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Lewerke LT, Kies PJ, Müh U, Ellermeier CD. Bacterial sensing: A putative amphipathic helix in RsiV is the switch for activating σV in response to lysozyme. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007527. [PMID: 30020925 PMCID: PMC6066255 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Extra Cytoplasmic Function (ECF) σ factors are a diverse group of alternate σ factors bacteria use to respond to changes in the environment. The Bacillus subtilis ECF σ factor σV responds to lysozyme. In the absence of lysozyme, σV is held inactive by the anti-σ factor, RsiV. In the presence of lysozyme RsiV is degraded via regulated intramembrane proteolysis, which results in the release of σV and thus activation of lysozyme resistance genes. Signal peptidase is required to initiate degradation of RsiV. Previous work indicated that RsiV only becomes sensitive to signal peptidase upon direct binding to lysozyme. We have identified a unique domain of RsiV that is responsible for protecting RsiV from cleavage by signal peptidase in the absence of lysozyme. We provide evidence that this domain contains putative amphipathic helices. Disruption of the hydrophobic surface of these helices by introducing positively charged residues results in constitutive cleavage of RsiV by signal peptidase and thus constitutive σV activation. We provide further evidence that this domain contains amphipathic helices using a membrane-impermeable reagent. Finally, we show that upon lysozyme binding to RsiV, the hydrophobic face of the amphipathic helix becomes accessible to a membrane-impermeable reagent. Thus, we propose the amphipathic helices protect RsiV from cleavage in the absence of lysozyme. Additionally, we propose the amphipathic helices rearrange to form a suitable signal peptidase substrate upon binding of RsiV to lysozyme leading to the activation of σV. Signal transduction involves (i) sensing a signal, (ii) a molecular switch triggering a response, and (iii) altering gene expression. For Bacillus subtilis’ response to lysozyme, we have a detailed understanding of (i) and (iii). Here we provide insights for a molecular switch that triggers the lysozyme response via σV activation. RsiV, an inhibitor of σV activity, is cleaved by signal peptidase only in the presence of lysozyme. Signal peptidase constitutively cleaves substrates that are translocated across the membrane. A domain-of-unknown-function (DUF4179) in RsiV contains the signal peptidase cleavage site, and protects RsiV from cleavage in the absence of lysozyme via amphipathic helices. In addition to RsiV, DUF4179 is found in an unrelated and uncharacterized anti-σ factor present in Firmicutes including within some clinically-relevant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lincoln T Lewerke
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Paige J Kies
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Ute Müh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Craig D Ellermeier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America.,Graduate Program in Genetics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
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2
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Characterisation of the DAACS Family Escherichia coli Glutamate/Aspartate-Proton Symporter GltP Using Computational, Chemical, Biochemical and Biophysical Methods. J Membr Biol 2016; 250:145-162. [DOI: 10.1007/s00232-016-9942-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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3
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Date SS, Chen CYC, Chen Y, Jansen M. Experimentally optimized threading structures of the proton-coupled folate transporter. FEBS Open Bio 2016; 6:216-30. [PMID: 27047750 PMCID: PMC4794783 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Revised: 01/13/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The proton‐coupled folate transporter (PCFT, SLC46A1) transports folic acid across the plasma membrane, together with an excess of protons such that the net charge translocation is positive. We developed 3D structural models of PCFT threaded onto the X‐ray structures of major facilitator superfamily (MFS) members that were identified as close structural homologues. The model of PCFT threaded onto the glycerol‐3‐phosphate transporter (GlpT) structure is consistent with detailed accessibility studies in the absence of extracellular substrate and at pH 7.4 presented here, and additionally with a multitude of other mutagenesis and functional studies. Characteristic MFS structural features are preserved in this PCFT model, such as 12 transmembrane helices divided into two pseudosymmetric bundles, and a high density of positive charges on the periphery of the cytoplasmic site that allow interactions with negatively charged lipid head‐groups. Under the experimental conditions, PCFT predominantly samples the resting state, which in this case is inward‐open. Several positions lining the substrate cavity have been identified. Motif A, a helix‐turn‐helix motif that is a hallmark of MFS transporters between transmembrane segments II and III is oriented appropriately to interact with residues from transmembrane segments IV as well as XI upon conformational transition to the outward‐open state. A charge‐relay system between three charged residues as well as apposing glycines in two α‐helices, both contributed to by motif A, become engaged when PCFT is modeled on the outward‐open state of a putative proton‐driven transporter (YajR).
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Affiliation(s)
- Swapneeta S Date
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics School of Medicine Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock TX USA; Center for Membrane Protein Research School of Medicine Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock TX USA
| | - Cheng-Yen Charles Chen
- Center for Membrane Protein Research School of Medicine Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock TX USA; Medical Student Summer Research Program School of Medicine Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock TX USA
| | - Yidong Chen
- Center for Membrane Protein Research School of Medicine Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock TX USA; Medical Student Summer Research Program School of Medicine Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock TX USA
| | - Michaela Jansen
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics School of Medicine Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock TX USA; Center for Membrane Protein Research School of Medicine Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock TX USA
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4
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Focke PJ, Annen AW, Valiyaveetil FI. Engineering the glutamate transporter homologue GltPh using protein semisynthesis. Biochemistry 2015; 54:1694-702. [PMID: 25649707 DOI: 10.1021/bi501477y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Glutamate transporters catalyze the concentrative uptake of glutamate from synapses and are essential for normal synaptic function. Despite extensive investigations of glutamate transporters, the mechanisms underlying substrate recognition, ion selectivity, and the coupling of substrate and ion transport are not well-understood. Deciphering these mechanisms requires the ability to precisely engineer the transporter. In this study, we describe the semisynthesis of GltPh, an archaeal homologue of glutamate transporters. Semisynthesis allows the precise engineering of GltPh through the incorporation of unnatural amino acids and peptide backbone modifications. In the semisynthesis, the GltPh polypeptide is initially assembled from a recombinantly expressed thioester peptide and a chemically synthesized peptide using the native chemical ligation reaction followed by in vitro folding to the native state. We have developed a robust procedure for the in vitro folding of GltPh. Biochemical characterization of the semisynthetic GltPh indicates that it is similar to the native transporter. We used semisynthesis to substitute Arg397, a highly conserved residue in the substrate binding site, with the unnatural analogue, citrulline. Our studies demonstrate that Arg397 is required for high-affinity substrate binding, and on the basis of our results, we propose that Arg397 is involved in a Na+-dependent remodeling of the substrate binding site required for high-affinity Asp binding. We anticipate that the semisynthetic approach developed in this study will be extremely useful in investigating functional mechanisms in GltPh. Further, the approach developed in this study should also be applicable to other membrane transport proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Focke
- Program in Chemical Biology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Oregon Health & Science University , 3181 Southwest Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, Oregon 97239, United States
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5
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Abstract
L-Glutamate is the predominant excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system and plays important roles in a wide variety of brain functions, but it is also a key player in the pathogenesis of many neurological disorders. The control of glutamate concentrations is critical to the normal functioning of the central nervous system, and in this review we discuss how glutamate transporters regulate glutamate concentrations to maintain dynamic signaling mechanisms between neurons. In 2004, the crystal structure of a prokaryotic homolog of the mammalian glutamate transporter family of proteins was crystallized and its structure determined. This has paved the way for a better understanding of the structural basis for glutamate transporter function. In this review we provide a broad perspective of this field of research, but focus primarily on the more recent studies with a particular emphasis on how our understanding of the structure of glutamate transporters has generated new insights.
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6
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Jensen S, Guskov A, Rempel S, Hänelt I, Slotboom DJ. Crystal structure of a substrate-free aspartate transporter. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2013; 20:1224-6. [PMID: 24013209 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2013] [Accepted: 08/02/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Archaeal glutamate transporter homologs catalyze the coupled uptake of aspartate and three sodium ions. After the delivery of the substrate and sodium ions to the cytoplasm, the empty binding site must reorient to the outward-facing conformation to reset the transporter. Here, we report a crystal structure of the substrate-free transporter GltTk from Thermococcus kodakarensis, which provides insight into the mechanism of this essential step in the translocation cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Jensen
- 1] Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. [2]
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7
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Durer ZAO, Kudryashov DS, Sawaya MR, Altenbach C, Hubbell W, Reisler E. Structural states and dynamics of the D-loop in actin. Biophys J 2012; 103:930-9. [PMID: 23009842 PMCID: PMC3433612 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2012] [Revised: 07/09/2012] [Accepted: 07/13/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Conformational changes induced by ATP hydrolysis on actin are involved in the regulation of complex actin networks. Previous structural and biochemical data implicate the DNase I binding loop (D-loop) of actin in such nucleotide-dependent changes. Here, we investigated the structural and conformational states of the D-loop (in solution) using cysteine scanning mutagenesis and site-directed labeling. The reactivity of D-loop cysteine mutants toward acrylodan and the mobility of spin labels on these mutants do not show patterns of an α-helical structure in monomeric and filamentous actin, irrespective of the bound nucleotide. Upon transition from monomeric to filamentous actin, acrylodan emission spectra and electron paramagnetic resonance line shapes of labeled mutants are blue-shifted and more immobilized, respectively, with the central residues (residues 43-47) showing the most drastic changes. Moreover, complex electron paramagnetic resonance line shapes of spin-labeled mutants suggest several conformational states of the D-loop. Together with a new (to our knowledge) actin crystal structure that reveals the D-loop in a unique hairpin conformation, our data suggest that the D-loop equilibrates in F-actin among different conformational states irrespective of the nucleotide state of actin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeynep A Oztug Durer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
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8
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Stolzenberg S, Khelashvili G, Weinstein H. Structural intermediates in a model of the substrate translocation path of the bacterial glutamate transporter homologue GltPh. J Phys Chem B 2012; 116:5372-83. [PMID: 22494242 PMCID: PMC3350225 DOI: 10.1021/jp301726s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2012] [Revised: 04/10/2012] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are membrane proteins responsible for reuptake of glutamate from the synaptic cleft to terminate neurotransmission and help prevent neurotoxically high, extracellular glutamate concentrations. Important structural information about these proteins emerged from crystal structures of GltPh, a bacterial homologue of EAATs, in conformations facing outward and inward. These remarkably different conformations are considered to be end points of the substrate translocation path (STP), suggesting that the transport mechanism involves major conformational rearrangements that remain uncharted. To investigate possible steps in the structural transitions of the STP between the two end-point conformations, we applied a combination of computational modeling methods (motion planning, molecular dynamics simulations, and mixed elastic network models). We found that the conformational changes in the transition involve mainly the repositioning the "transport domain" and the "trimerization domain" identified previously in the crystal structures. The two domains move in opposite directions along the membrane normal, and the transport domain also tilts by ∼17° with respect to this axis. Moreover, the TM3-4 loop undergoes a flexible, "restraining bar"-like conformational change with respect to the transport domain. As a consequence of these conformational rearrangements along the transition path we calculated a significant decrease of nearly 20% in the area of the transport-to-trimerization domain interface (TTDI). Water penetrates parts of the TTDI in the modeled intermediates but very much less in the end-point conformations. We show that these characteristics of the modeled intermediate states agree with experimental results from residue-accessibility studies in individual monomers and identify specific residues that can be used to test the proposed STP. Moreover, MD simulations of complete GltPh trimers constructed from initially identical monomer intermediates suggest that asymmetry can appear in the trimer, consonant with available experimental data showing independent transport kinetics by individual monomers in the trimers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Stolzenberg
- Department of Physiology and
Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, United States
- Department of Physics, Cornell University, 109 Clark Hall, Ithaca, New York
14853-2501, United States
| | - George Khelashvili
- Department of Physiology and
Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Harel Weinstein
- Department of Physiology and
Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, 1300 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, United States
- HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal
Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill
Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, New York 10065, United States
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9
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Shaikh S, Wen PC, Enkavi G, Huang Z, Tajkhorshid E. Capturing Functional Motions of Membrane Channels and Transporters with Molecular Dynamics Simulation. JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL AND THEORETICAL NANOSCIENCE 2010; 7:2481-2500. [PMID: 23710155 PMCID: PMC3661405 DOI: 10.1166/jctn.2010.1636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Conformational changes of proteins are involved in all aspects of protein function in biology. Almost all classes of proteins respond to changes in their environment, ligand binding, and interaction with other proteins and regulatory agents through undergoing conformational changes of various degrees and magnitudes. Membrane channels and transporters are the major classes of proteins that are responsible for mediating efficient and selective transport of materials across the cellular membrane. Similar to other proteins, they take advantage of conformational changes to make transitions between various functional states. In channels, large-scale conformational changes are mostly involved in the process of "gating", i.e., opening and closing of the pore of the channel protein in response to various signals. In transporters, conformational changes constitute various steps of the conduction process, and, thus, are more closely integrated in the transport process. Owing to significant progress in developing highly efficient parallel algorithms in molecular dynamics simulations and increased computational resources, and combined with the availability of high-resolution, atomic structures of membrane proteins, we are in an unprecedented position to use computer simulation and modeling methodologies to investigate the mechanism of function of membrane channels and transporters. While the entire transport cycle is still out of reach of current methodologies, many steps involved in the function of transport proteins have been characterized with molecular dynamics simulations. Here, we present several examples of such studies from our laboratory, in which functionally relevant conformational changes of membrane channels and transporters have been characterized using extended simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saher Shaikh
- Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A
| | - Po-Chao Wen
- Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A
| | - Giray Enkavi
- Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A
| | - Zhijian Huang
- Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A
| | - Emad Tajkhorshid
- Department of Biochemistry, Beckman Institute, and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A
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New views of glutamate transporter structure and function: advances and challenges. Neuropharmacology 2010; 60:172-81. [PMID: 20708631 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2010.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2010] [Revised: 07/14/2010] [Accepted: 07/25/2010] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal and glial glutamate transporters limit the action of excitatory amino acids after their release during synaptic transmission. Recent structural and functional investigations have revealed much about the transport and conducting mechanisms of members of the sodium-coupled symporter family responsible for glutamate clearance in the nervous system. In this review we summarize emerging views on the general structure, binding sites for substrates and coupled ions, and transport mechanisms of mammalian glutamate transporters, integrating results from a large body of work on carrier structure-function relationships with several crystal structures obtained for the archaeal ortholog, Glt(Ph).
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11
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Ryan RM, Kortt NC, Sirivanta T, Vandenberg RJ. The position of an arginine residue influences substrate affinity and K+ coupling in the human glutamate transporter, EAAT1. J Neurochem 2010; 114:565-75. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.06796.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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12
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Alteration of sugar-induced conformational changes of the melibiose permease by mutating Arg141 in loop 4-5. Biophys J 2009; 96:4877-86. [PMID: 19527646 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2009.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2008] [Revised: 03/16/2009] [Accepted: 03/20/2009] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The melibiose permease (MelB) from Escherichia coli couples the uptake of melibiose to that of Na+, Li+, or H+. In this work, we applied attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) difference spectroscopy to obtain information about the structural changes involved in substrate interaction with the R141C mutant and with the wild-type MelB reacted with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). These modified permeases have the ability to bind the substrates but fail to transport them. It is shown that the sugar-induced ATR-FTIR difference spectra of the R141C mutant are different from those corresponding to the Cys-less permease from which it is derived. There are alterations of peaks assigned to turns and beta-structures located most likely in loop 4-5. In addition, and quite notably, a peak at 1659 cm(-1), assigned to changes at the level of one alpha-helix subpopulation, disappears in the melibiose-induced difference spectrum in the presence of Na+, suggesting a reduction of the conformational change capacity of the mutated MelB. These helices may involve structural components that couple the cation- and sugar-binding sites. On the other hand, MelB-NEM difference spectra are proportionally less disrupted than the R141C ones. Hence, the transport cycle of these two permeases, modified at two different loops, is most likely impaired at a different stage. It is proposed that the R141C mutant leads to the generation of a partially defective ternary complex that is unable to catalyze the subsequent conformational change necessary for substrate translocation.
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13
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Ryan RM, Compton ELR, Mindell JA. Functional characterization of a Na+-dependent aspartate transporter from Pyrococcus horikoshii. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:17540-8. [PMID: 19380583 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.005926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are crucial in maintaining extracellular levels of glutamate, the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter, below toxic levels. The recent three-dimensional crystal structure of GltPh, an archaeal homolog of the EAATs, provides elegant structural details of this family of proteins, yet we know little about the mechanism of the bacterial transporter. Conflicting reports in the literature have described GltPh as an aspartate transporter driven by Na+ or a glutamate transporter driven by either Na+ or H+. Here we use purified protein reconstituted into liposomes to thoroughly characterize the ion and substrate dependence of the GltPh transport. We confirm that GltPh is a Na+-dependent transporter that is highly selective for aspartate over other amino acids, and we show that transport is coupled to at least two Na+ ions. In contrast to the EAATs, transport via GltPh is independent of H+ and K+. We propose a kinetic model of transport in which at least two Na+ ions are coupled to the cotransport of each aspartate molecule by GltPh, and where an ion- and substrate-free transporter reorients to complete the transport cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renae M Ryan
- Membrane Transport Biophysics Unit, Porter Neuroscience Center, NINDS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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14
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The cell wall regulator {sigma}I specifically suppresses the lethal phenotype of mbl mutants in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 2008; 191:1404-13. [PMID: 19114499 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01497-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial actin homologues are thought to have a role in cell shape determination by positioning the cell wall synthetic machinery. They are also thought to control other functions, including cell polarity and chromosome segregation in various organisms. Bacillus subtilis and many other gram-positive bacteria have three actin isoforms, MreB, Mbl, and MreBH, which colocalize in helical structures that span the length of the cell, close to the inner surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. Deletion of the mbl gene has previously been reported to produce viable, although poorly growing, mutant cells. We now show that under normal conditions Deltambl cells are nonviable but suppressors allowing growth readily accumulate. In the presence of high concentrations of Mg(2+), viable, nonsuppressed mutants can be obtained. A screen for suppressor mutations revealed that deletion of rsgI restores Mg(2+)-independent growth of the mbl mutant. Recent work has shown that rsgI deletion leads to upregulation of the alternative sigma factor sigma(I). The basis of suppression is not yet clear, but it is independent of the Mg(2+) effect. We found that the construction of a triple mutant lacking all three actin homologues became possible in the rsgI background. Triple mutant cells are spherical, but no significant defect in chromosome segregation was detected.
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15
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Dynamics of the extracellular gate and ion-substrate coupling in the glutamate transporter. Biophys J 2008; 95:2292-300. [PMID: 18515371 DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.108.133421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters (GluTs) are the primary regulators of extracellular concentration of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the central nervous system. In this study, we have investigated the dynamics and coupling of the substrate and Na(+) binding sites, and the mechanism of cotransport of Na(+) ions, using molecular dynamics simulations of a membrane-embedded model of GluT in its apo (empty form) and various Na(+)- and/or substrate-bound states. The results shed light on the mechanism of the extracellular gate and on the sequence of binding of the substrate and Na(+) ions to GluT during the transport cycle. The results suggest that the helical hairpin HP2 plays the key role of the extracellular gate for the substrate binding site, and that the opening and closure of the gate is controlled by substrate binding. GluT adopts an open conformation in the absence of the substrate exposing the binding sites of the substrate and Na(+) ions to the extracellular solution. Based on the calculated trajectories, we propose that Na1 is the first element to bind GluT, as it is found to be important for the completion of the substrate binding site. The subsequent binding of the substrate, in turn, is shown to result in an almost complete closure of the extracellular gate and the formation of the Na2 binding site. Finally, binding of Na2 locks the extracellular gate and completes the formation of the occluded state of GluT.
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16
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Reddy T, Ding J, Li X, Sykes BD, Rainey JK, Fliegel L. Structural and functional characterization of transmembrane segment IX of the NHE1 isoform of the Na+/H+ exchanger. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:22018-30. [PMID: 18508767 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m803447200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The Na(+)/H(+) exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1) is an integral membrane protein that regulates intracellular pH by removing one intracellular H(+) in exchange for one extracellular Na(+). It has a large N-terminal membrane domain of 12 transmembrane segments and an intracellular C-terminal regulatory domain. We characterized the cysteine accessibility of amino acids of the putative transmembrane segment IX (residues 339-363). Each residue was mutated to cysteine in a functional cysteineless NHE1 protein. Of 25 amino acids mutated, 5 were inactive or nearly so after mutation to cysteine. Several of these showed aberrant targeting to the plasma membrane and reduced expression of the intact protein, whereas others were expressed and targeted correctly but had defective NHE1 function. Of the active mutants, Glu(346) and Ser(351) were inhibited >70% by positively charged [2-(trimethylammonium)-ethyl]methanethiosulfonate but not by anionic [2-sulfonatoethyl]methanethiosulfonate, suggesting that they are pore lining and make up part of the cation conduction pathway. Both mutants also had decreased affinity for Na(+) and decreased activation by intracellular protons. The structure of a peptide representing amino acids 338-365 was determined by using high resolution NMR in dodecylphosphocholine micelles. The structure contained two helical regions (amino acids Met(340)-Ser(344) and Ile(353)-Ser(359)) kinked with a large bend angle around a pivot point at amino acid Ser(351). The results suggest that transmembrane IX is critical with pore-lining residues and a kink at the functionally important residue Ser(351).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Reddy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 1X5, Canada
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17
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Pedretti A, De Luca L, Sciarrillo C, Vistoli G. Fragmental Modeling of Human Glutamate Transporter EAAT1 and Analysis of its Binding Modes by Docking and Pharmacophore Mapping. ChemMedChem 2008; 3:79-90. [DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.200700197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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18
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Matherly LH, Hou Z. Structure and function of the reduced folate carrier a paradigm of a major facilitator superfamily mammalian nutrient transporter. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2008; 79:145-84. [PMID: 18804694 DOI: 10.1016/s0083-6729(08)00405-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Folates are essential for life and folate deficiency contributes to a host of health problems including cardiovascular disease, fetal abnormalities, neurological disorders, and cancer. Antifolates, represented by methotrexate, continue to occupy a unique niche among the modern day pharmacopoeia for cancer along with other pathological conditions. This article focuses on the biology of the membrane transport system termed the "reduced folate carrier" or RFC with a particular emphasis on RFC structure and function. The ubiquitously expressed RFC is the major transporter for folates in mammalian cells and tissues. Loss of RFC expression or function portends potentially profound physiological or developmental consequences. For chemotherapeutic antifolates used for cancer, loss of RFC expression or synthesis of mutant RFC protein with impaired function results in antifolate resistance due to incomplete inhibition of cellular enzyme targets and low levels of substrate for polyglutamate synthesis. The functional properties for RFC were first documented nearly 40 years ago in murine leukemia cells. Since 1994, when RFC was first cloned, tremendous advances in the molecular biology of RFC and biochemical approaches for studying the structure of polytopic membrane proteins have led to an increasingly detailed picture of the molecular structure of the carrier, including its membrane topology, its N-glycosylation, identification of functionally and structurally important domains and amino acids, and helix packing associations. Although no crystal structure for RFC is yet available, biochemical and molecular studies, combined with homology modeling, based on homologous bacterial major facilitator superfamily transporters such as LacY, now permit the development of experimentally testable hypotheses designed to establish RFC structure and mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry H Matherly
- Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
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Ryan RM, Mindell JA. The uncoupled chloride conductance of a bacterial glutamate transporter homolog. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2007; 14:365-71. [PMID: 17435767 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2006] [Accepted: 03/09/2007] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Glutamate transporters (EAATs) are pivotal in mammalian synaptic transmission, tightly regulating synaptic levels of this excitatory neurotransmitter. In addition to coupled glutamate transport, the EAATs also show an uncoupled Cl(-) conductance, whose physiological importance has recently been demonstrated. Little is yet known about the molecular mechanism of chloride permeation. Here we show that Glt(Ph), a bacterial EAAT homolog whose structure has been determined, displays an uncoupled Cl(-) conductance that can determine the rate of substrate uptake. A mutation analogous to one known to specifically affect Cl(-) movement in EAAT1 has similar effects on Glt(Ph), suggesting that this protein is an excellent structural model for understanding Cl(-) permeation through the EAATs. We also observed an uncoupled Cl(-) conductance in another bacterial EAAT homolog but not in a homolog of the Na(+)/Cl(-)-coupled neurotransmitter transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renae M Ryan
- Membrane Transport Biophysics Unit, Porter Neuroscience Center, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, US National Institutes of Health, 35 Convent Drive, Building 35, MSC 3701, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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20
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Ding J, Ng RWP, Fliegel L. Functional characterization of the transmembrane segment VII of the NHE1 isoform of the Na+/H+ exchangerThis paper is one of a selection of papers published in this Special Issue, entitled The Cellular and Molecular Basis of Cardiovascular Dysfunction, Dhalla 70th Birthday Tribute. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 2007; 85:319-25. [PMID: 17612640 DOI: 10.1139/y06-081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 1 is an integral membrane protein that regulates intracellular pH. It extrudes 1 intracellular H+ in exchange for 1 extracellular Na+. It has 2 large domains, an N-terminal membrane domain of 12 transmembrane segments and an intracellular C-terminal regulatory domain. We characterized the cysteine accessibility of amino acids of the critical transmembrane segment TM VII. Residues Leu 255, Leu 258, Glu 262, Leu 265, Asn 266, Asp 267, Val 269, Val 272, and Leu 273 were all mutated to cysteine residues in the cysteineless NHE1 isoform. Mutation of amino acids E262, N266, and D267 caused severe defects in activity and targeting of the intact full length protein. The balance of the active mutants were examined for sensitivity to the sulfhydryl reactive reagents, positively charged MTSET ((2- (trimethylammonium)ethyl)methanethiosulfonate) and negatively charged MTSES ((2-sulfonatoethyl)methanethiosulfonate). Leu 255 and Leu 258 were sensitive to MTSET but not to MTSES. The results suggest that these amino acids are pore-lining residues. We present a model of TM VII that shows that residues Leu 255, Leu 258, Glu 262, Asn 266, and Asp 267 lie near the same face of TM VII, lining the ion transduction pore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Ding
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, 347 Medical Science Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
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21
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Boudker O, Ryan RM, Yernool D, Shimamoto K, Gouaux E. Coupling substrate and ion binding to extracellular gate of a sodium-dependent aspartate transporter. Nature 2007; 445:387-93. [PMID: 17230192 DOI: 10.1038/nature05455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 392] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2006] [Accepted: 11/15/2006] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Secondary transporters are integral membrane proteins that catalyse the movement of substrate molecules across the lipid bilayer by coupling substrate transport to one or more ion gradients, thereby providing a mechanism for the concentrative uptake of substrates. Here we describe crystallographic and thermodynamic studies of Glt(Ph), a sodium (Na+)-coupled aspartate transporter, defining sites for aspartate, two sodium ions and d,l-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate, an inhibitor. We further show that helical hairpin 2 is the extracellular gate that controls access of substrate and ions to the internal binding sites. At least two sodium ions bind in close proximity to the substrate and these sodium-binding sites, together with the sodium-binding sites in another sodium-coupled transporter, LeuT, define an unwound alpha-helix as the central element of the ion-binding motif, a motif well suited to the binding of sodium and to participation in conformational changes that accompany ion binding and unbinding during the transport cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Boudker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, 650 West 168th Street, New York, New York 10032, USA
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22
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Chen L, Durkin KA, Casida JE. Spontaneous mobility of GABAA receptor M2 extracellular half relative to noncompetitive antagonist action. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:38871-8. [PMID: 17050528 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m608301200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor beta(3) homopentamer is spontaneously open and highly sensitive to many noncompetitive antagonists(NCAs) and Zn(2+). Our earlier study of the M2 cytoplasmic half (-1' to 10') established a model in which NCAs bind at pore-lining residues Ala(2)', Thr(6)', and Leu(9)'. To further define transmembrane 2 (M2) structure relative to NCA action, we extended the Cys scanning to the extra cellular half of the beta(3) homopentamer (11' to 20'). Spontaneous disulfides formed with T13'C, L18'C, and E20'C from M2/M2 cross-linking and with I14'C (weak), H17'C, and R19'Con bridging M2/M3 intersubunits, based on single (M2 Cys only) and dual (M2 Cys plus M3 C289S) mutations. Induced disulfides also formed with T16'C, but there were few or none with M11'C, T12'C, and N15'C. These findings show conformational flexibility/mobility in the M2 extracellular half 17' to 20' region interpreted as a deformed beta-like conformation in the open channel. The NCA radioligands used were [(3)H]1-(4-ethynylphenyl)-4-n-propyl-2,6,7-trioxabicyclo[2.2.2]octane ([(3)H]EBOB) and [(3)H]3,3-bis-trifluoromethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,2-dicarbonitrile with essentially the same results. NCA binding was disrupted by individual Cys substitutions at 13',14',16',17', and 19'. The inactivity of T13'C/T13'S may have been due to disturbance of the channel gate; I14'S and T16'S showed much better binding activity than their Cys counterparts, and the low activities of H17'C and R19'C were reversed by dithiothreitol. Zn(2+) potency for inhibition of [(3)H]EBOB binding was lowered 346-fold by the mutation H17'A. We propose that NCAs enter their binding site both directly, through the channel pore, and indirectly, through the water cavity of adjacent subunits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ligong Chen
- Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, College of Chemistry, University of California-Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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23
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Leighton BH, Seal RP, Watts SD, Skyba MO, Amara SG. Structural Rearrangements at the Translocation Pore of the Human Glutamate Transporter, EAAT1. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:29788-96. [PMID: 16877378 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m604991200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Structure-function studies of mammalian and bacterial excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs), as well as the crystal structure of a related archaeal glutamate transporter, support a model in which TM7, TM8, and the re-entrant loops HP1 and HP2 participate in forming a substrate translocation pathway within each subunit of a trimer. However, the transport mechanism, including precise binding sites for substrates and co-transported ions and changes in the tertiary structure underlying transport, is still not known. In this study, we used chemical cross-linking of introduced cysteine pairs in a cysteine-less version of EAAT1 to examine the dynamics of key domains associated with the translocation pore. Here we show that cysteine substitution at Ala-395, Ala-367, and Ala-440 results in functional single and double cysteine transporters and that in the absence of glutamate or dl-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate (dl-TBOA), A395C in the highly conserved TM7 can be cross-linked to A367C in HP1 and to A440C in HP2. The formation of these disulfide bonds is reversible and occurs intra-molecularly. Interestingly, cross-linking A395C to A367C appears to abolish transport, whereas cross-linking A395C to A440C lowers the affinities for glutamate and dl-TBOA but does not change the maximal transport rate. Additionally, glutamate and dl-TBOA binding prevent cross-linking in both double cysteine transporters, whereas sodium binding facilitates cross-linking in the A395C/A367C transporter. These data provide evidence that within each subunit of EAAT1, Ala-395 in TM7 resides close to a residue at the tip of each re-entrant loop (HP1 and HP2) and that these residues are repositioned relative to one another at different steps in the transport cycle. Such behavior likely reflects rearrangements in the tertiary structure of the translocation pore during transport and thus provides constraints for modeling the structural dynamics associated with transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara H Leighton
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Vollum Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA
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24
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Tolia A, Chávez-Gutiérrez L, De Strooper B. Contribution of presenilin transmembrane domains 6 and 7 to a water-containing cavity in the gamma-secretase complex. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:27633-42. [PMID: 16844686 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m604997200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Gamma-secretase is a multiprotein complex responsible for the intramembranous cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein and other type I transmembrane proteins. Mutations in Presenilin, the catalytic core of this complex, cause Alzheimer disease. Little is known about the structure of the protein and even less about the catalytic mechanism, which involves proteolytic cleavage in the hydrophobic environment of the cell membrane. It is basically unclear how water, needed to perform hydrolysis, is provided to this reaction. Presenilin transmembrane domains 6 and 7 seem critical in this regard, as each bears a critical aspartate contributing to catalytic activity. Current models imply that both aspartyl groups should closely oppose each other and have access to water. This is, however, still to be experimentally verified. Here, we have performed cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of both domains and have demonstrated that several of the introduced residues are exposed to water, providing experimental evidence for the existence of a water-filled cavity in the catalytic core of Presenilin. In addition, we have demonstrated that the two aspartates reside within this cavity and are opposed to each other in the native complex. We have also identified the conserved tyrosine 389 as a critical partner in the catalytic mechanism. Several additional amino acid substitutions affect differentially the processing of gamma-secretase substrates, implying that they contribute to enzyme specificity. Our data suggest the possibility that more selective gamma-secretase inhibitors could be designed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Tolia
- Neuronal Cell Biology and Gene Transfer Laboratory, Center for Human Genetics, VIB4 and K. U. Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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25
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Chen L, Durkin KA, Casida JE. Structural model for gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor noncompetitive antagonist binding: widely diverse structures fit the same site. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 103:5185-90. [PMID: 16537435 PMCID: PMC1458815 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0600370103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Several major insecticides, including alpha-endosulfan, lindane, and fipronil, and the botanical picrotoxinin are noncompetitive antagonists (NCAs) for the GABA receptor. We showed earlier that human beta(3) homopentameric GABA(A) receptor recognizes all of the important GABAergic insecticides and reproduces the high insecticide sensitivity and structure-activity relationships of the native insect receptor. Despite large structural diversity, the NCAs are proposed to fit a single binding site in the chloride channel lumen lined by five transmembrane 2 segments. This hypothesis is examined with the beta(3) homopentamer by mutagenesis, pore structure studies, NCA binding, and molecular modeling. The 15 amino acids in the cytoplasmic half of the pore were mutated to cysteine, serine, or other residue for 22 mutants overall. Localization of A-1'C, A2'C, T6'C, and L9'C (index numbers for the transmembrane 2 region) in the channel lumen was established by disulfide cross-linking. Binding of two NCA radioligands [(3)H]1-(4-ethynylphenyl)-4-n-propyl-2,6,7-trioxabicyclo[2.2.2]octane and [(3)H] 3,3-bis-trifluoromethyl-bicyclo[2,2,1]heptane-2,2-dicarbonitrile was dramatically reduced with 8 of the 15 mutated positions, focusing attention on A2', T6', and L9' as proposed binding sites, consistent with earlier mutagenesis studies. The cytoplasmic half of the beta3 homopentamer pore was modeled as an alpha-helix. The six NCAs listed above plus t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate fit the 2' to 9' pore region forming hydrogen bonds with the T6' hydroxyl and hydrophobic interactions with A2', T6', and L9' alkyl substituents, thereby blocking the channel. Thus, widely diverse NCA structures fit the same GABA receptor beta subunit site with important implications for insecticide cross-resistance and selective toxicity between insects and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ligong Chen
- *Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and
| | - Kathleen A. Durkin
- Molecular Graphics Facility, College of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - John E. Casida
- *Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and
- To whom correspondence should be addressed: E-mail:
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26
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Koch HP, Larsson HP. Small-scale molecular motions accomplish glutamate uptake in human glutamate transporters. J Neurosci 2005; 25:1730-6. [PMID: 15716409 PMCID: PMC6725926 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4138-04.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters remove glutamate from the synaptic cleft to maintain efficient synaptic communication between neurons and to prevent glutamate concentrations from reaching neurotoxic levels. Glutamate transporters play an important role in ischemic neuronal death during stroke and have been implicated in epilepsy and amytropic lateral sclerosis. However, the molecular structure and the glutamate-uptake mechanism of these transporters are not well understood. The most recent models of glutamate transporters have three or five subunits, each with eight transmembrane domains, and one or two membrane-inserted loops. Here, using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis, we have determined the relative position of the extracellular regions of these domains. Our results are consistent with a trimeric glutamate transporter with a large (>45 A) extracellular vestibule. In contrast to other transport proteins, our FRET measurements indicate that there are no large-scale motions in glutamate transporters and that glutamate uptake is accompanied by relatively small motions around the glutamate-binding sites. The large extracellular vestibule and the small-scale conformational changes could contribute to the fast kinetics predicted for glutamate transporters. Furthermore, we show that, despite the multimeric nature of glutamate transporters, the subunits function independently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans P Koch
- Neurological Sciences Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006, USA
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27
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Unkles SE, Rouch DA, Wang Y, Siddiqi MY, Okamoto M, Stephenson RM, Kinghorn JR, Glass ADM. Determination of the essentiality of the eight cysteine residues of the NrtA protein for high-affinity nitrate transport and the generation of a functional cysteine-less transporter. Biochemistry 2005; 44:5471-7. [PMID: 15807540 DOI: 10.1021/bi047732e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
All eight cysteine residues, C90, C94, C143, C147, C219, C325, C367, and C431, present in transmembrane domains of the Aspergillus nidulans NrtA nitrate transporter protein were altered individually by site-specific mutagenesis. The results indicate that six residues, C90, C147, C219, C325, C367, and C431, are not required for nitrate transport. Although alterations of C94 and C143 are less well tolerated, these residues are not mandatory and their possible role is discussed. A series of constructs, all completely devoid of cysteine residues, was generated to permit future cysteine-scanning mutagenesis. The optimum cysteine-less combination was identified as C90A, C94A, C143A, C147T, C219S, C325S, C367S, and C431S. This mutant combination yielded transformant strains with up to 40% of wild-type nitrate transport activity. Furthermore, the K(m) value and the level of protein expression were found to be similar to those of the wild-type. This cysteine-less vector should allow us to investigate in detail potentially interesting NrtA amino acids (e.g. identified from homology comparisons) which may be involved in transport, by altering these singly to cysteine and studying such residues by thiol chemistry.
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28
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Slepkov ER, Rainey JK, Li X, Liu Y, Cheng FJ, Lindhout DA, Sykes BD, Fliegel L. Structural and Functional Characterization of Transmembrane Segment IV of the NHE1 Isoform of the Na+/H+ Exchanger. J Biol Chem 2005; 280:17863-72. [PMID: 15677483 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m409608200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The Na(+)/H(+) exchanger isoform 1 is a ubiquitously expressed integral membrane protein that regulates intracellular pH in mammals. We characterized the structural and functional aspects of the critical transmembrane (TM) segment IV. Each residue was mutated to cysteine in cysteine-less NHE1. TM IV was exquisitely sensitive to mutation with 10 of 23 mutations causing greatly reduced expression and/or activity. The Phe(161) --> Cys mutant was inhibited by treatment with the water-soluble sulfhydryl-reactive compounds [2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl]methanethiosulfonate and [2-sulfonatoethyl]methanethiosulfonate, suggesting it is a pore-lining residue. The structure of purified TM IV peptide was determined using high resolution NMR in a CD(3)OH:CDCl(3):H(2)O mixture and in Me(2)SO. In CD(3)OH: CDCl(3):H(2)O, TM IV was structured but not as a canonical alpha-helix. Residues Asp(159)-Leu(162) were a series of beta-turns; residues Leu(165)-Pro(168) showed an extended structure, and residues Ile(169)-Phe(176) were helical in character. These three structured regions rotated quite freely with respect to the others. In Me(2)SO, the structure was much less defined. Our results demonstrate that TM IV is an unusually structured transmembrane segment that is exquisitely sensitive to mutagenesis and that Phe(161) is a pore-lining residue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Slepkov
- Membrane Protein Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Canadian Institutes of Health Research Group in Protein Structure and Function, and Protein Engineering Network of Centers of Excellence, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Nanatani K, Ohonishi F, Yoneyama H, Nakajima T, Abe K. Membrane topology of the electrogenic aspartate-alanine antiporter AspT of Tetragenococcus halophilus. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2005; 328:20-6. [PMID: 15670744 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.12.133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
AspT is an electrogenic aspartate:alanine exchange protein that represents the vectorial component of a proton-motive metabolic cycle found in some strains of Tetragenococcus halophilus. AspT is the sole member of a new family, the Aspartate: Alanine Exchanger (AAE) family, in secondary transporters, according to the computational classification proposed by Saier et al. (http://www.biology.ucsd.edu/~msaier/transport/). We analyzed the topology of AspT biochemically, by using fusion methods in combination with alkaline phosphatase or beta-lactamase. These results suggested that AspT has a unique topology; 8 TMS, a large cytoplasmic loop (183 amino acids) between TMS5 and TMS6, and N- and C-termini that both face the periplasm. These results demonstrated a unique 2D-structure of AspT as the novel AAE family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei Nanatani
- Laboratory of Enzymology, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 981-8555, Japan
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30
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Sobczak I, Lolkema JS. Loop VIII/IX of the Na+-Citrate Transporter CitS of Klebsiella pneumoniae Folds into an Amphipathic Surface Helix. Biochemistry 2005; 44:5461-70. [PMID: 15807539 DOI: 10.1021/bi047759y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The sodium ion-dependent citrate transporter CitS of Klebsiella pneumoniae is a member of the 2-hydroxycarboxylate transporter (2HCT) family whose members transport divalent citrate in symport with two sodium ions. Profiles of the hydrophobic moment suggested the presence of an amphipathic helical structure in the cytoplasmic loop between transmembrane segments (TMSs) VIII and IX (the AH loop) in all members of the family. Cysteine-scanning mutagenesis was used to study the secondary structure of the AH loop. We have mutated 20 successive residues into cysteine residues, characterized each of the mutants for its transport activity, and determined the accessibility of the residues. Three of the mutants, G324C, F331C, and F332C, had very low citrate transport activity, and two others, I321C and S333C, exhibited significantly decreased activity after treatment of right-side-out membranes with membrane permeable thiol reagent N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), but not with membrane impermeable 4-acetamido-4'-maleimidylstilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (AmdiS) and [2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl]methanethiosulfonate (MTSET). No protection against NEM was observed with citrate or sodium ions. Labeling of the cysteine residues in the 20 mutants with the fluorescent probe fluorescein 5-maleimide, in membrane vesicles with an inverted orientation, resulted in a clear periodicity in the accessibility of the residues. Residues expected to be at the hydrophobic face of the putative alpha-helix were not accessible for the label, whereas those at the hydrophilic face were easily accessed and labeled. Pretreatment of whole cells and inside-out membranes expressing the mutants with the membrane impermeable reagent AmdiS confirmed the cytoplasmic localization of the AH region. It is concluded that the loop between TMSs VIII and IX folds into an amphipathic surface helix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iwona Sobczak
- Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands
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31
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Yernool D, Boudker O, Jin Y, Gouaux E. Structure of a glutamate transporter homologue from Pyrococcus horikoshii. Nature 2004; 431:811-8. [PMID: 15483603 DOI: 10.1038/nature03018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 624] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2004] [Accepted: 09/15/2004] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Glutamate transporters are integral membrane proteins that catalyse the concentrative uptake of glutamate from the synapse to intracellular spaces by harnessing pre-existing ion gradients. In the central nervous system glutamate transporters are essential for normal development and function, and are implicated in stroke, epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases. Here we present the crystal structure of a eukaryotic glutamate transporter homologue from Pyrococcus horikoshii. The transporter is a bowl-shaped trimer with a solvent-filled extracellular basin extending halfway across the membrane bilayer. At the bottom of the basin are three independent binding sites, each cradled by two helical hairpins, reaching from opposite sides of the membrane. We propose that transport of glutamate is achieved by movements of the hairpins that allow alternating access to either side of the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinesh Yernool
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, 650 West 168th Street, New York, New York 10032, USA
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32
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Mimura H, Nakanishi Y, Hirono M, Maeshima M. Membrane Topology of the H+-pyrophosphatase of Streptomyces coelicolor Determined by Cysteine-scanning Mutagenesis. J Biol Chem 2004; 279:35106-12. [PMID: 15187077 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m406264200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The H+-translocating pyrophosphatase (H+-PPase) is a proton pump that is found in a wide variety of organisms. It consists of a single polypeptide chain that is thought to possess between 14 and 17 transmembrane domains. To determine the topological arrangement of its conserved motifs and transmembrane domains, we carried out a cysteine-scanning analysis by determining the membrane topology of cysteine substitution mutants of Streptomyces coelicolor H+-PPase expressed in Escherichia coli using chemical reagents. First, we prepared a synthetic DNA that encoded the enzyme and constructed a functional cysteine-less mutant by substituting the four cysteine residues. We then introduced cysteine residues individually into 42 sites in its hydrophilic regions and N- and C-terminal segments. Thirty-six of the mutant enzymes retained both pyrophosphatase and H+-translocating activities. Analysis of 29 of these mutant forms using membrane-permeable and -impermeable sulfhydryl reagents revealed that S. coelicolor H+-PPase contains 17 transmembrane domains and that several conserved segments, such as the substrate-binding domains, are exposed to the cytoplasm. Four essential serine residues that were located on the cytoplasmic side were also identified. A marked characteristic of the S. coelicolor enzyme is a long additional sequence that includes a transmembrane domain at the C terminus. We propose that the basic structure of H+-PPases has 16 transmembrane domains with several large cytoplasmic loops containing functional motifs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisatoshi Mimura
- Laboratory of Cell Dynamics, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
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33
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Kalandadze A, Wu Y, Fournier K, Robinson MB. Identification of motifs involved in endoplasmic reticulum retention-forward trafficking of the GLT-1 subtype of glutamate transporter. J Neurosci 2004; 24:5183-92. [PMID: 15175388 PMCID: PMC6729204 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0839-04.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Glutamate transporters may exist as homomultimers, but little is known about the mechanisms that ensure proper assembly and surface expression. In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms that contribute to posttranslational processing of the GLT-1 subtype of glutamate transporter. An extracellular leucine-based motif was identified that after mutation to alanine (6L/6A GLT-1) prevented export of GLT-1 from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the plasma membrane and displayed a glycosylation pattern characteristic of "immature" transporter. This 6L/6A variant had a selective dominant-negative effect on wild-type GLT-1 expression and formed coimmunoprecipitable complexes with GLT-1. Mutation of two downstream arginine residues to alanine partially restored maturation and functional activity of the 6L/6A variant. The fact that this additional mutation rescued maturation of GLT-1 essentially excludes the possibility that the 6L/6A mutant variant is not appropriately processed because of simple misfolding. When the domain containing these motifs was introduced into a topologically similar location in the interleukin 2alpha receptor subunit (Tac protein), the mutations had a similar effect on protein maturation. Topological models place at least the leucine-based motif in an extracellular domain, which would face the lumen of the ER during assembly. On the basis of these data, we suggest that an evolutionarily conserved arginine-based motif functions as an ER retention signal and a lumenal leucine motif is required for suppression of this signal. Interestingly, a high percentage of variably spliced GLT-1 mRNAs lacking parts of this domain are found in the CNS, suggesting that GLT-1 expression may be regulated during assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avtandil Kalandadze
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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34
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Sobczak I, Lolkema JS. Alternating Access and a Pore-Loop Structure in the Na+-Citrate Transporter CitS of Klebsiella pneumoniae. J Biol Chem 2004; 279:31113-20. [PMID: 15148311 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m404283200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
CitS of Klebsiella pneumoniae is a secondary transporter that transports citrate in symport with 2 Na(+) ions. Reaction of Cys-398 and Cys-414, which are located in a cytoplasmic loop of the protein that is believed to be involved in catalysis, with thiol reagents resulted in significant inhibition of uptake activity. The reactivity of the two residues was determined in single Cys mutants in different catalytic states of the transporter and from both sides of the membrane. The single Cys mutants were shown to have the same transport stoichiometry as wild type CitS, but the C398S mutation was responsible for a 10-fold loss of affinity for Na(+). Both cysteine residues were accessible from the periplasmic as well as from the cytoplasmic side of the membrane by the membrane-impermeable thiol reagent [2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl] methanethiosulfonate bromide (MTSET) suggesting that the residues are part of the translocation site. Binding of citrate to the outward facing binding site of the transporter resulted in partial protection against inactivation by N-ethylmaleimide, whereas binding to the inward facing binding site resulted in essentially complete protection. A 10-fold higher concentration of citrate was required at the cytoplasmic rather than at the periplasmic side of the membrane to promote protection. Only marginal effects of citrate binding were seen on reactivity with MTSET. Binding of Na(+) at the periplasmic side of the transporter protected both Cys-398 and Cys-414 against reaction with the thiol reagents, whereas binding at the cytoplasmic side was less effective and discriminated between Cys-398 and Cys-414. A model is presented in which part of the cytoplasmic loop containing Cys-398 and Cys-414 folds back into the translocation pore as a pore-loop structure. The loop protrudes into the pore beyond the citrate-binding site that is situated at the membrane-cytoplasm interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iwona Sobczak
- Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands
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35
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Valdés R, Vasudevan G, Conklin D, Landfear SM. Transmembrane Domain 5 of the LdNT1.1 Nucleoside Transporter Is an Amphipathic Helix That Forms Part of the Nucleoside Translocation Pathway†. Biochemistry 2004; 43:6793-802. [PMID: 15157113 DOI: 10.1021/bi049873m] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Transporters of the equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT) family promote the uptake of nucleosides, nucleobases, and a variety of therapeutic drugs in eukaryotes from protozoa to mammals. Despite its importance, the translocation pathway that mediates the internalization of these substrates has not been identified yet in any of the ENT carriers. Previous genetic studies on the LdNT1.1 nucleoside transporter from Leishmania donovani defined two amino acid residues in predicted transmembrane domains (TMD) 5 and 7 that may line this translocation pathway. The role of TMD5 in forming a portion of the aqueous channel was investigated using the substituted-cysteine accessibility method. A series of 22 cysteine substitution mutants spanning predicted TMD5 were created from a fully functional, cysteine-less, parental LdNT1.1. Cysteine replacement at six positions (M(176)C, T(186)C, S(187)C, Q(190)C, V(193)C, and K(194)C) produced permeases that were inhibited by incubation with sulfhydryl-specific methanethiosulfonate reagents, denoting their solvent accessibility to the translocation pathway. Adenosine was able to block this thiol modification, implying that access to the domain becomes restricted as a consequence of the substrate binding. Strikingly, the Q(190)C substitution interacted differentially with the substrates adenosine and uridine, suggesting that binding of adenosine but not uridine might directly occlude this position. When superimposed on a helical model, all six mutants clustered along one face of the amphipathic alpha-helix predicted for TMD5, strongly suggesting its involvement in the translocation pathway through LdNT1.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Valdés
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA
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36
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Kulkarni AA, Haworth IS, Uchiyama T, Lee VHL. Analysis of Transmembrane Segment 7 of the Dipeptide Transporter hPepT1 by Cysteine-scanning Mutagenesis. J Biol Chem 2003; 278:51833-40. [PMID: 14532279 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m308356200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate the involvement of transmembrane segment 7 (TMS7) of hPepT1 in forming the putative central aqueous channel through which the substrate traverses, we individually mutated each of the 21 amino acids in TMS7 to a cysteine and analyzed the mutated transporters using the scanning cysteine accessibility method. Y287C- and M292C-hPepT1 did not express at the plasma membrane. Out of the remaining 19 transporters, three (F293C-, L296C-, and F297C-hPepT1) showed negligible glycyl-sarcosine (gly-sar) uptake activity and may play an important role in defining the overall hPepT1 structure. K278C-hPepT1 showed approximately 40% activity and the 15 other transporters exhibited more than 50% gly-sar uptake when compared with wild type (WT)-hPepT1. Gly-sar uptake for the 16 active transporters containing cysteine mutations was then measured in the presence of 2.5 mM 2-aminoethyl methanethiosulfonate hydrobromide (MTSEA) or 1 mM [2-(trimethylammonium) ethyl] methanethiosulfonate bromide (MTSET). Gly-sar uptake was significantly inhibited for each of the 16 single cysteine mutants in the presence of 2.5 mM MTSEA. In contrast, significant inhibition of uptake was only observed for K278C-, M279C-, V280C-, T281C-, M284C-, L286C-, P291C-, and D298C-hPepT1 in the presence of 1 mM MTSET. MTSET modification of R282C-hPepT1 resulted in a significant increase in gly-sar uptake. To investigate this further, we mutated WT-hPepT1 to R282A-, R282E-, and R282K-hPepT1. R282E-hPepT1 showed a 43% reduction in uptake activity, whereas R282A- and R282K-hPepT1 had activities comparable with WT-hPepT1, suggesting a role for the Arg-282 positive charge in substrate translocation. Most of the amino acids that were MTSET-sensitive upon cysteine mutation, including R282C, are located toward the intracellular end of TMS7. Hence, our results suggest that TMS7 of hPepT1 is relatively solvent-accessible along most of its length but that the intracellular end of the transmembrane domain is particularly so. From a structure-function perspective, we speculate that the extracellular end of TMS7 may shift following substrate binding, providing the basis for channel opening and substrate translocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh A Kulkarni
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-9121, USA
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37
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Borre L, Kanner BI. Arginine 445 controls the coupling between glutamate and cations in the neuronal transporter EAAC-1. J Biol Chem 2003; 279:2513-9. [PMID: 14594797 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m311446200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The substrate-binding sites in membrane transporters are alternately accessible from either side of the membrane, but the molecular basis of how this alternate opening of internal and external gates is achieved is largely unknown. Here we present data indicating that, in the neuronal electrogenic sodium- and potassium-coupled glutamate transporter EAAC-1, the substrate-binding site and one of the gates, or a residue controlling the gating process, are in close physical proximity. Arginine 445, located only two residues away from a residue implicated in glutamate binding (Bendahan, A., Armon, A., Madani, N., Kavanaugh, M. P., and Kanner, B. I. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 37436-37442), has been mutated to serine (R445S). Upon expression in oocytes, measurements of l-[(3)H]-glutamate transport under voltage clamp reveal that the charge/flux ratio for l-glutamate at -60 mV is approximately 30-fold higher than that of the wild type. Also, with d-aspartate, R445S exhibits an approximately 15-fold increase in this ratio. In contrast to the wild type, the reversal potential of the substrate-dependent currents in R445S shifts to more negative potentials when either the external sodium or potassium concentration is decreased. These findings indicate that these two cations are the main current carriers in the R445S mutant. Introduction of a methionine or a glutamine, but not a lysine, at position 445 gives rise to a phenotype similar to R445S. Therefore, it seems that the elimination of a positive charge in the vicinity of the substrate-binding site converts the transporter into a glutamate-gated cation-conducting pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Borre
- Department of Biochemistry, Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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38
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Sobczak I, Lolkema JS. Accessibility of cysteine residues in a cytoplasmic loop of CitS of Klebsiella pneumoniae is controlled by the catalytic state of the transporter. Biochemistry 2003; 42:9789-96. [PMID: 12911322 DOI: 10.1021/bi034683h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The citrate transporter CitS of Klebsiella pneumoniae is a secondary transporter that transports citrate in symport with two sodium ions and one proton. Treatment of CitS with the alkylating agent N-ethylmaleimide resulted in a complete loss of transport activity. Treatment of mutant proteins in which the five endogenous cysteine residues were mutated into serines in different combinations revealed that two cysteine residues located in the C-terminal cytoplasmic loop, Cys-398 and Cys-414, were responsible for the inactivation. Labeling with the membrane impermeable methanethiosulfonate derivatives MTSET and MTSES in right-side-out membrane vesicles showed that the cytoplasmic loop was accessible from the periplasmic side of the membrane. The membrane impermeable but more bulky maleimide AmdiS did not inactivate the transporter in right-side-out membrane vesicles. Inactivation by N-ethylmaleimide, MTSES, and MTSET was prevented by the presence of the co-ion Na(+). Protection was obtained upon binding 2 Na(+), which equals the transport stoichiometry. In the absence of Na(+), the substrate citrate had no effect on the inactivation by permeable or impermeable thiol reagents. In contrast, when subsaturating concentrations of Na(+) were present, citrate significantly reduced inactivation suggesting ordered binding of the substrate and co-ion; citrate is bound after Na(+). In the presence of the proton motive force, the reactivity of the Cys residues was increased significantly for the membrane permeable N-ethylmaleimide, while no difference was observed for the membrane impermeable thiol reagents. The results are discussed in the context of a model for the opening and closing of the translocation pore during turnover of the transporter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iwona Sobczak
- Molecular Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Haren, The Netherlands
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39
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Cao W, Matherly LH. Characterization of a cysteine-less human reduced folate carrier: localization of a substrate-binding domain by cysteine-scanning mutagenesis and cysteine accessibility methods. Biochem J 2003; 374:27-36. [PMID: 12749765 PMCID: PMC1223575 DOI: 10.1042/bj20030301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2003] [Revised: 05/05/2003] [Accepted: 05/16/2003] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The human reduced folate carrier (hRFC) mediates the transport of reduced folates and classical anti-folates into mammalian cells. Whereas the functionally important domains in hRFC are poorly characterized, previous studies with anti-folate-resistant cells suggest critical roles for transmembrane domain (TMD) 1 and residues (Gly44, Glu45, Ser46 and Ile48) in or flanking this region. An hRFC mutant devoid of cysteine residues was prepared by deleting the C-terminal 56 amino acids, including four cysteine residues, and mutagenizing the remaining cysteine residues to serine residues. A fully functional cysteine-less hRFC protein was expressed in transport-impaired MtxRIIOuaR2-4 Chinese-hamster ovary cells. To explore the role of residues in or flanking TMD1 in transport, all 24 amino acids from Trp25 to Ile48 of hRFC were mutated individually to cysteine residues, and the mutant hRFCs were transfected into MtxRIIOuaR2-4 cells. All of the 24 cysteine mutants were expressed and, with the exception of R42C (Arg42-->Cys), were capable of mediating methotrexate uptake above the low level in MtxRIIOuaR2-4 cells. We found that by treating the transfected cells with the small, water-soluble, thiol-reactive anionic reagent, sodium (2-sulphonatoethyl) methanethiosulphonate, methotrexate transport by several of the cysteine-substituted hRFC mutants was significantly inhibited, including Q40C, G44C, E45C and I48C. Sodium (2-sulphonatoethyl) methanethiosulphonate transport inhibition of the Q40C, G44C and I48C mutants was protected by leucovorin [(6R, S)-5-formyltetrahydrofolate], indicating that these residues lie at or near a substrate-binding site. Using surface-labelling reagents [N-biotinylaminoethyl methanethiosulphonate and 3-(N-maleimidylpropionyl)biocytin, combined with 4-acetamido-4'-maleimidylstilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid] with cysteine mutants from positions 37-48, the extracellular TMD1 boundary was found to lie between residues 39 and 40, and amino acids 44-46 and 48 were localized to the TMD1 exofacial loop. Collectively, our results imply that amino acids 40, 44, 48 and, possibly, 42 serve important roles in hRFC transport, albeit not as structural components of the putative transmembrane channel for folate substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Cao
- Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 540 East Canfield Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
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40
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Kulkarni AA, Haworth IS, Lee VHL. Transmembrane segment 5 of the dipeptide transporter hPepT1 forms a part of the substrate translocation pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2003; 306:177-85. [PMID: 12788085 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-291x(03)00926-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This study is the first systematic attempt to investigate the role of transmembrane segment 5 of hPepT1, the most conserved segment across different species, in forming a part of the aqueous substrate translocation pathway. We used cysteine-scanning mutagenesis in conjunction with the sulfhydryl-specific reagents, MTSEA and MTSET. Neither of these reagents reduced wild-type-hPepT1 transport activity in HEK293 cells and Xenopus oocytes. Twenty-one single cysteine mutations in hPepT1 were created by replacing each residue within TMS5 with a cysteine. HEK293 cells were then transfected with each mutated protein and the steady-state protein level, [3H]Gly-Sar uptake activity, and sensitivity to the MTS reagents were measured. S164C-, L168C-, G173C-, and I179C-hPepT1 were not expressed on the plasma membrane. Y167C-, N171C-, and S174C-hPepT1 showed </=25% Gly-Sar uptake when compared with WT-hPepT1. P182C-hPepT1 showed approximately 40% specific activity whereas all the remaining transporters, although still sensitive to single cysteine mutations, exhibited more than 50% specific activity when compared to WT-hPepT1. The activity of F166C-, L176C-, S177C-, T178C-, I180C-, T181C-, and P182C-hPepT1 was partially inhibited, while the activity of F163C- and I170C-hPepT1 was completely inhibited by 2.5mM MTSEA. F163C, I165C, F166C, A169C, I170C, S177C, T181C, and P182C were clearly accessible to 1mM MTSET. Overall, these results suggest that TMS5 lines the putative aqueous channel and is slightly tilted from the vertical axis of the channel, with the exofacial half forming a classical amphipathic alpha-helix and the cytoplasmic half being highly solvent accessible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh A Kulkarni
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9121, USA
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41
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Poelarends GJ, Konings WN. The transmembrane domains of the ABC multidrug transporter LmrA form a cytoplasmic exposed, aqueous chamber within the membrane. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:42891-8. [PMID: 12183459 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m206508200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The ABC multidrug transporter LmrA of Lactococcus lactis consists of six putative transmembrane segments (TMS) and a nucleotide binding domain. LmrA functions as a homodimer in which the two membrane domains form the solute translocation path across the membrane. To obtain structural information of LmrA a cysteine scanning accessibility approach was used. Cysteines were introduced in the cysteine-less wild-type LmrA in each hydrophilic loop and in TMS 6, and each membrane-embedded aromatic residue was mutated to cysteine. Of the 41 constructed single cysteine mutants, only one mutant, L301C, was not expressed. Most single-cysteine mutants were capable of drug transport and only three mutants, F37C, M299C, and N300C, were inactive, indicating that none of the aromatic residues in the transmembrane regions of LmrA are crucial for substrate binding or transport. Modification of the active mutants with N-ethylmaleimide blocked the transport activity in five mutants (S132C, L174C, S206C, S234C, and L292C). All cysteine residues in external and internal loops were accessible to fluorescein maleimide. The labeling experiments also showed that this thiol reagent cannot cross the membrane under the conditions used and confirmed the presence of six TMSs in each monomeric half of the transporter. Surprisingly, several single cysteines in the predicted TMSs could also be labeled by the bulky fluorescein maleimide molecule, suggesting unrestricted accessibility via an aqueous pathway. The periodicity of fluorescein maleimide accessibility of residues 291 to 308 in TMS 6 showed that this membrane-spanning alpha-helix has one face of the helix exposed to an aqueous cavity along its full-length. This finding, together with the solvent accessibility of 11 of 15 membrane-embedded aromatic residues, indicates that the transmembrane domains of the LmrA transporter form, under nonenergized conditions, an aqueous chamber within the membrane, which is open to the intracellular milieu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerrit J Poelarends
- Department of Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, NL-9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands
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42
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MacAulay N, Gether U, Klaeke DA, Zeuthen T. Passive water and urea permeability of a human Na(+)-glutamate cotransporter expressed in Xenopus oocytes. J Physiol 2002; 542:817-28. [PMID: 12154181 PMCID: PMC2290454 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2002.020586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The human Na(+)-glutamate transporter (EAAT1) was expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The passive water permeability, L(p), was derived from volume changes of the oocyte induced by changes in the external osmolarity. Oocytes were subjected to two-electrode voltage clamp. In the presence of Na(+), the EAAT1-specific (defined in Discussion) L(p) increased linearly with positive clamp potentials, the L(p) being around 23 % larger at +50 mV than at -50 mV. L-Glutamate increased the EAAT1-specific L(p) by up to 40 %. The K(0.5) for the glutamate-dependent increase was 20 +/- 6 microM, which is similar to the K(0.5) value for glutamate activation of transport. The specific inhibitor DL-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate (TBOA) reduced the EAAT1-specific L(p) to 72 %. EAAT1 supported passive fluxes of [(14)C]urea and [(14)C]glycerol. The [(14)C]urea flux was increased in the presence of glutamate. The data suggest that the permeability depends on the conformational equilibrium of the EAAT1. At positive potentials and in the presence of Na(+) and glutamate, the pore is enlarged and water and urea penetrate more readily. The L(p) was larger when measured with urea or glycerol as osmolytes as compared with mannitol. Apparently, the properties of the pore are not uniform along its length. The outer section may accommodate urea and glycerol in an osmotically active form, giving rise to larger water fluxes. The physiological role of EAAT1 for water homeostasis in the central nervous system is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanna MacAulay
- The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3C, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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43
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Grunewald M, Menaker D, Kanner BI. Cysteine-scanning mutagenesis reveals a conformationally sensitive reentrant pore-loop in the glutamate transporter GLT-1. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:26074-80. [PMID: 11994293 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m202248200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Removal of glutamate from the synaptic cleft by (Na(+) + K(+))-coupled transporters prevents neurotoxicity due to elevated concentrations of the transmitter. These transporters exhibit an unusual topology, including two reentrant loops. Reentrant loop II plays a pivotal role in coupling ion and glutamate fluxes. Here we used cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of the GLT-1 transporter to test the idea that this loop undergoes conformational changes following sodium and substrate binding. 15 of 22 consecutive single cysteine mutants in the stretch between Gly-422 and Ser-443 exhibited 30-100% of the transport activity of the cysteine-less transporter when expressed in HeLa cells. The transport activity of 11 of the 15 active mutants including five consecutive residues in the ascending limb was inhibited by small hydrophilic methanethiosulfonate reagents. The sensitivity of seven cysteine mutants, including A438C and S440C, to the reagents was significantly reduced by sodium ions, but the opposite was true for A439C. The non-transportable analogue dihydrokainate protected at almost all positions throughout the loop, and at two of the positions, the analogue protected even in the absence of sodium. Our results indicate that reentrant loop II forms part of an aqueous pore, the access of which is blocked by the glutamate analogue dihydrokainate, and that sodium influences the conformation of this pore-loop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam Grunewald
- Department of Biochemistry, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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44
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Mazurkiewicz P, Konings WN, Poelarends GJ. Acidic residues in the lactococcal multidrug efflux pump LmrP play critical roles in transport of lipophilic cationic compounds. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:26081-8. [PMID: 11994308 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m203141200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The proton motive force-driven efflux pump LmrP confers multidrug resistance on Lactococcus lactis cells by extruding a wide variety of lipophilic cationic compounds from the inner leaflet of the cytoplasmic membrane to the exterior of the cell. LmrP contains one cysteine (Cys(270)), which was replaced by alanine. This cysteine-less variant was used in a cysteine scanning accessibility approach. All 19 acidic residues in LmrP were replaced one by one by cysteine and subsequently challenged with the large thiol reagent fluorescein maleimide. The labeling pattern strongly indicates that only three acidic residues (Asp(142), Glu(327), and Glu(388)) are membrane-embedded. The roles of these residues in drug recognition were evaluated based on transport experiments with two cationic substrates, ethidium and Hoechst 33342, after replacing each of these residues with cysteine, alanine, lysine, glutamate, or aspartate. The obtained results suggest that the negative charges at positions 142 and 327 are not critical for the transport function but are important for drug recognition by LmrP. Surprisingly, the residues Cys(142) and Cys(327) become accessible for fluorescein maleimide upon binding of substrates, indicating a movement of these residues from a nonpolar to a polar environment. Substrate binding apparently results in a conformational change in this region of the protein and a reorientation of a lipid-embedded, hydrophobic substrate-binding site to an aqueous substrate translocation pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Mazurkiewicz
- Department of Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Kerklaan 30, NL-9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands
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45
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Stipani V, Cappello AR, Daddabbo L, Natuzzi D, Miniero DV, Stipani I, Palmieri F. The mitochondrial oxoglutarate carrier: cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of transmembrane domain IV and sensitivity of Cys mutants to sulfhydryl reagents. Biochemistry 2001; 40:15805-10. [PMID: 11747458 DOI: 10.1021/bi011616j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Using a functional mitochondrial oxoglutarate carrier mutant devoid of Cys residues (C-less carrier), each amino acid residue in transmembrane domain IV and flanking hydrophilic loops (from T179 to S205) was replaced individually with Cys. The great majority of the 27 mutants exhibited significant oxoglutarate transport in reconstituted liposomes as compared to the activity of the C-less carrier. In contrast, Cys substitution for G183, R190, Q198, and Y202, in either C-less or wild-type carriers, yielded molecules with complete loss of oxoglutarate transport activity. G183 and R190 could be partially replaced only by Ala and Lys, respectively, whereas Q198 and Y202 were irreplaceable with respect to oxoglutarate transport. Of the single-Cys mutants tested, only T187C, A191C, V194C, and N195C were strongly inactivated by N-ethylmaleimide and by low concentrations of methanethiosulfonate derivatives. Oxoglutarate protects Cys residues at positions 187, 191, and 194 against reaction with N-ethylmaleimide. These positions as well as the residues found to be essential for the carrier activity, except Y202 which is located in the extramembrane loop IV-V, reside on the same face of transmembrane helix IV, probably lining part of a water-accessible crevice or channel between helices of the oxoglutarate carrier.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Amino Acid Substitution/genetics
- Animals
- Biological Transport, Active/drug effects
- Biological Transport, Active/genetics
- Carrier Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
- Carrier Proteins/genetics
- Carrier Proteins/metabolism
- Cattle
- Cysteine/genetics
- Ethyl Methanesulfonate/analogs & derivatives
- Ethyl Methanesulfonate/pharmacology
- Ethylmaleimide/pharmacology
- Ketoglutaric Acids/metabolism
- Membrane Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
- Membrane Proteins/genetics
- Membrane Proteins/metabolism
- Membrane Transport Proteins
- Mesylates/pharmacology
- Mitochondria, Heart/drug effects
- Mitochondria, Heart/genetics
- Mitochondria, Heart/metabolism
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
- Protein Structure, Secondary/drug effects
- Protein Structure, Secondary/genetics
- Protein Structure, Tertiary/drug effects
- Protein Structure, Tertiary/genetics
- Proteolipids/metabolism
- Recombinant Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
- Recombinant Proteins/metabolism
- Sulfhydryl Reagents/pharmacology
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Affiliation(s)
- V Stipani
- Department of Pharmaco-Biology, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
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46
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Borre L, Kanner BI. Coupled, but not uncoupled, fluxes in a neuronal glutamate transporter can be activated by lithium ions. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:40396-401. [PMID: 11479303 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m104926200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In the central nervous system a family of related (Na(+)-K(+))-coupled glutamate transporters remove the transmitter from the cleft and prevent its neurotoxic actions. In addition to this coupled uptake, these transporters also mediate a sodium- and glutamate-dependent uncoupled anion conductance. Most models assume that the initial steps for both processes are the same, leading to the anticipation that both may exhibit a similar requirement for cations. In this study we have tested this idea in the neuronal glutamate transporter EAAC-1. We report that in this transporter lithium can replace sodium in the coupled uptake. Strikingly, the glutamate-dependent gating of the uncoupled conductance mediated by EAAC-1 has a strict requirement for sodium; lithium cannot substitute for it. Moreover, we describe two mutants, T370S and G410S, in which the cation selectivity of the two processes is affected differently. In both mutants sodium, but not lithium, can support coupled transport. On the other hand, the sodium selectivity of the gated anion conductance in oocytes expressing the mutant transporters is not affected. Our observations indicate that although both the coupled and the uncoupled fluxes are sodium-dependent, the conformation gating the anion conductance is different from that during substrate translocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Borre
- Department of Biochemistry, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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47
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Slotboom DJ, Konings WN, Lolkema JS. Glutamate transporters combine transporter- and channel-like features. Trends Biochem Sci 2001; 26:534-9. [PMID: 11551789 DOI: 10.1016/s0968-0004(01)01925-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Glutamate transporters in the mammalian central nervous system have a unique position among secondary transport proteins as they exhibit glutamate-gated chloride-channel activity in addition to glutamate-transport activity. In this article, the available data on the structure of the glutamate transporters are compared with high-resolution crystal structures of channel proteins. In addition, binding-site properties of glutamate transporters, and the ligand-binding site of an ionotropic glutamate receptor of which the crystal structure is known, are compared. Possible structural solutions for the combination of channel and transporter activity in one membrane protein are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Slotboom
- Dept of Microbiology, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, 9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands
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