scholarly journals DNA-Encircled Lipid Bilayers

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Iric ◽  
Madhumalar Subramanian ◽  
Jana Oertel ◽  
Nayan P. Agarwal ◽  
Michael Matthies ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Dna Nanotechnology ◽  
Lipid Vesicles ◽  
Associated Proteins

ABSTRACTLipid bilayers and lipid-associated proteins play a crucial role in biology. As in vivo studies and manipulation are inherently difficult, several membrane-mimetic systems have been developed to enable investigation of lipidic phases, lipid-protein interactions, membrane protein function and membrane structure in vitro. Controlling the size and shape, or site-specific functionalization is, however, difficult to achieve with established membrane mimetics based on membrane scaffolding proteins, polymers or peptides. In this work, we describe a route to leverage the unique programmability of DNA nanotechnology and create DNA-encircled bilayers (DEBs), which are made of multiple copies of an alkylated oligonucleotide hybridized to a single-stranded minicircle. To stabilize the hydrophobic rim of the lipid bilayer, and to prevent formation of lipid vesicles, we introduced up to 2 alkyl chains per helical that point to the inside of the toroidal DNA ring and interact with the hydrophobic side chains of the encapsulated lipid bilayer. The DEB approach described herein provides unprecedented control of size, and allows the orthogonal functionalizations and arrangement of engineered membrane nanoparticles and will become a valuable tool for biophysical investigation of lipid phases and lipid-associated proteins and complexes including structure determination of membrane proteins and pharmacological screenings of membrane proteins.

scholarly journals Important Role for Phylogenetically Invariant PP2Acα Active Site and C-Terminal Residues Revealed by Mutational Analysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 156 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R H Evans ◽  
Brian A Hemmings
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Active Site Residues ◽  
Catalytic Function

Abstract PP2A is a central regulator of eukaryotic signal transduction. The human catalytic subunit PP2Acα functionally replaces the endogenous yeast enzyme, Pph22p, indicating a conservation of function in vivo. Therefore, yeast cells were employed to explore the role of invariant PP2Ac residues. The PP2Acα Y127N substitution abolished essential PP2Ac function in vivo and impaired catalysis severely in vitro, consistent with the prediction from structural studies that Tyr-127 mediates substrate binding and its side chain interacts with the key active site residues His-118 and Asp-88. The V159E substitution similarly impaired PP2Acα catalysis profoundly and may cause global disruption of the active site. Two conditional mutations in the yeast Pph22p protein, F232S and P240H, were found to cause temperature-sensitive impairment of PP2Ac catalytic function in vitro. Thus, the mitotic and cell lysis defects conferred by these mutations result from a loss of PP2Ac enzyme activity. Substitution of the PP2Acα C-terminal Tyr-307 residue by phenylalanine impaired protein function, whereas the Y307D and T304D substitutions abolished essential function in vivo. Nevertheless, Y307D did not reduce PP2Acα catalytic activity significantly in vitro, consistent with an important role for the C terminus in mediating essential protein-protein interactions. Our results identify key residues important for PP2Ac function and characterize new reagents for the study of PP2A in vivo.

scholarly journals The Fusion of Lipid and DNA Nanotechnology

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Es Darley ◽  
Jasleen Kaur Daljit Singh ◽  
Natalie A. Surace ◽  
Shelley F. J. Wickham ◽  
Matthew A. B. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Dna Nanotechnology ◽  
Bilayer Membrane ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Impermeable Barrier ◽  
Self Assembling ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Fundamental Biological Process

Lipid membranes form the boundary of many biological compartments, including organelles and cells. Consisting of two leaflets of amphipathic molecules, the bilayer membrane forms an impermeable barrier to ions and small molecules. Controlled transport of molecules across lipid membranes is a fundamental biological process that is facilitated by a diverse range of membrane proteins, including ion-channels and pores. However, biological membranes and their associated proteins are challenging to experimentally characterize. These challenges have motivated recent advances in nanotechnology towards building and manipulating synthetic lipid systems. Liposomes—aqueous droplets enclosed by a bilayer membrane—can be synthesised in vitro and used as a synthetic model for the cell membrane. In DNA nanotechnology, DNA is used as programmable building material for self-assembling biocompatible nanostructures. DNA nanostructures can be functionalised with hydrophobic chemical modifications, which bind to or bridge lipid membranes. Here, we review approaches that combine techniques from lipid and DNA nanotechnology to engineer the topography, permeability, and surface interactions of membranes, and to direct the fusion and formation of liposomes. These approaches have been used to study the properties of membrane proteins, to build biosensors, and as a pathway towards assembling synthetic multicellular systems.

scholarly journals SET7/9-dependent methylation of ARTD1 at K508 stimulates poly-ADP-ribose formation after oxidative stress

Open Biology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 120173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Kassner ◽  
Anneli Andersson ◽  
Monika Fey ◽  
Martin Tomas ◽  
Elisa Ferrando-May ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Target Proteins ◽  
Protein Methyltransferase

ADP-ribosyltransferase diphtheria toxin-like 1 (ARTD1, formerly PARP1) is localized in the nucleus, where it ADP-ribosylates specific target proteins. The post-translational modification (PTM) with a single ADP-ribose unit or with polymeric ADP-ribose (PAR) chains regulates protein function as well as protein–protein interactions and is implicated in many biological processes and diseases. SET7/9 (Setd7, KMT7) is a protein methyltransferase that catalyses lysine monomethylation of histones, but also methylates many non-histone target proteins such as p53 or DNMT1. Here, we identify ARTD1 as a new SET7/9 target protein that is methylated at K508 in vitro and in vivo . ARTD1 auto-modification inhibits its methylation by SET7/9, while auto-poly-ADP-ribosylation is not impaired by prior methylation of ARTD1. Moreover, ARTD1 methylation by SET7/9 enhances the synthesis of PAR upon oxidative stress in vivo . Furthermore, laser irradiation-induced PAR formation and ARTD1 recruitment to sites of DNA damage in a SET7/9-dependent manner. Together, these results reveal a novel mechanism for the regulation of cellular ARTD1 activity by SET7/9 to assure efficient PAR formation upon cellular stress.

scholarly journals YidC Occupies the Lateral Gate of the SecYEG Translocon and Is Sequentially Displaced by a Nascent Membrane Protein

2013 ◽  
Vol 288 (23) ◽  
pp. 16295-16307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilie Sachelaru ◽  
Narcis Adrian Petriman ◽  
Renuka Kudva ◽  
Patrick Kuhn ◽  
Thomas Welte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Transmembrane Domains ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Lipid Phase ◽  
Lipid Transfer ◽  
Lateral Gate

Most membrane proteins are co-translationally inserted into the lipid bilayer via the universally conserved SecY complex and they access the lipid phase presumably via a lateral gate in SecY. In bacteria, the lipid transfer of membrane proteins from the SecY channel is assisted by the SecY-associated protein YidC, but details on the SecY-YidC interaction are unknown. By employing an in vivo and in vitro site-directed cross-linking approach, we have mapped the SecY-YidC interface and found YidC in contact with all four transmembrane domains of the lateral gate. This interaction did not require the SecDFYajC complex and was not influenced by SecA binding to SecY. In contrast, ribosomes dissociated the YidC contacts to lateral gate helices 2b and 8. The major contact between YidC and the lateral gate was lost in the presence of ribosome nascent chains and new SecY-YidC contacts appeared. These data demonstrate that the SecY-YidC interaction is influenced by nascent-membrane-induced lateral gate movements.

scholarly journals Fluorinated and hemifluorinated surfactants as alternatives to detergents for membrane protein cell-free synthesis

2007 ◽  
Vol 403 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyu-Ho Park ◽  
Catherine Berrier ◽  
Florence Lebaupain ◽  
Bernard Pucci ◽  
Jean-Luc Popot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Lipid Vesicles ◽  
Mechanosensitive Channel ◽  
In Vitro Synthesis ◽  
Fluorinated Surfactants ◽  
Electrophysiological Activity ◽  
Protein Cell ◽  
Suitable Environment

Hemifluorinated and fluorinated surfactants are lipophobic and, as such, non-detergent. Although they do not solubilize biological membranes, they can, after conventional solubilization, substitute for detergents to keep membrane proteins soluble, which generally improves their stability [Breyton, Chabaud, Chaudier, Pucci and Popot (2004) FEBS Lett. 564, 312–318]. In the present study, we show that (hemi)fluorinated surfactants can be used for in vitro synthesis of membrane proteins: they do not interfere with protein synthesis, and they provide a suitable environment for MscL, a pentameric mechanosensitive channel, to fold and oligomerize to its native functional state. Following synthesis, both types of surfactants can be used to deliver MscL directly to pre-formed lipid vesicles. The electrophysiological activity of MscL synthesized in vitro in the presence of either hemi- or per-fluorinated surfactant is similar to that of the protein expressed in vivo.

The Origin of the Eukaryotic Cell Based on Conservation of Existing Interfaces

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert D. G. de Roos
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Evolutionary Model ◽  
Lipid Vesicles ◽  
Eukaryotic Cell ◽  
The Self ◽  
Lipid Protein Interactions

Current theories about the origin of the eukaryotic cell all assume that during evolution a prokaryotic cell acquired a nucleus. Here, it is shown that a scenario in which the nucleus acquired a plasma membrane is inherently less complex because existing interfaces remain intact during evolution. Using this scenario, the evolution to the first eukaryotic cell can be modeled in three steps, based on the self-assembly of cellular membranes by lipid-protein interactions. First, the inclusion of chromosomes in a nuclear membrane is mediated by interactions between laminar proteins and lipid vesicles. Second, the formation of a primitive endoplasmic reticulum, or exomembrane, is induced by the expression of intrinsic membrane proteins. Third, a plasma membrane is formed by fusion of exomembrane vesicles on the cytoskeletal protein scaffold. All three self-assembly processes occur both in vivo and in vitro. This new model provides a gradual Darwinistic evolutionary model of the origins of the eukaryotic cell and suggests an inherent ability of an ancestral, primitive genome to induce its own inclusion in a membrane.

scholarly journals Design and Prototyping of Genetically Encoded Arsenic Biosensors Based on Transcriptional Regulator AfArsR

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1276
Author(s):  
Salma Saeed Khan ◽  
Yi Shen ◽  
Muhammad Qaiser Fatmi ◽  
Robert E. Campbell ◽  
Habib Bokhari
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Fluorescent Proteins ◽  
Transcriptional Factor ◽  
Thiol Groups ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Protein Thiol ◽  
New Family

Genetically encoded biosensors based on engineered fluorescent proteins (FPs) are essential tools for monitoring the dynamics of specific ions and molecules in biological systems. Arsenic ion in the +3 oxidation state (As3+) is highly toxic to cells due to its ability to bind to protein thiol groups, leading to inhibition of protein function, disruption of protein–protein interactions, and eventually to cell death. A genetically encoded biosensor for the detection of As3+ could potentially facilitate the investigation of such toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we designed and developed two prototype genetically encoded arsenic biosensors (GEARs), based on a bacterial As3+ responsive transcriptional factor AfArsR from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. We constructed FRET-based GEAR biosensors by insertion of AfArsR between FP acceptor/donor FRET pairs. We further designed and engineered single FP-based GEAR biosensors by insertion of AfArsR into GFP. These constructs represent prototypes for a new family of biosensors based on the ArsR transcriptional factor scaffold. Further improvements of the GEAR biosensor family could lead to variants with suitable performance for detection of As3+ in various biological and environmental systems.

scholarly journals In-vivo crystals reveal protein interactions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleanor R. Martin ◽  
Alessandro Barbieri ◽  
Robert C. Ford ◽  
Robert C. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Pdz Domain ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Binding Motif ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Reporter System ◽  
X Ray Crystallography

AbstractCrystallisation of recombinant proteins has been fundamental to our understanding of protein function, dysfunction, and molecular recognition. However, this information has often been gleaned under non-physiological extremes of protein, salt, and H+ concentrations. Here, we describe the development of the robust iBox-PAK4cat system that spontaneously crystallises in several mammalian cell types. The developments described here allow the quantitation of in-vivo protein-protein interactions using a novel GFP-linked reporter system. Here, we have combined this assay with in-vitro X-ray crystallography and molecular dynamics studies characterise the molecular determinants of the interaction between NHERF1 PDZ2 and CFTR, a protein complex pertinent to the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. These studies have revealed the crystal structure of the extended PDZ domain of NHERF1, and indicated, contrary to previous reports, that residue selection at −1 and −3 PDZ-binding motif positions influence the affinity and specificity of the interaction. The results presented here demonstrate that the iBox-PAK4cat assay could easily be utilised to screen other protein-protein interactions.

scholarly journals A proteoliposome-based system reveals how lipids control photosynthetic light harvesting

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (7) ◽  
pp. 1857-1866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Tietz ◽  
Michelle Leuenberger ◽  
Ricarda Höhner ◽  
Alice H. Olson ◽  
Graham R. Fleming ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Light Harvesting ◽  
Single Photon ◽  
Pressure Profile ◽  
Cd Spectroscopy ◽  
Quantum Yields ◽  
The Impact

Integral membrane proteins are exposed to a complex and dynamic lipid environment modulated by nonbilayer lipids that can influence protein functions by lipid-protein interactions. The nonbilayer lipid monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) is the most abundant lipid in plant photosynthetic thylakoid membranes, but its impact on the functionality of energy-converting membrane protein complexes is unknown. Here, we optimized a detergent-based reconstitution protocol to develop a proteoliposome technique that incorporates the major light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) into compositionally well-defined large unilamellar lipid bilayer vesicles to study the impact of MGDG on light harvesting by LHCII. Using steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy, CD spectroscopy, and time-correlated single-photon counting, we found that both chlorophyll fluorescence quantum yields and fluorescence lifetimes clearly indicate that the presence of MGDG in lipid bilayers switches LHCII from a light-harvesting to a more energy-quenching mode that dissipates harvested light into heat. It is hypothesized that in the in vitro system developed here, MGDG controls light harvesting of LHCII by modulating the hydrostatic lateral membrane pressure profile in the lipid bilayer sensed by LHCII-bound peripheral pigments.

scholarly journals Formation of membrane lattice structures and their specific interactions with surfactant protein A

1999 ◽  
Vol 276 (4) ◽  
pp. L642-L649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nades Palaniyar ◽  
Ross A. Ridsdale ◽  
Stephen A. Hearn ◽  
Fred Possmayer ◽  
George Harauz
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Bilayers ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Lipid Vesicles ◽  
Surfactant Protein ◽  
Uranyl Acetate ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Membranous Structure ◽  
Microscopic Studies

Biological membranes exist in many forms, one of which is known as tubular myelin (TM). This pulmonary surfactant membranous structure contains elongated tubes that form square lattices. To understand the interaction of surfactant protein (SP) A and various lipids commonly found in TM, we undertook a series of transmission-electron-microscopic studies using purified SP-A and lipid vesicles made in vitro and also native surfactant from bovine lung. Specimens from in vitro experiments were negatively stained with 2% uranyl acetate, whereas fixed native surfactant was delipidated, embedded, and sectioned. We found that dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine-egg phosphatidylcholine (1:1 wt/wt) bilayers formed corrugations, folds, and predominantly 47-nm-square latticelike structures. SP-A specifically interacted with these lipid bilayers and folds. We visualized other proteolipid structures that could act as intermediates for reorganizing lipids and SP-As. Such a reorganization could lead to the localization of SP-A in the lattice corners and could explain, in part, the formation of TM-like structures in vivo.

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