| 1. |
- Aisenbrey, Christopher, et al.
(författare)
-
Helix orientations in membrane-associated Bcl-XL determined by 15N-solid-state NMR spectroscopy
- 2007
-
Ingår i: European Biophysics Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0175-7571 .- 1432-1017. ; 37:1, s. 71-80
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Controlled cell death is fundamental to tissue hemostasis and apoptosis malfunctions can lead to a wide range of diseases. Bcl-xL is an anti-apoptotic protein the function of which is linked to its reversible interaction with mitochondrial outer membranes. Its interfacial and intermittent bilayer association makes prediction of its bound structure difficult without using methods able to extract data from dynamic systems. Here we investigate Bcl-xL associated with oriented lipid bilayers at physiological pH using solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The data are consistent with a C-terminal transmembrane anchoring sequence and an average alignment of the remaining helices, i.e. including helices 5 and 6, approximately parallel to the membrane surface. Data from several biophysical approaches confirm that after removal of the C-terminus from Bcl-xL its membrane interactions are weak. In the presence of membranes Bcl-xL can still interact with a Bak BH3 domain peptide suggesting a model where the hydrophobic C-terminus of the protein unfolds and inserts into the membrane. During this conformational change the Bcl-xL hydrophobic binding pocket becomes accessible for protein–protein interactions whilst the structure of the N-terminal region remains intact.
|
|
| 2. |
- Bavdek, Andrej, et al.
(författare)
-
Sterol and pH interdependence in the binding, oligomerization, and pore formation of Listeriolysin O.
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Biochemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0006-2960 .- 1520-4995. ; 46:14, s. 4425-4437
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Listeriolysin O (LLO) is the most important virulence factor of the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Its main task is to enable escape of bacteria from the phagosomal vacuole into the cytoplasm. LLO belongs to the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC) family but differs from other members, as it exhibits optimal activity at low pH. Its pore forming ability at higher pH values has been largely disregarded in Listeria pathogenesis. Here we show that high cholesterol concentrations in the membrane restore the low activity of LLO at high pH values. LLO binds to lipid membranes, at physiological or even slightly basic pH values, in a cholesterol-dependent fashion. Binding, insertion into lipid monolayers, and permeabilization of calcein-loaded liposomes are maximal above approximately 35 mol % cholesterol, a concentration range typically found in lipid rafts. The narrow transition region of cholesterol concentration separating low and high activity indicates that cholesterol not only allows the binding of LLO to membranes but also affects other steps in pore formation. We were able to detect some of these by surface plasmon resonance-based assays. In particular, we show that LLO recognition of cholesterol is determined by the most exposed 3beta-hydroxy group of cholesterol. In addition, LLO binds and permeabilizes J774 cells and human erythrocytes in a cholesterol-dependent fashion at physiological or slightly basic pH values. The results clearly show that LLO activity at physiological pH cannot be neglected and that its action at sites distal to cell entry may have important physiological consequences for Listeria pathogenesis.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Lakey, Jeremy H., et al.
(författare)
-
Exploiting neutron scattering contrast variation in biological membrane studies
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Biophysics Reviews. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 2688-4089. ; 3:2
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biological membranes composed of lipids and proteins are central for the function of all cells and individual components, such as proteins, that are readily studied by a range of structural approaches, including x-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. However, the study of complex molecular mixtures within the biological membrane structure and dynamics requires techniques that can study nanometer thick molecular bilayers in an aqueous environment at ambient temperature and pressure. Neutron methods, including scattering and spectroscopic approaches, are useful since they can measure structure and dynamics while also being able to penetrate sample holders and cuvettes. The structural approaches, such as small angle neutron scattering and neutron reflectometry, detect scattering caused by the difference in neutron contrast (scattering length) between different molecular components such as lipids or proteins. Usually, the bigger the contrast, the clearer the structural data, and this review uses examples from our research to illustrate how contrast can be increased to allow the structures of individual membrane components to be resolved. Most often this relies upon the use of deuterium in place of hydrogen, but we also discuss the use of magnetic contrast and other elements with useful scattering length values.
|
|
| 5. |
- Paracini, Nicolò, et al.
(författare)
-
Studying the surfaces of bacteria using neutron scattering : finding new openings for antibiotics.
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Biochemical Society Transactions. - : Portland Press. - 0300-5127 .- 1470-8752. ; 48:5, s. 2139-2149
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of neutrons as a scattering probe to investigate biological membranes has steadily grown in the past three decades, shedding light on the structure and behaviour of this ubiquitous and fundamental biological barrier. Meanwhile, the rise of antibiotic resistance has catalysed a renewed interest in understanding the mechanisms underlying the dynamics of antibiotics interaction with the bacterial cell envelope. It is widely recognised that the key reason behind the remarkable success of Gram-negative pathogens in developing antibiotic resistance lies in the effectiveness of their outer membrane (OM) in defending the cell from antibacterial compounds. Critical to its function, the highly asymmetric lipid distribution between the inner and outer bilayer leaflets of the OM, adds an extra level of complexity to the study of this crucial defence barrier. Here we review the opportunities offered by neutron scattering techniques, in particular reflectometry, to provide structural information on the interactions of antimicrobials with in vitro models of the OM. The differential sensitivity of neutrons towards hydrogen and deuterium makes them a unique probe to study the structure and behaviour of asymmetric membranes. Molecular-level understanding of the interactions between antimicrobials and the Gram-negative OM provides valuable insights that can aid drug development and broaden our knowledge of this critically important biological barrier.
|
|
| 6. |
- Pirc, Katja, et al.
(författare)
-
An oomycete NLP cytolysin forms transient small pores in lipid membranes
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Science advances. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 2375-2548. ; 8:10, s. eabj9406-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microbial plant pathogens secrete a range of effector proteins that damage host plants and consequently constrain global food production. Necrosis and ethylene-inducing peptide 1-like proteins (NLPs) are produced by numerous phytopathogenic microbes that cause important crop diseases. Many NLPs are cytolytic, causing cell death and tissue necrosis by disrupting the plant plasma membrane. Here, we reveal the unique molecular mechanism underlying the membrane damage induced by the cytotoxic model NLP. This membrane disruption is a multistep process that includes electrostatic-driven, plant-specific lipid recognition, shallow membrane binding, protein aggregation, and transient pore formation. The NLP-induced damage is not caused by membrane reorganization or large-scale defects but by small membrane ruptures. This distinct mechanism of lipid membrane disruption is highly adapted to effectively damage plant cells.
|
|
