1
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Connolley L, Szczepaniak J, Kleanthous C, Murray SM. The quantitative basis for the redistribution of immobile bacterial lipoproteins to division septa. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009756. [PMID: 34965245 PMCID: PMC8751993 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatial localisation of proteins is critical for most cellular function. In bacteria, this is typically achieved through capture by established landmark proteins. However, this requires that the protein is diffusive on the appropriate timescale. It is therefore unknown how the localisation of effectively immobile proteins is achieved. Here, we investigate the localisation to the division site of the slowly diffusing lipoprotein Pal, which anchors the outer membrane to the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria. While the proton motive force-linked TolQRAB system is known to be required for this repositioning, the underlying mechanism is unresolved, especially given the very low mobility of Pal. We present a quantitative, mathematical model for Pal relocalisation in which dissociation of TolB-Pal complexes, powered by the proton motive force across the inner membrane, leads to the net transport of Pal along the outer membrane and its deposition at the division septum. We fit the model to experimental measurements of protein mobility and successfully test its predictions experimentally against mutant phenotypes. Our model not only explains a key aspect of cell division in Gram-negative bacteria, but also presents a physical mechanism for the transport of low-mobility proteins that may be applicable to multi-membrane organelles, such as mitochondria and chloroplasts. In order for bacteria to successfully survive it is vital that they are able to concentrate proteins at precise sub-cellular locations. This usually occurs by capturing a freely diffusive protein, with the requirement that the protein is sufficiently mobile to reach the target location within the appropriate timeframe. Currently, it is unclear how immobile proteins are localised. Here, we examine how a very slowly diffusing protein Pal is able to localise to the centre of dividing cells to fulfil its role in membrane constriction. We present a mathematical model in which Pal is made mobile through the binding of another protein, TolB, and then deposited at the septum via active dissociation. This method is similar to a conveyor belt where Pal is collected everywhere but only deposited at the centre of the cell. We are able to fit this model to measurements of protein mobility and also test its predictions against mutant phenotypes. Our study is not only able to explain how this key protein is relocalised but also presents a general mechanism for the transport of slowly diffusing proteins that may be applicable to other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Connolley
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and LOEWE Centre for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Joanna Szczepaniak
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Colin Kleanthous
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (CK); (SMM)
| | - Seán M. Murray
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and LOEWE Centre for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
- * E-mail: (CK); (SMM)
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2
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Wu L, Su L, Deng M, Hong X, Wu M, Zhang M, Bouveret E, Yan X. Dual-fluorescent bacterial two-hybrid system for quantitative Protein-Protein interaction measurement via flow cytometry. Talanta 2021; 233:122549. [PMID: 34215052 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Characterization of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is essential for understanding cellular signal transduction pathways. However, quantitative measurement of the binding strength remains challenging. Building upon the classical bacterial adenylate cyclase two-hybrid (BACTH) system, we previously demonstrated that the relative reporter protein expression (RRPE), defined as the level of reporter expression normalized to that of the interacting protein, is an intrinsic characteristic associated with the binding strength between the two interacting proteins. In this study, we inserted fluorescent protein tdTomato in the chromosome as the reporter protein by CRISPR/Cas9 technology and employed a 12-amino acid tetracysteine (TC) to tag one of the interacting proteins, which can be further labeled by a membrane-permeable biarsenical dye. The combined use of tdTomato and TC-tag offers rapid and high-throughput analysis of the expression levels of both the reporter protein and one of the interacting proteins at the single-cell level by multicolor flow cytometry, which simplifies the quantitative measurement of PPI. The use of the as-developed RRPE-tdTomato-TC-BACTH approach was demonstrated in three demanding applications. First, binding affinities could be correctly ranked for discriminating interaction strengths with a tenfold difference or of the same order of magnitude. We demonstrate that the method is sensitive enough to discriminate affinities with a small difference of 1.4-fold. Moreover, residues involved in PPI can be easily mapped and ranked. Lastly, protein interaction inhibitors can be rapidly screened.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Wu
- Department of Chemical Biology, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, PR China.
| | - Liuqin Su
- Department of Chemical Biology, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, PR China
| | - Minfang Deng
- Department of Chemical Biology, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, PR China
| | - Xinyi Hong
- Department of Chemical Biology, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, PR China
| | - Mingkai Wu
- Department of Chemical Biology, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, PR China
| | - Miaomiao Zhang
- Department of Chemical Biology, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, PR China
| | | | - Xiaomei Yan
- Department of Chemical Biology, The MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, The Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005, PR China.
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3
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Lee S, Housden NG, Ionescu SA, Zimmer MH, Kaminska R, Kleanthous C, Bayley H. Transmembrane Epitope Delivery by Passive Protein Threading through the Pores of the OmpF Porin Trimer. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:12157-12166. [PMID: 32614588 PMCID: PMC7366379 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c02362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Trimeric porins in the outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria are the conduits by which nutrients and antibiotics diffuse passively into cells. The narrow gateways that porins form in the OM are also exploited by bacteriocins to translocate into cells by a poorly understood process. Here, using single-channel electrical recording in planar lipid bilayers in conjunction with protein engineering, we explicate the mechanism by which the intrinsically unstructured N-terminal translocation domain (IUTD) of the endonuclease bacteriocin ColE9 is imported passively across the Escherichia coli OM through OmpF. We show that the import is dominated by weak interactions of OmpF pores with binding epitopes within the IUTD that are orientationally biased and result in the threading of over 60 amino acids through 2 subunits of OmpF. Single-molecule kinetic analysis demonstrates that the IUTD enters from the extracellular side of OmpF and translocates to the periplasm where the polypeptide chain does an about turn in order to enter a neighboring subunit, only for some of these molecules to pop out of this second subunit before finally re-entering to form a stable complex. These intimately linked transport/binding processes generate an essentially irreversible, hook-like assembly that constrains an import activating peptide epitope between two subunits of the OmpF trimer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sejeong Lee
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K
| | | | - Sandra A Ionescu
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K
| | - Matthew H Zimmer
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K
| | - Renata Kaminska
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K
| | - Colin Kleanthous
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K
| | - Hagan Bayley
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K
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4
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Szczepaniak J, Holmes P, Rajasekar K, Kaminska R, Samsudin F, Inns PG, Rassam P, Khalid S, Murray SM, Redfield C, Kleanthous C. The lipoprotein Pal stabilises the bacterial outer membrane during constriction by a mobilisation-and-capture mechanism. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1305. [PMID: 32161270 PMCID: PMC7066135 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15083-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Coordination of outer membrane constriction with septation is critical to faithful division in Gram-negative bacteria and vital to the barrier function of the membrane. This coordination requires the recruitment of the peptidoglycan-binding outer-membrane lipoprotein Pal at division sites by the Tol system. Here, we show that Pal accumulation at Escherichia coli division sites is a consequence of three key functions of the Tol system. First, Tol mobilises Pal molecules in dividing cells, which otherwise diffuse very slowly due to their binding of the cell wall. Second, Tol actively captures mobilised Pal molecules and deposits them at the division septum. Third, the active capture mechanism is analogous to that used by the inner membrane protein TonB to dislodge the plug domains of outer membrane TonB-dependent nutrient transporters. We conclude that outer membrane constriction is coordinated with cell division by active mobilisation-and-capture of Pal at division septa by the Tol system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter Holmes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Karthik Rajasekar
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Evotec SE, 112-114 Innovation Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, OX14 4RZ, UK
| | - Renata Kaminska
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Firdaus Samsudin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | | | - Patrice Rassam
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologie, UMR 7021, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de pharmacie, 74 Route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Syma Khalid
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Seán M Murray
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and LOEWE Centre for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Karl-von-Frisch Strasse 16, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Colin Kleanthous
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
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5
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Atanaskovic I, Kleanthous C. Tools and Approaches for Dissecting Protein Bacteriocin Import in Gram-Negative Bacteria. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:646. [PMID: 31001227 PMCID: PMC6455109 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriocins of Gram-negative bacteria are typically multi-domain proteins that target and kill bacteria of the same or closely related species. There is increasing interest in protein bacteriocin import; from a fundamental perspective to understand how folded proteins are imported into bacteria and from an applications perspective as species-specific antibiotics to combat multidrug resistant bacteria. In order to translocate across the cell envelope and cause cell death, protein bacteriocins hijack nutrient uptake pathways. Their import is energized by parasitizing intermembrane protein complexes coupled to the proton motive force, which delivers a toxic domain into the cell. A plethora of genetic, structural, biochemical, and biophysical methods have been applied to find cell envelope components involved in bacteriocin import since their discovery almost a century ago. Here, we review the various approaches that now exist for investigating how protein bacteriocins translocate into Gram-negative bacteria and highlight areas of research that will need methodological innovations to fully understand this process. We also highlight recent studies demonstrating how bacteriocins can be used to probe organization and architecture of the Gram-negative cell envelope itself.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Colin Kleanthous
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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6
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Cao Y, Liu D, Zhang WB. Supercharging SpyCatcher toward an intrinsically disordered protein with stimuli-responsive chemical reactivity. Chem Commun (Camb) 2018; 53:8830-8833. [PMID: 28692103 DOI: 10.1039/c7cc04507g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
We report a supercharged, intrinsically disordered protein, SpyCatcher(-), possessing stimuli-responsive reactivity toward SpyTag with tunable yields ranging from 4% to 98% depending on pH, temperature, ionic strength, etc. The CD and NMR studies reveal that the reaction occurs through a folded intermediate formed probably via a different mechanism from that of SpyCatcher.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Cao
- Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry & Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China.
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7
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Diversity and distribution of nuclease bacteriocins in bacterial genomes revealed using Hidden Markov Models. PLoS Comput Biol 2017; 13:e1005652. [PMID: 28715501 PMCID: PMC5536347 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Revised: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria exploit an arsenal of antimicrobial peptides and proteins to compete with each other. Three main competition systems have been described: type six secretion systems (T6SS); contact dependent inhibition (CDI); and bacteriocins. Unlike T6SS and CDI systems, bacteriocins do not require contact between bacteria but are diffusible toxins released into the environment. Identified almost a century ago, our understanding of bacteriocin distribution and prevalence in bacterial populations remains poor. In the case of protein bacteriocins, this is because of high levels of sequence diversity and difficulties in distinguishing their killing domains from those of other competition systems. Here, we develop a robust bioinformatics pipeline exploiting Hidden Markov Models for the identification of nuclease bacteriocins (NBs) in bacteria of which, to-date, only a handful are known. NBs are large (>60 kDa) toxins that target nucleic acids (DNA, tRNA or rRNA) in the cytoplasm of susceptible bacteria, usually closely related to the producing organism. We identified >3000 NB genes located on plasmids or on the chromosome from 53 bacterial species distributed across different ecological niches, including human, animals, plants, and the environment. A newly identified NB predicted to be specific for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (pyocin Sn) was produced and shown to kill P. aeruginosa thereby validating our pipeline. Intriguingly, while the genes encoding the machinery needed for NB translocation across the cell envelope are widespread in Gram-negative bacteria, NBs are found exclusively in γ-proteobacteria. Similarity network analysis demonstrated that NBs fall into eight groups each with a distinct arrangement of protein domains involved in import. The only structural feature conserved across all groups was a sequence motif critical for cell-killing that is generally not found in bacteriocins targeting the periplasm, implying a specific role in translocating the nuclease to the cytoplasm. Finally, we demonstrate a significant association between nuclease colicins, NBs specific for Escherichia coli, and virulence factors, suggesting NBs play a role in infection processes, most likely by enabling pathogens to outcompete commensal bacteria. Bacteria deploy a variety of antimicrobials to kill competing bacteria. Nuclease bacteriocins are a miscellaneous group of protein toxins that target closely related species, cleaving nucleic acids in the cytoplasm. It has proved difficult to establish how widespread bacteriocins are in bacterial populations due to the high diversity of bacteriocin-encoding genes. Here, we describe an in silico approach to identify nuclease bacteriocin genes in bacterial genomes and to distinguish them from other competition toxins. Bacteria that contain nuclease bacteriocin genes are found in many different types of environment but are prevalent in niches where interbacterial competition is likely to be high. Nuclease bacteriocins are found exclusively in γ-proteobacteria and are particularly abundant in the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae families. Although the sequences we identify are indeed diverse (<20% sequence identity between protein families) we show that all nuclease bacteriocins contain an invariant motif, usually within a common structural scaffold, that is implicated in translocating the cytotoxic nuclease to the cytoplasm. Finally, we show that nuclease bacteriocins in pathogenic E. coli are strongly associated with virulence factors suggesting they play a role in pathogenicity mechanisms.
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8
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Farrance OE, Paci E, Radford SE, Brockwell DJ. Extraction of accurate biomolecular parameters from single-molecule force spectroscopy experiments. ACS NANO 2015; 9:1315-1324. [PMID: 25646767 DOI: 10.1021/nn505135d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The atomic force microscope (AFM) is able to manipulate biomolecules and their complexes with exquisite force sensitivity and distance resolution. This capability, complemented by theoretical models, has greatly improved our understanding of the determinants of mechanical strength in proteins and revealed the diverse effects of directional forces on the energy landscape of biomolecules. In unbinding experiments, the interacting partners are usually immobilized on their respective substrates via extensible linkers. These linkers affect both the force and contour length (Lc) of the complex at rupture. Surprisingly, while the former effect is well understood, the latter is largely neglected, leading to incorrect estimations of Lc, a parameter that is often used as evidence for the detection of specific interactions and remodeling events and for the inference of interaction regions. To address this problem, a model that predicts contour length measurements from single-molecule forced-dissociation experiments is presented that considers attachment position on the AFM tip, geometric effects, and polymer dynamics of the linkers. Modeled data are compared with measured contour length distributions from several different experimental systems, revealing that current methods underestimate contour lengths. The model enables nonspecific interactions to be identified unequivocally, allows accurate determination of Lc, and, by comparing experimental and modeled distributions, enables partial unfolding events before rupture to be identified unequivocally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver E Farrance
- Astbury Centre for Structural and Molecular Biology and School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds , Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 9JT, U.K
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9
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Zorn M, Ihling CH, Golbik R, Sawers RG, Sinz A. Mapping Cell Envelope and Periplasm Protein Interactions of Escherichia coli Respiratory Formate Dehydrogenases by Chemical Cross-Linking and Mass Spectrometry. J Proteome Res 2014; 13:5524-35. [DOI: 10.1021/pr5004906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Zorn
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Bioanalytics, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Wolfgang-Langenbeck-Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Christian H. Ihling
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Bioanalytics, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Wolfgang-Langenbeck-Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | | | | | - Andrea Sinz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Bioanalytics, Institute of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Wolfgang-Langenbeck-Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
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10
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Van Roey K, Uyar B, Weatheritt RJ, Dinkel H, Seiler M, Budd A, Gibson TJ, Davey NE. Short Linear Motifs: Ubiquitous and Functionally Diverse Protein Interaction Modules Directing Cell Regulation. Chem Rev 2014; 114:6733-78. [DOI: 10.1021/cr400585q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 293] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kim Van Roey
- Structural
and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bora Uyar
- Structural
and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Robert J. Weatheritt
- MRC
Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Holger Dinkel
- Structural
and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Seiler
- Structural
and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Aidan Budd
- Structural
and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Toby J. Gibson
- Structural
and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Norman E. Davey
- Structural
and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department
of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
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11
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Liu Z, Huang Y. Advantages of proteins being disordered. Protein Sci 2014; 23:539-50. [PMID: 24532081 DOI: 10.1002/pro.2443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Revised: 02/09/2014] [Accepted: 02/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed great advances in our understanding of protein structure-function relationships in terms of the ubiquitous existence of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). The structural disorder of IDPs/IDRs enables them to play essential functions that are complementary to those of ordered proteins. In addition, IDPs/IDRs are persistent in evolution. Therefore, they are expected to possess some advantages over ordered proteins. In this review, we summarize and survey nine possible advantages of IDPs/IDRs: economizing genome/protein resources, overcoming steric restrictions in binding, achieving high specificity with low affinity, increasing binding rate, facilitating posttranslational modifications, enabling flexible linkers, preventing aggregation, providing resistance to non-native conditions, and allowing compatibility with more available sequences. Some potential advantages of IDPs/IDRs are not well understood and require both experimental and theoretical approaches to decipher. The connection with protein design is also briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhirong Liu
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
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12
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Dogan J, Gianni S, Jemth P. The binding mechanisms of intrinsically disordered proteins. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2013; 16:6323-31. [PMID: 24317797 DOI: 10.1039/c3cp54226b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of proteins are very common and instrumental for cellular signaling. Recently, a number of studies have investigated the kinetic binding mechanisms of IDPs and IDRs. These results allow us to draw conclusions about the energy landscape for the coupled binding and folding of disordered proteins. The association rate constants of IDPs cover a wide range (10(5)-10(9) M(-1) s(-1)) and are largely governed by long-range charge-charge interactions, similarly to interactions between well-folded proteins. Off-rate constants also differ significantly among IDPs (with half-lives of up to several minutes) but are usually around 0.1-1000 s(-1), allowing for rapid dissociation of complexes. Likewise, affinities span from pM to μM suggesting that the low-affinity high-specificity concept for IDPs is not straightforward. Overall, it appears that binding precedes global folding although secondary structure elements such as helices may form before the protein-protein interaction. Short IDPs bind in apparent two-state reactions whereas larger IDPs often display complex multi-step binding reactions. While the two extreme cases of two-step binding (conformational selection and induced fit) or their combination into a square mechanism is an attractive model in theory, it is too simplistic in practice. Experiment and simulation suggest a more complex energy landscape in which IDPs bind targets through a combination of conformational selection before binding (e.g., secondary structure formation) and induced fit after binding (global folding and formation of short-range intermolecular interactions).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Dogan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, BMC Box 582, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden.
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13
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Housden NG, Hopper JT, Lukoyanova N, Rodriguez-Larrea D, Wojdyla JA, Klein A, Kaminska R, Bayley H, Saibil HR, Robinson CV, Kleanthous C. Intrinsically disordered protein threads through the bacterial outer-membrane porin OmpF. Science 2013; 340:1570-4. [PMID: 23812713 PMCID: PMC3856478 DOI: 10.1126/science.1237864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Porins are β-barrel outer-membrane proteins through which small solutes and metabolites diffuse that are also exploited during cell death. We have studied how the bacteriocin colicin E9 (ColE9) assembles a cytotoxic translocon at the surface of Escherichia coli that incorporates the trimeric porin OmpF. Formation of the translocon involved ColE9's unstructured N-terminal domain threading in opposite directions through two OmpF subunits, capturing its target TolB on the other side of the membrane in a fixed orientation that triggers colicin import. Thus, an intrinsically disordered protein can tunnel through the narrow pores of an oligomeric porin to deliver an epitope signal to the cell to initiate cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas G. Housden
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Jonathan T.S. Hopper
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Natalya Lukoyanova
- Department of Crystallography and Institute of Structural Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - David Rodriguez-Larrea
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Justyna A. Wojdyla
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Alexander Klein
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Renata Kaminska
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Hagan Bayley
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Helen R. Saibil
- Department of Crystallography and Institute of Structural Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Carol V. Robinson
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Colin Kleanthous
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
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14
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Translocation trumps receptor binding in colicin entry into Escherichia coli. Biochem Soc Trans 2013; 40:1443-8. [PMID: 23176496 DOI: 10.1042/bst20120207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Of the steps involved in the killing of Escherichia coli by colicins, binding to a specific outer-membrane receptor was the best understood and earliest characterized. Receptor binding was believed to be an indispensable step in colicin intoxication, coming before the less well-understood step of translocation across the outer membrane to present the killing domain to its target. In the process of identifying the translocator for colicin Ia, I created chimaeric colicins, as well as a deletion missing the entire receptor-binding domain of colicin Ia. The normal pathway for colicin Ia killing was shown to require two copies of Cir: one that serves as the primary receptor and a second copy that serves as translocator. The novel Ia colicins retain the ability to kill E. coli, even in the absence of receptor binding, as long as they can translocate via their Cir translocator. Experiments to determine whether colicin M uses a second copy of its receptor, FhuA, as its translocator were hampered by precipitation of colicin M chimaeras in inclusion bodies. Nevertheless, I show that receptor binding can be bypassed for killing, as long as a translocation pathway is maintained for colicin M. These experiments suggest that colicin M, unlike colicin Ia, may normally use a single copy of FhuA as both its receptor and its translocator. Colicin E1 can kill in the absence of receptor binding, using translocation through TolC.
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15
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen S. Jakes
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461;
| | - William A. Cramer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907;
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16
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Abstract
We are investigating how protein bacteriocins import their toxic payload across the Gram-negative cell envelope, both as a means of understanding the translocation process itself and as a means of probing the organization of the cell envelope and the function of the protein machines within it. Our work focuses on the import mechanism of the group A endonuclease (DNase) colicin ColE9 into Escherichia coli, where we combine in vivo observations with structural, biochemical and biophysical approaches to dissect the molecular mechanism of colicin entry. ColE9 assembles a multiprotein ‘translocon’ complex at the E. coli outer membrane that triggers entry of the toxin across the outer membrane and the simultaneous jettisoning of its tightly bound immunity protein, Im9, in a step that is dependent on the protonmotive force. In the present paper, we focus on recent work where we have uncovered how ColE9 assembles its translocon complex, including isolation of the complex, and how this leads to subversion of a signal intrinsic to the Tol–Pal assembly within the periplasm and inner membrane. In this way, the externally located ColE9 is able to ‘connect’ to the inner membrane protonmotive force via a network of protein–protein interactions that spans the entirety of the E. coli cell envelope to drive dissociation of Im9 and initiate entry of the colicin into the cell.
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17
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Shammas S, Rogers J, Hill S, Clarke J. Slow, reversible, coupled folding and binding of the spectrin tetramerization domain. Biophys J 2012; 103:2203-14. [PMID: 23200054 PMCID: PMC3512043 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2012] [Revised: 10/02/2012] [Accepted: 10/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are significantly unstructured under physiological conditions. A number of these IDPs have been shown to undergo coupled folding and binding reactions whereby they can gain structure upon association with an appropriate partner protein. In general, these systems display weaker binding affinities than do systems with association between completely structured domains, with micromolar K(d) values appearing typical. One such system is the association between α- and β-spectrin, where two partially structured, incomplete domains associate to form a fully structured, three-helix bundle, the spectrin tetramerization domain. Here, we use this model system to demonstrate a method for fitting association and dissociation kinetic traces where, using typical biophysical concentrations, the association reactions are expected to be highly reversible. We elucidate the unusually slow, two-state kinetics of spectrin assembly in solution. The advantages of studying kinetics in this regime include the potential for gaining equilibrium constants as well as rate constants, and for performing experiments with low protein concentrations. We suggest that this approach would be particularly appropriate for high-throughput mutational analysis of two-state reversible binding processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - J. Clarke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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18
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Dogan J, Schmidt T, Mu X, Engström Å, Jemth P. Fast association and slow transitions in the interaction between two intrinsically disordered protein domains. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:34316-24. [PMID: 22915588 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112.399436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins that contain long disordered regions are prevalent in the proteome and frequently associated with diseases. However, the mechanisms by which such intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) recognize their targets are not well understood. Here, we report the first experimental investigation of the interaction kinetics of the nuclear co-activator binding domain of CREB-binding protein and the activation domain from the p160 transcriptional co-activator for thyroid hormone and retinoid receptors. Both protein domains are intrinsically disordered in the free state and synergistically fold upon binding each other. Using the stopped-flow technique, we found that the binding reaction is fast, with an association rate constant of 3 × 10(7) m(-1) s(-1) at 277 K. Mutation of a conserved buried intermolecular salt bridge showed that electrostatics govern the rapid association. Furthermore, upon mutation of the salt bridge or at high salt concentration, an additional kinetic phase was detected (∼20 and ∼40 s(-1), respectively, at 277 K), suggesting that the salt bridge may steer formation of the productive bimolecular complex in an intramolecular step. Finally, we directly measured slow kinetics for the IDP domains (∼1 s(-1) at 277 K) related to conformational transitions upon binding. Together, the experiments demonstrate that the interaction involves several steps and accumulation of intermediate states. Our data are consistent with an induced fit mechanism, in agreement with previous simulations. We propose that the slow transitions may be a consequence of the multipartner interactions of IDPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Dogan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, BMC Box 582, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden.
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19
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Li C, Zhang Y, Vankemmelbeke M, Hecht O, Aleanizy FS, Macdonald C, Moore GR, James R, Penfold CN. Structural evidence that colicin A protein binds to a novel binding site of TolA protein in Escherichia coli periplasm. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:19048-57. [PMID: 22493500 PMCID: PMC3365938 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112.342246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The Tol assembly of proteins is an interacting network of proteins located in the Escherichia coli cell envelope that transduces energy and contributes to cell integrity. TolA is central to this network linking the inner and outer membranes by interactions with TolQ, TolR, TolB, and Pal. Group A colicins, such as ColA, parasitize the Tol network through interactions with TolA and/or TolB to facilitate translocation through the cell envelope to reach their cytotoxic site of action. We have determined the first structure of the C-terminal domain of TolA (TolAIII) bound to an N-terminal ColA polypeptide (TA53–107). The interface region of the TA53–107-TolAIII complex consists of polar contacts linking residues Arg-92 to Arg-96 of ColA with residues Leu-375–Pro-380 of TolA, which constitutes a β-strand addition commonly seen in more promiscuous protein-protein contacts. The interface region also includes three cation-π interactions (Tyr-58–Lys-368, Tyr-90–Lys-379, Phe-94–Lys-396), which have not been observed in any other colicin-Tol protein complex. Mutagenesis of the interface residues of ColA or TolA revealed that the effect on the interaction was cumulative; single mutations of either partner had no effect on ColA activity, whereas mutations of three or more residues significantly reduced ColA activity. Mutagenesis of the aromatic ring component of the cation-π interacting residues showed Tyr-58 of ColA to be essential for the stability of complex formation. TA53–107 binds on the opposite side of TolAIII to that used by g3p, ColN, or TolB, illustrating the flexible nature of TolA as a periplasmic hub protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chan Li
- School of Molecular Medical Sciences, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
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