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Li M, Tang H, Qing R, Wang Y, Liu J, Wang R, Lyu S, Ma L, Xu P, Zhang S, Tao F. Design of a water-soluble transmembrane receptor kinase with intact molecular function by QTY code. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4293. [PMID: 38858360 PMCID: PMC11164701 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48513-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengke Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Laboratory of Molecular Architecture, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Hongzhi Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Rui Qing
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yanze Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Jiongqin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Rui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Shan Lyu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Lina Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Ping Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | - Shuguang Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Architecture, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
| | - Fei Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
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Yang S, Liu D, Song Y, Liang Y, Yu H, Zuo Y. Designing a structure-function alphabet of helix based on reduced amino acid clusters. Arch Biochem Biophys 2024; 754:109942. [PMID: 38387828 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2024.109942] [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: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Several simple secondary structures could form complex and diverse functional proteins, meaning that secondary structures may contain a lot of hidden information and are arranged according to certain principles, to carry enough information of functional specificity and diversity. However, these inner information and principles have not been understood systematically. In our study, we designed a structure-function alphabet of helix based on reduced amino acid clusters to describe the typical features of helices and delve into the information. Firstly, we selected 480 typical helices from membrane proteins, zymoproteins, transcription factors, and other proteins to define and calculate the interval range, and the helices are classified in terms of hydrophilicity, charge and length: (1) hydrophobic helix (≤43%), amphiphilic helix (43%∼71%), and hydrophilic helix (≥71%). (2) positive helix, negative helix, electrically neutral helix and uncharged helix. (3) short helix (≤8 aa), medium-length helix (9-28 aa), and long helix (≥29 aa). Then, we designed an alphabet containing 36 triplet codes according to the above classification, so that the main features of each helix can be represented by only three letters. This alphabet not only preliminarily defined the helix characteristics, but also greatly reduced the informational dimension of protein structure. Finally, we present an application example to demonstrate the value of the structure-function alphabet in protein functional determination and differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010021, China
| | - Dongyang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yancheng Song
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010021, China
| | - Yuchao Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010021, China
| | - Haoyu Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010021, China
| | - Yongchun Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010021, China.
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Karagöl T, Karagöl A, Zhang S. Structural bioinformatics studies of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine transporters and their AlphaFold2 predicted water-soluble QTY variants and uncovering the natural mutations of L->Q, I->T, F->Y and Q->L, T->I and Y->F. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300340. [PMID: 38517879 PMCID: PMC10959339 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Monoamine transporters including transporters for serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine play key roles in monoaminergic synaptic signaling, involving in the molecular etiology of a wide range of neurological and physiological disorders. Despite being crucial drug targets, the study of transmembrane proteins remains challenging due to their localization within the cell membrane. To address this, we present the structural bioinformatics studies of 7 monoamine transporters and their water-soluble variants designed using the QTY code, by systematically replacing the hydrophobic amino acids leucine (L), valine (V), isoleucine (I) and phenylalanine (F) with hydrophilic amino acids (glutamine (Q), threonine (T) and tyrosine (Y). The resulting QTY variants, despite significant protein transmembrane sequence differences (44.27%-51.85%), showed similar isoelectric points (pI) and molecular weights. While their hydrophobic surfaces significantly reduced, this change resulted in a minimal structural alteration. Quantitatively, Alphafold2 predicted QTY variant structures displayed remarkable similarity with RMSD 0.492Å-1.619Å. Accompanied by the structural similarities of substituted amino acids in the context of 1.5Å electron density maps, our study revealed multiple QTY and reverse QTY variations in genomic databases. We further analyzed their phenotypical and topological characteristics. By extending evolutionary game theory to the molecular foundations of biology, we provided insights into the evolutionary dynamics of chemically distinct alpha-helices, their usage in different chemotherapeutic applications, and open possibilities of diagnostic medicine. Our study rationalizes that QTY variants of monoamine transporters may not only become distinct tools for medical, structural, and evolutionary research, but these transporters may also emerge as contemporary therapeutic targets, providing a new approach to treatment for several conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taner Karagöl
- Istanbul University Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Alper Karagöl
- Istanbul University Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Shuguang Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Architecture, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
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Pan E, Tao F, Smorodina E, Zhang S. Structural bioinformatics studies of six human ABC transporters and their AlphaFold2-predicted water-soluble QTY variants. QRB DISCOVERY 2024; 5:e1. [PMID: 38577032 PMCID: PMC10988169 DOI: 10.1017/qrd.2024.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Human ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are one of the largest families of membrane proteins and perform diverse functions. Many of them are associated with multidrug resistance that often results in cancer treatment with poor outcomes. Here, we present the structural bioinformatics study of six human ABC membrane transporters with experimentally determined cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) structures including ABCB7, ABCC8, ABCD1, ABCD4, ABCG1, ABCG5, and their AlphaFold2-predicted water-soluble QTY variants. In the native structures, there are hydrophobic amino acids such as leucine (L), isoleucine (I), valine (V), and phenylalanine (F) in the transmembrane alpha helices. These hydrophobic amino acids are systematically replaced by hydrophilic amino acids glutamine (Q), threonine (T), and tyrosine (Y). Therefore, these QTY variants become water soluble. We also present the superposed structures of native ABC transporters and their water-soluble QTY variants. The superposed structures show remarkable similarity with root mean square deviations between 1.064 and 3.413 Å despite significant (41.90-54.33%) changes to the protein sequence of the transmembrane domains. We also show the differences in hydrophobicity patches between the native ABC transporters and their QTY variants. We explain the rationale behind why the QTY membrane protein variants become water soluble. Our structural bioinformatics studies provide insight into the differences between the hydrophobic helices and hydrophilic helices and will likely further stimulate designs of water-soluble multispan transmembrane proteins and other aggregated proteins. The water-soluble ABC transporters may be useful as soluble antigens to generate therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for combating multidrug resistance in clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Pan
- The Lawrenceville School, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA
| | - Fei Tao
- Laboratory of Food Microbial Technology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Eva Smorodina
- Laboratory for Computational and Systems Immunology, Department of Immunology, University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Shuguang Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Architecture, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Sajeev-Sheeja A, Smorodina E, Zhang S. Structural bioinformatics studies of bacterial outer membrane beta-barrel transporters and their AlphaFold2 predicted water-soluble QTY variants. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290360. [PMID: 37607179 PMCID: PMC10443868 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Beta-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMP) are integral components of Gram-negative bacteria, eukaryotic mitochondria, and chloroplasts. They play essential roles in various cellular processes including nutrient transport, membrane stability, host-pathogen interactions, antibiotic resistance and more. The advent of AlphaFold2 for accurate protein structure predictions transformed structural bioinformatic studies. We previously used a QTY code to convert hydrophobic alpha-helices to hydrophilic alpha-helices in over 50 membrane proteins with all alpha-helices. The QTY code systematically replaces hydrophobic leucine (L), isoleucine (I), valine (V), and phenylalanine (F) with hydrophilic glutamine (Q), threonine (T), and tyrosine (Y). We here present a structural bioinformatic analysis of five outer membrane beta-barrel proteins with known molecular structures, including a) BamA, b) Omp85 (also called Sam50), c) FecA, d) Tsx, and e) OmpC. We superposed the structures of five native beta-barrel outer membrane proteins and their AlphaFold2-predicted corresponding QTY variant structures. The superposed structures of OMPs and their QTY variants exhibit remarkable structural similarity, as evidenced by residue mean square distance (RMSD) values between 0.206Å to 0.414Å despite the replacement of at least 22% (Transmembrane variation) of the amino acids in the transmembrane regions. We also show that native outer membrane proteins and QTY variants have different hydrophobicity patches. Our study provides important insights into the differences between hydrophobic and hydrophilic beta-barrels and validates the QTY code for studying beta-barrel membrane proteins and perhaps other hydrophobic aggregated proteins. Our findings demonstrate that the QTY code can be used as a simple tool for designing hydrophobic proteins in various biological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akash Sajeev-Sheeja
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Srinivasapuram, Yerpedu Mandal, Tirupati Dist, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Eva Smorodina
- Department of Immunology, Laboratory for Computational and Systems Immunology, University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Shuguang Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Architecture, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
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Meng R, Hao S, Sun C, Hou Z, Hou Y, Wang L, Deng P, Deng J, Yang Y, Xia H, Wang B, Qing R, Zhang S. Reverse-QTY code design of active human serum albumin self-assembled amphiphilic nanoparticles for effective anti-tumor drug doxorubicin release in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2220173120. [PMID: 37186820 PMCID: PMC10214157 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220173120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Human serum albumin (HSA) is a highly water-soluble protein with 67% alpha-helix content and three distinct domains (I, II, and III). HSA offers a great promise in drug delivery with enhanced permeability and retention effect. But it is hindered by protein denaturation during drug entrapment or conjugation that result in distinct cellular transport pathways and reduction of biological activities. Here we report using a protein design approach named reverse-QTY (rQTY) code to convert specific hydrophilic alpha-helices to hydrophobic to alpha-helices. The designed HSA undergo self-assembly of well-ordered nanoparticles with highly biological actives. The hydrophilic amino acids, asparagine (N), glutamine (Q), threonine (T), and tyrosine (Y) in the helical B-subdomains of HSA were systematically replaced by hydrophobic leucine (L), valine (V), and phenylalanine (F). HSArQTY nanoparticles exhibited efficient cellular internalization through the cell membrane albumin binding protein GP60, or SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine)-mediated pathways. The designed HSArQTY variants displayed superior biological activities including: i) encapsulation of drug doxorubicin, ii) receptor-mediated cellular transport, iii) tumor cell targeting, and iv) antitumor efficiency compare to denatured HSA nanoparticles. HSArQTY nanoparticles provided superior tumor targeting and antitumor therapeutic effects compared to the albumin nanoparticles fabricated by antisolvent precipitation method. We believe that the rQTY code is a robust platform for specific hydrophobic modification of functional hydrophilic proteins with clear-defined binding interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Run Meng
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing400030, China
| | - Shilei Hao
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing400030, China
| | - Changfa Sun
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing400030, China
| | - Zongkun Hou
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing400030, China
| | - Yao Hou
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing400030, China
| | - Lili Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing400030, China
| | - Peiying Deng
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing400030, China
| | - Jia Deng
- College of Environment and Resources, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing400067, China
| | - Yaying Yang
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Medicine and Tumor Center, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing400016, China
| | - Haijian Xia
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing400042, China
| | - Bochu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing400030, China
| | - Rui Qing
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai200240, China
| | - Shuguang Zhang
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
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Smorodina E, Diankin I, Tao F, Qing R, Yang S, Zhang S. Structural informatic study of determined and AlphaFold2 predicted molecular structures of 13 human solute carrier transporters and their water-soluble QTY variants. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20103. [PMID: 36418372 PMCID: PMC9684436 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23764-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Solute carrier transporters are integral membrane proteins, and are important for diverse cellular nutrient transports, metabolism, energy demand, and other vital biological activities. They have recently been implicated in pancreatic cancer and other cancer metastasis, angiogenesis, programmed cell death and proliferation, cell metabolism and chemo-sensitivity. Here we report the study of 13 human solute carrier membrane transporters using the highly accurate AlphaFold2 predictions of 3D protein structures. In the native structures, there are hydrophobic amino acids leucine (L), isoleucine (I), valine (V) and phenylalanine (F) in the transmembrane alpha-helices. These hydrophobic amino acids L, I, V, F are systematically replaced by hydrophilic amino acids glutamine (Q), threonine (T) and tyrosine (Y), thus the QTY code. Therefore, these QTY variant transporters become water-soluble without requiring detergents. We present the superposed structures of these native solute carrier transporters and their water-soluble QTY variants. The superposed structures show remarkable similarity with RMSD ~ 1 Å-< 3 Å despite > 46% protein sequence substitutions in transmembrane alpha-helices. We also show the differences of surface hydrophobicity between the native solute carrier transporters and their QTY variants. Our study may further stimulate designs of water-soluble transmembrane proteins and other aggregated proteins for drug discovery and biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Smorodina
- Laboratory for Computational and Systems Immunology, Department of Immunology, University of Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Igor Diankin
- Department of Computer Science, American University of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Fei Tao
- Laboratory of Food Microbial Technology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Rui Qing
- Laboratory of Food Microbial Technology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Steve Yang
- PT Metiska Farma, Daerah Khusus Ibukota, Jakarta, 12220, Indonesia
| | - Shuguang Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Architecture, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
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Zhang S, Egli M. Hiding in plain sight: three chemically distinct α-helix types - ERRATUM. Q Rev Biophys 2022; 55:e11. [PMID: 36189820 DOI: 10.1017/s0033583522000099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shuguang Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Architecture, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Martin Egli
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0146, USA
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