1
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Hasanbasri Z, Tessmer MH, Stoll S, Saxena S. Modeling of Cu(II)-based protein spin labels using rotamer libraries. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:6806-6816. [PMID: 38324256 PMCID: PMC10883468 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp05951k] [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: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
The bifunctional spin label double-histidine copper-(II) capped with nitrilotriacetate [dHis-Cu(II)-NTA], used in conjunction with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) methods can provide high-resolution distance data for investigating protein structure and backbone conformational diversity. Quantitative utilization of this data is limited due to a lack of rapid and accurate dHis-Cu(II)-NTA modeling methods that can be used to translate experimental data into modeling restraints. Here, we develop two dHis-Cu(II)-NTA rotamer libraries using a set of recently published molecular dynamics simulations and a semi-empirical meta-dynamics-based conformational ensemble sampling tool for use with the recently developed chiLife bifunctional spin label modeling method. The accuracy of both the libraries and the modeling method are tested by comparing model predictions to experimentally determined distance distributions. We show that this method is accurate with absolute deviation between the predicted and experimental modes between 0.0-1.2 Å with an average of 0.6 Å over the test data used. In doing so, we also validate the generality of the chiLife bifunctional label modeling method. Taken together, the increased structural resolution and modeling accuracy of dHis-Cu(II)-NTA over other spin labels promise improvements in the accuracy and resolution of protein models by EPR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zikri Hasanbasri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
| | - Maxx H Tessmer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Stefan Stoll
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
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2
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Bogetti X, Saxena S. Integrating Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Computational Modeling to Measure Protein Structure and Dynamics. Chempluschem 2024; 89:e202300506. [PMID: 37801003 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202300506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) has become a powerful probe of conformational heterogeneity and dynamics of biomolecules. In this Review, we discuss different computational modeling techniques that enrich the interpretation of EPR measurements of dynamics or distance restraints. A variety of spin labels are surveyed to provide a background for the discussion of modeling tools. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of models containing spin labels provide dynamical properties of biomolecules and their labels. These simulations can be used to predict EPR spectra, sample stable conformations and sample rotameric preferences of label sidechains. For molecular motions longer than milliseconds, enhanced sampling strategies and de novo prediction software incorporating or validated by EPR measurements are able to efficiently refine or predict protein conformations, respectively. To sample large-amplitude conformational transition, a coarse-grained or an atomistic weighted ensemble (WE) strategy can be guided with EPR insights. Looking forward, we anticipate an integrative strategy for efficient sampling of alternate conformations by de novo predictions, followed by validations by systematic EPR measurements and MD simulations. Continuous pathways between alternate states can be further sampled by WE-MD including all intermediate states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
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3
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Heubach CA, Hasanbasri Z, Abdullin D, Reuter A, Korzekwa B, Saxena S, Schiemann O. Differentiating between Label and Protein Conformers in Pulsed Dipolar EPR Spectroscopy with the dHis-Cu 2+ (NTA) Motif. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202302541. [PMID: 37755452 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202302541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy (PDS) in combination with site-directed spin labeling is a powerful tool in structural biology. However, the commonly used spin labels are conjugated to biomolecules via rather long and flexible linkers, which hampers the translation of distance distributions into biomolecular conformations. In contrast, the spin label copper(II)-nitrilotriacetic acid [Cu2+ (NTA)] bound to two histidines (dHis) is rigid and yields narrow distance distributions, which can be more easily translated into biomolecular conformations. Here, we use this label on the 71 kDa Yersinia outer protein O (YopO) to decipher whether a previously experimentally observed bimodal distance distribution is due to two conformations of the biomolecule or of the flexible spin labels. Two different PDS experiments, that is, pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR aka DEER) and relaxation-induced dipolar modulation enhancement (RIDME), yield unimodal distance distribution with the dHis-Cu2+ (NTA) motif; this result suggests that the α-helical backbone of YopO adopts a single conformation in frozen solution. In addition, we show that the Cu2+ (NTA) label preferentially binds to the target double histidine (dHis) sites even in the presence of 22 competing native histidine residues. Our results therefore suggest that the generation of a His-null background is not required for this spin labeling methodology. Together these results highlight the value of the dHis-Cu2+ (NTA) motif in PDS experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caspar A Heubach
- Clausius-Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Zikri Hasanbasri
- Department of Chemistry, Chevron Science Center, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Dinar Abdullin
- Clausius-Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Arne Reuter
- Clausius-Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Benedict Korzekwa
- Clausius-Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany
- Leibniz-Center for Diabetes Research, University of Düsseldorf, Auf'm Hennekamp 65, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, Chevron Science Center, University of Pittsburgh, 219 Parkman Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Olav Schiemann
- Clausius-Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr. 12, 53115, Bonn, Germany
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4
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Mittal S, Dutta S, Shukla D. Reconciling membrane protein simulations with experimental DEER spectroscopy data. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:6253-6262. [PMID: 36757376 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp02890e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Spectroscopy experiments are crucial to study membrane proteins for which traditional structure determination methods still prove challenging. Double electron-electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy experiments provide protein residue-pair distance distributions that are indicative of their conformational heterogeneity. Atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are another tool that have been proven to be vital to study the structural dynamics of membrane proteins such as to identify inward-open, occluded, and outward-open conformations of transporter membrane proteins, among other partially open or closed states of the protein. Yet, studies have reported that there is no direct consensus between the distributional data from DEER experiments and MD simulations, which has challenged validation of structures obtained from long-timescale simulations and using simulations to design experiments. Current coping strategies for comparisons rely on heuristics, such as mapping the nearest matching peaks between two ensembles or biased simulations. Here we examine the differences in residue-pair distance distributions arising due to the choice of membranes around the protein and covalent modification of a pair of residues to nitroxide spin labels in DEER experiments. Through comparing MD simulations of two proteins, PepTSo and LeuT-both of which have been characterized using DEER experiments previously-we show that the proteins' dynamics are similar despite the choice of the detergent micelle as a membrane mimetic in DEER experiments. On the other hand, covalently modified residues show slight local differences in their dynamics and a huge divergence when the oxygen atom pair distances between spin labeled residues are measured rather than protein backbone distances. Given the computational expense associated with pairwise MTSSL labeled MD simulations, we examine the use of biased simulations to explore the conformational dynamics of the spin labels only to reveal that such simulations alter the underlying protein dynamics. Our study identifies the main cause for the mismatch between DEER experiments and MD simulations and will accelerate the development of potential mitigation strategies to improve the match.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shriyaa Mittal
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
| | - Soumajit Dutta
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Diwakar Shukla
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA. .,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,NIH Center for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
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5
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Tessmer MH, Canarie ER, Stoll S. Comparative evaluation of spin-label modeling methods for protein structural studies. Biophys J 2022; 121:3508-3519. [PMID: 35957530 PMCID: PMC9515001 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Site-directed spin-labeling electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the investigation of protein structure and dynamics. Accurate spin-label modeling methods are essential to make full quantitative use of site-directed spin-labeling electron paramagnetic resonance data for protein modeling and model validation. Using a set of double electron-electron resonance data from seven different site pairs on maltodextrin/maltose-binding protein under two different conditions using five different spin labels, we compare the ability of two widely used spin-label modeling methods, based on accessible volume sampling and rotamer libraries, to predict experimental distance distributions. We present a spin-label modeling approach inspired by canonical side-chain modeling methods and compare modeling accuracy with the established methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxx H Tessmer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | | | - Stefan Stoll
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
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6
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Asanbaeva N, Sukhanov A, Diveikina AA, Rogozhnikova O, Trukhin DV, Tormyshev VM, Chubarov AS, Maryasov AG, Genaev A, Shernyukov AV, Salnikov GE, Lomzov AA, Pyshnyi DV, Bagryanskaya E. Application of W-band 19F electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy to distance measurement using a trityl spin probe and a fluorine label. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:5982-6001. [DOI: 10.1039/d1cp05445g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Recently, Marina Bennati and coworkers (Angew. Chemie - Int. Ed., 2020, 59, 373–379., A. J. Magn. Reson., 2021, 333, 107091) proposed to use electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy in...
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7
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Schiemann O, Heubach CA, Abdullin D, Ackermann K, Azarkh M, Bagryanskaya EG, Drescher M, Endeward B, Freed JH, Galazzo L, Goldfarb D, Hett T, Esteban Hofer L, Fábregas Ibáñez L, Hustedt EJ, Kucher S, Kuprov I, Lovett JE, Meyer A, Ruthstein S, Saxena S, Stoll S, Timmel CR, Di Valentin M, Mchaourab HS, Prisner TF, Bode BE, Bordignon E, Bennati M, Jeschke G. Benchmark Test and Guidelines for DEER/PELDOR Experiments on Nitroxide-Labeled Biomolecules. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:17875-17890. [PMID: 34664948 PMCID: PMC11253894 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c07371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Distance distribution information obtained by pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy provides an important contribution to many studies in structural biology. Increasingly, such information is used in integrative structural modeling, where it delivers unique restraints on the width of conformational ensembles. In order to ensure reliability of the structural models and of biological conclusions, we herein define quality standards for sample preparation and characterization, for measurements of distributed dipole-dipole couplings between paramagnetic labels, for conversion of the primary time-domain data into distance distributions, for interpreting these distributions, and for reporting results. These guidelines are substantiated by a multi-laboratory benchmark study and by analysis of data sets with known distance distribution ground truth. The study and the guidelines focus on proteins labeled with nitroxides and on double electron-electron resonance (DEER aka PELDOR) measurements and provide suggestions on how to proceed analogously in other cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olav Schiemann
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstraße 12, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Caspar A Heubach
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstraße 12, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Dinar Abdullin
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstraße 12, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Katrin Ackermann
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic Resonance, University of St Andrews North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST, U.K
| | - Mykhailo Azarkh
- Department of Chemistry and Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Elena G Bagryanskaya
- N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry, Lavrentieva aven 9, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Malte Drescher
- Department of Chemistry and Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Burkhard Endeward
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jack H Freed
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and ACERT, National Biomedical Center for Advanced Electron Spin Resonance Technology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, United States
| | - Laura Galazzo
- Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Daniella Goldfarb
- Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Tobias Hett
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstraße 12, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Laura Esteban Hofer
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Hönggerberg, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 2, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Luis Fábregas Ibáñez
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Hönggerberg, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 2, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Eric J Hustedt
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Svetlana Kucher
- Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Ilya Kuprov
- School of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton SO17 1BJ, U.K
| | - Janet Eleanor Lovett
- SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy and BSRC, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9SS, U.K
| | - Andreas Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sharon Ruthstein
- Department of Chemistry, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Stefan Stoll
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Christiane R Timmel
- Department of Chemistry, Centre for Advanced Electron Spin Resonance, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QR, U.K
| | - Marilena Di Valentin
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Hassane S Mchaourab
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Thomas F Prisner
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Bela Ernest Bode
- EaStCHEM School of Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Centre of Magnetic Resonance, University of St Andrews North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9ST, U.K
| | - Enrica Bordignon
- Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Marina Bennati
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Gunnar Jeschke
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Hönggerberg, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 2, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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8
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del Alamo D, Jagessar KL, Meiler J, Mchaourab HS. Methodology for rigorous modeling of protein conformational changes by Rosetta using DEER distance restraints. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009107. [PMID: 34133419 PMCID: PMC8238229 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe an approach for integrating distance restraints from Double Electron-Electron Resonance (DEER) spectroscopy into Rosetta with the purpose of modeling alternative protein conformations from an initial experimental structure. Fundamental to this approach is a multilateration algorithm that harnesses sets of interconnected spin label pairs to identify optimal rotamer ensembles at each residue that fit the DEER decay in the time domain. Benchmarked relative to data analysis packages, the algorithm yields comparable distance distributions with the advantage that fitting the DEER decay and rotamer ensemble optimization are coupled. We demonstrate this approach by modeling the protonation-dependent transition of the multidrug transporter PfMATE to an inward facing conformation with a deviation to the experimental structure of less than 2Å Cα RMSD. By decreasing spin label rotamer entropy, this approach engenders more accurate Rosetta models that are also more closely clustered, thus setting the stage for more robust modeling of protein conformational changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego del Alamo
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Kevin L. Jagessar
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Jens Meiler
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Institute for Drug Discovery, Leipzig University Medical School, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hassane S. Mchaourab
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
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9
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Gamble Jarvi A, Bogetti X, Singewald K, Ghosh S, Saxena S. Going the dHis-tance: Site-Directed Cu 2+ Labeling of Proteins and Nucleic Acids. Acc Chem Res 2021; 54:1481-1491. [PMID: 33476119 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.0c00761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In this Account, we showcase site-directed Cu2+ labeling in proteins and DNA, which has opened new avenues for the measurement of the structure and dynamics of biomolecules using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. In proteins, the spin label is assembled in situ from natural amino acid residues and a metal complex and requires no post-expression synthetic modification or purification procedures. The labeling scheme exploits a double histidine (dHis) motif, which utilizes endogenous or site-specifically mutated histidine residues to coordinate a Cu2+ complex. Pulsed EPR measurements on such Cu2+-labeled proteins potentially yield distance distributions that are up to 5 times narrower than the common protein spin label-the approach, thus, overcomes the inherent limitation of the current technology, which relies on a spin label with a highly flexible side chain. This labeling scheme provides a straightforward method that elucidates biophysical information that is costly, complicated, or simply inaccessible by traditional EPR labels. Examples include the direct measurement of protein backbone dynamics at β-sheet sites, which are largely inaccessible through traditional spin labels, and rigid Cu2+-Cu2+ distance measurements that enable higher precision in the analysis of protein conformations, conformational changes, interactions with other biomolecules, and the relative orientations of two labeled protein subunits. Likewise, a Cu2+ label has been developed for use in DNA, which is small, is nucleotide independent, and is positioned within the DNA helix. The placement of the Cu2+ label directly reports on the biologically relevant backbone distance. Additionally, for both of these labeling techniques, we have developed models for interpretation of the EPR distance information, primarily utilizing molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Initial results using force fields developed for both protein and DNA labels have agreed with experimental results, which has been a major bottleneck for traditional spin labels. Looking ahead, we anticipate new combinations of MD and EPR to further our understanding of protein and DNA conformational changes, as well as working synergistically to investigate protein-DNA interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Gamble Jarvi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Kevin Singewald
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Shreya Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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10
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Jeschke G. MMM: Integrative ensemble modeling and ensemble analysis. Protein Sci 2021; 30:125-135. [PMID: 33015891 PMCID: PMC7737775 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Proteins and their complexes can be heterogeneously disordered. In ensemble modeling of such systems with restraints from several experimental techniques the following problems arise: (a) integration of diverse restraints obtained on different samples under different conditions; (b) estimation of a realistic ensemble width; (c) sufficient sampling of conformational space; (d) representation of the ensemble by an interpretable number of conformers; (e) recognition of weak order with site resolution. Here, I introduce several tools that address these problems, focusing on utilization of distance distribution information for estimating ensemble width. The RigiFlex approach integrates such information with high-resolution structures of ordered domains and small-angle scattering data. The EnsembleFit module provides moderately sized ensembles by fitting conformer populations and discarding conformers with low population. EnsembleFit balances the loss in fit quality upon combining restraint subsets from different techniques. Pair correlation analysis for residues and local compaction analysis help in feature detection. The RigiFlex pipeline is tested on data simulated from the structure 70 kDa protein-RNA complex RsmE/RsmZ. It recovers this structure with ensemble width and difference from ground truth both being on the order of 4.2 Å. EnsembleFit reduces the ensemble of the proliferating-cell-nuclear-antigen-associated factor p15PAF from 4,939 to 75 conformers while maintaining good fit quality of restraints. Local compaction analysis for the PaaA2 antitoxin from E. coli O157 revealed correlations between compactness and enhanced residual dipolar couplings in the original NMR restraint set.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Jeschke
- ETH Zürich, Department of Chemistry and Applied BiosciencesETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
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11
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Gamble Jarvi A, Casto J, Saxena S. Buffer effects on site directed Cu 2+-labeling using the double histidine motif. JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE (SAN DIEGO, CALIF. : 1997) 2020; 320:106848. [PMID: 33164758 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmr.2020.106848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The double histidine, or dHis, motif has emerged as a powerful spin labeling tool to determine the conformations and dynamics, subunit orientation, native metal binding site location, and other physical characteristics of proteins by Cu2+-based electron paramagnetic resonance. Here, we investigate the efficacy of this technique in five common buffer systems, and show that buffer choice can impact the loading of Cu2+-NTA into dHis sites, and more generally, the sensitivity of the overall technique. We also present a standardized and optimized examination of labeling of the dHis motif with Cu2+-NTA for EPR based distance measurements. We provide optimal loading procedures, using representative EPR and UV/Vis data for each step in the process. From this data, we find that maximal dHis loading can be achieved in under 30 min with low temperature sample incubation. Using only these optimal procedures, we see up to a 28% increase in fully labeled proteins compared to previously published results in N-ethylmorpholine. Using both this optimized procedure as well as a more optimal buffer, we can achieve up to 80% fully loaded proteins, which corresponds to a 64% increase compared to the prior data. These results provide insight and deeper understanding of the dHis Cu2+-NTA system, the variables that impact its efficacy, and present a method by which these issues may be mitigated for the most efficient labeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Gamble Jarvi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Joshua Casto
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
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12
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Gamble Jarvi A, Sargun A, Bogetti X, Wang J, Achim C, Saxena S. Development of Cu 2+-Based Distance Methods and Force Field Parameters for the Determination of PNA Conformations and Dynamics by EPR and MD Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:7544-7556. [PMID: 32790374 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c05509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are a promising group of synthetic analogues of DNA and RNA that offer several distinct advantages over the naturally occurring nucleic acids for applications in biosensing, drug delivery, and nanoelectronics. Because of its structural differences from DNA/RNA, methods to analyze and assess the structure, conformations, and dynamics are needed. In this work, we develop synergistic techniques for the study of the PNA conformation. We use CuQ2, a Cu2+ complex with 8-hydroxyquinoline (HQ), as an alternative base pair and as a spin label in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) distance methods. We use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with newly developed force field parameters for the spin labels to interpret the distance constraints determined by EPR. We complement these methods by UV-vis and circular dichroism measurements and assess the efficacy of the Cu2+ label on a PNA duplex whose backbone is based on aminoethylglycine and a duplex with a hydroxymethyl backbone modification. We show that the Cu2+ label functions efficiently within the standard PNA and the hydroxymethyl-modified PNA and that the MD parameters may be used to accurately reproduce our EPR findings. Through the combination of EPR and MD, we gain new insights into the PNA structure and conformations as well as into the mechanism of orientational selectivity in Cu2+ EPR at X-band. These results present for the first time a rigid Cu2+ spin label used for EPR distance measurements in PNA and the accompanying MD force fields for the spin label. Our studies also reveal that the spin labels have a low impact on the structure of the PNA duplexes. The combined MD and EPR approach represents an important new tool for the characterization of the PNA duplex structure and provides valuable information to aid in the rational application of PNA at large.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Gamble Jarvi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Artur Sargun
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206, United States
| | - Catalina Achim
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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13
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Fleck N, Heubach CA, Hett T, Haege FR, Bawol PP, Baltruschat H, Schiemann O. SLIM: A Short-Linked, Highly Redox-Stable Trityl Label for High-Sensitivity In-Cell EPR Distance Measurements. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020; 59:9767-9772. [PMID: 32329172 PMCID: PMC7318235 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202004452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The understanding of biomolecular function is coupled to knowledge about the structure and dynamics of these biomolecules, preferably acquired under native conditions. In this regard, pulsed dipolar EPR spectroscopy (PDS) in conjunction with site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) is an important method in the toolbox of biophysical chemistry. However, the currently available spin labels have diverse deficiencies for in-cell applications, for example, low radical stability or long bioconjugation linkers. In this work, a synthesis strategy is introduced for the derivatization of trityl radicals with a maleimide-functionalized methylene group. The resulting trityl spin label, called SLIM, yields narrow distance distributions, enables highly sensitive distance measurements down to concentrations of 90 nm, and shows high stability against reduction. Using this label, the guanine-nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (GDI) domain of Yersinia outer protein O (YopO) is shown to change its conformation within eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Fleck
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of BonnWegelerstr. 1253115BonnGermany
| | - Caspar A. Heubach
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of BonnWegelerstr. 1253115BonnGermany
| | - Tobias Hett
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of BonnWegelerstr. 1253115BonnGermany
| | - Florian R. Haege
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of BonnWegelerstr. 1253115BonnGermany
| | - Pawel P. Bawol
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of BonnRömerstr. 16453117BonnGermany
| | - Helmut Baltruschat
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of BonnRömerstr. 16453117BonnGermany
| | - Olav Schiemann
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of BonnWegelerstr. 1253115BonnGermany
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14
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Fleck N, Heubach CA, Hett T, Haege FR, Bawol PP, Baltruschat H, Schiemann O. SLIM: A Short‐Linked, Highly Redox‐Stable Trityl Label for High‐Sensitivity In‐Cell EPR Distance Measurements. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202004452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nico Fleck
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of Bonn Wegelerstr. 12 53115 Bonn Germany
| | - Caspar A. Heubach
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of Bonn Wegelerstr. 12 53115 Bonn Germany
| | - Tobias Hett
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of Bonn Wegelerstr. 12 53115 Bonn Germany
| | - Florian R. Haege
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of Bonn Wegelerstr. 12 53115 Bonn Germany
| | - Pawel P. Bawol
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of Bonn Römerstr. 164 53117 Bonn Germany
| | - Helmut Baltruschat
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of Bonn Römerstr. 164 53117 Bonn Germany
| | - Olav Schiemann
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical ChemistryUniversity of Bonn Wegelerstr. 12 53115 Bonn Germany
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15
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Bogetti X, Ghosh S, Gamble Jarvi A, Wang J, Saxena S. Molecular Dynamics Simulations Based on Newly Developed Force Field Parameters for Cu 2+ Spin Labels Provide Insights into Double-Histidine-Based Double Electron-Electron Resonance. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:2788-2797. [PMID: 32181671 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c00739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in combination with the recently developed double-histidine (dHis)-based Cu2+ spin labeling has provided valuable insights into protein structure and conformational dynamics. To relate sparse distance constraints measured by EPR to protein fluctuations in solution, modeling techniques are needed. In this work, we have developed force field parameters for Cu2+-nitrilotriacetic and Cu2+-iminodiacetic acid spin labels. We employed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to capture the atomic-level details of dHis-labeled protein fluctuations. The interspin distances extracted from 200 ns MD trajectories show good agreement with the experimental results. The MD simulations also illustrate the dramatic rigidity of the Cu2+ labels compared to the standard nitroxide spin label. Further, the relative orientations between spin-labeled sites were measured to provide insight into the use of double electron-electron resonance (DEER) methods for such labels. The relative mean angles, as well as the standard deviations of the relative angles, agree well in general with the spectral simulations published previously. The fluctuations of relative orientations help rationalize why orientation selectivity effects are minimal at X-band frequencies, but observable at the Q-band for such labels. In summary, the results show that by combining the experimental results with MD simulations precise information about protein conformations as well as flexibility can be obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Bogetti
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Shreya Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Austin Gamble Jarvi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Junmei Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206, United States
| | - Sunil Saxena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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16
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Del Alamo D, Tessmer MH, Stein RA, Feix JB, Mchaourab HS, Meiler J. Rapid Simulation of Unprocessed DEER Decay Data for Protein Fold Prediction. Biophys J 2020; 118:366-375. [PMID: 31892409 PMCID: PMC6976798 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in sampling and scoring strategies, Monte Carlo modeling methods still struggle to accurately predict de novo the structures of large proteins, membrane proteins, or proteins of complex topologies. Previous approaches have addressed these shortcomings by leveraging sparse distance data gathered using site-directed spin labeling and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to improve protein structure prediction and refinement outcomes. However, existing computational implementations entail compromises between coarse-grained models of the spin label that lower the resolution and explicit models that lead to resource-intense simulations. These methods are further limited by their reliance on distance distributions, which are calculated from a primary refocused echo decay signal and contain uncertainties that may require manual refinement. Here, we addressed these challenges by developing RosettaDEER, a scoring method within the Rosetta software suite capable of simulating double electron-electron resonance spectroscopy decay traces and distance distributions between spin labels fast enough to fold proteins de novo. We demonstrate that the accuracy of resulting distance distributions match or exceed those generated by more computationally intensive methods. Moreover, decay traces generated from these distributions recapitulate intermolecular background coupling parameters even when the time window of data collection is truncated. As a result, RosettaDEER can discriminate between poorly folded and native-like models by using decay traces that cannot be accurately converted into distance distributions using regularized fitting approaches. Finally, using two challenging test cases, we demonstrate that RosettaDEER leverages these experimental data for protein fold prediction more effectively than previous methods. These benchmarking results confirm that RosettaDEER can effectively leverage sparse experimental data for a wide array of modeling applications built into the Rosetta software suite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Del Alamo
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Structural Biology; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | | | - Richard A Stein
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Jimmy B Feix
- Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Hassane S Mchaourab
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Structural Biology; Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Jens Meiler
- Department of Chemistry and Center for Structural Biology; Institut for Drug Discovery, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
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17
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Spicher S, Abdullin D, Grimme S, Schiemann O. Modeling of spin–spin distance distributions for nitroxide labeled biomacromolecules. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:24282-24290. [DOI: 10.1039/d0cp04920d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Combining CREST and MD simulations based on GFN-FF for the automated computation of distance distributions for nitroxide labeled (metallo-) proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Spicher
- Mulliken Center for Theoretical Chemistry
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- University of Bonn
- 53115 Bonn
- Germany
| | - Dinar Abdullin
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- University of Bonn
- 53115 Bonn
- Germany
| | - Stefan Grimme
- Mulliken Center for Theoretical Chemistry
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- University of Bonn
- 53115 Bonn
- Germany
| | - Olav Schiemann
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- University of Bonn
- 53115 Bonn
- Germany
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18
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Potluri PR, Chamoun J, Cooke JA, Badr M, Guse JA, Rayes R, Cordina NM, McCamey D, Fajer PG, Brown LJ. The concerted movement of the switch region of Troponin I in cardiac muscle thin filaments as tracked by conventional and pulsed (DEER) EPR. J Struct Biol 2017; 200:376-387. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2017.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2017] [Revised: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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19
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Modeling structural transitions from the periplasmic-open state of lactose permease and interpretations of spin label experiments. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:1541-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Revised: 03/25/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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20
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Abdullin D, Hagelueken G, Schiemann O. Determination of nitroxide spin label conformations via PELDOR and X-ray crystallography. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:10428-37. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cp01307d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
PELDOR is used to unravel the position and orientation of MTSSL in six singly-labelled azurin mutants. A comparison with X-ray structures of the mutants shows good agreement with respect to the position and orientation of the nitroxide group.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Abdullin
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- University of Bonn
- 53115 Bonn
- Germany
| | - G. Hagelueken
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- University of Bonn
- 53115 Bonn
- Germany
| | - O. Schiemann
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- University of Bonn
- 53115 Bonn
- Germany
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21
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Characterization of the Domain Orientations of E. coli 5'-Nucleotidase by Fitting an Ensemble of Conformers to DEER Distance Distributions. Structure 2015; 24:43-56. [PMID: 26724996 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2015.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Revised: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Escherichia coli 5'-nucleotidase is a two-domain enzyme exhibiting a unique 96° domain motion that is required for catalysis. Here we present an integrated structural biology study that combines DEER distance distributions with structural information from X-ray crystallography and computational biology to describe the population of presumably almost isoenergetic open and closed states in solution. Ensembles of models that best represent the experimental distance distributions are determined by a Monte Carlo search algorithm. As a result, predominantly open conformations are observed in the unliganded state indicating that the majority of enzyme molecules await substrate binding for the catalytic cycle. The addition of a substrate analog yields ensembles with an almost equal mixture of open and closed states. Thus, in the presence of substrate, efficient catalysis is provided by the simultaneous appearance of open conformers (binding substrate or releasing product) and closed conformers (enabling the turnover of the substrate).
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22
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Kim SS, Upshur MA, Saotome K, Sahu ID, McCarrick RM, Feix JB, Lorigan GA, Howard KP. Cholesterol-Dependent Conformational Exchange of the C-Terminal Domain of the Influenza A M2 Protein. Biochemistry 2015; 54:7157-67. [PMID: 26569023 PMCID: PMC4734095 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.5b01065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The C-terminal amphipathic helix of the influenza A M2 protein plays a critical cholesterol-dependent role in viral budding. To provide atomic-level detail on the impact cholesterol has on the conformation of M2 protein, we spin-labeled sites right before and within the C-terminal amphipathic helix of the M2 protein. We studied the spin-labeled M2 proteins in membranes both with and without cholesterol. We used a multipronged site-directed spin-label electron paramagnetic resonance (SDSL-EPR) approach and collected data on line shapes, relaxation rates, accessibility of sites to the membrane, and distances between symmetry-related sites within the tetrameric protein. We demonstrate that the C-terminal amphipathic helix of M2 populates at least two conformations in POPC/POPG 4:1 bilayers. Furthermore, we show that the conformational state that becomes more populated in the presence of cholesterol is less dynamic, less membrane buried, and more tightly packed than the other state. Cholesterol-dependent changes in M2 could be attributed to the changes cholesterol induces in bilayer properties and/or direct binding of cholesterol to the protein. We propose a model consistent with all of our experimental data that suggests that the predominant conformation we observe in the presence of cholesterol is relevant for the understanding of viral budding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangwoo S. Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
| | - Mary Alice Upshur
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
| | - Kei Saotome
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
| | - Indra D. Sahu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056
| | - Robert M. McCarrick
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056
| | - Jimmy B. Feix
- Department of Biophysics, National Biomedical EPR Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Gary A. Lorigan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056
| | - Kathleen P. Howard
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
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23
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Chernyatina AA, Hess JF, Guzenko D, Voss JC, Strelkov SV. How to Study Intermediate Filaments in Atomic Detail. Methods Enzymol 2015; 568:3-33. [PMID: 26795465 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2015.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Studies of the intermediate filament (IF) structure are a prerequisite of understanding their function. In addition, the structural information is indispensable if one wishes to gain a mechanistic view on the disease-related mutations in the IFs. Over the years, considerable progress has been made on the atomic structure of the elementary building block of all IFs, the coiled-coil dimer. Here, we discuss the approaches, methods and practices that have contributed to this advance. With abundant genetic information on hand, bioinformatics approaches give important insights into the dimer structure, including the head and tail regions poorly assessable experimentally. At the same time, the most important contribution has been provided by X-ray crystallography. Following the "divide-and-conquer" approach, many fragments from several IF proteins could be crystallized and resolved to atomic resolution. We will systematically cover the main procedures of these crystallographic studies, suggest ways to maximize their efficiency, and also discuss the possible pitfalls and limitations. In addition, electron paramagnetic resonance with site-directed spin labeling was another method providing a major impact toward the understanding of the IF structure. Upon placing the spin labels into specific positions within the full-length protein, one can evaluate the proximity of the labels and their mobility. This makes it possible to make conclusions about the dimer structure in the coiled-coil region and beyond, as well as to explore the dimer-dimer contacts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John F Hess
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Dmytro Guzenko
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - John C Voss
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Sergei V Strelkov
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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24
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Endeward B, Marko A, Denysenkov VP, Sigurdsson ST, Prisner TF. Advanced EPR Methods for Studying Conformational Dynamics of Nucleic Acids. Methods Enzymol 2015; 564:403-25. [PMID: 26477259 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2015.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy has become an important tool for structural characterization of biomolecules allowing measurement of the distances between two paramagnetic spin labels attached to a biomolecule in the 2-8 nm range. In this chapter, we will focus on applications of this approach to investigate tertiary structure elements as well as conformational dynamics of nucleic acid molecules. Both aspects take advantage of using specific spin labels that are rigidly attached to the nucleobases, as they allow obtaining not only the distance but also the relative orientation between both nitroxide moieties with high accuracy. Thus, not only the distance but additionally the three Euler angles between both the nitroxide axis systems and the two polar angles of the interconnecting vector with respect to the nitroxide axis systems can be extracted from a single pair of spin labels. To extract all these parameters independently and unambiguously, a set of multifrequency/multifield pulsed EPR experiments have to be performed. We will describe the experimental procedure as well as newly developed spin labels, which are helpful to disentangle all these parameters, and tools which we have developed to analyze such data sets. The procedures and analyses will be illustrated by examples from our laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Endeward
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - A Marko
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - V P Denysenkov
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - S Th Sigurdsson
- Department of Chemistry, Science Institute, University of Iceland, Reykjavık, Iceland
| | - T F Prisner
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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25
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Greenswag AR, Li X, Borbat PP, Samanta D, Watts K, Freed JH, Crane BR. Preformed Soluble Chemoreceptor Trimers That Mimic Cellular Assembly States and Activate CheA Autophosphorylation. Biochemistry 2015; 54:3454-68. [PMID: 25967982 PMCID: PMC4772074 DOI: 10.1021/bi501570n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2014] [Revised: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial chemoreceptors associate with the histidine kinase CheA and coupling protein CheW to form extended membrane arrays that receive and transduce environmental signals. A receptor trimers-of-dimers resides at each vertex of the hexagonal protein lattice. CheA is fully activated and regulated when it is integrated into the receptor assembly. To mimic these states in solution, we have engineered chemoreceptor cytoplasmic kinase-control modules (KCMs) based on the Escherichia coli aspartate receptor Tar that are covalently fused and trimerized by a foldon domain (Tar(FO)). Small-angle X-ray scattering, multi-angle light scattering, and pulsed-dipolar electron spin resonance spectroscopy of spin-labeled proteins indicate that the Tar(FO) modules assemble into homogeneous trimers wherein the protein interaction regions closely associate at the end opposite to the foldon domains. The Tar(FO) variants greatly increase the saturation levels of phosphorylated CheA (CheA-P), indicating that the association with a trimer of receptor dimers changes the fraction of active kinase. However, the rate constants for CheA-P formation with the Tar variants are low compared to those for autophosphorylation by free CheA, and net phosphotransfer from CheA to CheY does not increase commensurately with CheA autophosphorylation. Thus, the Tar variants facilitate slow conversion to an active form of CheA that then undergoes stable autophosphorylation and is capable of subsequent phosphotransfer to CheY. Free CheA is largely incapable of phosphorylation but contains a small active fraction. Addition of Tar(FO) to CheA promotes a planar conformation of the regulatory domains consistent with array models for the assembly state of the ternary complex and different from that observed with a single inhibitory receptor. Introduction of Tar(FO) into E. coli cells activates endogenous CheA to produce increased clockwise flagellar rotation, with the effects increasing in the presence of the chemotaxis methylation system (CheB/CheR). Overall, the Tar(FO) modules demonstrate that trimerized signaling tips self-associate, bind CheA and CheW, and facilitate conversion of CheA to an active conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna R. Greenswag
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United
States
| | - Xiaoxiao Li
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United
States
| | - Peter P. Borbat
- Center
for Advanced ESR Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Dipanjan Samanta
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United
States
| | - Kylie
J. Watts
- Division
of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California 92350, United States
| | - Jack H. Freed
- Center
for Advanced ESR Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Brian R. Crane
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United
States
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26
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27
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Yu L, Wang W, Ling S, He Y, Xiao L, Wu K, Zhang L, Tian C. Distance measurement between two flexible sites in proteins in high viscosity medium at physiological temperature using continuous wave EPR. Protein Cell 2014; 5:334-7. [PMID: 24643643 PMCID: PMC3996158 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-014-0040-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lu Yu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale & School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
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28
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New developments in spin labels for pulsed dipolar EPR. Molecules 2014; 19:16998-7025. [PMID: 25342554 PMCID: PMC6271499 DOI: 10.3390/molecules191016998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2014] [Revised: 10/07/2014] [Accepted: 10/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Spin labelling is a chemical technique that enables the integration of a molecule containing an unpaired electron into another framework for study. Given the need to understand the structure, dynamics, and conformational changes of biomacromolecules, spin labelling provides a relatively non-intrusive technique and has certain advantages over X-ray crystallography; which requires high quality crystals. The technique relies on the design of binding probes that target a functional group, for example, the thiol group of a cysteine residue within a protein. The unpaired electron is typically supplied through a nitroxide radical and sterically shielded to preserve stability. Pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques allow small magnetic couplings to be measured (e.g., <50 MHz) providing information on single label probes or the dipolar coupling between multiple labels. In particular, distances between spin labels pairs can be derived which has led to many protein/enzymes and nucleotides being studied. Here, we summarise recent examples of spin labels used for pulse EPR that serve to illustrate the contribution of chemistry to advancing discoveries in this field.
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29
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Florin N, Schiemann O, Hagelueken G. High-resolution crystal structure of spin labelled (T21R1) azurin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a challenging structural benchmark for in silico spin labelling algorithms. BMC STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2014; 14:16. [PMID: 24884565 PMCID: PMC4055355 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6807-14-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Background EPR-based distance measurements between spin labels in proteins have become a valuable tool in structural biology. The direct translation of the experimental distances into structural information is however often impaired by the intrinsic flexibility of the spin labelled side chains. Different algorithms exist that predict the approximate conformation of the spin label either by using pre-computed rotamer libraries of the labelled side chain (rotamer approach) or by simply determining its accessible volume (accessible volume approach). Surprisingly, comparisons with many experimental distances have shown that both approaches deliver the same distance prediction accuracy of about 3 Å. Results Here, instead of comparing predicted and experimental distances, we test the ability of both approaches to predict the actual conformations of spin labels found in a new high-resolution crystal structure of spin labelled azurin (T21R1). Inside the crystal, the label is found in two very different environments which serve as a challenging test for the in silico approaches. Conclusions Our results illustrate why simple and more sophisticated programs lead to the same prediciton error. Thus, a more precise treatment of the complete environment of the label and also its interactions with the environment will be needed to increase the accuracy of in silico spin labelling algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gregor Hagelueken
- Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Bonn, Wegelerstr, 12, Bonn, NRW 53115, Germany.
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30
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Jean-Francois FL, Dai J, Yu L, Myrick A, Rubin E, Fajer PG, Song L, Zhou HX, Cross TA. Binding of MgtR, a Salmonella transmembrane regulatory peptide, to MgtC, a Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence factor: a structural study. J Mol Biol 2013; 426:436-46. [PMID: 24140750 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2013.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2013] [Revised: 10/10/2013] [Accepted: 10/11/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
MgtR, a highly hydrophobic peptide expressed in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, inhibits growth in macrophages through binding to the membrane protein MgtC that has been identified as essential for replication in macrophages. While the Mycobacterium tuberculosis MgtC is highly homologous to its S. Typhi analogue, there does not appear to be an Mtb homologue for MgtR, raising significant pharmacological interest in this system. Here, solid-state NMR and EPR spectroscopy in lipid bilayer preparations were used to demonstrate the formation of a heterodimer between S. Typhi MgtR and the transmembrane helix 4 of Mtb MgtC. Based on the experimental restraints, a structural model of this heterodimer was developed using computational techniques. The result is that MgtR appears to be ideally situated in the membrane to influence the functionality of MgtC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frantz L Jean-Francois
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Jian Dai
- Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA; Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Lu Yu
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230031, China
| | - Alissa Myrick
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02138, USA
| | - Eric Rubin
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02138, USA
| | - Piotr G Fajer
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA; Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Likai Song
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Huan-Xiang Zhou
- Department of Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA; Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Timothy A Cross
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA; Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
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31
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Sun ZYJ, Cheng Y, Kim M, Song L, Choi J, Kudahl UJ, Brusic V, Chowdhury B, Yu L, Seaman MS, Bellot G, Shih WM, Wagner G, Reinherz EL. Disruption of helix-capping residues 671 and 674 reveals a role in HIV-1 entry for a specialized hinge segment of the membrane proximal external region of gp41. J Mol Biol 2013; 426:1095-108. [PMID: 24075869 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2013.09.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2013] [Revised: 09/18/2013] [Accepted: 09/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus type 1) uses its trimeric gp160 envelope (Env) protein consisting of non-covalently associated gp120 and gp41 subunits to mediate entry into human T lymphocytes. A facile virus fusion mechanism compensates for the sparse Env copy number observed on viral particles and includes a 22-amino-acid, lentivirus-specific adaptation at the gp41 base (amino acid residues 662-683), termed the membrane proximal external region (MPER). We show by NMR and EPR that the MPER consists of a structurally conserved pair of viral lipid-immersed helices separated by a hinge with tandem joints that can be locked by capping residues between helices. This design fosters efficient HIV-1 fusion via interconverting structures while, at the same time, affording immune escape. Disruption of both joints by double alanine mutations at Env positions 671 and 674 (AA) results in attenuation of Env-mediated cell-cell fusion and hemifusion, as well as viral infectivity mediated by both CD4-dependent and CD4-independent viruses. The potential mechanism of disruption was revealed by structural analysis of MPER conformational changes induced by AA mutation. A deeper acyl chain-buried MPER middle section and the elimination of cross-hinge rigid-body motion almost certainly impede requisite structural rearrangements during the fusion process, explaining the absence of MPER AA variants among all known naturally occurring HIV-1 viral sequences. Furthermore, those broadly neutralization antibodies directed against the HIV-1 MPER exploit the tandem joint architecture involving helix capping, thereby disrupting hinge function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Yu J Sun
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yuxing Cheng
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mikyung Kim
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Likai Song
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA
| | - Jaewon Choi
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ulrich J Kudahl
- Cancer Vaccine Center and Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Vladimir Brusic
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Cancer Vaccine Center and Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Barnali Chowdhury
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA
| | - Lu Yu
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA
| | - Michael S Seaman
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gaëtan Bellot
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - William M Shih
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gerhard Wagner
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ellis L Reinherz
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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32
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Alexander NS, Stein RA, Koteiche HA, Kaufmann KW, Mchaourab HS, Meiler J. RosettaEPR: rotamer library for spin label structure and dynamics. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72851. [PMID: 24039810 PMCID: PMC3764097 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2013] [Accepted: 07/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
An increasingly used parameter in structural biology is the measurement of distances between spin labels bound to a protein. One limitation to these measurements is the unknown position of the spin label relative to the protein backbone. To overcome this drawback, we introduce a rotamer library of the methanethiosulfonate spin label (MTSSL) into the protein modeling program Rosetta. Spin label rotamers were derived from conformations observed in crystal structures of spin labeled T4 lysozyme and previously published molecular dynamics simulations. Rosetta’s ability to accurately recover spin label conformations and EPR measured distance distributions was evaluated against 19 experimentally determined MTSSL labeled structures of T4 lysozyme and the membrane protein LeuT and 73 distance distributions from T4 lysozyme and the membrane protein MsbA. For a site in the core of T4 lysozyme, the correct spin label conformation (Χ1 and Χ2) is recovered in 99.8% of trials. In surface positions 53% of the trajectories agree with crystallized conformations in Χ1 and Χ2. This level of recovery is on par with Rosetta performance for the 20 natural amino acids. In addition, Rosetta predicts the distance between two spin labels with a mean error of 4.4 Å. The width of the experimental distance distribution, which reflects the flexibility of the two spin labels, is predicted with a mean error of 1.3 Å. RosettaEPR makes full-atom spin label modeling available to a wide scientific community in conjunction with the powerful suite of modeling methods within Rosetta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan S. Alexander
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Richard A. Stein
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Hanane A. Koteiche
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Kristian W. Kaufmann
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Hassane S. Mchaourab
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Jens Meiler
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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33
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Jeschke G. Conformational dynamics and distribution of nitroxide spin labels. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2013; 72:42-60. [PMID: 23731861 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2013] [Revised: 03/26/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Long-range distance measurements based on paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) in NMR, quantification of surface water dynamics near biomacromolecules by Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and sensitivity enhancement by solid-state DNP all depend on introducing paramagnetic species into an otherwise diamagnetic NMR sample. The species can be introduced by site-directed spin labeling, which offers precise control for positioning the label in the sequence of a biopolymer. However, internal flexibility of the spin label gives rise to dynamic processes that potentially influence PRE and DNP behavior and leads to a spatial distribution of the electron spin even in solid samples. Internal dynamics of spin labels and their static conformational distributions have been studied mainly by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, with a large body of results for the most widely applied methanethiosulfonate spin label MTSL. These results are critically discussed in a unifying picture based on rotameric states of the group that carries the spin label. Deficiencies in our current understanding of dynamics and conformations of spin labeled groups and of their influence on NMR observables are highlighted and directions for further research suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Jeschke
- ETH Zürich, Laboratory Physical Chemistry, Zürich, Switzerland.
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34
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Islam SM, Stein RA, McHaourab HS, Roux B. Structural refinement from restrained-ensemble simulations based on EPR/DEER data: application to T4 lysozyme. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:4740-54. [PMID: 23510103 DOI: 10.1021/jp311723a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
DEER (double electron-electron resonance) is a powerful pulsed ESR (electron spin resonance) technique allowing the determination of distance histograms between pairs of nitroxide spin-labels linked to a protein in a native-like solution environment. However, exploiting the huge amount of information provided by ESR/DEER histograms to refine structural models is extremely challenging. In this study, a restrained ensemble (RE) molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methodology is developed to address this issue. In RE simulation, the spin-spin distance distribution histograms calculated from a multiple-copy MD simulation are enforced, via a global ensemble-based energy restraint, to match those obtained from ESR/DEER experiments. The RE simulation is applied to 51 ESR/DEER distance histogram data from spin-labels inserted at 37 different positions in T4 lysozyme (T4L). The rotamer population distribution along the five dihedral angles connecting the nitroxide ring to the protein backbone is determined and shown to be consistent with available information from X-ray crystallography. For the purpose of structural refinement, the concept of a simplified nitroxide dummy spin-label is designed and parametrized on the basis of these all-atom RE simulations with explicit solvent. It is demonstrated that RE simulations with the dummy nitroxide spin-labels imposing the ESR/DEER experimental distance distribution data are able to systematically correct and refine a series of distorted T4L structures, while simple harmonic distance restraints are unsuccessful. This computationally efficient approach allows experimental restraints from DEER experiments to be incorporated into RE simulations for efficient structural refinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahidul M Islam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
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35
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Spindler PE, Glaser SJ, Skinner TE, Prisner TF. Broadband Inversion PELDOR Spectroscopy with Partially Adiabatic Shaped Pulses. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201207777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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36
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Spindler PE, Glaser SJ, Skinner TE, Prisner TF. Broadband inversion PELDOR spectroscopy with partially adiabatic shaped pulses. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013; 52:3425-9. [PMID: 23424088 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201207777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Philipp E Spindler
- Institut für physikalische und theoretische Chemie und Biomolekulares Magnetresonanz Zentrum, Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 7, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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37
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Popova AM, Hatmal MM, Frushicheva M, Price EA, Qin PZ, Haworth IS. Nitroxide sensing of a DNA microenvironment: mechanistic insights from EPR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. J Phys Chem B 2012; 116:6387-96. [PMID: 22574834 PMCID: PMC3382087 DOI: 10.1021/jp303303v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The behavior of the nitroxide spin labels 1-oxyl-4-bromo-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrroline (R5a) and 1-oxyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrroline (R5) attached at a phosphorothioate-substituted site in a DNA duplex is modulated by the DNA in a site- and stereospecific manner. A better understanding of the mechanisms of R5a/R5 sensing of the DNA microenvironment will enhance our capability to relate information from nitroxide spectra to sequence-dependent properties of DNA. Toward this goal, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to investigate R5 and R5a attached as R(p) and S(p) diastereomers at phosphorothioate (pS)C(7) of d(CTACTG(pS)C(7)Y(8)TTAG). d(CTAAAGCAGTAG) (Y = T or U). X-band continuous-wave EPR spectra revealed that the dT(8) to dU(8) change alters nanosecond rotational motions of R(p)-R5a but produces no detectable differences for S(p)-R5a, R(p)-R5, and S(p)-R5. MD simulations were able to qualitatively account for these spectral variations and provide a plausible physical basis for the R5/R5a behavior. The simulations also revealed a correlation between DNA backbone B(I)/B(II) conformations and R5/R5a rotational diffusion, thus suggesting a direct connection between DNA local backbone dynamics and EPR-detectable R5/R5a motion. These results advance our understanding of how a DNA microenvironment influences nitroxide motion and the observed EPR spectra. This may enable use of R5/R5a for a quantitative description of the sequence-dependent properties of large biologically relevant DNA molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Popova
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0744
| | - Ma’mon M. Hatmal
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033-1039
| | - Maria Frushicheva
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0744
| | - Eric A. Price
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0744
| | - Peter Z. Qin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0744
| | - Ian S. Haworth
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033-1039
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-9121
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38
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Jeschke G. Characterization of Protein Conformational Changes with Sparse Spin-Label Distance Constraints. J Chem Theory Comput 2012; 8:3854-63. [PMID: 26593026 DOI: 10.1021/ct300113z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The combination of site-directed spin labeling with pulse EPR distance measurements can provide a moderate number of distance constraints on the nanometer length scale for proteins in different states. By adapting an existing algorithm (Zheng, W.; Brooks, B. R. Biophys. J. 2006, 90, 4327) to the problem, we address the question to what extent conformational change can be characterized when the protein structure is known for one of the states, whereas only a sparse set of distance constraints between spin labels is available for the other state. We find that the type and general direction of the conformational change can be recognized, while the amplitude may be uncertain.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Jeschke
- Lab. Phys. Chem., ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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39
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Abstract
Distance distributions between paramagnetic centers in the range of 1.8 to 6 nm in membrane proteins and up to 10 nm in deuterated soluble proteins can be measured by the DEER technique. The number of paramagnetic centers and their relative orientation can be characterized. DEER does not require crystallization and is not limited with respect to the size of the protein or protein complex. Diamagnetic proteins are accessible by site-directed spin labeling. To characterize structure or structural changes, experimental protocols were optimized and techniques for artifact suppression were introduced. Data analysis programs were developed, and it was realized that interpretation of the distance distributions must take into account the conformational distribution of spin labels. First methods have appeared for deriving structural models from a small number of distance constraints. The present scope and limitations of the technique are illustrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Jeschke
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Switzerland.
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40
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Hatmal MM, Li Y, Hegde BG, Hegde PB, Jao CC, Langen R, Haworth IS. Computer modeling of nitroxide spin labels on proteins. Biopolymers 2012; 97:35-44. [PMID: 21792846 PMCID: PMC3422567 DOI: 10.1002/bip.21699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2011] [Revised: 06/24/2011] [Accepted: 06/25/2011] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Electron paramagnetic resonance using site-directed spin labeling can be used as an approach for determination of protein structures that are difficult to solve by other methods. One important aspect of this approach is the measurement of interlabel distances using the double electron-electron resonance (DEER) method. Interpretation of experimental data could be facilitated by a computational approach to calculation of interlabel distances. We describe an algorithm, PRONOX, for rapid computation of interlabel distances based on calculation of spin label conformer distributions at any site of a protein. The program incorporates features of the label distribution established experimentally, including weighting of favorable conformers of the label. Distances calculated by PRONOX were compared with new DEER distances for amphiphysin and annexin B12 and with published data for FCHo2 (F-BAR), endophilin, and α-synuclein, a total of 44 interlabel distances. The program reproduced these distances accurately (r(2) = 0.94, slope = 0.98). For 9 of the 11 distances for amphiphysin, PRONOX reproduced the experimental data to within 2.5 Å. The speed and accuracy of PRONOX suggest that the algorithm can be used for fitting to DEER data for determination of protein tertiary structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ma’mon M. Hatmal
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern CA, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033-9151, USA
| | - Yiyu Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern CA, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Balachandra G. Hegde
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern California, 1501 San Pablo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Prabhavati B. Hegde
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern California, 1501 San Pablo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Christine C. Jao
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern California, 1501 San Pablo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Ralf Langen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033-9151, USA
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, University of Southern California, 1501 San Pablo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Ian S. Haworth
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern CA, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033-9151, USA
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41
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Broad disorder and the allosteric mechanism of myosin II regulation by phosphorylation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:8218-23. [PMID: 21536903 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1014137108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Double electron electron resonance EPR methods was used to measure the effects of the allosteric modulators, phosphorylation, and ATP, on the distances and distance distributions between the two regulatory light chain of myosin (RLC). Three different states of smooth muscle myosin (SMM) were studied: monomers, the short-tailed subfragment heavy meromyosin, and SMM filaments. We reconstituted myosin with nine single cysteine spin-labeled RLC. For all mutants we found a broad distribution of distances that could not be explained by spin-label rotamer diversity. For SMM and heavy meromyosin, several sites showed two heterogeneous populations in the unphosphorylated samples, whereas only one was observed after phosphorylation. The data were consistent with the presence of two coexisting heterogeneous populations of structures in the unphosphorylated samples. The two populations were attributed to an on and off state by comparing data from unphosphorylated and phosphorylated samples. Models of these two states were generated using a rigid body docking approach derived from EM [Wendt T, Taylor D, Trybus KM, Taylor K (2001) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98:4361-4366] (PNAS, 2001, 98:4361-4366), but our data revealed a new feature of the off-state, which is heterogeneity in the orientation of the two RLC. Our average off-state structure was very similar to the Wendt model reveal a new feature of the off state, which is heterogeneity in the orientations of the two RLC. As found previously in the EM study, our on-state structure was completely different from the off-state structure. The heads are splayed out and there is even more heterogeneity in the orientations of the two RLC.
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42
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Kim S, Brandon S, Zhou Z, Cobb CE, Edwards SJ, Moth CW, Parry CS, Smith JA, Lybrand TP, Hustedt EJ, Beth AH. Determination of structural models of the complex between the cytoplasmic domain of erythrocyte band 3 and ankyrin-R repeats 13-24. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:20746-57. [PMID: 21493712 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.230326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The adaptor protein ankyrin-R interacts via its membrane binding domain with the cytoplasmic domain of the anion exchange protein (AE1) and via its spectrin binding domain with the spectrin-based membrane skeleton in human erythrocytes. This set of interactions provides a bridge between the lipid bilayer and the membrane skeleton, thereby stabilizing the membrane. Crystal structures for the dimeric cytoplasmic domain of AE1 (cdb3) and for a 12-ankyrin repeat segment (repeats 13-24) from the membrane binding domain of ankyrin-R (AnkD34) have been reported. However, structural data on how these proteins assemble to form a stable complex have not been reported. In the current studies, site-directed spin labeling, in combination with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and double electron-electron resonance, has been utilized to map the binding interfaces of the two proteins in the complex and to obtain inter-protein distance constraints. These data have been utilized to construct a family of structural models that are consistent with the full range of experimental data. These models indicate that an extensive area on the peripheral domain of cdb3 binds to ankyrin repeats 18-20 on the top loop surface of AnkD34 primarily through hydrophobic interactions. This is a previously uncharacterized surface for binding of cdb3 to AnkD34. Because a second dimer of cdb3 is known to bind to ankyrin repeats 7-12 of the membrane binding domain of ankyrin-R, the current models have significant implications regarding the structural nature of a tetrameric form of AE1 that is hypothesized to be involved in binding to full-length ankyrin-R in the erythrocyte membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunghoon Kim
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-0615, USA
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43
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Kathuria SV, Guo L, Graceffa R, Barrea R, Nobrega RP, Matthews CR, Irving TC, Bilsel O. Minireview: structural insights into early folding events using continuous-flow time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering. Biopolymers 2011; 95:550-8. [PMID: 21442608 DOI: 10.1002/bip.21628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2011] [Revised: 03/15/2011] [Accepted: 03/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful method for obtaining quantitative structural information on the size and shape of proteins, and it is increasingly used in kinetic studies of folding and association reactions. In this minireview, we discuss recent developments in using SAXS to obtain structural information on the unfolded ensemble and early folding intermediates of proteins using continuous-flow mixing devices. Interfacing of these micromachined devices to SAXS beamlines has allowed access to the microsecond time regime. The experimental constraints in implementation of turbulence and laminar flow-based mixers with SAXS detection and a comparison of the two approaches are presented. Current improvements and future prospects of microsecond time-resolved SAXS and the synergy with ab initio structure prediction and molecular dynamics simulations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagar V Kathuria
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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44
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Jeschke G. Interpretation of Dipolar EPR Data in Terms of Protein Structure. STRUCTURAL INFORMATION FROM SPIN-LABELS AND INTRINSIC PARAMAGNETIC CENTRES IN THE BIOSCIENCES 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/430_2011_61] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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45
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Cooke JA, Brown LJ. Distance measurements by continuous wave EPR spectroscopy to monitor protein folding. Methods Mol Biol 2011; 752:73-96. [PMID: 21713632 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60327-223-0_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Site-Directed Spin Labeling Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (SDSL-EPR) offers a powerful method for the structural analysis of protein folds. This method can be used to test and build secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structural models as well as measure protein conformational changes in solution. Insertion of two cysteine residues into the protein backbone using molecular biology methods and the subsequent labeling of the cysteine residues with a paramagnetic spin label enables the technique of EPR to be used as a molecular spectroscopic ruler. EPR measures the dipolar interaction between pairs of paramagnetic spin labels to yield internitroxide distances from which quantitative structural information on a protein fold can then be obtained. Interspin dipolar interaction between two spin labels at less than 25 Å are measured using continuous wave (CW) EPR methods. As for any low-resolution distance methods, the positioning of the spin labels and the number of distance constraints to be measured are dependent on the structural question being asked, thus a pattern approach for using distance sets to decipher structure mapping, including protein folds and conformational changes associated with biological activity, is essential. Practical guidelines and hints for the technique of SDSL-EPR are described in this chapter, including methods for spin labeling the protein backbone, CW-EPR data collection at physiological temperatures and two semiquantitative analysis methods to extract interspin distance information from the CW-EPR spectra.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Cooke
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Polyhach Y, Bordignon E, Jeschke G. Rotamer libraries of spin labelled cysteines for protein studies. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2010; 13:2356-66. [PMID: 21116569 DOI: 10.1039/c0cp01865a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 348] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Studies of structure and dynamics of proteins using site-directed spin labelling rely on explicit modelling of spin label conformations. The large computational effort associated with such modelling with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be avoided by a rotamer library approach based on a coarse-grained representation of the conformational space of the spin label. We show here that libraries of about 200 rotamers, obtained by iterative projection of a long MD trajectory of the free spin label onto a set of canonical dihedral angles, provide a representation of the underlying trajectory adequate for EPR distance measurements. Rotamer analysis was performed on selected X-ray structures of spin labelled T4 lysozyme mutants to characterize the spin label rotamer ensemble on a single protein site. Furthermore, predictions based on the rotamer library approach are shown to be in nearly quantitative agreement with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) distance data on the Na(+)/H(+) antiporter NhaA and on the light-harvesting complex LHCII whose structures are known from independent cryo electron microscopy and X-ray studies, respectively. Suggestions for the selection of labelling sites in proteins are given, limitations of the approach discussed, and requirements for further development are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yevhen Polyhach
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
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Kroncke BM, Horanyi PS, Columbus L. Structural origins of nitroxide side chain dynamics on membrane protein α-helical sites. Biochemistry 2010; 49:10045-60. [PMID: 20964375 PMCID: PMC2991438 DOI: 10.1021/bi101148w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the structure and dynamics of membrane proteins in their native, hydrophobic environment is important to understanding how these proteins function. EPR spectroscopy in combination with site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) can measure dynamics and structure of membrane proteins in their native lipid environment; however, until now the dynamics measured have been qualitative due to limited knowledge of the nitroxide spin label's intramolecular motion in the hydrophobic environment. Although several studies have elucidated the structural origins of EPR line shapes of water-soluble proteins, EPR spectra of nitroxide spin-labeled proteins in detergents or lipids have characteristic differences from their water-soluble counterparts, suggesting significant differences in the underlying molecular motion of the spin label between the two environments. To elucidate these differences, membrane-exposed α-helical sites of the leucine transporter, LeuT, from Aquifex aeolicus, were investigated using X-ray crystallography, mutational analysis, nitroxide side chain derivatives, and spectral simulations in order to obtain a motional model of the nitroxide. For each crystal structure, the nitroxide ring of a disulfide-linked spin label side chain (R1) is resolved and makes contacts with hydrophobic residues on the protein surface. The spin label at site I204 on LeuT makes a nontraditional hydrogen bond with the ortho-hydrogen on its nearest neighbor F208, whereas the spin label at site F177 makes multiple van der Waals contacts with a hydrophobic pocket formed with an adjacent helix. These results coupled with the spectral effect of mutating the i ± 3, 4 residues suggest that the spin label has a greater affinity for its local protein environment in the low dielectric than on a water-soluble protein surface. The simulations of the EPR spectra presented here suggest the spin label oscillates about the terminal bond nearest the ring while maintaining weak contact with the protein surface. Combined, the results provide a starting point for determining a motional model for R1 on membrane proteins, allowing quantification of nitroxide dynamics in the aliphatic environment of detergent and lipids. In addition, initial contributions to a rotamer library of R1 on membrane proteins are provided, which will assist in reliably modeling the R1 conformational space for pulsed dipolar EPR and NMR paramagnetic relaxation enhancement distance determination.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Linda Columbus
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Linda Columbus: University of Virginia, Department of Chemistry, McCormick Rd, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, phone: (434) 243-2123, fax: (434) 924-3710,
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Kazmier K, Alexander NS, Meiler J, McHaourab HS. Algorithm for selection of optimized EPR distance restraints for de novo protein structure determination. J Struct Biol 2010; 173:549-57. [PMID: 21074624 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2010.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2010] [Revised: 10/25/2010] [Accepted: 11/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A hybrid protein structure determination approach combining sparse Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) distance restraints and Rosetta de novo protein folding has been previously demonstrated to yield high quality models (Alexander et al. (2008)). However, widespread application of this methodology to proteins of unknown structures is hindered by the lack of a general strategy to place spin label pairs in the primary sequence. In this work, we report the development of an algorithm that optimally selects spin labeling positions for the purpose of distance measurements by EPR. For the α-helical subdomain of T4 lysozyme (T4L), simulated restraints that maximize sequence separation between the two spin labels while simultaneously ensuring pairwise connectivity of secondary structure elements yielded vastly improved models by Rosetta folding. 54% of all these models have the correct fold compared to only 21% and 8% correctly folded models when randomly placed restraints or no restraints are used, respectively. Moreover, the improvements in model quality require a limited number of optimized restraints, which is determined by the pairwise connectivities of T4L α-helices. The predicted improvement in Rosetta model quality was verified by experimental determination of distances between spin labels pairs selected by the algorithm. Overall, our results reinforce the rationale for the combined use of sparse EPR distance restraints and de novo folding. By alleviating the experimental bottleneck associated with restraint selection, this algorithm sets the stage for extending computational structure determination to larger, traditionally elusive protein topologies of critical structural and biochemical importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelli Kazmier
- Chemical and Physical Biology Program, 340 Light Hall, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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Hirst SJ, Alexander N, McHaourab HS, Meiler J. RosettaEPR: an integrated tool for protein structure determination from sparse EPR data. J Struct Biol 2010; 173:506-14. [PMID: 21029778 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2010.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2010] [Revised: 10/19/2010] [Accepted: 10/21/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Site-directed spin labeling electron paramagnetic resonance (SDSL-EPR) is often used for the structural characterization of proteins that elude other techniques, such as X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). However, high-resolution structures are difficult to obtain due to uncertainty in the spin label location and sparseness of experimental data. Here, we introduce RosettaEPR, which has been designed to improve de novo high-resolution protein structure prediction using sparse SDSL-EPR distance data. The "motion-on-a-cone" spin label model is converted into a knowledge-based potential, which was implemented as a scoring term in Rosetta. RosettaEPR increased the fractions of correctly folded models ( [Formula: see text] <7.5Å) and models accurate at medium resolution ( [Formula: see text] <3.5Å) by 25%. The correlation of score and model quality increased from 0.42 when using no restraints to 0.51 when using bounded restraints and again to 0.62 when using RosettaEPR. This allowed for the selection of accurate models by score. After full-atom refinement, RosettaEPR yielded a 1.7Å model of T4-lysozyme, thus indicating that atomic detail models can be achieved by combining sparse EPR data with Rosetta. While these results indicate RosettaEPR's potential utility in high-resolution protein structure prediction, they are based on a single example. In order to affirm the method's general performance, it must be tested on a larger and more versatile dataset of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie J Hirst
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
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Mansoor SE, Dewitt MA, Farrens DL. Distance mapping in proteins using fluorescence spectroscopy: the tryptophan-induced quenching (TrIQ) method. Biochemistry 2010; 49:9722-31. [PMID: 20886836 DOI: 10.1021/bi100907m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Studying the interplay between protein structure and function remains a daunting task. Especially lacking are methods for measuring structural changes in real time. Here we report our most recent improvements to a method that can be used to address such challenges. This method, which we now call tryptophan-induced quenching (TrIQ), provides a straightforward, sensitive, and inexpensive way to address questions of conformational dynamics and short-range protein interactions. Importantly, TrIQ only occurs over relatively short distances (∼5-15 Å), making it complementary to traditional fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) methods that occur over distances too large for precise studies of protein structure. As implied in the name, TrIQ measures the efficient quenching induced in some fluorophores by tryptophan (Trp). We present here our analysis of the TrIQ effect for five different fluorophores that span a range of sizes and spectral properties. Each probe was attached to four different cysteine residues on T4 lysozyme, and the extent of TrIQ caused by a nearby Trp was measured. Our results show that, at least for smaller probes, the extent of TrIQ is distance dependent. Moreover, we also demonstrate how TrIQ data can be analyzed to determine the fraction of fluorophores involved in a static, nonfluorescent complex with Trp. Based on this analysis, our study shows that each fluorophore has a different TrIQ profile, or "sphere of quenching", which correlates with its size, rotational flexibility, and the length of attachment linker. This TrIQ-based "sphere of quenching" is unique to every Trp-probe pair and reflects the distance within which one can expect to see the TrIQ effect. Thus,TrIQ provides a straightforward, readily accessible approach for mapping distances within proteins and monitoring conformational changes using fluorescence spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven E Mansoor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239-3098, United States
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