1
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Paul S, Biswas P. Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study of the Self-Assembly of Tau-Derived PHF6 and Its Inhibition by Oleuropein Aglycone from Extra Virgin Olive Oil. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:5630-5641. [PMID: 38814052 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c02393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other taupathies are neurodegenerative disorders associated with the amyloid deposition of the Tau protein in the brain. This amyloid formation may be inhibited by small molecules, which is recognized as one of the best therapeutic strategies to stop the progression of the disease. This work focuses on the small nucleating segment, hexapeptide-paired helical filament 6 (PHF6), responsible for Tau aggregation. Using computational modeling and classical molecular dynamics simulations, we show that PHF6 monomers collapse in water to form β-sheet rich structures, and the main olive oil polyphenol oleuropein aglycone (OleA) prevents peptide aggregation significantly. We gradually increase the ratio of the PHF6-OleA from 1:1 to 1:3 and find that for the 1:1 ratio, the peptide monomers are prone to form aggregated structures, while for the 1:2 ratio, the formation of the extended β-sheet structure is significantly less. For a 1:3 ratio of protein/OleA, the peptide residues are sufficiently crowded by OleA molecules through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and π-π stacking; hence, the peptide chains prefer to exist in a monomeric random coil conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srijita Paul
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India
| | - Parbati Biswas
- Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, New Delhi 110007, India
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2
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Aragon M, Bowman SEJ, Chen CH, de la Cruz MJ, Decato DA, Eng ET, Flatt KM, Gulati S, Li Y, Lomba CJ, Mercado B, Miller J, Palatinus L, Rice WJ, Waterman D, Zimanyi CM. Applying 3D ED/MicroED workflows toward the next frontiers. Acta Crystallogr C Struct Chem 2024; 80:179-189. [PMID: 38712546 PMCID: PMC11150879 DOI: 10.1107/s2053229624004078] [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: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
We report on the latest advancements in Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (3D ED/MicroED), as discussed during a symposium at the National Center for CryoEM Access and Training housed at the New York Structural Biology Center. This snapshot describes cutting-edge developments in various facets of the field and identifies potential avenues for continued progress. Key sections discuss instrumentation access, research applications for small molecules and biomacromolecules, data collection hardware and software, data reduction software, and finally reporting and validation. 3D ED/MicroED is still early in its wide adoption by the structural science community with ample opportunities for expansion, growth, and innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahira Aragon
- Simons Electron Microscopy Center, New York Structural Biology Center, 89 Convent Ave, New York, New York 10027, USA
| | - Sarah E. J. Bowman
- Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, 700 Ellicott St, Buffalo, New York 14203, USA
| | - Chun-Hsing Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, USA
| | - M. Jason de la Cruz
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Daniel A. Decato
- Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, Montana 59812, USA
| | - Edward T. Eng
- Simons Electron Microscopy Center, New York Structural Biology Center, 89 Convent Ave, New York, New York 10027, USA
| | - Kristen M. Flatt
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | | | - Yuchen Li
- Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - Charles J. Lomba
- Department of Physics, Quantitative Biology Institute, Yale University, 260 Whitney Ave., New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8103, USA
| | - Brandon Mercado
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - Jessalyn Miller
- Simons Electron Microscopy Center, New York Structural Biology Center, 89 Convent Ave, New York, New York 10027, USA
| | - Lukáš Palatinus
- Institute of Physics of the CAS/NanED, Na Slovance 1999/2, Prague 192000, Czech Republic
| | - William J. Rice
- Department of Cell Biology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, 540 First Ave, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - David Waterman
- Research Complex at Harwell, UKRI–STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0FA, England, United Kingdom
| | - Christina M. Zimanyi
- Simons Electron Microscopy Center, New York Structural Biology Center, 89 Convent Ave, New York, New York 10027, USA
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3
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Sakhaii P, Bohorc B, Schliedermann U, Griesinger C. Efficient Access to Elusive 1D 13C NMR Spectra through Highly Resolved 1H, 13C-Long-Range Correlation Spectroscopy. Anal Chem 2024; 96:5843-5851. [PMID: 38452395 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c05277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
A method for obtaining 1D 13C NMR spectra from natural products or metabolites using proton detection is described. The approach delivers singlets for every 13C signal without conducting any broadband 1H decoupling (CPD) and is based on calculating 13C projections from constant-time HMBC and conventional HSQC experiments, recorded at high digital resolution and processed to pure phases. Paramount to the proposed method is the implication of nonuniform sampling and echo processing. The echo processing produces phase-sensitive 2D CT-HMBC spectra with narrow 13C signal line shapes. Two simple HMBC pulse sequences are utilized with the suppression of homo- and heteronuclear couplings. Due to the removal of the 1H multiplet structure in F1 (no tilt at higher digital resolution), 13C singlets arise. An overall increase in 13C signal-to-noise (SINO) for all types of carbon multiplicities is observed, making the proposed technique superior compared to direct 13C excitation. For otherwise difficult-to-measure quaternary carbon atoms, a SINO enhancement of up to 6 and 12 depending on F1 resolution (3 and 6 Hz/point) is reported. Echo/anti-Echo signal detection cleans up the spectrum. Nonuniform sampling (NUS) lays the groundwork to significantly reduce the total acquisition time. Final 1D 13C projections are obtained by combining the 13C projection from CT HMBC and conventional HSQC. This orthogonal concept of combining the 13C projections from different spectra inherently minimizes the risk of missing 13C cross-peaks by inappropriate setting of long-range nJHC coupling delays and the shortcoming of T2 relaxations. The advantages and some limitations of the concept are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peyman Sakhaii
- NMR Laboratory of SANOFI, Global CMC Early Development, Synthetics Platform, Industrial Park Hoechst, Building G849, 65926 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Bojan Bohorc
- NMR Laboratory of SANOFI, Global CMC Early Development, Synthetics Platform, Industrial Park Hoechst, Building G849, 65926 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Uwe Schliedermann
- NMR Laboratory of SANOFI, Global CMC Early Development, Synthetics Platform, Industrial Park Hoechst, Building G849, 65926 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Christian Griesinger
- NMR-Based Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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4
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Sangsuwan W, Faikhruea K, Supabowornsathit K, Sangsopon D, Ingrungruanglert P, Chuntakaruk H, Nuntavanotayan N, Nakprasit K, Israsena N, Rungrotmongkol T, Chuawong P, Vilaivan T, Aonbangkhen C. Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Novel Styryl Dyes as Fluorescent Probes for Tau Aggregate Detection in Vitro and in Cells. Chem Asian J 2024:e202301081. [PMID: 38377056 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202301081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
A series of novel styryl dye derivatives incorporating indolium and quinolinium core structures were successfully synthesized to explore their interacting and binding capabilities with tau aggregates in vitro and in cells. The synthesized dyes exhibited enhanced fluorescence emission in viscous environments due to the rotatable bond confinement in the core structure. Dye 4, containing a quinolinium moeity and featuring two cationic sites, demonstrated a 28-fold increase in fluorescence emission upon binding to tau aggregates. This dye could also stain tau aggregates in living cells, confirmed by cell imaging using confocal fluorescence microscopy. A molecular docking study was conducted to provide additional visualization and support for binding interactions. This work offers novel and non-cytotoxic fluorescent probes with desirable photophysical properties, which could potentially be used for studying tau aggregates in living cells, prompting further development of new fluorescent probes for early Alzheimer's disease detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Withsakorn Sangsuwan
- Center of Excellence in Natural Products Chemistry (CENP), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Department of Chemistry and, Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Special Research Unit for Advanced Magnetic Resonance (AMR), Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand
| | - Kriangsak Faikhruea
- Organic Synthesis Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Kotchakorn Supabowornsathit
- Organic Synthesis Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Don Sangsopon
- Center of Excellence in Natural Products Chemistry (CENP), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Praewphan Ingrungruanglert
- Stem Cell and Cell Therapy Research Unit and Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Hathaichanok Chuntakaruk
- Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Structural and Computational Biology, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Napatsaporn Nuntavanotayan
- Department of Chemistry and, Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Special Research Unit for Advanced Magnetic Resonance (AMR), Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand
| | - Kittiporn Nakprasit
- Center of Excellence in Natural Products Chemistry (CENP), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Nipan Israsena
- Stem Cell and Cell Therapy Research Unit and Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Thanyada Rungrotmongkol
- Program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Structural and Computational Biology, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Pitak Chuawong
- Department of Chemistry and, Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Special Research Unit for Advanced Magnetic Resonance (AMR), Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand
| | - Tirayut Vilaivan
- Organic Synthesis Research Unit, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Chanat Aonbangkhen
- Center of Excellence in Natural Products Chemistry (CENP), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
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5
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Zheng F, Chen J, Wang J, Zhuang H. Transformation of corncob into high-value xylooligosaccharides using glycoside hydrolase families 10 and 11 xylanases from Trichoderma asperellum ND-1. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 394:130249. [PMID: 38154735 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.130249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Effective production of xylooligosaccharides (XOS) with lower proportion of xylose entails unique and robust xylanases. In this study, two novel xylanases from Trichoderma asperellum ND-1 belonging to glycoside hydrolase families 10 (XynTR10) and 11 (XynTR11) were over-expressed in Komagataella phaffii X-33 and characterized to be robust enzymes with high halotolerance and ethanol tolerant. Both enzymes displayed strict substrate specificity towards beechwood xylan and wheat arabinoxylan. (Glu153/Glu258) and (Glu161/Glu252) were key catalytic sites for XynTR10 and XynTR11. Notably, XynTR11 could rapidly degrade xylan/XOS into xylobiose without xylose via transglycosylation. Direct degradation of corncob using XynTR10 and XynTR111 displayed that while XynTR10 yielded 77% xylobiose and 25% xylose, XynTR11 yielded much less xylose (11%) and comparable amounts of xylobiose (63%). XynTR10 or XynTR111 has great potential as a catalyst for bioconversion of xylan-containing agricultural waste into high-value products (biofuel or XOS), which is of significant benefit for the economy and environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengzhen Zheng
- College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310021, China.
| | - Jun Chen
- Interdisciplinary Research Academy, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310021, China
| | - Jiaqiang Wang
- College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang Shuren University, Hangzhou 310021, China
| | - Huan Zhuang
- Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, The Children's Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 310051, China
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6
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Nawarathnage S, Tseng YJ, Soleimani S, Smith T, Pedroza Romo MJ, Abiodun WO, Egbert CM, Madhusanka D, Bunn D, Woods B, Tsubaki E, Stewart C, Brown S, Doukov T, Andersen JL, Moody JD. Fusion crystallization reveals the behavior of both the 1TEL crystallization chaperone and the TNK1 UBA domain. Structure 2023; 31:1589-1603.e6. [PMID: 37776857 PMCID: PMC10843481 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.09.001] [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: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Human thirty-eight-negative kinase-1 (TNK1) is implicated in cancer progression. The TNK1 ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain binds polyubiquitin and plays a regulatory role in TNK1 activity and stability. No experimentally determined molecular structure of this unusual UBA domain is available. We fused the UBA domain to the 1TEL variant of the translocation ETS leukemia protein sterile alpha motif (TELSAM) crystallization chaperone and obtained crystals diffracting as far as 1.53 Å. GG and GSGG linkers allowed the UBA to reproducibly find a productive binding mode against its host 1TEL polymer and crystallize at protein concentrations as low as 0.2 mg/mL. Our studies support a mechanism of 1TEL fusion crystallization and show that 1TEL fusion crystals require fewer crystal contacts than traditional protein crystals. Modeling and experimental validation suggest the UBA domain may be selective for both the length and linkages of polyubiquitin chains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yi Jie Tseng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Sara Soleimani
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Tobin Smith
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Maria J Pedroza Romo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Wisdom O Abiodun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Christina M Egbert
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA; Fritz B. Burns Cancer Research Laboratory, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Deshan Madhusanka
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA; Fritz B. Burns Cancer Research Laboratory, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Derick Bunn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Bridger Woods
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Evan Tsubaki
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Cameron Stewart
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Seth Brown
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Tzanko Doukov
- Macromolecular Crystallography Group, Structural Molecular Biology Resource, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Joshua L Andersen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA; Fritz B. Burns Cancer Research Laboratory, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.
| | - James D Moody
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.
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7
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de la Cruz MJ, Eng ET. Scaling up cryo-EM for biology and chemistry: The journey from niche technology to mainstream method. Structure 2023; 31:1487-1498. [PMID: 37820731 PMCID: PMC10841453 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.09.009] [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: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) methods have made meaningful contributions in a wide variety of scientific research fields. In structural biology, cryo-EM routinely elucidates molecular structure from isolated biological macromolecular complexes or in a cellular context by harnessing the high-resolution power of the electron in order to image samples in a frozen, hydrated environment. For structural chemistry, the cryo-EM method popularly known as microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) has facilitated atomic structure generation of peptides and small molecules from their three-dimensional crystal forms. As cryo-EM has grown from an emerging technology, it has undergone modernization to enable multimodal transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques becoming more routine, reproducible, and accessible to accelerate research across multiple disciplines. We review recent advances in modern cryo-EM and assess how they are contributing to the future of the field with an eye to the past.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Jason de la Cruz
- Structural Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Edward T Eng
- Simons Electron Microscopy Center, New York Structural Biology Center, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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8
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Haymaker A, Bardin AA, Gonen T, Martynowycz MW, Nannenga BL. Structure determination of a DNA crystal by MicroED. Structure 2023; 31:1499-1503.e2. [PMID: 37541248 PMCID: PMC10805983 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) is a powerful tool for determining high-resolution structures of microcrystals from a diverse array of biomolecular, chemical, and material samples. In this study, we apply MicroED to DNA crystals, which have not been previously analyzed using this technique. We utilized the d(CGCGCG)2 DNA duplex as a model sample and employed cryo-FIB milling to create thin lamella for diffraction data collection. The MicroED data collection and subsequent processing resulted in a 1.10 Å resolution structure of the d(CGCGCG)2 DNA, demonstrating the successful application of cryo-FIB milling and MicroED to the investigation of nucleic acid crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Haymaker
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Andrey A Bardin
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Michael W Martynowycz
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| | - Brent L Nannenga
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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9
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Moriscot C, Schoehn G, Housset D. High pressure freezing and cryo-sectioning can be used for protein structure determination by electron diffraction. Ultramicroscopy 2023; 254:113834. [PMID: 37666105 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2023.113834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Electron diffraction of three-dimensional nanometer sized crystals has emerged since 2013 as an efficient technique to solve the structure of both small organic molecules and model proteins. However, the major bottleneck of the technique when applied to protein samples is to produce nano-crystals that do not exceed 200 to 300 nm in at least one dimension and to deposit them on a grid while keeping the minimum amount of solvent around them. Since the presence of amorphous solvent around the crystal, necessary to preserve its integrity, increases the amount of diffuse scattering, thus degrading the signal-to noise ratio of the diffraction signal, other sample preparation strategies have been developed. One of them is the milling of thin crystal lamella using focused ion beam (FIB), which was successfully applied to several protein crystals. Here, we present a new approach that uses cryo-sectioning after high pressure freezing of dextran embedded protein crystals. 150 to 200 nm thick cryo-sections of hen egg white lysozyme tetragonal crystals where used for electron diffraction experiments. Complete diffraction data up to 2.9 Å resolution have been collected and the lysozyme structure has been solved by molecular replacement and refined against these data. Our data demonstrate that cryo-sectioning can preserve protein structure at high resolution and can be used as a new sample preparation technique for 3D electron diffraction experiments of protein crystals. The different orientations found in the crystal chips and their large number resulting from the cryo-sectioning make the latter an attractive approach as it combines advantages from both blotting approaches (number of crystals) and FIB-milling (controlled thickness and absence of solvent around the crystal).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guy Schoehn
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IBS, F-38000 Grenoble, France
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10
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Nawarathnage S, Tseng YJ, Soleimani S, Smith T, Romo MJP, Abiodun WO, Egbert CM, Madhusanka D, Bunn D, Woods B, Tsubaki E, Stewart C, Brown S, Doukov T, Andersen JL, Moody JD. Fusion crystallization reveals the behavior of both the 1TEL crystallization chaperone and the TNK1 UBA domain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.14.544429. [PMID: 37398013 PMCID: PMC10312729 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.14.544429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Human thirty-eight-negative kinase-1 (TNK1) is implicated in cancer progression. The TNK1-UBA domain binds polyubiquitin and plays a regulatory role in TNK1 activity and stability. Sequence analysis suggests an unusual architecture for the TNK1 UBA domain, but an experimentally-validated molecular structure is undetermined. To gain insight into TNK1 regulation, we fused the UBA domain to the 1TEL crystallization chaperone and obtained crystals diffracting as far as 1.53 Å. A 1TEL search model enabled solution of the X-ray phases. GG and GSGG linkers allowed the UBA to reproducibly find a productive binding mode against its host 1TEL polymer and to crystallize at protein concentrations as low as 0.1 mg/mL. Our studies support a mechanism of TELSAM fusion crystallization and show that TELSAM fusion crystals require fewer crystal contacts than traditional protein crystals. Modeling and experimental validation suggest the UBA domain may be selective for both the length and linkages of polyubiquitin chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supeshala Nawarathnage
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Yi Jie Tseng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Sara Soleimani
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Tobin Smith
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Maria J Pedroza Romo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Wisdom Oshireku Abiodun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Christina M. Egbert
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Deshan Madhusanka
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Derick Bunn
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Bridger Woods
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Evan Tsubaki
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Cameron Stewart
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Seth Brown
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - Tzanko Doukov
- Macromolecular Crystallography Group, Structural Molecular Biology Resource, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, Menlo Park, California, United States of America
| | - Joshua L. Andersen
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
| | - James D. Moody
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
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11
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Pinzi L, Bisi N, Sorbi C, Franchini S, Tonali N, Rastelli G. Insights into the Structural Conformations of the Tau Protein in Different Aggregation Status. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28114544. [PMID: 37299020 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau is a protein characterized by large structural portions displaying extended conformational changes. Unfortunately, the accumulation of this protein into toxic aggregates in neuronal cells leads to a number of severe pathologies, collectively named tauopathies. In the last decade, significant research advancements were achieved, including a better understanding of Tau structures and their implication in different tauopathies. Interestingly, Tau is characterized by a high structural variability depending on the type of disease, the crystallization conditions, and the formation of pathologic aggregates obtained from in vitro versus ex vivo samples. In this review, we reported an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of Tau structures reported in the Protein Data Bank, with a special focus on discussing the connections between structural features, different tauopathies, different crystallization conditions, and the use of in vitro or ex vivo samples. The information reported in this article highlights very interesting links between all these aspects, which we believe may be of particular relevance for a more informed structure-based design of compounds able to modulate Tau aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Pinzi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Nicolò Bisi
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Paris-Saclay, BioCIS, Bat. Henri Moissan, 17 Av. des Sciences, 91400 Orsay, France
| | - Claudia Sorbi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Silvia Franchini
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Nicolò Tonali
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Paris-Saclay, BioCIS, Bat. Henri Moissan, 17 Av. des Sciences, 91400 Orsay, France
| | - Giulio Rastelli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
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12
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Haymaker A, Bardin AA, Gonen T, Martynowycz MW, Nannenga BL. Structure determination of a DNA crystal by MicroED. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.25.538338. [PMID: 37163108 PMCID: PMC10168392 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.25.538338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) is a powerful tool for determining high-resolution structures of microcrystals from a diverse array of biomolecular, chemical, and material samples. In this study, we apply MicroED to DNA crystals, which have not been previously analyzed using this technique. We utilized the d(CGCGCG) 2 DNA duplex as a model sample and employed cryo-FIB milling to create thin lamella for diffraction data collection. The MicroED data collection and subsequent processing resulted in a 1.10 Å resolution structure of the d(CGCGCG) 2 DNA, demonstrating the successful application of cryo-FIB milling and MicroED to the investigation of nucleic acid crystals.
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13
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Richards L, Flores MD, Millán C, Glynn C, Zee CT, Sawaya MR, Gallagher-Jones M, Borges RJ, Usón I, Rodriguez JA. Fragment-Based Ab Initio Phasing of Peptidic Nanocrystals by MicroED. ACS BIO & MED CHEM AU 2023; 3:201-210. [PMID: 37096030 PMCID: PMC10119933 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.2c00082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Electron diffraction (MicroED/3DED) can render the three-dimensional atomic structures of molecules from previously unamenable samples. The approach has been particularly transformative for peptidic structures, where MicroED has revealed novel structures of naturally occurring peptides, synthetic protein fragments, and peptide-based natural products. Despite its transformative potential, MicroED is beholden to the crystallographic phase problem, which challenges its de novo determination of structures. ARCIMBOLDO, an automated, fragment-based approach to structure determination, eliminates the need for atomic resolution, instead enforcing stereochemical constraints through libraries of small model fragments, and discerning congruent motifs in solution space to ensure validation. This approach expands the reach of MicroED to presently inaccessible peptide structures including fragments of human amyloids, and yeast and mammalian prions. For electron diffraction, fragment-based phasing portends a more general phasing solution with limited model bias for a wider set of chemical structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan
S. Richards
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and
Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Maria D. Flores
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and
Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Claudia Millán
- Crystallographic
Methods, Institute of Molecular Biology
of Barcelona (IBMB−CSIC), Barcelona Science Park, Helix Building, Baldiri
Reixach 15, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Calina Glynn
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and
Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Chih-Te Zee
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and
Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Michael R. Sawaya
- Department
of Biological Chemistry and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Howard
Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and
Proteomics, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Marcus Gallagher-Jones
- Correlated
Imaging, The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell Science & Innovation
Campus, Rutherford Avenue, Harwell, Didcot OX11 0GD, United Kingdom
| | - Rafael J. Borges
- Crystallographic
Methods, Institute of Molecular Biology
of Barcelona (IBMB−CSIC), Barcelona Science Park, Helix Building, Baldiri
Reixach 15, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isabel Usón
- Crystallographic
Methods, Institute of Molecular Biology
of Barcelona (IBMB−CSIC), Barcelona Science Park, Helix Building, Baldiri
Reixach 15, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA,
Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose A. Rodriguez
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry; UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and
Proteomics; STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
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14
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Gholampour M, Seradj H, Sakhteman A. Structure-Selectivity Relationship Prediction of Tau Imaging Tracers Using Machine Learning-Assisted QSAR Models and Interaction Fingerprint Map. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023. [PMID: 37037183 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregates composed of tau fibrils are major pathologic findings in different tauopathies. An ideal agent for imaging tau fibrils must be highly selective. The molecular basis for the binding of current available compounds to tau aggregates is not well understood. Herein, we provide insights into previously studied positron emission tomography tracers using various computational methods, including machine learning-based quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) classification, docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the structural basis of selective tau aggregate binding for potential compounds. The QSAR classification model based on the Random Forest algorithm with an accuracy of 96.6% for the selective and 97.6% for the nonselective class of compounds revealed essential selective moieties. The combination of molecular docking, MD simulations, and molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM/PBSA) binding free-energy calculation showed superior binding energy of ligand 63 toward tau and PHF6, a key hexapeptide in tau aggregation, as the most selective compound in the data set. Dissecting the binding properties of ligand 63 and ligand 8 (the least selective compound) within tau and Aβ structures confirmed that these two compounds favor different binding sites of tau; however, the preferential binding site in Aβ was similar for both with lower binding energies calculated for ligand 8. Results revealed that the number of N-heterocycles, the position of nitrogen atoms, and the presence of tertiary amine are important components of selective binding moieties, and they should be maintained in molecules for selective binding to tau aggregates. The predicted structure-selectivity relationship will facilitate the rational design and further development of selective tau imaging agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Gholampour
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71468-64685, Iran
| | - Hassan Seradj
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71468-64685, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Sakhteman
- Chair of Proteomics and Bioanalytics, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Freising 85354, Germany
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15
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Shoeman RL, Hartmann E, Schlichting I. Growing and making nano- and microcrystals. Nat Protoc 2023; 18:854-882. [PMID: 36451055 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-022-00777-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Thanks to recent technological advances in X-ray and micro-electron diffraction and solid-state NMR, structural information can be obtained by using much smaller crystals. Thus, microcrystals have become a valuable commodity rather than a mere stepping stone toward obtaining macroscopic crystals. Microcrystals are particularly useful for structure determination using serial data collection approaches at synchrotrons and X-ray free-electron lasers. The latter's enormous peak brilliance and short X-ray pulse duration mean that structural information can be obtained before the effects of radiation damage are seen; these properties also facilitate time-resolved crystallography. To establish defined reaction initiation conditions, microcrystals with a desired and narrow size distribution are critical. Here, we describe milling and seeding techniques as well as filtration approaches for the reproducible and size-adjustable preparation of homogeneous nano- and microcrystals. Nanocrystals and crystal seeds can be obtained by milling using zirconium beads and the BeadBug homogenizer; fragmentation of large crystals yields micro- or nanocrystals by flowing crystals through stainless steel filters by using an HPLC pump. The approaches can be scaled to generate micro- to milliliter quantities of microcrystals, starting from macroscopic crystals. The procedure typically takes 3-5 d, including the time required to grow the microcrystals.
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16
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Hassanzadeh P, Atyabi F, Dinarvand R. Technical and engineering considerations for designing therapeutics and delivery systems. J Control Release 2023; 353:411-422. [PMID: 36470331 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2022.11.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The newly-emerged pathological conditions and increased rates of drug resistance necessitate application of the state-of-the-art technologies for accelerated discovery of the therapeutic candidates and obtaining comprehensive knowledge about their targets, action mechanisms, and interactions within the body including those between the receptors and drugs. Using the physics- and chemistry-based modern techniques for theranostic purposes, preparing smart carriers, local delivery of genes or drugs, and enhancing pharmaceutical bioavailability could be of great value against the hard-to-treat diseases and growing drug resistance. Besides the artificial intelligence- and quantum-based techniques, crystal engineering capable of designing new molecules with appropriate characteristics, improving the stability and bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs, and efficient carrier development could play a crucial role in manufacturing efficient pharmaceuticals and reducing the adverse events. In this context, identifying the structures and behaviors of crystals and predicting their characteristics are of great value. Electron diffraction by accelerated analysis of the chemicals and sensitivity to charge alterations, electromechanical tools for controlled delivery of therapeutics, mechatronics via fabrication of multi-functional smart products including the organ-on-chip devices for healthcare applications, and optomechatronics by overcoming the limitations of conventional biomedical techniques could address the unmet biomedical requirements and facilitate development of more effective theranostics with improved outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parichehr Hassanzadeh
- Nanotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 13169-43551, Iran; Sasan Hospital, Tehran 14159-83391, Iran.
| | - Fatemeh Atyabi
- Nanotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 13169-43551, Iran
| | - Rassoul Dinarvand
- Nanotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 13169-43551, Iran
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17
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Zielinski KA, Prester A, Andaleeb H, Bui S, Yefanov O, Catapano L, Henkel A, Wiedorn MO, Lorbeer O, Crosas E, Meyer J, Mariani V, Domaracky M, White TA, Fleckenstein H, Sarrou I, Werner N, Betzel C, Rohde H, Aepfelbacher M, Chapman HN, Perbandt M, Steiner RA, Oberthuer D. Rapid and efficient room-temperature serial synchrotron crystallography using the CFEL TapeDrive. IUCRJ 2022; 9:778-791. [PMID: 36381150 PMCID: PMC9634612 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252522010193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Serial crystallography at conventional synchrotron light sources (SSX) offers the possibility to routinely collect data at room temperature using micrometre-sized crystals of biological macromolecules. However, SSX data collection is not yet as routine and currently takes significantly longer than the standard rotation series cryo-crystallography. Thus, its use for high-throughput approaches, such as fragment-based drug screening, where the possibility to measure at physio-logical temperatures would be a great benefit, is impaired. On the way to high-throughput SSX using a conveyor belt based sample delivery system - the CFEL TapeDrive - with three different proteins of biological relevance (Klebsiella pneumoniae CTX-M-14 β-lactamase, Nectria haematococca xylanase GH11 and Aspergillus flavus urate oxidase), it is shown here that complete datasets can be collected in less than a minute and only minimal amounts of sample are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara A Zielinski
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Prester
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hina Andaleeb
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Soi Bui
- Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, United Kingdom
| | - Oleksandr Yefanov
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lucrezia Catapano
- Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, United Kingdom
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandra Henkel
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Max O. Wiedorn
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Olga Lorbeer
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eva Crosas
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Meyer
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Valerio Mariani
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Domaracky
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas A. White
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Holger Fleckenstein
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Iosifina Sarrou
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nadine Werner
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Betzel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Holger Rohde
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Aepfelbacher
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Henry N. Chapman
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Perbandt
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Roberto A. Steiner
- Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, United Kingdom
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padova 35131, Italy
| | - Dominik Oberthuer
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
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18
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Abstract
![]()
Electron crystallography
has a storied history which rivals that
of its more established X-ray-enabled counterpart. Recent advances
in data collection and analysis have sparked a renaissance in the
field, opening a new chapter for this venerable technique. Burgeoning
interest in electron crystallography has spawned innovative methods
described by various interchangeable labels (3D ED, MicroED, cRED,
etc.). This Review covers concepts and findings relevant to the practicing
crystallographer, with an emphasis on experiments aimed at using electron
diffraction to elucidate the atomic structure of three-dimensional
molecular crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambarneil Saha
- UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Shervin S Nia
- UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - José A Rodríguez
- UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
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19
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Kulik M, Chodkiewicz ML, Dominiak PM. Theoretical 3D electron diffraction electrostatic potential maps of proteins modeled with a multipolar pseudoatom data bank. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2022; 78:1010-1020. [PMID: 35916225 PMCID: PMC9344478 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798322005836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The availability of atomic resolution experimental maps of electrostatic potential from 3D electron diffraction (3D ED) extends the possibility of investigating the electrostatic potential beyond the determination of non-H-atom positions. However, accurate tools to calculate this potential for macromolecules, without the use of expensive quantum calculations, are lacking. The University at Buffalo Data Bank (UBDB) gathers atom types that can be used to calculate accurate electrostatic potential maps via structure-factor calculations. Here, the transferable aspherical atom model (TAAM) is applied with UBDB to investigate theoretically obtained electrostatic potential maps of lysozyme and proteinase K, and compare them with experimental maps from 3D ED. UBDB better reproduces the molecular electrostatic potential of molecules within their entire volume compared with the neutral spherical models used in the popular independent atom model (IAM). Additionally, the theoretical electron-density maps of the studied proteins are shown and compared with the electrostatic potential maps. The atomic displacement parameters (B factors) may affect the electrostatic potential maps in a different way than in the case of electron-density maps. The computational method presented in this study could potentially facilitate the interpretation of the less resolved regions of cryo-electron microscopy density maps and pave the way for distinguishing between different ions/water molecules in the active sites of macromolecules in high-resolution structures, which is of interest for drug-design purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Kulik
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Zwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michał Leszek Chodkiewicz
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Zwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Paulina Maria Dominiak
- Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Zwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland
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20
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Pal S, Roy R, Paul S. Deciphering the Role of ATP on PHF6 Aggregation. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:4761-4775. [PMID: 35759245 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c01768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The aggregation of Tau protein, which are involved in Alzheimer's disease, are associated with the self-assembly of the hexapeptide sequence, paired helical filament 6 (PHF6) from repeat 3 of Tau. In order to treat Alzheimer's disease and other such tauopathies, one of the therapeutic strategies is to inhibit aggregation of Tau and its nucleating segments. Therefore, we have studied the effect of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) on the aggregation of PHF6. ATP has, interestingly, demonstrated its ability to inhibit and dissolve protein aggregates. Using classical molecular dynamics simulations, we observed that the hydrophobic core of PHF6 segment displays extended β-sheet conformation, which stabilizes PHF6 aggregates. However, the distribution of ATP around the vicinity of the peptides enables PHF6 to remain discrete and attain random coil conformers. The interpeptide interactions are substituted by PHF6-ATP interactions through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions (including π-π stacking). Furthermore, the adenosine moiety of ATP contributes more than the triphosphate chain toward PHF6-ATP interaction. Ultimately, this work establishes the inhibitory activity of ATP against Tau aggregation; hence, the therapeutic effect of ATP should be explored further in regard to the effective treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saikat Pal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
| | - Rituparna Roy
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
| | - Sandip Paul
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
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21
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van Adrichem KE, Jansen TLC. AIM: A Mapping Program for Infrared Spectroscopy of Proteins. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:3089-3098. [PMID: 35387451 PMCID: PMC9097285 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Here, we present
a new analysis program, AIM, that allows extracting
the vibrational amide-I Hamiltonian using molecular dynamics trajectories
for protein infrared spectroscopy modeling. The constructed Hamiltonians
can be used as input for spectral calculations allowing the calculation
of infrared absorption spectra, vibrational circular dichroism, and
two-dimensional infrared spectra. These spectroscopies allow the study
of the structure and dynamics of proteins. We will explain the essence
of how AIM works and give examples of the information and spectra
that can be obtained with the program using the Trypsin Inhibitor
as an example. AIM is freely available from GitHub, and the package
contains a demonstration allowing easy introduction to the use of
the program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim E van Adrichem
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas L C Jansen
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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22
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Soloperto A, Quaglio D, Baiocco P, Romeo I, Mori M, Ardini M, Presutti C, Sannino I, Ghirga S, Iazzetti A, Ippoliti R, Ruocco G, Botta B, Ghirga F, Di Angelantonio S, Boffi A. Rational design and synthesis of a novel BODIPY-based probe for selective imaging of tau tangles in human iPSC-derived cortical neurons. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5257. [PMID: 35347170 PMCID: PMC8960764 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09016-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies have shown a strong correlation between the number of neurofibrillary tangles of the tau protein and Alzheimer's disease progression, making the quantitative detection of tau very promising from a clinical point of view. However, the lack of highly reliable fluorescent probes for selective imaging of tau neurofibrillary tangles is a major challenge due to sharing similar β–sheet motifs with homologous Amyloid-β fibrils. In the current work, we describe the rational design and the in silico evaluation of a small-size focused library of fluorescent probes, consisting of a BODIPY core (electron acceptor) featuring highly conjugated systems (electron donor) with a length in the range 13–19 Å at C3. Among the most promising probes in terms of binding mode, theoretical affinity and polarity, BT1 has been synthesized and tested in vitro onto human induced pluripotent stem cells derived neuronal cell cultures. The probe showed excellent photophysical properties and high selectivity allowing in vitro imaging of hyperphosphorylated tau protein filaments with minimal background noise. Our findings offer new insight into the structure-activity relationship of this class of tau selective fluorophores, paving the way for boosting tau tangle detection in patients possibly through retinal spectral scans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Soloperto
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Deborah Quaglio
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Baiocco
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy.,Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Isabella Romeo
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy.,Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Mattia Mori
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Matteo Ardini
- Department of Life, Health, and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Caterina Presutti
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy.,Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Ida Sannino
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Ghirga
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonia Iazzetti
- Department of Basic Biotechnological Sciences, Intensivological and Perioperative Clinics, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, 00168, Rome, Italy
| | - Rodolfo Ippoliti
- Department of Life, Health, and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, 67100, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Ruocco
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Bruno Botta
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Ghirga
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Department of Excellence 2018-2022, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Silvia Di Angelantonio
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy. .,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Alberto Boffi
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, 00161, Rome, Italy.,Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy
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23
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Clabbers MTB, Shiriaeva A, Gonen T. MicroED: conception, practice and future opportunities. IUCRJ 2022; 9:169-179. [PMID: 35371502 PMCID: PMC8895021 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252521013063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This article documents a keynote seminar presented at the IUCr Congress in Prague, 2021. The cryo-EM method microcrystal electron diffraction is described and put in the context of macromolecular electron crystallography from its origins in 2D crystals of membrane proteins to today's application to 3D crystals a millionth the size of that needed for X-ray crystallography. Milestones in method development and applications are described with an outlook to the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max T. B. Clabbers
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Anna Shiriaeva
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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24
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Studying membrane proteins with MicroED. Biochem Soc Trans 2022; 50:231-239. [PMID: 35191473 PMCID: PMC9022970 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The structural investigation of biological macromolecules is indispensable in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying diseases. Several structural biology techniques have been introduced to unravel the structural facets of biomolecules. Among these, the electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) method microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) has produced atomic resolution structures of important biological and small molecules. Since its inception in 2013, MicroED established a demonstrated ability for solving structures of difficult samples using vanishingly small crystals. However, membrane proteins remain the next big frontier for MicroED. The intrinsic properties of membrane proteins necessitate improved sample handling and imaging techniques to be developed and optimized for MicroED. Here, we summarize the milestones of electron crystallography of two-dimensional crystals leading to MicroED of three-dimensional crystals. Then, we focus on four different membrane protein families and discuss representatives from each family solved by MicroED.
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25
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Pinkaew D, Martinez-Hackert E, Jia W, King MD, Miao F, Enger NR, Silakit R, Ramana K, Chen SY, Fujise K. Fortilin interacts with TGF-β1 and prevents TGF-β receptor activation. Commun Biol 2022; 5:157. [PMID: 35197550 PMCID: PMC8866402 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03112-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Fortilin is a 172-amino acid multifunctional protein present in both intra- and extracellular spaces. Although fortilin binds and regulates various cellular proteins, the biological role of extracellular fortilin remains unknown. Here we report that fortilin specifically interacts with TGF-β1 and prevents it from activating the TGF-β1 signaling pathway. In a standard immunoprecipitation-western blot assay, fortilin co-immunoprecipitates TGF-β1 and its isoforms. The modified ELISA assay shows that TGF-β1 remains complexed with fortilin in human serum. Both bio-layer interferometry and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) reveal that fortilin directly bind TGF-β1. The SPR analysis also reveals that fortilin and the TGF-β receptor II (TGFβRII) compete for TGF-β1. Both luciferase and secreted alkaline phosphatase reporter assays show that fortilin prevents TGF-β1 from activating Smad3 binding to Smad-binding element. Fortilin inhibits the phosphorylation of Smad3 in both quantitative western blot assays and ELISA. Finally, fortilin inhibits TGFβ-1-induced differentiation of C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal progenitor cells to smooth muscle cells. A computer-assisted virtual docking reveals that fortilin occupies the pocket of TGF-β1 that is normally occupied by TGFβRII and that TGF-β1 can bind either fortilin or TGFβRII at any given time. These data support the role of extracellular fortilin as a negative regulator of the TGF-β1 signaling pathway. Fortilin prevents the activation of the TGF-β1 receptor by occupying the pocket of TGF-β1 and competing with TGF-βRII to bind with TGF-β1. This inhibits Smad3 phosphorylation and the differentiation of C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal progenitor cells to smooth muscle cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Decha Pinkaew
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Erik Martinez-Hackert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Wei Jia
- Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA
| | - Matthew D King
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boise State University, Boise, ID, 83725, USA
| | - Fei Miao
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Nicole R Enger
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Runglawan Silakit
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Kota Ramana
- Department of Biochemistry, Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine, Provo, UT, 84606, USA
| | - Shi-You Chen
- Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA
| | - Ken Fujise
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.
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26
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Microcrystal electron diffraction in macromolecular and pharmaceutical structure determination. DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY. TECHNOLOGIES 2021; 37:93-105. [PMID: 34895659 DOI: 10.1016/j.ddtec.2020.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) has recently shown to be a promising technique for structure determination in structural biology and pharmaceutical chemistry. Here, we discuss the unique properties of electrons and motivate its use for diffraction experiments. We review the latest developments in MicroED, and illustrate its applications in macromolecular crystallography, fragment screening and structure guided drug discovery. We discuss the perspectives of MicroED in synthetic chemistry and pharmaceutical development. We anticipate that the rapid advances MicroED showcased here will promote further development of electron crystallography and open up new opportunities for drug discovery.
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27
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Martynowycz MW, Clabbers MTB, Unge J, Hattne J, Gonen T. Benchmarking the ideal sample thickness in cryo-EM. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2108884118. [PMID: 34873060 PMCID: PMC8670461 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2108884118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between sample thickness and quality of data obtained is investigated by microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). Several electron microscopy (EM) grids containing proteinase K microcrystals of similar sizes from the same crystallization batch were prepared. Each grid was transferred into a focused ion beam and a scanning electron microscope in which the crystals were then systematically thinned into lamellae between 95- and 1,650-nm thick. MicroED data were collected at either 120-, 200-, or 300-kV accelerating voltages. Lamellae thicknesses were expressed in multiples of the corresponding inelastic mean free path to allow the results from different acceleration voltages to be compared. The quality of the data and subsequently determined structures were assessed using standard crystallographic measures. Structures were reliably determined with similar quality from crystalline lamellae up to twice the inelastic mean free path. Lower resolution diffraction was observed at three times the mean free path for all three accelerating voltages, but the data quality was insufficient to yield structures. Finally, no coherent diffraction was observed from lamellae thicker than four times the calculated inelastic mean free path. This study benchmarks the ideal specimen thickness with implications for all cryo-EM methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Martynowycz
- HHMI, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Max T B Clabbers
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Johan Unge
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Johan Hattne
- HHMI, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Tamir Gonen
- HHMI, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095;
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
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28
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Clark LJ, Bu G, Nannenga BL, Gonen T. MicroED for the study of protein–ligand interactions and the potential for drug discovery. Nat Rev Chem 2021; 5:853-858. [PMID: 37117388 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-021-00332-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) is an electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) technique used to determine molecular structures with crystals that are a millionth the size needed for traditional single-crystal X-ray crystallography. An exciting use of MicroED is in drug discovery and development, where it can be applied to the study of proteins and small molecule interactions, and for structure determination of natural products. The structures are then used for rational drug design and optimization. In this Perspective, we discuss the current applications of MicroED for structure determination of protein-ligand complexes and potential future applications in drug discovery.
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29
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Martynowycz MW, Gonen T. Protocol for the use of focused ion-beam milling to prepare crystalline lamellae for microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). STAR Protoc 2021; 2:100686. [PMID: 34382014 PMCID: PMC8339237 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We present an in-depth protocol to reproducibly prepare crystalline lamellae from protein crystals for subsequent microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) experiments. This protocol covers typical soluble proteins and membrane proteins embedded in dense media. Following these steps will allow the user to prepare crystalline lamellae for protein structure determination by MicroED. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Martynowycz et al. (2019a, 2020a).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W. Martynowycz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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30
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Zhao J, Xu H, Lebrette H, Carroni M, Taberman H, Högbom M, Zou X. A simple pressure-assisted method for MicroED specimen preparation. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5036. [PMID: 34413316 PMCID: PMC8377027 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25335-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Micro-crystal electron diffraction (MicroED) has shown great potential for structure determination of macromolecular crystals too small for X-ray diffraction. However, specimen preparation remains a major bottleneck. Here, we report a simple method for preparing MicroED specimens, named Preassis, in which excess liquid is removed through an EM grid with the assistance of pressure. We show the ice thicknesses can be controlled by tuning the pressure in combination with EM grids with appropriate carbon hole sizes. Importantly, Preassis can handle a wide range of protein crystals grown in various buffer conditions including those with high viscosity, as well as samples with low crystal concentrations. Preassis is a simple and universal method for MicroED specimen preparation, and will significantly broaden the applications of MicroED.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zhao
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hongyi Xu
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Hugo Lebrette
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marta Carroni
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden
| | - Helena Taberman
- Max Delbrück Centrum for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Högbom
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Xiaodong Zou
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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31
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Kim LJ, Ohashi M, Zhang Z, Tan D, Asay M, Cascio D, Rodriguez JA, Tang Y, Nelson HM. Prospecting for natural products by genome mining and microcrystal electron diffraction. Nat Chem Biol 2021; 17:872-877. [PMID: 34312563 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-021-00834-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
More than 60% of pharmaceuticals are related to natural products (NPs), chemicals produced by living organisms. Despite this, the rate of NP discovery has slowed over the past few decades. In many cases the rate-limiting step in NP discovery is structural characterization. Here we report the use of microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED), an emerging cryogenic electron microscopy (CryoEM) method, in combination with genome mining to accelerate NP discovery and structural elucidation. As proof of principle we rapidly determine the structure of a new 2-pyridone NP, Py-469, and revise the structure of fischerin, an NP isolated more than 25 years ago, with potent cytotoxicity but hitherto ambiguous structural assignment. This study serves as a powerful demonstration of the synergy of MicroED and synthetic biology in NP discovery, technologies that when taken together will ultimately accelerate the rate at which new drugs are discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Joon Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Masao Ohashi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Zhuan Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Dan Tan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Matthew Asay
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Duilio Cascio
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - José A Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yi Tang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Hosea M Nelson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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32
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Gruene T, Holstein JJ, Clever GH, Keppler B. Establishing electron diffraction in chemical crystallography. Nat Rev Chem 2021; 5:660-668. [PMID: 37118416 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-021-00302-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The emerging field of 3D electron diffraction (3D ED) opens new opportunities for structure determination from sub-micrometre-sized crystals. Although the foundations of this technology emerged earlier, the past decade has seen developments in cryo-electron microscopy and (X-ray) crystallography that particularly enable the widespread use of 3D ED. This Perspective describes to chemists and chemical crystallographers just how similar electron and X-ray diffraction are and discusses their complementary aspects. We wish to establish 3D ED in the broader chemistry community, such that electron crystallography becomes a common part of the analytical chemistry toolkit. With a suitable instrument at their disposal, every skilled crystallographer can quickly learn to perform structure determinations using 3D ED.
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33
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Jha KK, Gruza B, Chodkiewicz ML, Jelsch C, Dominiak PM. Refinements on electron diffraction data of β-glycine in MoPro: a quest for an improved structure model. J Appl Crystallogr 2021. [DOI: 10.1107/s160057672100580x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The advancement in 3D electron diffraction (3D ED) techniques that lead to a revolution in molecular structure determination using nano-sized crystals is now achieving atomic resolution. The structures can be obtained from 3D ED data with tools similar to those used for X-ray structure determination. In this context, the MoPro software, originally designed for structure and charge density refinements using X-ray diffraction data, has been adapted. Structure refinement on 3D ED data was achieved via implementation of electron scattering factors available in the literature and by application of the Mott–Bethe equation to X-ray scattering factors computed from the multipolar atom model. The multipolar model was parametrized using the transferable pseudoatom databanks ELMAM2 and UBDB. Applying the independent atom model (IAM), i.e. spherical neutral atom refinement, to 3D ED data on β-glycine in MoPro resulted in structure and refinement statistics comparable to those obtained from other well known software. Use of the transferred aspherical atom model (TAAM) led to improvement of the refinement statistics and a better fit of the model to the 3D ED data as compared with the spherical atom refinement. The anisotropic displacement parameters of non-H atoms appear underestimated by typically 0.003 Å2 for the non-H atoms in IAM refinement compared with TAAM. Thus, MoPro is shown to be an effective tool for crystal structure refinement on 3D ED data and allows use of a spherical or a multipolar atom model. Electron density databases can be readily transferred with no further modification needed when the Mott–Bethe equation is applied.
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34
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Van Driessche AES, Van Gerven N, Joosten RRM, Ling WL, Bacia M, Sommerdijk N, Sleutel M. Nucleation of protein mesocrystals via oriented attachment. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3902. [PMID: 34162863 PMCID: PMC8222410 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24171-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Self-assembly of proteins holds great promise for the bottom-up design and production of synthetic biomaterials. In conventional approaches, designer proteins are pre-programmed with specific recognition sites that drive the association process towards a desired organized state. Although proven effective, this approach poses restrictions on the complexity and material properties of the end-state. An alternative, hierarchical approach that has found wide adoption for inorganic systems, relies on the production of crystalline nanoparticles that become the building blocks of a next-level assembly process driven by oriented attachment (OA). As it stands, OA has not yet been observed for protein systems. Here we employ cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryoEM) in the high nucleation rate limit of protein crystals and map the self-assembly route at molecular resolution. We observe the initial formation of facetted nanocrystals that merge lattices by means of OA alignment well before contact is made, satisfying non-trivial symmetry rules in the process. As these nanocrystalline assemblies grow larger we witness imperfect docking events leading to oriented aggregation into mesocrystalline assemblies. These observations highlight the underappreciated role of the interaction between crystalline nuclei, and the impact of OA on the crystallization process of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nani Van Gerven
- grid.8767.e0000 0001 2290 8069Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium ,grid.11486.3a0000000104788040Structural and Molecular Microbiology, Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Rick R. M. Joosten
- grid.6852.90000 0004 0398 8763Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Center of Multiscale Electron Microscopy, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands ,grid.6852.90000 0004 0398 8763Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Wai Li Ling
- grid.450307.5Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IRIG, IBS, Grenoble, France
| | - Maria Bacia
- grid.450307.5Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IRIG, IBS, Grenoble, France
| | - Nico Sommerdijk
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Biochemistry, Radboud Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein, GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mike Sleutel
- grid.8767.e0000 0001 2290 8069Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium ,grid.11486.3a0000000104788040Structural and Molecular Microbiology, Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, Brussels, Belgium
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35
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Abstract
The bedrock of drug discovery and a key tool for understanding cellular function and drug mechanisms of action is the structure determination of chemical compounds, peptides, and proteins. The development of new structure characterization tools, particularly those that fill critical gaps in existing methods, presents important steps forward for structural biology and drug discovery. The emergence of microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) expands the application of cryo-electron microscopy to include samples ranging from small molecules and membrane proteins to even large protein complexes using crystals that are one-billionth the size of those required for X-ray crystallography. This review outlines the conception, achievements, and exciting future trajectories for MicroED, an important addition to the existing biophysical toolkit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuelang Mu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA; .,Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Cody Gillman
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA; .,Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Chi Nguyen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA;
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA; .,Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
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36
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An overview of the recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy for life sciences. Emerg Top Life Sci 2021; 5:151-168. [PMID: 33760078 DOI: 10.1042/etls20200295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Cryo-electron microscopy (CryoEM) has superseded X-ray crystallography and NMR to emerge as a popular and effective tool for structure determination in recent times. It has become indispensable for the characterization of large macromolecular assemblies, membrane proteins, or samples that are limited, conformationally heterogeneous, and recalcitrant to crystallization. Besides, it is the only tool capable of elucidating high-resolution structures of macromolecules and biological assemblies in situ. A state-of-the-art electron microscope operable at cryo-temperature helps preserve high-resolution details of the biological sample. The structures can be determined, either in isolation via single-particle analysis (SPA) or helical reconstruction, electron diffraction (ED) or within the cellular environment via cryo-electron tomography (cryoET). All the three streams of SPA, ED, and cryoET (along with subtomogram averaging) have undergone significant advancements in recent times. This has resulted in breaking the boundaries with respect to both the size of the macromolecules/assemblies whose structures could be determined along with the visualization of atomic details at resolutions unprecedented for cryoEM. In addition, the collection of larger datasets combined with the ability to sort and process multiple conformational states from the same sample are providing the much-needed link between the protein structures and their functions. In overview, these developments are helping scientists decipher the molecular mechanism of critical cellular processes, solve structures of macromolecules that were challenging targets for structure determination until now, propelling forward the fields of biology and biomedicine. Here, we summarize recent advances and key contributions of the three cryo-electron microscopy streams of SPA, ED, and cryoET.
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37
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Clabbers MTB, Holmes S, Muusse TW, Vajjhala PR, Thygesen SJ, Malde AK, Hunter DJB, Croll TI, Flueckiger L, Nanson JD, Rahaman MH, Aquila A, Hunter MS, Liang M, Yoon CH, Zhao J, Zatsepin NA, Abbey B, Sierecki E, Gambin Y, Stacey KJ, Darmanin C, Kobe B, Xu H, Ve T. MyD88 TIR domain higher-order assembly interactions revealed by microcrystal electron diffraction and serial femtosecond crystallography. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2578. [PMID: 33972532 PMCID: PMC8110528 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22590-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
MyD88 and MAL are Toll-like receptor (TLR) adaptors that signal to induce pro-inflammatory cytokine production. We previously observed that the TIR domain of MAL (MALTIR) forms filaments in vitro and induces formation of crystalline higher-order assemblies of the MyD88 TIR domain (MyD88TIR). These crystals are too small for conventional X-ray crystallography, but are ideally suited to structure determination by microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) and serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX). Here, we present MicroED and SFX structures of the MyD88TIR assembly, which reveal a two-stranded higher-order assembly arrangement of TIR domains analogous to that seen previously for MALTIR. We demonstrate via mutagenesis that the MyD88TIR assembly interfaces are critical for TLR4 signaling in vivo, and we show that MAL promotes unidirectional assembly of MyD88TIR. Collectively, our studies provide structural and mechanistic insight into TLR signal transduction and allow a direct comparison of the MicroED and SFX techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max T B Clabbers
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Susannah Holmes
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Timothy W Muusse
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Parimala R Vajjhala
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Sara J Thygesen
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Alpeshkumar K Malde
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia
| | - Dominic J B Hunter
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Tristan I Croll
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Leonie Flueckiger
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jeffrey D Nanson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Md Habibur Rahaman
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andrew Aquila
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Mark S Hunter
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Mengning Liang
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Chun Hong Yoon
- Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nadia A Zatsepin
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Brian Abbey
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Emma Sierecki
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Yann Gambin
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Katryn J Stacey
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Connie Darmanin
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Bostjan Kobe
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Hongyi Xu
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Thomas Ve
- Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia.
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Peck A, Yao Q, Brewster AS, Zwart PH, Heumann JM, Sauter NK, Jensen GJ. Challenges in solving structures from radiation-damaged tomograms of protein nanocrystals assessed by simulation. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:572-586. [PMID: 33950014 PMCID: PMC8098477 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321002369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Structure-determination methods are needed to resolve the atomic details that underlie protein function. X-ray crystallography has provided most of our knowledge of protein structure, but is constrained by the need for large, well ordered crystals and the loss of phase information. The rapidly developing methods of serial femtosecond crystallography, micro-electron diffraction and single-particle reconstruction circumvent the first of these limitations by enabling data collection from nanocrystals or purified proteins. However, the first two methods also suffer from the phase problem, while many proteins fall below the molecular-weight threshold required for single-particle reconstruction. Cryo-electron tomography of protein nanocrystals has the potential to overcome these obstacles of mainstream structure-determination methods. Here, a data-processing scheme is presented that combines routines from X-ray crystallography and new algorithms that have been developed to solve structures from tomograms of nanocrystals. This pipeline handles image-processing challenges specific to tomographic sampling of periodic specimens and is validated using simulated crystals. The tolerance of this workflow to the effects of radiation damage is also assessed. The simulations indicate a trade-off between a wider tilt range to facilitate merging data from multiple tomograms and a smaller tilt increment to improve phase accuracy. Since phase errors, but not merging errors, can be overcome with additional data sets, these results recommend distributing the dose over a wide angular range rather than using a finer sampling interval to solve the protein structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariana Peck
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Qing Yao
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Aaron S. Brewster
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Petrus H. Zwart
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Center for Advanced Mathematics in Energy Research Applications, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA 94720, USA
| | - John M. Heumann
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Nicholas K. Sauter
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Grant J. Jensen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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Martynowycz MW, Gonen T. Microcrystal Electron Diffraction of Small Molecules. J Vis Exp 2021:10.3791/62313. [PMID: 33779618 PMCID: PMC9974888 DOI: 10.3791/62313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
A detailed protocol for preparing small molecule samples for microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) experiments is described. MicroED has been developed to solve structures of proteins and small molecules using standard electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) equipment. In this way, small molecules, peptides, soluble proteins, and membrane proteins have recently been determined to high resolutions. Protocols are presented here for preparing grids of small-molecule pharmaceuticals using the drug carbamazepine as an example. Protocols for screening and collecting data are presented. Additional steps in the overall process, such as data integration, structure determination, and refinement are presented elsewhere. The time required to prepare the small-molecule grids is estimated to be less than 30 min.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W. Martynowycz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles,Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles; Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles; Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles;
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40
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Balasco N, Diaferia C, Morelli G, Vitagliano L, Accardo A. Amyloid-Like Aggregation in Diseases and Biomaterials: Osmosis of Structural Information. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:641372. [PMID: 33748087 PMCID: PMC7966729 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.641372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery that the polypeptide chain has a remarkable and intrinsic propensity to form amyloid-like aggregates endowed with an extraordinary stability is one of the most relevant breakthroughs of the last decades in both protein/peptide chemistry and structural biology. This observation has fundamental implications, as the formation of these assemblies is systematically associated with the insurgence of severe neurodegenerative diseases. Although the ability of proteins to form aggregates rich in cross-β structure has been highlighted by recent studies of structural biology, the determination of the underlying atomic models has required immense efforts and inventiveness. Interestingly, the progressive molecular and structural characterization of these assemblies has opened new perspectives in apparently unrelated fields. Indeed, the self-assembling through the cross-β structure has been exploited to generate innovative biomaterials endowed with promising mechanical and spectroscopic properties. Therefore, this structural motif has become the fil rouge connecting these diversified research areas. In the present review, we report a chronological recapitulation, also performing a survey of the structural content of the Protein Data Bank, of the milestones achieved over the years in the characterization of cross-β assemblies involved in the insurgence of neurodegenerative diseases. A particular emphasis is given to the very recent successful elucidation of amyloid-like aggregates characterized by remarkable molecular and structural complexities. We also review the state of the art of the structural characterization of cross-β based biomaterials by highlighting the benefits of the osmosis of information between these two research areas. Finally, we underline the new promising perspectives that recent successful characterizations of disease-related amyloid-like assemblies can open in the biomaterial field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Balasco
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), CNR, Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Diaferia
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB), University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Morelli
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB), University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging (IBB), CNR, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonella Accardo
- Department of Pharmacy, Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPeB), University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
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41
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Clabbers MTB, Xu H. Macromolecular crystallography using microcrystal electron diffraction. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:313-324. [PMID: 33645535 PMCID: PMC7919406 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798320016368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) has recently emerged as a promising method for macromolecular structure determination in structural biology. Since the first protein structure was determined in 2013, the method has been evolving rapidly. Several protein structures have been determined and various studies indicate that MicroED is capable of (i) revealing atomic structures with charges, (ii) solving new protein structures by molecular replacement, (iii) visualizing ligand-binding interactions and (iv) determining membrane-protein structures from microcrystals embedded in lipidic mesophases. However, further development and optimization is required to make MicroED experiments more accurate and more accessible to the structural biology community. Here, we provide an overview of the current status of the field, and highlight the ongoing development, to provide an indication of where the field may be going in the coming years. We anticipate that MicroED will become a robust method for macromolecular structure determination, complementing existing methods in structural biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max T. B. Clabbers
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hongyi Xu
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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42
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Danelius E, Halaby S, van der Donk WA, Gonen T. MicroED in natural product and small molecule research. Nat Prod Rep 2021; 38:423-431. [PMID: 32939523 PMCID: PMC7965795 DOI: 10.1039/d0np00035c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Covering: 2013 to 2020The electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) method Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (MicroED) allows the collection of high-resolution structural data from vanishingly small crystals that appear like amorphous powders or very fine needles. Since its debut in 2013, data collection and analysis schemes have been fine-tuned, and there are currently close to 100 structures determined by MicroED. Although originally developed to study proteins, MicroED is also very powerful for smaller systems, with some recent and very promising examples from the field of natural products. Herein, we review what has been achieved so far and provide examples of natural product structures, as well as demonstrate the expected future impact of MicroED to the field of natural product and small molecule research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Danelius
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, 615 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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43
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Beyond X-rays: an overview of emerging structural biology methods. Emerg Top Life Sci 2021; 5:221-230. [DOI: 10.1042/etls20200272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Revised: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Structural biologists rely on X-ray crystallography as the main technique for determining the three-dimensional structures of macromolecules; however, in recent years, new methods that go beyond X-ray-based technologies are broadening the selection of tools to understand molecular structure and function. Simultaneously, national facilities are developing programming tools and maintaining personnel to aid novice structural biologists in de novo structure determination. The combination of X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) and serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) now enable time-resolved structure determination that allows for capture of dynamic processes, such as reaction mechanism and conformational flexibility. XFEL and SFX, along with microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED), help side-step the need for large crystals for structural studies. Moreover, advances in cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) as a tool for structure determination is revolutionizing how difficult to crystallize macromolecules and/or complexes can be visualized at the atomic scale. This review aims to provide a broad overview of these new methods and to guide readers to more in-depth literature of these methods.
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44
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Blum TB, Housset D, Clabbers MTB, van Genderen E, Bacia-Verloop M, Zander U, McCarthy AA, Schoehn G, Ling WL, Abrahams JP. Statistically correcting dynamical electron scattering improves the refinement of protein nanocrystals, including charge refinement of coordinated metals. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:75-85. [PMID: 33404527 PMCID: PMC7787111 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798320014540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Electron diffraction allows protein structure determination when only nanosized crystals are available. Nevertheless, multiple elastic (or dynamical) scattering, which is prominent in electron diffraction, is a concern. Current methods for modeling dynamical scattering by multi-slice or Bloch wave approaches are not suitable for protein crystals because they are not designed to cope with large molecules. Here, dynamical scattering of nanocrystals of insulin, thermolysin and thaumatin was limited by collecting data from thin crystals. To accurately measure the weak diffraction signal from the few unit cells in the thin crystals, a low-noise hybrid pixel Timepix electron-counting detector was used. The remaining dynamical component was further reduced in refinement using a likelihood-based correction, which was introduced previously for analyzing electron diffraction data of small-molecule nanocrystals and was adapted here for protein crystals. The procedure is shown to notably improve the structural refinement, in one case allowing the location of solvent molecules. It also allowed refinement of the charge states of bound metal atoms, an important element in protein function, through B-factor analysis of the metal atoms and their ligands. These results clearly increase the value of macromolecular electron crystallography as a complementary structural biology technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorsten B. Blum
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Dominique Housset
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Max T. B. Clabbers
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eric van Genderen
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Maria Bacia-Verloop
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Ulrich Zander
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38042 Grenoble, France
| | - Andrew A. McCarthy
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38042 Grenoble, France
| | - Guy Schoehn
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Wai Li Ling
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Jan Pieter Abrahams
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
- Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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45
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Abstract
Structural elucidation of small macromolecules such as peptides has recently been facilitated by a growing number of technological advances to existing crystallographic methods. The emergence of electron micro-diffraction (MicroED) of protein nanocrystals under cryogenic conditions has enabled the interrogation of crystalline peptide assemblies only hundreds of nanometers thick. Collection of atomic or near-atomic resolution data by these methods has permitted the ab initio determination of structures of various amyloid-forming peptides, including segments derived from prions and ice-nucleating proteins. This chapter focuses on the process of ab initio structural determination from nano-scale peptide assemblies and other similar molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Te Zee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ambarneil Saha
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael R Sawaya
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UCLA-DOE Institute, Departments of Biological Chemistry, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Jose A Rodriguez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, STROBE, NSF Science and Technology Center, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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46
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Abstract
Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (MicroED) is the newest cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) method, with over 70 protein, peptide, and several small organic molecule structures already determined. In MicroED, micro- or nanocrystalline samples in solution are deposited on electron microscopy grids and examined in a cryo-electron microscope, ideally under cryogenic conditions. Continuous rotation diffraction data are collected and then processed using conventional X-ray crystallography programs. The protocol outlined here details how to obtain and identify the nanocrystals, how to set up the microscope for screening and for MicroED data collection, and how to collect and process data to complete high-resolution structures. For well-behaving crystals with high-resolution diffraction in cryo-EM, the entire process can be achieved in less than an hour.
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47
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Cheng A, Negro C, Bruhn JF, Rice WJ, Dallakyan S, Eng ET, Waterman DG, Potter CS, Carragher B. Leginon: New features and applications. Protein Sci 2021; 30:136-150. [PMID: 33030237 PMCID: PMC7737759 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Leginon is a system for automated data acquisition from a transmission electron microscope. Here we provide an updated summary of the overall Leginon architecture and an update of the current state of the package. We also highlight a few recent developments to provide some concrete examples and use cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anchi Cheng
- The National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, Simons Electron Microscopy CenterNew York Structural Biology CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Carl Negro
- The National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, Simons Electron Microscopy CenterNew York Structural Biology CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | | | - William J. Rice
- Cryo‐Electron Microscopy CoreNew York University School of MedicineNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of Cell BiologyNew York University School of MedicineNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Sargis Dallakyan
- The National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, Simons Electron Microscopy CenterNew York Structural Biology CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Edward T. Eng
- The National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, Simons Electron Microscopy CenterNew York Structural Biology CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - David G. Waterman
- STFCRutherford Appleton LaboratoryDidcotUK
- CCP4, Research Complex at HarwellRutherford Appleton LaboratoryDidcotUK
| | - Clinton S. Potter
- The National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, Simons Electron Microscopy CenterNew York Structural Biology CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiophysicsColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Bridget Carragher
- The National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, Simons Electron Microscopy CenterNew York Structural Biology CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiophysicsColumbia UniversityNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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48
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Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) enables atomic resolution structures to be determined from vanishingly small crystals. Soluble proteins typically grow crystals that are tens to hundreds of microns in size for X-ray crystallography. But membrane protein crystals often grow crystals that are too small for X-ray diffraction and yet too large for MicroED. These crystals are often formed in thick, viscous media that challenge traditional cryoEM grid preparation. Here, we describe two approaches for preparing membrane protein crystals for MicroED data collection: application of a crystal slurry directly to EM grids, and focused ion beam milling in a Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM). We summarize the case of preparing an ion channel, NaK, and the workflow of focused ion-beam milling. By milling away the excess media and crystalline material, crystals of any size may be prepared for MicroED. Finally, an energy filter may be used to help minimize inelastic scattering leading to lower noise on recorded images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W. Martynowycz
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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49
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Abstract
Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (MicroED) enables structure determination of very small crystals that are much too small to be of use for other conventional diffraction techniques. MicroED has been used to determine the structures of many proteins and small organic molecules, and the technique can be performed on most standard cryo-TEM instruments equipped with high-speed detectors capable of collecting electron diffraction data. Here, we present protocols for MicroED sample preparation and data collection for protein microcrystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanhong Bu
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Brent L Nannenga
- Chemical Engineering, School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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50
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MicroED structure of lipid-embedded mammalian mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:32380-32385. [PMID: 33293416 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020010117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A structure of the murine voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) was determined by microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). Microcrystals of an essential mutant of VDAC grew in a viscous bicelle suspension, making it unsuitable for conventional X-ray crystallography. Thin, plate-like crystals were identified using scanning-electron microscopy (SEM). Crystals were milled into thin lamellae using a focused-ion beam (FIB). MicroED data were collected from three crystal lamellae and merged for completeness. The refined structure revealed unmodeled densities between protein monomers, indicative of lipids that likely mediate contacts between the proteins in the crystal. This body of work demonstrates the effectiveness of milling membrane protein microcrystals grown in viscous media using a focused ion beam for subsequent structure determination by MicroED. This approach is well suited for samples that are intractable by X-ray crystallography. To our knowledge, the presented structure is a previously undescribed mutant of the membrane protein VDAC, crystallized in a lipid bicelle matrix and solved by MicroED.
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