Highly Efficient Transfer of 7TM Membrane Protein from Native Membrane to Covalently Circularized Nanodisc

Designing nanodiscs as versatile platforms for on-demand therapy

Nowadays, there has been an increasing utilization of nanomedicines for disease treatment. Nanodiscs (NDs) have emerged as a novel platform technology that garners significant attention in biomedical research and drug discovery. NDs are nanoscale phospholipid bilayer discs capable of incorporating membrane proteins and lipids within a native-like environment. They are assembled using amphiphilic biomacromolecular materials, such as apolipoprotein A1 or membrane scaffold proteins (MSPs), peptides, and styrene-maleic acid polymers (SMAs). NDs possess well-defined sizes and shapes, offering a stable, homogeneous, and biologically relevant environment for studying membrane proteins and lipids. Their unique properties have made them highly desirable for diverse applications, including cancer immunotherapy, vaccine development, antibacterial and antiviral therapy, and treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) and diabetes-related conditions. This review discusses the classifications, advantages, and applications of NDs in disease therapy.

Rhodopsins: An Excitingly Versatile Protein Species for Research, Development and Creative Engineering

The first member and eponym of the rhodopsin family was identified in the 1930s as the visual pigment of the rod photoreceptor cell in the animal retina. It was found to be a membrane protein, owing its photosensitivity to the presence of a covalently bound chromophoric group. This group, derived from vitamin A, was appropriately dubbed retinal. In the 1970s a microbial counterpart of this species was discovered in an archaeon, being a membrane protein also harbouring retinal as a chromophore, and named bacteriorhodopsin. Since their discovery a photogenic panorama unfolded, where up to date new members and subspecies with a variety of light-driven functionality have been added to this family. The animal branch, meanwhile categorized as type-2 rhodopsins, turned out to form a large subclass in the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors and are essential to multiple elements of light-dependent animal sensory physiology. The microbial branch, the type-1 rhodopsins, largely function as light-driven ion pumps or channels, but also contain sensory-active and enzyme-sustaining subspecies. In this review we will follow the development of this exciting membrane protein panorama in a representative number of highlights and will present a prospect of their extraordinary future potential.

Roles of functional lipids in bacteriorhodopsin photocycle in various delipidated purple membranes

Purple membrane (PM) is composed of several native lipids and the transmembrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) in trimeric configuration. The delipidated PM (dPM) samples can be prepared by treating PM with CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate) to partially remove native lipids while maintaining bR in the trimeric configuration. By correlating the photocycle kinetics of bR and the exact lipid compositions of the various dPM samples, one can reveal the roles of native PM lipids. However, it is challenging to compare the lipid compositions of the various dPM samples quantitatively. Here, we utilized the absorbances of extracted retinal at 382 nm to normalize the concentrations of the remaining lipids in each dPM sample, which were then quantified by mass spectrometry, allowing us to compare the lipid compositions of different samples in a quantitative manner. The corresponding photocycle kinetics of bR were probed by transient difference absorption spectroscopy. We found that the removal rate of the polar lipids follows the order of BPG ≈ GlyC < S-TGD-1 ≈ PG < PGP-Me ≈ PGS. Since BPG and GlyC have more nonpolar phytanyl groups than other lipids at the hydrophobic tail, causing a higher affinity with the hydrophobic surface of bR, the corresponding removal rates are slowest. In addition, as the reaction period of PM and CHAPS increases, the residual amounts of PGS and PGP-Me significantly decrease, in concomitance with the decelerated rates of the recovery of ground state and the decay of intermediate M, and the reduced transient population of intermediate O. PGS and PGP-Me are the lipids with the highest correlation to the photocycle activity among the six polar lipids of PM. From a practical viewpoint, combining optical spectroscopy and mass spectrometry appears a promising approach to simultaneously track the functions and the concomitant active components in a given biological system.

Rapid preparation of nanodiscs for biophysical studies

Nanodiscs, which are disc-shaped entities that contain a central lipid bilayer encased by an annulus of amphipathic helices, have emerged as a leading native-like membrane mimic. The current approach for the formation of nanodiscs involves the creation of a mixed-micellar solution containing membrane scaffold protein, lipid, and detergent followed by a time consuming process (3-12 h) of dialysis and/or incubation with sorptive beads to remove the detergent molecules from the sample. In contrast, the methodology described herein provides a facile and rapid procedure for the preparation of nanodiscs in a matter of minutes (<15 min) using Sephadex® G-25 resin to remove the detergent from the sample. A panoply of biophysical techniques including analytical ultracentrifugation, dynamic light scattering, gel filtration chromatography, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and cryogenic electron microscopy were employed to unequivocally confirm that aggregates formed by this method are indeed nanodiscs. We believe that this method will be attractive for time-sensitive and high-throughput experiments.

Reconstitution of Detergent-Solubilized Membrane Proteins into Proteoliposomes and Nanodiscs for Functional and Structural Studies

Reconstitution of detergent-solubilized membrane proteins into phospholipid bilayers allows for functional and structural studies under close-to-native conditions that greatly support protein stability and function. Here we outline the detailed steps for membrane protein reconstitution to result in proteoliposomes and nanodiscs. Reconstitution can be achieved via a number of different strategies. The protocols for preparation of proteoliposomes use detergent removal via dialysis or via nonpolar polystyrene beads, or a mixture of the two methods. In this chapter, the protocols for nanodiscs apply polystyrene beads only. Proteoliposome preparation methods allow for substantial control of the lipid-to-protein ratio, from minimal amounts of phospholipid to high concentrations, type of phospholipid, and mixtures of phospholipids. In addition, dialysis affords a fairly large degree of control and variation of parameters such as rate of reconstitution, temperature, buffer conditions, and proteoliposome size. For the nanodisc approach, which is highly advantageous for ensuring equal access to both membrane sides of the protein as well as fast reconstitution of only a single membrane protein into a well-defined bilayer environment in each nanodisc, the protocols outline how a number of these parameters are more restricted in comparison to the proteoliposome protocols.

General Protocol for Constructing Molecular Models of Nanodiscs

Nanodisc technology is increasingly being applied for structural and biophysical studies of membrane proteins. In this work, we present a general protocol for constructing molecular models of nanodiscs for molecular dynamics simulations. The protocol is written in python and based on geometric equations, making it fast and easy to modify, enabling automation and customization of nanodiscs in silico. The novelty being the ability to construct any membrane scaffold protein (MSP) variant fast and easy given only an input sequence. We validated and tested the protocol by simulating seven different nanodiscs of various sizes and with different membrane scaffold proteins, both circularized and noncircularized. The structural and biophysical properties were analyzed and shown to be in good agreement with previously reported experimental data and simulation studies.

Nucleic acid ligands act as a PAM and agonist depending on the intrinsic ligand binding state of P2RY2

Discovery of ligands for G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) is of importance in receptor biology and pharmacology but is still a challenging issue. Here, we propose a method for the discovery of ligands against GPCRs by employing a virus-like particle (VLP) and show unique properties of identified nucleic acid aptamers for GPCR. One aptamer raised against purinergic receptor P2Y2 (P2RY2), a GPCR, behaves like a partial agonist to unliganded receptor, whereas it exhibits a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) activity to liganded receptor. We demonstrate the validity of our aptamer screening method targeting VLP-stabilized GPCR and a unique aptamer with dual function, agonist and PAM, for GPCR, depending on whether the intrinsic ligand is prebound to the receptor.

G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) play diverse roles in physiological processes, and hence the ligands to modulate GPCRs have served as important molecules in biological and pharmacological approaches. However, the exploration of novel ligands for GPCR still remains an arduous challenge. In this study, we report a method for the discovery of nucleic acid ligands against GPCRs by an advanced RNA aptamer screening technology that employs a virus-like particle (VLP), exposing the GPCR of interest. An array of biochemical analyses coupled with a cell-based assay revealed that one of the aptamers raised against purinergic receptor P2Y2 (P2RY2), a GPCR, exhibits an activation potency to unliganded receptor and prohibits a further receptor activation by endogenous ligand, behaving like a partial agonist. However, the aptamer enhances the activity of intrinsic ligand-binding P2RY2, thereby acting as a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) to liganded receptor. Our findings demonstrate that the nucleic acid aptamer conditionally exerts PAM and agonist effects on GPCRs, depending on their intrinsic ligand binding state. These results indicate the validity of our VLP-based aptamer screening targeting GPCR and reemphasize the great potential of nucleic acid ligands for exploring the GPCR activation mechanism and therapeutic applications.

Database Study on the Expression and Purification of Membrane Proteins

Membrane proteins are crucial for biological processes, and many of them are important to drug targets. Understanding the three-dimensional structures of membrane proteins are essential to evaluate their bio function and drug design. High-purity membrane proteins are important for structural determination. Membrane proteins have low yields and are difficult to purify because they tend to aggregate. We summarized membrane protein expression systems, vectors, tags, and detergents, which have deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) in recent four-and-a-half years. Escherichia coli is the most expression system for membrane proteins, and HEK293 cells are the most commonly cell lines for human membrane protein expression. The most frequently vectors are pFastBac1 for alpha-helical membrane proteins, pET28a for beta-barrel membrane proteins, and pTRC99a for monotopic membrane proteins. The most used tag for membrane proteins is the 6×His-tag. FLAG commonly used for alpha-helical membrane proteins, Strep and GST for beta-barrel and monotopic membrane proteins, respectively. The detergents and their concentrations used for alpha-helical, beta-barrel, and monotopic membrane proteins are different, and DDM is commonly used for membrane protein purification. It can guide the expression and purification of membrane proteins, thus contributing to their structure and bio function studying.

Membrane Protein Structure Determination and Characterisation by Solution and Solid-State NMR

Biological membranes define the interface of life and its basic unit, the cell. Membrane proteins play key roles in membrane functions, yet their structure and mechanisms remain poorly understood. Breakthroughs in crystallography and electron microscopy have invigorated structural analysis while failing to characterise key functional interactions with lipids, small molecules and membrane modulators, as well as their conformational polymorphism and dynamics. NMR is uniquely suited to resolving atomic environments within complex molecular assemblies and reporting on membrane organisation, protein structure, lipid and polysaccharide composition, conformational variations and molecular interactions. The main challenge in membrane protein studies at the atomic level remains the need for a membrane environment to support their fold. NMR studies in membrane mimetics and membranes of increasing complexity offer close to native environments for structural and molecular studies of membrane proteins. Solution NMR inherits high resolution from small molecule analysis, providing insights from detergent solubilised proteins and small molecular assemblies. Solid-state NMR achieves high resolution in membrane samples through fast sample spinning or sample alignment. Recent developments in dynamic nuclear polarisation NMR allow signal enhancement by orders of magnitude opening new opportunities for expanding the applications of NMR to studies of native membranes and whole cells.

Protein Transport Studied by a Model Asymmetric Membrane Army Arranged in a Dimple Chip

Reconstituted model membrane systems are powerful platforms to tackle interesting problems existing in membrane biology. One of the barriers to efficient drug delivery, as therapeutics to disease, is the physical membrane barrier of the cell. Small molecule can typically diffuse through the membrane; however, biomolecules such as proteins or nucleic acids cannot passively diffuse the bilayer and thus much research has been geared to engineering protein and/or nucleic acids delivery methods. One delivery method uses cell penetrating peptides (CPPs). In this chapter, we introduce the model "membrane army" arranged in dimple chip to study the delivery of β-galactosidase by a CPP known as Pep-1. This method uses droplet interface bilayer technology (DIB). It accelerates the speed to screen through the working conditions in CPP-assisted protein translocations because each chip provides dimples that can accommodate 36 pairs of droplets or 18 model bilayers. We will use one of the successful translocation conditions of β-galactosidase delivery as the example to illustrate how the model "membrane army" is built and utilized.

Influence of Lipid Compositions in the Events of Retinal Schiff Base of Bacteriorhodopsin Embedded in Covalently Circularized Nanodiscs: Thermal Isomerization, Photoisomerization, and Deprotonation

Covalently circularized nanodiscs using circular membrane scaffold protein (MSP) serve as a suitable membrane mimetic for transmembrane proteins by providing stability and tunability in lipid compositions, providing controllable biological environments for targeted proteins. In this work, monomeric bacteriorhodopsin (mbR) was embedded in lipid nanodiscs of different lipid compositions using negatively charged lipid dioleoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DOPG) and the zwitterion lipid dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine (DOPC), and the events associated with the retinal Schiff base, including the thermal isomerization during the dark adaptation, photoisomerization, and deprotonation, were investigated. The retinal thermal isomerization from all-trans, 15-anti to the 13-cis, 15-syn configuration during the dark adaptation was accelerated in the DOPG bilayer, whereas the processes in the DOPC bilayer and in Triton X-100 micelles were similar. This observation indicated that the negatively charged lipid reduced the barrier for retinal thermal isomerization at C₁₃═C₁₄-C₁₅═N in the ground electronic state. Furthermore, the broader absorption contour of mbR in the DOPC nanodisc probably indicated various retinal isomers in the light-adapted state, consistent with the observed nontwo-state dark adaptation kinetics. Moreover, the kinetics of the photoisomerization of the retinal was slightly decelerated upon increasing the content of DOPC. However, the cascading deprotonation of the protonated Schiff base is not dependent on the types of the surrounding lipids in the nanodiscs. In summary, our research deepens the understanding of the coupling between lipid membrane and the photochemistry of bR retinal Schiff base. Combined with the results of our previous works (Lee, T.-Y.; Yeh, V.; Chuang, J.; Chan, J. C. C.; Chu, L.-K.; Yu, T.-Y. Biophys. J. 2015, 109, 1899-1906; Kao, Y.-M.; Cheng, C.-H.; Syue, M.-L.; Huang, H.-Y.; Chen, I-C.; Yu, T.-Y.; Chu, L.-K. J. Phys. Chem. B 2019, 123, 2032-2039), these outcomes extend our understanding of the control of photochemistry and biophysical events for other photosynthetic proteins via altering the lipid environments.