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The Right-Handed Parallel β-Helix Topology of Erwinia chrysanthemi Pectin Methylesterase Is Intimately Associated with Both Sequential Folding and Resistance to High Pressure. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11081083. [PMID: 34439750 PMCID: PMC8392785 DOI: 10.3390/biom11081083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The complex topologies of large multi-domain globular proteins make the study of their folding and assembly particularly demanding. It is often characterized by complex kinetics and undesired side reactions, such as aggregation. The structural simplicity of tandem-repeat proteins, which are characterized by the repetition of a basic structural motif and are stabilized exclusively by sequentially localized contacts, has provided opportunities for dissecting their folding landscapes. In this study, we focus on the Erwinia chrysanthemi pectin methylesterase (342 residues), an all-β pectinolytic enzyme with a right-handed parallel β-helix structure. Chemicals and pressure were chosen as denaturants and a variety of optical techniques were used in conjunction with stopped-flow equipment to investigate the folding mechanism of the enzyme at 25 °C. Under equilibrium conditions, both chemical- and pressure-induced unfolding show two-state transitions, with average conformational stability (ΔG° = 35 ± 5 kJ·mol−1) but exceptionally high resistance to pressure (Pm = 800 ± 7 MPa). Stopped-flow kinetic experiments revealed a very rapid (τ < 1 ms) hydrophobic collapse accompanied by the formation of an extended secondary structure but did not reveal stable tertiary contacts. This is followed by three distinct cooperative phases and the significant population of two intermediate species. The kinetics followed by intrinsic fluorescence shows a lag phase, strongly indicating that these intermediates are productive species on a sequential folding pathway, for which we propose a plausible model. These combined data demonstrate that even a large repeat protein can fold in a highly cooperative manner.
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Highly polarized C-terminal transition state of the leucine-rich repeat domain of PP32 is governed by local stability. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E2298-306. [PMID: 25902505 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1412165112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The leucine-rich repeat domain of PP32 is composed of five β-strand-containing repeats anchored by terminal caps. These repeats differ in sequence but are similar in structure, providing a means to connect topology, sequence, and folding pathway selection. Through kinetic studies of PP32, we find folding to be rate-limited by the formation of an on-pathway intermediate. Destabilizing core substitutions reveal a transition state ensemble that is highly polarized toward the C-terminal repeat and cap. To determine if this nucleus for folding corresponds to the most stable region of PP32, we monitored amide hydrogen exchange by NMR spectroscopy. Indeed, we find the highest protection to be biased toward the C terminus. Sequence manipulations that destabilize the C terminus spread out the transition state toward the middle of the protein. Consistent with results for helical ankyrin repeat proteins, these results suggest that local stabilities determine folding pathways.
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Kang TS, Kini RM. Structural determinants of protein folding. Cell Mol Life Sci 2009; 66:2341-61. [PMID: 19367367 PMCID: PMC11115868 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-009-0023-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2009] [Revised: 03/07/2009] [Accepted: 03/20/2009] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The last several decades have seen an explosion of knowledge in the field of structural biology. With critical advances in spectroscopic techniques in examining structures of biomacromolecules, in maturation of molecular biology techniques, as well as vast improvements in computation prowess, protein structures are now being elucidated at an unprecedented rate. In spite of all the recent advances, the protein folding puzzle remains as one of the fundamental biochemical challenges. A facet to this empiric problem is the structural determinants of protein folding. What are the driving forces that pivot a polypeptide chain to a specific conformation amongst the vast conformation space? In this review, we shall discuss some of the structural determinants to protein folding that have been identified in the recent decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tse Siang Kang
- The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road GAC 1200, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
- Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, 18 Science Drive 4, Block S4, Singapore, 117543 Singapore
| | - R. Manjunatha Kini
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Block S3 #03-17, Singapore, 117543 Singapore
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Spatara M, Roberts C, Robinson A. Kinetic folding studies of the P22 tailspike beta-helix domain reveal multiple unfolded states. Biophys Chem 2009; 141:214-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2009.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2008] [Revised: 02/03/2009] [Accepted: 02/05/2009] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Lee BC, Hoff WD. Proline 54 trans-cis isomerization is responsible for the kinetic partitioning at the last-step photocycle of photoactive yellow protein. Protein Sci 2008; 17:2101-10. [PMID: 18794212 DOI: 10.1110/ps.037655.108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Photoactive yellow protein (PYP), a blue-light photoreceptor for Ectothiorhodospira halophila, has provided a unique system for studying protein folding that is coupled with a photocycle. Upon receptor activation by blue light, PYP proceeds through a photocycle that includes a partially folded signaling state. The last-step photocycle is a thermal recovery reaction from the signaling state to the native state. Bi-exponential kinetics had been observed for the last-step photocycle; however, the slow phase of the bi-exponential kinetics has not been extensively studied. Here we analyzed both fast and slow phases of the last-step photocycle in PYP. From the analysis of the denaturant dependence of the fast and slow phases, we found that the last-step photocycle proceeds through parallel channels of the folding pathway. The burial of the solvent-accessible area was responsible for the transition state of the fast phase, while structural rearrangement from the compact state to the native state was responsible for the transition state of the slow phase. The photocycle of PYP was linked to the thermodynamic cycle that includes both unfolding and refolding of the fast- and slow-phase intermediates. In order to test the hypothesis of proline-limited folding for the slow phase, we constructed two proline mutants: P54A and P68A. We found that only a single phase of the last-step photocycle was observed in P54A. This suggests that there is a low energy barrier between trans to cis conformation in P54 in the light-induced state of PYP, and the resulting cis conformation of P54 generates a slow-phase kinetic trap during the photocycle-coupled folding pathway of PYP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byoung-Chul Lee
- Biological Nanostructures Facility, The Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
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6
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Mallam AL, Jackson SE. Use of protein engineering techniques to elucidate protein folding pathways. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2008; 84:57-113. [PMID: 19121700 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6603(08)00403-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna L Mallam
- Department of Chemistry, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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7
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Kloss E, Courtemanche N, Barrick D. Repeat-protein folding: new insights into origins of cooperativity, stability, and topology. Arch Biochem Biophys 2007; 469:83-99. [PMID: 17963718 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2007.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2007] [Accepted: 08/28/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Although our understanding of globular protein folding continues to advance, the irregular tertiary structures and high cooperativity of globular proteins complicates energetic dissection. Recently, proteins with regular, repetitive tertiary structures have been identified that sidestep limitations imposed by globular protein architecture. Here we review recent studies of repeat-protein folding. These studies uniquely advance our understanding of both the energetics and kinetics of protein folding. Equilibrium studies provide detailed maps of local stabilities, access to energy landscapes, insights into cooperativity, determination of nearest-neighbor interaction parameters using statistical thermodynamics, relationships between consensus sequences and repeat-protein stability. Kinetic studies provide insight into the influence of short-range topology on folding rates, the degree to which folding proceeds by parallel (versus localized) pathways, and the factors that select among multiple potential pathways. The recent application of force spectroscopy to repeat-protein unfolding is providing a unique route to test and extend many of these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Kloss
- T.C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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Uzawa T, Kimura T, Ishimori K, Morishima I, Matsui T, Ikeda-Saito M, Takahashi S, Akiyama S, Fujisawa T. Time-resolved Small-angle X-ray Scattering Investigation of the Folding Dynamics of Heme Oxygenase: Implication of the Scaling Relationship for the Submillisecond Intermediates of Protein Folding. J Mol Biol 2006; 357:997-1008. [PMID: 16460755 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.12.089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2005] [Revised: 12/29/2005] [Accepted: 12/29/2005] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Polypeptide collapse is generally observed as the initial folding dynamics of proteins with more than 100 residues, and is suggested to be caused by the coil-globule transition explained by Flory's theory of polymers. To support the suggestion by establishing a scaling behavior between radius of gyration (Rg) and chain length for the initial folding intermediates, the folding dynamics of heme oxygenase (HO) was characterized by time-resolved, small-angle X-ray scattering. HO is a highly helical protein without disulfide bridges, and is the largest protein (263 residues) characterized by the method. The folding process of HO was found to contain a transient oligomerization; however, the conformation within 10 ms was demonstrated to be monomeric and to possess Rg of 26.1(+/-1.1) A. Together with the corresponding data for proteins with different chain lengths, the seven Rg values demonstrated the scaling relationship to chain length with a scaling exponent of 0.35+/-0.11, which is close to the theoretical value of 1/3 predicted for globules in solutions where monomer-monomer interactions are favored over monomer-solvent interactions (poor solvent). The finding indicated that the initial folding dynamics of proteins bears the signature of the coil-globule transition, and offers a clue to explain the folding mechanisms of proteins with different chain lengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takanori Uzawa
- Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
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Schultz DA, Friedman AM, White MA, Fox RO. The crystal structure of the cis-proline to glycine variant (P114G) of ribonuclease A. Protein Sci 2005; 14:2862-70. [PMID: 16199662 PMCID: PMC2253220 DOI: 10.1110/ps.051610505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2005] [Revised: 07/30/2005] [Accepted: 08/09/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Replacement of a cis-proline by glycine at position 114 in ribonuclease A leads to a large decrease in thermal stability and simplifies the refolding kinetics. A crystallographic approach was used to determine whether the decrease in thermal stability results from the presence of a cis glycine peptide bond, or from a localized structural rearrangement caused by the isomerization of the mutated cis 114 peptide bond. The structure was solved at 2.0 A resolution and refined to an R-factor of 19.5% and an R(free) of 21.9%. The overall conformation of the protein was similar to that of wild-type ribonuclease A; however, there was a large localized rearrangement of the mutated loop (residues 110-117-a 9.3 A shift of the Calpha atom of residue 114). The peptide bond before Gly114 is in the trans configuration. Interestingly, a large anomalous difference density was found near residue 114, and was attributed to a bound cesium ion present in the crystallization experiment. The trans isomeric configuration of the peptide bond in the folded state of this mutant is consistent with the refolding kinetics previously reported, and the associated protein conformational change provides an explanation for the decreased thermal stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Schultz
- Department of Physics, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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Bradley CM, Barrick D. Effect of Multiple Prolyl Isomerization Reactions on the Stability and Folding Kinetics of the Notch Ankyrin Domain: Experiment and Theory. J Mol Biol 2005; 352:253-65. [PMID: 16054647 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.06.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2004] [Revised: 06/01/2005] [Accepted: 06/17/2005] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Studies on the folding kinetics of the Notch ankyrin domain have demonstrated that the major refolding phase is slow, the minor refolding phase is limited by the isomerization of prolyl peptide bonds, and that unfolding is multiexponential. Here, we explore the relationship between prolyl isomerization and folding heterogeneity using a combination of experiment and simulation. Proline residues were replaced with alanine, both singly and in various combinations. These destabilizing substitutions combine to eliminate the minor refolding phase, although unfolding heterogeneity persists even when all seven proline residues are replaced. To test whether prolyl isomerization influences the major refolding phase, we modeled folding and prolyl isomerization as a system of sequential reactions. Simulations that use rate constants of the major folding phase of the Notch ankyrin domain to represent intrinsic folding indicate that even with seven prolyl isomerization reactions, only two significant phases should be observed, and that the fast observed phase provides a good approximation of the intrinsic folding in the absence of prolyl isomerization. These results indicate that the major refolding phase of the Notch ankyrin domain reflects an intrinsically slow folding transition, rather than coupling of fast folding events with slow prolyl isomerization steps. This is consistent with the observation that the single observed refolding phase of a construct in which all proline residues are replaced remains slow. Finally, the simulation fails to produce a second unfolding phase at high urea concentrations, indicating that prolyl isomerization does not play a role in the three-state mechanism that leads to this heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Marchetti Bradley
- T. C. Jenkins Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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11
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W Woody
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80525, USA
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12
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Main ERG, Jackson SE, Regan L. The folding and design of repeat proteins: reaching a consensus. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2003; 13:482-9. [PMID: 12948778 DOI: 10.1016/s0959-440x(03)00105-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Although they are widely distributed across kingdoms and are involved in a myriad of essential processes, until recently, repeat proteins have received little attention in comparison to globular proteins. As the name indicates, repeat proteins contain strings of tandem repeats of a basic structural element. In this respect, their construction is quite different from that of globular proteins, in which sequentially distant elements coalesce to form the protein. The different families of repeat proteins use their diverse scaffolds to present highly specific binding surfaces through which protein-protein interactions are mediated. Recent studies seek to understand the stability, folding and design of this important class of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewan R G Main
- Department of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, Yale University, 266 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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Wu Y, Matthews CR. Parallel channels and rate-limiting steps in complex protein folding reactions: prolyl isomerization and the alpha subunit of Trp synthase, a TIM barrel protein. J Mol Biol 2002; 323:309-25. [PMID: 12381323 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-2836(02)00922-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
A kinetic folding mechanism for the alpha subunit of tryptophan synthase (alphaTS) from Escherichia coli, involving four parallel channels with multiple native, intermediate and unfolded forms, has recently been proposed. The hypothesis that cis/trans isomerization of several Xaa-Pro peptide bonds is the source of the multiple folding channels was tested by measuring the sensitivity of the three rate-limiting phases (tau(1), tau(2), tau(3)) to catalysis by cyclophilin, a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase. Although the absence of catalysis for the tau(1) (fast) phase leaves its assignment ambiguous, our previous mutational analysis demonstrated its connection to the unique cis peptide bond preceding proline 28. The acceleration of the tau(2) (medium) and tau(3) (slow) refolding phases by cyclophilin demonstrated that cis/trans prolyl isomerization is also the source of these phases. A collection of proline mutants, which covered all of the remaining 18 trans proline residues of alphaTS, was constructed to obtain specific assignments for these phases. Almost all of the mutant proteins retained the complex equilibrium and kinetic folding properties of wild-type alphaTS; only the P217A, P217G and P261A mutations caused significant changes in the equilibrium free energy surface. Both the P78A and P96A mutations selectively eliminated the tau(1) folding phase, while the P217M and P261A mutations eliminated the tau(2) and tau(3) folding phases, respectively. The redundant assignment of the tau(1) phase to Pro28, Pro78 and Pro96 may reflect their mutual interactions in non-random structure in the unfolded state. The non-native cis isomers for Pro217 and Pro261 may destabilize an autonomous C-terminal folding unit, thereby giving rise to kinetically distinct unfolded forms. The nature of the preceding amino acid, the solvent exposure, or the participation in specific elements of secondary structure in the native state, in general, are not determinative of the proline residues whose isomerization reactions can limit folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wu
- Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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