scholarly journals Computational redesign of the lipid-facing surface of the outer membrane protein OmpA

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (31) ◽  
pp. 9632-9637 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Stapleton ◽  
Timothy A. Whitehead ◽  
Vikas Nanda
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Cell Membrane ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Computational Design ◽  
Residue Level ◽  
Membrane Insertion ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Design Rules

Advances in computational design methods have made possible extensive engineering of soluble proteins, but designed β-barrel membrane proteins await improvements in our understanding of the sequence determinants of folding and stability. A subset of the amino acid residues of membrane proteins interact with the cell membrane, and the design rules that govern this lipid-facing surface are poorly understood. We applied a residue-level depth potential for β-barrel membrane proteins to the complete redesign of the lipid-facing surface ofEscherichia coliOmpA. Initial designs failed to fold correctly, but reversion of a small number of mutations indicated by backcross experiments yielded designs with substitutions to up to 60% of the surface that did support folding and membrane insertion.

scholarly journals Membrane Protein Degradation by FtsH Can Be Initiated from Either End

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (17) ◽  
pp. 4775-4782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinobu Chiba ◽  
Yoshinori Akiyama ◽  
Koreaki Ito
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Exact Sequence ◽  
Integral Membrane Proteins ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Aaa Atpase ◽  
Membrane Bound ◽  
Periplasmic Domain

ABSTRACT FtsH, a membrane-bound metalloprotease, with cytoplasmic metalloprotease and AAA ATPase domains, degrades both soluble and integral membrane proteins in Escherichia coli. In this paper we investigated how membrane-embedded substrates are recognized by this enzyme. We showed previously that FtsH can initiate processive proteolysis at an N-terminal cytosolic tail of a membrane protein, by recognizing its length (more than 20 amino acid residues) but not exact sequence. Subsequent proteolysis should involve dislocation of the substrates into the cytosol. We now show that this enzyme can also initiate proteolysis at a C-terminal cytosolic tail and that the initiation efficiency depends on the length of the tail. This mode of degradation also appeared to be processive, which can be aborted by a tightly folded periplasmic domain. These results indicate that FtsH can exhibit processivity against membrane-embedded substrates in either the N-to-C or C-to-N direction. Our results also suggest that some membrane proteins receive bidirectional degradation simultaneously. These results raise intriguing questions about the molecular directionality of the dislocation and proteolysis catalyzed by FtsH.

scholarly journals Protein structure prediction and design in a biologically-realistic implicit membrane

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca F. Alford ◽  
Patrick J. Fleming ◽  
Karen G. Fleming ◽  
Jeffrey J. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Protein Structure ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Protein Structure Prediction ◽  
Protein Design ◽  
Structure Prediction ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Computational Design ◽  
Amino Acid Distribution

ABSTRACTProtein design is a powerful tool for elucidating mechanisms of function and engineering new therapeutics and nanotechnologies. While soluble protein design has advanced, membrane protein design remains challenging due to difficulties in modeling the lipid bilayer. In this work, we developed an implicit approach that captures the anisotropic structure, shape of water-filled pores, and nanoscale dimensions of membranes with different lipid compositions. The model improves performance in computational bench-marks against experimental targets including prediction of protein orientations in the bilayer, ΔΔG calculations, native structure dis-crimination, and native sequence recovery. When applied to de novo protein design, this approach designs sequences with an amino acid distribution near the native amino acid distribution in membrane proteins, overcoming a critical flaw in previous membrane models that were prone to generating leucine-rich designs. Further, the proteins designed in the new membrane model exhibit native-like features including interfacial aromatic side chains, hydrophobic lengths compatible with bilayer thickness, and polar pores. Our method advances high-resolution membrane protein structure prediction and design toward tackling key biological questions and engineering challenges.Significance StatementMembrane proteins participate in many life processes including transport, signaling, and catalysis. They constitute over 30% of all proteins and are targets for over 60% of pharmaceuticals. Computational design tools for membrane proteins will transform the interrogation of basic science questions such as membrane protein thermodynamics and the pipeline for engineering new therapeutics and nanotechnologies. Existing tools are either too expensive to compute or rely on manual design strategies. In this work, we developed a fast and accurate method for membrane protein design. The tool is available to the public and will accelerate the experimental design pipeline for membrane proteins.

scholarly journals Structural and Functional Roles of the Surface-Exposed Loops of the β-Barrel Membrane Protein OmpA fromEscherichia coli

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (12) ◽  
pp. 3688-3694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Koebnik
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Protein Domain ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Ompa Protein

ABSTRACT The N-terminal domain of the OmpA protein from Escherichia coli, consisting of 170 amino acid residues, is embedded in the outer membrane, in the form of an antiparallel β-barrel whose eight transmembrane β-strands are connected by three short periplasmic turns and four relatively large surface-exposed hydrophilic loops. This protein domain serves as a paradigm for the study of membrane assembly of integral β-structured membrane proteins. In order to dissect the structural and functional roles of the surface-exposed loops, they were shortened separately and in all possible combinations. All 16 loop deletion mutants assembled into the outer membrane with high efficiency and adopted the wild-type membrane topology. This systematic approach proves the absence of topogenic signals (e.g., in the form of loop sizes or charge distributions) in these loops. The shortening of surface-exposed loops did not reduce the thermal stability of the protein. However, none of the mutant proteins, with the exception of the variant with the fourth loop shortened, served as a receptor for the OmpA-specific bacteriophage K3. Furthermore, all loops were necessary for the OmpA protein to function in the stabilization of mating aggregates during F conjugation. An OmpA deletion variant with all four loops shortened, consisting of only 135 amino acid residues, constitutes the smallest β-structured integral membrane protein known to date. These results represent a further step toward the development of artificial outer membrane proteins.

scholarly journals Unbalanced Charge Distribution as a Determinant for Dependence of a Subset of Escherichia coli Membrane Proteins on the Membrane Insertase YidC

mBio ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew N. Gray ◽  
Josephine M. Henderson-Frost ◽  
Dana Boyd ◽  
Shirin Shirafi ◽  
Hironori Niki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Charge Distribution ◽  
Biological Membranes ◽  
Membrane Insertion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Cell Processes ◽  
A Charge

ABSTRACTMembrane proteins are involved in numerous essential cell processes, including transport, gene regulation, motility, and metabolism. To function properly, they must be inserted into the membrane and folded correctly. YidC, an essential protein inEscherichia coliwith homologues in other bacteria,Archaea, mitochondria, and chloroplasts, functions by incompletely understood mechanisms in the insertion and folding of certain membrane proteins. Using a genome-scale approach, we identified 69E. colimembrane proteins that, in the absence of YidC, exhibited aberrant localization by microscopy. Further examination of a subset revealed biochemical defects in membrane insertion in the absence of YidC, indicating their dependence on YidC for proper membrane insertion or folding. Membrane proteins possessing an unfavorable distribution of positively charged residues were significantly more likely to depend on YidC for membrane insertion. Correcting the charge distribution of a charge-unbalanced YidC-dependent membrane protein abrogated its requirement for YidC, while perturbing the charge distribution of a charge-balanced YidC-independent membrane protein rendered it YidC dependent, demonstrating that charge distribution can be a necessary and sufficient determinant of YidC dependence. These findings provide insights into a mechanism by which YidC promotes proper membrane protein biogenesis and suggest a critical function of YidC in all organisms and organelles that express it.IMPORTANCEBiological membranes are fundamental components of cells, providing barriers that enclose the cell and separate compartments. Proteins inserted into biological membranes serve critical functions in molecular transport, molecular partitioning, and other essential cell processes. The mechanisms involved in the insertion of proteins into membranes, however, are incompletely understood. The YidC protein is critical for the insertion of a subset of proteins into membranes across an evolutionarily wide group of organisms. Here we identify a large group of proteins that depend on YidC for membrane insertion inEscherichia coli, and we identify unfavorable distribution of charge as an important determinant of YidC dependence for proper membrane insertion.

scholarly journals Signal and membrane anchor functions overlap in the type II membrane protein I gamma CAT.

1988 ◽  
Vol 106 (6) ◽  
pp. 1813-1820 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Lipp ◽  
B Dobberstein
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Signal Peptidase ◽  
Membrane Insertion ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Mutant Proteins ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Signal Anchor ◽  
Type Ii Membrane Protein

I gamma CAT is a hybrid protein that inserts into the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum as a type II membrane protein. These proteins span the membrane once and expose the NH2-terminal end on the cytoplasmic side and the COOH terminus on the exoplasmic side. I gamma CAT has a single hydrophobic segment of 30 amino acid residues that functions as a signal for membrane insertion and anchoring. The signal-anchor region in I gamma CAT was analyzed by deletion mutagenesis from its COOH-terminal end (delta C mutants). The results show that the 13 amino acid residues on the amino-terminal side of the hydrophobic segment are not sufficient for membrane insertion and translocation. Mutant proteins with at least 16 of the hydrophobic residues are inserted into the membrane, glycosylated, and partially proteolytically processed by a microsomal protease (signal peptidase). The degree of processing varies between different delta C mutants. Mutant proteins retaining 20 or more of the hydrophobic amino acid residues can span the membrane like the parent I gamma CAT protein and are not proteolytically processed. Our data suggest that in the type II membrane protein I gamma CAT, the signals for membrane insertion and anchoring are overlapping and that hydrophilic amino acid residues at the COOH-terminal end of the hydrophobic segment can influence cleavage by signal peptidase. From this and previous work, we conclude that the function of the signal-anchor sequence in I gamma CAT is determined by three segments: a positively charged NH2 terminus, a hydrophobic core of at least 16 amino acid residues, and the COOH-terminal flanking hydrophilic segment.

Expression and partial purification of human pro-opiomelanocortin in Escherichia coli

1989 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. S. Grewal ◽  
P. J. Lowry ◽  
D. Savva
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Western Blot ◽  
Blot Analysis ◽  
Expression Vectors ◽  
Partial Purification ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Dna Fragment

ABSTRACT A large portion of the human pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) peptide corresponding to amino acid residues 59–241 has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. A 1·0 kb DNA fragment encoding this peptide was cloned into the expression vectors pUC8 and pUR291. Plasmid pJMBG51 (a pUC8 recombinant) was found to direct the expression of a 24 kDa peptide. The recombinant pUR291 (pJMBG52) was shown to produce a β-galactosidase fusion protein of 140 kDa. Western blot analysis showed that both the 24 kDa and 140 kDa peptides are recognized by antibodies raised against POMC-derived peptides. The β-galactosidase fusion protein has been partially purified from crude E. coli cell lysates using affinity chromatography on p-aminobenzyl-1-thio-β-d-galactopyranoside agarose.

scholarly journals NCU-G1 is a highly glycosylated integral membrane protein of the lysosome

2009 ◽  
Vol 422 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Schieweck ◽  
Markus Damme ◽  
Bernd Schröder ◽  
Andrej Hasilik ◽  
Bernhard Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Mouse Liver ◽  
Lysosomal Membrane ◽  
Molecular Forms ◽  
Type I ◽  
Calculated Molecular Mass ◽  
Sorting Motif ◽  
Lysosomal Membrane Proteins

Until recently, a modest number of approx. 40 lysosomal membrane proteins had been identified and even fewer were characterized in their function. In a proteomic study, using lysosomal membranes from human placenta we identified several candidate lysosomal membrane proteins and proved the lysosomal localization of two of them. In the present study, we demonstrate the lysosomal localization of the mouse orthologue of the human C1orf85 protein, which has been termed kidney-predominant protein NCU-G1 (GenBank® accession number: AB027141). NCU-G1 encodes a 404 amino acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 39 kDa. The bioinformatics analysis of its amino acid sequence suggests it is a type I transmembrane protein containing a single tyrosine-based consensus lysosomal sorting motif at position 400 within the 12-residue C-terminal tail. Its lysosomal localization was confirmed using immunofluorescence with a C-terminally His-tagged NCU-G1 and the lysosomal marker LAMP-1 (lysosome-associated membrane protein-1) as a reference, and by subcellular fractionation of mouse liver after a tyloxapol-induced density shift of the lysosomal fraction using an anti-NCU-G1 antiserum. In transiently transfected HT1080 and HeLa cells, the His-tagged NCU-G1 was detected in two molecular forms with apparent protein sizes of 70 and 80 kDa, and in mouse liver the endogenous wild-type NCU-G1 was detected as a 75 kDa protein. The remarkable difference between the apparent and the calculated molecular masses of NCU-G1 was shown, by digesting the protein with N-glycosidase F, to be due to an extensive glycosylation. The lysosomal localization was impaired by mutational replacement of an alanine residue for the tyrosine residue within the putative sorting motif.

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