| 1. |
- Ismail, Nurzian, et al.
(författare)
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Charge-driven dynamics of nascent-chain movement through the SecYEG translocon
- 2015
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Ingår i: Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1545-9993 .- 1545-9985. ; 22:2, s. 145-149
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- On average, every fifth residue in secretory proteins carries either a positive or a negative charge. In a bacterium such as Escherichia coli, charged residues are exposed to an electric field as they transit through the inner membrane, and this should generate a fluctuating electric force on a translocating nascent chain. Here, we have used translational arrest peptides as in vivo force sensors to measure this electric force during cotranslational chain translocation through the SecYEG translocon. We find that charged residues experience a biphasic electric force as they move across the membrane, including an early component with a maximum when they are 47-49 residues away from the ribosomal P site, followed by a more slowly varying component. The early component is generated by the transmembrane electric potential, whereas the second may reflect interactions between charged residues and the periplasmic membrane surface.
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| 2. |
- Hedman, Rickard, 1983-
(författare)
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Dynamics of peptide chains during co-translational translocation, membrane integration & domain folding
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The biosynthesis of proteins occurs at the ribosomes, where amino acids are linked together into linear chains. Nascent protein chains may undergo several different processes during their synthesis. Some proteins begin to fold, while others interact with chaperones, targeting factors or processing enzymes. Nascent membrane proteins are targeted to the cell membrane for integration, which involves the translocation of periplasmic domains and the insertion of membrane-embedded parts.The aim of this thesis was to gain insights about the dynamics of nascent peptide chains undergoing folding, membrane translocation and integration. To this end, we explored the use of arrest peptides (APs) as force sensors. APs stall ribosomes when translated unless there is tension in the nascent peptide chain: the higher the tension, the more full-length protein can be detected. By using APs, we could show that a transmembrane helix is strongly ‘pulled’ twice on its way into the membrane and that strong electric forces act on negatively charged peptide segments translocating through the membrane. Furthermore, we discovered that APs could be used to detect protein folding and made the surprising discovery that a small protein domain folded well inside the ribosomal tunnel. Finally, we explored the arrest-stability of a large set of AP variants and found two extremely stable APs.
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| 3. |
- Nilsson, Ola B., et al.
(författare)
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Cotranslational Protein Folding inside the Ribosome Exit Tunnel
- 2015
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Ingår i: Cell Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-1247. ; 12:10, s. 1533-1540
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- At what point during translation do proteins fold? It is well established that proteins can fold cotranslationally outside the ribosome exit tunnel, whereas studies of folding inside the exit tunnel have so far detected only the formation of helical secondary structure and collapsed or partially structured folding intermediates. Here, using a combination of co-translational nascent chain force measurements, inter-subunit fluorescence resonance energy transfer studies on single translating ribosomes, molecular dynamics simulations, and cryoelectron microscopy, we show that a small zinc-finger domain protein can fold deep inside the vestibule of the ribosome exit tunnel. Thus, for small protein domains, the ribosome itself can provide the kind of sheltered folding environment that chaperones provide for larger proteins.
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| 4. |
- 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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| 5. |
- Armenteros, Jose Juan Almagro, et al.
(författare)
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Detecting sequence signals in targeting peptides using deep learning
- 2019
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Ingår i: Life Science Alliance. - : LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE LLC. - 2575-1077. ; 2:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In bioinformatics, machine learning methods have been used to predict features embedded in the sequences. In contrast to what is generally assumed, machine learning approaches can also provide new insights into the underlying biology. Here, we demonstrate this by presenting TargetP 2.0, a novel state-of-the-art method to identify N-terminal sorting signals, which direct proteins to the secretory pathway, mitochondria, and chloroplasts or other plastids. By examining the strongest signals from the attention layer in the network, we find that the second residue in the protein, that is, the one following the initial methionine, has a strong influence on the classification. We observe that two-thirds of chloroplast and thylakoid transit peptides have an alanine in position 2, compared with 20% in other plant proteins. We also note that in fungi and single-celled eukaryotes, less than 30% of the targeting peptides have an amino acid that allows the removal of the N-terminal methionine compared with 60% for the proteins without targeting peptide. The importance of this feature for predictions has not been highlighted before.
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| 6. |
- Ismail, Nurzian, et al.
(författare)
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A biphasic pulling force acts on transmembrane helices during translocon mediated membrane integration
- 2012
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Ingår i: Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1545-9993 .- 1545-9985. ; 19:10, s. 1018-1022
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Membrane proteins destined for insertion into the inner membrane of bacteria or the endoplasmic reticulum membrane in eukaryotic cells are synthesized by ribosomes bound to the bacterial SecYEG or the homologous eukaryotic Sec61 translocon. During co-translational membrane integration, transmembrane alpha-helical segments in the nascent chain exit the translocon through a lateral gate that opens toward the surrounding membrane, but the mechanism of lateral exit is not well understood. In particular, little is known about how a transmembrane helix behaves when entering and exiting the translocon. Using translation-arrest peptides from bacterial SecM proteins and from the mammalian Xbp1 protein as force sensors, we show that substantial force is exerted on a transmembrane helix at two distinct points during its transit through the translocon channel, providing direct insight into the dynamics of membrane integration.
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| 7. |
- Karamyshev, Andrey L., et al.
(författare)
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Inefficient SRP Interaction with a Nascent Chain Triggers a mRNA Quality Control Pathway
- 2014
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Ingår i: Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 0092-8674 .- 1097-4172. ; 156:1-2, s. 146-157
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Misfolded proteins are often cytotoxic, unless cellular systems prevent their accumulation. Data presented here uncover a mechanism by which defects in secretory proteins lead to a dramatic reduction in their mRNAs and protein expression. When mutant signal sequences fail to bind to the signal recognition particle (SRP) at the ribosome exit site, the nascent chain instead contacts Argonaute2 (Ago2), and the mutant mRNAs are specifically degraded. Severity of signal sequence mutations correlated with increased proximity of Ago2 to nascent chain and mRNA degradation. Ago2 knockdown inhibited degradation of the mutant mRNA, while overexpression of Ago2 or knockdown of SRP54 promoted degradation of secretory protein mRNA. The results reveal a previously unappreciated general mechanismof translational quality control, in which specific mRNA degradation preemptively regulates aberrant protein production (RAPP).
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| 8. |
- Reithinger, Johannes H, et al.
(författare)
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A short C-terminal tail prevents mis-targeting of hydrophobic mitochondrial membrane proteins to the ER
- 2013
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Ingår i: FEBS Letters. - : Wiley. - 0014-5793 .- 1873-3468. ; 587:21, s. 3480-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sdh3/Shh3, a subunit of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase, contains transmembrane domains with a hydrophobicity comparable to that of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteins. Here, we show that a C-terminal reporter fusion to Sdh3/Shh3 results in partial mis-targeting of the protein to the ER. This mis-targeting is mediated by the signal recognition particle (SRP) and depends on the length of the C-terminal tail. These results imply that if nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins contain strongly hydrophobic transmembrane domains and a long C-terminal tail, they have the potential to be recognized by SRP and mis-targeted to the ER.
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| 9. |
- Söderström, Bill, et al.
(författare)
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Disassembly of the divisome in Escherichia coli : evidence that FtsZ dissociates before compartmentalization
- 2014
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Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 0950-382X .- 1365-2958. ; 92:1, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In most bacteria cell division is mediated by a protein super-complex called the divisome that co-ordinates the constriction and scission of the cell envelope. FtsZ is the first of the divisome proteins to accumulate at the division site and is widely thought to function as a force generator that constricts the cell envelope. In this study we have used a combination of confocal fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to determine if divisome proteins are present at the septum at the time of cytoplasmic compartmentalization in Escherichia coli. Our data suggest that many are, but that FtsZ and ZapA disassemble before the cytoplasm is sealed by constriction of the inner membrane. This observation implies that FtsZ cannot be a force generator during the final stage(s) of envelope constriction in E.coli.
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| 10. |
- Tarry, Michael, et al.
(författare)
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Production of human tetraspanin proteins in Escherichia coli
- 2012
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Ingår i: Protein Expression and Purification. - : Elsevier BV. - 1046-5928 .- 1096-0279. ; 82:2, s. 373-379
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tetraspanins are found in multicellular eukaryotes and are generally thought to act as scaffolding proteins, localizing multiple proteins to a specific region of the cell membrane. Activities for tetraspanins have been identified in several fundamental processes such as motility, cell adhesion, proliferation and viral entry. Tetraspanins are also key players in cancer development and progression. However, structural and biochemical information on tetraspanins is decidely limited, due in no small part to the difficulties associated with expressing eukaryotic membrane proteins. In this study, we have used GFP fusions of a library of human tetraspanin proteins to identify growth conditions for expression in Escherichia coli. Three tetraspanin-GFP proteins could be produced at high enough levels to allow subsequent purification, paving the way for future structural and biochemical studies.
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