Protein-lipid interactions role of membrane plasticity and lipid specificity on peripheral protein interactions

Introducing a fluorescence-based standard to quantify protein partitioning into membranes

The affinity of peripheral membrane proteins for a lipid bilayer can be described using the partition coefficient (KP). Although several methods to determine KP are known, all possess limitations. To address some of these issues, we developed both: a versatile method based on single molecule detection and fluorescence imaging for determining KP, and a simple measurement standard employing hexahistidine-tagged enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP-His6) and free standing membranes of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) functionalized with NTA(Ni) lipids as binding sites. To ensure intrinsic control, our method features two measurement modes. In the single molecule mode, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is applied to quantify free and membrane associated protein concentrations at equilibrium and calculate KP. In the imaging mode, confocal fluorescence images of GUVs are recorded and analyzed with semi-automated software to extract protein mean concentrations used to derive KP. Both modes were compared by determining the affinity of our standard, resulting in equivalent KP values. As observed in other systems, eGFP-His6 affinity for membranes containing increasing amounts of NTA(Ni) lipids rises in a stronger-than-linear fashion. We compared our dual approach with a FCS-based assay that uses large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs), which however fails to capture the stronger-than-linear trend for our NTA(Ni)-His6 standard. Hence, we determined the KP of the MARCKS effector domain with our FCS approach on GUVs, whose results are consistent with previously published data using LUVs. We finally provide a practical manual on how to measure KP and understand it in terms of molecules per lipid surface.

Membrane modulates affinity for calcium ion to create an apparent cooperative binding response by annexin a5

Isothermal titration calorimetry was used to characterize the binding of calcium ion (Ca²⁺) and phospholipid to the peripheral membrane-binding protein annexin a5. The phospholipid was a binary mixture of a neutral and an acidic phospholipid, specifically phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine in the form of large unilamellar vesicles. To stringently define the mode of binding, a global fit of data collected in the presence and absence of membrane concentrations exceeding protein saturation was performed. A partition function defined the contribution of all heat-evolving or heat-absorbing binding states. We find that annexin a5 binds Ca²⁺ in solution according to a simple independent-site model (solution-state affinity). In the presence of phosphatidylserine-containing liposomes, binding of Ca²⁺ differentiates into two classes of sites, both of which have higher affinity compared with the solution-state affinity. As in the solution-state scenario, the sites within each class were described with an independent-site model. Transitioning from a solution state with lower Ca²⁺ affinity to a membrane-associated, higher Ca²⁺ affinity state, results in cooperative binding. We discuss how weak membrane association of annexin a5 prior to Ca²⁺ influx is the basis for the cooperative response of annexin a5 toward Ca²⁺, and the role of membrane organization in this response.

Mechanism for calcium ion sensing by the C2A domain of synaptotagmin I

The C2A domain is one of two calcium ion (Ca(2+))- and membrane-binding domains within synaptotagmin I (Syt I), the identified Ca(2+) sensor for regulated exocytosis of neurotransmitter. We propose that the mechanistic basis for C2A's response to Ca(2+) and cellular function stems from marginal stability and ligand-induced redistributions of protein conformers. To test this hypothesis, we used a combination of calorimetric and fluorescence techniques. We measured free energies of stability by globally fitting differential scanning calorimetry and fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy denaturation data, and found that C2A is weakly stable. Additionally, using partition functions in a fluorescence resonance energy transfer approach, we found that the Ca(2+)- and membrane-binding sites of C2A exhibit weak cooperative linkage. Lastly, a dye-release assay revealed that the Ca(2+)- and membrane-bound conformer subset of C2A promote membrane disruption. We discuss how these phenomena may lead to both cooperative and functional responses of Syt I.