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Choudhary D, Mediani L, Carra S, Cecconi C. Studying heat shock proteins through single-molecule mechanical manipulation. Cell Stress Chaperones 2020; 25:615-628. [PMID: 32253740 PMCID: PMC7332600 DOI: 10.1007/s12192-020-01096-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Imbalances of cellular proteostasis are linked to ageing and human diseases, including neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) and small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) together form a crucial core of the molecular chaperone family that plays a vital role in maintaining cellular proteostasis by shielding client proteins against aggregation and misfolding. sHSPs are thought to act as the first line of defence against protein unfolding/misfolding and have been suggested to act as "sponges" that rapidly sequester these aberrant species for further processing, refolding, or degradation, with the assistance of the HSP70 chaperone system. Understanding how these chaperones work at the molecular level will offer unprecedented insights for their manipulation as therapeutic avenues for the treatment of ageing and human disease. The evolution in single-molecule force spectroscopy techniques, such as optical tweezers (OT) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), over the last few decades have made it possible to explore at the single-molecule level the structural dynamics of HSPs and sHSPs and to examine the key molecular mechanisms underlying their chaperone activities. In this paper, we describe the working principles of OT and AFM and the experimental strategies used to employ these techniques to study molecular chaperones. We then describe the results of some of the most relevant single-molecule manipulation studies on HSPs and sHSPs and discuss how these findings suggest a more complex physiological role for these chaperones than previously assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhawal Choudhary
- Department of Physics, Informatics and Mathematics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125, Modena, Italy
- Institute of Nanoscience S3, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Laura Mediani
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, and Centre for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via G. Campi 287, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Serena Carra
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, and Centre for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via G. Campi 287, 41125, Modena, Italy.
| | - Ciro Cecconi
- Department of Physics, Informatics and Mathematics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125, Modena, Italy.
- Institute of Nanoscience S3, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 41125, Modena, Italy.
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2
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Mashaghi A, Kramer G, Lamb DC, Mayer MP, Tans SJ. Chaperone Action at the Single-Molecule Level. Chem Rev 2013; 114:660-76. [DOI: 10.1021/cr400326k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Mashaghi
- AMOLF Institute, Science Park
104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Günter Kramer
- Zentrum
für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Don C. Lamb
- Physical
Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Munich Center for Integrated Protein
Science (CiPSM) and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, Gerhard-Ertl-Building, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias P. Mayer
- Zentrum
für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, Im Neuenheimer Feld 282, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sander J. Tans
- AMOLF Institute, Science Park
104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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3
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Li J, Zoldak G, Kriehuber T, Soroka J, Schmid FX, Richter K, Buchner J. Unique Proline-Rich Domain Regulates the Chaperone Function of AIPL1. Biochemistry 2013; 52:2089-96. [DOI: 10.1021/bi301648q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Center for Integrated Protein
Science at the Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, D-85747 Garching,
Germany
| | - Gabriel Zoldak
- Laboratorium für
Biochemie, Universität Bayreuth,
D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Thomas Kriehuber
- Center for Integrated Protein
Science at the Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, D-85747 Garching,
Germany
| | - Joanna Soroka
- Center for Integrated Protein
Science at the Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, D-85747 Garching,
Germany
| | - Franz X. Schmid
- Laboratorium für
Biochemie, Universität Bayreuth,
D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Klaus Richter
- Center for Integrated Protein
Science at the Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, D-85747 Garching,
Germany
| | - Johannes Buchner
- Center for Integrated Protein
Science at the Department Chemie, Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, D-85747 Garching,
Germany
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4
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Peptide Bond cis/trans Isomerases: A Biocatalysis Perspective of Conformational Dynamics in Proteins. Top Curr Chem (Cham) 2011; 328:35-67. [DOI: 10.1007/128_2011_151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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5
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Zoldák G, Carstensen L, Scholz C, Schmid FX. Consequences of domain insertion on the stability and folding mechanism of a protein. J Mol Biol 2008; 386:1138-52. [PMID: 19136015 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.12.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2008] [Revised: 12/17/2008] [Accepted: 12/18/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
SlyD, the sensitive-to-lysis protein from Escherichia coli, consists of two domains. They are not arranged successively along the protein chain, but one domain, the "insert-in-flap" (IF) domain, is inserted internally as a guest into a surface loop of the host domain, which is a prolyl isomerase of the FK506 binding protein (FKBP) type. We used SlyD as a model to elucidate how such a domain insertion affects the stability and folding mechanism of the host and the guest domain. For these studies, the two-domain protein was compared with a single-domain variant SlyDDeltaIF, SlyD* without the chaperone domain (residues 1-69 and 130-165) in which the IF domain was removed and replaced by a short loop, as present in human FKBP12. Equilibrium unfolding and folding kinetics followed an apparent two-state mechanism in the absence and in the presence of the IF domain. The inserted domain decreased, however, the stability of the host domain in the transition region and decelerated its refolding reaction by about 10-fold. This originates from the interruption of the chain connectivity by the IF domain and its inherent instability. To monitor folding processes in this domain selectively, a Trp residue was introduced as fluorescent probe. Kinetic double-mixing experiments revealed that, in intact SlyD, the IF domain folds and unfolds about 1000-fold more rapidly than the FKBP domain, and that it is strongly stabilized when linked with the folded FKBP domain. The unfolding limbs of the kinetic chevrons of SlyD show a strong downward curvature. This deviation from linearity is not caused by a transition-state movement, as often assumed, but by the accumulation of a silent unfolding intermediate at high denaturant concentrations. In this kinetic intermediate, the FKBP domain is still folded, whereas the IF domain is already unfolded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Zoldák
- Laboratorium für Biochemie und Bayreuther Zentrum für Molekulare Biowissenschaften, Universität Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany
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6
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Wear MA, Patterson A, Walkinshaw MD. A kinetically trapped intermediate of FK506 binding protein forms in vitro: Chaperone machinery dominates protein folding in vivo. Protein Expr Purif 2007; 51:80-95. [PMID: 16908189 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2006.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2006] [Accepted: 06/11/2006] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We have characterised the stability, binding and enzymatic properties of three human FK506 binding proteins (FKBP-12) differing only by the length and sequence of their N-terminus. One construct has a short hexa-his tag (6H-FKBP12); the second longer fusion protein (6HL-FKBP12) contains an additional thrombin protease cleavage site; the third has the long fusion tag removed and is essentially native FKBP-12 (cFKBP12). The proteins were purified both under native conditions and also using a refolding protocol. All three natively purified proteins have, within experimental error, the same peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity (k(cat)/K(m) approximately 1 x 10(6)M(-1)s(-1)), and bind a natural inhibitor, rapamycin, with the same high affinity (K(d) approximately 6 nM). However, refolding of the protein containing the longer tag in vitro results in reduced PPIase activity (the k(cat)/K(m) was reduced from 1 x 10(6)M(-1)s(-1) to 0.81 x 10(6)M(-1)s(-1)) and a 6-fold affinity loss for rapamycin. Addition of both the long and short N-terminal his-tags slows the refolding kinetics of FKBP-12. However, the shorter his-tagged fusion protein regains fully native activity (> or =95%) while the longer regains only approximately 80-85% of native activity. Equilibrium urea denaturation titrations, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), analytical gel-filtration, and fluorescence binding data show that this loss of activity is not due to gross misfolding events, but is rather caused by the formation of a stable but subtly misfolded protein that has reduced peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity and reduced affinity for rapamycin. The difference in behaviour between the in vitro refolded and native forms is due to the dominant role of the cellular chaperone/folding machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin A Wear
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Structural Biochemistry Group, The University of Edinburgh, Michael Swann Building, King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, UK
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7
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Schories B, Nelson TE, Sane DC. Multimer formation by FKBP-12: roles for cysteine 23 and phenylalanine 36. J Pept Sci 2007; 13:475-80. [PMID: 17554808 DOI: 10.1002/psc.871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
FKBP-12 mediates the immunosuppressive actions of FK506 and rapamycin, and modulates the activities of the ryanodine, IP3 and type 1 TGF-ss receptors. Additionally, FKBP-12 possesses cis-trans peptidylprolyl isomerase (rotamase) activity. We have discovered that recombinant FKBP-12 readily forms a dimer and a small amount of trimer under nonreducing conditions. A mutant with substitution at the sole cysteine residue of FKBP-12 (C23S) did not form dimers or trimers. Using mutants with 5% or less rotamase activity, the formation of dimers was independent of enzymatic activity. The formation of trimers was abrogated by a F36Y substitution, even though dimer formation was preserved. Dimers were also observed with native FKBP-12 that was detached from rabbit skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors using FK590. The multimers of FKBP-12 could interact with molecular targets distinctly from the FKBP-12 monomer, for example, by facilitating the assembly of multimeric receptors or coordinating the activity of receptor subunits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Schories
- Section of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine and Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1045, USA
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8
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Korepanova A, Gao FP, Hua Y, Qin H, Nakamoto RK, Cross TA. Cloning and expression of multiple integral membrane proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Escherichia coli. Protein Sci 2005; 14:148-58. [PMID: 15608119 PMCID: PMC2253320 DOI: 10.1110/ps.041022305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Seventy integral membrane proteins from the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. A combination of T7 promoter-based vectors with hexa-His affinity tags and BL21 E. coli strains with additional tRNA genes to supplement sparsely used E. coli codons have been most successful. The expressed proteins have a wide range of molecular weights and number of transmembrane helices. Expression of these proteins has been observed in the membrane and insoluble fraction of E. coli cell lysates and, in some cases, in the soluble fraction. The highest expression levels in the membrane fraction were restricted to a narrow range of molecular weights and relatively few transmembrane helices. In contrast, overexpression in insoluble aggregates was distributed over a broad range of molecular weights and number of transmembrane helices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alla Korepanova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA
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9
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Russo AT, Rösgen J, Bolen DW. Osmolyte effects on kinetics of FKBP12 C22A folding coupled with prolyl isomerization. J Mol Biol 2003; 330:851-66. [PMID: 12850152 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-2836(03)00626-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Unfolding and refolding kinetics of human FKBP12 C22A were monitored by fluorescence emission over a wide range of urea concentration in the presence and absence of protecting osmolytes glycerol, proline, sarcosine and trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). Unfolding is well described by a mono-exponential process, while refolding required a minimum of two exponentials for an adequate fit throughout the urea concentration range considered. The bi-exponential behavior resulted from complex coupling between protein folding, and prolyl isomerization in the denatured state in which the urea-dependent rate constant for folding was greater than, equal to, and less than the rate constants for prolyl isomerization within the urea concentration range of zero to five molar. Amplitudes and the observed folding and unfolding rate constants were fitted to a reversible three-state model composed of two sequential steps involving the native state and a folding-competent denatured species thermodynamically linked to a folding-incompetent denatured species. Excellent agreement between thermodynamic parameters for FKBP12 C22A folding calculated from the kinetic parameters and those obtained directly from equilibrium denaturation assays provides strong support for the applicability of the mechanism, and provides evidence that FKBP12 C22A folding/unfolding is two-state, with prolyl isomer heterogeneity in the denatured ensemble. Despite the chemical diversity of the protecting osmolytes, they all exhibit the same kinetic behavior of increasing the rate constant of folding and decreasing the rate constant for unfolding. Osmolyte effects on folding/unfolding kinetics are readily explained in terms of principles established in understanding osmolyte effects on protein stability. These principles involve the osmophobic effect, which raises the Gibbs energy of the denatured state due to exposure of peptide backbone, thereby increasing the folding rate. This effect also plays a key role in decreasing the unfolding rate when, as is often the case, the activated complex exposes more backbone than is exposed in the native state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T Russo
- Department of Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics, University of Texas Medical Branch, 5.154 MRB, Galveston, TX 77555-1052, USA
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10
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Abstract
The effect of non-random conformational averaging in the urea-unfolded state on the folding pathway has been investigated in a variant of the FK506 binding protein with three additional residues at the amino terminus (FKBP(*)). Three mutations (asparagine, aspartate, and threonine) were introduced into position Q53 to enhance formation of non-native helix observed in this part of the protein in the urea-unfolded state. NMR analysis showed minor structural changes in the native state of each mutant, but additional medium-range alphaN(i,i+2) of each mutant nuclear Overhauser enhancements were observed in the urea-unfolded state that were not in FKBP(*), indicating that the mutations had a more substantial effect on the unfolded state ensemble than on the native state ensemble. Isothermal equilibrium denaturation measurements showed that the Q53T and Q53D mutants were destabilized, whereas the Q53N mutant was stabilized relative to FKBP(*) with little change in the equilibrium m values. The unfolding rates of Q53N and Q53T were similar to that of FKBP(*), but Q53D unfolded twice as fast as FKBP(*). In contrast, the mutations had a more pronounced effect on the refolding kinetics. Q53N refolded slightly faster and exhibited a kinetic folding intermediate similar to that of FKBP(*). The Q53D and Q53T mutants also refolded faster than FKBP(*) but lacked the folding intermediate, indicating that these mutants experienced a different folding trajectory and transition state than FKBP(*) and Q53N. The refolding kinetic Phi values were 0.74, 1.4 and 7.9 for Q53N, Q53T, and Q53D, respectively. The data point to Q53 functioning as a gatekeeper residue in the folding of FKBP(*). This study shows that perturbing the unfolded state ensemble via mutagenesis can provide insights into residues that play important roles in the folding pathway, and represents an attractive strategy for mapping the high-energy portions of the folding energy landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alla Korepanova
- Graduate Program in Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, 501 MBB 4380, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4380, USA
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11
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Affiliation(s)
- F X Schmid
- Biochemisches Laboratorium, Universität Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany
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12
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Korepanova A, Douglas C, Leyngold I, Logan TM. N-terminal extension changes the folding mechanism of the FK506-binding protein. Protein Sci 2001; 10:1905-10. [PMID: 11514681 PMCID: PMC2253207 DOI: 10.1110/ps.14801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Many of the protein fusion systems used to enhance the yield of recombinant proteins result in the addition of a small number of amino acid residues onto the desired protein. Here, we investigate the effect of short (three amino acid) N-terminal extensions on the equilibrium denaturation and kinetic folding and unfolding reactions of the FK506-binding protein (FKBP) and compare the results obtained with data collected on an FKBP variant lacking this extension. Isothermal equilibrium denaturation experiments demonstrated that the N-terminal extension had a slight destabilizing effect. NMR investigations showed that the N-terminal extension slightly perturbed the protein structure near the site of the extension, with lesser effects being propagated into the single alpha-helix of FKBP. These structural perturbations probably account for the differential stability. In contrast to the relatively minor equilibrium effects, the N-terminal extension generated a kinetic-folding intermediate that is not observed in the shorter construct. Kinetic experiments performed on a construct with a different amino acid sequence in the extension showed that the length and the sequence of the extension both contribute to the observed equilibrium and kinetic effects. These results point to an important role for the N terminus in the folding of FKBP and suggest that a biological consequence of N-terminal methionine removal observed in many eukaryotic and prokaryotic proteins is to increase the folding efficiency of the polypeptide chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Korepanova
- Graduate Program in Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA
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Riley PA. Tyrosinase kinetics: a semi-quantitative model of the mechanism of oxidation of monohydric and dihydric phenolic substrates. J Theor Biol 2000; 203:1-12. [PMID: 10677273 DOI: 10.1006/jtbi.1999.1061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A mathematical model of phase I melanogenesis is described based on the differential reactivity of tyrosinase according to the redox status of the active site copper atoms shown by Lerch and co-workers (see Lerch, 1981, Metal Ions in Biological Systems (Sigel, H., ed.) Vol. 13, pp. 143-186. New York: Marcel Dekker) in combination with the indirect formation of the catecholic intermediate substrate. In this model the unusual autoactivation kinetics of tyrosinase are explained by recruitment of enzyme from the met -form, in which the active-site copper atoms are in the oxidized (Cu(II)) state, by 2-electron donation from catechol oxidation. Using estimates of the values for the rate constants of the six reactions involved, the general characteristics of the model are shown to be consistent with the kinetic behaviour of tyrosinase in vitro. These include a lag period which is sensitive to catechol addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A Riley
- Department of Molecular Pathology & Clinical Biochemistry, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Windeyer Institute of Medical Sciences, Windeyer Building, 46 Cleveland Street, London, W1P 6DB, U.K.
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Main ER, Fulton KF, Jackson SE. Folding pathway of FKBP12 and characterisation of the transition state. J Mol Biol 1999; 291:429-44. [PMID: 10438630 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.1999.2941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The folding pathway of human FKBP12, a 12 kDa FK506-binding protein (immunophilin), has been characterised. Unfolding and refolding rate constants have been determined over a wide range of denaturant concentrations and data are shown to fit to a two-state model of folding in which only the denatured and native states are significantly populated, even in the absence of denaturant. This simple model for folding, in which no intermediate states are significantly populated, is further supported from stopped-flow circular dichroism experiments in which no fast "burst" phases are observed. FKBP12, with 107 residues, is the largest protein to date which folds with simple two-state kinetics in water (kF=4 s(-1)at 25 degrees C). The topological crossing of two loops in FKBP12, a structural element suggested to cause kinetic traps during folding, seems to have little effect on the folding pathway. The transition state for folding has been characterised by a series of experiments on wild-type FKBP12. Information on the thermodynamic nature of, the solvent accessibility of, and secondary structure in, the transition state was obtained from experiments measuring the unfolding and refolding rate constants as a function of temperature, denaturant concentration and trifluoroethanol concentration. In addition, unfolding and refolding studies in the presence of ligand provided information on the structure of the ligand-binding pocket in the transition state. The data suggest a compact transition state relative to the unfolded state with some 70 % of the surface area buried. The ligand-binding site, which is formed mainly by two loops, is largely unstructured in the transition state. The trifluoroethanol experiments suggest that the alpha-helix may be formed in the transition state. These results are compared with results from protein engineering studies and molecular dynamics simulations (see the accompanying paper).
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Affiliation(s)
- E R Main
- Cambridge University Chemical Laboratory, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
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15
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Abstract
The RNase H domain from HIV-1 (HIV RNase H) encodes an essential retroviral activity. Refolding of the isolated HIV RNase H domain shows a kinetic intermediate detectable by stopped-flow far UV circular dichroism and pulse-labeling H/D exchange. In this intermediate, strands 1, 4, and 5 as well as helices A and D appear to be structured. Compared to its homolog from Escherichia coli, the rate limiting step in refolding of HIV RNase H appears closer to the native state. We have modeled this kinetic intermediate using a C-terminal deletion fragment lacking helix E. Like the kinetic intermediate, this variant folds rapidly and shows a decrease in stability. We propose that inhibition of the docking of helix E to this folding intermediate may present a novel strategy for anti HIV-1 therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Kern
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 94720, USA
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Abstract
Recently a new family of prolyl isomerases was discovered, which is unrelated with the cyclophilins or the FK-506 binding proteins. Parvulin, the smallest member of this new family, is a protein with only 92 residues, but parvulin-like domains occur in several large proteins that are apparently involved in protein folding or activation processes. We show here that, in addition to its activity in assays with proline-containing tetrapeptides, parvulin catalyzes the proline-limited folding of a variant of ribonuclease T1 with a kcat/Km value of 30,000 M-1 s-1. This value is much smaller than the kcat/Km value of 1.1x10(7) M-1 s-1 determined for the parvulin-catalyzed prolyl isomerization in the tetrapeptide succinyl-Ala-Leu-Pro-Phe-4-nitroanilide. Parvulin itself unfolds and refolds reversibly in a simple two-state reaction with a Gibbs free energy of stabilization of 28 kJ/mol at 10 degrees C. Most of the unfolded parvulin molecules refold in a slow reaction that involves prolyl isomerization and is catalyzed by cyclophilin, another prolyl isomerase. Moreover, parvulin accelerates its own refolding in an autocatalytic fashion, and the rate of refolding increases tenfold when the concentration of parvulin is increased from 0.5 to 3.0 microM. Apparently, small single-domain prolyl isomerases catalyze prolyl isomerization much better in short peptides than in protein folding reactions, presumably because the prolyl bonds are less accessible in refolding protein chains. It is possible that the additional domains of the large prolyl isomerases improve the affinity for protein substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Scholz
- Laboratorium für Biochemie, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, D-95440, Germany
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17
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Abstract
Proline isomerization, an intrinsically slow process, kinetically traps intermediates in slow protein folding reactions. Thus, enzymes that catalyze proline isomerization (prolyl isomerases) often catalyze protein folding. We have investigated the folding kinetics of FKBP, a prolyl isomerase. The main conclusion is that FKBP catalyzes its own folding. Altogether, the FKBP refolding kinetics are resolved into three exponential phases: a fast phase, tau 3; an intermediate phase, tau 2; and a slow phase, tau 1. Unfolding occurs in a single phase, the unfolding branch of phase tau 2. In the presence of native FKBP, both the intermediate (tau 2) and slow (tau 1) phases are faster, suggesting that folding phases tau 1 and tau 2 involve proline cis-trans isomerization. In the absence of added native FKBP, autocatalytic folding of FKBP is detected. For refolding starting with all the FKBP unfolded initially, the slowest folding phase (tau 1) is almost 2-fold faster at a final concentration of 14 microM FKBP than at 2 microM FKBP, suggesting that catalytically active FKBP formed in the fast (tau 3) or intermediate (tau 2) folding phases catalyzes the slow folding phase (tau 1). Moreover, autocatalysis of folding is inhibited by FK506, an inhibitor of the FKBP prolyl isomerase activity. The results show that the slow phase in FKBP folding is an autocatalyzed formation of native FKBP from kinetically trapped species with non-native proline isomers. While the magnitude of the catalytic effects reported here are modest, FKBP folding may provide a prototype for autocatalysis of kinetically trapped macromolecular conformational changes in other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Veeraraghavan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78284-7760, USA
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