1
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Iyer SS, Srivastava A. Membrane lateral organization from potential energy disconnectivity graph. Biophys Chem 2024; 313:107284. [PMID: 39002248 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2024.107284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of biomolecules requires elucidation of their complex energy landscape. A disconnectivity graph analysis of the energy landscape provides a framework for mapping the multi-dimensional landscape onto a two-dimensional representation while preserving the key features of the energy landscape. Several studies show that the structure or shape of the disconnectity graph is directly associated with the function of protein and nucleic acid molecules. In this review, we discuss how disconnectivity analysis of the potential energy surface can be extended to lipid molecules to glean important information about membrane organization. The shape of the disconnectivity graphs can be used to predict the lateral organization of multi-component lipid bilayer. We hope that this review encourages the use of disconnectivity graphs routinely by membrane biophysicists to predict the lateral organization of lipids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anand Srivastava
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, C. V. Raman Road, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India.
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2
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Yeh CW, Hsu KL, Lin ST, Huang WC, Yeh KH, Liu CFJ, Wang LC, Li TT, Chen SC, Yu CH, Leu JY, Yeang CH, Yen HCS. Altered assembly paths mitigate interference among paralogous complexes. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7169. [PMID: 39169013 PMCID: PMC11339298 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51286-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein complexes are fundamental to all cellular processes, so understanding their evolutionary history and assembly processes is important. Gene duplication followed by divergence is considered a primary mechanism for diversifying protein complexes. Nonetheless, to what extent assembly of present-day paralogous complexes has been constrained by their long evolutionary pathways and how cross-complex interference is avoided remain unanswered questions. Subunits of protein complexes are often stabilized upon complex formation, whereas unincorporated subunits are degraded. How such cooperative stability influences protein complex assembly also remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that subcomplexes determined by cooperative stabilization interactions serve as building blocks for protein complex assembly. We further develop a protein stability-guided method to compare the assembly processes of paralogous complexes in cellulo. Our findings support that oligomeric state and the structural organization of paralogous complexes can be maintained even if their assembly processes are rearranged. Our results indicate that divergent assembly processes by paralogous complexes not only enable the complexes to evolve new functions, but also reinforce their segregation by establishing incompatibility against deleterious hybrid assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Wei Yeh
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kuan-Lun Hsu
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Ting Lin
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chieh Huang
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kun-Hai Yeh
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Li-Chin Wang
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Ting Li
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Chuan Chen
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Hsin Yu
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jun-Yi Leu
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Hsiang Yeang
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsueh-Chi S Yen
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
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3
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Murata H, Toko K, Chikenji G. Protein superfolds are characterised as frustration-free topologies: A case study of pure parallel β-sheet topologies. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012282. [PMID: 39110764 PMCID: PMC11333010 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
A protein superfold is a type of protein fold that is observed in at least three distinct, non-homologous protein families. Structural classification studies have revealed a limited number of prevalent superfolds alongside several infrequent occurring folds, and in α/β type superfolds, the C-terminal β-strand tends to favor the edge of the β-sheet, while the N-terminal β-strand is often found in the middle. The reasons behind these observations, whether they are due to evolutionary sampling bias or physical interactions, remain unclear. This article offers a physics-based explanation for these observations, specifically for pure parallel β-sheet topologies. Our investigation is grounded in several established structural rules that are based on physical interactions. We have identified "frustration-free topologies" which are topologies that can satisfy all the rules simultaneously. In contrast, topologies that cannot are termed "frustrated topologies." Our findings reveal that frustration-free topologies represent only a fraction of all theoretically possible patterns, these topologies strongly favor positioning the C-terminal β-strand at the edge of the β-sheet and the N-terminal β-strand in the middle, and there is significant overlap between frustration-free topologies and superfolds. We also used a lattice protein model to thoroughly investigate sequence-structure relationships. Our results show that frustration-free structures are highly designable, while frustrated structures are poorly designable. These findings suggest that superfolds are highly designable due to their lack of frustration, and the preference for positioning C-terminal β-strands at the edge of the β-sheet is a direct result of frustration-free topologies. These insights not only enhance our understanding of sequence-structure relationships but also have significant implications for de novo protein design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroto Murata
- Department of Applied Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kazuma Toko
- Department of Applied Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - George Chikenji
- Department of Applied Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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4
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Sanchez-Fernandez A, Poon JF, Leung AE, Prévost SF, Dicko C. Stabilization of Non-Native Folds and Programmable Protein Gelation in Compositionally Designed Deep Eutectic Solvents. ACS NANO 2024; 18:18314-18326. [PMID: 38949563 PMCID: PMC11256765 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c01950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Proteins are adjustable units from which biomaterials with designed properties can be developed. However, non-native folded states with controlled topologies are hardly accessible in aqueous environments, limiting their prospects as building blocks. Here, we demonstrate the ability of a series of anhydrous deep eutectic solvents (DESs) to precisely control the conformational landscape of proteins. We reveal that systematic variations in the chemical composition of binary and ternary DESs dictate the stabilization of a wide range of conformations, that is, compact globular folds, intermediate folding states, or unfolded chains, as well as controlling their collective behavior. Besides, different conformational states can be visited by simply adjusting the composition of ternary DESs, allowing for the refolding of unfolded states and vice versa. Notably, we show that these intermediates can trigger the formation of supramolecular gels, also known as eutectogels, where their mechanical properties correlate to the folding state of the protein. Given the inherent vulnerability of proteins outside the native fold in aqueous environments, our findings highlight DESs as tailorable solvents capable of stabilizing various non-native conformations on demand through solvent design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Sanchez-Fernandez
- Center
for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS),
Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidade
de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela 15705, Spain
| | - Jia-Fei Poon
- European
Spallation Source, Lund University, Lund SE-22100, Sweden
| | | | | | - Cedric Dicko
- Pure
and Applied Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, Lund SE-22100, Sweden
- Lund
Institute of Advanced Neutron and X-ray Science, Lund SE-22370, Sweden
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5
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Škrbić T, Giacometti A, Hoang TX, Maritan A, Banavar JR. Amino-Acid Characteristics in Protein Native State Structures. Biomolecules 2024; 14:805. [PMID: 39062519 PMCID: PMC11274641 DOI: 10.3390/biom14070805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 07/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The molecular machines of life, proteins, are made up of twenty kinds of amino acids, each with distinctive side chains. We present a geometrical analysis of the protrusion statistics of side chains in more than 4000 high-resolution protein structures. We employ a coarse-grained representation of the protein backbone viewed as a linear chain of Cα atoms and consider just the heavy atoms of the side chains. We study the large variety of behaviors of the amino acids based on both rudimentary structural chemistry as well as geometry. Our geometrical analysis uses a backbone Frenet coordinate system for the common study of all amino acids. Our analysis underscores the richness of the repertoire of amino acids that is available to nature to design protein sequences that fit within the putative native state folds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Škrbić
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Campus Scientifico, Via Torino 155, 30170 Venice Mestre, Italy;
- Department of Physics and Institute for Fundamental Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA;
| | - Achille Giacometti
- Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Campus Scientifico, Via Torino 155, 30170 Venice Mestre, Italy;
- European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT), Ca’ Bottacin, Dorsoduro 3911, Calle Crosera, 30123 Venice, Italy
| | - Trinh X. Hoang
- Institute of Physics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 10 DaoTan, Ba Dinh, Hanoi 11108, Vietnam;
| | - Amos Maritan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padua, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padua, Italy;
| | - Jayanth R. Banavar
- Department of Physics and Institute for Fundamental Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA;
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6
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Liu S, Athreya A, Lao Z, Zhang B. From Nucleosomes to Compartments: Physicochemical Interactions Underlying Chromatin Organization. Annu Rev Biophys 2024; 53:221-245. [PMID: 38346246 PMCID: PMC11369498 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-030822-032650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Chromatin organization plays a critical role in cellular function by regulating access to genetic information. However, understanding chromatin folding is challenging due to its complex, multiscale nature. Significant progress has been made in studying in vitro systems, uncovering the structure of individual nucleosomes and their arrays, and elucidating the role of physicochemical forces in stabilizing these structures. Additionally, remarkable advancements have been achieved in characterizing chromatin organization in vivo, particularly at the whole-chromosome level, revealing important features such as chromatin loops, topologically associating domains, and nuclear compartments. However, bridging the gap between in vitro and in vivo studies remains challenging. The resemblance between in vitro and in vivo chromatin conformations and the relevance of internucleosomal interactions for chromatin folding in vivo are subjects of debate. This article reviews experimental and computational studies conducted at various length scales, highlighting the significance of intrinsic interactions between nucleosomes and their roles in chromatin folding in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuming Liu
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Advait Athreya
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Zhuohan Lao
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA;
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7
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Doga H, Raubenolt B, Cumbo F, Joshi J, DiFilippo FP, Qin J, Blankenberg D, Shehab O. A Perspective on Protein Structure Prediction Using Quantum Computers. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:3359-3378. [PMID: 38703105 PMCID: PMC11099973 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Despite the recent advancements by deep learning methods such as AlphaFold2, in silico protein structure prediction remains a challenging problem in biomedical research. With the rapid evolution of quantum computing, it is natural to ask whether quantum computers can offer some meaningful benefits for approaching this problem. Yet, identifying specific problem instances amenable to quantum advantage and estimating the quantum resources required are equally challenging tasks. Here, we share our perspective on how to create a framework for systematically selecting protein structure prediction problems that are amenable for quantum advantage, and estimate quantum resources for such problems on a utility-scale quantum computer. As a proof-of-concept, we validate our problem selection framework by accurately predicting the structure of a catalytic loop of the Zika Virus NS3 Helicase, on quantum hardware.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakan Doga
- IBM Quantum,
Almaden Research Center, San Jose, California 95120, United States
| | - Bryan Raubenolt
- Center
for Computational Life Sciences, Lerner
Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Fabio Cumbo
- Center
for Computational Life Sciences, Lerner
Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Jayadev Joshi
- Center
for Computational Life Sciences, Lerner
Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Frank P. DiFilippo
- Center
for Computational Life Sciences, Lerner
Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Jun Qin
- Center
for Computational Life Sciences, Lerner
Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Daniel Blankenberg
- Center
for Computational Life Sciences, Lerner
Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
| | - Omar Shehab
- IBM
Quantum, IBM Thomas J Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, United States
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8
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Kirchner P, Schramm L, Ivanova S, Shoyama K, Würthner F, Beuerle F. A Water-Stable Boronate Ester Cage. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:5305-5315. [PMID: 38325811 PMCID: PMC10910528 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c12002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
The reversible condensation of catechols and boronic acids to boronate esters is a paradigm reaction in dynamic covalent chemistry. However, facile backward hydrolysis is detrimental for stability and has so far prevented applications for boronate-based materials. Here, we introduce cubic boronate ester cages 6 derived from hexahydroxy tribenzotriquinacenes and phenylene diboronic acids with ortho-t-butyl substituents. Due to steric shielding, dynamic exchange at the Lewis acidic boron sites is feasible only under acid or base catalysis but fully prevented at neutral conditions. For the first time, boronate ester cages 6 tolerate substantial amounts of water or alcohols both in solution and solid state. The unprecedented applicability of these materials under ambient and aqueous conditions is showcased by efficient encapsulation and on-demand release of β-carotene dyes and heterogeneous water oxidation catalysis after the encapsulation of ruthenium catalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp
H. Kirchner
- Institut
für Organische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
- Center
for Nanosystems Chemistry (CNC), Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Theodor-Boveri-Weg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Louis Schramm
- Institut
für Organische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
- Center
for Nanosystems Chemistry (CNC), Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Theodor-Boveri-Weg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Svetlana Ivanova
- Institut
für Organische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
- Center
for Nanosystems Chemistry (CNC), Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Theodor-Boveri-Weg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Kazutaka Shoyama
- Institut
für Organische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
- Center
for Nanosystems Chemistry (CNC), Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Theodor-Boveri-Weg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Frank Würthner
- Institut
für Organische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
- Center
for Nanosystems Chemistry (CNC), Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Theodor-Boveri-Weg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
| | - Florian Beuerle
- Institut
für Organische Chemie, Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Am Hubland, Würzburg 97074, Germany
- Center
for Nanosystems Chemistry (CNC), Julius-Maximilians-Universität
Würzburg, Theodor-Boveri-Weg, Würzburg 97074, Germany
- Institut
für Organische Chemie, Eberhard Karls
Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 18, Tübingen 72076, Germany
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9
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Gracia B, Montes P, Gutierrez AM, Arun B, Karras GI. Protein-folding chaperones predict structure-function relationships and cancer risk in BRCA1 mutation carriers. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113803. [PMID: 38368609 PMCID: PMC10941025 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Predicting the risk of cancer mutations is critical for early detection and prevention, but differences in allelic severity of human carriers confound risk predictions. Here, we elucidate protein folding as a cellular mechanism driving differences in mutation severity of tumor suppressor BRCA1. Using a high-throughput protein-protein interaction assay, we show that protein-folding chaperone binding patterns predict the pathogenicity of variants in the BRCA1 C-terminal (BRCT) domain. HSP70 selectively binds 94% of pathogenic BRCA1-BRCT variants, most of which engage HSP70 more than HSP90. Remarkably, the magnitude of HSP70 binding linearly correlates with loss of folding and function. We identify a prevalent class of human hypomorphic BRCA1 variants that bind moderately to chaperones and retain partial folding and function. Furthermore, chaperone binding signifies greater mutation penetrance and earlier cancer onset in the clinic. Our findings demonstrate the utility of chaperones as quantitative cellular biosensors of variant folding, phenotypic severity, and cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brant Gracia
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Patricia Montes
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Angelica Maria Gutierrez
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology and Clinical Cancer Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Banu Arun
- Department of Breast Medical Oncology and Clinical Cancer Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Georgios Ioannis Karras
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Genetics and Epigenetics Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA.
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10
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Dorbath E, Gulzar A, Stock G. Log-periodic oscillations as real-time signatures of hierarchical dynamics in proteins. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:074103. [PMID: 38364004 DOI: 10.1063/5.0188220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The time-dependent relaxation of a dynamical system may exhibit a power-law behavior that is superimposed by log-periodic oscillations. D. Sornette [Phys. Rep. 297, 239 (1998)] showed that this behavior can be explained by a discrete scale invariance of the system, which is associated with discrete and equidistant timescales on a logarithmic scale. Examples include such diverse fields as financial crashes, random diffusion, and quantum topological materials. Recent time-resolved experiments and molecular dynamics simulations suggest that discrete scale invariance may also apply to hierarchical dynamics in proteins, where several fast local conformational changes are a prerequisite for a slow global transition to occur. Employing entropy-based timescale analysis and Markov state modeling to a simple one-dimensional hierarchical model and biomolecular simulation data, it is found that hierarchical systems quite generally give rise to logarithmically spaced discrete timescales. By introducing a one-dimensional reaction coordinate that collectively accounts for the hierarchically coupled degrees of freedom, the free energy landscape exhibits a characteristic staircase shape with two metastable end states, which causes the log-periodic time evolution of the system. The period of the log-oscillations reflects the effective roughness of the energy landscape and can, in simple cases, be interpreted in terms of the barriers of the staircase landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel Dorbath
- Biomolecular Dynamics, Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Adnan Gulzar
- Biomolecular Dynamics, Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Stock
- Biomolecular Dynamics, Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
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11
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Astore MA, Pradhan AS, Thiede EH, Hanson SM. Protein dynamics underlying allosteric regulation. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 84:102768. [PMID: 38215528 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Allostery is the mechanism by which information and control are propagated in biomolecules. It regulates ligand binding, chemical reactions, and conformational changes. An increasing level of experimental resolution and control over allosteric mechanisms promises a deeper understanding of the molecular basis for life and powerful new therapeutics. In this review, we survey the literature for an up-to-date biological and theoretical understanding of protein allostery. By delineating five ways in which the energy landscape or the kinetics of a system may change to give rise to allostery, we aim to help the reader grasp its physical origins. To illustrate this framework, we examine three systems that display these forms of allostery: allosteric inhibitors of beta-lactamases, thermosensation of TRP channels, and the role of kinetic allostery in the function of kinases. Finally, we summarize the growing power of computational tools available to investigate the different forms of allostery presented in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miro A Astore
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY, USA; Center for Computational Mathematics, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY, USA. https://twitter.com/@miroastore
| | - Akshada S Pradhan
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Erik H Thiede
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY, USA; Center for Computational Mathematics, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Sonya M Hanson
- Center for Computational Biology, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY, USA; Center for Computational Mathematics, Flatiron Institute, New York, NY, USA.
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12
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Carter CW. Base Pairing Promoted the Self-Organization of Genetic Coding, Catalysis, and Free-Energy Transduction. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:199. [PMID: 38398709 PMCID: PMC10890426 DOI: 10.3390/life14020199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
How Nature discovered genetic coding is a largely ignored question, yet the answer is key to explaining the transition from biochemical building blocks to life. Other, related puzzles also fall inside the aegis enclosing the codes themselves. The peptide bond is unstable with respect to hydrolysis. So, it requires some form of chemical free energy to drive it. Amino acid activation and acyl transfer are also slow and must be catalyzed. All living things must thus also convert free energy and synchronize cellular chemistry. Most importantly, functional proteins occupy only small, isolated regions of sequence space. Nature evolved heritable symbolic data processing to seek out and use those sequences. That system has three parts: a memory of how amino acids behave in solution and inside proteins, a set of code keys to access that memory, and a scoring function. The code keys themselves are the genes for cognate pairs of tRNA and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, AARSs. The scoring function is the enzymatic specificity constant, kcat/kM, which measures both catalysis and specificity. The work described here deepens the evidence for and understanding of an unexpected consequence of ancestral bidirectional coding. Secondary structures occur in approximately the same places within antiparallel alignments of their gene products. However, the polar amino acids that define the molecular surface of one are reflected into core-defining non-polar side chains on the other. Proteins translated from base-paired coding strands fold up inside out. Bidirectional genes thus project an inverted structural duality into the proteome. I review how experimental data root the scoring functions responsible for the origins of coding and catalyzed activation of unfavorable chemical reactions in that duality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles W Carter
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7260, USA
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13
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Bhattacharya P, Mandal A. Identification of amentoflavone as a potent SARS-CoV-2 M pro inhibitor: a combination of computational studies and in vitro biological evaluation. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-19. [PMID: 38263736 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2304676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Small-molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro that block the active site pocket of the viral main protease have been considered potential therapeutics for the development of drugs against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report the identification of amentoflavone (a biflavonoid) through docking-based virtual screening of a library comprised of 231 compounds consisting of flavonoids and isoflavonoids. The docking results were further substantiated through extensive analysis of the data obtained from all-atom 150 ns MD simulation. End-state effective free energy calculations using MM-PBSA calculations further suggested that (Ra)-amentoflavone (C3'-C8''-atropisomer) may show a greater binding affinity towards the Mpro than (Sa)-amentoflavone. In vitro cytotoxicity assay established that amentoflavone showed a high CC50 value indicating much lower toxicity. Further, potent inhibition of the Mpro by amentoflavone was established by studying the effect on HEK293T cells treated with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro expressing plasmid.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anirban Mandal
- Department of Microbiology, Mrinalini Datta Mahavidyapith, Kolkata, India
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14
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Yuan R, Zhang Z, Wu G, Zhang Y, Sha J, Chen Y, Si W. Unfolding of protein using MoS 2/SnS 2heterostructure for nanopore-based sequencing. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 35:135501. [PMID: 38118165 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ad177f] [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: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Protein sequencing is crucial for understanding the complex mechanisms driving biological functions. However, proteins are usually folded in their native state and the mechanism of fast protein conformation transitions still remains unclear, which make protein sequencing challenging. Molecular dynamics simulations with accurate force field are now able to observe the entire folding/unfolding process, providing valuable insights into protein folding mechanisms. Given that proteins can be unfolded, nanopore technology shows great potential for protein sequencing. In this study, we proposed to use MoS2/SnS2heterostructures to firstly unfold proteins and then detect them by a nanopore in the heterostructural membrane. All-atom molecular dynamics simulations performed in this work provided rich atomic-level information for a comprehensive understanding of protein unfolding process and mechanism on the MoS2/SnS2heterostructure, it was found that the strong binding of protein to SnS2nanostripe and hydrogen bond breaking were the main reasons for unfolding the protein on the heterostructure. After the protein was fully unfolded, it was restrained on the nanostripe because of the affinity of protein to the SnS2nanostripe. Thus by integrating the proposed unfolding technique with nanopore technology, detection of linear unfolded peptide was realized in this work, allowing for the identification of protein components, which is essential for sequencing proteins in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runyi Yuan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, People's Republic of China
| | - Gensheng Wu
- School of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, People's Republic of China
| | - Yin Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingjie Sha
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunfei Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Si
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, People's Republic of China
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15
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Herringer NSM, Dasetty S, Gandhi D, Lee J, Ferguson AL. Permutationally Invariant Networks for Enhanced Sampling (PINES): Discovery of Multimolecular and Solvent-Inclusive Collective Variables. J Chem Theory Comput 2024; 20:178-198. [PMID: 38150421 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
The typically rugged nature of molecular free-energy landscapes can frustrate efficient sampling of the thermodynamically relevant phase space due to the presence of high free-energy barriers. Enhanced sampling techniques can improve phase space exploration by accelerating sampling along particular collective variables (CVs). A number of techniques exist for the data-driven discovery of CVs parametrizing the important large-scale motions of the system. A challenge to CV discovery is learning CVs invariant to the symmetries of the molecular system, frequently rigid translation, rigid rotation, and permutational relabeling of identical particles. Of these, permutational invariance has proved a persistent challenge in frustrating the data-driven discovery of multimolecular CVs in systems of self-assembling particles and solvent-inclusive CVs for solvated systems. In this work, we integrate permutation invariant vector (PIV) featurizations with autoencoding neural networks to learn nonlinear CVs invariant to translation, rotation, and permutation and perform interleaved rounds of CV discovery and enhanced sampling to iteratively expand the sampling of configurational phase space and obtain converged CVs and free-energy landscapes. We demonstrate the permutationally invariant network for enhanced sampling (PINES) approach in applications to the self-assembly of a 13-atom argon cluster, association/dissociation of a NaCl ion pair in water, and hydrophobic collapse of a C45H92 n-pentatetracontane polymer chain. We make the approach freely available as a new module within the PLUMED2 enhanced sampling libraries.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Siva Dasetty
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Diya Gandhi
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Junhee Lee
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - Andrew L Ferguson
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
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16
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Hicks D, Giresh K, Wrischnik LA, Weiser DC. The PPP1R15 Family of eIF2-alpha Phosphatase Targeting Subunits (GADD34 and CReP). Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17321. [PMID: 38139150 PMCID: PMC10743859 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate PPP1R15 family consists of the proteins GADD34 (growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein 34, the product of the PPP1R15A gene) and CReP (constitutive repressor of eIF2α phosphorylation, the product of the PPP1R15B gene), both of which function as targeting/regulatory subunits for protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) by regulating subcellular localization, modulating substrate specificity and assembling complexes with target proteins. The primary cellular function of these proteins is to facilitate the dephosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2-alpha (eIF2α) by PP1 during cell stress. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the cellular function, biochemistry and pharmacology of GADD34 and CReP, starting with a brief introduction of eIF2α phosphorylation via the integrated protein response (ISR). We discuss the roles GADD34 and CReP play as feedback inhibitors of the unfolded protein response (UPR) and highlight the critical function they serve as inhibitors of the PERK-dependent branch, which is particularly important since it can mediate cell survival or cell death, depending on how long the stressful stimuli lasts, and GADD34 and CReP play key roles in fine-tuning this cellular decision. We briefly discuss the roles of GADD34 and CReP homologs in model systems and then focus on what we have learned about their function from knockout mice and human patients, followed by a brief review of several diseases in which GADD34 and CReP have been implicated, including cancer, diabetes and especially neurodegenerative disease. Because of the potential importance of GADD34 and CReP in aspects of human health and disease, we will discuss several pharmacological inhibitors of GADD34 and/or CReP that show promise as treatments and the controversies as to their mechanism of action. This review will finish with a discussion of the biochemical properties of GADD34 and CReP, their regulation and the additional interacting partners that may provide insight into the roles these proteins may play in other cellular pathways. We will conclude with a brief outline of critical areas for future study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Hicks
- Department of Science, Mathematics and Engineering, Modesto Junior College, Modesto, CA 95350, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA
| | - Krithika Giresh
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA
| | - Lisa A. Wrischnik
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA
| | - Douglas C. Weiser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA
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17
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Sinha A, Roy S. Intrinsically Disordered Regions Function as a Cervical Collar to Remotely Regulate the Nodding Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Prefusion Spike Heads. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:8393-8405. [PMID: 37738458 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c05338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 prefusion spike heads (receptor binding domains, RBDs) frequently nod down and up to interact with host cell receptors. As the spike protein is a trimeric unit of significant size, to understand its large-scale structural dynamics associated with the nodding mechanism and the mutational impact on the same, we develop a topological symmetry-information-loaded coarse-grained structure-based model of a spike trimer using recent cryo-EM structural data. Our study reveals the control of two distant intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), namely, 630 and FPPR loops, over the nodding dynamics of spike heads. We find that the order-disorder transition of IDRs becomes more evident in the variants of concern (VOCs) that are associated with the characteristic mutation, D614G, in the proximity of these IDRs. In some VOCs, the two other mutations A570D and S982A also show an integral effect. The driver mutation D614G instigates a salt-bridge disruption, altering the order-disorder dynamics of both 630 and FPPR loops and their interaction with the C-terminal domains (CTD1/CTD2). This altered connectivity in these mutants allows the two IDRs to act collectively as a "cervical collar" for the RBD, supporting various spike head postures, consistent with cryo-EM results available for specific cases. The IDRs' control over the spike structure and dynamics presents an exciting opportunity where they can be targeted as remote operational switches to artificially maneuver the nod for effective therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anushree Sinha
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
| | - Susmita Roy
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur 741246, West Bengal, India
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18
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Huang B, Kong L, Wang C, Ju F, Zhang Q, Zhu J, Gong T, Zhang H, Yu C, Zheng WM, Bu D. Protein Structure Prediction: Challenges, Advances, and the Shift of Research Paradigms. GENOMICS, PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2023; 21:913-925. [PMID: 37001856 PMCID: PMC10928435 DOI: 10.1016/j.gpb.2022.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Protein structure prediction is an interdisciplinary research topic that has attracted researchers from multiple fields, including biochemistry, medicine, physics, mathematics, and computer science. These researchers adopt various research paradigms to attack the same structure prediction problem: biochemists and physicists attempt to reveal the principles governing protein folding; mathematicians, especially statisticians, usually start from assuming a probability distribution of protein structures given a target sequence and then find the most likely structure, while computer scientists formulate protein structure prediction as an optimization problem - finding the structural conformation with the lowest energy or minimizing the difference between predicted structure and native structure. These research paradigms fall into the two statistical modeling cultures proposed by Leo Breiman, namely, data modeling and algorithmic modeling. Recently, we have also witnessed the great success of deep learning in protein structure prediction. In this review, we present a survey of the efforts for protein structure prediction. We compare the research paradigms adopted by researchers from different fields, with an emphasis on the shift of research paradigms in the era of deep learning. In short, the algorithmic modeling techniques, especially deep neural networks, have considerably improved the accuracy of protein structure prediction; however, theories interpreting the neural networks and knowledge on protein folding are still highly desired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Huang
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lupeng Kong
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; Changping Laboratory, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Chao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Fusong Ju
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing 100080, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Huawei Noah's Ark Lab, Wuhan 430206, China
| | - Jianwei Zhu
- Microsoft Research AI4Science, Beijing 100080, China
| | - Tiansu Gong
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Haicang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Zhongke Big Data Academy, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
| | - Chungong Yu
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Zhongke Big Data Academy, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
| | - Wei-Mou Zheng
- Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
| | - Dongbo Bu
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Zhongke Big Data Academy, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
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19
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Gracia B, Montes P, Gutierrez AM, Arun B, Karras GI. Protein-Folding Chaperones Predict Structure-Function Relationships and Cancer Risk in BRCA1 Mutation Carriers. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.14.557795. [PMID: 37745493 PMCID: PMC10515940 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.14.557795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Identifying pathogenic mutations and predicting their impact on protein structure, function and phenotype remain major challenges in genome sciences. Protein-folding chaperones participate in structure-function relationships by facilitating the folding of protein variants encoded by mutant genes. Here, we utilize a high-throughput protein-protein interaction assay to test HSP70 and HSP90 chaperone interactions as predictors of pathogenicity for variants in the tumor suppressor BRCA1. Chaperones bind 77% of pathogenic BRCA1-BRCT variants, most of which engaged HSP70 more than HSP90. Remarkably, the magnitude of chaperone binding to variants is proportional to the degree of structural and phenotypic defect induced by BRCA1 mutation. Quantitative chaperone interactions identified BRCA1-BRCT separation-of-function variants and hypomorphic alleles missed by pathogenicity prediction algorithms. Furthermore, increased chaperone binding signified greater cancer risk in human BRCA1 carriers. Altogether, our study showcases the utility of chaperones as quantitative cellular biosensors of variant folding and phenotypic severity. HIGHLIGHTS Chaperones detect an abundance of pathogenic folding variants of BRCA1-BRCT.Degree of chaperone binding reflects severity of structural and phenotypic defect.Chaperones identify separation-of-function and hypomorphic variants. Chaperone interactions indicate penetrance and expressivity of BRCA1 alleles.
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20
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Rahimi M, Taghdir M, Abasi Joozdani F. Dynamozones are the most obvious sign of the evolution of conformational dynamics in HIV-1 protease. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14179. [PMID: 37648682 PMCID: PMC10469195 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40818-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteins are not static but are flexible molecules that can adopt many different conformations. The HIV-1 protease is an important target for the development of therapies to treat AIDS, due to its critical role in the viral life cycle. We investigated several dynamics studies on the HIV-1 protease families to illustrate the significance of examining the dynamic behaviors and molecular motions for an entire understanding of their dynamics-structure-function relationships. Using computer simulations and principal component analysis approaches, the dynamics data obtained revealed that: (i) The flap regions are the most obvious sign of the evolution of conformational dynamics in HIV-1 protease; (ii) There are dynamic structural regions in some proteins that contribute to the biological function and allostery of proteins via appropriate flexibility. These regions are a clear sign of the evolution of conformational dynamics of proteins, which we call dynamozones. The flap regions are one of the most important dynamozones members that are critical for HIV-1 protease function. Due to the existence of other members of dynamozones in different proteins, we propose to consider dynamozones as a footprint of the evolution of the conformational dynamics of proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Rahimi
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, 14115_111, Iran
| | - Majid Taghdir
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, 14115_111, Iran.
| | - Farzane Abasi Joozdani
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biological Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, 14115_111, Iran
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21
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Banavar JR, Giacometti A, Hoang TX, Maritan A, Škrbić T. A geometrical framework for thinking about proteins. Proteins 2023. [PMID: 37565735 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
We present a model, based on symmetry and geometry, for proteins. Using elementary ideas from mathematics and physics, we derive the geometries of discrete helices and sheets. We postulate a compatible solvent-mediated emergent pairwise attraction that assembles these building blocks, while respecting their individual symmetries. Instead of seeking to mimic the complexity of proteins, we look for a simple abstraction of reality that yet captures the essence of proteins. We employ analytic calculations and detailed Monte Carlo simulations to explore some consequences of our theory. The predictions of our approach are in accord with experimental data. Our framework provides a rationalization for understanding the common characteristics of proteins. Our results show that the free energy landscape of a globular protein is pre-sculpted at the backbone level, sequences and functionalities evolve in the fixed backdrop of the folds determined by geometry and symmetry, and that protein structures are unique in being simultaneously characterized by stability, diversity, and sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayanth R Banavar
- Department of Physics and Institute for Fundamental Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Achille Giacometti
- Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Venice, Italy
- European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT), Venice, Italy
| | - Trinh X Hoang
- Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Institute of Physics, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Amos Maritan
- University of Padua, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Padua, Italy
| | - Tatjana Škrbić
- Department of Physics and Institute for Fundamental Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems, Venice, Italy
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22
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Lazzeri G, Micheletti C, Pasquali S, Faccioli P. RNA folding pathways from all-atom simulations with a variationally improved history-dependent bias. Biophys J 2023; 122:3089-3098. [PMID: 37355771 PMCID: PMC10432211 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Atomically detailed simulations of RNA folding have proven very challenging in view of the difficulties of developing realistic force fields and the intrinsic computational complexity of sampling rare conformational transitions. As a step forward in tackling these issues, we extend to RNA an enhanced path-sampling method previously successfully applied to proteins. In this scheme, the information about the RNA's native structure is harnessed by a soft history-dependent biasing force promoting the generation of productive folding trajectories in an all-atom force field with explicit solvent. A rigorous variational principle is then applied to minimize the effect of the bias. Here, we report on an application of this method to RNA molecules from 20 to 47 nucleotides long and increasing topological complexity. By comparison with analog simulations performed on small proteins with similar size and architecture, we show that the RNA folding landscape is significantly more frustrated, even for relatively small chains with a simple topology. The predicted RNA folding mechanisms are found to be consistent with the available experiments and some of the existing coarse-grained models. Due to its computational performance, this scheme provides a promising platform to efficiently gather atomistic RNA folding trajectories, thus retain the information about the chemical composition of the sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarco Lazzeri
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Physics Department of Trento University, Povo (Trento), Italy
| | | | - Samuela Pasquali
- Laboratoire Cibles Thérapeutiques et Conception de Médicaments, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France; Laboratoire Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.
| | - Pietro Faccioli
- Physics Department of Trento University, Povo (Trento), Italy; INFN-TIFPA, Povo (Trento), Italy.
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23
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Ayres CM, Corcelli SA, Baker BM. The Energetic Landscape of Catch Bonds in TCR Interfaces. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2023; 211:325-332. [PMID: 37459192 PMCID: PMC10361606 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Recognition of peptide/MHC complexes by αβ TCRs has traditionally been viewed through the lens of conventional receptor-ligand theory. Recent work, however, has shown that TCR recognition and T cell signaling can be profoundly influenced and tuned by mechanical forces. One outcome of applied force is the catch bond, where TCR dissociation rates decrease (half-lives increase) when limited force is applied. Although catch bond behavior is believed to be widespread in biology, its counterintuitive nature coupled with the difficulties of describing mechanisms at the structural level have resulted in considerable mystique. In this review, we demonstrate that viewing catch bonds through the lens of energy landscapes, barriers, and the ensuing reaction rates can help demystify catch bonding and provide a foundation on which atomic-level TCR catch bond mechanisms can be built.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory M Ayres
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
- The Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
| | - Steve A Corcelli
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
| | - Brian M Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
- The Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
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24
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Vila JA. Protein folding rate evolution upon mutations. Biophys Rev 2023; 15:661-669. [PMID: 37681091 PMCID: PMC10480377 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-023-01088-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the spectacular success of cutting-edge protein fold prediction methods, many critical questions remain unanswered, including why proteins can reach their native state in a biologically reasonable time. A satisfactory answer to this simple question could shed light on the slowest folding rate of proteins as well as how mutations-amino-acid substitutions and/or post-translational modifications-might affect it. Preliminary results indicate that (i) Anfinsen's dogma validity ensures that proteins reach their native state on a reasonable timescale regardless of their sequence or length, and (ii) it is feasible to determine the evolution of protein folding rates without accounting for epistasis effects or the mutational trajectories between the starting and target sequences. These results have direct implications for evolutionary biology because they lay the groundwork for a better understanding of why, and to what extent, mutations-a crucial element of evolution and a factor influencing it-affect protein evolvability. Furthermore, they may spur significant progress in our efforts to solve crucial structural biology problems, such as how a sequence encodes its folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge A. Vila
- IMASL-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejército de Los Andes 950, 5700 San Luis, Argentina
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25
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Sun Q, He X, Fu Y. The "Beacon" Structural Model of Protein Folding: Application for Trp-Cage in Water. Molecules 2023; 28:5164. [PMID: 37446826 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28135164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein folding is a process in which a polypeptide must undergo folding process to obtain its three-dimensional structure. Thermodynamically, it is a process of enthalpy to overcome the loss of conformational entropy in folding. Folding is primarily related to hydrophobic interactions and intramolecular hydrogen bondings. During folding, hydrophobic interactions are regarded to be the driving forces, especially in the initial structural collapse of a protein. Additionally, folding is guided by the strong interactions within proteins, such as intramolecular hydrogen bondings related to the α-helices and β-sheets of proteins. Therefore, a protein is divided into the folding key (FK) regions related to intramolecular hydrogen bondings and the non-folding key (non-FK) regions. Various conformations are expected for FK and non-FK regions. Different from non-FK regions, it is necessary for FK regions to form the specific conformations in folding, which are regarded as the necessary folding pathways (or "beacons"). Additionally, sequential folding is expected for the FK regions, and the intermediate state is found during folding. They are reflected on the local basins in the free energy landscape (FEL) of folding. To demonstrate the structural model, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are conducted on the folding pathway of the TRP-cage in water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Sun
- Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, The School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xian He
- Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, The School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yanfang Fu
- Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, The School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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26
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Devi S, Garg DK, Bhat R. Kinetic control in amyloid polymorphism: Different agitation and solution conditions promote distinct amyloid polymorphs of alpha-synuclein. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2023; 1871:140917. [PMID: 37061153 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2023.140917] [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: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
Aggregation of neuronal protein α-synuclein is implicated in synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease. Despite abundant in vitro studies, the mechanism of α-synuclein assembly process remains ambiguous. In this work, α-synuclein aggregation was induced by its constant mixing in two separate modes, either by agitation in a 96-well microplate reader (MP) or in microcentrifuge tubes using a shaker incubator (SI). Aggregation in both modes occurred through a sigmoidal growth pattern with a well-defined lag, growth, and saturation phase. The end-stage MP- and SI-derived aggregates displayed distinct differences in morphological, biochemical, and spectral signatures as discerned through AFM, proteinase-K digestion, FTIR, Raman, and CD spectroscopy. The MP-derived aggregates showed irregular morphology with a significant random coil conformation, contrary to SI-derived aggregates, which showed typical β-sheet fibrillar structures. The end-stage MP aggregates convert to β-rich SI-like aggregates upon 1) seeding with SI-derived aggregates and 2) agitating in SI. We conclude that end-stage MP aggregates were in a kinetically trapped conformation, whose kinetic barrier was bypassed upon either seeding by SI-derived fibrils or shaking in SI. We further show that MP-derived aggregates that form in the presence of sorbitol, an osmolyte, displayed a β-rich signature, indicating that the preferential exclusion effect of osmolytes helped overcome the kinetic barrier. Our findings help in unravelling the kinetic origin of different α-synuclein aggregated polymorphs (strains) that encode diverse variants of synucleinopathies. We demonstrate that kinetic control shapes the polymorphic landscape of α-synuclein aggregates, both through de novo generation of polymorphs, and by their interconversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Devi
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Dushyant Kumar Garg
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Rajiv Bhat
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India.
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27
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Haidar Y, Konermann L. Effects of Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange on Protein Stability in Solution and in the Gas Phase. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2023. [PMID: 37314114 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.3c00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mass spectrometry (MS)-based techniques are widely used for probing protein structure and dynamics in solution. H/D exchange (HDX)-MS is one of the most common approaches in this context. HDX is often considered to be a "benign" labeling method, in that it does not perturb protein behavior in solution. However, several studies have reported that D2O pushes unfolding equilibria toward the native state. The origin, and even the existence of this protein stabilization remain controversial. Here we conducted thermal unfolding assays in solution to confirm that deuterated proteins in D2O are more stable, with 2-4 K higher melting temperatures than unlabeled proteins in H2O. Previous studies tentatively attributed this phenomenon to strengthened H-bonds after deuteration, an effect that may arise from the lower zero-point vibrational energy of the deuterated species. Specifically, it was proposed that strengthened water-water bonds (W···W) in D2O lower the solubility of nonpolar side chains. The current work takes a broader view by noting that protein stability in solution also depends on water-protein (W···P) and protein-protein (P···P) H-bonds. To help unravel these contributions, we performed collision-induced unfolding (CIU) experiments on gaseous proteins generated by native electrospray ionization. CIU profiles of deuterated and unlabeled proteins were indistinguishable, implying that P···P contacts are insensitive to deuteration. Thus, protein stabilization in D2O is attributable to solvent effects, rather than alterations of intraprotein H-bonds. Strengthening of W···W contacts represents one possible explanation, but the stabilizing effect of D2O can also originate from weakened W···P bonds. Future work will be required to elucidate which of these two scenarios is correct, or if both contribute to protein stabilization in D2O. In any case, the often-repeated adage that "D-bonds are more stable than H-bonds" does not apply to intramolecular contacts in native proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousef Haidar
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Lars Konermann
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada
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28
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Galata AA, Kröger M. Globular Proteins and Where to Find Them within a Polymer Brush-A Case Study. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15102407. [PMID: 37242983 DOI: 10.3390/polym15102407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein adsorption by polymerized surfaces is an interdisciplinary topic that has been approached in many ways, leading to a plethora of theoretical, numerical and experimental insight. There is a wide variety of models trying to accurately capture the essence of adsorption and its effect on the conformations of proteins and polymers. However, atomistic simulations are case-specific and computationally demanding. Here, we explore universal aspects of the dynamics of protein adsorption through a coarse-grained (CG) model, that allows us to explore the effects of various design parameters. To this end, we adopt the hydrophobic-polar (HP) model for proteins, place them uniformly at the upper bound of a CG polymer brush whose multibead-spring chains are tethered to a solid implicit wall. We find that the most crucial factor affecting the adsorption efficiency appears to be the polymer grafting density, while the size of the protein and its hydrophobicity ratio come also into play. We discuss the roles of ligands and attractive tethering surfaces to the primary adsorption as well as secondary and ternary adsorption in the presence of attractive (towards the hydrophilic part of the protein) beads along varying spots of the backbone of the polymer chains. The percentage and rate of adsorption, density profiles and the shapes of the proteins, alongside with the respective potential of mean force are recorded to compare the various scenarios during protein adsorption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aikaterini A Galata
- Magnetism and Interface Physics, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Kröger
- Magnetism and Interface Physics, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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29
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Vila JA. Rethinking the protein folding problem from a new perspective. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL : EBJ 2023:10.1007/s00249-023-01657-w. [PMID: 37165178 DOI: 10.1007/s00249-023-01657-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
One of the main concerns of Anfinsen was to reveal the connection between the amino-acid sequence and their biologically active conformation. This search gave rise to two crucial questions in structural biology, namely, why the proteins fold and how a sequence encodes its folding. As to the why, he proposes a plausible answer, namely, the thermodynamic hypothesis. As to the how, this remains an unsolved challenge. Consequently, the protein folding problem is examined here from a new perspective, namely, as an 'analytic whole'. Conceiving the protein folding in this way enabled us to (i) examine in detail why the force-field-based approaches have failed, among other purposes, in their ability to predict the three-dimensional structure of a protein accurately; (ii) propose how to redefine them to prevent these shortcomings, and (iii) conjecture on the origin of the state-of-the-art numerical-methods success to predict the tridimensional structure of proteins accurately.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge A Vila
- IMASL-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Ejército de Los Andes 950, 5700, San Luis, Argentina.
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30
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Watanabe-Nakayama T, Tsuji M, Umeda K, Oguchi T, Konno H, Noguchi-Shinohara M, Kiuchi Y, Kodera N, Teplow DB, Ono K. Structural Dynamics of Amyloid-β Protofibrils and Actions of Anti-Amyloid-β Antibodies as Observed by High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy. NANO LETTERS 2023. [PMID: 37141711 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c00187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation intermediates, including oligomers and protofibrils (PFs), have attracted attention as neurotoxic aggregates in Alzheimer's disease. However, due to the complexity of the aggregation pathway, the structural dynamics of aggregation intermediates and how drugs act on them have not been clarified. Here we used high-speed atomic force microscopy to observe the structural dynamics of Aβ42 PF at the single-molecule level and the effect of lecanemab, an anti-Aβ PF antibody with the positive results from Phase 3 Clarity AD. PF was found to be a curved nodal structure with stable binding angle between individual nodes. PF was also a dynamic structure that associates with other PF molecules and undergoes intramolecular cleavage. Lecanemab remained stable in binding to PFs and to globular oligomers, inhibiting the formation of large aggregates. These results provide direct evidence for a mechanism by which antibody drugs interfere with the Aβ aggregation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Watanabe-Nakayama
- WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Mayumi Tsuji
- Pharmacological Research Center, Showa University, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan
| | - Kenichi Umeda
- WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Tatsunori Oguchi
- Pharmacological Research Center, Showa University, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan
- Department of Pharmacology, Division of Medical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Showa University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan
| | - Hiroki Konno
- WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Moeko Noguchi-Shinohara
- Department of Neurology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1, Takara-machi, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Yuji Kiuchi
- Pharmacological Research Center, Showa University, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan
- Department of Pharmacology, Division of Medical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Showa University, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Kodera
- WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - David B Teplow
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, 635 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, California 90095-7334, United States
| | - Kenjiro Ono
- Department of Neurology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1, Takara-machi, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
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31
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Bowles RK, Harrowell P. Crystal Growth Rates from Molecular Liquids: The Kinetics of Entropy Loss. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:4126-4134. [PMID: 37126656 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c00919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
It has been established empirically that the rate of addition of molecules to the crystal during crystal growth from the melt is proportional to exp(-|ΔSfus|/R), where ΔSfus is the entropy of fusion. Here we show that this entropic slowdown arises directly from the separation of the entropy loss and energy loss processes associated with the freezing of the liquid. We present a theoretical treatment of the kinetics based on a model flat energy landscape and derive an explicit expression for the coupling magnitude in terms of the crystal-melt interfacial free energy. The implications of our work for nucleation kinetics are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard K Bowles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7H 0H1 3
- Centre for Quantum Topology and its Applications (quanTA), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E6 4
| | - Peter Harrowell
- School of Chemistry, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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32
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Chong SH, Ham S. Evolutionary conservation of amino acids contributing to the protein folding transition state. J Comput Chem 2023; 44:1002-1009. [PMID: 36571461 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.27060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The question of whether amino acids critical to protein folding kinetics are evolutionarily conserved has been investigated intensively in the past, but no consensus has yet been reached. Recently, we have demonstrated that the transition state, dictating folding kinetics, is characterized as the state of maximum dynamic cooperativity, i.e., the state of maximum correlations between amino acid contact formations. Here, we investigate the evolutionary conservation of those amino acids contributing significantly to the dynamic cooperativity. We find a strong indication of a new kind of relationship-necessary but not sufficient causality-between the evolutionary conservation and the dynamic cooperativity: larger contributions to the dynamic cooperativity arise from more conserved residues, but not vice versa. This holds for all the protein systems for which long folding simulation trajectories are available. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic demonstration of any kind of evolutionary conservation of amino acids relevant to folding kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Ho Chong
- Global Center for Natural Resources Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Sihyun Ham
- Department of Chemistry, Sookmyung Women's University, Seoul, South Korea
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33
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Wand AJ. Deep mining of the protein energy landscape. STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS (MELVILLE, N.Y.) 2023; 10:020901. [PMID: 37124940 PMCID: PMC10147411 DOI: 10.1063/4.0000180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
For over half a century, it has been known that protein molecules naturally undergo extensive structural fluctuations, and that these internal motions are intimately related to their functional properties. The energy landscape view has provided a powerful framework for describing the various physical states that proteins visit during their lifetimes. This Perspective focuses on the commonly neglected and often disparaged axis of the protein energy landscape: entropy. Initially seen largely as a barrier to functionally relevant states of protein molecules, it has recently become clear that proteins retain considerable conformational entropy in the "native" state, and that this entropy can and often does contribute significantly to the free energy of fundamental protein properties, processes, and functions. NMR spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, and emerging crystallographic views have matured in parallel to illuminate dynamic disorder of the "ground state" of proteins and their importance in not only transiting between biologically interesting structures but also greatly influencing their stability, cooperativity, and contribution to critical properties such as allostery.
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34
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Tapia-Rojo R, Mora M, Board S, Walker J, Boujemaa-Paterski R, Medalia O, Garcia-Manyes S. Enhanced statistical sampling reveals microscopic complexity in the talin mechanosensor folding energy landscape. NATURE PHYSICS 2023; 19:52-60. [PMID: 36660164 PMCID: PMC7614079 DOI: 10.1038/s41567-022-01808-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Statistical mechanics can describe the major conformational ensembles determining the equilibrium free-energy landscape of a folding protein. The challenge is to capture the full repertoire of low-occurrence conformations separated by high kinetic barriers that define complex landscapes. Computationally, enhanced sampling methods accelerate the exploration of molecular rare events. However, accessing the entire protein's conformational space in equilibrium experiments requires technological developments to enable extended observation times. We developed single-molecule magnetic tweezers to capture over a million individual transitions as a single talin protein unfolds and refolds under force in equilibrium. When observed at classically-probed timescales, talin folds in an apparently uncomplicated two-state manner. As the sampling time extends from minutes to days, the underlying energy landscape exhibits gradually larger signatures of complexity, involving a finite number of well-defined rare conformations. A fluctuation analysis allows us to propose plausible structures of each low-probability conformational state. The physiological relevance of each distinct conformation can be connected to the binding of the cytoskeletal protein vinculin, suggesting an extra layer of complexity in talin-mediated mechanotransduction. More generally, our experiments directly test the fundamental notion that equilibrium dynamics depend on the observation timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Tapia-Rojo
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, Strand, WC2R 2LS London, United Kingdom
- Corresponding authors: , ,
| | - Marc Mora
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, Strand, WC2R 2LS London, United Kingdom
- Corresponding authors: , ,
| | - Stephanie Board
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, Strand, WC2R 2LS London, United Kingdom
| | - Jane Walker
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, Strand, WC2R 2LS London, United Kingdom
| | - Rajaa Boujemaa-Paterski
- Department of Biochemistry, Zurich University, Winterhurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ohad Medalia
- Department of Biochemistry, Zurich University, Winterhurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sergi Garcia-Manyes
- Single Molecule Mechanobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, London, UK
- Department of Physics, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, Centre for the Physical Science of Life and London Centre for Nanotechnology, King’s College London, Strand, WC2R 2LS London, United Kingdom
- Corresponding authors: , ,
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35
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Tomiyama R, So M, Yamaguchi K, Miyanoiri Y, Sakurai K. The residual structure of acid-denatured β 2 -microglobulin is relevant to an ordered fibril morphology. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4487. [PMID: 36321362 PMCID: PMC9793977 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4487] [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: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
β2 -Microglobulin (β2m) forms amyloid fibrils in vitro under acidic conditions. Under these conditions, the residual structure of acid-denatured β2m is relevant to seeding and fibril extension processes. Disulfide (SS) bond-oxidized β2m has been shown to form rigid, ordered fibrils, whereas SS bond-reduced β2m forms curvy, less-ordered fibrils. These findings suggest that the presence of an SS bond affects the residual structure of the monomer, which subsequently influences the fibril morphology. To clarify this process, we herein performed NMR experiments. The results obtained revealed that oxidized β2m contained a residual structure throughout the molecule, including the N- and C-termini, whereas the residual structure of the reduced form was localized and other regions had a random coil structure. The range of the residual structure in the oxidized form was wider than that of the fibril core. These results indicate that acid-denatured β2m has variable conformations. Most conformations in the ensemble cannot participate in fibril formation because their core residues are hidden by residual structures. However, when hydrophobic residues are exposed, polypeptides competently form an ordered fibril. This conformational selection phase may be needed for the ordered assembly of amyloid fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Tomiyama
- Graduate School of Biology‐oriented Science and TechnologyKindai UniversityWakayamaJapan
| | - Masatomo So
- Institute for Protein ResearchOsaka UniversityOsakaJapan,Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular BiologyUniversity of LeedsLeedsUK
| | - Keiichi Yamaguchi
- Global Center for Medical Engineering and InformaticsOsaka UniversitySuitaJapan
| | | | - Kazumasa Sakurai
- Graduate School of Biology‐oriented Science and TechnologyKindai UniversityWakayamaJapan,High Pressure Protein Research Center, Institute of Advanced TechnologyKindai UniversityWakayamaJapan
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36
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Dahlstrom TJ, Capraro DT, Jennings PA, Finke JM. Knotting Optimization and Folding Pathways of a Go-Model with a Deep Knot. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:10221-10236. [PMID: 36424347 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Formation of protein knots is an intriguing offshoot of the protein folding problem. Since experimental resolution on knot formation is limited, theoretical methods currently provide the most detailed insights into the knotting process. While suitable for shallow knots, molecular dynamics simulations have faced challenges capturing the formation of deep knots in proteins such as the minimally tied trefoil α/β methyltransferase from Thermotoga maritima (MTTTM). To improve the efficiency of MTTTM knotting in Cα Go-model simulations, mutant variants of the MTTTM Go-model were investigated. Through a structure-based analysis of knotted and unknotted states, four residues (K71, R72, E75, V76) were identified to increase the knotting efficiency from 2% to 83% when their contact energies were doubled and dihedral strength around the knot loop increased. The key features of this model are (i) a C-terminal slipknot intermediate that threads the knot in a highly unstructured intermediate, (ii) the inability to knot in native-like intermediate states, and (iii) a minor population in a long-lived trap that cannot knot. Examination of residue 71-76 contacts provides a small set of potential mutants that can directly test the model's validity. In addition, the knotting optimization process developed here has broad applicability in generating knotting-efficient models of other knotted proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Dahlstrom
- Division of Sciences and Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington98402, United States
| | - Dominique T Capraro
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California92093, United States
| | - Particia A Jennings
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California92093, United States
| | - John M Finke
- Division of Sciences and Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington98402, United States
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37
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Das D, Mukhopadhyay S. Molecular Origin of Internal Friction in Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. Acc Chem Res 2022; 55:3470-3480. [PMID: 36346711 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Protein folding and dynamics are controlled by an interplay of thermal and viscosity effects. The effect of viscous drag through the solvent molecules is described by the classic Kramers theory in the high friction limit, which considers the dampening of the reactant molecules in the solution and quantifies the dependence of the reaction rate on the frictional drag. In addition to the external energy dissipation originating from the surrounding solvent molecules, there is an additional mode of internal energy dissipative force operative within the polypeptide chain reflecting the internal resistance of the chain to its conformational alterations. This dry, solvent-independent intrinsic frictional drag is termed internal friction. In the case of natively folded proteins, the physical origin of internal friction is primarily attributed to the intrachain interactions or other nonnative interactions in their compact states. However, the molecular origin of internal friction in intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) remains elusive.In this Account, we address this fundamental issue: what are the principal drivers of viscosity-independent (dry) friction in highly solvated, expanded, conformationally flexible, rapidly fluctuating IDPs that do not possess persistent intrachain interactions? IDPs exhibit diffusive conformational dynamics that is predominantly dominated by the segmental motion of the backbone arising due to the dihedral rotations in the Ramachandran Φ-Ψ space. The physical origin of friction in a complex biopolymeric system such as IDPs can be described by classic polymer models, namely, Rouse/Zimm models with internal friction. These one-dimensional models do not invoke torsional fluctuation components. Kuhn's classic description includes the connection between internal friction and microscopic dihedral hopping. Based on our time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy results, we describe that the sequence-dependent, collective, short-range backbone dihedral rotations govern localized internal friction in an archetypal IDP, namely, α-synuclein. The highly sensitive, residue-specific fluorescence depolarization kinetics offers a potent methodology to characterize and quantify the directional decorrelation engendered due to the short-range dihedral relaxation of the polypeptide backbone in the dihedral space. We utilized this characteristic relaxation time scale as our dynamic readout to quantify the site-specific frictional component. Our linear viscosity-dependent model of torsional relaxation time scale furnished a finite nonzero time constant at the zero solvent viscosity representing the solvent-independent internal friction. These results unveil the effect of the degree of dihedral restraining parameter on the internal friction component by showing that a restrained proline residue imparts higher torsional stiffness in the chain segments and, therefore, exhibits higher internal friction. This Account sheds light on the molecular underpinning of the sequence-specific internal friction in IDPs and will be of interest to unmask the role of internal friction in a diverse range of biomolecular processes involving binding-induced folding, allosteric interaction, protein misfolding and aggregation, and biomolecular condensation via phase separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debapriya Das
- Centre for Protein Science, Design and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India.,Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Samrat Mukhopadhyay
- Centre for Protein Science, Design and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India.,Department of Chemical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India.,Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India
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38
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Finkelstein AV, Bogatyreva NS, Ivankov DN, Garbuzynskiy SO. Protein folding problem: enigma, paradox, solution. Biophys Rev 2022; 14:1255-1272. [PMID: 36659994 PMCID: PMC9842845 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-022-01000-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of protein chains to spontaneously form their three-dimensional structures is a long-standing mystery in molecular biology. The most conceptual aspect of this mystery is how the protein chain can find its native, "working" spatial structure (which, for not too big protein chains, corresponds to the global free energy minimum) in a biologically reasonable time, without exhaustive enumeration of all possible conformations, which would take billions of years. This is the so-called "Levinthal's paradox." In this review, we discuss the key ideas and discoveries leading to the current understanding of protein folding kinetics, including folding landscapes and funnels, free energy barriers at the folding/unfolding pathways, and the solution of Levinthal's paradox. A special role here is played by the "all-or-none" phase transition occurring at protein folding and unfolding and by the point of thermodynamic (and kinetic) equilibrium between the "native" and the "unfolded" phases of the protein chain (where the theory obtains the simplest form). The modern theory provides an understanding of key features of protein folding and, in good agreement with experiments, it (i) outlines the chain length-dependent range of protein folding times, (ii) predicts the observed maximal size of "foldable" proteins and domains. Besides, it predicts the maximal size of proteins and domains that fold under solely thermodynamic (rather than kinetic) control. Complementarily, a theoretical analysis of the number of possible protein folding patterns, performed at the level of formation and assembly of secondary structures, correctly outlines the upper limit of protein folding times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei V. Finkelstein
- Institute of Protein Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
- Biotechnology Department of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, 4 Institutskaya Str, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
- Biology Department of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Natalya S. Bogatyreva
- Institute of Protein Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
| | - Dmitry N. Ivankov
- Center of Life Sciences, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 121205 Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergiy O. Garbuzynskiy
- Institute of Protein Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
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39
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Schay G, Fidy J, Herenyi L. Slow dynamics measured by phosphorescence lifetime reveals global conformational changes in human adult hemoglobin induced by allosteric effectors. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0278417. [PMID: 36454779 PMCID: PMC9714750 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism underlying allostery in hemoglobin (Hb) is still not completely understood. Various models describing the action of allosteric effectors on Hb function have been published in the literature. It has also been reported that some allosteric effectors-such as chloride ions, inositol hexaphosphate, 2,3-diphospho-glycerate and bezafibrate-considerably lower the oxygen affinity of Hb. In this context, an important question is the extent to which these changes influence the conformational dynamics of the protein. Earlier, we elaborated a challenging method based on phosphorescence quenching, which makes characterizing protein-internal dynamics possible in the ms time range. The experimental technique involves phosphorescence lifetime measurements in thermal equilibrium at varied temperatures from 10 K up to 273 K, based on the signal of Zn-protoporphyrin substituted for the heme in the β-subunits of Hb. The thermal activation of protein dynamics was observed by the enhancement of phosphorescence quenching attributed to O2 diffusion. It was shown that the thermal activation of protein matrix dynamics was clearly distinguishable from the dynamic activation of the aqueous solvent, and was therefore highly specific for the protein. In the present work, the same method was used to study the changes in the parameters of the dynamic activation of human HbA induced by binding allosteric effectors. We interpreted the phenomenon as phase transition between two states. The fitting of this model to lifetime data yielded the change of energy and entropy in the activation process and the quenching rate in the dynamically activated state. The fitted parameters were particularly sensitive to the presence of allosteric effectors and could be interpreted in line with results from earlier experimental studies. The results suggest that allosteric effectors are tightly coupled to the dynamics of the whole protein, and thus underline the importance of global dynamics in the regulation of Hb function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gusztáv Schay
- Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Judit Fidy
- Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Levente Herenyi
- Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- * E-mail:
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40
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Meinhold DW, Felitsky DJ, Dyson HJ, Wright PE. Transient On- and Off-Pathway Protein Folding Intermediate States Characterized with NMR Relaxation Dispersion. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:9539-9548. [PMID: 36354189 PMCID: PMC9793904 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The earliest events in the folding of a protein are in general poorly understood. We used NMR R2 relaxation dispersion experiments to study transient local collapse events in the unfolded-state (U) conformational ensemble of apomyoglobin (apoMb). Local residual secondary structure (seen in regions corresponding to the A, D, E, and H helices of the folded protein) is largely unchanged over the pH range of 2.3-2.75, yet a significant pH-dependent increase in the conformational exchange contribution to the R2 relaxation rate (Rex) indicates that transient intramolecular contacts occur on a microsecond to millisecond time scale at pH 2.75. A comparison of 15N and 13CO relaxation dispersion data at pH 2.75 for residues in the A, B, G, and H regions, which participate in the earliest folding intermediates, indicates that chain collapse and secondary structure formation are rapid and concomitant. Increasingly stabilizing conditions (lower temperature, higher pH) result in the observation of a relaxation dispersion in the C, CD, and E regions of the protein, which are known to fold at later stages. Mutation of Trp14 in the A-helix region to Ala eliminates conformational exchange throughout the protein, and the mutation of hydrophobic residues in other regions results in the selective inhibition of conformational exchange in the B, G, or H regions. The R2 dispersion data for WT apoMb at pH 2.75 and 10 °C are best fit to a four-state model ABGH ⇆ AGH ⇆ U ⇆ ABCD that includes on-pathway (AGH and ABGH) and off-pathway (ABCD) transiently folded states, both of which are required to explain the behavior of the mutant proteins. The off-pathway intermediate is destabilized at higher temperatures. Our analysis provides insights into the earliest stages of apoMb folding where the collapsing polypeptide chain samples both productive and nonproductive states with stabilized secondary structure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - H. Jane Dyson
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology and Skaggs Institute of Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla CA 92037
| | - Peter E. Wright
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology and Skaggs Institute of Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla CA 92037
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41
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Wessén J, Das S, Pal T, Chan HS. Analytical Formulation and Field-Theoretic Simulation of Sequence-Specific Phase Separation of Protein-Like Heteropolymers with Short- and Long-Spatial-Range Interactions. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:9222-9245. [PMID: 36343363 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c06181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A theory for sequence-dependent liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) in the study of biomolecular condensates is formulated by extending the random phase approximation (RPA) and field-theoretic simulation (FTS) of heteropolymers with spatially long-range Coulomb interactions to include the fundamental effects of short-range, hydrophobic-like interactions between amino acid residues. To this end, short-range effects are modeled by Yukawa interactions between multiple nonelectrostatic charges derived from an eigenvalue decomposition of pairwise residue-residue contact energies. Chain excluded volume is afforded by incompressibility constraints. A mean-field approximation leads to an effective Flory-Huggins χ parameter, which, in conjunction with RPA, accounts for the contact-interaction effects of amino acid composition and the sequence-pattern effects of long-range electrostatics in IDP LLPS, whereas FTS based on the formulation provides full sequence dependence for both short- and long-range interactions. This general approach is illustrated here by applications to variants of a natural IDP in the context of several different amino-acid interaction schemes as well as a set of different model hydrophobic-polar sequences sharing the same composition. Effectiveness of the methodology is verified by coarse-grained explicit-chain molecular dynamics simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Wessén
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Suman Das
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Tanmoy Pal
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Hue Sun Chan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
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42
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Qian H. Statistical Chemical Thermodynamics and Energetic Behavior of Counting: Gibbs’ Theory Revisited. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:6421-6436. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hong Qian
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington98195-3925, United States
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43
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Prabhu GRD, Yang TH, Shiu RT, Witek HA, Urban PL. Scanning pH-metry for Observing Reversibility in Protein Folding. Biochemistry 2022; 61:2377-2389. [PMID: 36251331 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
One of the main factors affecting protein structure in solution is pH. Traditionally, to study pH-dependent conformational changes in proteins, the concentration of the H+ ions is adjusted manually, complicating real-time analyses, hampering dynamic pH regulation, and consequently leading to a limited number of tested pH levels. Here, we present a programmable device, a scanning pH-meter, that can automatically generate different types of pH ramps and waveforms in a solution. A feedback loop algorithm calculates the required flow rates of the acid/base titrants, allowing one, for example, to generate periodic pH sine waveforms to study the reversibility of protein folding by fluorescence spectroscopy. Interestingly, for some proteins, the fluorescence intensity profiles recorded in such a periodically oscillating pH environment display hysteretic behavior indicating an asymmetry in the sequence of the protein unfolding/refolding events, which can most likely be attributed to their distinct kinetics. Another useful application of the scanning pH-meter concerns coupling it with an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer to observe pH-induced structural changes in proteins as revealed by their varying charge-state distributions. We anticipate a broad range of applications of the scanning pH-meter developed here, including protein folding studies, determination of the optimum pH for achieving maximum fluorescence intensity, and characterization of fluorescent dyes and other synthetic materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gurpur Rakesh D Prabhu
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu300044, Taiwan
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu300093, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Hsin Yang
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu300044, Taiwan
| | - Ruei-Tzung Shiu
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu300044, Taiwan
| | - Henryk A Witek
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu300093, Taiwan
- Center for Emergent Functional Matter Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu300093, Taiwan
| | - Pawel L Urban
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu300044, Taiwan
- Frontier Research Center on Fundamental and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Sec 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu300044, Taiwan
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44
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Qing R, Hao S, Smorodina E, Jin D, Zalevsky A, Zhang S. Protein Design: From the Aspect of Water Solubility and Stability. Chem Rev 2022; 122:14085-14179. [PMID: 35921495 PMCID: PMC9523718 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Water solubility and structural stability are key merits for proteins defined by the primary sequence and 3D-conformation. Their manipulation represents important aspects of the protein design field that relies on the accurate placement of amino acids and molecular interactions, guided by underlying physiochemical principles. Emulated designer proteins with well-defined properties both fuel the knowledge-base for more precise computational design models and are used in various biomedical and nanotechnological applications. The continuous developments in protein science, increasing computing power, new algorithms, and characterization techniques provide sophisticated toolkits for solubility design beyond guess work. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the protein design field with respect to water solubility and structural stability. After introducing fundamental design rules, we discuss the transmembrane protein solubilization and de novo transmembrane protein design. Traditional strategies to enhance protein solubility and structural stability are introduced. The designs of stable protein complexes and high-order assemblies are covered. Computational methodologies behind these endeavors, including structure prediction programs, machine learning algorithms, and specialty software dedicated to the evaluation of protein solubility and aggregation, are discussed. The findings and opportunities for Cryo-EM are presented. This review provides an overview of significant progress and prospects in accurate protein design for solubility and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Qing
- State
Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and
Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Media
Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- The
David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Shilei Hao
- Media
Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Key
Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China
| | - Eva Smorodina
- Department
of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo
University Hospital, Oslo 0424, Norway
| | - David Jin
- Avalon GloboCare
Corp., Freehold, New Jersey 07728, United States
| | - Arthur Zalevsky
- Laboratory
of Bioinformatics Approaches in Combinatorial Chemistry and Biology, Shemyakin−Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic
Chemistry RAS, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Shuguang Zhang
- Media
Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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45
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Miranda-Quintana RA, Smiatek J. Electronic properties of amino acids and nucleobases: similarity classes and pairing principles from chemical reactivity indices. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:22477-22486. [PMID: 36106477 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp02767d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We present a new classification scheme for amino acids and nucleobases based on the electronic properties of the individual molecules. Using chemical reactivity indices such as electronegativity, electrophilicity, and chemical hardness, we can identify similarities and differences between each class of amino acids and nucleobases. Notable differences emerge in particular with regard to high, neutral or low electronegativity as well as different combinations of chemical hardness. Our approach allows us to relate these insights to the properties of the side groups in terms of a unique reference scheme. We further show that hydrophobic differences between amino acids are rather negligible in the context of electronic properties. Our classification scheme also rationalizes the occurrence of distinct stable nucleobase pairs and clearly emphasizes certain differences between individual molecules. The stability and abundant occurrence of Watson-Crick nucleobase pairs is further discussed in the context of the minimum electrophilicity principle.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jens Smiatek
- Institute for Computational Physics, University of Stuttgart, Allmandring 3, D-70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
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46
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Avagyan S, Makhatadze GI. Volumetric Properties of the Transition State Ensemble for Protein Folding. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:7615-7620. [PMID: 36150186 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how high hydrostatic pressure affects biomacromolecular interaction is important for deciphering the molecular mechanisms by which organisms adapt to live at the bottom of the ocean. The relative effect of hydrostatic pressure on the rates of folding/unfolding reactions is defined by the volumetric properties of the transition state ensemble relative to the folded and unfolded states. All-atom structure-based molecular dynamics simulations combined with quantitative computational protocol to compute volumes from three-dimensional coordinates allow volumetric mapping of protein folding landscape. This, is turn, provides qualitative understanding of the effects of hydrostatic pressure on energy landscape of proteins. The computational results for six different proteins are directly benchmark against experimental data and show an excellent agreement. Both experiments and computation show that the transition-state ensemble volume appears to be in-between the folded and unfolded state volumes, and thus the hydrostatic pressure accelerates protein unfolding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samvel Avagyan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, United States.,Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, United States
| | - George I Makhatadze
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, United States.,Department on Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, United States.,Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, United States
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47
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Nussinov R, Zhang M, Maloney R, Liu Y, Tsai CJ, Jang H. Allostery: Allosteric Cancer Drivers and Innovative Allosteric Drugs. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167569. [PMID: 35378118 PMCID: PMC9398924 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Here, we discuss the principles of allosteric activating mutations, propagation downstream of the signals that they prompt, and allosteric drugs, with examples from the Ras signaling network. We focus on Abl kinase where mutations shift the landscape toward the active, imatinib binding-incompetent conformation, likely resulting in the high affinity ATP outcompeting drug binding. Recent pharmacological innovation extends to allosteric inhibitor (GNF-5)-linked PROTAC, targeting Bcr-Abl1 myristoylation site, and broadly, allosteric heterobifunctional degraders that destroy targets, rather than inhibiting them. Designed chemical linkers in bifunctional degraders can connect the allosteric ligand that binds the target protein and the E3 ubiquitin ligase warhead anchor. The physical properties and favored conformational state of the engineered linker can precisely coordinate the distance and orientation between the target and the recruited E3. Allosteric PROTACs, noncompetitive molecular glues, and bitopic ligands, with covalent links of allosteric ligands and orthosteric warheads, increase the effective local concentration of productively oriented and placed ligands. Through covalent chemical or peptide linkers, allosteric drugs can collaborate with competitive drugs, degrader anchors, or other molecules of choice, driving innovative drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Nussinov
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA; Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
| | - Mingzhen Zhang
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Ryan Maloney
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Yonglan Liu
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Chung-Jung Tsai
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Hyunbum Jang
- Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research in the Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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48
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Yue K. Modeling protein structure as a stable static equilibrium. Phys Rev E 2022; 106:024410. [PMID: 36110022 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.106.024410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We present evidence that the protein structure can be modeled as a stable static equilibrium, determined mainly by compressive supports in the nonpolar interior. That is, protein structures derive their structural strength through the same mechanical principles as do conventional structures like bridges and buildings. This is based on the observation that the experimentally elucidated structural determinants, the interior nonpolar side chains, are engaged in strong compressions in static terms. At the same time, major substructures in proteins, helices and h-bonded strands, because of their geometry, inherently leave gaps in the space they occupy. Under the compressive force, nonpolar side chains from one substructure can protrude into the gaps of another neighboring substructure and block its motion. As a result, interlocking of substructures can form, which builds up the nonpolar core assembly. The native structure then is the one with the structurally most stable core assembly. While intuitively appealing, this is a radical departure from the prevailing thinking that protein native structure is determined by global energy minimum, which is founded on thermodynamic hypothesis. Furthermore, to develop an effective model for analyzing protein structure with conventional tools, a proper mechanical representation must be established. By proving that the stability of the equilibrium in compressive interactions is conditioned on a form of mechanical energy minimum, we show that our notion of native structure can be equally consistent with the thermodynamic hypothesis. By mathematically treating the blocking action, an interaction, as a bar, a physical object, we succeed in representing and analyzing the core assembly as truss, a conventional structure. In this paper we define and expound step-by-step increasingly integrated interlocking patterns. We then analyze the core assemblies of a large set of diverse protein database structures. A native structure can be distinguished from decoys by comparing the composition and strength of their core assemblies. We show the results for two sets of native structures vs decoys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaizhi Yue
- Conformational Search Solutions, Palo Alto, California 94306, USA
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49
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Mecha MF, Hutchinson RB, Lee JH, Cavagnero S. Protein folding in vitro and in the cell: From a solitary journey to a team effort. Biophys Chem 2022; 287:106821. [PMID: 35667131 PMCID: PMC9636488 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2022.106821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Correct protein folding is essential for the health and function of living organisms. Yet, it is not well understood how unfolded proteins reach their native state and avoid aggregation, especially within the cellular milieu. Some proteins, especially small, single-domain and apparent two-state folders, successfully attain their native state upon dilution from denaturant. Yet, many more proteins undergo misfolding and aggregation during this process, in a concentration-dependent fashion. Once formed, native and aggregated states are often kinetically trapped relative to each other. Hence, the early stages of protein life are absolutely critical for proper kinetic channeling to the folded state and for long-term solubility and function. This review summarizes current knowledge on protein folding/aggregation mechanisms in buffered solution and within the bacterial cell, highlighting early stages. Remarkably, teamwork between nascent chain, ribosome, trigger factor and Hsp70 molecular chaperones enables all proteins to overcome aggregation propensities and reach a long-lived bioactive state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda F Mecha
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States of America
| | - Rachel B Hutchinson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States of America
| | - Jung Ho Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States of America
| | - Silvia Cavagnero
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, United States of America.
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50
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Oide M, Sugita Y. Protein Folding Intermediates on the Dimensionality Reduced Landscape with UMAP and Native Contact Likelihood. J Chem Phys 2022; 157:075101. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0099094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To understand protein folding mechanisms from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, it is important to explore not only folded/unfolded states but also representative intermediate structures on the conformational landscape. Here, we propose a novel approach to construct the landscape using the uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) method, which reduces the dimensionality without losing data-point proximity. In the approach, native contact likelihood is used as feature variables rather than the conventional Cartesian coordinates or dihedral angles of protein structures. We tested the performance of UMAP for coarse-grained MD simulation trajectories of B1 domain in protein G and observed on-pathway transient structures and other metastable states on the UMAP conformational landscape. In contrast, these structures were not clearly distinguished on the dimensionality reduced landscape using principal component analysis (PCA) or time-lagged independent component analysis (tICA). This approach is also useful to obtain dynamical information through Markov State Modeling and would be applicable to large-scale conformational changes in many other biomacromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuji Sugita
- Theoretical Molecular Science Laboratory, RIKEN, Japan
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