Calorimetric quantification of linked equilibria in cyclodextrin/lipid/detergent mixtures for membrane-protein reconstitution

Scattering versus fluorescence self-quenching: more than a question of faith for the quantification of water flux in large unilamellar vesicles?

The endeavors to understand the determinants of water permeation through membrane channels, the effect of the lipid or polymer membrane on channel function, the development of specific water flow inhibitors, the design of artificial water channels and aquaporins for the use in industrial water filtration applications all rely on accurate ways to quantify water permeabilities (P f). A commonly used method is to reconstitute membrane channels into large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) and to subject these vesicles to an osmotic gradient in a stopped-flow device. Fast recordings of either scattered light intensity or fluorescence self-quenching signals are taken as a readout for vesicle volume change, which in turn can be recalculated to accurate P f values. By means of computational and experimental data, we discuss the pros and cons of using scattering versus self-quenching experiments or subjecting vesicles to hypo- or hyperosmotic conditions. In addition, we explicate for the first time the influence of the LUVs size distribution, channel distribution between vesicles and remaining detergent after protein reconstitution on P f values. We point out that results such as the single channel water permeability (p f) depend on the membrane matrix or on the direction of the applied osmotic gradient may be direct results of the measurement and analysis procedure.

Biophysical characterisation of SMALPs

Membrane proteins such as receptors, ion channels and transport proteins are important drug targets. The structure-based study of membrane proteins is challenging, especially when the target protein contains both soluble and insoluble domains. Most membrane proteins are insoluble in aqueous solvent and embedded in the plasma membrane lipid bilayer, which significantly complicates biophysical studies. Poly(styrene-co-maleic acid) (SMA) and other polymer derivatives are increasingly common solubilisation agents, used to isolate membrane proteins stabilised in their native lipid environment in the total absence of detergent. Since the initial report of SMA-mediated solubilisation, and the formation of SMA lipid particles (SMALPs), this technique can directly isolate therapeutic targets from biological membranes, including G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). SMA now allows biophysical and structural analyses of membrane proteins in solution that was not previously possible. Here, we critically review several existing biophysical techniques compatible with SMALPs, with a focus on hydrodynamic analysis, microcalorimetric analysis and optical spectroscopic techniques.

Nanodisc self-assembly is thermodynamically reversible and controllable

Many highly ordered complex systems form by the spontaneous self-assembly of simpler subunits. An important biophysical tool that relies on self-assembly is the Nanodisc system, which finds extensive use as native-like environments for studying membrane proteins. Nanodiscs are self-assembled from detergent-solubilized mixtures of phospholipids and engineered helical proteins called membrane scaffold proteins (MSPs). Detergent removal results in the formation of nanoscale bilayers stabilized by two MSP "belts." Despite their numerous applications in biology, and contributions from many laboratories world-wide, little is known about the self-assembly process such as when the bilayer forms or when the MSP associates with lipids. We use fluorescence and optical spectroscopy to probe self-assembly at various equilibria defined by the detergent concentration. We show that the bilayer begins forming below the critical micellar concentration of the detergent (10 mM), and the association of MSP and lipids begins at lower detergent levels, showing a dependence on the concentrations of MSP and lipids. Following the dissolution process by adding detergent to purified Nanodiscs demonstrates that the self-assembly is reversible. Our data demonstrate that Nanodisc self-assembly is experimentally accessible, and that controlling the detergent concentration allows exquisite control over the self-assembly reaction. This improved understanding of self-assembly could lead to better functional incorporation of hitherto intractable membrane target proteins.

Extracavity Effect in Cyclodextrin/Surfactant Complexation

Cyclodextrin (CD) complexation is a convenient method to sequester surfactants in a controllable way, for example, during membrane-protein reconstitution. Interestingly, the equilibrium stability of CD/surfactant inclusion complexes increases with the length of the nonpolar surfactant chain even beyond the point where all hydrophobic contacts within the canonical CD cavity are saturated. To rationalize this observation, we have dissected the inclusion complexation equilibria of a structurally well-defined CD, that is, heptakis(2,6-di- O-methyl)-β-CD (DIMEB), and a homologous series of surfactants, namely, n-alkyl- N, N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonates (SB3- x) with chain lengths ranging from x = 8 to 14. Thermodynamic parameters obtained by isothermal titration calorimetry and structural insights derived from nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that, upon inclusion, long-chain surfactants with x = ≥10 extend beyond the canonical CD cavity. This enables the formation of hydrophobic contacts between long surfactant chains and the extracavity parts of DIMEB, which make additional favorable contributions to the stability of the inclusion complex. These results explain the finding that the stability of CD/surfactant inclusion complexes monotonously increases with the surfactant chain length even for long chains that completely fill the canonical CD cavity.

Slow Interconversion in a Heterogeneous Unfolded-State Ensemble of Outer-Membrane Phospholipase A

Structural and dynamic investigations of unfolded proteins are important for understanding protein-folding mechanisms as well as the interactions of unfolded polypeptide chains with other cell components. In the case of outer-membrane proteins (OMPs), unfolded-state properties are of particular physiological relevance, because these proteins remain unfolded for extended periods of time during their biogenesis and rely on interactions with binding partners to support proper folding. Using a combination of ensemble and single-molecule spectroscopy, we have scrutinized the unfolded state of outer-membrane phospholipase A (OmpLA) to provide a detailed view of its structural dynamics on timescales from nanoseconds to milliseconds. We find that even under strongly denaturing conditions and in the absence of residual secondary structure, OmpLA populates an ensemble of slowly (>100 ms) interconverting and conformationally heterogeneous unfolded states that lack the fast chain-reconfiguration motions expected for an unstructured, fully unfolded chain. The drastically slowed sampling of potentially folding-competent states, as compared with a random-coil polypeptide, may contribute to the slow in vitro folding kinetics observed for many OMPs. In vivo, however, slow intramolecular long-range dynamics might be advantageous for entropically favored binding of unfolded OMPs to chaperones and, by facilitating conformational selection after release from chaperones, for preserving binding-competent conformations before insertion into the outer membrane.

Integration and global analysis of isothermal titration calorimetry data for studying macromolecular interactions

Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) is a powerful and widely used method to measure the energetics of macromolecular interactions by recording a thermogram of differential heating power during a titration. However, traditional ITC analysis is limited by stochastic thermogram noise and by the limited information content of a single titration experiment. Here we present a protocol for bias-free thermogram integration based on automated shape analysis of the injection peaks, followed by combination of isotherms from different calorimetric titration experiments into a global analysis, statistical analysis of binding parameters and graphical presentation of the results. This is performed using the integrated public-domain software packages NITPIC, SEDPHAT and GUSSI. The recently developed low-noise thermogram integration approach and global analysis allow for more precise parameter estimates and more reliable quantification of multisite and multicomponent cooperative and competitive interactions. Titration experiments typically take 1-2.5 h each, and global analysis usually takes 10-20 min.

Nanoparticle self-assembly in mixtures of phospholipids with styrene/maleic acid copolymers or fluorinated surfactants

Self-assembling nanostructures in aqueous mixtures of bilayer-forming lipids and micelle-forming surfactants are relevant to in vitro studies on biological and synthetic membranes and membrane proteins. Considerable efforts are currently underway to replace conventional detergents by milder alternatives such as styrene/maleic acid (SMA) copolymers and fluorinated surfactants. However, these compounds and their nanosized assemblies remain poorly understood as regards their interactions with lipid membranes, particularly, the thermodynamics of membrane partitioning and solubilisation. Using (19)F and (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, static and dynamic light scattering, and isothermal titration calorimetry, we have systematically investigated the aggregational state of a zwitterionic bilayer-forming phospholipid upon exposure to an SMA polymer with a styrene/maleic acid ratio of 3 : 1 or to a fluorinated octyl phosphocholine derivative called F(6)OPC. The lipid interactions of SMA(3 : 1) and F(6)OPC can be thermodynamically conceptualised within the framework of a three-stage model that treats bilayer vesicles, discoidal or micellar nanostructures, and the aqueous solution as distinct pseudophases. The exceptional solubilising power of SMA(3 : 1) is reflected in very low membrane-saturating and solubilising polymer/lipid molar ratios of 0.10 and 0.15, respectively. Although F(6)OPC saturates bilayers at an even lower molar ratio of 0.031, this nondetergent does not solubilise lipids even at >1000-fold molar excess, thus highlighting fundamental differences between these two types of mild membrane-mimetic systems. We rationalise these findings in terms of a new classification of surfactants based on bilayer-to-micelle transfer free energies and discuss practical implications for membrane-protein research.