Probing Structure and Function of Ion Channels Using Limited Proteolysis and Microfluidics

Even though gain, loss, or modulation of ion channel function is implicated in many diseases, both rare and common, the development of new pharmaceuticals targeting this class has been disappointing, where it has been a major problem to obtain correlated structural and functional information. Here, we present a microfluidic method in which the ion channel TRPV1, contained in proteoliposomes or in excised patches, was exposed to limited trypsin proteolysis. Cleaved-off peptides were identified by MS, and electrophysiological properties were recorded by patch clamp. Thus, the structure-function relationship was evaluated by correlating changes in function with removal of structural elements. Using this approach, we pinpointed regions of TRPV1 that affect channel properties upon their removal, causing changes in current amplitude, single-channel conductance, and EC50 value toward its agonist, capsaicin. We have provided a fast "shotgun" method for chemical truncation of a membrane protein, which allows for functional assessments of various peptide regions

Probing Structure and Function of Ion Channels Using Limited Proteolysis and Microfluidics

Even though gain, loss, or modulation of ion channel function is implicated in many diseases, both rare and common, the development of new pharmaceuticals targeting this class has been disappointing, where it has been a major problem to obtain correlated structural and functional information. Here, we present a micro­fluidic method in which the ion channel TRPV1, contained in proteo­liposomes or in excised patches, was exposed to limited trypsin proteolysis. Cleaved-off peptides were identified by MS, and electro­physiological properties were recorded by patch clamp. Thus, the structure–function relationship was evaluated by correlating changes in function with removal of structural elements. Using this approach, we pinpointed regions of TRPV1 that affect channel properties upon their removal, causing changes in current amplitude, single-channel conductance, and EC₅₀ value toward its agonist, capsaicin. We have provided a fast “shotgun” method for chemical truncation of a membrane protein, which allows for functional assessments of various peptide regions

Microfluidic Flow Cell for Sequential Digestion of Immobilized Proteoliposomes

We have developed a microfluidic flow cell where stepwise enzymatic digestion is performed on immobilized proteoliposomes and the resulting cleaved peptides are analyzed with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The flow cell channels consist of two parallel gold surfaces mounted face to face with a thin spacer and feature an inlet and an outlet port. Proteoliposomes (50–150 nm in diameter) obtained from red blood cells (RBC), or Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, were immobilized on the inside of the flow cell channel, thus forming a stationary phase of proteoliposomes. The rate of proteoliposome immobilization was determined using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) which showed that 95% of the proteoliposomes bind within 5 min. The flow cell was found to bind a maximum of 1 μg proteoliposomes/cm², and a minimum proteoliposome concentration required for saturation of the flow cell was determined to be 500 μg/mL. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies showed an even distribution of immobilized proteoliposomes on the surface. The liquid encapsulated between the surfaces has a large surface-to-volume ratio, providing rapid material transfer rates between the liquid phase and the stationary phase. We characterized the hydrodynamic properties of the flow cell, and the force acting on the proteoliposomes during flow cell operation was estimated to be in the range of 0.1–1 pN, too small to cause any proteoliposome deformation or rupture. A sequential proteolytic protocol, repeatedly exposing proteoliposomes to a digestive enzyme, trypsin, was developed and compared with a single-digest protocol. The sequential protocol was found to detect ∼65% more unique membrane-associated protein (<i>p</i> < 0.001, <i>n</i> = 6) based on peptide analysis with LC–MS/MS, compared to a single-digest protocol. Thus, the flow cell described herein is a suitable tool for shotgun proteomics on proteoliposomes, enabling more detailed characterization of complex protein samples