NMR spectral mapping of Lipid A molecular patterns affected by interaction with the innate immune receptor CD14.

Soluble CD14 (sCD14) is a serum glycoprotein that binds to the Lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) with high affinity as part of the innate immune response to bacterial endotoxins. In order to investigate structural interactions of Lipid A with sCD14, we have prepared an isotopically labeled form of a fully active and chemically defined endotoxin, Kdo(2)-Lipid A, which allowed us to carry out detailed NMR spectral mapping of this agonist ligand bound to sCD14 and identify for the first time structural regions that are strongly affected during complex formation with sCD14. These map to two adjacent areas comprising the lower portions of the sugar headgroup and upper half of the acyl chains I, III, and V, which are spatially proximal to the 1- and 4'-phosphate ends. Additionally, we have detected for the first time, presence of differential dynamic behavior for the affected resonances, suggesting a likely role for dynamics in the mechanism of Lipid A pattern recognition by sCD14.

Solution NMR studies provide structural basis for endotoxin pattern recognition by the innate immune receptor CD14.

CD14 functions as a key pattern recognition receptor for a diverse array of Gram-negative and Gram-positive cell-wall components in the host innate immune response by binding to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) at partially overlapping binding site(s). To determine the potential contribution of CD14 residues in this pattern recognition, we have examined using solution NMR spectroscopy, the binding of three different endotoxin ligands, lipopolysaccharide, lipoteichoic acid, and a PGN-derived compound, muramyl dipeptide to a 15N isotopically labeled 152-residue N-terminal fragment of sCD14 expressed in Pichia pastoris. Mapping of NMR spectral changes upon addition of ligands revealed that the pattern of residues affected by binding of each ligand is partially similar and partially different. This first direct structural observation of the ability of specific residue combinations of CD14 to differentially affect endotoxin binding may help explain the broad specificity of CD14 in ligand recognition and provide a structural basis for pattern recognition. Another interesting finding from the observed spectral changes is that the mode of binding may be dynamically modulated and could provide a mechanism for binding endotoxins with structural diversity through a common binding site.