| 1. |
- Hennerdal, Aron, et al.
(författare)
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Internal duplications in alpha-helical membrane protein topologies are common but the nonduplicated forms are rare
- 2010
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Ingår i: Protein Science. - : Wiley. - 0961-8368 .- 1469-896X. ; 19:12, s. 2305-2318
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many alpha-helical membrane proteins contain internal symmetries, indicating that they might have evolved through a gene duplication and fusion event Here, we have characterized internal duplications among membrane proteins of known structure and in three complete genomes We found that the majority of large transmembrane (TM) proteins contain an internal duplication The duplications found showed a large variability both in the number of TM-segments included and in their orientation Surprisingly, an approximately equal number of antiparallel duplications and parallel duplications were found However, of all 11 superfamilies with an internal duplication, only for one, the AcrB Multidrug Efflux Pump, the duplicated unit could be found in its nonduplicated form An evolutionary analysis of the AcrB homologs indicates that several independent fusions have occurred, including the fusion of the SecD and SecF proteins into the 12-TM-protein SecDF in Brucella and Staphylococcus aureus In one additional case, the Vitamin B-12 transporter-like ABC transporters, the protein had undergone an additional fusion to form protein with 20 TM-helices in several bacterial genomes Finally, homologs to all human membrane proteins were used to detect the presence of duplicated and nonduplicated proteins This confirmed that only in rare cases can homologs with different duplication status be found, although internal symmetry is frequent among these proteins One possible explanation is that it is frequent that duplication and fusion events happen simultaneously and that there is almost always a strong selective advantage for the fused form
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| 2. |
- Fourati, Zaineb, et al.
(författare)
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Structural Basis for a Bimodal Allosteric Mechanism of General Anesthetic Modulation in Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channels
- 2018
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Ingår i: Cell Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-1247. ; 23:4, s. 993-1004
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ion channel modulation by general anesthetics is a vital pharmacological process with implications for receptor biophysics and drug development. Functional studies have implicated conserved sites of both potentiation and inhibition in pentameric ligand-gated ion channels, but a detailed structural mechanism for these bimodal effects is lacking[1] . The prokaryotic model protein GLIC recapitulates anesthetic modulation of human ion channels, and is accessible to structure determination in both apparent open and closed states. Here, we report ten X-ray structures and electrophysiological characterization of GLIC variants in the presence and absence of general anesthetics, including the surgical agent propofol. We show that general anesthetics can allosterically favor closed channels by binding in the pore, or favor open channels via various subsites in the transmembrane domain. Our results support an integrated, multi-site mechanism for allosteric modulation, and provide atomic details of both potentiation and inhibition by one of the most common general anesthetics.
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| 3. |
- Forsberg, Björn O., et al.
(författare)
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Arrangement and symmetry of the fungal E3BP-containing core of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Nature Research. - 2041-1723. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is a multienzyme complex central to aerobic respiration, connecting glycolysis to mitochondrial oxidation of pyruvate. Similar to the E3-binding protein (E3BP) of mammalian PDC, PX selectively recruits E3 to the fungal PDC, but its divergent sequence suggests a distinct structural mechanism. Here, we report reconstructions of PDC from the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa by cryo-electron microscopy, where we find protein X (PX) interior to the PDC core as opposed to substituting E2 core subunits as in mammals. Steric occlusion limits PX binding, resulting in predominantly tetrahedral symmetry, explaining previous observations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The PX-binding site is conserved in (and specific to) fungi, and complements possible C-terminal binding motifs in PX that are absent in mammalian E3BP. Consideration of multiple symmetries thus reveals a differential structural basis for E3BP-like function in fungal PDC.
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| 4. |
- Rovšnik, Urška, 1992-
(författare)
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Structural transitions of proton-gated ion channels : Involving pH sensing, heterogeneity and lipid interactions
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Studying protein structure and function involves analyzing the relationship between a protein's three-dimensional assembly and its dynamic biochemical activity. The superfamily of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) constitutes a classic yet illuminating experimental system for structure-function studies. Atomistic details of pLGIC structure can reveal molecular determinants of gating, ion selection, and permeation. In parallel, functional studies can quantify dynamic changes in activation state and ion flow. Structure-function relationships in pLGICs may critically inform our understanding of electrochemical signal transduction from bacteria to the human brain, and the development of drugs from antiparasitics to neurotherapeutics.My research, detailed in this thesis, has focused on pLGIC structure determination by cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM). Complementary insights have been drawn from small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), which provides lowerresolution average structures under room-temperature, solution-phase conditions. These structural studies have been supported by comparison to previous electrophysiology data, and to new molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In the latter approach, the motions of individual atoms in a three-dimensional protein model are computed over time, allowing us to predict its functional behavior and interactions.Although pLGICs play crucial roles in human physiology, our biophysical understanding of these proteins has been greatly supported by bacterial family members, which can be readily produced and characterized in the laboratory. This thesis revolves around studies of two pentameric proton-gated ion channels, one from the cyanobacterium Gloeobacter violaceus, called GLIC, and one from a Desulfofustis deltaproteobacterium, called DeCLIC. A combination of structural and functional methods have been applied to reveal mechanisms of activation, ion interaction, and domain rearrangement in these systems, including their relevance to human homologs.
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| 5. |
- Mehregan, Aujan, et al.
(författare)
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Probing effects of the SARS-CoV-2 E protein on membrane curvature andintracellular calcium
- 2022
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Ingår i: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes. - : Elsevier BV. - 0005-2736 .- 1879-2642. ; 1864:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- SARS-CoV-2 contains four structural proteins in its genome. These proteins aid in the assembly and budding of new virions at the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC). Current fundamental research efforts largely focus on one of these proteins – the spike (S) protein. Since successful antiviral therapies are likely to target multiple viral components, there is considerable interest in understanding the biophysical role of its other structural proteins, in particular structural membrane proteins. Here, we have focused our efforts on the characterization of the full-length envelope (E) protein from SARS-CoV-2, combining experimental and computational approaches. Recombinant expression of the full-length E protein from SARS-CoV-2 reveals that this membrane protein is capable of independent multimerization, possibly as a tetrameric or smaller species. Fluorescence microscopy shows that the protein localizes intracellularly, and coarse-grained MD simulations indicate it causes bending of the surrounding lipid bilayer, corroborating a potential role for the E protein in viral budding. Although we did not find robust electrophysiological evidence of ion-channel activity, cells transfected with the E protein exhibited reduced intracellular Ca2+, which may further promote viral replication. However, our atomistic MD simulations revealed that previous NMR structures are relatively unstable, and result in models incapable of ion conduction. Our study highlights the importance of using high-resolution structural data obtained from a full-length protein to gain detailed molecular insights, and eventually permitting virtual drug screening.
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| 6. |
- Vereshchaga, Yana, et al.
(författare)
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Insertion Properties of Marginally Hydrophobic Helices in the LacY Lactose Permease Transporter
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Transmembrane helices are generally believed to be recognized individually by the translocon based on theirhydrophobicity, but it has been proposed that they could also be recognized as pairs of helices. The fact thatmost transmembrane helices are individually clearly hydrophobic seems to support separate helix insertion,but there are important exceptions where the helices are only borderline hydrophilic, at least according tosequence-based prediction. Conrming these patterns and characterizing their role for insertion of helices isan important part in deciphering membrane protein insertion and folding. Here, we use a combination ofsequence bioinformatics, simplied physical modeling, and experiments to investigate whether helices in theLacY lactose permease transporter are recognized by the translocon, and if not whether helix-helix interactionsmight stabilize their insertion. From the experimentally determined biological hydrophobicity scale, ve out of thetwelve transmembrane segments of LacY are predicted to have low spontaneous insertion, which is qualitativelyconrmed in a simplied simulation model using an implicit membrane environment as well as experimentallyin vitro. For some pairs a small, but signicant, increase in insertion eciency was seen both in the simulationsand in the in vitro system. However, the overall insertion eciency is only marginally increased when pairsof borderline hydrophobic helices are co-inserted, which suggests that translocon-mediated membrane insertionpredominantly recognizes individual helices. It also seems to imply that stabilization of marginally hydrophobichelices - at least for LacY - is a collective eect in the nal folded membrane protein, rather than caused by favorable interactions and hairpin formation during insertion.
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| 7. |
- Heusser, Stephanie A., et al.
(författare)
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Functional characterization of neurotransmitter activation and modulation in a nematode model ligand-gated ion channel
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Neurochemistry. - : Wiley. - 0022-3042 .- 1471-4159. ; 138:2, s. 243-253
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The superfamily of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels includes neurotransmitter receptors that mediate fast synaptic transmission in vertebrates, and are targets for drugs including alcohols, anesthetics, benzodiazepines, and anticonvulsants. However, the mechanisms of ion channel opening, gating, and modulation in these receptors leave many open questions, despite their pharmacological importance. Subtle conformational changes in both the extracellular and transmembrane domains are likely to influence channel opening, but have been difficult to characterize given the limited structural data available for human membrane proteins. Recent crystal structures of a modified Caenorhabditis elegans glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluCl) in multiple states offer an appealing model system for structure-function studies. However, the pharmacology of the crystallographic GluCl construct is not well established. To establish the functional relevance of this system, we used two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology in Xenopus oocytes to characterize activation of crystallographic and native-like GluCl constructs by L-glutamate and ivermectin. We also tested modulation by ethanol and other anesthetic agents, and used site-directed mutagenesis to explore the role of a region of Loop F which was implicated in ligand gating by molecular dynamics simulations. Our findings indicate that the crystallographic construct functionally models concentration-dependent agonism and allosteric modulation of pharmacologically relevant receptors. Specific substitutions at residue Leu174 in loop F altered direct L-glutamate activation, consistent with computational evidence for this region's role in ligand binding. These insights demonstrate conservation of activation and modulation properties in this receptor family, and establish a framework for GluCl as a model system, including new possibilities for drug discovery. In this study, we elucidate the validity of a modified glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluCl(cryst)) as a structurally accessible model for GABA(A) receptors. In contrast to native-like controls, GluCl(cryst) exhibits classical activation by its neurotransmitter ligand L-glutamate. The modified channel is also sensitive to allosteric modulators associated with human GABA(A) receptors, and to site-directed mutations predicted to alter channel opening.
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| 8. |
- Contreras, F.-Xabier, et al.
(författare)
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Molecular recognition of a single sphingolipid species by a protein's transmembrane domain
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 481:7382, s. 525-529
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Functioning and processing of membrane proteins critically depend on the way their transmembrane segments are embedded in the membrane. Sphingolipids are structural components of membranes and can also act as intracellular second messengers. Not much is known of sphingolipids binding to transmembrane domains (TMDs) of proteins within the hydrophobic bilayer, and how this could affect protein function. Here we show a direct and highly specific interaction of exclusively one sphingomyelin species, SM 18, with the TMD of the COPI machinery protein p24 (ref. 2). Strikingly, the interaction depends on both the headgroup and the backbone of the sphingolipid, and on a signature sequence (VXXTLXXIY) within the TMD. Molecular dynamics simulations show a close interaction of SM 18 with the TMD. We suggest a role of SM 18 in regulating the equilibrium between an inactive monomeric and an active oligomeric state of the p24 protein, which in turn regulates COPI-dependent transport. Bioinformatic analyses predict that the signature sequence represents a conserved sphingolipid-binding cavity in a variety of mammalian membrane proteins. Thus, in addition to a function as second messengers, sphingolipids can act as cofactors to regulate the function of transmembrane proteins. Our discovery of an unprecedented specificity of interaction of a TMD with an individual sphingolipid species adds to our understanding of why biological membranes are assembled from such a large variety of different lipids.
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| 9. |
- Yoluk, Ozge, et al.
(författare)
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Conformational Gating Dynamics in the GluCl Anion-Selective Chloride Channel
- 2015
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Ingår i: ACS Chemical Neuroscience. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1948-7193. ; 6:8, s. 1459-1467
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cys-loop receptors are central to propagation of signals in the nervous system. The gating of the membrane-spanning pore is triggered by structural rearrangements in the agonist-binding site, located some so A away from the pore. A sequential conformational change, propagating from the ligand-binding site to the pore, has been proposed to govern gating in all Cys-loop receptors. Here, we identify structural and dynamic components of the conformational gating in the eukaryotic glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluCl) by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with and without the L-glutamate agonist bound. A significant increase in pore opening and accompanying hydration is observed in the presence of glutamate. Potential of mean force calculations reveal that the barrier for ion passage drops from 15 kcal/mol to 5-10 kcal/mol with the agonist bound. This appears to be explained by agonist binding that leads to significant changes in the intersubunit hydrogen-bonding pattern, which induce a slight tilt of the extracellular domain relative to the transmembrane domain in the simulations. This rearrangement is subtle, but correspond to the direction of the quaternary twist observed as a key difference between open and closed X-ray structures. While the full reversible gating is still a much slower process, the observed structural dynamics sheds new light on the early stages of how the agonist influences the extracellular domain, how the extracellular domain interacts with the transmembrane domain, and how changes in the transmembrane domain alter the free energy of ion passage.
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| 10. |
- Heusser, Stephanie A., et al.
(författare)
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Allosteric potentiation of a ligand-gated ion channel is mediated by access to a deep membrane-facing cavity
- 2018
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : NATL ACAD SCIENCES. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 115:42, s. 10672-10677
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Theories of general anesthesia have shifted in focus from bulk lipid effects to specific interactions with membrane proteins. Target receptors include several subtypes of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels; however, structures of physiologically relevant proteins in this family have yet to define anesthetic binding at high resolution. Recent cocrystal structures of the bacterial protein GLIC provide snapshots of state-dependent binding sites for the common surgical agent propofol (PFL), offering a detailed model system for anesthetic modulation. Here, we combine molecular dynamics and oocyte electrophysiology to reveal differential motion and modulation upon modification of a transmembrane binding site within each GLIC subunit. WT channels exhibited net inhibition by PFL, and a contraction of the cavity away from the pore-lining M2 helix in the absence of drug. Conversely, in GLIC variants exhibiting net PFL potentiation, the cavity was persistently expanded and proximal to M2. Mutations designed to favor this deepened site enabled sensitivity even to subclinical concentrations of PFL, and a uniquely prolonged mode of potentiation evident up to similar to 30 min after washout. Dependence of these prolonged effects on exposure time implicated the membrane as a reservoir for a lipid-accessible binding site. However, at the highest measured concentrations, potentiation appeared to be masked by an acute inhibitory effect, consistent with the presence of a discrete, water-accessible site of inhibition. These results support a multisite model of transmembrane allosteric modulation, including a possible link between lipid- and receptor-based theories that could inform the development of new anesthetics.
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