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Wagner WJ, Moyle AB, Wagner ND, Rempel DL, Gross ML. Evaluating Chemical Footprinting-Induced Perturbation of Protein Higher Order Structure. Anal Chem 2024; 96:9693-9703. [PMID: 38815160 PMCID: PMC11238718 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c01735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Specific amino acid footprinting mass spectrometry (MS) is an increasingly utilized method for elucidating protein higher order structure (HOS). It does this by adding to certain amino acid residues a mass tag, whose reaction extent depends on solvent accessibility and microenvironment of the protein. Unlike reactive free radicals and carbenes, these specific footprinters react slower than protein unfolding. Thus, their footprinting, under certain conditions, provokes structural changes to the protein, leading to labeling on non-native structures. It is critical to establish conditions (i.e., reagent concentrations, time of reaction) to ensure that the structure of the protein following footprinting remains native. Here, we compare the efficacy of five methods in assessing protein HOS following footprinting at the intact protein level and then further localize the perturbation at the peptide level. Three are MS-based methods that provide dose-response plot analysis, evaluation of Poisson distributions of precursor and products, and determination of the average number of modifications. These MS-based methods reliably and effectively indicate HOS perturbation at the intact protein level, whereas spectroscopic methods (circular dichroism (CD) and dynamic light scattering (DLS)) are less sensitive in monitoring subtle HOS perturbation caused by footprinting. Evaluation of HOS at the peptide level indicates regions that are sensitive to localized perturbations. Peptide-level analysis also provides higher resolution of the HOS perturbation, and we recommend using it for future footprinting studies. Overall, this work shows conclusive evidence for HOS perturbation caused by footprinting. Implementation of quality control workflows can identify conditions to avoid the perturbation, for footprinting, allowing accurate and reliable identification of protein structural changes that accompany, for example, ligand interactions, mutations, and changes in solution environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley J Wagner
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130 United States
| | - Austin B Moyle
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130 United States
| | - Nicole D Wagner
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130 United States
| | - Don L Rempel
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130 United States
| | - Michael L Gross
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130 United States
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Ye H, Zhu Y, Kong Y, Wen H, Lu W, Wang D, Tang S, Zhan M, Lu G, Shao C, Wang N, Hao H. Carbene Footprinting Directs Design of Genetically Encoded Proximity-Reactive Protein Binders. Anal Chem 2024; 96:7566-7576. [PMID: 38684118 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Genetically encoding proximal-reactive unnatural amino acids (PrUaas), such as fluorosulfate-l-tyrosine (FSY), into natural proteins of interest (POI) confer the POI with the ability to covalently bind to its interacting proteins (IPs). The PrUaa-incorporated POIs hold promise for blocking undesirable POI-IP interactions. Selecting appropriate PrUaa anchor sites is crucial, but it remains challenging with the current methodology, which heavily relies on crystallography to identify the proximal residues between the POIs and the IPs for the PrUaa anchorage. To address the challenge, here, we propose a footprinting-directed genetically encoded covalent binder (footprinting-GECB) approach. This approach employs carbene footprinting, a structural mass spectrometry (MS) technique that quantifies the extent of labeling of the POI following the addition of its IP, and thus identifies the responsive residues. By genetically encoding PrUaa into these responsive sites, POI variants with covalent bonding ability to its IP can be produced without the need for crystallography. Using the POI-IP model, KRAS/RAF1, we showed that engineering FSY at the footprint-assigned KRAS residue resulted in a KRAS variant that can bind irreversibly to RAF1. Additionally, we inserted FSY at the responsive residue in RAF1 upon footprinting the oncogenic KRASG12D/RAF1, which lacks crystal structure, and generated a covalent binder to KRASG12D. Together, we demonstrated that by adopting carbene footprinting to direct PrUaa anchorage, we can greatly expand the opportunities for designing covalent protein binders for PPIs without relying on crystallography. This holds promise for creating effective PPI inhibitors and supports both fundamental research and biotherapeutics development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Ye
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang No. 24, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yinxue Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang No. 24, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Ying Kong
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang No. 24, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hongtao Wen
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang No. 24, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wenjie Lu
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang No. 24, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dexiang Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang No. 24, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shuo Tang
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for TCM Quality and Efficacy, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 138 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Mengru Zhan
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for TCM Quality and Efficacy, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 138 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Gaoyuan Lu
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang No. 24, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chang Shao
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang No. 24, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Nanxi Wang
- State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for TCM Quality and Efficacy, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 138 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Haiping Hao
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang No. 24, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
- School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Tongjiaxiang No. 24, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
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Lai C, Tang Z, Liu Z, Luo P, Zhang W, Zhang T, Zhang W, Dong Z, Liu X, Yang X, Wang F. Probing the functional hotspots inside protein hydrophobic pockets by in situ photochemical trifluoromethylation and mass spectrometry. Chem Sci 2024; 15:2545-2557. [PMID: 38362424 PMCID: PMC10866368 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc05106d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to the complex high-order structures and interactions of proteins within an aqueous solution, a majority of chemical functionalizations happen on the hydrophilic sites of protein external surfaces which are naturally exposed to the solution. However, the hydrophobic pockets inside proteins are crucial for ligand binding and function as catalytic centers and transporting tunnels. Herein, we describe a reagent pre-organization and in situ photochemical trifluoromethylation strategy to profile the functional sites inside the hydrophobic pockets of native proteins. Unbiased mass spectrometry profiling was applied for the characterization of trifluoromethylated sites with high sensitivity. Native proteins including myoglobin, trypsin, haloalkane dehalogenase, and human serum albumin have been engaged in this mild photochemical process and substantial hydrophobic site-specific and structure-selective trifluoromethylation substitutes are obtained without significant interference to their bioactivity and structures. Sodium triflinate is the only reagent required to functionalize the unprotected proteins with wide pH-range tolerance and high biocompatibility. This "in-pocket" activation model provides a general strategy to modify the potential binding pockets and gain essential structural insights into the functional hotspots inside protein hydrophobic pockets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Lai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
| | - Zhiyao Tang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen 518055 China
| | - Zheyi Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
| | - Pan Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
- Institute of Advanced Science Facilities Shenzhen 518107 China
| | - Wenxiang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
| | - Tingting Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
| | - Wenhao Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
| | - Zhe Dong
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen 518055 China
| | - Xinyuan Liu
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen 518055 China
| | - Xueming Yang
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen 518055 China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
- Institute of Advanced Science Facilities Shenzhen 518107 China
| | - Fangjun Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Dalian 116023 China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 China
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