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Hariharan P, Guan L. Reconstitution of the Melibiose Permease of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (MelB St) into Lipid Nanodiscs. Bio Protoc 2024; 14:e5045. [PMID: 39131193 PMCID: PMC11309958 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.5045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Membrane proteins play critical roles in cell physiology and pathology. The conventional way to study membrane proteins at protein levels is to use optimal detergents to extract proteins from membranes. Identification of the optimal detergent is tedious , and in some cases, the protein functions are compromised. While this detergent-based approach has produced meaningful results in membrane protein research, a lipid environment should be more suitable to recapture the protein's native folding and functions. This protocol describes how to prepare amphipathic membrane scaffold-proteins (MSPs)-based nanodiscs of a cation-coupled melibiose symporter of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (MelBSt), a member of the major facilitator superfamily. MSPs generate nano-assemblies containing membrane proteins surrounded by a patch of native lipids to better preserve their native conformations and functions. This protocol requires purified membrane protein in detergents, purified MSPs in solution, and detergent-destabilized phospholipids. The mixture of all three components at specific ratios is incubated in the presence of Bio-Beads SM-2 resins, which absorb all detergent molecules, allowing the membrane protein to associate with lipids surrounded by the MSPs. By reconstituting the purified membrane proteins back into their native-like lipid environment, these nanodisc-like particles can be directly used in cryo-EM single-particle analysis for structure determination and other biophysical analyses. It is noted that nanodiscs may potentially limit the dynamics of membrane proteins due to suboptimal nanodisc size compared to the native lipid bilayer. Key features • This protocol was built based on the method originally developed by Sligar et al. [1] and modified for a specific major facilitator superfamily transporter • This protocol is robust and reproducible • Lipid nanodiscs can increase membrane protein stability, and reconstituted transporters in lipid nanodiscs can regain function if their function is compromised using detergents • The reconstituted lipids nanodisc can be used for cryo-EM single-particle analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parameswaran Hariharan
- Dept of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Lan Guan
- Dept of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
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Hariharan P, Shi Y, Katsube S, Willibal K, Burrows ND, Mitchell P, Bakhtiiari A, Stanfield S, Pardon E, Kaback HR, Liang R, Steyaert J, Viner R, Guan L. Mobile barrier mechanisms for Na +-coupled symport in an MFS sugar transporter. eLife 2024; 12:RP92462. [PMID: 38381130 PMCID: PMC10942615 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
While many 3D structures of cation-coupled transporters have been determined, the mechanistic details governing the obligatory coupling and functional regulations still remain elusive. The bacterial melibiose transporter (MelB) is a prototype of major facilitator superfamily transporters. With a conformation-selective nanobody, we determined a low-sugar affinity inward-facing Na+-bound cryoEM structure. The available outward-facing sugar-bound structures showed that the N- and C-terminal residues of the inner barrier contribute to the sugar selectivity. The inward-open conformation shows that the sugar selectivity pocket is also broken when the inner barrier is broken. Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements revealed that this inward-facing conformation trapped by this nanobody exhibited a greatly decreased sugar-binding affinity, suggesting the mechanisms for substrate intracellular release and accumulation. While the inner/outer barrier shift directly regulates the sugar-binding affinity, it has little or no effect on the cation binding, which is supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, the hydron/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry analyses allowed us to identify dynamic regions; some regions are involved in the functionally important inner barrier-specific salt-bridge network, which indicates their critical roles in the barrier switching mechanisms for transport. These complementary results provided structural and dynamic insights into the mobile barrier mechanism for cation-coupled symport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parameswaran Hariharan
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of MedicineLubbockUnited States
| | - Yuqi Shi
- Thermo Fisher ScientificSan JoseUnited States
| | - Satoshi Katsube
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of MedicineLubbockUnited States
| | - Katleen Willibal
- VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, VIB, Pleinlaan 2BrusselsBelgium
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2BrusselsBelgium
| | - Nathan D Burrows
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator LaboratoryMenlo ParkUnited States
| | - Patrick Mitchell
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator LaboratoryMenlo ParkUnited States
| | | | - Samantha Stanfield
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of MedicineLubbockUnited States
| | - Els Pardon
- VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, VIB, Pleinlaan 2BrusselsBelgium
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2BrusselsBelgium
| | - H Ronald Kaback
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Ruibin Liang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech UniversityLubbockUnited States
| | - Jan Steyaert
- VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, VIB, Pleinlaan 2BrusselsBelgium
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2BrusselsBelgium
| | - Rosa Viner
- Thermo Fisher ScientificSan JoseUnited States
| | - Lan Guan
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of MedicineLubbockUnited States
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Drew D, Boudker O. Ion and lipid orchestration of secondary active transport. Nature 2024; 626:963-974. [PMID: 38418916 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07062-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Transporting small molecules across cell membranes is an essential process in cell physiology. Many structurally diverse, secondary active transporters harness transmembrane electrochemical gradients of ions to power the uptake or efflux of nutrients, signalling molecules, drugs and other ions across cell membranes. Transporters reside in lipid bilayers on the interface between two aqueous compartments, where they are energized and regulated by symported, antiported and allosteric ions on both sides of the membrane and the membrane bilayer itself. Here we outline the mechanisms by which transporters couple ion and solute fluxes and discuss how structural and mechanistic variations enable them to meet specific physiological needs and adapt to environmental conditions. We then consider how general bilayer properties and specific lipid binding modulate transporter activity. Together, ion gradients and lipid properties ensure the effective transport, regulation and distribution of small molecules across cell membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Drew
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Olga Boudker
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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Hariharan P, Shi Y, Katsube S, Willibal K, Burrows ND, Mitchell P, Bakhtiiari A, Stanfield S, Pardon E, Kaback HR, Liang R, Steyaert J, Viner R, Guan L. Mobile barrier mechanisms for Na +-coupled symport in an MFS sugar transporter. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.18.558283. [PMID: 37790566 PMCID: PMC10542114 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.18.558283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
While many 3D structures of cation-coupled transporters have been determined, the mechanistic details governing the obligatory coupling and functional regulations still remain elusive. The bacterial melibiose transporter (MelB) is a prototype of the Na+-coupled major facilitator superfamily transporters. With a conformational nanobody (Nb), we determined a low-sugar affinity inward-facing Na+-bound cryoEM structure. Collectively with the available outward-facing sugar-bound structures, both the outer and inner barriers were localized. The N- and C-terminal residues of the inner barrier contribute to the sugar selectivity pocket. When the inner barrier is broken as shown in the inward-open conformation, the sugar selectivity pocket is also broken. The binding assays by isothermal titration calorimetry revealed that this inward-facing conformation trapped by the conformation-selective Nb exhibited a greatly decreased sugar-binding affinity, suggesting the mechanisms for the substrate intracellular release and accumulation. While the inner/outer barrier shift directly regulates the sugar-binding affinity, it has little or no effect on the cation binding, which is also supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, the use of this Nb in combination with the hydron/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry allowed us to identify dynamic regions; some regions are involved in the functionally important inner barrier-specific salt-bridge network, which indicates their critical roles in the barrier switching mechanisms for transport. These complementary results provided structural and dynamic insights into the mobile barrier mechanism for cation-coupled symport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parameswaran Hariharan
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX 79424, USA
| | - Yuqi Shi
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Jose, CA 95134, USA
| | - Satoshi Katsube
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX 79424, USA
| | | | - Nathan D. Burrows
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Patrick Mitchell
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | | | - Samantha Stanfield
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX 79424, USA
| | - Els Pardon
- VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, 1050 Brussel, Belgium
| | - H. Ronald Kaback
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ruibin Liang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Jan Steyaert
- VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, 1050 Brussel, Belgium
| | - Rosa Viner
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Jose, CA 95134, USA
| | - Lan Guan
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, TX 79424, USA
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Katsube S, Willibal K, Vemulapally S, Hariharan P, Tikhonova E, Pardon E, Kaback HR, Steyaert J, Guan L. In vivo and in vitro characterizations of melibiose permease (MelB) conformation-dependent nanobodies reveal sugar-binding mechanisms. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104967. [PMID: 37380079 PMCID: PMC10374971 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium melibiose permease (MelBSt) is a prototype of the Na+-coupled major facilitator superfamily transporters, which are important for the cellular uptake of molecules including sugars and small drugs. Although the symport mechanisms have been well-studied, mechanisms of substrate binding and translocation remain enigmatic. We have previously determined the sugar-binding site of outward-facing MelBSt by crystallography. To obtain other key kinetic states, here we raised camelid single-domain nanobodies (Nbs) and carried out a screening against the WT MelBSt under 4 ligand conditions. We applied an in vivo cAMP-dependent two-hybrid assay to detect interactions of Nbs with MelBSt and melibiose transport assays to determine the effects on MelBSt functions. We found that all selected Nbs showed partial to complete inhibitions of MelBSt transport activities, confirming their intracellular interactions. A group of Nbs (714, 725, and 733) was purified, and isothermal titration calorimetry measurements showed that their binding affinities were significantly inhibited by the substrate melibiose. When titrating melibiose to the MelBSt/Nb complexes, Nb also inhibited the sugar-binding. However, the Nb733/MelBSt complex retained binding to the coupling cation Na+ and also to the regulatory enzyme EIIAGlc of the glucose-specific phosphoenolpyruvate/sugar phosphotransferase system. Further, EIIAGlc/MelBSt complex also retained binding to Nb733 and formed a stable supercomplex. All data indicated that MelBSt trapped by Nbs retained its physiological functions and the trapped conformation is similar to that bound by the physiological regulator EIIAGlc. Therefore, these conformational Nbs can be useful tools for further structural, functional, and conformational analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Katsube
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Katleen Willibal
- VIB Center for Structural Biology Research, VIB, Brussel, Belgium; Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Sangama Vemulapally
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Parameswaran Hariharan
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Elena Tikhonova
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Els Pardon
- VIB Center for Structural Biology Research, VIB, Brussel, Belgium; Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - H Ronald Kaback
- Department of Physiology and Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jan Steyaert
- VIB Center for Structural Biology Research, VIB, Brussel, Belgium; Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Lan Guan
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
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Katsube S, Liang R, Amin A, Hariharan P, Guan L. Molecular basis for the cation selectivity of Salmonella typhimurium melibiose permease. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167598. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Markham KJ, Tikhonova EB, Scarpa AC, Hariharan P, Katsube S, Guan L. Complete cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of the Salmonella typhimurium melibiose permease. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101090. [PMID: 34416232 PMCID: PMC8437787 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The melibiose permease of Salmonella typhimurium (MelBSt) catalyzes the stoichiometric symport of galactopyranoside with a cation (H+, Li+, or Na+) and is a prototype for Na+-coupled major facilitator superfamily (MFS) transporters presenting from bacteria to mammals. X-ray crystal structures of MelBSt have revealed the molecular recognition mechanism for sugar binding; however, understanding of the cation site and symport mechanism is still vague. To further investigate the transport mechanism and conformational dynamics of MelBSt, we generated a complete single-Cys library containing 476 unique mutants by placing a Cys at each position on a functional Cys-less background. Surprisingly, 105 mutants (22%) exhibit poor transport activities (<15% of Cys-less transport), although the expression levels of most mutants were comparable to that of the control. The affected positions are distributed throughout the protein. Helices I and X and transmembrane residues Asp and Tyr are most affected by cysteine replacement, while helix IX, the cytoplasmic middle-loop, and C-terminal tail are least affected. Single-Cys replacements at the major sugar-binding positions (K18, D19, D124, W128, R149, and W342) or at positions important for cation binding (D55, N58, D59, and T121) abolished the Na+-coupled active transport, as expected. We mapped 50 loss-of-function mutants outside of these substrate-binding sites that suffered from defects in protein expression/stability or conformational dynamics. This complete Cys-scanning mutagenesis study indicates that MelBSt is highly susceptible to single-Cys mutations, and this library will be a useful tool for further structural and functional studies to gain insights into the cation-coupled symport mechanism for Na+-coupled MFS transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey J Markham
- Department of Cell Physiology & Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Elena B Tikhonova
- Department of Cell Physiology & Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Aaron C Scarpa
- Department of Cell Physiology & Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Parameswaran Hariharan
- Department of Cell Physiology & Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Satoshi Katsube
- Department of Cell Physiology & Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | - Lan Guan
- Department of Cell Physiology & Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
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Guan L, Hariharan P. X-ray crystallography reveals molecular recognition mechanism for sugar binding in a melibiose transporter MelB. Commun Biol 2021; 4:931. [PMID: 34341464 PMCID: PMC8329300 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02462-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Major facilitator superfamily_2 transporters are widely found from bacteria to mammals. The melibiose transporter MelB, which catalyzes melibiose symport with either Na+, Li+, or H+, is a prototype of the Na+-coupled MFS transporters, but its sugar recognition mechanism has been a long-unsolved puzzle. Two high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of a Salmonella typhimurium MelB mutant with a bound ligand, either nitrophenyl-α-d-galactoside or dodecyl-β-d-melibioside, were refined to a resolution of 3.05 or 3.15 Å, respectively. In the substrate-binding site, the interaction of both galactosyl moieties on the two ligands with MelBSt are virturally same, so the sugar specificity determinant pocket can be recognized, and hence the molecular recognition mechanism for sugar binding in MelB has been deciphered. The conserved cation-binding pocket is also proposed, which directly connects to the sugar specificity pocket. These key structural findings have laid a solid foundation for our understanding of the cooperative binding and symport mechanisms in Na+-coupled MFS transporters, including eukaryotic transporters such as MFSD2A. Guan and Hariharan report two crystal structures of melibiose transporter MelB in complex with substrate analogs, nitrophenyl-galactoside, and dodecyl-melibioside. Both structures revealed similar specific site for sugar recognition and resolved the cation-binding pocket, advancing the understanding of MelB and related transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Guan
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
| | - Parameswaran Hariharan
- Department of Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Center for Membrane Protein Research, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
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