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Feng RR, Wang M, Zhang W, Gai F. Unnatural Amino Acids for Biological Spectroscopy and Microscopy. Chem Rev 2024; 124:6501-6542. [PMID: 38722769 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00944] [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: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Due to advances in methods for site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into proteins, a large number of UAAs with tailored chemical and/or physical properties have been developed and used in a wide array of biological applications. In particular, UAAs with specific spectroscopic characteristics can be used as external reporters to produce additional signals, hence increasing the information content obtainable in protein spectroscopic and/or imaging measurements. In this Review, we summarize the progress in the past two decades in the development of such UAAs and their applications in biological spectroscopy and microscopy, with a focus on UAAs that can be used as site-specific vibrational, fluorescence, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) probes. Wherever applicable, we also discuss future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran-Ran Feng
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Manxi Wang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wenkai Zhang
- Department of Physics and Applied Optics Beijing Area Major Laboratory, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Feng Gai
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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Mukherjee D, Ahmed IA, Gai F. Site-Specific Interrogation of Protein Structure and Stability. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2376:65-87. [PMID: 34845603 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1716-8_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
To execute their function or activity, proteins need to possess variability in local electrostatic environment, solvent accessibility, structure, and stability. However, assessing any protein property in a site-specific manner is not easy since native spectroscopic signals often lack the needed specificity. One strategy that overcomes this limitation is to use unnatural amino acids that exhibit distinct spectroscopic features. In this chapter, we describe several such unnatural amino acids (UAAs) and their respective applications in site-specific interrogation of protein structure and stability using standard biophysical methods, including circular dichroism (CD), infrared (IR), and fluorescence spectroscopies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ismail A Ahmed
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Feng Gai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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3
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Xu S, Wang W, Dong X, Sun Y. Molecular Insight into Cu 2+-Induced Conformational Transitions of Amyloid β-Protein from Fast Kinetic Analysis and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. ACS Chem Neurosci 2021; 12:300-310. [PMID: 33401892 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cu2+-mediated amyloid β-protein (Aβ) aggregation is implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, so it is of significance to understand Cu2+-mediated conformational transitions of Aβ. Herein, four Aβ mutants were created by using the environment-sensitive cyanophenylalanine to respectively substitute F4, Y10, F19, and F20 residues of Aβ40. By using stopped-flow fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the early stage conformational transitions of the mutants mediated by Cu2+ binding were investigated. The fast kinetics unveils that Cu2+ has more significant influence on the conformational changes of N-terminal (F4 and Y10) than on the central hydrophobic core (CHC, F19, and F20) under different pH conditions (pH 6.6-8.0), especially Y10. Interestingly, lag periods of the conformational transitions are observed for the F19 and F20 mutants at pH 8.0, indicating the slow response of the two mutation sites on the conformational transitions. More importantly, significantly longer lag periods for F20 than for F19 indicate the conduction of the transition from F19 to F20. The conduction time (difference in lag period) decreases from 4.5 s at Cu2+ = 0 to undetectable (<1 ms) at Cu2+ = 10 μM. The significant difference in the response time of F19 and F20 and the fast local conformational changes of Y10 imply that the conformational transitions of Aβ start around Y10. MD simulations support the observation of hydrophobicity increase at N-terminal during the conformational transitions of Aβ-Cu2+. It also reveals that Y10 is immediately approached by Cu2+, supporting the speculation that the starting point of conformational transitions of Aβ is near Y10. The work has provided molecular insight into the early stage conformational transitions of Aβ40 mediated by Cu2+.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoying Xu
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Xiaoyan Dong
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
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Martin JP, Fetto NR, Tucker MJ. Comparison of biological chromophores: photophysical properties of cyanophenylalanine derivatives. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 18:20750-7. [PMID: 27412819 DOI: 10.1039/c6cp04154j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Within this work, the family of cyanophenylalanine spectroscopic reporters is extended by showing the ortho and meta derivatives have intrinsic photophysical properties that are useful for studies of protein structure and dynamics. The molar absorptivities of 2-cyanophenylalanine and 3-cyanophenylalanine are shown to be comparable to that of 4-cyanophenylalanine with similar spectral features in their absorbance and emission profiles, demonstrating that these probes can be utilized interchangeably. The fluorescence quantum yields are also on the same scale as commonly used fluorophores in peptides and proteins, tyrosine and tryptophan. These new cyano-fluorophores can be paired with either 4-cyanophenylalanine or tryptophan to capture distances in peptide structure through Förster resonance energy transfer. Additionally, the spectroscopic properties of these chromophores can report the local solvent environment via changes in fluorescence emission intensity as a result of hydrogen bonding and/or hydration. A decrease in the quantum yield is also observed in basic environments due to photoinduced electron transfer from a deprotonated amine in the free PheCN species and at the N-terminus of a short peptide, providing an avenue to detect pH in biological systems. Our results show the potential of these probes, 2-cyanophenylalanine and 3-cyanophenylalanine, to be incorporated into a single peptide chain, either individually or in tandem with 4-cyanophenylalanine, tryptophan, or tyrosine, in order to obtain information about peptide structure and dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua P Martin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, 89557, USA.
| | - Natalie R Fetto
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, 89557, USA.
| | - Matthew J Tucker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Reno, 89557, USA.
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Dardashti RN, Metanis N. Revisiting ligation at selenomethionine: Insights into native chemical ligation at selenocysteine and homoselenocysteine. Bioorg Med Chem 2017; 25:4983-4989. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2017.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 04/30/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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6
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Abaskharon RM, Gai F. Meandering Down the Energy Landscape of Protein Folding: Are We There Yet? Biophys J 2017; 110:1924-32. [PMID: 27166801 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2016.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
As judged by a single publication metric, the activity in the protein folding field has been declining over the past 5 years, after enjoying a decade-long growth. Does this development indicate that the field is sunsetting or is this decline only temporary? Upon surveying a small territory of its landscape, we find that the protein folding field is still quite active and many important findings have emerged from recent experimental studies. However, it is also clear that only continued development of new techniques and methods, especially those enabling dissection of the fine details and features of the protein folding energy landscape, will fuel this old field to move forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel M Abaskharon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Feng Gai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Ultrafast Optical Processes Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Watson MD, Peran I, Zou J, Bilsel O, Raleigh DP. Selenomethionine Quenching of Tryptophan Fluorescence Provides a Simple Probe of Protein Structure. Biochemistry 2017; 56:1085-1094. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b01000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D. Watson
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
| | - Ivan Peran
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
| | - Junjie Zou
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
- Laufer
Center for Physical and
Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
| | - Osman Bilsel
- Department of Biochemistry and
Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, United States
| | - Daniel P. Raleigh
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
- Laufer
Center for Physical and
Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States
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Watson MD, Peran I, Raleigh DP. A Non-perturbing Probe of Coiled Coil Formation Based on Electron Transfer Mediated Fluorescence Quenching. Biochemistry 2016; 55:3685-91. [PMID: 27258904 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Coiled coils are abundant in nature, occurring in ∼3% of proteins across sequenced genomes, and are found in proteins ranging from transcription factors to structural proteins. The motif continues to be an important model system for understanding protein-protein interactions and is finding increased use in bioinspired materials and synthetic biology. Knowledge of the thermodynamics of self-assembly, particularly the dissociation constant KD, is essential for the application of designed coiled coils and for understanding the in vivo specificity of natural coiled coils. Standard methods for measuring KD typically rely on concentration dependent circular dichroism (CD). Fluorescence methods are an attractive alternative; however Trp is rarely found in an interior position of a coiled coil, and appending unnatural fluorophores can perturb the system. We demonstrate a simple, non-perturbing method to monitor coiled coil formation using p-cyanophenylalanine (FCN) and selenomethionine (MSe), the Se analogue of Met. FCN fluorescence can be selectively excited and is effectively quenched by electron transfer with MSe. Both FCN and MSe represent minimally perturbing substitutions in coiled coils. MSe quenching of FCN fluorescence is shown to offer a non-perturbing method for following coiled coil formation and for accurately determining dissociation constants. The method is validated using a designed heterodimeric coiled coil. The KD deduced by fluorescence monitored titration is in excellent agreement with the value deduced from concentration dependent CD measurements to within the uncertainty of the measurement. However, the fluorescence approach requires less protein, is less time-consuming, can be applied to lower concentrations and could be applied to high throughput screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Watson
- Department of Chemistry and ‡Graduate Program in Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
| | - Ivan Peran
- Department of Chemistry and ‡Graduate Program in Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
| | - Daniel P Raleigh
- Department of Chemistry and ‡Graduate Program in Biochemistry & Structural Biology, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
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Ding B, Hilaire MR, Gai F. Infrared and Fluorescence Assessment of Protein Dynamics: From Folding to Function. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:5103-13. [PMID: 27183318 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b03199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
While folding or performing functions, a protein can sample a rich set of conformational space. However, experimentally capturing all of the important motions with sufficient detail to allow a mechanistic description of their dynamics is nontrivial since such conformational events often occur over a wide range of time and length scales. Therefore, many methods have been employed to assess protein conformational dynamics, and depending on the nature of the conformational transition in question, some may be more advantageous than others. Herein, we describe our recent efforts, and also those of others, wherever appropriate, to use infrared- and fluorescence-based techniques to interrogate protein folding and functional dynamics. Specifically, we focus on discussing how to use extrinsic spectroscopic probes to enhance the structural resolution of these techniques and how to exploit various cross-linking strategies to acquire dynamic and mechanistic information that was previously difficult to attain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bei Ding
- Department of Chemistry and ‡The Ultrafast Optical Processes Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Mary Rose Hilaire
- Department of Chemistry and ‡The Ultrafast Optical Processes Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Feng Gai
- Department of Chemistry and ‡The Ultrafast Optical Processes Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
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