1
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Zhang L, Brown MC, Mutter AC, Greenland KN, Cooley JW, Koder RL. Protein dynamics govern the oxyferrous state lifetime of an artificial oxygen transport protein. Biophys J 2023; 122:4440-4450. [PMID: 37865818 PMCID: PMC10698322 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023] Open
Abstract
It has long been known that the alteration of protein side chains that occlude or expose the heme cofactor to water can greatly affect the stability of the oxyferrous heme state. Here, we demonstrate that the rate of dynamically driven water penetration into the core of an artificial oxygen transport protein also correlates with oxyferrous state lifetime by reducing global dynamics, without altering the structure of the active site, via the simple linking of the two monomers in a homodimeric artificial oxygen transport protein using a glycine-rich loop. The tethering of these two helices does not significantly affect the active site structure, pentacoordinate heme-binding affinity, reduction potential, or gaseous ligand affinity. It does, however, significantly reduce the hydration of the protein core, as demonstrated by resonance Raman spectroscopy, backbone amide hydrogen exchange, and pKa shifts in buried histidine side chains. This further destabilizes the charge-buried entatic state and nearly triples the oxyferrous state lifetime. These data are the first direct evidence that dynamically driven water penetration is a rate-limiting step in the oxidation of these complexes. It furthermore demonstrates that structural rigidity that limits water penetration is a critical design feature in metalloenzyme construction and provides an explanation for both the failures and successes of earlier attempts to create oxygen-binding proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- Department of Physics, The City College of New York, New York, New York
| | - Mia C Brown
- Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Andrew C Mutter
- Department of Biochemistry, The City College of New York, New York, New York
| | - Kelly N Greenland
- Department of Physics, The City College of New York, New York, New York
| | - Jason W Cooley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Ronald L Koder
- Department of Physics, The City College of New York, New York, New York; Graduate Programs of Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Graduate Center of CUNY, New York, New York.
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2
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Wei RJ, Khaniya U, Mao J, Liu J, Batista VS, Gunner MR. Tools for analyzing protonation states and for tracing proton transfer pathways with examples from the Rb. sphaeroides photosynthetic reaction centers. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2023; 156:101-112. [PMID: 36307598 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-022-00973-0] [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: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Protons participate in many reactions. In proteins, protons need paths to move in and out of buried active sites. The vectorial movement of protons coupled to electron transfer reactions establishes the transmembrane electrochemical gradient used for many reactions, including ATP synthesis. Protons move through hydrogen bonded chains of waters and hydroxy side chains via the Grotthuss mechanism and by proton binding and release from acidic and basic residues. MCCE analysis shows that proteins exist in a large number of protonation states. Knowledge of the equilibrium ensemble can provide a rational basis for setting protonation states in simulations that fix them, such as molecular dynamics (MD). The proton path into the QB site in the bacterial reaction centers (RCs) of Rb. sphaeroides is analyzed by MD to provide an example of the benefits of using protonation states found by the MCCE program. A tangled web of side chains and waters link the cytoplasm to QB. MCCE analysis of snapshots from multiple trajectories shows that changing the input protonation state of a residue in MD biases the trajectory shifting the proton affinity of that residue. However, the proton affinity of some residues is more sensitive to the input structure. The proton transfer networks derived from different trajectories are quite robust. There are some changes in connectivity that are largely restricted to the specific residues whose protonation state is changed. Trajectories with QB•- are compared with earlier results obtained with QB [Wei et. al Photosynthesis Research volume 152, pages153-165 (2022)] showing only modest changes. While introducing new methods the study highlights the difficulty of establishing the connections between protein conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongmei Judy Wei
- Ph.D. Program in Chemistry, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA
| | - Umesh Khaniya
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA
- Ph.D. Program in Physics, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Junjun Mao
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA
| | - Jinchan Liu
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Victor S Batista
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - M R Gunner
- Ph.D. Program in Chemistry, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA.
- Ph.D. Program in Physics, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
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3
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Reis PBPS, Bertolini M, Montanari F, Rocchia W, Machuqueiro M, Clevert DA. A Fast and Interpretable Deep Learning Approach for Accurate Electrostatics-Driven p Ka Predictions in Proteins. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:5068-5078. [PMID: 35837736 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Existing computational methods for estimating pKa values in proteins rely on theoretical approximations and lengthy computations. In this work, we use a data set of 6 million theoretically determined pKa shifts to train deep learning models, which are shown to rival the physics-based predictors. These neural networks managed to infer the electrostatic contributions of different chemical groups and learned the importance of solvent exposure and close interactions, including hydrogen bonds. Although trained only using theoretical data, our pKAI+ model displayed the best accuracy in a test set of ∼750 experimental values. Inference times allow speedups of more than 1000× compared to physics-based methods. By combining speed, accuracy, and a reasonable understanding of the underlying physics, our models provide a game-changing solution for fast estimations of macroscopic pKa values from ensembles of microscopic values as well as for many downstream applications such as molecular docking and constant-pH molecular dynamics simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marco Bertolini
- Machine Learning Research, Bayer A.G., Berlin 13353, Germany
| | | | - Walter Rocchia
- CONCEPT Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Melen 83, B Block, Genoa 16152, Italy
| | - Miguel Machuqueiro
- Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa 1749-016, Portugal
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4
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Khaniya U, Mao J, Wei RJ, Gunner MR. Characterizing Protein Protonation Microstates Using Monte Carlo Sampling. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:2476-2485. [PMID: 35344367 PMCID: PMC8997239 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Proteins are polyelectrolytes with acidic and basic amino acids Asp, Glu, Arg, Lys, and His, making up ≈25% of the residues. The protonation state of residues, cofactors, and ligands defines a "protonation microstate". In an ensemble of proteins some residues will be ionized and others neutral, leading to a mixture of protonation microstates rather than in a single one as is often assumed. The microstate distribution changes with pH. The protein environment also modifies residue proton affinity so microstate distributions change in different reaction intermediates or as ligands are bound. Particular protonation microstates may be required for function, while others exist simply because there are many states with similar energy. Here, the protonation microstates generated in Monte Carlo sampling in MCCE are characterized in HEW lysozyme as a function of pH and bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) in different reaction intermediates. The lowest energy and highest probability microstates are compared. The ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS between the four protonation states of Glu35 and Asp52 in lysozyme are shown to be calculated with reasonable precision. At pH 7 the lysozyme charge ranges from 6 to 10, with 24 accepted protonation microstates, while RCs have ≈50,000. A weighted Pearson correlation analysis shows coupling between residue protonation states in RCs and how they change when the quinone in the QB site is reduced. Protonation microstates can be used to define input MD parameters and provide insight into the motion of protons coupled to reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umesh Khaniya
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, United States.,Department of Physics, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York 10016, United States
| | - Junjun Mao
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, United States
| | - Rongmei Judy Wei
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York 10016, United States
| | - M R Gunner
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, United States.,Department of Physics, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York 10016, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York 10016, United States
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5
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Deng J, Cui Q. Electronic Polarization Is Essential for the Stabilization and Dynamics of Buried Ion Pairs in Staphylococcal Nuclease Mutants. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:4594-4610. [PMID: 35239338 PMCID: PMC9616648 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Buried charged residues play important roles in the modulation of protein stabilities and conformational dynamics and make crucial contributions to protein functions. Considering the generally nonpolar nature of protein interior, a key question concerns the contribution of electronic polarization to the stabilization and properties of buried charges. We answer this question by conducting free energy simulations using the latest polarizable CHARMM force field based on Drude oscillators for a series of Staphylococcal nuclease mutants that involve a buried Glu-Lys pair in different titration states and orientations. While a nonpolarizable model suggests that the ionized form of the buried Glu-Lys pair is more than 40 kcal/mol less stable than the charge-neutral form, the two titration states are comparable in stability when electronic polarization is included explicitly, a result better reconcilable with available experimental data. Analysis of free energy components suggests that additional stabilization of the ionized Glu-Lys pair has contributions from both the enhanced salt-bridge strength and stronger interaction between the ion-pair and surrounding protein residues and penetrated water. Despite the stronger direct interaction between Glu and Lys, the ion-pair exhibits considerably larger and faster structural fluctuations when polarization is included, due to compensation of interactions in the cavity. Collectively, observations from this work provide compelling evidence that electronic polarization is essential to the stability, hydration, dynamics, and therefore function of buried charges in proteins. Therefore, our study advocates for the explicit consideration of electronic polarization for mechanistic and engineering studies that implicate buried charged residues, such as enzymes and ion transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahua Deng
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Qiang Cui
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Physics, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Mall, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
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6
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Reis PBPS, Clevert DA, Machuqueiro M. pKPDB: a protein data bank extension database of pKa and pI theoretical values. Bioinformatics 2021; 38:297-298. [PMID: 34260689 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btab518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY pKa values of ionizable residues and isoelectric points of proteins provide valuable local and global insights about their structure and function. These properties can be estimated with reasonably good accuracy using Poisson-Boltzmann and Monte Carlo calculations at a considerable computational cost (from some minutes to several hours). pKPDB is a database of over 12 M theoretical pKa values calculated over 120k protein structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank. By providing precomputed pKa and pI values, users can retrieve results instantaneously for their protein(s) of interest while also saving countless hours and resources that would be spent on repeated calculations. Furthermore, there is an ever-growing imbalance between experimental pKa and pI values and the number of resolved structures. This database will complement the experimental and computational data already available and can also provide crucial information regarding buried residues that are under-represented in experimental measurements. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION Gzipped csv files containing p Ka and isoelectric point values can be downloaded from https://pypka.org/pKPDB. To query a single PDB code please use the PypKa free server at https://pypka.org. The pKPDB source code can be found at https://github.com/mms-fcul/pKPDB. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro B P S Reis
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.,Bayer AG, Research & Development, Pharmaceuticals. Machine Learning Research, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Djork-Arné Clevert
- Bayer AG, Research & Development, Pharmaceuticals. Machine Learning Research, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Miguel Machuqueiro
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
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7
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Haslak ZP, Zareb S, Dogan I, Aviyente V, Monard G. Using Atomic Charges to Describe the p Ka of Carboxylic Acids. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:2733-2743. [PMID: 34137248 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we present an accurate protocol for the fast prediction of pKa's of carboxylic acids based on the linear relationship between computed atomic charges of the anionic form of the carboxylate fragment and their experimental pKa values. Five charge descriptors, three charge models, three solvent models, gas-phase calculations, several DFT methods (a combination of eight DFT functionals and fifteen basis sets), and four different semiempirical approaches were tested. Among those, the best combination to reproduce experimental pKa's is to compute the natural population analysis atomic charge using the solvation model based on density model at the M06L/6-311G(d,p) level of theory and selecting the maximum atomic charge on the carboxylic oxygen atoms (R2 = 0.955). The applicability of the suggested protocol and its stability along geometrical changes are verified by molecular dynamics simulations performed for a set of aspartate, glutamate, and alanine peptides. By reporting the calculated atomic charge of the carboxylate form into the linear relationship derived in this work, it should be possible to accurately estimate the amino acid's pKa's in a protein environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeynep Pinar Haslak
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LPCT, F-54000 Nancy, France.,Department of Chemistry, Boğaziçi University, 34342 Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Sabrina Zareb
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LPCT, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Ilknur Dogan
- Department of Chemistry, Boğaziçi University, 34342 Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Viktorya Aviyente
- Department of Chemistry, Boğaziçi University, 34342 Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gerald Monard
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, LPCT, F-54000 Nancy, France
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8
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Han CT, Song J, Chan T, Pruett C, Han S. Electrostatic Environment of Proteorhodopsin Affects the pKa of Its Buried Primary Proton Acceptor. Biophys J 2020; 118:1838-1849. [PMID: 32197061 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The protonation state of embedded charged residues in transmembrane proteins (TMPs) can control the onset of protein function. It is understood that interactions between an embedded charged residue and other charged or polar residues in the moiety would influence its pKa, but how the surrounding environment in which the TMP resides affects the pKa of these residues is unclear. Proteorhodopsin (PR), a light-responsive proton pump from marine bacteria, was used as a model to examine externally accessible factors that tune the pKa of its embedded charged residue, specifically its primary proton acceptor D97. The pKa of D97 was compared between PR reconstituted in liposomes with different net headgroup charges and equilibrated in buffer with different ion concentrations. For PR reconstituted in net positively charged compared to net negatively charged liposomes in low-salt buffer solutions, a drop of the apparent pKa from 7.6 to 5.6 was observed, whereas intrinsic pKa modeled with surface pH calculated from Gouy-Chapman predictions found an opposite trend for the pKa change, suggesting that surface pH does not account for the main changes observed in the apparent pKa. This difference in the pKa of D97 observed from PR reconstituted in oppositely charged liposome environments disappeared when the NaCl concentration was increased to 150 mM. We suggest that protein-intrinsic structural properties must play a role in adjusting the local microenvironment around D97 to affect its pKa, as corroborated with observations of changes in protein side-chain and hydration dynamics around the E-F loop of PR. Understanding the effect of externally controllable factors in tuning the pKa of TMP-embedded charged residues is important for bioengineering and biomedical applications relying on TMP systems, in which the onset of functions can be controlled by the protonation state of embedded residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chung-Ta Han
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Jichao Song
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Tristan Chan
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Christine Pruett
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
| | - Songi Han
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California; Department of Chemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California.
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9
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Standard state free energies, not pK as, are ideal for describing small molecule protonation and tautomeric states. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2020; 34:561-573. [PMID: 32052350 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-020-00280-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The pKa is the standard measure used to describe the aqueous proton affinity of a compound, indicating the proton concentration (pH) at which two protonation states (e.g. A- and AH) have equal free energy. However, compounds can have additional protonation states (e.g. AH2+), and may assume multiple tautomeric forms, with the protons in different positions (microstates). Macroscopic pKas give the pH where the molecule changes its total number of protons, while microscopic pKas identify the tautomeric states involved. As tautomers have the same number of protons, the free energy difference between them and their relative probability is pH independent so there is no pKa connecting them. The question arises: What is the best way to describe protonation equilibria of a complex molecule in any pH range? Knowing the number of protons and the relative free energy of all microstates at a single pH, ∆G°, provides all the information needed to determine the free energy, and thus the probability of each microstate at each pH. Microstate probabilities as a function of pH generate titration curves that highlight the low energy, observable microstates, which can then be compared with experiment. A network description connecting microstates as nodes makes it straightforward to test thermodynamic consistency of microstate free energies. The utility of this analysis is illustrated by a description of one molecule from the SAMPL6 Blind pKa Prediction Challenge. Analysis of microstate ∆G°s also makes a more compact way to archive and compare the pH dependent behavior of compounds with multiple protonatable sites.
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10
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Perez Bakovic GR, Roberts JL, Colford B, Joyce M, Servoss SL. Peptoid microsphere coatings: The effects of helicity, temperature, pH, and ionic strength. Biopolymers 2019; 110:e23283. [DOI: 10.1002/bip.23283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- German R. Perez Bakovic
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of Arkansas Fayetteville Fayetteville Arkansas
| | - Jesse L. Roberts
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of Arkansas Fayetteville Fayetteville Arkansas
| | - Bryce Colford
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of Arkansas Fayetteville Fayetteville Arkansas
| | - Myles Joyce
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of Arkansas Fayetteville Fayetteville Arkansas
| | - Shannon L. Servoss
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of Arkansas Fayetteville Fayetteville Arkansas
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11
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Marginal protein stability drives subcellular proteome isoelectric point. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:11778-11783. [PMID: 30385634 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1809098115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
There exists a positive correlation between the pH of subcellular compartments and the median isoelectric point (pI) for the associated proteomes. Proteins in the human lysosome-a highly acidic compartment in the cell-have a median pI of ∼6.5, whereas proteins in the more basic mitochondria have a median pI of ∼8.0. Proposed mechanisms reflect potential adaptations to pH. For example, enzyme active site general acid/base residue pKs are likely evolved to match environmental pH. However, such effects would be limited to a few residues on specific proteins, and might not affect the proteome at large. A protein model that considers residue burial upon folding recapitulates the correlation between proteome pI and environmental pH. This correlation can be fully described by a neutral evolution process; no functional selection is included in the model. Proteins in acidic environments incur a lower energetic penalty for burying acidic residues than basic residues, resulting in a net accumulation of acidic residues in the protein core. The inverse is true under alkaline conditions. The pI distributions of subcellular proteomes are likely not a direct result of functional adaptations to pH, but a molecular spandrel stemming from marginal stability.
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12
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Peck MT, Ortega G, De Luca-Johnson JN, Schlessman JL, Robinson AC, García-Moreno E B. Local Backbone Flexibility as a Determinant of the Apparent pKa Values of Buried Ionizable Groups in Proteins. Biochemistry 2017; 56:5338-5346. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Meredith T. Peck
- Department
of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
| | - Gabriel Ortega
- Structural
Biology Unit, CIC bioGUNE, Bizkaia Technology Park Ed. 800, 48160 Derio, Spain
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | | | - Jamie L. Schlessman
- Chemistry
Department, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland 21402, United States
| | - Aaron C. Robinson
- Department
of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States
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13
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Villa F, Mignon D, Polydorides S, Simonson T. Comparing pairwise-additive and many-body generalized Born models for acid/base calculations and protein design. J Comput Chem 2017; 38:2396-2410. [PMID: 28749575 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.24898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Generalized Born (GB) solvent models are common in acid/base calculations and protein design. With GB, the interaction between a pair of solute atoms depends on the shape of the protein/solvent boundary and, therefore, the positions of all solute atoms, so that GB is a many-body potential. For compute-intensive applications, the model is often simplified further, by introducing a mean, native-like protein/solvent boundary, which removes the many-body property. We investigate a method for both acid/base calculations and protein design that uses Monte Carlo simulations in which side chains can explore rotamers, bind/release protons, or mutate. The fluctuating protein/solvent dielectric boundary is treated in a way that is numerically exact (within the GB framework), in contrast to a mean boundary. Its originality is that it captures the many-body character while retaining the residue-pairwise complexity given by a fixed boundary. The method is implemented in the Proteus protein design software. It yields a slight but systematic improvement for acid/base constants in nine proteins and a significant improvement for the computational design of three PDZ domains. It eliminates a source of model uncertainty, which will facilitate the analysis of other model limitations. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Villa
- Ecole Polytechnique, Laboratoire de Biochimie (CNRS UMR7654), Palaiseau, 91128, France
| | - David Mignon
- Ecole Polytechnique, Laboratoire de Biochimie (CNRS UMR7654), Palaiseau, 91128, France
| | - Savvas Polydorides
- Ecole Polytechnique, Laboratoire de Biochimie (CNRS UMR7654), Palaiseau, 91128, France
| | - Thomas Simonson
- Ecole Polytechnique, Laboratoire de Biochimie (CNRS UMR7654), Palaiseau, 91128, France
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14
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Bodnarchuk MS, Doncom KEB, Wright DB, Heyes DM, Dini D, O'Reilly RK. Polyelectrolyte pKa from experiment and molecular dynamics simulation. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c6ra27785c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The pKa of a polyelectrolyte has been determined experimentally by potentiometric titration and computed using Molecular Dynamics (MD) constant pH (CpH) methodology, which allows the pKa of each titratable site along the polymer backbone.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - David M. Heyes
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Imperial College
- London SW7 2AZ
- UK
| | - Daniele Dini
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Imperial College
- London SW7 2AZ
- UK
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15
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Sugrue E, Carr PD, Scott C, Jackson CJ. Active Site Desolvation and Thermostability Trade-Offs in the Evolution of Catalytically Diverse Triazine Hydrolases. Biochemistry 2016; 55:6304-6313. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Sugrue
- Research
School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Paul D. Carr
- Research
School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | | | - Colin J. Jackson
- Research
School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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16
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Gunner MR, Baker NA. Continuum Electrostatics Approaches to Calculating pKas and Ems in Proteins. Methods Enzymol 2016; 578:1-20. [PMID: 27497160 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2016.05.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Proteins change their charge state through protonation and redox reactions as well as through binding charged ligands. The free energy of these reactions is dominated by solvation and electrostatic energies and modulated by protein conformational relaxation in response to the ionization state changes. Although computational methods for calculating these interactions can provide very powerful tools for predicting protein charge states, they include several critical approximations of which users should be aware. This chapter discusses the strengths, weaknesses, and approximations of popular computational methods for predicting charge states and understanding the underlying electrostatic interactions. The goal of this chapter is to inform users about applications and potential caveats of these methods as well as outline directions for future theoretical and computational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Gunner
- City College of New York in the City University of New York, New York, United States.
| | - N A Baker
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, DC, United States; Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
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Reif MM, Hünenberger PH. Origin of Asymmetric Solvation Effects for Ions in Water and Organic Solvents Investigated Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations: The Swain Acity-Basity Scale Revisited. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:8485-517. [PMID: 27173101 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b02156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The asymmetric solvation of ions can be defined as the tendency of a solvent to preferentially solvate anions over cations or cations over anions, at identical ionic charge magnitudes and effective sizes. Taking water as a reference, these effects are quantified experimentally for many solvents by the relative acity (A) and basity (B) parameters of the Swain scale. The goal of the present study is to investigate the asymmetric solvation of ions using molecular dynamics simulations, and to connect the results to this empirical scale. To this purpose, the charging free energies of alkali and halide ions, and of their hypothetical oppositely charged counterparts, are calculated in a variety of solvents. In a first set of calculations, artificial solvent models are considered that present either a charge or a shape asymmetry at the molecular level. The solvation asymmetry, probed by the difference in charging free energy between the two oppositely charged ions, is found to encompass a term quadratic in the ion charge, related to the different solvation structures around the anion and cation, and a term linear in the ion charge, related to the solvation structure around the uncharged ion-sized cavity. For these simple solvent models, the two terms are systematically counteracting each other, and it is argued that only the quadratic term should be retained when comparing the results of simulations involving physical solvents to experimental data. In a second set of calculations, 16 physical solvents are considered. The theoretical estimates for the acity A are found to correlate very well with the Swain parameters, whereas the correlation for B is very poor. Based on this observation, the Swain scale is reformulated into a new scale involving an asymmetry parameter Σ, positive for acitic solvents and negative for basitic ones, and a polarity parameter Π. This revised scale has the same predictive power as the original scale, but it characterizes asymmetry in an absolute sense, the atomistic simulations playing the role of an extra-thermodynamic assumption, and is optimally compatible with the simulation results. Considering the 55 solvents in the Swain set, it is observed that a moderate basity (Σ between -0.9 and -0.3, related to electronic polarization) represents the baseline for most solvents, while a highly variable acity (Σ between 0.0 and 3.0, related to hydrogen-bond donor capacity modulated by inductive effects) represents a landmark of protic solvents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Reif
- Physics Department (T38), Technische Universität München , D-85748 Garching, Germany
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18
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Evich M, Stroeva E, Zheng YG, Germann MW. Effect of methylation on the side-chain pKa value of arginine. Protein Sci 2015; 25:479-86. [PMID: 26540340 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Arginine methylation is important in biological systems. Recent studies link the deregulation of protein arginine methyltransferases with certain cancers. To assess the impact of methylation on interaction with other biomolecules, the pKa values of methylated arginine variants were determined using NMR data. The pKa values of monomethylated, symmetrically dimethylated, and asymmetrically dimethylated arginine are similar to the unmodified arginine (14.2 ± 0.4). Although the pKa value has not been significantly affected by methylation, consequences of methylation include changes in charge distribution and steric effects, suggesting alternative mechanisms for recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Evich
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303
| | - Ekaterina Stroeva
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303
| | | | - Markus W Germann
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303
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19
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Cherny VV, Morgan D, Musset B, Chaves G, Smith SME, DeCoursey TE. Tryptophan 207 is crucial to the unique properties of the human voltage-gated proton channel, hHV1. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 146:343-56. [PMID: 26458876 PMCID: PMC4621752 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201511456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 09/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Part of the "signature sequence" that defines the voltage-gated proton channel (H(V1)) is a tryptophan residue adjacent to the second Arg in the S4 transmembrane helix: RxWRxxR, which is perfectly conserved in all high confidence H(V1) genes. Replacing Trp207 in human HV1 (hH(V1)) with Ala, Ser, or Phe facilitated gating, accelerating channel opening by 100-fold, and closing by 30-fold. Mutant channels opened at more negative voltages than wild-type (WT) channels, indicating that in WT channels, Trp favors a closed state. The Arrhenius activation energy, Ea, for channel opening decreased to 22 kcal/mol from 30-38 kcal/mol for WT, confirming that Trp207 establishes the major energy barrier between closed and open hH(V1). Cation-π interaction between Trp207 and Arg211 evidently latches the channel closed. Trp207 mutants lost proton selectivity at pHo >8.0. Finally, gating that depends on the transmembrane pH gradient (ΔpH-dependent gating), a universal feature of H(V1) that is essential to its biological functions, was compromised. In the WT hH(V1), ΔpH-dependent gating is shown to saturate above pHi or pHo 8, consistent with a single pH sensor with alternating access to internal and external solutions. However, saturation occurred independently of ΔpH, indicating the existence of distinct internal and external pH sensors. In Trp207 mutants, ΔpH-dependent gating saturated at lower pHo but not at lower pHi. That Trp207 mutation selectively alters pHo sensing further supports the existence of distinct internal and external pH sensors. Analogous mutations in H(V1) from the unicellular species Karlodinium veneficum and Emiliania huxleyi produced generally similar consequences. Saturation of ΔpH-dependent gating occurred at the same pHo and pHi in H(V1) of all three species, suggesting that the same or similar group(s) is involved in pH sensing. Therefore, Trp enables four characteristic properties: slow channel opening, highly temperature-dependent gating kinetics, proton selectivity, and ΔpH-dependent gating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir V Cherny
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Physiology, Rush University, Chicago, IL 60612
| | - Deri Morgan
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Physiology, Rush University, Chicago, IL 60612
| | - Boris Musset
- Institute of Complex Systems 4 Zelluläre Biophysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Gustavo Chaves
- Institute of Complex Systems 4 Zelluläre Biophysik, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Susan M E Smith
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144
| | - Thomas E DeCoursey
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Physiology, Rush University, Chicago, IL 60612
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20
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Boersma YL, Newman J, Adams TE, Cowieson N, Krippner G, Bozaoglu K, Peat TS. The structure of vanin 1: a key enzyme linking metabolic disease and inflammation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 70:3320-9. [PMID: 25478849 DOI: 10.1107/s1399004714022767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 10/16/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Although part of the coenzyme A pathway, vanin 1 (also known as pantetheinase) sits on the cell surface of many cell types as an ectoenzyme, catalyzing the breakdown of pantetheine to pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) and cysteamine, a strong reducing agent. Vanin 1 was initially discovered as a protein involved in the homing of leukocytes to the thymus. Numerous studies have shown that vanin 1 is involved in inflammation, and more recent studies have shown a key role in metabolic disease. Here, the X-ray crystal structure of human vanin 1 at 2.25 Å resolution is presented, which is the first reported structure from the vanin family, as well as a crystal structure of vanin 1 bound to a specific inhibitor. These structures illuminate how vanin 1 can mediate its biological roles by way of both enzymatic activity and protein-protein interactions. Furthermore, it sheds light on how the enzymatic activity is regulated by a novel allosteric mechanism at a domain interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ykelien L Boersma
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy, University of Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Janet Newman
- CSIRO Biosciences Program, 343 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Timothy E Adams
- CSIRO Biosciences Program, 343 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Nathan Cowieson
- Australian Synchrotron, 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia
| | - Guy Krippner
- Baker IDI, 75 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Kiymet Bozaoglu
- Baker IDI, 75 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Thomas S Peat
- CSIRO Biosciences Program, 343 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
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21
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Shingate P, Manoharan M, Sukhwal A, Sowdhamini R. ECMIS: computational approach for the identification of hotspots at protein-protein interfaces. BMC Bioinformatics 2014; 15:303. [PMID: 25228146 PMCID: PMC4177600 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-15-303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 08/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Various methods have been developed to computationally predict hotspot residues at novel protein-protein interfaces. However, there are various challenges in obtaining accurate prediction. We have developed a novel method which uses different aspects of protein structure and sequence space at residue level to highlight interface residues crucial for the protein-protein complex formation. RESULTS ECMIS (Energetic Conservation Mass Index and Spatial Clustering) algorithm was able to outperform existing hotspot identification methods. It was able to achieve around 80% accuracy with incredible increase in sensitivity and outperforms other existing methods. This method is even sensitive towards the hotspot residues contributing only small-scale hydrophobic interactions. CONCLUSION Combination of diverse features of the protein viz. energy contribution, extent of conservation, location and surrounding environment, along with optimized weightage for each feature, was the key for the success of the algorithm. The academic version of the algorithm is available at http://caps.ncbs.res.in/download/ECMIS/ECMIS.zip.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ramanathan Sowdhamini
- National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India.
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22
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Long-lasting effects of oxy- and sulfoanalogues of L-arginine on enzyme actions. JOURNAL OF AMINO ACIDS 2013; 2013:407616. [PMID: 24282631 PMCID: PMC3824642 DOI: 10.1155/2013/407616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2013] [Revised: 08/20/2013] [Accepted: 09/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Arginine residues are very important for the structure of proteins and their action. Arginine is essential for many natural processes because it has unique ionizable group under physiological conditions. Numerous mimetics of arginine were synthesized and their biological effects were evaluated, but the mechanisms of actions are still unknown.
The aim of this study is to see if oxy- and sulfoanalogues of arginine can be recognized by human arginyl-tRNA synthetase (HArgS)—an enzyme responsible for coupling of L-arginine with its cognate tRNA in a two-step catalytic reaction. We make use of modeling and docking studies of adenylate kinase (ADK) to reveal the effects produced by the incorporation of the arginine mimetics on the structure of ADK and its action. Three analogues of arginine, L-canavanine (Cav), L-norcanavanine (NCav), and L-sulfoarginine (sArg), can be recognized as substrates of HArgS when incorporated in different peptide and protein sequences instead of L-arginine. Mutation in the enzyme active center by arginine mimetics leads to conformational changes, which produce a decrease the rate of the enzyme catalyzed reaction and even a loss of enzymatic action. All these observations could explain the long-lasting nature of the effects of the arginine analogues.
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23
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Morgan D, Musset B, Kulleperuma K, Smith SME, Rajan S, Cherny VV, Pomès R, DeCoursey TE. Peregrination of the selectivity filter delineates the pore of the human voltage-gated proton channel hHV1. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 142:625-40. [PMID: 24218398 PMCID: PMC3840923 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201311045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Extraordinary selectivity is crucial to all proton-conducting molecules, including the human voltage-gated proton channel (hHV1), because the proton concentration is >106 times lower than that of other cations. Here we use “selectivity filter scanning” to elucidate the molecular requirements for proton-specific conduction in hHV1. Asp112, in the middle of the S1 transmembrane helix, is an essential part of the selectivity filter in wild-type (WT) channels. After neutralizing Asp112 by mutating it to Ala (D112A), we introduced Asp at each position along S1 from 108 to 118, searching for “second site suppressor” activity. Surprisingly, most mutants lacked even the anion conduction exhibited by D112A. Proton-specific conduction was restored only with Asp or Glu at position 116. The D112V/V116D channel strikingly resembled WT in selectivity, kinetics, and ΔpH-dependent gating. The S4 segment of this mutant has similar accessibility to WT in open channels, because R211H/D112V/V116D was inhibited by internally applied Zn2+. Asp at position 109 allowed anion permeation in combination with D112A but did not rescue function in the nonconducting D112V mutant, indicating that selectivity is established externally to the constriction at F150. The three positions that permitted conduction all line the pore in our homology model, clearly delineating the conduction pathway. Evidently, a carboxyl group must face the pore directly to enable conduction. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate reorganization of hydrogen bond networks in the external vestibule in D112V/V116D. At both positions where it produces proton selectivity, Asp frequently engages in salt linkage with one or more Arg residues from S4. Surprisingly, mean hydration profiles were similar in proton-selective, anion-permeable, and nonconducting constructs. That the selectivity filter functions in a new location helps to define local environmental features required to produce proton-selective conduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deri Morgan
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Physiology, Rush University, Chicago, IL 60612
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24
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Polydorides S, Simonson T. Monte Carlo simulations of proteins at constant pH with generalized Born solvent, flexible sidechains, and an effective dielectric boundary. J Comput Chem 2013; 34:2742-56. [PMID: 24122878 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.23450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Revised: 09/04/2013] [Accepted: 09/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Titratable residues determine the acid/base behavior of proteins, strongly influencing their function; in addition, proton binding is a valuable reporter on electrostatic interactions. We describe a method for pK(a) calculations, using constant-pH Monte Carlo (MC) simulations to explore the space of sidechain conformations and protonation states, with an efficient and accurate generalized Born model (GB) for the solvent effects. To overcome the many-body dependency of the GB model, we use a "Native Environment" approximation, whose accuracy is shown to be good. It allows the precalculation and storage of interactions between all sidechain pairs, a strategy borrowed from computational protein design, which makes the MC simulations themselves very fast. The method is tested for 12 proteins and 167 titratable sidechains. It gives an rms error of 1.1 pH units, similar to the trivial "Null" model. The only adjustable parameter is the protein dielectric constant. The best accuracy is achieved for values between 4 and 8, a range that is physically plausible for a protein interior. For sidechains with large pKa shifts, ≥2, the rms error is 1.6, compared to 2.5 with the Null model and 1.5 with the empirical PROPKA method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savvas Polydorides
- Department of Biology, Laboratoire de Biochimie (CNRS UMR7654), Ecole Polytechnique, 91128, Palaiseau, France
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25
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Isom DG, Sridharan V, Baker R, Clement ST, Smalley DM, Dohlman HG. Protons as second messenger regulators of G protein signaling. Mol Cell 2013; 51:531-8. [PMID: 23954348 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2013.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2013] [Revised: 06/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In response to environmental stress, cells often generate pH signals that serve to protect vital cellular components and reprogram gene expression for survival. A major barrier to our understanding of this process has been the identification of signaling proteins that detect changes in intracellular pH. To identify candidate pH sensors, we developed a computer algorithm that searches proteins for networks of proton-binding sidechains. This analysis indicates that Gα subunits, the principal transducers of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signals, are pH sensors. Our structure-based calculations and biophysical investigations reveal that Gα subunits contain networks of pH-sensing sidechains buried between their Ras and helical domains. Further, we show that proton binding induces changes in conformation that promote Gα phosphorylation and suppress receptor-initiated signaling. Together, our computational, biophysical, and cellular analyses reveal an unexpected function for G proteins as mediators of stress-response signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G Isom
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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26
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Gunner MR, Amin M, Zhu X, Lu J. Molecular mechanisms for generating transmembrane proton gradients. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2013; 1827:892-913. [PMID: 23507617 PMCID: PMC3714358 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Revised: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Membrane proteins use the energy of light or high energy substrates to build a transmembrane proton gradient through a series of reactions leading to proton release into the lower pH compartment (P-side) and proton uptake from the higher pH compartment (N-side). This review considers how the proton affinity of the substrates, cofactors and amino acids are modified in four proteins to drive proton transfers. Bacterial reaction centers (RCs) and photosystem II (PSII) carry out redox chemistry with the species to be oxidized on the P-side while reduction occurs on the N-side of the membrane. Terminal redox cofactors are used which have pKas that are strongly dependent on their redox state, so that protons are lost on oxidation and gained on reduction. Bacteriorhodopsin is a true proton pump. Light activation triggers trans to cis isomerization of a bound retinal. Strong electrostatic interactions within clusters of amino acids are modified by the conformational changes initiated by retinal motion leading to changes in proton affinity, driving transmembrane proton transfer. Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) catalyzes the reduction of O2 to water. The protons needed for chemistry are bound from the N-side. The reduction chemistry also drives proton pumping from N- to P-side. Overall, in CcO the uptake of 4 electrons to reduce O2 transports 8 charges across the membrane, with each reduction fully coupled to removal of two protons from the N-side, the delivery of one for chemistry and transport of the other to the P-side.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Gunner
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA.
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27
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Tan KP, Nguyen TB, Patel S, Varadarajan R, Madhusudhan MS. Depth: a web server to compute depth, cavity sizes, detect potential small-molecule ligand-binding cavities and predict the pKa of ionizable residues in proteins. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 41:W314-21. [PMID: 23766289 PMCID: PMC3692129 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Residue depth accurately measures burial and parameterizes local protein environment. Depth is the distance of any atom/residue to the closest bulk water. We consider the non-bulk waters to occupy cavities, whose volumes are determined using a Voronoi procedure. Our estimation of cavity sizes is statistically superior to estimates made by CASTp and VOIDOO, and on par with McVol over a data set of 40 cavities. Our calculated cavity volumes correlated best with the experimentally determined destabilization of 34 mutants from five proteins. Some of the cavities identified are capable of binding small molecule ligands. In this study, we have enhanced our depth-based predictions of binding sites by including evolutionary information. We have demonstrated that on a database (LigASite) of ∼200 proteins, we perform on par with ConCavity and better than MetaPocket 2.0. Our predictions, while less sensitive, are more specific and precise. Finally, we use depth (and other features) to predict pKas of GLU, ASP, LYS and HIS residues. Our results produce an average error of just <1 pH unit over 60 predictions. Our simple empirical method is statistically on par with two and superior to three other methods while inferior to only one. The DEPTH server (http://mspc.bii.a-star.edu.sg/depth/) is an ideal tool for rapid yet accurate structural analyses of protein structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan Pern Tan
- Bioinformatics Institute, 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01, Matrix, Singapore 138671
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28
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Huang CH, Chou SY, Ng KL. Improving protein complex classification accuracy using amino acid composition profile. Comput Biol Med 2013; 43:1196-204. [PMID: 23930814 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2013.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2012] [Revised: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Protein complex prediction approaches are based on the assumptions that complexes have dense protein-protein interactions and high functional similarity between their subunits. We investigated those assumptions by studying the subunits' interaction topology, sequence similarity and molecular function for human and yeast protein complexes. Inclusion of amino acids' physicochemical properties can provide better understanding of protein complex properties. Principal component analysis is carried out to determine the major features. Adopting amino acid composition profile information with the SVM classifier serves as an effective post-processing step for complexes classification. Improvement is based on primary sequence information only, which is easy to obtain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Hung Huang
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Formosa University, 64, Wen-Hwa Road, Hu-wei, Yun-Lin 632, Taiwan
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29
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Abstract
Ion channels, as membrane proteins, are the sensors of the cell. They act as the first line of communication with the world beyond the plasma membrane and transduce changes in the external and internal environments into unique electrical signals to shape the responses of excitable cells. Because of their importance in cellular communication, ion channels have been intensively studied at the structural and functional levels. Here, we summarize the diverse approaches, including molecular and cellular, chemical, optical, biophysical, and computational, used to probe the structural and functional rearrangements that occur during channel activation (or sensitization), inactivation (or desensitization), and various forms of modulation. The emerging insights into the structure and function of ion channels by multidisciplinary approaches allow the development of new pharmacotherapies as well as new tools useful in controlling cellular activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Guang Li
- Neuroscience Division, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
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30
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Pozhidaeva A, Pustovalova Y, D'Souza S, Bezsonova I, Walker GC, Korzhnev DM. NMR structure and dynamics of the C-terminal domain from human Rev1 and its complex with Rev1 interacting region of DNA polymerase η. Biochemistry 2012; 51:5506-20. [PMID: 22691049 DOI: 10.1021/bi300566z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Rev1 is a translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerase essential for DNA damage tolerance in eukaryotes. In the process of TLS stalled high-fidelity replicative DNA polymerases are temporarily replaced by specialized TLS enzymes that can bypass sites of DNA damage (lesions), thus allowing replication to continue or postreplicational gaps to be filled. Despite its limited catalytic activity, human Rev1 plays a key role in TLS by serving as a scaffold that provides an access of Y-family TLS polymerases polη, ι, and κ to their cognate DNA lesions and facilitates their subsequent exchange to polζ that extends the distorted DNA primer-template. Rev1 interaction with the other major human TLS polymerases, polη, ι, κ, and the regulatory subunit Rev7 of polζ, is mediated by Rev1 C-terminal domain (Rev1-CT). We used NMR spectroscopy to determine the spatial structure of the Rev1-CT domain (residues 1157-1251) and its complex with Rev1 interacting region (RIR) from polη (residues 524-539). The domain forms a four-helix bundle with a well-structured N-terminal β-hairpin docking against helices 1 and 2, creating a binding pocket for the two conserved Phe residues of the RIR motif that upon binding folds into an α-helix. NMR spin-relaxation and NMR relaxation dispersion measurements suggest that free Rev1-CT and Rev1-CT/polη-RIR complex exhibit μs-ms conformational dynamics encompassing the RIR binding site, which might facilitate selection of the molecular configuration optimal for binding. These results offer new insights into the control of TLS in human cells by providing a structural basis for understanding the recognition of the Rev1-CT by Y-family DNA polymerases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Pozhidaeva
- Department of Molecular, Microbial and Structural Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, 06030, United States
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31
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Feliks M, Ullmann GM. Glycerol Dehydratation by the B12-Independent Enzyme May Not Involve the Migration of a Hydroxyl Group: A Computational Study. J Phys Chem B 2012; 116:7076-87. [DOI: 10.1021/jp301165b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mikolaj Feliks
- Computational Biochemistry Group, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, BGI, 95447
Bayreuth, Germany
| | - G. Matthias Ullmann
- Computational Biochemistry Group, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, BGI, 95447
Bayreuth, Germany
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32
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Abstract
Accurate all-atom energy functions are crucial for successful high-resolution protein structure prediction. In this chapter, we review both physics-based force fields and knowledge-based potentials used in protein modeling. Because it is important to calculate the energy as accurately as possible given the limitations imposed by sampling convergence, different components of the energy, and force fields representing them to varying degrees of detail and complexity are discussed. Force fields using Cartesian as well as torsion angle representations of protein geometry are covered. Since solvent is important for protein energetics, different aqueous and membrane solvation models for protein simulations are also described. Finally, we summarize recent progress in protein structure refinement using new force fields.
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Nielsen JE, Gunner MR, Bertrand García-Moreno E. The pKa Cooperative: a collaborative effort to advance structure-based calculations of pKa values and electrostatic effects in proteins. Proteins 2011; 79:3249-59. [PMID: 22002877 PMCID: PMC3375608 DOI: 10.1002/prot.23194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2011] [Accepted: 09/13/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The pK(a) Cooperative (http://www.pkacoop.org) was organized to advance development of accurate and useful computational methods for structure-based calculation of pK(a) values and electrostatic energies in proteins. The Cooperative brings together laboratories with expertise and interest in theoretical, computational, and experimental studies of protein electrostatics. To improve structure-based energy calculations, it is necessary to better understand the physical character and molecular determinants of electrostatic effects. Thus, the Cooperative intends to foment experimental research into fundamental aspects of proteins that depend on electrostatic interactions. It will maintain a depository for experimental data useful for critical assessment of methods for structure-based electrostatics calculations. To help guide the development of computational methods, the Cooperative will organize blind prediction exercises. As a first step, computational laboratories were invited to reproduce an unpublished set of experimental pK(a) values of acidic and basic residues introduced in the interior of staphylococcal nuclease by site-directed mutagenesis. The pK(a) values of these groups are unique and challenging to simulate owing to the large magnitude of their shifts relative to normal pK(a) values in water. Many computational methods were tested in this first Blind Prediction Challenge and critical assessment exercise. A workshop was organized in the Telluride Science Research Center to objectively assess the performance of many computational methods tested on this one extensive data set. This volume of Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics introduces the pK(a) Cooperative, presents reports submitted by participants in the Blind Prediction Challenge, and highlights some of the problems in structure-based calculations identified during this exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens E. Nielsen
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology, UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - M. R. Gunner
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031
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Arginine residues at internal positions in a protein are always charged. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:18954-9. [PMID: 22080604 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1104808108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many functionally essential ionizable groups are buried in the hydrophobic interior of proteins. A systematic study of Lys, Asp, and Glu residues at 25 internal positions in staphylococcal nuclease showed that their pK(a) values can be highly anomalous, some shifted by as many as 5.7 pH units relative to normal pK(a) values in water. Here we show that, in contrast, Arg residues at the same internal positions exhibit no detectable shifts in pK(a); they are all charged at pH ≤ 10. Twenty-three of these 25 variants with Arg are folded at both pH 7 and 10. The mean decrease in thermodynamic stability from substitution with Arg was 6.2 kcal/mol at this pH, comparable to that for substitution with Lys, Asp, or Glu at pH 7. The physical basis behind the remarkable ability of Arg residues to remain protonated in environments otherwise incompatible with charges is suggested by crystal structures of three variants showing how the guanidinium moiety of the Arg side chain is effectively neutralized through multiple hydrogen bonds to protein polar atoms and to site-bound water molecules. The length of the Arg side chain, and slight deformations of the protein, facilitate placement of the guanidinium moieties near polar groups or bulk water. This unique capacity of Arg side chains to retain their charge in dehydrated environments likely contributes toward the important functional roles of internal Arg residues in situations where a charge is needed in the interior of a protein, in a lipid bilayer, or in similarly hydrophobic environments.
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Garcia-Seisdedos H, Ibarra-Molero B, Sanchez-Ruiz JM. How many ionizable groups can sit on a protein hydrophobic core? Proteins 2011; 80:1-7. [DOI: 10.1002/prot.23166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2011] [Revised: 07/29/2011] [Accepted: 08/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Gunner MR, Zhu X, Klein MC. MCCE analysis of the pKas of introduced buried acids and bases in staphylococcal nuclease. Proteins 2011; 79:3306-19. [PMID: 21910138 DOI: 10.1002/prot.23124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2011] [Revised: 05/12/2011] [Accepted: 05/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The pK(a)s of 96 acids and bases introduced into buried sites in the staphylococcal nuclease protein (SNase) were calculated using the multiconformation continuum electrostatics (MCCE) program and the results compared with experimental values. The pK(a)s are obtained by Monte Carlo sampling of coupled side chain protonation and position as a function of pH. The dependence of the results on the protein dielectric constant (ε(prot)) in the continuum electrostatics analysis and on the Lennard-Jones non-electrostatics parameters was evaluated. The pK(a)s of the introduced residues have a clear dependence on ε(prot,) whereas native ionizable residues do not. The native residues have electrostatic interactions with other residues in the protein favoring ionization, which are larger than the desolvation penalty favoring the neutral state. Increasing ε(prot) scales both terms, which for these residues leads to small changes in pK(a). The introduced residues have a larger desolvation penalty and negligible interactions with residues in the protein. For these residues, changing ε(prot) has a large influence on the calculated pK(a). An ε(prot) of 8-10 and a Lennard-Jones scaling of 0.25 is best here. The X-ray crystal structures of the mutated proteins are found to provide somewhat better results than calculations carried out on mutations made in silico. Initial relaxation of the in silico mutations by Gromacs and extensive side chain rotamer sampling within MCCE can significantly improve the match with experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M R Gunner
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, New York 10031, USA.
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37
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Warshel A, Dryga A. Simulating electrostatic energies in proteins: perspectives and some recent studies of pKas, redox, and other crucial functional properties. Proteins 2011; 79:3469-84. [PMID: 21910139 DOI: 10.1002/prot.23125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2011] [Revised: 05/09/2011] [Accepted: 06/09/2011] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Electrostatic energies provide what is arguably the most effective tool for structure-function correlation of biological molecules. Here, we provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art simulations of electrostatic energies in macromolecules, emphasizing the microscopic perspective but also relating it to macroscopic approaches. We comment on the convergence issue and other problems of the microscopic models and the ways of keeping the microscopic physics while moving to semi-macroscopic directions. We discuss the nature of the protein dielectric "constants" reiterating our long-standing point that the dielectric "constants" in semi-macroscopic models depend on the definition and the specific treatment. The advances and the challenges in the field are illustrated considering different functional properties including pK(a)'s, redox potentials, ion and proton channels, enzyme catalysis, ligand binding, and protein stability. We emphasize the microscopic overcharging approach for studying pK(a) 's of internal groups in proteins and give a demonstration of power of this approach. We also emphasize recent advances in coarse grained models with a physically based electrostatic treatment and provide some examples including further directions in treating voltage activated ion channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arieh Warshel
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1062, USA.
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38
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Song Y. Exploring conformational changes coupled to ionization states using a hybrid Rosetta-MCCE protocol. Proteins 2011; 79:3356-63. [DOI: 10.1002/prot.23146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2011] [Revised: 07/09/2011] [Accepted: 07/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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39
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Cymes GD, Grosman C. Estimating the pKa values of basic and acidic side chains in ion channels using electrophysiological recordings: a robust approach to an elusive problem. Proteins 2011; 79:3485-93. [PMID: 21744391 DOI: 10.1002/prot.23087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2010] [Revised: 04/14/2011] [Accepted: 05/04/2011] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
As a step toward gaining a better understanding of the physicochemical bases of pK(a)-value shifts in ion channels, we have previously proposed a method for estimating the proton affinities of systematically engineered ionizable side chains from the kinetic analysis of single-channel current recordings. We reported that the open-channel current flowing through mutants of the (cation-selective) muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) engineered to bear single basic residues in the transmembrane portion of the pore domain fluctuates between two levels of conductance. Our observations were consistent with the idea that these fluctuations track directly the alternate protonation-deprotonation of basic side chains: protonation of the introduced basic group would attenuate the single-channel conductance, whereas its deprotonation would restore the wild-type-like level. Thus, analysis of the kinetics of these transitions was interpreted to yield the pK(a) values of the substituted side chains. However, other mechanisms can be postulated that would also be consistent with some of our findings but according to which the kinetic analysis of the fluctuations would not yield true pK(a)s. Such mechanisms include the pH-dependent interconversion between two conformations of the channel that, while both ion permeable, would support different cation-conduction rates. In this article, we present experimental evidence for the notion that the fluctuations of the open-channel current observed for the muscle AChR result from the electrostatic interaction between fixed charges and the passing cations rather than from a change in conformation. Hence, we conclude that bona fide pK(a) values can be obtained from single-channel recordings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisela D Cymes
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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40
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Bush J, Makhatadze GI. Statistical analysis of protein structures suggests that buried ionizable residues in proteins are hydrogen bonded or form salt bridges. Proteins 2011; 79:2027-32. [PMID: 21560169 DOI: 10.1002/prot.23067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2010] [Revised: 02/25/2011] [Accepted: 04/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
It is well known that nonpolar residues are largely buried in the interior of proteins, whereas polar and ionizable residues tend to be more localized on the protein surface where they are solvent exposed. Such a distribution of residues between surface and interior is well understood from a thermodynamic point: nonpolar side chains are excluded from the contact with the solvent water, whereas polar and ionizable groups have favorable interactions with the water and thus are preferred at the protein surface. However, there is an increasing amount of information suggesting that polar and ionizable residues do occur in the protein core, including at positions that have no known functional importance. This is inconsistent with the observations that dehydration of polar and in particular ionizable groups is very energetically unfavorable. To resolve this, we performed a detailed analysis of the distribution of fractional burial of polar and ionizable residues using a large set of ˜2600 nonhomologous protein structures. We show that when ionizable residues are fully buried, the vast majority of them form hydrogen bonds and/or salt bridges with other polar/ionizable groups. This observation resolves an apparent contradiction: the energetic penalty of dehydration of polar/ionizable groups is paid off by favorable energy of hydrogen bonding and/or salt bridge formation in the protein interior. Our conclusion agrees well with the previous findings based on the continuum models for electrostatic interactions in proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Bush
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies and Department of Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA
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41
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Dumit VI, Cortez N, Matthias Ullmann G. Distinguishing two groups of flavin reductases by analyzing the protonation state of an active site carboxylic acid. Proteins 2011; 79:2076-85. [PMID: 21538544 DOI: 10.1002/prot.23027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2010] [Revised: 02/08/2011] [Accepted: 02/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Flavin-containing reductases are involved in a wide variety of physiological reactions such as photosynthesis, nitric oxide synthesis, and detoxification of foreign compounds, including therapeutic drugs. Ferredoxin-NADP(H)-reductase (FNR) is the prototypical enzyme of this family. The fold of this protein is highly conserved and occurs as one domain of several multidomain enzymes such as the members of the diflavin reductase family. The enzymes of this family have emerged as fusion of a FNR and a flavodoxin. Although the active sites of these enzymes are very similar, different enzymes function in opposite directions, that is, some reduce oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP(+)) and some oxidize reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). In this work, we analyze the protonation behavior of titratable residues of these enzymes through electrostatic calculations. We find that a highly conserved carboxylic acid in the active site shows a different titration behavior in different flavin reductases. This residue is deprotonated in flavin reductases present in plastids, but protonated in bacterial counterparts and in diflavin reductases. The protonation state of the carboxylic acid may also influence substrate binding. The physiological substrate for plastidic enzymes is NADP(+), but it is NADPH for the other mentioned reductases. In this article, we discuss the relevance of the environment of this residue for its protonation and its importance in catalysis. Our results allow to reinterpret and explain experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica I Dumit
- Structural Biology/Bioinformatics, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
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42
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Ullah S, Ishimoto T, Williamson MP, Hansen PE. Ab initio calculations of deuterium isotope effects on chemical shifts of salt-bridged lysines. J Phys Chem B 2011; 115:3208-15. [PMID: 21388110 DOI: 10.1021/jp1111789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Deuterium isotope effects measure the change in chemical shift on substitution of a proton by deuterium. They have been calculated by direct treatment of the H/D nuclear quantum effect using a multicomponent ab initio molecular orbital method based on a non-Born-Oppenheimer approximation. This method enables the determination of both the electronic and the protonic (deuteronic) wave functions simultaneously and can directly calculate the geometrical difference induced by H/D isotope effects. The calculations show that the one-bond deuterium isotope effects on (15)N nuclear shielding, (1)Δ(15)N(D), in ammonium and amines decrease as a counterion or water molecule moves closer to the nitrogen. (1)Δ(15)N(D) and (2)Δ(1)H(D) of the NH(3)(+) groups of lysine residues in the B1 domain of protein G have been calculated using truncated side chains and also determined experimentally by NMR. Comparisons show that the structures in solution are different from those in the crystal and that solvation plays an important role in weakening the hydrogen bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saif Ullah
- Department of Science, Systems and Models, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark.
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43
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He Y, Estephan R, Yang X, Vela A, Wang H, Bernard C, Stark RE. A nuclear magnetic resonance-based structural rationale for contrasting stoichiometry and ligand binding site(s) in fatty acid-binding proteins. Biochemistry 2011; 50:1283-95. [PMID: 21226535 DOI: 10.1021/bi101307h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Liver fatty acid-binding protein (LFABP) is a 14 kDa cytosolic polypeptide, differing from other family members in the number of ligand binding sites, the diversity of bound ligands, and the transfer of fatty acid(s) to membranes primarily via aqueous diffusion rather than direct collisional interactions. Distinct two-dimensional (1)H-(15)N nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals indicative of slowly exchanging LFABP assemblies formed during stepwise ligand titration were exploited, without determining the protein-ligand complex structures, to yield the stoichiometries for the bound ligands, their locations within the protein binding cavity, the sequence of ligand occupation, and the corresponding protein structural accommodations. Chemical shifts were monitored for wild-type LFABP and an R122L/S124A mutant in which electrostatic interactions viewed as being essential to fatty acid binding were removed. For wild-type LFABP, the results compared favorably with the data for previous tertiary structures of oleate-bound wild-type LFABP in crystals and in solution: there are two oleates, one U-shaped ligand that positions the long hydrophobic chain deep within the cavity and another extended structure with the hydrophobic chain facing the cavity and the carboxylate group lying close to the protein surface. The NMR titration validated a prior hypothesis that the first oleate to enter the cavity occupies the internal protein site. In contrast, (1)H and (15)N chemical shift changes supported only one liganded oleate for R122L/S124A LFABP, at an intermediate location within the protein cavity. A rationale based on protein sequence and electrostatics was developed to explain the stoichiometry and binding site trends for LFABPs and to put these findings into context within the larger protein family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan He
- Department of Chemistry, College of Staten Island, New York, NY, USA
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44
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Han W, Wan CK, Jiang F, Wu YD. PACE Force Field for Protein Simulations. 1. Full Parameterization of Version 1 and Verification. J Chem Theory Comput 2010; 6:3373-89. [DOI: 10.1021/ct1003127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Han
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China, and College of Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Cheuk-Kin Wan
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China, and College of Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Fan Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China, and College of Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yun-Dong Wu
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China, and College of Chemistry, Peking University, Beijing, China
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45
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Zhang J, Gunner MR. Multiconformation continuum electrostatics analysis of the effects of a buried Asp introduced near heme a in Rhodobacter sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase. Biochemistry 2010; 49:8043-52. [PMID: 20701325 DOI: 10.1021/bi100663u] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) reduces O(2) to water via a series of proton-coupled electron transfers, generating a transmembrane electrochemical gradient. Coupling electron and proton transfer requires changing the pK(a) values of buried residues at each stage in the reaction cycle. Heme a is a key cofactor in the CcO electron transfer chain. Mutation of Ser44 to Asp has been reported [Mills, D. A., et al. (2008) Biochemistry 47, 11499-11509], changing the hydrogen bond acceptor from His102, the heme a axial ligand in Rhodobactor sphaeroides CcO. This adds an acidic residue to the CcO interior. The electrochemical behavior of heme a in wild-type and S44D CcO is compared using the continuum electrostatics program MCCE. The introduced, deeply buried Asp remains ionized at physiological pH only when the nearby heme is oxidized. Heme a reduction is now calculated to be strongly coupled to Asp proton binding, while with Ser44, it is weakly coupled to small protonation shifts at multiple sites, increasing the pH dependence in the mutant. At pH 7, the partially ionized Asp 44 is calculated to lower the heme redox potential by 50 mV as expected given the thermodynamics of coupled electron and proton transfers. This highlights an curious finding in the experimental results where a low Asp pK(a) is found together with a stabilized reduced heme. The stabilization of a heme oxidation in a model complex by a hydrogen bond to the axial His ligand calculated with continuum electrostatics and with density functional theory were in good agreement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zhang
- Physics Department, J-419, City College of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, New York 10031, USA
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46
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Aleksandrov A, Polydorides S, Archontis G, Simonson T. Predicting the Acid/Base Behavior of Proteins: A Constant-pH Monte Carlo Approach with Generalized Born Solvent. J Phys Chem B 2010; 114:10634-48. [DOI: 10.1021/jp104406x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Aleksandrov
- Laboratoire de Biochimie (CNRS UMR7654), Department of Biology, Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France, and Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, PO20537, CY1678, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Savvas Polydorides
- Laboratoire de Biochimie (CNRS UMR7654), Department of Biology, Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France, and Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, PO20537, CY1678, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Georgios Archontis
- Laboratoire de Biochimie (CNRS UMR7654), Department of Biology, Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France, and Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, PO20537, CY1678, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Thomas Simonson
- Laboratoire de Biochimie (CNRS UMR7654), Department of Biology, Ecole Polytechnique, 91128 Palaiseau, France, and Department of Physics, University of Cyprus, PO20537, CY1678, Nicosia, Cyprus
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47
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Song Y, Mao J, Gunner MR. MCCE2: improving protein pKa calculations with extensive side chain rotamer sampling. J Comput Chem 2009; 30:2231-47. [PMID: 19274707 PMCID: PMC2735604 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.21222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Multiconformation continuum electrostatics (MCCE) explores different conformational degrees of freedom in Monte Carlo calculations of protein residue and ligand pK(a)s. Explicit changes in side chain conformations throughout a titration create a position dependent, heterogeneous dielectric response giving a more accurate picture of coupled ionization and position changes. The MCCE2 methods for choosing a group of input heavy atom and proton positions are described. The pK(a)s calculated with different isosteric conformers, heavy atom rotamers and proton positions, with different degrees of optimization are tested against a curated group of 305 experimental pK(a)s in 33 proteins. QUICK calculations, with rotation around Asn and Gln termini, sampling His tautomers and torsion minimum hydroxyls yield an RMSD of 1.34 with 84% of the errors being <1.5 pH units. FULL calculations adding heavy atom rotamers and side chain optimization yield an RMSD of 0.90 with 90% of the errors <1.5 pH unit. Good results are also found for pK(a)s in the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin. The inclusion of extra side chain positions distorts the dielectric boundary and also biases the calculated pK(a)s by creating more neutral than ionized conformers. Methods for correcting these errors are introduced. Calculations are compared with multiple X-ray and NMR derived structures in 36 soluble proteins. Calculations with X-ray structures give significantly better pK(a)s. Results with the default protein dielectric constant of 4 are as good as those using a value of 8. The MCCE2 program can be downloaded from http://www.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/~mcce.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Song
- Department of Physics, J-419 City College of New York, 138th Street, Convent Avenue, New York, New York 10031, USA
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48
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Chan P, Warwicker J. Evidence for the adaptation of protein pH-dependence to subcellular pH. BMC Biol 2009; 7:69. [PMID: 19849832 PMCID: PMC2770037 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-7-69] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2009] [Accepted: 10/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The availability of genome sequences, and inferred protein coding genes, has led to several proteome-wide studies of isoelectric points. Generally, isoelectric points are distributed following variations on a biomodal theme that originates from the predominant acid and base amino acid sidechain pKas. The relative populations of the peaks in such distributions may correlate with environment, either for a whole organism or for subcellular compartments. There is also a tendency for isoelectric points averaged over a subcellular location to not coincide with the local pH, which could be related to solubility. We now calculate the correlation of other pH-dependent properties, calculated from 3D structure, with subcellular pH. RESULTS For proteins with known structure and subcellular annotation, the predicted pH at which a protein is most stable, averaged over a location, gives a significantly better correlation with subcellular pH than does isoelectric point. This observation relates to the cumulative properties of proteins, since maximal stability for individual proteins follows the bimodal isoelectric point distribution. Histidine residue location underlies the correlation, a conclusion that is tested against a background of proteins randomised with respect to this feature, and for which the observed correlation drops substantially. CONCLUSION There exists a constraint on protein pH-dependence, in relation to the local pH, that is manifested in the pKa distribution of histidine sub-proteomes. This is discussed in terms of protein stability, pH homeostasis, and fluctuations in proton concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Chan
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, M13 9PT, UK.
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49
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Reinau ME, Otzen DE. Stability and structure of the membrane protein transporter Ffh is modulated by substrates and lipids. Arch Biochem Biophys 2009; 492:48-53. [PMID: 19800309 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2009.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2009] [Revised: 09/16/2009] [Accepted: 09/28/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The cytosolic protein Ffh transports membrane proteins from the ribosome to the inner membrane in complex with 4.5S RNA. Here we show that native Ffh binds to the hydrophobic probe ANS in a 1 Ffh:3 ANS stoichiometry, revealing a hydrophobic binding site. Thermal precipitation of Ffh is shifted upwards by approximately 10 degrees C by ANS or substrate protein, suggesting that the hydrophobic binding site makes the protein aggregation prone. Chemical denaturation confirm that Ffh is a rather unstable protein. 4.5S RNA destabilizes Ffh further, suggesting it keeps the protein in a more open conformation than the apoprotein. Escherichia coli lipid and DOPG (and to a smaller extent DOPC) increase Ffh's alpha-helical content, possibly related to Ffh's role in guiding membrane proteins to the membrane. Binding is largely mediated by electrostatic interactions but does not protect Ffh against trypsinolysis. We conclude that Ffh is a structurally flexible and dynamic protein whose stability is significantly modulated by the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marika E Reinau
- Department of Life Sciences, Aalborg University, Sohngaardsholmsvej 49, DK-9000 Aalborg, Denmark
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50
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Olkhova E, Kozachkov L, Padan E, Michel H. Combined computational and biochemical study reveals the importance of electrostatic interactions between the "pH sensor" and the cation binding site of the sodium/proton antiporter NhaA of Escherichia coli. Proteins 2009; 76:548-59. [PMID: 19274728 DOI: 10.1002/prot.22368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Sodium proton antiporters are essential enzymes that catalyze the exchange of sodium ions for protons across biological membranes. The crystal structure of NhaA has provided a basis to explore the mechanism of ion exchange and its unique regulation by pH. Here, the mechanism of the pH activation of the antiporter is investigated through functional and computational studies of several variants with mutations in the ion-binding site (D163, D164). The most significant difference found computationally between the wild type antiporter and the active site variants, D163E and D164N, are low pK(a) values of Glu78 making them insensitive to pH. Although in the variant D163N the pK(a) of Glu78 is comparable to the physiological one, this variant cannot demonstrate the long-range electrostatic effect of Glu78 on the pH-dependent structural reorganization of trans-membrane helix X and, hence, is proposed to be inactive. In marked contrast, variant D164E remains sensitive to pH and can be activated by alkaline pH shift. Remarkably, as expected computationally and discovered here biochemically, D164E is viable and active in Na(+)/H(+) exchange albeit with increased apparent K(M). Our results unravel the unique electrostatic network of NhaA that connect the coupled clusters of the "pH sensor" with the binding site, which is crucial for pH activation of NhaA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Olkhova
- Department of Molecular Membrane Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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