The structural organization of chromosomes is a crucial feature that defines the functional state of genes and genomes. The extent of structural changes experienced by genomes of eukaryotic cells can ...be dramatic and spans several orders of magnitude. At the core of these changes lies a unique group of ATPases—the SMC proteins—that act as major effectors of chromosome behavior in cells. The Smc5/6 proteins play essential roles in the maintenance of genome stability, yet their mode of action is not fully understood. Here we show that the human Smc5/6 complex recognizes unusual DNA configurations and uses the energy of ATP hydrolysis to promote their compaction. Structural analyses reveal subunit interfaces responsible for the functionality of the Smc5/6 complex and how mutations in these regions may lead to chromosome breakage syndromes in humans. Collectively, our results suggest that the Smc5/6 complex promotes genome stability as a DNA micro-compaction machine.
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•The Smc5/6 complex is an enigmatic regulator of chromosome structure and integrity•Non-B form DNA and supercoiled substrates are efficiently recognized by human Smc5/6•The purified Smc5/6 enzyme compacts DNA substrates in an ATP-dependent manner•Disruption of a subunit interaction hub in Smc6 inactivates the Smc5/6 complex
The Smc5/6 complex is a crucial effector of chromosome integrity. Serrano et al. purified the human complex and showed that it can recognize nucleic acids with unusual features. Smc5/6 can also use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to actively compact DNA substrates, thereby uncovering a mode of action for this important enzyme.
The importance and fast growth of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, both innovator and biosimilar products, have triggered the need for the development of characterization methods at high resolution ...such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. However, the full power of NMR spectroscopy cannot be unleashed without labelling the mAb of interest with NMR-active isotopes. Here, we present strategies using either
Komagataella phaffii
(
Pichia pastoris
) or
Escherichia coli
that can be widely applied for the production of the antigen-binding fragment (Fab) of therapeutic antibodies of immunoglobulin G1 kappa isotype. The
E. coli
approach consists of expressing Fab fragments as a single polypeptide chain with a cleavable linker between the heavy and light chain in inclusion bodies, while
K. phaffii
secretes a properly folded fragment in the culture media. After optimization, the protocol yielded 10–45 mg of single chain adalimumab-Fab, trastuzumab-Fab, rituximab-Fab, and NISTmAb-Fab per liter of culture. Comparison of the 2D-
1
H-
15
N-HSQC spectra of each Fab fragment, without their polyhistidine tag and linker, with the corresponding Fab from the innovator product showed that all four fragments have folded into the correct conformation. Production of
2
H-
13
C-
15
N-adalimumab-scFab and
2
H-
13
C-
15
N-trastuzumab-scFab (>98% enrichment for all three isotopes) yielded NMR samples where all amide deuterons have completely exchanged back to proton during the refolding procedure.
Spider aciniform (wrapping) silk is a remarkable fibrillar biomaterial with outstanding mechanical properties. It is a modular protein consisting, in Argiope trifasciata, of a core repetitive domain ...of 200 amino acid units (W units). In solution, the W units comprise a globular folded core, with five α-helices, and disordered tails that are linked to form a ~63-residue intrinsically disordered linker in concatemers. Herein, we present nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-based (15)N spin relaxation analysis, allowing characterization of backbone dynamics as a function of residue on the ps-ns timescale in the context of the single W unit (W₁) and the two unit concatemer (W₂). Unambiguous mapping of backbone dynamics throughout W₂ was made possible by segmental NMR active isotope-enrichment through split intein-mediated trans-splicing. Spectral density mapping for W₁ and W₂ reveals a striking disparity in dynamics between the folded core and the disordered linker and tail regions. These data are also consistent with rotational diffusion behaviour where each globular domain tumbles almost independently of its neighbour. At a localized level, helix 5 exhibits elevated high frequency dynamics relative to the proximal helix 4, supporting a model of fibrillogenesis where this helix unfolds as part of the transition to a mixed α-helix/β-sheet fibre.
Pore formation is the most energy-demanding step during virus-induced membrane fusion, where high curvature of the fusion pore rim increases the spacing between lipid headgroups, exposing the ...hydrophobic interior of the membrane to water. How protein fusogens breach this thermodynamic barrier to pore formation is unclear. We identified a novel fusion-inducing lipid packing sensor (FLiPS) in the cytosolic endodomain of the baboon reovirus p15 fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) protein that is essential for pore formation during cell-cell fusion and syncytiogenesis. NMR spectroscopy and mutational studies indicate the dependence of this FLiPS on a hydrophobic helix-loop-helix structure. Biochemical and biophysical assays reveal the p15 FLiPS preferentially partitions into membranes with high positive curvature, and this partitioning is impeded by bis-ANS, a small molecule that inserts into hydrophobic defects in membranes. Most notably, the p15 FLiPS can be functionally replaced by heterologous amphipathic lipid packing sensors (ALPS) but not by other membrane-interactive amphipathic helices. Furthermore, a previously unrecognized amphipathic helix in the cytosolic domain of the reptilian reovirus p14 FAST protein can functionally replace the p15 FLiPS, and is itself replaceable by a heterologous ALPS motif. Anchored near the cytoplasmic leaflet by the FAST protein transmembrane domain, the FLiPS is perfectly positioned to insert into hydrophobic defects that begin to appear in the highly curved rim of nascent fusion pores, thereby lowering the energy barrier to stable pore formation.
Abstract Adalimumab is a therapeutic monoclonal antibody developed to target human TNF an important mediator of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, amongst others. The ...48 kDa Fab fragment of adalimumab was produced in Escherichia coli using a single chain approach to allow complete isotopic incorporation of deuterium, carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 along with the protonated isoleucine-d, valine and leucine methyl groups. Here we report the near complete resonance assignment of the polypeptide backbone and the methyl groups of isoleucine, leucine and valine residues.
Breathing is enabled by lung surfactant, a mixture of proteins and lipids that forms a surface-active layer and reduces surface tension at the air-water interface in lungs. Surfactant protein B ...(SP-B) is an essential component of lung surfactant. In this study we probe the mechanism underlying the important functional contributions made by the N-terminal 7 residues of SP-B, a region sometimes called the "insertion sequence". These studies employed a construct of SP-B, SP-B (1-25,63-78), also called Super Mini-B, which is a 41-residue peptide with internal disulfide bonds comprising the N-terminal 7-residue insertion sequence and the N- and C-terminal helices of SP-B. Circular dichroism, solution NMR, and solid state (2)H NMR were used to study the structure of SP-B (1-25,63-78) and its interactions with phospholipid bilayers. Comparison of results for SP-B (8-25,63-78) and SP-B (1-25,63-78) demonstrates that the presence of the 7-residue insertion sequence induces substantial disorder near the centre of the lipid bilayer, but without a major disruption of the overall mechanical orientation of the bilayers. This observation suggests the insertion sequence is unlikely to penetrate deeply into the bilayer. The 7-residue insertion sequence substantially increases the solution NMR linewidths, most likely due to an increase in global dynamics.
These studies detail the altered structure-function relationships caused by oxidation of surfactant protein B (SP-B), a mode of damage thought to be important in acute respiratory distress syndrome ...(ARDS), a common and frequently fatal condition. An 18-residue fragment comprising the N-terminal helix of SP-B was investigated in oxidized and unmodified forms by solution and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), circular dichroism (CD), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Taken together, the results indicate that tryptophan oxidation causes substantial disruptions in helical structure and lipid interactions. The structural modifications induced by tryptophan oxidation were severe, with a reduction in helical extent from approximately three helical turns to, at most, one turn, and were observed in a variety of solvent environments, including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles, dodecyl phosphocholine (DPC) micelles, and a 40% hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) aqueous solution. The unmodified peptide takes on an orientation within lipid bilayers that is tilted approximately 30° away from an in-plane position. Tryptophan oxidation causes significant modifications to the peptide-lipid interactions, and the peptide likely shifts to a more in-plane orientation within the lipids. Interestingly, the character of the disruptions to peptide-lipid interactions caused by tryptophan oxidation was highly dependent on the charge of the lipid headgroup.
Surfactant protein B (SP-B) is essential for normal lung surfactant function, which is in itself essential to life. However, the molecular basis for SP-B's activity is not understood and a ...high-resolution structure for SP-B has not been determined. Mini-B is a 34-residue peptide with internal disulfide linkages that is composed of the N- and C-terminal helical regions of SP-B. It has been shown to retain similar activity to full-length SP-B in certain in vitro and in vivo studies. We have used solution NMR to determine the structure of Mini-B in the presence of micelles composed of the anionic detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Under these conditions, Mini-B forms two alpha-helices connected by an unstructured loop. Mini-B possesses a strikingly amphipathic surface with a large positively charged patch on one face of the peptide and a large hydrophobic patch on the opposite face. A tryptophan side chain extends outward from the peptide in a position to interact with lipids at the polar/apolar interface. Interhelix interactions are stabilized by both disulfide bonds and by interleaving of hydrophobic side chains from the two helices.
Apela (also referred to as ELABELA and toddler) is a peptide hormone that activates the apelin receptor (AR or APJ) to regulate cardiovascular system development and function. Here, we report the ...first biophysical characterization of three apela isoforms, apela-54, -32, and -11, alongside a monomeric C1S-apela-11 mutant, using circular dichroism (CD) spectropolarimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The behaviour of apela-54 is consistent with a preprotein containing a hydrophobic, N-terminal signal peptide. The potential for apela-membrane binding, leading to membrane catalyzed interactions with AR, was tested comprehensively for apela-32 and -11 in the presence of membrane-mimetic dodecylphosphocholine (DPC), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and 1-palmitoyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phospho-rac-(1-glycerol) (LPPG) micelles. According to pulsed-field gradient diffusion NMR experiments, apela-32 interacts with all three micelles. Chemical shift perturbations indicate widespread interactions along apela, with DPC and LPPG micelles inducing short segments with α-helical character at distinct regions. Consistent with these data, ps-ns dynamics along the peptide backbone appear decreased in the presence of micelles. Apela-11 and C1S-apela-11, alternatively, interact preferentially with SDS and LPPG micelles, promoting β-turn character observable by CD. Distinct differences in membrane-interaction propensity are therefore apparent both as a function of apela isoform and of detergent headgroup. These results imply the potential for cell membrane involvement in apela-AR recognition and binding, with the implication that membrane catalysis has distinct functional and regulatory roles throughout the apelinergic system.
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•The first biophysical characterization of three apela peptides is presented.•Binding to anionic and zwitterionic micelles by apela-32 induced short α-helices.•Apela-11 exhibited preferential binding to anionic micelles.•Micelle-induced β-turn character was observed in both apela-32 and -11.•Apela-apelin receptor interactions are likely to be membrane catalyzed.
Apelin peptides are cognate ligands for the apelin receptor, a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). The apelinergic system plays critical roles in wide-ranging physiological activities including ...function and development of the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Apelin is found in 13-55 residue isoforms in vivo, all of which share the C-terminal portion of the preproapelin precursor. Characterization of high-resolution structures and detergent micelle interactions of apelin-17 led to a two-step membrane-catalyzed binding and GPCR activation mechanism hypothesis recapitulated in longer isoforms. Here, we examine interactions of the apelin-13 and -17 isoforms with isotropic zwitterionic and mixed zwitterionic--anionic lipid bicelles to test for hallmarks of membrane catalysis in a more physiological membrane-mimetic environment than a micelle. Specifically, .sup.1H and .sup.31P relaxation and diffusion solution-state NMR techniques demonstrate that both apelin isoforms interact with both types of isotropic bicelles. Bicelle hydrodynamics were observed to be differentially modulated by apelin peptides, although these effects were minimal. Phospholipid headgroup .sup.31P spin relaxation behaviour was, conversely, clearly perturbed. Perturbation of this nature was also observed in magnetically aligned bicelles by .sup.31P solid-state NMR spectroscopy and spin relaxation experiments. This behaviour is consistent with an apelin--bicelle binding process allowing significant peptide mobility, facilitating membrane-catalyzed GPCR encounter.
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