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Wang M, He J, Li S, Cai Q, Zhang K, She J. Structural basis of vitamin C recognition and transport by mammalian SVCT1 transporter. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1361. [PMID: 36914666 PMCID: PMC10011568 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37037-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is an essential nutrient for human health, and its deficiency has long been known to cause scurvy. Sodium-dependent vitamin C transporters (SVCTs) are responsible for vitamin C uptake and tissue distribution in mammals. Here, we present cryogenic electron microscopy structures of mouse SVCT1 in both the apo and substrate-bound states. Mouse SVCT1 forms a homodimer with each protomer containing a core domain and a gate domain. The tightly packed extracellular interfaces between the core domain and gate domain stabilize the protein in an inward-open conformation for both the apo and substrate-bound structures. Vitamin C binds at the core domain of each subunit, and two potential sodium ions are identified near the binding site. The coordination of sodium ions by vitamin C explains their coupling transport. SVCTs probably deliver substrate through an elevator mechanism in combination with local structural arrangements. Altogether, our results reveal the molecular mechanism by which SVCTs recognize vitamin C and lay a foundation for further mechanistic studies on SVCT substrate transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxing Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Jin He
- MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Shanshan Li
- MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Qianwen Cai
- MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Kaiming Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
- Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
- Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
| | - Ji She
- MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
- Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
- Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
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Dimakis D, Pyrris Y, Diallinas G. Transmembrane helices 5 and 12 control transport dynamics, substrate affinity, and specificity in the elevator-type UapA transporter. Genetics 2022; 222:6650625. [PMID: 35894659 PMCID: PMC9434233 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyac107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
An increasing number of solute transporters have been shown to function with the so-called sliding-elevator mechanism. Despite structural and functional differences, all elevator-type transporters use a common mechanism of substrate translocation via reversible movements of a mobile core domain (the elevator) hosting the substrate binding site along a rigid scaffold domain stably anchored in the plasma membrane via homodimerization. One of the best-studied elevator transporters is the UapA uric acid-xanthine/H+ symporter of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Here, we present a genetic analysis for deciphering the role of transmembrane segments (TMS) 5 and 12 in UapA transport function. We show that specific residues in both TMS5 and TMS12 control, negatively or positively, the dynamics of transport, but also substrate binding affinity and specificity. More specifically, mutations in TMS5 can lead not only to increased rate of transport but also to an inactive transporter due to high-affinity substrate-trapping, whereas mutations in TMS12 lead to apparently uncontrolled sliding and broadened specificity, leading in specific cases to UapA-mediated purine toxicity. Our findings shed new light on how elevator transporters function and how this knowledge can be applied to genetically modify their transport characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitris Dimakis
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Yiannis Pyrris
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - George Diallinas
- Corresponding author: Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, 15784 Athens, Greece.
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Campagnaro GD, Elati HAA, Balaska S, Martin Abril ME, Natto MJ, Hulpia F, Lee K, Sheiner L, Van Calenbergh S, de Koning HP. A Toxoplasma gondii Oxopurine Transporter Binds Nucleobases and Nucleosides Using Different Binding Modes. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23020710. [PMID: 35054895 PMCID: PMC8776092 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is unable to synthesize purines de novo, instead salvages them from its environment, inside the host cell, for which they need high affinity carriers. Here, we report the expression of a T. gondii Equilibrative Nucleoside Transporter, Tg244440, in a Trypanosoma brucei strain from which nucleobase transporters have been deleted. Tg244440 transported hypoxanthine and guanine with similar affinity (Km ~1 µM), while inosine and guanosine displayed Ki values of 4.05 and 3.30 µM, respectively. Low affinity was observed for adenosine, adenine, and pyrimidines, classifying Tg244440 as a high affinity oxopurine transporter. Purine analogues were used to probe the substrate-transporter binding interactions, culminating in quantitative models showing different binding modes for oxopurine bases, oxopurine nucleosides, and adenosine. Hypoxanthine and guanine interacted through protonated N1 and N9, and through unprotonated N3 and N7 of the purine ring, whereas inosine and guanosine mostly employed the ribose hydroxy groups for binding, in addition to N1H of the nucleobase. Conversely, the ribose moiety of adenosine barely made any contribution to binding. Tg244440 is the first gene identified to encode a high affinity oxopurine transporter in T. gondii and, to the best of our knowledge, the first purine transporter to employ different binding modes for nucleosides and nucleobases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo D. Campagnaro
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; (G.D.C.); (H.A.A.E.); (S.B.); (M.E.M.A.); (M.J.N.); (K.L.); (L.S.)
| | - Hamza A. A. Elati
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; (G.D.C.); (H.A.A.E.); (S.B.); (M.E.M.A.); (M.J.N.); (K.L.); (L.S.)
| | - Sofia Balaska
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; (G.D.C.); (H.A.A.E.); (S.B.); (M.E.M.A.); (M.J.N.); (K.L.); (L.S.)
| | - Maria Esther Martin Abril
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; (G.D.C.); (H.A.A.E.); (S.B.); (M.E.M.A.); (M.J.N.); (K.L.); (L.S.)
| | - Manal J. Natto
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; (G.D.C.); (H.A.A.E.); (S.B.); (M.E.M.A.); (M.J.N.); (K.L.); (L.S.)
| | - Fabian Hulpia
- Laboratory for Medicinal Chemistry, Campus Heymans, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, B-9000 Gent, Belgium; (F.H.); (S.V.C.)
| | - Kelly Lee
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; (G.D.C.); (H.A.A.E.); (S.B.); (M.E.M.A.); (M.J.N.); (K.L.); (L.S.)
| | - Lilach Sheiner
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; (G.D.C.); (H.A.A.E.); (S.B.); (M.E.M.A.); (M.J.N.); (K.L.); (L.S.)
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
| | - Serge Van Calenbergh
- Laboratory for Medicinal Chemistry, Campus Heymans, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, B-9000 Gent, Belgium; (F.H.); (S.V.C.)
| | - Harry P. de Koning
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK; (G.D.C.); (H.A.A.E.); (S.B.); (M.E.M.A.); (M.J.N.); (K.L.); (L.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +44-141-3303753
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Tatsaki E, Anagnostopoulou E, Zantza I, Lazou P, Mikros E, Frillingos S. Identification of New Specificity Determinants in Bacterial Purine Nucleobase Transporters based on an Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction Approach. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167329. [PMID: 34710398 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The relation of sequence with specificity in membrane transporters is challenging to explore. Most relevant studies until now rely on comparisons of present-day homologs. In this work, we study a set of closely related transporters by employing an evolutionary, ancestral-reconstruction approach and reveal unexpected new specificity determinants. We analyze a monophyletic group represented by the xanthine-specific XanQ of Escherichia coli in the Nucleobase-Ascorbate Transporter/Nucleobase-Cation Symporter-2 (NAT/NCS2) family. We reconstructed AncXanQ, the putative common ancestor of this clade, expressed it in E. coli K-12, and found that, in contrast to XanQ, it encodes a high-affinity permease for both xanthine and guanine, which also recognizes adenine, hypoxanthine, and a range of analogs. AncXanQ conserves all binding-site residues of XanQ and differs substantially in only five intramembrane residues outside the binding site. We subjected both homologs to rationally designed mutagenesis and present evidence that these five residues are linked with the specificity change. In particular, we reveal Ser377 of XanQ (Gly in AncXanQ) as a major determinant. Replacement of this Ser with Gly enlarges the specificity of XanQ towards an AncXanQ-phenotype. The ortholog from Neisseria meningitidis retaining Gly at this position is also a xanthine/guanine transporter with extended substrate profile like AncXanQ. Molecular Dynamics shows that the S377G replacement tilts transmembrane helix 12 resulting in rearrangement of Phe376 relative to Phe94 in the XanQ binding pocket. This effect may rationalize the enlarged specificity. On the other hand, the specificity effect of S377G can be masked by G27S or other mutations through epistatic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterini Tatsaki
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Eleni Anagnostopoulou
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece. https://twitter.com/EleniAnagn
| | - Iliana Zantza
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Panayiota Lazou
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Emmanuel Mikros
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Stathis Frillingos
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Department of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece; Institute of Biosciences, University Research Center of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
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Diallinas G. Transporter Specificity: A Tale of Loosened Elevator-Sliding. Trends Biochem Sci 2021; 46:708-717. [PMID: 33903007 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2021.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Elevator-type transporters are a group of proteins translocating nutrients and metabolites across cell membranes. Despite structural and functional differences, elevator-type transporters use a common mechanism of substrate translocation via reversible movements of a mobile core domain (the elevator), which includes the substrate binding site, along a rigid scaffold domain, stably anchored in the plasma membrane. How substrate specificity is determined in elevator transporters remains elusive. Here, I discuss how a recent report on the sliding elevator mechanism, seen under the context of genetic analysis of a prototype fungal transporter, sheds light on how specificity might be genetically modified. I propose that flexible specificity alterations might occur by 'loosening' of the sliding mechanism from tight coupling to substrate binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Diallinas
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis, 15784, Athens, Greece; Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology, Heraklion, Greece.
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6
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Stockbridge RB, Gaudet R, Grabe M, Minor DL. Inroads into Membrane Physiology through Transport Nanomachines. J Mol Biol 2021; 433:167101. [PMID: 34119492 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Randy B Stockbridge
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and Program in Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Rachelle Gaudet
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Michael Grabe
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Daniel L Minor
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Departments of Biochemsitry and Biophysics, and Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; California Institute for Quantiative Biomedical Research, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience University of California, San Francisco, CA 93858-2330, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bio-imaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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