Conformational Exchange Processes Research Articles

Stereodynamics of some pyridoxine derivatives.

The conformational properties of three pyridoxine derivatives were studied by 1 H dynamic NMR spectroscopy. Conformational exchange caused by a rotation of 2-nytrophenyl group around one single C-C bond, of 2,4-dinitrophenyl substituent around two single C-O bonds, and twist-twist transformations of the seven-membered ketal cycle was observed by NMR experiments at low temperatures. Meanwhile, the conformational exchange of the acetal ring remains fast in the NMR timescale even at 198 K. The energy barriers for all observed conformational exchange processes were determined by the lineshape analysis of dynamic NMR spectra. The activation barriers of the 2-nitrophenyl group rotation were almost the same for all studied compounds, about 40-41 kJ/mol. The energy barriers of the conformational exchange processes of the 2,4-nitrophenyl group and the ketal cycle increased significantly up to 10 kJ/mol in comparison with previously studied compounds with similar structure. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mapping transiently formed and sparsely populated conformations on a complex energy landscape.

Determining the structures, kinetics, thermodynamics and mechanisms that underlie conformational exchange processes in proteins remains extremely difficult. Only in favourable cases is it possible to provide atomic-level descriptions of sparsely populated and transiently formed alternative conformations. Here we benchmark the ability of enhanced-sampling molecular dynamics simulations to determine the free energy landscape of the L99A cavity mutant of T4 lysozyme. We find that the simulations capture key properties previously measured by NMR relaxation dispersion methods including the structure of a minor conformation, the kinetics and thermodynamics of conformational exchange, and the effect of mutations. We discover a new tunnel that involves the transient exposure towards the solvent of an internal cavity, and show it to be relevant for ligand escape. Together, our results provide a comprehensive view of the structural landscape of a protein, and point forward to studies of conformational exchange in systems that are less characterized experimentally.

Enhancing the Sensitivity of CPMG Relaxation Dispersion to Conformational Exchange Processes by Multiple‐Quantum Spectroscopy

AbstractA triple‐quantum 1H Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill NMR relaxation dispersion experiment is presented that uses methyl group probes as reporters of conformational exchange in highly deuterated, methyl‐protonated proteins. Significantly larger dispersion profiles, by as much as a factor of nine, can be obtained relative to single‐quantum approaches, thus offering very significant advantages in applications involving interconverting conformers with only small changes in structure or in studies of rare states that are at very low populations. Applications to a number of protein systems are presented where the utility of the method, including its improved sensitivity to chemical exchange processes, is established.

Enhancing the Sensitivity of CPMG Relaxation Dispersion to Conformational Exchange Processes by Multiple-Quantum Spectroscopy.

A triple-quantum (1) H Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill NMR relaxation dispersion experiment is presented that uses methyl group probes as reporters of conformational exchange in highly deuterated, methyl-protonated proteins. Significantly larger dispersion profiles, by as much as a factor of nine, can be obtained relative to single-quantum approaches, thus offering very significant advantages in applications involving interconverting conformers with only small changes in structure or in studies of rare states that are at very low populations. Applications to a number of protein systems are presented where the utility of the method, including its improved sensitivity to chemical exchange processes, is established.

Triaryl-Like MONO-, BIS-, and TRISKITPHOS Phosphines: Synthesis, Solution NMR Studies, and a Comparison in Gold-Catalyzed Carbon–Heteroatom Bond Forming 5-exo-dig and 6-endo-dig Cyclizations

A homologous series of triaryl-like KITPHOS-type monophosphines containing one, two, or three bulky 12-phenyl-9,10-dihydro-9,10-ethenoanthracene (KITPHOS) units have been developed, and the influence of increasing steric bulk on their efficacy as ligands in gold(I)-catalyzed carbon–heteroatom bond-forming cyclizations has been investigated. Detailed solution NMR studies on Ph-TRISKITPHOS, its oxide, and the corresponding gold(I) chloride adduct identified a conformational exchange process involving a concerted librational motion of the individual anthracene-derived organic substituents about their P–C bonds. The cessation of this motion at reduced temperatures lowers the molecular symmetry such that the two C6H4 rings in each of the KITPHOS units become inequivalent; a lower energy process involving restricted rotation of the biaryl-like phenyl ring has also been identified. Electrophilic gold(I) complexes of these triaryl-like KITPHOS monophosphines catalyze the 5-exo-dig cycloisomerization of propargyl ...

Structural Dynamics of the Potassium Channel Blocker ShK: SRLS Analysis of (15)N Relaxation.

The 35-residue ShK peptide binds with high affinity to voltage-gated potassium channels. The dynamics of the binding surface was studied recently with (microsecond to millisecond) (15)N relaxation dispersion and (picosecond to nanosecond) (15)N spin relaxation of the N-H bonds. Relaxation dispersion revealed microsecond conformational-exchange-mediated exposure of the functionally important Y23 side chain to the peptide surface. The spin relaxation parameters acquired at 14.1 and 16.45 T have been subjected to model-free (MF) analysis, which yielded a squared generalized order parameter, S(2), of approximately 0.85 for virtually all of the N-H bonds. Only a "rigid backbone" evaluation could be inferred. We ascribe this limited information to the simplicity of MF in the context of challenging data. To improve the analysis, we apply the slowly relaxing local structure (SRLS) approach, which is a generalization of MF. SRLS describes N-H bond dynamics in ShK in terms of a local potential, u, ranging from 10 to 18.5 kBT, and a local diffusion rate, D2, ranging from 4.2 × 10(8) to 2.4 × 10(10) s(-1). This analysis shows that u is outstandingly strong for Y23 and relatively weak for K22, whereas D2 is slow for Y23 and fast for K22. These observations are relevant functionally because of the key role of the K22-Y23 dyad in ShK binding to potassium channels. The disulfide-bond network exhibits a medium-strength potential and an alternating wave-like D2 pattern. This is indicative of moderate structural restraints and motional plasticity, in support of, although not directly correlated with, the microsecond binding-related conformational exchange process detected previously. Thus, new information on functionally important residues in ShK and its overall conformational stability emerged from the SRLS analysis, as compared with the previous MF-based estimate of backbone dynamics as backbone rigidity.

Dynamic NMR study of dinitrophenyl derivatives of seven-membered cyclic ketals of pyridoxine.

Two pyridoxine derivatives containing a dinitrophenyl moiety were investigated by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Conformational dynamics in solution were studied for each compound using dynamic NMR experiments. It was shown that both compounds studied are involved into two conformational exchange processes. The first process is a transformation of the seven-membered cycle conformation between the enantiomeric P-twist and M-twist forms, and the second is a rotation of the dinitrophenyl fragment of the molecules around the C-O bond. Energy barriers of both conformational transitions were determined.

Dynamic properties of force fields.

Molecular-dynamics simulations are increasingly used to study dynamic properties of biological systems. With this development, the ability of force fields to successfully predict relaxation timescales and the associated conformational exchange processes moves into focus. We assess to what extent the dynamic properties of model peptides (Ac-A-NHMe, Ac-V-NHMe, AVAVA, A10) differ when simulated with different force fields (AMBER ff99SB-ILDN, AMBER ff03, OPLS-AA/L, CHARMM27, and GROMOS43a1). The dynamic properties are extracted using Markov state models. For single-residue models (Ac-A-NHMe, Ac-V-NHMe), the slow conformational exchange processes are similar in all force fields, but the associated relaxation timescales differ by up to an order of magnitude. For the peptide systems, not only the relaxation timescales, but also the conformational exchange processes differ considerably across force fields. This finding calls the significance of dynamic interpretations of molecular-dynamics simulations into question.

Blocking Dynamics of the SMR Transporter EmrE Impairs Efflux Activity

EmrE is a small multidrug resistance transporter that has been well studied as a model for secondary active transport. Because transport requires the protein to convert between at least two states open to opposite sides of the membrane, it is expected that blocking these conformational transitions will prevent transport activity. We have previously shown that NMR can quantitatively measure the transition between the open-in and open-out states of EmrE in bicelles. Now, we have used the antiparallel EmrE crystal structure to design a cross-link to inhibit this conformational exchange process. We probed the structural, dynamic, and functional effects of this cross-link with NMR and in vivo efflux assays. Our NMR results show that our antiparallel cross-link performs as predicted: dramatically reducing conformational exchange while minimally perturbing the overall structure of EmrE and essentially trapping EmrE in a single state. The same cross-link also impairs ethidium efflux activity by EmrE in Escherichia coli. This confirms the hypothesis that transport can be inhibited simply by blocking conformational transitions in a properly folded transporter. The success of our cross-linker design also provides further evidence that the antiparallel crystal structure provides a good model for functional EmrE.

Transported Substrate Determines Exchange Rate in the Multidrug Resistance Transporter EmrE

EmrE, a small multidrug resistance transporter, serves as an ideal model to study coupling between multidrug recognition and protein function. EmrE has a single small binding pocket that must accommodate the full range of diverse substrates recognized by this transporter. We have studied a series of tetrahedral compounds, as well as several planar substrates, to examine multidrug recognition and transport by EmrE. Here we show that even within this limited series, the rate of interconversion between the inward- and outward-facing states of EmrE varies over 3 orders of magnitude. Thus, the identity of the bound substrate controls the rate of this critical step in the transport process. The binding affinity also varies over a similar range and is correlated with substrate hydrophobicity within the tetrahedral substrate series. Substrate identity influences both the ground-state and transition-state energies for the conformational exchange process, highlighting the coupling between substrate binding and transport required for alternating access antiport.

NMR-profiles of protein solutions.

NMR-Profiles are quantitative one-dimensional (1D) presentations of 2D [¹⁵N, ¹H]-correlation spectra used to monitor the quality of protein solutions prior to and during NMR structure determinations and functional studies. In our current use in structural genomics projects, an NMR-Profile is recorded at the outset of a structure determination, using a uniformly ¹⁵N-labeled microscale sample of the protein. We thus assess the extent to which polypeptide backbone resonance assignments can be achieved with given NMR techniques, for example, conventional triple resonance experiments or APSY-NMR. With the availability of sequence-specific polypeptide backbone resonance assignments in the course of the structure determination, an "Assigned NMR-Profile" is generated, which visualizes the variation of the ¹⁵N - ¹H correlation cross peak intensities along the sequence and thus maps the sequence locations of polypeptide segments for which the NMR line shapes are affected by conformational exchange or other processes. The Assigned NMR-Profile provides a guiding reference during later stages of the structure determination, and is of special interest for monitoring the protein during functional studies, where dynamic features may be modulated during physiological processes.

Structure and dynamics of human Nedd4-1 WW3 in complex with the αENaC PY motif

Nedd4-1 (neuronal precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated gene 4-1) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that interacts with and negatively regulates the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC). The WW domains of Nedd4-1 bind to the ENaC subunits via recognition of PY motifs. Human Nedd4-1 (hNedd4-1) contains four WW domains with the third domain (WW3*) showing the strongest affinity to the PY motif. To understand the mechanism underlying this binding affinity, we have carried out NMR structural and dynamics analyses of the hNedd4-1 WW3* domain in complex with a peptide comprising the C-terminal tail of the human ENaC α-subunit. The structure reveals that the peptide interacts in a similar manner to other WW domain–ENaC peptide structures. Crucial interactions that likely provide binding affinity are the broad XP groove facilitating additional contacts between the WW3* domain and the peptide, compared to similar complexes, and the large surface area buried (83Å2) between R430 (WW3*) and L647′ (αENaC). This corroborates the model-free analysis of the 15N backbone relaxation data, which showed that R430 is the most rigid residue in the domain (S2=0.90±0.01). Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill relaxation dispersion analysis identified two different conformational exchange processes on the μs–ms time-scale. One of these processes involves residues located at the peptide binding interface, suggesting conformational exchange may play a role in peptide recognition. Thus, both structural and dynamic features of the complex appear to define the high binding affinity. The results should aid interpretation of biochemical data and modeling interfaces between Nedd4-1 and other interacting proteins.

Electrochemical nitration of myoglobin at tyrosine 103: Structure and stability

Nitration in proteins is a physiologically relevant process and the formation of 3-nitrotyrosine was first proposed as an in vivo marker of the production of reactive nitrogen species in oxidative stress. No studies have been published on structural changes associated with nitration of myoglobin. To address this deficiency the electrochemical nitration of equine skeletal muscle (Mb) at amino acid tyrosine 103 has been investigated for the evaluation and characterization of structural and thermal stability changes. Y103 in Mb is one of the most exposed tyrosine residues and it is also close to the heme group. Effects of Y103 nitration on the secondary and tertiary structure of Y103 have been studied by UV–Vis, circular dichroism, fluorescence and NMR spectroscopy and by electrochemical studies. At physiological pH, subtle changes were observed involving slight loosening of the tertiary structure and conformational exchange processes. Thermal stability of the nitrated protein was found to be reduced by 5°C for the nitrated Mb compared with the native Mb at physiological pH. Altogether, NMR data indicates that nitrated Mb has a very similar tertiary structure to that of native Mb, although with a slightly open conformation.

Domain–domain interactions in full-length p53 and a specific DNA complex probed by methyl NMR spectroscopy

The tumor suppressor p53 is a homotetramer of 4 × 393 residues. Its core domain and tetramerization domain are linked and flanked by intrinsically disordered sequences, which hinder its full structural characterization. There is an outstanding problem of the state of the tetramerization domain. Structural studies on the isolated tetramerization domain show it is in a folded tetrameric conformation, but there are conflicting models from electron microscopy of the full-length protein, one of which proposes that the domain is not tetramerically folded and the tetrameric protein is stabilized by interactions between the N and C termini. Here, we present methyl-transverse relaxation optimized NMR spectroscopy (methyl-TROSY) investigations on the full-length and separate domains of the protein with its methionine residues enriched with (13)C to probe its quaternary structure. We obtained high-quality spectra of both the full-length tetrameric p53 and its DNA complex, observing the environment at 11 specific methyl sites. The tetramerization domain was as tetramerically folded in the full-length constructs as in the isolated domain. The N and C termini were intrinsically disordered in both the full-length protein and its complex with a 20-residue specific DNA sequence. Additionally, we detected in the interface of the core (DNA-binding) and N-terminal parts of the protein a slow conformational exchange process that was modulated by specific recognition of DNA, indicating allosteric processes.

Site-resolved measurement of microsecond-to-millisecond conformational-exchange processes in proteins by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

We demonstrate that conformational exchange processes in proteins on microsecond-to-millisecond time scales can be detected and quantified by solid-state NMR spectroscopy. We show two independent approaches that measure the effect of conformational exchange on transverse relaxation parameters, namely Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill relaxation-dispersion experiments and measurement of differential multiple-quantum coherence decay. Long coherence lifetimes, as required for these experiments, are achieved by the use of highly deuterated samples and fast magic-angle spinning. The usefulness of the approaches is demonstrated by application to microcrystalline ubiquitin. We detect a conformational exchange process in a region of the protein for which dynamics have also been observed in solution. Interestingly, quantitative analysis of the data reveals that the exchange process is more than 1 order of magnitude slower than in solution, and this points to the impact of the crystalline environment on free energy barriers.

Structural Analysis of Isomeric Europium(III) Chelates of NB-DOTMA

Water exchange in lanthanide(III) chelates is a key parameter in developing more effective MRI contrast agents. Our own efforts to optimize water exchange have focused on isolating single coordination geometries of LnDOTA-type chelates (DOTA = 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetate.) This isolation may be achieved by appropriately substituting the ligand framework to freeze-out the conformational exchange processes that interconvert coordination geometries. When a single nitrobenzyl substituent is used to "lock" the conformation of the macrocyclic ring, two regioisomeric chelates may be produced; the substituent may be alternatively located on the corner or the side of the ring. Here, we unambiguously demonstrate this regioisomerism by examining the COSY spectra of some conformationally locked Eu(3+) chelates. This exercise also demonstrated that diastereoisomeric chelates arising from racemization of chiral centers during the ligand synthesis, recently discounted as the origin of multiple isomeric chelates, can be produced and isolated. Furthermore, these COSY data revealed several through space NOE correlations that afford a great deal of information about the conformation of the nitrobenzyl substituent. In those isomers in which the substituent is located on the corner of the ring, the nitrobenzyl group is oriented approximately perpendicular to the plane of the macrocycle pointing upward and away from the chelate. In contrast, when the substituent is located on the side of the ring, the nitrobenzyl group is oriented approximately in plane with the macrocycle, pointing along the side of the chelate. Because the main purpose of the nitro group is to facilitate chemical modification and conjugation to biologically relevant molecules, these differences may have important consequences. Specifically, it seems likely that the same chelate may interact very differently with biological systems and molecules depending upon the regioisomer and therefore the orientation of the chelate relative to the biomolecule.

Biosynthesis and Spectroscopic Characterization of 2‐TM Fragments Encompassing the Sequence of a Human GPCR, the Y4 Receptor

This paper presents a divide-and-conquer approach towards obtaining solution structures of G protein-coupled receptors. The human Y4 receptor was dissected into two to three transmembrane helix fragments, which were individually studied by solution NMR. We systematically compared various biosynthetic routes for the expression of the fragments in Escherichia coli and discuss purification strategies. In particular, we have compared the production of transmembrane (TM) fragments as inclusion bodies by using the ΔTrp leader sequence, with membrane-directed expression by using Mistic as the fusion partner, and developed methods for enzymatic cleavage. In addition, direct expression of two-TM fragments into inclusion bodies is a successful route in some cases. With the exception of TM13, we could produce all fragments in isotope-labeled form in quantities sufficient for NMR studies. Almost complete backbone resonance assignment was obtained for the first two helices, as well as for helices 5 and 7, and a high degree was obtained for TM6, while conformational exchange processes resulted in the disappearance of many signals from TM4. In addition, complete assignments were obtained for all residues of the N-terminal domain, as well as the extracellular and cytosolic loops (with the exception of an undecapeptide segment in the second extracellular loop, EC2) and for the complete cytosolic C-terminal tail. In total, backbone resonances of 78 % of all residues were assigned for the Y4 receptor. Predictions of secondary structure based on backbone chemical shifts indicate that most residues from the TM regions adopt helical conformations, with exception of those around polar residues or prolines. However, the domain boundaries differ slightly from those predicted for homology models. We suggest that the obtained chemical shifts might be useful in assigning the full-length receptor.

Characteristics of Human Lysozyme and Its Disease‐Related Mutants in their Unfolded States

Characteristics of Human Lysozyme and Its Disease‐Related Mutants in their Unfolded States

Portrayal of Complex Dynamic Properties of Sugarcane Defensin 5 by NMR: Multiple Motions Associated with Membrane Interaction

Defensins are essentially ancient natural antibiotics with potent activity extending from lower organisms to humans. Sd5 is a recently described antifungal defensin that appears to be the result of a recent gain of function. We reported here the solution NMRstructure of Sd5 and characterized the backbone dynamics in the free state and in the presence ofmembrane models. (15)N relaxation dispersion measurements indicate intrinsic conformational exchange processes, showing two clear distinct k(ex), 490 and 1800 s(-1). These multiple motions may be related to transient twisting or breathing of the α helix and β sheet. The stages of membrane recognition and disruption by Sd5 over a large timescale range were mapped and demonstrated that Sd5 in solution sampled an ensemble of different conformations, of which a subset is selected upon membrane binding. Defensins share similar structures, but we demonstrated here that their dynamics can be extremely diverse.

NMR Relaxation Studies of an RNA-Binding Segment of the Rous Sarcoma Virus Gag Polyprotein in Free and Bound States: A Model for Autoinhibition of Assembly

Assembly of retrovirus particles is promoted by interaction of the Gag polyprotein with RNA. Nonspecific RNA association with the nucleocapsid domain (NC) of Gag induces the dimerization of Gag through protein-protein contacts in the capsid domain (CA), followed by higher order assembly to form the immature virus particle. NMR relaxation studies were conducted to investigate the initial steps of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) assembly by examining the association with nucleic acid of a fragment of Gag comprising the C-terminal domain of CA (CTD) postulated to mediate Gag dimerization, the spacer region between CA and NC (SP), and NC. This fragment, CTD-SP-NC (residues 394-577), spans the critical SP region and allows assessment of this key Gag-nucleic acid interaction in the context of the Gag polyprotein rather than the isolated domains. Main-chain amide relaxation of CTD-SP-NC was measured in the absence and presence of (GT)(4), an 8-mer DNA oligonucleotide that binds tightly to the polyprotein but is too short to promote Gag dimerization. The results show that the CTD and NC domains tumble independently. In contrast, the two zinc finger domains within NC are rotationally coupled in both the unbound and bound states, even though only the first zinc finger appears to make direct contact with (GT)(4). In addition, the NMR data indicate that SP and flanking residues undergo a conformational exchange process that is slowed in the presence of (GT)(4). This region around SP where relaxation is strongly affected by (GT)(4) binding is nearly identical to the assembly domain defined previously by mutagenesis studies. Other changes in relaxation induced by (GT)(4) implicate conformational perturbations of helices 1 and 4 in CTD. On the basis of the combined data, we propose a model for the promotion of Gag dimerization by RNA association in which NC-RNA binding disrupts an assembly inhibitory, intramolecular interaction involving SP and CTD. Disruption of this intramolecular interaction is proposed to enhance the accessibility of the Gag dimer contact surface and release the assembly domain to promote intermolecular oligomerization.