Ionizable Residues Research Articles

Dimerization of Terminal Domains in Spiders Silk Proteins Is Controlled by Electrostatic Anisotropy and Modulated by Hydrophobic Patches.

The well-tuned spinning technology from spiders has attracted many researchers with the promise of producing high-performance, biocompatible, and yet biodegradable fibers. So far, the intricate chemistry and rheology of spinning have eluded us. A breakthrough was achieved recently, when the 3D structures of the N and C terminal domains of spider dragline silk were resolved and their pH-induced dimerization was revealed. To understand the terminal domains' dimerization mechanisms, we developed a protein model based on the experimental structures that reproduces charge and hydrophobic anisotropy of the complex protein surfaces. Monte Carlo simulations were used to study the thermodynamic dimerization of the N-terminal domain as a function of pH and ionic strength. We show that the hydrophobic and electrostatic anisotropies of the N-terminal domain cooperate constructively in the association process. The dipolar attractions at pH 6 lead to weakly bound dimers by forcing an antiparallel monomer orientation, stabilized by hydrophobic locking at close separations. Elevated salt concentrations reduce the thermodynamic dimerization constant due to screened electrostatic dipolar attraction. Moreover, the mutations on ionizable residues reveal a free energy of binding, proportional to the dipole moment of the mutants. It has previously been shown that dimers, formed at pH 6, completely dissociate at pH 7, which is thought to be due to altered protein charges. In contrast, our study indicates that the pH increase has no influence on the charge distribution of the N-terminal domain. Instead, the pH-induced dissociation is due to an adapted, loose conformation at pH 7, which significantly hampers both electrostatic and hydrophobic attractive interactions.

Abstract 110: The Separation of Serum Amyloid A from HDL is Mediated by Heparan Sulfate Through Histidine Dependent Interactions: HDL Function is Enhanced but Amyloid-Fibrils may be the “Price to Pay”¼

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is an acute-phase protein that circulates bound to high density lipoprotein (HDL) and can influence HDL function as part of a poorly understood defense re-sponse to tissue trauma or infection. We have previously demonstrated that under mildly acidic pH the glycosaminoglycans, heparan sulfate (HS) and heparin can interact with HDL-SAA and cause SAA to dissociate from HDL. This remodeling improves HDL functionality but also predisposes SAA to form AA-amyloid fibrils. In this study we explore some potential pathophysiological conditions in vitro that could influence this HS/HDL-SAA remodeling process and the fate of SAA in vivo. SAA’s binding affinity for heparin was found to be enhanced by acidic pH and low concentrations of urea. The heparin dependent remodeling of HDL-SAA was promoted by the partial denaturation of HDL-SAA. Moreover, HDL-SAA remodeling was observed to follow a strict SAA:heparin stoichiometry and could be partially inhibited with a short heparin oligosaccharide of 8-sugar units. Evidence is also presented that once dissociated from HDL, SAA requires additional time to organize into Triton x-100 resistant amyloid-like structures. Circular dichroism spectroscopic analysis and in silico modeling of SAA’s ionizable residues highlights the importance of the histidine-36 within a highly conserved, pH-sensitive HS-binding site (HSBS-pH). A peptide containing the HSBS-pH sequence was demonstrated to have AA-amyloid seeding activity in a cell culture system. The recent determination of the 3D structure for human SAA1.1 has allowed the opportunity to re-assess and validate the HS/heparin binding sequences that had previously been identified biochemically with short synthetic peptides. We postulate that the dissociation of SAA from HDL takes place during the retro-endocytosis of HDL-SAA and is an important aspect of SAA function not previously appreciated.

Thermodynamic and Kinetic Study of the Fibrillization of a Family of Tetrapeptides and Its Application to Self-Sorting. What Takes So Long?

Insight is provided into the thermodynamics and kinetics of peptide fibrillization, a process of particular interest in biomedicine due to its direct relationship to amyloid diseases. The studied isomeric tetrapeptides are terminally end-capped and present two hydrophobic phenylalanine residues and two ionizable hydrophilic aspartic acid residues. These compounds form gels in water which are composed of self-assembled fibrillar networks. Potentiometric titrations have afforded acid–base and solubility constants associated with the fibrillization process. A remarkable pKa shift of the peptide side chains is observed linked to aggregation, allowing for fiber formation at pH values around neutrality. The magnitude of the pKa shift is directly related to the solubility of the tetrapeptides, namely, to the free energy change associated with fibrillization. Therefore, potentiometric titration emerges as a simple tool to evaluate the thermodynamic parameters of the process. Additionally kinetic measurements with...

Joint neutron crystallographic and NMR solution studies of Tyr residue ionization and hydrogen bonding: Implications for enzyme-mediated proton transfer

Human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA II) uses a Zn-bound OH(-)/H2O mechanism to catalyze the reversible hydration of CO2. This catalysis also involves a separate proton transfer step, mediated by an ordered solvent network coordinated by hydrophilic residues. One of these residues, Tyr7, was previously shown to be deprotonated in the neutron crystal structure at pH 10. This observation indicated that Tyr7 has a perturbed pKa compared with free tyrosine. To further probe the pKa of this residue, NMR spectroscopic measurements of [(13)C]Tyr-labeled holo HCA II (with active-site Zn present) were preformed to titrate all Tyr residues between pH 5.4-11.0. In addition, neutron studies of apo HCA II (with Zn removed from the active site) at pH 7.5 and holo HCA II at pH 6 were conducted. This detailed interrogation of tyrosines in HCA II by NMR and neutron crystallography revealed a significantly lowered pKa of Tyr7 and how pH and Tyr proximity to Zn affect hydrogen-bonding interactions.

A novel UGGT1 and p97-dependent checkpoint for native ectodomains with ionizable intramembrane residue.

Only native polypeptides are released from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to be transported at the site of activity. Persistently misfolded proteins are retained and eventually selected for ER-associated degradation (ERAD). The paradox of a structure-based protein quality control is that functional polypeptides may be destroyed if they are architecturally unfit. This has health-threatening implications, as shown by the numerous "loss-of-function" proteopathies, but also offers chances to intervene pharmacologically to promote bypassing of the quality control inspection and export of the mutant, yet functional protein. Here we challenged the ER of human cells with four modular glycopolypeptides designed to alert luminal and membrane protein quality checkpoints. Our analysis reveals the unexpected collaboration of the cytosolic AAA-ATPase p97 and the luminal quality control factor UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase (UGGT1) in a novel, BiP- and CNX-independent checkpoint. This prevents Golgi transport of a chimera with a native ectodomain that passes the luminal quality control scrutiny but displays an intramembrane defect. Given that human proteopathies may result from impaired transport of functional polypeptides with minor structural defects, identification of quality checkpoints and treatments to bypass them as shown here upon silencing or pharmacologic inhibition of UGGT1 or p97 may have important clinical implications.

Carboxyl-peptide plane stacking is important for stabilization of buried E305 of Trichoderma reesei Cel5A.

Hydrogen bonds or salt bridges are usually formed to stabilize the buried ionizable residues. However, such interactions do not exist for two buried residues D271 and E305 of Trichoderma reesei Cel5A, an endoglucanase. Mutating D271 to alanine or leucine improves the enzyme thermostability quantified by the temperature T50 due to the elimination of the desolvation penalty of the aspartic acid. However, the same mutations for E305 decrease the enzyme thermostability. Free energy calculations based on the molecular dynamics simulation predict the thermostability of D271A, D271L, and E305A (compared to WT) in line with the experimental observation but overestimate the thermostability of E305L. Quantum mechanical calculations suggest that the carboxyl-peptide plane stacking interactions occurring to E305 but not D271 are important for the carboxyl group stabilization. For the protonated carboxyl group, the interaction energy can be as much as about -4 kcal/mol for parallel stacking and about -7 kcal/mol for T-shaped stacking. For the deprotonated carboxyl group, the largest interaction energies for parallel stacking and T-shaped stacking are comparable, about -7 kcal/mol. The solvation effect generally weakens the interaction, especially for the charged system. A search of the carboxyl-peptide plane stacking in the PDB databank indicates that parallel stacking but not T-shaped stacking is quite common, and the most probable distance between the two stacking fragments is close to the value predicted by the QM calculations. This work highlights the potential role of carboxyl amide π-π stacking in the stabilization of aspartic acid and glutamic acid in proteins.

Conformational Exchange Coupled to Ionization of Lys Residues Buried in Hydrophobic Environments in Proteins

Ionizable amino acids buried in hydrophobic environments in proteins can titrate with anomalous pKa values. Despite the central role of these amino acids in energy transduction and catalysis, the determinants of their unusual properties are difficult to reproduce with computational approaches. Conformational reorganization of the protein backbone is a key determinant of pKa values. This reflects the ability of the protein to sample conformational microstates, which is particularly challenging to reproduce computationally. To characterize structural details and timescales of conformational reorganization coupled to ionization of buried groups, NMR spectroscopy was used to identify locations, measure timescales, and determine the extent of pH dependence of conformational exchange in the L25K and L125K variants of staphylococcal nuclease. Lys-25 or Lys-125 titrate with pKa values of 6.3 and 6.2, respectively. Using relaxation dispersion spectroscopy we observed that the β barrel of the L25K protein fluctuates between the native and an alternate state on the 0.4 to 7 ms timescale. The HN chemical shifts of the alternate state, assigned using ZZ-exchange spectroscopy, were less dispersed than those of the native state, consistent with unfolding of the β barrel. The equilibrium between these states is strongly pH dependent, with the partially unfolded state dominating at pH values at which the internal Lys residue is charged. In contrast, the L125K protein exhibited fluctuations near Lys-125 on the µs-ms timescale but in a faster regime than the L25K protein and without pH dependence. These results show the extent of coupling between conformational change and proton binding is highly dependent on local structural properties. Computational models attempting to reproduce the properties and pKa values of buried ionizable groups must be able to represent conformational exchange between native and subglobally unfolded states on ms timescales.

Coulomb repulsion in short polypeptides.

Coulomb repulsion between like-charged side chains is presently viewed as a major force that impacts the biological activity of intrinsically disordered polypeptides (IDPs) by determining their spatial dimensions. We investigated short synthetic models of IDPs, purely composed of ionizable amino acid residues and therefore expected to display an extreme structural and dynamic response to pH variation. Two synergistic, custom-made, time-resolved fluorescence methods were applied in tandem to study the structure and dynamics of the acidic and basic hexapeptides Asp6, Glu6, Arg6, Lys6, and His6 between pH 1 and 12. (i) End-to-end distances were obtained from the short-distance Förster resonance energy transfer (sdFRET) from N-terminal 5-fluoro-l-tryptophan (FTrp) to C-terminal Dbo. (ii) End-to-end collision rates were obtained for the same peptides from the collision-induced fluorescence quenching (CIFQ) of Dbo by FTrp. Unexpectedly, the very high increase of charge density at elevated pH had no dynamical or conformational consequence in the anionic chains, neither in the absence nor in the presence of salt, in conflict with the common view and in partial conflict with accompanying molecular dynamics simulations. In contrast, the cationic peptides responded to ionization but with surprising patterns that mirrored the rich individual characteristics of each side chain type. The contrasting results had to be interpreted, by considering salt screening experiments, N-terminal acetylation, and simulations, in terms of an interplay of local dielectric constant and peptide-length dependent side chain charge-charge repulsion, side chain functional group solvation, N-terminal and side chain charge-charge repulsion, and side chain-side chain as well as side chain-backbone interactions. The common picture that emerged is that Coulomb repulsion between water-solvated side chains is efficiently quenched in short peptides as long as side chains are not in direct contact with each other or the main chain.

Protein-protein docking with dynamic residue protonation states.

Protein-protein interactions depend on a host of environmental factors. Local pH conditions influence the interactions through the protonation states of the ionizable residues that can change upon binding. In this work, we present a pH-sensitive docking approach, pHDock, that can sample side-chain protonation states of five ionizable residues (Asp, Glu, His, Tyr, Lys) on-the-fly during the docking simulation. pHDock produces successful local docking funnels in approximately half (79/161) the protein complexes, including 19 cases where standard RosettaDock fails. pHDock also performs better than the two control cases comprising docking at pH 7.0 or using fixed, predetermined protonation states. On average, the top-ranked pHDock structures have lower interface RMSDs and recover more native interface residue-residue contacts and hydrogen bonds compared to RosettaDock. Addition of backbone flexibility using a computationally-generated conformational ensemble further improves native contact and hydrogen bond recovery in the top-ranked structures. Although pHDock is designed to improve docking, it also successfully predicts a large pH-dependent binding affinity change in the Fc–FcRn complex, suggesting that it can be exploited to improve affinity predictions. The approaches in the study contribute to the goal of structural simulations of whole-cell protein-protein interactions including all the environmental factors, and they can be further expanded for pH-sensitive protein design.

Dendrimeric template of Plasmodium falciparum histidine rich protein II repeat motifs bearing Asp→Asn mutation exhibits heme binding and β-hematin formation.

Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) employs a crucial PfHRPII catalyzed reaction that converts toxic heme into hemozoin. Understanding heme polymerization mechanism is the first step for rational design of new drugs, targeting this pathway. Heme binding and hemozoin formation have been ascribed to PfHRPII aspartate carboxylate-heme metal ionic interactions. To investigate, if this ionic interaction is indeed pivotal, we examined the comparative heme binding and β-hematin forming abilities of a wild type dendrimeric peptide BNT1 {harboring the native sequence motif of PfHRPII (AHHAHHAADA)} versus a mutant dendrimeric peptide BNTM {in which ionic Aspartate residues have been replaced by the neutral Asparaginyl residues (AHHAHHAANA)}. UV and IR data reported here reveal that at pH 5, both BNT1 and BNTM exhibit comparable heme binding as well as β-hematin forming abilities, thus questioning the role of PfHRPII aspartate carboxylate-heme metal ionic interactions in heme binding and β-hematin formation. Based on our data and information in the literature we suggest the possible role of weak dispersive interactions like N-H···π and lone-pair···π in heme binding and hemozoin formation.

Insights into the role of Asp79(2.50) in β2 adrenergic receptor activation from molecular dynamics simulations.

Achieving a molecular-level understanding of G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) activation has been a long-standing goal in biology and could be important for the development of novel drugs. Recent breakthroughs in structural biology have led to the determination of high-resolution crystal structures for the β2 adrenergic receptor (β2AR) in inactive and active states, which provided an unprecedented opportunity to understand receptor signaling at the atomic level. We used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore the potential roles of ionizable residues in β2AR activation. One such residue is the strongly conserved Asp79(2.50), which is buried in a transmembrane cavity and becomes dehydrated upon β2AR activation. MD free energy calculations based on β2AR crystal structures suggested an increase in the population of the protonated state of Asp79(2.50) upon activation, which may contribute to the experimentally observed pH-dependent activation of this receptor. Analysis of MD simulations (in total > 100 μs) with two different protonation states further supported the conclusion that the protonated Asp79(2.50) shifts the conformation of the β2AR toward more active-like states. On the basis of our calculations and analysis of other GPCR crystal structures, we suggest that the protonation state of Asp(2.50) may act as a functionally important microswitch in the activation of the β2AR and other class A receptors.

A pKa calculation of residues in a proton pump, bacteriorhodopsin, from structures determined by electron crystallography.

Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is a light-driven proton pump, which is a membrane protein found in halophilic archeae like Halobacterium salinarum and in eubacteria [1]. When the covalently bound retinal chromophore absorbs the light energy, it changes the conformation from all-trans to 13-cis. This configuration change initiates ion translocation across the cell membrane and a proton moves from inside to outside of the cell. The bR molecules are forming two-dimensional crystals on the membranes of halophilic archeae, and therefore the atomic model of bR was first determined by electron crystallography. The determined structure can be used to determine the pKa values, through which the charge states of ionizable residues in bR determine their pH-dependent properties. The pH-dependent properties are crucial for proton translocation from ionizable residues or to ionizable residues. Detection of the intermediate states of the reaction cycle (photocycle) produced spectroscopic information, which can predict the ionization state of the ionozable residues. In the transition from the L intermediate to the M intermediate, it is known that a proton moves from the Shiff base on the retinal chromophore to Asp85, while a proton is released to the extracellar side from proton-releasing groups including Glu194 and Glu204. Experimentally the pKa value of the proton release is determined to be about 9.7, while the pKa value of Asp85 was measured to change from 2.6 to 7.5 by the proton release from the proton-releasing groups [2]. Here we used the PROPKA program [3] to calculate the pKa values of Asp85 and the proton-releasing groups from the structures at pH 5.5 and at pH 10.0 determined by electron crystallography. The calculation showed that the pKa value of Asp85 changes from 5.3 to 6.1, which qualitatively show the similar changes with the measured difference. The largest change between the structures is the shift of Arg82 by the proton release from the proton-releasing groups. However, the calculation showed that the electrostatic change from the shift cannot explain the pKa change of Asp85. The calculation indicated that the breakage of a hydrogen bond between Thr89 and Asp85, which is resulted from the backbone shift caused by the side chain shift of Arg82, is the main cause of the pKa change. In addition, the structures showed the shift of a water molecule near Asp85, which could enhance the pKa change on Asp85. The pKa calculation using the structures determined by electron crystallography could be a valuable tool to understand the functions of proteins.jmicro;63/suppl_1/i30/JMI060TB1T1JMI060TB1RESIDUEpKaBURIEDSIDECHAINHYDROGEN BONDBACKBONEHYDROGEN BONDCOULOMBICINTERACTIONpH 10.0Asp856.14100%0.00 XXX 0 X0.00 XXX 0 X0.00 XXX 0 X0.00 XXX 0 X-0.05 ARG 82-1.91 LYS 216pH 5.5Asp855.27100%-0.83 THR 89 A-0.05 LYS 216 A0.00 XXX 0 X0.00 XXX 0 X-0.23 ARG 82-2.03 LYS 216.

Biochemical characterization of the retaining glycosyltransferase glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase (GpgS) catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of glucosyl glycerate, the putative precursor used in building methylated polysaccharides in mycobacteria. Enzymes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtGpgS) and related species have been structurally characterized and subjected to basic kinetic analyses, but more in-depth kinetic analysis is currently lacking. Dead-end inhibition studies with MtGpgS suggest an ordered kinetic mechanism with 3-phosphoglycerate (3-PGA) binding first, followed by UDP-glucose, in contrast to previous reports. At higher concentrations, 3-PGA exhibits competitive substrate inhibition vs. UDP-glucose, suggesting 3-PGA can bind to either binding site on the enzyme. Parabolic noncompetitive inhibition plots by a 3-PGA analog also support this conclusion. The effect of varying pH on the catalytic parameters indicates single ionizable residue involved catalysis (pKa=6.3) that must be deprotonated for full activity. A solvent kinetic isotope effect of 2.0±0.3 on kcat is consistent with a proton in flight during the rate-determining step. Site-directed mutagenesis studies identify several residues critical for interactions with substrates. Although the residues are conserved among other glycosyltransferase families catalyzing similar reactions, the effect of substitutions varies between families suggesting that conserved areas play different catalytic roles in each family.

PH-dependent random coil 1H, 13C, and 15N chemical shifts of the ionizable amino acids: a guide for protein pK a measurements

The pK a values and charge states of ionizable residues in polypeptides and proteins are frequently determined via NMR-monitored pH titrations. To aid the interpretation of the resulting titration data, we have measured the pH-dependent chemical shifts of nearly all the (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N nuclei in the seven common ionizable amino acids (X=Asp, Glu, His, Cys, Tyr, Lys, and Arg) within the context of a blocked tripeptide, acetyl-Gly-X-Gly-amide. Alanine amide and N-acetyl alanine were used as models of the N- and C-termini, respectively. Together, this study provides an essentially complete set of pH-dependent intra-residue and nearest-neighbor reference chemical shifts to help guide protein pK a measurements. These data should also facilitate pH-dependent corrections in algorithms used to predict the chemical shifts of random coil polypeptides. In parallel, deuterium isotope shifts for the side chain (15)N nuclei of His, Lys, and Arg in their positively-charged and neutral states were also measured. Along with previously published results for Asp, Glu, Cys, and Tyr, these deuterium isotope shifts can provide complementary experimental evidence for defining the ionization states of protein residues.

PH dependence of conformational fluctuations of the protein backbone.

Proton binding equilibria (pK(a) values) of ionizable groups in proteins are exquisitely sensitive to their microenvironments. Apparent pK(a) values measured for individual ionizable residues with NMR spectroscopy are actually population-weighted averages of the pK(a) in different conformational microstates. NMR spectroscopy experiments with staphylococcal nuclease were used to test the hypothesis that pK(a) values of surface Glu and Asp residues are affected by pH-sensitive fluctuations of the backbone between folded and locally unfolded conformations. (15)N spin relaxation studies showed that as the pH decreases from the neutral into the acidic range the amplitudes of backbone fluctuations in the ps-ns timescale increase near carboxylic residues. Hydrogen exchange experiments suggested that backbone conformational fluctuations promoted by decreasing pH also reflect slower local or sub-global unfolding near carboxylic groups. This study has implications for structure-based pKa calculations: (1) The timescale of the backbone's response to ionization events in proteins can range from ps to ms, and even longer; (2) pH-sensitive fluctuations of the backbone can be localized to both the segment the ionizable residue is attached to or the one that occludes the ionizable group; (3) Structural perturbations are not necessarily propagated through Coulomb interactions; instead, local fluctuations appear to be coupled through the co-operativity inherent to elements of secondary structure and to networks of hydrogen bonds. These results are consistent with the idea that local conformational fluctuations and stabilities are important determinants of apparent pK(a) values of ionizable residues in proteins.

High Salt Concentrations Increase Permeability through OmpC Channels of Escherichia coli

OmpF and OmpC porin channels are responsible for the passage of small hydrophilic solutes across the outer membrane of Escherichia coli. Although these channels are two of the most extensively studied porin channels, what had yet remained elusive was the reason why OmpC shows markedly lower permeability than OmpF, despite having little difference in its channel size. The OmpC channel, however, is known to contain a larger number of ionizable residues than the OmpF channel. In this study, we examined the channel property of OmpF and OmpC using the intact cell of E. coli, and we found that the permeability of several β-lactams and lactose through OmpC became increased to the level comparable with OmpF with up to 0.3 m salt that may increase the Debye-Hückel shielding or with 2% ethanol or 0.3 m urea that may perturb the short range ordering of water molecules. Replacing 10 pore-lining residues that show different ionization behavior between OmpC and OmpF led to substantial conversion of channel property with respect to their permeability and response to external salt concentration. We thus propose that the overall configuration of ionizable residues in the channel that may orient water molecules and the electrostatic profile of the channel play a decisive role in defining the channel property of the OmpC porin rather than its channel size.

Electrodeposition of Zn-Mn coatings on steel from 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide ionic liquid

This work studies the electrodeposition of Zn-Mn alloy on high-resistance steel substrates from 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium-bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide ionic liquid and Zn and Mn bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide salts and their sacrificial corrosion protection properties. The cleaning of the electrodeposited Zn-Mn alloy for the purpose of removing any ionic liquid remains has proved to be a fundamental step. A variety of solvents were tested, showing that the best results were obtained with dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) since this solvent removed the ionic liquid residues without reacting with the electrodeposited coating. The Zn/Mn ratio in the electrodeposited material is dependent on the concentration of the solution salt, as well as on the potential chosen for electrodeposition. The most promising Zn-Mn alloy was electrodeposited from 0.15M Zn to 0.3M Mn salt solution at −1.8V. The electrodeposited coating under these conditions shows a shift in the corrosion potential towards nobler values due to the Mn incorporation in the alloy, and has sacrificial properties that show lower dissolution rates than Zn when galvanic coupled with steel with an area ratio of 1:1.

Web-based computational chemistry education with CHARMMing III: Reduction potentials of electron transfer proteins.

A module for fast determination of reduction potentials, E°, of redox-active proteins has been implemented in the CHARMM INterface and Graphics (CHARMMing) web portal (www.charmming.org). The free energy of reduction, which is proportional to E°, is composed of an intrinsic contribution due to the redox site and an environmental contribution due to the protein and solvent. Here, the intrinsic contribution is selected from a library of pre-calculated density functional theory values for each type of redox site and redox couple, while the environmental contribution is calculated from a crystal structure of the protein using Poisson-Boltzmann continuum electrostatics. An accompanying lesson demonstrates a calculation of E°. In this lesson, an ionizable residue in a [4Fe-4S]-protein that causes a pH-dependent E° is identified, and the E° of a mutant that would test the identification is predicted. This demonstration is valuable to both computational chemistry students and researchers interested in predicting sequence determinants of E° for mutagenesis.

Uncovering pH-dependent transient states of proteins with buried ionizable residues.

The role of pH in regulating biological activity is ubiquitous, and understanding pH-mediated activity has traditionally relied on analyzing static biomolecular structures of highly populated ground states solved near physiological pH. However, recent advances have shown the increasing importance of transiently populated states, the characterization of which is extremely challenging but made plausible with the development of techniques such as relaxation dispersion NMR spectroscopy. To unlock the pH dependence of these transient states with atomistic-level details, we applied the recently developed explicit solvent constant pH molecular dynamics (CPHMDMSλD) framework to a series of staphylococcal nuclease (SNase) mutants with buried ionizable residues and probed their dynamics in different pH environments. Among our key findings is the existence of open states in all SNase mutants containing “buried” residues with highly shifted pKa’s, where local solvation around the protonation site was observed. The calculated pKa demonstrated good agreement with experimental pKa’s, with a low average unsigned error of 1.3 pKa units and correlation coefficient R2 = 0.78. Sampling both open and closed states in their respective pH range, where they are expected to be dominant, was necessary to reproduce experimental pKa’s, and in the most extreme examples of pKa shifts measured, it can be interpreted that the open-state structures are transient at physiological pH, contributing a small population of 1–2%. This suggests that buried ionizable residues can trigger conformational fluctuations that may be observed as transient-state structures at physiological pH. Furthermore, the coupled relationship of both open and closed states and their role in recapitulating macroscopic experimental observables suggest that structural analysis of buried residues may benefit from looking at structural pairs, as opposed to the conventional approach of looking at a single static ground-state conformation.

Electrostatics, hydration, and proton transfer dynamics in the membrane domain of respiratory complex I.

Complex I serves as the primary electron entry point into the mitochondrial and bacterial respiratory chains. It catalyzes the reduction of quinones by electron transfer from NADH, and couples this exergonic reaction to the translocation of protons against an electrochemical proton gradient. The membrane domain of the enzyme extends ∼180 Å from the site of quinone reduction to the most distant proton pathway. To elucidate possible mechanisms of the long-range proton-coupled electron transfer process, we perform large-scale atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of the membrane domain of complex I from Escherichia coli. We observe spontaneous hydration of a putative proton entry channel at the NuoN/K interface, which is sensitive to the protonation state of buried glutamic acid residues. In hybrid quantum mechanics/classical mechanics simulations, we find that the observed water wires support rapid proton transfer from the protein surface to the center of the membrane domain. To explore the functional relevance of the pseudosymmetric inverted-repeat structures of the antiporter-like subunits NuoL/M/N, we constructed a symmetry-related structure of a possible alternate-access state. In molecular dynamics simulations, we find the resulting structural changes to be metastable and reversible at the protein backbone level. However, the increased hydration induced by the conformational change persists, with water molecules establishing enhanced lateral connectivity and pathways for proton transfer between conserved ionizable residues along the center of the membrane domain. Overall, the observed water-gated transitions establish conduits for the unidirectional proton translocation processes, and provide a possible coupling mechanism for the energy transduction in complex I.