scholarly journals Membrane-induced conformational change in human apolipoprotein H

2000 ◽  
Vol 348 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao-Xiong WANG ◽  
Yu-Tong SUN ◽  
Sen-Fang SUI
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Change ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Basic Mechanism ◽  
Cd Spectroscopy ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Anionic Phospholipid ◽  
Human Apolipoprotein ◽  
Apolipoprotein H ◽  
Α Helix

The interaction of apolipoprotein H (Apo H) with lipid membrane has been considered to be a basic mechanism for the biological function of the protein. Previous reports have demonstrated that Apo H can interact only with membranes containing anionic phospholipids. Here we study the membrane-induced conformational change of Apo H by CD spectroscopy with two different model systems: anionic-phospholipid-containing liposomes [such as 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DMPG) and cardiolipin], and the water/methanol mixtures at moderately low pH, which mimic the micro-physicochemical environment near the membrane surface. It is found that Apo H undergoes a remarkable conformational change on interaction with liposomes containing anionic phospholipid. To interact with liposomes containing DMPG, there is a 6.8% increase in α-helix in the secondary structures; in liposomes containing cardiolipin, however, there is a 12.6% increase in α-helix and a 9% decrease in β-sheet. The similar conformation change in Apo H can be induced by treatment with an appropriate mixture of water/methanol. The results indicate that the association of Apo H with membrane is correlated with a certain conformational change in the secondary structure of the protein.

scholarly journals Membrane insertion of the N-terminal α-helix of equinatoxin II, a sea anemone cytolytic toxin

2004 ◽  
Vol 384 (2) ◽  
pp. 421-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ion GUTIÉRREZ-AGUIRRE ◽  
Ariana BARLIČ ◽  
Zdravko PODLESEK ◽  
Peter MAČEK ◽  
Gregor ANDERLUH ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Tryptophan Residue ◽  
Sea Anemones ◽  
Fluorescence Measurements ◽  
Tryptophan Residues ◽  
Equinatoxin Ii ◽  
Α Helix ◽  
Pore Forming Proteins

Equinatoxin II (Eqt-II) is a member of the actinoporins, a unique family of cytotoxins comprising 20 kDa pore-forming proteins isolated from sea anemones. Actinoporins bind preferentially to lipid membranes containing sphingomyelin, and create cation-selective pores by oligomerization of three to four monomers. Previous studies have shown that regions of Eqt-II crucial for its cytolytic mechanism are an exposed aromatic cluster and the N-terminal region containing an amphipathic α-helix. In the present study, we have investigated the transfer of the N-terminal α-helix into the lipid membrane by the use of three mutants containing an additional tryptophan residue in different positions within the amphipathic α-helix (Ile18→Trp, Val22→Trp and Ala25→Trp). The interaction of the mutants with different model systems, such as lipid monolayers, erythrocytes and ghost membranes, was extensively characterized. Intrinsic fluorescence measurements and the use of vesicles containing brominated phospholipids indicated a deep localization of the N-terminal amphipathic helix in the lipid bilayer, except for the case of Val22→Trp. This mutant is stabilized in a state immediately prior to final pore formation. The introduction of additional tryptophan residues in the sequence of Eqt-II has proved to be a suitable approach to monitor the new environments that surround defined regions of the molecule upon membrane interaction.

scholarly journals The insertion of human apolipoprotein H into phospholipid membranes: a monolayer study

1998 ◽  
Vol 335 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao-Xiong WANG ◽  
Guo-ping CAI ◽  
Sen-fang SUI
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Hydrophobic Interactions ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Heat Inactivation ◽  
Sequence Motif ◽  
Phospholipid Membranes ◽  
Human Apolipoprotein ◽  
Stable Domain ◽  
Apolipoprotein H

Apolipoprotein H (ApoH) is a plasma glycoprotein isolated from human serum. The interactions of ApoH with lipid membrane were reported to be essential for its physiological and pathogenic roles. In this paper we studied the ability of ApoH to insert into phospholipid membranes using the monolayer approach. The results show that ApoH is surface active and can insert into the lipid monolayers. The insertion ability of ApoH is stronger when a higher content of negatively charged lipids is present in the membrane. The acidic-pH and low-ionic-strength conditions will also enhance ApoH insertion, but these factors may not have much influence on the final insertion ability of ApoH, suggesting that, in the mechanism of ApoH insertion, not only electrostatic forces, but also hydrophobic interactions, are evidently involved. Modification by heat inactivation and reduction/alkylation does not change the critical insertion pressure (πc) of ApoH, suggesting a stable domain, maybe a linear sequence motif, but not the native three-dimensional structure of ApoH, is responsible for its insertion. The extent to which insertion of ApoH into phospholipid membranes may facilitate the ‘immune cleaning ’ of plasma liposomes is discussed.

Binding to lipid membrane induces conformational changes in RPE65: implications for its isomerohydrolase activity

2011 ◽  
Vol 436 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Nikolaeva ◽  
Gennadiy Moiseyev ◽  
Karla K. Rodgers ◽  
Jian-xing Ma
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescence Quenching ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Lipid Membrane ◽  
Membrane Binding ◽  
Tryptophan Fluorescence ◽  
Cd Spectroscopy ◽  
Visual Cycle ◽  
Α Helix ◽  
Structural Levels

The visual cycle is a multi-step pathway to recycle 11-cis retinal, the chromophore for both rod and cone visual pigments. The isomerohydrolase RPE65, a membrane-associated enzyme, converts atRE (all-trans-retinyl ester) to 11-cis-retinol, a key step in the visual cycle. Previously, it has been shown that membrane association of RPE65 is essential for its catalytic activity. Using purified recombinant chicken RPE65 and an in vitro liposome-based floatation assay, we present evidence that the RPE65 membrane-binding affinity was significantly facilitated by incorporation of atRE, the substrate of RPE65, into liposomal membrane. Using tryptophan emission fluorescence quenching and CD spectroscopy, we showed that, upon membrane binding, RPE65 undergoes conformational changes at both the tertiary and secondary structural levels. Specifically, tryptophan fluorescence quenching showed that the tertiary RPE65 structure became more open towards the hydrophilic environment upon its association with the membrane. Simultaneously, a decrease in the α-helix content of RPE65 was revealed upon binding with the lipid membrane containing atRE. These results demonstrated that RPE65's functional activity depends on its conformational changes caused by its association with the membrane.

scholarly journals Membrane-induced conformational change in human apolipoprotein H

2000 ◽  
Vol 348 (1) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao-Xiong WANG ◽  
Yu-Tong SUN ◽  
Sen-Fang SUI
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Change ◽  
Human Apolipoprotein ◽  
Apolipoprotein H

scholarly journals Inactivating peptide of the Shaker B potassium channel: conformational preferences inferred from studies on simple model systems

1998 ◽  
Vol 331 (2) ◽  
pp. 497-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
José A. ENCINAR ◽  
Asia M. FERNÁNDEZ ◽  
Emilio GIL-MARTÍN ◽  
Francisco GAVILANES ◽  
Juan P. ALBAR ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electrostatic Interactions ◽  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Freeze Fracture ◽  
Structural Models ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Peptide Sequence ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Anionic Phospholipid ◽  
Fluorescence Studies ◽  
Hydrogen Bonded

Previous studies on the interaction between the inactivating peptide of the Shaker B K+ channel (ShB peptide, H2N-MAAVAGLYGLGEDRQHRKKQ) and anionic phospholipid vesicles, used as model targets, have shown that the ShB peptide: (i) binds to the vesicle surface with high affinity; (ii) readily adopts a strongly hydrogen-bonded β-structure; and (iii) becomes inserted into the hydrophobic bilayer. We now report fluorescence studies showing that the vesicle-inserted ShB peptide is in a monomeric form and, therefore, the observed β-structure must be intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded to produce a β-hairpin conformation. Also, additional freeze–fracture and accessibility-to-trypsin studies, which aimed to estimate how deeply and in which orientation the folded monomeric peptide inserts into the model target, have allowed us to build structural models for the target-inserted peptide. In such models, the peptide has been folded near G6 to configure a long β-hairpin modelled to produce an internal cancellation of net charges in the stretch comprising amino acids 1–16. As to the positively charged C-terminal portion of the ShB peptide (RKKQ), this has been modelled to be in parallel with the anionic membrane surface to facilitate electrostatic interactions. Since the negatively charged surface and the hydrophobic domains in the model vesicle target may partly imitate those present at the inactivation ‘entrance ’ in the channel protein [Kukuljan, M., Labarca, P. and Latorre, R. (1995) Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 268, C535–C556], we believe that the structural models postulated here for the vesicle-inserted peptide could help to understand how the ShB peptide associates with the channel during inactivation and why mutations at specific sites in the ShB peptide sequence, such as that in the ShB-L7E peptide, result in non-inactivating peptide variants.

The Inhibition of Polysialyltranseferase ST8SiaIV Through Heparin Binding to Polysialyltransferase Domain (PSTD)

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 486-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Xin Peng ◽  
Xue-Hui Liu ◽  
Bo Lu ◽  
Si-Ming Liao ◽  
Feng Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescence Quenching ◽  
Polysialic Acid ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Cd Spectroscopy ◽  
Migration And Invasion ◽  
Heparin Binding ◽  
Clinical Prognosis ◽  
Quenching Analysis ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Α Helix

Background:The polysialic acid (polySia) is a unique carbohydrate polymer produced on the surface Of Neuronal Cell Adhesion Molecule (NCAM) in a number of cancer cells, and strongly correlates with the migration and invasion of tumor cells and with aggressive, metastatic disease and poor clinical prognosis in the clinic. Its synthesis is catalyzed by two polysialyltransferases (polySTs), ST8SiaIV (PST) and ST8SiaII (STX). Selective inhibition of polySTs, therefore, presents a therapeutic opportunity to inhibit tumor invasion and metastasis due to NCAM polysialylation. Heparin has been found to be effective in inhibiting the ST8Sia IV activity, but no clear molecular rationale. It has been found that polysialyltransferase domain (PSTD) in polyST plays a significant role in influencing polyST activity, and thus it is critical for NCAM polysialylation based on the previous studies.Objective:To determine whether the three different types of heparin (unfractionated hepain (UFH), low molecular heparin (LMWH) and heparin tetrasaccharide (DP4)) is bound to the PSTD; and if so, what are the critical residues of the PSTD for these binding complexes?Methods:Fluorescence quenching analysis, the Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and NMR spectroscopy were used to determine and analyze interactions of PSTD-UFH, PSTD-LMWH, and PSTD-DP4.Results:The fluorescence quenching analysis indicates that the PSTD-UFH binding is the strongest and the PSTD-DP4 binding is the weakest among these three types of the binding; the CD spectra showed that mainly the PSTD-heparin interactions caused a reduction in signal intensity but not marked decrease in α-helix content; the NMR data of the PSTD-DP4 and the PSTDLMWH interactions showed that the different types of heparin shared 12 common binding sites at N247, V251, R252, T253, S257, R265, Y267, W268, L269, V273, I275, and K276, which were mainly distributed in the long α-helix of the PSTD and the short 3-residue loop of the C-terminal PSTD. In addition, three residues K246, K250 and A254 were bound to the LMWH, but not to DP4. This suggests that the PSTD-LMWH binding is stronger than the PSTD-DP4 binding, and the LMWH is a more effective inhibitor than DP4.Conclusion:The findings in the present study demonstrate that PSTD domain is a potential target of heparin and may provide new insights into the molecular rationale of heparin-inhibiting NCAM polysialylation.

Structure, stability and folding of the α-helix

2001 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 95-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Doig ◽  
Charles D. Andrew ◽  
Duncan A. E. Cochran ◽  
Eleri Hughes ◽  
Simon Penel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Bonding ◽  
Hydrophobic Interactions ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Side Chain ◽  
Structure Stability ◽  
Helical Peptides ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Α Helix

Pauling first described the α-helix nearly 50 years ago, yet new features of its structure continue to be discovered, using peptide model systems, site-directed mutagenesis, advances in theory, the expansion of the Protein Data Bank and new experimental techniques. Helical peptides in solution form a vast number of structures, including fully helical, fully coiled and partly helical. To interpret peptide results quantitatively it is essential to use a helix/coil model that includes the stabilities of all these conformations. Our models now include terms for helix interiors, capping, side-chain interactions, N-termini and 310-helices. The first three amino acids in a helix (N1, N2 and N3) and the preceding N-cap are unique, as their amide NH groups do not participate in backbone hydrogen bonding. We surveyed their structures in proteins and measured their amino acid preferences. The results are predominantly rationalized by hydrogen bonding to the free NH groups. Stabilizing side-chain-side-chain energies, including hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding and polar/non-polar interactions, were measured accurately in helical peptides. Helices in proteins show a preference for having approximately an integral number of turns so that their N- and C-caps lie on the same side. There are also strong periodic trends in the likelihood of terminating a helix with a Schellman or αL C-cap motif. The kinetics of α-helix folding have been studied with stopped-flow deep ultraviolet circular dichroism using synchrotron radiation as the light source; this gives a far superior signal-to-noise ratio than a conventional instrument. We find that poly(Glu), poly(Lys) and alanine-based peptides fold in milliseconds, with longer peptides showing a transient overshoot in helix content.

scholarly journals BeStSel: From Secondary Structure Analysis to Protein Fold Prediction by Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy

2020 ◽  
pp. 175-189
Author(s):  
András Micsonai ◽  
Éva Bulyáki ◽  
József Kardos
Keyword(s):  
Circular Dichroism ◽  
Secondary Structure ◽  
Classical Method ◽  
Cd Spectroscopy ◽  
Protein Fold ◽  
Cd Spectra ◽  
Secondary Structure Analysis ◽  
Β Sheets ◽  
Α Helix ◽  
Circular Dichroïsm

Abstract Far-UV circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy is a classical method for the study of the secondary structure of polypeptides in solution. It has been the general view that the α-helix content can be estimated accurately from the CD spectra. However, the technique was less reliable to estimate the β-sheet contents as a consequence of the structural variety of the β-sheets, which is reflected in a large spectral diversity of the CD spectra of proteins containing this secondary structure component. By taking into account the parallel or antiparallel orientation and the twist of the β-sheets, the Beta Structure Selection (BeStSel) method provides an improved β-structure determination and its performance is more accurate for any of the secondary structure types compared to previous CD spectrum analysis algorithms. Moreover, BeStSel provides extra information on the orientation and twist of the β-sheets which is sufficient for the prediction of the protein fold. The advantage of CD spectroscopy is that it is a fast and inexpensive technique with easy data processing which can be used in a wide protein concentration range and under various buffer conditions. It is especially useful when the atomic resolution structure is not available, such as the case of protein aggregates, membrane proteins or natively disordered chains, for studying conformational transitions, testing the effect of the environmental conditions on the protein structure, for verifying the correct fold of recombinant proteins in every scientific fields working on proteins from basic protein science to biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. Here, we provide a brief step-by-step guide to record the CD spectra of proteins and their analysis with the BeStSel method.

scholarly journals Molecular determinants of KA1 domain-mediated autoinhibition and phospholipid activation of MARK1 kinase

2017 ◽  
Vol 474 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan P. Emptage ◽  
Mark A. Lemmon ◽  
Kathryn M. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Surface ◽  
Kinase Domain ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Anionic Phospholipid ◽  
Anionic Phospholipids ◽  
Disease States ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Regulatory Module ◽  
Correct Location ◽  
Mechanistic Basis

Protein kinases are frequently regulated by intramolecular autoinhibitory interactions between protein modules that are reversed when these modules bind other ‘activating’ protein or membrane-bound targets. One group of kinases, the MAP/microtubule affinity-regulating kinases (MARKs) contain a poorly understood regulatory module, the KA1 (kinase associated-1) domain, at their C-terminus. KA1 domains from MARK1 and several related kinases from yeast to humans have been shown to bind membranes containing anionic phospholipids, and peptide ligands have also been reported. Deleting or mutating the C-terminal KA1 domain has been reported to activate the kinase in which it is found — also suggesting an intramolecular autoinhibitory role. Here, we show that the KA1 domain of human MARK1 interacts with, and inhibits, the MARK1 kinase domain. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we identify residues in the KA1 domain required for this autoinhibitory activity, and find that residues involved in autoinhibition and in anionic phospholipid binding are the same. We also demonstrate that a ‘mini’ MARK1 becomes activated upon association with vesicles containing anionic phospholipids, but only if the protein is targeted to these vesicles by a second signal. These studies provide a mechanistic basis for understanding how MARK1 and its relatives may require more than one signal at the membrane surface to control their activation at the correct location and time. MARK family kinases have been implicated in a plethora of disease states including Alzheimer's, cancer, and autism, so advancing our understanding of their regulatory mechanisms may ultimately have therapeutic value.

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