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Grassmann G, Miotto M, Desantis F, Di Rienzo L, Tartaglia GG, Pastore A, Ruocco G, Monti M, Milanetti E. Computational Approaches to Predict Protein-Protein Interactions in Crowded Cellular Environments. Chem Rev 2024; 124:3932-3977. [PMID: 38535831 PMCID: PMC11009965 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00550] [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] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Investigating protein-protein interactions is crucial for understanding cellular biological processes because proteins often function within molecular complexes rather than in isolation. While experimental and computational methods have provided valuable insights into these interactions, they often overlook a critical factor: the crowded cellular environment. This environment significantly impacts protein behavior, including structural stability, diffusion, and ultimately the nature of binding. In this review, we discuss theoretical and computational approaches that allow the modeling of biological systems to guide and complement experiments and can thus significantly advance the investigation, and possibly the predictions, of protein-protein interactions in the crowded environment of cell cytoplasm. We explore topics such as statistical mechanics for lattice simulations, hydrodynamic interactions, diffusion processes in high-viscosity environments, and several methods based on molecular dynamics simulations. By synergistically leveraging methods from biophysics and computational biology, we review the state of the art of computational methods to study the impact of molecular crowding on protein-protein interactions and discuss its potential revolutionizing effects on the characterization of the human interactome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Grassmann
- Department
of Biochemical Sciences “Alessandro Rossi Fanelli”, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00185, Italy
- Center
for Life Nano & Neuro Science, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Mattia Miotto
- Center
for Life Nano & Neuro Science, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Fausta Desantis
- Center
for Life Nano & Neuro Science, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome 00161, Italy
- The
Open University Affiliated Research Centre at Istituto Italiano di
Tecnologia, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Di Rienzo
- Center
for Life Nano & Neuro Science, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Gian Gaetano Tartaglia
- Center
for Life Nano & Neuro Science, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome 00161, Italy
- Department
of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa 16163, Italy
- Center
for Human Technologies, Genoa 16152, Italy
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- Experiment
Division, European Synchrotron Radiation
Facility, Grenoble 38043, France
| | - Giancarlo Ruocco
- Center
for Life Nano & Neuro Science, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome 00161, Italy
- Department
of Physics, Sapienza University, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Michele Monti
- RNA
System Biology Lab, Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Edoardo Milanetti
- Center
for Life Nano & Neuro Science, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome 00161, Italy
- Department
of Physics, Sapienza University, Rome 00185, Italy
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Fossum CJ, Johnson BOV, Golde ST, Kielman AJ, Finke B, Smith MA, Lowater HR, Laatsch BF, Bhattacharyya S, Hati S. Insights into the Mechanism of Tryptophan Fluorescence Quenching due to Synthetic Crowding Agents: A Combined Experimental and Computational Study. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:44820-44830. [PMID: 38046287 PMCID: PMC10688029 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c06006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy is an important tool for examining the effects of molecular crowding and confinement on the structure, dynamics, and function of proteins. Synthetic crowders such as dextran, ficoll, polyethylene glycols, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and their respective monomers are used to mimic crowded intracellular environments. Interactions of these synthetic crowders with tryptophan and the subsequent impact on its fluorescence properties are therefore critically important for understanding the possible interference created by these crowders. In the present study, the effects of polymer and monomer crowders on tryptophan fluorescence were assessed by using experimental and computational approaches. The results of this study demonstrated that both polymer and monomer crowders have an impact on the tryptophan fluorescence intensity; however, the molecular mechanisms of quenching were different. Using Stern-Volmer plots and a temperature variation study, a physical basis for the quenching mechanism of commonly used synthetic crowders was established. The quenching of free tryptophan was found to involve static, dynamic, and sphere-of-action mechanisms. In parallel, computational studies employing Kohn-Sham density functional theory provided a deeper insight into the effects of intermolecular interactions and solvation, resulting in differing quenching modes for these crowders. Taken together, the study offers new physical insights into the quenching mechanisms of some commonly used monomer and polymer synthetic crowders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benjamin O. V. Johnson
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, United States
| | - Spencer T. Golde
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, United States
| | - Alexis J. Kielman
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, United States
| | - Brianna Finke
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, United States
| | - Macey A. Smith
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, United States
| | - Harrison R. Lowater
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, United States
| | - Bethany F. Laatsch
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, United States
| | - Sudeep Bhattacharyya
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, United States
| | - Sanchita Hati
- Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701, United States
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Del Galdo S, Chiarini M, Casieri C, Daidone I. High density water clusters observed at high concentrations of the macromolecular crowder PEG400. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2022.119038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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4
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Colaruotolo LA, Peters E, Corradini MG. Novel luminescent techniques in aid of food quality, product development, and food processing. Curr Opin Food Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cofs.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Weng W, Weberg AB, Gera R, Tomson NC, Anna JM. Probing Ligand Effects on the Ultrafast Dynamics of Copper Complexes via Midinfrared Pump-Probe and 2DIR Spectroscopies. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:12228-12241. [PMID: 34723540 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c06370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The effects of ligand structural variation on the ultrafast dynamics of a series of copper coordination complexes were investigated using polarization-dependent mid-IR pump-probe spectroscopy and two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy. The series consists of three copper complexes [(R3P3tren)CuIIN3]BAr4F (1PR3, R3P3tren = tris[2-(phosphiniminato)ethyl]amine, BAr4F = tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate) where the number of methyl and phenyl groups in the PR3 ligand are systematically varied across the series (PR3 = PMe3, PMe2Ph, PMePh2). The asymmetric stretching mode of azide in the 1PR3 series is used as a vibrational probe of the small-molecule binding site. The results of the pump-probe measurements indicate that the vibrational energy of azide dissipates through intramolecular pathways and that the bulkier phenyl groups lead to an increase in the spatial restriction of the diffusive reorientation of bound azide. From 2DIR experiments, we characterize the spectral diffusion of the azide group and find that an increase in the number of phenyl groups maps to a broader inhomogeneous frequency distribution (Δ2). This indicates that an increase in the steric bulk of the secondary coordination sphere acts to create more distinct configurations in the local environment that are accessible to the azide group. This work demonstrates how ligand structural variation affects the ultrafast dynamics of a small molecular group bound to the metal center, which could provide insight into the structure-function relationship of the copper coordination complexes and transition-metal coordination complexes in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Weng
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Alexander B Weberg
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Rahul Gera
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Neil C Tomson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Jessica M Anna
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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Dashnaw CM, Koone JC, Abdolvahabi A, Shaw BF. Measuring how two proteins affect each other's net charge in a crowded environment. Protein Sci 2021; 30:1594-1605. [PMID: 33928693 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Theory predicts that the net charge (Z) of a protein can be altered by the net charge of a neighboring protein as the two approach one another below the Debye length. This type of charge regulation suggests that a protein's charge and perhaps function might be affected by neighboring proteins without direct binding. Charge regulation during protein crowding has never been directly measured due to analytical challenges. Here, we show that lysine specific protein crosslinkers (NHS ester-Staudinger pairs) can be used to mimic crowding by linking two non-interacting proteins at a maximal distance of ~7.9 Å. The net charge of the regioisomeric dimers and preceding monomers can then be determined with lysine-acyl "protein charge ladders" and capillary electrophoresis. As a proof of concept, we covalently linked myoglobin (Zmonomer = -0.43 ± 0.01) and α-lactalbumin (Zmonomer = -4.63 ± 0.05). Amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange and circular dichroism spectroscopy demonstrated that crosslinking did not significantly alter the structure of either protein or result in direct binding (thus mimicking crowding). Ultimately, capillary electrophoretic analysis of the dimeric charge ladder detected a change in charge of ΔZ = -0.04 ± 0.09 upon crowding by this pair (Zdimer = -5.10 ± 0.07). These small values of ΔZ are not necessarily general to protein crowding (qualitatively or quantitatively) but will vary per protein size, charge, and solvent conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad M Dashnaw
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - Jordan C Koone
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - Alireza Abdolvahabi
- Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Bryan F Shaw
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
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Sung HL, Sengupta A, Nesbitt D. Smaller molecules crowd better: Crowder size dependence revealed by single-molecule FRET studies and depletion force modeling analysis. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:155101. [PMID: 33887926 DOI: 10.1063/5.0045492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The cell is an extremely crowded environment, which is known to have a profound impact on the thermodynamics, functionality, and conformational stability of biomolecules. Speculations from recent theoretical molecular dynamics studies suggest an intriguing size dependence to such purely entropic crowding effects, whereby small molecular weight crowders under constant enthalpy conditions are more effective than larger crowders on a per volume basis. If experimentally confirmed, this would be profoundly significant, as the cellular cytoplasm is also quite concentrated in smaller molecular weight solutes such as inorganic ions, amino acids, and various metabolites. The challenge is to perform such studies isolating entropic effects under isoenthalpic conditions. In this work, we first present results from single-molecule FRET spectroscopy (smFRET) on the molecular size-dependent crowding stabilization of a simple RNA tertiary motif (the GAAA tetraloop-tetraloop receptor), indeed providing evidence in support of the surprising notion in the crowding literature that "smaller is better." Specifically, systematic smFRET studies as a function of crowder solute size reveal that smaller molecules both significantly increase the RNA tertiary folding rate and, yet, simultaneously decrease the unfolding rate, predicting strongly size-dependent stabilization of RNA tertiary structures under crowded cellular conditions. The size dependence of these effects has been explored via systematic variation of crowder size over a broad range of molecular weights (90-3000 amu). Furthermore, corresponding temperature dependent studies indicate the systematic changes in the folding equilibrium to be predominantly entropic in origin, i.e., consistent with a fundamental picture of entropic molecular crowding without additional enthalpic interactions. Most importantly, all trends in the single-molecule crowding data can be quantitatively recapitulated by a simple analytic depletion force model, whereby excluded volume interactions represent the major thermodynamic driving force toward folding. Our study, thus, not only provides experimental evidence and theoretical support for small molecule crowding but also predicts further enhancement of crowding effects for even smaller molecules on a per volume basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsuan-Lei Sung
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
| | - Abhigyan Sengupta
- Biophysics Department, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - David Nesbitt
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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Flanagan JC, Cardenas AE, Baiz CR. Ultrafast Spectroscopy of Lipid-Water Interfaces: Transmembrane Crowding Drives H-Bond Dynamics. J Phys Chem Lett 2020; 11:4093-4098. [PMID: 32364385 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c00783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Biology takes place in crowded, heterogeneous environments, and it is therefore essential to account for crowding effects in our understanding of biophysical processes at the molecular level. Comparable to the cytosol, proteins occupy approximately 30% of the plasma membrane surface; thus, crowding should have an effect on the local structure and dynamics at the lipid-water interface. Using a combination of ultrafast two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, we quantify the effects of membrane peptide concentration on the picosecond interfacial H-bond dynamics. The measurements reveal a nonmonotonic dependence of water orientation and dynamics as a function of transmembrane peptide:lipid ratio. We observe three dynamical regimes: a "pure lipid-like" regime at low peptide concentrations, a bulk-like region at intermediate peptide concentrations where dynamics are faster by ∼20% compared to those of the pure lipid bilayer, and a crowded regime where high peptide concentrations slow dynamics by ∼50%.
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