Sebastian Meier

Quantitative Determination of the Conformational Properties of Partially Folded and Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Using NMR Dipolar Couplings

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) inhabit a conformational landscape that is too complex to be described by classical structural biology, posing an entirely new set of questions concerning the molecular understanding of functional biology. The characterization of the conformational properties of IDPs, and the elucidation of the role they play in molecular function, is therefore one of the major challenges remaining for modern structural biology. NMR is the technique of choice for studying this class of proteins, providing information about structure, flexibility, and interactions at atomic resolution even in completely disordered states. In particular, residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) have been shown to be uniquely sensitive and powerful tools for characterizing local and long-range structural behavior in disordered proteins. In this review we describe recent applications of RDCs to quantitatively describe the level of local structure and transient long-range order in IDPs involved in viral replication, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer.

Quantitative Description of Backbone Conformational Sampling of Unfolded Proteins at Amino Acid Resolution from NMR Residual Dipolar Couplings

An atomic resolution characterization of the structural properties of unfolded proteins that explicitly invokes the highly dynamic nature of the unfolded state will be extremely important for the development of a quantitative understanding of the thermodynamic basis of protein folding and stability. Here we develop a novel approach using residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) from unfolded proteins to determine conformational behavior on an amino acid specific basis. Conformational sampling is described in terms of ensembles of structures selected from a large pool of conformers. We test this approach, using extensive simulation, to determine how well the fitting of RDCs to reduced conformational ensembles containing few copies of the molecule can correctly reproduce the backbone conformational behavior of the protein. Having established approaches that allow accurate mapping of backbone dihedral angle conformational space from RDCs, we apply these methods to obtain an amino acid specific description of ubiquitin denatured in 8 M urea at pH 2.5. Cross-validation of data not employed in the fit verifies that an ensemble size of 200 structures is appropriate to characterize the highly fluctuating backbone. This approach allows us to identify local conformational sampling properties of urea-unfolded ubiquitin, which shows that the backbone sampling of certain types of charged or polar amino acids, in particular threonine, glutamic acid, and arginine, is affected more strongly by urea binding than amino acids with hydrophobic side chains. In general, the approach presented here establishes robust procedures for the study of all denatured and intrinsically disordered states.

Conformational distributions of unfolded polypeptides from novel NMR techniques

How the information content of an unfolded polypeptide sequence directs a protein towards a well-formed three-dimensional structure during protein folding remains one of the fundamental questions in structural biology. Unfolded proteins have recently attracted further interest due to their surprising prevalence in the cellular milieu, where they fulfill not only central regulatory functions, but also are implicated in diseases involving protein aggregation. The understanding of both the protein folding transition and these often natively unfolded proteins hinges on a more detailed experimental characterization of the conformations and conformational transitions in the unfolded state. This description is intrinsically very difficult due to the very large size of the conformational space. In principle, solution NMR can monitor unfolded polypeptide conformations and their transitions at atomic resolution. However, traditional NMR parameters such as chemical shifts, J couplings, and nuclear Overhauser enhancements yield only rather limited and often qualitative descriptions. This situation has changed in recent years by the introduction of residual dipolar couplings and paramagnetic relaxation enhancements, which yield a high number of well-defined, quantitative parameters reporting on the averages of local conformations and long-range interactions even under strongly denaturing conditions. This information has been used to obtain plausible all-atom models of the unfolded state at increasing accuracy. Currently, the best working model is the coil model, which derives amino acid specific local conformations from the distribution of amino acid torsion angles in the nonsecondary structure conformations of the protein data bank. Deviations from the predictions of such models can often be interpreted as increased order resulting from long-range contacts within the unfolded ensemble.

Evolution of complex structures: minicollagens shape the cnidarian nematocyst

The generation of biological complexity by the acquisition of novel modular units is an emerging concept in evolutionary dynamics. Here, we review the coordinate evolution of cnidarian nematocysts, secretory organelles used for capture of prey, and of minicollagens, proteins constituting the nematocyst capsule. Within the Cnidaria there is an increase in nematocyst complexity from Anthozoa to Medusozoa and a parallel increase in the number and complexity of minicollagen proteins. This complexity is primarily manifest in a diversification of N- and C-terminal cysteine-rich domains (CRDs) involved in minicollagen polymerization. We hypothesize that novel CRD motifs alter minicollagen networks, leading to novel capsule structures and nematocyst types.

Continuous Molecular Evolution of Protein-Domain Structures by Single Amino Acid Changes

Protein structures cluster into families of folds that can result from extremely different amino acid sequences [1]. Because the enormous amount of genetic information generates a limited number of protein folds [2], a particular domain structure often assumes numerous functions. How new protein structures and new functions evolve under these limitations remains elusive. Molecular evolution may be driven by the ability of biomacromolecules to adopt multiple conformations as a bridge between different folds [3-6]. This could allow proteins to explore new structures and new tasks while part of the structural ensemble retains the initial conformation and function as a safeguard [7]. Here we show that a global structural switch can arise from single amino acid changes in cysteine-rich domains (CRD) of cnidarian nematocyst proteins. The ability of these CRDs to form two structures with different disulfide patterns from an identical cysteine pattern is distinctive [8]. By applying a structure-based mutagenesis approach, we demonstrate that a cysteine-rich domain can interconvert between two natively occurring domain structures via a bridge state containing both structures. Comparing cnidarian CRD sequences leads us to believe that the mutations we introduced to stabilize each structure reflect the birth of new protein folds in evolution.

Imaging of branched chain amino acid metabolism in tumors with hyperpolarized 13C ketoisocaproate

Powerful analytical tools are vital for characterizing the complex molecular changes underlying oncogenesis and cancer treatment. This is particularly true, if information is to be collected in vivo by noninvasive approaches. In the recent past, hyperpolarized 13C magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy has been employed to quickly collect detailed spectral information on the chemical fate of tracer molecules in different tissues at high sensitivity. Here, we report a preclinical study showing that α‐ketoisocaproic acid (KIC) can be used to assess molecular signatures of tumors with hyperpolarized MR spectroscopy. KIC is metabolized to leucine by the enzyme branched chain amino acid transferase (BCAT), which is found upregulated in some tumors. BCAT is a putative marker for metastasis and a target of the proto‐oncogene c‐myc. Very different fluxes through the BCAT‐catalyzed reaction can be detected for murine lymphoma (EL4) and rat mammary adenocarcinoma (R3230AC) tumors in vivo. EL4 tumors show a more than 7‐fold higher hyperpolarized 13C leucine signal relative to the surrounding healthy tissue. In R3230AC tumor on the other hand branched chain amino acid metabolism is not enhanced relative to surrounding tissues. The distinct molecular signatures of branched chain amino acid metabolism in EL4 and R3230AC tumors correlate well with ex vivo assays of BCAT activity.

Charged acrylamide copolymer gels as media for weak alignment.

The use of mechanically strained acrylamide/acrylate copolymers is reported as a new alignment medium for biomacromolecules. Compared to uncharged, strained polyacrylamide gels, the negative charges of the acrylamide/acrylate copolymer strongly alter the alignment tensor and lead to pronounced electroosmotic swelling. The swelling itself can be used to achieve anisotropic, mechanical strain. The method is demonstrated for the alignment of TipAS, a 17xa0kDa antibiotic resistance protein, as well as for human ubiquitin, where alignment tensors with an AZZ,NH of up to 60xa0Hz are achieved at a gel concentration of 2% (w/v). The alignment can be modulated by the variation of pH, ionic strength, and gel concentration. The high mechanical stability of the swollen gels makes it possible to obtain alignment at polymer concentrations of less than 1% (w/v).

Real-time detection of central carbon metabolism in living Escherichia coli and its response to perturbations

The direct tracking of cellular reactions in vivo has been facilitated with recent technologies that strongly enhance NMR signals in substrates of interest. This methodology can be used to assay intracellular reactions that occur within seconds to few minutes, as the NMR signal enhancement typically fades on this time scale. Here, we show that the enhancement of 13C nuclear spin polarization in deuterated glucose allows to directly follow the flux of glucose signal through rather extended reaction networks of central carbon metabolism in living Escherichia coli. Alterations in central carbon metabolism depending on the growth phase or upon chemical perturbations are visualized with minimal data processing by instantaneous observation of cellular reactions.

Structural characterization of homogalacturonan by NMR spectroscopy-assignment of reference compounds.

Complete assignment of (1)H and (13)C NMR of six hexagalactopyranuronic acids with varying degree and pattern of methyl esterification is reported. The NMR experiments were run at room temperature using approximately 2mg of sample making this method convenient for studying the structure of homogalacturonan oligosaccharides.

Study of molecular interactions with 13C DNP-NMR

NMR spectroscopy is an established, versatile technique for the detection of molecular interactions, even when these interactions are weak. Signal enhancement by several orders of magnitude through dynamic nuclear polarization alleviates several practical limitations of NMR-based interaction studies. This enhanced non-equilibrium polarization contributes sensitivity for the detection of molecular interactions in a single NMR transient. We show that direct (13)C NMR ligand binding studies at natural isotopic abundance of (13)C gets feasible in this way. Resultant screens are easy to interpret and can be performed at (13)C concentrations below muM. In addition to such ligand-detected studies of molecular interaction, ligand binding can be assessed and quantified with enzymatic assays that employ hyperpolarized substrates at varying enzyme inhibitor concentrations. The physical labeling of nuclear spins by hyperpolarization thus provides the opportunity to devise fast novel in vitro experiments with low material requirement and without the need for synthetic modifications of target or ligands.