NMR conformational study of the sixth transmembrane segment of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase

In current topological models, the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase contains 10 putative transmembrane spans (M1-M10), with spans M4/M5/M6 and probably M8 participating in the formation of the membranous calcium-binding sites. We describe here the conformational properties of a synthetic peptide fragment (E785-N810) encompassing the sixth transmembrane span (M6) of Ca2+-ATPase. Peptide M6 includes three residues (N796, T799, and D800) out of the six membranous residues critically involved in the ATPase calcium-binding sites. 2D-NMR experiments were performed on the M6 peptide selectively labeled with 15N and solubilized in dodecylphosphocholine micelles to mimic a membrane-like environment. Under these conditions, M6 adopts a helical structure in its N-terminal part, between residues I788 and T799, while its C-terminal part (G801-N810) remains disordered. Addition of 20% trifluoroethanol stabilizes the alpha-helical N-terminal segment of the peptide, and reveals the propensity of the C-terminal segment (G801-L807) to form also a helix. This second helix is located at the interface or in the aqueous environment outside the micelles, while the N-terminal helix is buried in the hydrophobic core of the micelles. Furthermore, the two helical segments of M6 are linked by a flexible hinge region containing residues T799 and D800. These conformational features may be related to the transient formation of a Schellman motif (L797VTDGL802) encoded in the M6 sequence, which probably acts as a C-cap of the N-terminal helix and induces a bend with respect to the helix axis. We propose a model illustrating two conformations of M6 and its insertion in the membrane. The presence of a flexible region within M6 would greatly facilitate concomitant participation of all three residues (N796, T799, and D800) believed to be involved in calcium complexation.

Spectroscopic studies of the interaction of Ca2+-ATPase-peptides with dodecyl maltoside and its brominated analog

The transmembrane sector of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase comprises ten putative transmembrane spans (M1-M10) in current topology models. We report here the structure and properties of three synthetic peptides with a single Trp representing the M6 and M7 regions implicated in Ca2+ binding: peptide M6 (amino acid residues 785-810), peptide M7-L (amino acid residues 808-847) corresponding to loop 6-7 and the majority of span M7, and peptide M7-S (amino acid residues 818-847) which contains a shorter version of loop 6-7 than M7-L. After uptake of the peptides in the hydrophobic environment of dodecyl maltoside micelles, the peptides gain a significant amount of secondary structure, as indicated by their CD spectra. However, the alpha-helical content of M6 is lower than would be expected for a classical transmembrane segment. For M7-L peptide, the L6-7 loop is subject to specific proteolytic cleavage by proteinase K, as in intact Ca2+-ATPase. The formation of the peptide-detergent complexes was followed from the resulting fluorescence intensity changes, either enhancement using n-dodecyl beta-D-maltoside or quenching using the recently introduced brominated analog of n-dodecyl beta-D-maltoside: 7,8-dibromododecyl beta-maltoside [de Foresta, B., Legros, N., Plusquellec, D., le Maire, M. & Champeil, P. (1996) Eur J. Biochem. 241, 343-354]. Our results indicate that M7-L and M7-S are completely taken up by the detergent micelles. In contrast, the M6 peptide, which is highly water soluble, is more loosely associated with the detergent, as is also demonstrated by size-exclusion chromatography. The location of Trp in micelles was evaluated from the quenching observed in mixed micelles of n-dodecyl beta-D-maltoside/7,8-dibromododecyl beta-maltoside, using tryptophan octyl ester and solubilized Ca2+-ATPase as reference compounds. We conclude that W832 in M7 appears to be located near the surface of the micelle, in agreement with its membrane interfacial localization predicted in most Ca2+-ATPase topology models. In contrast, our data suggest that W794 in M6 has a deeper insertion in the micelle although not to the extent predicted by current models of Ca2+-ATPase and the rather short alpha-helix span of M6 may lead to exposure of a significant part of the C-terminal of this peptide to the micelle surface. The results are discussed in relation to the proposed roles of these membrane segments in active transport of Ca2+ ions, in particular, the demonstration that M6 does not behave as a classical transmembrane helix may be correlated with the evidence, from site-directed mutagenesis, that this transmembrane segment should be essential in Ca2+ binding.

Treatment with crystalline ultra-pure urea reduces the aggregation of integral membrane proteins without inhibiting N-terminal sequencing

We have demonstrated that N-terminal sequencing can be performed successfully despite boiling protein samples in the presence of urea under precise conditions, before loading them onto SDS-PAGE and transfer to polyvinylidene difluoride membrane. Using myoglobin as a test protein, we found that its ability to undergo N-terminal sequencing was not affected by the presence of urea provided "ultra-pure" urea was used. Consistent with this result, we verified that urea did not carbamylate myoglobin since its molecular mass was measured by mass spectrometry after electroelution of the protein band from the gel. These observations are useful for the study of integral membrane proteins, in particular to study their topology from proteolysis experiments, since heating in the presence of urea before SDS-PAGE reduces membrane protein aggregation [Soulié, S., Mo/ller, J.V., Falson, P., and le Maire, M. (1996) Anal. Biochem. 236, 363-364]. We show that the sequencing yield of a hydrophobic peptide from reticulum Ca2+-ATPase was more than doubled in the presence of urea in accord with the quantification of the Coomassie Blue staining of the gel and of the amount present on the polyvinylidene difluoride membrane. For three peptides of the gastric H+K+-ATPase, the sequencing yield after urea treatment increased almost threefold.

Characterization of a protease-resistant domain of the cytosolic portion of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase. Nucleotide- and metal-binding sites

Treatment of rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase with a variety of proteases, including elastase, proteinase K, and endoproteinases Asp-N and Glu-C, results in accumulation of soluble fragments starting close to the ATPase phosphorylation site Asp351 and ending in the Lys605-Arg615 region, well before the conserved sequences generally described as constituting the "hinge" region of this P-type ATPase (residues 670-760). These fragments, designated as p29/30, presumably originate from a relatively compact domain of the cytoplasmic head of the ATPase. They retain two structural characteristics of intact Ca2+-ATPase as follows: high sensitivity of peptidic bond Arg505-Ala506 to trypsin cleavage, and high reactivity of lysine residue Lys515 toward the fluorescent label fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate. Regarding functional properties, these fragments retain the ability to bind nucleotides, although with reduced affinity compared with intact Ca2+-ATPase. The fragments also bind Nd3+ ions, leaving open the possibility that these fragments could contain the metal-binding site(s) responsible for the inhibitory effect of lanthanide ions on ATPase activity. The p29/30 soluble domain, like similar proteolytic fragments that can be obtained from other P-type ATPases, may be useful for obtaining three-dimensional structural information on the cytosolic portion of these ATPases, with or without bound nucleotides. From our findings we infer that a real hinge region with conformational flexibility is located at the C-terminal boundary of p29/30 (rather than in the conserved region of residues 670-760); we also propose that the ATP-binding cleft is mainly located within the p29/30 domain, with the phosphorylation site strategically located at the N-terminal border of this domain.

The cytoplasmic loop between putative transmembrane segments 6 and 7 in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase binds Ca2+ and is functionally important

Limited proteolysis by proteinase K of rabbit SERCA1 Ca2+-ATPase generates a number of fragments which have been identified recently. Here, we have focused on two proteolytic C-terminal fragments, p20C and p19C, starting at Gly-808 and Asp-818, respectively. The longer peptide p20C binds Ca2+, as deduced from changes in migration rate by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis performed in the presence of Ca2+ as well as from labeling with 45Ca2+ in overlay experiments. In contrast, the shorter peptide p19C, a proteolysis fragment identical to p20C but for 10 amino acids missing at the N-terminal side, did not bind Ca2+ when submitted to the same experiments. Two cluster mutants of Ca2+-ATPase, D813A/D818A and D813A/D815A/D818A, expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were found to have a very low Ca2+-ATPase activity. Region 808-818 is thus essential for both Ca2+ binding and enzyme activity, in agreement with similar results recently reported for the homologous gastric H+, K+-ATPase (Swarts, H. G. P., Klaassen, C. H. W., de Boer, M., Fransen, J. A. M. , and De Pont, J. J. H. H. M. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 29764-29772). However, the accessibility of proteinase K to the peptidyl link between Leu-807 and Gly-808 clearly shows that the transmembrane segment M6 ends before region 808-818. It is remarkable that critical residues for enzyme activity are located in a cytoplasmic loop starting at Gly-808.

Cytoplasmic chaperonin containing TCP-1: structural and functional characterization

Actin and tubulin polypeptide chains acquire their native conformation in the presence of the cytoplasmic chaperonin containing TCP-1 (CCT, also called TRiC) and, in the case of alpha- and beta-tubulin, additional protein cofactors. It has been previously demonstrated that nucleotide exchange and ATP hydrolysis act to switch CCT between conformations that interact either strongly or weakly with unfolded substrates [Melki, R., & Cowan, N.J. (1994) Mol. Cell. Biol. 14, 2895-2904]. The present study further documents the conformational changes and function of CCT. It is first shown, by the use of a range of labeled denatured substrate proteins and a radiolabeled total soluble HeLa cell extract, that CCT in the absence of nucleotides can bind any of a large number of proteins in vitro with high affinity. Second, by the use of denatured labeled beta-actin and beta-tubulin as model substrates for binding to CCT, we demonstrate that the CCT particle can contain two substrate protein chains simultaneously. Third, by electron microscopy, sedimentation velocity, and intrinsic fluorescence measurements, we document the conformational difference between CCT in its ATP- and ADP-bound forms, as well as the change that results from binding of substrate protein. A model summarizes substrate association with CCT and the role of the nucleotide in regulating the affinity of CCT for target proteins.

Fluorescent characteristics and pharmacokinetic profiles of the fluorescent probe BCECF in various tissues: the role of blood content

The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo spectral characteristics of the fluorescent pH-sensitive probe bis-carboxyethylcarboxyfluorescein (BCECF) in different tissues and its fluorescence kinetics profiles. The in vivo study was performed on anesthetized adult Wistar rats. After intravenous administration (4.8 mg/kg), fluorescence spectra were recorded on the following tissues: skin, an isolated blood vessel and liver. Measurements performed in vitro on blood samples show modifications of the BCECF emission spectrum with a blue-shift (10 nm) and a low fluorescence emission. Blood content greatly influences the pH measurement by increasing the I(490 exc., 530 em.)/I(470 exc., 530 em.) Fluorescence ratio value (ratio of the fluorescence intensities at 530 nm following excitation at 470 nm and 490 nm) when the hematocrit is high. A 0.35 ratio difference is observed between a BCECF-buffered solution and blood samples of 44% hematocrit. The emission spectra recorded on the skin are quite similar to the emission spectrum of BCECF in aqueous solution and are consistent with an extravascular localization of the dye a few minutes after injection. On the contrary, spectra recorded on the blood vessel and the liver are more similar than those recorded in vitro on high hematocrit solutions. Kinetic profiles in skin, liver and isolated blood vessels compared to the clearance obtained by blood sampling provide information about tissue perfusion. Then the variation of in vivo spectra in different tissues may be taken into account to measure tissue pH with special regard to the blood content of the illuminated area and the time range in which the measurement is performed.

Fluorescence spectroscopy of pH in vivo using a dual-emission fluorophore (C-SNAFL-1)

The aim of this study was to evaluate a dual-emission fluorophore (C-SNAFL-1: 5'(and 6')-carboxyseminaphthofluorescein) for in vivo pH monitoring, using one excitation wavelength and two emissions. P388-tumour-bearing CDF mice were injected intravenously with C-SNAFL-1. Glucose was administered simultaneously to lower the tumour pH. Under our experimental conditions, tissue autofluorescence was found to be negligible. Two emission peaks were observed. The wavelength of the first one was pH insensitive (545 nm). The second one was pH sensitive: a shift of the emission peak as a function of pH was observed from 587 nm for pH 7.25 to 605 nm for pH 6.3. A calibration curve linking emission intensity ratios (I545/I635) to in vivo pH is provided. Results clearly indicate differences between tumorous (ratio 0.55 +/- 0.08, pH 6.3 +/- 0.1) and normal (ratio 1.39 +/- 0.04, pH 7.25 +/- 0.1) tissues. The concept of pH fluorescence spectroscopy in vivo using C-SNAFL-1 provides quantified data and accurate measurements of tissue pH.