The SERCA residue Glu340 mediates interdomain communication that guides Ca2+transport

The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) is a P-type ATPase that transports Ca2+from the cytosol into the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum (SR/ER) lumen, driven by ATP. This primary transport activity depends on tight coupling between movements of the transmembrane helices forming the two Ca2+-binding sites and the cytosolic headpiece mediating ATP hydrolysis. We have addressed the molecular basis for this intramolecular communication by analyzing the structure and functional properties of the SERCA mutant E340A. The mutated Glu340 residue is strictly conserved among the P-type ATPase family of membrane transporters and is located at a seemingly strategic position at the interface between the phosphorylation domain and the cytosolic ends of 5 of SERCA’s 10 transmembrane helices. The mutant displays a marked slowing of the Ca2+-binding kinetics, and its crystal structure in the presence of Ca2+and ATP analog reveals a rotated headpiece, altered connectivity between the cytosolic domains, and an altered hydrogen bonding pattern around residue 340. Supported by molecular dynamics simulations, we conclude that the E340A mutation causes a stabilization of the Ca2+sites in a more occluded state, hence displaying slowed dynamics. This finding underpins a crucial role of Glu340 in interdomain communication between the headpiece and the Ca2+-binding transmembrane region.

The SERCA residue Glu340 mediates inter-domain communication that guides Ca2+ transport

The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) is a P-type ATPase that transports Ca2+ from the cytosol into the SR/ER lumen, driven by ATP. This primary transport activity depends on tight coupling between movements of the transmembrane helices forming the two Ca2+ binding sites and of the cytosolic headpiece mediating ATP hydrolysis. We have addressed the molecular basis for this intramolecular communication by analyzing the structure and functional properties of the SERCA mutant E340A. The mutated Glu340 residue is strictly conserved among the P-type ATPase family of membrane transporters and is located at a seemingly strategic position at the interface between the phosphorylation domain and the cytosolic ends of five out of SERCA’s ten transmembrane helices. The mutant displays a marked slowing of the Ca2+-binding kinetics, and its crystal structure in the presence of Ca2+ and ATP analogue reveals a rotated headpiece, altered connectivity between the cytosolic domains and altered hydrogen bonding pattern around residue 340. Supported by molecular dynamics simulations, we conclude that the E340A mutation causes a stabilization of the Ca2+ sites in a more occluded state, hence displaying slowed dynamics. This finding underpins a crucial role of Glu340 in inter-domain communication between the headpiece and the Ca2+-binding transmembrane region.

Thermal fluctuations assist mechanical signal propagation in coiled-coil proteins

Recently it has been shown that the long coiled-coil membrane tether protein Early Endosome Antigen 1 (EEA1) switches from a rigid to a flexible conformation upon binding of a signaling protein to its free end. This flexibility switch represents a novel motor-like activity, allowing EEA1 to generate a force that moves vesicles closer to the membrane they will fuse with. To elucidate how binding of a single signaling protein can globally change the stiffness of a 200 nm long chain, we propose a simplified description of the coiled-coil as a one-dimensional Frenkel-Kontorova chain. Using numerical simulations, we find that an initial perturbation of the chain can propagate along its whole length in the presence of thermal fluctuations, changing the configuration of the entire molecule and thereby affecting its stiffness. Our work sheds light onto intramolecular communication and force generation in long coiled-coil proteins.

BRAF inhibitors promote intermediate BRAF(V600E) conformations and binary interactions with activated RAS

Oncogenic BRAF mutations initiate tumor formation by unleashing the autoinhibited kinase conformation and promoting RAS-decoupled proliferative RAF-MEK-ERK signaling. We have engineered luciferase-based biosensors to systematically track full-length BRAF conformations and interactions affected by tumorigenic kinase mutations and GTP loading of RAS. Binding of structurally diverse αC-helix-OUT BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) showed differences in specificity and efficacy by shifting patient mutation–containing BRAF reporters from the definitive opened to more closed conformations. Unexpectedly, BRAFi engagement with the catalytic pocket of V600E-mutated BRAF stabilized an intermediate and inactive kinase conformation that enhanced binary RAS:RAF interactions, also independently of RAF dimerization in melanoma cells. We present evidence that the interference with RAS interactions and nanoclustering antagonizes the sequential formation of drug-induced RAS:RAF tetramers. This suggests a previously unappreciated allosteric effect of anticancer drug-driven intramolecular communication between the kinase and RAS-binding domains of mutated BRAF, which may further promote paradoxical kinase activation and drug resistance mechanisms.

Intramolecular Communication and Allosteric Sites in Enzymes Unraveled by Time-Dependent Linear Response Theory

ABSTRACTIt has been an established idea in recent years that protein is a physiochemically connected network. Allostery, understood in this new context, is a manifestation of residue communicating between remote sites in this network, and hence a rising interest to identify functionally relevant communication pathways and the frequent communicators within. Previous studies rationalized the coupling between functional sites and experimentally observed allosteric sites by theoretically discovered high positional/velocity/thermal correlations between these sites. However, for one to systematically discover previously unobserved allosteric sites in any receptor/enzyme providing the position of functional (orthosteric) sites, these high correlations may not be able to identify remote allosteric sites because of a number of false-positives while many of those are located in proximity to the functional site. Also, whether allosteric sites should be found in equilibrium or non-equilibrium state of a protein to be more biologically relevant is not clear, neither is the directionality preference of aforementioned propagating signals. In this study, we devised a time-dependent linear response theory (td-LRT) integrating intrinsic protein dynamics and perturbation forces that excite protein’s temporary reconfiguration at the non-equilibrium state, to describe atom-specific time responses as the propagating mechanical signals and discover that the most frequent remote communicators can be important allosteric sites, mutation of which would deteriorate the hydride transfer rate in DHFR by 2 to 3 orders. The preferred directionality of the signal propagation can be inferred from the asymmetric connection matrix (CM), where the coupling strength between a pair of residues is suggested by their communication score (CS) in the CM, which is found consistent with experimentally characterized nonadditivity of double mutants. Also, the intramolecular communication centers (ICCs), having high CSs, are found evolutionarily conserved, suggesting their biological importance.

Hsp70 Escort Protein: More Than a Regulator of Mitochondrial Hsp70

Hsp70 members occupy a central role in proteostasis and are found in different eukaryotic cellular compartments. The mitochondrial Hsp70/J-protein machinery performs multiple functions vital for the proper functioning of the mitochondria, including forming part of the import motor that transports proteins from the cytosol into the matrix and inner membrane, and subsequently folds these proteins in the mitochondria. However, unlike other Hsp70s, mitochondrial Hsp70 (mtHsp70) has the propensity to self-aggregate, accumulating as insoluble aggregates. The self-aggregation of mtHsp70 is caused by both interdomain and intramolecular communication within the ATPase and linker domains. Since mtHsp70 is unable to fold itself into an active conformation, it requires an Hsp70 escort protein (Hep) to both inhibit self-aggregation and promote the correct folding. Hep1 orthologues are present in the mitochondria of many eukaryotic cells but are absent in prokaryotes. Hep1 proteins are relatively small and contain a highly conserved zinc-finger domain with one tetracysteine motif that is essential for binding zinc ions and maintaining the function and solubility of the protein. The zinc-finger domain lies towards the C-terminus of Hep1 proteins, with very little conservation outside of this domain. Other than maintaining mtHsp70 in a functional state, Hep1 proteins play a variety of other roles in the cell and have been proposed to function as both chaperones and co-chaperones. The cellular localisation and some of the functions are often speculative and are not common to all Hep1 proteins analysed to date.

Remote electrochemical modulation of pKa in a rotaxane by co-conformational allostery

Allosteric control, one of Nature’s most effective ways to regulate functions in biomolecular machinery, involves the transfer of information between distant sites. The mechanistic details of such a transfer are still an object of intensive investigation and debate, and the idea that intramolecular communication could be enabled by dynamic processes is gaining attention as a complement to traditional explanations. Mechanically interlocked molecules, owing to the particular kind of connection between their components and the resulting dynamic behavior, are attractive systems to investigate allosteric mechanisms and exploit them to develop functionalities with artificial species. We show that the pKa of an ammonium site located on the axle component of a [2]rotaxane can be reversibly modulated by changing the affinity of a remote recognition site for the interlocked crown ether ring through electrochemical stimulation. The use of a reversible ternary redox switch enables us to set the pKa to three different values, encompassing more than seven units. Our results demonstrate that in the axle the two sites do not communicate, and that in the rotaxane the transfer of information between them is made possible by the shuttling of the ring, that is, by a dynamic intramolecular process. The investigated coupling of electron- and proton-transfer reactions is reminiscent of the operation of the protein complex I of the respiratory chain.