Stefan Jehle

Solid-state NMR and SAXS studies provide a structural basis for the activation of αB-crystallin oligomers

The small heat shock protein αB-crystallin (αB) contributes to cellular protection against stress. For decades, high-resolution structural studies on oligomeric αB have been confounded by its polydisperse nature. Here, we present a structural basis of oligomer assembly and activation of the chaperone using solid-state NMR and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The basic building block is a curved dimer, with an angle of ∼121° between the planes of the β-sandwich formed by α-crystallin domains. The highly conserved IXI motif covers a substrate binding site at pH 7.5. We observe a pH-dependent modulation of the interaction of the IXI motif with β4 and β8, consistent with a pH-dependent regulation of the chaperone function. N-terminal region residues Ser59-Trp60-Phe61 are involved in intermolecular interaction with β3. Intermolecular restraints from NMR and volumetric restraints from SAXS were combined to calculate a model of a 24-subunit αB oligomer with tetrahedral symmetry.

Assigning large proteins in the solid state: a MAS NMR resonance assignment strategy using selectively and extensively 13C-labelled proteins.

In recent years, solid-state magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MAS NMR) has been growing into an important technique to study the structure of membrane proteins, amyloid fibrils and other protein preparations which do not form crystals or are insoluble. Currently, a key bottleneck is the assignment process due to the absence of the resolving power of proton chemical shifts. Particularly for large proteins (approximately >150 residues) it is difficult to obtain a full set of resonance assignments. In order to address this problem, we present an assignment method based upon samples prepared using [1,3-13C]- and [2-13C]-glycerol as the sole carbon source in the bacterial growth medium (so-called selectively and extensively labelled protein). Such samples give rise to higher quality spectra than uniformly [13C]-labelled protein samples, and have previously been used to obtain long-range restraints for use in structure calculations. Our method exploits the characteristic cross-peak patterns observed for the different amino acid types in 13C-13C correlation and 3D NCACX and NCOCX spectra. An in-depth analysis of the patterns and how they can be used to aid assignment is presented, using spectra of the chicken α-spectrin SH3 domain (62 residues), αB-crystallin (175 residues) and outer membrane protein G (OmpG, 281 residues) as examples. Using this procedure, over 90% of the Cα, Cβ, C′ and N resonances in the core domain of αB-crystallin and around 73% in the flanking domains could be assigned (excluding 24 residues at the extreme termini of the protein).

αB-Crystallin. A Hybrid Solid-State/Solution-State NMR Investigation Reveals Structural Aspects of the Heterogeneous Oligomer

Atomic-level structural information on alphaB-Crystallin (alphaB), a prominent member of the small heat-shock protein family, has been a challenge to obtain due its polydisperse oligomeric nature. We show that magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR can be used to obtain high-resolution information on an approximately 580-kDa human alphaB assembled from 175-residue 20-kDa subunits. An approximately 100-residue alpha-crystallin domain is common to all small heat-shock proteins, and solution-state NMR was performed on two different alpha-crystallin domain constructs isolated from alphaB. In vitro, the chaperone-like activities of full-length alphaB and the isolated alpha-crystallin domain are identical. Chemical shifts of the backbone and C(beta) resonances have been obtained for residues 64-162 (alpha-crystallin domain plus part of the C-terminus) in alphaB and the isolated alpha-crystallin domain by solid-state and solution-state NMR, respectively. Both sets of data strongly predict six beta-strands in the alpha-crystallin domain. A majority of residues in the alpha-crystallin domain have similar chemical shifts in both solid-state and solution-state, indicating similar structures for the domain in its isolated and oligomeric forms. Sites of intersubunit interaction are identified from chemical shift differences that cluster to specific regions of the alpha-crystallin domain. Multiple signals are observed for the resonances of M68 in the oligomer, identifying the region containing this residue as existing in heterogeneous environments within alphaB. Evidence for a novel dimerization motif in the human alpha-crystallin domain is obtained by a comparison of (i) solid-state and solution-state chemical shift data and (ii) (1)H-(15)N heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectra as a function of pH. The isolated alpha-crystallin domain undergoes a dimer-monomer transition over the pH range 7.5-6.8. This steep pH-dependent switch may be important for alphaB to function optimally (e.g., to preserve the filament integrity of cardiac muscle proteins such as actin and desmin during cardiac ischemia, which is accompanied by acidosis).

Large Protein Complexes with Extreme Rotational Correlation Times Investigated in Solution by Magic-Angle-Spinning NMR Spectroscopy

We show that large protein complexes can be investigated in solution using magic-angle-spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy without the need for sample crystallization or precipitation. In order to efficiently average anisotropic interactions with MAS, the rotational diffusion of the molecule has to be suppressed. This can be readily achieved by lowering the sample temperature and by adding glycerol to the protein solution. The approach is demonstrated using the human small heat shock protein (sHSP) alphaB-Crystallin, which forms oligomeric assemblies of approximately 600 kDa. We suggest this scheme as an approach for overcoming size limitations imposed by overall tumbling in solution-state NMR investigations of large protein complexes.

Solid-State NMR of Matrix Metalloproteinase 12: An Approach Complementary to Solution NMR

Solid-state NMR (SS NMR) is a technique that has shown a rapid development in recent years. The exciting progress in sample-preparation methods, tailored pulse sequences, and instrumentation now make the investigation of relatively large proteins possible. In spite of these developments, the number of proteins for which an almost complete solid-state assignment is available is still small. Interestingly, it is generally observed that C chemical shifts do not change much on passing from solution to microcrystalline samples (the differences generally being <1 ppm). This opens the way to a fast liquid-based solid-state assignment, in which the available liquid assignment is transferred to the solid-state spectra, and only a minimal number of solid-state spectra are acquired. The possibility of obtaining a solid-state assignment in a short time is valuable, as it will permit, for instance, the investigation of a protein as part of larger aggregates (oligomerization, protein– protein complexes) without the line broadening due to the increase in molecular weight observed with solution NMR. In this work we demonstrate that it is possible to provide a large fraction of the solid-state NMR assignment of a relatively large protein (17 kDa) rapidly by using a pair of experiments (CP MAS proton-driven spin diffusion (PDSD) and J-decoupled PDSD). These spectra can be acquired in a limited amount of time (12–15 h each), and manually assigned in a few days by using the available liquid-state assignment as a guideline. 3D NCACX and NCOCX PDSD spectra fully validate the obtained assignment and further increase the overall fraction of assigned peaks. However, they require considerably more experimental time. For this investigation we selected a microcrystalline sample of the catalytically active domain of the zinc-containing matrix metalloproteinase 12 (Zn-MMP-12, 159 AA, 17.6 kDa), for which one X-ray structure and the solution NMR assignment are available. The crystallographic structure indicates that the catalytically active domain is composed of three a-helices (44 AA, 28% of the total residues) and seven b-strands (27 AA, 17%). The remaining 88 residues do not form regular secondary structure. The protein contains two zinc(II) ions and three calcium(II) ions. One of the zinc ions is responsible for the catalytic activity. The SS NMR sample was prepared by crystallizing the protein from 30% poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) 8000 according the published procedure. The microcrystalline precipitate began to appear after 12 h, and the crystallization was complete after 1–2 days. Figure 1 shows the C,C CP MAS PDSD spectrum acquired at 16.4 T (700 MHz H Larmor frequency) and a MAS frequency wR/2p=11.5 kHz, with a mixing time of 15 ms. The assignment

Intermolecular protein-RNA interactions revealed by 2D 31P-15N magic angle spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

The structural investigation of large RNP complexes by X-ray crystallography can be a difficult task due to the flexibility of the RNA and of the protein-RNA interfaces, which may hinder crystallization. In these cases, NMR spectroscopy is an attractive alternative to crystallography, although the large size of typical RNP complexes may limit the applicability of solution NMR. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy, however, is not subject to any intrinsic limitations with respect to the size of the object under investigation, with restrictions imposed solely by the sensitivity of the instrumentation. In addition, it does not require large, well-ordered crystals and can therefore be applied to flexible, partially disordered complexes. Here we show for the first time that solid-state NMR spectroscopy can be used to probe intermolecular interactions at the protein-RNA interface in RNP complexes. Distances between the (15)N nuclei of the protein backbone and the (31)P nuclei of the RNA backbone can be measured in TEDOR experiments and used as restraints in structure calculations. The distance measurement is accurate, as proven for the test case of the L7Ae-box C/D RNA complex, for which a crystal structure is available. The results presented here reveal the as yet unexplored potential of solid-state NMR spectroscopy in the investigation of large RNP complexes.

Binding determinants of the small heat shock protein, αB-crystallin: recognition of the ‘IxI’ motif: αB-crystallin: recognition of the ‘IxI’ motif

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) play a central role in protein homeostasis under conditions of stress by binding partly unfolded, aggregate‐prone proteins and keeping them soluble. Like many sHSPs, the widely expressed human sHSP, αB‐crystallin (‘αB’), forms large polydisperse multimeric assemblies. Molecular interactions involved in both sHSP function and oligomer formation remain to be delineated. A growing database of structural information reveals that a central conserved α‐crystallin domain (ACD) forms dimeric building blocks, while flanking N‐ and C‐termini direct the formation of larger sHSP oligomers. The most commonly observed inter‐subunit interaction involves a highly conserved C‐terminal ‘IxI/V’ motif and a groove in the ACD that is also implicated in client binding. To investigate the inherent properties of this interaction, peptides mimicking the IxI/V motif of αB and other human sHSPs were tested for binding to dimeric αB‐ACD. IxI‐mimicking peptides bind the isolated ACD at 22°C in a manner similar to interactions observed in the oligomer at low temperature, confirming these interactions are likely to exist in functional αB oligomers.