1
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Xu S, Lee I, Kwon SJ, Kim E, Nevo L, Straight L, Murata H, Matyjaszewski K, Dordick JS. Split fluorescent protein-mediated multimerization of cell wall binding domain for highly sensitive and selective bacterial detection. N Biotechnol 2024; 82:54-64. [PMID: 38750815 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2024.05.004] [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: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Cell wall peptidoglycan binding domains (CBDs) of cell lytic enzymes, including bacteriocins, autolysins and bacteriophage endolysins, enable highly selective bacterial binding, and thus, have potential as biorecognition molecules for nondestructive bacterial detection. Here, a novel design for a self-complementing split fluorescent protein (FP) complex is proposed, where a multimeric FP chain fused with specific CBDs ((FP-CBD)n) is assembled inside the cell, to improve sensitivity by enhancing the signal generated upon Staphylococcus aureus or Bacillus anthracis binding. Flow cytometry shows enhanced fluorescence on the cell surface with increasing FP stoichiometry and surface plasmon resonance reveals nanomolar binding affinity to isolated peptidoglycan. The breadth of function of these complexes is demonstrated through the use of CBD modularity and the ability to attach enzymatic detection modalities. Horseradish peroxidase-coupled (FP-CBD)n complexes generate a catalytic amplification, with the degree of amplification increasing as a function of FP length, reaching a limit of detection (LOD) of 103 cells/droplet (approximately 0.1 ng S. aureus or B. anthracis) within 15 min on a polystyrene surface. These fusion proteins can be multiplexed for simultaneous detection. Multimeric split FP-CBD fusions enable use as a biorecognition molecule with enhanced signal for use in bacterial biosensing platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirley Xu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Inseon Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Seok-Joon Kwon
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Eunsol Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Liv Nevo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Lorelli Straight
- Department of Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Hironobu Murata
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Jonathan S Dordick
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, USA; Department of Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY, USA.
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2
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Li P, Li H. A Handle-Free, All-Protein-Based Optical Tweezers Method to Probe Protein Folding-Unfolding Dynamics. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:13721-13727. [PMID: 38899455 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c01711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Optical tweezers (OT) have evolved into powerful single molecule force spectroscopy tools to investigate protein folding-unfolding dynamics. To stretch a protein of interest using OT, the protein must be flanked with two double stranded DNA (dsDNA) handles. However, coupling dsDNA handles to the protein is often of low yield, representing a bottleneck in OT experiments. Here, we report a handle-free, all-protein-based OT method for investigating protein folding/unfolding dynamics. In this new method, we employed disordered elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) as a molecular linker and the mechanically stable cohesin-dockerin (Coh-Doc) pair as the prey-bait system to enable the efficient capture and stretching of individual protein molecules. This novel approach was validated by using model proteins NuG2 and RTX-v, yielding experimental results comparable to those obtained by using the dsDNA handle approach. This new method provides a streamlined and efficient OT approach to investigate the folding-unfolding dynamics of proteins at the single molecule level, thus expanding the toolbox of OT-based single molecule force spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyun Li
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Hongbin Li
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
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3
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Zheng B, Xiao Y, Tong B, Mao Y, Ge R, Tian F, Dong X, Zheng P. S373P Mutation Stabilizes the Receptor-Binding Domain of the Spike Protein in Omicron and Promotes Binding. JACS AU 2023; 3:1902-1910. [PMID: 37502147 PMCID: PMC10369413 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
A cluster of several newly occurring mutations on Omicron is found at the β-core region of the spike protein's receptor-binding domain (RBD), where mutation rarely happened before. Notably, the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to human receptor ACE2 via RBD happens in a dynamic airway environment, where mechanical force caused by coughing or sneezing occurs. Thus, we used atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS) to measure the stability of RBDs and found that the mechanical stability of Omicron RBD increased by ∼20% compared with the wild type. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed that Omicron RBD showed more hydrogen bonds in the β-core region due to the closing of the α-helical motif caused primarily by the S373P mutation. In addition to a higher unfolding force, we showed a higher dissociation force between Omicron RBD and ACE2. This work reveals the mechanically stabilizing effect of the conserved mutation S373P for Omicron and the possible evolution trend of the β-core region of RBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zheng
- State
Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine
Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Yuelong Xiao
- State
Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine
Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Bei Tong
- Institute
of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210014, China
| | - Yutong Mao
- State
Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine
Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Rui Ge
- State
Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine
Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Fang Tian
- State
Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine
Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Xianchi Dong
- State
Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
- Engineering
Research Center of Protein and Peptide Medicine, Ministry of Education, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Peng Zheng
- State
Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine
Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
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4
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Abstract
Many elastomeric proteins, which play important roles in a wide range of biological processes, exist as parallel/antiparallelly arranged dimers or multimers to perform their mechanobiological functions. For example, in striated muscle sarcomeres, the giant muscle protein titin exists as hexameric bundles to mediate the passive elasticity of muscles. However, it has not been possible to directly probe the mechanical properties of such parallelly arranged elastomeric proteins. And it remains unknown if the knowledge obtained from single-molecule force spectroscopy studies can be directly extrapolated to such parallelly/antiparallelly arranged systems. Here, we report the development of atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based two-molecule force spectroscopy to directly probe the mechanical properties of two elastomeric proteins that are arranged in parallel. We developed a twin-molecule approach to allow two parallelly arranged elastomeric proteins to be picked up and stretched simultaneously in an AFM experiment. Our results clearly revealed the mechanical features of such parallelly arranged elastomeric proteins during force-extension measurements and allowed for the determination of mechanical unfolding forces of proteins in such an experimental setting. Our study provides a general and robust experimental strategy to closely mimic the physiological condition of such parallel elastomeric protein multimers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Zuo
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Hongbin Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
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5
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Wang Z, Wang M, Zhao Z, Zheng P. Quantification of carboxylate-bridged di-zinc site stability in protein due ferri by single-molecule force spectroscopy. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4583. [PMID: 36718829 PMCID: PMC9926469 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4583] [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: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Carboxylate-bridged diiron proteins belong to a protein family involved in different physiological processes. These proteins share the conservative EXXH motif, which provides the carboxylate bridge and is critical for metal binding. Here, we choose de novo-designed single-chain due ferri protein (DFsc), a four-helical protein with two EXXH motifs as a model protein, to study the stability of the carboxylate-bridged di-metal binding site. The mechanical and kinetic properties of the di-Zn site in DFsc were obtained by atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy. Zn-DFsc showed a considerable rupture force of ~200 pN, while the apo-protein is mechanically labile. In addition, multiple rupture pathways were observed with different probabilities, indicating the importance of the EXXH-based carboxylate-bridged metal site. These results demonstrate carboxylate-bridged di-metal site is mechanically stable and improve our understanding of this important type of metalloprotein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNanjingPeople's Republic of China
| | - Mengdie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNanjingPeople's Republic of China
| | - Zhongxin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNanjingPeople's Republic of China
| | - Peng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNanjingPeople's Republic of China
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6
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Li H. Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy Studies on Metalloproteins: Opportunities and Challenges. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:1345-1353. [PMID: 36647634 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c03332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Metalloproteins play important roles in a wide range of biological processes. Elucidating the mechanisms via which metalloproteins fold and constitute their metal centers is critical to the understanding of the functions and dynamics of metalloproteins. Owing to its superior force and length resolution, single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) has evolved into a powerful tool to probe the unfolding and folding mechanisms of metalloproteins at the single level by forcing metalloproteins to unfold and then refold along a reaction coordinate defined by the applied stretching force. The folding of metalloproteins is complex and involves two interwound processes, the folding of the polypeptide chain and the constitution of the metal center. Experimental studies of the folding of metalloproteins are challenging. SMFS studies have allowed researchers to directly probe the folding and unfolding of metalloproteins at the single-molecule level and the effect of metal centers on the folding-unfolding energy landscape of metalloproteins. New mechanistic insights on the folding and unfolding of some metalloproteins have been obtained, demonstrating the power and unique advantages that SMFS techniques may offer. In this Perspective, using calcium-binding proteins and small iron-sulfur proteins as examples, I provide a concise overview of the information and insights that SMFS studies have provided to understand the folding and unfolding of metalloproteins. I also discuss the opportunities and challenges that are present in this fast-progressing area of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbin Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
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7
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Acoustic force spectroscopy reveals subtle differences in cellulose unbinding behavior of carbohydrate-binding modules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2117467119. [PMID: 36215467 PMCID: PMC9586272 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2117467119] [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: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein adsorption to solid carbohydrate interfaces is critical to many biological processes, particularly in biomass deconstruction. To engineer more-efficient enzymes for biomass deconstruction into sugars, it is necessary to characterize the complex protein-carbohydrate interfacial interactions. A carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) is often associated with microbial surface-tethered cellulosomes or secreted cellulase enzymes to enhance substrate accessibility. However, it is not well known how CBMs recognize, bind, and dissociate from polysaccharides to facilitate efficient cellulolytic activity, due to the lack of mechanistic understanding and a suitable toolkit to study CBM-substrate interactions. Our work outlines a general approach to study the unbinding behavior of CBMs from polysaccharide surfaces using a highly multiplexed single-molecule force spectroscopy assay. Here, we apply acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS) to probe a Clostridium thermocellum cellulosomal scaffoldin protein (CBM3a) and measure its dissociation from nanocellulose surfaces at physiologically relevant, low force loading rates. An automated microfluidic setup and method for uniform deposition of insoluble polysaccharides on the AFS chip surfaces are demonstrated. The rupture forces of wild-type CBM3a, and its Y67A mutant, unbinding from nanocellulose surfaces suggests distinct multimodal CBM binding conformations, with structural mechanisms further explored using molecular dynamics simulations. Applying classical dynamic force spectroscopy theory, the single-molecule unbinding rate at zero force is extrapolated and found to agree with bulk equilibrium unbinding rates estimated independently using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. However, our results also highlight critical limitations of applying classical theory to explain the highly multivalent binding interactions for cellulose-CBM bond rupture forces exceeding 15 pN.
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8
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Ding X, Wang Z, Zheng B, Shi S, Deng Y, Yu H, Zheng P. One-step asparaginyl endopeptidase ( OaAEP1)-based protein immobilization for single-molecule force spectroscopy. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:1276-1281. [PMID: 36320890 PMCID: PMC9533667 DOI: 10.1039/d2cb00135g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzymatic protein ligation has become the most powerful and widely used method for high-precision atomic force microscopy single-molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS) study of protein mechanics. However, this methodology typically requires the functionalization of the glass surface with a corresponding peptide sequence/tag for enzymatic recognition and multiple steps are needed. Thus, it is time-consuming and a high level of experience is needed for reliable results. To solve this problem, we simplified the procedure using two strategies both based on asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP). First, we designed a heterobifunctional peptide-based crosslinker, GL-peptide-propargylglycine, which links to an N 3-functionalized surface via the click reaction. Then, the target protein with a C-terminal NGL sequence can be immobilized via the AEP-mediated ligation. Furthermore, we took advantage of the direct ligation between primary amino in a small molecule and protein with C-terminal NGL by AEP. Thus, the target protein can be immobilized on an amino-functionalized surface via AEP in one step. Both approaches were successfully applied to the AFM-SMFS study of eGFP, showing consistent single-molecule results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Ding
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University 163 Xianlin Road Nanjing Jiangsu 210023 P. R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University Nanjing Jiangsu 210023 P. R. China
| | - Ziyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing Jiangsu 210023 P. R. China
| | - Bin Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing Jiangsu 210023 P. R. China
| | - Shengchao Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing Jiangsu 210023 P. R. China
| | - Yibing Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing Jiangsu 210023 P. R. China
| | - Hanyang Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University 163 Xianlin Road Nanjing Jiangsu 210023 P. R. China
| | - Peng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University Nanjing Jiangsu 210023 P. R. China
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9
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Interdomain Linker Effect on the Mechanical Stability of Ig Domains in Titin. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23179836. [PMID: 36077234 PMCID: PMC9456048 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179836] [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: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Titin is the largest protein in humans, composed of more than one hundred immunoglobulin (Ig) domains, and plays a critical role in muscle’s passive elasticity. Thus, the molecular design of this giant polyprotein is responsible for its mechanical function. Interestingly, most of these Ig domains are connected directly with very few interdomain residues/linker, which suggests such a design is necessary for its mechanical stability. To understand this design, we chose six representative Ig domains in titin and added nine glycine residues (9G) as an artificial interdomain linker between these Ig domains. We measured their mechanical stabilities using atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS) and compared them to the natural sequence. The AFM results showed that the linker affected the mechanical stability of Ig domains. The linker mostly reduces its mechanical stability to a moderate extent, but the opposite situation can happen. Thus, this effect is very complex and may depend on each particular domain’s property.
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10
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Lu Z, Liu Y, Deng Y, Jia B, Ding X, Zheng P, Li Z. OaAEP1-mediated PNA-protein conjugation enables erasable imaging of membrane proteins. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:8448-8451. [PMID: 35797663 DOI: 10.1039/d2cc02153f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We report the use of a protein ligase to covalently ligate a protein to a peptide nucleic acid (PNA). The rapid ligation demands only an N-terminal GL dipeptide in the target protein and a C-terminal NGL tripeptide in the PNA. We demonstrate the versatility of this approach by attaching a PNA strand to three different proteins. Lastly, we show that erasable imaging of EGFR on HEK293 cell membranes is achieved with DNA origami nanostructures and toehold-mediated strand displacement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhangwei Lu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China. .,State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Yutong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
| | - Yibing Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
| | - Bin Jia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China. .,State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Xuan Ding
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China. .,State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Peng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China.
| | - Zhe Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China. .,State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China
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11
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Xia J, Zuo J, Li H. Molecular homogeneity of GB1 revealed by single molecule force spectroscopy. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:9925-9931. [PMID: 35788627 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr02614g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In single molecule studies, the ergodic hypothesis is inherently assumed, which states that the time average of a physical quantity of a single member of an ensemble is the same as the average of the same quantity on the whole ensemble at a given time. This hypothesis implies the homogeneity of a molecular ensemble of a system of interest. However, it is difficult to test the validity of the ergodic hypothesis experimentally. Recent theoretical work suggested that heterogeneity may be widely present in single molecule force spectroscopy studies. Here we used atomic force microscope based single molecule force spectroscopy to examine the molecular homogeneity/heterogeneity of a small globular protein GB1 in its mechanical unfolding reaction. Using a polyprotein (GB1)4, we directly measured the ensemble average and time average for a single molecule of the mechanical unfolding force and kinetic parameters that characterize the mechanical unfolding free energy profile of GB1. Our results showed that the ensemble averages of these physical quantities are indeed the same as the time averages for single molecules, and individual molecules did not show any differences amongst them in these physical quantities. These results are consistent with the expectation of the ergodic hypothesis and indicate that GB1 is a homogeneous molecular ensemble in its mechanical unfolding reaction on the time scale of our force spectroscopy experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahao Xia
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada.
| | - Jiacheng Zuo
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada.
| | - Hongbin Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada.
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12
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Wang Z, Zhao Z, Li G, Zheng P. Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy Reveals the Dynamic HgS Coordination Site in the De Novo-Designed Metalloprotein α 3DIV. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:5372-5378. [PMID: 35678420 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The de novo-designed metalloprotein α3DIV binds to mercury via three cysteine residues under dynamic conditions. An unusual trigonal three-coordinate HgS3 site is formed in the protein in basic solution, whereas a linear two-coordinate HgS2 site is formed in acidic solution. Furthermore, it is unknown whether the two coordinated cysteines in the HgS2 site are fixed or not, which may lead to more dynamics. However, the signal for HgS2 sites with different cysteines may be similar or may be averaged and indistinguishable. To circumvent this problem, we adopt a single-molecule approach to study one mercury site at a time. Using atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy, the protein is unfolded, and the HgS site is ruptured. The results confirm the formation of HgS3 and HgS2 sites at different pH values. Moreover, it is found that any two of the three cysteines in the protein bind to mercury in the HgS2 site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, P.R. China
| | - Zhongxing Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, P.R. China
| | - Guoqiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, P.R. China
| | - Peng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, P.R. China
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13
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Tan Y, Song W, Gao L, Zhang W, Lu X. Cytophaga hutchinsonii chu_2177, encoding the O-antigen ligase, is essential for cellulose degradation. J Microbiol 2022; 60:364-374. [DOI: 10.1007/s12275-022-1531-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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14
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Nie J, Deng Y, Tian F, Shi S, Zheng P. Detection of weak non-covalent cation-π interactions in NGAL by single-molecule force spectroscopy. NANO RESEARCH 2022; 15:4251-4257. [PMID: 35574260 PMCID: PMC9077643 DOI: 10.1007/s12274-021-4065-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Cation-π interaction is an electrostatic interaction between a cation and an electron-rich arene. It plays an essential role in many biological systems as a vital driving force for protein folding, stability, and receptor-ligand interaction/recognition. To date, the discovery of most cation-π interactions in proteins relies on the statistical analyses of available three-dimensional (3D) protein structures and corresponding computational calculations. However, their experimental verification and quantification remain sparse at the molecular level, mainly due to the limited methods to dynamically measure such a weak non-covalent interaction in proteins. Here, we use atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS) to measure the stability of protein neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (also known as NGAL, siderocalin, lipocalin 2) that can bind iron through the cation-π interactions between its three cationic residues and the iron-binding tri-catechols. Based on a site-specific cysteine engineering and anchoring method, we first characterized the stability and unfolding pathways of apo-NGAL. Then, the same NGAL but bound with the iron-catechol complexes through the cation-π interactions as a holo-form was characterized. AFM measurements demonstrated stronger stabilities and kinetics of the holo-NGAL from two pulling sites, F122 and F133. Here, NGAL is stretched from the designed cysteine close to the cationic residues for a maximum unfolding effect. Thus, our work demonstrates high-precision detection of the weak cation-π interaction in NGAL. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL Supplementary material (additional SDS-PAGE, UV-vis, protein sequences, and more experimental methods) is available in the online version of this article at 10.1007/s12274-021-4065-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyuan Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Yibing Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Fang Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Shengchao Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
| | - Peng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing, 210023 China
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15
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Liu Y, Tian F, Shi S, Deng Y, Zheng P. Enzymatic Protein-Protein Conjugation through Internal Site Verified at the Single-Molecule Level. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:10914-10919. [PMID: 34734720 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c02767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Enzymes are widely used for protein ligation because of their efficient and site-specific connections under mild conditions. However, many enzymatic ligations are restricted to connections between protein termini while protein-protein conjugation at a specific internal site is limited. Previous work has found that Sortase A (SrtA) conjugates small molecules/peptides to a pilin protein at an internal lysine site via an isopeptide bond. Herein, we apply this noncanonical ligation property of SrtA for protein-protein conjugation at a designed YPKH site. Both a small protein domain, I27, and a large protein, GFP, were ligated at the designed internal site. Moreover, besides characterization by classic methods at the ensemble level, the specific ligation site at the interior YPKH motif is unambiguously verified by atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy, showing the characteristic unfolding signature at the single-molecule level. Finally, steered molecular dynamics simulations also agreed with the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Fang Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Shengchao Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yibing Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Peng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China
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16
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Wang Z, Nie J, Shi S, Li G, Zheng P. Transforming de novo protein α 3D into a mechanically stable protein by zinc binding. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:11489-11492. [PMID: 34651619 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc04908a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
α3D is a de novo designed three-helix bundle protein. Like most naturally occurring helical proteins, it is mechanically labile with an unfolding force of <15 pN, revealed by atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS). This protein has been further designed with a tri-cysteine metal-binding site, named α3DIV, which can bind heavy transition metals. Here, we demonstrate that incorporating such a metal-binding site can transform this mechanically labile protein into a stable one. We show that zinc binds to the tri-cysteine site and increases the unfolding force to ∼160 pN. This force is one order of magnitude higher than that of the apo-protein (<15 pN). Moreover, the unfolding mechanism of Zn-α3DIV indicates the correct zinc binding with the tri-cysteine site, forming three mechanostable Zn-thiolate bonds. Thus, α3DIV could be a potential α-helical structure-based building block for synthesizing biomaterials with tunable mechanical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Centre (ChemBIC), Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Jingyuan Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Centre (ChemBIC), Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Shengcao Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Centre (ChemBIC), Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Guoqiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Centre (ChemBIC), Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Peng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Centre (ChemBIC), Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
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17
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Zuo J, Zhan D, Xia J, Li H. Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy Studies of Missense Titin Mutations That Are Likely Causing Cardiomyopathy. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:12128-12137. [PMID: 34618459 PMCID: PMC9150697 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The giant muscle protein titin plays important roles in heart function. Mutations in titin have emerged as a major cause of familial cardiomyopathy. Missense mutations have been identified in cardiomyopathy patients; however, it is challenging to distinguish disease-causing mutations from benign ones. Given the importance of titin mechanics in heart function, it is critically important to elucidate the mechano-phenotypes of cardiomyopathy-causing mutations found in the elastic I-band part of cardiac titin. Using single-molecule atomic force microscopy (AFM) and equilibrium chemical denaturation, we investigated the mechanical and thermodynamic effects of two missense mutations, R57C-I94 and S22P-I84, found in the elastic I-band part of cardiac titin that were predicted to be likely causing cardiomyopathy by bioinformatics analysis. Our AFM results showed that mutation R57C had a significant destabilization effect on the I94 module. R57C reduced the mechanical unfolding force of I94 by ∼30-40 pN, accelerated the unfolding kinetics, and decelerated the folding. These effects collectively increased the unfolding propensity of I94, likely resulting in altered titin elasticity. In comparison, S22P led to only modest destabilization of I84, with a decrease in unfolding force by ∼10 pN. It is unlikely that such a modest destabilization would lead to a change in titin elasticity. These results will serve as the first step toward elucidating mechano-phenotypes of cardiomyopathy-causing mutations in the elastic I-band.
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18
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Vera AM, Galera-Prat A, Wojciechowski M, Różycki B, Laurents DV, Carrión-Vázquez M, Cieplak M, Tinnefeld P. Cohesin-dockerin code in cellulosomal dual binding modes and its allosteric regulation by proline isomerization. Structure 2021; 29:587-597.e8. [PMID: 33561387 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2021.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cellulose is the most abundant organic molecule on Earth and represents a renewable and practically everlasting feedstock for the production of biofuels and chemicals. Self-assembled owing to the high-affinity cohesin-dockerin interaction, cellulosomes are huge multi-enzyme complexes with unmatched efficiency in the degradation of recalcitrant lignocellulosic substrates. The recruitment of diverse dockerin-borne enzymes into a multicohesin protein scaffold dictates the three-dimensional layout of the complex, and interestingly two alternative binding modes have been proposed. Using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer and molecular simulations on a range of cohesin-dockerin pairs, we directly detect varying distributions between these binding modes that follow a built-in cohesin-dockerin code. Surprisingly, we uncover a prolyl isomerase-modulated allosteric control mechanism, mediated by the isomerization state of a single proline residue, which regulates the distribution and kinetics of binding modes. Overall, our data provide a novel mechanistic understanding of the structural plasticity and dynamics of cellulosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Manuel Vera
- Department of Chemistry and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13 Haus E, 81377 München, Germany.
| | - Albert Galera-Prat
- Biocenter Oulu and Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Michał Wojciechowski
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotników, 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Bartosz Różycki
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotników, 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Douglas V Laurents
- Instituto de Química Física "Rocasolano", CSIC, C/ Serrano 119, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Marek Cieplak
- Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Al. Lotników, 32/46, 02-668 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Philip Tinnefeld
- Department of Chemistry and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13 Haus E, 81377 München, Germany
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19
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Li H. There Is Plenty of Room in The Folded Globular Proteins: Tandem Modular Elastomeric Proteins Offer New Opportunities in Engineering Protein‐Based Biomaterials. ADVANCED NANOBIOMED RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/anbr.202100028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hongbin Li
- Department of Chemistry University of British Columbia Vancouver BC V6T 1Z1 Canada
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20
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Li Q, Apostolidou D, Marszalek PE. Reconstruction of mechanical unfolding and refolding pathways of proteins with atomic force spectroscopy and computer simulations. Methods 2021; 197:39-53. [PMID: 34020035 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2021.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Most proteins in proteomes are large, typically consist of more than one domain and are structurally complex. This often makes studying their mechanical unfolding pathways challenging. Proteins composed of tandem repeat domains are a subgroup of multi-domain proteins that, when stretched, display a saw-tooth pattern in their mechanical unfolding force extension profiles due to their repetitive structure. However, the assignment of force peaks to specific repeats undergoing mechanical unraveling is complicated because all repeats are similar and they interact with their neighbors and form a contiguous tertiary structure. Here, we describe in detail a combination of experimental and computational single-molecule force spectroscopy methods that proved useful for examining the mechanical unfolding and refolding pathways of ankyrin repeat proteins. Specifically, we explain and delineate the use of atomic force microscope-based single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) to record the mechanical unfolding behavior of ankyrin repeat proteins and capture their unusually strong refolding propensity that is responsible for generating impressive refolding force peaks. We also describe Coarse Grain Steered Molecular Dynamic (CG-SMD) simulations which complement the experimental observations and provide insights in understanding the unfolding and refolding of these proteins. In addition, we advocate the use of novel coiled-coils-based mechanical polypeptide probes which we developed to demonstrate the vectorial character of folding and refolding of these repeat proteins. The combination of AFM-based SMFS on native and CC-equipped proteins with CG-SMD simulations is powerful not only for ankyrin repeat polypeptides, but also for other repeat proteins and more generally to various multidomain, non-repetitive proteins with complex topologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, 27708 Durham, NC, United States
| | - Dimitra Apostolidou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, 27708 Durham, NC, United States
| | - Piotr E Marszalek
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, 27708 Durham, NC, United States.
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21
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Yocum HC, Pham A, Da Silva NA. Successful Enzyme Colocalization Strategies in Yeast for Increased Synthesis of Non-native Products. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:606795. [PMID: 33634084 PMCID: PMC7901933 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.606795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Yeast cell factories, particularly Saccharomyces cerevisiae, have proven valuable for the synthesis of non-native compounds, ranging from commodity chemicals to complex natural products. One significant challenge has been ensuring sufficient carbon flux to the desired product. Traditionally, this has been addressed by strategies involving "pushing" and "pulling" the carbon flux toward the products by overexpression while "blocking" competing pathways via downregulation or gene deletion. Colocalization of enzymes is an alternate and complementary metabolic engineering strategy to control flux and increase pathway efficiency toward the synthesis of non-native products. Spatially controlling the pathway enzymes of interest, and thus positioning them in close proximity, increases the likelihood of reaction along that pathway. This mini-review focuses on the recent developments and applications of colocalization strategies, including enzyme scaffolding, construction of synthetic organelles, and organelle targeting, in both S. cerevisiae and non-conventional yeast hosts. Challenges with these techniques and future directions will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah C Yocum
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Anhuy Pham
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Nancy A Da Silva
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
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22
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Abstract
Cellulosomes are elaborate multienzyme complexes capable of efficiently deconstructing lignocellulosic substrates, produced by cellulolytic anaerobic microorganisms, colonizing a large variety of ecological niches. These macromolecular structures have a modular architecture and are composed of two main elements: the cohesin-bearing scaffoldins, which are non-catalytic structural proteins, and the various dockerin-bearing enzymes that tenaciously bind to the scaffoldins. Cellulosome assembly is mediated by strong and highly specific interactions between the cohesin modules, present in the scaffoldins, and the dockerin modules, present in the catalytic units. Cellulosomal architecture and composition varies between species and can even change within the same organism. These differences seem to be largely influenced by external factors, including the nature of the available carbon-source. Even though cellulosome producing organisms are relatively few, the development of new genomic and proteomic technologies has allowed the identification of cellulosomal components in many archea, bacteria and even some primitive eukaryotes. This reflects the importance of this cellulolytic strategy and suggests that cohesin-dockerin interactions could be involved in other non-cellulolytic processes. Due to their building-block nature and highly cellulolytic capabilities, cellulosomes hold many potential biotechnological applications, such as the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass in the production of biofuels or the development of affinity based technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor D Alves
- CIISA, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carlos M G A Fontes
- CIISA, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Pedro Bule
- CIISA, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal.
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23
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Sharma S, Subramani S, Popa I. Does protein unfolding play a functional role in vivo? FEBS J 2020; 288:1742-1758. [PMID: 32761965 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Unfolding and refolding of multidomain proteins under force have yet to be recognized as a major mechanism of function for proteins in vivo. In this review, we discuss the inherent properties of multidomain proteins under a force vector from a structural and functional perspective. We then characterize three main systems where multidomain proteins could play major roles through mechanical unfolding: muscular contraction, cellular mechanotransduction, and bacterial adhesion. We analyze how key multidomain proteins for each system can produce a gain-of-function from the perspective of a fine-tuned quantized response, a molecular battery, delivery of mechanical work through refolding, elasticity tuning, protection and exposure of cryptic sites, and binding-induced mechanical changes. Understanding how mechanical unfolding and refolding affect function will have important implications in designing mechano-active drugs against conditions such as muscular dystrophy, cancer, or novel antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabita Sharma
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Smrithika Subramani
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Ionel Popa
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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24
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Galera-Prat A, Vera AM, Moraïs S, Vazana Y, Bayer EA, Carrión-Vázquez M. Impact of scaffoldin mechanostability on cellulosomal activity. Biomater Sci 2020; 8:3601-3610. [PMID: 32232253 DOI: 10.1039/c9bm02052g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Lignocellulose is the most abundant renewable carbon source in the biosphere. However, the main bottleneck in its conversion to produce second generation biofuels is the saccharification step: the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic material into soluble fermentable sugars. Some anaerobic bacteria have developed an extracellular multi-enzyme complex called the cellulosome that efficiently degrades cellulosic substrates. Cellulosome complexes rely on enzyme-integrating scaffoldins that are large non-catalytic scaffolding proteins comprising several cohesin modules and additional functional modules that mediate the anchoring of the complex to the cell surface and the specific binding to its cellulosic substrate. It was proposed that mechanical forces may affect the cohesins positioned between the cell- and cellulose-anchoring points in the so-called connecting region. Consequently, the mechanical resistance of cohesins within the scaffoldin is of great importance, both to understand cellulosome function and as a parameter of industrial interest, to better mimic natural complexes through the use of the established designer cellulosome technology. Here we study how the mechanical stability of cohesins in a scaffoldin affects the enzymatic activity of a cellulosome. We found that when a cohesin of low mechanical stability is positioned in the connecting region of a scaffoldin, the activity of the resulting cellulosome is reduced as opposed to a cohesin of higher mechanical stability. This observation directly relates mechanical stability of the scaffoldin-borne cohesins to cellulosome activity and provides a rationale for the design of artificial cellulosomes for industrial applications, by incorporating mechanical stability as a new industrial parameter in the biotechnology toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Galera-Prat
- Instituto Cajal, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology. IC-CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain.
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25
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Yang B, Liu Z, Liu H, Nash MA. Next Generation Methods for Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy on Polyproteins and Receptor-Ligand Complexes. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:85. [PMID: 32509800 PMCID: PMC7248566 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Single-molecule force spectroscopy with the atomic force microscope provides molecular level insights into protein function, allowing researchers to reconstruct energy landscapes and understand functional mechanisms in biology. With steadily advancing methods, this technique has greatly accelerated our understanding of force transduction, mechanical deformation, and mechanostability within single- and multi-domain polyproteins, and receptor-ligand complexes. In this focused review, we summarize the state of the art in terms of methodology and highlight recent methodological improvements for AFM-SMFS experiments, including developments in surface chemistry, considerations for protein engineering, as well as theory and algorithms for data analysis. We hope that by condensing and disseminating these methods, they can assist the community in improving data yield, reliability, and throughput and thereby enhance the information that researchers can extract from such experiments. These leading edge methods for AFM-SMFS will serve as a groundwork for researchers cognizant of its current limitations who seek to improve the technique in the future for in-depth studies of molecular biomechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byeongseon Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Zhaowei Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Haipei Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael A. Nash
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
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26
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Viljoen A, Alsteens D, Dufrêne Y. Mechanical Forces between Mycobacterial Antigen 85 Complex and Fibronectin. Cells 2020; 9:cells9030716. [PMID: 32183296 PMCID: PMC7140604 DOI: 10.3390/cells9030716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins is an important first step in host invasion, employed by many bacterial pathogens. In mycobacteria, the secreted Ag85 complex proteins, involved in the synthesis of the cell envelope, are known to bind to fibronectin (Fn) through molecular forces that are currently unknown. In this study, single-molecule force spectroscopy is used to study the strength, kinetics and thermodynamics of the Ag85-Fn interaction, focusing on the multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus species. Single Ag85 proteins bind Fn with a strength of ~75 pN under moderate tensile loading, which compares well with the forces reported for other Fn-binding proteins. The binding specificity is demonstrated by using free Ag85 and Fn peptides with active binding sequences. The Ag85-Fn rupture force increases with mechanical stress (i.e., loading rate) according to the Friddle–Noy–de Yoreo theory. From this model, we extract thermodynamic parameters that are in good agreement with previous affinity determinations by surface plasmon resonance. Strong bonds (up to ~500 pN) are observed under high tensile loading, which may favor strong mycobacterial attachment in the lung where cells are exposed to high shear stress or during hematogenous spread which leads to a disseminated infection. Our results provide new insight into the pleiotropic functions of an important mycobacterial virulence factor that acts as a stress-sensitive adhesin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albertus Viljoen
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud, 4-5, bte L7.07.07, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (A.V.); (D.A.)
| | - David Alsteens
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud, 4-5, bte L7.07.07, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (A.V.); (D.A.)
- Walloon Excellence in Life sciences and Biotechnology (WELBIO), 1300 Wavre, Belgium
| | - Yves Dufrêne
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Croix du Sud, 4-5, bte L7.07.07, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; (A.V.); (D.A.)
- Walloon Excellence in Life sciences and Biotechnology (WELBIO), 1300 Wavre, Belgium
- Correspondence:
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27
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Vita N, Borne R, Fierobe HP. Cell-surface exposure of a hybrid 3-cohesin scaffoldin allowing the functionalization of Escherichia coli envelope. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:626-636. [PMID: 31814100 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Cellulosomes are large plant cell wall degrading complexes secreted by some anaerobic bacteria. They are typically composed of a major scaffolding protein containing multiple receptors called cohesins, which tightly anchor a small complementary module termed dockerin harbored by the cellulosomal enzymes. In the present study, we have successfully cell surface exposed in Escherichia coli a hybrid scaffoldin, Scaf6, fused to the curli protein CsgA, the latter is known to polymerize at the surface of E. coli to form extracellular fibers under stressful environmental conditions. The C-terminal part of the chimera encompasses the hybrid scaffoldin composed of three cohesins from different bacterial origins and a carbohydrate-binding module targeting insoluble cellulose. Using three cellulases hosting the complementary dockerin modules and labeled with different fluorophores, we have shown that the hybrid scaffoldin merged to CsgA is massively exposed at the cell surface of E. coli and that each cohesin module is fully operational. Altogether these data open a new route for a series of biotechnological applications exploiting the cell-surface exposure of CsgA-Scaf6 in various industrial sectors such as vaccines, biocatalysts or bioremediation, simply by grafting the small dockerin module to the desired proteins before incubation with the engineered E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Vita
- Aix-Marseille université, CNRS, LCB, Marseille, France
| | - Romain Borne
- Aix-Marseille université, CNRS, LCB, Marseille, France
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28
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Dahal N, Nowitzke J, Eis A, Popa I. Binding-Induced Stabilization Measured on the Same Molecular Protein Substrate Using Single-Molecule Magnetic Tweezers and Heterocovalent Attachments. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:3283-3290. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Narayan Dahal
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Joel Nowitzke
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Annie Eis
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
| | - Ionel Popa
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, United States
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29
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Cerqueira FM, Photenhauer AL, Pollet RM, Brown HA, Koropatkin NM. Starch Digestion by Gut Bacteria: Crowdsourcing for Carbs. Trends Microbiol 2020; 28:95-108. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2019.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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30
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Tian F, Li G, Zheng B, Liu Y, Shi S, Deng Y, Zheng P. Verification of sortase for protein conjugation by single-molecule force spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. Chem Commun (Camb) 2020; 56:3943-3946. [DOI: 10.1039/d0cc00714e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
SMFS and MD simulations revealed a closed conformation and a decreased stability of sortase-mediated polyprotein I27 when a linker with a high content of glycine is used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing
- China
| | - Guoqiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing
- China
| | - Bin Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing
- China
| | - Yutong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing
- China
| | - Shengchao Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing
- China
| | - Yibing Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing
- China
| | - Peng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Nanjing University
- Nanjing
- China
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31
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Borne R, Dao Ti MU, Fierobe HP, Vita N, Tardif C, Pagès S. Catalytic subunit exchanges in the cellulosomes produced by Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum suggest unexpected dynamics and adaptability of their enzymatic composition. FEBS J 2019; 287:2544-2559. [PMID: 31769922 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15155] [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: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 10/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Cellulosomes are complex nanomachines produced by cellulolytic anaerobic bacteria such as Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum (formerly known as Clostridium cellulolyticum). Cellulosomes are composed of a scaffoldin protein displaying several cohesin modules on which enzymatic components can bind to through their dockerin module. Although cellulosomes have been studied for decades, very little is known about the dynamics of complex assembly. We have investigated the ability of some dockerin-bearing enzymes to chase the catalytic subunits already bound onto a miniscaffoldin displaying a single cohesin. The stability of the preassembled enzyme-scaffoldin complex appears to depend on the nature of the dockerin, and we have identified a key position in the dockerin sequence that is involved in the stability of the complex with the cohesin. Depending on the residue occupying this position, the dockerin can establish with the cohesin partner either a nearly irreversible or a reversible interaction, independently of the catalytic domain associated with the dockerin. Site-directed mutagenesis of this residue can convert a dockerin able to form a highly stable complex with the miniscaffoldin into a reversible complex forming one and vice versa. We also show that refunctionalization can occur with natural purified cellulosomes. Altogether, our results shed light on the dynamics of cellulosomes, especially their capacity to be remodeled even after their assembly is 'achieved', suggesting an unforeseen adaptability of their enzymatic composition over time.
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32
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Yuan G, Liu H, Ma Q, Li X, Nie J, Zuo J, Zheng P. Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy Reveals that Iron-Ligand Bonds Modulate Proteins in Different Modes. J Phys Chem Lett 2019; 10:5428-5433. [PMID: 31433648 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b01573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The iron-amino acid interactions Fe-O(Glu/Asp), Fe-N(His), and Fe-S(Cys) are the three major iron-ligand bonds in proteins. To compare their properties in proteins, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based single-molecule force spectroscopy to investigate a superoxide reductase (Fe(III)-SOR) with all three types of bonds forming an Fe(His)4CysGlu center. We first found that Apo-SOR without bound iron showed multiple unfolding pathways only from the β-barrel core. Then, using Holo-SOR with a ferric ion, we found that a single Fe-O(Glu) bond can tightly connect the flexible N-terminal fragment to the β-barrel and stabilize the whole protein, showing a complete protein unfolding scenario, while the single Fe-N(His) bond was weak and unable to provide such a stabilization. Moreover, when multiple Fe-N bonds are present, a similar stabilization effect can be achieved. Our results showed that the iron-ligand bond modulates protein structure and stability in different modes at the single-bond level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guodong Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Nanjing University , Nanjing , Jiangsu 210023 , People's Republic of China
| | - Huaxing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Nanjing University , Nanjing , Jiangsu 210023 , People's Republic of China
| | - Qun Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Nanjing University , Nanjing , Jiangsu 210023 , People's Republic of China
| | - Xi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Nanjing University , Nanjing , Jiangsu 210023 , People's Republic of China
| | - Jingyuan Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Nanjing University , Nanjing , Jiangsu 210023 , People's Republic of China
| | - Jinglin Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Nanjing University , Nanjing , Jiangsu 210023 , People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Nanjing University , Nanjing , Jiangsu 210023 , People's Republic of China
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33
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The Cellulosome Paradigm in An Extreme Alkaline Environment. Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7090347. [PMID: 31547347 PMCID: PMC6780208 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7090347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 09/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid decomposition of plant biomass in soda lakes is associated with microbial activity of anaerobic cellulose-degrading communities. The alkaliphilic bacterium, Clostridium alkalicellulosi, is the single known isolate from a soda lake that demonstrates cellulolytic activity. This microorganism secretes cellulolytic enzymes that degrade cellulose under anaerobic and alkaliphilic conditions. A previous study indicated that the protein fraction of cellulose-grown cultures showed similarities in composition and size to known components of the archetypical cellulosome Clostridium thermocellum. Bioinformatic analysis of the C. alkalicellulosi draft genome sequence revealed 44 cohesins, organized into 22 different scaffoldins, and 142 dockerin-containing proteins. The modular organization of the scaffoldins shared similarities to those of C. thermocellum and Acetivibrio cellulolyticus, whereas some exhibited unconventional arrangements containing peptidases and oxidative enzymes. The binding interactions among cohesins and dockerins assessed by ELISA, revealed a complex network of cellulosome assemblies and suggested both cell-associated and cell-free systems. Based on these interactions, C. alkalicellulosi cellulosomal systems have the genetic potential to create elaborate complexes, which could integrate up to 105 enzymatic subunits. The alkalistable C. alkalicellulosi cellulosomal systems and their enzymes would be amenable to biotechnological processes, such as treatment of lignocellulosic biomass following prior alkaline pretreatment.
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34
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Bernardi RC, Durner E, Schoeler C, Malinowska KH, Carvalho BG, Bayer EA, Luthey-Schulten Z, Gaub HE, Nash MA. Mechanisms of Nanonewton Mechanostability in a Protein Complex Revealed by Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy. J Am Chem Soc 2019; 141:14752-14763. [PMID: 31464132 PMCID: PMC6939381 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b06776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Can molecular dynamics
simulations predict the mechanical behavior of protein complexes?
Can simulations decipher the role of protein domains of unknown function
in large macromolecular complexes? Here, we employ a wide-sampling
computational approach to demonstrate that molecular dynamics simulations,
when carefully performed and combined with single-molecule atomic
force spectroscopy experiments, can predict and explain the behavior
of highly mechanostable protein complexes. As a test case, we studied
a previously unreported homologue from Ruminococcus flavefaciens called X-module-Dockerin (XDoc) bound to its partner Cohesin (Coh).
By performing dozens of short simulation replicas near the rupture
event, and analyzing dynamic network fluctuations, we were able to
generate large simulation statistics and directly compare them with
experiments to uncover the mechanisms involved in mechanical stabilization.
Our single-molecule force spectroscopy experiments show that the XDoc-Coh
homologue complex withstands forces up to 1 nN at loading rates of
105 pN/s. Our simulation results reveal that this remarkable
mechanical stability is achieved by a protein architecture that directs
molecular deformation along paths that run perpendicular to the pulling
axis. The X-module was found to play a crucial role in shielding the
adjacent protein complex from mechanical rupture. These mechanisms
of protein mechanical stabilization have potential applications in
biotechnology for the development of systems exhibiting shear enhanced
adhesion or tunable mechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael C Bernardi
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| | - Ellis Durner
- Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience , Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , 80799 Munich , Germany
| | - Constantin Schoeler
- Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience , Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , 80799 Munich , Germany
| | - Klara H Malinowska
- Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience , Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , 80799 Munich , Germany
| | - Bruna G Carvalho
- School of Chemical Engineering , University of Campinas , 13083-852 Campinas , Brazil
| | - Edward A Bayer
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences , Weizmann Institute of Science , 76100 Rehovot , Israel
| | - Zaida Luthey-Schulten
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States.,Department of Chemistry , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| | - Hermann E Gaub
- Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience , Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , 80799 Munich , Germany
| | - Michael A Nash
- Department of Chemistry , University of Basel , 4058 Basel , Switzerland.,Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering , ETH Zurich , 4058 Basel , Switzerland
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35
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Hu B, Zhu M. Reconstitution of cellulosome: Research progress and its application in biorefinery. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2019; 66:720-730. [DOI: 10.1002/bab.1804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bin‐Bin Hu
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Biopharmaceuticals School of Biology and Biological Engineering South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center Panyu Guangzhou People's Republic of China
- Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences Kunming People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering South China University of Technology Guangzhou People's Republic of China
| | - Ming‐Jun Zhu
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Biopharmaceuticals School of Biology and Biological Engineering South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center Panyu Guangzhou People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering South China University of Technology Guangzhou People's Republic of China
- College of Life and Geographic Sciences Kashi University Kashi People's Republic of China
- The Key Laboratory of Ecology and Biological Resources in Yarkand Oasis at Colleges & Universities under the Department of Education of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Kashi University Kashi People's Republic of China
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36
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Liu H, Schittny V, Nash MA. Removal of a Conserved Disulfide Bond Does Not Compromise Mechanical Stability of a VHH Antibody Complex. NANO LETTERS 2019; 19:5524-5529. [PMID: 31257893 PMCID: PMC6975629 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b02062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Single-domain VHH antibodies are promising reagents for medical therapy. A conserved disulfide bond within the VHH framework region is known to be critical for thermal stability, however, no prior studies have investigated its influence on the stability of VHH antibody-antigen complexes under mechanical load. Here, we used single-molecule force spectroscopy to test the influence of a VHH domain's conserved disulfide bond on the mechanical strength of the interaction with its antigen mCherry. We found that although removal of the disulfide bond through cysteine-to-alanine mutagenesis significantly lowered VHH domain denaturation temperature, it had no significant impact on the mechanical strength of the VHH:mCherry interaction with complex rupture occurring at ∼60 pN at 103-104 pN/sec regardless of disulfide bond state. These results demonstrate that mechanostable binding interactions can be built on molecular scaffolds that may be thermodynamically compromised at equilibrium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haipei Liu
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department
of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH
Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Valentin Schittny
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department
of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH
Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael A. Nash
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department
of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH
Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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37
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Deng Y, Wu T, Wang M, Shi S, Yuan G, Li X, Chong H, Wu B, Zheng P. Enzymatic biosynthesis and immobilization of polyprotein verified at the single-molecule level. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2775. [PMID: 31235796 PMCID: PMC6591319 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10696-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent development of chemical and bio-conjugation techniques allows for the engineering of various protein polymers. However, most of the polymerization process is difficult to control. To meet this challenge, we develop an enzymatic procedure to build polyprotein using the combination of a strict protein ligase OaAEP1 (Oldenlandia affinis asparaginyl endopeptidases 1) and a protease TEV (tobacco etch virus). We firstly demonstrate the use of OaAEP1-alone to build a sequence-uncontrolled ubiquitin polyprotein and covalently immobilize the coupled protein on the surface. Then, we construct a poly-metalloprotein, rubredoxin, from the purified monomer. Lastly, we show the feasibility of synthesizing protein polymers with rationally-controlled sequences by the synergy of the ligase and protease, which are verified by protein unfolding using atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS). Thus, this study provides a strategy for polyprotein engineering and immobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibing Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Tao Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Mengdi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Shengchao Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Guodong Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Xi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Hanchung Chong
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
- NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technological University, EMB 06-01, 59 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
| | - Bin Wu
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
- NTU Institute of Structural Biology, Nanyang Technological University, EMB 06-01, 59 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 636921, Singapore
| | - Peng Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, P. R. China.
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38
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Barth A, Hendrix J, Fried D, Barak Y, Bayer EA, Lamb DC. Dynamic interactions of type I cohesin modules fine-tune the structure of the cellulosome of Clostridium thermocellum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E11274-E11283. [PMID: 30429330 PMCID: PMC6275499 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1809283115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient degradation of plant cell walls by selected anaerobic bacteria is performed by large extracellular multienzyme complexes termed cellulosomes. The spatial arrangement within the cellulosome is organized by a protein called scaffoldin, which recruits the cellulolytic subunits through interactions between cohesin modules on the scaffoldin and dockerin modules on the enzymes. Although many structural studies of the individual components of cellulosomal scaffoldins have been performed, the role of interactions between individual cohesin modules and the flexible linker regions between them are still not entirely understood. Here, we report single-molecule measurements using FRET to study the conformational dynamics of a bimodular cohesin segment of the scaffoldin protein CipA of Clostridium thermocellum We observe compacted structures in solution that persist on the timescale of milliseconds. The compacted conformation is found to be in dynamic equilibrium with an extended state that shows distance fluctuations on the microsecond timescale. Shortening of the intercohesin linker does not destabilize the interactions but reduces the rate of contact formation. Upon addition of dockerin-containing enzymes, an extension of the flexible state is observed, but the cohesin-cohesin interactions persist. Using all-atom molecular-dynamics simulations of the system, we further identify possible intercohesin binding modes. Beyond the view of scaffoldin as "beads on a string," we propose that cohesin-cohesin interactions are an important factor for the precise spatial arrangement of the enzymatic subunits in the cellulosome that leads to the high catalytic synergy in these assemblies and should be considered when designing cellulosomes for industrial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Barth
- Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Nanosystems Initative Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Jelle Hendrix
- Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Nanosystems Initative Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel Fried
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Yoav Barak
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Edward A Bayer
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Don C Lamb
- Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany;
- Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Nanosystems Initative Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany
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39
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Engineered Stochastic Adhesion Between Microbes as a Protection Mechanism Against Environmental Stress. Cell Mol Bioeng 2018; 11:367-382. [PMID: 31719890 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-018-0552-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Microbes aggregate when they display adhesive proteins on their outer membrane surfaces, which then form bridges between microbes. Aggregation protects the inner microbes from harsh environmental conditions such as high concentrations of antibiotics, high salt conditions, and fluctuations in pH. The protective effects of microbial aggregation make it an attractive target for improving the ability of probiotic strains to persist in the gut environment. However, it remains challenging to achieve synthetic microbial aggregation using natural adhesive proteins because these proteins frequently mediate microbial virulence. Objectives Construction of synthetic proteins that mediate aggregation between microbes to enhance the survival of cells delivered to stressful environments. Methods We construct synthetic adhesins by fusing adhesive protein domains to surface display peptides. The resulting aggregated populations of bacteria are characterized using immunofluorescence, microscopy, flow cytometry, and quantification of colony forming units. Results We assemble a series of synthetic adhesins, demonstrate their display on the outer membrane of Escherichia coli, and show that they mediate bacterial aggregation. Further engineering of the size and motif composition of the adhesive domain shows that principles from natural adhesins can be applied to our synthetic adhesins. Finally, we show that aggregation allows E. coli cells to resist treatment with antimicrobial peptides and survive inside the gut of Caenorhabditis elegans. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that synthetic aggregation can allow bacteria to resist biocidal environmental conditions. Synthetic adhesins may be used to facilitate microbial colonization of previously inaccessible environmental niches, either in remote natural environments or inside living organisms.
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40
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Verdorfer T, Gaub HE. Ligand Binding Stabilizes Cellulosomal Cohesins as Revealed by AFM-based Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9634. [PMID: 29941985 PMCID: PMC6018229 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27085-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The cohesin-dockerin receptor-ligand family is the key element in the formation of multi-enzyme lignocellulose-digesting extracellular complexes called cellulosomes. Changes in a receptor protein upon binding of a ligand - commonly referred to as allostery - are not just essential for signalling, but may also alter the overall mechanical stability of a protein receptor. Here, we measured the change in mechanical stability of a library of cohesin receptor domains upon binding of their dockerin ligands in a multiplexed atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy experiment. A parallelized, cell-free protein expression and immobilization protocol enables rapid mechanical phenotyping of an entire library of constructs with a single cantilever and thus ensures high throughput and precision. Our results show that dockerin binding increases the mechanical stability of every probed cohesin independently of its original folding strength. Furthermore, our results indicate that certain cohesins undergo a transition from a multitude of different folds or unfolding pathways to a single stable fold upon binding their ligand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Verdorfer
- Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799, Munich, Germany.
| | - Hermann E Gaub
- Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799, Munich, Germany
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41
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Banerjee A, Howarth M. Nanoteamwork: covalent protein assembly beyond duets towards protein ensembles and orchestras. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2018; 51:16-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2017.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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42
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Bule P, Pires VMR, Alves VD, Carvalho AL, Prates JAM, Ferreira LMA, Smith SP, Gilbert HJ, Noach I, Bayer EA, Najmudin S, Fontes CMGA. Higher order scaffoldin assembly in Ruminococcus flavefaciens cellulosome is coordinated by a discrete cohesin-dockerin interaction. Sci Rep 2018; 8:6987. [PMID: 29725056 PMCID: PMC5934362 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25171-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellulosomes are highly sophisticated molecular nanomachines that participate in the deconstruction of complex polysaccharides, notably cellulose and hemicellulose. Cellulosomal assembly is orchestrated by the interaction of enzyme-borne dockerin (Doc) modules to tandem cohesin (Coh) modules of a non-catalytic primary scaffoldin. In some cases, as exemplified by the cellulosome of the major cellulolytic ruminal bacterium Ruminococcus flavefaciens, primary scaffoldins bind to adaptor scaffoldins that further interact with the cell surface via anchoring scaffoldins, thereby increasing cellulosome complexity. Here we elucidate the structure of the unique Doc of R. flavefaciens FD-1 primary scaffoldin ScaA, bound to Coh 5 of the adaptor scaffoldin ScaB. The RfCohScaB5-DocScaA complex has an elliptical architecture similar to previously described complexes from a variety of ecological niches. ScaA Doc presents a single-binding mode, analogous to that described for the other two Coh-Doc specificities required for cellulosome assembly in R. flavefaciens. The exclusive reliance on a single-mode of Coh recognition contrasts with the majority of cellulosomes from other bacterial species described to date, where Docs contain two similar Coh-binding interfaces promoting a dual-binding mode. The discrete Coh-Doc interactions observed in ruminal cellulosomes suggest an adaptation to the exquisite properties of the rumen environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Bule
- CIISA - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Virgínia M R Pires
- CIISA - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Victor D Alves
- CIISA - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Luísa Carvalho
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal
| | - José A M Prates
- CIISA - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Luís M A Ferreira
- CIISA - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Steven P Smith
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Harry J Gilbert
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - Ilit Noach
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Edward A Bayer
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Shabir Najmudin
- CIISA - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Carlos M G A Fontes
- CIISA - Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisboa, Portugal. .,NZYTech genes & enzymes, Estrada do Paço do Lumiar, 1649-038, Lisboa, Portugal.
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43
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Sumbul F, Marchesi A, Rico F. History, rare, and multiple events of mechanical unfolding of repeat proteins. J Chem Phys 2018; 148:123335. [PMID: 29604819 DOI: 10.1063/1.5013259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanical unfolding of proteins consisting of repeat domains is an excellent tool to obtain large statistics. Force spectroscopy experiments using atomic force microscopy on proteins presenting multiple domains have revealed that unfolding forces depend on the number of folded domains (history) and have reported intermediate states and rare events. However, the common use of unspecific attachment approaches to pull the protein of interest holds important limitations to study unfolding history and may lead to discarding rare and multiple probing events due to the presence of unspecific adhesion and uncertainty on the pulling site. Site-specific methods that have recently emerged minimize this uncertainty and would be excellent tools to probe unfolding history and rare events. However, detailed characterization of these approaches is required to identify their advantages and limitations. Here, we characterize a site-specific binding approach based on the ultrastable complex dockerin/cohesin III revealing its advantages and limitations to assess the unfolding history and to investigate rare and multiple events during the unfolding of repeated domains. We show that this approach is more robust, reproducible, and provides larger statistics than conventional unspecific methods. We show that the method is optimal to reveal the history of unfolding from the very first domain and to detect rare events, while being more limited to assess intermediate states. Finally, we quantify the forces required to unfold two molecules pulled in parallel, difficult when using unspecific approaches. The proposed method represents a step forward toward more reproducible measurements to probe protein unfolding history and opens the door to systematic probing of rare and multiple molecule unfolding mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fidan Sumbul
- U1006, Aix-Marseille Université and INSERM, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Arin Marchesi
- U1006, Aix-Marseille Université and INSERM, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Felix Rico
- U1006, Aix-Marseille Université and INSERM, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13009 Marseille, France
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44
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Bule P, Cameron K, Prates JAM, Ferreira LMA, Smith SP, Gilbert HJ, Bayer EA, Najmudin S, Fontes CMGA, Alves VD. Structure-function analyses generate novel specificities to assemble the components of multienzyme bacterial cellulosome complexes. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:4201-4212. [PMID: 29367338 PMCID: PMC5857977 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra117.001241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The cellulosome is a remarkably intricate multienzyme nanomachine produced by anaerobic bacteria to degrade plant cell wall polysaccharides. Cellulosome assembly is mediated through binding of enzyme-borne dockerin modules to cohesin modules of the primary scaffoldin subunit. The anaerobic bacterium Acetivibrio cellulolyticus produces a highly intricate cellulosome comprising an adaptor scaffoldin, ScaB, whose cohesins interact with the dockerin of the primary scaffoldin (ScaA) that integrates the cellulosomal enzymes. The ScaB dockerin selectively binds to cohesin modules in ScaC that anchors the cellulosome onto the cell surface. Correct cellulosome assembly requires distinct specificities displayed by structurally related type-I cohesin-dockerin pairs that mediate ScaC-ScaB and ScaA-enzyme assemblies. To explore the mechanism by which these two critical protein interactions display their required specificities, we determined the crystal structure of the dockerin of a cellulosomal enzyme in complex with a ScaA cohesin. The data revealed that the enzyme-borne dockerin binds to the ScaA cohesin in two orientations, indicating two identical cohesin-binding sites. Combined mutagenesis experiments served to identify amino acid residues that modulate type-I cohesin-dockerin specificity in A. cellulolyticus Rational design was used to test the hypothesis that the ligand-binding surfaces of ScaA- and ScaB-associated dockerins mediate cohesin recognition, independent of the structural scaffold. Novel specificities could thus be engineered into one, but not both, of the ligand-binding sites of ScaB, whereas attempts at manipulating the specificity of the enzyme-associated dockerin were unsuccessful. These data indicate that dockerin specificity requires critical interplay between the ligand-binding surface and the structural scaffold of these modules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Bule
- From the CIISA-Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Kate Cameron
- From the CIISA-Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - José A M Prates
- From the CIISA-Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Luís M A Ferreira
- From the CIISA-Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Steven P Smith
- the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Harry J Gilbert
- the Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, The Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom, and
| | - Edward A Bayer
- the Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100 Israel
| | - Shabir Najmudin
- From the CIISA-Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Carlos M G A Fontes
- From the CIISA-Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal,
| | - Victor D Alves
- From the CIISA-Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, ULisboa, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal,
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45
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Sanchez-Pulido L, Ponting CP. TMEM132: an ancient architecture of cohesin and immunoglobulin domains define a new family of neural adhesion molecules. Bioinformatics 2018; 34:721-724. [PMID: 29088312 PMCID: PMC6030884 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btx689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Summary The molecular functions of TMEM132 genes remain poorly understood and under-investigated despite their mutations associated with non-syndromic hearing loss, panic disorder and cancer. Here we show the full domain architecture of human TMEM132 family proteins solved using in-depth sequence and structural analysis. We reveal them to be five previously unappreciated cell adhesion molecules whose domain architecture has an early holozoan origin prior to the emergence of choanoflagellates and metazoa. The extra-cellular portions of TMEM132 proteins contain five conserved domains including three tandem immunoglobulin domains, and a cohesin domain homologue, the first such domain found in animals. These findings strongly predict a cellular adhesion function for TMEM132 family, connecting the extracellular medium with the intracellular actin cytoskeleton. Contact luis.sanchez-pulido@igmm.ed.ac.uk. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Sanchez-Pulido
- Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit, IGMM, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Chris P Ponting
- Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit, IGMM, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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46
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Ta DT, Vanella R, Nash MA. Magnetic Separation of Elastin-like Polypeptide Receptors for Enrichment of Cellular and Molecular Targets. NANO LETTERS 2017; 17:7932-7939. [PMID: 29087202 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b04318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Protein-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) are promising tools for a variety of biomedical applications, from immunoassays and biosensors to theranostics and drug-delivery. In such applications, conjugation of affinity proteins (e.g., antibodies) to the nanoparticle surface many times compromises biological activity and specificity, leading to increased reagent consumption and decreased assay performance. To address this problem, we engineered a biomolecular magnetic separation system that eliminates the need to chemically modify nanoparticles with the capture biomolecules or synthetic polymers of any kind. The system consists of (i) thermoresponsive magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles displaying poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAm), and (ii) an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) fused with the affinity protein Cohesin (Coh). Proper design of pNIPAm-mNPs and ELP-Coh allowed for efficient cross-aggregation of the two distinct nanoparticle types under collapsing stimuli, which enabled magnetic separation of ELP-Coh aggregates bound to target Dockerin (Doc) molecules. Selective resolubilization of the ELP-Coh/Doc complexes was achieved under intermediate conditions under which only the pNIPAm-mNPs remained aggregated. We show that ELP-Coh is capable of magnetically separating and purifying nanomolar quantities of Doc as well as eukaryotic whole cells displaying the complementary Doc domain from diluted human plasma. This modular system provides magnetic enrichment and purification of captured molecular targets and eliminates the requirement of biofunctionalization of magnetic nanoparticles to achieve bioseparations. Our streamlined and simplified approach is amenable for point-of-use applications and brings the advantages of ELP-fusion proteins to the realm of magnetic particle separation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duy Tien Ta
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel , 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) , 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rosario Vanella
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel , 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) , 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael A Nash
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel , 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) , 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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47
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Verdorfer T, Bernardi RC, Meinhold A, Ott W, Luthey-Schulten Z, Nash MA, Gaub HE. Combining in Vitro and in Silico Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy to Characterize and Tune Cellulosomal Scaffoldin Mechanics. J Am Chem Soc 2017; 139:17841-17852. [PMID: 29058444 PMCID: PMC5737924 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b07574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Cellulosomes are polyprotein machineries that efficiently degrade cellulosic material. Crucial to their function are scaffolds consisting of highly homologous cohesin domains, which serve a dual role by coordinating a multiplicity of enzymes as well as anchoring the microbe to its substrate. Here we combined two approaches to elucidate the mechanical properties of the main scaffold ScaA of Acetivibrio cellulolyticus. A newly developed parallelized one-pot in vitro transcription-translation and protein pull-down protocol enabled high-throughput atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) measurements of all cohesins from ScaA with a single cantilever, thus promising improved relative force comparability. Albeit very similar in sequence, the hanging cohesins showed considerably lower unfolding forces than the bridging cohesins, which are subjected to force when the microbe is anchored to its substrate. Additionally, all-atom steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations on homology models offered insight into the process of cohesin unfolding under force. Based on the differences among the individual force propagation pathways and their associated correlation communities, we designed mutants to tune the mechanical stability of the weakest hanging cohesin. The proposed mutants were tested in a second high-throughput AFM SMFS experiment revealing that in one case a single alanine to glycine point mutation suffices to more than double the mechanical stability. In summary, we have successfully characterized the force induced unfolding behavior of all cohesins from the scaffoldin ScaA, as well as revealed how small changes in sequence can have large effects on force resilience in cohesin domains. Our strategy provides an efficient way to test and improve the mechanical integrity of protein domains in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Verdorfer
- Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Rafael C Bernardi
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Aylin Meinhold
- Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Ott
- Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Zaida Luthey-Schulten
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Michael A Nash
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hermann E Gaub
- Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799 Munich, Germany
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48
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Van Patten WJ, Walder R, Adhikari A, Okoniewski SR, Ravichandran R, Tinberg CE, Baker D, Perkins TT. Improved Free-Energy Landscape Quantification Illustrated with a Computationally Designed Protein-Ligand Interaction. Chemphyschem 2017; 19:19-23. [PMID: 29069529 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201701147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Quantifying the energy landscape underlying protein-ligand interactions leads to an enhanced understanding of molecular recognition. A powerful yet accessible single-molecule technique is atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based force spectroscopy, which generally yields the zero-force dissociation rate constant (koff ) and the distance to the transition state (Δx≠ ). Here, we introduce an enhanced AFM assay and apply it to probe the computationally designed protein DIG10.3 binding to its target ligand, digoxigenin. Enhanced data quality enabled an analysis that yielded the height of the transition state (ΔG≠ =6.3±0.2 kcal mol-1 ) and the shape of the energy barrier at the transition state (linear-cubic) in addition to the traditional parameters [koff (=4±0.1×10-4 s-1 ) and Δx≠ (=8.3±0.1 Å)]. We expect this automated and relatively rapid assay to provide a more complete energy landscape description of protein-ligand interactions and, more broadly, the diverse systems studied by AFM-based force spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Van Patten
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado, Department of Physics and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 440 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309-0440, USA
| | - Robert Walder
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado, Department of Physics and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 440 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309-0440, USA
| | - Ayush Adhikari
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado, Department of Physics and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 440 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309-0440, USA
| | - Stephen R Okoniewski
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado, Department of Physics and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 440 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309-0440, USA
| | - Rashmi Ravichandran
- University of Washington, Seattle, Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Protein Design and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
| | - Christine E Tinberg
- University of Washington, Seattle, Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Protein Design and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
| | - David Baker
- University of Washington, Seattle, Department of Biochemistry, Institute for Protein Design and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA
| | - Thomas T Perkins
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado, Department of Physics and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 440 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309-0440, USA
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49
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Walder R, LeBlanc MA, Van Patten WJ, Edwards DT, Greenberg JA, Adhikari A, Okoniewski SR, Sullan RMA, Rabuka D, Sousa MC, Perkins TT. Rapid Characterization of a Mechanically Labile α-Helical Protein Enabled by Efficient Site-Specific Bioconjugation. J Am Chem Soc 2017; 139:9867-9875. [PMID: 28677396 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b02958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) is a powerful yet accessible means to characterize mechanical properties of biomolecules. Historically, accessibility relies upon the nonspecific adhesion of biomolecules to a surface and a cantilever and, for proteins, the integration of the target protein into a polyprotein. However, this assay results in a low yield of high-quality data, defined as the complete unfolding of the polyprotein. Additionally, nonspecific surface adhesion hinders studies of α-helical proteins, which unfold at low forces and low extensions. Here, we overcame these limitations by merging two developments: (i) a polyprotein with versatile, genetically encoded short peptide tags functionalized via a mechanically robust Hydrazino-Pictet-Spengler ligation and (ii) the efficient site-specific conjugation of biomolecules to PEG-coated surfaces. Heterobifunctional anchoring of this polyprotein construct and DNA via copper-free click chemistry to PEG-coated substrates and a strong but reversible streptavidin-biotin linkage to PEG-coated AFM tips enhanced data quality and throughput. For example, we achieved a 75-fold increase in the yield of high-quality data and repeatedly probed the same individual polyprotein to deduce its dynamic force spectrum in just 2 h. The broader utility of this polyprotein was demonstrated by measuring three diverse target proteins: an α-helical protein (calmodulin), a protein with internal cysteines (rubredoxin), and a computationally designed three-helix bundle (α3D). Indeed, at low loading rates, α3D represents the most mechanically labile protein yet characterized by AFM. Such efficient SMFS studies on a commercial AFM enable the rapid characterization of macromolecular folding over a broader range of proteins and a wider array of experimental conditions (pH, temperature, denaturants). Further, by integrating these enhancements with optical traps, we demonstrate how efficient bioconjugation to otherwise nonstick surfaces can benefit diverse single-molecule studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Walder
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | | | - William J Van Patten
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Devin T Edwards
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | | | - Ayush Adhikari
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Stephen R Okoniewski
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - Ruby May A Sullan
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
| | - David Rabuka
- Catalent Biologics-West , Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | | | - Thomas T Perkins
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado , Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States
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50
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Durner E, Ott W, Nash MA, Gaub HE. Post-Translational Sortase-Mediated Attachment of High-Strength Force Spectroscopy Handles. ACS OMEGA 2017; 2:3064-3069. [PMID: 30023682 PMCID: PMC6044863 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.7b00478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Single-molecule force spectroscopy greatly benefits from site-specific surface immobilization and specific probing with a functionalized cantilever. Here, we describe a streamlined approach to such experiments by covalently attaching mechanically stable receptors onto proteins of interest (POI) to improve pickup efficiency and specificity. This platform provides improved throughput, allows precise control over the pulling geometry, and allows for multiple constructs to be probed with the same ligand-modified cantilever. We employ two orthogonal enzymatic ligation reactions [sortase and phosphopantetheinyl transferase (Sfp)] to covalently immobilize POI to a pegylated surface and to subsequently ligate the POI to a mechanically stable dockerin domain at the protein's C-terminus for use as a high-strength pulling handle. Our configuration permits expression and folding of the POI to proceed independently from the mechanically stable receptor used for specific probing and requires only two short terminal peptide sequences (i.e., ybbR-tag and sortase C-tag). We applied this system successfully to proteins expressed using in vitro transcription and translation reactions without a protein purification step and to purified proteins expressed in Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellis Durner
- Lehrstuhl
für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Ott
- Lehrstuhl
für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799 Munich, Germany
| | - Michael A. Nash
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
- Department
of Biosystems Science & Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH-Zurich), 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hermann E. Gaub
- Lehrstuhl
für Angewandte Physik and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80799 Munich, Germany
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