1
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Yu Y, Shi Y, Kwon YW, Choi Y, Kim Y, Na JG, Huh J, Lee J. A rationally designed miniature of soluble methane monooxygenase enables rapid and high-yield methanol production in Escherichia coli. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4399. [PMID: 38782897 PMCID: PMC11116448 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48671-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) oxidizes a wide range of carbon feedstocks (C1 to C8) directly using intracellular NADH and is a useful means in developing green routes for industrial manufacturing of chemicals. However, the high-throughput biosynthesis of active recombinant sMMO and the ensuing catalytic oxidation have so far been unsuccessful due to the structural and functional complexity of sMMO, comprised of three functionally complementary components, which remains a major challenge for its industrial applications. Here we develop a catalytically active miniature of sMMO (mini-sMMO), with a turnover frequency of 0.32 s-1, through an optimal reassembly of minimal and modified components of sMMO on catalytically inert and stable apoferritin scaffold. We characterise the molecular characteristics in detail through in silico and experimental analyses and verifications. Notably, in-situ methanol production in a high-cell-density culture of mini-sMMO-expressing recombinant Escherichia coli resulted in higher yield and productivity (~ 3.0 g/L and 0.11 g/L/h, respectively) compared to traditional methanotrophic production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeonhwa Yu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Dong 5-1, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Yongfan Shi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul, 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Wan Kwon
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Anam-Dong 5-1, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoobin Choi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Dong 5-1, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Yusik Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Dong 5-1, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Geol Na
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul, 04107, Republic of Korea
| | - June Huh
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Dong 5-1, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jeewon Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Dong 5-1, Seongbuk-Gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
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2
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Xia X, Li H, Zang J, Cheng S, Du M. Advancements of the Molecular Directed Design and Structure-Activity Relationship of Ferritin Nanocage. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2024; 72:7629-7654. [PMID: 38518374 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c09903] [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: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Ferritin nanocages possess remarkable structural properties and biological functions, making them highly attractive for applications in functional materials and biomedicine. This comprehensive review presents an overview of the molecular characteristics, extraction and identification of ferritin, ferritin receptors, as well as the advancements in the directional design of high-order assemblies of ferritin and the applications based on its unique structural properties. Specifically, this Review focuses on the regulation of ferritin assembly from one to three dimensions, leveraging the symmetry of ferritin and modifications on key interfaces. Furthermore, it discusses targeted delivery of nutrition and drugs through facile loading and functional modification of ferritin. The aim of this Review is to inspire the design of micro/nano functional materials using ferritin and the development of nanodelivery vehicles for nutritional fortification and disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Xia
- SKL of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Seafood Deep Processing, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
| | - Han Li
- SKL of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Seafood Deep Processing, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
| | - Jiachen Zang
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Shuzhen Cheng
- SKL of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Seafood Deep Processing, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
| | - Ming Du
- SKL of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Seafood Deep Processing, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
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3
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Charousova M, Kudlickova Peskova M, Takacsova P, Kapolkova K, Haddad Y, Bilek J, Sivak L, Bartejs T, Heger Z, Pekarik V. Engineered human H-chain ferritin with reversed charge of the internal cavity exhibits RNA-mediated spongelike effect for loading RNA/DNA-binding molecules. Biomater Sci 2024; 12:1249-1262. [PMID: 38247338 DOI: 10.1039/d3bm01257c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Ferritins are globular proteins with an internal cavity that enables the encapsulation of a plethora of low-mass compounds. Unfortunately, the overall negative surface charge of ferritin's internal cavity hampers efficient loading of negatively charged molecules. Therefore, we produced a genetically engineered human H-chain ferritin containing a cationic RKRK domain, reversing the natural net charge of the cavity to positive, thus allowing for efficient encapsulation of negatively charged siRNA. Due to the reversed, positive charge mediated by RKRK domains, the recombinant ferritin produced in E. coli inherently carries a load of bacterial RNA inside its cavity, turning the protein into an effective sponge possessing high affinity for DNA/RNA-binding substances that can be loaded with markedly higher efficiency compared to the wildtype protein. Using doxorubicin as payload, we show that due to its loading through the RNA sponge, doxorubicin is released in a sustained manner, with a cytotoxicity profile similar to the free drug. In summary, this is the first report demonstrating a ferritin/nucleic acid hybrid delivery vehicle with a broad spectrum of properties exploitable in various fields of biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marketa Charousova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, Brno CZ-613 00, Czechia.
| | - Marie Kudlickova Peskova
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno CZ-625 00, Czechia.
| | - Paulina Takacsova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, Brno CZ-613 00, Czechia.
| | - Katerina Kapolkova
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, Brno CZ-613 00, Czechia.
| | - Yazan Haddad
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, Brno CZ-613 00, Czechia.
| | - Jan Bilek
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, Brno CZ-613 00, Czechia.
| | - Ladislav Sivak
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, Brno CZ-613 00, Czechia.
| | - Tomas Bartejs
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno CZ-625 00, Czechia.
| | - Zbynek Heger
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, Brno CZ-613 00, Czechia.
| | - Vladimir Pekarik
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, Brno CZ-613 00, Czechia.
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno CZ-625 00, Czechia.
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4
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Xia H, Xu H, Wang J, Wang C, Chen R, Tao T, Xu S, Zhang J, Ma K, Wang J. Heat sensitive E-helix cut ferritin nanocages for facile and high-efficiency loading of doxorubicin. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 253:126973. [PMID: 37729988 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Ferritin possesses a stable and uniform cage structure, along with tumor-targeting properties and excellent biocompatibility, making it a promising drug delivery vehicle. However, the current ferritin drug loading strategy involves complex steps and harsh reaction conditions, resulting in low yield and recovery of drug loading, which limits the clinical application prospects of ferritin nanomedicine. In this study, we utilized the high-efficiency heat-sensitivity of the multiple channel switch structures of the E-helix-cut ferritin mutant (Ecut-HFn) and Cu2+ assistance to achieve high-efficiency loading of chemotherapeutic drugs in a one-step process at low temperatures. This method features mild reaction conditions (45 °C), high loading efficiency (about 110 doxorubicin (Dox) per Ecut-HFn), and improved protein and Dox recovery rates (with protein recovery rate around 94 % and Dox recovery rate reaching up to 45 %). The prepared ferritin-Dox particles (Ecut-HFn-Cu-Dox) exhibit a uniform size distribution, good stability, and retain the natural tumor targeting ability of ferritin. Overall, this temperature-controlled drug loading strategy utilizing heat-sensitivity ferritin mutants is energy-saving, environmentally friendly, efficient, and easy to operate, offering a new perspective for scaling up the industrial production of ferritin drug carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haining Xia
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Huangtao Xu
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China
| | - Jiarong Wang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China
| | - Changhao Wang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Ruiguo Chen
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China
| | - Tongxiang Tao
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Shuai Xu
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China
| | - Jing Zhang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Kun Ma
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China.
| | - Junfeng Wang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China; Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, PR China.
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5
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Reutovich AA, Srivastava AK, Arosio P, Bou-Abdallah F. Ferritin nanocages as efficient nanocarriers and promising platforms for COVID-19 and other vaccines development. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2023; 1867:130288. [PMID: 36470367 PMCID: PMC9721431 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2022.130288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of safe and effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses with high antigenic drift is of crucial importance to public health. Ferritin is a well characterized and ubiquitous iron storage protein that has emerged not only as a useful nanoreactor and nanocarrier, but more recently as an efficient platform for vaccine development. SCOPE OF REVIEW This review discusses ferritin structure-function properties, self-assembly, and novel bioengineering strategies such as interior cavity and exterior surface modifications for cargo encapsulation and delivery. It also discusses the use of ferritin as a scaffold for biomedical applications, especially for vaccine development against influenza, Epstein-Barr, HIV, hepatitis-C, Lyme disease, and respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. The use of ferritin for the synthesis of mosaic vaccines to deliver a cocktail of antigens that elicit broad immune protection against different viral variants is also explored. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS The remarkable stability, biocompatibility, surface functionalization, and self-assembly properties of ferritin nanoparticles make them very attractive platforms for a wide range of biomedical applications, including the development of vaccines. Strong immune responses have been observed in pre-clinical studies against a wide range of pathogens and have led to the exploration of ferritin nanoparticles-based vaccines in multiple phase I clinical trials. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE The broad protective antibody response of ferritin nanoparticles-based vaccines demonstrates the usefulness of ferritin as a highly promising and effective approaches for vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ayush K Srivastava
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Potsdam, NY 13676, USA
| | - Paolo Arosio
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy
| | - Fadi Bou-Abdallah
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Potsdam, NY 13676, USA.
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6
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Gong R, Yang C, Abbas G, Wang D, Zhang X, Nie G, Ding H. Diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma using an ultrasensitive immunoassay method based on nanoparticles. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:3475-3481. [PMID: 36723040 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr05848k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The detection of the antibody of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is critical for the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). An accurate and scalable point-of-care detection method would support the screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of NPC patients. In this study, firstly, we made an antibody enrichment element, antigen-MNPs, which can screen out specific antibodies in a complex sample. Secondly, signal-amplifying elements were synthesized by labelling inorganic quantum dots (QDs) and anti-antibodies on the surface of flop-ferritin. A sandwich structure is formed among antigen-MNPs, target-antibodies, and anti-antibodies-flop-ferritin@QDs. The antibodies are quantified by fluorescence intensity with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 10-11 g mL-1. Moreover, the method can detect different types of antibodies and was employed to examine 10 sera from NPC patients and 10 sera from healthy individuals. The result indicates that the simultaneous detection of anti-EBNA-IgG and anti-EBNA-IgA provides an efficient route for early diagnosis of NPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Gong
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of nanozymes and Translational Cancer Research, Department of Otolaryngology, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518035, China
- Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Chenyang Yang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ghulam Abbas
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dianbing Wang
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xianen Zhang
- Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guohui Nie
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of nanozymes and Translational Cancer Research, Department of Otolaryngology, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518035, China
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Hui Ding
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of nanozymes and Translational Cancer Research, Department of Otolaryngology, Shenzhen Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518035, China
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7
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Oh HJ, Jung Y. High order assembly of multiple protein cages with homogeneous sizes and shapes via limited cage surface engineering. Chem Sci 2023; 14:1105-1113. [PMID: 36756339 PMCID: PMC9891371 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc02772k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein cages are attractive building blocks to build high order materials such as 3D cage lattices, which offer accurately ordered bio-templates. However, controlling the size or valency of these cage-to-cage assemblies is extremely difficult due to highly multivalent and symmetric cage structures. Here, various high order cage assemblies with homogeneous sizes and geometries are constructed by developing an anisotropic ferritin cage with limitedly exposed binding modules, leucine zipper. The anisotropic ferritin is produced as expressed in cells without the need of complex in vitro cage fabrication by careful subunit manipulation. Ferritin cages with limitedly exposed zippers are assembled around a core ferritin with fully exposed opposing zippers, generating homogeneous high order structures, whereas two fully exposed ferritins are assembled into heterogeneous cage aggregates. Diverse fully exposed core cages are prepared by varying the zipper-ferritin fusion geometries and even by using larger cage structures. With these core cages and the anisotropic ferritin, a range of high order cage assemblies with diverse ferritin valencies (3 to over 12) and sizes (over 40 nm) are created. Cell surface binding and internalization of cage structures are greatly varied by assembly sizes, where high order ferritins are clearly more effective than monomeric ferritin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeok Jin Oh
- Department of Chemistry, KAIST 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu Daejeon 34141 Republic of Korea +82-42-350-2810 +82-42-350-2817
| | - Yongwon Jung
- Department of Chemistry, KAIST 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu Daejeon 34141 Republic of Korea +82-42-350-2810 +82-42-350-2817
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8
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Sudarev VV, Dolotova SM, Bukhalovich SM, Bazhenov SV, Ryzhykau YL, Uversky VN, Bondarev NA, Osipov SD, Mikhailov AE, Kuklina DD, Murugova TN, Manukhov IV, Rogachev AV, Gordeliy VI, Gushchin IY, Kuklin AI, Vlasov AV. Ferritin self-assembly, structure, function, and biotechnological applications. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 224:319-343. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.10.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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9
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Qu Y, Davey K, Sun Y, Middelberg A, Bi J. Engineered Design of the E-Helix Structure on Ferritin Nanoparticles. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2022; 5:3167-3179. [PMID: 35770389 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.2c00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Insertion of an immunogenic epitope at the C-terminus of ferritin has shown the potential to produce a stable and efficacious vaccine. There is however limited understanding of how C-terminus insertion affects ferritin protein stability. The E-helix at the C-terminus has attracted interest because there are contradictory reports as to whether it has a role in protein stabilization. Here, we report, for the first time, combining molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) with experiment to engineer the design of the E-helix at the C-terminus of engineered human ferritin heavy chain (F1) inserted with Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1, E1) and flexible linker (L3) residues (to afford F1L3E1). Hot spots on the E-helix of the C-terminus were predicted by MDS at aa 167 (Glu) and aa 171 (Asp). Five (5) variants of F1L3E1 were constructed by considering hot spots and alteration of electrostatic or hydrophobic interfaces, namely, (1) C1, hot spots substituted with noncharged residue Gln; (2) C2, hot spots substituted with positively charged residue Arg; (3) C3, hydrophobic residues substituted with the most hydrophobic residues Val and Ile; (4) C4, hydrophobic residues substituted with the most hydrophilic residues Gln and Asn; and (5) C5, a heptad repeat structure in the E-helix disrupted by substituting "a" and "d" heptad residues with noncharged polar residue Gln. It was found that the E-helix is essential to maintain integrated protein stability and that changing the hydrophobic interface (C3 and C4) had more significant effects on protein folding and stability than changing the electrostatic interface (C1 and C2). It was confirmed by both MDS and experiment that variants C1, C2, and C5 were able to fold to form stable conformational structures with protein surface hydrophobicity similar to that of F1L3E1. However, they are less thermally stable than F1L3E1. Significant changes in hydrophobicity drove significant protein aggregation for variants C3 and C4. It is concluded that the molecular design of the C-terminus in engineered ferritin, especially the E-helix, is important to ensure the epitope-based chimeric vaccine is safe (aggregate free) and efficacious.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiran Qu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Kenneth Davey
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Anton Middelberg
- Division of Research and Innovation, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Jingxiu Bi
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
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10
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Li Z, Maity B, Hishikawa Y, Ueno T, Lu D. Importance of the Subunit-Subunit Interface in Ferritin Disassembly: A Molecular Dynamics Study. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:1106-1113. [PMID: 35015545 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Ferritin is a spherical cage-like protein that is useful for loading large functional particles for various applications. To our knowledge, how pH affects the interfaces inside ferritin and the mechanism of ferritin disassembly is far from complete. For this article, we conducted a series of molecular dynamics simulations (MD) at different pH values to study how interfaces affect ferritins' stability. It is shown that dimers are stable even at extremely low pH (pH 2.0), indicating that the dimer is the essential subunit for disassembly, and the slight swelling of the dimer resulting from monomer rotation inside a dimer is what triggers disassembly. During ferritin disassembly, there are two types of interfaces involved, and the interface between dimers is crucial. We also found that the driving forces for maintaining dimer stability are different when a dimer is inside ferritin and in an acidic solution. At low pH, the protonation of residues can lead to the loss of the salt bridge and the hydrogen bond between dimers, resulting in the disassembly of ferritin in an acidic environment. The above simulations reveal the possible mechanism of ferritin disassembly in an acidic solution, which can help us to design innovative and functional ferritin cages for different applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Basudev Maity
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Yuki Hishikawa
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Takafumi Ueno
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
- World Research Hub Initiative (WRHI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta-cho 4259, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Diannan Lu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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11
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Active drug loading and release behaviors of fourfold channel flopped‐ferritin variants. B KOREAN CHEM SOC 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/bkcs.12415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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12
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Yin S, Liu Y, Dai S, Zhang B, Qu Y, Zhang Y, Choe WS, Bi J. Mechanism Study of Thermally Induced Anti-Tumor Drug Loading to Engineered Human Heavy-Chain Ferritin Nanocages Aided by Computational Analysis. BIOSENSORS 2021; 11:bios11110444. [PMID: 34821660 PMCID: PMC8615661 DOI: 10.3390/bios11110444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Diverse drug loading approaches for human heavy-chain ferritin (HFn), a promising drug nanocarrier, have been established. However, anti-tumor drug loading ratio and protein carrier recovery yield are bottlenecks for future clinical application. Mechanisms behind drug loading have not been elaborated. In this work, a thermally induced drug loading approach was introduced to load anti-tumor drug doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) into HFn, and 2 functionalized HFns, HFn-PAS-RGDK, and HFn-PAS. Optimal conditions were obtained through orthogonal tests. All 3 HFn-based proteins achieved high protein recovery yield and drug loading ratio. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed the majority of DOX loaded protein (protein/DOX) remained its nanocage conformation. Computational analysis, molecular docking followed by molecular dynamic (MD) simulation, revealed mechanisms of DOX loading and formation of by-product by investigating non-covalent interactions between DOX with HFn subunit and possible binding modes of DOX and HFn after drug loading. In in vitro tests, DOX in protein/DOX entered tumor cell nucleus and inhibited tumor cell growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Yin
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; (S.Y.); (B.Z.); (Y.Q.)
| | - Yongdong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemistry Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (Y.L.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Sheng Dai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Brunel University London, London UB8 3PH, UK;
| | - Bingyang Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; (S.Y.); (B.Z.); (Y.Q.)
| | - Yiran Qu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; (S.Y.); (B.Z.); (Y.Q.)
| | - Yao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemistry Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (Y.L.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Woo-Seok Choe
- School of Chemical Engineering), Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon 16419, Korea;
| | - Jingxiu Bi
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; (S.Y.); (B.Z.); (Y.Q.)
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13
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Yin S, Zhang B, Lin J, Liu Y, Su Z, Bi J. Development of purification process for dual-function recombinant human heavy-chain ferritin by the investigation of genetic modification impact on conformation. Eng Life Sci 2021; 21:630-642. [PMID: 34690634 PMCID: PMC8518560 DOI: 10.1002/elsc.202000105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Ferritin is a promising drug delivery platform and has been functionalized through genetic modifications. This work has designed and expressed a dual-functional engineered human heavy-chain ferritin (HFn) with the inserted functional peptide PAS and RGDK to extend half-life and improve tumor targeted drug delivery. A facile and cost-effective two-step purification pathway for recombinant HFn was developed. The genetic modification was found to affect HFn conformation, and therefore varied the purification performance. Heat-acid precipitation followed by butyl fast flow hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) has been developed to purify HFn and modified HFns. Nucleic acid removal reached above 99.8% for HFn and modified HFns. However, HFn purity reached above 95% and recovery yield (overall) above 90%, compared with modified HFns purity above 82% and recovery yield (overall) above 58%. It is interesting to find that the inserted functional peptides significantly changed the molecule conformation, where a putative turnover of the E-helix with the inserted functional peptides formed a "flop" conformation, in contrast with the "flip" conformation of HFn. It could be the cause of fragile stability of modified HFns, and therefore less tolerant to heat and acid condition, observed by the lower recovery yield in heat-acid precipitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Yin
- School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced MaterialsFaculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical SciencesUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideAustralia
| | - Bingyang Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced MaterialsFaculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical SciencesUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideAustralia
| | - Jianying Lin
- College of Biomedical EngineeringTaiyuan University of TechnologyTaiyuanP. R. China
| | - Yongdong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemistry EngineeringInstitute of Process EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingP. R. China
| | - Zhiguo Su
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemistry EngineeringInstitute of Process EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingP. R. China
| | - Jingxiu Bi
- School of Chemical Engineering & Advanced MaterialsFaculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical SciencesUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideAustralia
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14
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Dong Y, Ma Y, Li X, Wang F, Zhang Y. ERK-Peptide-Inhibitor-Modified Ferritin Enhanced the Therapeutic Effects of Paclitaxel in Cancer Cells and Spheroids. Mol Pharm 2021; 18:3365-3377. [PMID: 34370483 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Rational design of a drug delivery system with enhanced therapeutic potency is critical for efficient tumor chemotherapy. Many protein-based drug delivery platforms have been designed to deliver drugs to target sites and improve the therapeutic efficacy. In this study, paclitaxel (PTX) molecules were encapsulated within an apoferritin nanocage-based drug delivery system with the modification of an extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) peptide inhibitor at the C-terminus of ferritin (HERK). Apoferritin is an endogenous nano-sized spherical protein which has the ability to specially bind to a majority of tumor cells via interacting with transferrin receptor 1. The ERK peptide inhibitor is a peptide which can disrupt the interaction of MEK with ERK in the mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK pathway. By combining the targeted delivery effect of ferritin and the inhibitory effect of the ERK peptide inhibitor, the newly fabricated ferritin carrier nanoparticle HERK could still be taken up by tumor cells, and it displayed higher cell cytotoxicity than the parent ferritin. After loading with PTX, HERK-PTX displayed a favorable anticancer effect in human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 and lung carcinoma cells A549. The remarkable inhibitory effect on MDA-MB-231 tumor spheroids was also identified. These results indicated that the constructed HERK nanocarrier is a promising multi-functional drug delivery vehicle to enhance the therapeutic effect of drugs in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Dong
- College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-Forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomass-Based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China
| | - Yuanmeng Ma
- College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-Forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomass-Based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China
| | - Xun Li
- College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-Forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomass-Based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China
| | - Fei Wang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-Forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomass-Based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China
| | - Yu Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-Forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomass-Based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China
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15
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Plays M, Müller S, Rodriguez R. Chemistry and biology of ferritin. Metallomics 2021; 13:6244244. [PMID: 33881539 PMCID: PMC8083198 DOI: 10.1093/mtomcs/mfab021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Iron is an essential element required by cells and has been described as a key player in ferroptosis. Ferritin operates as a fundamental iron storage protein in cells forming multimeric assemblies with crystalline iron cores. We discuss the latest findings on ferritin structure and activity and its link to cell metabolism and ferroptosis. The chemistry of iron, including its oxidation states, is important for its biological functions, its reactivity, and the biology of ferritin. Ferritin can be localized in different cellular compartments and secreted by cells with a variety of functions depending on its spatial context. Here, we discuss how cellular ferritin localization is tightly linked to its function in a tissue-specific manner, and how impairment of iron homeostasis is implicated in diseases, including cancer and coronavirus disease 2019. Ferritin is a potential biomarker and we discuss latest research where it has been employed for imaging purposes and drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Plays
- Chemical Biology of Cancer Laboratory, Institut Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France.,Centre national de la recherche scientifique UMR 3666, Paris, France.,Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale U1143, Paris, France.,PSL Université Paris, Paris, France
| | - Sebastian Müller
- Chemical Biology of Cancer Laboratory, Institut Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France.,Centre national de la recherche scientifique UMR 3666, Paris, France.,Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale U1143, Paris, France.,PSL Université Paris, Paris, France
| | - Raphaël Rodriguez
- Chemical Biology of Cancer Laboratory, Institut Curie, 26 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France.,Centre national de la recherche scientifique UMR 3666, Paris, France.,Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale U1143, Paris, France.,PSL Université Paris, Paris, France
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16
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Qu Y, Wang L, Yin S, Zhang B, Jiao Y, Sun Y, Middelberg A, Bi J. Stability of Engineered Ferritin Nanovaccines Investigated by Combined Molecular Simulation and Experiments. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:3830-3842. [PMID: 33825471 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Human ferritin is regarded as an attractive and promising vaccine platform because of its uniform structure, good plasticity, and desirable thermal and chemical stabilities. Besides, it is biocompatible and presumed safe when used as a vaccine carrier. However, there is a lack of knowledge of how different antigen insertion sites on the ferritin nanocage impact the resulting protein stability and performance. To address this question, we selected Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 as a model epitope and fused it at the DNA level with different insertion sites, namely, the N- and C-termini of ferritin, to engineer proteins E1F1 and F1E1, respectively. Protein properties including hydrophobicity and thermal, pH, and chemical stability were investigated both by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and by experiments. Both methods demonstrate that the insertion site plays an important role in protein properties. The C-terminus insertion (F1E1) leads to a less hydrophobic surface and more tolerance to the external influence of high temperature, pH, and high concentration of chemical denaturants compared to N-terminus insertion (E1F1). Simulated protein hydrophobicity and thermal stability by MD were in high accordance with experimental results. Thus, MD simulation can be used as a valuable tool to engineer nanovaccine candidates, cutting down costs by reducing the experimental effort and accelerating vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiran Qu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Lijie Wang
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Shuang Yin
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Bingyang Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Yan Jiao
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Biochemical Engineering and Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering of the Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Anton Middelberg
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Jingxiu Bi
- School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
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17
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Lv C, Zhang X, Liu Y, Zhang T, Chen H, Zang J, Zheng B, Zhao G. Redesign of protein nanocages: the way from 0D, 1D, 2D to 3D assembly. Chem Soc Rev 2021; 50:3957-3989. [PMID: 33587075 DOI: 10.1039/d0cs01349h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Compartmentalization is a hallmark of living systems. Through compartmentalization, ubiquitous protein nanocages such as viral capsids, ferritin, small heat shock proteins, and DNA-binding proteins from starved cells fulfill a variety of functions, while their shell-like structures hold great promise for various applications in the field of nanomedicine and nanotechnology. However, the number and structure of natural protein nanocages are limited, and these natural protein nanocages may not be suited for a given application, which might impede their further application as nanovehicles, biotemplates or building blocks. To overcome these shortcomings, different strategies have been developed by scientists to construct artificial protein nanocages, and 1D, 2D and 3D protein arrays with protein nanocages as building blocks through genetic and chemical modification to rival the size and functionality of natural protein nanocages. This review outlines the recent advances in the field of the design and construction of artificial protein nanocages and their assemblies with higher order, summarizes the strategies for creating the assembly of protein nanocages from zero-dimension to three dimensions, and introduces their corresponding applications in the preparation of nanomaterials, electrochemistry, and drug delivery. The review will highlight the roles of both the inter-subunit/intermolecular interactions at the key interface and the protein symmetry in constructing and controlling protein nanocage assemblies with different dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyan Lv
- College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, Beijing 100083, China.
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18
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Ma Y, Dong Y, Li X, Wang F, Zhang Y. Tumor-Penetrating Peptide-Functionalized Ferritin Enhances Antitumor Activity of Paclitaxel. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2021; 4:2654-2663. [DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.0c01613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanmeng Ma
- College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-Forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-Based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China
| | - Yixin Dong
- College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-Forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-Based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China
| | - Xun Li
- College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-Forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-Based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China
| | - Fei Wang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-Forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-Based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China
| | - Yu Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for the Chemistry and Utilization of Agro-Forest Biomass, Jiangsu Key Lab of Biomass-Based Green Fuels and Chemicals, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, P. R. China
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19
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Lee B, Lee H, Huh J, Yoon CJ, Oh SJ, Song K, Jeong S, Kim J, Lee K, Shin BS, Jeong JH, Kim TW, Lee J. Human Ferritin Platform and Its Optimized Structures to Enhance Anti‐Cancer Immunity. ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/adtp.202000208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bo‐Ram Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
| | - Hyo‐Jung Lee
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Department of Biomedical Sciences Graduate School of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
| | - June Huh
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
| | - Chul Joo Yoon
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
| | - Se Jin Oh
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Department of Biomedical Sciences Graduate School of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
| | - Kwon‐Ho Song
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Department of Biomedical Sciences Graduate School of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
| | - Sojin Jeong
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
| | - Jungwon Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung‐Mi Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
| | - Beom Soo Shin
- School of Pharmacy Sungkyunkwan University Suwon 16419 Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Hoon Jeong
- School of Pharmacy Sungkyunkwan University Suwon 16419 Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Woo Kim
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Department of Biomedical Sciences Graduate School of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
- Translational Research Institute for Incurable Diseases College of Medicine Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
| | - Jeewon Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Korea University Seoul 136–713 Republic of Korea
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20
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McNally JR, Mehlenbacher MR, Luscieti S, Smith GL, Reutovich AA, Maura P, Arosio P, Bou-Abdallah F. Mutant L-chain ferritins that cause neuroferritinopathy alter ferritin functionality and iron permeability. Metallomics 2020; 11:1635-1647. [PMID: 31513212 DOI: 10.1039/c9mt00154a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, the iron storage and detoxification protein ferritin is composed of two functionally and genetically distinct subunit types, H (heavy) and L (light). The two subunits co-assemble in various ratios, with a tissue specific distribution, to form shell-like protein structures of 24 subunits within which a mineralized iron core is stored. The H-subunits possess ferroxidase centers that catalyze the rapid oxidation of ferrous ions, whereas the L-subunit does not have such centers and is believed to play an important role in electron transfer reactions that occur during the uptake and release of iron. Pathogenic mutations on the L-chain lead to neuroferritinopathy, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by abnormal accumulation of ferritin inclusion bodies and iron in the central nervous system. Here, we have characterized the thermal stability, iron loading capacity, iron uptake, and iron release properties of ferritin heteropolymers carrying the three pathogenic L-ferritin mutants (L154fs, L167fs, and L148fs, which for simplicity we named Ln1, Ln2 and Ln3, respectively), and a non-pathogenic variant (L135P) bearing a single substitution on the 3-fold axes of L-subunits. The UV-Vis data show a similar iron loading capacity (ranging between 1800 to 2400 Fe(iii)/shell) for all ferritin samples examined in this study, with Ln2 holding the least amount of iron (i.e. 1800 Fe(iii)/shell). The three pathogenic L-ferritin mutants revealed higher rates of iron oxidation and iron release, suggesting that a few mutated L-chains on the heteropolymer have a significant effect on iron permeability through the ferritin shell. DSC thermograms showed a strong destabilization effect, the severity of which depends on the location of the frameshift mutations (i.e. wt heteropolymer ferritin ≅ homopolymer H-chain > L135P > Ln2 > Ln1 > Ln3). Variant L135P had only minor effects on the protein functionality and stability, suggesting that local melting of the 3-fold axes in this variant may not be responsible for neuroferritinopathy-like disorders. The data support the hypothesis that hereditary neuroferritinopathies are due to alterations of ferritin functionality and lower physical stability which correlate with the frameshifts introduced at the C-terminal sequence and explain the dominant transmission of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin R McNally
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Potsdam, New York 13676, USA.
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21
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Peptide-Mediated Immobilization on Magnetoferritin for Enzyme Recycling. NANOMATERIALS 2019; 9:nano9111558. [PMID: 31684120 PMCID: PMC6915604 DOI: 10.3390/nano9111558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ferritin possess favorable properties because its exterior and interior surface can be applied to generate functional nanomaterials, which make them possible for enzyme immobilization and recycling. Here, we report the noncovalent immobilization of a genetically modified β-glucosidase onto the outer surface of synthetic magnetoferritin through the electrostatic interaction of a heterodimeric coiled-coil protein formed by coils containing lysine residues (K-coils) and coils containing glutamic acid (E-coils). The immobilized enzyme was characterized, and its enzymatic properties were evaluated. Furthermore, reusability of immobilized enzyme was demonstrated in aqueous solution under an applied magnetic field. The results showed that magnetoferritin was successfully prepared and it was an excellent support for enzyme immobilization. After three times usages, the retention rates were 93.75%, 82.5%, and 56.25%, respectively, demonstrating that immobilized enzyme possessed good retention efficiency and could be used as potential carrier for other biomolecules. The strategy of enzyme immobilization developed in this work can be applied, in general, to many other target molecules.
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Jin Y, He J, Fan K, Yan X. Ferritin variants: inspirations for rationally designing protein nanocarriers. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:12449-12459. [PMID: 31231742 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr03823j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Ferritin, a natural iron storage protein, is endowed with a unique structure, the ability to self-assemble and excellent physicochemical properties. Beyond these, genetic manipulation can easily tune the structure and functions of ferritin nanocages, which further expands the biomedical applications of ferritin. Here, we focus on human H-ferritin, a recently discovered ligand of transferrin receptor 1, to review its derived variants and related structures and properties. We hope this review will provide new insights into how to rationally design versatile protein cage nanocarriers for effective disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiliang Jin
- Key Laboratory of Protein and Peptide Pharmaceutical, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Beijing 100101, China. and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19(A) Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Jiuyang He
- Key Laboratory of Protein and Peptide Pharmaceutical, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Kelong Fan
- Key Laboratory of Protein and Peptide Pharmaceutical, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Xiyun Yan
- Key Laboratory of Protein and Peptide Pharmaceutical, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Beijing 100101, China. and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19(A) Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China. and Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 40 N Daxue Road, Zhengzhou 450052, China
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Kim HJ, Huh J, Kwon YW, Park D, Yu Y, Jang YE, Lee BR, Jo E, Lee EJ, Heo Y, Lee W, Lee J. Biological conversion of methane to methanol through genetic reassembly of native catalytic domains. Nat Catal 2019. [DOI: 10.1038/s41929-019-0255-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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24
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Lee EJ, Nam GH, Lee NK, Kih M, Koh E, Kim YK, Hong Y, Kim S, Park SY, Jeong C, Yang Y, Kim IS. Nanocage-Therapeutics Prevailing Phagocytosis and Immunogenic Cell Death Awakens Immunity against Cancer. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2018; 30:1705581. [PMID: 29333661 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201705581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Revised: 11/18/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
A growing appreciation of the relationship between the immune system and the tumorigenesis has led to the development of strategies aimed at "re-editing" the immune system to kill tumors. Here, a novel tactic is reported for overcoming the activation-energy threshold of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and mediating the delivery and presentation of tumor neoantigens to the host's immune system. This nature-derived nanocage not only efficiently presents ligands that enhance cancer cell phagocytosis, but also delivers drugs that induce immunogenic cancer cell death. The designed nanocage-therapeutics induce the release of neoantigens and danger signals in dying tumor cells, and leads to enhancement of tumor cell phagocytosis and cross-priming of tumor specific T cells by neoantigen peptide-loaded antigen-presenting cells. Potent inhibition of tumor growth and complete eradication of tumors is observed through systemic tumor-specific T cell responses in tumor draining lymph nodes and the spleen and further, infiltration of CD8+ T cells into the tumor site. Remarkably, after removal of the primary tumor, all mice treated with this nanocage-therapeutics are protected against subsequent challenge with the same tumor cells, suggesting development of lasting, tumor-specific responses. This designed nanocage-therapeutics "awakens" the host's immune system and provokes a durable systemic immune response against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Jung Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Gi-Hoon Nam
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Na Kyeong Lee
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Minwoo Kih
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunee Koh
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Kyoung Kim
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeonsun Hong
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Soyoun Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Cell and Matrix Research Institute, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Yoon Park
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Dongguk University, Gyeongju, 38066, Republic of Korea
| | - Cherlhyun Jeong
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoosoo Yang
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - In-San Kim
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
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Khoshnejad M, Greineder CF, Pulsipher KW, Villa CH, Altun B, Pan DC, Tsourkas A, Dmochowski IJ, Muzykantov VR. Ferritin Nanocages with Biologically Orthogonal Conjugation for Vascular Targeting and Imaging. Bioconjug Chem 2018; 29:1209-1218. [PMID: 29429330 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.8b00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Genetic incorporation of biologically orthogonal functional groups into macromolecules has the potential to yield efficient, controlled, reproducible, site-specific conjugation of affinity ligands, contrast agents, or therapeutic cargoes. Here, we applied this approach to ferritin, a ubiquitous iron-storage protein that self-assembles into multimeric nanocages with remarkable stability, size uniformity (12 nm), and endogenous capacity for loading and transport of a variety of inorganic and organic cargoes. The unnatural amino acid, 4-azidophenylalanine (4-AzF), was incorporated at different sites in the human ferritin light chain (hFTL) to allow site-specific conjugation of alkyne-containing small molecules or affinity ligands to the exterior surface of the nanocage. The optimal positioning of the 4-AzF residue was evaluated by screening a library of variants for the efficiency of copper-free click conjugation. One of the engineered ferritins, hFTL-5X, was found to accommodate ∼14 small-molecule fluorophores (AlexaFluor 488) and 3-4 IgG molecules per nanocage. Intravascular injection in mice of radiolabeled hFTL-5X carrying antibody to cell adhesion molecule ICAM-1, but not control IgG, enabled specific targeting to the lung due to high basal expression of ICAM-1 (43.3 ± 6.99 vs 3.48 ± 0.14%ID/g for Ab vs IgG). Treatment of mice with endotoxin known to stimulate inflammatory ICAM-1 overexpression resulted in 2-fold enhancement of pulmonary targeting (84.4 ± 12.89 vs 43.3 ± 6.99%ID/g). Likewise, injection of fluorescent, ICAM-targeted hFTL-5X nanocages revealed the effect of endotoxin by enhancement of near-infrared signal, indicating potential utility of this approach for both vascular targeting and imaging.
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Ahn B, Lee SG, Yoon HR, Lee JM, Oh HJ, Kim HM, Jung Y. Four-fold Channel-Nicked Human Ferritin Nanocages for Active Drug Loading and pH-Responsive Drug Release. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018; 57:2909-2913. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201800516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Byungjun Ahn
- Department of Chemistry; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon 305-701 Korea
| | - Seong-Gyu Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Korea
| | - Hye Ryeon Yoon
- Department of Chemistry; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon 305-701 Korea
| | - Jeong Min Lee
- Department of Chemistry; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon 305-701 Korea
| | - Hyeok Jin Oh
- Department of Chemistry; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon 305-701 Korea
| | - Ho Min Kim
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Korea
| | - Yongwon Jung
- Department of Chemistry; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon 305-701 Korea
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27
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Ahn B, Lee SG, Yoon HR, Lee JM, Oh HJ, Kim HM, Jung Y. Four-fold Channel-Nicked Human Ferritin Nanocages for Active Drug Loading and pH-Responsive Drug Release. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201800516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Byungjun Ahn
- Department of Chemistry; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon 305-701 Korea
| | - Seong-Gyu Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Korea
| | - Hye Ryeon Yoon
- Department of Chemistry; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon 305-701 Korea
| | - Jeong Min Lee
- Department of Chemistry; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon 305-701 Korea
| | - Hyeok Jin Oh
- Department of Chemistry; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon 305-701 Korea
| | - Ho Min Kim
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Korea
| | - Yongwon Jung
- Department of Chemistry; Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; Daejeon 305-701 Korea
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28
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Cornell TA, Srivastava Y, Jauch R, Fan R, Orner BP. The Crystal Structure of a Maxi/Mini-Ferritin Chimera Reveals Guiding Principles for the Assembly of Protein Cages. Biochemistry 2017; 56:3894-3899. [PMID: 28682051 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Cage proteins assemble into nanoscale structures with large central cavities. They play roles, including those as virus capsids and chaperones, and have been applied to drug delivery and nanomaterials. Furthermore, protein cages have been used as model systems to understand and design protein quaternary structure. Ferritins are ubiquitous protein cages that manage iron homeostasis and oxidative damage. Two ferritin subfamilies have strongly similar tertiary structure yet distinct quaternary structure: maxi-ferritins normally assemble into 24-meric, octahedral cages with C-terminal E-helices centered around 4-fold symmetry axes, and mini-ferritins are 12-meric, tetrahedral cages with 3-fold axes defined by C-termini lacking E-domains. To understand the role E-domains play in ferritin quaternary structure, we previously designed a chimera of a maxi-ferritin E-domain fused to the C-terminus of a mini-ferritin. The chimera is a 12-mer cage midway in size between those of the maxi- and mini-ferritin. The research described herein sets out to understand (a) whether the increase in size over a typical mini-ferritin is due to a frozen state where the E-domain is flipped out of the cage and (b) whether the symmetrical preference of the E-domain in the maxi-ferritin (4-fold axis) overrules the C-terminal preference in the mini-ferritin (3-fold axis). With a 1.99 Å resolution crystal structure, we determined that the chimera assembles into a tetrahedral cage that can be nearly superimposed with the parent mini-ferritin, and that the E-domains are flipped external to the cage at the 3-fold symmetry axes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Cornell
- Department of Chemistry, King's College London , London, U.K.,Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore
| | - Yogesh Srivastava
- Genome Regulation Laboratory, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Guangzhou, China
| | - Ralf Jauch
- Genome Institute of Singapore , Singapore.,Genome Regulation Laboratory, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Guangzhou, China
| | - Rongli Fan
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore
| | - Brendan P Orner
- Department of Chemistry, King's College London , London, U.K.,Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University , Singapore
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Zhang S, Zang J, Wang W, Chen H, Zhang X, Wang F, Wang H, Zhao G. Conversion of the Native 24-mer Ferritin Nanocage into Its Non-Native 16-mer Analogue by Insertion of Extra Amino Acid Residues. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201609517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shengli Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering; China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education; Beijing 100083 China
| | - Jiachen Zang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering; China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education; Beijing 100083 China
| | - Wenming Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Education Ministry, Institute of Molecular Science; Shanxi University; Taiyuan 030006 China
| | - Hai Chen
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering; China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education; Beijing 100083 China
| | - Xiaorong Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering; China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education; Beijing 100083 China
| | - Fudi Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering; China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education; Beijing 100083 China
| | - Hongfei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Education Ministry, Institute of Molecular Science; Shanxi University; Taiyuan 030006 China
| | - Guanghua Zhao
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering; China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education; Beijing 100083 China
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30
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Zhang S, Zang J, Wang W, Chen H, Zhang X, Wang F, Wang H, Zhao G. Conversion of the Native 24-mer Ferritin Nanocage into Its Non-Native 16-mer Analogue by Insertion of Extra Amino Acid Residues. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016; 55:16064-16070. [PMID: 27885765 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201609517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Revised: 10/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Protein assemblies with high symmetry are widely distributed in nature. Most efforts so far have focused on repurposing these protein assemblies, a strategy that is ultimately limited by the structures available. To overcome this limitation, methods for fabricating novel self-assembling proteins have received intensive interest. Herein, by reengineering the key subunit interfaces of native 24-mer protein cage with octahedral symmetry through amino acid residues insertion, we fabricated a 16-mer lenticular nanocage whose structure is unique among all known protein cages. This newly non-native protein can be used for encapsulation of bioactive compounds and exhibits high uptake efficiency by cancer cells. More importantly, the above strategy could be applied to other naturally occurring protein assemblies with high symmetry, leading to the generation of new proteins with unexplored functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengli Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jiachen Zang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Wenming Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Education Ministry, Institute of Molecular Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Hai Chen
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiaorong Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Fudi Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Hongfei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Molecular Engineering of Education Ministry, Institute of Molecular Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
| | - Guanghua Zhao
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100083, China
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31
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Zhang S, Zang J, Zhang X, Chen H, Mikami B, Zhao G. "Silent" Amino Acid Residues at Key Subunit Interfaces Regulate the Geometry of Protein Nanocages. ACS NANO 2016; 10:10382-10388. [PMID: 27934076 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6b06235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Rendering the geometry of protein-based assemblies controllable remains challenging. Protein shell-like nanocages represent particularly interesting targets for designed assembly. Here, we introduce an engineering strategy-key subunit interface redesign (KSIR)-that alters a natural subunit-subunit interface by selective deletion of a small number of "silent" amino acid residues (no participation in interfacial interactions) into one that triggers the generation of a non-native protein cage. We have applied KSIR to construct a non-native 48-mer nanocage from its native 24-mer recombinant human H-chain ferritin (rHuHF). This protein is a heteropolymer composed of equal numbers of two different subunits which are derived from one polypeptide. This strategy has allowed the study of conversion between protein nanocages with different geometries by re-engineering key subunit interfaces and the demonstration of the important role of the above-mentioned specific residues in providing geometric specificity for protein assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengli Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University , Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jiachen Zang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University , Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083, China
- Laboratory of Applied Structural Biology, Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University , Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
| | - Xiaorong Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University , Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Hai Chen
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University , Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Bunzo Mikami
- Laboratory of Applied Structural Biology, Division of Applied Life Sciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University , Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
| | - Guanghua Zhao
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University , Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083, China
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32
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Engineered Human Ferritin Nanoparticles for Direct Delivery of Tumor Antigens to Lymph Node and Cancer Immunotherapy. Sci Rep 2016; 6:35182. [PMID: 27725782 PMCID: PMC5057094 DOI: 10.1038/srep35182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficient delivery of tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) to lymph nodes (LNs) is essential to eliciting robust immune response for cancer immunotherapy but still remains unsolved. Herein, we evaluated the direct LN-targeting performance of four different protein nanoparticles with different size, shape, and origin [Escherichia coli DNA binding protein (DPS), Thermoplasma acidophilum proteasome (PTS), hepatitis B virus capsid (HBVC), and human ferritin heavy chain (hFTN)] in live mice, using an optical fluorescence imaging system. Based on the imaging results, hFTN that shows rapid LN targeting and prolonged retention in LNs was chosen as a carrier of the model TSA [red fluorescence protein (RFP)], and the flexible surface architecture of hFTN was engineered to densely present RFPs on the hFTN surface through genetic modification of subunit protein of hFTN. The RFP-modified hFTN rapidly targeted LNs, sufficiently exposed RFPs to LN immune cells during prolonged period of retention in LNs, induced strong RFP-specific cytotoxic CD8+ T cell response, and notably inhibited RFP-expressing melanoma tumor growth in live mice. This suggests that the strategy using protein nanoparticles as both TSA-carrying scaffold and anti-cancer vaccine holds promise for clinically effective immunotherapy of cancer.
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33
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Kwon KC, Ko HK, Lee J, Lee EJ, Kim K, Lee J. Enhanced In Vivo Tumor Detection by Active Tumor Cell Targeting Using Multiple Tumor Receptor-Binding Peptides Presented on Genetically Engineered Human Ferritin Nanoparticles. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2016; 12:4241-4253. [PMID: 27356892 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201600917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Revised: 04/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Human ferritin heavy-chain nanoparticle (hFTH) is genetically engineered to present tumor receptor-binding peptides (affibody and/or RGD-derived cyclic peptides, named 4CRGD here) on its surface. The affibody and 4CRGD specifically and strongly binds to human epidermal growth factor receptor I (EGFR) and human integrin αvβ3, respectively, which are overexpressed on various tumor cells. Through in vitro culture of EGFR-overexpressing adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-468) and integrin-overexpressing glioblastoma cells (U87MG), it is clarified that specific interactions between receptors on tumor cells and receptor-binding peptides on engineered hFTH is critical in active tumor cell targeting. After labeling with the near-infrared fluorescence dye (Cy5.5) and intravenouse injection into MDA-MB-468 or U87MG tumor-bearing mice, the recombinant hFTHs presenting either peptide or both of affibody and 4CRGD are successfully delivered to and retained in the tumor for a prolonged period of time. In particular, the recombinant hFTH presenting both affibody and 4CRGD notably enhances in vivo detection of U87MG tumors that express heterogeneous receptors, integrin and EGFR, compared to the other recombinant hFTHs presenting either affibody or 4CRGD only. Like affibody and 4CRGD used in this study, other multiple tumor receptor-binding peptides can be also genetically introduced to the hFTH surface for actively targeting of in vivo tumors with heterogenous receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koo Chul Kwon
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Ro 145, Seoul, 136-713, South Korea
| | - Ho Kyung Ko
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 39-1 Hawolgok-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 136-791, South Korea
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, South Korea
| | - Jiyun Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Ro 145, Seoul, 136-713, South Korea
| | - Eun Jung Lee
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 39-1 Hawolgok-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 136-791, South Korea
| | - Kwangmeyung Kim
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 39-1 Hawolgok-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 136-791, South Korea
| | - Jeewon Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Ro 145, Seoul, 136-713, South Korea
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Ohtomo H, Ohtomo M, Sato D, Kurobe A, Sunato A, Matsumura Y, Kihara H, Fujiwara K, Ikeguchi M. A Physicochemical and Mutational Analysis of Intersubunit Interactions of Escherichia coli Ferritin A. Biochemistry 2015; 54:6243-51. [PMID: 26399896 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.5b00723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ferritin A from Escherichia coli (EcFtnA) is 24-meric protein, which forms spherical cagelike structures called nanocages. The nanocage structure is stabilized by the interface around 4-, 3-, and 2-fold symmetric axes. The subunit structure of EcFtnA comprises a four-helix bundle (helices A-D) and an additional helix E, which forms a 4-fold axis. In this study, we examined the contribution of the interface around three symmetric axes. pH-induced dissociation experiments monitored by analytical ultracentrifugation and small-angle X-ray scattering showed that the dimer related by 2-fold symmetry is the most stable unit. Mutations located near the 3-fold axis revealed that the contribution of each interaction was small. A mutant lacking helix E at the 4-fold axis formed a nanocage, suggesting that helix E is not essential for nanocage formation. Further truncation of the C-terminus of helix D abrogated the formation of the nanocage, suggesting that a few residues located at the C-terminus of helix D are critical for this process. These properties are similar to those known for mammalian ferritins and seem to be common principles for nanocage formation. The difference between EcFtnA and mammalian ferritins was that helix E-truncated EcFtnA maintained an iron-incorporating ability, whereas mammalian mutants lost it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideaki Ohtomo
- Department of Bioinformatics, Soka University , 1-236 Tangi-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan
| | - Mio Ohtomo
- Department of Bioinformatics, Soka University , 1-236 Tangi-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan
| | - Daisuke Sato
- Department of Bioinformatics, Soka University , 1-236 Tangi-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan
| | - Atsushi Kurobe
- Department of Bioinformatics, Soka University , 1-236 Tangi-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan
| | - Ayumi Sunato
- Department of Bioinformatics, Soka University , 1-236 Tangi-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Matsumura
- Department of Physics, Kansai Medical University , 18-89 Uyama-Higashi, Hirakata 573-1136, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kihara
- Department of Physics, Kansai Medical University , 18-89 Uyama-Higashi, Hirakata 573-1136, Japan
| | - Kazuo Fujiwara
- Department of Bioinformatics, Soka University , 1-236 Tangi-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan
| | - Masamichi Ikeguchi
- Department of Bioinformatics, Soka University , 1-236 Tangi-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan
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35
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Jutz G, van Rijn P, Santos Miranda B, Böker A. Ferritin: a versatile building block for bionanotechnology. Chem Rev 2015; 115:1653-701. [PMID: 25683244 DOI: 10.1021/cr400011b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 272] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Günther Jutz
- DWI - Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V., Lehrstuhl für Makromolekulare Materialien und Oberflächen, RWTH Aachen University , Forckenbeckstrasse 50, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
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36
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Lee JH, Seo HS, Song JA, Kwon KC, Lee EJ, Kim HJ, Lee EB, Cha YJ, Lee J. Proteinticle engineering for accurate 3D diagnosis. ACS NANO 2013; 7:10879-10886. [PMID: 24195532 DOI: 10.1021/nn404325t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
In nature certain proteins are self-assembled inside cells to form nanoscale particles (named "proteinticles") with constant structure and surface topology. Unlike chemically synthesized nanomaterials (e.g., various metal, carbon, and polymer nanoparticles), a variety of functional proteinticles can be easily created through genetic modification of the proteinticle surface, i.e., by adding or inserting specified proteins/peptides to the N- or C-terminus or the internal region of the protein constituent. Here we present proteins/peptides that recognize disease-specific antibodies on the surface of human ferritin based proteinticles for accurate 3D diagnosis of human autoimmune and infectious diseases. The surface display of the extracellular domain of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) with native conformation successfully discriminated between autoantibodies to native or denatured MOG, leading to the reliable diagnosis of multiple sclerosis with enhanced accuracy. Also we simultaneously displayed different antigenic peptides from hepatitis C virus (HCV) on the same proteinticle surface with modulating the composition of each peptide. The proteinticles with the heterogeneous peptide surface detected anti-HCV antibodies in patient sera with 100% accuracy. The proposed method of proteinticle engineering can be applied in general to the sensitive and specific diagnosis of many other human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong-Hwan Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea University , Anam-Ro 145, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
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37
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Lee EJ, Ahn KY, Lee JH, Park JS, Song JA, Sim SJ, Lee EB, Cha YJ, Lee J. A novel bioassay platform using ferritin-based nanoprobe hydrogel. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2012; 24:4739-4730. [PMID: 22778052 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201200728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2012] [Revised: 04/25/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Eun Jung Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea University, Anam-Ro 145, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea
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Zhang Y, Orner BP. Self-assembly in the ferritin nano-cage protein superfamily. Int J Mol Sci 2011; 12:5406-21. [PMID: 21954367 PMCID: PMC3179174 DOI: 10.3390/ijms12085406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2011] [Revised: 08/09/2011] [Accepted: 08/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein self-assembly, through specific, high affinity, and geometrically constraining protein-protein interactions, can control and lead to complex cellular nano-structures. Establishing an understanding of the underlying principles that govern protein self-assembly is not only essential to appreciate the fundamental biological functions of these structures, but could also provide a basis for their enhancement for nano-material applications. The ferritins are a superfamily of well studied proteins that self-assemble into hollow cage-like structures which are ubiquitously found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Structural studies have revealed that many members of the ferritin family can self-assemble into nano-cages of two types. Maxi-ferritins form hollow spheres with octahedral symmetry composed of twenty-four monomers. Mini-ferritins, on the other hand, are tetrahedrally symmetric, hollow assemblies composed of twelve monomers. This review will focus on the structure of members of the ferritin superfamily, the mechanism of ferritin self-assembly and the structure-function relations of these proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- Division of Chemistry and Biology Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore; E-Mail:
| | - Brendan P. Orner
- Division of Chemistry and Biology Chemistry, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore; E-Mail:
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39
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Kim SE, Ahn KY, Park JS, Kim KR, Lee KE, Han SS, Lee J. Fluorescent ferritin nanoparticles and application to the aptamer sensor. Anal Chem 2011; 83:5834-43. [PMID: 21639087 DOI: 10.1021/ac200657s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
We synthesized fluorescent ferritin nanoparticles (FFNPs) through bacterial expression of the hybrid gene consisting of human ferritin heavy chain (hFTN-H), spacer (glycine-rich peptide), and enhanced green (or red) fluorescent protein [eGFP (or DsRed)] genes. The self-assembly activity of hFTN-H that leads to the formation of nanoparticles (12 nm in diameter), the conformational flexibility of the C-terminus of hFTN-H, and the glycine-rich spacer enabled eGFPs (or DsReds) to be well displayed on the surface of each ferritin nanoparticle, resulting in the construction of green (or red) FFNPs [gFFNPs (or rFFNPs)]. As compared to eGFP (or DsRed) alone, it is notable that the developed FFNPs showed significantly amplified fluorescence intensity and also enhanced stability. DNA aptamers were chemically conjugated to gFFNP via each eGFP's cysteine residue that was newly introduced through site-directed mutagenesis (Ser175Cys). The DNA-aptamer-conjugated gFFNPs were used as a fluorescent reporter probe in the aptamer-based "sandwich" assay of a cancer marker [i.e., platelet-derived growth factor B-chain homodimer (PDGF-BB)] in phosphate-buffered saline buffer or diluted human serum. This is a simple two-step assay without any additional steps for signal amplification, showing that compared to the same aptamer-based assays using eGFP alone or Cy3, the detection signals, affinity of the reporter probe to the cancer marker, and assay sensitivity were significantly enhanced; i.e., the limit of detection was lowered to the 100 fM level. Although the PDGF-BB assay is reported here as a proof-of-concept, the developed FFNPs can be applied in general to any aptamer-based sandwich assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Eun Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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40
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De Domenico I, Vaughn MB, Paradkar PN, Lo E, Ward DM, Kaplan J. Decoupling ferritin synthesis from free cytosolic iron results in ferritin secretion. Cell Metab 2011; 13:57-67. [PMID: 21195349 PMCID: PMC3035985 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2010.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2010] [Revised: 09/10/2010] [Accepted: 10/13/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Ferritin is a multisubunit protein that is responsible for storing and detoxifying cytosolic iron. Ferritin can be found in serum but is relatively iron poor. Serum ferritin occurs in iron overload disorders, in inflammation, and in the genetic disorder hyperferritinemia with cataracts. We show that ferritin secretion results when cellular ferritin synthesis occurs in the relative absence of free cytosolic iron. In yeast and mammalian cells, newly synthesized ferritin monomers can be translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum and transits through the secretory apparatus. Ferritin chains can be translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum in an in vitro translation and membrane insertion system. The insertion of ferritin monomers into the ER occurs under low-free-iron conditions, as iron will induce the assembly of ferritin. Secretion of ferritin chains provides a mechanism that limits ferritin nanocage assembly and ferritin-mediated iron sequestration in the absence of the translational inhibition of ferritin synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana De Domenico
- Department of Internal Medicine School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132-2501
| | - Michael B Vaughn
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132-2501
| | - Prasad N Paradkar
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132-2501
| | - Eric Lo
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132-2501
| | - Diane M. Ward
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132-2501
| | - Jerry Kaplan
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132-2501
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41
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Luscieti S, Santambrogio P, Langlois d'Estaintot B, Granier T, Cozzi A, Poli M, Gallois B, Finazzi D, Cattaneo A, Levi S, Arosio P. Mutant ferritin L-chains that cause neurodegeneration act in a dominant-negative manner to reduce ferritin iron incorporation. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:11948-57. [PMID: 20159981 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.096404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleotide insertions that modify the C terminus of ferritin light chain (FTL) cause neurodegenerative movement disorders named neuroferritinopathies, which are inherited with dominant transmission. The disorders are characterized by abnormal brain iron accumulation. Here we describe the biochemical and crystallographic characterization of pathogenic FTL mutant p.Phe167SerfsX26 showing that it is a functional ferritin with an altered conformation of the C terminus. Moreover we analyze functional and stability properties of ferritin heteropolymers made of 20-23 H-chains and 1-4 L-chains with representative pathogenic mutations or the last 10-28 residues truncated. All the heteropolymers containing the pathogenic or truncated mutants had a strongly reduced capacity to incorporate iron, both when expressed in Escherichia coli, and in vitro when iron was supplied as Fe(III) in the presence of ascorbate. The mutations also reduced the physical stability of the heteropolymers. The data indicate that even a few mutated L-chains are sufficient to alter the permeability of 1-2 of the 6 hydrophobic channels and modify ferritin capacity to incorporate iron. The dominant-negative action of the mutations explains the dominant transmission of the disorder. The data support the hypothesis that hereditary ferritinopathies are due to alterations of ferritin functionality and provide new input on the mechanism of the function of isoferritins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Luscieti
- Dipartimento Materno Infantile e Tecnologie Biomediche, Università di Brescia, viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy
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42
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Zhang Y, Raudah S, Teo H, Teo GWS, Fan R, Sun X, Orner BP. Alanine-shaving mutagenesis to determine key interfacial residues governing the assembly of a nano-cage maxi-ferritin. J Biol Chem 2010; 285:12078-86. [PMID: 20139406 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.092445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The fundamental process of protein self-assembly is governed by protein-protein interactions between subunits, which combine to form structures that are often on the nano-scale. The nano-cage protein, bacterioferritin from Escherichia coli, a maxi-ferritin made up of 24 subunits, was chosen as the basis for an alanine-shaving mutagenesis study to discover key amino acid residues at symmetry-related protein-protein interfaces that control protein stability and self-assembly. By inspection of these interfaces and "virtual alanine scanning," nine mutants were designed, expressed, purified, and characterized using transmission electron microscopy, size exclusion chromatography, dynamic light scattering, native PAGE, and temperature-dependent CD. Many of the selected amino acids act as hot spot residues. Four of these (Arg-30, which is located at the two-fold axis, and Arg-61, Tyr-114, and Glu-128, which are located at the three-fold axis), when individually mutated to alanine, completely shut down detectable solution formation of 24-mer, favoring a cooperatively folded dimer, suggesting that they may be oligomerization "switch residues." Furthermore, two residues, Arg-30 and Arg-61, when changed to alanine form mutants that are more thermodynamically stable than the native protein. This investigation into the structure and energetics of this self-assembling nano-cage protein not only can act as a jumping off point for the eventual design of novel protein nano-structures but can also help to understand the role that structure plays on the function of this important class of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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43
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Beazley KE, Nurminskaya M, Linsenmayer TF. Phosphorylation regulates the ferritoid-ferritin interaction and nuclear transport. J Cell Biochem 2009; 107:528-36. [PMID: 19360808 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.22154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Ferritin is an iron-sequestering protein that is generally cytoplasmic; however, our previous studies have shown that in avian corneal epithelial (CE) cells ferritin is nuclear. We have also observed that this nuclear localization involves a tissue-specific nuclear transporter that we have termed ferritoid, and that nuclear ferritin protects DNA from oxidative damage. Recently we have determined that ferritoid functions not only as a nuclear transporter, but also, within the nucleus, it remains associated with ferritin as a heteropolymeric complex. This ferritoid-ferritin complex has unique properties such as being half the size of a typical ferritin molecule and showing preferential binding to DNA. It is likely that the association between ferritoid and ferritin is involved both in the nuclear transport of ferritin and in determining certain of the properties of the complex; therefore, we have been examining the mechanisms involved in regulating the association of these two components. As the ferritoid sequence contains six putative phosphorylation sites, we have examined here whether phosphorylation is one such mechanism. We have determined that ferritoid in the nuclear ferritoid-ferritin complexes is phosphorylated, and that inhibition of this phosphorylation, using inhibitors of PKC, prevents its interaction with ferritin. Furthermore, in an experimental model system in which the nuclear transport of ferritin normally occurs (i.e., the co-transfection of COS-1 cells with full length constructs for ferritin and ferritoid), when phosphorylation sites in ferritoid are mutated, the interaction between ferritoid and ferritin is inhibited, as is the nuclear transport of ferritin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E Beazley
- Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA
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44
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Baraibar MA, Barbeito AG, Muhoberac BB, Vidal R. Iron-mediated aggregation and a localized structural change characterize ferritin from a mutant light chain polypeptide that causes neurodegeneration. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:31679-89. [PMID: 18755684 PMCID: PMC2581579 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m805532200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2008] [Revised: 08/26/2008] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleotide insertions in the ferritin light chain (FTL) polypeptide gene cause hereditary ferritinopathy, a neurodegenerative disease characterized by abnormal accumulation of ferritin and iron in the central nervous system. Here we describe for the first time the protein structure and iron storage function of the FTL mutant p.Phe167SerfsX26 (MT-FTL), which has a C terminus altered in sequence and extended in length. MT-FTL polypeptides assembled spontaneously into soluble, spherical 24-mers that were ultrastructurally indistinguishable from those of the wild type. Far-UV CD showed a decrease in alpha-helical content, and 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate fluorescence revealed the appearance of hydrophobic binding sites. Near-UV CD and proteolysis studies suggested little or no structural alteration outside of the C-terminal region. In contrast to wild type, MT-FTL homopolymers precipitated at much lower iron loading, had a diminished capacity to incorporate iron, and were less thermostable. However, precipitation was significantly reversed by addition of iron chelators both in vitro and in vivo. Our results reveal substantial protein conformational changes localized at the 4-fold pore of MT-FTL homopolymers and imply that the C terminus of the MT-FTL polypeptide plays an important role in ferritin solubility, stability, and iron management. We propose that the protrusion of some portion of the C terminus above the spherical shell allows it to cross-link with other mutant polypeptides through iron bridging, leading to enhanced mutant precipitation by iron. Our data suggest that hereditary ferritinopathy pathogenesis is likely to result from a combination of reduction in iron storage function and enhanced toxicity associated with iron-induced ferritin aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin A Baraibar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA
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45
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Park JS, Ahn JY, Lee SH, Lee H, Han KY, Seo HS, Ahn KY, Min BH, Sim SJ, Choi IS, Kim YH, Lee J. Enhanced stability of heterologous proteins by supramolecular self-assembly. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2007; 75:347-55. [PMID: 17546471 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-006-0826-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2006] [Revised: 12/23/2006] [Accepted: 12/24/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Recently, we reported on the dual function of human ferritin heavy chain (hFTN-H) used for the fusion expression and solubility enhancement of various heterologous proteins: (1) high-affinity interaction with HSP70 chaperone DnaK and (2) formation of self-assembled supramolecules with limited and constant sizes. Especially the latter, the self-assembly function of hFTN-H is highly useful in avoiding the undesirable formation of insoluble macroaggregates of heterologous proteins in bacterial cytoplasm. In this study, using enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) and several deletion mutants of Mycoplasma arginine deiminase (ADI(132-410)) as reporter proteins, we confirmed through TEM image analysis that the recombinant fusion proteins (hFTN-H::eGFP and hFTN-H::ADI(132-410)) formed intracellular spherical particles with nanoscale diameter ( approximately 10 nm), i.e., noncovalently cross-linked supramolecules. Surprisingly, the supramolecular eGFP and ADI showed much enhanced stability in bioactivity. That is, the activity level was much more stably maintained for the prolonged period of time even at high temperature, at high concentration of Gdn-HCl, and in wide range of pH. The stability enhancement by supramolecular self-assembly may make it possible to utilize the protein supramolecules as novel means for drug delivery, enzymatic material conversion (biotransformation), protein chip/sensor, etc. where the maintenance of protein/enzyme stability is strictly required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Seung Park
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 136-713, South Korea
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46
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Lee SH, Lee H, Park JS, Choi H, Han KY, Seo HS, Ahn KY, Han SS, Cho Y, Lee KH, Lee J. A novel approach to ultrasensitive diagnosis using supramolecular protein nanoparticles. FASEB J 2007; 21:1324-34. [PMID: 17283220 DOI: 10.1096/fj.06-7303com] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
We report on the ultrasensitive protein nanoprobe system that specifically captures disease marker (autoantibodies of Type I diabetes in this case) with attomolar sensitivity. The system relies on supramolecular protein nanoparticles that bind a specific antibody [65 kDa glutamate decarboxylase (GAD65)-specific autoantibody, i.e., the early marker of Type I diabetes]. The ultrasensitive detection of early marker of Type I diabetes during the early phase of pancreatic beta-cell destruction is important because individuals at high risk of developing Type I diabetes can be identified several years before the clinical onset of the ailment. The bacterial expression of chimera genes encoding N-[human ferritin heavy chain (hFTN-H)]::[specific antigenic epitope]-C produces supramolecular nanoparticles with uniform diameters (10-15 nm), owing to self-assembly activity of hFTN-H. Each nanoparticle, formed by intermolecular self-assembly between the chimera protein molecules, is subjected to carrying a large number (presumably, 24) of epitopes with a homogeneous and stable conformation per autoantibody binding, thereby allowing substantial enhancement of sensitivity. The sensitivity was finally boosted to 3 attomolar concentration of the autoantibodies, 4-9 orders of magnitude more sensitive than conventional immunoassays. Also, this ultrasensitive protein nanoprobe successfully detected natural autoantibodies in the sera from Type I diabetic patients. The attomolar sensitivity was successfully reproduced on the detection of other antibodies, i.e., monoclonal antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen. With the two antibody markers above, the feasibility of simultaneous and multiplexing-mode detection was also demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Hyun Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
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47
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Ingrassia R, Gerardi G, Biasiotto G, Arosio P. Mutations of Ferritin H Chain C-Terminus Produced by Nucleotide Insertions Have Altered Stability and Functional Properties. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 139:881-5. [PMID: 16751596 DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvj101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Ferritin is an iron storage protein made of 24 subunits. Previous mutational analyses showed that ferritin C-terminal region has a major role in protein stability and assembly but is only marginally involved in the mechanism of iron incorporation. However, it has recently been shown that patients who carry alterations of ferritin C-terminal sequence caused by nucleotide insertions show neurological disorders possibly related to altered protein functionality and cellular iron deregulation. To re-evaluate the role of this region, five mutants of mouse H-ferritin were produced by 2-nucleotide insertions that modified the last 6-29 residues and extended the sequence of 14 amino acids. The mutants were expressed in Escherichia coli and analysed for solubility, stability and capacity to incorporate iron. The alteration of the last 6-residue non-helical extension had no evident effect on the properties of ferritin, while solubility and capacity to assemble in ferritin shells decreased progressively with the extension of the modified region. The results also showed that the modification of even a part of the terminal E-helix abolished the capacity of ferritin to incorporate iron during expression in the cells, probably caused by conformational modification of the hydrophobic channels. The data support the hypothesis that the pathogenic mutations alter cellular iron homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosaria Ingrassia
- Dipartimento Materno Infantile e Tecnologie Biomediche, Università di Brescia, A.O. Spedali Civili, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy
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48
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Masuda T, Goto F, Yoshihara T. A novel plant ferritin subunit from soybean that is related to a mechanism in iron release. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:19575-9. [PMID: 11278898 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m011399200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Ferritin is a multimeric iron storage protein composed of 24 subunits. Ferritin purified from dried soybean seed resolves into two peptides of 26.5 and 28 kDa. To date, the 26.5-kDa subunit has been supposed to be generated from the 28-kDa subunit by cleavage of the N-terminal region. We performed amino acid sequence analysis of the 28-kDa subunit and found that it had a different sequence from the 26.5-kDa subunit, thus rendering it novel among known soybean ferritins. We cloned a cDNA encoding this novel subunit from 10-day-old seedlings, each of which contained developed bifoliates, an epicotyl and a terminal bud. The 26.5-kDa subunit was found to be identical to that identified previously lacking the C-terminal 16 residues that correspond to the E helix of mammalian ferritin. However, the corresponding region in the 28-kDa soybean ferritin subunit identified in this study was not susceptible to cleavage. We present evidence that the two different ferritin subunits in soybean dry seeds show differential sensitivity to protease digestions and that the novel, uncleaved 28-kDa ferritin subunit appears to stabilize the ferritin shell by co-existing with the cleaved 26.5-kDa subunit. These data demonstrate that soybean ferritin is composed of at least two different subunits, which have cooperative functional roles in soybean seeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Masuda
- Department of Bio-Science, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 1646 Abiko, Abiko-shi, Chiba 270-1194, Japan
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49
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Affiliation(s)
- J Beckwith
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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50
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Wigley WC, Stidham RD, Smith NM, Hunt JF, Thomas PJ. Protein solubility and folding monitored in vivo by structural complementation of a genetic marker protein. Nat Biotechnol 2001; 19:131-6. [PMID: 11175726 DOI: 10.1038/84389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Protein misfolding is the basis of a number of human diseases and presents an obstacle to the production of soluble recombinant proteins. We present a general method to assess the solubility and folding of proteins in vivo. The basis of this assay is structural complementation between the alpha- and omega- fragments of beta-galactosidase (beta-gal). Fusions of the alpha-fragment to the C terminus of target proteins with widely varying in vivo folding yield and/or solubility levels, including the Alzheimer's amyloid beta (A beta) peptide and a non-amyloidogenic mutant thereof, reveal an unambiguous correlation between beta-gal activity and the solubility/folding of the target. Thus, structural complementation provides a means of monitoring protein solubility/misfolding in vivo, and should find utility in the screening for compounds that influence the pathological consequences of these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- W C Wigley
- Department of Physiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas TX 75235, USA
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