single-Cys Mutants Research Articles

Cysteine-Scanning Mutagenesis of Transmembrane Domain XII and the Flanking Periplasmic Loop in the Lactose Permease of Escherichia coli

Using a functional lactose permease mutant devoid of Cys residues (C-less permease), each amino acid residue in transmembrane domain XII and the periplasmic loop between putative helices XI and XII (loop XI/XII) was replaced individually with Cys. Out of 34 mutants, 31 exhibit 60-100% or more of C-less activity, mutants Gly377-->Cys and Leu385-->Cys exhibit lower rates of transport but accumulate lactose about 60-70% as well as C-less, and mutant Leu400-->Cys exhibits < 20% of C-less activity. Immunoblots reveal that all of the mutant proteins are present in the membrane in amounts comparable to that of C-less with the exception of mutants Gly377-->Cys and Leu385-->Cys which are expressed about 40% as well as C-less and mutant Leu400-->Cys which is hardly detectable. When transferred to the wild-type background, however, mutant Leu400-->Cys is expressed normally and exhibits highly significant transport activity. Finally, each active Cys-replacement mutant was assayed for sensitivity to N-ethylmaleimide, and with three exceptions, the mutants are essentially unaffected by the alkylating agent. Mutants Val367-->Cys, Gly370-->Cys, and Tyr373-->Cys which are predicted to be immediately distal to helix XI in loop XI/XII are significantly inactivated. The periodicity observed suggests that the periplasmic end of transmembrane domain XI may extend to position 373. In the following paper [Voss, J., He, M. M., Hubbell, W. L., & Kaback, H. R. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 12915-12918], site-directed spin labeling of single-Cys mutants at positions 387-402 is used to demonstrate that transmembrane domain XII is in an alpha-helical conformation.

Membrane topology of helices VII and XI in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli studied by lacY-phoA fusion analysis and site-directed spectroscopy.

The use of lactose permease-alkaline phosphatase fusions (lacY-phoA) demonstrates that the lactose permease of Escherichia coli contains 12 transmembrane domains and that approximately half of a transmembrane domain is required to translocate alkaline phosphatase to the periplasmic surface of the membrane [Calamia, J., & Manoil, C. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 4937-4941]. We have now used fusion analysis in combination with site-directed spectroscopy to examine more precisely the topology of putative helices VII and XI which contain the interacting residues Asp237 and Lys358, respectively. For this purpose, alkaline phosphatase was fused to alternate amino acid residues in transmembrane domains VII and XI. A sharp increase in alkaline phosphatase activity is observed as the fusion junction proceeds from Try228 to Ile230 in helix VII and from Phe354 to Phe356 in helix XI, suggesting that these residues approximate the middle of the corresponding transmembrane helices. Analysis of fluorescence quenching of the pyrene-labeled single-Cys mutants Asp237 --> Cys or Lys358 --> Cys, as well as measurement of collision frequencies between freely diffusing paramagnetic probes and a nitroxide spin-label at these sites, also indicates that Asp237 and also Asp240, which interacts with Lys319 (helix X), are located in transmembrane domains. However, Asp237 and Asp240 are accessible both from the aqueous phase and from within the membrane. The results provide more direct evidence that the three residues are located within transmembrane helices and suggest that Asp237 and Asp240 are either located near the periplasmic surface of the membrane or exposed within a solvent-filled cleft in the permease.

Dynamics of Lactose Permease of Escherichia coli Determined by Site-Directed Chemical Labeling and Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Mutants with a single Cys residue in place of Phe27, Pro28, Phe29, Phe30, or Pro31 at the periplasmic end of putative transmembrane helix I were used to study the interaction of lactose permease with ligand by site-directed chemical modification or fluorescence spectroscopy. With permease embedded in the native membrane, mutant Phe27-->Cys or Phe28-->Cys is readily labeled with [14C]-N-ethylmaleimide (NEM), while mutant Phe29-->Cys, Phe30-->Cys, or Phe31-->Cys reacts less effectively. beta,D-Galactopyranosyl 1-thio-beta,D-galactopyranoside (TDG) has little or no effect on the reactivity of Phe27-->Cys, Phe29-->Cys, or Phe30-->Cys permease. Remarkably, however, Pro31-->Cys permease which is essentially unreactive in the absence of ligand becomes highly reactive in the presence of TDG. Ligand also enhances the NEM reactivity of the mutant with Cys in place of Pro28 which is presumably on the same face of helix I as position 31. The five single-Cys mutants which also contain a biotin acceptor domain in the middle cytoplasmic loop were purified by monomeric avidin-affinity chromatography in dodecyl beta,D-maltoside and subjected to site-directed fluorescence spectroscopy. Mutants Phe27-->Cys, Phe29-->Cys, and Phe30-->Cys react rapidly with 2-(4'-maleimidylanilino)naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid (MIANS), and reactivity is not altered in the presence of TDG. In striking contrast, mutants Pro28-->Cys and Pro31-->Cys react extremely slowly with MIANS in the absent of ligand, and TDG dramatically enhances reactivity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The role of transmembrane domain III in the lactose permease of escherichia coli

Deletion of putative transmembrane helix III from the lactose permease of Escherichia coli results in complete loss of transport activity. Similarly, replacement of this region en bloc with 23 contiguous Ala, Leu, or Phe residues abolishes active lactose transport. The observations suggest that helix III may contain functionally important residues; therefore, this region was subjected to Cys-scanning mutagenesis. Using a functional mutant devoid of Cys residues (C-less permease) each residue from Tyr 75 to Leu 99 was individually replaced with Cys. Twenty-one of the 25 mutants accumulate lactose to > 70% of the steady-state exhibited by C-less permease, and an additional 3 mutants transport to lower, but significant levels (40-60% of C-less). Cys replacement for Leu 76 results in low transport activity (18% of C-less). However, when placed in the wild-type background, mutant Leu 76-->Cys exhibits highly significant rates of transport (55% of wild type) and steady-state levels of lactose accumulation (65% of wild type). Immunoblots reveal that the mutants are inserted into the membrane at concentrations comparable to wild type. Studies with N-ethylmaleimide show that mutant Gly 96-->Cys is rapidly inactivated, whereas the other single-Cys mutants are not altered significantly by the alkylating agent. Moreover, the rate of inactivation of Gly 96-->Cys permease is enhanced at least 2-fold in the presence of beta-galactopyranosyl 1-thio-beta, D-galactopyranoside. The observations demonstrate that although no residue per se appears to be essential, structural properties of helix III are important for active lactose transport.

Cysteine scanning mutagenesis of putative transmembrane helices IX and X in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli.

Using a functional lactose permease mutant devoid of Cys residues (C-less permease), each amino-acid residue in putative transmembrane helices IX and X and the short intervening loop was systematically replaced with Cys (from Asn-290 to Lys-335). Thirty-four of 46 mutants accumulate lactose to high levels (70-100% or more of C-less), and an additional 7 mutants exhibit lower but highly significant lactose accumulation. As expected (see Kaback, H.R., 1992, Int. Rev. Cytol. 137A, 97-125), Cys substitution for Arg-302, His-322, or Glu-325 results in inactive permease molecules. Although Cys replacement for Lys-319 or Phe-334 also inactivates lactose accumulation, Lys-319 is not essential for active lactose transport (Sahin-Tóth, M., Dunten, R.L., Gonzalez, A., & Kaback, H.R., 1992, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 10547-10551), and replacement of Phe-334 with leucine yields permease with considerable activity. All single-Cys mutants except Gly-296 --> Cys are present in the membrane in amounts comparable to C-less permease, as judged by immunological techniques. In contrast, mutant Gly-296 --> Cys is hardly detectable when expressed at a relatively low rate from the lac promoter/operator but present in the membrane in stable form when expressed at a high rate from T7 promoter. Finally, studies with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) show that only a few mutants are inactivated significantly. Remarkably, the rate of inactivation of Val-315 --> Cys permease is enhanced at least 10-fold in the presence of beta-galactopyranosyl 1-thio-beta-D-galactopyranoside (TDG) or an H+ electrochemical gradient (delta mu-H+). The results demonstrate that only three residues in this region of the permease -Arg-302, His-322, and Glu-325-are essential for active lactose transport. Furthermore, the enhanced reactivity of the Val-315 --> Cys mutant toward NEM in the presence of TDG or delta mu-H+ probably reflects a conformational alteration induced by either substrate binding or delta mu-H+.

Reduction of selenic acid by hydrochloric acid

<h3>Abstract</h3> CcoA belongs to the widely distributed bacterial copper (Cu) importer subfamily CalT (CcoA-like Transporters) of the Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS), and provides cytoplasmic Cu needed for <i>cbb</i>₃-type cytochrome <i>c</i> oxidase (<i>cbb</i>₃-Cox) biogenesis. Earlier studies have supported a 12 transmembrane helices (TMH) topology of CcoA with the well-conserved Met₂₃₃xxxMet₂₃₇ and His₂₆₁xxxMet₂₆₅ motifs in its TMH7 and TMH8, respectively. Of these residues, Met₂₃₃ and His₂₆₁ are essential for Cu uptake and <i>cbb</i>₃-Cox production, whereas Met₂₃₇ and Met₂₆₅ contribute partly to these processes. CcoA also contains five Cys residues of unknown role, and remarkably, its structural models predict that three of these are exposed to the highly oxidizing periplasm. Here, we first demonstrate that elimination of both Met₂₃₇ and Met₂₆₅ completely abolishes Cu uptake and <i>cbb</i>₃-Cox production, indicating that CcoA requires at least one of these two Met residues for activity. Second, using scanning mutagenesis to probe plausible metal-interacting Met, His and Cys residues of CcoA we found that the periplasm-exposed Cys₄₉ located at the end of TMH2, the Cys₂₄₇ on a surface loop between TMH7 and THM8, and the C₃₆₇ located at the end of TMH11 are important for CcoA function. Analyses of the single and double Cys mutants revealed the occurrence of a disulfide bond in CcoA <i>in vivo</i>, possibly related to conformational changes it undergoes during Cu import as MFS-type transporter. Our overall findings suggested a model linking Cu import for <i>cbb</i>₃-Cox biogenesis with a thiol: disulfide oxidoreduction step, advancing our understanding of the mechanisms of CcoA function. <h3>Importance</h3> Copper (Cu) is a redox-active micronutrient that is both essential and toxic. Its cellular homeostasis is critical for supporting cuproprotein maturation while avoiding excessive oxidative stress. The Cu importer CcoA is the prototype of the widespread CalT subfamily of the MFS-type transporters. Hence, understanding its molecular mechanism of function is significant. Here we show that CcoA undergoes a thiol: disulfide oxidoreduction cycle, which is important for its Cu import activity.