1
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Song P, Huang Q, Li W, Li M, Liu Z. Decomposition of Forces in Protein: Methodology and General Properties. J Chem Inf Model 2024. [PMID: 39262153 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/13/2024]
Abstract
In contrast to the central role played by the structure of biomolecules, the complementary force-based view has received little attention in past studies. Here, we proposed a simple method for the force decomposition of multibody interactions and provided some techniques to analyze and visualize the general behavior of forces in proteins. It was shown that atomic forces fluctuate at a magnitude of about 3000 pN, which is huge in the context of cell biology. Remarkably, the average scalar product between atomic force and displacement universally approximates -3kBT. This is smaller by an order of magnitude than the simple product of their fluctuation magnitudes due to the unexpectedly weak correlation between the directions of force and displacement. The pairwise forces are highly anisotropic, with elongated fluctuation ellipsoids. Residue-residue forces can be attractive or repulsive (despite being more likely to be attractive), forming some kind of tensegrity structure stabilized by a complicated network of forces. Being able to understand and predict the interaction network provides a basis for rational drug design and uncovering molecular recognition mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengbo Song
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qiaojing Huang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wenyu Li
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Maodong Li
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Zhirong Liu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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2
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Akitsu A, Kobayashi E, Feng Y, Stephens HM, Brazin KN, Masi DJ, Kirkpatrick EH, Mallis RJ, Duke-Cohan JS, Booker MA, Cinella V, Feng WW, Holliday EL, Lee JJ, Zienkiewicz KJ, Tolstorukov MY, Hwang W, Lang MJ, Reinherz EL. Parsing digital or analog TCR performance through piconewton forces. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eado4313. [PMID: 39141734 PMCID: PMC11323890 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado4313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
αβ T cell receptors (TCRs) principally recognize aberrant peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex molecules (pMHCs) on unhealthy cells, amplifying specificity and sensitivity through physical load placed on the TCR-pMHC bond during immunosurveillance. To understand this mechanobiology, TCRs stimulated by abundantly and sparsely arrayed epitopes (NP366-374/Db and PA224-233/Db, respectively) following in vivo influenza A virus infection were studied with optical tweezers. While certain NP repertoire CD8 T lymphocytes require many ligands for activation, others are digital, needing just few. Conversely, all PA TCRs perform digitally, exhibiting pronounced bond lifetime increases through sustained, energizing volleys of structural transitioning. Optimal digital performance is superior in vivo, correlating with ERK phosphorylation, CD3 loss, and activation marker up-regulation in vitro. Given neoantigen array paucity, digital TCRs are likely critical for immunotherapies.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Mice
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/chemistry
- Influenza A virus/immunology
- Humans
- Lymphocyte Activation/immunology
- Orthomyxoviridae Infections/immunology
- Orthomyxoviridae Infections/virology
- Optical Tweezers
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoi Akitsu
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Eiji Kobayashi
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yinnian Feng
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Hannah M. Stephens
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Kristine N. Brazin
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Daniel J. Masi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Evan H. Kirkpatrick
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Robert J. Mallis
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jonathan S. Duke-Cohan
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Matthew A. Booker
- Department of Informatics and Analytics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Vincenzo Cinella
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - William W. Feng
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Elizabeth L. Holliday
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Jonathan J. Lee
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Katarzyna J. Zienkiewicz
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Michael Y. Tolstorukov
- Department of Informatics and Analytics, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wonmuk Hwang
- Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Matthew J. Lang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Ellis L. Reinherz
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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3
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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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4
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Fernandez‐Calvo A, Reifs A, Saa L, Cortajarena AL, De Sancho D, Perez‐Jimenez R. The strongest protein binder is surprisingly labile. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e5030. [PMID: 38864696 PMCID: PMC11168069 DOI: 10.1002/pro.5030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Bacterial adhesins are cell-surface proteins that anchor to the cell wall of the host. The first stage of infection involves the specific attachment to fibrinogen (Fg), a protein found in human blood. This attachment allows bacteria to colonize tissues causing diseases such as endocarditis. The study of this family of proteins is hence essential to develop new strategies to fight bacterial infections. In the case of the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, there exists a class of adhesins known as microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs). Here, we focus on one of them, the clumping factor A (ClfA), which has been found to bind Fg through the dock-lock-latch mechanism. Interestingly, it has recently been discovered that MSCRAMM proteins employ a catch-bond to withstand forces exceeding 2 nN, making this type of interaction as mechanically strong as a covalent bond. However, it is not known whether this strength is an evolved feature characteristic of the bacterial protein or is typical only of the interaction with its partner. Here, we combine single-molecule force spectroscopy, biophysical binding assays, and molecular simulations to study the intrinsic mechanical strength of ClfA. We find that despite the extremely high forces required to break its interactions with Fg, ClfA is not by itself particularly strong. Integrating the results from both theory and experiments we dissect contributions to the mechanical stability of this protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Fernandez‐Calvo
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA)DerioBizkaiaSpain
| | - Antonio Reifs
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA)DerioBizkaiaSpain
| | - Laura Saa
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA)Donostia‐San SebastiánSpain
| | - Aitziber L. Cortajarena
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA)Donostia‐San SebastiánSpain
- Ikerbasque Foundation for ScienceBilbaoSpain
| | - David De Sancho
- Polimero eta Material Aurreratuak: Fisika, Kimika eta Teknologia, Kimika Fakultatea, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)San SebastianSpain
- Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC)San SebastianSpain
| | - Raul Perez‐Jimenez
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA)DerioBizkaiaSpain
- Ikerbasque Foundation for ScienceBilbaoSpain
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5
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Hua C, Slick RA, Vavra J, Muretta JM, Ervasti JM, Salapaka MV. Two operational modes of atomic force microscopy reveal similar mechanical properties for homologous regions of dystrophin and utrophin. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.18.593686. [PMID: 38826288 PMCID: PMC11142110 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.18.593686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal muscle disease caused by the absence of the protein dystrophin. Dystrophin is hypothesized to work as a molecular shock absorber that limits myofiber membrane damage when undergoing reversible unfolding upon muscle stretching and contraction. Utrophin is a dystrophin homologue that is under investigation as a protein replacement therapy for DMD. However, it remains uncertain whether utrophin can mechanically substitute for dystrophin. Here, we compared the mechanical properties of homologous utrophin and dystrophin fragments encoding the N terminus through spectrin repeat 3 (UtrN-R3, DysN-R3) using two operational modes of atomic force microscopy (AFM), constant speed and constant force. Our comprehensive data, including the statistics of force magnitude at which the folded domains unfold in constant speed mode and the time of unfolding statistics in constant force mode, show consistent results. We recover parameters of the energy landscape of the domains and conducted Monte Carlo simulations which corroborate the conclusions drawn from experimental data. Our results confirm that UtrN-R3 expressed in bacteria exhibits significantly lower mechanical stiffness compared to insect UtrN-R3, while the mechanical stiffness of the homologous region of dystrophin (DysN-R3) is intermediate between bacterial and insect UtrN-R3, showing greater similarity to bacterial UtrN-R3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cailong Hua
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Rebecca A Slick
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Joseph Vavra
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Joseph M Muretta
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
| | - James M Ervasti
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Murti V Salapaka
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
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6
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Liu Y, Song D, Li S, Guo Z, Zheng P. Click Chemistry-Based Force Spectroscopy Revealed Enhanced Binding Dynamics of Phosphorylated HMGB1 to Cisplatin-DNA. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:13126-13132. [PMID: 38696488 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c00224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Cisplatin, a cornerstone in cancer chemotherapy, is known for its DNA-binding capacity and forms lesions that lead to cancer cell death. However, the repair of these lesions compromises cisplatin's effectiveness. This study investigates how phosphorylation of HMGB1, a nuclear protein, modifies its binding to cisplatin-modified DNA (CP-DNA) and thus protects it from repair. Despite numerous methods for detecting protein-DNA interactions, quantitative approaches for understanding their molecular mechanism remain limited. Here, we applied click chemistry-based single-molecule force spectroscopy, achieving high-precision quantification of the interaction between phosphorylated HMGB1 and CP-DNA. This method utilizes a synergy of click chemistry and enzymatic ligation for precise DNA-protein immobilization and interaction in the system. Our results revealed that HMGB1 binds to CP-DNA with a significantly high rupture force of ∼130 pN, stronger than most natural DNA-protein interactions and varying across different DNA sequences. Moreover, Ser14 is identified as the key phosphorylation site, enhancing the interaction's kinetic stability by 35-fold. This increase in stability is attributed to additional hydrogen bonding suggested by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our findings not only reveal the important role of phosphorylated HMGB1 in potentially improving cisplatin's therapeutic efficacy but also provide a precise method for quantifying protein-DNA interactions.
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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
| | - Dongfan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Senmiao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Zijian Guo
- 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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7
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Panagaki F, Tapia-Rojo R, Zhu T, Milmoe N, Paracuellos P, Board S, Mora M, Walker J, Rostkova E, Stannard A, Infante E, Garcia-Manyes S. Structural anisotropy results in mechano-directional transport of proteins across nuclear pores. NATURE PHYSICS 2024; 20:1180-1193. [PMID: 39036650 PMCID: PMC11254768 DOI: 10.1038/s41567-024-02438-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
The nuclear pore complex regulates nucleocytoplasmic transport by means of a tightly synchronized suite of biochemical reactions. The physicochemical properties of the translocating cargos are emerging as master regulators of their shuttling dynamics. As well as being affected by molecular weight and surface-exposed amino acids, the kinetics of the nuclear translocation of protein cargos also depend on their nanomechanical properties, yet the mechanisms underpinning the mechanoselectivity of the nuclear pore complex are unclear. Here we show that proteins with locally soft regions in the vicinity of the nuclear-localization sequence exhibit higher nuclear-import rates, and that such mechanoselectivity is specifically impaired upon knocking down nucleoporin 153, a key protein in the nuclear pore complex. This allows us to design a short, easy-to-express and chemically inert unstructured peptide tag that accelerates the nuclear-import rate of stiff protein cargos. We also show that U2OS osteosarcoma cells expressing the peptide-tagged myocardin-related transcription factor import this mechanosensitive protein to the nucleus at higher rates and display faster motility. Locally unstructured regions lower the free-energy barrier of protein translocation and might offer a control mechanism for nuclear mechanotransduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fani Panagaki
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Rafael Tapia-Rojo
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Tong Zhu
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Natalie Milmoe
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Patricia Paracuellos
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Stephanie Board
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Marc Mora
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Jane Walker
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Elena Rostkova
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Stannard
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Elvira Infante
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Sergi Garcia-Manyes
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, London, UK
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8
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Alavi Z, Casanova-Morales N, Quiroga-Roger D, Wilson CAM. Towards the understanding of molecular motors and its relationship with local unfolding. Q Rev Biophys 2024; 57:e7. [PMID: 38715547 DOI: 10.1017/s0033583524000052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Molecular motors are machines essential for life since they convert chemical energy into mechanical work. However, the precise mechanism by which nucleotide binding, catalysis, or release of products is coupled to the work performed by the molecular motor is still not entirely clear. This is due, in part, to a lack of understanding of the role of force in the mechanical-structural processes involved in enzyme catalysis. From a mechanical perspective, one promising hypothesis is the Haldane-Pauling hypothesis which considers the idea that part of the enzymatic catalysis is strain-induced. It suggests that enzymes cannot be efficient catalysts if they are fully complementary to the substrates. Instead, they must exert strain on the substrate upon binding, using enzyme-substrate energy interaction (binding energy) to accelerate the reaction rate. A novel idea suggests that during catalysis, significant strain energy is built up, which is then released by a local unfolding/refolding event known as 'cracking'. Recent evidence has also shown that in catalytic reactions involving conformational changes, part of the heat released results in a center-of-mass acceleration of the enzyme, raising the possibility that the heat released by the reaction itself could affect the enzyme's integrity. Thus, it has been suggested that this released heat could promote or be linked to the cracking seen in proteins such as adenylate kinase (AK). We propose that the energy released as a consequence of ligand binding/catalysis is associated with the local unfolding/refolding events (cracking), and that this energy is capable of driving the mechanical work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Alavi
- Department of Physics, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Diego Quiroga-Roger
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Christian A M Wilson
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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9
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Valbuena A, Strobl K, Gil-Redondo JC, Valiente L, de Pablo PJ, Mateu MG. Single-Molecule Analysis of Genome Uncoating from Individual Human Rhinovirus Particles, and Modulation by Antiviral Drugs. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2304722. [PMID: 37806749 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202304722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Infection of humans by many viruses is typically initiated by the internalization of a single virion in each of a few susceptible cells. Thus, the outcome of the infection process may depend on stochastic single-molecule events. A crucial process for viral infection, and thus a target for developing antiviral drugs, is the uncoating of the viral genome. Here a force spectroscopy procedure using an atomic force microscope is implemented to study uncoating for individual human rhinovirus particles. Application of an increasing mechanical force on a virion led to a high force-induced structural transition that facilitated extrusion of the viral RNA molecule without loss of capsid integrity. Application of force to virions that h ad previously extruded the RNA, or to RNA-free capsids, led to a lower force-induced event associated with capsid disruption. The kinetic parameters are determined for each reaction. The high-force event is a stochastic process governed by a moderate free energy barrier (≈20 kcal mol-1 ), which results in a heterogeneous population of structurally weakened virions in which different fractions of the RNA molecule are externalized. The effects of antiviral compounds or capsid mutation on the kinetics of this reaction reveal a correlation between the reaction rate and virus infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Valbuena
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Klara Strobl
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Gil-Redondo
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Valiente
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro J de Pablo
- Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Física de la Materia Condensada (IFIMAC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mauricio G Mateu
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
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10
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Kim S, Cathey MVJ, Bounds BC, Scholl Z, Marszalek PE, Kim M. Ligand-Mediated Mechanical Enhancement in Protein Complexes at Nano- and Macro-Scale. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:272-280. [PMID: 38111156 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c14653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Protein self-assembly plays a vital role in a myriad of biological functions and in the construction of biomaterials. Although the physical association underlying these assemblies offers high specificity, the advantage often compromises the overall durability of protein complexes. To address this challenge, we propose a novel strategy that reinforces the molecular self-assembly of protein complexes mediated by their ligand. Known for their robust noncovalent interactions with biotin, streptavidin (SAv) tetramers are examined to understand how the ligand influences the mechanical strength of protein complexes at the nanoscale and macroscale, employing atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy, rheology, and bioerosion analysis. Our study reveals that biotin binding enhances the mechanical strength of individual SAv tetramers at the nanoscale. This enhancement translates into improved shear elasticity and reduced bioerosion rates when SAv tetramers are utilized as cross-linking junctions within hydrogel. This approach, which enhances the mechanical strength of protein-based materials without compromising specificity, is expected to open new avenues for advanced biotechnological applications, including self-assembled, robust biomimetic scaffolds and soft robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Marcus V J Cathey
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Brandon C Bounds
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Zackary Scholl
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Piotr E Marszalek
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Minkyu Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
- BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
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11
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Sun H, Guo Z, Hong H, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Le S, Chen H. Free Energy Landscape of Type III Fibronectin Domain with Identified Intermediate State and Hierarchical Symmetry. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023; 131:218402. [PMID: 38072617 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.131.218402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
The tenth domain of type III fibronectin (FNIII_{10}) mediates cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix. Despite its structural similarity to immunoglobulin domains, FNIII_{10} exhibits unique unfolding behaviors. We employed magnetic tweezers to investigate the unfolding and folding dynamics of FNIII_{10} under physiological forces (4-50 pN). Our results showed that FNIII_{10} follows a consistent transition pathway with an intermediate state characterized by detached A and G β strands. We determined the folding free energies and all force-dependent transition rates of FNIII_{10} and found that both unfolding rates from the native state to the intermediate state and from the intermediate state to the unfolded state deviate from Bell's model. We constructed a quantitative free energy landscape with well-defined traps and barriers that exhibits a hierarchical symmetrical pattern. Our findings provide a comprehensive understanding of FNIII_{10} conformational dynamics and demonstrate how free energy landscape of multistate biomolecules can be precisely mapped, illuminating the relationship between thermal stability, intermediate states, and folding rates in protein folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Sun
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Center of Biomedical Physics, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
| | - Zilong Guo
- Center of Biomedical Physics, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
| | - Haiyan Hong
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Zhuwei Zhang
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Center of Biomedical Physics, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
| | - Yuhang Zhang
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Yang Wang
- Center of Biomedical Physics, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
| | - Shimin Le
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Hu Chen
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Center of Biomedical Physics, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
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12
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Ukraintsev E, Rezek B. Non-contact non-resonant atomic force microscopy method for measurements of highly mobile molecules and nanoparticles. Ultramicroscopy 2023; 253:113816. [PMID: 37531754 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2023.113816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is nowadays indispensable versatile scanning probe method widely employed for fundamental and applied research in physics, chemistry, biology as well as industrial metrology. Conventional AFM systems can operate in various environments such as ultra-high vacuum, electrolyte solutions, or controlled gas atmosphere. Measurements in ambient air are prevalent due to their technical simplicity; however, there are drawbacks such as formation of water meniscus that greatly increases attractive interaction (adhesion) between the tip and the sample, reduced spatial resolution, and too strong interactions leading to tip and/or sample modifications. Here we show how the attractive forces in AFM under ambient conditions can be used with advantage to probe surface properties in a very sensitive way even on highly mobile molecules and nanoparticles. We introduce a stable non-contact non-resonant (NCNR) AFM method which enables to reliably perform measurements in the attractive force regime even in air by controlling the tip position in the intimate surface vicinity without touching it. We demonstrate proof-of-concept results on helicene-based macrocycles, DNA on mica, and nanodiamonds on SiO2. We compare the results with other conventional AFM regimes, showing NCNR advantages such as higher spatial resolution, reduced tip contamination, and negligible sample modification. We analyze principle physical and chemical mechanisms influencing the measurements, discuss issues of stability and various possible method implementations. We explain how the NCNR method can be applied in any AFM system by a mere software modification. The method thus opens a new research field for measurements of highly sensitive and mobile nanoscale objects under air and other environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Egor Ukraintsev
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technická 2, Prague 6, 166 27, Czech Republic.
| | - Bohuslav Rezek
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, Technická 2, Prague 6, 166 27, Czech Republic
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13
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Martin-Baniandres P, Lan WH, Board S, Romero-Ruiz M, Garcia-Manyes S, Qing Y, Bayley H. Enzyme-less nanopore detection of post-translational modifications within long polypeptides. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 18:1335-1340. [PMID: 37500774 PMCID: PMC10656283 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-023-01462-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Means to analyse cellular proteins and their millions of variants at the single-molecule level would uncover substantial information previously unknown to biology. Nanopore technology, which underpins long-read DNA and RNA sequencing, holds potential for full-length proteoform identification. We use electro-osmosis in an engineered charge-selective nanopore for the non-enzymatic capture, unfolding and translocation of individual polypeptides of more than 1,200 residues. Unlabelled thioredoxin polyproteins undergo transport through the nanopore, with directional co-translocational unfolding occurring unit by unit from either the C or N terminus. Chaotropic reagents at non-denaturing concentrations accelerate the analysis. By monitoring the ionic current flowing through the nanopore, we locate post-translational modifications deep within the polypeptide chains, laying the groundwork for compiling inventories of the proteoforms in cells and tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wei-Hsuan Lan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Stephanie Board
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King's College London, London, UK
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Sergi Garcia-Manyes
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King's College London, London, UK
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Yujia Qing
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Hagan Bayley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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14
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Zuo J, Chen H, Li H. Two molecule force spectroscopy on ligand-receptor interactions. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:16581-16589. [PMID: 37740375 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr03428c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Many biological processes involve the rupture of multiple ligand-receptors or multivalent ligand-receptors. It is challenging to study the rupture of such parallelly arranged multiple ligand-receptors due to the difficulties in engineering such systems in a well-controlled fashion. Here we report the use of two-molecule force spectroscopy to investigate the rupture of two parallelly arranged monomeric streptavidin (mSA)-biotin complexes. By using SpyCatcher-SpyTag chemistry, we successfully engineered a molecular twin of biotin, in which two biotins are arranged in parallel. By reacting mSA with twin biotin, we constructed parallelly arranged two mSA-biotin complexes for force spectroscopy experiments. The incorporation of single molecule fingerprint domains into our mSA-biotin dimers allowed us to identify and assign the rupture events of the parallelly arranged mSA-biotin complexes without any ambiguity in the two-molecule force spectroscopy experiments. Our results revealed that the rupture force of the parallel dimer mSA-biotin is 172 pN at a pulling speed of 400 nm s-1, which is about 1.6 times of that of single mSA-biotin (105 pN). Furthermore, our findings indicate that the two mSA-biotin behave as non-interacting, independent ligand-receptors. The strategy we demonstrated here can be extended to other ligand-receptors and may open up an avenue toward rigorously testing the theoretic predictions proposed in various models regarding the rupture of multiple parallel ligand-receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Zuo
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada.
| | - Hui Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China
| | - Hongbin Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada.
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15
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Yue C, Zhang C, Zhang R, Yuan J. Tethered particle motion of the adaptation enzyme CheR in bacterial chemotaxis. iScience 2023; 26:107950. [PMID: 37817931 PMCID: PMC10561060 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteria perform chemotactic adaptation by sequential modification of multiple modifiable sites on chemoreceptors through stochastic action of tethered adaptation enzymes (CheR and CheB). To study the molecular kinetics of this process, we measured the response to different concentrations of MeAsp for the Tar-only Escherichia coli strain. We found a strong dependence of the methylation rate on the methylation level and established a new mechanism of adaptation kinetics due to tethered particle motion of the methylation enzyme CheR. Experiments with various lengths of the C-terminal flexible chain in the Tar receptor further validated this mechanism. The tethered particle motion resulted in a CheR concentration gradient that ensures encounter-rate matching of the sequential modifiable sites. An analytical model of multisite catalytic reaction showed that this enables robustness of methylation to fluctuations in receptor activity or cell-to-cell variations in the expression of adaptation enzymes and reduces the variation in methylation level among individual receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caijuan Yue
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Chi Zhang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Rongjing Zhang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Junhua Yuan
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, and Department of Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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16
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Kasal MR, Kotamarthi HC, Johnson MM, Stephens HM, Lang MJ, Sauer RT, Baker TA. Lon degrades stable substrates slowly but with enhanced processivity, redefining the attributes of a successful AAA+ protease. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113061. [PMID: 37660294 PMCID: PMC10695633 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Lon is a widely distributed AAA+ (ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities) protease known for degrading poorly folded and damaged proteins and is often classified as a weak protein unfoldase. Here, using a Lon-degron pair from Mesoplasma florum (MfLon and MfssrA, respectively), we perform ensemble and single-molecule experiments to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underpinning MfLon function. Notably, we find that MfLon unfolds and degrades stably folded substrates and that translocation of these unfolded polypeptides occurs with a ∼6-amino-acid step size. Moreover, the time required to hydrolyze one ATP corresponds to the dwell time between steps, indicating that one step occurs per ATP-hydrolysis-fueled "power stroke." Comparison of MfLon to related AAA+ enzymes now provides strong evidence that HCLR-clade enzymes function using a shared power-stroke mechanism and, surprisingly, that MfLon is more processive than ClpXP and ClpAP. We propose that ample unfoldase strength and substantial processivity are features that contribute to the Lon family's evolutionary success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghann R Kasal
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Madeline M Johnson
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Hannah M Stephens
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Matthew J Lang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Robert T Sauer
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Tania A Baker
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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17
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Elias-Mordechai M, David N, Oren S, Georgia Pelah M, Jopp J, Fichtman B, Harel A, Berkovich R, Sal-Man N. A single filament biomechanical study of the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Type III secretion system reveals a high elastic aspect ratio. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:15027-15037. [PMID: 37668452 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr01953e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Type III secretion systems (T3SSs) are syringe-like protein complexes used by some of the most harmful bacterial pathogens to infect host cells. While the T3SS filament, a long hollow conduit that bridges between bacteria and host cells, has been characterized structurally, very little is known about its physical properties. These filaments should endure shear and normal stresses imposed by the viscous mucosal flow during infection within the intestinal tract. We used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe the longitudinal and radial mechanical response of individual T3SS filaments by pulling on filaments extending directly from bacterial surfaces and later pressing into filaments that were detached from the bacteria. The measured longitudinal elastic moduli were higher by about two orders of magnitude than the radial elastic moduli. These proportions are commensurate with the role of the T3SS filament, which requires horizontal flexibility while maintaining its structural integrity to withstand intense stresses during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moran Elias-Mordechai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Nofar David
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Sonia Oren
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Maya Georgia Pelah
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Jürgen Jopp
- The Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Boris Fichtman
- Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Amnon Harel
- Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel
| | - Ronen Berkovich
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel.
- The Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Neta Sal-Man
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel.
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18
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Enazy SA, Kirschen GW, Vincent K, Yang J, Saada J, Shah M, Oberhauser AF, Bujalowski PJ, Motamedi M, Salama SA, Kilic G, Rytting E, Borahay MA. PEGylated Polymeric Nanoparticles Loaded with 2-Methoxyestradiol for the Treatment of Uterine Leiomyoma in a Patient-Derived Xenograft Mouse Model. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:2552-2560. [PMID: 37482124 PMCID: PMC10529399 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Leiomyomas, the most common benign neoplasms of the female reproductive tract, currently have limited medical treatment options. Drugs targeting estrogen/progesterone signaling are used, but side effects and limited efficacy in many cases are major limitation of their clinical use. Previous studies from our laboratory and others demonstrated that 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME) is promising treatment for uterine fibroids. However, its poor bioavailability and rapid degradation hinder its development for clinical use. The objective of this study is to evaluate the in vivo effect of biodegradable and biocompatible 2-ME-loaded polymeric nanoparticles in a patient-derived leiomyoma xenograft mouse model. PEGylated poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PEG-PLGA) nanoparticles loaded with 2-ME were prepared by nanoprecipitation. Female 6-week age immunodeficient NOG (NOD/Shi-scid/IL-2Rγnull) mice were used. Estrogen-progesterone pellets were implanted subcutaneously. Five days later, patient-derived human fibroid tumors were xenografted bilaterally subcutaneously. Engrafted mice were treated with 2-ME-loaded or blank (control) PEGylated nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were injected intraperitoneally and after 28 days of treatment, tumor volume was measured by caliper following hair removal, and tumors were removed and weighed. Up to 99.1% encapsulation efficiency was achieved, and the in vitro release profile showed minimal burst release, thus confirming the high encapsulation efficiency. In vivo administration of the 2-ME-loaded nanoparticles led to 51% growth inhibition of xenografted tumors compared to controls (P < 0.01). Thus, 2-ME-loaded nanoparticles may represent a novel approach for the treatment of uterine fibroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanaalarab Al Enazy
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gregory W Kirschen
- Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kathleen Vincent
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Jinping Yang
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Jamal Saada
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Mansi Shah
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Andres F Oberhauser
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Paul J Bujalowski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Massoud Motamedi
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Salama A Salama
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Gokhan Kilic
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Erik Rytting
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Mostafa A Borahay
- Department of Gynecology & Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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19
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Kaur V, Garg S, Rakshit S. Polyprotein synthesis: a journey from the traditional pre-translational method to modern post-translational approaches for single-molecule force spectroscopy. Chem Commun (Camb) 2023. [PMID: 37183922 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc01756g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Polyproteins, an array of protein units of similar or differential functions in tandem, have been extensively utilized by organisms, unicellular or multicellular, as concentrators of the myriad of molecular activities. Most eukaryotic proteins, two-thirds in unicellular organisms, and more than 80% in metazoans, are polyproteins. Although the use of polyproteins continues to evolve in nature, our understanding of the structure-function-property of polyproteins is still limited. Cumbersome recombinant strategies and the lack of convenient in vitro synthetic routes of polyproteins have been rate-determining factors in the progress. However, in this review we have discussed the revolutionary journey of polyprotein synthesis with a major focus on surface-based structure-function-property studies, especially using force spectroscopy at the single-molecule level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veerpal Kaur
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India.
| | - Surbhi Garg
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India.
| | - Sabyasachi Rakshit
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India.
- Centre for Protein Science Design and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India
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20
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Shityakov S, Skorb EV, Nosonovsky M. Folding-unfolding asymmetry and a RetroFold computational algorithm. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221594. [PMID: 37153361 PMCID: PMC10154942 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
We treat protein folding as molecular self-assembly, while unfolding is viewed as disassembly. Fracture is typically a much faster process than self-assembly. Self-assembly is often an exponentially decaying process, since energy relaxes due to dissipation, while fracture is a constant-rate process as the driving force is opposed by damping. Protein folding takes two orders of magnitude longer than unfolding. We suggest a mathematical transformation of variables, which makes it possible to view self-assembly as time-reversed disassembly, thus folding can be studied as reversed unfolding. We investigate the molecular dynamics modelling of folding and unfolding of the short Trp-cage protein. Folding time constitutes about 800 ns, while unfolding (denaturation) takes only about 5.0 ns and, therefore, fewer computational resources are needed for its simulation. This RetroFold approach can be used for the design of a novel computation algorithm, which, while approximate, is less time-consuming than traditional folding algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Shityakov
- Infochemistry Scientific Center (ISC), ITMO University, 9 Lomonosova Street, St. Petersburg 191002, Russia
| | - Ekaterina V. Skorb
- Infochemistry Scientific Center (ISC), ITMO University, 9 Lomonosova Street, St. Petersburg 191002, Russia
| | - Michael Nosonovsky
- Infochemistry Scientific Center (ISC), ITMO University, 9 Lomonosova Street, St. Petersburg 191002, Russia
- College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
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21
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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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22
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Dumas L, Marfoglia M, Yang B, Hijazi M, Larabi AN, Lau K, Pojer F, Nash MA, Barth P. Uncovering and engineering the mechanical properties of the adhesion GPCR ADGRG1 GAIN domain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.05.535724. [PMID: 37066252 PMCID: PMC10104041 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.05.535724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Key cellular functions depend on the transduction of extracellular mechanical signals by specialized membrane receptors including adhesion G-protein coupled receptors (aGPCRs). While recently solved structures support aGPCR activation through shedding of the extracellular GAIN domain, the molecular mechanisms underpinning receptor mechanosensing remain poorly understood. When probed using single-molecule atomic force spectroscopy and molecular simulations, ADGRG1 GAIN dissociated from its tethered agonist at forces significantly higher than other reported signaling mechanoreceptors. Strong mechanical resistance was achieved through specific structural deformations and force propagation pathways under mechanical load. ADGRG1 GAIN variants computationally designed to lock the alpha and beta subdomains and rewire mechanically-induced structural deformations were found to modulate the GPS-Stachel rupture forces. Our study provides unprecedented insights into the molecular underpinnings of GAIN mechanical stability and paves the way for engineering mechanosensors, better understanding aGPCR function, and informing drug-discovery efforts targeting this important receptor class.
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23
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Cao N, Cai W, Qian L, Nie Z, Mao C, Cui S. Emulating Titin by a Multidomain DNA Structure. ACS Macro Lett 2023; 12:59-64. [PMID: 36573670 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.2c00585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Titin, a giant protein containing multiple tandem domains, is essential in maintaining the superior mechanical performance of muscle. The consecutive and reversible unfolding and refolding of the domains are crucial for titin to serve as a modular spring. Since the discovery of the mechanical features of a single titin molecule, the exploration of biomimetic materials with titin-emulating modular structures has been an active field. However, it remains a challenge to prepare these modular polymers on a large scale due to the complex synthesis process. In this study, we propose modular DNA with multiple hairpins (MH-DNA) as the fundamental block for the bottom-up design of advanced materials. By analyzing the unfolding and refolding dynamics of modular hairpins by atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), we find that MH-DNA shows comparable stability to those of polyproteins like titin. The unique low hysteresis of modular hairpin makes it an ideal molecular spring with remarkable mechanical efficiency. On the basis of the well-established DNA synthesis techniques, we anticipate that MH-DNA can be used as a promising building block for advanced materials with a combination of superior structural stability, considerable extensibility, and high mechanical efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanpu Cao
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
| | - Wanhao Cai
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
| | - Lu Qian
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
| | - Zhou Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China
| | - Chengde Mao
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Shuxun Cui
- College of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials (Ministry of Education), Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China
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24
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Beedle AEM, Garcia-Manyes S. The role of single protein elasticity in mechanobiology. NATURE REVIEWS. MATERIALS 2023; 8:10-24. [PMID: 37469679 PMCID: PMC7614781 DOI: 10.1038/s41578-022-00488-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
In addition to biochemical signals and genetic considerations, mechanical forces are rapidly emerging as a master regulator of human physiology. Yet the molecular mechanisms that regulate force-induced functionalities across a wide range of scales, encompassing the cell, tissue or organ levels, are comparatively not so well understood. With the advent, development and refining of single molecule nanomechanical techniques, enabling to exquisitely probe the conformational dynamics of individual proteins under the effect of a calibrated force, we have begun to acquire a comprehensive knowledge on the rich plethora of physicochemical principles that regulate the elasticity of single proteins. Here we review the major advances underpinning our current understanding of how the elasticity of single proteins regulates mechanosensing and mechanotransduction. We discuss the present limitations and future challenges of such a prolific and burgeoning field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy EM Beedle
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, Strand, WC2R 2LS London, United Kingdom
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Barcelona Institute of Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergi Garcia-Manyes
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, Strand, WC2R 2LS London, United Kingdom
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, London, UK
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25
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Apostolidou D, Zhang P, Yang W, Marszalek PE. Mechanical Unfolding and Refolding of NanoLuc via Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy and Computer Simulations. Biomacromolecules 2022; 23:5164-5178. [PMID: 36350253 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
A highly bioluminescent protein, NanoLuc (Nluc), has seen numerous applications in biological assays since its creation. We recently engineered a NanoLuc polyprotein that showed high bioluminescence but displayed a strong misfolding propensity after mechanical unfolding. Here, we present our single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) studies by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations on two new hybrid protein constructs comprised of Nluc and I91 titin domains, I91-I91-Nluc-I91-I91-I91-I91 (I912-Nluc-I914) and I91-Nluc-I91-Nluc-I91-Nluc-I91, to characterize the unfolding behavior of Nluc in detail and to further investigate its misfolding properties that we observed earlier for the I912-Nluc3-I912 construct. Our SMFS results confirm that Nluc's unfolding proceeds similarly in all constructs; however, Nluc's refolding differs in these constructs, and its misfolding is minimized when Nluc is monomeric or separated by I91 domains. Our simulations on monomeric Nluc, Nluc dyads, and Nluc triads pinpointed the origin of its mechanical stability and captured interesting unfolding intermediates, which we also observed experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitra Apostolidou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States
| | - Pan Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States
| | - Weitao Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States
| | - Piotr E Marszalek
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States
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26
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Pokhrel P, Wang J, Selvam S, Jonchhe S, Mandal S, Mao H. Ensemble Force Spectroscopy of a G-Quadruplex Cluster on a Single-Molecule Platform. Biomacromolecules 2022; 23:4795-4803. [PMID: 36322676 PMCID: PMC10347895 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Single-molecule methods offer high sensitivities with precisions superior to bulk assays. However, these methods are low in throughput and cannot repetitively interrogate the same cluster of molecular units. In this work, we investigate a tandem array of G-quadruplexes on a single-molecule DNA template with a throughput of at least two orders of magnitude higher than single-molecule force spectroscopy. During mechanical unfolding by optical tweezers, the array of G-quadruplexes experiences identical force, temperature, and ionic conditions, which not only reduce environmental noise but also render unfolding transitions indistinguishable among individual G-quadruplexes. The resultant ensemble behaviors are analyzed by scanning force diagrams, which reveals accurate F1/2 values, where 50% of G-quadruplexes are unfolded. Independent of the number of G-quadruplexes (n > 15) contained in a cluster, F1/2 can effectively evaluate G-quadruplex ligands in a new method called differential scanning forcemetry. When the same G-quadruplex cluster is subject to a series of constant forces in force-jump experiments, unfolding rate constants of G-quadruplexes can be effectively evaluated as a function of force. The high precision demonstrated in all of these measurements reflects the power of repetitive sampling on the same cluster of single-molecule entities under identical conditions. Since biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins can be conveniently incorporated in a tandem array, we anticipate that this ensemble assay on single-molecule entities (EASE) provides a generic means of ensemble force spectroscopy to amalgamate the accuracy of ensemble measurements with the precision of single-molecule methods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sangeetha Selvam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Sagun Jonchhe
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Shankar Mandal
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Hanbin Mao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
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27
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Deopa SPS, Rajput SS, Kumar A, Patil S. Direct and Simultaneous Measurement of the Stiffness and Internal Friction of a Single Folded Protein. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:9473-9479. [PMID: 36198174 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c02257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The nanomechanical response of a folded single protein, the natural nanomachine responsible for myriad biological processes, provides insight into its function. The conformational flexibility of a folded state, characterized by its viscoelasticity, allows proteins to adopt different shapes to perform their function. Despite efforts, its direct measurement has not been possible so far. We present a direct and simultaneous measurement of the stiffness and internal friction of the folded domains of the protein titin using a special interferometer based atomic force microscope. We analyzed the data by carefully separating different contributions affecting the response of the experimental probe to obtain the folded state's viscoelasticity. Above ∼95 pN of force, the individual immunoglobulins of titin transition from an elastic solid-like native state to a soft viscoelastic intermediate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surya Pratap S Deopa
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Pune411008, Maharashtra, India
| | - Shatruhan Singh Rajput
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Pune411008, Maharashtra, India
| | - Aadarsh Kumar
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Pune411008, Maharashtra, India
| | - Shivprasad Patil
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Pune411008, Maharashtra, India
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28
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Lei H, Zhang J, Li Y, Wang X, Qin M, Wang W, Cao Y. Histidine-Specific Bioconjugation for Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy. ACS NANO 2022; 16:15440-15449. [PMID: 35980082 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c07298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) is a powerful tool to study the mechanical properties of proteins. In these experiments, site-specific immobilization of proteins is critical, as the tether determines the direction and amplitude of forces applied to the protein of interest. However, existing methods are mainly based on thiol chemistry or specific protein tags, which cannot meet the need of many challenging experiments. Here, we developed a histidine-specific phosphorylation strategy to covalently anchor proteins to an AFM cantilever tip or the substrate via their histidine tag or surface-exposed histidine residues. The formed covalent linkage was mechanically stable with rupture forces of over 1.3 nN. This protein immobilization method considerably improved the pickup rate and data quality of SMFS experiments. We further demonstrated the use of this method to explore the pulling-direction-dependent mechanical stability of green fluorescent protein and the unfolding of the membrane protein archaerhodopsin-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai Lei
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing 210093, People's Republic of China
- Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), Nanjing University 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Junsheng Zhang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing 210093, People's Republic of China
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325001, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Li
- Institute of Advanced Materials and Flexible Electronics (IAMFE), School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology 219 Ningliu Road, Nanjing, 210044, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Wang
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325001, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Qin
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing 210093, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing 210093, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Cao
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, Department of Physics, Nanjing University 22 Hankou Road, Nanjing 210093, People's Republic of China
- Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), Nanjing University 163 Xianlin Road, Nanjing 210023, People's Republic of China
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325001, People's Republic of China
- Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan 250021, People's Republic of China
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29
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Raspadori A, Vignali V, Murello A, Giachin G, Samorì B, Tanaka M, Bustamante C, Zuccheri G, Legname G. Evidence of Orientation-Dependent Early States of Prion Protein Misfolded Structures from Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:1358. [PMID: 36138837 PMCID: PMC9495685 DOI: 10.3390/biology11091358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the presence of oligomers and amyloid fibrils. These are the result of protein aggregation processes of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) into amyloidal forms denoted as prions or PrPSc. We employed atomic force microscopy (AFM) for single molecule pulling (single molecule force spectroscopy, SMFS) experiments on the recombinant truncated murine prion protein (PrP) domain to characterize its conformations and potential initial oligomerization processes. Our AFM-SMFS results point to a complex scenario of structural heterogeneity of PrP at the monomeric and dimer level, like other amyloid proteins involved in similar pathologies. By applying this technique, we revealed that the PrP C-terminal domain unfolds in a two-state process. We used two dimeric constructs with different PrP reciprocal orientations: one construct with two sequential PrP in the N- to C-terminal orientation (N-C dimer) and a second one in the C- to C-terminal orientation (C-C dimer). The analysis revealed that the different behavior in terms of unfolding force, whereby the dimer placed C-C dimer unfolds at a higher force compared to the N-C orientation. We propose that the C-C dimer orientation may represent a building block of amyloid fibril formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Raspadori
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Valentina Vignali
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Anna Murello
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Gabriele Giachin
- Department of Chemical Sciences (DiSC), University of Padua, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Bruno Samorì
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Motomasa Tanaka
- Laboratory for Protein Conformation Diseases, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako 351-0198, Saitama, Japan
| | - Carlos Bustamante
- QB3 Institute, University of California, 642 Stanley Hall #3220, Berkeley, CA 94720-3220, USA
| | - Giampaolo Zuccheri
- Dipartimento di Farmacia e Biotecnologie, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- S3 Center of the Institute of Nanoscience of the Italian National Research Council (CNR), 41125 Modena, Italy
- Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research on Health Science and Technologies, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy
- ELETTRA Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A, Basovizza, 34139 Trieste, Italy
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30
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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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31
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Jain M, Weber A, Maly K, Manjaly G, Deek J, Tsvyetkova O, Stulić M, Toca‐Herrera JL, Jantsch MF. A-to-I RNA editing of Filamin A regulates cellular adhesion, migration and mechanical properties. FEBS J 2022; 289:4580-4601. [PMID: 35124883 PMCID: PMC9546289 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A-to-I RNA editing by ADARs is an abundant epitranscriptomic RNA-modification in metazoa. In mammals, Flna pre-mRNA harbours a single conserved A-to-I RNA editing site that introduces a Q-to-R amino acid change in Ig repeat 22 of the encoded protein. Previously, we showed that FLNA editing regulates smooth muscle contraction in the cardiovascular system and affects cardiac health. The present study investigates how ADAR2-mediated A-to-I RNA editing of Flna affects actin crosslinking, cell mechanics, cellular adhesion and cell migration. Cellular assays and AFM measurements demonstrate that the edited version of FLNA increases cellular stiffness and adhesion but impairs cell migration in both, mouse fibroblasts and human tumour cells. In vitro, edited FLNA leads to increased actin crosslinking, forming actin gels of higher stress resistance. Our study shows that Flna RNA editing is a novel regulator of cytoskeletal organisation, affecting the mechanical property and mechanotransduction of cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamta Jain
- Division of Cell BiologyCenter for Anatomy and Cell BiologyMedical University of ViennaAustria
| | - Andreas Weber
- Department of NanobiotechnologyInstitute for BiophysicsUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU)Austria
| | - Kathrin Maly
- Division of Cell BiologyCenter for Anatomy and Cell BiologyMedical University of ViennaAustria
| | - Greeshma Manjaly
- Division of Cell BiologyCenter for Anatomy and Cell BiologyMedical University of ViennaAustria
| | - Joanna Deek
- Department of Physics, Cellular Biophysics E27Technical University of MunichGarchingGermany
| | - Olena Tsvyetkova
- Division of Cell BiologyCenter for Anatomy and Cell BiologyMedical University of ViennaAustria
| | - Maja Stulić
- Division of Cell BiologyCenter for Anatomy and Cell BiologyMedical University of ViennaAustria
| | - José L. Toca‐Herrera
- Department of NanobiotechnologyInstitute for BiophysicsUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU)Austria
| | - Michael F. Jantsch
- Division of Cell BiologyCenter for Anatomy and Cell BiologyMedical University of ViennaAustria
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32
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Ma X, Sun H, Hong H, Guo Z, Su H, Chen H. Free-energy landscape of two-state protein acylphosphatase with large contact order revealed by force-dependent folding and unfolding dynamics. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:024404. [PMID: 36109974 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.024404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Acylphosphatase (AcP) is a small protein with 98 amino acid residues that catalyzes the hydrolysis of carboxyl-phosphate bonds. AcP is a typical two-state protein with slow folding rate due to its relatively large contact order in the native structure. The mechanical properties and unfolding behavior of AcP has been studied by atomic force microscope. Here using stable magnetic tweezers, we measured the force-dependent folding rates within a force range 1-3 pN, and unfolding rates 15-40 pN. The obtained unfolding rates show different force sensitivities at forces below and above ∼27 pN, which determines a free-energy landscape with two energy barriers. Our results indicate that the free-energy landscape of small globule proteins have general Bactrian camel shape, and large contact order of the native state produces a high barrier dominate at low forces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuening Ma
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Hao Sun
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Center of Biomedical Physics, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
- Oujiang Laboratory, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
| | - Haiyan Hong
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Zilong Guo
- Center of Biomedical Physics, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
- Oujiang Laboratory, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
| | - Huanhuan Su
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Hu Chen
- Research Institute for Biomimetics and Soft Matter, Fujian Provincial Key Lab for Soft Functional Materials Research, Department of Physics, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
- Center of Biomedical Physics, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou 325000, China
- Oujiang Laboratory, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, China
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33
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Monroe L, Kihara D. Using steered molecular dynamic tension for assessing quality of computational protein structure models. J Comput Chem 2022; 43:1140-1150. [PMID: 35475517 PMCID: PMC9133218 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.26876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The native structures of proteins, except for notable exceptions of intrinsically disordered proteins, in general take their most stable conformation in the physiological condition to maintain their structural framework so that their biological function can be properly carried out. Experimentally, the stability of a protein can be measured by several means, among which the pulling experiment using the atomic force microscope (AFM) stands as a unique method. AFM directly measures the resistance from unfolding, which can be quantified from the observed force-extension profile. It has been shown that key features observed in an AFM pulling experiment can be well reproduced by computational molecular dynamics simulations. Here, we applied computational pulling for estimating the accuracy of computational protein structure models under the hypothesis that the structural stability would positively correlated with the accuracy, i.e. the closeness to the native, of a model. We used in total 4929 structure models for 24 target proteins from the Critical Assessment of Techniques of Structure Prediction (CASP) and investigated if the magnitude of the break force, that is, the force required to rearrange the model's structure, from the force profile was sufficient information for selecting near-native models. We found that near-native models can be successfully selected by examining their break forces suggesting that high break force indeed indicates high stability of models. On the other hand, there were also near-native models that had relatively low peak forces. The mechanisms of the stability exhibited by the break forces were explored and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyman Monroe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Daisuke Kihara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
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34
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Stirnemann G. Molecular interpretation of single-molecule force spectroscopy experiments with computational approaches. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:7110-7119. [PMID: 35678696 DOI: 10.1039/d2cc01350a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Single molecule force-spectroscopy techniques have granted access to unprecedented molecular-scale details about biochemical and biological mechanisms. However, the interpretation of the experimental data is often challenging. Computational and simulation approaches (all-atom steered MD simulations in particular) are key to provide molecular details about the associated mechanisms, to help test different hypotheses and to predict experimental results. In this review, particular recent efforts directed towards the molecular interpretation of single-molecule force spectroscopy experiments on proteins and protein-related systems (often in close collaboration with experimental groups) will be presented. These results will be discussed in the broader context of the field, highlighting the recent achievements and the ongoing challenges for computational biophysicists and biochemists. In particular, I will focus on the input gained from molecular simulations approaches to rationalize the origin of the unfolded protein elasticity and the protein conformational behavior under force, to understand how force denaturation differs from chemical, thermal or shear unfolding, and to unravel the molecular details of unfolding events for a variety of systems. I will also discuss the use of models based on Langevin dynamics on a 1-D free-energy surface to understand the effect of protein segmentation on the work exerted by a force, or, at the other end of the spectrum of computational techniques, how quantum calculations can help to understand the reactivity of disulfide bridges exposed to force.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Stirnemann
- CNRS Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, PSL University, Université de Paris, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005, Paris, France.
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35
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Chakraborty S, Chaudhuri D, Chaudhuri D, Singh V, Banerjee S, Chowdhury D, Haldar S. Connecting conformational stiffness of the protein with energy landscape by a single experiment. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:7659-7673. [PMID: 35546109 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr07582a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The structure-function dynamics of a protein as a flexible polymer is essential to describe its biological functions. Here, using single-molecule magnetic tweezers, we have studied the effect of ionic strength on the folding mechanics of protein L, and probed its folding-associated physical properties by re-measuring the same protein in a range of ammonium sulfate concentrations from 150 mM to 650 mM. We observed an electrolyte-dependent conformational dynamics and folding landscape of the protein in a single experiment. Salt increases the refolding kinetics, while decreasing the unfolding kinetics under force, which in turn modifies the barrier heights towards the folded state. Additionally, salt enhances the molecular compaction by decreasing the Kuhn length of the protein polymer from 1.18 nm to 0.58 nm, which we have explained by modifying the freely jointed chain model. Finally, we correlated polymer chain physics to the folding dynamics, and thus provided an analytical framework for understanding compaction-induced folding mechanics across a range of ionic strengths from a single experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soham Chakraborty
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ashoka University, Sonepat, Haryana 131029, India.
| | - Deep Chaudhuri
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ashoka University, Sonepat, Haryana 131029, India.
| | - Dyuti Chaudhuri
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ashoka University, Sonepat, Haryana 131029, India.
| | - Vihan Singh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ashoka University, Sonepat, Haryana 131029, India.
| | - Souradeep Banerjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ashoka University, Sonepat, Haryana 131029, India.
| | - Debojyoti Chowdhury
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ashoka University, Sonepat, Haryana 131029, India.
| | - Shubhasis Haldar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ashoka University, Sonepat, Haryana 131029, India.
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36
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Wang H, Chen G, Li H. Templated folding of the RTX domain of the bacterial toxin adenylate cyclase revealed by single molecule force spectroscopy. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2784. [PMID: 35589788 PMCID: PMC9120197 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30448-8] [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: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The RTX (repeats-in-toxin) domain of the bacterial toxin adenylate cyclase (CyaA) contains five RTX blocks (RTX-i to RTX-v) and its folding is essential for CyaA’s functions. It was shown that the C-terminal capping structure of RTX-v is critical for the whole RTX to fold. However, it is unknown how the folding signal transmits within the RTX domain. Here we use optical tweezers to investigate the interplay between the folding of RTX-iv and RTX-v. Our results show that RTX-iv alone is disordered, but folds into a Ca2+-loaded-β-roll structure in the presence of a folded RTX-v. Folding trajectories of RTX-iv-v reveal that the folding of RTX-iv is strictly conditional upon the folding of RTX-v, suggesting that the folding of RTX-iv is templated by RTX-v. This templating effect allows RTX-iv to fold rapidly, and provides significant mutual stabilization. Our study reveals a possible mechanism for transmitting the folding signal within the RTX domain. The authors use optical tweezers to show that the folding of repeats-in-toxin (RTX) block-iv in adenylate cyclase is templated by the folded RTX block-v. The findings suggest a possible mechanism for transmitting the folding signal in the RTX domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1, Canada.,State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments, School of Precision Instrument and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, 300072, Tianjin, P. R. China
| | - Guojun Chen
- 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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Gil-Redondo JC, Weber A, Toca-Herrera JL. Measuring (biological) materials mechanics with atomic force microscopy. 3. Mechanical unfolding of biopolymers. Microsc Res Tech 2022; 85:3025-3036. [PMID: 35502131 PMCID: PMC9543778 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.24136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Biopolymers, such as polynucleotides, polypeptides and polysaccharides, are macromolecules that direct most of the functions in living beings. Studying the mechanical unfolding of biopolymers provides important information about their molecular elasticity and mechanical stability, as well as their energy landscape, which is especially important in proteins, since their three‐dimensional structure is essential for their correct activity. In this primer, we present how to study the mechanical properties of proteins with atomic force microscopy and how to obtain information about their stability and energetic landscape. In particular, we discuss the preparation of polyprotein constructs suitable for AFM single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), describe the parameters used in our force‐extension SMFS experiments and the models and equations employed in the analysis of the data. As a practical example, we show the effect of the temperature on the unfolding force, the distance to the transition state, the unfolding rate at zero force, the height of the transition state barrier, and the spring constant of the protein for a construct containing nine repeats of the I27 domain from the muscle protein titin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Carlos Gil-Redondo
- Institute of Biophysics, Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Weber
- Institute of Biophysics, Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - José L Toca-Herrera
- Institute of Biophysics, Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
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38
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Shi S, Wu T, Zheng P. Direct Measurements of the Cobalt-thiolate Bonds Strength in Rubredoxin by Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy. Chembiochem 2022; 23:e202200165. [PMID: 35475313 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200165] [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: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Cobalt is a trace transition metal. Although it is not abundant on earth, tens of cobalt-containing proteins exist in life. Moreover, the characteristic spectrum of Co(II) ion makes it a powerful probe for the characterization of metal-binding proteins through the formation of cobalt-ligand bonds. Since most of these natural and artificial cobalt-containing proteins are stable, we believe that these cobalt-ligand bonds in the protein system are also mechanically stable. To prove this, we used atomic force microscopy-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (AFM-SMFS) to directly measure the rupture force of Co(II)-thiolate bond in Co-substituted rubredoxin (CoRD). By combining the chemical denature/renature method for building metalloprotein and cysteine coupling-based polyprotein construction strategy, we successfully prepared the polyprotein sample (CoRD) n suitable for single-molecule study. Thus, we quantified the strength of Co(II)-thiolate bonds in rubredoxin with a rupture force of ~140 pN, revealing that the bond is a stable chemical bond. In addition, the Co-S bond is more labile than the Zn-S bond in proteins, similar to the result from the metal-competing titration experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengchao Shi
- Nanjing University, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, CHINA
| | - Tao Wu
- Nanjing University, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, CHINA
| | - Peng Zheng
- Nanjing University, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 168 Xianlin Ave, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, Nanjing, CHINA
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39
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Direct observation of chaperone-modulated talin mechanics with single-molecule resolution. Commun Biol 2022; 5:307. [PMID: 35379917 PMCID: PMC8979947 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03258-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Talin as a critical focal adhesion mechanosensor exhibits force-dependent folding dynamics and concurrent interactions. Being a cytoplasmic protein, talin also might interact with several cytosolic chaperones; however, the roles of chaperones in talin mechanics remain elusive. To address this question, we investigated the force response of a mechanically stable talin domain with a set of well-known unfoldase (DnaJ, DnaK) and foldase (DnaKJE, DsbA) chaperones, using single-molecule magnetic tweezers. Our findings demonstrate that chaperones could affect adhesion proteins’ stability by changing their folding mechanics; while unfoldases reduce their unfolding force from ~11 pN to ~6 pN, foldase shifts it upto ~15 pN. Since talin is mechanically synced within 2 pN force ranges, these changes are significant in cellular conditions. Furthermore, we determined that chaperones directly reshape the energy landscape of talin: unfoldases decrease the unfolding barrier height from 26.8 to 21.7 kBT, while foldases increase it to 33.5 kBT. We reconciled our observations with eukaryotic Hsp70 and Hsp40 and observed their similar function of decreasing the talin unfolding barrier. Quantitative mapping of this chaperone-induced talin folding landscape directly illustrates that chaperones perturb the adhesion protein stability under physiological force, thereby, influencing their force-dependent interactions and adhesion dynamics. Chakraborty et al. uses single-molecule magnetic tweezers to investigate the chaperone-modulated talin protein mechanics. The results showed that chaperones are involved in the regulation of talin folding/unfolding under mechanical force with some chaperones stabilizing talin and increasing the force, whereas others destabilize it and reduce the force.
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40
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Ferenczy GG, Kellermayer M. Contribution of Hydrophobic Interactions to Protein Mechanical Stability. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:1946-1956. [PMID: 35521554 PMCID: PMC9062142 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of hydrophobic and polar interactions in providing thermodynamic stability to folded proteins has been intensively studied, but the relative contribution of these interactions to the mechanical stability is less explored. We used steered molecular dynamics simulations with constant-velocity pulling to generate force-extension curves of selected protein domains and monitor hydrophobic surface unravelling upon extension. Hydrophobic contribution was found to vary between one fifth and one third of the total force while the rest of the contribution is attributed primarily to hydrogen bonds. Moreover, hydrophobic force peaks were shifted towards larger protein extensions with respect to the force peaks attributed to hydrogen bonds. The higher importance of hydrogen bonds compared to hydrophobic interactions in providing mechanical resistance is in contrast with the relative importance of the hydrophobic interactions in providing thermodynamic stability of proteins. The different contributions of these interactions to the mechanical stability are explained by the steeper free energy dependence of hydrogen bonds compared to hydrophobic interactions on the relative positions of interacting atoms. Comparative analyses for several protein domains revealed that the variation of hydrophobic forces is modest, while the contribution of hydrogen bonds to the force peaks becomes increasingly important for mechanically resistant protein domains.
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41
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Ge X, Zhang W, Putnis CV, Wang L. Molecular mechanisms for the humic acid-enhanced formation of the ordered secondary structure of a conserved catalytic domain in phytase. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:4493-4503. [PMID: 35113120 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00054g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Changes in the secondary structure of phytase, particularly the conserved active catalytic domain (ACD, SRHGVRAPHD) are extremely important for the varied catalytic activity during hydrolyzing phytate in the presence of humic acid (HA). However, little is known about the molecular-scale mechanisms of how HA influences the secondary structure of ACD found in phytase. First, in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) results show the secondary structure transformation of ACD from the unordered random coil to the ordered β-sheet structure after treatment with HA. Then, we use an atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) technique that can in situ directly probe the single-molecule interaction of ACD with HA and underlying changes in ACD secondary structure in the approach-retraction cycles in real time. Based on the SMFS results, we further detect the HA-enhanced formation of H-bonding between amide groups in the ACD backbone after noncovalently interacting with HA in the absence of phytate. Following the addition of phytate, the calculated contour length (Lc) and the free energies (ΔGb) of functional groups within ACD(-1/2) binding to mica/HA collectively demonstrate the formation of the organized intermediate structural state of ACD following its covalent binding to phytate. These spectroscopic and single-molecule determinations provide the molecular-scale understanding regarding the detailed mechanisms of HA-enhancement of the ordered β-sheet secondary structure of ACD through chemical functionalities in ACD noncovalently interacting with HA. Therefore, we suggest that similar studies of the interactions of other soil enzymes and plant nutrients may reveal predominant roles of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in controlling elemental cycling and fate for sustainable agriculture development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinfei Ge
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
| | - Wenjun Zhang
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
| | - Christine V Putnis
- Institut für Mineralogie, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany.,School of Molecular and Life Science, Curtin University, Perth 6845, Australia
| | - Lijun Wang
- College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
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42
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Stirnemann G. Recent Advances and Emerging Challenges in the Molecular Modeling of Mechanobiological Processes. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:1365-1374. [PMID: 35143190 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c10715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Many biological processes result from the effect of mechanical forces on macromolecular structures and on their interactions. In particular, the cell shape, motion, and differentiation directly depend on mechanical stimuli from the extracellular matrix or from neighboring cells. The development of experimental techniques that can measure and characterize the tiny forces acting at the cellular scale and down to the single-molecule, biomolecular level has enabled access to unprecedented details about the involved mechanisms. However, because the experimental observables often do not provide a direct atomistic picture of the corresponding phenomena, particle-based simulations performed at various scales are instrumental in complementing these experiments and in providing a molecular interpretation. Here, we will review the recent key achievements in the field, and we will highlight and discuss the many technical challenges these simulations are facing, as well as suggest future directions for improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Stirnemann
- CNRS Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, PSL University, Université de Paris, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
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43
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Kaur V, Garg S, Rakshit S. Instantaneous splicing and excision of inteins to synthesize polyproteins on a substrate with tunable linkers. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:602-608. [PMID: 34928293 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm01469b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Nature has adapted chimeric polyproteins to achieve superior and multiplexed functionality in a single protein. However, the hurdles in in vitro synthesis have restricted the biomimicry of and subsequent fundamental studies on the structure-function relationship of polyproteins. Recombinant expression of polyproteins and the synthesis of polyproteins via the enzyme-mediated repetitive digestion and ligation of individual protein domains have been widely practiced. However, recombinant expression often suffers from an in vitro refolding process, whereas enzyme-assisted peptide conjugation results in heterogeneous products, primarily due to enzymatic re-digestion, and prolonged and multistep reactions. Moreover, both methods incorporate enzyme-recognition residues of varying lengths as artifacts at interdomain linkers. The linkers, although tiny, regulate the spatiotemporal conformations of the polyproteins differentially and tune the folding dynamics, stability, and functions of the constituent protein. In an attempt to leave no string behind at the interdomain junctions, here, we develop a 'splice and excise' synthetic route for polyproteins on a substrate using two orthogonal split inteins. Inteins self-excise and conjugate the protein units covalently and instantaneously, without any cofactors, and incorporate a single cysteine or serine residue at the interdomain junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veerpal Kaur
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India.
| | - Surbhi Garg
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India.
| | - Sabyasachi Rakshit
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India.
- Centre for Protein Science Design and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali, 140306, Punjab, India
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44
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Pan J, Kmieciak T, Liu YT, Wildenradt M, Chen YS, Zhao Y. Quantifying molecular- to cellular-level forces in living cells. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D: APPLIED PHYSICS 2021; 54:483001. [PMID: 34866655 PMCID: PMC8635116 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/ac2170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical cues have been suggested to play an important role in cell functions and cell fate determination, however, such physical quantities are challenging to directly measure in living cells with single molecule sensitivity and resolution. In this review, we focus on two main technologies that are promising in probing forces at the single molecule level. We review their theoretical fundamentals, recent technical advancements, and future directions, tailored specifically for interrogating mechanosensitive molecules in live cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Pan
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
| | - Tommy Kmieciak
- Department of Engineering Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
| | - Yen-Ting Liu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
| | - Matthew Wildenradt
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
| | - Yun-Sheng Chen
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
| | - Yang Zhao
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
- Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 208 N. Wright Street, Urbana, IL 61801, United States of America
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45
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Makhani EY, Zhang A, Haun JB. Quantifying and controlling bond multivalency for advanced nanoparticle targeting to cells. NANO CONVERGENCE 2021; 8:38. [PMID: 34846580 PMCID: PMC8633263 DOI: 10.1186/s40580-021-00288-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Nanoparticles have drawn intense interest as delivery agents for diagnosing and treating various cancers. Much of the early success was driven by passive targeting mechanisms such as the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, but this has failed to lead to the expected clinical successes. Active targeting involves binding interactions between the nanoparticle and cancer cells, which promotes tumor cell-specific accumulation and internalization. Furthermore, nanoparticles are large enough to facilitate multiple bond formation, which can improve adhesive properties substantially in comparison to the single bond case. While multivalent binding is universally believed to be an attribute of nanoparticles, it is a complex process that is still poorly understood and difficult to control. In this review, we will first discuss experimental studies that have elucidated roles for parameters such as nanoparticle size and shape, targeting ligand and target receptor densities, and monovalent binding kinetics on multivalent nanoparticle adhesion efficiency and cellular internalization. Although such experimental studies are very insightful, information is limited and confounded by numerous differences across experimental systems. Thus, we focus the second part of the review on theoretical aspects of binding, including kinetics, biomechanics, and transport physics. Finally, we discuss various computational and simulation studies of nanoparticle adhesion, including advanced treatments that compare directly to experimental results. Future work will ideally continue to combine experimental data and advanced computational studies to extend our knowledge of multivalent adhesion, as well as design the most powerful nanoparticle-based agents to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot Y Makhani
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Ailin Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, 3107 Natural Sciences II, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Jered B Haun
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, 3107 Natural Sciences II, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
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46
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Zhuo B, Ou X, Li J. Structure and Mechanical Stabilities of the Three-Way Junction Motifs in Prohead RNA. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:12125-12134. [PMID: 34719230 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c04681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The core structure of phi29 prohead RNA (pRNA) is composed of three major helices organized into three-way junction pRNA (3WJ-pRNA) and has stout structural rigidity along the coaxial helices. Prohead RNAs of the other Bacillus subtilis bacteriophages such as GA1 and SF5 share similar secondary structure and function with phi29; whether these pRNAs have similar mechanical rigidity remains to be elucidated. In this study, we constructed the tertiary structures of GA1 and SF5 3WJ-pRNAs by comparative modeling. Both GA1 and SF5 3WJ-pRNAs adopt a similar structure, in which three helices are organized as the three-way junction and two of the three helices are stacked coaxially. Moreover, detailed structural features of GA1 and SF5 3WJ-pRNAs are also similar to those of phi29 3WJ-pRNA: all of the bases of the coaxial helices are paired, and all of the adenines in the junction region are paired, which eliminates the interference of A-minor tertiary interactions. Hence, the coaxial helices tightly join to each other, and the major groove between them is very narrow. Two Mg2+ ions can thus fit into this major groove and form double Mg clamps. A steered molecular dynamics simulation was used to study the mechanical properties of these 3WJ-pRNAs. Both GA1 and SF5 3WJ-pRNAs show strong resistance to applied force in the direction of their coaxial helices. Such mechanical stability can be attributed to the Mg clamps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyang Zhuo
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Xinwen Ou
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Jingyuan Li
- Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
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47
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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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48
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Das A, Yadav A, Gupta M, R P, Terse VL, Vishvakarma V, Singh S, Nandi T, Banerjee A, Mandal K, Gosavi S, Das R, Ainavarapu SRK, Maiti S. Rational Design of Protein-Specific Folding Modifiers. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:18766-18776. [PMID: 34724378 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c09611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Protein-folding can go wrong in vivo and in vitro, with significant consequences for the living organism and the pharmaceutical industry, respectively. Here we propose a design principle for small-peptide-based protein-specific folding modifiers. The principle is based on constructing a "xenonucleus", which is a prefolded peptide that mimics the folding nucleus of a protein. Using stopped-flow kinetics, NMR spectroscopy, Förster resonance energy transfer, single-molecule force measurements, and molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate that a xenonucleus can make the refolding of ubiquitin faster by 33 ± 5%, while variants of the same peptide have little or no effect. Our approach provides a novel method for constructing specific, genetically encodable folding catalysts for suitable proteins that have a well-defined contiguous folding nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirban Das
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005, India
| | - Anju Yadav
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005, India
| | - Mona Gupta
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005, India
| | - Purushotham R
- Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Vishram L Terse
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Vicky Vishvakarma
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005, India
| | - Sameer Singh
- TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad 500107, India
| | - Tathagata Nandi
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005, India
| | - Arkadeep Banerjee
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Kalyaneswar Mandal
- TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad 500107, India
| | - Shachi Gosavi
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
| | - Ranabir Das
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bangalore 560065, India
| | | | - Sudipta Maiti
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005, India
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49
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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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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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