scholarly journals A macroscopic H+and Cl−ions pump via reconstitution of EcClC membrane proteins in lipidic cubic mesophases

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (27) ◽  
pp. 7491-7496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Speziale ◽  
Livia Salvati Manni ◽  
Cristina Manatschal ◽  
Ehud M. Landau ◽  
Raffaele Mezzenga
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Protein Crystallization ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
General Strategy ◽  
External Bias ◽  
Selective Membrane ◽  
A Charge

Functional reconstitution of membrane proteins within lipid bilayers is crucial for understanding their biological function in living cells. While this strategy has been extensively used with liposomes, reconstitution of membrane proteins in lipidic cubic mesophases presents significant challenges related to the structural complexity of the lipid bilayer, organized on saddle-like minimal surfaces. Although reconstitution of membrane proteins in lipidic cubic mesophases plays a prominent role in membrane protein crystallization, nanotechnology, controlled drug delivery, and pathology of diseased cells, little is known about the molecular mechanism of protein reconstitution and about how transport properties of the doped mesophase mirror the original molecular gating features of the reconstituted membrane proteins. In this work we design a general strategy to demonstrate correct functional reconstitution of active and selective membrane protein transporters in lipidic mesophases, exemplified by the bacterial ClC exchanger fromEscherichia coli(EcClC) as a model ion transporter. We show that its correct reconstitution in the lipidic matrix can be used to generate macroscopic proton and chloride pumps capable of selectively transporting charges over the length scale of centimeters. By further exploiting the coupled chloride/proton exchange of this membrane protein and by combining parallel or antiparallel chloride and proton gradients, we show that the doped mesophase can operate as a charge separation device relying only on the reconstituted EcClC protein and an external bias potential. These results may thus also pave the way to possible applications in supercapacitors, ion batteries, and molecular pumps.

Mutations in transmembrane proteins: diseases, evolutionary insights, prediction and comparison with globular proteins

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Zaucha ◽  
Michael Heinzinger ◽  
A Kulandaisamy ◽  
Evans Kataka ◽  
Óscar Llorian Salvádor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Evolutionary Information ◽  
Missense Variants ◽  
Current State ◽  
Aqueous Environments

Abstract Membrane proteins are unique in that they interact with lipid bilayers, making them indispensable for transporting molecules and relaying signals between and across cells. Due to the significance of the protein’s functions, mutations often have profound effects on the fitness of the host. This is apparent both from experimental studies, which implicated numerous missense variants in diseases, as well as from evolutionary signals that allow elucidating the physicochemical constraints that intermembrane and aqueous environments bring. In this review, we report on the current state of knowledge acquired on missense variants (referred to as to single amino acid variants) affecting membrane proteins as well as the insights that can be extrapolated from data already available. This includes an overview of the annotations for membrane protein variants that have been collated within databases dedicated to the topic, bioinformatics approaches that leverage evolutionary information in order to shed light on previously uncharacterized membrane protein structures or interaction interfaces, tools for predicting the effects of mutations tailored specifically towards the characteristics of membrane proteins as well as two clinically relevant case studies explaining the implications of mutated membrane proteins in cancer and cardiomyopathy.

scholarly journals Evidence for Membrane Complex Assembly in Nanoelectrospray Generated Lipid Bilayers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Wilm
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Layered Structure ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Complex Assembly ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Detergent Extraction ◽  
Membrane Protein Complexes

1.AbstractNanoelectrospray can be used to generate a layered structure consisting of bipolar lipids, detergent-solubilized membrane proteins, and glycerol that self-assembles upon detergent extraction into one extended layer of a protein containing membrane. This manuscript presents the first evidence that this method might allow membrane protein complexes to assemble in this process.

scholarly journals An automated platform for structural analysis of membrane proteins through serial crystallography

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D Healey ◽  
Shibom Basu ◽  
Anne-Sophie Humm ◽  
Cedric Leyrat ◽  
Xiaojing Cong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Protein Crystallization ◽  
Integral Membrane Protein ◽  
Structural Level ◽  
Ligand Discovery ◽  
Serial Crystallography ◽  
Automated Platform

Membrane proteins are central to many pathophysiological processes yet remain very difficult to analyze at a structural level. Moreover, high-throughput structure-based drug discovery has not yet been exploited for membrane proteins due to lack of automation. Here, we present a facile and versatile platform for in meso membrane protein crystallization, enabling rapid atomic structure determination at both cryogenic and room temperature and in a single support. We apply this approach to two human integral membrane proteins, which allowed us to capture different conformational states of intramembrane enzyme-product complexes and analyze the structural dynamics of the ADIPOR2 integral membrane protein. Finally, we demonstrate an automated pipeline combining high-throughput microcrystal soaking, automated laser-based harvesting and serial crystallography enabling screening of small molecule libraries with membrane protein crystals grown in meso. This approach brings badly needed automation for this important class of drug targets and enables high-throughput structure-based ligand discovery with membrane proteins.

scholarly journals Tryptophan, an Amino-Acid Endowed with Unique Properties and Its Many Roles in Membrane Proteins

Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1032
Author(s):  
Sonia Khemaissa ◽  
Sandrine Sagan ◽  
Astrid Walrant
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Hydrogen Bonds ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Noncovalent Interactions ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Protein Stabilization ◽  
Physico Chemical

Tryptophan is an aromatic amino acid with unique physico-chemical properties. It is often encountered in membrane proteins, especially at the level of the water/bilayer interface. It plays a role in membrane protein stabilization, anchoring and orientation in lipid bilayers. It has a hydrophobic character but can also engage in many types of interactions, such as π–cation or hydrogen bonds. In this review, we give an overview of the role of tryptophan in membrane proteins and a more detailed description of the underlying noncovalent interactions it can engage in with membrane partners.

scholarly journals Be Cautious with Crystal Structures of Membrane Proteins or Complexes Prepared in Detergents

Crystals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youzhong Guo
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Crystal Structures ◽  
Structure Determination ◽  
Protein Crystallization ◽  
Energy Coupling ◽  
Careful Examination ◽  
Cubic Phase ◽  
Native Cell ◽  
Membrane Protein Crystallization

Membrane proteins are an important class of macromolecules found in all living organisms and many of them serve as important drug targets. In order to understand their biological and biochemical functions and to exploit them for structure-based drug design, high-resolution and accurate structures of membrane proteins are needed, but are still rarely available, e.g., predominantly from X-ray crystallography, and more recently from single particle cryo-EM — an increasingly powerful tool for membrane protein structure determination. However, while protein-lipid interactions play crucial roles for the structural and functional integrity of membrane proteins, for historical reasons and due to technological limitations, until recently, the primary method for membrane protein crystallization has relied on detergents. Bicelle and lipid cubic phase (LCP) methods have also been used for membrane protein crystallization, but the first step requires detergent extraction of the protein from its native cell membrane. The resulting, crystal structures have been occasionally questioned, but such concerns were generally dismissed as accidents or ignored. However, even a hint of controversy indicates that methodological drawbacks in such structural research may exist. In the absence of caution, structures determined using these methods are often assumed to be correct, which has led to surprising hypotheses for their mechanisms of action. In this communication, several examples of structural studies on membrane proteins or complexes will be discussed: Resistance-Nodulation-Division (RND) family transporters, microbial rhodopsins, Tryptophan-rich Sensory Proteins (TSPO), and Energy-Coupling Factor (ECF) type ABC transporters. These analyses should focus the attention of membrane protein structural biologists on the potential problems in structure determination relying on detergent-based methods. Furthermore, careful examination of membrane proteins in their native cell environments by biochemical and biophysical techniques is warranted, and completely detergent-free systems for membrane protein research are crucially needed.

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.

Nano-volume plates with excellent optical properties for fast, inexpensive crystallization screening of membrane proteins

2003 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1372-1377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vadim Cherezov ◽  
Martin Caffrey
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Protein Crystallization ◽  
Batch Crystallization ◽  
Membrane Protein Crystallization ◽  
Crystallization Trial

A simple convenient and low-cost glass-based plate for high-throughput screening of membrane protein crystallization is described. The plates are robust and reduce dramatically the amount of protein and precipitant solution used per crystallization trial, while offering excellent optical properties for the detection of micro-crystals and crystals of colorless proteins. The plates were developed primarily for crystallization of membrane proteins in lipidic mesophases. They can also be used in batch crystallization of soluble and membrane proteins.

Exploration of interactions between membrane proteins embedded in supported lipid bilayers and their antibodies by reflectometric interference spectroscopy-based sensing

The Analyst ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 139 (22) ◽  
pp. 6016-6021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshikazu Kurihara ◽  
Tsuneo Sawazumi ◽  
Toshifumi Takeuchi
Keyword(s):  
Multidrug Resistance ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Model Membrane ◽  
Supported Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Reflectometric Interference Spectroscopy

A microfluidic reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS)-based sensor was fabricated to investigate the activity of multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1), applied as a model membrane protein.

scholarly journals Occupancy distributions of membrane proteins in heterogeneous liposome populations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Cliff ◽  
Rahul Chadda ◽  
Janice L. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Skewed Distribution ◽  
Liposome Size ◽  
Protein Incorporation ◽  
Size Heterogeneity ◽  
The Right ◽  
And Function

AbstractMeasurements of membrane protein structure and function often rely on reconstituting the protein into lipid bilayers through the formation of liposomes. Many measurements conducted in proteoliposomes, e.g. transport rates, single-molecule dynamics, monomer-oligomer equilibrium, require some understanding of the occupancy statistics of the liposome population for correct interpretation of the results. In homogenous liposomes, this is easy to calculate as the act of protein incorporation can be described by the Poisson distribution. However, in reality, liposomes are heterogeneous, which alters the statistics of occupancy in several ways. Here, we determine the liposome occupancy distribution for membrane protein reconstitution while taking into account liposome size heterogeneity. We calculate the protein occupancy for a homogenous population of liposomes with radius r = 200 nm, representing an idealization of vesicles extruded through 400 nm pores and compare it to the right-skewed distribution of 400 nm 2:1 POPE:POPG vesicles. As is the case for E. coli polar lipids, this synthetic composition yields a sub-population of small liposomes, ∼25 nm in radius with a long tail of larger vesicles. Previously published microscopy data of the co-localization of the CLC-ec1 Cl-/H+ transporter with liposomes, and vesicle occupancy measurements using functional transport assays, shows agreement with the heterogeneous 2:1 POPE:POPG population. Next, distributions of 100 nm and 30 nm extruded 2:1 POPE:POPG liposomes are measured by cryo-electron microscopy, demonstrating that extrusion through smaller pores does not shift the peak, but reduces polydispersity arising from large liposomes. Single-molecule photobleaching analysis of CLC-ec1-Cy5 shows the 30 nm extruded population increases the ‘Poisson-dilution’ range, reducing the probability of vesicles with more than one protein at higher protein/lipid densities. These results demonstrate that the occupancy distributions of membrane proteins into vesicles can be accurately predicted in heterogeneous populations with experimental knowledge of the liposome size distribution.

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