Semisynthetic Nanoreactor for Reversible Single-Molecule Covalent Chemistry

Protein engineering has been used to remodel pores for applications in biotechnology. For example, the heptameric alpha-hemolysin pore (alpha HL) has been engineered to form a nanoreactor to study covalent chemistry at the single -molecule level. Previous work has been confined largely to the chemistry of cysteine side chains or, in one instance, to an irreversible reaction of an unnatural amino acid side chain bearing a terminal alkyne. Here, we present four different alpha HL pores obtained by coupling either two or three fragments by native chemical ligation (NCL). The synthetic alpha HL monomers were folded and incorporated into heptameric pores. The functionality of the pores was validated by hemolysis assays and by single-channel current recording. By using NCL to introduce a ketone amino acid, the nanoreactor approach was extended to an investigation of reversible covalent chemistry on an unnatural side chain at the single -molecule level

Semisynthetic nanoreactor for reversible single-molecule covalent chemistry.

Protein engineering has been used to remodel pores for applications in biotechnology. For example, the heptameric α-hemolysin pore (αHL) has been engineered to form a nanoreactor to study covalent chemistry at the single-molecule level. Previous work has been confined largely to the chemistry of cysteine side chains or, in one instance, to an irreversible reaction of an unnatural amino acid side chain bearing a terminal alkyne. Here, we present four different αHL pores obtained by coupling either two or three fragments by native chemical ligation (NCL). The synthetic αHL monomers were folded and incorporated into heptameric pores. The functionality of the pores was validated by hemolysis assays and by single-channel current recording. By using NCL to introduce a ketone amino acid, the nanoreactor approach was extended to an investigation of reversible covalent chemistry on an unnatural side chain at the single-molecule level

A pivotal heme-transfer reaction intermediate in cytochrome c biogenesis.

c-Type cytochromes are widespread proteins, fundamental for respiration or photosynthesis in most cells. They contain heme covalently bound to protein in a highly conserved, highly stereospecific post-translational modification. In many bacteria, mitochondria, and archaea this heme attachment is catalyzed by the cytochrome c maturation (Ccm) proteins. Here we identify and characterize a covalent, ternary complex between the heme chaperone CcmE, heme, and cytochrome c. Formation of the complex from holo-CcmE occurs in vivo and in vitro and involves the specific heme-binding residues of both CcmE and apocytochrome c. The enhancement and attenuation of the amounts of this complex correlates completely with known consequences of mutations in genes for other Ccm proteins. We propose the complex is a trapped catalytic intermediate in the cytochrome c biogenesis process, at the point of heme transfer from CcmE to the cytochrome, the key step in the maturation pathway