| 1. |
- Cymer, Florian, et al.
(author)
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Cotranslational folding of membrane proteins probed by arrest-peptide-mediated force measurements
- 2013
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 110:36, s. 14640-14645
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Polytopic membrane proteins are inserted cotranslationally into target membranes by ribosome-translocon complexes. It is, however, unclear when during the insertion process specific interactions between the transmembrane helices start to form. Here, we use a recently developed in vivo technique to measure pulling forces acting on transmembrane helices during their cotranslational insertion into the inner membrane of Escherichia coli to study the earliest steps of tertiary folding of five polytopic membrane proteins. We find that interactions between residues in a C-terminally located transmembrane helix and in more N-terminally located helices can be detected already at the point when the C-terminal helix partitions from the translocon into the membrane. Our findings pinpoint the earliest steps of tertiary structure formation and open up possibilities to study the cotranslational folding of polytopic membrane proteins.
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| 2. |
- Cymer, Florian, et al.
(author)
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Exploration of the Arrest Peptide Sequence Space Reveals Arrest-enhanced Variants
- 2015
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In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 290:16, s. 10208-10215
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Translational arrest peptides (APs) are short stretches of polypeptides that induce translational stalling when synthesized on a ribosome. Mechanical pulling forces acting on the nascent chain can weaken or even abolish stalling. APs can therefore be used as in vivo force sensors, making it possible to measure the forces that act on a nascent chain during translation with single-residue resolution. It is also possible to score the relative strengths of APs by subjecting them to a given pulling force and ranking them according to stalling efficiency. Using the latter approach, we now report an extensive mutagenesis scan of a strong mutant variant of the Mannheimia succiniciproducens SecM AP and identify mutations that further increase the stalling efficiency. Combining three such mutations, we designed an AP that withstands the strongest pulling force we are able to generate at present. We further show that diproline stretches in a nascent protein act as very strong APs when translation is carried out in the absence of elongation factor P. Our findings highlight critical residues in APs, show that certain amino acid sequences induce very strong translational arrest and provide a toolbox of APs of varying strengths that can be used for in vivo force measurements.
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| 3. |
- Cymer, Florian, et al.
(author)
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Mechanisms of Integral Membrane Protein Insertion and Folding
- 2015
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In: Journal of Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2836 .- 1089-8638. ; 427:5, s. 999-1022
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The biogenesis, folding, and structure of alpha-helical membrane proteins (MPs) are important to understand because they underlie virtually all physiological processes in cells including key metabolic pathways, such as the respiratory chain and the photosystems, as well as the transport of solutes and signals across membranes. Nearly all MPs require translocons-often referred to as protein-conducting channels-for proper insertion into their target membrane. Remarkable progress toward understanding the structure and functioning of translocons has been made during the past decade. Here, we review and assess this progress critically. All available evidence indicates that MPs are equilibrium structures that achieve their final structural states by folding along thermodynamically controlled pathways. The main challenge for cells is the targeting and membrane insertion of highly hydrophobic amino acid sequences. Targeting and insertion are managed in cells principally by interactions between ribosomes and membrane-embedded translocons. Our review examines the biophysical and biological boundaries of MP insertion and the folding of polytopic MPs in vivo. A theme of the review is the under-appreciated role of basic thermodynamic principles in MP folding and assembly. Thermodynamics not only dictates the final folded structure but also is the driving force for the evolution of the ribosome-translocon system of assembly. We conclude the review with a perspective suggesting a new view of translocon-guided MP insertion. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 4. |
- Cymer, Florian, et al.
(author)
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Weak pulling forces exerted on N-in-orientated transmembrane segments during co-translational insertion into the inner membrane of Escherichia coli
- 2014
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In: FEBS Letters. - : Wiley. - 0014-5793 .- 1873-3468. ; 588:10, s. 1930-1934
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Transmembrane helices (TMHs) in membrane proteins can be orientated with their N-terminus towards the cytoplasm (N-in), or facing the non-cytoplasmic side (N-out). Most membrane proteins are inserted co-translationally into membranes, aided by Sec-type translocons. Since the final orientation of N-in-and N-out-orientated TMHs differs, they could also interact differently with the translocon and the surrounding membrane during insertion. We measured pulling forces exerted on N-in-orientated TMHs during co-translational insertion into the inner membrane of Escherichia coli. Our results demonstrate that Nin-orientated TMHs experience a weaker pulling force but retain the overall biphasic force profile seen previously for Nout-orientated TMHs (Ismail et al., 2012 [1]).
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| 5. |
- Kemp, Grant, et al.
(author)
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Small membrane proteins - elucidating the function of the needle in the haystack
- 2014
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In: Biological chemistry (Print). - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 1431-6730 .- 1437-4315. ; 395:12, s. 1365-1377
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Membrane proteins are important mediators between the cell and its environment or between different compartments within a cell. However, much less is known about the structure and function of membrane proteins compared to water-soluble proteins. Moreover, until recently a subset of membrane proteins, those shorter than 100 amino acids, have almost completely evaded detection as a result of technical difficulties. These small membrane proteins (SMPs) have been underrepresented in most genomic and proteomic screens of both pro-and eukaryotic cells and, hence, we know much less about their functions in both. Currently, through a combination of bioinformatics, ribosome profiling, and more sensitive proteomics, large numbers of SMPs are being identified and characterized. Herein we describe recent advances in identifying SMPs from genomic and proteomic datasets and describe examples where SMPs have been successfully characterized biochemically. Finally we give an overview of identified functions of SMPs and speculate on the possible roles SMPs play in the cell.
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| 6. |
- Sandhu, Hena, et al.
(author)
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Cotranslational Translocation and Folding of a Periplasmic Protein Domain in Escherichia coli
- 2021
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In: Journal of Molecular Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2836 .- 1089-8638. ; 433:15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In Gram-negative bacteria, periplasmic domains in inner membrane proteins are cotranslationally translocated across the inner membrane through the SecYEG translocon. To what degree such domains also start to fold cotranslationally is generally difficult to determine using currently available methods. Here, we apply Force Profile Analysis (FPA) - a method where a translational arrest peptide is used to detect folding-induced forces acting on the nascent polypeptide - to follow the cotranslational translocation and folding of the large periplasmic domain of the E. coli inner membrane protease LepB in vivo. Membrane insertion of LepB's two N-terminal transmembrane helices is initiated when their respective N-terminal ends reach 45-50 residues away from the peptidyl transferase center (PTC) in the ribosome. The main folding transition in the periplasmic domain involves all but the similar to 15 most C-terminal residues of the protein and happens when the C-terminal end of the folded part is similar to 70 residues away from the PTC; a smaller putative folding intermediate is also detected. This implies that wildtype LepB folds post-translationally in vivo, and shows that FPA can be used to study both co- and post-translational protein folding in the periplasm.
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| 7. |
- Schiller, Nina, 1984-, et al.
(author)
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Mutational analysis of the human Xbp1 translational arrest peptide and construction of arrest-enhanced variants
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Xbp1, a protein involved in the unfolded protein response, is a rare example of a mammalian protein that contains a well-defined translational arrest peptide (AP). In order to define the critical residues in the Xbp1u AP, and to search for variants with stronger arrest potency than the wildtype Xbp1u AP, we have carried out a full mutagenesis scan where each residue in the AP was replaced by the other 19 natural amino acids. We find that 10 of the 21 mutagenized positions are optimal already in the wildtype Xbp1 AP, while certain mutations in the remaining residues lead to a strong increase in the arrest potency. Xbp1 has thus evolved to induce an intermediate level of translational arrest, and versions with much stronger arrest efficiency exist. We further show Xbp1- induced translational arrest is reduced in response to increased tension in the nascent chain, making it possible to carry out studies in mammalian systems of cotranslational processes such as membrane protein assembly and protein folding by using suitable Xbp1 AP variants as “force sensors”, as has been done previously in E. coli using bacterial APs.
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| 8. |
- Shanmuganathan, Vivekanandan, et al.
(author)
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Structural and mutational analysis of the ribosome-arresting human XBP1u
- 2019
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In: eLIFE. - 2050-084X. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- XBP1u, a central component of the unfolded protein response (UPR), is a mammalian protein containing a functionally critical translational arrest peptide (AP). Here, we present a 3 angstrom cryo-EM structure of the stalled human XBP1u AP. It forms a unique turn in the ribosomal exit tunnel proximal to the peptidyl transferase center where it causes a subtle distortion, thereby explaining the temporary translational arrest induced by XBP1u. During ribosomal pausing the hydrophobic region 2 (HR2) of XBP1u is recognized by SRP, but fails to efficiently gate the Sec61 translocon. An exhaustive mutagenesis scan of the XBP1u AP revealed that only 8 out of 20 mutagenized positions are optimal; in the remaining 12 positions, we identify 55 different mutations increase the level of translational arrest. Thus, the wildtype XBP1u AP induces only an intermediate level of translational arrest, allowing efficient targeting by SRP without activating the Sec61 channel.
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