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Muñoz SM, Vallejos-Baccelliere G, Manubens A, Salazar ML, Nascimento AFZ, Tapia-Reyes P, Meneses C, Ambrosio ALB, Becker MI, Guixé V, Castro-Fernandez V. Structural insights into a functional unit from an immunogenic mollusk hemocyanin. Structure 2024; 32:812-823.e4. [PMID: 38513659 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Mollusk hemocyanins, among the largest known proteins, are used as immunostimulants in biomedical and clinical applications. The hemocyanin of the Chilean gastropod Concholepas concholepas (CCH) exhibits unique properties, which makes it safe and effective for human immunotherapy, as observed in animal models of bladder cancer and melanoma, and dendritical cell vaccine trials. Despite its potential, the structure and amino acid sequence of CCH remain unknown. This study reports two sequence fragments of CCH, representing three complete functional units (FUs). We also determined the high-resolution (1.5 Å) X-ray crystal structure of an "FU-g type" from the CCHB subunit. This structure enables in-depth analysis of chemical interactions at the copper-binding center and unveils an unusual, truncated N-glycosylation pattern. These features are linked to eliciting more robust immunological responses in animals, offering insights into CCH's enhanced immunostimulatory properties and opening new avenues for its potential applications in biomedical research and therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián M Muñoz
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 780003, Chile
| | - Gabriel Vallejos-Baccelliere
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 780003, Chile
| | - Augusto Manubens
- Departamento de Investigación y Desarrollo, Biosonda Corp., Santiago 7750629, Chile; Fundación Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (FUCITED), Santiago 7750629, Chile
| | - Michelle L Salazar
- Fundación Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (FUCITED), Santiago 7750629, Chile
| | - Andrey F Z Nascimento
- Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, Sao Paulo 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Patricio Tapia-Reyes
- Escuela de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Santo Tomás, Santiago 8370003, Chile; Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Claudio Meneses
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile; Departamento de Fruticultura y Enología, Facultad de Agronomía y Sistemas Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile; Millennium Nucleus Development of Super Adaptable Plants (MN-SAP), Santiago 8331150, Chile; Millennium Institute Center for Genome Regulation (CRG), Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Andre L B Ambrosio
- Sao Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC), University of Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo 13563-120, Brazil
| | - María Inés Becker
- Departamento de Investigación y Desarrollo, Biosonda Corp., Santiago 7750629, Chile; Fundación Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo (FUCITED), Santiago 7750629, Chile
| | - Victoria Guixé
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 780003, Chile.
| | - Victor Castro-Fernandez
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 780003, Chile.
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Pasqualetto G, Mack A, Lewis E, Cooper R, Holland A, Borucu U, Mantell J, Davies T, Weckener M, Clare D, Green T, Kille P, Muhlhozl A, Young MT. CryoEM structure and Alphafold molecular modelling of a novel molluscan hemocyanin. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287294. [PMID: 37347755 PMCID: PMC10286996 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Hemocyanins are multimeric oxygen transport proteins present in the blood of arthropods and molluscs, containing up to 8 oxygen-binding functional units per monomer. In molluscs, hemocyanins are assembled in decamer 'building blocks' formed of 5 dimer 'plates', routinely forming didecamer or higher-order assemblies with d5 or c5 symmetry. Here we describe the cryoEM structures of the didecamer (20-mer) and tridecamer (30-mer) forms of a novel hemocyanin from the slipper limpet Crepidula fornicata (SLH) at 7.0 and 4.7 Å resolution respectively. We show that two decamers assemble in a 'tail-tail' configuration, forming a partially capped cylinder, with an additional decamer adding on in 'head-tail' configuration to make the tridecamer. Analysis of SLH samples shows substantial heterogeneity, suggesting the presence of many higher-order multimers including tetra- and pentadecamers, formed by successive addition of decamers in head-tail configuration. Retrieval of sequence data for a full-length isoform of SLH enabled the use of Alphafold to produce a molecular model of SLH, which indicated the formation of dimer slabs with high similarity to those found in keyhole limpet hemocyanin. The fit of the molecular model to the cryoEM density was excellent, showing an overall structure where the final two functional units of the subunit (FU-g and FU-h) form the partial cap at one end of the decamer, and permitting analysis of the subunit interfaces governing the assembly of tail-tail and head-tail decamer interactions as well as potential sites for N-glycosylation. Our work contributes to the understanding of higher-order oligomer formation in molluscan hemocyanins and demonstrates the utility of Alphafold for building accurate structural models of large oligomeric proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaia Pasqualetto
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Mack
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Emily Lewis
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Ryan Cooper
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Alistair Holland
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Ufuk Borucu
- Faculty of Life Sciences, GW4 Facility for High-Resolution Electron Cryo-Microscopy, Wolfson Bioimaging Facility, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Judith Mantell
- Faculty of Life Sciences, GW4 Facility for High-Resolution Electron Cryo-Microscopy, Wolfson Bioimaging Facility, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Davies
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Miriam Weckener
- The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Structural Biology, Harwell Science Campus, Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Dan Clare
- Electron Bioimaging Centre, Diamond Light Source, Harwell, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Green
- Advanced Research Computing at Cardiff, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Pete Kille
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | | | - Mark T. Young
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Yuan C, Zheng X, Liu K, Yuan W, Zhang Y, Mao F, Bao Y. Functional Characterization, Antimicrobial Effects, and Potential Antibacterial Mechanisms of NpHM4, a Derived Peptide of Nautilus pompilius Hemocyanin. Mar Drugs 2022; 20:md20070459. [PMID: 35877752 PMCID: PMC9317327 DOI: 10.3390/md20070459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hemocyanins present in the hemolymph of invertebrates are multifunctional proteins that are responsible for oxygen transport and play crucial roles in the immune system. They have also been identified as a source of antimicrobial peptides during infection in mollusks. Hemocyanin has also been identified in the cephalopod ancestor Nautilus, but antimicrobial peptides derived from the hemocyanin of Nautilus pompilius have not been reported. Here, the bactericidal activity of six predicted peptides from N. pompilius hemocyanin and seven mutant peptides was analyzed. Among those peptides, a mutant peptide with 15 amino acids (1RVFAGFLRHGIKRSR15), NpHM4, showed relatively high antibacterial activity. NpHM4 was determined to have typical antimicrobial peptide characteristics, including a positive charge (+5.25) and a high hydrophobic residue ratio (40%), and it was predicted to form an alpha-helical structure. In addition, NpHM4 exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria (MBC = 30 μM for Vibrio alginolyticus), with no cytotoxicity to mammalian cells even at a high concentration of 180 µM. Upon contact with V. alginolyticus cells, we confirmed that the bactericidal activity of NpHM4 was coupled with membrane permeabilization, which was further confirmed via ultrastructural images using a scanning electron microscope. Therefore, our study provides a rationalization for the development and optimization of antimicrobial peptide from the cephalopod ancestor Nautilus, paving the way for future novel AMP development with broad applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Yuan
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Aquatic Germplasm Resources, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo 315100, China; (C.Y.); (X.Z.); (W.Y.)
- Ninghai Institute of Mariculture Breeding and Seed Industry, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo 315604, China
| | - Xiaoying Zheng
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Aquatic Germplasm Resources, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo 315100, China; (C.Y.); (X.Z.); (W.Y.)
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Kunna Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; (K.L.); (Y.Z.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 510301, China
| | - Wenbin Yuan
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Aquatic Germplasm Resources, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo 315100, China; (C.Y.); (X.Z.); (W.Y.)
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; (K.L.); (Y.Z.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 510301, China
| | - Fan Mao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; (K.L.); (Y.Z.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 510301, China
- Correspondence: (F.M.); (Y.B.); Tel.: +86-20-8910-2507 (F.M.)
| | - Yongbo Bao
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Aquatic Germplasm Resources, College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo 315100, China; (C.Y.); (X.Z.); (W.Y.)
- Ninghai Institute of Mariculture Breeding and Seed Industry, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo 315604, China
- Correspondence: (F.M.); (Y.B.); Tel.: +86-20-8910-2507 (F.M.)
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Schäfer GG, Grebe LJ, Depoix F, Lieb B. Hemocyanins of Muricidae: New 'Insights' Unravel an Additional Highly Hydrophilic 800 kDa Mass Within the Molecule. J Mol Evol 2021; 89:62-72. [PMID: 33439299 PMCID: PMC7884596 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-020-09986-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Hemocyanins are giant oxygen transport proteins that freely float within the hemolymph of most molluscs. The basic quaternary structure of molluscan hemocyanins is a cylindrical decamer with a diameter of 35 nm which is built of 400 kDa subunits. Previously published results, however, showed that one out of two hemocyanin subunits of Rapana venosa encompasses two polypeptides, one 300 kDa and one 100 kDa polypeptide which aggregate to typical 4 MDa and 8 MDa hemocyanin (di-)decamer molecules. It was shown that the polypeptides are bound most probably by one or more cysteine disulfide bridges but it remained open if these polypeptides were coded by one or two genes. Our here presented results clearly showed that both polypeptides are coded by one gene only and that this phenomenon can also be found in the gastropod Nucella lapillus. Thus, it can be defined as clade-specific for Muricidae, a group of the very diverse Caenogastropoda. In addition, we discovered a further deviation of this hemocyanin subunit within both species, namely a region of 340 mainly hydrophilic amino acids (especially histidines and aspartic acids) which have not been identified in any other molluscan hemocyanin, yet. Our results indicate that, within the quaternary structure, these additional amino acids most probably protrude within the inner part of didecamer cylinders, forming a large extra mass of up to 800 kDa. They presumably influence the structure of the protein and may affect the functionality. Thus, these findings reveal further insights into the evolution and structures of gastropod hemocyanins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Giannina Schäfer
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Lukas Jörg Grebe
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Frank Depoix
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Bernhard Lieb
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
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Dolashka P, Daskalova A, Dolashki A, Voelter W. De Novo Structural Determination of the Oligosaccharide Structure of Hemocyanins from Molluscs. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10111470. [PMID: 33105875 PMCID: PMC7690630 DOI: 10.3390/biom10111470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of studies have shown that glycosylation of proteins plays diverse functions in the lives of organisms, has crucial biological and physiological roles in pathogen–host interactions, and is involved in a large number of biological events in the immune system, and in virus and bacteria recognition. The large amount of scientific interest in glycoproteins of molluscan hemocyanins is due not only to their complex quaternary structures, but also to the great diversity of their oligosaccharide structures with a high carbohydrate content (2–9%). This great variety is due to their specific monosaccharide composition and different side chain composition. The determination of glycans and glycopeptides was performed with the most commonly used methods for the analysis of biomolecules, including peptides and proteins, including Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation–Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF-TOF), Liquid Chromatography - Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS), Liquid Chromatography (LC-Q-trap-MS/MS) or Nano- Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry (nano-ESI-MS) and others. The molluscan hemocyanins have complex carbohydrate structures with predominant N-linked glycans. Of interest are identified structures with methylated hexoses and xyloses arranged at different positions in the carbohydrate moieties of molluscan hemocyanins. Novel acidic glycan structures with specific glycosylation positions, e.g., hemocyanins that enable a deeper insight into the glycosylation process, were observed in Rapana venosa, Helix lucorum, and Haliotis tuberculata. Recent studies demonstrate that glycosylation plays a crucial physiological role in the immunostimulatory and therapeutic effect of glycoproteins. The remarkable diversity of hemocyanin glycan content is an important feature of their immune function and provides a new concept in the antibody–antigen interaction through clustered carbohydrate epitopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavlina Dolashka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria or (A.D.); (A.D.)
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.:+359-887193423
| | - Asya Daskalova
- Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria or (A.D.); (A.D.)
| | - Aleksandar Dolashki
- Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria or (A.D.); (A.D.)
| | - Wolfgang Voelter
- Interfacultary Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tuebingen, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany;
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Abstract
Instead of the red blood of vertebrates, most molluscs have blue hemolymph containing hemocyanin, a type-3 copper-containing protein. The hemoglobin of vertebrate blood is replaced in most molluscs with hemocyanin, which plays the role of an oxygen transporter. Oxygen-binding in hemocyanin changes its hue from colorless deoxygenated hemocyanin into blue oxygenated hemocyanin. Molecules of molluscan hemocyanin are huge, cylindrical multimeric proteins-one of the largest protein molecules in the natural world. Their huge molecular weight (from 3.3 MDa to more than 10 MDa) are the defining characteristic of molluscan hemocyanin, a property that has complicated structural analysis of the molecules for a long time. Recently, the structural analysis of a cephalopod (squid) hemocyanin has succeeded using a hybrid method employing both X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM. In a biochemical breakthrough for molluscan hemocyanin, the first quaternary structure with atomic resolution is on the verge of solving the mystery of molluscan hemocyanin. Here we describe the latest information about the molecular structure, classification and evolution of the molecule, and the physiology of molluscan hemocyanin.
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Tanaka Y, Kato S, Stabrin M, Raunser S, Matsui T, Gatsogiannis C. Cryo-EM reveals the asymmetric assembly of squid hemocyanin. IUCRJ 2019; 6:426-437. [PMID: 31098023 PMCID: PMC6503924 DOI: 10.1107/s205225251900321x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The oxygen transporter of molluscs, hemocyanin, consists of long pearl-necklace-like subunits of several globular domains. The subunits assemble in a complex manner to form cylindrical decamers. Typically, the first six domains of each subunit assemble together to form the cylinder wall, while the C-terminal domains form a collar that fills or caps the cylinder. During evolution, various molluscs have been able to fine-tune their oxygen binding by deleting or adding C-terminal domains and adjusting their inner-collar architecture. However, squids have duplicated one of the wall domains of their subunits instead. Here, using cryo-EM and an optimized refinement protocol implemented in SPHIRE, this work tackled the symmetry-mismatched structure of squid hemocyanin, revealing the precise effect of this duplication on its quaternary structure and providing a potential model for its structural evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshikazu Tanaka
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, PRESTO, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Sanae Kato
- Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0056, Japan
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-0056, Japan
| | - Markus Stabrin
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Department of Structural Biochemistry, Otto Hahn Strasse 11, Dortmund 44227, Germany
| | - Stefan Raunser
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Department of Structural Biochemistry, Otto Hahn Strasse 11, Dortmund 44227, Germany
| | - Takashi Matsui
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Christos Gatsogiannis
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Department of Structural Biochemistry, Otto Hahn Strasse 11, Dortmund 44227, Germany
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Kato S, Matsui T, Gatsogiannis C, Tanaka Y. Molluscan hemocyanin: structure, evolution, and physiology. Biophys Rev 2017; 10:191-202. [PMID: 29235083 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-017-0349-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Most molluscs have blue blood because their respiratory molecule is hemocyanin, a type-3 copper-binding protein that turns blue upon oxygen binding. Molluscan hemocyanins are huge cylindrical multimeric glycoproteins that are found freely dissolved in the hemolymph. With molecular masses ranging from 3.3 to 13.5 MDa, molluscan hemocyanins are among the largest known proteins. They form decamers or multi-decamers of 330- to 550-kDa subunits comprising more than seven paralogous functional units. Based on the organization of functional domains, they assemble to form decamers, di-decamers, and tri-decamers. Their structure has been investigated using a combination of single particle electron cryo-microsopy of the entire structure and high-resolution X-ray crystallography of the functional unit, although, the one exception is squid hemocyanin for which a crystal structure analysis of the entire molecule has been carried out. In this review, we explain the molecular characteristics of molluscan hemocyanin mainly from the structural viewpoint, in which the structure of the functional unit, architecture of the huge cylindrical multimer, relationship between the composition of the functional unit and entire tertiary structure, and possible functions of the carbohydrates are introduced. We also discuss the evolutionary implications and physiological significance of molluscan hemocyanin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanae Kato
- Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, 4-50-20 Shimoarata, Kagoshima, 890-0056, Japan.
| | - Takashi Matsui
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
| | - Christos Gatsogiannis
- Department of Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute Molecular Physiology, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Yoshikazu Tanaka
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan. .,Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
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Ishwarya R, Vaseeharan B, Iswarya A, Karthikeyan S. Haemolytic and antibiofilm properties of haemocyanin purified from the haemolymph of Indian white shrimp Fenneropenaeus indicus. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2016; 59:447-455. [PMID: 27815202 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2016.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Revised: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 10/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Haemocyanin (Hc) is an important non-specific immune macromolecule present in the haemolymph of both mollusks and crustaceans. In the present study, Hc was purified from the haemolymph of Indian white shrimp Fenneropenaeus indicus by gel filtration chromatography and it exhibits a single band with a molecular weight of 74 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) result of purified Hc express single peak at 31.5° be a sign of crystalline nature and appear as a single peak with a retention time of 5.6 min signify the homogeneity nature of the protein respectively. The purified Hc exhibited haemolytic activity against chicken erythrocytes. The haemolytic activity of purified Hc in optimum conditions observed to be pH 6.0, temperature 40 °C, in the presence of calcium. As well purified Hc exhibited the antibiofilm activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Moreover, the haemolysis can be inhibited to different degrees by osmoprotectants of diverse molecular masses, signifying that it follows a colloid-osmotic mechanism. This study conclude that purified Hc from F. indicus remarkably possess haemolytic and antibiofilm activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramachandran Ishwarya
- Crustacean Molecular Biology and Genomics Division, Biomaterials and Biotechnology in Animal Health Lab, Department of Animal Health and Management, Alagappa University, Science Block 4th Floor, Burma Colony, Karaikudi, 630004, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Baskaralingam Vaseeharan
- Crustacean Molecular Biology and Genomics Division, Biomaterials and Biotechnology in Animal Health Lab, Department of Animal Health and Management, Alagappa University, Science Block 4th Floor, Burma Colony, Karaikudi, 630004, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - Arokiadhas Iswarya
- Crustacean Molecular Biology and Genomics Division, Biomaterials and Biotechnology in Animal Health Lab, Department of Animal Health and Management, Alagappa University, Science Block 4th Floor, Burma Colony, Karaikudi, 630004, Tamil Nadu, India
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Immunological properties of oxygen-transport proteins: hemoglobin, hemocyanin and hemerythrin. Cell Mol Life Sci 2016; 74:293-317. [PMID: 27518203 PMCID: PMC5219038 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-016-2326-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 07/17/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
It is now well documented that peptides with enhanced or alternative functionality (termed cryptides) can be liberated from larger, and sometimes inactive, proteins. A primary example of this phenomenon is the oxygen-transport protein hemoglobin. Aside from respiration, hemoglobin and hemoglobin-derived peptides have been associated with immune modulation, hematopoiesis, signal transduction and microbicidal activities in metazoans. Likewise, the functional equivalents to hemoglobin in invertebrates, namely hemocyanin and hemerythrin, act as potent immune effectors under certain physiological conditions. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the true extent of oxygen-transport protein dynamics in innate immunity, and to impress upon the reader the multi-functionality of these ancient proteins on the basis of their structures. In this context, erythrocyte-pathogen antibiosis and the immune competences of various erythroid cells are compared across diverse taxa.
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11
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Crystal Structure of the 3.8-MDa Respiratory Supermolecule Hemocyanin at 3.0 Å Resolution. Structure 2015; 23:2204-2212. [DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2015.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2015] [Revised: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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12
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Oellermann M, Strugnell JM, Lieb B, Mark FC. Positive selection in octopus haemocyanin indicates functional links to temperature adaptation. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:133. [PMID: 26142723 PMCID: PMC4491423 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0411-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2014] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Octopods have successfully colonised the world's oceans from the tropics to the poles. Yet, successful persistence in these habitats has required adaptations of their advanced physiological apparatus to compensate impaired oxygen supply. Their oxygen transporter haemocyanin plays a major role in cold tolerance and accordingly has undergone functional modifications to sustain oxygen release at sub-zero temperatures. However, it remains unknown how molecular properties evolved to explain the observed functional adaptations. We thus aimed to assess whether natural selection affected molecular and structural properties of haemocyanin that explains temperature adaptation in octopods. RESULTS Analysis of 239 partial sequences of the haemocyanin functional units (FU) f and g of 28 octopod species of polar, temperate, subtropical and tropical origin revealed natural selection was acting primarily on charge properties of surface residues. Polar octopods contained haemocyanins with higher net surface charge due to decreased glutamic acid content and higher numbers of basic amino acids. Within the analysed partial sequences, positive selection was present at site 2545, positioned between the active copper binding centre and the FU g surface. At this site, methionine was the dominant amino acid in polar octopods and leucine was dominant in tropical octopods. Sites directly involved in oxygen binding or quaternary interactions were highly conserved within the analysed sequence. CONCLUSIONS This study has provided the first insight into molecular and structural mechanisms that have enabled octopods to sustain oxygen supply from polar to tropical conditions. Our findings imply modulation of oxygen binding via charge-charge interaction at the protein surface, which stabilize quaternary interactions among functional units to reduce detrimental effects of high pH on venous oxygen release. Of the observed partial haemocyanin sequence, residue 2545 formed a close link between the FU g surface and the active centre, suggesting a role as allosteric binding site. The prevalence of methionine at this site in polar octopods, implies regulation of oxygen affinity via increased sensitivity to allosteric metal binding. High sequence conservation of sites directly involved in oxygen binding indicates that functional modifications of octopod haemocyanin rather occur via more subtle mechanisms, as observed in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Oellermann
- Integrative Ecophysiology, Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany.
| | - Jan M Strugnell
- Department of Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia.
| | - Bernhard Lieb
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Müllerweg 6, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Felix C Mark
- Integrative Ecophysiology, Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany.
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13
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Matsuno A, Gai Z, Tanaka M, Kato K, Kato S, Katoh T, Shimizu T, Yoshioka T, Kishimura H, Tanaka Y, Yao M. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic study of a 3.8-MDa respiratory supermolecule hemocyanin. J Struct Biol 2015; 190:379-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2015.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2015] [Revised: 04/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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14
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Garcia Seisdedos H, Steinberg A, Levy ED. Symmetry breaking in homo-oligomers: the curious case of mega-hemocyanin. Structure 2015; 23:3-5. [PMID: 25565100 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2014.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Mega-hemocyanin is a 13.5 MDa oxygen transporter found in snails. It is built from three stacked rings involving ten subunits each. The cryo-EM structure of the complex presented by Gatsogiannis and colleagues in this issue of Structure revealed an unexpected breaking of 5-fold symmetry in the central ring and a nonequivalent packing of the subunits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Avital Steinberg
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Emmanuel D Levy
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
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15
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Gatsogiannis C, Hofnagel O, Markl J, Raunser S. Structure of mega-hemocyanin reveals protein origami in snails. Structure 2014; 23:93-103. [PMID: 25482543 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2014.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2014] [Revised: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 10/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Mega-hemocyanin is a 13.5 MDa oxygen transporter found in the hemolymph of some snails. Similar to typical gastropod hemocyanins, it is composed of 400 kDa building blocks but has additional 550 kDa subunits. Together, they form a large, completely filled cylinder. The structural basis for this highly complex protein packing is not known so far. Here, we report the electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) structure of mega-hemocyanin complexes from two different snail species. The structures reveal that mega-hemocyanin is composed of flexible building blocks that differ in their conformation, but not in their primary structure. Like a protein origami, these flexible blocks are optimally packed, implementing different local symmetries and pseudosymmetries. A comparison between the two structures suggests a surprisingly simple evolutionary mechanism leading to these large oxygen transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christos Gatsogiannis
- Department of Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany; Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Oliver Hofnagel
- Department of Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Jürgen Markl
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Stefan Raunser
- Department of Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany; Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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16
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Sivakamavalli J, Vaseeharan B. Enzymatic elucidation of haemocyanin from Kuruma shrimpMarsupenaeus japonicusand its molecular recognition mechanism towards pathogens. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2014; 33:1302-14. [DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2014.945485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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17
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Solomon EI, Heppner DE, Johnston EM, Ginsbach JW, Cirera J, Qayyum M, Kieber-Emmons MT, Kjaergaard CH, Hadt RG, Tian L. Copper active sites in biology. Chem Rev 2014; 114:3659-853. [PMID: 24588098 PMCID: PMC4040215 DOI: 10.1021/cr400327t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1147] [Impact Index Per Article: 114.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - David E. Heppner
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305
| | | | - Jake W. Ginsbach
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305
| | - Jordi Cirera
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305
| | - Munzarin Qayyum
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305
| | | | | | - Ryan G. Hadt
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305
| | - Li Tian
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305
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18
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Zhang Q, Dai X, Cong Y, Zhang J, Chen DH, Dougherty MT, Wang J, Ludtke SJ, Schmid MF, Chiu W. Cryo-EM structure of a molluscan hemocyanin suggests its allosteric mechanism. Structure 2013; 21:604-13. [PMID: 23541894 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2013.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2012] [Revised: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 02/03/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Hemocyanins are responsible for transporting O2 in the arthropod and molluscan hemolymph. Haliotis diversicolor molluscan hemocyanin isoform 1 (HdH1) is an 8 MDa oligomer. Each subunit is made up of eight functional units (FUs). Each FU contains two Cu ions, which can reversibly bind an oxygen molecule. Here, we report a 4.5 A° cryo-EM structure of HdH1. The structure clearly shows ten asymmetric units arranged with D5 symmetry. Each asymmetric unit contains two structurally distinct but chemically identical subunits. The map is sufficiently resolved to trace the entire subunit Ca backbone and to visualize densities corresponding to some large side chains, Cu ion pairs, and interaction networks of adjacent subunits. A FU topology path intertwining between the two subunits of the asymmetric unit is unambiguously determined. Our observations suggest a structural mechanism for the stability of the entire hemocyanin didecamer and 20 ‘‘communication clusters’’ across asymmetric units responsible for its allosteric property upon oxygen binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinfen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
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19
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Markl J. Evolution of molluscan hemocyanin structures. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2013; 1834:1840-52. [PMID: 23454609 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2013.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2012] [Revised: 02/12/2013] [Accepted: 02/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Hemocyanin transports oxygen in the hemolymph of many molluscs and arthropods and is therefore a central physiological factor in these animals. Molluscan hemocyanin molecules are oligomers composed of many protein subunits that in turn encompass subsets of distinct functional units. The structure and evolution of molluscan hemocyanin have been studied for decades, but it required the recent progress in DNA sequencing, X-ray crystallography and 3D electron microscopy to produce a detailed view of their structure and evolution. The basic quaternary structure is a cylindrical decamer 35nm in diameter, consisting of wall and collar (typically at one end of the cylinder). Depending on the animal species, decamers, didecamers and multidecamers occur in the hemolymph. Whereas the wall architecture of the decamer seems to be invariant, four different types of collar have been identified in different molluscan taxa. Correspondingly, there exist four subunit types that differ in their collar functional units and range from 350 to 550kDa. Thus, molluscan hemocyanin subunits are among the largest polypeptides in nature. In this report, recent 3D reconstructions are used to explain and visualize the different functional units, subunits and quaternary structures of molluscan hemocyanins. Moreover, on the basis of DNA analyses and structural considerations, their possible evolution is traced. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Oxygen Binding and Sensing Proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Markl
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
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20
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Spinozzi F, Mariani P, Mičetić I, Ferrero C, Pontoni D, Beltramini M. Quaternary structure heterogeneity of oligomeric proteins: a SAXS and SANS study of the dissociation products of Octopus vulgaris hemocyanin. PLoS One 2012; 7:e49644. [PMID: 23166737 PMCID: PMC3499515 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2012] [Accepted: 10/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Octopus vulgaris hemocyanin shows a particular self-assembling pattern, characterized by a hierarchical organization of monomers. The highest molecular weight aggregate is a decamer, the stability of which in solution depends on several parameters. Different pH values, buffer compositions, H₂O/D₂O ratios and Hofmeister's salts result in modifications of the aggregation state of Octopus vulgaris hemocyanin. The new QUAFIT method, recently applied to derive the structure of the decameric and the monomeric assembly from small-angle scattering data, is used here to model the polydisperse system that results from changing the solution conditions. A dataset of small-angle X-rays and neutron scattering curves is analysed by QUAFIT to derive structure, composition and concentration of different assemblies present in solution. According to the hierarchy of the association/dissociation processes and the possible number of different aggregation products in solution, each sample has been considered as a heterogeneous mixture composed of the entire decamer, the dissociated "loose" monomer and all the intermediate dissociation products. Scattering curves corresponding to given experimental conditions are well fitted by using a linear combination of single particle form factors. QUAFIT has proved to be a method of general validity to describe solutions of proteins that, even after purification processes, result to be intrinsically heterogeneous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Spinozzi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University and CNISM, Ancona, Italy
| | - Paolo Mariani
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University and CNISM, Ancona, Italy
| | - Ivan Mičetić
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Diego Pontoni
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France
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21
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Saur M, Moeller V, Kapetanopoulos K, Braukmann S, Gebauer W, Tenzer S, Markl J. Acetylcholine-binding protein in the hemolymph of the planorbid snail Biomphalaria glabrata is a pentagonal dodecahedron (60 subunits). PLoS One 2012; 7:e43685. [PMID: 22916297 PMCID: PMC3423370 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2012] [Accepted: 07/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) play important neurophysiological roles and are of considerable medical relevance. They have been studied extensively, greatly facilitated by the gastropod acetylcholine-binding proteins (AChBP) which represent soluble structural and functional homologues of the ligand-binding domain of nAChR. All these proteins are ring-like pentamers. Here we report that AChBP exists in the hemolymph of the planorbid snail Biomphalaria glabrata (vector of the schistosomiasis parasite) as a regular pentagonal dodecahedron, 22 nm in diameter (12 pentamers, 60 active sites). We sequenced and recombinantly expressed two ∼25 kDa polypeptides (BgAChBP1 and BgAChBP2) with a specific active site, N-glycan site and disulfide bridge variation. We also provide the exon/intron structures. Recombinant BgAChBP1 formed pentamers and dodecahedra, recombinant BgAChBP2 formed pentamers and probably disulfide-bridged di-pentamers, but not dodecahedra. Three-dimensional electron cryo-microscopy (3D-EM) yielded a 3D reconstruction of the dodecahedron with a resolution of 6 Å. Homology models of the pentamers docked to the 6 Å structure revealed opportunities for chemical bonding at the inter-pentamer interfaces. Definition of the ligand-binding pocket and the gating C-loop in the 6 Å structure suggests that 3D-EM might lead to the identification of functional states in the BgAChBP dodecahedron.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Saur
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Vanessa Moeller
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Sandra Braukmann
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Gebauer
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stefan Tenzer
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jürgen Markl
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
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22
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Spinozzi F, Beltramini M. QUAFIT: a novel method for the quaternary structure determination from small-angle scattering data. Biophys J 2012; 103:511-521. [PMID: 22947867 PMCID: PMC3414896 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.06.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2011] [Revised: 06/15/2012] [Accepted: 06/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The new QUAFIT method for determining the quaternary structure of biological macromolecular assemblies by analyzing x-ray or neutron small-angle scattering data is presented. The method is based on the idea that asymmetric monomers, formed by rigid domains of known atomic structure possibly connected by flexible linkers of known sequence, are assembled according to a point-group symmetry combined with a screw axis. Scattering amplitudes of domains and linkers are determined by means of a spherical harmonics expansion and combined to get the form factor of the assembly. To avoid any overlap among domains, the contact distance between two asymmetric domains is determined as a function of their orientation by a new algorithm, based on Stone's Invariants expansion. To account for continuity and compactness of the whole assembly, an anisotropic Lennard-Jones potential among domains, written in terms of the contact distances, is included in the merit function. QUAFIT allows for the simultaneous presence of oligomerization intermediates as well as of monomers distributed over multiple conformations. QUAFIT has been tested by studying the structure of a high molecular weight protein, the hemocyanin from Octopus vulgaris, under solution conditions that stabilize the decameric form or induce dissociation into monomers, respectively. Results are in very good agreement with the structural model derived from electron microscopy observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Spinozzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche and Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze Fisiche della Materia, Ancona, Italy.
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23
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Dolashka P, Zal F, Dolashki A, Molin L, Traldi P, Salvato B. ESI-MS and MALLS analysis of quaternary structure of molluscan hemocyanins. JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY : JMS 2012; 47:940-947. [PMID: 22791262 DOI: 10.1002/jms.2967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The understanding of the function of macromolecular complexes is mainly related to a precise knowledge of their structure. Recently, the development of suitable mass spectrometric techniques (electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)) and multi-angle laser light scattering has enabled mass determination of native complexes and of their subunits. By these techniques, the structure and association/dissociation behavior of huge molecules of molluscan Octopus vulgaris, Sepia officinalis and Rapana venosa have been characterized. Molecular masses of the native and dissociated molecule of cephalopodan Hcs O. vulgaris (3545 and 359.3 kDa, respectively) and S. officinalis (4134 and 443.8 kDa, respectively) revealed that only one type subunit organizes their molecules, while the presence of two isoforms with different masses (422.8 and 400.0 kDa) has been determined for gastropodan R. venosa Hc, aggregated into didecamers. The difference of their structural subunits was also established after limited proteolysis with TPCK-trypsin. Eight functional units (FUs) with masses of ~ 50 kDa were isolated from both subunits of RvH and isoform of Sepia officinalis, while seven FUs were purified from OvH. Further characterization of proteins by ESI-mass spectrometry (MS) and MALDI-MS, methods gave insights into post-translational modifications such as glycosylation. Glycosylation of O. vulgaris and S. officinalis Hcs was suggested based on the differences (11.6 and 40.0 kDa, respectively) between the masses measured by ESI-MS and those calculated by their gene sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavlina Dolashka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, G. Bonchev 9, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria.
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24
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Jaenicke E, Pairet B, Hartmann H, Decker H. Crystallization and preliminary analysis of crystals of the 24-meric hemocyanin of the emperor scorpion (Pandinus imperator). PLoS One 2012; 7:e32548. [PMID: 22403673 PMCID: PMC3293826 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2011] [Accepted: 02/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Hemocyanins are giant oxygen transport proteins found in the hemolymph of several invertebrate phyla. They constitute giant multimeric molecules whose size range up to that of cell organelles such as ribosomes or even small viruses. Oxygen is reversibly bound by hemocyanins at binuclear copper centers. Subunit interactions within the multisubunit hemocyanin complex lead to diverse allosteric effects such as the highest cooperativity for oxygen binding found in nature. Crystal structures of a native hemocyanin oligomer larger than a hexameric substructure have not been published until now. We report for the first time growth and preliminary analysis of crystals of the 24-meric hemocyanin (MW = 1.8 MDa) of emperor scorpion (Pandinus imperator), which diffract to a resolution of 6.5 Å. The crystals are monoclinc with space group C 1 2 1 and cell dimensions a = 311.61 Å, b = 246.58 Å and c = 251.10 Å (α = 90.00°, β = 90.02°, γ = 90.00°). The asymmetric unit contains one molecule of the 24-meric hemocyanin and the solvent content of the crystals is 56%. A preliminary analysis of the hemocyanin structure reveals that emperor scorpion hemocyanin crystallizes in the same oxygenated conformation, which is also present in solution as previously shown by cryo-EM reconstruction and small angle x-ray scattering experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elmar Jaenicke
- Institut für Molekulare Biophysik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, Germany.
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25
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Jaenicke E, Büchler K, Decker H, Markl J, Schröder GF. The refined structure of functional unit h of keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH1-h) reveals disulfide bridges. IUBMB Life 2011; 63:183-7. [PMID: 21445849 DOI: 10.1002/iub.435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Hemocyanins are multimeric oxygen-transport proteins in the hemolymph of many arthropods and mollusks. The overall molecular architecture of arthropod and molluscan hemocyanin is very different, although they possess a similar binuclear type 3 copper center to bind oxygen in a side-on conformation. Gastropod hemocyanin is a 35 nm cylindrical didecamer (2 × 10-mer) based on a 400 kDa subunit. The latter is subdivided into eight paralogous "functional units" (FU-a to FU-h), each with an active site. FU-a to FU-f contribute to the cylinder wall, whereas FU-g and FU-h form the internal collar complex. Atomic structures of FU-e and FU-g, and a 9 Å cryoEM structure of the 8 MDa didecamer are available. Recently, the structure of keyhole limpet hemocyanin FU-h (KLH1-h) was presented as a C(α) -trace at 4 Å resolution. Unlike the other seven FU types, FU-h contains an additional C-terminal domain with a cupredoxin-like fold. Because of the resolution limit of 4 Å, in some loops, the course of the protein backbone could not be established with high certainty yet. Here, we present a refined atomic structure of FU-h (KLH1-h) obtained from low-resolution refinement, which unambiguously establishes the course of the polypeptide backbone and reveals the disulfide bridges as well as the orientation of bulky amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elmar Jaenicke
- Institut für Molekulare Biophysik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Jakob Welder Weg 26, Mainz, Germany.
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26
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Lieb B, Gebauer W, Gatsogiannis C, Depoix F, Hellmann N, Harasewych MG, Strong EE, Markl J. Molluscan mega-hemocyanin: an ancient oxygen carrier tuned by a ~550 kDa polypeptide. Front Zool 2010; 7:14. [PMID: 20465844 PMCID: PMC2881123 DOI: 10.1186/1742-9994-7-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2010] [Accepted: 05/13/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The allosteric respiratory protein hemocyanin occurs in gastropods as tubular di-, tri- and multimers of a 35 × 18 nm, ring-like decamer with a collar complex at one opening. The decamer comprises five subunit dimers. The subunit, a 400 kDa polypeptide, is a concatenation of eight paralogous functional units. Their exact topology within the quaternary structure has recently been solved by 3D electron microscopy, providing a molecular model of an entire didecamer (two conjoined decamers). Here we study keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH2) tridecamers to unravel the exact association mode of the third decamer. Moreover, we introduce and describe a more complex type of hemocyanin tridecamer discovered in fresh/brackish-water cerithioid snails (Leptoxis, Melanoides, Terebralia). Results The "typical" KLH2 tridecamer is partially hollow, whereas the cerithioid tridecamer is almost completely filled with material; it was therefore termed "mega-hemocyanin". In both types, the staggering angle between adjoining decamers is 36°. The cerithioid tridecamer comprises two typical decamers based on the canonical 400 kDa subunit, flanking a central "mega-decamer" composed of ten unique ~550 kDa subunits. The additional ~150 kDa per subunit substantially enlarge the internal collar complex. Preliminary oxygen binding measurements indicate a moderate hemocyanin oxygen affinity in Leptoxis (p50 ~9 mmHg), and a very high affinity in Melanoides (~3 mmHg) and Terebralia (~2 mmHg). Species-specific and individual variation in the proportions of the two subunit types was also observed, leading to differences in the oligomeric states found in the hemolymph. Conclusions In cerithioid hemocyanin tridecamers ("mega-hemocyanin") the collar complex of the central decamer is substantially enlarged and modified. The preliminary O2 binding curves indicate that there are species-specific functional differences in the cerithioid mega-hemocyanins which might reflect different physiological tolerances of these gill-breathing animals. The observed differential expression of the two subunit types of mega-hemocyanin might allow individual respiratory acclimatization. We hypothesize that mega-hemocyanin is a key character supporting the adaptive radiation and invasive capacity of cerithioid snails.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Lieb
- Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55099 Mainz, Germany.
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27
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Velkova L, Dimitrov I, Schwarz H, Stevanovic S, Voelter W, Salvato B, Dolashka-Angelova P. Structure of hemocyanin from garden snail Helix lucorum. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2010; 157:16-25. [PMID: 20433940 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2010.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2010] [Revised: 04/21/2010] [Accepted: 04/22/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Hemocyanins are giant extracellular oxygen carriers in the hemolymph of many molluscs and arthropods with different quaternary structure. They are represented in the hemolymph of molluscs with one, two or three isoforms, as decameric, didecameric, multidecameric and tubules aggregates. We describe here the structure of the hemocyanin Helix lucorum (HlH), species in the series of molluscan hemocyanins. In contrast with other molluscan hemocyanins, three different hemocyanin isopolypeptides were isolated from the hemolymph of the garden snail H. lucorum, named as beta-HlH, alpha(D)-HlH and alpha(N)-HlH. Their molecular masses were determined by size exclusion chromatography to be 1068 kDa (beta-HlH) and 1079 kDa (alpha(D)-HlH, and alpha(N)-HlH). Native HlH exhibits a predominant didecameric structure as revealed by electron microscopy and additionally few tridecamers are shown in the electron micrographs of HlH resulting from the association of a further decamer with one didecamer. The three isoforms are represented mainly as homogeneous didecamers, but they have different behaviour after dissociation and reassociation in the pH-stabilizing buffer, containing 20 mM CaCl(2). All isoforms were reassociated into didecamers and tubules with different length, but in contrast to alpha(D)-HlH isoform, longer tubules were observed in beta-HlH. Moreover the structure of beta-HlH was analysed after limited proteolysis with trypsin followed by FPLC and HPLC separation of the cleavage products. Eight different functional units were identified by their N-terminal sequences and molecular masses. The protein characteristics, including UV absorption at 340 nm, fluorescence and CD spectra of the native molecule and its units confirmed the structure of multimer protein complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludmila Velkova
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev str bl.9, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
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Abstract
Haemocyanins are multimeric oxygen transport proteins, which bind oxygen to type 3 copper sites. Arthropod haemocyanins contain 75-kDa subunits, whereas molluscan haemocyanins contain 350–400-kDa subunits comprising seven or eight different 50 kDa FUs (functional units) designated FU-a to FU-h, each with an active site. FU-h possesses a tail of 100 amino acids not present in the other FUs. In the present study we show by X-ray crystallography that in FU-h of KLH1 (keyhole-limpet-haemocyanin isoform 1) the structure of the tail domain is cupredoxin-like but contains no copper. The copper-free domain 3 in arthropod haemocyanin subunits has also recently been reinterpreted as being cupredoxin-like. We propose that the cupredoxin-like domain in both haemocyanin types once served to upload copper to the active site of the oxygen-binding domain.
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Global motions of the nuclear pore complex: insights from elastic network models. PLoS Comput Biol 2009; 5:e1000496. [PMID: 19730674 PMCID: PMC2725293 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2009] [Accepted: 07/31/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the gate to the nucleus. Recent determination of the configuration of proteins in the yeast NPC at approximately 5 nm resolution permits us to study the NPC global dynamics using coarse-grained structural models. We investigate these large-scale motions by using an extended elastic network model (ENM) formalism applied to several coarse-grained representations of the NPC. Two types of collective motions (global modes) are predicted by the ENMs to be intrinsically favored by the NPC architecture: global bending and extension/contraction from circular to elliptical shapes. These motions are shown to be robust against tested variations in the representation of the NPC, and are largely captured by a simple model of a toroid with axially varying mass density. We demonstrate that spoke multiplicity significantly affects the accessible number of symmetric low-energy modes of motion; the NPC-like toroidal structures composed of 8 spokes have access to highly cooperative symmetric motions that are inaccessible to toroids composed of 7 or 9 spokes. The analysis reveals modes of motion that may facilitate macromolecular transport through the NPC, consistent with previous experimental observations.
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Markl J, Moeller A, Martin AG, Rheinbay J, Gebauer W, Depoix F. 10-Å CryoEM Structure and Molecular Model of the Myriapod (Scutigera) 6×6mer Hemocyanin: Understanding a Giant Oxygen Transport Protein. J Mol Biol 2009; 392:362-80. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.06.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2009] [Revised: 06/25/2009] [Accepted: 06/29/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Gatsogiannis C, Markl J. Keyhole limpet hemocyanin: 9-A CryoEM structure and molecular model of the KLH1 didecamer reveal the interfaces and intricate topology of the 160 functional units. J Mol Biol 2008; 385:963-83. [PMID: 19013468 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.10.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2008] [Revised: 10/19/2008] [Accepted: 10/29/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Hemocyanins are blue copper-containing respiratory proteins in the hemolymph of many arthropods and molluscs. Molluscan hemocyanins are decamers, didecamers, or multidecamers of a 340- to 400-kDa polypeptide subunit containing seven or eight globular functional units (FUs; FU-a to FU-h), each with an oxygen-binding site. The decamers are short 35-nm hollow cylinders, with their lumen narrowed by a collar complex. Our recently published 9-A cryo-electron microscopy/crystal structure hybrid model of a 3.4-MDa cephalopod hemocyanin decamer [Nautilus pompilius hemocyanin (NpH)] revealed the pathway of the seven-FU subunit (340 kDa), 15 types of inter-FU interface, and an asymmetric collar consisting of five "arcs" (FU-g pairs). We now present a comparable hybrid model of an 8-MDa gastropod hemocyanin didecamer assembled from two asymmetric decamers [isoform keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) 1 of the established immunogen KLH]. Compared to NpH, the KLH1 subunit (400 kDa) is C-terminally elongated by FU-h, which is further extended by a unique tail domain. We have found that the wall-and-arc structure of the KLH1 decamer is very similar to that of NpH. We have traced the subunit pathway and how it continues from KLH1-g to KLH1-h to form an annulus of five "slabs" (FU-h pairs) at one cylinder edge. The 15 types of inter-FU interface detected in NpH are also present in KLH1. Moreover, we have identified one arc/slab interface, two slab/slab interfaces, five slab/wall interfaces, and four decamer/decamer interfaces. The 27 interfaces are described on the basis of two subunit conformers, yielding an asymmetric homodimer. Six protrusions from the cryo-electron microscopy structure per subunit are associated with putative attachment sites for N-linked glycans, indicating a total of 120 sugar trees in KLH1. Also, putative binding sites for divalent cations have been detected. In conclusion, the present 9-A data on KLH1 confirm and substantially broaden our recent analysis of the smaller cephalopod hemocyanin and essentially solve the gastropod hemocyanin structure.
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Yesilyurt BT, Gielens C, Meersman F. Thermal stability of homologous functional units of Helix pomatia hemocyanin does not correlate with carbohydrate content. FEBS J 2008; 275:3625-32. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2008.06507.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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