Interplay of condensation and chromatin binding underlies BRD4 targeting.

Nuclear compartments form via biomolecular phase separation, mediated through multivalent properties of biomolecules concentrated within condensates. Certain compartments are associated with specific chromatin regions, including transcriptional initiation condensates, which are composed of transcription factors and transcriptional machinery, and form at acetylated regions including enhancer and promoter loci. While protein self-interactions, especially within low-complexity and intrinsically disordered regions, are known to mediate condensation, the role of substrate-binding interactions in regulating the formation and function of biomolecular condensates is underexplored. Here, utilizing live-cell experiments in parallel with coarse-grained simulations, we investigate how chromatin interaction of the transcriptional activator BRD4 modulates its condensate formation. We find that both kinetic and thermodynamic properties of BRD4 condensation are affected by chromatin binding: nucleation rate is sensitive to BRD4-chromatin interactions, providing an explanation for the selective formation of BRD4 condensates at acetylated chromatin regions, and thermodynamically, multivalent acetylated chromatin sites provide a platform for BRD4 clustering below the concentration required for off-chromatin condensation. This provides a molecular and physical explanation of the relationship between nuclear condensates and epigenetically modified chromatin that results in their mutual spatiotemporal regulation, suggesting that epigenetic modulation is an important mechanism by which the cell targets transcriptional condensates to specific chromatin loci.

SARS-CoV-2 requires cholesterol for viral entry and pathological syncytia formation.

Many enveloped viruses induce multinucleated cells (syncytia), reflective of membrane fusion events caused by the same machinery that underlies viral entry. These syncytia are thought to facilitate replication and evasion of the host immune response. Here, we report that co-culture of human cells expressing the receptor ACE2 with cells expressing SARS-CoV-2 spike, results in synapse-like intercellular contacts that initiate cell-cell fusion, producing syncytia resembling those we identify in lungs of COVID-19 patients. To assess the mechanism of spike/ACE2-driven membrane fusion, we developed a microscopy-based, cell-cell fusion assay to screen ~6000 drugs and >30 spike variants. Together with quantitative cell biology approaches, the screen reveals an essential role for biophysical aspects of the membrane, particularly cholesterol-rich regions, in spike-mediated fusion, which extends to replication-competent SARS-CoV-2 isolates. Our findings potentially provide a molecular basis for positive outcomes reported in COVID-19 patients taking statins and suggest new strategies for therapeutics targeting the membrane of SARS-CoV-2 and other fusogenic viruses.

Vibronic and excitonic dynamics in perylenediimide dimers and tetramer.

Broad-band pump-probe spectroscopy combined with global and target analysis is employed to study the vibronic and excitonic dynamics of two dimers and a tetramer of perylenediimides. A simultaneous analysis is developed for two systems that have been measured in the same conditions. This enhances the resolvability of the vibronic and excitonic dynamics of the systems, and the solvent contributions that are common in the experiments. We resolve two oscillations of 1399 cm-1 or 311 cm-1 damped with ≈30/ps involved in vibrational relaxation and two more oscillations of 537 cm-1 or 136 cm-1 damped with ≈3/ps. A relaxation process with a rate of 2.1/ps-3.2/ps that is positively correlated with the excitonic coupling was discovered in all three model systems, attributed to annihilation of the one but lowest exciton state.

Consistent Model of Ultrafast Energy Transfer in Peridinin Chlorophyll-a Protein Using Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy and Förster Theory.

Solar light harvesting begins with electronic energy transfer in structurally complex light-harvesting antennae such as the peridinin chlorophyll-a protein from dinoflagellate algae. Peridinin chlorophyll-a protein is composed of a unique combination of chlorophylls sensitized by carotenoids in a 4:1 ratio, and ultrafast spectroscopic methods have previously been utilized in elucidating their energy-transfer pathways and timescales. However, due to overlapping signals from various chromophores and competing pathways and timescales, a consistent model of intraprotein electronic energy transfer has been elusive. Here, we used a broad-band two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy, which alleviates the spectral congestion by dispersing excitation and detection wavelengths. Interchromophoric couplings appeared as cross peaks in two-dimensional electronic spectra, and these spectral features were observed between the peridinin S2 states and chlorophyll-a Qx and Qy states. In addition, the inherently high time and frequency resolutions of two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy enabled accurate determination of the ultrafast energy-transfer dynamics. Kinetic analysis near the peridinin S1 excited-state absorption, which forms in 24 fs after optical excitation, reveals an ultrafast energy-transfer pathway from the peridinin S2 state to the chlorophyll-a Qx state, a hitherto unconfirmed pathway critical for fast interchromophoric transfer. We propose a model of ultrafast peridinin chlorophyll-a protein photophysics that includes (1) a conical intersection between peridinin S2 and S1 states to explain both the ultrafast peridinin S1 formation and the residual peridinin S2 population for energy transfer to chlorophyll-a, and (2) computationally and experimentally derived peridinin S2 site energies that support the observed ultrafast peridinin S2 to chlorophyll-a Qx energy transfer.

From coherent to vibronic light harvesting in photosynthesis.

Photosynthetic organisms are a remarkable example of nanoscale engineering and have mastered the process of solar energy harvesting over billions of years of evolution. Therefore, researchers seek insights from the light collection mechanisms of photosynthetic machinery. The initial energy transfer stage of photosynthesis, which begins with light absorption and leads to charge separation, is remarkably robust in conditions of strong energetic disorder, extreme physiological temperatures, and low light flux - very different from conventional solar conversion materials [1-3]. However, determining the key principles which are responsible for efficient conversion is a challenging task due to the complexity of the photosynthetic systems. The field encountered a fascinating lead in 2007 when oscillatory features were discovered in two-dimensional electronic spectroscopic data - the optical analogue of 2D NMR - and were assigned to quantum coherence between donor and acceptor electronic states [4••]. In this review, we describe the evolution in our understanding of quantum effects in photosynthetic energy transfer. A vibronic model is described to demonstrate the current opinion on how quantum effects can optimize energy transfer.

Vibronic Wavepackets and Energy Transfer in Cryptophyte Light-Harvesting Complexes.

Determining the key features of high-efficiency photosynthetic energy transfer remains an ongoing task. Recently, there has been evidence for the role of vibronic coherence in linking donor and acceptor states to redistribute oscillator strength for enhanced energy transfer. To gain further insights into the interplay between vibronic wavepackets and energy-transfer dynamics, we systematically compare four structurally related phycobiliproteins from cryptophyte algae by broad-band pump-probe spectroscopy and extend a parametric model based on global analysis to include vibrational wavepacket characterization. The four phycobiliproteins isolated from cryptophyte algae are two "open" structures and two "closed" structures. The closed structures exhibit strong exciton coupling in the central dimer. The dominant energy-transfer pathway occurs on the subpicosecond timescale across the largest energy gap in each of the proteins, from central to peripheral chromophores. All proteins exhibit a strong 1585 cm-1 coherent oscillation whose relative amplitude, a measure of vibronic intensity borrowing from resonance between donor and acceptor states, scales with both energy-transfer rates and damping rates. Central exciton splitting may aid in bringing the vibronically linked donor and acceptor states into better resonance resulting in the observed doubled rate in the closed structures. Several excited-state vibrational wavepackets persist on timescales relevant to energy transfer, highlighting the importance of further investigation of the interplay between electronic coupling and nuclear degrees of freedom in studies on high-efficiency photosynthesis.

Broad-Band Pump-Probe Spectroscopy Quantifies Ultrafast Solvation Dynamics of Proteins and Molecules.

In this work, we demonstrate the use of broad-band pump-probe spectroscopy to measure femtosecond solvation dynamics. We report studies of a rhodamine dye in methanol and cryptophyte algae light-harvesting proteins in aqueous suspension. Broad-band impulsive excitation generates a vibrational wavepacket that oscillates on the excited-state potential energy surface, destructively interfering with itself at the minimum of the surface. This destructive interference gives rise to a node at a certain probe wavelength that varies with time. This reveals the Gibbs free-energy changes of the excited-state potential energy surface, which equates to the solvation time correlation function. This method captures the inertial solvent response of water (∼40 fs) and the bimodal inertial response of methanol (∼40 and ∼150 fs) and reveals how protein-buried chromophores are sensitive to the solvent dynamics inside and outside of the protein environment.

Estimation of damped oscillation associated spectra from ultrafast transient absorption spectra.

When exciting a complex molecular system with a short optical pulse, all chromophores present in the system can be excited. The resulting superposition of electronically and vibrationally excited states evolves in time, which is monitored with transient absorption spectroscopy. We present a methodology to resolve simultaneously the contributions of the different electronically and vibrationally excited states from the complete data. The evolution of the excited states is described with a superposition of damped oscillations. The amplitude of a damped oscillation cos(ωnt)exp(-γnt) as a function of the detection wavelength constitutes a damped oscillation associated spectrum DOASn(λ) with an accompanying phase characteristic φn(λ). In a case study, the cryptophyte photosynthetic antenna complex PC612 which contains eight bilin chromophores was excited by a broadband optical pulse. Difference absorption spectra from 525 to 715 nm were measured until 1 ns. The population dynamics is described by four lifetimes, with interchromophore equilibration in 0.8 and 7.5 ps. We have resolved 24 DOAS with frequencies between 130 and 1649 cm-1 and with damping rates between 0.9 and 12 ps-1. In addition, 11 more DOAS with faster damping rates were necessary to describe the "coherent artefact." The DOAS contains both ground and excited state features. Their interpretation is aided by DOAS analysis of simulated transient absorption signals resulting from stimulated emission and ground state bleach.

Ultrafast transient absorption revisited: Phase-flips, spectral fingers, and other dynamical features.

We rebuild the theory of ultrafast transient-absorption/transmission spectroscopy starting from the optical response of an individual molecule to incident femtosecond pump and probe pulses. The resulting description makes use of pulse propagators and free molecular evolution operators to arrive at compact expressions for the several contributions to a transient-absorption signal. In this alternative description, which is physically equivalent to the conventional response-function formalism, these signal contributions are conveniently expressed as quantum mechanical overlaps between nuclear wave packets that have undergone different sequences of pulse-driven optical transitions and time-evolution on different electronic potential-energy surfaces. Using this setup in application to a simple, multimode model of the light-harvesting chromophores of PC577, we develop wave-packet pictures of certain generic features of ultrafast transient-absorption signals related to the probed-frequency dependence of vibrational quantum beats. These include a Stokes-shifting node at the time-evolving peak emission frequency, antiphasing between vibrational oscillations on opposite sides (i.e., to the red or blue) of this node, and spectral fingering due to vibrational overtones and combinations. Our calculations make a vibrationally abrupt approximation for the incident pump and probe pulses, but properly account for temporal pulse overlap and signal turn-on, rather than neglecting pulse overlap or assuming delta-function excitations, as are sometimes done.

Broadband Transient Absorption and Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy of Methylene Blue.

Broadband transient absorption and two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2DES) studies of methylene blue in aqueous solution are reported. By isolating the coherent oscillations of the nonlinear signal amplitude and Fourier transforming with respect to the population time, we analyzed a significant number of coherences in the frequency domain and compared them with predictions of the vibronic spectrum from density function theory (DFT) calculations. We show here that such a comparison enables reliable assignments of vibrational coherences to particular vibrational modes, with their constituent combination bands and overtones also being identified via Franck­Condon analysis aided by DFT. Evaluation of the Fourier transform (FT) spectrum of transient absorption recorded to picosecond population times, in coincidence with 2D oscillation maps that disperse the FT spectrum into the additional excitation axis, is shown to be a complementary approach toward detailed coherence determination. Using the Franck­Condon overlap integrals determined from DFT calculations, we modeled 2D oscillation maps up to two vibrational quanta in the ground and excited state (six-level model), showing agreement with experiment. This semiquantitative analysis is used to interpret the geometry change upon photoexcitation as an expansion of the central sulfur/nitrogen containing ring due to the increased antibonding character in the excited state.

Spectroscopic Studies of Cryptophyte Light Harvesting Proteins: Vibrations and Coherent Oscillations.

The first step of photosynthesis is the absorption of light by antenna complexes. Recent studies of light-harvesting complexes using two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy have revealed interesting coherent oscillations. Some contributions to those coherences are assigned to electronic coherence and therefore have implications for theories of energy transfer. To assign these femtosecond data and to gain insight into the interplay among electronic and vibrational resonances, we need detailed information on vibrations and coherences in the excited electronic state compared to the ground electronic state. Here, we used broad-band transient absorption and femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopies to record ground- and excited-state coherences in four related photosynthetic proteins: PC577 from Hemiselmis pacifica CCMP706, PC612 from Hemiselmis virescens CCAC 1635 B, PC630 from Chroomonas CCAC 1627 B (marine), and PC645 from Chroomonas mesostigmatica CCMP269. Two of those proteins (PC630 and PC645) have strong electronic coupling while the other two proteins (PC577 and PC612) have weak electronic coupling between the chromophores. We report vibrational spectra for the ground and excited electronic states of these complexes as well as an analysis of coherent oscillations observed in the broad-band transient absorption data.

High-resolution mapping of carbene-based protein footprints.

Carbene chemistry has been used recently in structural mass spectrometry as a labeling method for mapping protein surfaces. The current study presents a method for quantitating label distribution at the amino acid level and explores the nature and basis for an earlier observation of labeling bias. With the use of a method based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) applied to digests of holo-calmodulin, we developed a quantitation strategy to map site-specific incorporation of carbene, generated from photolysis of ionic label precursors 2-amino-4,4-azipentanoic acid and 4,4-azipentanoic acid. The approach provides reliable incorporation data for fragments generated by electron-transfer dissociation, whereas high-energy collisional dissociation leads to energy and sequence-dependent loss of the label as a neutral. However, both can produce data suitable for mapping residues in the interaction of holo-calmodulin with M13 peptide ligand. Site-specific labeling was monitored as a function of reagent, ionic strength, and temperature, demonstrating that electrostatic interactions at the protein surface can "steer" the distribution of label precursors to sites of surface charge and favor label insertion into residues in the vicinity of the surface charge. A further preference for insertion into carboxylates was observed, based on chemical reactivity. We suggest that decoupling surface partitioning from the chemistry of insertion offers a flexible, tunable labeling strategy for structural mass spectrometry that can be applied to a broad range of protein surface compositions and promotes the design of reagents to simplify the workflow.

Proteomics by mass spectrometry--go big or go home?

Mass spectrometry is an important technology for mapping composition and flux in whole proteomes. Over the last 5 years in particular, impressive gains in the depth of proteome coverage have been realized, particularly for model organisms. This review will provide an update on advancements in the key analytical techniques, methods and informatics directed towards whole proteome analysis by mass spectrometry. Practical issues involving sample requirements, analysis time and depth of coverage will be addressed, to gauge how useful data-driven approaches are for solving biological problems. Targeted mass spectrometric methods, based on selected reaction monitoring, are presented as a powerful alternative to data-driven methods. They offer robust, transferable protocols for hypothesis-directed monitoring of limited yet biologically significant tracts of any proteome.

Mass spectrometry of laser-initiated carbene reactions for protein topographic analysis.

We report a protein labeling method using nonselective carbene reactions of sufficiently high efficiency to permit detection by mass spectrometric methods. The approach uses a diazirine-modified amino acid (l-2-amino-4,4'-azipentanoic acid, "photoleucine") as a label source, which is converted to a highly reactive carbene by pulsed laser photolysis at 355 nm. Labeling of standard proteins and peptides (CaM, Mb, M13) was achieved with yields up to 390-fold higher than previous studies using methylene. Carbene labeling is sensitive to changes in protein topography brought about by conformational change and ligand binding. The modification of apo-CaM was 45 ± 7% higher than that of holo-CaM. Modification of the CaM-M13 complex reflected a 39 ± 1% reduction in labeling for bound holo-CaM relative to free holo-CaM. Labeling yield is independent of protein concentration over approximately 2 orders of magnitude but is weakly dependent on the presence of other chromophores in a photon-limited apparatus. The current configuration required 2 min of irradiation for full reagent conversion; however, it is shown that comparable yields can be achieved with a single high-energy laser pulse (>100 mJ/pulse, <10 ns), offering a labeling method with high temporal resolution. We suggest a mechanism of labeling governed by limited carbene diffusion and the protein surface activity of the diazirine precursor. This surface activity is speculated to return a measure of selectivity relative to methylene labeling, which ultimately may be tunable.