Membrane-bound basic peptides sequester multivalent (PIP2), but not monovalent (PS), acidic lipids.

Several biologically important peripheral (e.g., myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate) and integral (e.g., the epidermal growth factor receptor) membrane proteins contain clusters of basic residues that interact with acidic lipids in the plasma membrane. Previous measurements demonstrate that the polyvalent acidic lipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate is bound electrostatically (i.e., sequestered) by membrane-adsorbed basic peptides corresponding to these clusters. We report here three experimental observations that suggest monovalent acidic lipids are not sequestered by membrane-bound basic peptides. 1), Binding of basic peptides to vesicles does not decrease when the temperature is lowered below the fluid-to-gel phase transition. 2), The binding energy of Lys-13 to lipid vesicles increases linearly with the fraction of monovalent acidic lipids. 3), Binding of basic peptides to vesicles produces no self-quenching of fluorescent monovalent acidic lipids. One potential explanation for these results is that membrane-bound basic peptides diffuse too rapidly for the monovalent lipids to be sequestered. Indeed, our fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements show basic peptides bound to phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine membranes have a diffusion coefficient approximately twofold higher than that of lipids, and those bound to phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate membranes have a diffusion coefficient comparable to that of lipids.

Reversible - through calmodulin - electrostatic interactions between basic residues on proteins and acidic lipids in the plasma membrane.

The inner leaflet of a typical mammalian plasma membrane contains 20-30% univalent PS (phosphatidylserine) and 1% multivalent PtdIns(4,5)P(2). Numerous proteins have clusters of basic (or basic/hydrophobic) residues that bind to these acidic lipids. The intracellular effector CaM (calmodulin) can reverse this binding on a wide variety of proteins, including MARCKS (myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate), GAP43 (growth-associated protein 43, also known as neuromodulin), gravin, GRK5 (G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 5), the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor and the ErbB family. We used the first principles of physics, incorporating atomic models and the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, to describe how the basic effector domain of MARCKS binds electrostatically to acidic lipids on the plasma membrane. The theoretical calculations show the basic cluster produces a local positive electrostatic potential that should laterally sequester PtdIns(4,5)P(2), even when univalent acidic lipids are present at a physiologically relevant 100-fold excess; four independent experimental measurements confirm this prediction. Ca(2+)/CaM binds with high affinity (K(d) approximately 10nM) to this domain and releases the PtdIns(4,5)P(2). MARCKS, a major PKC (protein kinase C) substrate, is present at concentrations comparable with those of PtdIns(4,5)P(2) (approx. 10 microM) in many cell types. Thus MARCKS can act as a reversible PtdIns(4,5)P(2) buffer, binding PtdIns(4,5)P(2) in a quiescent cell, and releasing it locally when the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration increases. This reversible sequestration is important because PtdIns(4,5)P(2) plays many roles in cell biology. Less is known about the role of CaM-mediated reversible membrane binding of basic/hydrophobic clusters for the other proteins.

Electrostatic sequestration of PIP2 on phospholipid membranes by basic/aromatic regions of proteins.

The basic effector domain of myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS), a major protein kinase C substrate, binds electrostatically to acidic lipids on the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane; interaction with Ca2+/calmodulin or protein kinase C phosphorylation reverses this binding. Our working hypothesis is that the effector domain of MARCKS reversibly sequesters a significant fraction of the L-alpha-phosphatidyl-D-myo-inositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) on the plasma membrane. To test this, we utilize three techniques that measure the ability of a peptide corresponding to its effector domain, MARCKS(151-175), to sequester PIP2 in model membranes containing physiologically relevant fractions (15-30%) of the monovalent acidic lipid phosphatidylserine. First, we measure fluorescence resonance energy transfer from Bodipy-TMR-PIP2 to Texas Red MARCKS(151-175) adsorbed to large unilamellar vesicles. Second, we detect quenching of Bodipy-TMR-PIP2 in large unilamellar vesicles when unlabeled MARCKS(151-175) binds to vesicles. Third, we identify line broadening in the electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of spin-labeled PIP2 as unlabeled MARCKS(151-175) adsorbs to vesicles. Theoretical calculations (applying the Poisson-Boltzmann relation to atomic models of the peptide and bilayer) and experimental results (fluorescence resonance energy transfer and quenching at different salt concentrations) suggest that nonspecific electrostatic interactions produce this sequestration. Finally, we show that the PLC-delta1-catalyzed hydrolysis of PIP2, but not binding of its PH domain to PIP2, decreases markedly as MARCKS(151-175) sequesters most of the PIP2.

Lateral sequestration of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate by the basic effector domain of myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate is due to nonspecific electrostatic interactions.

A peptide corresponding to the basic (+13), unstructured effector domain of myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) binds strongly to membranes containing phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP(2)). Although aromatic residues contribute to the binding, three experiments suggest the binding is driven mainly by nonspecific local electrostatic interactions. First, peptides with 13 basic residues, Lys-13 and Arg-13, bind to PIP(2)-containing vesicles with the same high affinity as the effector domain peptide. Second, removing basic residues from the effector domain peptide reduces the binding energy by an amount that correlates with the number of charges removed. Third, peptides corresponding to a basic region in GAP43 and MARCKS effector domain-like regions in other proteins (e.g. MacMARCKS, adducin, Drosophila A kinase anchor protein 200, and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor) also bind with an energy that correlates with the number of basic residues. Kinetic measurements suggest the effector domain binds to several PIP(2). Theoretical calculations show the effector domain produces a local positive potential, even when bound to a bilayer with 33% monovalent acidic lipids, and should thus sequester PIP(2) laterally. This electrostatic sequestration was observed experimentally using a phospholipase C assay. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that MARCKS could reversibly sequester much of the PIP(2) in the plasma membrane.