Peptides as transmembrane segments: Decrypting the determinants for helix–helix interactions in membrane proteins

Biopolymers ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianna Rath ◽  
Rachel M. Johnson ◽  
Charles M. Deber
2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 1006-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M. Johnson ◽  
Arianna Rath ◽  
Charles M. Deber

Although the intrinsic low solubility of membrane proteins presents challenges to their high-resolution structure determination, insight into the amino acid sequence features and forces that stabilize their folds has been provided through study of sequence-dependent helix–helix interactions between single transmembrane (TM) helices. While the stability of helix–helix partnerships mediated by the Gly-xxx-Gly (GG4) motif is known to be generally modulated by distal interfacial residues, it has not been established whether the position of this motif, with respect to the ends of a given TM segment, affects dimer affinity. Here we examine the relationship between motif position and affinity in the homodimers of 2 single-spanning membrane protein TM sequences: glycophorin A (GpA) and bacteriophage M13 coat protein (MCP). Using the TOXCAT assay for dimer affinity on a series of GpA and MCP TM segments that have been modified with either 4 Leu residues at each end or with 8 Leu residues at the N-terminal end, we show that in each protein, centrally located GG4 motifs are capable of stronger helix–helix interactions than those proximal to TM helix ends, even when surrounding interfacial residues are maintained. The relative importance of GG4 motifs in stabilizing helix–helix interactions therefore must be considered not only in its specific residue context but also in terms of the location of the interactive surface relative to the N and C termini of α-helical TM segments.


1994 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Lemmon ◽  
Donald M. Engelman

The membrane-spanning portions of many integral membrane proteins consist of one or a number of transmembrane α-helices, which are expected to be independently stable on thermodynamic grounds. Side-by-side interactions between these transmembrane α-helices are important in the folding and assembly of such integral membrane proteins and their complexes. In considering the contribution of these helix–helix interactions to membrane protein folding and oligomerization, a distinction between the energetics and specificity should be recognized. A number of contributions to the energetics of transmembrane helix association within the lipid bilayer will be relatively non-specific, including those resulting from charge–charge interactions and lipid–packing effects. Specificity (and part of the energy) in transmembrane α-helix association, however, appears to rely mainly upon a detailed stereochemical fit between sets of dynamically accessible states of particular helices. In some cases, these interactions are mediated in part by prosthetic groups.


1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (14) ◽  
pp. 2091-2102 ◽  
Author(s):  
D B Mount ◽  
E Delpire ◽  
G Gamba ◽  
A E Hall ◽  
E Poch ◽  
...  

Electroneutral cation-chloride cotransporters are widely expressed and perform a variety of physiological roles. A novel gene family of five members, encompassing a Na+-Cl- transporter, two Na+-K+-2Cl- transporters and two K+-Cl- cotransporters, encodes these membrane proteins; homologous genes have also been identified in a prokaryote and a number of lower eukaryotes. The cotransporter proteins share a common predicted membrane topology, with twelve putative transmembrane segments flanked by long hydrophilic N- and C-terminal cytoplasmic domains. The molecular identification of these transporters has had a significant impact on the study of their function, regulation and pathophysiology.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 930-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuichiro Kida ◽  
Yudai Ishihara ◽  
Hidenobu Fujita ◽  
Yukiko Onishi ◽  
Masao Sakaguchi

Many membrane proteins are integrated into the endoplasmic reticulum membrane through the protein-conducting channel, the translocon. Transmembrane segments with insufficient hydrophobicity for membrane integration are frequently found in multispanning membrane proteins, and such marginally hydrophobic (mH) segments should be accommodated, at least transiently, at the membrane. Here we investigated how mH-segments stall at the membrane and their stability. Our findings show that mH-segments can be retained at the membrane without moving into the lipid phase and that such segments flank Sec61α, the core channel of the translocon, in the translational intermediate state. The mH-segments are gradually transferred from the Sec61 channel to the lipid environment in a hydrophobicity-dependent manner, and this lateral movement may be affected by the ribosome. In addition, stalling mH-segments allow for insertion of the following transmembrane segment, forming an Ncytosol/Clumen orientation, suggesting that mH-segments can move laterally to accommodate the next transmembrane segment. These findings suggest that mH-segments may be accommodated at the ER membrane with lateral fluctuation between the Sec61 channel and the lipid phase.


2006 ◽  
Vol 04 (05) ◽  
pp. 1033-1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
NATALIYA S. SADOVSKAYA ◽  
ROMAN A. SUTORMIN ◽  
MIKHAIL S. GELFAND

Membrane proteins perform a number of crucial functions as transporters, receptors, and components of enzyme complexes. Identification of membrane proteins and prediction of their topology is thus an important part of genome annotation. We present here an overview of transmembrane segments in protein sequences, summarize data from large-scale genome studies, and report results of benchmarking of several popular internet servers.


1996 ◽  
Vol 318 (2) ◽  
pp. 645-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Y TAM ◽  
Carolina LANDOLT-MARTICORENA ◽  
Reinhart A. F. REITHMEIER

N-glycosylated sites in polytopic membrane proteins are usually localized to single extracytosolic (EC) loops containing more than 30 residues [Landolt-Marticorena and Reithmeier (1994) Biochem. J. 302, 253–260]. This may be due to a biosynthetic restriction whereby only a single loop of nascent polypeptide is available to the oligosaccharyl transferase in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. To test this hypothesis, two types of N-glycosylation mutants were constructed using Band 3, a polytopic membrane protein that contains up to 14 transmembrane segments and a single endogenous site of N-glycosylation at Asn-642 in EC loop 4. In the first set of mutants, an additional N-glycosylation acceptor site (Asn-Xaa-Ser/Thr) was constructed by site-directed mutagenesis in EC loop 3, with or without retention of the endogenous site. In the second set of mutants, EC loop 4 was duplicated and inserted into EC loop 2, again with or without retention of the endogenous site. Cell-free translation experiments using reticulocyte lysates showed that microsomes were able to N-glycosylate multiple EC loops in these Band 3 mutants. The acceptor site in EC loop 3 was poorly N-glycosylated, probably due to the suboptimal size (25 residues) of this EC loop. The localization of N-glycosylation sites to single EC loops in multi-span membrane proteins is probably due to the absence of suitably positioned acceptor sites on multiple loops.


2011 ◽  
Vol 194 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Becker ◽  
Lena-Sophie Wenz ◽  
Vivien Krüger ◽  
Waltraut Lehmann ◽  
Judith M. Müller ◽  
...  

The mitochondrial outer membrane contains translocase complexes for the import of precursor proteins. The translocase of the outer membrane complex functions as a general preprotein entry gate, whereas the sorting and assembly machinery complex mediates membrane insertion of β-barrel proteins of the outer membrane. Several α-helical outer membrane proteins are known to carry multiple transmembrane segments; however, only limited information is available on the biogenesis of these proteins. We report that mitochondria lacking the mitochondrial import protein 1 (Mim1) are impaired in the biogenesis of multispanning outer membrane proteins, whereas overexpression of Mim1 stimulates their import. The Mim1 complex cooperates with the receptor Tom70 in binding of precursor proteins and promotes their insertion and assembly into the outer membrane. We conclude that the Mim1 complex plays a central role in the import of α-helical outer membrane proteins with multiple transmembrane segments.


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