Orientational Restraints Research Articles

Various strategies of using residual dipolar couplings in NMR‐driven protein docking: Application to Lys48‐linked di‐ubiquitin and validation against 15N‐relaxation data

When classical, Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOE)-based approaches fail, it is possible, given high-resolution structures of the free molecules, to model the structure of a complex in solution based solely on chemical shift perturbation (CSP) data in combination with orientational restraints from residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) when available. RDCs can be incorporated into the docking following various strategies: as direct restraints and/or as intermolecular intervector projection angle restraints (Meiler et al., J Biomol NMR 2000;16:245-252). The advantage of the latter for docking is that they directly define the relative orientation of the molecules. A combined protocol in which RDCs are first introduced as intervector projection angle restraints and at a later stage as direct restraints is shown here to give the best performance. This approach, implemented in our information-driven docking approach HADDOCK (Dominguez et al., J Am Chem Soc 2003;125:1731-1737), is used to determine the solution structure of the Lys48-linked di-ubiquitin, for which chemical shift mapping, RDCs, and (15)N-relaxation data have been previously obtained (Varadan et al., J Mol Biol 2002;324:637-647). The resulting structures, derived from CSP and RDC data, are cross-validated using (15)N-relaxation data. The solution structure differs from the crystal structure by a 20 degrees rotation of the two ubiquitin units relative to each other.

Redox-Dependent Structural Differences in Putidaredoxin Derived from Homologous Structure Refinement via Residual Dipolar Couplings,

Structural differences in the [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin, putidaredoxin (Pdx), from the camphor hydroxylation pathway of Pseudomonas putida have been investigated as a function of oxidation state of the iron cluster. Pdx is involved in biological electron transfer to cytochrome P450(cam) (CYP101). Redox-dependent differences have been observed previously for Pdx in terms of binding affinities to CYP101, NMR spectral differences, and dynamic properties. To further characterize these differences, structure refinement of both oxidized and reduced Pdx has been carried out using a hybrid approach utilizing paramagnetic distance restraints and NMR orientational restraints in the form of backbone (15)N residual dipolar couplings. Use of these new restraints has improved the structure of oxidized Pdx considerably over the earlier solution NMR structure without RDC restraints, with the new structure now much closer in overall fold to the recently published X-ray crystal structures. We now observe better defined relative orientations of the major secondary structure elements as also of the conformation of the metal binding loop region. Extension of this approach to structure calculation of reduced Pdx has identified structural differences that are primarily localized for residues in the C-terminal interaction domain consisting of the functionally important residue Trp 106 and regions near the metal binding loop in Pdx. These redox-dependent structural differences in Pdx correlate to dynamic changes observed before and may be linked to differences in binding and electron transfer properties between oxidized and reduced Pdx.

Solution Structure of Enzyme IIAChitobiose from the N,N′-Diacetylchitobiose Branch of the Escherichia coli Phosphotransferase System

The solution structure of trimeric Escherichia coli enzyme IIA(Chb) (34 kDa), a component of the N,N'-diacetylchitobiose/lactose branch of the phosphotransferase signal transduction system, has been determined by NMR spectroscopy. Backbone residual dipolar couplings were used to provide long range orientational restraints, and long range (|i - j| > or = 5 residues) nuclear Overhauser enhancement restraints were derived exclusively from samples in which at least one subunit was 15N/13C/2H/(Val-Leu-Ile)-methyl-protonated. Each subunit consists of a three-helix bundle. Hydrophobic residues lining helix 3 of each subunit are largely responsible for the formation of a parallel coiled-coil trimer. The active site histidines (His-89 from each subunit) are located in three symmetrically placed deep crevices located at the interface of two adjacent subunits (A and C, C and B, and B and A). Partially shielded from bulk solvent, structural modeling suggests that phosphorylated His-89 is stabilized by electrostatic interactions with the side chains of His-93 from the same subunit and Gln-91 from the adjacent subunit. Comparison with the x-ray structure of Lactobacillus lactis IIA(Lac) reveals some substantial structural differences, particularly in regard to helix 3, which exhibits a 40 degrees kink in IIA(Lac) versus a 7 degrees bend in IIA(Chb). This is associated with the presence of an unusually large (230-angstroms3) buried hydrophobic cavity at the trimer interface in IIA(Lac) that is reduced to only 45 angstroms3) in IIA(Chb).

Rapid Analysis of Large Protein–Protein Complexes Using NMR-derived Orientational Constraints: The 95 kDa Complex of LpxA with Acyl Carrier Protein

Characterization of protein-protein interactions that are critical to the specific function of many biological systems has become a primary goal of structural biology research. Analysis of these interactions by structural techniques is, however, challenging due to inherent limitations of the techniques and because many of the interactions are transient, and suitable complexes are difficult to isolate. In particular, structural studies of large protein complexes by traditional solution NMR methods are difficult due to a priori requirement of extensive assignments and a large number of intermolecular restraints for the complex. An approach overcoming some of these challenges by utilizing orientational restraints from residual dipolar couplings collected on solution NMR samples is presented. The approach exploits existing structures of individual components, including the symmetry properties of some of these structures, to assemble rapidly models for relatively large protein-protein complexes. An application is illustrated with a 95 kDa homotrimeric complex of the acyltransferase protein, LpxA (UDP-N-acetylglucosamine acyltransferase), and acyl carrier protein. LpxA catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of the lipid A component of lipopolysaccharide in Gram-negative bacteria. The structural model generated for this complex can be useful in the design of new anti-bacterial agents that inhibit the biosynthesis of lipid A.

Mathematical aspects of protein structure determination with NMR orientational restraints

The field of structural biology is becoming increasingly important as new technological developments facilitate the collection of data on the atomic structures of proteins and nucleic acids. The solid-state NMR method is a relatively new biophysical technique that holds particular promise for determining the structures of peptides and proteins that are located within the cell membrane. This method provides information on the orientation of the peptide planes relative to an external magnetic field. In this article, we discuss some of the mathematical methods and tools that are useful in deriving the atomic structure from these orientational data. We first discuss how the data are viewed as tensors, and how these tensors can be used to construct an initial atomic model, assuming ideal stereochemistry. We then discuss methods for refining the models using global optimization, with stereochemistry constraints treated as penalty functions. These two processes, initial model building followed by refinement, are the two crucial steps between data collection and the final atomic model.

Modeling Sample Disorder in Site-Specific Dichroism Studies of Uniaxial Systems

Site-specific infrared dichroism is an emerging method capable of proposing a model for the backbone structure of a transmembrane α-helix within a helical bundle. Dichroism measurements of single, isotopically enhanced vibrational modes (e.g., Amide I 13C 18O or Gly CD 2 stretching modes) can yield precise orientational restraints for the monomer helix protomer that can be used as refinement constraints in model building of the entire helical bundle. Essential, however, for the interpretation of the dichroism measurements, is an accurate modeling of the sample disorder. In this study we derive an enhanced and more realistic modeling of the sample disorder based on a Gaussian distribution of the chromophore around a particular angle. The enhanced utility of the Gaussian model is exemplified by the comparative data analysis based on the aforementioned model to previously employed models.

Molecular Basis for Synergistic Transcriptional Activation by Oct1 and Sox2 Revealed from the Solution Structure of the 42-kDa Oct1·Sox2·Hoxb1-DNA Ternary Transcription Factor Complex

The Oct and Sox transcription factors control many different aspects of neural development and embryogenesis, often binding to adjacent sites on DNA, and interacting with one another through their DNA binding domains to regulate transcription synergistically. Oct proteins contain two DNA binding domains (POUS and POUHD) connected by a flexible linker, which interact with DNA in a bipartite manner. Residual dipolar coupling measurements on the binary Oct1.DNA complex reveal that the two domains are characterized by distinct alignment tensors in both phage pf1 and polyethylene glycol/hexanol liquid crystalline media. We show that this difference is due to a fast microscopic dissociation/association process involving alternative binding modes for the weaker binding POUS domain in the binary complex. Upon binding of Sox2 to an adjacent site in the Hoxb1 regulatory element, all components of the ternary Oct1.Sox2.DNA complex share a single alignment tensor. Thus ternary complex formation increases the site-specific affinity of Oct1 for DNA by effectively locking the POUS domain in a single orientation on the DNA. The solution NMR structure of the ternary 42 kDa Oct1.Sox2.Hoxb1-DNA complex, determined by novel procedures based on orientational restraints from dipolar couplings and conjoined rigid body/torsion angle dynamics, reveals that Sox2 and POUS interact through a predominantly hydrophobic interface, surrounded by a ring of electrostatic interactions. These observations suggest a mechanism of combinatorial control involving direct protein-protein interactions on the DNA whereby Oct1 in conjunction with a co-interacting transcription factor provide cell-specific transcription regulation.

Protein alignment by a coexpressed lanthanide-binding tag for the measurement of residual dipolar couplings.

A protein fusion construct of human ubiquitin with an N-terminal lanthanide binding tag (LBT) enables observation of long-range orientational restraints in solution NMR from residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) due to paramagnetic alignment of the protein. The paramagnetic lanthanide ions Tb3+, Dy3+, and Tm3+ are shown to bind to the LBT and induce different alignment tensors, in agreement with theory. RDCs, measured relative to the diamagnetic Lu3+, range from -7.6 to 5.5 Hz for Tb3+ and -6.6 to 6.1 Hz for Dy3+, while an opposite alignment tensor is observed for Tm3+ (4.5 to -2.9 Hz) at 800 MHz. Experimental RDCs are in excellent agreement with those predicted on the basis of the X-ray structure of the protein.

Site-Specific Dichroism Analysis Utilizing Transmission FTIR

Infrared spectroscopy has long been used to examine the average secondary structure and orientation of membrane proteins. With the recent utilization of site-specific isotope labeling (e.g., peptidic 1–13C=18O) it is now possible to examine localized properties, rather than global averages. The technique of site-specific infrared dichroism (SSID) capitalized on this fact, and derives site-specific orientational restraints for the labeled amino acids. These restraints can then be used to solve the backbone structure of simple α-helical bundles, emphasizing the capabilities of this approach. So far SSID has been carried out in attenuated total internal reflection optical mode, with all of the respective caveats of attenuated total internal reflection. In this report we extend SSID through the use of transmission infrared spectroscopy tilt series. We develop the corresponding theory and demonstrate that accurate site-specific orientational restraints can be derived from a simple transmission experiment.

Orientation restraints in molecular dynamics simulations using time and ensemble averaging

In this article we present methodology for simulating protein dynamics while imposing restraints derived from NMR measurements on partially ordered molecules. Such measurements may include residual dipolar couplings and chemical-shift anisotropies. We define a restraint potential for use in molecular dynamics and energy minimization. The presented potential is consistent with the simultaneously optimized molecular order tensor. Restraining can be performed with time and ensemble averaging. We performed a large number of molecular dynamics simulations of the histidine containing phosphocarrier protein with restraints on backbone N–H vector orientations derived from residual dipolar couplings. From these simulations it is evident that the use of time- or ensemble-averaged restraints is essential to leave the fluctuations of the restrained vectors unaffected. Without averaging the fluctuations of the restrained vectors are reduced significantly. This also has the effect of decreasing the apparent molecular order-parameter tensor.

Structure of the coat protein in fd filamentous bacteriophage particles determined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

The atomic resolution structure of fd coat protein determined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy of magnetically aligned filamentous bacteriophage particles differs from that previously determined by x-ray fiber diffraction. Most notably, the 50-residue protein is not a single curved helix, but rather is a nearly ideal straight helix between residues 7 and 38, where there is a distinct kink, and then a straight helix with a different orientation between residues 39 and 49. Residues 1-5 have been shown to be mobile and unstructured, and proline 6 terminates the helix. The structure of the coat protein in virus particles, in combination with the structure of the membrane-bound form of the same protein in bilayers, also recently determined by solid-state NMR spectroscopy, provides insight into the viral assembly process. In addition to their roles in molecular biology and biotechnology, the filamentous bacteriophages continue to serve as model systems for the development of experimental methods for determining the structures of proteins in biological supramolecular assemblies. New NMR results include the complete sequential assignment of the two-dimensional polarization inversion spin-exchange at the magic angle spectrum of a uniformly 15N-labeled 50-residue protein in a 1.6 x 107 Da particle in solution, and the calculation of the three-dimensional structure of the protein from orientational restraints with an accuracy equivalent to an rms deviation of approximately 1A.

Simultaneous assignment and structure determination of a membrane protein from NMR orientational restraints.

A solid-state NMR approach for simultaneous resonance assignment and three-dimensional structure determination of a membrane protein in lipid bilayers is described. The approach is based on the scattering, hence the descriptor "shotgun," of (15)N-labeled amino acids throughout the protein sequence (and the resulting NMR spectra). The samples are obtained by protein expression in bacteria grown on media in which one type of amino acid is labeled and the others are not. Shotgun NMR short-circuits the laborious and time-consuming process of obtaining complete sequential assignments prior to the calculation of a protein structure from the NMR data by taking advantage of the orientational information inherent to the spectra of aligned proteins. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously assign resonances and measure orientational restraints for structure determination. A total of five two-dimensional (1)H/(15)N PISEMA (polarization inversion spin exchange at the magic angle) spectra, from one uniformly and four selectively (15)N-labeled samples, were sufficient to determine the structure of the membrane-bound form of the 50-residue major pVIII coat protein of fd filamentous bacteriophage. Pisa (polarity index slat angle) wheels are an essential element in the process, which starts with the simultaneous assignment of resonances and the assembly of isolated polypeptide segments, and culminates in the complete three-dimensional structure of the protein with atomic resolution. The principles are also applicable to weakly aligned proteins studied by solution NMR spectroscopy. [The structure we determined for the membrane-bound form of the Fd bacteriophage pVIII coat protein has been deposited in the Protein Data Bank as PDB file 1MZT.]

The closed state of a H+ channel helical bundle combining precise orientational and distance restraints from solid state NMR.

An interhelical distance has been precisely measured by REDOR solid-state NMR spectroscopy in the transmembrane tetrameric bundle of M2-TMP, from the M2 proton channel of the influenza A viral coat. The high-resolution structure of the helical backbone has been determined using orientational restraints from uniformly aligned peptide preparations in hydrated dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers. Here, the distance between (15)N(pi) labeled His37 and (13)C(gamma) labeled Trp41 is determined to be less than 3.9 A. Such a short distance, in combination with the known tilt and rotational orientation of the individual helices, permits not only a determination of which specific side chain pairings give rise to the interaction, but also the side chain torsion angles and restraints for the tetrameric bundle can also be characterized. The resulting proton channel structure is validated in a variety of ways. Both histidine and tryptophan side chains are oriented in toward the pore where they can play a significant functional role. The channel appears to be closed by the proximity of the four indoles consistent with electrophysiology and mutagenesis studies of the intact protein at pH 7.0 and above. The pore maintains its integrity to the N terminal side of the membrane, and at the same time, a cavity is generated that appears adequate for binding amantadine. Finally, the observation of a 2 kHz coupling in the PISEMA spectrum of (15)N(pi)His37 validates the orientation of the His37 side chain based on the observed REDOR distance.

15N,(1)H Heteronuclear correlation NMR of gramicidin A in DMPC-d(67).

We have studied gramicidin A, an environmentally sensitive polymorphic pentadecapeptide, fully 15N-labelled and dispersed in a highly deuterated phospholipid bilayer system. By submitting the sample to fast magic angle spinning, we were able to reduce the polypeptide amide hydrogen linewidths to 160 Hz, and hence to partially resolve them. By correlating these resonances with the 40 Hz wide dipolar coupled 15N in a 2D-CROPSY (cross-polarization spectroscopy) experiment, it was possible to observe the 20 partially overlapping 1H-15N signal pairs from the polypeptide backbone and sidechains. Both chemical shift distributions closely match those of the same peptide in SDS micelles, but only poorly match those of conformationally different gramicidin A in trifluoroethanol, dimethylsulfoxide, or methanol/chloroform mixture. Our results are indicative of the N-to-N right-handed beta6.3-helix conformation of gramicidin A and offer sufficient resolution to encourage development of experiments to measure orientational or distance restraints using through-space dipolar couplings.

Structures of protein-protein complexes are docked using only NMR restraints from residual dipolar coupling and chemical shift perturbations.

NMR structures of protein-protein and protein-ligand complexes rely heavily on intermolecular NOEs. Recent work has shown that if no significant conformational changes occur upon complex formation residual dipolar coupling can replace most of the NOE restraints in protein-protein complexes, while restraints derived from chemical shift perturbations can largely replace intermolecular NOEs in protein-ligand structures. By combining restraints from chemical shift perturbations with orientation restraints derived from measurements of residual dipolar couplings, we show that the structure of the EIN-HPr complex can be calculated without NOE restraints. The final structure, built from the crystal structures of EIN and HPr in their uncomplexed form and docked only with NMR restraints, places HPr within 2.5 A of the position determined from the mean NMR structure of the complex.

Solution structure determination of the two DNA-binding domains in the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Abp1 protein by a combination of dipolar coupling and diffusion anisotropy restraints.

We have solved the solution structure of the N-terminal region of the fission yeast centromere protein, Abp1, bound to a 21-base pair DNA fragment bearing its recognition site (Mw = 30 kDa). Although the two DNA-binding domains in the Abpl protein were defined well by a conventional NOE-based NMR methodology, the overall structure of the Abpl protein was poorly defined, due to the lack of interdomain distance restraints. Therefore, we additionally used residual dipolar couplings measured in a weakly aligned state, and rotational diffusion anisotropies. Neither the NH residual dipolar couplings nor the backbone 15N T1/T2 data were sufficient to determine the overall structure of the Abpl protein, due to spectral overlap. We used a combination of these two orientational restraints (residual dipolar coupling and rotational diffusion anisotropy), which significantly improved the convergence of the overall structures. The range of the observed T1/T2 ratios was wider (20-50 for the secondary structure regions of Abp 1) than the previously reported data for several globular proteins, indicating that the overall shape of the Abp1.DNA complex is ellipsoid. This extended form would facilitate the recognition of the two separate sites in the relatively long DNA sequence by the DNA-binding domains of Apb1.

Complete cross-validation and R-factor calculation of a solid-state NMR derived structure.

Cross-validation of a solid-state NMR-derived membrane polypeptide structure is demonstrated. An initial structure has been achieved directly from solid-state NMR derived orientational restraints based on a variety of anisotropic nuclear spin interactions. Refining the molecular structure involves setting up a penalty function that incorporates all available solid-state NMR experimental data and an energy function. A validation method is required to choose the optimal weighting factor for the total penalty function to balance the contribution from the experimental restraints and the energy function. Complete cross-validation has been used to avoid over-fitting the orientational restraints. Such cross-validation involves partitioning of the experimental data into a test set and a working set followed by checking the free R-value during the refinement process. This approach is similar to the method used in crystallography and solution NMR. Optimizing the weighting factor on the penalty function by cross-validation will increase the quality of the refined structure from solid-state NMR data. The complete cross-validation and R-factor calculation is demonstrated using experimental solid-state NMR data from gramicidin A, a monovalent cation channel in lipid bilayers.

Atomic refinement using orientational restraints from solid-state NMR.

We describe a procedure for using orientational restraints from solid-state NMR in the atomic refinement of molecular structures. Minimization of an energy function can be performed through either (or both) least-squares minimization or molecular dynamics employing simulated annealing. The energy, or penalty, function consists of terms penalizing deviation from "ideal" parameters such as covalent bond lengths and terms penalizing deviation from orientational data. Thus, the refinement strives to produce a good fit to orientational data while maintaining good stereochemistry. The software is in the form of a module for the popular refinement package CNS and is several orders of magnitude faster than previous software for refinement with orientational data. The short computer time required for refinement removes one of the difficulties in protein structure determination with solid-state NMR.

De novo determination of protein structure by NMR using orientational and long-range order restraints

Orientational and novel long-range order restraints available from paramagnetic systems have been used to determine the backbone solution structure of the cytochrome c′ protein to atomic resolution in the complete absence of restraints derived from the nuclear Overhauser effect. By exploiting the complementary geometric dependence of paramagnetic pseudocontact shifts and the recently proposed Curie-dipolar cross correlated relaxation effect, in combination with orientational constraints derived from residual dipolar coupling, autorelaxation rate ratios and secondary structure constraints, it is possible to define uniquely the fold and refine the tertiary structure of the protein (0.73 Å backbone rmsd for 82/129 amino acid residues) starting from random atomic Cartesian coordinates. The structure calculation protocol, developed using specific models to describe the novel constraint interactions, is robust, requiring no precise a priori estimation of the various interaction strengths, and provides unambiguous convergence based only on the value of the target function. Tensor eigenvalues and their component orientations are allowed to float freely, and are thus simultaneously determined, and found to converge, during the structure calculation.

Assessment of molecular structure using frame-independent orientational restraints derived from residual dipolar couplings.

Residual dipolar couplings measured in weakly aligning liquid-crystalline solvent contain valuable information on the structure of biomolecules in solution. Here we demonstrate that dipolar couplings (DCs) can be used to derive a comprehensive set of pairwise angular restraints that do not depend on the orientation of the alignment tensor principal axes. These restraints can be used to assess the agreement between a trial protein structure and a set of experimental dipolar couplings by means of a graphic representation termed a 'DC consistency map'. Importantly, these maps can be used to recognize structural elements consistent with the experimental DC data and to identify structural parameters that require further refinement, which could prove important for the success of DC-based structure calculations. This approach is illustrated for the 42 kDa maltodextrin-binding protein.