Different Single-Enzyme Conformational Dynamics upon Binding Hydrolyzable or Nonhydrolyzable Ligands

AbstractMultidimensional fitness landscapes provide insights into the molecular basis of laboratory and natural evolution. To date, such efforts usually focus on limited protein families and a single enzyme trait, with little concern about the relationship between protein epistasis and conformational dynamics. Here, we report a multiparametric fitness landscape for a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase that was engineered for the regio- and stereoselective hydroxylation of a steroid. We develop a computational program to automatically quantify non-additive effects among all possible mutational pathways, finding pervasive cooperative signs and magnitude epistasis on multiple catalytic traits. By using quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations, we show that these effects are modulated by long-range interactions in loops, helices and β-strands that gate the substrate access channel allowing for optimal catalysis. Our work highlights the importance of conformational dynamics on epistasis in an enzyme involved in secondary metabolism and offers insights for engineering P450s.

Download Full-text

Pervasive cooperative mutational effects on multiple catalytic enzyme traits emerge via long-range conformational dynamics

10.1101/2020.04.14.041590 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Carlos G. Acevedo-Rocha ◽

Aitao Li ◽

Lorenzo D’Amore ◽

Sabrina Hoebenreich ◽

Joaquin Sanchis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Long Range ◽

Fitness Landscape ◽

Conformational Dynamics ◽

P450 Monooxygenase ◽

Access Channel ◽

Long Range Interactions ◽

Limited Protein ◽

Dynamics Simulations ◽

The Relationship ◽

Single Enzyme

AbstractMultidimensional fitness landscapes provide insights into the molecular basis of laboratory and natural evolution. Yet such efforts are rare and focus only on limited protein families and a single enzyme trait, with little concern about the relationship between protein epistasis and conformational dynamics. Here, we report the first multiparametric fitness landscape for a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase that was engineered for the regio- and stereoselective hydroxylation of a steroid. We developed a computational program to automatically quantify non-additive effects among all possible mutational pathways, finding pervasive cooperative sign and magnitude epistasis on multiple catalytic traits. By using quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations, we show that these effects are modulated by long-range interactions in loops, helices and beta-strands that gate the substrate access channel allowing for optimal catalysis. Our work highlights the importance of conformational dynamics on epistasis in an enzyme involved in secondary metabolism and offers lessons for engineering P450s.

Download Full-text

Constant pH Molecular Dynamics Reveals How Proton Release Drives the Conformational Transition of a Transmembrane Efflux Pump

10.26434/chemrxiv.5496907 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Jana Shen ◽

Zhi Yue ◽

Helen Zgurskaya ◽

Wei Chen

Keyword(s):

Molecular Dynamics ◽

Conformational Changes ◽

Transmembrane Domain ◽

Conformational Transition ◽

Conformational Dynamics ◽

Proton Release ◽

Intrinsic Resistance ◽

Constant Ph ◽

Wide Range ◽

Constant Ph Molecular Dynamics

AcrB is the inner-membrane transporter of E. coli AcrAB-TolC tripartite efflux complex, which plays a major role in the intrinsic resistance to clinically important antibiotics. AcrB pumps a wide range of toxic substrates by utilizing the proton gradient between periplasm and cytoplasm. Crystal structures of AcrB revealed three distinct conformational states of the transport cycle, substrate access, binding and extrusion, or loose (L), tight (T) and open (O) states. However, the specific residue(s) responsible for proton binding/release and the mechanism of proton-coupled conformational cycling remain controversial. Here we use the newly developed membrane hybrid-solvent continuous constant pH molecular dynamics technique to explore the protonation states and conformational dynamics of the transmembrane domain of AcrB. Simulations show that both Asp407 and Asp408 are deprotonated in the L/T states, while only Asp408 is protonated in the O state. Remarkably, release of a proton from Asp408 in the O state results in large conformational changes, such as the lateral and vertical movement of transmembrane helices as well as the salt-bridge formation between Asp408 and Lys940 and other sidechain rearrangements among essential residues.Consistent with the crystallographic differences between the O and L protomers, simulations offer dynamic details of how proton release drives the O-to-L transition in AcrB and address the controversy regarding the proton/drug stoichiometry. This work offers a significant step towards characterizing the complete cycle of proton-coupled drug transport in AcrB and further validates the membrane hybrid-solvent CpHMD technique for studies of proton-coupled transmembrane proteins which are currently poorly understood. <p><br></p>

Download Full-text

A kinetic analysis of coupled sequential enzyme reactions

10.26434/chemrxiv.5746065.v2 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Justin Eilertsen ◽

Santiago Schnell

Keyword(s):

Enzyme Assay ◽

Sequential Reaction ◽

Enzyme Reactions ◽

Indicator Reaction ◽

Single Substrate ◽

Complex Sequences ◽

Catalyzed Reactions ◽

Enzyme Catalyzed Reactions ◽

Single Enzyme

<div>As a case study, we consider a coupled enzyme assay of sequential enzyme reactions obeying the Michaelis--Menten reaction mechanism. The sequential reaction consists of a single-substrate, single-enzyme non-observable reaction followed by another single-substrate, single-enzyme observable reaction (indicator reaction). In this assay, the product of the non-observable reaction becomes the substrate of the indicator reaction. A mathematical analysis of the reaction kinetics is performed, and it is found that after an initial fast transient, the sequential reaction is described by a pair of interacting Michaelis--Menten equations. Timescales that approximate the respective lengths of the indicator and non-observable reactions, as well as conditions for the validity of the Michaelis--Menten equations are derived. The theory can be extended to deal with more complex sequences of enzyme catalyzed reactions.</div>

Download Full-text

A kinetic analysis of coupled sequential enzyme reactions

10.26434/chemrxiv.5746065.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Justin Eilertsen ◽

Santiago Schnell

Keyword(s):

Enzyme Assay ◽

Sequential Reaction ◽

Enzyme Reactions ◽

Indicator Reaction ◽

Single Substrate ◽

Complex Sequences ◽

Catalyzed Reactions ◽

Enzyme Catalyzed Reactions ◽

Single Enzyme

<div>As a case study, we consider a coupled enzyme assay of sequential enzyme reactions obeying the Michaelis-Menten reaction mechanism. The sequential reaction consists of a single-substrate, single enzyme non-observable reaction followed by another single-substrate, single enzyme observable reaction (indicator reaction). In this assay, the product of the non-observable reaction becomes the substrate of the indicator reaction. A mathematical analysis of the reaction kinetics is performed, and it is found that after an initial fast transient, the sequential reaction is described by a pair of interacting Michaelis-Menten equations. Timescales that approximate the respective lengths of the indicator and non-observable reactions, as well as conditions for the validity of the Michaelis-Menten equations are derived. The theory can be extended to deal with more complex sequences of enzyme catalyzed reactions.</div>

Download Full-text

Molecular Basis of Glucose Transport Mechanism in Plants

10.26434/chemrxiv.8049848.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Balaji Selvam ◽

Ya-Chi Yu ◽

Liqing Chen ◽

Diwakar Shukla

Keyword(s):

Molecular Dynamics ◽

Free Energy ◽

Molecular Dynamics Simulations ◽

Conformational Changes ◽

Transport Mechanism ◽

Conformational Dynamics ◽

Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽

Free Energy Barrier ◽

Transport Cycle ◽

Dynamics Simulations

<p>The SWEET family belongs to a class of transporters in plants that undergoes large conformational changes to facilitate transport of sugar molecules across the cell membrane. However, the structures of their functionally relevant conformational states in the transport cycle have not been reported. In this study, we have characterized the conformational dynamics and complete transport cycle of glucose in OsSWEET2b transporter using extensive molecular dynamics simulations. Using Markov state models, we estimated the free energy barrier associated with different states as well as 1 for the glucose the transport mechanism. SWEETs undergoes structural transition to outward-facing (OF), Occluded (OC) and inward-facing (IF) and strongly support alternate access transport mechanism. The glucose diffuses freely from outside to inside the cell without causing major conformational changes which means that the conformations of glucose unbound and bound snapshots are exactly same for OF, OC and IF states. We identified a network of hydrophobic core residues at the center of the transporter that restricts the glucose entry to the cytoplasmic side and act as an intracellular hydrophobic gate. The mechanistic predictions from molecular dynamics simulations are validated using site-directed mutagenesis experiments. Our simulation also revealed hourglass like intermediate states making the pore radius narrower at the center. This work provides new fundamental insights into how substrate-transporter interactions actively change the free energy landscape of the transport cycle to facilitate enhanced transport activity.</p>

Download Full-text

Monitoring the Structural Dynamics of U2 snRNA Via Single-Molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer

10.31237/osf.io/9j8gq ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Alexander Carl DeHaven

Keyword(s):

Energy Transfer ◽

Structural Dynamics ◽

Single Molecule ◽

Conformational Dynamics ◽

Resonance Energy Transfer ◽

Resonance Energy ◽

Förster Resonance Energy Transfer ◽

U2 Snrna ◽

Folding Dynamics ◽

The Impact

This thesis contains four topic areas: a review of single-molecule microscropy methods and splicing, conformational dynamics of stem II of the U2 snRNA, the impact of post-transcriptional modifications on U2 snRNA folding dynamics, and preliminary findings on Mango aptamer folding dynamics.

Download Full-text