1
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Hazra M, Levy Y. Cross-Talk of Cation-π Interactions with Electrostatic and Aromatic Interactions: A Salt-Dependent Trade-off in Biomolecular Condensates. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:8460-8469. [PMID: 37721444 PMCID: PMC10544028 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c01642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates are essential for cellular functionality, yet the complex interplay among the diverse molecular interactions that mediate their formation remains poorly understood. Here, using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, we address the contribution of cation-π interactions to the stability of condensates formed via liquid-liquid phase separation. We found greater stabilization of up to 80% via cation-π interactions in condensates formed from peptides with higher aromatic residue content or less charge clustering. The contribution of cation-π interactions to droplet stability increases with increasing ionic strength, suggesting a trade-off between cation-π and electrostatic interactions. Cation-π interactions, therefore, can compensate for reduced electrostatic interactions, such as occurs at higher salt concentrations and in sequences with less charged residue content or clustering. Designing condensates with desired biophysical characteristics therefore requires quantification not only of the individual interactions but also cross-talks involving charge-charge, π-π, and cation-π interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan
Kumar Hazra
- Department of Chemical and
Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of
Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Yaakov Levy
- Department of Chemical and
Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of
Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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2
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Qin S, Zhou HX. Atomistic modeling of liquid-liquid phase equilibrium explains dependence of critical temperature on γ-crystallin sequence. Commun Biol 2023; 6:886. [PMID: 37644195 PMCID: PMC10465548 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05270-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation of protein solutions has regained heightened attention for its biological importance and pathogenic relevance. Coarse-grained models are limited when explaining residue-level effects on phase equilibrium. Here we report phase diagrams for γ-crystallins using atomistic modeling. The calculations were made possible by combining our FMAP method for computing chemical potentials and Brownian dynamics simulations for configurational sampling of dense protein solutions, yielding the binodal and critic temperature (Tc). We obtain a higher Tc for a known high-Tc γ-crystallin, γF, than for a low-Tc paralog, γB. The difference in Tc is corroborated by a gap in second virial coefficient. Decomposition of inter-protein interactions reveals one amino-acid substitution between γB and γF, from Ser to Trp at position 130, as the major contributor to the difference in Tc. This type of analysis enables us to link phase equilibrium to amino-acid sequence and to design mutations for altering phase equilibrium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanbo Qin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
| | - Huan-Xiang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA.
- Department of Physics, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA.
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3
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Ng SC, Biswas A, Huyton T, Schünemann J, Reber S, Görlich D. Barrier properties of Nup98 FG phases ruled by FG motif identity and inter-FG spacer length. Nat Commun 2023; 14:747. [PMID: 36765044 PMCID: PMC9918544 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36331-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Nup98 FG repeat domains comprise hydrophobic FG motifs linked through uncharged spacers. FG motifs capture nuclear transport receptors (NTRs) during nuclear pore complex (NPC) passage, confer inter-repeat cohesion, and condense the domains into a selective phase with NPC-typical barrier properties. We show that shortening inter-FG spacers enhances cohesion, increases phase density, and tightens such barrier - all consistent with a sieve-like phase. Phase separation tolerates mutating the Nup98-typical GLFG motifs, provided domain-hydrophobicity remains preserved. NTR-entry, however, is sensitive to (certain) deviations from canonical FG motifs, suggesting co-evolutionary adaptation. Unexpectedly, we observed that arginines promote FG-phase-entry apparently also by hydrophobic interactions/ hydrogen-bonding and not just through cation-π interactions. Although incompatible with NTR·cargo complexes, a YG phase displays remarkable transport selectivity, particularly for engineered GFPNTR-variants. GLFG to FSFG mutations make the FG phase hypercohesive, precluding NTR-entry. Extending spacers relaxes this hypercohesion. Thus, antagonism between cohesion and NTR·FG interactions is key to transport selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheung Chun Ng
- Department of Cellular Logistics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Abin Biswas
- Quantitative Biology, IRI Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biological Optomechanics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Trevor Huyton
- Department of Cellular Logistics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Schünemann
- Department of Cellular Logistics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Simone Reber
- Quantitative Biology, IRI Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dirk Görlich
- Department of Cellular Logistics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany.
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4
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Lin YH, Wessén J, Pal T, Das S, Chan HS. Numerical Techniques for Applications of Analytical Theories to Sequence-Dependent Phase Separations of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2563:51-94. [PMID: 36227468 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2663-4_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates, physically underpinned to a significant extent by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), are now widely recognized by numerous experimental studies to be of fundamental biological, biomedical, and biophysical importance. In the face of experimental discoveries, analytical formulations emerged as a powerful yet tractable tool in recent theoretical investigations of the role of LLPS in the assembly and dissociation of these condensates. The pertinent LLPS often involves, though not exclusively, intrinsically disordered proteins engaging in multivalent interactions that are governed by their amino acid sequences. For researchers interested in applying these theoretical methods, here we provide a practical guide to a set of computational techniques devised for extracting sequence-dependent LLPS properties from analytical formulations. The numerical procedures covered include those for the determination of spinodal and binodal phase boundaries from a general free energy function with examples based on the random phase approximation in polymer theory, construction of tie lines for multiple-component LLPS, and field-theoretic simulation of multiple-chain heteropolymeric systems using complex Langevin dynamics. Since a more accurate physical picture often requires comparing analytical theory against explicit-chain model predictions, a commonly utilized methodology for coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of sequence-specific LLPS is also briefly outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Hsuan Lin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Molecular Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jonas Wessén
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Tanmoy Pal
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Suman Das
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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5
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Wessén J, Das S, Pal T, Chan HS. Analytical Formulation and Field-Theoretic Simulation of Sequence-Specific Phase Separation of Protein-Like Heteropolymers with Short- and Long-Spatial-Range Interactions. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:9222-9245. [PMID: 36343363 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c06181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A theory for sequence-dependent liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) in the study of biomolecular condensates is formulated by extending the random phase approximation (RPA) and field-theoretic simulation (FTS) of heteropolymers with spatially long-range Coulomb interactions to include the fundamental effects of short-range, hydrophobic-like interactions between amino acid residues. To this end, short-range effects are modeled by Yukawa interactions between multiple nonelectrostatic charges derived from an eigenvalue decomposition of pairwise residue-residue contact energies. Chain excluded volume is afforded by incompressibility constraints. A mean-field approximation leads to an effective Flory-Huggins χ parameter, which, in conjunction with RPA, accounts for the contact-interaction effects of amino acid composition and the sequence-pattern effects of long-range electrostatics in IDP LLPS, whereas FTS based on the formulation provides full sequence dependence for both short- and long-range interactions. This general approach is illustrated here by applications to variants of a natural IDP in the context of several different amino-acid interaction schemes as well as a set of different model hydrophobic-polar sequences sharing the same composition. Effectiveness of the methodology is verified by coarse-grained explicit-chain molecular dynamics simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Wessén
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Suman Das
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Tanmoy Pal
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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6
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A simple thermodynamic description of phase separation of Nup98 FG domains. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6172. [PMID: 36257947 PMCID: PMC9579204 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33697-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The permeability barrier of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) controls nucleocytoplasmic transport. It retains inert macromolecules but allows facilitated passage of nuclear transport receptors that shuttle cargoes into or out of nuclei. The barrier can be described as a condensed phase assembled from cohesive FG repeat domains, including foremost the charge-depleted FG domain of Nup98. We found that Nup98 FG domains show an LCST-type phase separation, and we provide comprehensive and orthogonal experimental datasets for a quantitative description of this behaviour. A derived thermodynamic model correlates saturation concentration with repeat number, temperature, and ionic strength. It allows estimating the enthalpy, entropy, and ΔG (0.2 kJ/mol, 0.1 kB·T) contributions per repeat to phase separation and inter-repeat cohesion. While changing the cohesion strength strongly impacts the strictness of barrier, these numbers provide boundary conditions for in-depth modelling not only of barrier assembly but also of NPC passage.
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7
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Liu J, Zhorabek F, Dai X, Huang J, Chau Y. Minimalist Design of an Intrinsically Disordered Protein-Mimicking Scaffold for an Artificial Membraneless Organelle. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2022; 8:493-500. [PMID: 35505868 PMCID: PMC9052801 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.1c01021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is an emerging and universal mechanism for intracellular organization, particularly, by forming membraneless organelles (MLOs) hosting intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) as scaffolds. Genetic engineering is generally applied to reconstruct IDPs harboring over 100 amino acid residues. Here, we report the first design of synthetic hybrids consisting of short oligopeptides of fewer than 10 residues as "stickers" and dextran as a "spacer" to recapitulate the characteristics of IDPs, as exemplified by the multivalent FUS protein. Hybrids undergo LLPS into micron-sized liquid droplets resembling LLPS in vitro and in living cells. Moreover, the droplets formed are capable of recruiting proteins and RNAs and providing a favorable environment for a biochemical reaction with highly enriched components, thereby mimicking the function of natural MLOs. This simple yet versatile model system can help elucidate the molecular interactions implicated in MLOs and pave ways to a new type of biomimetic materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhui Liu
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Fariza Zhorabek
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xin Dai
- Department
of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology, Clear Water
Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jinqing Huang
- Department
of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology, Clear Water
Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ying Chau
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
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8
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Najbauer EE, Ng SC, Griesinger C, Görlich D, Andreas LB. Atomic resolution dynamics of cohesive interactions in phase-separated Nup98 FG domains. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1494. [PMID: 35314668 PMCID: PMC8938434 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28821-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cohesive FG domains assemble into a condensed phase forming the selective permeability barrier of nuclear pore complexes. Nanoscopic insight into fundamental cohesive interactions has long been hampered by the sequence heterogeneity of native FG domains. We overcome this challenge by utilizing an engineered perfectly repetitive sequence and a combination of solution and magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy. We map the dynamics of cohesive interactions in both phase-separated and soluble states at atomic resolution using TROSY for rotational correlation time (TRACT) measurements. We find that FG repeats exhibit nanosecond-range rotational correlation times and remain disordered in both states, although FRAP measurements show slow translation of phase-separated FG domains. NOESY measurements enable the direct detection of contacts involved in cohesive interactions. Finally, increasing salt concentration and temperature enhance phase separation and decrease local mobility of FG repeats. This lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behaviour indicates that cohesive interactions are driven by entropy. The permeability barrier of nuclear pores is formed by disordered and yet self-interacting FG repeat domains, whose sequence heterogeneity is a challenge for mechanistic insights. Here the authors overcome this challenge and characterize the protein’s dynamics by applying NMR techniques to an FG phase system that has been simplified to its essentials.
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9
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Salem A, Wilson CJ, Rutledge BS, Dilliott A, Farhan S, Choy WY, Duennwald ML. Matrin3: Disorder and ALS Pathogenesis. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 8:794646. [PMID: 35083279 PMCID: PMC8784776 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.794646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the degeneration of both upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. ALS is associated with protein misfolding and inclusion formation involving RNA-binding proteins, including TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) and fused in sarcoma (FUS). The 125-kDa Matrin3 is a highly conserved nuclear DNA/RNA-binding protein that is implicated in many cellular processes, including binding and stabilizing mRNA, regulating mRNA nuclear export, modulating alternative splicing, and managing chromosomal distribution. Mutations in MATR3, the gene encoding Matrin3, have been identified as causal in familial ALS (fALS). Matrin3 lacks a prion-like domain that characterizes many other ALS-associated RNA-binding proteins, including TDP-43 and FUS, however, our bioinformatics analyses and preliminary studies document that Matrin3 contains long intrinsically disordered regions that may facilitate promiscuous interactions with many proteins and may contribute to its misfolding. In addition, these disordered regions in Matrin3 undergo numerous post-translational modifications, including phosphorylation, ubiquitination and acetylation that modulate the function and misfolding of the protein. Here we discuss the disordered nature of Matrin3 and review the factors that may promote its misfolding and aggregation, two elements that might explain its role in ALS pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Salem
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Carter J. Wilson
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Benjamin S. Rutledge
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Allison Dilliott
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill Universty, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sali Farhan
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill Universty, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill Universty, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Wing-Yiu Choy
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Martin L. Duennwald
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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10
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Joseph JA, Reinhardt A, Aguirre A, Chew PY, Russell KO, Espinosa JR, Garaizar A, Collepardo-Guevara R. Physics-driven coarse-grained model for biomolecular phase separation with near-quantitative accuracy. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2021; 1:732-743. [PMID: 35795820 PMCID: PMC7612994 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-021-00155-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Various physics- and data-driven sequence-dependent protein coarse-grained models have been developed to study biomolecular phase separation and elucidate the dominant physicochemical driving forces. Here, we present Mpipi, a multiscale coarse-grained model that describes almost quantitatively the change in protein critical temperatures as a function of amino-acid sequence. The model is parameterised from both atomistic simulations and bioinformatics data and accounts for the dominant role of π-π and hybrid cation-π/π-π interactions and the much stronger attractive contacts established by arginines than lysines. We provide a comprehensive set of benchmarks for Mpipi and seven other residue-level coarse-grained models against experimental radii of gyration and quantitative in-vitro phase diagrams; Mpipi predictions agree well with experiment on both fronts. Moreover, it can account for protein-RNA interactions, correctly predicts the multiphase behaviour of a charge-matched poly-arginine/poly-lysine/RNA system, and recapitulates experimental LLPS trends for sequence mutations on FUS, DDX4 and LAF-1 proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerelle A. Joseph
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Aleks Reinhardt
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Anne Aguirre
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Pin Yu Chew
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Kieran O. Russell
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Jorge R. Espinosa
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Adiran Garaizar
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Rosana Collepardo-Guevara
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1EW, UK
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, UK
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH, UK
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11
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Song J, Li J, Chan HS. Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Signatures of Conformational Heterogeneity and Homogeneity of Disordered Protein Ensembles. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:6451-6478. [PMID: 34115515 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c02453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
An accurate account of disordered protein conformations is of central importance to deciphering the physicochemical basis of biological functions of intrinsically disordered proteins and the folding-unfolding energetics of globular proteins. Physically, disordered ensembles of nonhomopolymeric polypeptides are expected to be heterogeneous, i.e., they should differ from those homogeneous ensembles of homopolymers that harbor an essentially unique relationship between average values of end-to-end distance REE and radius of gyration Rg. It was posited recently, however, that small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data on conformational dimensions of disordered proteins can be rationalized almost exclusively by homopolymer ensembles. Assessing this perspective, chain-model simulations are used to evaluate the discriminatory power of SAXS-determined molecular form factors (MFFs) with regard to homogeneous versus heterogeneous ensembles. The general approach adopted here is not bound by any assumption about ensemble encodability, in that the postulated heterogeneous ensembles we evaluated are not restricted to those entailed by simple interaction schemes. Our analysis of MFFs for certain heterogeneous ensembles with more narrowly distributed REE and Rg indicates that while they deviate from MFFs of homogeneous ensembles, the differences can be rather small. Remarkably, some heterogeneous ensembles with asphericity and REE drastically different from those of homogeneous ensembles can nonetheless exhibit practically identical MFFs, demonstrating that SAXS MFFs do not afford unique characterizations of basic properties of conformational ensembles in general. In other words, the ensemble to MFF mapping is practically many-to-one and likely nonsmooth. Heteropolymeric variations of the REE-Rg relationship were further showcased using an analytical perturbation theory developed here for flexible heteropolymers. Ramifications of our findings for interpretation of experimental data are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhui Song
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao 266042, China
| | - Jichen Li
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, 53 Zhengzhou Road, Qingdao 266042, China
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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12
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Pal T, Wessén J, Das S, Chan HS. Subcompartmentalization of polyampholyte species in organelle-like condensates is promoted by charge-pattern mismatch and strong excluded-volume interaction. Phys Rev E 2021; 103:042406. [PMID: 34005864 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.103.042406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Polyampholyte field theory and explicit-chain molecular dynamics models of sequence-specific phase separation of a system with two intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) species indicate consistently that a substantial polymer excluded volume and a significant mismatch of the IDP sequence charge patterns can act in concert, but not in isolation, to demix the two IDP species upon condensation. This finding reveals an energetic-geometric interplay in a stochastic, "fuzzy" molecular recognition mechanism that may facilitate subcompartmentalization of membraneless organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanmoy Pal
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Jonas Wessén
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Suman Das
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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13
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Nosella ML, Forman-Kay JD. Phosphorylation-dependent regulation of messenger RNA transcription, processing and translation within biomolecular condensates. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2021; 69:30-40. [PMID: 33450720 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2020.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Regulation of messenger RNA (mRNA) transcription, processing and translation occurs in the context of biomolecular condensates. How the physical properties of condensates connect with their biological regulatory functions is an ongoing area of interest, particularly for RNA metabolic pathways. Phosphorylation has emerged as an important mechanism for regulating protein phase separation propensities and localization patterns into different condensates, affecting compositions and dynamics. Key factors in transcription, mRNA processing and translation exhibit such phosphorylation-dependent changes in their roles within condensates, including their catalytic activities. Phosphorylation is increasingly understood to regulate the exchange of proteins through functionally linked condensates to fulfil their mRNA metabolic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Nosella
- Molecular Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Julie D Forman-Kay
- Molecular Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada.
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14
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Zheng W, Dignon GL, Jovic N, Xu X, Regy RM, Fawzi NL, Kim YC, Best RB, Mittal J. Molecular Details of Protein Condensates Probed by Microsecond Long Atomistic Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:11671-11679. [PMID: 33302617 PMCID: PMC7879053 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c10489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The formation of membraneless organelles in cells commonly occurs via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and is in many cases driven by multivalent interactions between intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Investigating the nature of these interactions, and their effect on dynamics within the condensed phase, is therefore of critical importance but very challenging for either simulation or experiment. Here, we study these interactions and their dynamics by pairing a novel multiscale simulation strategy with microsecond all-atom MD simulations of a condensed, IDP-rich phase. We simulate two IDPs this way, the low complexity domain of FUS and the N-terminal disordered domain of LAF-1, and find good agreement with experimental information about average density, water content, and residue-residue contacts. We go significantly beyond what is known from experiments by showing that ion partitioning within the condensed phase is largely driven by the charge distribution of the proteins and-in the cases considered-shows little evidence of preferential interactions of the ions with the proteins. Furthermore, we can probe the microscopic diffusive dynamics within the condensed phase, showing that water and ions are in dynamic equilibrium between dense and dilute phases, and their diffusion is reduced in the dense phase. Despite their high concentration in the condensate, the protein molecules also remain mobile, explaining the observed liquid-like properties of this phase. We finally show that IDP self-association is driven by a combination of nonspecific hydrophobic interactions as well as hydrogen bonds, salt bridges, and π-π and cation-π interactions. The simulation approach presented here allows the structural and dynamical properties of biomolecular condensates to be studied in microscopic detail and is generally applicable to single- and multicomponent systems of proteins and nucleic acids involved in LLPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenwei Zheng
- College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University, Mesa, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Gregory L Dignon
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Nina Jovic
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Xichen Xu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Roshan M Regy
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Nicolas L Fawzi
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, United States
| | - Young C Kim
- Center for Materials Physics and Technology, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375, United States
| | - Robert B Best
- Laboratory of Chemical Physics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Jeetain Mittal
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
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15
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Das S, Lin YH, Vernon RM, Forman-Kay JD, Chan HS. Comparative roles of charge, π, and hydrophobic interactions in sequence-dependent phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:28795-28805. [PMID: 33139563 PMCID: PMC7682375 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2008122117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Endeavoring toward a transferable, predictive coarse-grained explicit-chain model for biomolecular condensates underlain by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins, we conducted multiple-chain simulations of the N-terminal intrinsically disordered region (IDR) of DEAD-box helicase Ddx4, as a test case, to assess roles of electrostatic, hydrophobic, cation-π, and aromatic interactions in amino acid sequence-dependent LLPS. We evaluated three different residue-residue interaction schemes with a shared electrostatic potential. Neither a common hydrophobicity scheme nor one augmented with arginine/lysine-aromatic cation-π interactions consistently accounted for available experimental LLPS data on the wild-type, a charge-scrambled, a phenylalanine-to-alanine (FtoA), and an arginine-to-lysine (RtoK) mutant of Ddx4 IDR. In contrast, interactions based on contact statistics among folded globular protein structures reproduce the overall experimental trend, including that the RtoK mutant has a much diminished LLPS propensity. Consistency between simulation and experiment was also found for RtoK mutants of P-granule protein LAF-1, underscoring that, to a degree, important LLPS-driving π-related interactions are embodied in classical statistical potentials. Further elucidation is necessary, however, especially of phenylalanine's role in condensate assembly because experiments on FtoA and tyrosine-to-phenylalanine mutants suggest that LLPS-driving phenylalanine interactions are significantly weaker than posited by common statistical potentials. Protein-protein electrostatic interactions are modulated by relative permittivity, which in general depends on aqueous protein concentration. Analytical theory suggests that this dependence entails enhanced interprotein interactions in the condensed phase but more favorable protein-solvent interactions in the dilute phase. The opposing trends lead to only a modest overall impact on LLPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suman Das
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Yi-Hsuan Lin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
- Molecular Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Robert M Vernon
- Molecular Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Julie D Forman-Kay
- Molecular Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada;
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16
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Paloni M, Bailly R, Ciandrini L, Barducci A. Unraveling Molecular Interactions in Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of Disordered Proteins by Atomistic Simulations. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:9009-9016. [PMID: 32936641 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c06288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Membraneless organelles are dynamical cellular condensates formed via biomolecular liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins and RNA molecules. Multiple evidence suggests that in several cases disordered proteins are structural scaffolds that drive the condensation by forming a dynamic network of inter- and intramolecular contacts. Despite the blooming research activity in this field, the structural characterization of these entities is very limited, and we still do not understand how the phase behavior is encoded in the amino acid sequences of the scaffolding proteins. Here we exploited explicit-solvent atomistic simulations to investigate the N-terminal disordered region of DEAD-box helicase 4 (NDDX4), which is a well-established model for phase separation. Notably, we determined NDDX4 conformational ensemble at the single-molecule level, and we relied on a "divide-and-conquer" strategy, based on simulations of various protein fragments at high concentration, to probe intermolecular interactions in conditions mimicking real condensates. Our results provide a high-resolution picture of the molecular mechanisms underlying phase separation in agreement with NMR and mutagenesis data and suggest that clusters of arginine and aromatic residues may stabilize the assembly of several condensates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Paloni
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Rémy Bailly
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Luca Ciandrini
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Alessandro Barducci
- Centre de Biochimie Structurale (CBS), INSERM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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17
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Amin AN, Lin YH, Das S, Chan HS. Analytical Theory for Sequence-Specific Binary Fuzzy Complexes of Charged Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:6709-6720. [PMID: 32639157 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c04575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are important for biological functions. In contrast to folded proteins, molecular recognition among certain IDPs is "fuzzy" in that their binding and/or phase separation are stochastically governed by the interacting IDPs' amino acid sequences, while their assembled conformations remain largely disordered. To help elucidate a basic aspect of this fascinating yet poorly understood phenomenon, the binding of a homo or heterodimeric pair of polyampholytic IDPs is modeled statistical mechanically using cluster expansion. We find that the binding affinities of binary fuzzy complexes in the model correlate strongly with a newly derived simple "joint sequence charge decoration" parameter readily calculable from the pair of IDPs' sequence charge patterns. Predictions by our analytical theory are in essential agreement with coarse-grained explicit-chain simulations. This computationally efficient theoretical framework is expected to be broadly applicable to rationalizing and predicting sequence-specific IDP-IDP polyelectrostatic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan N Amin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Yi-Hsuan Lin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada.,Molecular Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Suman Das
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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18
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Schuster BS, Dignon GL, Tang WS, Kelley FM, Ranganath AK, Jahnke CN, Simpkins AG, Regy RM, Hammer DA, Good MC, Mittal J. Identifying sequence perturbations to an intrinsically disordered protein that determine its phase-separation behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:11421-11431. [PMID: 32393642 PMCID: PMC7261017 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2000223117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) commonly underlies the formation of membraneless organelles, which compartmentalize molecules intracellularly in the absence of a lipid membrane. Identifying the protein sequence features responsible for IDP phase separation is critical for understanding physiological roles and pathological consequences of biomolecular condensation, as well as for harnessing phase separation for applications in bioinspired materials design. To expand our knowledge of sequence determinants of IDP phase separation, we characterized variants of the intrinsically disordered RGG domain from LAF-1, a model protein involved in phase separation and a key component of P granules. Based on a predictive coarse-grained IDP model, we identified a region of the RGG domain that has high contact probability and is highly conserved between species; deletion of this region significantly disrupts phase separation in vitro and in vivo. We determined the effects of charge patterning on phase behavior through sequence shuffling. We designed sequences with significantly increased phase separation propensity by shuffling the wild-type sequence, which contains well-mixed charged residues, to increase charge segregation. This result indicates the natural sequence is under negative selection to moderate this mode of interaction. We measured the contributions of tyrosine and arginine residues to phase separation experimentally through mutagenesis studies and computationally through direct interrogation of different modes of interaction using all-atom simulations. Finally, we show that despite these sequence perturbations, the RGG-derived condensates remain liquid-like. Together, these studies advance our fundamental understanding of key biophysical principles and sequence features important to phase separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin S Schuster
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854
| | - Gregory L Dignon
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| | - Wai Shing Tang
- Department of Physics, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912
| | - Fleurie M Kelley
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854
| | | | - Craig N Jahnke
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Alison G Simpkins
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Roshan Mammen Regy
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015
| | - Daniel A Hammer
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Matthew C Good
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Jeetain Mittal
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015;
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19
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Manguy J, Shields DC. Implications of kappa-casein evolutionary diversity for the self-assembly and aggregation of casein micelles. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190939. [PMID: 31824707 PMCID: PMC6837221 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Milk alpha-, beta- and kappa-casein proteins assemble into casein micelles in breast epithelial cells. The glycomacropeptide (GMP) tails of kappa-casein that extend from the surface of the micelle are key to assembly and aggregation. Aggregation is triggered by stomach pepsin cleavage of GMP from para-kappa-casein (PKC). While one casein micelle model emphasizes the importance of hydrophobic interactions, another focuses on polar residues. We performed an evolutionary analysis of kappa-casein primary sequence and predicted features that potentially impact on protein interactions. We noted more rapid change in the earlier period (166 to 60 Ma). Pepsin and plasmin cleavage sites were avoided in the GMP, which may partly explain its amino acid composition. Short tandem repeats have led to modest expansions of PKC, and to large GMP expansions, suggesting the GMP is less length constrained. Amino acid compositional constraints were assessed across species. Polarity and hydrophobicity properties were insufficient to explain differences between PKC and GMP. Among polar residues, threonine dominates the GMP, compared to serine, probably reflecting its preference for O-glycosylation over phosphorylation. Glutamine, enriched in the bovine PQ-rich region, is not positionally conserved in other species. Among hydrophobic residues, isoleucine is clearly preferred over leucine in the GMP, and patches of hydrophobicity are not markedly positionally conserved. PKC tyrosine and charged residues showed stronger conservation of position, suggesting a role for pi-interactions, seen in other structurally dynamic protein membraneless assemblies. Independent acquisitions of cysteines are consistent with a trend of increasing stabilization of multimers by covalent disulphide bonds, over evolutionary time. In conclusion, kappa-casein compositional and positional constraints appear to be influenced by modification preferences, protease evasion and protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Manguy
- UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- Food for Health Ireland, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Denis C. Shields
- UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
- Food for Health Ireland, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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20
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Cinar H, Fetahaj Z, Cinar S, Vernon RM, Chan HS, Winter RHA. Temperature, Hydrostatic Pressure, and Osmolyte Effects on Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation in Protein Condensates: Physical Chemistry and Biological Implications. Chemistry 2019; 25:13049-13069. [PMID: 31237369 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201902210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 06/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins and other biomolecules play a critical role in the organization of extracellular materials and membrane-less compartmentalization of intra-organismal spaces through the formation of condensates. Structural properties of such mesoscopic droplet-like states were studied by spectroscopy, microscopy, and other biophysical techniques. The temperature dependence of biomolecular LLPS has been studied extensively, indicating that phase-separated condensed states of proteins can be stabilized or destabilized by increasing temperature. In contrast, the physical and biological significance of hydrostatic pressure on LLPS is less appreciated. Summarized here are recent investigations of protein LLPS under pressures up to the kbar-regime. Strikingly, for the cases studied thus far, LLPSs of both globular proteins and intrinsically disordered proteins/regions are typically more sensitive to pressure than the folding of proteins, suggesting that organisms inhabiting the deep sea and sub-seafloor sediments, under pressures up to 1 kbar and beyond, have to mitigate this pressure-sensitivity to avoid unwanted destabilization of their functional biomolecular condensates. Interestingly, we found that trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), an osmolyte upregulated in deep-sea fish, can significantly stabilize protein droplets under pressure, pointing to another adaptive advantage for increased TMAO concentrations in deep-sea organisms besides the osmolyte's stabilizing effect against protein unfolding. As life on Earth might have originated in the deep sea, pressure-dependent LLPS is pertinent to questions regarding prebiotic proto-cells. Herein, we offer a conceptual framework for rationalizing the recent experimental findings and present an outline of the basic thermodynamics of temperature-, pressure-, and osmolyte-dependent LLPS as well as a molecular-level statistical mechanics picture in terms of solvent-mediated interactions and void volumes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasan Cinar
- Physical Chemistry I-Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Strasse 4a, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Zamira Fetahaj
- Physical Chemistry I-Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Strasse 4a, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Süleyman Cinar
- Physical Chemistry I-Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Strasse 4a, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Robert M Vernon
- Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Roland H A Winter
- Physical Chemistry I-Biophysical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn Strasse 4a, 44227, Dortmund, Germany
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21
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Szabo B, Horvath T, Schad E, Murvai N, Tantos A, Kalmar L, Chemes LB, Han KH, Tompa P. Intrinsically Disordered Linkers Impart Processivity on Enzymes by Spatial Confinement of Binding Domains. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20092119. [PMID: 31032817 PMCID: PMC6540235 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Processivity is common among enzymes and mechanochemical motors that synthesize, degrade, modify or move along polymeric substrates, such as DNA, RNA, polysaccharides or proteins. Processive enzymes can make multiple rounds of modification without releasing the substrate/partner, making their operation extremely effective and economical. The molecular mechanism of processivity is rather well understood in cases when the enzyme structurally confines the substrate, such as the DNA replication factor PCNA, and also when ATP energy is used to confine the succession of molecular events, such as with mechanochemical motors. Processivity may also result from the kinetic bias of binding imposed by spatial confinement of two binding elements connected by an intrinsically disordered (ID) linker. (2) Method: By statistical physical modeling, we show that this arrangement results in processive systems, in which the linker ensures an optimized effective concentration around novel binding site(s), favoring rebinding over full release of the polymeric partner. (3) Results: By analyzing 12 such proteins, such as cellulase, and RNAse-H, we illustrate that in these proteins linker length and flexibility, and the kinetic parameters of binding elements, are fine-tuned for optimizing processivity. We also report a conservation of structural disorder, special amino acid composition of linkers, and the correlation of their length with step size. (4) Conclusion: These observations suggest a unique type of entropic chain function of ID proteins, that may impart functional advantages on diverse enzymes in a variety of biological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Szabo
- Institute of Enzymology, Center of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary.
| | - Tamas Horvath
- Institute of Enzymology, Center of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary.
| | - Eva Schad
- Institute of Enzymology, Center of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary.
| | - Nikoletta Murvai
- Institute of Enzymology, Center of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary.
| | - Agnes Tantos
- Institute of Enzymology, Center of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary.
| | - Lajos Kalmar
- Institute of Enzymology, Center of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary.
| | - Lucía Beatriz Chemes
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas IIB-INTECH, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires 1650, Argentina.
| | - Kyou-Hoon Han
- Genome Editing Research Center, Division of Biomedical Science, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, Korea.
- Department of Nano and Bioinformatics, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 34113, Korea.
| | - Peter Tompa
- Institute of Enzymology, Center of Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest 1117, Hungary.
- VIB Center for Structural Biology, Vrije Univresiteit Brussel, 1050, Belgium.
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22
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Das S, Amin AN, Lin YH, Chan HS. Coarse-grained residue-based models of disordered protein condensates: utility and limitations of simple charge pattern parameters. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:28558-28574. [PMID: 30397688 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp05095c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Biomolecular condensates undergirded by phase separations of proteins and nucleic acids serve crucial biological functions. To gain physical insights into their genetic basis, we study how liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) depends on their sequence charge patterns using a continuum Langevin chain model wherein each amino acid residue is represented by a single bead. Charge patterns are characterized by the "blockiness" measure κ and the "sequence charge decoration" (SCD) parameter. Consistent with random phase approximation (RPA) theory and lattice simulations, LLPS propensity as characterized by critical temperature Tcr* increases with increasingly negative SCD for a set of sequences showing a positive correlation between κ and -SCD. Relative to RPA, the simulated sequence-dependent variation in Tcr* is often-though not always-smaller, whereas the simulated critical volume fractions are higher. However, for a set of sequences exhibiting an anti-correlation between κ and -SCD, the simulated Tcr*'s are quite insensitive to either parameter. Additionally, we find that blocky sequences that allow for strong electrostatic repulsion can lead to coexistence curves with upward concavity as stipulated by RPA, but the LLPS propensity of a strictly alternating charge sequence was likely overestimated by RPA and lattice models because interchain stabilization of this sequence requires spatial alignments that are difficult to achieve in real space. These results help delineate the utility and limitations of the charge pattern parameters and of RPA, pointing to further efforts necessary for rationalizing the newly observed subtleties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suman Das
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Building - 5th Fl., 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada.
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23
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Li KKC, Chau BL, Lee KAW. Differential interaction of PRMT1 with RGG-boxes of the FET family proteins EWS and TAF15. Protein Sci 2017; 27:633-642. [PMID: 29193371 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The FET sub-family (FUS/TLS, EWS, TAF15) of RNA-binding proteins have remarkably similar overall structure but diverse biological and pathological roles. The molecular basis for FET protein specialization is largely unknown. Gly-Arg-Rich regions (RGG-boxes) within FET proteins are targets for methylation by Protein-Arginine-Methyl-Transferase-1 (PRMT1) and substrate capture is thought to involve electrostatic attraction between positively charged polyRGG substrates and negatively charged surface channels of PRMT1. Unlike FUS and EWS, a high proportion of TAF15 RGG-boxes are embedded within neutrally charged YGGDR(S/G)G repeats, suggesting that they might not bind well to PRMT1. This notion runs contrary however to a report that YGGDR(S/G)G repeats are methylated by PRMT1. Using peptide-based polyRGG substrates and a novel 2-hybrid binding assay, we find that the Asp residue in YGGDR(S/G)G repeats confers poor binding to PRMT1. Our results therefore indicate that YGGDR(S/G)G repeats may contribute to TAF15 specialization by enabling differential interactions with PRMT1 and reduced overall levels of TAF15 methylation compared with other FET proteins. By analogy with molecular recognition of other disordered polyvalent ligands by globular protein partners, we also propose a dynamic polyelectrostatic model for substrate capture by PRMT1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim K C Li
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, S.A.R, China
| | - Bess L Chau
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, S.A.R, China
| | - Kevin A W Lee
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, S.A.R, China
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24
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Song J, Gomes GN, Shi T, Gradinaru CC, Chan HS. Conformational Heterogeneity and FRET Data Interpretation for Dimensions of Unfolded Proteins. Biophys J 2017; 113:1012-1024. [PMID: 28877485 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A mathematico-physically valid formulation is required to infer properties of disordered protein conformations from single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET). Conformational dimensions inferred by conventional approaches that presume a homogeneous conformational ensemble can be unphysical. When all possible-heterogeneous as well as homogeneous-conformational distributions are taken into account without prejudgment, a single value of average transfer efficiency 〈E〉 between dyes at two chain ends is generally consistent with highly diverse, multiple values of the average radius of gyration 〈Rg〉. Here we utilize unbiased conformational statistics from a coarse-grained explicit-chain model to establish a general logical framework to quantify this fundamental ambiguity in smFRET inference. As an application, we address the long-standing controversy regarding the denaturant dependence of 〈Rg〉 of unfolded proteins, focusing on Protein L as an example. Conventional smFRET inference concluded that 〈Rg〉 of unfolded Protein L is highly sensitive to [GuHCl], but data from SAXS suggested a near-constant 〈Rg〉 irrespective of [GuHCl]. Strikingly, our analysis indicates that although the reported 〈E〉 values for Protein L at [GuHCl] = 1 and 7 M are very different at 0.75 and 0.45, respectively, the Bayesian Rg2 distributions consistent with these two 〈E〉 values overlap by as much as 75%. Our findings suggest, in general, that the smFRET-SAXS discrepancy regarding unfolded protein dimensions likely arise from highly heterogeneous conformational ensembles at low or zero denaturant, and that additional experimental probes are needed to ascertain the nature of this heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhui Song
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, China; Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gregory-Neal Gomes
- Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tongfei Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Claudiu C Gradinaru
- Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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25
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Li M, Sun T, Jin F, Yu D, Liu Z. Dimension conversion and scaling of disordered protein chains. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2017; 12:2932-40. [PMID: 27440558 DOI: 10.1039/c6mb00415f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
To extract protein dimension and energetics information from single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer spectroscopy (smFRET) data, it is essential to establish the relationship between the distributions of the radius of gyration (Rg) and the end-to-end (donor-to-acceptor) distance (Ree). Here, we performed a coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation to obtain a conformational ensemble of denatured proteins and intrinsically disordered proteins. For any disordered chain with fixed length, there is an excellent linear correlation between the average values of Rg and Ree under various solvent conditions, but the relationship deviates from the prediction of a Gaussian chain. A modified conversion formula was proposed to analyze smFRET data. The formula reduces the discrepancy between the results obtained from FRET and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The scaling law in a coil-globule transition process was examined where a significant finite-size effect was revealed, i.e., the scaling exponent may exceed the theoretical critical boundary [1/3, 3/5] and the prefactor changes notably during the transition. The Sanchez chain model was also tested and it was shown that the mean-field approximation works well for expanded chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maodong Li
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Tanlin Sun
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Fan Jin
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Daqi Yu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhirong Liu
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. and College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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26
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Eukaryotic transcription factors: paradigms of protein intrinsic disorder. Biochem J 2017; 474:2509-2532. [DOI: 10.1042/bcj20160631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Gene-specific transcription factors (TFs) are key regulatory components of signaling pathways, controlling, for example, cell growth, development, and stress responses. Their biological functions are determined by their molecular structures, as exemplified by their structured DNA-binding domains targeting specific cis-acting elements in genes, and by the significant lack of fixed tertiary structure in their extensive intrinsically disordered regions. Recent research in protein intrinsic disorder (ID) has changed our understanding of transcriptional activation domains from ‘negative noodles’ to ID regions with function-related, short sequence motifs and molecular recognition features with structural propensities. This review focuses on molecular aspects of TFs, which represent paradigms of ID-related features. Through specific examples, we review how the ID-associated flexibility of TFs enables them to participate in large interactomes, how they use only a few hydrophobic residues, short sequence motifs, prestructured motifs, and coupled folding and binding for their interactions with co-activators, and how their accessibility to post-translational modification affects their interactions. It is furthermore emphasized how classic biochemical concepts like allostery, conformational selection, induced fit, and feedback regulation are undergoing a revival with the appreciation of ID. The review also describes the most recent advances based on computational simulations of ID-based interaction mechanisms and structural analysis of ID in the context of full-length TFs and suggests future directions for research in TF ID.
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27
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Zhang P, Tripathi S, Trinh H, Cheung MS. Opposing Intermolecular Tuning of Ca 2+ Affinity for Calmodulin by Neurogranin and CaMKII Peptides. Biophys J 2017; 112:1105-1119. [PMID: 28355539 PMCID: PMC5374985 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Revised: 12/27/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the impact of bound calmodulin (CaM)-target compound structure on the affinity of calcium (Ca2+) by integrating coarse-grained models and all-atomistic simulations with nonequilibrium physics. We focused on binding between CaM and two specific targets, Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and neurogranin (Ng), as they both regulate CaM-dependent Ca2+ signaling pathways in neurons. It was shown experimentally that Ca2+/CaM (holoCaM) binds to the CaMKII peptide with overwhelmingly higher affinity than Ca2+-free CaM (apoCaM); the binding of CaMKII peptide to CaM in return increases the Ca2+ affinity for CaM. However, this reciprocal relation was not observed in the Ng peptide (Ng13–49), which binds to apoCaM or holoCaM with binding affinities of the same order of magnitude. Unlike the holoCaM-CaMKII peptide, whose structure can be determined by crystallography, the structural description of the apoCaM-Ng13–49 is unknown due to low binding affinity, therefore we computationally generated an ensemble of apoCaM-Ng13–49 structures by matching the changes in the chemical shifts of CaM upon Ng13–49 binding from nuclear magnetic resonance experiments. Next, we computed the changes in Ca2+ affinity for CaM with and without binding targets in atomistic models using Jarzynski’s equality. We discovered the molecular underpinnings of lowered affinity of Ca2+ for CaM in the presence of Ng13–49 by showing that the N-terminal acidic region of Ng peptide pries open the β-sheet structure between the Ca2+ binding loops particularly at C-domain of CaM, enabling Ca2+ release. In contrast, CaMKII peptide increases Ca2+ affinity for the C-domain of CaM by stabilizing the two Ca2+ binding loops. We speculate that the distinctive structural difference in the bound complexes of apoCaM-Ng13–49 and holoCaM-CaMKII delineates the importance of CaM’s progressive mechanism of target binding on its Ca2+ binding affinities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengzhi Zhang
- Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Hoa Trinh
- Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Margaret S Cheung
- Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, Texas; Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, Texas.
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Lin YH, Chan HS. Phase Separation and Single-Chain Compactness of Charged Disordered Proteins Are Strongly Correlated. Biophys J 2017; 112:2043-2046. [PMID: 28483149 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is a major undergirding factor in the regulated formation of membraneless organelles in the cell. The phase behavior of an IDP is sensitive to its amino acid sequence. Here we apply a recent random-phase-approximation polymer theory to investigate how the tendency for multiple chains of a protein to phase-separate, as characterized by the critical temperature T∗cr, is related to the protein's single-chain average radius of gyration 〈Rg〉. For a set of sequences containing different permutations of an equal number of positively and negatively charged residues, we found a striking correlation T∗cr ∼ 〈Rg〉-γ with γ as large as ∼6.0, indicating that electrostatic effects have similarly significant impact on promoting single-chain conformational compactness and phase separation. Moreover, T∗cr ∝ -SCD, where SCD is a recently proposed "sequence charge decoration" parameter determined solely by sequence information. Ramifications of our findings for deciphering the sequence dependence of IDP phase separation are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Hsuan Lin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Molecular Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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29
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Computational and theoretical advances in studies of intrinsically disordered proteins. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2017; 42:147-154. [PMID: 28259050 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2017.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are increasingly realized to play diverse biological roles, ranging from molecular signaling to the formation of membraneless organelles. Their high degree of disorder makes them more challenging to study using the techniques of conventional structural biology, because any observable will be averaged over a heterogeneous ensemble of structures. Molecular simulations and theory are therefore a natural complement to experiment for studying the structure, dynamics and function of IDPs. The diverse time and length scales relevant to the roles played by IDPs require flexibility in the techniques applied. Here, I summarize some of the developments in simulation and theory in recent years, which have been driven by the desire to better capture IDP properties at different time- and length-scales. I also provide an outlook for how methods can be improved in the future and emerging problems which may be addressed by theory and simulation.
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30
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Lin YH, Song J, Forman-Kay JD, Chan HS. Random-phase-approximation theory for sequence-dependent, biologically functional liquid-liquid phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins. J Mol Liq 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2016.09.090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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31
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An allosteric conduit facilitates dynamic multisite substrate recognition by the SCF Cdc4 ubiquitin ligase. Nat Commun 2017; 8:13943. [PMID: 28045046 PMCID: PMC5216119 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitin ligase SCFCdc4 mediates phosphorylation-dependent elimination of numerous substrates by binding one or more Cdc4 phosphodegrons (CPDs). Methyl-based NMR analysis of the Cdc4 WD40 domain demonstrates that Cyclin E, Sic1 and Ash1 degrons have variable effects on the primary Cdc4WD40 binding pocket. Unexpectedly, a Sic1-derived multi-CPD substrate (pSic1) perturbs methyls around a previously documented allosteric binding site for the chemical inhibitor SCF-I2. NMR cross-saturation experiments confirm direct contact between pSic1 and the allosteric pocket. Phosphopeptide affinity measurements reveal negative allosteric communication between the primary CPD and allosteric pockets. Mathematical modelling indicates that the allosteric pocket may enhance ultrasensitivity by tethering pSic1 to Cdc4. These results suggest negative allosteric interaction between two distinct binding pockets on the Cdc4WD40 domain may facilitate dynamic exchange of multiple CPD sites to confer ultrasensitive dependence on substrate phosphorylation.
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32
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O'Shea C, Staby L, Bendsen SK, Tidemand FG, Redsted A, Willemoës M, Kragelund BB, Skriver K. Structures and Short Linear Motif of Disordered Transcription Factor Regions Provide Clues to the Interactome of the Cellular Hub Protein Radical-induced Cell Death1. J Biol Chem 2016; 292:512-527. [PMID: 27881680 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.753426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDRs) lack a well defined three-dimensional structure but often facilitate key protein functions. Some interactions between IDRs and folded protein domains rely on short linear motifs (SLiMs). These motifs are challenging to identify, but once found they can point to larger networks of interactions, such as with proteins that serve as hubs for essential cellular functions. The stress-associated plant protein radical-induced cell death1 (RCD1) is one such hub, interacting with many transcription factors via their flexible IDRs. To identify the SLiM bound by RCD1, we analyzed the IDRs in three protein partners, DREB2A (dehydration-responsive element-binding protein 2A), ANAC013, and ANAC046, considering parameters such as disorder, context, charges, and pI. Using a combined bioinformatics and experimental approach, we have identified the bipartite RCD1-binding SLiM as (DE)X(1,2)(YF)X(1,4)(DE)L, with essential contributions from conserved aromatic, acidic, and leucine residues. Detailed thermodynamic analysis revealed both favorable and unfavorable contributions from the IDRs surrounding the SLiM to the interactions with RCD1, and the SLiM affinities ranged from low nanomolar to 50 times higher Kd values. Specifically, although the SLiM was surrounded by IDRs, individual intrinsic α-helix propensities varied as shown by CD spectroscopy. NMR spectroscopy further demonstrated that DREB2A underwent coupled folding and binding with α-helix formation upon interaction with RCD1, whereas peptides from ANAC013 and ANAC046 formed different structures or were fuzzy in the complexes. These findings allow us to present a model of the stress-associated RCD1-transcription factor interactome and to contribute to the emerging understanding of the interactions between folded hubs and their intrinsically disordered partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte O'Shea
- From the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 5 Ole Maaloes Vej, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark
| | - Lasse Staby
- From the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 5 Ole Maaloes Vej, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark
| | - Sidsel Krogh Bendsen
- From the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 5 Ole Maaloes Vej, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark
| | - Frederik Grønbæk Tidemand
- From the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 5 Ole Maaloes Vej, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark
| | - Andreas Redsted
- From the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 5 Ole Maaloes Vej, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark
| | - Martin Willemoës
- From the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 5 Ole Maaloes Vej, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark
| | - Birthe B Kragelund
- From the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 5 Ole Maaloes Vej, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark
| | - Karen Skriver
- From the Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 5 Ole Maaloes Vej, Copenhagen DK-2200, Denmark
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Lin YH, Forman-Kay JD, Chan HS. Sequence-Specific Polyampholyte Phase Separation in Membraneless Organelles. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2016; 117:178101. [PMID: 27824447 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.117.178101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation of charge- and/or aromatic-enriched intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is critical in the biological function of membraneless organelles. Much of the physics of this recent discovery remains to be elucidated. Here, we present a theory in the random phase approximation to account for electrostatic effects in polyampholyte phase separations, yielding predictions consistent with recent experiments on the IDP Ddx4. The theory is applicable to any charge pattern and thus provides a general analytical framework for studying sequence dependence of IDP phase separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Hsuan Lin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Molecular Structure and Function Program, Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Julie D Forman-Kay
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Molecular Structure and Function Program, Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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34
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Chau BL, Ng KP, Li KKC, Lee KA. RGG boxes within the TET/FET family of RNA-binding proteins are functionally distinct. Transcription 2016; 7:141-51. [PMID: 27159574 PMCID: PMC4984686 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2016.1183071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2016] [Revised: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The multi-functional TET (TAF15/EWS/TLS) or FET (FUS/EWS/TLS) protein family of higher organisms harbor a transcriptional-activation domain (EAD) and an RNA-binding domain (RBD). The transcriptional activation function is, however, only revealed in oncogenic TET-fusion proteins because in native TET proteins it is auto-repressed by RGG-boxes within the TET RBD. Auto-repression is suggested to involve direct cation-pi interactions between multiple Arg residues within RGG boxes and EAD aromatics. Via analysis of TET transcriptional activity in different organisms, we report herein that repression is not autonomous but instead requires additional trans-acting factors. This finding is not supportive of a proposed model whereby repression occurs via a simple intramolecular EAD/RGG-box interaction. We also show that RGG-boxes present within reiterated YGGDRGG repeats that are unique to TAF15, are defective for repression due to the conserved Asp residue. Thus, RGG boxes within TET proteins can be functionally distinguished. While our results show that YGGDRGG repeats are not involved in TAF15 auto-repression, their remarkable number and conservation strongly suggest that they may confer specialized properties to TAF15 and thus contribute to functional differentiation within the TET/FET protein family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bess Ling Chau
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - King Pan Ng
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Kim K C Li
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
| | - Kevin A.W. Lee
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong S.A.R., China
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35
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Vovk A, Gu C, Opferman MG, Kapinos LE, Lim RY, Coalson RD, Jasnow D, Zilman A. Simple biophysics underpins collective conformations of the intrinsically disordered proteins of the Nuclear Pore Complex. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27198189 PMCID: PMC4874778 DOI: 10.7554/elife.10785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear Pore Complexes (NPCs) are key cellular transporter that control nucleocytoplasmic transport in eukaryotic cells, but its transport mechanism is still not understood. The centerpiece of NPC transport is the assembly of intrinsically disordered polypeptides, known as FG nucleoporins, lining its passageway. Their conformations and collective dynamics during transport are difficult to assess in vivo. In vitro investigations provide partially conflicting results, lending support to different models of transport, which invoke various conformational transitions of the FG nucleoporins induced by the cargo-carrying transport proteins. We show that the spatial organization of FG nucleoporin assemblies with the transport proteins can be understood within a first principles biophysical model with a minimal number of key physical variables, such as the average protein interaction strengths and spatial densities. These results address some of the outstanding controversies and suggest how molecularly divergent NPCs in different species can perform essentially the same function. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10785.001 Animal, plant and fungal cells contain a structure called the nucleus, inside which the genetic material of the cell is stored. For the cell to work properly, certain proteins and other molecules need to be able to enter and exit the nucleus. This transport is carried out by pore-like molecular “devices” known as Nuclear Pore Complexes, whose architecture and mode of operation are unique among cellular transporters. Nuclear Pore Complexes are charged with a daunting task of deciding which of the hundreds of molecules it conducts per second should go through and which should not. Small molecules can pass freely through Nuclear Pore Complexes. However, larger molecules can only pass through the pore efficiently if they are bound to specialized transport proteins that interact with the proteins – called FG nucleoporins – that line the pore. A unique feature of the FG nucleoporins is that, unlike typical proteins, they do not have a defined three-dimensional structure. Instead, they form a soft and pliable lining inside the Nuclear Pore Complex passageway. Exactly how interacting with transport proteins affects the structure and spatial arrangements of the FG nucleoporins in a way that allows them to control transport is not well understood. This is in part because existing experimental techniques are unable to study the structures of the FG nucleoporins in enough detail to track how they change during transport. The complexity and the diversity of the FG nucleoporins also make them difficult to model in detail. Vovk, Gu et al. have developed a theoretical model that is based on just three basic physical properties of the FG nucleoporins – their flexibility, their ability to interact with each other, and their binding with the transport proteins. Future work can refine the model by incorporating further molecular details about the interactions between FG nucleoporins and transport proteins. The predictions made by this simple model agree well with experimental results in a wide range of situations – from single molecules to complex spatial assemblies. They also explain why some of the experimental results appear to contradict each other and suggest how several outstanding controversies in the field can be reconciled. Because the model invokes only fundamental physical principles of FG nucleoporin assemblies, it shows that some of their general properties do not depend on the exact conditions. In particular, this might shed light on why Nuclear Pore Complexes in different organisms perform essentially the same function, although the details of their molecular structure may differ. This also suggests how the FG nucleoporins can be manipulated to build artificial devices based on the same principles. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.10785.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei Vovk
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Chad Gu
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Michael G Opferman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Larisa E Kapinos
- Biozentrum and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Roderick Yh Lim
- Biozentrum and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rob D Coalson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
| | - David Jasnow
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Anton Zilman
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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36
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Subha Mahadevi
- Centre for Molecular Modelling, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India 500607
| | - G. Narahari Sastry
- Centre for Molecular Modelling, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Tarnaka, Hyderabad, India 500607
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37
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Song J, Gomes GN, Gradinaru CC, Chan HS. An Adequate Account of Excluded Volume Is Necessary To Infer Compactness and Asphericity of Disordered Proteins by Förster Resonance Energy Transfer. J Phys Chem B 2015; 119:15191-202. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b09133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gregory-Neal Gomes
- Department
of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Claudiu C. Gradinaru
- Department
of Chemical and Physical Sciences, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario L5L 1C6, Canada
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38
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Fuzzy complexes: Specific binding without complete folding. FEBS Lett 2015; 589:2533-42. [PMID: 26226339 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2015.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Revised: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Specific molecular recognition is assumed to require a well-defined set of contacts and devoid of conformational and interaction ambiguities. Growing experimental evidence demonstrates however, that structural multiplicity or dynamic disorder can be retained in protein complexes, termed as fuzziness. Fuzzy regions establish alternative contacts between specific partners usually via transient interactions. Nature often tailors the dynamic properties of these segments via post-translational modifications or alternative splicing to fine-tune affinity. Most experimentally characterized fuzzy complexes are involved in regulation of gene-expression, signal transduction and cell-cycle regulation. Fuzziness is also characteristic to viral protein complexes, cytoskeleton structure, and surprisingly in a few metabolic enzymes. A plausible role of fuzzy complexes in increasing half-life of intrinsically disordered proteins is also discussed.
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39
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Sikosek T, Chan HS. Biophysics of protein evolution and evolutionary protein biophysics. J R Soc Interface 2015; 11:20140419. [PMID: 25165599 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2014.0419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of molecular evolution at the level of protein-coding genes often entails comparing large datasets of sequences to infer their evolutionary relationships. Despite the importance of a protein's structure and conformational dynamics to its function and thus its fitness, common phylogenetic methods embody minimal biophysical knowledge of proteins. To underscore the biophysical constraints on natural selection, we survey effects of protein mutations, highlighting the physical basis for marginal stability of natural globular proteins and how requirement for kinetic stability and avoidance of misfolding and misinteractions might have affected protein evolution. The biophysical underpinnings of these effects have been addressed by models with an explicit coarse-grained spatial representation of the polypeptide chain. Sequence-structure mappings based on such models are powerful conceptual tools that rationalize mutational robustness, evolvability, epistasis, promiscuous function performed by 'hidden' conformational states, resolution of adaptive conflicts and conformational switches in the evolution from one protein fold to another. Recently, protein biophysics has been applied to derive more accurate evolutionary accounts of sequence data. Methods have also been developed to exploit sequence-based evolutionary information to predict biophysical behaviours of proteins. The success of these approaches demonstrates a deep synergy between the fields of protein biophysics and protein evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Sikosek
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8 Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8 Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8 Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8 Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A8
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40
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Relating sequence encoded information to form and function of intrinsically disordered proteins. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2015; 32:102-12. [PMID: 25863585 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2015.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 281] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Revised: 03/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) showcase the importance of conformational plasticity and heterogeneity in protein function. We summarize recent advances that connect information encoded in IDP sequences to their conformational properties and functions. We focus on insights obtained through a combination of atomistic simulations and biophysical measurements that are synthesized into a coherent framework using polymer physics theories.
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41
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Zhang Y, Cao H, Liu Z. Binding cavities and druggability of intrinsically disordered proteins. Protein Sci 2015; 24:688-705. [PMID: 25611056 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Revised: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
To assess the potential of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) as drug design targets, we have analyzed the ligand-binding cavities of two datasets of IDPs (containing 37 and 16 entries, respectively) and compared their properties with those of conventional ordered (folded) proteins. IDPs were predicted to possess more binding cavity than ordered proteins at similar length, supporting the proposed advantage of IDPs economizing genome and protein resources. The cavity number has a wide distribution within each conformation ensemble for IDPs. The geometries of the cavities of IDPs differ from the cavities of ordered proteins, for example, the cavities of IDPs have larger surface areas and volumes, and are more likely to be composed of a single segment. The druggability of the cavities was examined, and the average druggable probability is estimated to be 9% for IDPs, which is almost twice that for ordered proteins (5%). Some IDPs with druggable cavities that are associated with diseases are listed. The optimism versus obstacles for drug design for IDPs is also briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yugang Zhang
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
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42
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Structure-function based molecular relationships in Ewing's sarcoma. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:798426. [PMID: 25688366 PMCID: PMC4320925 DOI: 10.1155/2015/798426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Revised: 08/30/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Ewing's Sarcoma Oncogene (ews) on chromosome 22q12 is encoding a ubiquitously expressed RNA-binding protein (EWS) with unknown function that is target of tumor-specific chromosomal translocations in Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors. A model of transcription complex was proposed in which the heterodimer Rpb4/7 binds to EAD, connecting it to Core RNA Pol II. The DNA-binding domain, provided by EFP, is bound to the promoter. Rpb4/7 binds RNA, stabilizing the transcription complex. The complex Rpb4/7 can stabilize the preinitiation complexes by converting the conformation of RNA Pol II. EWS may change its conformation, so that NTD becomes accessible. Two different mechanisms of interaction between EWS and RNA Pol II are proposed: (I) an intermolecular EWS-EWS interaction between two molecules, pushing conformation from “closed” to “open” state, or (II) an intramolecular interaction inside the molecule of EWS, pushing conformation of the molecule from “closed” to “open” state. The modified forms of EWS may interact with Pol II subunits hsRpb5 and hsRpb7. The EWS and EFPs binding partners are described schematically in a model, an attempt to link the transcription with the splicing. The proposed model helps to understand the functional molecular interactions in cancer, to find new partners and ways to treat cancer.
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Protein intrinsic disorder in Arabidopsis NAC transcription factors: transcriptional activation by ANAC013 and ANAC046 and their interactions with RCD1. Biochem J 2015; 465:281-94. [DOI: 10.1042/bj20141045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The regulatory domains of NAC [no apical meristem, ATAF (Arabidopsis transcription activation factor), cup-shaped cotyledon] transcription factors (TFs) are mostly disordered. The single molecular recognition feature (MoRF) in ANAC046 (Arabidopsis NAC domain containing protein 46) is a functional hot spot mediating interactions with RCD1 (radical-induced cell death 1), a stress-associated hub which exploits disorder and different mechanisms for interactions.
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Chen T, Song J, Chan HS. Theoretical perspectives on nonnative interactions and intrinsic disorder in protein folding and binding. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2014; 30:32-42. [PMID: 25544254 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2014.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The diverse biological functions of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) have markedly raised our appreciation of protein conformational versatility, whereas the existence of energetically favorable yet functional detrimental nonnative interactions underscores the physical limitations of evolutionary optimization. Here we survey recent advances in using biophysical modeling to gain insight into experimentally observed nonnative behaviors and IDP properties. Simulations of IDP interactions to date focus mostly on coupled folding-binding, which follows essentially the same organizing principle as the local-nonlocal coupling mechanism in cooperative folding of monomeric globular proteins. By contrast, more innovative theories of electrostatic and aromatic interactions are needed for the conceptually novel but less-explored 'fuzzy' complexes in which the functionally bound IDPs remain largely disordered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada
| | - Jianhui Song
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A7, Canada.
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Synergy of aromatic residues and phosphoserines within the intrinsically disordered DNA-binding inhibitory elements of the Ets-1 transcription factor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:11019-24. [PMID: 25024220 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1401891111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The E26 transformation-specific (Ets-1) transcription factor is autoinhibited by a conformationally disordered serine-rich region (SRR) that transiently interacts with its DNA-binding ETS domain. In response to calcium signaling, autoinhibition is reinforced by calmodulin-dependent kinase II phosphorylation of serines within the SRR. Using mutagenesis and quantitative DNA-binding measurements, we demonstrate that phosphorylation-enhanced autoinhibition requires the presence of phenylalanine or tyrosine (ϕ) residues adjacent to the SRR phosphoacceptor serines. The introduction of additional phosphorylated Ser-ϕ-Asp, but not Ser-Ala-Asp, repeats within the SRR dramatically reinforces autoinhibition. NMR spectroscopic studies of phosphorylated and mutated SRR variants, both within their native context and as separate trans-acting peptides, confirmed that the aromatic residues and phosphoserines contribute to the formation of a dynamic complex with the ETS domain. Complementary NMR studies also identified the SRR-interacting surface of the ETS domain, which encompasses its positively charged DNA-recognition interface and an adjacent region of neutral polar and nonpolar residues. Collectively, these studies highlight the role of aromatic residues and their synergy with phosphoserines in an intrinsically disordered regulatory sequence that integrates cellular signaling and gene expression.
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Uversky VN, Davé V, Iakoucheva LM, Malaney P, Metallo SJ, Pathak RR, Joerger AC. Pathological unfoldomics of uncontrolled chaos: intrinsically disordered proteins and human diseases. Chem Rev 2014; 114:6844-79. [PMID: 24830552 PMCID: PMC4100540 DOI: 10.1021/cr400713r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir N. Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Research Institute University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
- Institute for Biological Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 22254, Saudi Arabia
| | - Vrushank Davé
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology , Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
- Department of Molecular Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Lilia M. Iakoucheva
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - Prerna Malaney
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology , Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Steven J. Metallo
- Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia 20057, United States
| | - Ravi Ramesh Pathak
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology , Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33612, United States
| | - Andreas C. Joerger
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
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Reddy KD, DeForte S, Uversky VN. Digested disorder: Quarterly intrinsic disorder digest (July-August-September, 2013). INTRINSICALLY DISORDERED PROTEINS 2014; 2:e27833. [PMID: 28232877 PMCID: PMC5314876 DOI: 10.4161/idp.27833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The current literature on intrinsically disordered proteins grows fast. To keep interested readers up to speed with this literature, we continue a "Digested Disorder" project and represent a new issue of reader's digest of the research papers and reviews on intrinsically disordered proteins. The only 2 criteria for inclusion in this digest are the publication date (a paper should be published within the covered time frame) and topic (a paper should be dedicated to any aspect of protein intrinsic disorder). The current digest issue covers papers published during the third quarter of 2013; i.e., during the period of June, July, and September of 2013. Similar to previous issues, the papers are grouped hierarchically by topics they cover, and for each of the included paper a short description is given on its major findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna D Reddy
- Department of Molecular Medicine; Morsani College of Medicine; University of South Florida; Tampa, FL USA
| | - Shelly DeForte
- Department of Molecular Medicine; Morsani College of Medicine; University of South Florida; Tampa, FL USA
| | - Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine; Morsani College of Medicine; University of South Florida; Tampa, FL USA; USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute; Morsani College of Medicine; University of South Florida; Tampa, FL USA; Department of Biological Sciences; Faculty of Science; King Abdulaziz University; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Institute for Biological Instrumentation; Russian Academy of Sciences; Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
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Estácio SG, Krobath H, Vila-Viçosa D, Machuqueiro M, Shakhnovich EI, Faísca PFN. A simulated intermediate state for folding and aggregation provides insights into ΔN6 β2-microglobulin amyloidogenic behavior. PLoS Comput Biol 2014; 10:e1003606. [PMID: 24809460 PMCID: PMC4014404 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A major component of ex vivo amyloid plaques of patients with dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) is a cleaved variant of β2-microglobulin (ΔN6) lacking the first six N-terminal residues. Here we perform a computational study on ΔN6, which provides clues to understand the amyloidogenicity of the full-length β2-microglobulin. Contrary to the wild-type form, ΔN6 is able to efficiently nucleate fibrillogenesis in vitro at physiological pH. This behavior is enhanced by a mild acidification of the medium such as that occurring in the synovial fluid of DRA patients. Results reported in this work, based on molecular simulations, indicate that deletion of the N-terminal hexapeptide triggers the formation of an intermediate state for folding and aggregation with an unstructured strand A and a native-like core. Strand A plays a pivotal role in aggregation by acting as a sticky hook in dimer assembly. This study further predicts that the detachment of strand A from the core is maximized at pH 6.2 resulting into higher aggregation efficiency. The structural mapping of the dimerization interface suggests that Tyr10, His13, Phe30 and His84 are hot-spot residues in ΔN6 amyloidogenesis. Dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) is a conformational disease that affects individuals undergoing long-term haemodialysis. In DRA the progressive accumulation of protein human β2-microglobulin (Hβ2m) in the osteoarticular system, followed by its assembly into amyloid fibrils, eventually leads to tissue erosion and destruction. Disclosing the aggregation mechanism of Hβ2m under physiologically relevant conditions represents a major challenge due to the inability of the protein to efficiently nucleate fibrillogenesis in vitro at physiological pH. On the other hand, ΔN6, a truncated variant of Hβ2m, which is also a major component of ex vivo amyloid deposits extracted from DRA patients, is able to efficiently form amyloid fibrils de novo in physiological conditions. This amyloidogenic behavior is dramatically enhanced in a slightly more acidic pH (6.2) compatible with the mild acidification that occurs in the synovial fluid of DRA patients. In this work, an innovative three-stage methodological approach, relying on an array of molecular simulations, spanning different levels of resolution is used to investigate the initial stage of the de novo aggregation mechanism of ΔN6 in a physiologically relevant pH range. We identify an intermediate state for folding and aggregation, whose potential to dimerize is enhanced at pH 6.2. Our results provide rationalizations for previous experimental observations and new insights into the molecular basis of DRA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sílvia G. Estácio
- Centro de Física da Matéria Condensada & Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Heinrich Krobath
- Centro de Física da Matéria Condensada & Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Diogo Vila-Viçosa
- Centro de Química e Bioquímica & Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Miguel Machuqueiro
- Centro de Química e Bioquímica & Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Eugene I. Shakhnovich
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (EIS); (PFNF)
| | - Patrícia F. N. Faísca
- Centro de Física da Matéria Condensada & Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- * E-mail: (EIS); (PFNF)
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Kovalskyy DB, Ivanov DN. Recognition of the HIV capsid by the TRIM5α restriction factor is mediated by a subset of pre-existing conformations of the TRIM5α SPRY domain. Biochemistry 2014; 53:1466-76. [PMID: 24506064 DOI: 10.1021/bi4014962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The binding of the TRIM5α restriction factor to the HIV capsid is mediated by the C-terminal SPRY domain of TRIM5α. Atomic-level details of this host-pathogen interaction, which involves mobile variable loops of the SPRY domain, remain unclear. Some of the key determinants of restriction are encompassed by the long and disordered v1 loop of the SPRY domain. We applied molecular modeling to elucidate the conformational repertoire of the v1 loop and its role in the interaction with the capsid. All-atom replica exchange molecular dynamics revealed multiple transient, interconverting states of the v1 loop consistent with the intrinsic disorder observed experimentally. The docking of the SPRY conformations representing 10 most populated states onto the high-resolution model of the assembled HIV-1 capsid revealed that a subset of v1 conformations produced plausible binding poses, in which the SPRY domain binds close to the pseudo-2-fold symmetry axis and the v1 loop spans the interhexamer gap. Such binding mode is well supported by the NMR binding data and known escape mutants. We speculate that the binding mode that involves interaction of the capsid with a subset of preexisting SPRY conformations arising from the intrinsic disorder of the v1 loop may explain the remarkable ability of TRIM5α to resist viral evasion by mutagenesis and to restrict divergent retroviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmytro B Kovalskyy
- Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Therapy and Research Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio , 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229, United States
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Chen T, Chan HS. Effects of desolvation barriers and sidechains on local–nonlocal coupling and chevron behaviors in coarse-grained models of protein folding. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2014; 16:6460-79. [DOI: 10.1039/c3cp54866j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Coarse-grained protein chain models with desolvation barriers or sidechains lead to stronger local–nonlocal coupling and more linear chevron plots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Chen
- Departments of Biochemistry
- of Molecular Genetics
- of Physics
- University of Toronto
- Toronto, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Departments of Biochemistry
- of Molecular Genetics
- of Physics
- University of Toronto
- Toronto, Canada
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