Deconvoluting Monomer- and Dimer-Specific Distance Distributions between Spin Labels in a Monomer/Dimer Mixture Using T1-Edited DEER EPR Spectroscopy.

Double electron-electron resonance (DEER) EPR is a powerful tool in structural biology, providing distances between pairs of spin labels. When the sample consists of a mixture of oligomeric species (e.g., monomer and dimer), the question arises as to how to assign the peaks in the DEER-derived probability distance distribution to the individual species. Here, we propose incorporating an EPR longitudinal electron relaxation (T1) inversion recovery experiment within a DEER pulse sequence to resolve this problem. The apparent T1 between dipolar coupled electron spins measured from the inversion recovery time (τinv) dependence of the peak intensities in the T1-edited DEER-derived probability P(r) distance distribution will be affected by the number of nitroxide labels attached to the biomolecule of interest, for example, two for a monomer and four for a dimer. We show that global fitting of all the T1-edited DEER echo curves, recorded over a range of τinv values, permits the deconvolution of distances between spin labels originating from monomeric (longer T1) and dimeric (shorter T1) species. This is especially useful when the trapping of spin labels in different conformational states during freezing gives rise to complex P(r) distance distributions. The utility of this approach is demonstrated for two systems, the ß1 adrenergic receptor and a construct of the huntingtin exon-1 protein fused to the immunoglobulin domain of protein G, both of which exist in a monomer-dimer equilibrium.

Quantitative analysis of sterol-modulated monomer-dimer equilibrium of the ß1-adrenergic receptor by DEER spectroscopy.

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) activate numerous intracellular signaling pathways. The oligomerization properties of GPCRs, and hence their cellular functions, may be modulated by various components within the cell membrane (such as the presence of cholesterol). Modulation may occur directly via specific interaction with the GPCR or indirectly by affecting the physical properties of the membrane. Here, we use pulsed Q-band double electron-electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy to probe distances between R1 nitroxide spin labels attached to Cys163 and Cys344 of the ß1-adrenergic receptor (ß1AR) in n-dodecyl-ß-D-maltoside micelles upon titration with two soluble cholesterol analogs, cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHS) and sodium cholate. The former, like cholesterol, inserts itself into the lipid membrane, parallel to the phospholipid chains; the latter is aligned parallel to the surface of membranes. Global quantitative analysis of DEER echo curves upon titration of spin-labeled ß1AR with CHS and sodium cholate reveal the following: CHS binds specifically to the ß1AR monomer at a site close to the Cys163-R1 spin label with an equilibrium dissociation constant [Formula: see text] ~1.4 ± 0.4 mM. While no direct binding of sodium cholate to the ß1AR receptor was observed by DEER, sodium cholate induces specific ß1AR dimerization ([Formula: see text] ~35 ± 6 mM and a Hill coefficient n ~ 2.5 ± 0.4) with intersubunit contacts between transmembrane helices 1 and 2 and helix 8. Analysis of the DEER data obtained upon the addition of CHS to the ß1AR dimer in the presence of excess cholate results in dimer dissociation with species occupancies as predicted from the individual KD values.

Global Dynamics of a Protein on the Surface of Anisotropic Lipid Nanoparticles Derived from Relaxation-Based NMR Spectroscopy.

The global motions of ubiquitin, a model protein, on the surface of anisotropically tumbling 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-(1'-rac-glycerol) (POPG):1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) bicelles are described. The shapes of POPG:DHPC bicelles prepared with high molar ratios q of POPG to DHPC can be approximated by prolate ellipsoids, with the ratio of ellipsoid dimensions and dimensions themselves increasing with higher values of q. Adaptation of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation-based approach that we previously developed for interactions of ubiquitin with spherical POPG liposomes (Ceccon, A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 5789-5792) allowed us to quantitatively analyze the variation in lifetime line broadening of NMR signals (ΔR2) measured for ubiquitin in the presence of q = 2 POPG:DHPC bicelles and the associated transverse spin relaxation rates (R2,B) of bicelle-bound ubiquitin. Ubiquitin, transiently bound to POPG:DHPC bicelles, undergoes internal rotation about an axis orthogonal to the surface of the bicelle and perpendicular to the principal axis of its rotational diffusion tensor on the low microsecond time scale (∼3 µs), while the rotation axis itself wobbles in a cone on a submicrosecond time scale (≤ 500 ns).

High complexity of Glutamine synthetase regulation in Methanosarcina mazei: Small protein 26 interacts and enhances glutamine synthetase activity.

Small ORF (sORF)-encoded small proteins have been overlooked for a long time due to challenges in prediction and distinguishing between coding- and noncoding-predicted sORFs and in their biochemical detection and characterization. We report on the first biochemical and functional characterization of a small protein (sP26) in the archaeal model organism Methanosarcina mazei, comprising 23 amino acids. The corresponding encoding leaderless mRNA (spRNA26) is highly conserved on nucleotide level as well as on the coded amino acids within numerous Methanosarcina strains strongly arguing for a cellular function of the small protein. spRNA26 level is significantly enhanced under nitrogen limitation, but also under oxygen and salt stress conditions. Using heterologously expressed and purified sP26 in independent biochemical approaches [pull-down by affinity chromatography followed by MS analysis, reverse pull-down, microscale thermophoresis, size-exclusion chromatography, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) analysis], we observed that sP26 interacts and forms complexes with M. mazei glutamine synthetase (GlnA1 ) with high affinity (app. KD  = 0.76 µm± 0.29 µm). Moreover, seven amino acids were identified by NMR analysis to directly interact with GlnA1 . Upon interaction with sP26, GlnA1 activity is significantly stimulated, independently and in addition to the known activation by the metabolite 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG). Besides, strong interaction of sP26 with the PII-like protein GlnK1 was demonstrated (app. KD  = 2.9 µm ± 0.9 µm). On the basis of these findings, we propose that in addition to 2-OG, sP26 enhances GlnA1 activity under nitrogen limitation most likely by stabilizing the dodecameric structure of GlnA1 .

Biological functions, genetic and biochemical characterization, and NMR structure determination of the small zinc finger protein HVO_2753 from Haloferax volcanii.

The genome of the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii encodes more than 40 one-domain zinc finger µ-proteins. Only one of these, HVO_2753, contains four C(P)XCG motifs, suggesting the presence of two zinc binding pockets (ZBPs). Homologs of HVO_2753 are widespread in many euryarchaeota. An in frame deletion mutant of HVO_2753 grew indistinguishably from the wild-type in several media, but had a severe defect in swarming and in biofilm formation. For further analyses, the protein was produced homologously as well as heterologously in Escherichia coli. HVO_2753 was stable and folded in low salt, in contrast to many other haloarchaeal proteins. Only haloarchaeal HVO_2753 homologs carry a very hydrophilic N terminus, and NMR analysis showed that this region is very flexible and not part of the core structure. Surprisingly, both NMR analysis and a fluorimetric assay revealed that HVO_2753 binds only one zinc ion, despite the presence of two ZBPs. Notably, the analysis of cysteine to alanine mutant proteins by NMR as well by in vivo complementation revealed that all four C(P)XCG motifs are essential for folding and function. The NMR solution structure of the major conformation of HVO_2753 was solved. Unexpectedly, it was revealed that ZBP1 was comprised of C(P)XCG motifs 1 and 3, and ZBP2 was comprised of C(P)XCG motifs 2 and 4. There are several indications that ZBP2 is occupied by zinc, in contrast to ZBP1. To our knowledge, this study represents the first in-depth analysis of a zinc finger µ-protein in all three domains of life.

Light Dynamics of the Retinal-Disease-Relevant G90D Bovine Rhodopsin Mutant.

The RHO gene encodes the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) rhodopsin. Numerous mutations associated with impaired visual cycle have been reported; the G90D mutation leads to a constitutively active mutant form of rhodopsin that causes CSNB disease. We report on the structural investigation of the retinal configuration and conformation in the binding pocket in the dark and light-activated state by solution and MAS-NMR spectroscopy. We found two long-lived dark states for the G90D mutant with the 11-cis retinal bound as Schiff base in both populations. The second minor population in the dark state is attributed to a slight shift in conformation of the covalently bound 11-cis retinal caused by the mutation-induced distortion on the salt bridge formation in the binding pocket. Time-resolved UV/Vis spectroscopy was used to monitor the functional dynamics of the G90D mutant rhodopsin for all relevant time scales of the photocycle. The G90D mutant retains its conformational heterogeneity during the photocycle.

Rapid Biophysical Characterization and NMR Spectroscopy Structural Analysis of Small Proteins from Bacteria and Archaea.

Proteins encoded by small open reading frames (sORFs) have a widespread occurrence in diverse microorganisms and can be of high functional importance. However, due to annotation biases and their technically challenging direct detection, these small proteins have been overlooked for a long time and were only recently rediscovered. The currently rapidly growing number of such proteins requires efficient methods to investigate their structure-function relationship. Herein, a method is presented for fast determination of the conformational properties of small proteins. Their small size makes them perfectly amenable for solution-state NMR spectroscopy. NMR spectroscopy can provide detailed information about their conformational states (folded, partially folded, and unstructured). In the context of the priority program on small proteins funded by the German research foundation (SPP2002), 27 small proteins from 9 different bacterial and archaeal organisms have been investigated. It is found that most of these small proteins are unstructured or partially folded. Bioinformatics tools predict that some of these unstructured proteins can potentially fold upon complex formation. A protocol for fast NMR spectroscopy structure elucidation is described for the small proteins that adopt a persistently folded structure by implementation of new NMR technologies, including automated resonance assignment and nonuniform sampling in combination with targeted acquisition.

Solution Structure and Dynamics of the Small Protein HVO_2922 from Haloferax volcanii.

Past sequencing campaigns overlooked small proteins as they seemed to be irrelevant due to their small size. However, their occurrence is widespread, and there is growing evidence that these small proteins are in fact functionally very important in organisms found in all kingdoms of life. Within a global proteome analysis for small proteins of the archaeal model organism Haloferax volcanii, the HVO_2922 protein has been identified. It is differentially expressed in response to changes in iron and salt concentrations, thus suggesting that its expression is stress-regulated. The protein is conserved among Haloarchaea and contains an uncharacterized domain of unknown function (DUF1508, UPF0339 family protein). We elucidated the NMR solution structure, which shows that the isolated protein forms a symmetrical dimer. The dimerization is found to be concentration-dependent and essential for protein stability and most likely for its functionality, as mutagenesis at the dimer interface leads to a decrease in stability and protein aggregation.

Chromophore Distortions in Photointermediates of Proteorhodopsin Visualized by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization-Enhanced Solid-State NMR.

Proteorhodopsin (PR) is the most abundant retinal protein on earth and functions as a light-driven proton pump. Despite extensive efforts, structural data for PR photointermediate states have not been obtained. On the basis of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced solid-state NMR, we were able to analyze the retinal polyene chain between positions C10 and C15 as well as the Schiff base nitrogen in the ground state in comparison to light-induced, cryotrapped K- and M-states. A high M-state population could be achieved by preventing reprotonation of the Schiff base through a mutation of the primary proton donor (E108Q). Our data reveal unexpected large and alternating 13C chemical shift changes in the K-state propagating away from the Schiff base along the polyene chain. Furthermore, two different M-states have been observed reflecting the Schiff base reorientation after the deprotonation step. Our study provides novel insight into the photocycle of PR and also demonstrates the power of DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR to bridge the gap between functional and structural data and models.

Probing the Conformation-Dependent Preferential Binding of Ethanol to Cationic Glycylalanylglycine in Water/Ethanol by Vibrational and NMR Spectroscopy.

The conformational propensity of amino acid residues is determined by an intricate balance of peptide-solvent and solvent-solvent interactions. To explore how the systematic replacement of water by a cosolvent affects the solvation of both the amino acid backbone and side chains, we performed a combined vibrational spectroscopy and NMR study of cationic glycylalanylglycine (GAG) in different ethanol/water mixtures of between 0 and 42 mol percent ethanol. Classical model peptide N'-methylacetamide was used as a reference system to probe solvent-induced spectroscopic changes. The alanine residue of GAG in water is known to exhibit a very high propensity for polyproline II (pPII). Adding up to 30 mol % ethanol at room temperature leads only to minor changes in the Ramachandran distribution of alanine, which mostly changes within the individual conformational subspaces. A further increase in the ethanol fractions leads to a destabilization of pPII and a stabilization of ß-strand conformations. At higher temperatures, different degrees of enthalpy-entropy compensations lead to a much stronger influence of ethanol on the peptide's conformational distribution. Ethanol-induced changes in chemical shifts and amide I wavenumbers strongly suggest that ethanol replaces water preferentially in the solvation shell of the polar C-terminal peptide group and of the alanine side chain, whereas the N-terminal group remains mostly hydrated. Furthermore, we found that ethanol interacts more strongly with the peptide if the latter adopts ß-strand conformations. This leads to an unusual positive temperature coefficient for the chemical shift of the C-terminal amide proton. Our data suggests a picture in which GAG eventually accumulates at water-ethanol interfaces if the ethanol fractions exceed 0.3, which explains why the further addition of ethanol eventually causes self-aggregation and the subsequent formation of a hydrogel.

Conserved small mRNA with an unique, extended Shine-Dalgarno sequence.

Up to now, very small protein-coding genes have remained unrecognized in sequenced genomes. We identified an mRNA of 165 nucleotides (nt), which is conserved in Bradyrhizobiaceae and encodes a polypeptide with 14 amino acid residues (aa). The small mRNA harboring a unique Shine-Dalgarno sequence (SD) with a length of 17 nt was localized predominantly in the ribosome-containing P100 fraction of Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110. Strong interaction between the mRNA and 30S ribosomal subunits was demonstrated by their co-sedimentation in sucrose density gradient. Using translational fusions with egfp, we detected weak translation and found that it is impeded by both the extended SD and the GTG start codon (instead of ATG). Biophysical characterization (CD- and NMR-spectroscopy) showed that synthesized polypeptide remained unstructured in physiological puffer. Replacement of the start codon by a stop codon increased the stability of the transcript, strongly suggesting additional posttranscriptional regulation at the ribosome. Therefore, the small gene was named rreB (ribosome-regulated expression in Bradyrhizobiaceae). Assuming that the unique ribosome binding site (RBS) is a hallmark of rreB homologs or similarly regulated genes, we looked for similar putative RBS in bacterial genomes and detected regions with at least 16 nt complementarity to the 3'-end of 16S rRNA upstream of sORFs in Caulobacterales, Rhizobiales, Rhodobacterales and Rhodospirillales. In the Rhodobacter/Roseobacter lineage of α-proteobacteria the corresponding gene (rreR) is conserved and encodes an 18 aa protein. This shows how specific RBS features can be used to identify new genes with presumably similar control of expression at the RNA level.

The Absence of the N-acyl-homoserine-lactone Autoinducer Synthase Genes traI and ngrI Increases the Copy Number of the Symbiotic Plasmid in Sinorhizobium fredii NGR234.

Plant-released flavonoids induce the transcription of symbiotic genes in rhizobia and one of the first bacterial responses is the synthesis of so called Nod factors. They are responsible for the initial root hair curling during onset of root nodule development. This signal exchange is believed to be essential for initiating the plant symbiosis with rhizobia affiliated with the Alphaproteobacteria. Here, we provide evidence that in the broad host range strain Sinorhizobium fredii NGR234 the complete lack of quorum sensing molecules results in an elevated copy number of its symbiotic plasmid (pNGR234a). This in turn triggers the expression of symbiotic genes and the production of Nod factors in the absence of plant signals. Therefore, increasing the copy number of specific plasmids could be a widespread mechanism of specialized bacterial populations to bridge gaps in signaling cascades.

Randomizing the unfolded state of peptides (and proteins) by nearest neighbor interactions between unlike residues.

To explore the influence of nearest neighbors on conformational biases in unfolded peptides, we combined vibrational and 2D NMR spectroscopy to obtain the conformational distributions of selected "GxyG" host-guest peptides in aqueous solution: GDyG, GSyG, GxLG, GxVG, where x/y=A, K, L, V. Large changes of conformational propensities were observed due to nearest-neighbor interactions, at variance with the isolated pair hypothesis. We found that protonated aspartic acid and serine lose their above-the-average preference for turn-like structures in favor of polyproline II (pPII) populations in the presence of neighbors with bulky side chains. Such residues also decrease the above-the-average pPII preference of alanine. These observations suggest that the underlying mechanism involves a disruption of the hydration shell. Thermodynamic analysis of (3) J(H(N) ,H(α) ) (T) data for each x,y residue reveals that modest changes in the conformational ensemble masks larger changes of enthalpy and entropy governing the pPIIâ†”ß equilibrium indicating a significant residue dependent temperature dependence of the peptides' conformational ensembles. These results suggest that nearest-neighbor interactions between unlike residues act as conformational randomizers close to the enthalpy-entropy compensation temperature, eliminating intrinsic biases in favor of largely balanced pPII/ß dominated ensembles at physiological temperatures.