Biomedical subjects

Jean-Louis Rigaud

Publications and source records attributed to Jean-Louis Rigaud.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Three-dimensional structure by cryo-electron microscopy of YvcC, an homodimeric ATP-binding cassette transporter from Bacillus subtilis.

YvcC, a multidrug transporter from Bacillus subtilis, is a member of the ATP-binding cassette superfamily, highly homologous to each half of human multidrug-resistance P-glycoprotein and to several other bacterial half-ABC transporters. Here, the purified recombinant histidine-tagged YvcC has been reconstituted into a lipid bilayer. Controlled and partial detergent removal from YvcC-lipid micelles allowed the production of particularly interesting lipid-detergent-YvcC ring-shaped particles, about 40 nm in diameter, well suited for single particle analysis by cryo-electron microscopy. Furthermore, binding of these histidine-tagged ring-shaped particles to lipid layers functionalized with a Ni(2+)-chelating head group generated a preferential perpendicular orientation, eliminating the missing cone in the final three-dimensional reconstruction. From such analysis, a computed volume has been determined to 2.5 nm resolution giving a detailed insight into the structural organization of this half-ABC transporter within a membrane. The repetitive unit in the ring-shaped particles is consistent with a homodimeric organization of YvcC. Each subunit was composed of three domains: a 5 nm height transmembrane region, a stalk of about 4 nm in height and 2 nm in diameter, and a cytoplasmic lobe of about 5-6 nm in diameter. The latest domain, which fitted with the reported X-ray structure of HisP, was identified as the nucleotide-binding domain (NBD). The 3D reconstruction of the YvcC homodimer well compared with the very recent X-ray crystallographic data on the MsbA homodimer from Escherichia coli, supporting the existence of a central open chamber between the two subunits constituting the homodimer. In addition, the 3D reconstruction of YvcC embedded in a membrane revealed an asymmetric organization of the two NBDs sites within the homodimer, as well as a dimeric interaction between two homodimers.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMed2002

Asymmetrical membranes and surface tension.

The (31)P-nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift of phosphatidic acid in a membrane is sensitive to the lipid head group packing and can report qualitatively on membrane lateral compression near the aqueous interface. We have used high-resolution (31)P-nuclear magnetic resonance to evaluate the lateral compression on each side of asymmetrical lipid vesicles. When monooleoylphosphatidylcholine was added to the external monolayer of sonicated vesicles containing dioleoylphosphatidylcholine and dioleoylphosphatidic acid, the variation of (31)P chemical shift of phosphatidic acid indicated a lateral compression in the external monolayer. Simultaneously, a slight dilation was observed in the inner monolayer. In large unilamellar vesicles on the other hand the lateral pressure increased in both monolayers after asymmetrical insertion of monooleoylphosphatidylcholine. This can be explained by assuming that when monooleoylphosphatidylcholine is added to large unilamellar vesicles, the membrane bends until the strain is the same in both monolayers. In the case of sonicated vesicles, a change of curvature is not possible, and therefore differential packing in the two layers remains. We infer that a variation of lipid asymmetry by generating a lateral strain in the membrane can be a physiological way of modulating the conformation of membrane proteins.

Biophysical Phenomena↗

PubMed2002

Charting and unzipping the surface layer of Corynebacterium glutamicum with the atomic force microscope.

Bacterial surface layers (S-layers) are extracellular protein networks that act as molecular sieves and protect a large variety of archaea and bacteria from hostile environments. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to asses the S-layer of Coryne-bacterium glutamicum formed of PS2 proteins that assemble into hexameric complexes within a hexagonal lattice. Native and trypsin-treated S-layers were studied. Using the AFM stylus as a nanodissector, native arrays that adsorbed to mica as double layers were separated. All surfaces of native and protease-digested S-layers were imaged at better than 1 nm lateral resolution. Difference maps of the topographies of native and proteolysed samples revealed the location of the cleaved C-terminal fragment and the sidedness of the S-layer. Because the corrugation depths determined from images of both sides span the total thickness of the S-layer, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the S-layer could be calculated. Lattice defects visualized at 1 nm resolution revealed the molecular boundaries of PS2 proteins. The combination of AFM imaging and single molecule force spectroscopy allowed the mechanical properties of the Corynebacterium glutamicum S-layer to be examined. The results provide a basis for understanding the amazing stability of this protective bacterial surface coat.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗