1
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Licht JA, Berry SP, Gutierrez MA, Gaudet R. They all rock: A systematic comparison of conformational movements in LeuT-fold transporters. Structure 2024; 32:1528-1543.e3. [PMID: 39025067 PMCID: PMC11380583 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Many membrane transporters share the LeuT fold-two five-helix repeats inverted across the membrane plane. Despite hundreds of structures, whether distinct conformational mechanisms are supported by the LeuT fold has not been systematically determined. After annotating published LeuT-fold structures, we analyzed distance difference matrices (DDMs) for nine proteins with multiple available conformations. We identified rigid bodies and relative movements of transmembrane helices (TMs) during distinct steps of the transport cycle. In all transporters, the bundle (first two TMs of each repeat) rotates relative to the hash (third and fourth TMs). Motions of the arms (fifth TM) to close or open the intracellular and outer vestibules are common, as is a TM1a swing, with notable variations in the opening-closing motions of the outer vestibule. Our analyses suggest that LeuT-fold transporters layer distinct motions on a common bundle-hash rock and demonstrate that systematic analyses can provide new insights into large structural datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Licht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Samuel P Berry
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Michael A Gutierrez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Rachelle Gaudet
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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2
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Yang T, Nian Y, Lin H, Li J, Lin X, Li T, Wang R, Wang L, Beattie GA, Zhang J, Fan M. Structure and mechanism of the osmoregulated choline transporter BetT. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eado6229. [PMID: 39141726 PMCID: PMC11323884 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado6229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
The choline-glycine betaine pathway plays an important role in bacterial survival in hyperosmotic environments. Osmotic activation of the choline transporter BetT promotes the uptake of external choline for synthesizing the osmoprotective glycine betaine. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of Pseudomonas syringae BetT in the apo and choline-bound states. Our structure shows that BetT forms a domain-swapped trimer with the C-terminal domain (CTD) of one protomer interacting with the transmembrane domain (TMD) of a neighboring protomer. The substrate choline is bound within a tryptophan prism at the central part of TMD. Together with functional characterization, our results suggest that in Pseudomonas species, including the plant pathogen P. syringae and the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, BetT is locked at a low-activity state through CTD-mediated autoinhibition in the absence of osmotic stress, and its hyperosmotic activation involves the release of this autoinhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianjiao Yang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Yuwei Nian
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Huajian Lin
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jing Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Xiang Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Tianming Li
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ruiying Wang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Longfei Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Gwyn A. Beattie
- Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Jinru Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Minrui Fan
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant Carbon Capture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
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3
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Currie MJ, Davies JS, Scalise M, Gulati A, Wright JD, Newton-Vesty MC, Abeysekera GS, Subramanian R, Wahlgren WY, Friemann R, Allison JR, Mace PD, Griffin MDW, Demeler B, Wakatsuki S, Drew D, Indiveri C, Dobson RCJ, North RA. Structural and biophysical analysis of a Haemophilus influenzae tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic (TRAP) transporter. eLife 2024; 12:RP92307. [PMID: 38349818 PMCID: PMC10942642 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Tripartite ATP-independent periplasmic (TRAP) transporters are secondary-active transporters that receive their substrates via a soluble-binding protein to move bioorganic acids across bacterial or archaeal cell membranes. Recent cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of TRAP transporters provide a broad framework to understand how they work, but the mechanistic details of transport are not yet defined. Here we report the cryo-EM structure of the Haemophilus influenzae N-acetylneuraminate TRAP transporter (HiSiaQM) at 2.99 Å resolution (extending to 2.2 Å at the core), revealing new features. The improved resolution (the previous HiSiaQM structure is 4.7 Å resolution) permits accurate assignment of two Na+ sites and the architecture of the substrate-binding site, consistent with mutagenic and functional data. Moreover, rather than a monomer, the HiSiaQM structure is a homodimer. We observe lipids at the dimer interface, as well as a lipid trapped within the fusion that links the SiaQ and SiaM subunits. We show that the affinity (KD) for the complex between the soluble HiSiaP protein and HiSiaQM is in the micromolar range and that a related SiaP can bind HiSiaQM. This work provides key data that enhances our understanding of the 'elevator-with-an-operator' mechanism of TRAP transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Currie
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and School of Biological Sciences, University of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - James S Davies
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and School of Biological Sciences, University of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Mariafrancesca Scalise
- Department DiBEST (Biologia, Ecologia, Scienze della Terra) Unit of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of CalabriaArcavacata di RendeItaly
| | - Ashutosh Gulati
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Joshua D Wright
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and School of Biological Sciences, University of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Michael C Newton-Vesty
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and School of Biological Sciences, University of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Gayan S Abeysekera
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and School of Biological Sciences, University of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
| | - Ramaswamy Subramanian
- Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, Bindley Bioscience Center, Purdue University West LafayetteWest LafayetteUnited States
| | - Weixiao Y Wahlgren
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Structural Biology, University of GothenburgGothenburgSweden
| | - Rosmarie Friemann
- Centre for Antibiotic Resistance Research (CARe) at University of GothenburgGothenburgSweden
| | - Jane R Allison
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, Digital Life Institute, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, and School of Biological Sciences, University of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Peter D Mace
- Biochemistry Department, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
| | - Michael DW Griffin
- ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Bio Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - Borries Demeler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of MontanaMissoulaUnited States
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of LethbridgeLethbridgeCanada
| | - Soichi Wakatsuki
- Biological Sciences Division, SLAC National Accelerator LaboratoryMenlo ParkUnited States
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - David Drew
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Cesare Indiveri
- Department DiBEST (Biologia, Ecologia, Scienze della Terra) Unit of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of CalabriaArcavacata di RendeItaly
- CNR Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies (IBIOM)BariItaly
| | - Renwick CJ Dobson
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and School of Biological Sciences, University of CanterburyChristchurchNew Zealand
- ARC Centre for Cryo-electron Microscopy of Membrane Proteins, Bio Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - Rachel A North
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of SydneySydneyAustralia
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4
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Drew D, Boudker O. Ion and lipid orchestration of secondary active transport. Nature 2024; 626:963-974. [PMID: 38418916 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07062-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Transporting small molecules across cell membranes is an essential process in cell physiology. Many structurally diverse, secondary active transporters harness transmembrane electrochemical gradients of ions to power the uptake or efflux of nutrients, signalling molecules, drugs and other ions across cell membranes. Transporters reside in lipid bilayers on the interface between two aqueous compartments, where they are energized and regulated by symported, antiported and allosteric ions on both sides of the membrane and the membrane bilayer itself. Here we outline the mechanisms by which transporters couple ion and solute fluxes and discuss how structural and mechanistic variations enable them to meet specific physiological needs and adapt to environmental conditions. We then consider how general bilayer properties and specific lipid binding modulate transporter activity. Together, ion gradients and lipid properties ensure the effective transport, regulation and distribution of small molecules across cell membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Drew
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Olga Boudker
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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5
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Licht JA, Berry SP, Gutierrez MA, Gaudet R. They all rock: A systematic comparison of conformational movements in LeuT-fold transporters. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.24.577062. [PMID: 38352416 PMCID: PMC10862720 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.24.577062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Many membrane transporters share the LeuT fold-two five-helix repeats inverted across the membrane plane. Despite hundreds of structures, whether distinct conformational mechanisms are supported by the LeuT fold has not been systematically determined. After annotating published LeuT-fold structures, we analyzed distance difference matrices (DDMs) for nine proteins with multiple available conformations. We identified rigid bodies and relative movements of transmembrane helices (TMs) during distinct steps of the transport cycle. In all transporters the bundle (first two TMs of each repeat) rotates relative to the hash (third and fourth TMs). Motions of the arms (fifth TM) to close or open the intracellular and outer vestibules are common, as is a TM1a swing, with notable variations in the opening-closing motions of the outer vestibule. Our analyses suggest that LeuT-fold transporters layer distinct motions on a common bundle-hash rock and demonstrate that systematic analyses can provide new insights into large structural datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A. Licht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Samuel P. Berry
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael A. Gutierrez
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Present address: Novartis Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rachelle Gaudet
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Lead contact
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6
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Leone V, Bradshaw RT, Koshy C, Lee PS, Fenollar-Ferrer C, Heinz V, Ziegler C, Forrest LR. Insights into autoregulation of a membrane protein complex by its cytoplasmic domains. Biophys J 2023; 122:577-594. [PMID: 36528790 PMCID: PMC9941749 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane transporters mediate the passage of molecules across membranes and are essential for cellular function. While the transmembrane region of these proteins is responsible for substrate transport, often the cytoplasmic regions are required for modulating their activity. However, it can be difficult to obtain atomic-resolution descriptions of these autoregulatory domains by classical structural biology techniques, especially if they lack a single, defined structure. The betaine permease, BetP, a homotrimer, is a prominent and well-studied example of a membrane protein whose autoregulation depends on cytoplasmic N- and C-terminal segments. These domains sense and transduce changes in K+ concentration and in lipid bilayer properties caused by osmotic stress. However, structural data for these terminal domains is incomplete, which hinders a clear description of the molecular mechanism of autoregulation. Here we used microsecond-scale molecular simulations of the BetP trimer to compare reported conformations of the 45-amino-acid long C-terminal tails. The simulations provide support for the idea that the conformation derived from electron microscopy (EM) data represents a more stable global orientation of the C-terminal segment under downregulating conditions while also providing a detailed molecular description of its dynamics and highlighting specific interactions with lipids, ions, and neighboring transporter subunits. A missing piece of the molecular puzzle is the N-terminal segment, whose dynamic nature has prevented structural characterization. Using Rosetta to generate ensembles of de novo conformations in the context of the EM-derived structure robustly identifies two features of the N-terminal tail, namely 1) short helical elements and 2) an orientation that would confine potential interactions to the protomer in the counterclockwise direction (viewed from the cytoplasm). Since each C-terminal tail only contacts the protomer in the clockwise direction, these results indicate an intricate interplay between the three protomers of BetP in the downregulated protein and a multidirectionality that may facilitate autoregulation of transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Leone
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
| | - Richard T Bradshaw
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Caroline Koshy
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Paul Suhwan Lee
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Cristina Fenollar-Ferrer
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Veronika Heinz
- Department of Structural Biology/Biophysics II, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christine Ziegler
- Department of Structural Biology/Biophysics II, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lucy R Forrest
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
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7
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Ernst M, Ozturk TN, Robertson JL. A single-molecule method for measuring fluorophore labeling yields for the study of membrane protein oligomerization in membranes. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0280693. [PMID: 36662827 PMCID: PMC9858377 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Membrane proteins are often observed as higher-order oligomers, and in some cases in multiple stoichiometric forms, raising the question of whether dynamic oligomerization can be linked to modulation of function. To better understand this potential regulatory mechanism, there is an ongoing effort to quantify equilibrium reactions of membrane protein oligomerization directly in membranes. Single-molecule photobleaching analysis is particularly useful for this as it provides a binary readout of fluorophores attached to protein subunits at dilute conditions. However, any quantification of stoichiometry also critically requires knowing the probability that a subunit is fluorescently labeled. Since labeling uncertainty is often unavoidable, we developed an approach to estimate labeling yields using the photobleaching probability distribution of an intrinsic dimeric control. By iterative fitting of an experimental dimeric photobleaching probability distribution to an expected dimer model, we estimate the fluorophore labeling yields and find agreement with direct measurements of labeling of the purified protein by UV-VIS absorbance before reconstitution. Using this labeling prediction, similar estimation methods are applied to determine the dissociation constant of reactive CLC-ec1 dimerization constructs without prior knowledge of the fluorophore labeling yield. Finally, we estimate the operational range of subunit labeling yields that allows for discrimination of monomer and dimer populations across the reactive range of mole fraction densities. Thus, our study maps out a practical method for quantifying fluorophore labeling directly from single-molecule photobleaching data, improving the ability to quantify reactive membrane protein stoichiometry in membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Ernst
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Tugba N. Ozturk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Theoretical Molecular Biophysics Laboratory, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Janice L. Robertson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
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8
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Ozturk TN, Coumoundouros C, Culham DE, Wood JM. Structural Determinants and Functional Significance of Dimerization for Osmosensing Transporter ProP in Escherichia coli. Biochemistry 2023; 62:118-133. [PMID: 36516499 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Osmosensing transporter ProP forestalls cellular dehydration by detecting environments with high osmotic pressure and mediating the accumulation of organic osmolytes by bacterial cells. It is composed of 12 transmembrane helices with cytoplasmic N- and C-termini. In Escherichia coli, dimers form when the C-terminal domains of ProP molecules form homodimeric, antiparallel, α-helical coiled coils. No dominant negative effect was detected when inactive and active ProP molecules formed heterodimers in vivo. Purification of ProP in detergent dodecylmaltoside yielded monomers, which were functional after reconstitution in proteoliposomes. With other evidence, this suggests that ProP monomers function independently whether in the monomeric or dimeric state. Amino acid replacements that disrupted or reversed the coiled coil did not prevent in vivo dimerization of ProP detected with a bacterial two-hybrid system. Maleimide labeling detected no osmolality-dependent variation in the reactivities of cysteine residues introduced to transmembrane helix (TM) XII. In contrast, coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations detected deformation of the lipid around TMs III and VI, on the lipid-exposed protein surface opposite to TM XII. This suggests that the dimer interface of ProP includes the surfaces of TMs III and VI, not of TM XII as previously suggested by crosslinking data. Homology modeling suggested that coiled-coil formation and dimerization via such an interface are not mutually exclusive. In previous work, alterations to the C-terminal coiled coil blocked co-localization of ProP with phospholipid cardiolipin at E. coli cell poles. Thus, dimerization may contribute to ProP targeting, adjust its lipid environment, and hence indirectly modify its osmotic stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tugba N Ozturk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri63110, United States.,Theoretical Molecular Biophysics Laboratory, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland20814, United States
| | - Chelsea Coumoundouros
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 2 W1
| | - Doreen E Culham
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 2 W1
| | - Janet M Wood
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, CanadaN1G 2 W1
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9
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Del Alamo D, Meiler J, Mchaourab HS. Principles of Alternating Access in LeuT-fold Transporters: Commonalities and Divergences. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167746. [PMID: 35843285 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Found in all domains of life, transporters belonging to the LeuT-fold class mediate the import and exchange of hydrophilic and charged compounds such as amino acids, metals, and sugar molecules. Nearly two decades of investigations on the eponymous bacterial transporter LeuT have yielded a library of high-resolution snapshots of its conformational cycle linked by solution-state experimental data obtained from multiple techniques. In parallel, its topology has been observed in symporters and antiporters characterized by a spectrum of substrate specificities and coupled to gradients of distinct ions. Here we review and compare mechanistic models of transport for LeuT, its well-studied homologs, as well as functionally distant members of the fold, emphasizing the commonalities and divergences in alternating access and the corresponding energy landscapes. Our integrated summary illustrates how fold conservation, a hallmark of the LeuT fold, coincides with divergent choreographies of alternating access that nevertheless capitalize on recurrent structural motifs. In addition, it highlights the knowledge gap that hinders the leveraging of the current body of research into detailed mechanisms of transport for this important class of membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Del Alamo
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. https://twitter.com/DdelAlamo
| | - Jens Meiler
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA; Institute for Drug Discovery, Leipzig University, Leipzig, DE, USA. https://twitter.com/MeilerLab
| | - Hassane S Mchaourab
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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10
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Ottolia M, John S, Hazan A, Goldhaber JI. The Cardiac Na + -Ca 2+ Exchanger: From Structure to Function. Compr Physiol 2021; 12:2681-2717. [PMID: 34964124 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c200031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Ca2+ homeostasis is essential for cell function and survival. As such, the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration is tightly controlled by a wide number of specialized Ca2+ handling proteins. One among them is the Na+ -Ca2+ exchanger (NCX), a ubiquitous plasma membrane transporter that exploits the electrochemical gradient of Na+ to drive Ca2+ out of the cell, against its concentration gradient. In this critical role, this secondary transporter guides vital physiological processes such as Ca2+ homeostasis, muscle contraction, bone formation, and memory to name a few. Herein, we review the progress made in recent years about the structure of the mammalian NCX and how it relates to function. Particular emphasis will be given to the mammalian cardiac isoform, NCX1.1, due to the extensive studies conducted on this protein. Given the degree of conservation among the eukaryotic exchangers, the information highlighted herein will provide a foundation for our understanding of this transporter family. We will discuss gene structure, alternative splicing, topology, regulatory mechanisms, and NCX's functional role on cardiac physiology. Throughout this article, we will attempt to highlight important milestones in the field and controversial topics where future studies are required. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 12:1-37, 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Ottolia
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Division of Molecular Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Scott John
- Department of Medicine (Cardiology), UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Adina Hazan
- Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Joshua I Goldhaber
- Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
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11
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Ernst M, Robertson JL. The Role of the Membrane in Transporter Folding and Activity. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167103. [PMID: 34139219 PMCID: PMC8756397 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The synthesis, folding, and function of membrane transport proteins are critical factors for defining cellular physiology. Since the stability of these proteins evolved amidst the lipid bilayer, it is no surprise that we are finding that many of these membrane proteins demonstrate coupling of their structure or activity in some way to the membrane. More and more transporter structures are being determined with some information about the surrounding membrane, and computational modeling is providing further molecular details about these solvation structures. Thus, the field is moving towards identifying which molecular mechanisms - lipid interactions, membrane perturbations, differential solvation, and bulk membrane effects - are involved in linking membrane energetics to transporter stability and function. In this review, we present an overview of these mechanisms and the growing evidence that the lipid bilayer is a major determinant of the fold, form, and function of membrane transport proteins in membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Ernst
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Janice L Robertson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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12
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Cheng MH, Ponzoni L, Sorkina T, Lee JY, Zhang S, Sorkin A, Bahar I. Trimerization of dopamine transporter triggered by AIM-100 binding: Molecular mechanism and effect of mutations. Neuropharmacology 2019; 161:107676. [PMID: 31228486 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Recent work demonstrated the propensity of dopamine transporters (DATs) to form trimers or higher oligomers, enhanced upon binding a furopyrimidine, AIM-100. AIM-100 binding promotes DAT endocytosis and thereby moderates dopaminergic transmission. Despite the neurobiological significance of these events, the molecular mechanisms that underlie the stabilization of DAT trimer and the key interactions that modulate the trimerization of DAT, and not serotonin transporter SERT, remain unclear. In the present study, we determined three structural models, termed trimer-W238, -C306 and -Y303, for possible trimerization of DATs . To this aim, we used structural data resolved for DAT and its structural homologs that share the LeuT fold, advanced computational modeling and simulations, site-directed mutagenesis experiments and live-cell imaging assays. The models are in accord with the versatility of LeuT fold to stabilize dimeric or higher order constructs. Selected residues show a high propensity to occupy interfacial regions. Among them, D231-W238 in the extracellular loop EL2, including the intersubunit salt-bridge forming pair D231/D232-R237 (not present in SERT) (in trimer-W238), the loop EL3 (trimers-C306 and -Y303), and W497 on the intracellularly exposed IL5 loop (trimer-C306) and its spatial neighbors (e.g. K525) near the C-terminus are computationally predicted and experimentally confirmed to play important roles in enabling the correct folding and/or oligomerization of DATs in the presence of AIM-100. The study suggests the possibility of controlling the effective transport of dopamine by altering the oligomerization state of DAT upon small molecule binding, as a possible intervention strategy to modulate dopaminergic signaling. This article is part of the issue entitled 'Special Issue on Neurotransmitter Transporters'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Hongying Cheng
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Luca Ponzoni
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Tatiana Sorkina
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ji Young Lee
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - She Zhang
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Alexander Sorkin
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ivet Bahar
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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Ponzoni L, Zhang S, Cheng MH, Bahar I. Shared dynamics of LeuT superfamily members and allosteric differentiation by structural irregularities and multimerization. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0177. [PMID: 29735731 PMCID: PMC5941172 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The LeuT-fold superfamily includes secondary active transporters from different functional families, which share a common tertiary structure, despite having a remarkably low sequence similarity. By identifying the common structural and dynamical features upon principal component analysis of a comprehensive ensemble of 90 experimentally resolved structures and anisotropic network model evaluation of collective motions, we provide a unified point of view for understanding the reasons why this particular fold has been selected by evolution to accomplish such a broad spectrum of functions. The parallel identification of conserved sequence features, localized at specific sites of transmembrane helices, sheds light on the role of broken helices (TM1 and TM6 in LeuT) in promoting ion/substrate binding and allosteric interconversion between the outward- and inward-facing conformations of transporters. Finally, the determination of the dynamics landscape for the structural ensemble provides a promising framework for the classification of transporters based on their dynamics, and the characterization of the collective movements that favour multimerization.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Allostery and molecular machines'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Ponzoni
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - She Zhang
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Mary Hongying Cheng
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Ivet Bahar
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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14
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Comparison of the functional properties of trimeric and monomeric CaiT of Escherichia coli. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3787. [PMID: 30846799 PMCID: PMC6406002 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40516-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Secondary transporters exist as monomers, dimers or higher state oligomers. The significance of the oligomeric state is only partially understood. Here, the significance of the trimeric state of the L-carnitine/γ-butyrobetaine antiporter CaiT of Escherichia coli was investigated. Amino acids important for trimer stability were identified and experimentally verified. Among others, CaiT-D288A and -D288R proved to be mostly monomeric in detergent solution and after reconstitution into proteoliposomes, as shown by blue native gel electrophoresis, gel filtration, and determination of intermolecular distances. CaiT-D288A was fully functional with kinetic parameters similar to the trimeric wild-type. Significant differences in amount and stability in the cell membrane between monomeric and trimeric CaiT were not observed. Contrary to trimeric CaiT, addition of substrate had no or only a minor effect on the tryptophan fluorescence of monomeric CaiT. The results suggest that physical contacts between protomers are important for the substrate-induced changes in protein fluorescence and the underlying conformational alterations.
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15
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Leone V, Waclawska I, Kossmann K, Koshy C, Sharma M, Prisner TF, Ziegler C, Endeward B, Forrest LR. Interpretation of spectroscopic data using molecular simulations for the secondary active transporter BetP. J Gen Physiol 2019; 151:381-394. [PMID: 30728216 PMCID: PMC6400524 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201812111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanistic understanding of dynamic membrane proteins such as transporters, receptors, and channels requires accurate depictions of conformational ensembles, and the manner in which they interchange as a function of environmental factors including substrates, lipids, and inhibitors. Spectroscopic techniques such as electron spin resonance (ESR) pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR), also known as double electron-electron resonance (DEER), provide a complement to atomistic structures obtained from x-ray crystallography or cryo-EM, since spectroscopic data reflect an ensemble and can be measured in more native solvents, unperturbed by a crystal lattice. However, attempts to interpret DEER data are frequently stymied by discrepancies with the structural data, which may arise due to differences in conditions, the dynamics of the protein, or the flexibility of the attached paramagnetic spin labels. Recently, molecular simulation techniques such as EBMetaD have been developed that create a conformational ensemble matching an experimental distance distribution while applying the minimal possible bias. Moreover, it has been proposed that the work required during an EBMetaD simulation to match an experimentally determined distribution could be used as a metric with which to assign conformational states to a given measurement. Here, we demonstrate the application of this concept for a sodium-coupled transport protein, BetP. Because the probe, protein, and lipid bilayer are all represented in atomic detail, the different contributions to the work, such as the extent of protein backbone movements, can be separated. This work therefore illustrates how ranking simulations based on EBMetaD can help to bridge the gap between structural and biophysical data and thereby enhance our understanding of membrane protein conformational mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Leone
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | | | - Katharina Kossmann
- Institute of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Caroline Koshy
- Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Monika Sharma
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Thomas F Prisner
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christine Ziegler
- Institute of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Burkhard Endeward
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Lucy R Forrest
- Computational Structural Biology Section, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
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16
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Trefz M, Keller R, Vogt M, Schneider D. The GlpF residue Trp219 is part of an amino-acid cluster crucial for aquaglyceroporin oligomerization and function. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2017; 1860:887-894. [PMID: 29069569 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2017.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The vestibule loop regions of aquaglyceroporins are involved in accumulation of glycerol inside the channel pore. Even though most loop regions do not show high sequence similarity among aquaglyceroporins, loop E is highly conserved in aquaglyceroporins, but not in members of the homologous aquaporins. Specifically, a tryptophan residue is extremely conserved within this loop. We have investigated the role of this residue (Trp219) that deeply protrudes into the protein and potentially interacts with adjacent loops, using the E. coli aqualgyeroporin GlpF as a model. Replacement of Trp219 affects the activity of GlpF and impairs the stability of the tetrameric protein. Furthermore, we have identified an amino acid cluster involving Trp219 that stabilizes the GlpF tetramer. Based on our results we propose that Trp219 is key for formation of a defined vestibule structure, which is crucial for glycerol accumulation as well as for the stability of the active GlpF tetramer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margareta Trefz
- Johannes Gutenberg University, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 30, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Rebecca Keller
- Johannes Gutenberg University, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 30, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Miriam Vogt
- Johannes Gutenberg University, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 30, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Dirk Schneider
- Johannes Gutenberg University, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 30, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
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17
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Transporter oligomerization: form and function. Biochem Soc Trans 2017; 44:1737-1744. [PMID: 27913684 PMCID: PMC5134999 DOI: 10.1042/bst20160217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Revised: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Transporters are integral membrane proteins with central roles in the efficient movement of molecules across biological membranes. Many transporters exist as oligomers in the membrane. Depending on the individual transport protein, oligomerization can have roles in membrane trafficking, function, regulation and turnover. For example, our recent studies on UapA, a nucleobase ascorbate transporter, from Aspergillus nidulans, have revealed both that dimerization of this protein is essential for correct trafficking to the membrane and the structural basis of how one UapA protomer can affect the function of the closely associated adjacent protomer. Here, we review the roles of oligomerization in many particularly well-studied transporters and transporter families.
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18
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Stecula A, Schlessinger A, Giacomini KM, Sali A. Human Concentrative Nucleoside Transporter 3 (hCNT3, SLC28A3) Forms a Cyclic Homotrimer. Biochemistry 2017; 56:3475-3483. [PMID: 28661652 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Many anticancer and antiviral drugs are purine or pyrimidine analogues, which use membrane transporters to cross cellular membranes. Concentrative nucleoside transporters (CNTs) mediate the salvage of nucleosides and the transport of therapeutic nucleoside analogues across plasma membranes by coupling the transport of ligands to the sodium gradient. Of the three members of the human CNT family, CNT3 has the broadest selectivity and the widest expression profile. However, the molecular mechanisms of the transporter, including how it interacts with and translocates structurally diverse nucleosides and nucleoside analogues, are unclear. Recently, the crystal structure of vcCNT showed that the prokaryotic homologue of CNT3 forms a homotrimer. In this study, we successfully expressed and purified the wild type human homologue, hCNT3, demonstrating the homotrimer by size exclusion profiles and glutaraldehyde cross-linking. Further, by creating a series of cysteine mutants at highly conserved positions guided by comparative structure models, we cross-linked hCNT3 protomers in a cell-based assay, thus showing the existence of hCNT3 homotrimers in human cells. The presence and absence of cross-links at specific locations along TM9 informs us of important structural differences between vcCNT and hCNT3. Comparative modeling of the trimerization domain and sequence coevolution analysis both indicate that oligomerization is critical to the stability and function of hCNT3. In particular, trimerization appears to shorten the translocation path for nucleosides across the plasma membrane and may allow modulation of the transport function via allostery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Stecula
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Avner Schlessinger
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , New York, New York 10029, United States
| | - Kathleen M Giacomini
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, California 94158, United States.,California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, California 94158, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, California 94158, United States.,Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Andrej Sali
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, California 94158, United States.,California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, California 94158, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, California 94158, United States
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19
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Kern C, Erdem FA, El-Kasaby A, Sandtner W, Freissmuth M, Sucic S. The N Terminus Specifies the Switch between Transport Modes of the Human Serotonin Transporter. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:3603-3613. [PMID: 28104804 PMCID: PMC5339746 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.771360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Revised: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The serotonin transporter (SERT) and other monoamine transporters operate in either a forward transport mode where the transporter undergoes a full transport cycle or an exchange mode where the transporter seesaws through half-cycles. Amphetamines trigger the exchange mode, leading to substrate efflux. This efflux was proposed to rely on the N terminus, which was suggested to adopt different conformations in the inward facing, outward facing and amphetamine-bound states. This prediction was verified by tryptic digestion of SERT-expressing membranes: in the absence of Na+, the N terminus was rapidly digested. Amphetamine conferred protection against cleavage, suggesting a relay between the conformational states of the hydrophobic core and the N terminus. We searched for a candidate segment that supported the conformational switch by serial truncation removing 22 (ΔN22), 32 (ΔN32), or 42 (ΔN42) N-terminal residues. This did not affect surface expression, inhibitor binding, and substrate influx. However, amphetamine-induced efflux by SERT-ΔN32 or SERT-ΔN42 (but not by SERT-ΔN22) was markedly diminished. We examined the individual steps in the transport cycle by recording transporter-associated currents: the recovery rate of capacitive peak, but not of steady state, currents was significantly lower for SERT-ΔN32 than that of wild type SERT and SERT-ΔN22. Thus, the exchange mode of SERT-ΔN32 was selectively impaired. Our observations show that the N terminus affords the switch between transport modes. The findings are consistent with a model where the N terminus acts as a lever to support amphetamine-induced efflux by SERT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Kern
- From the Institute of Pharmacology, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Fatma Asli Erdem
- From the Institute of Pharmacology, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ali El-Kasaby
- From the Institute of Pharmacology, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Walter Sandtner
- From the Institute of Pharmacology, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Freissmuth
- From the Institute of Pharmacology, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sonja Sucic
- From the Institute of Pharmacology, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
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20
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Grouleff J, Søndergaard S, Koldsø H, Schiøtt B. Properties of an inward-facing state of LeuT: conformational stability and substrate release. Biophys J 2016; 108:1390-1399. [PMID: 25809252 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2015.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2014] [Revised: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The leucine transporter (LeuT) is a bacterial homolog of the human monoamine transporters, which are important pharmaceutical targets. There are no high-resolution structures of the human transporters available; however, LeuT has been crystallized in several different conformational states. Recently, an inward-facing conformation of LeuT was solved revealing an unexpectedly large movement of transmembrane helix 1a (TM1a). We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of the mutated and wild-type transporter, with and without the cocrystallized Fab antibody fragment, to investigate the properties of this inward-facing conformation in relation to transport by LeuT within the membrane environment. In all of the simulations, local conformational changes with respect to the crystal structure are consistently observed, especially in TM1a. Umbrella sampling revealed a soft potential for TM1a tilting. Furthermore, simulations of inward-facing LeuT with Na(+) ions and substrate bound suggest that one of the Na(+) ion binding sites is fully disrupted. Release of alanine and the second Na(+) ion is also observed, giving insight into the final stage of the translocation process in atomistic detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Grouleff
- Center for Insoluble Protein Structures and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Siri Søndergaard
- Center for Insoluble Protein Structures and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Heidi Koldsø
- Center for Insoluble Protein Structures and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Birgit Schiøtt
- Center for Insoluble Protein Structures and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
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21
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Güler G, Gärtner RM, Ziegler C, Mäntele W. Lipid-Protein Interactions in the Regulated Betaine Symporter BetP Probed by Infrared Spectroscopy. J Biol Chem 2015; 291:4295-307. [PMID: 26592930 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.621979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The Na(+)-coupled betaine symporter BetP senses changes in the membrane state and increasing levels of cytoplasmic K(+) during hyperosmotic stress latter via its C-terminal domain and regulates transport activity according to both stimuli. This intriguing sensing and regulation behavior of BetP was intensively studied in the past. It was shown by several biochemical studies that activation and regulation depends crucially on the lipid composition of the surrounding membrane. In fact, BetP is active and regulated only when negatively charged lipids are present. Recent structural studies have revealed binding of phosphatidylglycerol lipids to functional important parts of BetP, suggesting a functional role of lipid interactions. However, a regulatory role of lipid interactions could only be speculated from the snapshot provided by the crystal structure. Here, we investigate the nature of lipid-protein interactions of BetP reconstituted in closely packed two-dimensional crystals of negatively charged lipids and probed at the molecular level with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The FTIR data indicate that K(+) binding weakens the interaction of BetP especially with the anionic lipid head groups. We suggest a regulation mechanism in which lipid-protein interactions, especially with the C-terminal domain and the functional important gating helices transmembrane helice 3 (TMH3) and TMH12, confine BetP to its down-regulated transport state. As BetP is also activated by changes in the physical state of the membrane, our results point toward a more general mechanism of how active transport can be modified by dynamic lipid-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Günnur Güler
- From the Goethe-University, Institute of Biophysics, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 1, D-60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Rebecca M Gärtner
- Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Department of Structural Biology, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 3, D-60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and
| | - Christine Ziegler
- Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Department of Structural Biology, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 3, D-60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and University of Regensburg, Faculty of Biology and Preclinical Medicine, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93051, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Werner Mäntele
- From the Goethe-University, Institute of Biophysics, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 1, D-60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany,
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22
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Folding energetics and oligomerization of polytopic α-helical transmembrane proteins. Arch Biochem Biophys 2014; 564:281-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2014.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2014] [Revised: 06/26/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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23
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Perez C, Faust B, Mehdipour AR, Francesconi KA, Forrest LR, Ziegler C. Substrate-bound outward-open state of the betaine transporter BetP provides insights into Na+ coupling. Nat Commun 2014; 5:4231. [PMID: 25023443 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The Na(+)-coupled betaine symporter BetP shares a highly conserved fold with other sequence unrelated secondary transporters, for example, with neurotransmitter symporters. Recently, we obtained atomic structures of BetP in distinct conformational states, which elucidated parts of its alternating-access mechanism. Here, we report a structure of BetP in a new outward-open state in complex with an anomalous scattering substrate, adding a fundamental piece to an unprecedented set of structural snapshots for a secondary transporter. In combination with molecular dynamics simulations these structural data highlight important features of the sequential formation of the substrate and sodium-binding sites, in which coordinating water molecules play a crucial role. We observe a strictly interdependent binding of betaine and sodium ions during the coupling process. All three sites undergo progressive reshaping and dehydration during the alternating-access cycle, with the most optimal coordination of all substrates found in the closed state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo Perez
- 1] Structural Biology Department, Max-Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany [2] [3]
| | - Belinda Faust
- 1] Structural Biology Department, Max-Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany [2] [3]
| | - Ahmad Reza Mehdipour
- 1] Computational Structural Biology Group, Max-Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany [2]
| | - Kevin A Francesconi
- Institute of Chemistry-Analytical Chemistry, University of Graz, Graz 8010, Austria
| | - Lucy R Forrest
- 1] Computational Structural Biology Group, Max-Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany [2]
| | - Christine Ziegler
- 1] Structural Biology Department, Max-Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main 60438, Germany [2] Institute of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg 95053, Germany
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24
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Becker M, Maximov S, Becker M, Meyer U, Wittmann A, Krämer R. Analysis of putative protomer crosstalk in the trimeric transporter BetP: The heterotrimer approach. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2014; 1837:888-98. [PMID: 24637177 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2014.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2013] [Revised: 02/11/2014] [Accepted: 03/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The homotrimeric, secondary active betaine carrier BetP from Corynebacterium glutamicum is a model system for stress-regulated transport in bacteria. Its activity responds to hyperosmotic stress and it harbors two different functions, transport catalysis (betaine uptake) and stimulus sensing, resp. activity regulation. Structural information from 2D and 3D crystals as well as functional analysis of monomerized BetP suggested the presence of conformational crosstalk between the individual protomers. To study whether the oligomeric state is functionally significant on a mechanistic level we generated heterooligomeric complexes of BetP in which single protomers within the trimer can be addressed. By testing dominant negative effects in a trimer of one active protomer combined with two protomers in which transport and regulation were abolished, we provide experimental evidence for the absence of functionally significant conformational crosstalk between the protomers on the level of both transport and regulation. This is supported by experiments using mutant forms of putative interacting signal donor and acceptor domains of individual BetP protomers. This result has important consequences for oligomeric transport proteins in general and BetP in particular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Becker
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Stanislav Maximov
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Michael Becker
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Ute Meyer
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Anja Wittmann
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | - Reinhard Krämer
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
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25
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Kebbel F, Kurz M, Arheit M, Grütter MG, Stahlberg H. Structure and substrate-induced conformational changes of the secondary citrate/sodium symporter CitS revealed by electron crystallography. Structure 2014; 21:1243-50. [PMID: 23810698 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2013.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2013] [Revised: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 05/20/2013] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The secondary Na+/citrate symporter CitS of Klebsiella pneumoniae is the best-characterized member of the 2-hydroxycarboxylate transporter family. The recent projection structure gave insight into its overall structural organization. Here, we present the three-dimensional map of dimeric CitS obtained with electron crystallography. Each monomer has 13 a-helical transmembrane segments; six are organized in a distal helix cluster and seven in the central dimer interface domain. Based on structural analyses and comparison to VcINDY, we propose a molecular model for CitS, assign the helices, and demonstrate the internal structural symmetry. We also present projections of CitS in several conformational states induced by the presence and absence of sodium and citrate as substrates. Citrate binding induces a defined movement of a helices within the distal helical cluster. Based on this, we propose a substrate translocation site and conformational changes that are in agreement with the transport model of ‘‘alternating access’’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Kebbel
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University Basel, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland
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Structural evidence for functional lipid interactions in the betaine transporter BetP. EMBO J 2013; 32:3096-105. [PMID: 24141878 DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2013.226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2013] [Accepted: 09/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Bilayer lipids contribute to the stability of membrane transporters and are crucially involved in their proper functioning. However, the molecular knowledge of how surrounding lipids affect membrane transport is surprisingly limited and despite its general importance is rarely considered in the molecular description of a transport mechanism. One reason is that only few atomic resolution structures of channels or transporters reveal a functional interaction with lipids, which are difficult to detect in X-ray structures per se. Overcoming these difficulties, we report here on a new structure of the osmotic stress-regulated betaine transporter BetP in complex with anionic lipids. This lipid-associated BetP structure is important in the molecular understanding of osmoregulation due to the strong dependence of activity regulation in BetP on the presence of negatively charged lipids. We detected eight resolved palmitoyl-oleoyl phosphatidyl glycerol (PG) lipids mimicking parts of the membrane leaflets and interacting with key residues in transport and regulation. The lipid-protein interactions observed here in structural detail in BetP provide molecular insights into the role of lipids in osmoregulated secondary transport.
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Västermark Å, Saier MH. Evolutionary relationship between 5+5 and 7+7 inverted repeat folds within the amino acid-polyamine-organocation superfamily. Proteins 2013; 82:336-46. [PMID: 24038584 DOI: 10.1002/prot.24401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Revised: 07/19/2013] [Accepted: 08/15/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Evidence has been presented that 5+5 TMS and 7+7 TMS inverted repeat fold transporters are members of a single superfamily named the Amino acid-Polyamine-organoCation (APC) superfamily. However, the evolutionary relationship between the 5+5 and the 7+7 topological types has not been established. We have identified a common fold, consisting of a spiny membrane helix/sheet, followed by a U-like structure and a V-like structure that is recurrent between domain duplicated units of 5+5 and 7+7 inverted repeat folds. This fold is found in the following protein structures: AdiC, ApcT, LeuT, Mhp1, BetP, CaiT, and SglT (all 5+5 TMS repeats), as well as UraA and SulP (7+7 TMS repeats). AdiC, LeuT and Mhp1 have two extra TMSs after the second duplicated domain, SglT has four extra C-terminal TMSs, and BetP has two extra TMSs before the first duplicated domain. UraA and SulP on the other hand have two extra TMSs at the N-terminus of each duplicated domain unit. These observations imply that multiple hairpin and domain duplication events occurred during the evolution of the APC superfamily. We suggest that the five TMS architecture was primordial and that families gained two TMSs on either side of this basic structure via dissimilar hairpin duplications either before or after intragenic duplication. Evidence for homology between TMSs 1-2 of AdiC and TMSs 1-2 and 3-4 of UraA suggests that the 7+7 topology arose via an internal duplication of the N-terminal hairpin loop within the five TMS repeat unit followed by duplication of the 7 TMS domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Åke Västermark
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093-0116
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Schweikhard ES, Ziegler CM. Amino acid secondary transporters: toward a common transport mechanism. CURRENT TOPICS IN MEMBRANES 2013. [PMID: 23177982 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-394316-3.00001-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Solute carriers (SLC) that transport amino acids are key players in health and diseases in humans. Their prokaryotic relatives are often involved in essential physiological processes in microorganisms, e.g. in homeostasis and acidic/osmotic stress response. High-resolution X-ray structures of the sequence-unrelated amino acid transporters unraveled a striking structural similarity between carriers, which were formerly assigned to different families. The highly conserved fold is characterized by two inverted structural repeats of five transmembrane helices each and indicates common mechanistic transport concepts if not an evolutionary link among a large number of amino acid transporters. Therefore, these transporters are classified now into the structural amino acid-polyamine-organocation superfamily (APCS). The APCS includes among others the mammalian SLC6 transporters and the heterodimeric SLC7/SLC3 transporters. However, it has to be noted that the APCS is not limited entirely to amino acid transporters but contains also transporters for, e.g. amino acid derivatives and sugars. For instance, the betaine-choline-carnitine transporter family of bacterial activity-regulated Na(+)- and H(+)-coupled symporters for glycine betaine and choline is also part of this second largest structural superfamily. The APCS fold provides different possibilities to transport the same amino acid. Arginine can be transported by an H(+)-coupled symport or by antiport mechanism in exchange against agmatine for example. The convergence of the mechanistic concept of transport under comparable physiological conditions allows speculating if structurally unexplored amino acid transporters, e.g. the members of the SLC36 and SLC38 family, belong to the APCS, too. In the kidney, which is an organ that depends critically on the regulated amino acid transport, these different SLC transporters have to work together to account for proper function. Here, we will summarize the basic concepts of Na(+)- and H(+)-coupled amino acid symport and amino acid-product antiport in the light of the respective physiological requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva S Schweikhard
- Department of Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt, Germany
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Korkmaz F, Ressl S, Ziegler C, Mäntele W. K+-induced conformational changes in the trimeric betaine transporter BetP monitored by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2013; 1828:1181-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2013.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2012] [Revised: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Khafizov K, Perez C, Koshy C, Quick M, Fendler K, Ziegler C, Forrest LR. Investigation of the sodium-binding sites in the sodium-coupled betaine transporter BetP. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:E3035-44. [PMID: 23047697 PMCID: PMC3497817 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1209039109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sodium-coupled substrate transport plays a central role in many biological processes. However, despite knowledge of the structures of several sodium-coupled transporters, the location of the sodium-binding site(s) often remains unclear. Several of these structures have the five transmembrane-helix inverted-topology repeat, LeuT-like (FIRL) fold, whose pseudosymmetry has been proposed to facilitate the alternating-access mechanism required for transport. Here, we provide biophysical, biochemical, and computational evidence for the location of the two cation-binding sites in the sodium-coupled betaine symporter BetP. A recent X-ray structure of BetP in a sodium-bound closed state revealed that one of these sites, equivalent to the Na2 site in related transporters, is located between transmembrane helices 1 and 8 of the FIRL-fold; here, we confirm the location of this site by other means. Based on the pseudosymmetry of this fold, we hypothesized that the second site is located between the equivalent helices 6 and 3. Molecular dynamics simulations of the closed-state structure suggest this second sodium site involves two threonine sidechains and a backbone carbonyl from helix 3, a phenylalanine from helix 6, and a water molecule. Mutating the residues proposed to form the two binding sites increased the apparent K(m) and K(d) for sodium, as measured by betaine uptake, tryptophan fluorescence, and (22)Na(+) binding, and also diminished the transient currents measured in proteoliposomes using solid supported membrane-based electrophysiology. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence for the identity of the residues forming the sodium-binding sites in BetP.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Caroline Koshy
- Computational Structural Biology Group and
- Departments of Structural Biology, and
| | - Matthias Quick
- Center for Molecular Recognition and
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032
| | - Klaus Fendler
- Biophysical Chemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; and
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Alternating-access mechanism in conformationally asymmetric trimers of the betaine transporter BetP. Nature 2012; 490:126-30. [DOI: 10.1038/nature11403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2012] [Accepted: 07/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Projection structure of the secondary citrate/sodium symporter CitS at 6 Å resolution by electron crystallography. J Mol Biol 2012; 418:117-26. [PMID: 22349493 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2012.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2011] [Revised: 02/03/2012] [Accepted: 02/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
CitS from Klebsiella pneumoniae acts as a secondary symporter of citrate and sodium ions across the inner membrane of the host. The protein is the best characterized member of the 2-hydroxycarboxylate transporter family, while no experimental structural information at sub-nanometer resolution is available on this class of membrane proteins. Here, we applied electron crystallography to two-dimensional crystals of CitS. Carbon-film-adsorbed tubular two-dimensional crystals were studied by cryo-electron microscopy, producing the 6-Å-resolution projection structure of the membrane-embedded protein. In the p22(1)2(1)-symmetrized projection map, the predicted dimeric structure is clearly visible. Each monomeric unit can tentatively be interpreted as being composed of 11 transmembrane α-helices. In projection, CitS shows a high degree of structural similarity to NhaP1, the Na(+)/H(+) antiporter of Methanococcus jannaschii. We discuss possible locations for the dimer interface and models for the helical arrangements and domain organizations of the symporter based on existing models.
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Gärtner RM, Perez C, Koshy C, Ziegler C. Role of Bundle Helices in a Regulatory Crosstalk in the Trimeric Betaine Transporter BetP. J Mol Biol 2011; 414:327-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2011.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2011] [Revised: 10/04/2011] [Accepted: 10/11/2011] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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Ectoine and hydroxyectoine as protectants against osmotic and cold stress: uptake through the SigB-controlled betaine-choline- carnitine transporter-type carrier EctT from Virgibacillus pantothenticus. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:4699-708. [PMID: 21764932 DOI: 10.1128/jb.05270-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Virgibacillus pantothenticus has been shown to synthesize the compatible solute ectoine in response to high salinity or low growth temperature. We found that exogenously provided ectoine and hydroxyectoine also serve as protectants against these challenges. Transport studies with [(14)C]ectoine revealed that both types of stress induced a high-affinity ectoine uptake activity in V. pantothenticus. By using an Escherichia coli mutant defective in osmoprotectant uptake systems, a functional complementation approach for osmostress resistance in the presence of ectoine was employed to retrieve a gene encoding an ectoine transporter from V. pantothenticus. The cloned gene (ectT) encodes a protein (EctT) that is a member of the BCCT (betaine-choline-carnitine-transporter) family of carriers. Osmoprotection assays demonstrated that the EctT carrier mediates the preferential import of ectoine and hydroxyectoine but also possesses minor uptake activities for the compatible solutes proline and glycine betaine. Northern blot analysis with RNA isolated from V. pantothenticus revealed that a rise in the external osmolality or a reduction in growth temperature strongly increased the transcription of the ectT gene. Primer extension analysis demonstrated that ectT was transcribed under these conditions from a SigB-type promoter. SigB is the master regulator of the general stress regulon of bacilli and provides protection to cells against various challenges, including high salinity and low temperature. Both the synthesis of ectoine and the EctT-mediated uptake of ectoine and hydroxyectoine are triggered by the same environmental cues, high salinity and cold stress, and thereby provide, in a concerted fashion, the protection of V. pantothenticus against these challenges.
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