Transverse relaxation-optimized NMR spectroscopy with the outer membrane protein OmpX in dihexanoyl phosphatidylcholine micelles

The 2H,13C,15N-labeled, 148-residue integral membrane protein OmpX from Escherichia coli was reconstituted with dihexanoyl phosphatidylcholine (DHPC) in mixed micelles of molecular mass of about 60 kDa. Transverse relaxation-optimized spectroscopy (TROSY)-type triple resonance NMR experiments and TROSY-type nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectra were recorded in 2 mM aqueous solutions of these mixed micelles at pH 6.8 and 30°C. Complete sequence-specific NMR assignments for the polypeptide backbone thus have been obtained. The 13C chemical shifts and the nuclear Overhauser effect data then resulted in the identification of the regular secondary structure elements of OmpX/DHPC in solution and in the collection of an input of conformational constraints for the computation of the global fold of the protein. The same type of polypeptide backbone fold is observed in the presently determined solution structure and the previously reported crystal structure of OmpX determined in the presence of the detergent n-octyltetraoxyethylene. Further structure refinement will have to rely on the additional resonance assignment of partially or fully protonated amino acid side chains, but the present data already demonstrate that relaxation-optimized NMR techniques open novel avenues for studies of structure and function of integral membrane proteins.

Solution structure of the antiapoptotic protein bcl-2

The structures of two isoforms of Bcl-2 that differ by two amino acids have been determined by NMR spectroscopy. Because wild-type Bcl-2 behaved poorly in solution, the structures were determined by using Bcl-2/Bcl-xL chimeras in which part of the putative unstructured loop of Bcl-2 was replaced with a shortened loop from Bcl-xL. These chimeric proteins have a low pI compared with the wild-type protein and are soluble. The structures of the two Bcl-2 isoforms consist of 6 α-helices with a hydrophobic groove on the surface similar to that observed for the homologous protein, Bcl-xL. Comparison of the Bcl-2 structures to that of Bcl-xL shows that although the overall fold is the same, there are differences in the structural topology and electrostatic potential of the binding groove. Although the structures of the two isoforms of Bcl-2 are virtually identical, differences were observed in the ability of the proteins to bind to a 25-residue peptide from the proapoptotic Bad protein and a 16-residue peptide from the proapoptotic Bak protein. These results suggest that there are subtle differences in the hydrophobic binding groove in Bcl-2 that may translate into differences in antiapoptotic activity for the two isoforms.

Solution structure of the A loop of 23S ribosomal RNA

The A loop is an essential RNA component of the ribosome peptidyltransferase center that directly interacts with aminoacyl (A)-site tRNA. The A loop is highly conserved and contains a ubiquitous 2′-O-methyl ribose modification at position U2552. Here, we present the solution structure of a modified and unmodified A-loop RNA to define both the A-loop fold and the structural impact of the U2552 modification. Solution data reveal that the A-loop RNA has a compact structure that includes a noncanonical base pair between C2556 and U2552. NMR evidence is presented that the N3 position of C2556 has a shifted pKa and that protonation at C2556-N3 changes the C-U pair geometry. Our data indicate that U2552 methylation modifies the A-loop fold, in particular the dynamics and position of residues C2556 and U2555. We compare our structural data with the structure of the A loop observed in a recent 50S crystal structure [Ban, N., Nissen, P., Hansen, J., Moore, P. B. & Steitz, T. A. (2000) Science 289, 905–920; Nissen, P., Hansen, J., Ban, N., Moore, P. B. & Steitz, T. A. (2000) Science 289, 920–930]. The solution and crystal structures of the A loop are dramatically different, suggesting that a structural rearrangement of the A loop must occur on docking into the peptidyltransferase center. Possible roles of this docking event, the shifted pKa of C2556 and the U2552 2′-O-methylation in the mechanism of translation, are discussed.

A β-hairpin structure in a 13-mer peptide that binds α-bungarotoxin with high affinity and neutralizes its toxicity

Snake-venom α-bungarotoxin is a member of the α-neurotoxin family that binds with very high affinity to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) at the neuromuscular junction. The structure of the complex between α-bungarotoxin and a 13-mer peptide (WRYYESSLEPYPD) that binds the toxin with high affinity, thus inhibiting its interactions with AChR with an IC50 of 2 nM, has been solved by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The bound peptide folds into a β-hairpin structure created by two antiparallel β-strands, which combine with the already existing triple-stranded β-sheet of the toxin to form a five-stranded intermolecular, antiparallel β-sheet. Peptide residues Y3P, E5P, and L8P have the highest intermolecular contact area, indicating their importance in the binding of α-bungarotoxin; W1P, R2P, and Y4P also contribute significantly to the binding. A large number of characteristic hydrogen bonds and electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions are observed in the complex. The high-affinity peptide exhibits inhibitory potency that is better than any known peptide derived from AChR, and is equal to that of the whole α-subunit of AChR. The high degree of sequence similarity between the peptide and various types of AChRs implies that the binding mode found within the complex might possibly mimic the receptor binding to the toxin. The design of the high-affinity peptide was based on our previous findings: (i) the detection of a lead peptide (MRYYESSLKSYPD) that binds α-bungarotoxin, using a phage-display peptide library, (ii) the information about the three-dimensional structure of α-bungarotoxin/lead-peptide complex, and (iii) the amino acid sequence analysis of different AChRs.

Interplay of structure and disorder in cochaperonin mobile loops.

Protein-protein interactions typically are characterized by highly specific interfaces that mediate binding with precisely tuned affinities. Binding of the Escherichia coli cochaperonin GroES to chaperonin GroEL is mediated, at least in part, by a mobile polypeptide loop in GroES that becomes immobilized in the GroEL/GroES/nucleotide complex. The bacteriophage T4 cochaperonin Gp31 possesses a similar highly flexible polypeptide loop in a region of the protein that shows low, but significant, amino acid similarity with GroES and other cochaperonins. When bound to GroEL, a synthetic peptide representing the mobile loop of either GroES or Gp31 adopts a characteristic bulged hairpin conformation as determined by transferred nuclear Overhauser effects in NMR spectra. Thermodynamic considerations suggest that flexible disorder in the cochaperonin mobile loops moderates their affinity for GroEL to facilitate cycles of chaperonin-mediated protein folding.

Initiation sites of protein folding by NMR analysis.

Detailed characterization of denatured states of proteins is necessary to understand the interactions that funnel the large number of possible conformations along fast routes for folding. Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments based on the nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) detect hydrogen atoms close in space and provide information about local structure. Here we present an NMR procedure that detects almost all sequential NOEs between amide hydrogen atoms (HN-HN NOE), including those in random coil regions in a protein, barnase, in urea solutions. A semi-quantitative analysis of these HN-HN NOEs identified partly structured regions that are in remarkable agreement with those found to form early on the reaction pathway. Our results strongly suggest that the folding of barnase initiates at the first helix and the beta-turn between the third and the fourth strands. This strategy of defining residual structure has also worked for cold-denatured barstar and guanidinium hydrochloride-denatured chymotrypsin inhibitor 2 and so should be generally applicable.

Elongation factor TFIIS contains three structural domains: solution structure of domain II.

Transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II is regulated by the general elongation factor TFIIS. This factor stimulates RNA polymerase II to transcribe through regions of DNA that promote the formation of stalled ternary complexes. Limited proteolytic digestion showed that yeast TFIIS is composed of three structural domains, termed I, II, and III. The two C-terminal domains (II and III) are required for transcription activity. The structure of domain III has been solved previously by using NMR spectroscopy. Here, we report the NMR-derived structure of domain II: a three-helix bundle built around a hydrophobic core composed largely of three tyrosines protruding from one face of the C-terminal helix. The arrangement of known inactivating mutations of TFIIS suggests that two surfaces of domain II are critical for transcription activity.

The solution structure of the Raf-1 cysteine-rich domain: a novel ras and phospholipid binding site.

The Raf-1 protein kinase is the best-characterized downstream effector of activated Ras. Interaction with Ras leads to Raf-1 activation and results in transduction of cell growth and differentiation signals. The details of Raf-1 activation are unclear, but our characterization of a second Ras-binding site in the cysteine-rich domain (CRD) and the involvement of both Ras-binding sites in effective Raf-1-mediated transformation provides insight into the molecular aspects and consequences of Ras-Raf interactions. The Raf-1 CRD is a member of an emerging family of domains, many of which are found within signal transducing proteins. Several contain binding sites for diacylglycerol (or phorbol esters) and phosphatidylserine and are believed to play a role in membrane translocation and enzyme activation. The CRD from Raf-1 does not bind diacylglycerol but interacts with Ras and phosphatidylserine. To investigate the ligand-binding specificities associated with CRDs, we have determined the solution structure of the Raf-1 CRD using heteronuclear multidimensional NMR. We show that there are differences between this structure and the structures of two related domains from protein kinase C (PKC). The differences are confined to regions of the CRDs involved in binding phorbol ester in the PKC domains. Since phosphatidylserine is a common ligand, we expect its binding site to be located in regions where the structures of the Raf-1 and PKC domains are similar. The structure of the Raf-1 CRD represents an example of this family of domains that does not bind diacylglycerol and provides a framework for investigating its interactions with other molecules.

Nuclear magnetic dipole interactions in field-oriented proteins: information for structure determination in solution.

The measurement of dipolar contributions to the splitting of 15N resonances of 1H-15N amide pairs in multidimensional high-field NMR spectra of field-oriented cyanometmyoglobin is reported. The splittings appear as small field-dependent perturbations of normal scalar couplings. Assignment of more than 90 resonances to specific sequential sites in the protein allows correlation of the dipolar contributions with predictions based on the known susceptibility and known structure of the protein. Implications as an additional source of information for protein structure determination in solution are discussed.

Stopped-flow NMR spectroscopy: real-time unfolding studies of 6-19F-tryptophan-labeled Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase.

Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR; EC 1.5.1.3) contains five tryptophan residues that have been replaced with 6-19F-tryptophan. The 19F NMR assignments are known in the native, unliganded form and the unfolded form. We have used these assignments with stopped-flow 19F NMR spectroscopy to investigate the behavior of specific regions of the protein in real time during urea-induced unfolding. The NMR data show that within 1.5 sec most of the intensities of the native 19F resonances of the protein are lost but only a fraction (approximately 20%) of the intensities of the unfolded resonances appears. We postulate that the early disappearance of the native resonances indicates that most of the protein rapidly forms an intermediate in which the side chains have considerable mobility. Stopped-flow far-UV circular dichroism measurements indicate that this intermediate retains native-like secondary structure. Eighty percent of the intensities of the NMR resonances assigned to the individual tryptophans in the unfolded state appear with similar rate constants (k approximately 0.14 sec-1), consistent with the major phase of unfolding observed by stopped-flow circular dichroism (representing 80% of total amplitude). These data imply that after formation of the intermediate, which appears to represent an expanded structural form, all regions of the protein unfold at the same rate. Stopped-flow measurements of the fluorescence and circular dichroism changes associated with the urea-induced unfolding show a fast phase (half-time of about 1 sec) representing 20% of the total amplitude in addition to the slow phase mentioned above. The NMR data show that approximately 20% of the total intensity for each of the unfolded tryptophan resonances is present at 1.5 sec, indicating that these two phases may represent the complete unfolding of the two different populations of the native protein.

One sequence, two folds: a metastable structure of CD2.

When expressed as part of a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein the NH2-terminal domain of the lymphocyte cell adhesion molecule CD2 is shown to adopt two different folds. The immunoglobulin superfamily structure of the major (85%) monomeric component has previously been determined by both x-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. We now describe the structure of a second, dimeric, form present in about 15% of recombinant CD2 molecules. After denaturation and refolding in the absence of the fusion partner, dimeric CD2 is converted to monomer, illustrating that the dimeric form represents a metastable folded state. The crystal structure of this dimeric form, refined to 2.0-A resolution, reveals two domains with overall similarity to the IgSF fold found in the monomer. However, in the dimer each domain is formed by the intercalation of two polypeptide chains. Hence each domain represents a distinct folding unit that can assemble in two different ways. In the dimer the two domains fold around a hydrophilic interface believed to mimic the cell adhesion interaction at the cell surface, and the formation of dimer can be regulated by mutating single residues at this interface. This unusual misfolded form of the protein, which appears to result from inter- rather than intramolecular interactions being favored by an intermediate structure formed during the folding process, illustrates that evolution of protein oligomers is possible from the sequence for a single protein domain.

Crystal and molecular structure of paclitaxel (taxol).

Paclitaxel (formerly called taxol), an important anticancer drug, inhibits cell replication by binding to and stabilizing microtubule polymers. As drug-receptor interactions are governed by the three-dimensional stereochemistries of both participants, we have determined the crystal structure of paclitaxel to identify its conformational preferences that may be related to biological activity. The monoclinic crystals contain two independent paclitaxel molecules in the asymmetric unit plus several water and dioxane solvent molecules. Taxane ring conformation is very similar in both paclitaxel molecules and is similar to the taxane ring conformation found in the crystal structure of the paclitaxel analogue docetaxel (formerly called taxotere). The two paclitaxel molecules have carbon-13 side-chain conformations that differ from each other and from that of the corresponding side chain in the docetaxel crystal structure. The carbon-13 side-chain conformation of one paclitaxel molecule is similar to what was proposed from NMR studies done in polar solvents, while that of the other paclitaxel molecule is different and hitherto unobserved. The paclitaxel molecules interact with each other and with solvent atoms through an extensive network of hydrogen bonds. Analysis of the hydrogen-bonding network together with structure-activity studies may suggest which atoms of paclitaxel are important for binding to microtubule receptors.

Three-dimensional structure of a cysteine-rich repeat from the low-density lipoprotein receptor.

The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor plays a central role in mammalian cholesterol metabolism, clearing lipoproteins which bear apolipoproteins E and B-100 from plasma. Mutations in this molecule are associated with familial hypercholesterolemia, a condition which leads to an elevated plasma cholesterol concentration and accelerated atherosclerosis. The N-terminal segment of the LDL receptor contains a heptad of cysteine-rich repeats that bind the lipoproteins. Similar repeats are present in related receptors, including the very low-density lipoprotein receptor and the LDL receptor-related protein/alpha 2-macroglobulin receptor, and in proteins which are functionally unrelated, such as the C9 component of complement. The first repeat of the human LDL receptor has been expressed in Escherichia coli as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein, and the cleaved and purified receptor module has been shown to fold to a single, fully oxidized form that is recognized by the monoclonal antibody IgG-C7 in the presence of calcium ions. The three-dimensional structure of this module has been determined by two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and shown to consist of a beta-hairpin structure, followed by a series of beta turns. Many of the side chains of the acidic residues, including the highly conserved Ser-Asp-Glu triad, are clustered on one face of the module. To our knowledge, this structure has not previously been described in any other protein and may represent a structural paradigm both for the other modules in the LDL receptor and for the homologous domains of several other proteins. Calcium ions had only minor effects on the CD spectrum and no effect on the 1H NMR spectrum of the repeat, suggesting that they induce no significant conformational change.

Structure and stability of a second molten globule intermediate in the apomyoglobin folding pathway.

Apomyoglobin folding proceeds through a molten globule intermediate (low-salt form; I1) that has been characterized by equilibrium (pH 4) and kinetic (pH 6) folding experiments. Of the eight alpha-helices in myoglobin, three (A, G, and H) are structured in I1, while the rest appear to be unfolded. Here we report on the structure and stability of a second intermediate, the trichloroacetate form of the molten globule intermediate (I2), which is induced either from the acid-unfolded protein or from I1 by > or = 5 mM sodium trichloroacetate. Circular dichroism measurements monitoring urea- and acid-induced unfolding indicate that I2 is more highly structured and more stable than I1. Although I2 exhibits properties closer to those of the native protein, one-dimensional NMR spectra show that it maintains the lack of fixed side-chain structure that is the hallmark of a molten globule. Amide proton exchange and 1H-15N two-dimensional NMR experiments are used to identify the source of the extra helicity observed in I2. The results reveal that the existing A, G, and H helices present in I1 have become more stable in I2 and that a fourth helix--the B helix--has been incorporated into the molten globule. Available evidence is consistent with I2 being an on-pathway intermediate. The data support the view that apomyoglobin folds in a sequential fashion through a single pathway populated by intermediates of increasing structure and stability.

Hairpins are formed by the single DNA strands of the fragile X triplet repeats: structure and biological implications.

Inordinate expansion and hypermethylation of the fragile X DNA triplet repeat, (GGC)n.(GCC)n, are correlated with the ability of the individual G- and C-rich single strands to form hairpin structures. Two-dimensional NMR and gel electrophoresis studies show that both the G- and C-rich single strands form hairpins under physiological conditions. This propensity of hairpin formation is more pronounced for the C-rich strand than for the G-rich strand. This observation suggests that the C-rich strand is more likely to form hairpin or "slippage" structure and show asymmetric strand expansion during replication. NMR data also show that the hairpins formed by the C-rich strands fold in such a way that the cytosine at the CpG step of the stem is C.C paired. The presence of a C.C mismatch at the CpG site generates local flexibility, thereby providing analogs of the transition to the methyltransferase. In other words, the hairpins of the C-rich strand act as better substrates for the human methyltransferase than the Watson-Crick duplex or the G-rich strand. Therefore, hairpin formation could account for the specific methylation of the CpG island in the fragile X repeat that occurs during inactivation of the FMR1 gene during the onset of the disease.