•Serial femtosecond crystallography studies of membrane proteins.•Damage free structures of membrane proteins collected using XFEL radiation.•Serial millisecond crystallography studies using ...synchrotron radiation.•Diffraction data from 2D membrane protein crystals using XFEL radiation.•Ultrafast time-resolved scattering studies of membrane protein dynamics.
Membrane protein structural biology has benefitted tremendously from access to micro-focus crystallography at synchrotron radiation sources. X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) are linear accelerator driven X-ray sources that deliver a jump in peak X-ray brilliance of nine orders of magnitude and represent a disruptive technology with potential to dramatically change the field. Membrane proteins were amongst the first macromolecules to be studied with XFEL radiation and include proof-of-principle demonstrations of serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX), the observation that XFEL data can deliver damage free crystallographic structures, initial experiments towards recording structural information from 2D arrays of membrane proteins, and time-resolved SFX, time-resolved wide angle X-ray scattering and time-resolved X-ray emission spectroscopy studies. Conversely, serial crystallography methods are now being applied using synchrotron radiation. We believe that a context dependent choice of synchrotron or XFEL radiation will accelerate progress towards novel insights in understanding membrane protein structure and dynamics.
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large and ubiquitous family of membrane receptors of great pharmacological interest. Cell-based assays are the primary tool for assessing GPCR interactions ...and activation but their design and intrinsic complexity limit their application. Biosensor-based assays that directly and specifically report GPCR-protein binding (e.g. arrestin or G protein) could provide a good alternative. We present an approach based on the stable immobilization of different arrestin-3 proteins (wild type, and two mutants, mutant X (arrestin-3 I386A) and mutant Y (arrestin-3 R393E)) via histidine tags on NTA(Ni2+)-coated sensors in a defined orientation. Using biolayer interferometry (BLI), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), we were able to follow the interaction between the different arrestin-3 proteins and a representative GPCR, jumping spider rhodopsin-1 (JSR1), in a label-free manner in real-time. The interactions were quantified as binding affinity, association and dissociation rate constants. The combination of surface-based biosensing methods indicated that JSR1 showed the strongest binding to arrestin mutant Y. Taken together, this work introduces direct label-free, biosensor-based screening approaches that can be easily adapted for testing interactions of proteins and other compounds with different GPCRs.
Display omitted
•This analysis sheds light on the dynamical nature of GPCR-G-protein complexes.•The receptor' C-terminal tail and the alpha-helical domain of G-alpha are dynamic.•The movements ...observed are similar for other published GPCR complexes.•This analysis can guide the selection of Fabs to limit conformational heterogeneity
G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are among the most versatile signal transducers in the cell. Once activated, GPCRs sample a large conformational space and couple to G-proteins to initiate distinct signaling pathways. The dynamical behavior of GPCR-G-protein complexes is difficult characterize structurally, and it might hinder obtaining routine high-resolution density maps in single-particle reconstructions. Here, we used variability analysis on the rhodopsin-Gi-Fab16 complex cryo-EM dataset, and the results provide insights into the dynamic nature of the receptor-complex interaction. We compare the outcome of this analysis with recent results obtained on the cannabinoid-Gi- and secretin-Gs-receptor complexes. Despite differences related to the biochemical compositions of the three samples, a set of consensus movements emerges. We anticipate that systematic variability analysis on GPCR-G-protein complexes may provide useful information not only at the biological level, but also for improving the preparation of more stable samples for cryo-EM single-particle analysis.
Dynamic hydrogen-bond networks provide proteins with structural plasticity required to translate signals such as ligand binding into a cellular response or to transport ions and larger solutes across ...membranes and, thus, are of central interest to understand protein reaction mechanisms. Here, we present C-Graphs, an efficient tool with graphical user interface that analyzes data sets of static protein structures or of independent numerical simulations to identify conserved, vs unique, hydrogen bonds and hydrogen-bond networks. For static structures, which may belong to the same protein or to proteins with different sequences, C-Graphs uses a clustering algorithm to identify sites of the hydrogen-bond network where waters are conserved among the structures. Using C-Graphs, we identify an internal protein–water hydrogen-bond network common to static structures of visual rhodopsins and adenosine A2A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Molecular dynamics simulations of a visual rhodopsin indicate that the conserved hydrogen-bond network from static structure can recruit dynamic hydrogen bonds and extend throughout most of the receptor. We release with this work the code for C-Graphs and its graphical user interface.
G protein-coupled receptors play a major role in transmembrane signalling in higher organisms and many are important drug targets. We report the 2.7 Å resolution crystal structure of a β
1
...-adrenergic receptor in complex with the high-affinity antagonist cyanopindolol. The modified turkey receptor had been selected to be in its antagonist conformation and its thermostability improved by earlier limited mutagenesis. The ligand-binding pocket comprises 15 side chains from amino acid residues in 4 transmembrane α-helices and extracellular loop 2. This loop defines the entrance of the ligand-binding pocket and is stabilised by two disulphide bonds and a sodium ion. Cyanopindolol binding to the β
1
-adrenergic receptor and carazolol binding to the β
2
-adrenergic receptor involve similar interactions. A short well-defined helix in cytoplasmic loop 2, not observed in either rhodopsin or the β
2
-adrenergic receptor, directly interacts via a tyrosine with the highly conserved DRY motif at the end of helix 3 that is essential for receptor activation.
In rod photoreceptors of the retina, the cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel is composed of three CNGA and one CNGB subunits, and it closes in response to light activation to generate an electrical ...signal that is conveyed to the brain. Here we report the cryo-EM structure of the closed state of the native rod CNG channel isolated from bovine retina. The structure reveals differences between CNGA1 and CNGB1 subunits. Three CNGA1 subunits are tethered at their C terminus by a coiled-coil region. The C-helix in the cyclic nucleotide-binding domain of CNGB1 features a different orientation from that in the three CNGA1 subunits. The arginine residue R994 of CNGB1 reaches into the ionic pathway and blocks the pore, thus introducing an additional gate, which is different from the central hydrophobic gate known from homomeric CNGA channels. These results address the long-standing question of how CNGB1 subunits contribute to the function of CNG channels in visual and olfactory neurons.
Display omitted
•The cryo-EM density map of the human CNG CNGA1/CNGB1 channel reveals the presence of an additional density.•This additional density fits well the structure of calmodulin.•Calmodulin ...plays a fundamental role modulating of the activity of native CNG channels, however the structural basis for this modulation remain unclear.•We propose that the binding of calmodulin to the CNG channel explains the partially open state reported by Xue et al. (Neuron 110, 1-10, 2021).•Two models are provided to interpret the cryo-EM density map of the human CNG CNGA1/CNGB1 channel.
The recently reported structure of the human CNGA1/CNGB1 CNG channel in the open state (Xue et al., 2021a) shows that one CNGA1 and one CNGB1 subunit do not open the central hydrophobic gate completely upon cGMP binding. This is different from what has been reported for CNGA homomeric channels (Xue et al., 2021b; Zheng et al., 2020).
In seeking to understand how this difference is due to the presence of the CNGB1 subunit, we find that the deposited density map (Xue et al., 2021a) (EMDB 24465) contains an additional density not reported in the images of the original publication. This additional density fits well the structure of calmodulin (CaM), and it unambiguously connects the newly identified D-helix of CNGB1 to one of the CNGA1 helices (A1R) participating in the coiled-coil region. Interestingly, the CNGA1 subunit that engages in the interaction with this additional density is the one that, together with CNGB1, does not open completely the central gate. The sequence of the D-helix of CNGB1 contains a known CaM-binding site of exquisitely high affinity – named CaM2 (Weitz et al., 1998) –, and thus the presence of CaM in that region is not surprising.
The mechanism through which CaM reduces currents across the membrane by acting on the native channel (Bauer, 1996; Hsu and Molday, 1993; Weitz et al., 1998) remains unclear. We suggest that the presence of CaM may explain the partially open central gate reported by Xue et al. (2021a). The structure of the open and closed states of the CNGA1/CNGB1 channel may be different with and without CaM present.
Light-sensitive G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)—rhodopsins—absorb photons to isomerize their covalently bound retinal, triggering conformational changes that result in downstream signaling ...cascades. Monostable rhodopsins release retinal upon isomerization as opposed to the retinal in bistable rhodopsins that “reisomerize” upon absorption of a second photon. Understanding the mechanistic differences between these light-sensitive GPCRs has been hindered by the scarcity of recombinant models of the latter. Here, we reveal the high-resolution crystal structure of a recombinant bistable rhodopsin, jumping spider rhodopsin-1, bound to the inverse agonist 9-cis retinal. We observe a water-mediated network around the ligand hinting toward the basis of their bistable nature. In contrast to bovine rhodopsin (monostable), the transmembrane bundle of jumping spider rhodopsin-1 as well that of the bistable squid rhodopsin adopts a more “activation-ready” conformation often observed in other nonphotosensitive class A GPCRs. These similarities suggest the role of jumping spider rhodopsin-1 as a potential model system in the study of the structure– function relationship of both photosensitive and nonphotosensitive class A GPCRs.
New Insights into Arrestin Recruitment to GPCRs Spillmann, Martin; Thurner, Larissa; Romantini, Nina ...
International journal of molecular sciences,
07/2020, Letnik:
21, Številka:
14
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are cellular master regulators that translate extracellular stimuli such as light, small molecules or peptides into a cellular response. Upon ligand binding, they ...bind intracellular proteins such as G proteins or arrestins, modulating intracellular signaling cascades. Here, we use a protein-fragment complementation approach based on nanoluciferase (split luciferase assay) to assess interaction of all four known human arrestins with four different GPCRs (two class A and two class B receptors) in live cells. Besides directly tagging the 11S split-luciferase subunit to the receptor, we also could demonstrate that membrane localization of the 11S subunit with a CAAX-tag allowed us to probe arrestin recruitment by endogenously expressed GPCRs. Varying the expression levels of our reporter constructs changed the dynamic behavior of our assay, which we addressed with an advanced baculovirus-based multigene expression system. Our detection assay allowed us to probe the relevance of each of the two arrestin binding sites in the different GPCRs for arrestin binding. We observed remarkable differences between the roles of each arresting binding site in the tested GPCRs and propose that the distinct advantages of our system for probing receptor interaction with effector proteins will help elucidate the molecular basis of GPCR signaling efficacy and specificity in different cell types.
PDF
