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Gupta MN, Uversky VN. Reexamining the diverse functions of arginine in biochemistry. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 705:149731. [PMID: 38432110 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Arginine in a free-state and as part of peptides and proteins shows distinct tendency to form clusters. In free-form, it has been found useful in cryoprotection, as a drug excipient for both solid and liquid formulations, as an aggregation suppressor, and an eluent in protein chromatography. In many cases, the mechanisms by which arginine acts in all these applications is either debatable or at least continues to attract interest. It is quite possible that arginine clusters may be involved in many such applications. Furthermore, it is possible that such clusters are likely to behave as intrinsically disordered polypeptides. These considerations may help in understanding the roles of arginine in diverse applications and may even lead to better strategies for using arginine in different situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Munishwar Nath Gupta
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Biological Instrumentation, Institutskaya Str., 7, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia; Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
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Biological soft matter: intrinsically disordered proteins in liquid-liquid phase separation and biomolecular condensates. Essays Biochem 2022; 66:831-847. [PMID: 36350034 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20220052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The facts that many proteins with crucial biological functions do not have unique structures and that many biological processes are compartmentalized into the liquid-like biomolecular condensates, which are formed via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and are not surrounded by the membrane, are revolutionizing the modern biology. These phenomena are interlinked, as the presence of intrinsic disorder represents an important requirement for a protein to undergo LLPS that drives biogenesis of numerous membrane-less organelles (MLOs). Therefore, one can consider these phenomena as crucial constituents of a new IDP-LLPS-MLO field. Furthermore, intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), LLPS, and MLOs represent a clear link between molecular and cellular biology and soft matter and condensed soft matter physics. Both IDP and LLPS/MLO fields are undergoing explosive development and generate the ever-increasing mountain of crucial data. These new data provide answers to so many long-standing questions that it is difficult to imagine that in the very recent past, protein scientists and cellular biologists operated without taking these revolutionary concepts into account. The goal of this essay is not to deliver a comprehensive review of the IDP-LLPS-MLO field but to provide a brief and rather subjective outline of some of the recent developments in these exciting fields.
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Titus AR, Madeira PP, Ferreira LA, Belgovskiy AI, Mann EK, Mann JA, Meyer WV, Smart AE, Uversky VN, Zaslavsky BY. Arrangement of Hydrogen Bonds in Aqueous Solutions of Different Globular Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911381. [PMID: 36232682 PMCID: PMC9570128 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This work presents the first evidence that dissolved globular proteins change the arrangement of hydrogen bonds in water, with different proteins showing quantitatively different effects. Using ATR-FTIR (attenuated total reflection—Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopic analysis of OH-stretch bands, we obtain quantitative estimates of the relative amounts of the previously reported four subpopulations of water structures coexisting in a variety of aqueous solutions. Where solvatochromic dyes can measure the properties of solutions of non-ionic polymers, the results correlate well with ATR-FTIR measurements. In protein solutions to which solvatochromic dye probes cannot be applied, NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy was used for the first time to estimate the hydrogen bond donor acidity of water. We found strong correlations between the solvent acidity and arrangement of hydrogen bonds in aqueous solutions for several globular proteins. Even quite similar proteins are found to change water properties in dramatically different ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber R. Titus
- Cleveland Diagnostics, 3615 Superior Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114, USA
| | - Pedro P. Madeira
- Centro de Investigacao em Materiais Ceramicos e Compositos, Department of Chemistry, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | | | | | | | - Jay Adin Mann
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44242, USA
| | | | | | - Vladimir N. Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Byrd Alzheimer’s Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-813-974-5816
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da Silva N, Ferreira LA, Belgovskiy AI, Madeira PP, Teixeira JA, Mann EK, Adin Mann J, Meyer WV, Smart AE, Chernyak VY, Uversky VN, Zaslavsky BY. Effects of different solutes on the physical chemical properties of aqueous solutions via rearrangement of hydrogen bonds in water. J Mol Liq 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.116288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Titus AR, Ferreira LA, Belgovskiy AI, Kooijman EE, Mann EK, Mann JA, Meyer WV, Smart AE, Uversky VN, Zaslavsky BY. Interfacial tension and mechanism of liquid-liquid phase separation in aqueous media. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:4574-4580. [PMID: 32048659 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp05810a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The organization of multiple subcellular compartments is controlled by liquid-liquid phase separation. Phase separation of this type occurs with the emergence of interfacial tension. Aqueous two-phase systems formed by two non-ionic polymers can be used to separate and analyze biological macromolecules, cells and viruses. Phase separation in these systems may serve as the simple model of phase separation in cells also occurring in aqueous media. To better understand liquid-liquid phase separation mechanisms, interfacial tension was measured in aqueous two-phase systems formed by dextran and polyethylene glycol and by polyethylene glycol and sodium sulfate in the presence of different additives. Interfacial tension values depend on differences between the solvent properties of the coexisting phases, estimated experimentally by parameters representing dipole-dipole, ion-dipole, ion-ion, and hydrogen bonding interactions. Based on both current and literature data, we propose a mechanism for phase separation in aqueous two-phase systems. This mechanism is based on the fundamental role of intermolecular forces. Although it remains to be confirmed, it is possible that these may underlie all liquid-liquid phase separation processes in biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber R Titus
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, OH, Kent, USA
| | | | | | - Edgar E Kooijman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, OH, Kent, USA
| | | | - J Adin Mann
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | | | | | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA and Institute for Biological Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Research Center "Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences", Pushchino, Moscow region, Russia
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Intrinsic Disorder-Based Emergence in Cellular Biology: Physiological and Pathological Liquid-Liquid Phase Transitions in Cells. Polymers (Basel) 2019; 11:polym11060990. [PMID: 31167414 PMCID: PMC6631845 DOI: 10.3390/polym11060990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The visible outcome of liquid-liquid phase transitions (LLPTs) in cells is the formation and disintegration of various proteinaceous membrane-less organelles (PMLOs). Although LLPTs and related PMLOs have been observed in living cells for over 200 years, the physiological functions of these transitions (also known as liquid-liquid phase separation, LLPS) are just starting to be understood. While unveiling the functionality of these transitions is important, they have come into light more recently due to the association of abnormal LLPTs with various pathological conditions. In fact, several maladies, such as various cancers, different neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, are known to be associated with either aberrant LLPTs or some pathological transformations within the resultant PMLOs. Here, we will highlight both the physiological functions of cellular liquid-liquid phase transitions as well as the pathological consequences produced through both dysregulated biogenesis of PMLOs and the loss of their dynamics. We will also discuss the potential downstream toxic effects of proteins that are involved in pathological formations.
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Madeira PP, Loureiro JA, Freire MG, Coutinho JAP. Solvatochromism as a new tool to distinguish structurally similar compounds. J Mol Liq 2019; 274:740-745. [PMID: 30936594 DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2018.11.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
It is here reported a new concept based on solvatochromism to distinguish structurally similar compounds in aqueous solutions by the analysis of the stabilization of electronic excited states. The sensitivity of this approach to differentiate similar organic compounds, such as structural isomers or compound differing in the number of methylene groups, or proteins with conformational changes induced by being or not bound to cofactors, differing in two amino acids substitutions, or differing in their glycosylation profile, is demonstrated. The sensitivity of the proposed approach, based on the solvatochromic method, opens the path to its use as an auxiliary analytical tool in biomedical diagnosis/prognosis or in quality control of biologic-based drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro P Madeira
- CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Joana A Loureiro
- LEPABE, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Porto 4500-465, Portugal
| | - Mara G Freire
- CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - João A P Coutinho
- CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
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Ferreira LA, Walczyk Mooradally A, Zaslavsky B, Uversky VN, Graether SP. Effect of an Intrinsically Disordered Plant Stress Protein on the Properties of Water. Biophys J 2018; 115:1696-1706. [PMID: 30297135 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Revised: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dehydrins are plant proteins that are able to protect plants from various forms of dehydrative stress such as drought, cold, and high salinity. Dehydrins can prevent enzymes from losing activity after freeze/thaw treatments. Previous studies had suggested that the dehydrins function by a molecular shield effect, essentially preventing a denatured enzyme from aggregating with another enzyme. Therefore, the larger the dehydrin, the larger the shield and theoretically the more effective the protection. Although this relationship holds for smaller dehydrins, it fails to explain why larger dehydrins are less efficient than would be predicted from their size. Using solvatochromic dyes to probe the solvent features of water, we first confirm that the dehydrins do not bind the dyes, which would interfere with interpretation of the data. We then show that the dehydrins have an effect on three solvent properties of water (dipolarity/polarizability, hydrogen-bond donor acidity and hydrogen-bond acceptor basicity), which can contribute to the protective mechanism of these proteins. Interpretation of these data suggests that although polyethylene glycol and dehydrins have similar protective effects, dehydrins may more efficiently modify the hydrogen-bonding ability of bulk water to prevent enzyme denaturation. This possibly explains why dehydrins recover slightly more enzyme activity than polyethylene glycol.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Institute for Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russian Federation.
| | - Steffen P Graether
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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Zaslavsky BY, Uversky VN. In Aqua Veritas: The Indispensable yet Mostly Ignored Role of Water in Phase Separation and Membrane-less Organelles. Biochemistry 2018; 57:2437-2451. [PMID: 29303563 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b01215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Despite the common practice of presenting structures of biological molecules on an empty background and the assumption that interactions between biological macromolecules take place within the inert solvent, water represents an active component of various biological processes. This Perspective addresses indispensable, yet mostly ignored, roles of water in biological liquid-liquid phase transitions and in the biogenesis of various proteinaceous membrane-less organelles. We point out that changes in the structure of water reflected in the changes in its abilities to donate and/or accept hydrogen bonds and participate in dipole-dipole and dipole-induced dipole interactions in the presence of various solutes (ranging from small molecules to synthetic polymers and biological macromolecules) might represent a driving force for the liquid-liquid phase separation, define partitioning of various solutes in formed phases, and define the exceptional ability of intrinsically disordered proteins to be engaged in the formation of proteinaceous membrane-less organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine , University of South Florida , Tampa , Florida 33612 , United States.,Laboratory of New Methods in Biology , Institute for Biological Instrumentation of the Russian Academy of Sciences , Pushchino , Moscow Region 142290 , Russia
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Ferreira LA, Uversky VN, Zaslavsky BY. Role of solvent properties of water in crowding effects induced by macromolecular agents and osmolytes. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2017; 13:2551-2563. [DOI: 10.1039/c7mb00436b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Dipolarity/polarizability of water in polymer mixtures may be additive, reduced or enhanced depending on the composition of the mixture.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - V. N. Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine
- Morsant College of Medicine
- University of South Florida
- Tampa
- USA
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