Structure of the N-terminal segment of human retinol dehydrogenase 11 and its preferential lipid binding using model membranes.

Retinol dehydrogenase 11 (RDH11) has been postulated to be anchored to membranes by means of its N-terminal segment in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells where it participates to the visual cycle. The analysis of the primary sequence of RDH11 revealed that its N-terminal hydrophobic segment could be involved in the anchoring of this enzyme to membranes. However, no information is yet available on the properties of this N-terminal segment to support this role. The secondary structure and membrane binding of two N-terminal peptides of RDH11 with different lengths have thus been investigated to provide this information. Online tools allowed predicting an α-helical secondary structure for both peptides. Infrared spectroscopy and circular dichroism have shown that the α-helix of the Long-peptide (35 amino acids) is longer and more rigid than that of the Short-peptide (25 amino acids) regardless of the type of solvent. Langmuir monolayers have been used as a model membrane to study lipid-peptide interactions. Values of maximum insertion pressure and synergy suggested a preferential binding of the Long-peptide to lipids with a phosphoethanolamine polar head group, which are abundant in the RPE. Furthermore, infrared spectroscopy in monolayers has shown that the α-helical structure of the Long-peptide is more stable in the presence of saturated phospholipids whereas the structure of the Short-peptide is mainly disordered. Altogether, the present data demonstrate that the α-helical hydrophobic core of the N-terminal segment of RDH11 displays properties typical of transmembrane domains, in agreement with its postulated role in the membrane anchoring of this protein.

Organization, structure and activity of proteins in monolayers.

Many different processes take place at the cell membrane interface. Indeed, for instance, ligands bind membrane proteins which in turn activate peripheral membrane proteins, some of which are enzymes whose action is also located at the membrane interface. Native cell membranes are difficult to use to gain information on the activity of individual proteins at the membrane interface because of the large number of different proteins involved in membranous processes. Model membrane systems, such as monolayers at the air-water interface, have thus been extensively used during the last 50 years to reconstitute proteins and to gain information on their organization, structure and activity in membranes. In the present paper, we review the recent work we have performed with membrane and peripheral proteins as well as enzymes in monolayers at the air-water interface. We show that the structure and orientation of gramicidin has been determined by combining different methods. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the secondary structure of rhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin is indistinguishable from that in native membranes when appropriate conditions are used. We also show that the kinetics and extent of monolayer binding of myristoylated recoverin is much faster than that of the nonmyristoylated form and that this binding is highly favored by the presence polyunsaturated phospholipids. Moreover, we show that the use of fragments of RPE65 allow determine which region of this protein is most likely involved in membrane binding. Monomolecular films were also used to further understand the hydrolysis of organized phospholipids by phospholipases A2 and C.

In situ characterization of functional purple membrane monolayers at the air-water interface.

The purple membrane (PM) of Halobacterium salinarum contains a single type of protein, bacterio-rhodopsin (bR), which is a member of the seven alpha-helices transmembrane protein family. This protein is a photoactive proton pump, translocating one proton from the cytoplasmic to the extracellular side of the PM per photon absorbed. bR is found in trimers in PM, where they are assembled in a two-dimensional hexagonal lattice. We show herein that stable and functional films can be built in monolayers at the air-water interface by spreading aqueous suspensions of purified and native PM patches. In situ spectroscopic measurements at the air-water interface indicate that bR remains photoactive in this environment. Physical parameters of these PM films, such as protein molecular area, irreversible in-plane aggregation, z-axis orientation, film thickness, and surface roughness, were determined from surface pressure and surface potential-area isotherms, fluorescence spectroscopy, and X-ray reflectivity at the air-water interface. We find that PM do form organized monolayers of membranes, with an optimal packing density at a surface pressure of approximately 20 mN/m, although no preferential vectorial alignment, with respect to the plane normal to the membrane, can be detected from fluorescence quenching experiments.