Endogenous Cysteine Residues Research Articles

Abstract 5083: Discovery of an asymmetric IgG-like bispecific ADC targeting EGFR/HER3

Abstract Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, consisting of EGFR, HER2, HER3, and HER4, plays a critical role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Inhibition of ERBBs using either monoclonal antibodies (mAb) or small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been approved for use for the treatment of various types of cancers. Despite relative success, many patients acquire resistance to long-term benefit due to alternative compensatory signaling pathways. Accordingly, activating mutations or overexpression of HER3 has been reported in many cancers, such as breast, ovarian, lung, colorectal, melanoma, head and neck, cervical and prostate cancers. Here, we report the discovery of a humanized anti-EGFR x HER3 IgG-like bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). The ADC takes a asymmetric 1+1 form through HC-HC and HC-LC charge-based heterodimerization, which is then conjugated to a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor (TOP1i) payload via a cleavable linker. The affinity of EGFR and HER3 was optimized to improve the therapeutical window, and has shown potent anti-tumor efficacy in various tumor models with limited toxicity supporting further development in clinic. Methods: An anti-EGFR x HER3 bispecific ADC (PM1300) was generated by introducing unique mutations to the CH1-CL domains of each binding arm to avoid HC-LC mispairing. KIH mutations were also introduced to each CH3 domain to support HC/HC heterodimerization and generate an IgG-like bispecific with one arm binding to EGFR and the other to HER3. TOP1i payload was conjugated to the IgG-like bispecific by the endogenous cysteine residues at DAR 8 via a clearable linker. Results: Through affinity optimization, PM300 was found to preferentially bind to EGFR/HER3 double-positive cells rather than EGFR single-positive cells. PM1300 showed significantly increased internalization and anti-proliferation activity against EGFR/HER3 double-positive cells, with limited activity towards single positive-cells. PM1300 used an optimized linker for better payload release and serum stability. PM1300 induced a potent anti-tumor efficacy in various CDX models representing different EGFR and HER3 expressing levels and mutations. Importantly, PM1300 exhibited a good safety profile in NHP consistent with the optimal affinity for EGFR and HER3. These results demonstrate that PM1300 has a promising efficacy/safety therapeutical window in preclinical models supporting further development in the clinic. Conclusion: A bispecific ADC targeting EGFR x HER3 was discovered, named PM1300, which has an asymmetric 1+1 IgG-like structure and optimized affinity. This allows for preferential binding to EGFR/HER3 double-positive cancer cells, rather than EGFR single-positive cells. This may significantly contribute to minimizing safety risk that is common for EGFR-targeting agents. Citation Format: Liandi Chen, Shaogang Peng, Chao Wang, Xiaoniu Miao, Yao Yan, Jun Xing, Weifeng Huang, Andy Tsun, Yingda Xu, Xiaolin Liu, Yi Luo. Discovery of an asymmetric IgG-like bispecific ADC targeting EGFR/HER3 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 5083.

Site-Specific Antibody-Drug Conjugation Using Microbial Transglutaminase.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a relatively young class of cancer therapeutics that combine the superior selectivity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with the high potency of cytotoxic agents. In the first generation of ADCs, the toxic payload is attached to the mAb via chemical conjugation to endogenous lysine or cysteine residues providing only limited control over site specificity and drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR). The resulting product is a heterogeneous population of different ADC species, each with individual characteristics concerning pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and efficacy. Such diverse ADC mixtures are not only difficult to develop but are potentially also accompanied by a suboptimal therapeutic window. To overcome these limitations, alternative conjugation technologies have been developed that allow the production of tailor-made homogeneous ADCs. Due to its high specificity and robust applicability, microbial transglutaminase (mTG), a protein-glutamine γ-glutamyltransferase isolated from Streptomyces mobaraensis, emerged as a versatile tool for ADC manufacturing. Herein, we report a protocol for the site-specific, mTG-mediated modification of antibodies that allows the production of homogeneous and defined ADCs. Moreover, analytical methods for ADC characterization are provided.

Role of cysteine 416 in N-ethylmaleimide sensitivity of human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1).

Human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1), the first identified member of the ENT family of integral membrane proteins, is the primary mechanism for cellular uptake of physiologic nucleosides and many antineoplastic and antiviral nucleoside drugs. hENT1, which is potently inhibited by nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR), possesses 11 transmembrane helical domains with an intracellular N-terminus and an extracellular C-terminus. As a protein with 10 endogenous cysteine residues, it is sensitive to inhibition by the membrane permeable sulfhydryl-reactive reagent N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) but is unaffected by the membrane impermeable sulfhydryl-reactive reagent p-chloromercuriphenyl sulfonate. To identify the residue(s) involved in NEM inhibition, we created a cysteine-less version of hENT1 (hENT1C-), with all 10 endogenous cysteine residues mutated to serine, and showed that it displays wild-type uridine transport and NBMPR-binding characteristics when produced in the Xenopus oocyte heterologous expression system, indicating that endogenous cysteine residues are not essential for hENT1 function. We then tested NEM sensitivity of recombinant wild-type hENT1, hENT1 mutants C1S to C10S (single cysteine residues replaced by serine), hENT1C- (all cysteine residues replaced by serine), and hENT1C- mutants S1C to S10C (single serine residues converted back to cysteine). Mutants C9S (C416S/hENT1) and S9C (S416C/hENT1C-) were insensitive and sensitive, respectively, to inhibition by NEM, identifying Cys416 as the endofacial cysteine residue in hENT1 responsible for NEM inhibition. Kinetic experiments suggested that NEM modification of Cys416, which is located at the inner extremity of TM10, results in the inhibition of hENT1 uridine transport and NBMPR binding by constraining the protein in its inward-facing conformation.

Engineered cysteine antibodies: an improved antibody-drug conjugate platform with a novel mechanism of drug-linker stability.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are fulfilling the promise of targeted therapy with meaningful clinical success. An intense research effort is directed towards improving pharmacokinetic profiles, toxicity and chemical stability of ADCs. The majority of ADCs use amide and thioether chemistry to link potent cytotoxic agents to antibodies via endogenous lysine and cysteine residues. While maleimide-cysteine conjugation is used for many clinical stage ADC programs, maleimides have been shown to exhibit some degree of post-conjugation instability. Previous research with site-directed mutagenic incorporation of cysteine residues for conjugation revealed that the stability of the drug-antibody linkage depends on the site of conjugation. Here we report on a collection of engineered cysteine antibodies (S239C, E269C, K326C and A327C) that can be site-specifically conjugated to potent cytotoxic agents to produce homogenous 2-loaded ADCs. These ADCs confirm that site of conjugation impacts maleimide stability and present a novel mechanism of thioether stabilization, effectively unlinking stability from either local chemical environment or calculated solvent accessibility and expanding the current paradigm for ADC drug-linker stability. These ADCs show potent in vitro and in vivo activity while delivering half of the molar equivalent dose of drug per antibody when compared to an average 4-loaded ADC. In addition, our lead engineered site shields highly hydrophobic drugs, enabling conjugation, formulation and clinical use of otherwise intractable chemotypes.

Human bile acid transporter ASBT (SLC10A2) forms functional non-covalent homodimers and higher order oligomers

The human apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter, hASBT/SLC10A2, plays a central role in cholesterol homeostasis via the efficient reabsorption of bile acids from the distal ileum. hASBT has been shown to self-associate in higher order complexes, but while the functional role of endogenous cysteines has been reported, their implication in the oligomerization of hASBT remains unresolved. Here, we determined the self-association architecture of hASBT by site-directed mutagenesis combined with biochemical, immunological and functional approaches. We generated a cysteine-less form of hASBT by creating point mutations at all 13 endogenous cysteines in a stepwise manner. Although Cysless hASBT had significantly reduced function correlated with lowered surface expression, it featured an extra glycosylation site that facilitated its differentiation from wt-hASBT on immunoblots. Decreased protein expression was associated with instability and subsequent proteasome-dependent degradation of Cysless hASBT protein. Chemical cross-linking of wild-type and Cysless species revealed that hASBT exists as an active dimer and/or higher order oligomer with apparently no requirement for endogenous cysteine residues. This was further corroborated by co-immunoprecipitation of differentially tagged (HA-, Flag-) wild-type and Cysless hASBT. Finally, Cysless hASBT exhibited a dominant-negative effect when co-expressed with wild-type hASBT which validated heterodimerization/oligomerization at the functional level. Combined, our data conclusively demonstrate the functional existence of hASBT dimers and higher order oligomers irrespective of cysteine-mediated covalent bonds, thereby providing greater understanding of its topological assembly at the membrane surface.

Abstract 75: Comparison of site-specific and lysine-linked indolino-benzodiazepine antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)

Abstract ADCs are a promising modality for cancer therapy enabled by chemical conjugation of potent cytotoxic compounds to monoclonal antibodies. While many ADCs in clinical evaluation employ heterogeneous conjugation chemistries where the payload is linked through lysine or endogenous cysteine residues, there has recently been considerable interest in site-specific conjugation. ADCs prepared using site-specific methods are believed to have a wider therapeutic index compared to heterogeneous ADCs. We have previously shown that site-specific ADCs incorporating the maytansinoid-based tubulin inhibitor DM1 were less efficacious in vivo when compared to analogous lysine-linked conjugates (Yoder et al AACR 2015 Abstract #545). More recently, we presented results from the evaluation of 2.5-3.0 drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) heterogeneous lysine-linked and 2 DAR site-specific ADCs using antibodies with engineered cysteines at position 442 in the heavy chains (known as CYSMABTM). These ADCs used the peptide-linked indolino-benzodiazepine DNA alkylator DGN549 (also known as IGN-P1) as the effector. Unlike the DM1 case, site-specific DGN549 ADCs were at least as active in vivo when compared to lysine-linked ADCs (Yoder et al AACR 2016 Abstract #2960). We have made further pharmacological comparisons between CYSMAB and lysine-linked DGN549 ADCs at matched payload doses using two different antibodies targeting distinct cell surface receptors. In the case of mAb1, CYSMAB and lysine-linked ADCs were comparably active. For mAb2, the CYSMAB ADC was more active than the lysine-linked ADC in some models and similarly active in others. The mAb1 CYSMAB ADC exhibited a significantly higher maximum tolerated dose (MTD) compared to the lysine-linked ADC. In contrast, the MTDs of the mAb2 ADCs were similar. However, the mAb2 CYSMAB conjugate was better tolerated in terms of median lethal dose. The mechanism for the improved tolerability of the mAb1 CYSMAB conjugate is not apparent. In an effort to understand whether it is a consequence of conjugation chemistry or DAR, we compared the tolerability of the mAb1 CYSMAB conjugate to that of a ~4 DAR site-specific analog and found that both factors contribute. To determine if our observations can be rationalized in terms of in vivo disposition, we compared the pharmacokinetics of mAb1 CYSMAB and lysine-linked ADCs at matched antibody doses. Intriguingly, the CYSMAB ADC showed slightly greater exposure. These results, along with our previous work on site-specific DM1 ADCs, indicate that in some cases site-specific conjugation can lead to improved efficacy and tolerability. However, generalizations cannot be made across different combinations of antibody, linker, and payload. We conclude that the advantages and disadvantages of site-specific conjugation should be carefully considered for every candidate ADC. Citation Format: Chen Bai, Nicholas C. Yoder, Alan Wilhelm, Sharlene Adams, Kathleen Whiteman, Jenny Lee, Katie O'Callaghan, Erin Maloney, Manami Shizuka, Yelena Kovtun, Thomas A. Keating. Comparison of site-specific and lysine-linked indolino-benzodiazepine antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 75. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-75

Engineering a Prototypic P-type ATPase Listeria monocytogenes Ca(2+)-ATPase 1 for Single-Molecule FRET Studies.

Approximately 30% of the ATP generated in the living cell is utilized by P-type ATPase primary active transporters to generate and maintain electrochemical gradients across biological membranes. P-type ATPases undergo large conformational changes during their functional cycle to couple ATP hydrolysis in the cytoplasmic domains to ion transport across the membrane. The Ca(2+)-ATPase from Listeria monocytogenes, LMCA1, was found to be a suitable model of P-type ATPases and was engineered to facilitate single-molecule FRET studies of transport-related structural changes. Mutational analyses of the endogenous cysteine residues in LMCA1 were performed to reduce background labeling without compromising activity. Pairs of cysteines were introduced into the optimized low-reactivity background, and labeled with maleimide derivatives of Cy3 and Cy5 resulting in site-specifically double-labeled protein with moderate activity. Ensemble and confocal single-molecule FRET studies revealed changes in FRET distribution related to structural changes during the transport cycle, consistent with those observed by X-ray crystallography for the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA). Notably, the cytosolic headpiece of LMCA1 was found to be distinctly more compact in the E1 state than in the E2 state. Thus, the established experimental system should allow future real-time FRET studies of the structural dynamics of LMCA1 as a representative P-type ATPase.

Abstract 5279: The first ACT: an efficient data tracking and sharing tool for ADC and linker-payload development

Abstract Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are anti-cancer agents that more selectively deliver potent cytotoxins to tumors via targeted antigens. ADCs are modular biotherapeutics composed of antibody (Ab), linker (L), and payload (P). The LP may be conjugated to different antibody locations, including endogenous cysteine or lysine residues; recent advances in conjugation technology also have enabled site-specific conjugation to engineered cysteine, glutamine, or other sites. Pfizer has utilized a platform approach to identify novel LPs and ADCs, hence large numbers of linkers and payloads have been synthesized and conjugated to many different antibodies at conventional and site-specific locations. This has generated thousands of permutations of antibody, conjugation site, linker, and payload. Moreover, there are large volumes of metadata and analytical data associated with each ADC component as well as with the final conjugated product. Hence, there is an avalanche of data that must be tracked and accessed in order to ensure efficient decision making and communication as ADCs advance through our biological testing funnel. To handle this information challenge, we designed and implemented a new ADC tracking system. First, we created a systematic nomenclature to enable automated assignment of ADC names. ADC names are concatenated in the format “Ab-(site)_L_P”. In addition, specific antibody properties are defined within the Ab portion of the name, such as antigen, clone ID, mutation, isotype, etc. Second, we built a Java web-start enabled desktop application known as Antibody Conjugate Tracker (ACT). ACT integrates ADC bioanalytical and structural information into a user-friendly interface. The application recapitulates our synthesis and testing workflow: antibody inventory, LP inventory, project team synthesis requests, ADC registration, and sample physical inventory. ACT enables system-generated ADC name assignment by defined rules as well as registration of every ADC with corporate identifiers to allow biological data reporting. The systematic naming allows for facile uniqueness checking, thus eliminating possible redundancies and minimizing confusion about ADCs that use similar components. Third, we integrated ACT with the corporate registration system and the biological results database, allowing seamless access of in vitro and in vivo screening data for each ADC. By tracking both platform and program ADCs via ACT, we now have a rich database of constructs and biological results that can be used to interrogate structure-activity relationships (SAR) of new linker-payloads. Overall, benefits of the ACT system include more efficient conjugation workflows, inventory tracking, enhanced communication among scientists from synthesis to testing, and streamlined SAR analysis of novel linker-payloads. These efficiencies have ensured accurate tracking and delivery of innovative ADCs into our clinical development pipeline. Citation Format: Frank Loganzo, Ellie Muszynska, Nathan Tumey, Megan Tran, Tianhong Zhang. The first ACT: an efficient data tracking and sharing tool for ADC and linker-payload development. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 5279.

Understanding How the Stability of the Thiol-Maleimide Linkage Impacts the Pharmacokinetics of Lysine-Linked Antibody–Maytansinoid Conjugates

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have become a widely investigated modality for cancer therapy, in part due to the clinical findings with ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla). Ado-trastuzumab emtansine utilizes the Ab-SMCC-DM1 format, in which the thiol-functionalized maytansinoid cytotoxic agent, DM1, is linked to the antibody (Ab) via the maleimide moiety of the heterobifunctional SMCC linker. The pharmacokinetic (PK) data for ado-trastuzumab emtansine point to a faster clearance for the ADC than for total antibody. Cytotoxic agent release in plasma has been reported with nonmaytansinoid, cysteine-linked ADCs via thiol-maleimide exchange, for example, brentuximab vedotin. For Ab-SMCC-DM1 ADCs, however, the main catabolite reported is lysine-SMCC-DM1, the expected product of intracellular antibody proteolysis. To understand these observations better, we conducted a series of studies to examine the stability of the thiol-maleimide linkage, utilizing the EGFR-targeting conjugate, J2898A-SMCC-DM1, and comparing it with a control ADC made with a noncleavable linker that lacked a thiol-maleimide adduct (J2898A-(CH2)3-DM). We employed radiolabeled ADCs to directly measure both the antibody and the ADC components in plasma. The PK properties of the conjugated antibody moiety of the two conjugates, J2898A-SMCC-DM1 and J2898A-(CH2)3-DM (each with an average of 3.0 to 3.4 maytansinoid molecules per antibody), appear to be similar to that of the unconjugated antibody. Clearance values of the intact conjugates were slightly faster than those of the Ab components. Furthermore, J2898A-SMCC-DM1 clears slightly faster than J2898A-(CH2)3-DM, suggesting that there is a fraction of maytansinoid loss from the SMCC-DM1 ADC, possibly through a thiol-maleimide dependent mechanism. Experiments on ex vivo stability confirm that some loss of maytansinoid from Ab-SMCC-DM1 conjugates can occur via thiol elimination, but at a slower rate than the corresponding rate of loss reported for thiol-maleimide links formed at thiols derived by reduction of endogenous cysteine residues in antibodies, consistent with expected differences in thiol-maleimide stability related to thiol pKa. These findings inform the design strategy for future ADCs.

The Human Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter (hSGLT1) Is a Disulfide-Bridged Homodimer with a Re-Entrant C-Terminal Loop.

Na-coupled cotransporters are proteins that use the trans-membrane electrochemical gradient of Na to activate the transport of a second solute. The sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1) constitutes a well-studied prototype of this transport mechanism but essential molecular characteristics, namely its quaternary structure and the exact arrangement of the C-terminal transmembrane segments, are still debated. After expression in Xenopus oocytes, human SGLT1 molecules (hSGLT1) were labelled on an externally accessible cysteine residue with a thiol-reactive fluorophore (tetramethylrhodamine-C5-maleimide, TMR). Addition of dipicrylamine (DPA, a negatively-charged amphiphatic fluorescence “quencher”) to the fluorescently-labelled oocytes is used to quench the fluorescence originating from hSGLT1 in a voltage-dependent manner. Using this arrangement with a cysteine residue introduced at position 624 in the loop between transmembrane segments 12 and 13, the voltage-dependent fluorescence signal clearly indicated that this portion of the 12–13 loop is located on the external side of the membrane. As the 12–13 loop begins on the intracellular side of the membrane, this suggests that the 12–13 loop is re-entrant. Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), we observed that different hSGLT1 molecules are within molecular distances from each other suggesting a multimeric complex arrangement. In agreement with this conclusion, a western blot analysis showed that hSGLT1 migrates as either a monomer or a dimer in reducing and non-reducing conditions, respectively. A systematic mutational study of endogenous cysteine residues in hSGLT1 showed that a disulfide bridge is formed between the C355 residues of two neighbouring hSGLT1 molecules. It is concluded that, 1) hSGLT1 is expressed as a disulfide bridged homodimer via C355 and that 2) a portion of the intracellular 12–13 loop is re-entrant and readily accessible from the extracellular milieu.

Π-Clamp-mediated cysteine conjugation.

Site-selective functionalization of complex molecules is one of the most significant challenges in chemistry. Typically, protecting groups or catalysts must be used to enable the selective modification of one site among many that are similarly reactive, and general strategies that selectively tune the local chemical environment around a target site are rare. Here, we show a four-amino-acid sequence (Phe-Cys-Pro-Phe), which we call the 'π-clamp', that tunes the reactivity of its cysteine thiol for site-selective conjugation with perfluoroaromatic reagents. We use the π-clamp to selectively modify one cysteine site in proteins containing multiple endogenous cysteine residues. These examples include antibodies and cysteine-based enzymes that would be difficult to modify selectively using standard cysteine-based methods. Antibodies modified using the π-clamp retained binding affinity to their targets, enabling the synthesis of site-specific antibody-drug conjugates for selective killing of HER2-positive breast cancer cells. The π-clamp is an unexpected approach to mediate site-selective chemistry and provides new avenues to modify biomolecules for research and therapeutics.

A Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)-based System Provides Insight into the Ordered Assembly of Yeast Septin Hetero-octamers

Prior studies in both budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and in human cells have established that septin protomers assemble into linear hetero-octameric rods with 2-fold rotational symmetry. In mitotically growing yeast cells, five septin subunits are expressed (Cdc3, Cdc10, Cdc11, Cdc12, and Shs1) and assemble into two types of rods that differ only in their terminal subunit: Cdc11-Cdc12-Cdc3-Cdc10-Cdc10-Cdc3-Cdc12-Cdc11 and Shs1-Cdc12-Cdc3-Cdc10-Cdc10-Cdc3-Cdc12-Shs1. EM analysis has shown that, under low salt conditions, the Cdc11-capped rods polymerize end to end to form long paired filaments, whereas Shs1-capped rods form arcs, spirals, and rings. To develop a facile method to study septin polymerization in vitro, we exploited our previous work in which we generated septin complexes in which all endogenous cysteine (Cys) residues were eliminated by site-directed mutagenesis, except an introduced E294C mutation in Cdc11 in these experiments. Mixing samples of a preparation of such single-Cys containing Cdc11-capped rods that have been separately derivatized with organic dyes that serve as donor and acceptor, respectively, for FRET provided a spectroscopic method to monitor filament assembly mediated by Cdc11-Cdc11 interaction and to measure its affinity under specified conditions. Modifications of this same FRET scheme also allow us to assess whether Shs1-capped rods are capable of end to end association either with themselves or with Cdc11-capped rods. This FRET approach also was used to follow the binding to septin filaments of a septin-interacting protein, the type II myosin-binding protein Bni5.

The Aromatic and Charge Pairs of the Thin Extracellular Gate of the γ-Aminobutyric Acid Transporter GAT-1 Are Differently Impacted by Mutation

GAT-1 is a sodium- and chloride-coupled GABA transporter and a member of the neurotransmitter:sodium:symporters, which are crucial for synaptic transmission. The structure of bacterial homologue LeuT shows a thin extracellular gate consisting of a charge and an aromatic pair. Here we addressed the question of whether mutation of the aromatic and charge pair residues of GAT-1 has similar consequences. In contrast to charge pair mutants, significant radioactive GABA transport was retained by mutants of the aromatic pair residue Phe-294. Moreover, the magnitude of maximal transport currents induced by GABA by these mutants was comparable with those by wild type GAT-1. However, the apparent affinity of the nonconserved mutants for GABA was reduced up to 20-fold relative to wild type. The voltage dependence of the sodium-dependent transient currents of the Phe-294 mutants was similar to that of the wild type. On the other hand, the conserved charge pair mutant D451E exhibited a right-shifted voltage dependence, indicating an increased apparent affinity for sodium. In further contrast to D451E, whereas the extracellular aqueous accessibility of an endogenous cysteine residue to a membrane-impermeant sulfhydryl reagent was increased relative to wild type, this was not the case for the aromatic pair mutants. Our data indicate that, in contrast to the charge pair, the aromatic pair is not essential for gating. Instead they are compatible with the idea that they serve to diminish dissociation of the substrate from the binding pocket.

Basic Properties of Rotary Dynamics of the Molecular Motor Enterococcus hirae V1-ATPase

V-ATPases are rotary molecular motors that generally function as proton pumps. We recently solved the crystal structures of the V1 moiety of Enterococcus hirae V-ATPase (EhV1) and proposed a model for its rotation mechanism. Here, we characterized the rotary dynamics of EhV1 using single-molecule analysis employing a load-free probe. EhV1 rotated in a counterclockwise direction, exhibiting two distinct rotational states, namely clear and unclear, suggesting unstable interactions between the rotor and stator. The clear state was analyzed in detail to obtain kinetic parameters. The rotation rates obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a maximal rotation rate (Vmax) of 107 revolutions/s and a Michaelis constant (Km) of 154 μM at 26 °C. At all ATP concentrations tested, EhV1 showed only three pauses separated by 120°/turn, and no substeps were resolved, as was the case with Thermus thermophilus V1-ATPase (TtV1). At 10 μM ATP (<<Km), the distribution of the durations of the ATP-waiting pause fit well with a single-exponential decay function. The second-order binding rate constant for ATP was 2.3 × 10(6) M(-1) s(-1). At 40 mM ATP (>>Km), the distribution of the durations of the catalytic pause was reproduced by a consecutive reaction with two time constants of 2.6 and 0.5 ms. These kinetic parameters were similar to those of TtV1. Our results identify the common properties of rotary catalysis of V1-ATPases that are distinct from those of F1-ATPases and will further our understanding of the general mechanisms of rotary molecular motors.

TBid Undergoes Multiple Conformational Changes at the Membrane Required for Bax Activation

Bid is a Bcl-2 family protein that promotes apoptosis by activating Bax and eliciting mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP). Full-length Bid is cleaved in response to apoptotic stimuli into two fragments, p7 and tBid (p15), that are held together by strong hydrophobic interactions until the complex binds to membranes. The detailed mechanism(s) of fragment separation including tBid binding to membranes and release of the p7 fragment to the cytoplasm remain unclear. Using liposomes or isolated mitochondria with fluorescently labeled proteins at physiological concentrations as in vitro models, we report that the two components of the complex quickly separate upon interaction with a membrane. Once tBid binds to the membrane, it undergoes slow structural rearrangements that result in an equilibrium between two major tBid conformations on the membrane. The conformational change of tBid is a prerequisite for interaction with Bax and is, therefore, a novel step that can be modulated to promote or inhibit MOMP. Using automated high-throughput image analysis in cells, we show that down-regulation of Mtch2 causes a significant delay between tBid and Bax relocalization in cells. We propose that by promoting insertion of tBid via a conformational change at the mitochondrial outer membrane, Mtch2 accelerates tBid-mediated Bax activation and MOMP. Thus the interaction of Mtch2 and tBid is a potential target for therapeutic control of Bid initiated cell death.

Mapping of interactions between the N- and C-termini and the channel core in HERG K+ channels

The characteristic gating properties of the HERG [human eag (ether-a-go-go)-related gene] potassium channel determine its contribution to cardiac repolarization and in setting the electrical behaviour of a variety of cells. In the present study we analysed, using a site-directed cysteine and disulfide chemistry approach, whether the eag/PAS (Per/Arnt/Sim) and proximal domains at the HERG N-terminus exert a role in controlling the access of the N-terminal flexible tail to its binding site in the channel core for interaction with the gating machinery. Whereas the eag/PAS domain is necessary for disulfide bridging, plus the cysteine residues introduced at positions 3 and 542 of the HERG sequence, the presence of the proximal domain seems to be dispensable. The state-dependent formation of a disulfide bridge between Cys3 and an endogenous cysteine residue at position 723in the C-terminal C-linker suggests that the N-terminal tail of HERG can also get into close proximity with the C-linker structures located at the bottom of helix S6. Therefore the intrinsic flexibility of the N-tail and its proximity to both the S4-S5 loop and the C-linker may dynamically contribute to the modulation of HERG channel gating.

Dystrophin’s Tandem Calponin-Homology Domains: Is the Case Closed?

Dystrophin’s Tandem Calponin-Homology Domains: Is the Case Closed?

A Limited 4 Å Radial Displacement of the S4-S5 Linker Is Sufficient for Internal Gate Closing in Kv Channels

Voltage-gated ion channels are responsible for the generation of action potentials in our nervous system. Conformational rearrangements in their voltage sensor domains in response to changes of the membrane potential control pore opening and thus ion conduction. Crystal structures of the open channel in combination with a wealth of biophysical data and molecular dynamics simulations led to a consensus on the voltage sensor movement. However, the coupling between voltage sensor movement and pore opening, the electromechanical coupling, occurs at the cytosolic face of the channel, from where no structural information is available yet. In particular, the question how far the cytosolic pore gate has to close to prevent ion conduction remains controversial. In cells, spectroscopic methods are hindered because labeling of internal sites remains difficult, whereas liposomes or detergent solutions containing purified ion channels lack voltage control. Here, to overcome these problems, we controlled the state of the channel by varying the lipid environment. This way, we directly measured the position of the S4-S5 linker in both the open and the closed state of a prokaryotic Kv channel (KvAP) in a lipid environment using Lanthanide-based resonance energy transfer. We were able to reconstruct the movement of the covalent link between the voltage sensor and the pore domain and used this information as restraints for molecular dynamics simulations of the closed state structure. We found that a small decrease of the pore radius of about 3-4 Å is sufficient to prevent ion permeation through the pore.

Inhibition of a Dimer Interface Mutant of CLC-0 by Intracellular Cadmium Ion

The CLC chloride-transporting proteins play a variety of physiological roles: regulate the cellular excitability in skeletal muscle cells, facilitate the electrolytes transport in epithelial cells and control the pH in intracellular compartments. These membrane proteins are homodimers with each molecule containing two identical subunits. A double-point mutation (I201W/I422W) at the dimer interface in the bacterial CLC molecule (CLC-ec1) has recently been shown to destablize the dimer interaction so that the functional unit of the I201W/I422W mutant of CLC-ec1 is a monomer. We made the corresponding double mutant at the dimer interface of CLC-0, and the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments indicated that the mutant channel still consists of two subunits. This dimer-interface mutant of CLC-0, however, shows very different functional properties in comparison to the wild-type CLC-0: the mutant channel is activated only at hyperpolarized voltages. Furthermore, the mutant channel significantly enhances the inhibition of the channel by the intracellularly-applied cadmium ion (Cd2+). The Cd2+ inhibition of this dimer-interface mutant appears to be state-dependent with the closed-state channel being more sensitive to the Cd2+ inhibition than the open-state channel. We are currently mutating the endogenous cysteine and histidine residues of CLC-0 to identify the potential Cd2+-binding site.

Membrane Topological Structure of Neutral System N/A Amino Acid Transporter 4 (SNAT4) Protein

Members of system N/A amino acid transporter (SNAT) family mediate transport of neutral amino acids, including l-alanine, l-glutamine, and l-histidine, across the plasma membrane and are involved in a variety of cellular functions. By using chemical labeling, glycosylation, immunofluorescence combined with molecular modeling approaches, we resolved the membrane topological structure of SNAT4, a transporter expressed predominantly in liver. To analyze the orientation using the chemical labeling and biotinylation approach, the "Cys-null" mutant of SNAT4 was first generated by mutating all five endogenous cysteine residues. Based on predicted topological structures, a single cysteine residue was introduced individually into all possible nontransmembrane domains of the Cys-null mutant. The cells expressing these mutants were labeled with N-biotinylaminoethyl methanethiosulfonate, a membrane-impermeable cysteine-directed reagent. We mapped the orientations of N- and C-terminal domains. There are three extracellular loop domains, and among them, the second loop domain is the largest that spans from amino acid residue ∼242 to ∼335. The orientation of this domain was further confirmed by the identification of two N-glycosylated residues, Asn-260 and Asn-264. Together, we showed that SNAT4 contains 10 transmembrane domains with extracellular N and C termini and a large N-glycosylated, extracellular loop domain. This is the first report concerning membrane topological structure of mammalian SNAT transporters, which will provide important implications for our understanding of structure-function of the members in this amino acid transporter family.