1
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Szwabowski GL, Griffing M, Mugabe EJ, O'Malley D, Baker LN, Baker DL, Parrill AL. G Protein-Coupled Receptor-Ligand Pose and Functional Class Prediction. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6876. [PMID: 38999982 PMCID: PMC11241240 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25136876] [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: 05/24/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) transmembrane protein family members play essential roles in physiology. Numerous pharmaceuticals target GPCRs, and many drug discovery programs utilize virtual screening (VS) against GPCR targets. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting new molecules that bind to and either activate or inhibit GPCR function would accelerate such drug discovery programs. This work addresses two significant research questions. First, do ligand interaction fingerprints provide a substantial advantage over automated methods of binding site selection for classical docking? Second, can the functional status of prospective screening candidates be predicted from ligand interaction fingerprints using a random forest classifier? Ligand interaction fingerprints were found to offer modest advantages in sampling accurate poses, but no substantial advantage in the final set of top-ranked poses after scoring, and, thus, were not used in the generation of the ligand-receptor complexes used to train and test the random forest classifier. A binary classifier which treated agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists as active and all other ligands as inactive proved highly effective in ligand function prediction in an external test set of GPR31 and TAAR2 candidate ligands with a hit rate of 82.6% actual actives within the set of predicted actives.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Makenzie Griffing
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Elijah J Mugabe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Daniel O'Malley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Lindsey N Baker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Daniel L Baker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
| | - Abby L Parrill
- Department of Chemistry, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
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2
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Stubbs J, Hornsey T, Hanrahan N, Esteban LB, Bolton R, Malý M, Basu S, Orlans J, de Sanctis D, Shim JU, Shaw Stewart PD, Orville AM, Tews I, West J. Droplet microfluidics for time-resolved serial crystallography. IUCRJ 2024; 11:237-248. [PMID: 38446456 PMCID: PMC10916287 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252524001799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Serial crystallography requires large numbers of microcrystals and robust strategies to rapidly apply substrates to initiate reactions in time-resolved studies. Here, we report the use of droplet miniaturization for the controlled production of uniform crystals, providing an avenue for controlled substrate addition and synchronous reaction initiation. The approach was evaluated using two enzymatic systems, yielding 3 µm crystals of lysozyme and 2 µm crystals of Pdx1, an Arabidopsis enzyme involved in vitamin B6 biosynthesis. A seeding strategy was used to overcome the improbability of Pdx1 nucleation occurring with diminishing droplet volumes. Convection within droplets was exploited for rapid crystal mixing with ligands. Mixing times of <2 ms were achieved. Droplet microfluidics for crystal size engineering and rapid micromixing can be utilized to advance time-resolved serial crystallography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Stubbs
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Theo Hornsey
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Niall Hanrahan
- School of Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Luis Blay Esteban
- Universitat Carlemany, Avenida Verge de Canolich, 47, Sant Julia de Loria, Principat d’Andorra AD600, Spain
| | - Rachel Bolton
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Malý
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Shibom Basu
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Grenoble Outstation, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 90181, Grenoble 38042, Cedex 9, France
| | - Julien Orlans
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), 71 Avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble 38042, Cedex 9, France
| | - Daniele de Sanctis
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), 71 Avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble 38042, Cedex 9, France
| | - Jung-uk Shim
- Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | | | - Allen M. Orville
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Ivo Tews
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan West
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
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3
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Khusainov G, Standfuss J, Weinert T. The time revolution in macromolecular crystallography. STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS (MELVILLE, N.Y.) 2024; 11:020901. [PMID: 38616866 PMCID: PMC11015943 DOI: 10.1063/4.0000247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Macromolecular crystallography has historically provided the atomic structures of proteins fundamental to cellular functions. However, the advent of cryo-electron microscopy for structure determination of large and increasingly smaller and flexible proteins signaled a paradigm shift in structural biology. The extensive structural and sequence data from crystallography and advanced sequencing techniques have been pivotal for training computational models for accurate structure prediction, unveiling the general fold of most proteins. Here, we present a perspective on the rise of time-resolved crystallography as the new frontier of macromolecular structure determination. We trace the evolution from the pioneering time-resolved crystallography methods to modern serial crystallography, highlighting the synergy between rapid detection technologies and state-of-the-art x-ray sources. These innovations are redefining our exploration of protein dynamics, with high-resolution crystallography uniquely positioned to elucidate rapid dynamic processes at ambient temperatures, thus deepening our understanding of protein functionality. We propose that the integration of dynamic structural data with machine learning advancements will unlock predictive capabilities for protein kinetics, revolutionizing dynamics like macromolecular crystallography revolutionized structural biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgii Khusainov
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Joerg Standfuss
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Weinert
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Division of Biology and Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
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Schmidt M, Stojković EA. Blue and red in the protein world: Photoactive yellow protein and phytochromes as revealed by time-resolved crystallography. STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS (MELVILLE, N.Y.) 2024; 11:014701. [PMID: 38304445 PMCID: PMC10834066 DOI: 10.1063/4.0000233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
Time-resolved crystallography (TRX) is a method designed to investigate functional motions of biological macromolecules on all time scales. Originally a synchrotron-based method, TRX is enabled by the development of TR Laue crystallography (TRLX). TR serial crystallography (TR-SX) is an extension of TRLX. As the foundations of TRLX were evolving from the late 1980s to the turn of the millennium, TR-SX has been inspired by the development of Free Electron Lasers for hard X-rays. Extremely intense, ultrashort x-ray pulses could probe micro and nanocrystals, but at the same time, they inflicted radiation damage that necessitated the replacement by a new crystal. Consequently, a large number of microcrystals are exposed to X-rays one by one in a serial fashion. With TR-SX methods, one of the largest obstacles of previous approaches, namely, the unsurmountable challenges associated with the investigation of non-cyclic (irreversible) reactions, can be overcome. This article describes successes and transformative contributions to the TRX field by Keith Moffat and his collaborators, highlighting two major projects on protein photoreceptors initiated in the Moffat lab at the turn of the millennium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Schmidt
- Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 N. Maryland Ave., Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211, USA
| | - Emina A. Stojković
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 N. St. Louis Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60625, USA
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Henning RW, Kosheleva I, Šrajer V, Kim IS, Zoellner E, Ranganathan R. BioCARS: Synchrotron facility for probing structural dynamics of biological macromolecules. STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS (MELVILLE, N.Y.) 2024; 11:014301. [PMID: 38304444 PMCID: PMC10834067 DOI: 10.1063/4.0000238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
A major goal in biomedical science is to move beyond static images of proteins and other biological macromolecules to the internal dynamics underlying their function. This level of study is necessary to understand how these molecules work and to engineer new functions and modulators of function. Stemming from a visionary commitment to this problem by Keith Moffat decades ago, a community of structural biologists has now enabled a set of x-ray scattering technologies for observing intramolecular dynamics in biological macromolecules at atomic resolution and over the broad range of timescales over which motions are functionally relevant. Many of these techniques are provided by BioCARS, a cutting-edge synchrotron radiation facility built under Moffat leadership and located at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. BioCARS enables experimental studies of molecular dynamics with time resolutions spanning from 100 ps to seconds and provides both time-resolved x-ray crystallography and small- and wide-angle x-ray scattering. Structural changes can be initiated by several methods-UV/Vis pumping with tunable picosecond and nanosecond laser pulses, substrate diffusion, and global perturbations, such as electric field and temperature jumps. Studies of dynamics typically involve subtle perturbations to molecular structures, requiring specialized computational techniques for data processing and interpretation. In this review, we present the challenges in experimental macromolecular dynamics and describe the current state of experimental capabilities at this facility. As Moffat imagined years ago, BioCARS is now positioned to catalyze the scientific community to make fundamental advances in understanding proteins and other complex biological macromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W. Henning
- BioCARS, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Irina Kosheleva
- BioCARS, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Vukica Šrajer
- BioCARS, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - In-Sik Kim
- BioCARS, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Eric Zoellner
- BioCARS, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Rama Ranganathan
- BioCARS, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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6
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Darmanin C, Babayekhorasani F, Formosa A, Spicer P, Abbey B. Polarisation and rheology characterisation of monoolein/water liquid crystal dynamical behaviour during high-viscosity injector extrusion. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 653:1123-1136. [PMID: 37783012 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.09.093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS The use of monoolein/water mixtures in serial crystallography experiments using high-viscosity injectors (HVI) results in significant departures from equilibrium behaviour. This is expected to include changes in phase, viscosity, and associated flow behaviour. It should be possible to detect these changes, in-situ, using a combination of polarisation and rheology characterisation techniques. EXPERIMENTS A systematic study was performed using monoolein, varying the water content to create a range of mixtures. Injection induced phase changes within the HVI flow were established using real-time cross-polarization measurements. Dynamic flow characteristics and viscosity was characterized by particle tracking and rheology. FINDINGS HVI injection induces deformation and phase changes within monoolein (MO)/water mixtures which can be detected through variations in the transmitted intensity during in-situ polarisation studies. The heterogeneity of the extruded sample results in a highly viscous cubic phase in the central region of the stream and a less viscous lamellar-rich phase at the edges adjacent to the walls. The extent of these variations depends on sample composition and injection conditions. Shear-thinning behaviour and increasing heterogeneity in the vicinity of the capillary walls under dynamic flow conditions. This is the first report observing injection induced dynamical behaviour in MO/water mixtures under realistic flow conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connie Darmanin
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, School of Computing Engineering and Mathematical Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia.
| | - Firoozeh Babayekhorasani
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Andrew Formosa
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, School of Computing Engineering and Mathematical Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia.
| | - Patrick Spicer
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Brian Abbey
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, School of Computing Engineering and Mathematical Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia.
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7
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Botha S, Fromme P. Review of serial femtosecond crystallography including the COVID-19 pandemic impact and future outlook. Structure 2023; 31:1306-1319. [PMID: 37898125 PMCID: PMC10842180 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) revolutionized macromolecular crystallography over the past decade by enabling the collection of X-ray diffraction data from nano- or micrometer sized crystals while outrunning structure-altering radiation damage effects at room temperature. The serial manner of data collection from millions of individual crystals coupled with the femtosecond duration of the ultrabright X-ray pulses enables time-resolved studies of macromolecules under near-physiological conditions to unprecedented temporal resolution. In 2020 the rapid spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 resulted in a global pandemic of coronavirus disease-2019. This led to a shift in how serial femtosecond experiments were performed, along with rapid funding and free electron laser beamtime availability dedicated to SARS-CoV-2-related studies. This review outlines the current state of SFX research, the milestones that were achieved, the impact of the global pandemic on this field as well as an outlook into exciting future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Botha
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5001, USA; Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1504, USA.
| | - Petra Fromme
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-5001, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604, USA.
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8
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Thompson MC. Combining temperature perturbations with X-ray crystallography to study dynamic macromolecules: A thorough discussion of experimental methods. Methods Enzymol 2023; 688:255-305. [PMID: 37748829 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2023.07.008] [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] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Temperature is an important state variable that governs the behavior of microscopic systems, yet crystallographers rarely exploit temperature changes to study the structure and dynamics of biological macromolecules. In fact, approximately 90% of crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank were determined under cryogenic conditions, because sample cryocooling makes crystals robust to X-ray radiation damage and facilitates data collection. On the other hand, cryocooling can introduce artifacts into macromolecular structures, and can suppress conformational dynamics that are critical for function. Fortunately, recent advances in X-ray detector technology, X-ray sources, and computational data processing algorithms make non-cryogenic X-ray crystallography easier and more broadly applicable than ever before. Without the reliance on cryocooling, high-resolution crystallography can be combined with various temperature perturbations to gain deep insight into the conformational landscapes of macromolecules. This Chapter reviews the historical reasons for the prevalence of cryocooling in macromolecular crystallography, and discusses its potential drawbacks. Next, the Chapter summarizes technological developments and methodologies that facilitate non-cryogenic crystallography experiments. Finally, the chapter discusses the theoretical underpinnings and practical aspects of multi-temperature and temperature-jump crystallography experiments, which are powerful tools for understanding the relationship between the structure, dynamics, and function of proteins and other biological macromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Thompson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Merced, Merced, CA, United States.
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9
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Tzortzini E, Kolocouris A. Molecular Biophysics of Class A G Protein Coupled Receptors-Lipids Interactome at a Glance-Highlights from the A 2A Adenosine Receptor. Biomolecules 2023; 13:957. [PMID: 37371538 DOI: 10.3390/biom13060957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are embedded in phospholipid membrane bilayers with cholesterol representing 34% of the total lipid content in mammalian plasma membranes. Membrane lipids interact with GPCRs structures and modulate their function and drug-stimulated signaling through conformational selection. It has been shown that anionic phospholipids form strong interactions between positively charged residues in the G protein and the TM5-TM6-TM 7 cytoplasmic interface of class A GPCRs stabilizing the signaling GPCR-G complex. Cholesterol with a high content in plasma membranes can be identified in more specific sites in the transmembrane region of GPCRs, such as the Cholesterol Consensus Motif (CCM) and Cholesterol Recognition Amino Acid Consensus (CRAC) motifs and other receptor dependent and receptor state dependent sites. Experimental biophysical methods, atomistic (AA) MD simulations and coarse-grained (CG) molecular dynamics simulations have been applied to investigate these interactions. We emphasized here the impact of phosphatidyl inositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2 or PIP2), a minor phospholipid component and of cholesterol on the function-related conformational equilibria of the human A2A adenosine receptor (A2AR), a representative receptor in class A GPCR. Several GPCRs of class A interacted with PIP2 and cholesterol and in many cases the mechanism of the modulation of their function remains unknown. This review provides a helpful comprehensive overview for biophysics that enter the field of GPCRs-lipid systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efpraxia Tzortzini
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Section of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Antonios Kolocouris
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Section of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece
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10
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Yang X, Shi L, Li A, Gao F, Sun W, Li Z. Phase-contrast imaging with synchrotron hard X-ray reveals the effect of icariin on bone tissue morphology and microstructure in rabbits with early glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1155532. [PMID: 37215078 PMCID: PMC10192577 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1155532] [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: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Phase-contrast imaging (PCI) with synchrotron hard X-ray was used to observe the changes in bone tissue morphology and microstructure in rabbit models of early glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), and to evaluate the intervention effect of Icariin. Methods: Fifty mature New Zealand rabbits (weighing 2.5-3.0 kg) were randomly divided into a control group (n = 10), a glucocorticoid group (n = 20), and an Icariin group (n = 20). The glucocorticoid group and the Icariin group were sequentially injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and methylprednisolone (MPS) to establish a glucocorticoid-induced ONFH animal model. The Icariin group was given Icariin solution when methylprednisolone was injected for the first time, and the control group and glucocorticoid group were given the same amount of normal saline. Animals were sacrificed after 6 weeks, and bilateral femoral head specimens were taken for research. The right femoral head was observed by PCI with synchrotron hard X-ray technology, and the left femoral head was verified by Micro-CT scanning and HE staining. Results: Forty-three animals (nine in the control group, sixteen in the glucocorticoid group, and eighteen in the Icariin group) were included in the study. PCI with synchrotron hard X-ray revealed that the trabecular bone in the glucocorticoid group was thinned, broken, and structurally damaged, whereas the trabecular bone in the Icariin group had normal volume, thickness, and a relatively intact structure. Micro-CT scan reconstruction and HE staining were used to verify the reliability of this technique in identifying osteonecrosis. Conclusion: The effects of Icariin were observed in an early glucocorticoid-induced ONFH rabbit model using PCI with synchrotron hard X-ray. Icariin weakens the destructive effect of glucocorticoids on bone tissue structure, improves bone tissue morphology, and stabilizes bone microstructure. This technique may provide a definitive, non-invasive alternative to histological examination for the diagnosis of early ONFH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Yang
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University China-Japan Friendship Clinical Hospital, Beijing, China
- Health Science Centre, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lijun Shi
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Aifeng Li
- Department of Nephrology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fuqiang Gao
- Centre for Osteonecrosis and Joint-Preserving & Reconstruction, Orthopaedic Department, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Sun
- Centre for Osteonecrosis and Joint-Preserving & Reconstruction, Orthopaedic Department, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Zirong Li
- Centre for Osteonecrosis and Joint-Preserving & Reconstruction, Orthopaedic Department, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
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11
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Parkhurst JM, Crawshaw AD, Siebert CA, Dumoux M, Owen CD, Nunes P, Waterman D, Glen T, Stuart DI, Naismith JH, Evans G. Investigation of the milling characteristics of different focused-ion-beam sources assessed by three-dimensional electron diffraction from crystal lamellae. IUCRJ 2023; 10:270-287. [PMID: 36952226 PMCID: PMC10161776 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252523001902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Three-dimensional electron diffraction (3DED) from nanocrystals of biological macromolecules requires the use of very small crystals. These are typically less than 300 nm-thick in the direction of the electron beam due to the strong interaction between electrons and matter. In recent years, focused-ion-beam (FIB) milling has been used in the preparation of thin samples for 3DED. These instruments typically use a gallium liquid metal ion source. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sources in principle offer faster milling rates. Little work has been done to quantify the damage these sources cause to delicate biological samples at cryogenic temperatures. Here, an analysis of the effect that milling with plasma FIB (pFIB) instrumentation has on lysozyme crystals is presented. This work evaluates both argon and xenon plasmas and compares them with crystals milled with a gallium source. A milling protocol was employed that utilizes an overtilt to produce wedge-shaped lamellae with a shallow thickness gradient which yielded very thin crystalline samples. 3DED data were then acquired and standard data-processing statistics were employed to assess the quality of the diffraction data. An upper bound to the depth of the pFIB-milling damage layer of between 42.5 and 50 nm is reported, corresponding to half the thickness of the thinnest lamellae that resulted in usable diffraction data. A lower bound of between 32.5 and 40 nm is also reported, based on a literature survey of the minimum amount of diffracting material required for 3DED.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Parkhurst
- Rosalind Franklin Insititute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Adam D Crawshaw
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QS, United Kingdom
| | - C Alistair Siebert
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QS, United Kingdom
| | - Maud Dumoux
- Rosalind Franklin Insititute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - C David Owen
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QS, United Kingdom
| | - Pedro Nunes
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QS, United Kingdom
| | - David Waterman
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, Oxford OX11 0FA, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Glen
- Rosalind Franklin Insititute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - David I Stuart
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QS, United Kingdom
| | - James H Naismith
- Rosalind Franklin Insititute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Gwyndaf Evans
- Rosalind Franklin Insititute, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxford OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
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12
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Tzortzini E, Corey RA, Kolocouris A. Comparative Study of Receptor-, Receptor State-, and Membrane-Dependent Cholesterol Binding Sites in A 2A and A 1 Adenosine Receptors Using Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:928-949. [PMID: 36637988 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.2c01181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
We used coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG MD) simulations to study protein-cholesterol interactions for different activation states of the A2A adenosine receptor (A2AR) and the A1 adenosine receptor (A1R) and predict new cholesterol binding sites indicating amino acid residues with a high residence time in three biologically relevant membranes. Compared to 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC)-cholesterol and POPC-phosphatidylinositol-bisphosphate (PIP2)-cholesterol, the plasma mimetic membrane best described the cholesterol binding sites previously detected for the inactive state of A2AR and revealed the binding sites with long-lasting amino acid residues. We observed that using the plasma mimetic membrane and plotting residues with cholesterol residence time ≥2 μs, our CG MD simulations captured most obviously the cholesterol-protein interactions. For the inactive A2AR, we identified one more binding site in which cholesterol is bound to residues with a long residence time compared to the previously detected, for the active A1R, three binding sites, and for the inactive A1R, two binding sites. We calculated that for the active states, cholesterol binds to residues with a much longer residence time compared to the inactive state for both A2AR and A1R. The stability of the identified binding sites to A1R or A2AR with CG MD simulations was additionally investigated with potential of mean force calculations using umbrella sampling. We observed that the binding sites with residues to which cholesterol has a long residence time in A2AR have shallow binding free energy minima compared to the related binding sites in A1R, suggesting a stronger binding for cholesterol to A1R. The differences in binding sites in which cholesterol is stabilized and interacts with residues with a long residence time between active and inactive states of A1R and A2AR can be important for differences in functional activity and orthosteric agonist or antagonist affinity and can be used for the design of allosteric modulators, which can bind through lipid pathways. We observed a stronger binding for cholesterol to A1R (i.e., generally higher association rates) compared to A2AR, which remains to be demonstrated. For the active states, cholesterol binds to residues with much longer residence times compared to the inactive state for both A2AR and A1R. Taken together, binding sites of active A1R may be considered as promising allosteric targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efpraxia Tzortzini
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Section of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis-Zografou, 15771Athens, Greece
| | - Robin A Corey
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, OxfordOX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Antonios Kolocouris
- Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Section of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis-Zografou, 15771Athens, Greece
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13
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Han R, Yoon H, Yoo J, Lee Y. Systematic analyses of the sequence conservation and ligand interaction patterns of purinergic P1 and P2Y receptors provide a structural basis for receptor selectivity. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:889-898. [PMID: 36698973 PMCID: PMC9860165 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Purinergic receptors are membrane proteins that regulate numerous cellular functions by catalyzing reactions involving purine nucleotides or nucleosides. Among the three receptor families, i.e., P1, P2X, and P2Y, the P1 and P2Y receptors share common structural features of class A GPCR. Comprehensive sequence and structural analysis revealed that the P1 and P2Y receptors belong to two distinct groups. They exhibit different ligand-binding site features that can distinguish between specific activators. These specific amino acid residues in the binding cavity may be involved in the selectivity and unique pharmacological behavior of each subtype. In this study, we conducted a structure-based analysis of purinergic P1 and P2Y receptors to identify their evolutionary signature and obtain structural insights into ligand recognition and selectivity. The structural features of the P1 and P2Y receptor classes were compared based on sequence conservation and ligand interaction patterns. Orthologous protein sequences were collected for the P1 and P2Y receptors, and sequence conservation was calculated based on Shannon entropy to identify highly conserved residues. To analyze the ligand interaction patterns, we performed docking studies on the P1 and P2Y receptors using known ligand information extracted from the ChEMBL database. We analyzed how the conserved residues are related to ligand-binding sites and how the key interacting residues differ between P1 and P2Y receptors, or between agonists and antagonists. We extracted new similarities and differences between the receptor subtypes, and the results can be used for designing new ligands by predicting hotspot residues that are important for functional selectivity.
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Smith N, Wilson MA. Understanding Cysteine Chemistry Using Conventional and Serial X-Ray Protein Crystallography. CRYSTALS 2022; 12:1671. [PMID: 36685087 PMCID: PMC9850494 DOI: 10.3390/cryst12111671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Proteins that use cysteine residues for catalysis or regulation are widely distributed and intensively studied, with many biomedically important examples. Enzymes where cysteine is a catalytic nucleophile typically generate covalent catalytic intermediates whose structures are important for understanding mechanism and for designing targeted inhibitors. The formation of catalytic intermediates can change enzyme conformational dynamics, sometimes activating protein motions that are important for catalytic turnover. However, these transiently populated intermediate species have been challenging to structurally characterize using traditional crystallographic approaches. This review describes the use and promise of new time-resolved serial crystallographic methods to study cysteine-dependent enzymes, with a focus on the main (Mpro) and papain-like (PLpro) cysteine proteases of SARS-CoV-2 as well as other examples. We review features of cysteine chemistry that are relevant for the design and execution of time-resolved serial crystallography experiments. In addition, we discuss emerging X-ray techniques such as time-resolved sulfur X-ray spectroscopy that may be able to detect changes in sulfur charge state and covalency during catalysis or regulatory modification. In summary, cysteine-dependent enzymes have features that make them especially attractive targets for new time-resolved serial crystallography approaches, which can reveal both changes to enzyme structure and dynamics during catalysis in crystalline samples.
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15
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Zielinski KA, Prester A, Andaleeb H, Bui S, Yefanov O, Catapano L, Henkel A, Wiedorn MO, Lorbeer O, Crosas E, Meyer J, Mariani V, Domaracky M, White TA, Fleckenstein H, Sarrou I, Werner N, Betzel C, Rohde H, Aepfelbacher M, Chapman HN, Perbandt M, Steiner RA, Oberthuer D. Rapid and efficient room-temperature serial synchrotron crystallography using the CFEL TapeDrive. IUCRJ 2022; 9:778-791. [PMID: 36381150 PMCID: PMC9634612 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252522010193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Serial crystallography at conventional synchrotron light sources (SSX) offers the possibility to routinely collect data at room temperature using micrometre-sized crystals of biological macromolecules. However, SSX data collection is not yet as routine and currently takes significantly longer than the standard rotation series cryo-crystallography. Thus, its use for high-throughput approaches, such as fragment-based drug screening, where the possibility to measure at physio-logical temperatures would be a great benefit, is impaired. On the way to high-throughput SSX using a conveyor belt based sample delivery system - the CFEL TapeDrive - with three different proteins of biological relevance (Klebsiella pneumoniae CTX-M-14 β-lactamase, Nectria haematococca xylanase GH11 and Aspergillus flavus urate oxidase), it is shown here that complete datasets can be collected in less than a minute and only minimal amounts of sample are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara A Zielinski
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Prester
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hina Andaleeb
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Soi Bui
- Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, United Kingdom
| | - Oleksandr Yefanov
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lucrezia Catapano
- Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, United Kingdom
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandra Henkel
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Max O. Wiedorn
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Olga Lorbeer
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eva Crosas
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Meyer
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Valerio Mariani
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Domaracky
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas A. White
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Holger Fleckenstein
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Iosifina Sarrou
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nadine Werner
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Betzel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Holger Rohde
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Aepfelbacher
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Henry N. Chapman
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, University of Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Perbandt
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Inflammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, Building 22a, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Roberto A. Steiner
- Randall Centre of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, United Kingdom
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padova 35131, Italy
| | - Dominik Oberthuer
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
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16
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Aplin C, Milano SK, Zielinski KA, Pollack L, Cerione RA. Evolving Experimental Techniques for Structure-Based Drug Design. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:6599-6607. [PMID: 36029222 PMCID: PMC10161966 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Structure-based drug design (SBDD) is a prominent method in rational drug development and has traditionally benefitted from the atomic models of protein targets obtained using X-ray crystallography at cryogenic temperatures. In this perspective, we highlight recent advances in the development of structural techniques that are capable of probing dynamic information about protein targets. First, we discuss advances in the field of X-ray crystallography including serial room-temperature crystallography as a method for obtaining high-resolution conformational dynamics of protein-inhibitor complexes. Next, we look at cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM), another high-resolution technique that has recently been used to study proteins and protein complexes that are too difficult to crystallize. Finally, we present small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) as a potential high-throughput screening tool to identify inhibitors that target protein complexes and protein oligomerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody Aplin
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Shawn K Milano
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Kara A Zielinski
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Lois Pollack
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Richard A Cerione
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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17
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Patel SN, Sonani RR, Roy D, Singh NK, Subudhi S, Pabbi S, Madamwar D. Exploring the structural aspects and therapeutic perspectives of cyanobacterial phycobiliproteins. 3 Biotech 2022; 12:224. [PMID: 35975025 PMCID: PMC9375810 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-022-03284-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Phycobiliproteins (PBPs) of cyanobacteria and algae possess unique light harvesting capacity which expand the photosynthetically active region (PAR) and allow them to thrive in extreme niches where higher plants cannot. PBPs of cyanobacteria/algae vary in abundance, types, amino acid composition and in structure as a function of species and the habitat that they grow in. In the present review, the key aspects of structure, stability, and spectral properties of PBPs, and their correlation with ecological niche of cyanobacteria are discussed. Besides their role in light-harvesting, PBPs possess antioxidant, anti-aging, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory properties, which can be used in therapeutics. Recent developments in therapeutic applications of PBPs are reviewed with special focus on 'route of PBPs administration' and 'therapeutic potential of PBP-derived peptide and chromophores'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuti N. Patel
- P. D. Patel Institute of Applied Sciences, Charotar University of Science and Technology, CHARUSAT Campus, Changa, Anand, Gujarat 388421 India
- Post-Graduate Department of Biosciences, UGC-Centre of Advanced Study, Sardar Patel University, Satellite Campus, Vadtal Road, Bakrol, Anand, Gujarat 388315 India
- Present Address: Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
| | - Ravi R. Sonani
- Present Address: Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908 USA
| | - Diya Roy
- Centre for Conservation and Utilisation of Blue Green Algae (CCUBGA), Division of Microbiology, ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012 India
| | - Niraj Kumar Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, Shree A. N. Patel PG Institute of Science and Research, Sardar Patel University, Anand, Gujarat 388001 India
- Present Address: Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), Deaprtment of Science and Technology (DST), Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382011 India
| | - Sanjukta Subudhi
- The Energy and Resources Institute Darbari Seth Block, India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi, 110003 India
| | - Sunil Pabbi
- Centre for Conservation and Utilisation of Blue Green Algae (CCUBGA), Division of Microbiology, ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012 India
| | - Datta Madamwar
- P. D. Patel Institute of Applied Sciences, Charotar University of Science and Technology, CHARUSAT Campus, Changa, Anand, Gujarat 388421 India
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18
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Barends TR, Stauch B, Cherezov V, Schlichting I. Serial femtosecond crystallography. NATURE REVIEWS. METHODS PRIMERS 2022; 2:59. [PMID: 36643971 PMCID: PMC9833121 DOI: 10.1038/s43586-022-00141-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
With the advent of X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs), new, high-throughput serial crystallography techniques for macromolecular structure determination have emerged. Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) and related methods provide possibilities beyond canonical, single-crystal rotation crystallography by mitigating radiation damage and allowing time-resolved studies with unprecedented temporal resolution. This primer aims to assist structural biology groups with little or no experience in serial crystallography planning and carrying out a successful SFX experiment. It discusses the background of serial crystallography and its possibilities. Microcrystal growth and characterization methods are discussed, alongside techniques for sample delivery and data processing. Moreover, it gives practical tips for preparing an experiment, what to consider and do during a beamtime and how to conduct the final data analysis. Finally, the Primer looks at various applications of SFX, including structure determination of membrane proteins, investigation of radiation damage-prone systems and time-resolved studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas R.M. Barends
- Department for Biological Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Stauch
- Department of Chemistry, The Bridge Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Vadim Cherezov
- Department of Chemistry, The Bridge Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ilme Schlichting
- Department for Biological Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany,
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19
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Purification, characterization, and preliminary serial crystallography diffraction advances structure determination of full-length human particulate guanylyl cyclase A receptor. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11824. [PMID: 35821229 PMCID: PMC9276669 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15798-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Particulate Guanylyl Cyclase Receptor A (pGC-A) is a natriuretic peptide membrane receptor, playing a vital role in controlling cardiovascular, renal, and endocrine functions. The extracellular domain interacts with natriuretic peptides and triggers the intracellular guanylyl cyclase domain to convert GTP to cGMP. To effectively develop methods to regulate pGC-A, structural information on the full-length form is needed. However, structural data on the transmembrane and intracellular domains are lacking. This work presents expression and optimization using baculovirus, along with the first purification of functional full-length human pGC-A. In vitro assays revealed the pGC-A tetramer was functional in detergent micelle solution. Based on our purification results and previous findings that dimer formation is required for functionality, we propose a tetramer complex model with two functional subunits. Previous research suggested pGC-A signal transduction is an ATP-dependent, two-step mechanism. Our results show the binding ligand also moderately activates pGC-A, and ATP is not crucial for activation of guanylyl cyclase. Furthermore, crystallization of full-length pGC-A was achieved, toward determination of its structure. Needle-shaped crystals with 3 Å diffraction were observed by serial crystallography. This work paves the road for determination of the full-length pGC-A structure and provides new information on the signal transduction mechanism.
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20
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Mahmood A, Iqbal J. Purinergic receptors modulators: An emerging pharmacological tool for disease management. Med Res Rev 2022; 42:1661-1703. [PMID: 35561109 DOI: 10.1002/med.21888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Purinergic signaling is mediated through extracellular nucleotides (adenosine 5'-triphosphate, uridine-5'-triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, uridine-5'-diphosphate, and adenosine) that serve as signaling molecules. In the early 1990s, purines and pyrimidine receptors were cloned and characterized drawing the attention of scientists toward this aspect of cellular signaling. This signaling pathway is comprised of four subtypes of adenosine receptors (P1), eight subtypes of G-coupled protein receptors (P2YRs), and seven subtypes of ligand-gated ionotropic receptors (P2XRs). In current studies, the pathophysiology and therapeutic potentials of these receptors have been focused on. Various ligands, modulating the functions of purinergic receptors, are in current clinical practices for the treatment of various neurodegenerative disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, several purinergic receptors ligands are in advanced phases of clinical trials as a remedy for depression, epilepsy, autism, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, and cancers. In the present study, agonists and antagonists of purinergic receptors have been summarized that may serve as pharmacological tools for drug design and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abid Mahmood
- Centre for Advanced Drug Research, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Jamshed Iqbal
- Centre for Advanced Drug Research, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad, Pakistan
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21
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Martin-Garcia JM, Botha S, Hu H, Jernigan R, Castellví A, Lisova S, Gil F, Calisto B, Crespo I, Roy-Chowdhury S, Grieco A, Ketawala G, Weierstall U, Spence J, Fromme P, Zatsepin N, Boer DR, Carpena X. Serial macromolecular crystallography at ALBA Synchrotron Light Source. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2022; 29:896-907. [PMID: 35511023 PMCID: PMC9070724 DOI: 10.1107/s1600577522002508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The increase in successful adaptations of serial crystallography at synchrotron radiation sources continues. To date, the number of serial synchrotron crystallography (SSX) experiments has grown exponentially, with over 40 experiments reported so far. In this work, we report the first SSX experiments with viscous jets conducted at ALBA beamline BL13-XALOC. Small crystals (15-30 µm) of five soluble proteins (lysozyme, proteinase K, phycocyanin, insulin and α-spectrin-SH3 domain) were suspended in lipidic cubic phase (LCP) and delivered to the X-ray beam with a high-viscosity injector developed at Arizona State University. Complete data sets were collected from all proteins and their high-resolution structures determined. The high quality of the diffraction data collected from all five samples, and the lack of specific radiation damage in the structures obtained in this study, confirm that the current capabilities at the beamline enables atomic resolution determination of protein structures from microcrystals as small as 15 µm using viscous jets at room temperature. Thus, BL13-XALOC can provide a feasible alternative to X-ray free-electron lasers when determining snapshots of macromolecular structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose M. Martin-Garcia
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sabine Botha
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Hao Hu
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Rebecca Jernigan
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Albert Castellví
- Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Stella Lisova
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Fernando Gil
- ALBA Synchrotron, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Isidro Crespo
- ALBA Synchrotron, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Shatabdi Roy-Chowdhury
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Alice Grieco
- Department of Crystallography and Structural Biology, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Gihan Ketawala
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Uwe Weierstall
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - John Spence
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Petra Fromme
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Nadia Zatsepin
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advance Molecular Physics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular ScienceImaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Xavi Carpena
- ALBA Synchrotron, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
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22
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IJzerman AP, Jacobson KA, Müller CE, Cronstein BN, Cunha RA. International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. CXII: Adenosine Receptors: A Further Update. Pharmacol Rev 2022; 74:340-372. [PMID: 35302044 PMCID: PMC8973513 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.121.000445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Our previous International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology report on the nomenclature and classification of adenosine receptors (2011) contained a number of emerging developments with respect to this G protein-coupled receptor subfamily, including protein structure, protein oligomerization, protein diversity, and allosteric modulation by small molecules. Since then, a wealth of new data and results has been added, allowing us to explore novel concepts such as target binding kinetics and biased signaling of adenosine receptors, to examine a multitude of receptor structures and novel ligands, to gauge new pharmacology, and to evaluate clinical trials with adenosine receptor ligands. This review should therefore be considered a further update of our previous reports from 2001 and 2011. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Adenosine receptors (ARs) are of continuing interest for future treatment of chronic and acute disease conditions, including inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative afflictions, and cancer. The design of AR agonists ("biased" or not) and antagonists is largely structure based now, thanks to the tremendous progress in AR structural biology. The A2A- and A2BAR appear to modulate the immune response in tumor biology. Many clinical trials for this indication are ongoing, whereas an A2AAR antagonist (istradefylline) has been approved as an anti-Parkinson agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriaan P IJzerman
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands (A.P.IJ.); National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Molecular Recognition Section, Bethesda, Maryland (K.A.J.); Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany (C.E.M.); New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York (B.N.C.); and Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology and Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal (R.A.C.)
| | - Kenneth A Jacobson
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands (A.P.IJ.); National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Molecular Recognition Section, Bethesda, Maryland (K.A.J.); Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany (C.E.M.); New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York (B.N.C.); and Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology and Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal (R.A.C.)
| | - Christa E Müller
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands (A.P.IJ.); National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Molecular Recognition Section, Bethesda, Maryland (K.A.J.); Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany (C.E.M.); New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York (B.N.C.); and Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology and Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal (R.A.C.)
| | - Bruce N Cronstein
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands (A.P.IJ.); National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Molecular Recognition Section, Bethesda, Maryland (K.A.J.); Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany (C.E.M.); New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York (B.N.C.); and Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology and Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal (R.A.C.)
| | - Rodrigo A Cunha
- Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands (A.P.IJ.); National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Molecular Recognition Section, Bethesda, Maryland (K.A.J.); Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany (C.E.M.); New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York (B.N.C.); and Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology and Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal (R.A.C.)
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23
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Wang J, Bhattarai A, Do HN, Akhter S, Miao Y. Molecular Simulations and Drug Discovery of Adenosine Receptors. Molecules 2022; 27:2054. [PMID: 35408454 PMCID: PMC9000248 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27072054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest family of human membrane proteins. Four subtypes of adenosine receptors (ARs), the A1AR, A2AAR, A2BAR and A3AR, each with a unique pharmacological profile and distribution within the tissues in the human body, mediate many physiological functions and serve as critical drug targets for treating numerous human diseases including cancer, neuropathic pain, cardiac ischemia, stroke and diabetes. The A1AR and A3AR preferentially couple to the Gi/o proteins, while the A2AAR and A2BAR prefer coupling to the Gs proteins. Adenosine receptors were the first subclass of GPCRs that had experimental structures determined in complex with distinct G proteins. Here, we will review recent studies in molecular simulations and computer-aided drug discovery of the adenosine receptors and also highlight their future research opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Yinglong Miao
- Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA; (J.W.); (A.B.); (H.N.D.); (S.A.)
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24
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Macromolecular movies, storybooks written by nature. Biophys Rev 2022; 13:1191-1197. [PMID: 35059037 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-021-00846-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Twelve years ago, the first free electron laser for hard X-rays (XFEL), the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), came online. Due to the extreme brilliance and the ultrashort pulse duration of their X-ray radiation, XFELs are exceptionally well positioned to conduct time-resolved studies on biological macromolecules. Here, some of the pioneering experiments and recent results are summarized.
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25
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Nam KH. Beef tallow injection matrix for serial crystallography. Sci Rep 2022; 12:694. [PMID: 35027663 PMCID: PMC8758675 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04714-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Serial crystallography (SX) enables the visualization of the time-resolved molecular dynamics of macromolecular structures at room temperature while minimizing radiation damage. In SX experiments, the delivery of a large number of crystals into an X-ray interaction point in a serial and stable manner is key. Sample delivery using viscous medium maintains the stable injection stream at low flow rates, markedly reducing sample consumption compared with that of a liquid jet injector and is widely applied in SX experiments with low repetition rates. As the sample properties and experimental environment can affect the stability of the injection stream of a viscous medium, it is important to develop sample delivery media with various characteristics to optimize the experimental environment. In this study, a beef tallow injection matrix possessing a higher melting temperature than previously reported fat-based shortening and lard media was introduced as a sample delivery medium and applied to SX. Beef tallow was prepared by heat treating fats from cattle, followed by the removal of soluble impurities from the extract by phase separation. Beef tallow exhibited a very stable injection stream at room temperature and a flow rate of < 10 nL/min. The room-temperature structures of lysozyme and glucose isomerase embedded in beef tallow were successfully determined at 1.55 and 1.60 Å, respectively. The background scattering of beef tallow was higher than that of previously reported fat-based shortening and lard media but negligible for data processing. In conclusion, the beef tallow matrix can be employed for sample delivery in SX experiments conducted at temperatures exceeding room temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki Hyun Nam
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 37673, Korea. .,POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 37673, Korea.
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26
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Abstract
Serial crystallography (SX) is an emerging technique to determine macromolecules at room temperature. SX with a pump–probe experiment provides the time-resolved dynamics of target molecules. SX has developed rapidly over the past decade as a technique that not only provides room-temperature structures with biomolecules, but also has the ability to time-resolve their molecular dynamics. The serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) technique using an X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) has now been extended to serial synchrotron crystallography (SSX) using synchrotron X-rays. The development of a variety of sample delivery techniques and data processing programs is currently accelerating SX research, thereby increasing the research scope. In this editorial, I briefly review some of the experimental techniques that have contributed to advances in the field of SX research and recent major research achievements. This Special Issue will contribute to the field of SX research.
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27
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Pan D, Oyama R, Sato T, Nakane T, Mizunuma R, Matsuoka K, Joti Y, Tono K, Nango E, Iwata S, Nakatsu T, Kato H. Crystal structure of CmABCB1 multi-drug exporter in lipidic mesophase revealed by LCP-SFX. IUCRJ 2022; 9:134-145. [PMID: 35059217 PMCID: PMC8733880 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252521011611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
CmABCB1 is a Cyanidioschyzon merolae homolog of human ABCB1, a well known ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter responsible for multi-drug resistance in various cancers. Three-dimensional structures of ABCB1 homologs have revealed the snapshots of inward- and outward-facing states of the transporters in action. However, sufficient information to establish the sequential movements of the open-close cycles of the alternating-access model is still lacking. Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) using X-ray free-electron lasers has proven its worth in determining novel structures and recording sequential conformational changes of proteins at room temperature, especially for medically important membrane proteins, but it has never been applied to ABC transporters. In this study, 7.7 mono-acyl-glycerol with cholesterol as the host lipid was used and obtained well diffracting microcrystals of the 130 kDa CmABCB1 dimer. Successful SFX experiments were performed by adjusting the viscosity of the crystal suspension of the sponge phase with hy-droxy-propyl methyl-cellulose and using the high-viscosity sample injector for data collection at the SACLA beamline. An outward-facing structure of CmABCB1 at a maximum resolution of 2.22 Å is reported, determined by SFX experiments with crystals formed in the lipidic cubic phase (LCP-SFX), which has never been applied to ABC transporters. In the type I crystal, CmABCB1 dimers interact with adjacent molecules via not only the nucleotide-binding domains but also the transmembrane domains (TMDs); such an interaction was not observed in the previous type II crystal. Although most parts of the structure are similar to those in the previous type II structure, the substrate-exit region of the TMD adopts a different configuration in the type I structure. This difference between the two types of structures reflects the flexibility of the substrate-exit region of CmABCB1, which might be essential for the smooth release of various substrates from the transporter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongqing Pan
- Department of Structural Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Ryo Oyama
- Department of Structural Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Tomomi Sato
- Department of Structural Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Takanori Nakane
- Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Ryo Mizunuma
- Department of Structural Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Keita Matsuoka
- Department of Structural Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Joti
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Kensuke Tono
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Eriko Nango
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - So Iwata
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Toru Nakatsu
- Department of Structural Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Kato
- Department of Structural Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
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28
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Clark LJ, Bu G, Nannenga BL, Gonen T. MicroED for the study of protein–ligand interactions and the potential for drug discovery. Nat Rev Chem 2021; 5:853-858. [PMID: 37117388 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-021-00332-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) is an electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) technique used to determine molecular structures with crystals that are a millionth the size needed for traditional single-crystal X-ray crystallography. An exciting use of MicroED is in drug discovery and development, where it can be applied to the study of proteins and small molecule interactions, and for structure determination of natural products. The structures are then used for rational drug design and optimization. In this Perspective, we discuss the current applications of MicroED for structure determination of protein-ligand complexes and potential future applications in drug discovery.
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Monteiro DCF, Amoah E, Rogers C, Pearson AR. Using photocaging for fast time-resolved structural biology studies. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:1218-1232. [PMID: 34605426 PMCID: PMC8489231 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321008809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Careful selection of photocaging approaches is critical to achieve fast and well synchronized reaction initiation and perform successful time-resolved structural biology experiments. This review summarizes the best characterized and most relevant photocaging groups previously described in the literature. It also provides a walkthrough of the essential factors to consider in designing a suitable photocaged molecule to address specific biological questions, focusing on photocaging groups with well characterized spectroscopic properties. The relationships between decay rates (k in s-1), quantum yields (ϕ) and molar extinction coefficients (ϵmax in M-1 cm-1) are highlighted for different groups. The effects of the nature of the photocaged group on these properties is also discussed. Four main photocaging scaffolds are presented in detail, o-nitrobenzyls, p-hydroxyphenyls, coumarinyls and nitrodibenzofuranyls, along with three examples of the use of this technology. Furthermore, a subset of specialty photocages are highlighted: photoacids, molecular photoswitches and metal-containing photocages. These extend the range of photocaging approaches by, for example, controlling pH or generating conformationally locked molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana C. F. Monteiro
- Hauptman–Woodward Medical Research Institute, 700 Ellicot Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Emmanuel Amoah
- Hauptman–Woodward Medical Research Institute, 700 Ellicot Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Cromarte Rogers
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Chemistry, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Arwen R. Pearson
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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30
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Salmaso V, Jain S, Jacobson KA. Purinergic GPCR transmembrane residues involved in ligand recognition and dimerization. Methods Cell Biol 2021; 166:133-159. [PMID: 34752329 PMCID: PMC8620127 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2021.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
We compare the GPCR-ligand interactions and highlight important residues for recognition in purinergic receptors-from both X-ray crystallographic and cryo-EM structures. These include A1 and A2A adenosine receptors, and P2Y1 and P2Y12 receptors that respond to ADP and other nucleotides. These receptors are important drug discovery targets for immune, metabolic and nervous system disorders. In most cases, orthosteric ligands are represented, except for one allosteric P2Y1 antagonist. This review catalogs the residues and regions that engage in contacts with ligands or with other GPCR protomers in dimeric forms. Residues that are in proximity to bound ligands within purinergic GPCR families are correlated. There is extensive conservation of recognition motifs between adenosine receptors, but the P2Y1 and P2Y12 receptors are each structurally distinct in their ligand recognition. Identifying common interaction features for ligand recognition within a receptor class that has multiple structures available can aid in the drug discovery process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Salmaso
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Shanu Jain
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Kenneth A Jacobson
- Molecular Recognition Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.
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31
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Nam KH, Cho Y. Stable sample delivery in a viscous medium via a polyimide-based single-channel microfluidic chip for serial crystallography. J Appl Crystallogr 2021. [DOI: 10.1107/s1600576721005720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Serial crystallography (SX) provides room-temperature crystal structures with minimal radiation damage and facilitates the comprehension of molecular dynamics through time-resolved studies. In SX experiments, it is important to deliver a large number of crystal samples to the X-ray interaction point in a serial and stable manner. The advantage of crystal delivery in a viscous medium via a capillary is the ability to deliver all of the crystal samples to the X-ray interaction point at a low flow rate; however, the capillary often breaks during handling and high X-ray absorption can occur at low energy states. This study aimed to develop a stable system for sample delivery in a viscous medium via a polyimide-based single-channel microfluidic (PSM) chip for SX. Since this microfluidic chip comprises a polyimide film, it has high tensile strength and higher X-ray transmittance than a quartz capillary. The PSM chip was connected to a syringe containing the microcrystals embedded in viscous medium. The channel of the PSM chip was aligned to the X-ray path, and the viscous medium containing lysozyme crystals was stably delivered using a syringe pump at a flow rate of 100 nl min−1. Room-temperature lysozyme crystal structures were successfully determined at 1.85 Å resolution. This method would greatly facilitate sample delivery for SX experiments using synchrotron X-rays.
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32
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Protein Dynamics and Time Resolved Protein Crystallography at Synchrotron Radiation Sources: Past, Present and Future. CRYSTALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst11050521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The ultrabright and ultrashort pulses produced at X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) has enabled studies of crystallized molecular machines at work under ‘native’ conditions at room temperature by the so-called time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (TR-SFX) technique. Since early TR-SFX experiments were conducted at XFELs, it has been largely reported in the literature that time-resolved X-ray experiments at synchrotrons are no longer feasible or are impractical due to the severe technical limitations of these radiation sources. The transfer of the serial crystallography approach to newest synchrotrons upgraded for higher flux density and with beamlines using sophisticated focusing optics, submicron beam diameters and fast low-noise photon-counting detectors offers a way to overcome these difficulties opening new and exciting possibilities. In fact, there is an increasing amount of publications reporting new findings in structural dynamics of protein macromolecules by using time resolved crystallography from microcrystals at synchrotron sources. This review gathers information to provide an overview of the recent work and the advances made in this filed in the past years, as well as outlines future perspectives at the next generation of synchrotron sources and the upcoming compact pulsed X-ray sources.
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33
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Do HN, Akhter S, Miao Y. Pathways and Mechanism of Caffeine Binding to Human Adenosine A 2A Receptor. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:673170. [PMID: 33987207 PMCID: PMC8111288 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.673170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Caffeine (CFF) is a common antagonist to the four subtypes of adenosine G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are critical drug targets for treating heart failure, cancer, and neurological diseases. However, the pathways and mechanism of CFF binding to the target receptors remain unclear. In this study, we have performed all-atom-enhanced sampling simulations using a robust Gaussian-accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD) method to elucidate the binding mechanism of CFF to human adenosine A2A receptor (A2AAR). Multiple 500–1,000 ns GaMD simulations captured both binding and dissociation of CFF in the A2AAR. The GaMD-predicted binding poses of CFF were highly consistent with the x-ray crystal conformations with a characteristic hydrogen bond formed between CFF and residue N6.55 in the receptor. In addition, a low-energy intermediate binding conformation was revealed for CFF at the receptor extracellular mouth between ECL2 and TM1. While the ligand-binding pathways of the A2AAR were found similar to those of other class A GPCRs identified from previous studies, the ECL2 with high sequence divergence serves as an attractive target site for designing allosteric modulators as selective drugs of the A2AAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung N Do
- Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Sana Akhter
- Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Yinglong Miao
- Center for Computational Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
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34
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Li C, Ding C, Li M, Rong J, Florian H, Simpson G. Depth-of-field extension in optical imaging for rapid crystal screening. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:463-470. [PMID: 33825707 PMCID: PMC8025887 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321000097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The depth of field (DoF) was extended 2.8-fold to achieve rapid crystal screening by retrofitting a custom-designed micro-retarder array (µRA) in the optical beam path of a nonlinear optical microscope. The merits of the proposed strategy for DoF enhancement were assessed in applications of second-harmonic generation imaging of protein crystals. It was found that DoF extension increased the number of crystals detected while simultaneously reducing the number of `z-slices' required for screening. Experimental measurements of the wavelength-dependence of the extended DoF were in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. These results provide a simple and broadly applicable approach to increase the throughput of existing nonlinear optical imaging methods for protein crystal screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Li
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Changqin Ding
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Minghe Li
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Jiayue Rong
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Hilary Florian
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Garth Simpson
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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35
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Hasegawa K, Baba S, Kawamura T, Yamamoto M, Kumasaka T. Evaluation of the data-collection strategy for room-temperature micro-crystallography studied by serial synchrotron rotation crystallography combined with the humid air and glue-coating method. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:300-312. [PMID: 33645534 PMCID: PMC7919407 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321001686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Synchrotron serial crystallography (SSX) is an emerging data-collection method for micro-crystallography on synchrotron macromolecular (MX) crystallography beamlines. At SPring-8, the feasibility of the fixed-target approach was examined by collecting data using a 2D raster scan combined with goniometer rotation. Results at cryogenic temperatures demonstrated that rotation is effective for efficient data collection in SSX and the method was named serial synchrotron rotation crystallography (SS-ROX). To use this method for room-temperature (RT) data collection, a humid air and glue-coating (HAG) method was developed in which data were collected from polyvinyl alcohol-coated microcrystals fixed on a loop under humidity-controlled air. The performance and the RT data-collection strategy for micro-crystallography were evaluated using microcrystals of lysozyme. Although a change in unit-cell dimensions of up to 1% was observed during data collection, the impact on data quality was marginal. A comparison of data obtained at various absorbed doses revealed that absorbed doses of up to 210 kGy were tolerable in both global and local damage. Although this limits the number of photons deposited on each crystal, increasing the number of merged images improved the resolution. On the basis of these results, an equation was proposed that relates the achievable resolution to the total photon flux used to obtain a data set.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuya Hasegawa
- Protein Crystal Analysis Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Seiki Baba
- Protein Crystal Analysis Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Takashi Kawamura
- Protein Crystal Analysis Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Masaki Yamamoto
- Advanced Photon Technology Division, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Takashi Kumasaka
- Protein Crystal Analysis Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
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36
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Mehrabi P, Bücker R, Bourenkov G, Ginn HM, von Stetten D, Müller-Werkmeister HM, Kuo A, Morizumi T, Eger BT, Ou WL, Oghbaey S, Sarracini A, Besaw JE, Pare-Labrosse O, Meier S, Schikora H, Tellkamp F, Marx A, Sherrell DA, Axford D, Owen RL, Ernst OP, Pai EF, Schulz EC, Miller RJD. Serial femtosecond and serial synchrotron crystallography can yield data of equivalent quality: A systematic comparison. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/12/eabf1380. [PMID: 33731353 PMCID: PMC7968842 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf1380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
For the two proteins myoglobin and fluoroacetate dehalogenase, we present a systematic comparison of crystallographic diffraction data collected by serial femtosecond (SFX) and serial synchrotron crystallography (SSX). To maximize comparability, we used the same batch of micron-sized crystals, the same sample delivery device, and the same data analysis software. Overall figures of merit indicate that the data of both radiation sources are of equivalent quality. For both proteins, reasonable data statistics can be obtained with approximately 5000 room-temperature diffraction images irrespective of the radiation source. The direct comparability of SSX and SFX data indicates that the quality of diffraction data obtained from these samples is linked to the properties of the crystals rather than to the radiation source. Therefore, for other systems with similar properties, time-resolved experiments can be conducted at the radiation source that best matches the desired time resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Mehrabi
- Department for Atomically Resolved Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany.
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada
- Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, Ontario Cancer Institute, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - R Bücker
- Department for Atomically Resolved Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Centre for Structural Systems Biology, Department of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - G Bourenkov
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg Outstation c/o Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestraße 85, D-22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - H M Ginn
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - D von Stetten
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg Outstation c/o Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestraße 85, D-22603 Hamburg, Germany
| | - H M Müller-Werkmeister
- Institute of Chemistry-Physical Chemistry, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - A Kuo
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - T Morizumi
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - B T Eger
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - W-L Ou
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - S Oghbaey
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - A Sarracini
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - J E Besaw
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - O Pare-Labrosse
- Department for Atomically Resolved Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - S Meier
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstrasse 9, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
| | - H Schikora
- Scientific Support Unit Machine Physics, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - F Tellkamp
- Scientific Support Unit Machine Physics, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - A Marx
- Department for Atomically Resolved Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - D A Sherrell
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
- Structural Biology Center, X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA
| | - D Axford
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - R L Owen
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - O P Ernst
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - E F Pai
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada
- Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, Ontario Cancer Institute, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1L7, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - E C Schulz
- Department for Atomically Resolved Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany.
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - R J D Miller
- Department for Atomically Resolved Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
- Department of Physics, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstrasse 9, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
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Stohrer C, Horrell S, Meier S, Sans M, von Stetten D, Hough M, Goldman A, Monteiro DCF, Pearson AR. Homogeneous batch micro-crystallization of proteins from ammonium sulfate. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:194-204. [PMID: 33559608 PMCID: PMC7869895 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798320015454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of X-ray free-electron lasers has led to the development of serial macromolecular crystallography techniques, making it possible to study smaller and more challenging crystal systems and to perform time-resolved studies on fast time scales. For most of these studies the desired crystal size is limited to a few micrometres, and the generation of large amounts of nanocrystals or microcrystals of defined size has become a bottleneck for the wider implementation of these techniques. Despite this, methods to reliably generate microcrystals and fine-tune their size have been poorly explored. Working with three different enzymes, L-aspartate α-decarboxylase, copper nitrite reductase and copper amine oxidase, the precipitating properties of ammonium sulfate were exploited to quickly transition from known vapour-diffusion conditions to reproducible, large-scale batch crystallization, circumventing the tedious determination of phase diagrams. Furthermore, the specific ammonium sulfate concentration was used to fine-tune the crystal size and size distribution. Ammonium sulfate is a common precipitant in protein crystallography, making these findings applicable to many crystallization systems to facilitate the production of large amounts of microcrystals for serial macromolecular crystallography experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Stohrer
- Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Horrell
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, CFEL, Building 99, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Meier
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, CFEL, Building 99, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marta Sans
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, CFEL, Building 99, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - David von Stetten
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg Unit c/o DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Hough
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian Goldman
- Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Viikinkaari 5, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Diana C. F. Monteiro
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, CFEL, Building 99, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Hauptman–Woodward Medical Research Institute, 700 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Arwen R. Pearson
- Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Institute for Nanostructure and Solid State Physics, Universität Hamburg, CFEL, Building 99, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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38
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Analysis of Multi-Hit Crystals in Serial Synchrotron Crystallography Experiments Using High-Viscosity Injectors. CRYSTALS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst11010049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Serial Synchrotron Crystallography (SSX) is rapidly emerging as a promising technique for collecting data for time-resolved structural studies or for performing room temperature micro-crystallography measurements using micro-focused beamlines. SSX is often performed using high frame rate detectors in combination with continuous sample scanning or high-viscosity or liquid jet injectors. When performed using ultra-bright X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) sources serial crystallography typically involves a process known as ’diffract-and-destroy’ where each crystal is measured just once before it is destroyed by the intense XFEL pulse. In SSX, however, particularly when using high-viscosity injectors (HVIs) such as Lipidico, the crystal can be intercepted multiple times by the X-ray beam prior to exiting the interaction region. This has a number of important consequences for SSX including whether these multiple-hits can be incorporated into the data analysis or whether they need to be excluded due to the potential impact of radiation damage. Here, we investigate the occurrence and characteristics of multiple hits on single crystals using SSX with lipidico. SSX data are collected from crystals as they tumble within a high viscous stream of silicone grease flowing through a micro-focused X-ray beam. We confirmed that, using the Eiger 16M, we are able to collect up to 42 frames of data from the same single crystal prior to it leaving the X-ray interaction region. The frequency and occurrence of multiple hits may be controlled by varying the sample flow rate and X-ray beam size. Calculations of the absorbed dose confirm that these crystals are likely to undergo radiation damage but that nonetheless incorporating multiple hits into damage-free data should lead to a significant reduction in the number of crystals required for structural analysis when compared to just looking at a single diffraction pattern from each crystal.
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Abstract
X-ray crystallography enables detailed structural studies of proteins to understand and modulate their function. Conducting crystallographic experiments at cryogenic temperatures has practical benefits but potentially limits the identification of functionally important alternative protein conformations that can be revealed only at room temperature (RT). This review discusses practical aspects of preparing, acquiring, and analyzing X-ray crystallography data at RT to demystify preconceived impracticalities that freeze progress of routine RT data collection at synchrotron sources. Examples are presented as conceptual and experimental templates to enable the design of RT-inspired studies; they illustrate the diversity and utility of gaining novel insights into protein conformational landscapes. An integrative view of protein conformational dynamics enables opportunities to advance basic and biomedical research.
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40
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Dynamic Structural Biology Experiments at XFEL or Synchrotron Sources. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2305:203-228. [PMID: 33950392 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1406-8_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Macromolecular crystallography (MX) leverages the methods of physics and the language of chemistry to reveal fundamental insights into biology. Often beautifully artistic images present MX results to support profound functional hypotheses that are vital to entire life science research community. Over the past several decades, synchrotrons around the world have been the workhorses for X-ray diffraction data collection at many highly automated beamlines. The newest tools include X-ray-free electron lasers (XFELs) located at facilities in the USA, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, and Germany that deliver about nine orders of magnitude higher brightness in discrete femtosecond long pulses. At each of these facilities, new serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) strategies exploit slurries of micron-size crystals by rapidly delivering individual crystals into the XFEL X-ray interaction region, from which one diffraction pattern is collected per crystal before it is destroyed by the intense X-ray pulse. Relatively simple adaptions to SFX methods produce time-resolved data collection strategies wherein reactions are triggered by visible light illumination or by chemical diffusion/mixing. Thus, XFELs provide new opportunities for high temporal and spatial resolution studies of systems engaged in function at physiological temperature. In this chapter, we summarize various issues related to microcrystal slurry preparation, sample delivery into the X-ray interaction region, and some emerging strategies for time-resolved SFX data collection.
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41
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Kilohertz Macromolecular Crystallography Using an EIGER Detector at Low X-ray Fluxes. CRYSTALS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst10121146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Time-resolved in-house macromolecular crystallography is primarily limited by the capabilities of the in-house X-ray sources. These sources can only provide a time-averaged structure of the macromolecules. A significant effort has been made in the development of in-house laser-driven ultrafast X-ray sources, with one of the goals as realizing the visualization of the structural dynamics of macromolecules at a very short timescale within the laboratory-scale infrastructure. Most of such in-house ultrafast X-ray sources are operated at high repetition rates and usually deliver very low flux. Therefore, the necessity of a detector that can operate at the repetition rate of the laser and perform extremely well under low flux conditions is essential. Here, we present experimental results demonstrating the usability of the hybrid-pixel detectors, such as Eiger X 1M, and provide experimental proof that they can be successfully operated to collect macromolecular crystallographic data up to a detector frame rate of 3 kHz from synchrotron sources. Our results also show that the data reduction and structural analysis are successful at such high frame rates and fluxes as low as 108 photons/s, which is comparable to the values expected from a typical laser-driven X-ray source.
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42
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The Specificity of Downstream Signaling for A 1 and A 2AR Does Not Depend on the C-Terminus, Despite the Importance of This Domain in Downstream Signaling Strength. Biomedicines 2020; 8:biomedicines8120603. [PMID: 33322210 PMCID: PMC7764039 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8120603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent efforts to determine the high-resolution crystal structures for the adenosine receptors (A1R and A2AR) have utilized modifications to the native receptors in order to facilitate receptor crystallization and structure determination. One common modification is a truncation of the unstructured C-terminus, which has been utilized for all the adenosine receptor crystal structures obtained to date. Ligand binding for this truncated receptor has been shown to be similar to full-length receptor for A2AR. However, the C-terminus has been identified as a location for protein-protein interactions that may be critical for the physiological function of these important drug targets. We show that variants with A2AR C-terminal truncations lacked cAMP-linked signaling compared to the full-length receptor constructs transfected into mammalian cells (HEK-293). In addition, we show that in a humanized yeast system, the absence of the full-length C-terminus affected downstream signaling using a yeast MAPK response-based fluorescence assay, though full-length receptors showed native-like G-protein coupling. To further study the G protein coupling, we used this humanized yeast platform to explore coupling to human-yeast G-protein chimeras in a cellular context. Although the C-terminus was essential for Gα protein-associated signaling, chimeras of A1R with a C-terminus of A2AR coupled to the A1R-specific Gα (i.e., Gαi1 versus Gαs). This surprising result suggests that the C-terminus is important in the signaling strength, but not specificity, of the Gα protein interaction. This result has further implications in drug discovery, both in enabling the experimental use of chimeras for ligand design, and in the cautious interpretation of structure-based drug design using truncated receptors.
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43
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Membrane protein crystallography in the era of modern structural biology. Biochem Soc Trans 2020; 48:2505-2524. [DOI: 10.1042/bst20200066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of structural biology has been always the study of biological macromolecules structures and their mechanistic behaviour at molecular level. To achieve its goal, multiple biophysical methods and approaches have become part of the structural biology toolbox. Considered as one of the pillars of structural biology, X-ray crystallography has been the most successful method for solving three-dimensional protein structures at atomic level to date. It is however limited by the success in obtaining well-ordered protein crystals that diffract at high resolution. This is especially true for challenging targets such as membrane proteins (MPs). Understanding structure-function relationships of MPs at the biochemical level is vital for medicine and drug discovery as they play critical roles in many cellular processes. Though difficult, structure determination of MPs by X-ray crystallography has significantly improved in the last two decades, mainly due to many relevant technological and methodological developments. Today, numerous MP crystal structures have been solved, revealing many of their mechanisms of action. Yet the field of structural biology has also been through significant technological breakthroughs in recent years, particularly in the fields of single particle electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs). Here we summarise the most important advancements in the field of MP crystallography and the significance of these developments in the present era of modern structural biology.
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Zhu L, Chen X, Abola EE, Jing L, Liu W. Serial Crystallography for Structure-Based Drug Discovery. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2020; 41:830-839. [PMID: 32950259 PMCID: PMC7572805 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2020.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Rational drug discovery has greatly accelerated the development of safer and more efficacious therapeutics, assisted significantly by insights from experimentally determined 3D structures of ligands in complex with their targets. Serial crystallography (SX) with X-ray free-electron lasers has enabled structural determination using micrometer- or nanometer-size crystals. This technology, applied in the past decade to solve structures of notoriously difficult-to-study drug targets at room temperature, has now been adapted for use in synchrotron radiation facilities. Ultrashort time scales allow time-resolved characterization of dynamic structural changes and pave the road to study the molecular mechanisms by 'molecular movie.' This article summarizes the latest progress in SX technology and deliberates its demanding applications in future structure-based drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Zhu
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Chen
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Enrique E Abola
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Liang Jing
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
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45
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Martiel I, Huang CY, Villanueva-Perez P, Panepucci E, Basu S, Caffrey M, Pedrini B, Bunk O, Stampanoni M, Wang M. Low-dose in situ prelocation of protein microcrystals by 2D X-ray phase-contrast imaging for serial crystallography. IUCRJ 2020; 7:1131-1141. [PMID: 33209324 PMCID: PMC7642777 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252520013238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Serial protein crystallography has emerged as a powerful method of data collection on small crystals from challenging targets, such as membrane proteins. Multiple microcrystals need to be located on large and often flat mounts while exposing them to an X-ray dose that is as low as possible. A crystal-prelocation method is demonstrated here using low-dose 2D full-field propagation-based X-ray phase-contrast imaging at the X-ray imaging beamline TOMCAT at the Swiss Light Source (SLS). This imaging step provides microcrystal coordinates for automated serial data collection at a microfocus macromolecular crystallography beamline on samples with an essentially flat geometry. This prelocation method was applied to microcrystals of a soluble protein and a membrane protein, grown in a commonly used double-sandwich in situ crystallization plate. The inner sandwiches of thin plastic film enclosing the microcrystals in lipid cubic phase were flash cooled and imaged at TOMCAT. Based on the obtained crystal coordinates, both still and rotation wedge serial data were collected automatically at the SLS PXI beamline, yielding in both cases a high indexing rate. This workflow can be easily implemented at many synchrotron facilities using existing equipment, or potentially integrated as an online technique in the next-generation macromolecular crystallography beamline, and thus benefit a number of dose-sensitive challenging protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Martiel
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Chia-Ying Huang
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Pablo Villanueva-Perez
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
- Synchrotron Radiation Research and NanoLund, Lund University, Box 118, Lund, 221 00, Sweden
| | - Ezequiel Panepucci
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Shibom Basu
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
- EMBL Grenoble, 71 avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble, 38042, France
| | - Martin Caffrey
- School of Medicine and School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College, Dublin 2, D02 R590, Ireland
| | - Bill Pedrini
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Bunk
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
| | - Marco Stampanoni
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8092, Switzerland
| | - Meitian Wang
- Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen, 5232, Switzerland
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Lee MY, Geiger J, Ishchenko A, Han GW, Barty A, White TA, Gati C, Batyuk A, Hunter MS, Aquila A, Boutet S, Weierstall U, Cherezov V, Liu W. Harnessing the power of an X-ray laser for serial crystallography of membrane proteins crystallized in lipidic cubic phase. IUCRJ 2020; 7:976-984. [PMID: 33209312 PMCID: PMC7642783 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252520012701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) with X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has proven highly successful for structure determination of challenging membrane proteins crystallized in lipidic cubic phase; however, like most techniques, it has limitations. Here we attempt to address some of these limitations related to the use of a vacuum chamber and the need for attenuation of the XFEL beam, in order to further improve the efficiency of this method. Using an optimized SFX experimental setup in a helium atmosphere, the room-temperature structure of the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AAR) at 2.0 Å resolution is determined and compared with previous A2AAR structures determined in vacuum and/or at cryogenic temperatures. Specifically, the capability of utilizing high XFEL beam transmissions is demonstrated, in conjunction with a high dynamic range detector, to collect high-resolution SFX data while reducing crystalline material consumption and shortening the collection time required for a complete dataset. The experimental setup presented herein can be applied to future SFX applications for protein nanocrystal samples to aid in structure-based discovery efforts of therapeutic targets that are difficult to crystallize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Yue Lee
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604, USA
| | - James Geiger
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604, USA
| | - Andrii Ishchenko
- Bridge Institute, Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, 1002 W. Childs Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Gye Won Han
- Bridge Institute, Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, 1002 W. Childs Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Anton Barty
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas A White
- Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cornelius Gati
- LCLS, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Alexander Batyuk
- LCLS, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Mark S Hunter
- LCLS, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Andrew Aquila
- LCLS, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Sébastien Boutet
- LCLS, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Uwe Weierstall
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604, USA
| | - Vadim Cherezov
- Bridge Institute, Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, 1002 W. Childs Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Center for Applied Structural Discovery at the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604, USA
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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47
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Zhao FZ, Sun B, Yu L, Xiao QJ, Wang ZJ, Chen LL, Liang H, Wang QS, He JH, Yin DC. A novel sample delivery system based on circular motion for in situ serial synchrotron crystallography. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:3888-3898. [PMID: 32966481 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00443j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A sample delivery system is one of the key parts of serial crystallography. It is the main limiting factor affecting the application of serial crystallography. At present, although a variety of useful sample delivery systems have been developed for serial crystallography, it still remains the focus of the field to further improve the performance and efficiency of sample delivery. In existing sample delivery technologies, samples are usually delivered in linear motion. Here we show that the samples can also be delivered using circular motion, which is a novel motion mode never tested before. In this paper, we report a microfluidic rotating-target sample delivery device, which is characterized by the circular motion of the samples, and verify the performance of the device at a synchrotron radiation facility. The microfluidic rotating-target sample delivery device consists of two parts: a microfluidic sample plate and a motion control system. Sample delivery is realized by rotating the microfluidic sample plate containing in situ grown crystals. This device offers significant advantages, including a very wide adjustable range of delivery speed, low background noise, and low sample consumption. Using the microfluidic rotating-target device, we carried out in situ serial crystallography experiments with lysozyme and proteinase K as model samples at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, and performed structural determination based on the serial crystallographic data. The results showed that the designed device is fully compatible with the synchrotron radiation facility, and the structure determination of proteins is successful using the serial crystallographic data obtained with the device.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Zhu Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Bo Sun
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Yu
- Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
| | - Qing-Jie Xiao
- Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhi-Jun Wang
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Liang-Liang Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Huan Liang
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Qi-Sheng Wang
- Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian-Hua He
- Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. and The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Da-Chuan Yin
- School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China. and Shenzhen Research Institute, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Shenzhen, China
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Zhu L, Bu G, Jing L, Shi D, Lee MY, Gonen T, Liu W, Nannenga BL. Structure Determination from Lipidic Cubic Phase Embedded Microcrystals by MicroED. Structure 2020; 28:1149-1159.e4. [PMID: 32735770 PMCID: PMC7544639 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2020.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The lipidic cubic phase (LCP) technique has proved to facilitate the growth of high-quality crystals that are otherwise difficult to grow by other methods. However, the crystal size optimization process could be time and resource consuming, if it ever happens. Therefore, improved techniques for structure determination using these small crystals is an important strategy in diffraction technology development. Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) is a technique that uses a cryo-transmission electron microscopy to collect electron diffraction data and determine high-resolution structures from very thin micro- and nanocrystals. In this work, we have used modified LCP and MicroED protocols to analyze crystals embedded in LCP converted by 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol or lipase, including Proteinase K crystals grown in solution, cholesterol crystals, and human adenosine A2A receptor crystals grown in LCP. These results set the stage for the use of MicroED to analyze microcrystalline samples grown in LCP, especially for those highly challenging membrane protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Zhu
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, 551 East University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Guanhong Bu
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Liang Jing
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, 551 East University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Dan Shi
- Structural Biophysics Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Ming-Yue Lee
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, 551 East University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Tamir Gonen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, 551 East University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
| | - Brent L Nannenga
- Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 727 East Tyler Street, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
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49
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Shilova A, Lebrette H, Aurelius O, Nan J, Welin M, Kovacic R, Ghosh S, Safari C, Friel RJ, Milas M, Matej Z, Högbom M, Brändén G, Kloos M, Shoeman RL, Doak B, Ursby T, Håkansson M, Logan DT, Mueller U. Current status and future opportunities for serial crystallography at MAX IV Laboratory. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2020; 27:1095-1102. [PMID: 32876583 PMCID: PMC7467353 DOI: 10.1107/s1600577520008735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Over the last decade, serial crystallography, a method to collect complete diffraction datasets from a large number of microcrystals delivered and exposed to an X-ray beam in random orientations at room temperature, has been successfully implemented at X-ray free-electron lasers and synchrotron radiation facility beamlines. This development relies on a growing variety of sample presentation methods, including different fixed target supports, injection methods using gas-dynamic virtual-nozzle injectors and high-viscosity extrusion injectors, and acoustic levitation of droplets, each with unique requirements. In comparison with X-ray free-electron lasers, increased beam time availability makes synchrotron facilities very attractive to perform serial synchrotron X-ray crystallography (SSX) experiments. Within this work, the possibilities to perform SSX at BioMAX, the first macromolecular crystallography beamline at MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden, are described, together with case studies from the SSX user program: an implementation of a high-viscosity extrusion injector to perform room temperature serial crystallography at BioMAX using two solid supports - silicon nitride membranes (Silson, UK) and XtalTool (Jena Bioscience, Germany). Future perspectives for the dedicated serial crystallography beamline MicroMAX at MAX IV Laboratory, which will provide parallel and intense micrometre-sized X-ray beams, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasya Shilova
- MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, Fotongatan 2, Lund 22484, Sweden
| | - Hugo Lebrette
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16 C, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
| | - Oskar Aurelius
- MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, Fotongatan 2, Lund 22484, Sweden
| | - Jie Nan
- MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, Fotongatan 2, Lund 22484, Sweden
| | - Martin Welin
- SARomics Biostructures, Medicon Village, Scheeletorget 1, Lund 22363, Sweden
| | - Rebeka Kovacic
- SARomics Biostructures, Medicon Village, Scheeletorget 1, Lund 22363, Sweden
| | - Swagatha Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Cecilia Safari
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Ross J. Friel
- School of Information Technology, Halmstad University, Halmstad 30118, Sweden
| | - Mirko Milas
- MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, Fotongatan 2, Lund 22484, Sweden
| | - Zdenek Matej
- MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, Fotongatan 2, Lund 22484, Sweden
| | - Martin Högbom
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16 C, Stockholm 10691, Sweden
| | - Gisela Brändén
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Marco Kloos
- European XFEL GmbH, Holzkoppel 4, 22869 Schenefeld, Germany
| | - Robert L. Shoeman
- Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bruce Doak
- Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Ursby
- MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, Fotongatan 2, Lund 22484, Sweden
| | - Maria Håkansson
- SARomics Biostructures, Medicon Village, Scheeletorget 1, Lund 22363, Sweden
| | - Derek T. Logan
- SARomics Biostructures, Medicon Village, Scheeletorget 1, Lund 22363, Sweden
| | - Uwe Mueller
- MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, Fotongatan 2, Lund 22484, Sweden
- Macromolecular Crystallography Group, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
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50
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Nam KH. Lard Injection Matrix for Serial Crystallography. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21175977. [PMID: 32825186 PMCID: PMC7504126 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21175977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Serial crystallography (SX) using X-ray free electron laser or synchrotron X-ray allows for the determination of structures, at room temperature, with reduced radiation damage. Moreover, it allows for the study of structural dynamics of macromolecules using a time-resolved pump-probe, as well as mix-and-inject experiments. Delivering a crystal sample using a viscous medium decreases sample consumption by lowering the flow rate while being extruded from the injector or syringe as compared to a liquid jet injector. Since the environment of crystal samples varies, continuous development of the delivery medium is important for extended SX applications. Herein, I report the preparation and characterization of a lard-based sample delivery medium for SX. This material was obtained using heat treatment, and then the soluble impurities were removed through phase separation. The lard injection medium was highly stable and could be injected via a syringe needle extruded at room temperature with a flow rate < 200 nL/min. Serial millisecond crystallography experiments were performed using lard, and the room temperature structures of lysozyme and glucose isomerase embedded in lard at 1.75 and 1.80 Å, respectively, were determined. The lard medium showed X-ray background scattering similar or relatively lower than shortenings and lipidic cubic phase; therefore, it can be used as sample delivery medium in SX experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki Hyun Nam
- Department of Life Science, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Korea
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