize misfolded MP variants, some of which are now in clinical use. In this review, we comprehensively outline current perspectives on the folding and misfolding of integral MPs as well as the mechanisms of cellular MP quality control. Based on these perspectives, we highlight new opportunities for innovations that bridge our molecular understanding of the energetics of MP folding with the nuanced complexity of biological systems. Given the many linkages between MP misfolding and human disease, we also examine some of the exciting opportunities to leverage these advances to address emerging challenges in the development of therapeutics and precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin
T. Marinko
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Hui Huang
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Wesley D. Penn
- Department
of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - John A. Capra
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37245, United States
| | - Jonathan P. Schlebach
- Department
of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Charles R. Sanders
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
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18
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Inada M, Kinoshita M, Sumino A, Oiki S, Matsumori N. A concise method for quantitative analysis of interactions between lipids and membrane proteins. Anal Chim Acta 2019; 1059:103-112. [PMID: 30876624 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2019.01.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Although interactions between lipids and membrane proteins (MPs) have been considered crucially important for understanding the functions of lipids, lack of useful and convincing experimental methods has hampered the analysis of the interactions. Here, we developed a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based concise method for quantitative analysis of lipid-MP interactions, coating the sensor chip surface with self-assembled monolayer (SAM) with C6-chain. To develop this method, we used bacteriorhodopsin (bR) as an MP, and examined its interaction with various types of lipids. The merits of using C6-SAM-modified sensor chip are as follows: (1) alkyl-chains of SAM confer a better immobilization of MPs because of the efficient preconcentration due to hydrophobic contacts; (2) SAM provides immobilized MPs with a partial membranous environment, which is important for the stabilization of MPs; and (3) a thinner C6-SAM layer (1 nm) compared with MP size forces the MP to bulge outward from the SAM surface, allowing extraneously injected lipids to be accessible to the hydrophobic transmembrane regions. Actually, the amount of bR immobilized on C6-SAM is 10 times higher than that on a hydrophilic CM5 sensor chip, and AFM observations confirmed that bR molecules are exposed on the SAM surface. Of the lipids tested, S-TGA-1, a halobacterium-derived glycolipid, had the highest specificity to bR with a nanomolar dissociation constant. This is consistent with the reported co-crystal structure that indicates the formation of several intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Therefore, we not only reproduced the specific lipid-bR recognition, but also succeeded in its quantitative evaluation, demonstrating the validity and utility of this method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masataka Inada
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Masanao Kinoshita
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Ayumi Sumino
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan; High-speed AFM for Biological Application Unit, Institute for Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan; Bio-AFM Frontier Research Center, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Shigetoshi Oiki
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan
| | - Nobuaki Matsumori
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
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19
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Huang H, Ge B, Sun C, Zhang S, Huang F. Membrane curvature affects the stability and folding kinetics of bacteriorhodopsin. Process Biochem 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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20
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Cirri E, Brier S, Assal R, Canul-Tec JC, Chamot-Rooke J, Reyes N. Consensus designs and thermal stability determinants of a human glutamate transporter. eLife 2018; 7:40110. [PMID: 30334738 PMCID: PMC6209432 DOI: 10.7554/elife.40110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Human excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) take up the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain and are essential to maintain excitatory neurotransmission. Our understanding of the EAATs’ molecular mechanisms has been hampered by the lack of stability of purified protein samples for biophysical analyses. Here, we present approaches based on consensus mutagenesis to obtain thermostable EAAT1 variants that share up to ~95% amino acid identity with the wild type transporters, and remain natively folded and functional. Structural analyses of EAAT1 and the consensus designs using hydrogen-deuterium exchange linked to mass spectrometry show that small and highly cooperative unfolding events at the inter-subunit interface rate-limit their thermal denaturation, while the transport domain unfolds at a later stage in the unfolding pathway. Our findings provide structural insights into the kinetic stability of human glutamate transporters, and introduce general approaches to extend the lifetime of human membrane proteins for biophysical analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Cirri
- Molecular Mechanisms of Membrane Transport Laboratory, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,UMR 3528, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Brier
- Mass Spectrometry for Biology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,USR 2000, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Reda Assal
- Molecular Mechanisms of Membrane Transport Laboratory, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,UMR 3528, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Juan Carlos Canul-Tec
- Molecular Mechanisms of Membrane Transport Laboratory, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,UMR 3528, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Julia Chamot-Rooke
- Mass Spectrometry for Biology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,USR 2000, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Reyes
- Molecular Mechanisms of Membrane Transport Laboratory, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,UMR 3528, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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21
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Tan YL, Mitchell J, Klein-Seetharaman J, Nietlispach D. Characterization of Denatured States and Reversible Unfolding of Sensory Rhodopsin II. J Mol Biol 2018; 430:4068-4086. [PMID: 30098339 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding on the folding of membrane proteins lags behind that of soluble proteins due to challenges posed by the exposure of hydrophobic regions during in vitro chemical denaturation and refolding experiments. While different folding models are accepted for soluble proteins, only the two-stage model and the long-range interactions model have been proposed so far for helical membrane proteins. To address our knowledge gap on how different membrane proteins traverse their folding pathways, we have systematically investigated the structural features of SDS-denatured states and the kinetics for reversible unfolding of sensory rhodopsin II (pSRII), a retinal-binding photophobic receptor from Natronomonas pharaonis. pSRII is difficult to denature, and only SDS can dislodge the retinal chromophore without rapid aggregation. Even in 30% SDS (0.998 ΧSDS), pSRII retains the equivalent of six out of seven transmembrane helices, while the retinal-binding pocket is disrupted, with transmembrane residues becoming more solvent exposed. Folding of pSRII from an SDS-denatured state harboring a covalently bound retinal chromophore shows deviations from an apparent two-state behavior. SDS denaturation to form the sensory opsin apo-protein is reversible. We report pSRII as a new model protein which is suitable for membrane protein folding studies and has a unique folding mechanism that differs from those of bacteriorhodopsin and bovine rhodopsin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Lei Tan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA, United Kingdom
| | - James Mitchell
- Biomedical Sciences Division, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Judith Klein-Seetharaman
- Biomedical Sciences Division, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Nietlispach
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, 80 Tennis Court Road, CB2 1GA, United Kingdom.
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22
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Gruenhagen TC, Ziarek JJ, Schlebach JP. Bicelle size modulates the rate of bacteriorhodopsin folding. Protein Sci 2018; 27:1109-1112. [PMID: 29604129 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The conformational equilibria of integral membrane proteins have proven extremely difficult to characterize within native lipid bilayers. To circumvent technical issues, investigations of the structure and stability of α-helical membrane proteins are often carried out in mixed micelle or bicelle solvents that mimic the membrane and facilitate measurements of reversible folding. Under these conditions, the energetics of membrane protein folding are typically proportional to the mole fraction of an anionic detergent in the micelle. However, investigations of the folding and unfolding of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) surprisingly revealed that the folding rate is also highly sensitive to the bulk molar concentration of lipids and detergents. We show here that this rate enhancement coincides with changes in bicelle size and suggest this effect arises through restriction of the conformational search space during folding. In conjunction with previous mutagenic studies, these results provide additional evidence that a topological search limits the rate of bR folding. Furthermore, this finding provides insights into the manner by which micellar and bicellar environments influence the conformational stability of polytopic membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joshua J Ziarek
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405-7102
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23
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Bumbak F, Keen AC, Gunn NJ, Gooley PR, Bathgate RAD, Scott DJ. Optimization and 13CH 3 methionine labeling of a signaling competent neurotensin receptor 1 variant for NMR studies. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2018; 1860:1372-1383. [PMID: 29596791 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2018.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Revised: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Neurotensin is a 13-residue peptide that acts as a neuromodulator of classical neurotransmitters such as dopamine and glutamate in the mammalian central nervous system, mainly by activating the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), neurotensin receptor 1 (NTS1). Agonist binding to GPCRs shifts the conformational equilibrium of the transmembrane helices towards distinct, thermodynamically favorable conformations that favor effector protein interactions and promotes cell signaling. The introduction of site specific labels for NMR spectroscopy has proven useful for investigating this dynamic process, but the low expression levels and poor stability of GPCRs is a hindrance to solution NMR experiments. Several thermostabilized mutants of NTS1 have been engineered to circumvent this, with the crystal structures of four of these published. The conformational dynamics of NTS1 however, has not been thoroughly investigated with NMR. It is generally accepted that stabilized GPCRs exhibit attenuated signaling, thus we thoroughly characterized the signaling characteristics of several thermostabilized NTS1 variants to identify an optimal variant for protein NMR studies. A variant termed enNTS1 exhibited the best combination of signaling capability and stability upon solubilization with detergents. enNTS1 was subsequently labeled with 13CH3-methionine in E. coli and purified to homogeneity in the absence of bound ligands. Using solution NMR spectroscopy we observed several well dispersed 13CH3-methionine resonances, many of which exhibited chemical shift changes upon the addition of the high affinity agonist peptide, NT8-13. Thus, enNTS1 represents a novel tool for investigating ligand induced conformational changes in NTS1 to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying neurotensin signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Bumbak
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Alastair C Keen
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Natalie J Gunn
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia; IBM Research Australia, Southbank, Victoria 3053, Australia
| | - Paul R Gooley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia; Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | - Ross A D Bathgate
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | - Daniel J Scott
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
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24
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González Flecha FL. Kinetic stability of membrane proteins. Biophys Rev 2017; 9:563-572. [PMID: 28921106 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-017-0324-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although membrane proteins constitute an important class of biomolecules involved in key cellular processes, study of the thermodynamic and kinetic stability of their structures is far behind that of soluble proteins. It is known that many membrane proteins become unstable when removed by detergent extraction from the lipid environment. In addition, most of them undergo irreversible denaturation, even under mild experimental conditions. This process was found to be associated with partial unfolding of the polypeptide chain exposing hydrophobic regions to water, and it was proposed that the formation of kinetically trapped conformations could be involved. In this review, we will describe some of the efforts toward understanding the irreversible inactivation of membrane proteins. Furthermore, its modulation by phospholipids, ligands, and temperature will be herein discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Luis González Flecha
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Laboratorio de Biofísica Molecular, Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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25
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Musatov A, Sedlák E. Role of cardiolipin in stability of integral membrane proteins. Biochimie 2017; 142:102-111. [PMID: 28842204 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2017.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Cardiolipin (CL) is a unique phospholipid with a dimeric structure having four acyl chains and two phosphate groups found almost exclusively in certain membranes of bacteria and of mitochondria of eukaryotes. CL interacts with numerous proteins and has been implicated in function and stabilization of several integral membrane proteins (IMPs). While both functional and stabilization roles of CL in IMPs has been generally acknowledged, there are, in fact, only limited number of quantitative analysis that support this function of CL. This is likely caused by relatively complex determination of parameters characterizing stability of IMPs and particularly intricate assessment of role of specific phospholipids such as CL in IMPs stability. This review aims to summarize quantitative findings regarding stabilization role of CL in IMPs reported up to now.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrej Musatov
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Experimental Physics Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia.
| | - Erik Sedlák
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, P.J. Šafárik University, Jesenná 5, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia.
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26
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Dutagaci B, Wittayanarakul K, Mori T, Feig M. Discrimination of Native-like States of Membrane Proteins with Implicit Membrane-based Scoring Functions. J Chem Theory Comput 2017; 13:3049-3059. [PMID: 28475346 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.7b00254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
A scoring protocol based on implicit membrane-based scoring functions and a new protocol for optimizing the positioning of proteins inside the membrane was evaluated for its capacity to discriminate native-like states from misfolded decoys. A decoy set previously established by the Baker lab (Proteins: Struct., Funct., Genet. 2006, 62, 1010-1025) was used along with a second set that was generated to cover higher resolution models. The Implicit Membrane Model 1 (IMM1), IMM1 model with CHARMM 36 parameters (IMM1-p36), generalized Born with simple switching (GBSW), and heterogeneous dielectric generalized Born versions 2 (HDGBv2) and 3 (HDGBv3) were tested along with the new HDGB van der Waals (HDGBvdW) model that adds implicit van der Waals contributions to the solvation free energy. For comparison, scores were also calculated with the distance-scaled finite ideal-gas reference (DFIRE) scoring function. Z-scores for native state discrimination, energy vs root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) correlations, and the ability to select the most native-like structures as top-scoring decoys were evaluated to assess the performance of the scoring functions. Ranking of the decoys in the Baker set that were relatively far from the native state was challenging and dominated largely by packing interactions that were captured best by DFIRE with less benefit of the implicit membrane-based models. Accounting for the membrane environment was much more important in the second decoy set where especially the HDGB-based scoring functions performed very well in ranking decoys and providing significant correlations between scores and RMSD, which shows promise for improving membrane protein structure prediction and refinement applications. The new membrane structure scoring protocol was implemented in the MEMScore web server ( http://feiglab.org/memscore ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Bercem Dutagaci
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan, United States
| | - Kitiyaporn Wittayanarakul
- Department of Natural Resource and Environmental Management, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, Khon Kaen University , Nong Khai Campus, Nong Khai 43000, Thailand
| | - Takaharu Mori
- Theoretical Molecular Science Laboratory, RIKEN , Wako-shi, Japan
| | - Michael Feig
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University , East Lansing, Michigan, United States
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27
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Panigrahi R, Arutyunova E, Panwar P, Gimpl K, Keller S, Lemieux MJ. Reversible Unfolding of Rhomboid Intramembrane Proteases. Biophys J 2016; 110:1379-90. [PMID: 27028647 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Revised: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Denaturant-induced unfolding of helical membrane proteins provides insights into their mechanism of folding and domain organization, which take place in the chemically heterogeneous, anisotropic environment of a lipid membrane. Rhomboid proteases are intramembrane proteases that play key roles in various diseases. Crystal structures have revealed a compact helical bundle with a buried active site, which requires conformational changes for the cleavage of transmembrane substrates. A dimeric form of the rhomboid protease has been shown to be important for activity. In this study, we examine the mechanism of refolding for two distinct rhomboids to gain insight into their secondary structure-activity relationships. Although helicity is largely abolished in the unfolded states of both proteins, unfolding is completely reversible for HiGlpG but only partially reversible for PsAarA. Refolding of both proteins results in reassociation of the dimer, with a 90% regain of catalytic activity for HiGlpG but only a 70% regain for PsAarA. For both proteins, a broad, gradual transition from the native, folded state to the denatured, partly unfolded state was revealed with the aid of circular dichroism spectroscopy as a function of denaturant concentration, thus arguing against a classical two-state model as found for many globular soluble proteins. Thermal denaturation has irreversible destabilizing effects on both proteins, yet reveals important functional details regarding substrate accessibility to the buried active site. This concerted biophysical and functional analysis demonstrates that HiGlpG, with a simple six-transmembrane-segment organization, is more robust than PsAarA, which has seven predicted transmembrane segments, thus rendering HiGlpG amenable to in vitro studies of membrane-protein folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rashmi Panigrahi
- Department of Biochemistry, Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Elena Arutyunova
- Department of Biochemistry, Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Pankaj Panwar
- Department of Biochemistry, Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Katharina Gimpl
- Molecular Biophysics, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Sandro Keller
- Molecular Biophysics, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - M Joanne Lemieux
- Department of Biochemistry, Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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28
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Domański J, Hedger G, Best RB, Stansfeld PJ, Sansom MSP. Convergence and Sampling in Determining Free Energy Landscapes for Membrane Protein Association. J Phys Chem B 2016; 121:3364-3375. [PMID: 27807980 PMCID: PMC5402295 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b08445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Potential of mean
force (PMF) calculations are used to characterize
the free energy landscape of protein–lipid and protein–protein
association within membranes. Coarse-grained simulations allow binding
free energies to be determined with reasonable statistical error.
This accuracy relies on defining a good collective variable to describe
the binding and unbinding transitions, and upon criteria for assessing
the convergence of the simulation toward representative equilibrium
sampling. As examples, we calculate protein–lipid binding PMFs
for ANT/cardiolipin and Kir2.2/PIP2, using umbrella sampling
on a distance coordinate. These highlight the importance of replica
exchange between windows for convergence. The use of two independent
sets of simulations, initiated from bound and unbound states, provide
strong evidence for simulation convergence. For a model protein–protein
interaction within a membrane, center-of-mass distance is shown to
be a poor collective variable for describing transmembrane helix–helix
dimerization. Instead, we employ an alternative intermolecular distance
matrix RMS (DRMS) coordinate to obtain
converged PMFs for the association of the glycophorin transmembrane
domain. While the coarse-grained force field gives a reasonable Kd for dimerization, the majority of the bound
population is revealed to be in a near-native conformation. Thus,
the combination of a refined reaction coordinate with improved sampling
reveals previously unnoticed complexities of the dimerization free
energy landscape. We propose the use of replica-exchange umbrella
sampling starting from different initial conditions as a robust approach
for calculation of the binding energies in membrane simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Domański
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford , South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K.,Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0520, United States
| | - George Hedger
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford , South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K
| | - Robert B Best
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0520, United States
| | - Phillip J Stansfeld
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford , South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K
| | - Mark S P Sansom
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford , South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K
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29
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Urano R, Okamoto Y. Observation of helix associations for insertion of a retinal molecule and distortions of helix structures in bacteriorhodopsin. J Chem Phys 2016; 143:235101. [PMID: 26696075 DOI: 10.1063/1.4935964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We applied a newly proposed prediction method for membrane protein structures to bacteriorhodopsin that has distorted transmembrane helices in the native structure. This method uses an implicit membrane model, which restricts sampling space during folding in a membrane region, and includes helix bending. Replica-exchange simulations were performed with seven transmembrane helices only without a retinal molecule. Obtained structures were classified into clusters of similar structures, which correspond to local-minimum free energy states. The two lowest free energy states corresponded to a native-like structure with the correct empty space for retinal and a structure with this empty space filled with a helix. Previous experiments of bacteriorhodopsin suggested that association of transmembrane helices enables them to make a room for insertion of a retinal. Our results are consistent with these results. Moreover, distortions of helices in the native-like structures were successfully reproduced. In the distortions, whereas the locations of kinks for all helices were similar to those of Protein Data Bank's data, the amount of bends was more similar for helices away from the retinal than for those close to the retinal in the native structure. This suggests a hypothesis that the amino-acid sequence specifies the location of kinks in transmembrane helices and that the amount of distortions depends on the interactions with the surrounding molecules such as neighboring helices, lipids, and retinal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Urano
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
| | - Yuko Okamoto
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602, Japan
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30
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Kroncke BM, Duran AM, Mendenhall JL, Meiler J, Blume JD, Sanders CR. Documentation of an Imperative To Improve Methods for Predicting Membrane Protein Stability. Biochemistry 2016; 55:5002-9. [PMID: 27564391 PMCID: PMC5024705 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
![]()
There
is a compelling and growing need to accurately predict the
impact of amino acid mutations on protein stability for problems in
personalized medicine and other applications. Here the ability of
10 computational tools to accurately predict mutation-induced perturbation
of folding stability (ΔΔG) for membrane
proteins of known structure was assessed. All methods for predicting
ΔΔG values performed significantly worse
when applied to membrane proteins than when applied to soluble proteins,
yielding estimated concordance, Pearson, and Spearman correlation
coefficients of <0.4 for membrane proteins. Rosetta and PROVEAN
showed a modest ability to classify mutations as destabilizing (ΔΔG < −0.5 kcal/mol), with a 7 in 10 chance of correctly
discriminating a randomly chosen destabilizing variant from a randomly
chosen stabilizing variant. However, even this performance is significantly
worse than for soluble proteins. This study highlights the need for
further development of reliable and reproducible methods for predicting
thermodynamic folding stability in membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett M Kroncke
- Department of Biochemistry, ‡Center for Structural Biology, §Departments of Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Bioinformatics, and ∥Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Amanda M Duran
- Department of Biochemistry, ‡Center for Structural Biology, §Departments of Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Bioinformatics, and ∥Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Jeffrey L Mendenhall
- Department of Biochemistry, ‡Center for Structural Biology, §Departments of Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Bioinformatics, and ∥Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Jens Meiler
- Department of Biochemistry, ‡Center for Structural Biology, §Departments of Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Bioinformatics, and ∥Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Jeffrey D Blume
- Department of Biochemistry, ‡Center for Structural Biology, §Departments of Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Bioinformatics, and ∥Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Charles R Sanders
- Department of Biochemistry, ‡Center for Structural Biology, §Departments of Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Bioinformatics, and ∥Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University , Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
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31
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Contini A, Tiana G. A many-body term improves the accuracy of effective potentials based on protein coevolutionary data. J Chem Phys 2016; 143:025103. [PMID: 26178131 DOI: 10.1063/1.4926665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of correlated mutations in alignments of homologous proteins proved to be successful not only in the prediction of their native conformation but also in the development of a two-body effective potential between pairs of amino acids. In the present work, we extend the effective potential, introducing a many-body term based on the same theoretical framework, making use of a principle of maximum entropy. The extended potential performs better than the two-body one in predicting the energetic effect of 308 mutations in 14 proteins (including membrane proteins). The average value of the parameters of the many-body term correlates with the degree of hydrophobicity of the corresponding residues, suggesting that this term partly reflects the effect of the solvent.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Contini
- Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - G Tiana
- Department of Physics, Università degli Studi di Milano, and INFN, via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy
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32
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Chen DE, Willick DL, Ruckel JB, Floriano WB. Principal component analysis of binding energies for single-point mutants of hT2R16 bound to an agonist correlate with experimental mutant cell response. J Comput Biol 2015; 22:37-53. [PMID: 25393978 DOI: 10.1089/cmb.2014.0192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Directed evolution is a technique that enables the identification of mutants of a particular protein that carry a desired property by successive rounds of random mutagenesis, screening, and selection. This technique has many applications, including the development of G protein-coupled receptor-based biosensors and designer drugs for personalized medicine. Although effective, directed evolution is not without challenges and can greatly benefit from the development of computational techniques to predict the functional outcome of single-point amino acid substitutions. In this article, we describe a molecular dynamics-based approach to predict the effects of single amino acid substitutions on agonist binding (salicin) to a human bitter taste receptor (hT2R16). An experimentally determined functional map of single-point amino acid substitutions was used to validate the whole-protein molecular dynamics-based predictive functions. Molecular docking was used to construct a wild-type agonist-receptor complex, providing a starting structure for single-point substitution simulations. The effects of each single amino acid substitution in the functional response of the receptor to its agonist were estimated using three binding energy schemes with increasing inclusion of solvation effects. We show that molecular docking combined with molecular mechanics simulations of single-point mutants of the agonist-receptor complex accurately predicts the functional outcome of single amino acid substitutions in a human bitter taste receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek E Chen
- 1 Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University Pomona , Pomona, California
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33
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Wolf S, Freier E, Gerwert K. A delocalized proton-binding site within a membrane protein. Biophys J 2015; 107:174-84. [PMID: 24988352 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2013] [Revised: 05/13/2014] [Accepted: 05/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of protein-bound water molecules in protein function and catalysis is an emerging topic. Here, we studied the solvation of an excess proton by protein-bound water molecules and the contribution of the surrounding amino acid residues at the proton release site of the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin. It hosts an excess proton within a protein-bound water cluster, which is hydrogen bonded to several surrounding amino acids. Indicative of delocalization is a broad continuum absorbance experimentally observed by time-resolved Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In combination with site-directed mutagenesis, the involvement of several amino acids (especially Glu-194 and Glu-204) in the delocalization was elaborated. Details regarding the contributions of the glutamates and water molecules to the delocalization mode in biomolecular simulations are controversial. We carried out quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) self-consistent charge density functional tight-binding simulations for all amino acids that have been experimentally shown to be involved in solvation of the excess proton, and systematically investigated the influence of the quantum box size. We compared calculated theoretical infrared spectra with experimental ones as a measure for the correct description of excess proton delocalization. A continuum absorbance can only be observed for small quantum boxes containing few amino acids and/or water molecules. Larger quantum boxes, including all experimentally shown involved amino acids, resulted in narrow absorbance bands, indicating protonation of a single binding site in contradiction to experimental results. We conclude that small quantum boxes seem to reproduce representative extreme cases of proton delocalization modes: proton delocalization only on water molecules or only between Glu-194 and Glu-204. Extending the experimental spectral region to lower wave numbers, a water-delocalized proton reproduces the observed continuum absorbance better than a glutamate-shared delocalized proton. However, a full agreement between QM simulations and experimental results on the delocalized excess proton will require a larger quantum box as well as more sophisticated QM/MM methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Wolf
- Department of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences-Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Erik Freier
- Department of Biophysics, University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Klaus Gerwert
- Department of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences-Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Shanghai, P.R. China; Department of Biophysics, University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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34
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Transmembrane helix straightening and buckling underlies activation of mechanosensitive and thermosensitive K(2P) channels. Neuron 2014; 84:1198-212. [PMID: 25500157 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical and thermal activation of ion channels is central to touch, thermosensation, and pain. The TRAAK/TREK K(2P) potassium channel subfamily produces background currents that alter neuronal excitability in response to pressure, temperature, signaling lipids, and anesthetics. How such diverse stimuli control channel function is unclear. Here we report structures of K(2P)4.1 (TRAAK) bearing C-type gate-activating mutations that reveal a tilting and straightening of the M4 inner transmembrane helix and a buckling of the M2 transmembrane helix. These conformational changes move M4 in a direction opposite to that in classical potassium channel activation mechanisms and open a passage lateral to the pore that faces the lipid bilayer inner leaflet. Together, our findings uncover a unique aspect of K(2P) modulation, indicate a means for how the K(2P) C-terminal cytoplasmic domain affects the C-type gate which lies ∼40Å away, and suggest how lipids and bilayer inner leaflet deformations may gate the channel.
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35
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Shevchenko V, Gushchin I, Polovinkin V, Round E, Borshchevskiy V, Utrobin P, Popov A, Balandin T, Büldt G, Gordeliy V. Crystal structure of Escherichia coli-expressed Haloarcula marismortui bacteriorhodopsin I in the trimeric form. PLoS One 2014; 9:e112873. [PMID: 25479443 PMCID: PMC4257550 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriorhodopsins are a large family of seven-helical transmembrane proteins that function as light-driven proton pumps. Here, we present the crystal structure of a new member of the family, Haloarcula marismortui bacteriorhodopsin I (HmBRI) D94N mutant, at the resolution of 2.5 Å. While the HmBRI retinal-binding pocket and proton donor site are similar to those of other archaeal proton pumps, its proton release region is extended and contains additional water molecules. The protein's fold is reinforced by three novel inter-helical hydrogen bonds, two of which result from double substitutions relative to Halobacterium salinarum bacteriorhodopsin and other similar proteins. Despite the expression in Escherichia coli and consequent absence of native lipids, the protein assembles as a trimer in crystals. The unique extended loop between the helices D and E of HmBRI makes contacts with the adjacent protomer and appears to stabilize the interface. Many lipidic hydrophobic tail groups are discernible in the membrane region, and their positions are similar to those of archaeal isoprenoid lipids in the crystals of other proton pumps, isolated from native or native-like sources. All these features might explain the HmBRI properties and establish the protein as a novel model for the microbial rhodopsin proton pumping studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitaly Shevchenko
- Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) Structural Biochemistry, Research Centre Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Laboratory for advanced studies of membrane proteins, Moscow institute of physics and technology, Dolgoprudniy, Russia
| | - Ivan Gushchin
- Laboratory for advanced studies of membrane proteins, Moscow institute of physics and technology, Dolgoprudniy, Russia
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, IBS, Grenoble, France
- CNRS, IBS, Grenoble, France
- CEA, IBS, Grenoble, France
| | - Vitaly Polovinkin
- Laboratory for advanced studies of membrane proteins, Moscow institute of physics and technology, Dolgoprudniy, Russia
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, IBS, Grenoble, France
- CNRS, IBS, Grenoble, France
- CEA, IBS, Grenoble, France
| | - Ekaterina Round
- Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) Structural Biochemistry, Research Centre Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Valentin Borshchevskiy
- Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) Structural Biochemistry, Research Centre Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Laboratory for advanced studies of membrane proteins, Moscow institute of physics and technology, Dolgoprudniy, Russia
| | - Petr Utrobin
- Laboratory for advanced studies of membrane proteins, Moscow institute of physics and technology, Dolgoprudniy, Russia
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, IBS, Grenoble, France
- CNRS, IBS, Grenoble, France
| | | | - Taras Balandin
- Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) Structural Biochemistry, Research Centre Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Georg Büldt
- Laboratory for advanced studies of membrane proteins, Moscow institute of physics and technology, Dolgoprudniy, Russia
| | - Valentin Gordeliy
- Institute of Complex Systems (ICS-6) Structural Biochemistry, Research Centre Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
- Laboratory for advanced studies of membrane proteins, Moscow institute of physics and technology, Dolgoprudniy, Russia
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, IBS, Grenoble, France
- CNRS, IBS, Grenoble, France
- CEA, IBS, Grenoble, France
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
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36
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Toward understanding driving forces in membrane protein folding. Arch Biochem Biophys 2014; 564:297-313. [DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2014.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2014] [Revised: 07/21/2014] [Accepted: 07/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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37
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Schlebach J, Woodall N, Bowie JU, Park C. Bacteriorhodopsin folds through a poorly organized transition state. J Am Chem Soc 2014; 136:16574-81. [PMID: 25369295 PMCID: PMC4277764 DOI: 10.1021/ja508359n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The folding mechanisms of helical membrane proteins remain largely uncharted. Here we characterize the kinetics of bacteriorhodopsin folding and employ φ-value analysis to explore the folding transition state. First, we developed and confirmed a kinetic model that allowed us to assess the rate of folding from SDS-denatured bacteriorhodopsin (bRU) and provides accurate thermodynamic information even under influence of retinal hydrolysis. Next, we obtained reliable φ-values for 16 mutants of bacteriorhodopsin with good coverage across the protein. Every φ-value was less than 0.4, indicating the transition state is not uniquely structured. We suggest that the transition state is a loosely organized ensemble of conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan
P. Schlebach
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, 575
Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United
States
- Interdisciplinary
Life Science Graduate Program, Purdue University, 155 South Grant Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Nicholas
B. Woodall
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California, Los Angeles, 607 Charles E. Young Drive East, Box 951569, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - James U. Bowie
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California, Los Angeles, 607 Charles E. Young Drive East, Box 951569, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - Chiwook Park
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, 575
Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United
States
- Interdisciplinary
Life Science Graduate Program, Purdue University, 155 South Grant Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
- Bindley
Bioscience Center, Purdue University, 1203 West State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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38
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The safety dance: biophysics of membrane protein folding and misfolding in a cellular context. Q Rev Biophys 2014; 48:1-34. [PMID: 25420508 DOI: 10.1017/s0033583514000110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Most biological processes require the production and degradation of proteins, a task that weighs heavily on the cell. Mutations that compromise the conformational stability of proteins place both specific and general burdens on cellular protein homeostasis (proteostasis) in ways that contribute to numerous diseases. Efforts to elucidate the chain of molecular events responsible for diseases of protein folding address one of the foremost challenges in biomedical science. However, relatively little is known about the processes by which mutations prompt the misfolding of α-helical membrane proteins, which rely on an intricate network of cellular machinery to acquire and maintain their functional structures within cellular membranes. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the physical principles that guide membrane protein biogenesis and folding in the context of mammalian cells. Additionally, we explore how pathogenic mutations that influence biogenesis may differ from those that disrupt folding and assembly, as well as how this may relate to disease mechanisms and therapeutic intervention. These perspectives indicate an imperative for the use of information from structural, cellular, and biochemical studies of membrane proteins in the design of novel therapeutics and in personalized medicine.
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Stangl M, Unger S, Keller S, Schneider D. Sequence-specific dimerization of a transmembrane helix in amphipol A8-35. PLoS One 2014; 9:e110970. [PMID: 25347769 PMCID: PMC4210147 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
As traditional detergents might destabilize or even denature membrane proteins, amphiphilic polymers have moved into the focus of membrane-protein research in recent years. Thus far, Amphipols are the best studied amphiphilic copolymers, having a hydrophilic backbone with short hydrophobic chains. However, since stabilizing as well as destabilizing effects of the Amphipol belt on the structure of membrane proteins have been described, we systematically analyze the impact of the most commonly used Amphipol A8-35 on the structure and stability of a well-defined transmembrane protein model, the glycophorin A transmembrane helix dimer. Amphipols are not able to directly extract proteins from their native membranes, and detergents are typically replaced by Amphipols only after protein extraction from membranes. As Amphipols form mixed micelles with detergents, a better understanding of Amphipol-detergent interactions is required. Therefore, we analyze the interaction of A8-35 with the anionic detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate and describe the impact of the mixed-micelle-like system on the stability of a transmembrane helix dimer. As A8-35 may highly stabilize and thereby rigidify a transmembrane protein structure, modest destabilization by controlled addition of detergents and formation of mixed micellar systems might be helpful to preserve the function of a membrane protein in Amphipol environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Stangl
- Department of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes-Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sebastian Unger
- Molecular Biophysics, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Sandro Keller
- Molecular Biophysics, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Dirk Schneider
- Department of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes-Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- * E-mail:
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40
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Pogozheva ID, Mosberg HI, Lomize AL. Life at the border: adaptation of proteins to anisotropic membrane environment. Protein Sci 2014; 23:1165-96. [PMID: 24947665 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2014] [Revised: 06/17/2014] [Accepted: 06/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
This review discusses main features of transmembrane (TM) proteins which distinguish them from water-soluble proteins and allow their adaptation to the anisotropic membrane environment. We overview the structural limitations on membrane protein architecture, spatial arrangement of proteins in membranes and their intrinsic hydrophobic thickness, co-translational and post-translational folding and insertion into lipid bilayers, topogenesis, high propensity to form oligomers, and large-scale conformational transitions during membrane insertion and transport function. Special attention is paid to the polarity of TM protein surfaces described by profiles of dipolarity/polarizability and hydrogen-bonding capacity parameters that match polarity of the lipid environment. Analysis of distributions of Trp resides on surfaces of TM proteins from different biological membranes indicates that interfacial membrane regions with preferential accumulation of Trp indole rings correspond to the outer part of the lipid acyl chain region-between double bonds and carbonyl groups of lipids. These "midpolar" regions are not always symmetric in proteins from natural membranes. We also examined the hydrophobic effect that drives insertion of proteins into lipid bilayer and different free energy contributions to TM protein stability, including attractive van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds, side-chain conformational entropy, the hydrophobic mismatch, membrane deformations, and specific protein-lipid binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina D Pogozheva
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1065
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41
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Wickstrand C, Dods R, Royant A, Neutze R. Bacteriorhodopsin: Would the real structural intermediates please stand up? Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2014; 1850:536-53. [PMID: 24918316 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2014.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2014] [Revised: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 05/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is the simplest known light driven proton pump and has been heavily studied using structural methods: eighty four X-ray diffraction, six electron diffraction and three NMR structures of bR are deposited within the protein data bank. Twenty one X-ray structures report light induced structural changes and changes induced by mutation, changes in pH, thermal annealing or X-ray induced photo-reduction have also been examined. SCOPE OF REVIEW We argue that light-induced structural changes that are replicated across several studies by independent research groups are those most likely to represent what is happening in reality. We present both internal distance matrix analyses that sort deposited bR structures into hierarchal trees, and difference Fourier analysis of deposited X-ray diffraction data. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS An internal distance matrix analysis separates most wild-type bR structures according to their different crystal forms, indicating how the protein's structure is influenced by crystallization conditions. A similar analysis clusters eleven studies of illuminated bR crystals as one branch of a hierarchal tree with reproducible movements of the extracellular portion of helix C towards helix G, and of the cytoplasmic portion of helix F away from helices A, B and G. All crystallographic data deposited for illuminated crystals show negative difference density on a water molecule (Wat402) that forms H-bonds to the retinal Schiff Base and two aspartate residues (Asp85, Asp212) in the bR resting state. Other recurring difference density features indicated reproducible side-chain, backbone and water molecule displacements. X-ray induced radiation damage also disorders Wat402 but acts via cleaving the head-groups of Asp85 and Asp212. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE A remarkable level of agreement exists when deposited structures and crystallographic observations are viewed as a whole. From this agreement a unified picture of the structural mechanism of light-induced proton pumping by bR emerges. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Structural biochemistry and biophysics of membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Wickstrand
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Robert Dods
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Antoine Royant
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, IBS, F-38044 Grenoble, France; CNRS, IBS, F-38044 Grenoble, France; CEA, IBS, F-38044 Grenoble, France; European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, F-38043 Grenoble, France.
| | - Richard Neutze
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, SE-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden.
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42
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Cho MK, Gayen A, Banigan J, Leninger M, Traaseth NJ. Intrinsic conformational plasticity of native EmrE provides a pathway for multidrug resistance. J Am Chem Soc 2014; 136:8072-80. [PMID: 24856154 PMCID: PMC4063181 DOI: 10.1021/ja503145x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
EmrE is a multidrug resistance efflux pump with specificity to a wide range of antibiotics and antiseptics. To obtain atomic-scale insight into the attributes of the native state that encodes the broad specificity, we used a hybrid of solution and solid-state NMR methods in lipid bilayers and bicelles. Our results indicate that the native EmrE dimer oscillates between inward and outward facing structural conformations at an exchange rate (k(ex)) of ~300 s(-1) at 37 °C (millisecond motions), which is ~50-fold faster relative to the tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP(+)) substrate-bound form of the protein. These observables provide quantitative evidence that the rate-limiting step in the TPP(+) transport cycle is not the outward-inward conformational change in the absence of drug. In addition, using differential scanning calorimetry, we found that the width of the gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition was 2 °C broader in the absence of the TPP(+) substrate versus its presence, which suggested that changes in transporter dynamics can impact the phase properties of the membrane. Interestingly, experiments with cross-linked EmrE showed that the millisecond inward-open to outward-open dynamics was not the culprit of the broadening. Instead, the calorimetry and NMR data supported the conclusion that faster time scale structural dynamics (nanosecond-microsecond) were the source and therefore impart the conformationally plastic character of native EmrE capable of binding structurally diverse substrates. These findings provide a clear example how differences in membrane protein transporter structural dynamics between drug-free and bound states can have a direct impact on the physical properties of the lipid bilayer in an allosteric fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - James
R. Banigan
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10003, United States
| | - Maureen Leninger
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10003, United States
| | - Nathaniel J. Traaseth
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10003, United States
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43
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen G. Fleming
- T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218;
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44
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Ye C, Wang Z, Lu W, Wei Y. Unfolding study of a trimeric membrane protein AcrB. Protein Sci 2014; 23:897-905. [PMID: 24715637 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Revised: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The folding of a multi-domain trimeric α-helical membrane protein, Escherichia coli inner membrane protein AcrB, was investigated. AcrB contains both a transmembrane domain and a large periplasmic domain. Protein unfolding in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and urea was monitored using the intrinsic fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The SDS denaturation curve displayed a sigmoidal profile, which could be fitted with a two-state unfolding model. To investigate the unfolding of separate domains, a triple mutant was created, in which all three Trp residues in the transmembrane domain were replaced with Phe. The SDS unfolding profile of the mutant was comparable to that of the wild type AcrB, suggesting that the observed signal change was largely originated from the unfolding of the soluble domain. Strengthening of trimer association through the introduction of an inter-subunit disulfide bond had little effect on the unfolding profile, suggesting that trimer dissociation was not the rate-limiting step in unfolding monitored by fluorescence emission. Under our experimental condition, AcrB unfolding was not reversible. Furthermore, we experimented with the refolding of a monomeric mutant, AcrBΔloop , from the SDS unfolded state. The CD spectrum of the refolded AcrBΔloop superimposed well onto the spectra of the original folded protein, while the fluorescence spectrum was not fully recovered. In summary, our results suggested that the unfolding of the trimeric AcrB started with a local structural rearrangement. While the refolding of secondary structure in individual monomers could be achieved, the re-association of the trimer might be the limiting factor to obtain folded wild-type AcrB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cui Ye
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 40506
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45
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Roman EA, González Flecha FL. Kinetics and thermodynamics of membrane protein folding. Biomolecules 2014; 4:354-73. [PMID: 24970219 PMCID: PMC4030980 DOI: 10.3390/biom4010354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2013] [Revised: 02/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/23/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding protein folding has been one of the great challenges in biochemistry and molecular biophysics. Over the past 50 years, many thermodynamic and kinetic studies have been performed addressing the stability of globular proteins. In comparison, advances in the membrane protein folding field lag far behind. Although membrane proteins constitute about a third of the proteins encoded in known genomes, stability studies on membrane proteins have been impaired due to experimental limitations. Furthermore, no systematic experimental strategies are available for folding these biomolecules in vitro. Common denaturing agents such as chaotropes usually do not work on helical membrane proteins, and ionic detergents have been successful denaturants only in few cases. Refolding a membrane protein seems to be a craftsman work, which is relatively straightforward for transmembrane β-barrel proteins but challenging for α-helical membrane proteins. Additional complexities emerge in multidomain membrane proteins, data interpretation being one of the most critical. In this review, we will describe some recent efforts in understanding the folding mechanism of membrane proteins that have been reversibly refolded allowing both thermodynamic and kinetic analysis. This information will be discussed in the context of current paradigms in the protein folding field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto A Roman
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysical Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires 1113, Argentina.
| | - F Luis González Flecha
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysical Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires 1113, Argentina.
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Kynde SAR, Skar-Gislinge N, Pedersen MC, Midtgaard SR, Simonsen JB, Schweins R, Mortensen K, Arleth L. Small-angle scattering gives direct structural information about a membrane protein inside a lipid environment. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 70:371-83. [PMID: 24531471 DOI: 10.1107/s1399004713028344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2013] [Accepted: 10/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Monomeric bacteriorhodopsin (bR) reconstituted into POPC/POPG-containing nanodiscs was investigated by combined small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering. A novel hybrid approach to small-angle scattering data analysis was developed. In combination, these provided direct structural insight into membrane-protein localization in the nanodisc and into the protein-lipid interactions. It was found that bR is laterally decentred in the plane of the disc and is slightly tilted in the phospholipid bilayer. The thickness of the bilayer is reduced in response to the incorporation of bR. The observed tilt of bR is in good accordance with previously performed theoretical predictions and computer simulations based on the bR crystal structure. The result is a significant and essential step on the way to developing a general small-angle scattering-based method for determining the low-resolution structures of membrane proteins in physiologically relevant environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Søren A R Kynde
- Structural Biophysics, Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nicholas Skar-Gislinge
- Structural Biophysics, Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin Cramer Pedersen
- Structural Biophysics, Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Søren Roi Midtgaard
- Structural Biophysics, Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jens Baek Simonsen
- Structural Biophysics, Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Kell Mortensen
- Structural Biophysics, Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lise Arleth
- Structural Biophysics, Niels Bohr Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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The free energy landscape of dimerization of a membrane protein, NanC. PLoS Comput Biol 2014; 10:e1003417. [PMID: 24415929 PMCID: PMC3886892 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane proteins are frequently present in crowded environments, which favour lateral association and, on occasions, two-dimensional crystallization. To better understand the non-specific lateral association of a membrane protein we have characterized the free energy landscape for the dimerization of a bacterial outer membrane protein, NanC, in a phospholipid bilayer membrane. NanC is a member of the KdgM-family of bacterial outer membrane proteins and is responsible for sialic acid transport in E. coli. Umbrella sampling and coarse-grained molecular dynamics were employed to calculate the potentials of mean force (PMF) for a variety of restrained relative orientations of two NanC proteins as the separation of their centres of mass was varied. We found the free energy of dimerization for NanC to be in the range of to . Differences in the depths of the PMFs for the various orientations are related to the shape of the proteins. This was quantified by calculating the lipid-inaccessible buried surface area of the proteins in the region around the minimum of each PMF. The depth of the potential well of the PMF was shown to depend approximately linearly on the buried surface area. We were able to resolve local minima in the restrained PMFs that would not be revealed using conventional umbrella sampling. In particular, these features reflected the local organization of the intervening lipids between the two interacting proteins. Through a comparison with the distribution of lipids around a single freely-diffusing NanC, we were able to predict the location of these restrained local minima for the orientational configuration in which they were most pronounced. Our ability to make this prediction highlights the important role that lipid organization plays in the association of two NanCs in a bilayer. Cells are surrounded by selectively-permeable bilayer membranes, enabling the cell to control its internal environment. Embedded within these membranes are a variety of membrane proteins, many of which facilitate this environmental control and are integral to numerous metabolic processes. Their location within the membrane and their mutual association are controlled by many factors. We use molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the free energy of association for a pair of relatively simple membrane proteins. By doing so, we are able to characterize the effect that the geometrical properties of the protein have on their mutual association in a bilayer environment, showing that there is a correlation between the buried surface area of two proteins when in contact and the strength of their interaction. We also observe the effect of protein-lipid-protein interactions in this free energy characterization. Such interactions are related to the preferential distribution of lipids around proteins in the membrane.
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48
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Abstract
The thermodynamic stability of proteins is typically measured at high denaturant concentrations and then extrapolated back to zero denaturant conditions to obtain unfolding free energies under native conditions. For membrane proteins, the extrapolations are fraught with considerable uncertainty as the denaturants may have complex effects on the membrane or micellar structure. We therefore sought to measure stability under native conditions, using a method that does not perturb the properties of the membrane or membrane mimetics. We use a technique called steric trapping to measure the thermodynamic stability of bacteriorhodopsin in bicelles and micelles. We find that bacteriorhodopsin has a high thermodynamic stability, with an unfolding free energy of ∼11 kcal/mol in dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine bicelles. Nevertheless, the stability is much lower than predicted by extrapolation of measurements made at high denaturant concentrations. We investigated the discrepancy and found that unfolding free energy is not linear with denaturant concentration. Apparently, long extrapolations of helical membrane protein unfolding free energies must be treated with caution. Steric trapping, however, provides a method for making these measurements.
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49
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Tastan O, Dutta A, Booth P, Klein-Seetharaman J. Retinal proteins as model systems for membrane protein folding. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2013; 1837:656-63. [PMID: 24333783 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2013.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Revised: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 11/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Experimental folding studies of membrane proteins are more challenging than water-soluble proteins because of the higher hydrophobicity content of membrane embedded sequences and the need to provide a hydrophobic milieu for the transmembrane regions. The first challenge is their denaturation: due to the thermodynamic instability of polar groups in the membrane, secondary structures in membrane proteins are more difficult to disrupt than in soluble proteins. The second challenge is to refold from the denatured states. Successful refolding of membrane proteins has almost always been from very subtly denatured states. Therefore, it can be useful to analyze membrane protein folding using computational methods, and we will provide results obtained with simulated unfolding of membrane protein structures using the Floppy Inclusions and Rigid Substructure Topography (FIRST) method. Computational methods have the advantage that they allow a direct comparison between diverse membrane proteins. We will review here both, experimental and FIRST studies of the retinal binding proteins bacteriorhodopsin and mammalian rhodopsin, and discuss the extension of the findings to deriving hypotheses on the mechanisms of folding of membrane proteins in general. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Retinal Proteins-You can teach an old dog new tricks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oznur Tastan
- Department of Computer Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Arpana Dutta
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA
| | - Paula Booth
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, UK
| | - Judith Klein-Seetharaman
- Division of Metabolic and Vascular Health, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
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50
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Hepatitis C virus RNA replication and virus particle assembly require specific dimerization of the NS4A protein transmembrane domain. J Virol 2013; 88:628-42. [PMID: 24173222 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02052-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS4A is a single-pass transmembrane (TM) protein essential for viral replication and particle assembly. The sequence of the NS4A TM domain is highly conserved, suggesting that it may be important for protein-protein interactions. To test this hypothesis, we measured the potential dimerization of the NS4A TM domain in a well-characterized two-hybrid TM protein interaction system. The NS4A TM domain exhibited a strong homotypic interaction that was comparable in affinity to glycophorin A, a well-studied human blood group antigen that forms TM homodimers. Several mutations predicted to cluster on a common surface of the NS4A TM helix caused significant reductions in dimerization, suggesting that these residues form an interface for NS4A dimerization. Mutations in the NS4A TM domain were further examined in the JFH-1 genotype 2a replicon system; importantly, all mutations that destabilized NS4A dimers also caused defects in RNA replication and/or virus assembly. Computational modeling of NS4A TM interactions suggests a right-handed dimeric interaction of helices with an interface that is consistent with the mutational effects. Furthermore, defects in NS4A oligomerization and virus particle assembly of two mutants were rescued by NS4A A15S, a TM mutation recently identified through forward genetics as a cell culture-adaptive mutation. Together, these data provide the first example of a functionally important TM dimer interface within an HCV nonstructural protein and reveal a fundamental role of the NS4A TM domain in coordinating HCV RNA replication and virus particle assembly.
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