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J V Moller

Publications and source records attributed to J V Moller.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Interaction of membrane proteins and lipids with solubilizing detergents.

Detergents are indispensable in the isolation of integral membrane proteins from biological membranes to study their intrinsic structural and functional properties. Solubilization involves a number of intermediary states that can be studied by a variety of physicochemical and kinetic methods; it usually starts by destabilization of the lipid component of the membranes, a process that is accompanied by a transition of detergent binding by the membrane from a noncooperative to a cooperative interaction already below the critical micellar concentration (CMC). This leads to the formation of membrane fragments of proteins and lipids with detergent-shielded edges. In the final stage of solubilization membrane proteins are present as protomers, with the membrane inserted sectors covered by detergent. We consider in detail the nature of this interaction and conclude that in general binding as a monolayer ring, rather than as a micelle, is the most probable mechanism. This mode of interaction is supported by neutron diffraction investigations on the disposition of detergent in 3-D crystals of membrane proteins. Finally, we briefly discuss the use of techniques such as analytical ultracentrifugation, size exclusion chromatography, and mass spectrometry relevant for the structural investigation of detergent solubilized membrane proteins.

Crystallography↗

Characterization of a protease-resistant domain of the cytosolic portion of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase. Nucleotide- and metal-binding sites.

Treatment of rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase with a variety of proteases, including elastase, proteinase K, and endoproteinases Asp-N and Glu-C, results in accumulation of soluble fragments starting close to the ATPase phosphorylation site Asp351 and ending in the Lys605-Arg615 region, well before the conserved sequences generally described as constituting the "hinge" region of this P-type ATPase (residues 670-760). These fragments, designated as p29/30, presumably originate from a relatively compact domain of the cytoplasmic head of the ATPase. They retain two structural characteristics of intact Ca2+-ATPase as follows: high sensitivity of peptidic bond Arg505-Ala506 to trypsin cleavage, and high reactivity of lysine residue Lys515 toward the fluorescent label fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate. Regarding functional properties, these fragments retain the ability to bind nucleotides, although with reduced affinity compared with intact Ca2+-ATPase. The fragments also bind Nd3+ ions, leaving open the possibility that these fragments could contain the metal-binding site(s) responsible for the inhibitory effect of lanthanide ions on ATPase activity. The p29/30 soluble domain, like similar proteolytic fragments that can be obtained from other P-type ATPases, may be useful for obtaining three-dimensional structural information on the cytosolic portion of these ATPases, with or without bound nucleotides. From our findings we infer that a real hinge region with conformational flexibility is located at the C-terminal boundary of p29/30 (rather than in the conserved region of residues 670-760); we also propose that the ATP-binding cleft is mainly located within the p29/30 domain, with the phosphorylation site strategically located at the N-terminal border of this domain.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Probing of the membrane topology of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase with sequence-specific antibodies. Evidence for plasticity of the c-terminal domain.

The topology of Ca2+-ATPase in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles was investigated with the aid of sequence-specific antibodies, produced against oligopeptides corresponding to sequences close to the membranous portions of the protein. The antisera in competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays only reacted with intact SR vesicles to a limited extent, but most epitopic regions were exposed by low concentrations of nondenaturing detergent, octaethylene glycol dodecyl ether (C12E8) or after removal of cytosolic regions by proteinase K. In particular, these treatments exposed the loop regions in the C-terminal domain, including L7-8, the loop region located between transmembrane segments M7 and M8, with a putative intravesicular position, which had immunochemical properties very similar to those of the C terminus with a documented cytosolic exposure. In contrast to this, the reactivity of the N-terminal intravesicular loop regions L1-2 and L3-4 was only increased by C12E8 treatment but not by proteinase K proteolysis. Complexation of Ca2+-ATPase with beta,gamma-CrATP stabilized the C-terminal domain of Ca2+-ATPase against proteinase K proteolysis and reaction with most of the antisera, but immunoreactivity was maintained by the L6-7 and L7-8 loops. Immunoelectron microscopic analyses of vesicles following negative staining, thin sectioning, and the SDS-digested freeze-fracture labeling method suggested that the L7-8 epitope, in contrast to L6-7 and the C terminus, can be exposed on either the intravesicular or cytosolic side of the membrane. A preponderant intravesicular location of L7-8 in intact vesicles is suggested by the susceptibility of this region to proteolytic cleavage after disruption of the vesicular barrier with C12E8 and in symmetrically reconstituted Ca2+-ATPase proteoliposomes. In conclusion, our data suggest an adaptable membrane insertion of the C-terminal Ca2+-ATPase domain, which under some conditions permits sliding of M8 through the membrane with cytosolic exposure of L7-8, of possible functional significance in connection with Ca2+ translocation. On the technical side, our data emphasize that extreme caution is needed when using nondenaturing detergents or other treatments like EGTA at alkaline pH to open up vesicles for probing of intravesicular location with antibodies.

Animals↗

The cytoplasmic loop between putative transmembrane segments 6 and 7 in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase binds Ca2+ and is functionally important.

Limited proteolysis by proteinase K of rabbit SERCA1 Ca2+-ATPase generates a number of fragments which have been identified recently. Here, we have focused on two proteolytic C-terminal fragments, p20C and p19C, starting at Gly-808 and Asp-818, respectively. The longer peptide p20C binds Ca2+, as deduced from changes in migration rate by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis performed in the presence of Ca2+ as well as from labeling with 45Ca2+ in overlay experiments. In contrast, the shorter peptide p19C, a proteolysis fragment identical to p20C but for 10 amino acids missing at the N-terminal side, did not bind Ca2+ when submitted to the same experiments. Two cluster mutants of Ca2+-ATPase, D813A/D818A and D813A/D815A/D818A, expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, were found to have a very low Ca2+-ATPase activity. Region 808-818 is thus essential for both Ca2+ binding and enzyme activity, in agreement with similar results recently reported for the homologous gastric H+, K+-ATPase (Swarts, H. G. P., Klaassen, C. H. W., de Boer, M., Fransen, J. A. M. , and De Pont, J. J. H. H. M. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 29764-29772). However, the accessibility of proteinase K to the peptidyl link between Leu-807 and Gly-808 clearly shows that the transmembrane segment M6 ends before region 808-818. It is remarkable that critical residues for enzyme activity are located in a cytoplasmic loop starting at Gly-808.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Thermal unfolding of monomeric Ca(II), Mg(II)-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum of rabbit skeletal muscle.

The thermal unfolding of monomeric and delipidated Ca(2+)-ATPase, solubilized in C12E8, can be appropriately described as a non-two-state irreversible denaturation, with only one endothermic peak. In the Ca2+ concentration range (0-0.5 mM) which stimulates the ATPase activity of solubilized monomeric ATPase, Ca2+ shifts the critical temperature midpoint of the denaturation process (Tm) from 42 to 50 degrees C without segregation of the endothermic peak into two separate components. Because 20 mM Mg2+ only shifts the Tm from 42 to 44 degrees C, we conclude that the effect of Ca2+ upon the Tm is likely to be due to binding to the high affinity Ca2+ sites in the ATPase. The effect of Ca2+ upon the enthalpy of denaturation is biphasic, suggesting the presence of low affinity Ca2+ sites (K0.5 in the millimolar range) in monomeric and solubilized ATPase.

Animals↗

Ca2(+)-induced conformational changes and location of Ca2+ transport sites in sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2(+)-ATPase as detected by the use of proteolytic enzyme (V8).

Treatment of Ca2(+)-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum with V8 protease from Staphylococcus aureus produced appreciable amounts of a Ca2(+)-ATPase fragment (p85) in the presence of Ca2+ (E1 conformation of the enzyme), along with many other peptide fragments that were also formed in the presence of [ethylenebis(oxyethylenenitrilo)]tetraacetic acid (E2 conformation). p85 was formed as a carboxyl-terminal cleavage product of Ca2(+)-ATPase by a split of the peptide bond between Glu-231 and Ile-232. Other conformation-dependent V8 splits were localized to the "hinge" region, involved in ATP binding, between the middle and COOH-terminal one-third of the Ca2(+)-ATPase polypeptide chain. Representative split products in this region (p48,p31) were identified as NH2-terminal and COOH-terminal cleavage products of p85. In the membrane p85 probably remains associated with its complementary NH2-terminal fragment(s) and retains the capacity to bind Ca2+ as evidenced by resistance to V8 degradation in Ca2+ and ability to become phosphorylated by ATP. However, the hydrolysis rate of the phosphorylated enzyme is reduced, indicating that peptide cleavage at Glu-231 interferes with Ca2+ transport steps after phosphorylation. Binding of Ca2+ to V8 and tryptic fragments of Ca2(+)-ATPase was studied on the basis of Ca2(+)-induced changes in electrophoretic mobility and 45Ca2+ autoradiography after transfer of peptides to Immobilon membranes. These data indicate binding by the NH2-terminal 1-198 amino acid residues (corresponding to the tryptic A2 fragment) and the COOH-terminal 715-1001 amino acid residues (corresponding to p31). By contrast the central portion of Ca2(+)-ATPase, including the NH2-terminal portion of p85, is devoid of Ca2+ binding. These results question an earlier proposition that Ca2(+)-binding is located to the "stalk" region of Ca2(+)-ATPase (Brandl, C. J., Green, N. M., Korczak, B., and MacLennan, D. H.) (1986) Cell 44, 597-607) but are in agreement with recent data obtained by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis of Ca2(+)-ATPase (Clarke, D. M., Loo, T. W., Inesi, G., and MacLennan, D. H. (1989) Nature 339, 476-478). These different studies suggest that Ca2+ translocation sites may have an intramembranous location and are formed predominantly by the carboxyl-terminal part of the Ca2(+)-ATPase polypeptide chain.

Animals↗

Does intrinsic fluorescence reflect conformational changes in the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum?

We have investigated the kinetics of the intrinsic fluorescence drop observed when ATP is added to purified sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase in a potassium-free medium containing magnesium and calcium, at pH 6 and 20 degrees C. Under these conditions, analysis of the fluorescence drop is complex. Several events contributed to the rate of the fluorescence drop initiated by turnover, including phosphorylation, conformational transition of the phosphorylated complex, and dephosphorylation. On the other hand, when 75% of total fluorescence was quenched by energy transfer to the membrane-bound ionophore A23187, the observed turnover-dependent drop in residual fluorescence mainly reflected the conformational transition of the phosphorylated ATPase. Combination of fast kinetics with the quenching of selected tryptophan residues is suggested to be a promising tool for the study of proteins containing many of these residues.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Properties of deoxycholate solubilized sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase.

The Ca2+-dependent ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum after solubilization with deoxycholate and removal of lipid by gel chromatography exists as a mixture of monomer, dimer, and smaller amounts of higher molecular weight aggregates. The binding capcity of deoxycholate by monomeric and oligomeric forms of the ATPase is 0.3 g/g of protein at pH 8 and ionic strength 0.11. Examination in the analytical ultracentrifuge results in estimates of protein molecular weight of monomer of 115 000 +/- 7000 and of Stokes radius of 50-55 A. The results indicate an asymmetric shape of both delipidated monomer and dimer. Solubilization of ATPase vesicles by deoxycholate at high protein dilutions leads to almost instantaneous loss of ATPase activity. However, ATPase may be solubilized by deoxycholate in presence of phospholipid and sucrose in a temporarily active state. Inactivation appears to be accompanied by delipidation and conformational changes of the protein as evidenced by circular dichroism measurements. Sedimentation velocity examination of enzymatically active preparations of soluble ATPase in presence of phospholipid and sucrose strongly suggests that the major part of enzymatic activity is derived from a monomer with an asymmetric shape. The extent of formation of soluble oligomers by column chromatography was dependent on the exact conditions used for initial solubilization of ATPase. No evidence for differences among monomer and dimer fractions was obtained by isoelectric focusing and amino acid analysis. The results of these studies are compatible with electron-microscopic studies by other authors which suggest that the ATPase has an elongated shape with limited hydrophobic contact with the membrane lipid. A resemblance of delipidated oligomers with the form in which ATPase occurs in the membrane is conjectural at present.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Retention of enzyme activity by detergent-solubilized sarcoplasmic Ca2+ -ATPase.

The Ca2+ -activated ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum can exist in true solution in the presence of some nonionic detergents, with retention of enzymatic activity for several days. The soluble active particles retain about 30 mol of phospholipid per mol of polypeptide chain even in the presence of a large excess of detergent, indicating the existence of relatively strong attractive forces between protein and lipid, as previous work from other laboratories has already suggested. Deoxycholate is much more effective than nonionic detergents in removing protein-bound lipid and, when used at solubilizing concentrations, completely delipidates and inactivates the ATPase. Preliminary molecular weight measurements indicate that the Ca2+ -ATPase exists as an oligomer in the native membrane: fully active enzyme in Tween 80 has a minimal protein molecular weight of about 400 000, corresponding to a trimer or tetramer of the ATPase polypeptide chain, and even the inactive enzyme in deoxycholate contains a substantial fraction of dimeric protein.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Ligand-apomyoglobin interactions. Configurational adaptability of the haem-binding site.

1. The interaction of the haem-binding region of apomyoglobin with different ligands was examined by ultrafiltration, equilibrium dialysis and spectrophotometry, to study unspecific features of protein-ligand interactions such as they occur in, for example, serum albumin binding. 2. Apomyoglobin, in contrast with metmyoglobin, binds at pH 7, with a high affinity, one molecule of Bromophenol Blue, bilirubin and protoporphyrin IX, two molecules of n-dodecanoate and n-decyl sulphate and four molecules of n-dodecyl sulphate and n-tetradecyl sulphate. 3. The number of high-affinity sites and/or association constants for the alkyl sulphates are enhanced by an increase of hydrocarbon length, indicating hydrophobic interactions with the protein. 4. Measurements of the temperature-dependence of the association constants of the high-affinity sites imply that the binding processes are largely entropy-driven. 5. Binding studies in the presence of two ligands show that bilirubin plus Bromophenol Blue and dodecanoate plus Bromophenol Blue can be simultaneously bound by apomyoglobin, but with decreased affinities. By contrast, the apomyoglobin-protoporphyrin IX complex does not react with Bromophenol Blue. 6. Optical-rotatory-dispersion measurements show that the laevorotation of apomyoglobin is increased towards that of metmyglobin in the presence of haemin and protoporphyrin IX. Small changes in the optical-rotatory-dispersion spectrum of apomyoglobin are observed in the presence of the other ligands. 7. It is concluded that the binding sites on apomyoglobin probably do not pre-exist but appear to be moulded from predominantly non-polar amino acid residues by reaction with hydrophobic ligands. 8. Comparison with data in the literature indicates that apomyoglobin on a weight basis has a larger hydrophobic area avaialble for binding of ligands than has human serum albumin. On the other hand, the association constants of serum for the ligands used in this study are generally somewhat larger than those of apomyoglobin.

Apoproteins↗

Indicator dyes as probes of electrostatic potential changes on macromolecular surfaces.

An indicator dye attached to an electrostatically charged macromolecular surface generally has a pK value (pKb') different from that of uncombined dye (pKf'). The question if changes in (pKb' - pKf'), designated as increment incrementpK, records changes in the electrostatic potential at the binding site has been examined in spectrophotometric and binding experiments, using the interaction of Chlorophenol Red and Phenol Red with human serum albumin and cationic micelles as examples. (1) In serum albumin solutions increment incrementpK is decreased by a reduction of pH. The decrease is correlated with the increase in positive charges on the protein molecule, and the response is attenuated by high ionic strength in accordance with electrostatic theory. (2) Opposite changes in binding affinity to serum albumin and increment incrementpK as a function of pH are observed; the binding of basic (bivalent anion) dye is more susceptible to a change in pH than in the acidic (univalent anion) form. (3) Preferential uptake of the basic as compared to the acidic form of dye is observed by binding to cetyltrimethylammonium chloride and cetylpyridinium chloride micelles (mu equals 0.033, [Cl-] equals 0.033 M). An increase in the ionic strength is accompanied by a positive value of increment incrementpK. The results are consonant with the view that the observed increment incrementpK values reflect changes in the electrostatic potential at the binding site with consequently little, if any, effect on the intrinsic pK. The extension of the method to measure changes in the electrostatic potential at binding sites on cell membranes is briefly discussed.

Bromthymol Blue↗