1
|
Erba EB, Pastore A. The Complementarity of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Native Mass Spectrometry in Probing Protein-Protein Interactions. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 3234:109-123. [PMID: 38507203 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-52193-5_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and native mass spectrometry (MS) are mature physicochemical techniques with long histories and important applications. NMR spectroscopy provides detailed information about the structure, dynamics, interactions, and chemical environment of biomolecules. MS is an effective approach for determining the mass of biomolecules with high accuracy, sensitivity, and speed. The two techniques offer unique advantages and provide solid tools for structural biology. In the present review, we discuss their individual merits in the context of their applications to structural studies in biology with specific focus on protein interactions and evaluate their limitations. We provide specific examples in which these techniques can complement each other, providing new information on the same scientific case. We discuss how the field may develop and what challenges are expected in the future. Overall, the combination of NMR and MS plays an increasingly important role in integrative structural biology, assisting scientists in deciphering the three-dimensional structure of composite macromolecular assemblies.
Collapse
|
2
|
Nussinov R, Liu Y, Zhang W, Jang H. Cell phenotypes can be predicted from propensities of protein conformations. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2023; 83:102722. [PMID: 37871498 PMCID: PMC10841533 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Proteins exist as dynamic conformational ensembles. Here we suggest that the propensities of the conformations can be predictors of cell function. The conformational states that the molecules preferentially visit can be viewed as phenotypic determinants, and their mutations work by altering the relative propensities, thus the cell phenotype. Our examples include (i) inactive state variants harboring cancer driver mutations that present active state-like conformational features, as in K-Ras4BG12V compared to other K-Ras4BG12X mutations; (ii) mutants of the same protein presenting vastly different phenotypic and clinical profiles: cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders; (iii) alterations in the occupancies of the conformational (sub)states influencing enzyme reactivity. Thus, protein conformational propensities can determine cell fate. They can also suggest the allosteric drugs efficiency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Nussinov
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; Cancer Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
| | - Yonglan Liu
- Cancer Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Wengang Zhang
- Cancer Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Hyunbum Jang
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; Cancer Innovation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sala D, Engelberger F, Mchaourab HS, Meiler J. Modeling conformational states of proteins with AlphaFold. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2023; 81:102645. [PMID: 37392556 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
Many proteins exert their function by switching among different structures. Knowing the conformational ensembles affiliated with these states is critical to elucidate key mechanistic aspects that govern protein function. While experimental determination efforts are still bottlenecked by cost, time, and technical challenges, the machine-learning technology AlphaFold showed near experimental accuracy in predicting the three-dimensional structure of monomeric proteins. However, an AlphaFold ensemble of models usually represents a single conformational state with minimal structural heterogeneity. Consequently, several pipelines have been proposed to either expand the structural breadth of an ensemble or bias the prediction toward a desired conformational state. Here, we analyze how those pipelines work, what they can and cannot predict, and future directions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Sala
- Institute of Drug Discovery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. https://twitter.com/sala_davide
| | - F Engelberger
- Institute of Drug Discovery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. https://twitter.com/fengel97
| | - H S Mchaourab
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. https://twitter.com/Mchaourablab
| | - J Meiler
- Institute of Drug Discovery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA; Center for Scalable Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (ScaDS.AI), Dresden/Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abstract
There are over 100 computational predictors of intrinsic disorder. These methods predict amino acid-level propensities for disorder directly from protein sequences. The propensities can be used to annotate putative disordered residues and regions. This unit provides a practical and holistic introduction to the sequence-based intrinsic disorder prediction. We define intrinsic disorder, explain the format of computational prediction of disorder, and identify and describe several accurate predictors. We also introduce recently released databases of intrinsic disorder predictions and use an illustrative example to provide insights into how predictions should be interpreted and combined. Lastly, we summarize key experimental methods that can be used to validate computational predictions. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir N Uversky
- Department of Molecular Medicine and USF Health Byrd Alzheimer's Research Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
| | - Lukasz Kurgan
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Galazzo L, Bordignon E. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in structural-dynamic studies of large protein complexes. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2023; 134-135:1-19. [PMID: 37321755 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2022.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Macromolecular protein assemblies are of fundamental importance for many processes inside the cell, as they perform complex functions and constitute central hubs where reactions occur. Generally, these assemblies undergo large conformational changes and cycle through different states that ultimately are connected to specific functions further regulated by additional small ligands or proteins. Unveiling the 3D structural details of these assemblies at atomic resolution, identifying the flexible parts of the complexes, and monitoring with high temporal resolution the dynamic interplay between different protein regions under physiological conditions is key to fully understanding their properties and to fostering biomedical applications. In the last decade, we have seen remarkable advances in cryo-electron microscopy (EM) techniques, which deeply transformed our vision of structural biology, especially in the field of macromolecular assemblies. With cryo-EM, detailed 3D models of large macromolecular complexes in different conformational states became readily available at atomic resolution. Concomitantly, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) have benefited from methodological innovations which also improved the quality of the information that can be achieved. Such enhanced sensitivity widened their applicability to macromolecular complexes in environments close to physiological conditions and opened a path towards in-cell applications. In this review we will focus on the advantages and challenges of EPR techniques with an integrative approach towards a complete understanding of macromolecular structures and functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Galazzo
- Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Geneva, Quai Ernest Ansermet 30, CH-1211 Genève 4, Switzerland.
| | - Enrica Bordignon
- Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Geneva, Quai Ernest Ansermet 30, CH-1211 Genève 4, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Shedding light on the base-pair opening dynamics of nucleic acids in living human cells. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7143. [PMID: 36446768 PMCID: PMC9708698 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34822-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Base-pair opening is a fundamental property of nucleic acids that plays important roles in biological functions. However, studying the base-pair opening dynamics inside living cells has remained challenging. Here, to determine the base-pair opening kinetics inside living human cells, the exchange rate constant ([Formula: see text]) of the imino proton with the proton of solvent water involved in hairpin and G-quadruplex (GQ) structures is determined by the in-cell NMR technique. It is deduced on determination of [Formula: see text] values that at least some G-C base pairs of the hairpin structure and all G-G base-pairs of the GQ structure open more frequently in living human cells than in vitro. It is suggested that interactions with endogenous proteins could be responsible for the increase in frequency of base-pair opening. Our studies demonstrate a difference in dynamics of nucleic acids between in-cell and in vitro conditions.
Collapse
|
7
|
Rodríguez-Galván A, Contreras-Torres FF. Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Biological Structures: An Elusive Goal for Many Years. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:3013. [PMID: 36080050 PMCID: PMC9457988 DOI: 10.3390/nano12173013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is a technique that can be used to directly observe individual biomolecules at near-molecular scale. Within this framework, STM is of crucial significance because of its role in the structural analysis, the understanding the imaging formation, and the development of relative techniques. Four decades after its invention, it is pertinent to ask how much of the early dream has come true. In this study, we aim to overview different analyses for DNA, lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. The relevance of STM imaging is exhibited as an opportunity to assist measurements and biomolecular identification in nanobiotechnology, nanomedicine, biosensing, and other cutting-edge applications. We believe STM research is still an entire science research ecosystem for joining several areas of expertise towards a goal settlement that has been elusive for many years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Rodríguez-Galván
- Carrera de Biología, Unidad de Biomedicina, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla 54090, Edo. Mex., Mexico
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Dreydoppel M, Balbach J, Weininger U. Monitoring protein unfolding transitions by NMR-spectroscopy. JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR NMR 2022; 76:3-15. [PMID: 34984658 PMCID: PMC9018662 DOI: 10.1007/s10858-021-00389-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
NMR-spectroscopy has certain unique advantages for recording unfolding transitions of proteins compared e.g. to optical methods. It enables per-residue monitoring and separate detection of the folded and unfolded state as well as possible equilibrium intermediates. This allows a detailed view on the state and cooperativity of folding of the protein of interest and the correct interpretation of subsequent experiments. Here we summarize in detail practical and theoretical aspects of such experiments. Certain pitfalls can be avoided, and meaningful simplification can be made during the analysis. Especially a good understanding of the NMR exchange regime and relaxation properties of the system of interest is beneficial. We show by a global analysis of signals of the folded and unfolded state of GB1 how accurate values of unfolding can be extracted and what limits different NMR detection and unfolding methods. E.g. commonly used exchangeable amides can lead to a systematic under determination of the thermodynamic protein stability. We give several perspectives of how to deal with more complex proteins and how the knowledge about protein stability at residue resolution helps to understand protein properties under crowding conditions, during phase separation and under high pressure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Dreydoppel
- Institute of Physics, Biophysics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jochen Balbach
- Institute of Physics, Biophysics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Ulrich Weininger
- Institute of Physics, Biophysics, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Vogl DP, Conibear AC, Becker CFW. Segmental and site-specific isotope labelling strategies for structural analysis of posttranslationally modified proteins. RSC Chem Biol 2021; 2:1441-1461. [PMID: 34704048 PMCID: PMC8496066 DOI: 10.1039/d1cb00045d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Posttranslational modifications can alter protein structures, functions and locations, and are important cellular regulatory and signalling mechanisms. Spectroscopic techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, as well as small-angle scattering, can provide insights into the structural and dynamic effects of protein posttranslational modifications and their impact on interactions with binding partners. However, heterogeneity of modified proteins from natural sources and spectral complexity often hinder analyses, especially for large proteins and macromolecular assemblies. Selective labelling of proteins with stable isotopes can greatly simplify spectra, as one can focus on labelled residues or segments of interest. Employing chemical biology tools for modifying and isotopically labelling proteins with atomic precision provides access to unique protein samples for structural biology and spectroscopy. Here, we review site-specific and segmental isotope labelling methods that are employed in combination with chemical and enzymatic tools to access posttranslationally modified proteins. We discuss illustrative examples in which these methods have been used to facilitate spectroscopic studies of posttranslationally modified proteins, providing new insights into biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dominik P Vogl
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry Währinger Straße 38 1090 Vienna Austria +43-1-4277-870510 +43-1-4277-70510
| | - Anne C Conibear
- The University of Queensland, School of Biomedical Sciences St Lucia Brisbane 4072 QLD Australia
| | - Christian F W Becker
- University of Vienna, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry Währinger Straße 38 1090 Vienna Austria +43-1-4277-870510 +43-1-4277-70510
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Sokolik CG, Qassem N, Chill JH. The Disordered Cellular Multi-Tasker WIP and Its Protein-Protein Interactions: A Structural View. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10071084. [PMID: 32708183 PMCID: PMC7407642 DOI: 10.3390/biom10071084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
WASp-interacting protein (WIP), a regulator of actin cytoskeleton assembly and remodeling, is a cellular multi-tasker and a key member of a network of protein-protein interactions, with significant impact on health and disease. Here, we attempt to complement the well-established understanding of WIP function from cell biology studies, summarized in several reviews, with a structural description of WIP interactions, highlighting works that present a molecular view of WIP's protein-protein interactions. This provides a deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which WIP mediates its biological functions. The fully disordered WIP also serves as an intriguing example of how intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) exert their function. WIP consists of consecutive small functional domains and motifs that interact with a host of cellular partners, with a striking preponderance of proline-rich motif capable of interactions with several well-recognized binding partners; indeed, over 30% of the WIP primary structure are proline residues. We focus on the binding motifs and binding interfaces of three important WIP segments, the actin-binding N-terminal domain, the central domain that binds SH3 domains of various interaction partners, and the WASp-binding C-terminal domain. Beyond the obvious importance of a more fundamental understanding of the biology of this central cellular player, this approach carries an immediate and highly beneficial effect on drug-design efforts targeting WIP and its binding partners. These factors make the value of such structural studies, challenging as they are, readily apparent.
Collapse
|
11
|
Narasimhan S, Folkers GE, Baldus M. When Small becomes Too Big: Expanding the Use of In‐Cell Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy. Chempluschem 2020; 85:760-768. [DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202000167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Siddarth Narasimhan
- NMR Spectroscopy Research Group Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular ResearchUtrecht University Padualaan 8 3584 CH Utrecht (The Netherlands
| | - Gert E. Folkers
- NMR Spectroscopy Research Group Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular ResearchUtrecht University Padualaan 8 3584 CH Utrecht (The Netherlands
| | - Marc Baldus
- NMR Spectroscopy Research Group Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular ResearchUtrecht University Padualaan 8 3584 CH Utrecht (The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Salient Features of Monomeric Alpha-Synuclein Revealed by NMR Spectroscopy. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10030428. [PMID: 32164323 PMCID: PMC7175124 DOI: 10.3390/biom10030428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Elucidating the structural details of proteins is highly valuable and important for the proper understanding of protein function. In the case of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), however, obtaining the structural details is quite challenging, as the traditional structural biology tools have only limited use. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a unique experimental tool that provides ensemble conformations of IDPs at atomic resolution, and when studying IDPs, a slightly different experimental strategy needs to be employed than the one used for globular proteins. We address this point by reviewing many NMR investigations carried out on the α-synuclein protein, the aggregation of which is strongly correlated with Parkinson’s disease.
Collapse
|
13
|
Gołowicz D, Kasprzak P, Orekhov V, Kazimierczuk K. Fast time-resolved NMR with non-uniform sampling. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2020; 116:40-55. [PMID: 32130958 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2019.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
NMR spectroscopy is a versatile tool for studying time-dependent processes: chemical reactions, phase transitions or macromolecular structure changes. However, time-resolved NMR is usually based on the simplest among available techniques - one-dimensional spectra serving as "snapshots" of the studied process. One of the reasons is that multidimensional experiments are very time-expensive due to costly sampling of evolution time space. In this review we summarize efforts to alleviate the problem of limited applicability of multidimensional NMR in time-resolved studies. We focus on techniques based on sparse or non-uniform sampling (NUS), which lead to experimental time reduction by omitting a significant part of the data during measurement and reconstructing it mathematically, adopting certain assumptions about the spectrum. NUS spectra are faster to acquire than conventional ones and thus better suited to the role of "snapshots", but still suffer from non-stationarity of the signal i.e. amplitude and frequency variations within a dataset. We discuss in detail how these instabilities affect the spectra, and what are the optimal ways of sampling the non-stationary FID signal. Finally, we discuss related areas of NMR where serial experiments are exploited and how they can benefit from the same NUS-based approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dariusz Gołowicz
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, Warsaw 02-097, Poland; Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, Warsaw 02-093, Poland.
| | - Paweł Kasprzak
- Centre of New Technologies, University of Warsaw, Banacha 2C, Warsaw 02-097, Poland; Department of Mathematical Methods in Physics, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 5, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Vladislav Orekhov
- Department of Chemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | | |
Collapse
|