GraDeR: Membrane protein complex preparation for single-particle cryo-EM.

We developed a method, named GraDeR, which substantially improves the preparation of membrane protein complexes for structure determination by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). In GraDeR, glycerol gradient centrifugation is used for the mild removal of free detergent monomers and micelles from lauryl maltose-neopentyl glycol detergent stabilized membrane complexes, resulting in monodisperse and stable complexes to which standard processes for water-soluble complexes can be applied. We demonstrate the applicability of the method on three different membrane complexes, including the mammalian FoF1 ATP synthase. For this highly dynamic and fragile rotary motor, we show that GraDeR allows visualizing the asymmetry of the F1 domain, which matches the ground state structure of the isolated domain. Therefore, the present cryo-EM structure of FoF1 ATP synthase provides direct structural evidence for Boyer's binding change mechanism in the context of the intact enzyme

Bovine F₁F₀ ATP synthase monomers bend the lipid bilayer in 2D membrane crystals

We have used a combination of electron cryo-tomography, subtomogram averaging, and electron crystallographic image processing to analyse the structure of intact bovine F1Fo ATP synthase in 2D membrane crystals. ATPase assays and mass spectrometry analysis of the 2D crystals confirmed that the enzyme complex was complete and active. The structure of the matrix-exposed region was determined at 24 Å resolution by subtomogram averaging and repositioned into the tomographic volume to reveal the crystal packing. F1Fo ATP synthase complexes are inclined by 16° relative to the crystal plane, resulting in a zigzag topology of the membrane and indicating that monomeric bovine heart F1Fo ATP synthase by itself is sufficient to deform lipid bilayers. This local membrane curvature is likely to be instrumental in the formation of ATP synthase dimers and dimer rows, and thus for the shaping of mitochondrial cristae

NMR basis for interprotein electron transfer gating between cytochrome c and cytochrome c oxidase

The final interprotein electron transfer (ET) in the mammalian respiratory chain, from cytochrome c (Cyt c) to cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) is investigated by 1H-15N heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectral analysis. The chemical shift perturbation in isotope-labeled Cyt c induced by addition of unlabeled CcO indicates that the hydrophobic heme periphery and adjacent hydrophobic amino acid residues of Cyt c dominantly contribute to the complex formation, whereas charged residues near the hydrophobic core refine the orientation of Cyt c to provide well controlled ET. Upon oxidation of Cyt c, the specific line broadening of N-H signals disappeared and high field 1H chemical shifts of the N-terminal helix were observed, suggesting that the interactions of the N-terminal helix with CcO are reduced by steric constraint in oxidized Cyt c, while the chemical shift perturbations in the C-terminal helix indicate notable interactions of oxidized Cyt c with CcO. These results suggest that the overall affinity of oxidized Cyt c for CcO is significantly, but not very much weaker than that of reduced Cyt c. Thus, electron transfer is gated by dissociation of oxidized Cyt c from CcO, the rate of which is controlled by the affinity of oxidized Cyt c to CcO for providing an appropriate electron transfer rate for the most effective energy coupling. The conformational changes in Lys13 upon CcO binding to oxidized Cyt c, shown by 1H- and 1H, 15N-chemical shifts, are also expected to gate intraprotein ET by a polarity control of heme c environment

A histidine residue acting as a controlling site for dioxygen reduction and proton pumping by cytochrome c oxidase

Cytochrome c oxidase transfers electrons and protons for dioxygen reduction coupled with proton pumping. These electron and proton transfers are tightly coupled with each other for the effective energy transduction by various unknown mechanisms. Here, we report a coupling mechanism by a histidine (His-503) at the entrance of a proton transfer pathway to the dioxygen reduction site (D-pathway) of bovine heart cytochrome c oxidase. In the reduced state, a water molecule is fixed by hydrogen bonds between His-503 and Asp-91 of the D-pathway and is linked via two water arrays extending to the molecular surface. The microenvironment of Asp-91 appears in the x-ray structure to have a proton affinity as high as that of His-503. Thus, Asp-91 and His-503 cooperatively trap, on the fixed water molecule, the proton that is transferred through the water arrays from the molecular surface. On oxidation, the His-503 imidazole plane rotates by 180° to break the hydrogen bond to the protonated water and releases the proton to Asp-91. On reduction, Asp-91 donates the proton to the dioxygen reduction site through the D-pathway. The proton collection controlled by His-503 was confirmed by partial electron transfer inhibition by binding of Zn2+ and Cd2+ to His-503 in the x-ray structures. The estimated Kd for Zn2+ binding to His-503 in the x-ray structure is consistent with the reported Kd for complete proton-pumping inhibition by Zn2+ [Kannt A, Ostermann T, Muller H, Ruitenberg M (2001) FEBS Lett 503:142–146]. These results suggest that His-503 couples the proton transfer for dioxygen reduction with the proton pumping