Reconstitution of the Cpx signaling system from cell-free synthesized proteins

Design of a water-soluble transmembrane receptor kinase with intact molecular function by QTY code

Membrane proteins are critical to biological processes and central to life sciences and modern medicine. However, membrane proteins are notoriously challenging to study, mainly owing to difficulties dictated by their highly hydrophobic nature. Previously, we reported QTY code, which is a simple method for designing water-soluble membrane proteins. Here, we apply QTY code to a transmembrane receptor, histidine kinase CpxA, to render it completely water-soluble. The designed CpxAQTY exhibits expected biophysical properties and highly preserved native molecular function, including the activities of (i) autokinase, (ii) phosphotransferase, (iii) phosphatase, and (iv) signaling receptor, involving a water-solubilized transmembrane domain. We probe the principles underlying the balance of structural stability and activity in the water-solubilized transmembrane domain. Computational approaches suggest that an extensive and dynamic hydrogen-bond network introduced by QTY code and its flexibility may play an important role. Our successful functional preservation further substantiates the robustness and comprehensiveness of QTY code.

Easy Synthesis of Complex Biomolecular Assemblies: Wheat Germ Cell-Free Protein Expression in Structural Biology

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) systems are gaining more importance as universal tools for basic research, applied sciences, and product development with new technologies emerging for their application. Huge progress was made in the field of synthetic biology using CFPS to develop new proteins for technical applications and therapy. Out of the available CFPS systems, wheat germ cell-free protein synthesis (WG-CFPS) merges the highest yields with the use of a eukaryotic ribosome, making it an excellent approach for the synthesis of complex eukaryotic proteins including, for example, protein complexes and membrane proteins. Separating the translation reaction from other cellular processes, CFPS offers a flexible means to adapt translation reactions to protein needs. There is a large demand for such potent, easy-to-use, rapid protein expression systems, which are optimally serving protein requirements to drive biochemical and structural biology research. We summarize here a general workflow for a wheat germ system providing examples from the literature, as well as applications used for our own studies in structural biology. With this review, we want to highlight the tremendous potential of the rapidly evolving and highly versatile CFPS systems, making them more widely used as common tools to recombinantly prepare particularly challenging recombinant eukaryotic proteins.

Protein sample preparation for solid-state NMR investigations

Preparation of a protein sample for solid-state NMR is in many aspects similar to solution-state NMR approaches, mainly with respect to the need for stable isotope labeling. But the possibility of using solid-state NMR to investigate membrane proteins in (native) lipids adds the important requirement of adapted membrane-reconstitution schemes. Also, dynamic nuclear polarization and paramagnetic NMR in solids need specific schemes using metal ions and radicals. Sample sedimentation has enabled structural investigations of objects inaccessible to other structural techniques, but rotor filling using sedimentation has become increasingly complex with smaller and smaller rotors, as needed for higher and higher magic-angle spinning (MAS) frequencies. Furthermore, solid-state NMR can investigate very large proteins and their complexes without the concomitant increase in line widths, motivating the use of selective labeling and unlabeling strategies, as well as segmental labeling, to decongest spectra. The possibility of investigating sub-milligram amounts of protein today using advanced fast MAS techniques enables alternative protein synthesis schemes such as cell-free expression. Here we review these specific aspects of solid-state NMR sample preparation.

Modification in hydrophobic packing of HAMP domain induces a destabilization of the auto-phosphorylation site in the histidine kinase CpxA

The histidine kinases belong to the family of two-component systems, which serves in bacteria to couple environmental stimuli to adaptive responses. Most of the histidine kinases are homodimers, in which the HAMP and DHp domains assemble into an elongated helical region flanked by two CA domains. Recently, X-ray crystallographic structures of the cytoplasmic region of the Escherichia coli histidine kinase CpxA were determined and a phosphotransferase-defective mutant, M228V, located in HAMP, was identified. In the present study, we recorded 1 μs molecular dynamics trajectories to compare the behavior of the WT and M228V protein dimers. The M228V modification locally induces the appearance of larger voids within HAMP as well as a perturbation of the number of voids within DHp, thus destabilizing the HAMP and DHp hydrophobic packing. In addition, a disruption of the stacking interaction between F403 located in the lid of the CA domain involved in the auto-phosphorylation and R296 located in the interacting DHp region, is more often observed in the presence of the M228V modification. Experimental modifications R296A and R296D of CpxA have been observed to reduce also the CpxA activity. These observations agree with the destabilization of the R296/F403 stacking, and could be the sign of the transmission of a conformational event taking place in HAMP to the auto-phosphorylation site of histidine kinase. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 105: 670-682, 2016.

Membrane protein production in Escherichia coli cell-free lysates

Cell-free protein production has become a core technology in the rapidly spreading field of synthetic biology. In particular the synthesis of membrane proteins, highly problematic proteins in conventional cellular production systems, is an ideal application for cell-free expression. A large variety of artificial as well as natural environments for the optimal co-translational folding and stabilization of membrane proteins can rationally be designed. The high success rate of cell-free membrane protein production allows to focus on individually selected targets and to modulate their functional and structural properties with appropriate supplements. The efficiency and robustness of lysates from Escherichia coli strains allow a wide diversity of applications and we summarize current strategies for the successful production of high quality membrane protein samples.

Wheat germ cell-free expression: Two detergents with a low critical micelle concentration allow for production of soluble HCV membrane proteins

Membrane proteins are notoriously difficult to express in a soluble form. Here, we use wheat germ cell-free expression in the presence of various detergents to produce the non-structural membrane proteins 2, 4B and 5A of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). We show that lauryl maltose neopentyl glycol (MNG-3) and dodecyl octaethylene glycol ether (C12E8) detergents can yield essentially soluble membrane proteins at detergent concentrations that do not inhibit the cell-free reaction. This finding can be explained by the low critical micelle concentration (CMC) of these detergents, which keeps the monomer concentrations low while at the same time providing the necessary excess of detergent concentration above CMC required for full target protein solubilization. We estimate that a tenfold excess of detergent micelles with respect to the protein concentration is sufficient for solubilization, a number that we propose as a guideline for detergent screening assays.

A continuous-exchange cell-free protein synthesis system based on extracts from cultured insect cells

In this study, we present a novel technique for the synthesis of complex prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins by using a continuous-exchange cell-free (CECF) protein synthesis system based on extracts from cultured insect cells. Our approach consists of two basic elements: First, protein synthesis is performed in insect cell lysates which harbor endogenous microsomal vesicles, enabling a translocation of de novo synthesized target proteins into the lumen of the insect vesicles or, in the case of membrane proteins, their embedding into a natural membrane scaffold. Second, cell-free reactions are performed in a two chamber dialysis device for 48 h. The combination of the eukaryotic cell-free translation system based on insect cell extracts and the CECF translation system results in significantly prolonged reaction life times and increased protein yields compared to conventional batch reactions. In this context, we demonstrate the synthesis of various representative model proteins, among them cytosolic proteins, pharmacological relevant membrane proteins and glycosylated proteins in an endotoxin-free environment. Furthermore, the cell-free system used in this study is well-suited for the synthesis of biologically active tissue-type-plasminogen activator, a complex eukaryotic protein harboring multiple disulfide bonds.

Segmental helical motions and dynamical asymmetry modulate histidine kinase autophosphorylation

Histidine kinases (HKs) are dimeric receptors that participate in most adaptive responses to environmental changes in prokaryotes. Although it is well established that stimulus perception triggers autophosphorylation in many HKs, little is known on how the input signal propagates through the HAMP domain to control the transient interaction between the histidine-containing and ATP-binding domains during the catalytic reaction. Here we report crystal structures of the full cytoplasmic region of CpxA, a prototypical HK involved in Escherichia coli response to envelope stress. The structural ensemble, which includes the Michaelis complex, unveils HK activation as a highly dynamic process, in which HAMP modulates the segmental mobility of the central HK α-helices to promote a strong conformational and dynamical asymmetry that characterizes the kinase-active state. A mechanical model based on our structural and biochemical data provides insights into HAMP-mediated signal transduction, the autophosphorylation reaction mechanism, and the symmetry-dependent control of HK kinase/phosphatase functional states.

Everything old is new again: an update on current research on the Cpx envelope stress response

The Cpx envelope stress response (ESR) has been linked to proteins that are integrated into and secreted across the inner membrane for several decades. Initial studies of the cpx locus linked it to alterations in the protein content of both the inner and outer membrane, together with changes in proton motive driven transport and conjugation. Since the mid 1990s, the predominant view of the Cpx envelope stress response has been that it serves to detect and respond to secreted, misfolded proteins in the periplasm. Recent studies in Escherichia coli and other Gram negative organisms highlight a role for the Cpx ESR in specifically responding to perturbations that occur at the inner membrane (IM). It is clear that Cpx adaptation involves a broad suite of changes that encompass many functions in addition to protein folding. Interestingly, recent studies have refocused attention on Cpx-regulated phenotypes that were initially published over 30years ago, including antibiotic resistance and transport across the IM. In this review I will focus on the insights and models that have arisen from recent studies and that may help explain some of the originally published Cpx phenotypes. Although the molecular nature of the inducing signal for the Cpx ESR remains enigmatic, recently solved structures of signaling proteins are yielding testable models concerning the molecular mechanisms behind signaling. The identification of connections between the Cpx ESR and other stress responses in the cell reveals a complex web of interactions that involves Cpx-regulated expression of other regulators as well as small proteins and sRNAs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein trafficking and secretion in bacteria. Guest Editors: Anastassios Economou and Ross Dalbey.

Production of functional antibody fragments in a vesicle-based eukaryotic cell-free translation system

Cell-free protein synthesis is of increasing interest for the rapid and high-throughput synthesis of many proteins, in particular also antibody fragments. In this study, we present a novel strategy for the production of single chain antibody fragments (scFv) in a eukaryotic in vitro translation system. This strategy comprises the cell-free expression, isolation and label-free interaction analysis of a model antibody fragment synthesized in two differently prepared insect cell lysates. These lysates contain translocationally active microsomal structures derived from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), allowing for posttranslational modifications of cell-free synthesized proteins. Both types of these insect cell lysates enable the synthesis and translocation of scFv into ER-derived vesicles. However, only the one that has a specifically adapted redox potential yields functional active antibody fragments. We have developed a new methodology for the isolation of functional target proteins based on the translocation of cell-free produced scFv into microsomal structures and subsequent collection of protein-enriched vesicles. Antibody fragments that have been released from these vesicles are shown to be well suited for label-free binding studies. Altogether, these results show the potential of insect cell lysates for the production, purification and selection of antibody fragments in an easy-to-handle and time-saving manner.

Inhibition of acetyl phosphate-dependent transcription by an acetylatable lysine on RNA polymerase

The ability of bacteria to adapt to environmental changes has allowed these organisms to thrive in all parts of the globe. By monitoring their extracellular and intracellular environments, bacteria assure their most appropriate response for each environment. Post-translational modification of proteins is one mechanism by which cells respond to their changing environments. Here, we report that two post-translational modifications regulate transcription of the extracytoplasmic stress-responsive promoter cpxP: (i) acetyl phosphate-dependent phosphorylation of the response regulator CpxR and (ii) acetyl coenzyme A-dependent acetylation of the α subunit of RNA polymerase. Together, these two post-translational modifications fine-tune cpxP transcription in response to changes in the intracellular environment.