Javier Navarro

Functional role of internal water molecules in rhodopsin revealed by X-ray crystallography.

Activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is triggered and regulated by structural rearrangement of the transmembrane heptahelical bundle containing a number of highly conserved residues. In rhodopsin, a prototypical GPCR, the helical bundle accommodates an intrinsic inverse-agonist 11-cis-retinal, which undergoes photo-isomerization to the all-trans form upon light absorption. Such a trigger by the chromophore corresponds to binding of a diffusible ligand to other GPCRs. Here we have explored the functional role of water molecules in the transmembrane region of bovine rhodopsin by using x-ray diffraction to 2.6 Å. The structural model suggests that water molecules, which were observed in the vicinity of highly conserved residues and in the retinal pocket, regulate the activity of rhodopsin-like GPCRs and spectral tuning in visual pigments, respectively. To confirm the physiological relevance of the structural findings, we conducted single-crystal microspectrophotometry on rhodopsin packed in our three-dimensional crystals and show that its spectroscopic properties are similar to those previously found by using bovine rhodopsin in suspension or membrane environment.

X-ray structure of sensory rhodopsin II at 2.1-Å resolution

Sensory rhodopsins (SRs) belong to a subfamily of heptahelical transmembrane proteins containing a retinal chromophore. These photoreceptors mediate the cascade of vision in animal eyes and phototaxis in archaebacteria and unicellular flagellated algae. Signal transduction by these photoreceptors occurs by means of transducer proteins. The two archaebacterial sensory rhodopsins SRI and SRII are coupled to the membrane-bound HtrI and HtrII transducer proteins. Activation of these proteins initiates phosphorylation cascades that modulate the flagellar motors, resulting in either attractant (SRI) or repellent (SRII) phototaxis. In addition, transducer-free SRI and SRII were shown to operate as proton pumps, analogous to bacteriorhodopsin. Here, we present the x-ray structure of SRII from Natronobacterium pharaonis (pSRII) at 2.1-Å resolution, revealing a unique molecular architecture of the retinal-binding pocket. In particular, the structure of pSRII exhibits a largely unbent conformation of the retinal (as compared with bacteriorhodopsin and halorhodopsin), a hydroxyl group of Thr-204 in the vicinity of the Schiff base, and an outward orientation of the guanidinium group of Arg-72. Furthermore, the structure reveals a putative chloride ion that is coupled to the Schiff base by means of a hydrogen-bond network and a unique, positively charged surface patch for a probable interaction with HtrII. The high-resolution structure of pSRII provides a structural basis to elucidate the mechanisms of phototransduction and color tuning.

Bacteriorhodopsin: a high-resolution structural view of vectorial proton transport.

Recent 3-D structures of several intermediates in the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) provide a detailed structural picture of this molecular proton pump in action. In this review, we describe the sequence of conformational changes of bR following the photoisomerization of its all-trans retinal chromophore, which is covalently bound via a protonated Schiff base to Lys216 in helix G, to a 13-cis configuration. The initial changes are localized near the proteins active site and a key water molecule is disordered. This water molecule serves as a keystone for the ground state of bR since, within the framework of the complex counter ion, it is important both for stabilizing the structure of the extracellular half of the protein, and for maintaining the high pK(a) of the Schiff base (the primary proton donor) and the low pK(a) of Asp85 (the primary proton acceptor). Subsequent structural rearrangements propagate out from the active site towards the extracellular half of the protein, with a local flex of helix C exaggerating an early movement of Asp85 towards the Schiff base, thereby facilitating proton transfer between these two groups. Other coupled rearrangements indicate the mechanism of proton release to the extracellular medium. On the cytoplasmic half of the protein, a local unwinding of helix G near the backbone of Lys216 provides sites for water molecules to order and define a pathway for the reprotonation of the Schiff base from Asp96 later in the photocycle. A steric clash of the photoisomerized retinal with Trp182 in helix F drives an outward tilt of the cytoplasmic half of this helix, opening the proton transport channel and enabling a proton to be taken up from the cytoplasm. Although bR is the first integral membrane protein to have its catalytic mechanism structurally characterized in detail, several key results were anticipated in advance of the structural model and the general framework for vectorial proton transport has, by and large, been preserved.

Role of the C Terminus of the Interleukin 8 Receptor in Signal Transduction and Internalization

Interleukin 8 (IL-8) is a potent neutrophil chemoattractant and activator. Two IL-8 receptor subtypes, A and B, are expressed in neutrophils. In this work, we analyzed the role of the C terminus domain of the IL-8 receptor on the signal transduction and receptor internalization mechanisms. The IL-8 receptor A was tagged with an epitope corresponding to the monoclonal antibody 1D4 to monitor the localization of the IL-8 receptor. We demonstrated IL-8-dependent receptor internalization by monitoring the density of surface 125I-labeled IL-8 binding sites and by immunofluorescence microscopy. Truncation of the last 27 amino acids of the IL-8 receptor A severely impaired the IL-8-induced internalization of the receptor. Of importance was the observation that binding of IL-8 to receptors A and B triggered a dramatically faster rate of internalization of receptor B than receptor A, suggesting that the heterologous C termini among receptor subtypes modulate the rate of internalization of IL-8 receptors. However, substitution of the C terminus of the receptor subtype A for the C terminus of receptor B reduced the internalization rate of receptor A. Furthermore, we found that the rate of internalization of IL-8 receptor B triggered by IL-8 was faster than the one induced by the IL-8-related peptide, melanoma growth stimulatory activity. Studies with human neutrophils pretreated with 100 nM IL-8 for 5 min revealed a positive and a negative calcium response mediated by receptors A and B, respectively. In contrast, neutrophils pretreated with melanoma growth stimulatory activity showed positive calcium responses to both receptors A and B. These data suggest that the neutrophil responses mediated by IL-8 are modulated by the rate of internalization of receptors.

Activation of HIV-1 coreceptor (CXCR4) mediates myelosuppression.

Chemokines are cytokines that activate and induce the migration of leukocytes. Stroma-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is a novel chemokine that blocks the entry of T-tropic HIV-1 mediated by fusin/CXCR4/LESTR (leukocyte-derived seven-transmembrane domain receptor). In this work we demonstrate that SDF-1 triggers increases in intracellular calcium and inhibits the proliferation of myeloid progenitor cell line 32D. By contrast, SDF-1 neither triggers a calcium response nor affects the proliferation of the myeloid progenitor cell line 32D-GR that is deficient in CXCR4. Responsiveness to SDF-1 was rescued by transfection of 32D-GR cells with a cDNA encoding the human CXCR4. The data indicate that SDF-1 induces myelosuppression by activation of CXCR4. The constitutive production of SDF-1 by bone marrow stromal cells argues for a major role of SDF-1 on the regulation of myelopoiesis.

Crystallization of membrane proteins in Cubo

Our understanding of lipidic cubic phases for the crystallization of membrane proteins has advanced greatly since the inception of the concept in 1996, and the method is becoming well accepted. Several protocols that allow the efficient screening of crystallization conditions and handling of crystals are presented. State-of-the art micro techniques allow a large number of crystallization conditions to be tested using very small amounts of protein, and diffraction quality crystals can be grown in larger volumes in glass vials. In cubo crystallization conditions differ from those employed for detergent-solubilized proteins. Variations comprise the type of lipid matrix, detergent, protein, salt, temperature, hydration, pH, and pressure. Commercially available screening kits may be applied in order to define lead conditions. Once obtained, crystals may be removed from the surrounding cubic phase mechanically, by enzymatic hydrolysis, or by detergent solubilization. We anticipate this set of protocols to be applied successfully to larger, less stable, and noncolored membrane proteins in order to obtain well-diffracting crystals of membrane proteins that have so far evaded crystallization in the detergent-solubilized state.

A chemokine receptor CXCR2 macromolecular complex regulates neutrophil functions in inflammatory diseases.

Background: CXCR2 plays an important role in various neutrophil-dominant inflammatory diseases. Results: A macromolecular signaling complex containing CXCR2, NHERF1, and phospholipase C (PLC)-β2 regulates neutrophil calcium mobilization, chemotaxis, and transepithelial migration. Conclusion: CXCR2·NHERF1·PLC-β2 macromolecular signaling complex is critical to neutrophil functions. Significance: CXCR2 macromolecular complex might be a potential therapeutic target for neutrophil infiltration-associated inflammatory diseases. Inflammation plays an important role in a wide range of human diseases such as ischemia-reperfusion injury, arteriosclerosis, cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. Neutrophilic accumulation in the inflamed tissues is an essential component of normal host defense against infection, but uncontrolled neutrophilic infiltration can cause progressive damage to the tissue epithelium. The CXC chemokine receptor CXCR2 and its specific ligands have been reported to play critical roles in the pathophysiology of various inflammatory diseases. However, it is unclear how CXCR2 is coupled specifically to its downstream signaling molecules and modulates cellular functions of neutrophils. Here we show that the PDZ scaffold protein NHERF1 couples CXCR2 to its downstream effector phospholipase C (PLC)-β2, forming a macromolecular complex, through a PDZ-based interaction. We assembled a macromolecular complex of CXCR2·NHERF1·PLC-β2 in vitro, and we also detected such a complex in neutrophils by co-immunoprecipitation. We further observed that the CXCR2-containing macromolecular complex is critical for the CXCR2-mediated intracellular calcium mobilization and the resultant migration and infiltration of neutrophils, as disrupting the complex with a cell permeant CXCR2-specific peptide (containing the PDZ motif) inhibited intracellular calcium mobilization, chemotaxis, and transepithelial migration of neutrophils. Taken together, our data demonstrate a critical role of the PDZ-dependent CXCR2 macromolecular signaling complex in regulating neutrophil functions and suggest that targeting the CXCR2 multiprotein complex may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for certain inflammatory diseases.

Early Structural Rearrangements in the Photocycle of an Integral Membrane Sensory Receptor

Sensory rhodopsins are the primary receptors of vision in animals and phototaxis in microorganisms. Light triggers the rapid isomerization of a buried retinal chromophore, which the protein both accommodates and amplifies into the larger structural rearrangements required for signaling. We trapped an early intermediate of the photocycle of sensory rhodopsin II from Natronobacterium pharaonis (pSRII) in 3D crystals and determined its X-ray structure to 2.3 A resolution. The observed structural rearrangements were localized near the retinal chromophore, with a key water molecule becoming disordered and the retinals beta-ionone ring undergoing a prominent movement. Comparison with the early structural rearrangements of bacteriorhodopsin illustrates how modifications in the retinal binding pocket of pSRII allow subtle differences in the early relaxation of photoisomerized retinal.

Probing the role of CXC motif in chemokine CXCL8 for high affinity binding and activation of CXCR1 and CXCR2 receptors

All chemokines share a common structural scaffold that mediate a remarkable variety of functions from immune surveillance to organogenesis. Chemokines are classified as CXC or CC on the basis of conserved cysteines, and the two subclasses bind distinct sets of GPCR class of receptors and also have markedly different quaternary structures, suggesting that the CXC/CC motif plays a prominent role in both structure and function. For both classes, receptor activation involves interactions between chemokine N-loop and receptor N-domain residues (Site-I), and between chemokine N-terminal and receptor extracellular/transmembrane residues (Site-II). We engineered a CC variant (labeled as CC-CXCL8) of the chemokine CXCL8 by deleting residue X (CXC → CC), and found its structure is essentially similar to WT. In stark contrast, CC-CXCL8 bound poorly to its cognate receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2 (Ki > 1 μm). Further, CC-CXCL8 failed to mobilize Ca2+ in CXCR2-expressing HL-60 cells or recruit neutrophils in a mouse lung model. However, most interestingly, CC-CXCL8 mobilizes Ca2+ in neutrophils and in CXCR1-expressing HL-60 cells. Compared with the WT, CC-CXCL8 binds CXCR1 N-domain with only ∼5-fold lower affinity indicating that the weak binding to intact CXCR1 must be due to its weak binding at Site-II. Nevertheless, this level of binding is sufficient for receptor activation indicating that affinity and activity are separable functions. We propose that the CXC motif functions as a conformational switch that couples Site-I and Site-II interactions for both receptors, and that this coupling is critical for high affinity binding but differentially regulates activation.

Chemokine CXCL1 dimer is a potent agonist for the CXCR2 receptor

Background: Chemokines exist reversibly as monomers and dimers, but dimer activity remains poorly defined. Results: A disulfide-linked CXCL1 dimer is highly active, and NMR studies show that dimer binds CXCR2 like the monomer. Conclusion: The potent activity of CXCL1 dimer is novel. Significance: Chemokine dimers can be highly active to completely inactive, indicating that dimerization fine-tunes chemokine-specific in vivo functions. The CXCL1/CXCR2 axis plays a crucial role in recruiting neutrophils in response to microbial infection and tissue injury, and dysfunction in this process has been implicated in various inflammatory diseases. Chemokines exist as monomers and dimers, and compelling evidence now exists that both forms regulate in vivo function. Therefore, knowledge of the receptor activities of both CXCL1 monomer and dimer is essential to describe the molecular mechanisms by which they orchestrate neutrophil function. The monomer-dimer equilibrium constant (∼20 μm) and the CXCR2 binding constant (1 nm) indicate that WT CXCL1 is active as a monomer. To characterize dimer activity, we generated a trapped dimer by introducing a disulfide across the dimer interface. This disulfide-linked CXCL1 dimer binds CXCR2 with nanomolar affinity and shows potent agonist activity in various cellular assays. We also compared the receptor binding mechanism of this dimer with that of a CXCL1 monomer, generated by deleting the C-terminal residues that stabilize the dimer interface. We observe that the binding interactions of the dimer and monomer to the CXCR2 N-terminal domain, which plays an important role in determining affinity and activity, are essentially conserved. The potent activity of the CXCL1 dimer is novel: dimers of the CC chemokines CCL2 and CCL4 are inactive, and the dimer of the CXC chemokine CXCL8 (which is closely related to CXCL1) is marginally active for CXCR1 but shows variable activity for CXCR2. We conclude that large differences in dimer activity among different chemokine-receptor pairs have evolved for fine-tuned leukocyte function.