Class A β-lactamases as versatile scaffolds to create hybrid enzymes: applications from basic research to medicine

1H, 13C and 15N backbone resonance assignments of the β-lactamase BlaP from Bacillus licheniformis 749/C and two mutational variants

Class A β-lactamases have been widely used as versatile scaffolds to create hybrid (or chimeric) proteins for a series of applications ranging from basic research to medicine. We have, in particular, used the β-lactamase BlaP from Bacillus licheniformis 749/C (BlaP) as a protein scaffold to create model polyglutamine (polyQ) proteins in order to better understand the mechanism(s) by which an expanded polyQ sequence triggers the formation of amyloid fibrils. The model chimeras were designed by inserting a polyQ sequence of various lengths at two different locations within BlaP (i.e. position 197 or position 216) allowing a detailed comparison of the effects of subtle differences in the environment of the polyQ sequence on its ability to trigger protein aggregation. In order to investigate the effects of the polyQ insertion at both positions on the structure, stability and dynamics of BlaP, a series of NMR experiments including H/D exchange are foreseen. Accordingly, as necessitated by these studies, here we report the NMR assignment of the wild-type BlaP (BlaP-WT) and of the two reference proteins, BlaP197Q0 and BlaP216Q0, wherein a Pro-Gly dipeptide has been introduced at position 197 and 216, respectively; this dipeptide originates from the addition of the Sma1 restriction site at the genetic level to allow further polyQ sequence insertion.

In vitro aggregating β-lactamase-polyQ chimeras do not induce toxic effects in an in vivo Caenorhabditis elegans model

BACKGROUND

A series of human diseases are caused by the misfolding and aggregation of specific proteins or peptides into amyloid fibrils; nine of these diseases, referred to as polyglutamine diseases, are associated with proteins carrying an expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) region. While the presence of this latter is thought to be the determinant factor for the development of polyQ diseases, the non-polyQ regions of the host proteins are thought to play a significant modulating role.

METHOD

In order to better understand the role of non-polyQ regions, the toxic effects of model proteins bearing different polyQ regions (containing up to 79 residues) embedded at two distinct locations within the β-lactamase (BlaP) host enzyme were evaluated in Caenorhabditis elegans. This small organism can be advantageous for the validation of in vitro findings, as it provides a multicellular context yet avoids the typical complexity of common studies relying on vertebrate models. Several phenotypic assays were performed in order to screen for potential toxic effects of the different BlaP-polyQ proteins.

RESULTS

Despite the significant in vitro aggregation of BlaP-polyQ proteins with long polyQ regions, none of the BlaP-polyQ chimeras aggregated in the generated transgenic in vivo models.

CONCLUSION

The absence of a toxic effect of the expression of BlaP-polyQ chimeras may find its cause in biochemical mechanisms present in vivo to cope with protein aggregation (e.g. presence of chaperones) or in C. elegans' limitations such as its short lifespan. It is plausible that the aggregation propensities of the different BlaP chimeras containing embedded polyQ sequences are too low in this in vivo environment to permit their aggregation. These experiments emphasize the need for several comparative and in vivo verification studies of biologically relevant in vitro findings, which reveal both the strengths and limitations of widely used model systems.

Influence of the protein context on the polyglutamine length-dependent elongation of amyloid fibrils

Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, including Huntington's disease, are neurodegenerative disorders associated with the abnormal expansion of a polyQ tract within nine proteins. The polyQ expansion is thought to be a major determinant in the development of neurotoxicity, triggering protein aggregation into amyloid fibrils, although non-polyQ regions play a modulating role. In this work, we investigate the relative importance of the polyQ length, its location within a host protein, and the conformational state of the latter in the amyloid fibril elongation. Model polyQ proteins made of the β-lactamase BlaP containing up to 79Q inserted at two different positions, and quartz crystal microbalance and atomic force microscopy were used for this purpose. We demonstrate that, independently of the polyQ tract location and the conformational state of the host protein, the relative elongation rate of fibrils increases linearly with the polyQ length. The slope of the linear fit is similar for both sets of chimeras (i.e., the elongation rate increases by ~1.9% for each additional glutamine), and is also similar to that previously observed for polyQ peptides. The elongation rate is, however, strongly influenced by the location of the polyQ tract within BlaP and the conformational state of BlaP. Moreover, comparison of our results with those previously reported for aggregation in solution indicates that these two parameters also modulate the ability of BlaP-polyQ chimeras to form the aggregation nucleus. Altogether our results suggest that non-polyQ regions are valuable targets in order to interfere with the process of amyloid fibril formation associated with polyQ diseases.