Allosteric role of the large-scale domain opening in biological catch-binding

Abstract

The proposed model demonstrates the allosteric role of the two-domain region of the receptor protein in the increased lifetimes of biological receptor/ligand bonds subjected to an external force. The interaction between the domains is represented by a bounded potential, containing two minima corresponding to the attached and separated conformations of the two protein domains. The dissociative potential with a single minimum describing receptor/ligand binding fluctuates between deep and shallow states, depending on whether the domains are attached or separated. A number of valuable analytic expressions are derived and are used to interpret experimental data for two catch bonds. The P-selectin/P-selectin-glycoprotein-ligand-1 (PSGL-1) bond is controlled by the interface between the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and lectin domains of P-selectin, and the type 1 fimbrial adhesive protein (FimH)/mannose bond is governed by the interface between the lectin and pilin domains of FimH. Catch-binding occurs in these systems when the external force stretches the receptor proteins and increases the interdomain distance. The allosteric effect is supported by independent measurements, in which the domains are kept separated by attachment of another ligand. The proposed model accurately describes the experimentally observed anomalous behavior of the lifetimes of the P-selectin/PSGL-1 and FimH/mannose complexes as a function of applied force and provides valuable insights into the mechanism of catch-binding.