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Espinoza-Araya C, Starbird R, Prasad ES, Renugopalakrishnan V, Mulchandani A, Bruce BD, Villarreal CC. A bacteriorhodopsin-based biohybrid solar cell using carbon-based electrolyte and cathode components. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOENERGETICS 2023; 1864:148985. [PMID: 37236292 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2023.148985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
There is currently a high demand for energy production worldwide, mainly producing renewable and sustainable energy. Bio-sensitized solar cells (BSCs) are an excellent option in this field due to their optical and photoelectrical properties developed in recent years. One of the biosensitizers that shows promise in simplicity, stability and quantum efficiency is bacteriorhodopsin (bR), a photoactive, retinal-containing membrane protein. In the present work, we have utilized a mutant of bR, D96N, in a photoanode-sensitized TiO2 solar cell, integrating low-cost, carbon-based components, including a cathode composed of PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) functionalized with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) and a hydroquinone/benzoquinone (HQ/BQ) redox electrolyte. The photoanode and cathode were characterized morphologically and chemically (SEM, TEM, and Raman). The electrochemical performance of the bR-BSCs was investigated using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), open circuit potential decay (VOC), and impedance spectroscopic analysis (EIS). The champion device yielded a current density (JSC) of 1.0 mA/cm2, VOC of -669 mV, a fill factor of ~24 %, and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 0.16 %. This bR device is one of the first bio-based solar cells utilizing carbon-based alternatives for the photoanode, cathode, and electrolyte. This may decrease the cost and significantly improve the device's sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Espinoza-Araya
- Escuela de Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica; Centro de Investigación y Extensión en Ingeniería de Materiales (CIEMTEC), Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica; Maestría en Ingeniería de Dispositivos Médicos, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica
| | - Ricardo Starbird
- Centro de Investigación y de Servicios Químicos y Microbiológicos (CEQIATEC), Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica; Escuela de Química, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica
| | - E Senthil Prasad
- Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh 160036, India
| | - Venkatesan Renugopalakrishnan
- Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; MGB Center for COVID Innovation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Center for Renewable Energy Technology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02138, USA
| | - Ashok Mulchandani
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA; Center for Environmental Research & Technology (CE-CERT), University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA 92507, USA
| | - Barry D Bruce
- Department of Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, TN 37996, USA; Program in Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, TN 37830, USA.
| | - Claudia C Villarreal
- Escuela de Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica; Centro de Investigación y Extensión en Ingeniería de Materiales (CIEMTEC), Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago 30101, Costa Rica.
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2
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Otzen DE, Pedersen JN, Rasmussen HØ, Pedersen JS. How do surfactants unfold and refold proteins? Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 308:102754. [PMID: 36027673 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2022.102754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Although the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, has been used for more than half a century as a versatile and efficient protein denaturant for protein separation and size estimation, there is still controversy about its mode of interaction with proteins. The term "rod-like" structures for the complexes that form between SDS and protein, originally introduced by Tanford, is not sufficiently descriptive and does not distinguish between the two current vying models, namely protein-decorated micelles a.k.a. the core-shell model (in which denatured protein covers the surface of micelles) versus beads-on-a-string model (where unfolded proteins are surrounded by surfactant micelles). Thanks to a combination of structural, kinetic and computational work particularly within the last 5-10 years, it is now possible to rule decisively in favor of the core-shell model. This is supported unambiguously by a combination of calorimetric and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques and confirmed by increasingly sophisticated molecular dynamics simulations. Depending on the SDS:protein ratio and the protein molecular mass, the formed structures can range from multiple partly unfolded protein molecules surrounding a single shared micelle to a single polypeptide chain decorating multiple micelles. We also have much new insight into how this species forms. It is preceded by the binding of small numbers of SDS molecules which subsequently grow by accretion. Time-resolved SAXS analysis reveals an asymmetric attack by SDS micelles followed by distribution of the increasingly unfolded protein around the micelle. The compactness of the protein chain continues to evolve at higher SDS concentrations according to single-molecule studies, though the protein remains completely denatured on the tertiary structural level. SDS denaturation can be reversed by addition of nonionic surfactants that absorb SDS forming mixed micelles, leaving the protein free to refold. Refolding can occur in parallel tracks if only a fraction of the protein is initially stripped of SDS. SDS unfolding is nearly always reversible unless carried out at low pH, where charge neutralization can lead to superclusters of protein-surfactant complexes. With the general mechanism of SDS denaturation now firmly established, it largely remains to explore how other ionic surfactants (including biosurfactants) may diverge from this path.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Otzen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Jannik Nedergaard Pedersen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Helena Østergaard Rasmussen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jan Skov Pedersen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
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3
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Zhong YR, Yu TY, Chu LK. Roles of functional lipids in bacteriorhodopsin photocycle in various delipidated purple membranes. Biophys J 2022; 121:1789-1798. [PMID: 35440419 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.04.022] [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] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Purple membrane (PM) is composed of several native lipids and the transmembrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) in trimeric configuration. The delipidated PM (dPM) samples can be prepared by treating PM with CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate) to partially remove native lipids while maintaining bR in the trimeric configuration. By correlating the photocycle kinetics of bR and the exact lipid compositions of the various dPM samples, one can reveal the roles of native PM lipids. However, it is challenging to compare the lipid compositions of the various dPM samples quantitatively. Here, we utilized the absorbances of extracted retinal at 382 nm to normalize the concentrations of the remaining lipids in each dPM sample, which were then quantified by mass spectrometry, allowing us to compare the lipid compositions of different samples in a quantitative manner. The corresponding photocycle kinetics of bR were probed by transient difference absorption spectroscopy. We found that the removal rate of the polar lipids follows the order of BPG ≈ GlyC < S-TGD-1 ≈ PG < PGP-Me ≈ PGS. Since BPG and GlyC have more nonpolar phytanyl groups than other lipids at the hydrophobic tail, causing a higher affinity with the hydrophobic surface of bR, the corresponding removal rates are slowest. In addition, as the reaction period of PM and CHAPS increases, the residual amounts of PGS and PGP-Me significantly decrease, in concomitance with the decelerated rates of the recovery of ground state and the decay of intermediate M, and the reduced transient population of intermediate O. PGS and PGP-Me are the lipids with the highest correlation to the photocycle activity among the six polar lipids of PM. From a practical viewpoint, combining optical spectroscopy and mass spectrometry appears a promising approach to simultaneously track the functions and the concomitant active components in a given biological system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Rui Zhong
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec. 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Tsyr-Yan Yu
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei 10617, Taiwan; International Graduate Program of Molecular Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Li-Kang Chu
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec. 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.
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Corin K, Bowie JU. How physical forces drive the process of helical membrane protein folding. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e53025. [PMID: 35133709 PMCID: PMC8892262 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202153025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein folding is a fundamental process of life with important implications throughout biology. Indeed, tens of thousands of mutations have been associated with diseases, and most of these mutations are believed to affect protein folding rather than function. Correct folding is also a key element of design. These factors have motivated decades of research on protein folding. Unfortunately, knowledge of membrane protein folding lags that of soluble proteins. This gap is partly caused by the greater technical challenges associated with membrane protein studies, but also because of additional complexities. While soluble proteins fold in a homogenous water environment, membrane proteins fold in a setting that ranges from bulk water to highly charged to apolar. Thus, the forces that drive folding vary in different regions of the protein, and this complexity needs to be incorporated into our understanding of the folding process. Here, we review our understanding of membrane protein folding biophysics. Despite the greater challenge, better model systems and new experimental techniques are starting to unravel the forces and pathways in membrane protein folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Corin
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryMolecular Biology InstituteUCLA‐DOE InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - James U Bowie
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryMolecular Biology InstituteUCLA‐DOE InstituteUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
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5
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Lipid bilayer induces contraction of the denatured state ensemble of a helical-bundle membrane protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2109169119. [PMID: 34969836 PMCID: PMC8740594 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109169119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Defining the denatured state ensemble (DSE) and disordered proteins is essential to understanding folding, chaperone action, degradation, and translocation. As compared with water-soluble proteins, the DSE of membrane proteins is much less characterized. Here, we measure the DSE of the helical membrane protein GlpG of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in native-like lipid bilayers. The DSE was obtained using our steric trapping method, which couples denaturation of doubly biotinylated GlpG to binding of two streptavidin molecules. The helices and loops are probed using limited proteolysis and mass spectrometry, while the dimensions are determined using our paramagnetic biotin derivative and double electron-electron resonance spectroscopy. These data, along with our Upside simulations, identify the DSE as being highly dynamic, involving the topology changes and unfolding of some of the transmembrane (TM) helices. The DSE is expanded relative to the native state but only to 15 to 75% of the fully expanded condition. The degree of expansion depends on the local protein packing and the lipid composition. E. coli's lipid bilayer promotes the association of TM helices in the DSE and, probably in general, facilitates interhelical interactions. This tendency may be the outcome of a general lipophobic effect of proteins within the cell membranes.
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6
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Free-energy changes of bacteriorhodopsin point mutants measured by single-molecule force spectroscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2020083118. [PMID: 33753487 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020083118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Single amino acid mutations provide quantitative insight into the energetics that underlie the dynamics and folding of membrane proteins. Chemical denaturation is the most widely used assay and yields the change in unfolding free energy (ΔΔG). It has been applied to >80 different residues of bacteriorhodopsin (bR), a model membrane protein. However, such experiments have several key limitations: 1) a nonnative lipid environment, 2) a denatured state with significant secondary structure, 3) error introduced by extrapolation to zero denaturant, and 4) the requirement of globally reversible refolding. We overcame these limitations by reversibly unfolding local regions of an individual protein with mechanical force using an atomic-force-microscope assay optimized for 2 μs time resolution and 1 pN force stability. In this assay, bR was unfolded from its native bilayer into a well-defined, stretched state. To measure ΔΔG, we introduced two alanine point mutations into an 8-amino-acid region at the C-terminal end of bR's G helix. For each, we reversibly unfolded and refolded this region hundreds of times while the rest of the protein remained folded. Our single-molecule-derived ΔΔG for mutant L223A (-2.3 ± 0.6 kcal/mol) quantitatively agreed with past chemical denaturation results while our ΔΔG for mutant V217A was 2.2-fold larger (-2.4 ± 0.6 kcal/mol). We attribute the latter result, in part, to contact between Val217 and a natively bound squalene lipid, highlighting the contribution of membrane protein-lipid contacts not present in chemical denaturation assays. More generally, we established a platform for determining ΔΔG for a fully folded membrane protein embedded in its native bilayer.
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7
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Fake It 'Till You Make It-The Pursuit of Suitable Membrane Mimetics for Membrane Protein Biophysics. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 22:ijms22010050. [PMID: 33374526 PMCID: PMC7793082 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane proteins evolved to reside in the hydrophobic lipid bilayers of cellular membranes. Therefore, membrane proteins bridge the different aqueous compartments separated by the membrane, and furthermore, dynamically interact with their surrounding lipid environment. The latter not only stabilizes membrane proteins, but directly impacts their folding, structure and function. In order to be characterized with biophysical and structural biological methods, membrane proteins are typically extracted and subsequently purified from their native lipid environment. This approach requires that lipid membranes are replaced by suitable surrogates, which ideally closely mimic the native bilayer, in order to maintain the membrane proteins structural and functional integrity. In this review, we survey the currently available membrane mimetic environments ranging from detergent micelles to bicelles, nanodiscs, lipidic-cubic phase (LCP), liposomes, and polymersomes. We discuss their respective advantages and disadvantages as well as their suitability for downstream biophysical and structural characterization. Finally, we take a look at ongoing methodological developments, which aim for direct in-situ characterization of membrane proteins within native membranes instead of relying on membrane mimetics.
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8
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Viewing rare conformations of the β 2 adrenergic receptor with pressure-resolved DEER spectroscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:31824-31831. [PMID: 33257561 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2013904117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The β2 adrenergic receptor (β2AR) is an archetypal G protein coupled receptor (GPCR). One structural signature of GPCR activation is a large-scale movement (ca. 6 to 14 Å) of transmembrane helix 6 (TM6) to a conformation which binds and activates a cognate G protein. The β2AR exhibits a low level of agonist-independent G protein activation. The structural origin of this basal activity and its suppression by inverse agonists is unknown but could involve a unique receptor conformation that promotes G protein activation. Alternatively, a conformational selection model proposes that a minor population of the canonical active receptor conformation exists in equilibrium with inactive forms, thus giving rise to basal activity of the ligand-free receptor. Previous spin-labeling and fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments designed to monitor the positional distribution of TM6 did not detect the presence of the active conformation of ligand-free β2AR. Here we employ spin-labeling and pressure-resolved double electron-electron resonance spectroscopy to reveal the presence of a minor population of unliganded receptor, with the signature outward TM6 displacement, in equilibrium with inactive conformations. Binding of inverse agonists suppresses this population. These results provide direct structural evidence in favor of a conformational selection model for basal activity in β2AR and provide a mechanism for inverse agonism. In addition, they emphasize 1) the importance of minor populations in GPCR catalytic function; 2) the use of spin-labeling and variable-pressure electron paramagnetic resonance to reveal them in a membrane protein; and 3) the quantitative evaluation of their thermodynamic properties relative to the inactive forms, including free energy, partial molar volume, and compressibility.
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9
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Yu H, Jacobson DR, Luo H, Perkins TT. Quantifying the Native Energetics Stabilizing Bacteriorhodopsin by Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:068102. [PMID: 32845671 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.068102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We quantified the equilibrium (un)folding free energy ΔG_{0} of an eight-amino-acid region starting from the fully folded state of the model membrane-protein bacteriorhodopsin using single-molecule force spectroscopy. Analysis of equilibrium and nonequilibrium data yielded consistent, high-precision determinations of ΔG_{0} via multiple techniques (force-dependent kinetics, Crooks fluctuation theorem, and inverse Boltzmann analysis). We also deduced the full 1D projection of the free-energy landscape in this region. Importantly, ΔG_{0} was determined in bacteriorhodopsin's native bilayer, an advance over traditional results obtained by chemical denaturation in nonphysiological detergent micelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Yu
- School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - David R Jacobson
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
| | - Hao Luo
- School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Thomas T Perkins
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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10
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Jacobson DR, Uyetake L, Perkins TT. Membrane-Protein Unfolding Intermediates Detected with Enhanced Precision Using a Zigzag Force Ramp. Biophys J 2019; 118:667-675. [PMID: 31882249 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Precise quantification of the energetics and interactions that stabilize membrane proteins in a lipid bilayer is a long-sought goal. Toward this end, atomic force microscopy has been used to unfold individual membrane proteins embedded in their native lipid bilayer, typically by retracting the cantilever at a constant velocity. Recently, unfolding intermediates separated by as few as two amino acids were detected using focused-ion-beam-modified ultrashort cantilevers. However, unambiguously discriminating between such closely spaced states remains challenging, in part because any individual unfolding trajectory only occupies a subset of the total number of intermediates. Moreover, structural assignment of these intermediates via worm-like-chain analysis is hindered by brief dwell times compounded with thermal and instrumental noise. To overcome these issues, we moved the cantilever in a sawtooth pattern of 6-12 nm, offset by 0.25-1 nm per cycle, generating a "zigzag" force ramp of alternating positive and negative loading rates. We applied this protocol to the model membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR). In contrast to conventional studies that extract bR's photoactive retinal along with the first transmembrane helix, we unfolded bR in the presence of its retinal. To do so, we introduced a previously developed enzymatic-cleavage site between helices E and F and pulled from the top of the E helix using a site-specific, covalent attachment. The resulting zigzag unfolding trajectories occupied 40% more states per trajectory and occupied those states for longer times than traditional constant-velocity records. In total, we identified 31 intermediates during the unfolding of five helices of EF-cleaved bR. These included a previously reported, mechanically robust intermediate located between helices C and B that, with our enhanced resolution, is now shown to be two distinct states separated by three amino acids. Interestingly, another intermediate directly interacted with the retinal, an interaction confirmed by removing the retinal.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Jacobson
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Lyle Uyetake
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Thomas T Perkins
- JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado; Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.
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11
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Poghosyan AH, Schafer NP, Lyngsø J, Shahinyan AA, Pedersen JS, Otzen DE. Molecular dynamics study of ACBP denaturation in alkyl sulfates demonstrates possible pathways of unfolding through fused surfactant clusters. Protein Eng Des Sel 2019; 32:175-190. [DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzz037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractAnionic surfactants denature proteins at low millimolar concentrations, yet little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here, we undertake 1-μs-long atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of the denaturation of acyl coenzyme A binding protein (ACBP) and compare our results with previously published and new experimental data. Since increasing surfactant chain length is known to lead to more rapid denaturation, we studied denaturation using both the medium-length alkyl chain surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the long alkyl chain surfactant sodium hexadecyl sulfate (SHS). In silico denaturation on the microsecond timescale was not achieved using preformed surfactant micelles but required ACBP to be exposed to monomeric surfactant molecules. Micellar self-assembly occurred together with protein denaturation. To validate our analyses, we calculated small-angle X-ray scattering spectra of snapshots from the simulations. These agreed well with experimental equilibrium spectra recorded on ACBP-SDS mixtures with similar compositions. Protein denaturation occurs through the binding of partial micelles to multiple preferred binding sites followed by the accretion of surfactant monomers until these partial micelles merge to form a mature micelle and the protein chain is left disordered on the surface of the micelle. While the two surfactants attack in a similar fashion, SHS’s longer alkyl chain leads to a more efficient denaturation through the formation of larger clusters that attack ACBP, a more rapid drop in native contacts, a greater expansion in size, as well as a more thorough rearrangement of hydrogen bonds and disruption of helices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armen H Poghosyan
- International Scientific-Educational Center of National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, 24d Marshal Baghramyan Ave, Yerevan 0019, Armenia
| | - Nicholas P Schafer
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Jeppe Lyngsø
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 120, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Aram A Shahinyan
- International Scientific-Educational Center of National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, 24d Marshal Baghramyan Ave, Yerevan 0019, Armenia
| | - Jan Skov Pedersen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Langelandsgade 120, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Daniel E Otzen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
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12
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Solid-state NMR spectroscopy based atomistic view of a membrane protein unfolding pathway. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3867. [PMID: 31455771 PMCID: PMC6711998 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11849-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Membrane protein folding, structure, and function strongly depend on a cell membrane environment, yet detailed characterization of folding within a lipid bilayer is challenging. Studies of reversible unfolding yield valuable information on the energetics of folding and on the hierarchy of interactions contributing to protein stability. Here, we devise a methodology that combines hydrogen-deuterium (H/D) exchange and solid-state NMR (SSNMR) to follow membrane protein unfolding in lipid membranes at atomic resolution through detecting changes in the protein water-accessible surface, and concurrently monitoring the reversibility of unfolding. We obtain atomistic description of the reversible part of a thermally induced unfolding pathway of a seven-helical photoreceptor. The pathway is visualized through SSNMR-detected snapshots of H/D exchange patterns as a function of temperature, revealing the unfolding intermediate and its stabilizing factors. Our approach is transferable to other membrane proteins, and opens additional ways to characterize their unfolding and stabilizing interactions with atomic resolution.
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13
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Impact of bacterial chaperonin GroEL–GroES on bacteriorhodopsin folding and membrane integration. BIOPHYSICS REPORTS 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s41048-019-0090-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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14
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Marinko J, Huang H, Penn WD, Capra JA, Schlebach JP, Sanders CR. Folding and Misfolding of Human Membrane Proteins in Health and Disease: From Single Molecules to Cellular Proteostasis. Chem Rev 2019; 119:5537-5606. [PMID: 30608666 PMCID: PMC6506414 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Advances over the past 25 years have revealed much about how the structural properties of membranes and associated proteins are linked to the thermodynamics and kinetics of membrane protein (MP) folding. At the same time biochemical progress has outlined how cellular proteostasis networks mediate MP folding and manage misfolding in the cell. When combined with results from genomic sequencing, these studies have established paradigms for how MP folding and misfolding are linked to the molecular etiologies of a variety of diseases. This emerging framework has paved the way for the development of a new class of small molecule "pharmacological chaperones" that bind to and stabilize misfolded MP variants, some of which are now in clinical use. In this review, we comprehensively outline current perspectives on the folding and misfolding of integral MPs as well as the mechanisms of cellular MP quality control. Based on these perspectives, we highlight new opportunities for innovations that bridge our molecular understanding of the energetics of MP folding with the nuanced complexity of biological systems. Given the many linkages between MP misfolding and human disease, we also examine some of the exciting opportunities to leverage these advances to address emerging challenges in the development of therapeutics and precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin
T. Marinko
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Hui Huang
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
| | - Wesley D. Penn
- Department
of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - John A. Capra
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37245, United States
| | - Jonathan P. Schlebach
- Department
of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Charles R. Sanders
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240, United States
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15
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Huang H, Ge B, Sun C, Zhang S, Huang F. Membrane curvature affects the stability and folding kinetics of bacteriorhodopsin. Process Biochem 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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16
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Balo AR, Lee J, Ernst OP. Stationary Phase EPR Spectroscopy for Monitoring Membrane Protein Refolding by Conformational Response. Anal Chem 2018; 91:1071-1079. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b04542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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17
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Structurally modified bacteriorhodopsin as an efficient bio-sensitizer for solar cell applications. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL: EBJ 2018; 48:61-71. [DOI: 10.1007/s00249-018-1331-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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18
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Gruenhagen TC, Ziarek JJ, Schlebach JP. Bicelle size modulates the rate of bacteriorhodopsin folding. Protein Sci 2018; 27:1109-1112. [PMID: 29604129 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The conformational equilibria of integral membrane proteins have proven extremely difficult to characterize within native lipid bilayers. To circumvent technical issues, investigations of the structure and stability of α-helical membrane proteins are often carried out in mixed micelle or bicelle solvents that mimic the membrane and facilitate measurements of reversible folding. Under these conditions, the energetics of membrane protein folding are typically proportional to the mole fraction of an anionic detergent in the micelle. However, investigations of the folding and unfolding of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) surprisingly revealed that the folding rate is also highly sensitive to the bulk molar concentration of lipids and detergents. We show here that this rate enhancement coincides with changes in bicelle size and suggest this effect arises through restriction of the conformational search space during folding. In conjunction with previous mutagenic studies, these results provide additional evidence that a topological search limits the rate of bR folding. Furthermore, this finding provides insights into the manner by which micellar and bicellar environments influence the conformational stability of polytopic membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joshua J Ziarek
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 47405-7102
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19
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Recent advances in biophysical studies of rhodopsins - Oligomerization, folding, and structure. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2017; 1865:1512-1521. [PMID: 28844743 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2017.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2017] [Revised: 08/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Retinal-binding proteins, mainly known as rhodopsins, function as photosensors and ion transporters in a wide range of organisms. From halobacterial light-driven proton pump, bacteriorhodopsin, to bovine photoreceptor, visual rhodopsin, they have served as prototypical α-helical membrane proteins in a large number of biophysical studies and aided in the development of many cutting-edge techniques of structural biology and biospectroscopy. In the last decade, microbial and animal rhodopsin families have expanded significantly, bringing into play a number of new interesting structures and functions. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in biophysical approaches to retinal-binding proteins, primarily microbial rhodopsins, including those in optical spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and electron paramagnetic resonance, as applied to such fundamental biological aspects as protein oligomerization, folding, and structure.
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20
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Kaspersen JD, Søndergaard A, Madsen DJ, Otzen DE, Pedersen JS. Refolding of SDS-Unfolded Proteins by Nonionic Surfactants. Biophys J 2017; 112:1609-1620. [PMID: 28445752 PMCID: PMC5406375 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Revised: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The strong and usually denaturing interaction between anionic surfactants (AS) and proteins/enzymes has both benefits and drawbacks: for example, it is put to good use in electrophoretic mass determinations but limits enzyme efficiency in detergent formulations. Therefore, studies of the interactions between proteins and AS as well as nonionic surfactants (NIS) are of both basic and applied relevance. The AS sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) denatures and unfolds globular proteins under most conditions. In contrast, NIS such as octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E8) and dodecyl maltoside (DDM) protect bovine serum albumin (BSA) from unfolding in SDS. Membrane proteins denatured in SDS can also be refolded by addition of NIS. Here, we investigate whether globular proteins unfolded by SDS can be refolded upon addition of C12E8 and DDM. Four proteins, BSA, α-lactalbumin (αLA), lysozyme, and β-lactoglobulin (βLG), were studied by small-angle x-ray scattering and both near- and far-UV circular dichroism. All proteins and their complexes with SDS were attempted to be refolded by the addition of C12E8, while DDM was additionally added to SDS-denatured αLA and βLG. Except for αLA, the proteins did not interact with NIS alone. For all proteins, the addition of NIS to the protein-SDS samples resulted in extraction of the SDS from the protein-SDS complexes and refolding of βLG, BSA, and lysozyme, while αLA changed to its NIS-bound state instead of the native state. We conclude that NIS competes with globular proteins for association with SDS, making it possible to release and refold SDS-denatured proteins by adding sufficient amounts of NIS, unless the protein also interacts with NIS alone.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Daniel Jhaf Madsen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Daniel E Otzen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Jan Skov Pedersen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
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21
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Chi H, Wang X, Li J, Ren H, Huang F. Chaperonin-enhanced Escherichia coli cell-free expression of functional CXCR4. J Biotechnol 2016; 231:193-200. [PMID: 27316829 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2016.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Revised: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are important therapeutic targets for a broad spectrum of diseases and disorders. Obtaining milligram quantities of functional receptors through the development of robust production methods are highly demanded to probe GPCR structure and functions. In this study, we analyzed synergies of the bacterial chaperonin GroEL-GroES and cell-free expression for the production of functionally folded C-X-C chemokine GPCR type 4 (CXCR4). The yield of soluble CXCR4 in the presence of detergent Brij-35 reached ∼1.1mg/ml. The chaperonin complex added was found to significantly enhance the productive folding of newly synthesized CXCR4, by increasing both the rate (∼30-fold) and the yield (∼1.3-fold) of folding over its spontaneous behavior. Meanwhile, the structural stability of CXCR4 was also improved with supplied GroEL-GroES, as was the soluble expression of biologically active CXCR4 with a ∼1.4-fold increase. The improved stability together with the higher ligand binding affinity suggests more efficient folding. The essential chaperonin GroEL was shown to be partially effective on its own, but for maximum efficiency both GroEL and its co-chaperonin GroES were necessary. The method reported here should prove generally useful for cell-free production of large amounts of natively folded GPCRs, and even other classes of membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Chi
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Qingdao 266580, PR China.
| | - Xiaoqiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Qingdao 266580, PR China; College of Science, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, PR China.
| | - Jiqiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Qingdao 266580, PR China.
| | - Hao Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Qingdao 266580, PR China.
| | - Fang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Qingdao 266580, PR China.
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22
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Guo R, Gaffney K, Yang Z, Kim M, Sungsuwan S, Huang X, Hubbell WL, Hong H. Steric trapping reveals a cooperativity network in the intramembrane protease GlpG. Nat Chem Biol 2016; 12:353-360. [PMID: 26999782 PMCID: PMC4837050 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Membrane proteins are assembled through balanced interactions among protein, lipids and water. Studying their folding while maintaining the native lipid environment is necessary but challenging. Here we present methods for analyzing key elements in membrane protein folding including thermodynamic stability, compactness of the unfolded state and folding cooperativity under native conditions. The methods are based on steric trapping which couples unfolding of a doubly-biotinylated protein to binding of monovalent streptavidin (mSA). We further advanced this technology for general application by developing versatile biotin probes possessing spectroscopic reporters that are sensitized by mSA binding or protein unfolding. By applying these methods to an intramembrane protease GlpG of Escherichia coli, we elucidated a widely unraveled unfolded state, subglobal unfolding of the region encompassing the active site, and a network of cooperative and localized interactions to maintain the stability. These findings provide crucial insights into the folding energy landscape of membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiqiong Guo
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Kristen Gaffney
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Zhongyu Yang
- Jules Stein Eye Institute and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Miyeon Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Suttipun Sungsuwan
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Xuefei Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Wayne L Hubbell
- Jules Stein Eye Institute and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Heedeok Hong
- Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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23
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Topological constraints and modular structure in the folding and functional motions of GlpG, an intramembrane protease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:2098-103. [PMID: 26858402 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1524027113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigate the folding of GlpG, an intramembrane protease, using perfectly funneled structure-based models that implicitly account for the absence or presence of the membrane. These two models are used to describe, respectively, folding in detergent micelles and folding within a bilayer, which effectively constrains GlpG's topology in unfolded and partially folded states. Structural free-energy landscape analysis shows that although the presence of multiple folding pathways is an intrinsic property of GlpG's modular functional architecture, the large entropic cost of organizing helical bundles in the absence of the constraining bilayer leads to pathways that backtrack (i.e., local unfolding of previously folded substructures is required when moving from the unfolded to the folded state along the minimum free-energy pathway). This backtracking explains the experimental observation of thermodynamically destabilizing mutations that accelerate GlpG's folding in detergent micelles. In contrast, backtracking is absent from the model when folding is constrained within a bilayer, the environment in which GlpG has evolved to fold. We also characterize a near-native state with a highly mobile transmembrane helix 5 (TM5) that is significantly populated under folding conditions when GlpG is embedded in a bilayer. Unbinding of TM5 from the rest of the structure exposes GlpG's active site, consistent with studies of the catalytic mechanism of GlpG that suggest that TM5 serves as a substrate gate to the active site.
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24
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Abstract
Which properties of the membrane environment are essential for the folding and oligomerization of transmembrane proteins? Because the lipids that surround membrane proteins in situ spontaneously organize into bilayers, it may seem intuitive that interactions with the bilayer provide both hydrophobic and topological constraints that help the protein to achieve a stable and functional three-dimensional structure. However, one may wonder whether folding is actually driven by the membrane environment or whether the folded state just reflects an adaptation of integral proteins to the medium in which they function. Also, apart from the overall transmembrane orientation, might the asymmetry inherent in biosynthesis processes cause proteins to fold to out-of-equilibrium, metastable topologies? Which of the features of a bilayer are essential for membrane protein folding, and which are not? To which extent do translocons dictate transmembrane topologies? Recent data show that many membrane proteins fold and oligomerize very efficiently in media that bear little similarity to a membrane, casting doubt on the essentiality of many bilayer constraints. In the following discussion, we argue that some of the features of bilayers may contribute to protein folding, stability and regulation, but they are not required for the basic three-dimensional structure to be achieved. This idea, if correct, would imply that evolution has steered membrane proteins toward an accommodation to biosynthetic pathways and a good fit into their environment, but that their folding is not driven by the latter or dictated by insertion apparatuses. In other words, the three-dimensional structure of membrane proteins is essentially determined by intramolecular interactions and not by bilayer constraints and insertion pathways. Implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Luc Popot
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Université Paris-7 UMR 7099 , Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique (FRC 550), 13, rue Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Donald M Engelman
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University , Box 208114, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8114, United States
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25
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Chi H, Wang X, Li J, Ren H, Huang F. Folding of newly translated membrane protein CCR5 is assisted by the chaperonin GroEL-GroES. Sci Rep 2015; 5:17037. [PMID: 26585937 PMCID: PMC4653635 DOI: 10.1038/srep17037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The in vitro folding of newly translated human CC chemokine receptor type 5
(CCR5), which belongs to the physiologically important family of G protein-coupled
receptors (GPCRs), has been studied in a cell-free system supplemented with the
surfactant Brij-35. The freshly synthesized CCR5 can spontaneously fold into its
biologically active state but only slowly and inefficiently. However, on addition of
the GroEL-GroES molecular chaperone system, the folding of the nascent CCR5 was
significantly enhanced, as was the structural stability and functional expression of
the soluble form of CCR5. The chaperonin GroEL was partially effective on its own,
but for maximum efficiency both the GroEL and its GroES lid were necessary. These
results are direct evidence for chaperone-assisted membrane protein folding and
therefore demonstrate that GroEL-GroES may be implicated in the folding of membrane
proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Chi
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoqiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, P. R. China
| | - Jiqiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, P. R. China
| | - Hao Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, P. R. China
| | - Fang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, P. R. China
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26
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Schlebach J, Woodall N, Bowie JU, Park C. Bacteriorhodopsin folds through a poorly organized transition state. J Am Chem Soc 2014; 136:16574-81. [PMID: 25369295 PMCID: PMC4277764 DOI: 10.1021/ja508359n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The folding mechanisms of helical membrane proteins remain largely uncharted. Here we characterize the kinetics of bacteriorhodopsin folding and employ φ-value analysis to explore the folding transition state. First, we developed and confirmed a kinetic model that allowed us to assess the rate of folding from SDS-denatured bacteriorhodopsin (bRU) and provides accurate thermodynamic information even under influence of retinal hydrolysis. Next, we obtained reliable φ-values for 16 mutants of bacteriorhodopsin with good coverage across the protein. Every φ-value was less than 0.4, indicating the transition state is not uniquely structured. We suggest that the transition state is a loosely organized ensemble of conformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan
P. Schlebach
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, 575
Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United
States
- Interdisciplinary
Life Science Graduate Program, Purdue University, 155 South Grant Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Nicholas
B. Woodall
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California, Los Angeles, 607 Charles E. Young Drive East, Box 951569, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - James U. Bowie
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California, Los Angeles, 607 Charles E. Young Drive East, Box 951569, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, United States
| | - Chiwook Park
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, 575
Stadium Mall Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United
States
- Interdisciplinary
Life Science Graduate Program, Purdue University, 155 South Grant Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
- Bindley
Bioscience Center, Purdue University, 1203 West State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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27
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The safety dance: biophysics of membrane protein folding and misfolding in a cellular context. Q Rev Biophys 2014; 48:1-34. [PMID: 25420508 DOI: 10.1017/s0033583514000110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Most biological processes require the production and degradation of proteins, a task that weighs heavily on the cell. Mutations that compromise the conformational stability of proteins place both specific and general burdens on cellular protein homeostasis (proteostasis) in ways that contribute to numerous diseases. Efforts to elucidate the chain of molecular events responsible for diseases of protein folding address one of the foremost challenges in biomedical science. However, relatively little is known about the processes by which mutations prompt the misfolding of α-helical membrane proteins, which rely on an intricate network of cellular machinery to acquire and maintain their functional structures within cellular membranes. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the physical principles that guide membrane protein biogenesis and folding in the context of mammalian cells. Additionally, we explore how pathogenic mutations that influence biogenesis may differ from those that disrupt folding and assembly, as well as how this may relate to disease mechanisms and therapeutic intervention. These perspectives indicate an imperative for the use of information from structural, cellular, and biochemical studies of membrane proteins in the design of novel therapeutics and in personalized medicine.
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28
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Mapping protein conformational heterogeneity under pressure with site-directed spin labeling and double electron-electron resonance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:E1201-10. [PMID: 24707053 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1403179111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The dominance of a single native state for most proteins under ambient conditions belies the functional importance of higher-energy conformational states (excited states), which often are too sparsely populated to allow spectroscopic investigation. Application of high hydrostatic pressure increases the population of excited states for study, but structural characterization is not trivial because of the multiplicity of states in the ensemble and rapid (microsecond to millisecond) exchange between them. Site-directed spin labeling in combination with double electron-electron resonance (DEER) provides long-range (20-80 Å) distance distributions with angstrom-level resolution and thus is ideally suited to resolve conformational heterogeneity in an excited state populated under high pressure. DEER currently is performed at cryogenic temperatures. Therefore, a method was developed for rapidly freezing spin-labeled proteins under pressure to kinetically trap the high-pressure conformational ensemble for subsequent DEER data collection at atmospheric pressure. The methodology was evaluated using seven doubly-labeled mutants of myoglobin designed to monitor selected interhelical distances. For holomyoglobin, the distance distributions are narrow and relatively insensitive to pressure. In apomyoglobin, on the other hand, the distributions reveal a striking conformational heterogeneity involving specific helices in the pressure range of 0-3 kbar, where a molten globule state is formed. The data directly reveal the amplitude of helical fluctuations, information unique to the DEER method that complements previous rate determinations. Comparison of the distance distributions for pressure- and pH-populated molten globules shows them to be remarkably similar despite a lower helical content in the latter.
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29
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Roman EA, González Flecha FL. Kinetics and thermodynamics of membrane protein folding. Biomolecules 2014; 4:354-73. [PMID: 24970219 PMCID: PMC4030980 DOI: 10.3390/biom4010354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2013] [Revised: 02/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/23/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding protein folding has been one of the great challenges in biochemistry and molecular biophysics. Over the past 50 years, many thermodynamic and kinetic studies have been performed addressing the stability of globular proteins. In comparison, advances in the membrane protein folding field lag far behind. Although membrane proteins constitute about a third of the proteins encoded in known genomes, stability studies on membrane proteins have been impaired due to experimental limitations. Furthermore, no systematic experimental strategies are available for folding these biomolecules in vitro. Common denaturing agents such as chaotropes usually do not work on helical membrane proteins, and ionic detergents have been successful denaturants only in few cases. Refolding a membrane protein seems to be a craftsman work, which is relatively straightforward for transmembrane β-barrel proteins but challenging for α-helical membrane proteins. Additional complexities emerge in multidomain membrane proteins, data interpretation being one of the most critical. In this review, we will describe some recent efforts in understanding the folding mechanism of membrane proteins that have been reversibly refolded allowing both thermodynamic and kinetic analysis. This information will be discussed in the context of current paradigms in the protein folding field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto A Roman
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysical Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires 1113, Argentina.
| | - F Luis González Flecha
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysical Chemistry, University of Buenos Aires-CONICET, Buenos Aires 1113, Argentina.
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30
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The role of 2-methyl-2, 4-pentanediol in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelle dissociation unveiled by dynamic light scattering and molecular dynamics simulations. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2014; 114:357-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2013.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2013] [Revised: 10/14/2013] [Accepted: 10/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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31
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Kong X, Li Z, Lu D, Liu Z, Wu J. Multiscale simulation of surfactant–aquaporin complex formation and water permeability. RSC Adv 2014. [DOI: 10.1039/c4ra03759f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular dynamics simulation reveals distinctive roles of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions in surfactant (SDS)–protein (AqpZ) complex formation and functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Kong
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing, China
- Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering
- University of California
| | - Zhixian Li
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing, China
| | - Diannan Lu
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing, China
| | - Zheng Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing, China
| | - Jianzhong Wu
- Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering
- University of California
- Riverside, USA
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32
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Jeschke G. Conformational dynamics and distribution of nitroxide spin labels. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2013; 72:42-60. [PMID: 23731861 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2013] [Revised: 03/26/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Long-range distance measurements based on paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) in NMR, quantification of surface water dynamics near biomacromolecules by Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and sensitivity enhancement by solid-state DNP all depend on introducing paramagnetic species into an otherwise diamagnetic NMR sample. The species can be introduced by site-directed spin labeling, which offers precise control for positioning the label in the sequence of a biopolymer. However, internal flexibility of the spin label gives rise to dynamic processes that potentially influence PRE and DNP behavior and leads to a spatial distribution of the electron spin even in solid samples. Internal dynamics of spin labels and their static conformational distributions have been studied mainly by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, with a large body of results for the most widely applied methanethiosulfonate spin label MTSL. These results are critically discussed in a unifying picture based on rotameric states of the group that carries the spin label. Deficiencies in our current understanding of dynamics and conformations of spin labeled groups and of their influence on NMR observables are highlighted and directions for further research suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Jeschke
- ETH Zürich, Laboratory Physical Chemistry, Zürich, Switzerland.
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33
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Ng KC, Chu LK. Effects of Surfactants on the Purple Membrane and Bacteriorhodopsin: Solubilization or Aggregation? J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:6241-9. [DOI: 10.1021/jp401254j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ka Chon Ng
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec. 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 30013,
Taiwan
| | - Li-Kang Chu
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec. 2, Kuang-Fu Rd., Hsinchu 30013,
Taiwan
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Schlebach JP, Peng D, Kroncke BM, Mittendorf KF, Narayan M, Carter BD, Sanders CR. Reversible folding of human peripheral myelin protein 22, a tetraspan membrane protein. Biochemistry 2013; 52:3229-41. [PMID: 23639031 DOI: 10.1021/bi301635f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Misfolding of the α-helical membrane protein peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of the common neurodegenerative disease known as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMTD) and also several other related peripheral neuropathies. Emerging evidence suggests that the propensity of PMP22 to misfold in the cell may be due to an intrinsic lack of conformational stability. Therefore, quantitative studies of the conformational equilibrium of PMP22 are needed to gain insight into the molecular basis of CMTD. In this work, we have investigated the folding and unfolding of wild type (WT) human PMP22 in mixed micelles. Both kinetic and thermodynamic measurements demonstrate that the denaturation of PMP22 by n-lauroyl sarcosine (LS) in dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelles is reversible. Assessment of the conformational equilibrium indicates that a significant fraction of unfolded PMP22 persists even in the absence of the denaturing detergent. However, we find the stability of PMP22 is increased by glycerol, which facilitates quantitation of thermodynamic parameters. To our knowledge, this work represents the first report of reversible unfolding of a eukaryotic multispan membrane protein. The results indicate that WT PMP22 possesses minimal conformational stability in micelles, which parallels its poor folding efficiency in the endoplasmic reticulum. Folding equilibrium measurements for PMP22 in micelles may provide an approach to assess the effects of cellular metabolites or potential therapeutic agents on its stability. Furthermore, these results pave the way for future investigation of the effects of pathogenic mutations on the conformational equilibrium of PMP22.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan P Schlebach
- Department of Biochemistry and ‡Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine , Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
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Globisch C, Krishnamani V, Deserno M, Peter C. Optimization of an elastic network augmented coarse grained model to study CCMV capsid deformation. PLoS One 2013; 8:e60582. [PMID: 23613730 PMCID: PMC3628857 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0060582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2012] [Accepted: 02/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The major protective coat of most viruses is a highly symmetric protein capsid that forms spontaneously from many copies of identical proteins. Structural and mechanical properties of such capsids, as well as their self-assembly process, have been studied experimentally and theoretically, including modeling efforts by computer simulations on various scales. Atomistic models include specific details of local protein binding but are limited in system size and accessible time, while coarse grained (CG) models do get access to longer time and length scales but often lack the specific local interactions. Multi-scale models aim at bridging this gap by systematically connecting different levels of resolution. Here, a CG model for CCMV (Cowpea Chlorotic Mottle Virus), a virus with an icosahedral shell of 180 identical protein monomers, is developed, where parameters are derived from atomistic simulations of capsid protein dimers in aqueous solution. In particular, a new method is introduced to combine the MARTINI CG model with a supportive elastic network based on structural fluctuations of individual monomers. In the parametrization process, both network connectivity and strength are optimized. This elastic-network optimized CG model, which solely relies on atomistic data of small units (dimers), is able to correctly predict inter-protein conformational flexibility and properties of larger capsid fragments of 20 and more subunits. Furthermore, it is shown that this CG model reproduces experimental (Atomic Force Microscopy) indentation measurements of the entire viral capsid. Thus it is shown that one obvious goal for hierarchical modeling, namely predicting mechanical properties of larger protein complexes from models that are carefully parametrized on elastic properties of smaller units, is achievable.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Venkatramanan Krishnamani
- Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Markus Deserno
- Department of Physics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Christine Peter
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP), Mainz, Germany
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Khanal A, Pan Y, Brown LS, Konermann L. Pulsed hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry for time-resolved membrane protein folding studies. JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY : JMS 2012; 47:1620-6. [PMID: 23280751 DOI: 10.1002/jms.3127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2012] [Revised: 10/16/2012] [Accepted: 10/17/2012] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Kinetic folding experiments by pulsed hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) mass spectrometry (MS) are a well-established tool for water-soluble proteins. To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first that applies this approach to an integral membrane protein. The native state of bacteriorhodopsin (BR) comprises seven transmembrane helices and a covalently bound retinal cofactor. BR exposure to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) induces partial unfolding and retinal loss. We employ a custom-built three-stage mixing device for pulsed-HDX/MS investigations of BR refolding. The reaction is triggered by mixing SDS-denatured protein with bicelles. After a variable folding time (10 ms to 24 h), the protein is exposed to excess D(2) O buffer under rapid exchange conditions. The HDX pulse is terminated by acid quenching after 24 ms. Subsequent off-line analysis is performed by size exclusion chromatography and electrospray MS. These measurements yield the number of protected backbone N-H sites as a function of folding time, reflecting the recovery of secondary structure. Our results indicate that much of the BR secondary structure is formed quite late during the reaction, on a time scale of 10 s and beyond. It is hoped that in the future it will be possible to extend the pulsed-HDX/MS approach employed here to membrane proteins other than BR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil Khanal
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
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Lipid-protein nanodiscs promote in vitro folding of transmembrane domains of multi-helical and multimeric membrane proteins. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2012; 1828:776-84. [PMID: 23159810 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2012.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2012] [Revised: 11/04/2012] [Accepted: 11/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Production of helical integral membrane proteins (IMPs) in a folded state is a necessary prerequisite for their functional and structural studies. In many cases large-scale expression of IMPs in cell-based and cell-free systems results in misfolded proteins, which should be refolded in vitro. Here using examples of the bacteriorhodopsin ESR from Exiguobacterium sibiricum and full-length homotetrameric K(+) channel KcsA from Streptomyces lividans we found that the efficient in vitro folding of the transmembrane domains of the polytopic and multimeric IMPs could be achieved during the protein encapsulation into the reconstructed high-density lipoprotein particles, also known as lipid-protein nanodiscs. In this case the self-assembly of the IMP/nanodisc complexes from a mixture containing apolipoprotein, lipids and the partially denatured protein solubilized in a harsh detergent induces the folding of the transmembrane domains. The obtained folding yields showed significant dependence on the properties of lipids used for nanodisc formation. The largest recovery of the spectroscopically active ESR (~60%) from the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was achieved in the nanodiscs containing anionic saturated lipid 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPG) and was approximately twice lower in the zwitterionic DMPC lipid. The reassembly of tetrameric KcsA from the acid-dissociated monomer solubilized in SDS was the most efficient (~80%) in the nanodiscs containing zwitterionic unsaturated lipid 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC). The charged and saturated lipids provided lower tetramer quantities, and the lowest yield (<20%) was observed in DMPC. The overall yield of the ESR and KcsA folding was mainly restricted by the efficiency of the protein encapsulation into the nanodiscs.
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Abstract
The intricate functions of membrane proteins would not be possible without bends or breaks that are remarkably common in transmembrane helices. The frequent helix distortions are nevertheless surprising because backbone hydrogen bonds should be strong in an apolar membrane, potentially rigidifying helices. It is therefore mysterious how distortions can be generated by the evolutionary currency of random point mutations. Here we show that we can engineer a transition between distinct distorted helix conformations in bacteriorhodopsin with a single-point mutation. Moreover, we estimate the energetic cost of the conformational transitions to be smaller than 1 kcal/mol. We propose that the low energy of distortion is explained in part by the shifting of backbone hydrogen bonding partners. Consistent with this view, extensive backbone hydrogen bond shifts occur during helix conformational changes that accompany functional cycles. Our results explain how evolution has been able to liberally exploit transmembrane helix bending for the optimization of membrane protein structure, function, and dynamics.
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