1
|
Rapid molecular diversification and homogenization of clustered major ampullate silk genes in Argiope garden spiders. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010537. [PMID: 36508456 PMCID: PMC9779670 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary diversification of orb-web weaving spiders is closely tied to the mechanical performance of dragline silk. This proteinaceous fiber provides the primary structural framework of orb web architecture, and its extraordinary toughness allows these structures to absorb the high energy of aerial prey impact. The dominant model of dragline silk molecular structure involves the combined function of two highly repetitive, spider-specific, silk genes (spidroins)-MaSp1 and MaSp2. Recent genomic studies, however, have suggested this framework is overly simplistic, and our understanding of how MaSp genes evolve is limited. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of MaSp structural and evolutionary diversity across species of Argiope (garden spiders). This genomic analysis reveals the largest catalog of MaSp genes found in any spider, driven largely by an expansion of MaSp2 genes. The rapid diversification of Argiope MaSp genes, located primarily in a single genomic cluster, is associated with profound changes in silk gene structure. MaSp2 genes, in particular, have evolved complex hierarchically organized repeat units (ensemble repeats) delineated by novel introns that exhibit remarkable evolutionary dynamics. These repetitive introns have arisen independently within the genus, are highly homogenized within a gene, but diverge rapidly between genes. In some cases, these iterated introns are organized in an alternating structure in which every other intron is nearly identical in sequence. We hypothesize that this intron structure has evolved to facilitate homogenization of the coding sequence. We also find evidence of intergenic gene conversion and identify a more diverse array of stereotypical amino acid repeats than previously recognized. Overall, the extreme diversification found among MaSp genes requires changes in the structure-function model of dragline silk performance that focuses on the differential use and interaction among various MaSp paralogs as well as the impact of ensemble repeat structure and different amino acid motifs on mechanical behavior.
Collapse
|
2
|
Walser M, Mayor J, Rothenberger S. Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins: A New Class of Viral Entry Inhibitors. Viruses 2022; 14:2242. [PMID: 36298797 PMCID: PMC9611651 DOI: 10.3390/v14102242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins) are engineered proteins comprising consensus designed ankyrin repeats as scaffold. Tightly packed repeats form a continuous hydrophobic core and a large groove-like solvent-accessible surface that creates a binding surface. DARPin domains recognizing a target of interest with high specificity and affinity can be generated using a synthetic combinatorial library and in vitro selection methods. They can be linked together in a single molecule to build multispecific and multifunctional proteins without affecting expression or function. The modular architecture of DARPins offers unprecedented possibilities of design and opens avenues for innovative antiviral strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Walser
- Molecular Partners AG, Wagistrasse 14, 8952 Zurich-Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Mayor
- Spiez Laboratory, Federal Office for Civil Protection, Austrasse, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland
- Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 48, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sylvia Rothenberger
- Spiez Laboratory, Federal Office for Civil Protection, Austrasse, 3700 Spiez, Switzerland
- Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 48, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
Repeat proteins are made with tandem copies of similar amino acid stretches that fold into elongated architectures. These proteins constitute excellent model systems to investigate how evolution relates to structure, folding, and function. Here, we propose a scheme to map evolutionary information at the sequence level to a coarse-grained model for repeat-protein folding and use it to investigate the folding of thousands of repeat proteins. We model the energetics by a combination of an inverse Potts-model scheme with an explicit mechanistic model of duplications and deletions of repeats to calculate the evolutionary parameters of the system at the single-residue level. These parameters are used to inform an Ising-like model that allows for the generation of folding curves, apparent domain emergence, and occupation of intermediate states that are highly compatible with experimental data in specific case studies. We analyzed the folding of thousands of natural Ankyrin repeat proteins and found that a multiplicity of folding mechanisms are possible. Fully cooperative all-or-none transitions are obtained for arrays with enough sequence-similar elements and strong interactions between them, while noncooperative element-by-element intermittent folding arose if the elements are dissimilar and the interactions between them are energetically weak. Additionally, we characterized nucleation-propagation and multidomain folding mechanisms. We show that the global stability and cooperativity of the repeating arrays can be predicted from simple sequence scores.
Collapse
|
4
|
Merski M, Macedo-Ribeiro S, Wieczorek RM, Górna MW. The Repeating, Modular Architecture of the HtrA Proteases. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12060793. [PMID: 35740918 PMCID: PMC9221053 DOI: 10.3390/biom12060793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A conserved, 26-residue sequence [AA(X2)[A/G][G/L](X2)GDV[I/L](X2)[V/L]NGE(X1)V(X6)] and corresponding structure repeating module were identified within the HtrA protease family using a non-redundant set (N = 20) of publicly available structures. While the repeats themselves were far from sequence perfect, they had notable conservation to a statistically significant level. Three or more repetitions were identified within each protein despite being statistically expected to randomly occur only once per 1031 residues. This sequence repeat was associated with a six stranded antiparallel β-barrel module, two of which are present in the core of the structures of the PA clan of serine proteases, while a modified version of this module could be identified in the PDZ-like domains. Automated structural alignment methods had difficulties in superimposing these β-barrels, but the use of a target human HtrA2 structure showed that these modules had an average RMSD across the set of structures of less than 2 Å (mean and median). Our findings support Dayhoff’s hypothesis that complex proteins arose through duplication of simpler peptide motifs and domains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Merski
- Structural Biology Group, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (M.W.G.); Tel.: +48-225-526-642 (M.M.)
| | - Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde and Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Rafal M. Wieczorek
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Maria W. Górna
- Structural Biology Group, Biological and Chemical Research Centre, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 101, 02-089 Warsaw, Poland
- Correspondence: (M.M.); (M.W.G.); Tel.: +48-225-526-642 (M.M.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
Abstract
Ankyrin (ANK) repeat proteins are coded by tandem occurrences of patterns with around 33 amino acids. They often mediate protein–protein interactions in a diversity of biological systems. These proteins have an elongated non-globular shape and often display complex folding mechanisms. This work investigates the energy landscape of representative proteins of this class made up of 3, 4 and 6 ANK repeats using the energy-landscape visualisation method (ELViM). By combining biased and unbiased coarse-grained molecular dynamics AWSEM simulations that sample conformations along the folding trajectories with the ELViM structure-based phase space, one finds a three-dimensional representation of the globally funnelled energy surface. In this representation, it is possible to delineate distinct folding pathways. We show that ELViMs can project, in a natural way, the intricacies of the highly dimensional energy landscapes encoded by the highly symmetric ankyrin repeat proteins into useful low-dimensional representations. These projections can discriminate between multiplicities of specific parallel folding mechanisms that otherwise can be hidden in oversimplified depictions.
Collapse
|
6
|
Ghashghaeinia M, Mrowietz U. Human erythrocytes, nuclear factor kappaB (NFκB) and hydrogen sulfide (H 2S) - from non-genomic to genomic research. Cell Cycle 2021; 20:2091-2101. [PMID: 34559024 PMCID: PMC8565816 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2021.1972557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Enucleated mature human erythrocytes possess NFĸBs and their upstream kinases. There is a negative correlation between eryptosis (cell death of erythrocytes) and the amount of NFĸB subunits p50 and Rel A (p65). This finding is based on the fact that young erythrocytes have the highest levels of NFĸBs and the lowest eryptosis rate, while in old erythrocytes the opposite ratio prevails. Human erythrocytes (hRBCs) effectively control the homeostasis of the cell membrane permeable anti-inflammatory signal molecule hydrogen sulfide (H2S). They endogenously produce H2S via both non-enzymic (glutathione-dependent) and enzymic processes (mercaptopyruvate sulfur transferase-dependent). They uptake H2S from diverse tissues and very effectively degrade H2S via methemoglobin (Hb-Fe3+)-catalyzed oxidation. Interestingly, a reciprocal correlation exists between the intensity of inflammatory diseases and endogenous levels of H2S. H2S deficiency has been observed in patients with diabetes, psoriasis, obesity, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Furthermore, endogenous H2S deficiency results in impaired renal erythropoietin (EPO) production and EPO-dependent erythropoiesis. In general we can say: dynamic reciprocal interaction between tumor suppressor and oncoproteins, orchestrated and sequential activation of pro-inflammatory NFĸB heterodimers (RelA-p50) and the anti-inflammatory NFĸB-p50 homodimers for optimal inflammation response, appropriate generation, subsequent degradation of H2S etc., are prerequisites for a functioning cell and organism. Diseases arise when the fragile balance between different signaling pathways that keep each other in check is permanently disturbed. This work deals with the intact anti-inflammatory hRBCs and their role as guarantors to maintain the redox status in the physiological range, a basis for general health and well-being.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mehrdad Ghashghaeinia
- Physiological Institute I, Department of Vegetative and Clinical Physiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Psoriasis-Center, Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ulrich Mrowietz
- Psoriasis-Center, Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Izert MA, Szybowska PE, Górna MW, Merski M. The Effect of Mutations in the TPR and Ankyrin Families of Alpha Solenoid Repeat Proteins. FRONTIERS IN BIOINFORMATICS 2021; 1:696368. [PMID: 36303725 PMCID: PMC9581033 DOI: 10.3389/fbinf.2021.696368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein repeats are short, highly similar peptide motifs that occur several times within a single protein, for example the TPR and Ankyrin repeats. Understanding the role of mutation in these proteins is complicated by the competing facts that 1) the repeats are much more restricted to a set sequence than non-repeat proteins, so mutations should be harmful much more often because there are more residues that are heavily restricted due to the need of the sequence to repeat and 2) the symmetry of the repeats in allows the distribution of functional contributions over a number of residues so that sometimes no specific site is singularly responsible for function (unlike enzymatic active site catalytic residues). To address this issue, we review the effects of mutations in a number of natural repeat proteins from the tetratricopeptide and Ankyrin repeat families. We find that mutations are context dependent. Some mutations are indeed highly disruptive to the function of the protein repeats while mutations in identical positions in other repeats in the same protein have little to no effect on structure or function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Matthew Merski
- *Correspondence: Maria Wiktoria Górna, ; Matthew Merski,
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Folding and Stability of Ankyrin Repeats Control Biological Protein Function. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11060840. [PMID: 34198779 PMCID: PMC8229355 DOI: 10.3390/biom11060840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Ankyrin repeat proteins are found in all three kingdoms of life. Fundamentally, these proteins are involved in protein-protein interaction in order to activate or suppress biological processes. The basic architecture of these proteins comprises repeating modules forming elongated structures. Due to the lack of long-range interactions, a graded stability among the repeats is the generic properties of this protein family determining both protein folding and biological function. Protein folding intermediates were frequently found to be key for the biological functions of repeat proteins. In this review, we discuss most recent findings addressing this close relation for ankyrin repeat proteins including DARPins, Notch receptor ankyrin repeat domain, IκBα inhibitor of NFκB, and CDK inhibitor p19INK4d. The role of local folding and unfolding and gradual stability of individual repeats will be discussed during protein folding, protein-protein interactions, and post-translational modifications. The conformational changes of these repeats function as molecular switches for biological regulation, a versatile property for modern drug discovery.
Collapse
|
9
|
Paladin L, Bevilacqua M, Errigo S, Piovesan D, Mičetić I, Necci M, Monzon AM, Fabre ML, Lopez JL, Nilsson JF, Rios J, Menna PL, Cabrera M, Buitron MG, Kulik MG, Fernandez-Alberti S, Fornasari MS, Parisi G, Lagares A, Hirsh L, Andrade-Navarro MA, Kajava AV, Tosatto SCE. RepeatsDB in 2021: improved data and extended classification for protein tandem repeat structures. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:D452-D457. [PMID: 33237313 PMCID: PMC7778985 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa1097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The RepeatsDB database (URL: https://repeatsdb.org/) provides annotations and classification for protein tandem repeat structures from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Protein tandem repeats are ubiquitous in all branches of the tree of life. The accumulation of solved repeat structures provides new possibilities for classification and detection, but also increasing the need for annotation. Here we present RepeatsDB 3.0, which addresses these challenges and presents an extended classification scheme. The major conceptual change compared to the previous version is the hierarchical classification combining top levels based solely on structural similarity (Class > Topology > Fold) with two new levels (Clan > Family) requiring sequence similarity and describing repeat motifs in collaboration with Pfam. Data growth has been addressed with improved mechanisms for browsing the classification hierarchy. A new UniProt-centric view unifies the increasingly frequent annotation of structures from identical or similar sequences. This update of RepeatsDB aligns with our commitment to develop a resource that extracts, organizes and distributes specialized information on tandem repeat protein structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisanna Paladin
- Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padua 35121, Italy
| | - Martina Bevilacqua
- Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padua 35121, Italy
| | - Sara Errigo
- Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padua 35121, Italy
| | - Damiano Piovesan
- Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padua 35121, Italy
| | - Ivan Mičetić
- Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padua 35121, Italy
| | - Marco Necci
- Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padua 35121, Italy
| | | | - Maria Laura Fabre
- IBBM-CONICET, Dept. of Biological Sciences, La Plata National University, 49 y 115, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - Jose Luis Lopez
- IBBM-CONICET, Dept. of Biological Sciences, La Plata National University, 49 y 115, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - Juliet F Nilsson
- IBBM-CONICET, Dept. of Biological Sciences, La Plata National University, 49 y 115, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - Javier Rios
- Dept. of Science and Technology, National University of Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo Lorenzano Menna
- Dept. of Science and Technology, National University of Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maia Cabrera
- Dept. of Science and Technology, National University of Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martin Gonzalez Buitron
- Dept. of Science and Technology, National University of Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariane Gonçalves Kulik
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Hans-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Sebastian Fernandez-Alberti
- Dept. of Science and Technology, National University of Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Maria Silvina Fornasari
- Dept. of Science and Technology, National University of Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gustavo Parisi
- Dept. of Science and Technology, National University of Quilmes, Roque Sáenz Peña 352, Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Antonio Lagares
- IBBM-CONICET, Dept. of Biological Sciences, La Plata National University, 49 y 115, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - Layla Hirsh
- Dept. of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Av. Universitaria 1801 San Miguel, Lima 32, Lima, Peru
| | - Miguel A Andrade-Navarro
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Hans-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Andrey V Kajava
- Centre de Recherche en Biologie cellulaire de Montpellier, UMR 5237, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Silvio C E Tosatto
- Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Via Ugo Bassi 58/B, Padua 35121, Italy
| |
Collapse
|