Acyl-CoA-binding protein (ACBP) localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi in a ligand-dependent manner in mammalian cells

International audienceIn the present study, we microinjected fluorescently labelled liver bovine ACBP (FACI-50), into HeLa and bovine mammary gland epithelial (BMGE) cell lines to characterize the localization and dynamics of ACBP in living cells. Results showed that ACBP targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi in a ligand-binding dependent manner. A variant Y28F/K32A-FACI-50, which is unable to bind acyl-CoA, did no longer show association with ER and became segregated from Golgi, as analysed by intensity correlation calculations. Depletion of fatty acids from cells by addition of fatty acid free BSA (FAFBSA) significantly decreased FACI-50 association with Golgi, while fatty acid overloading increased Golgi-association, strongly supporting that ACBP associates with Golgi in a ligand-dependent manner. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) showed that the fatty acid induced targeting of FACI-50 to Golgi resulted in a 5-fold reduction in FACI-50 mobility. We suggest that ACBP is targeted to ER and Golgi in a ligand-binding dependent manner in living cells, and propose that ACBP may be involved in vesicular trafficking

The complex conformational dynamics of neuronal calcium sensor-1: A single molecule perspective

The human neuronal calcium sensor-1 (NCS-1) is a multispecific two-domain EF-hand protein expressed predominantly in neurons and is a member of the NCS protein family. Structure-function relationships of NCS-1 have been extensively studied showing that conformational dynamics linked to diverse ion-binding is important to its function. NCS-1 transduces Ca 2+ changes in neurons and is linked to a wide range of neuronal functions such as regulation of neurotransmitter release, voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels and neuronal outgrowth. Defective NCS-1 can be deleterious to cells and has been linked to serious neuronal disorders like autism. Here, we review recent studies describing at the single molecule level the structural and mechanistic details of the folding and misfolding processes of the non-myristoylated NCS-1. By manipulating one molecule at a time with optical tweezers, the conformational equilibria of the Ca 2+ -bound, Mg 2+ -bound and apo states of NCS-1 were investigated revealing a complex folding mechanism underlain by a rugged and multidimensional energy landscape. The molecular rearrangements that NCS-1 undergoes to transit from one conformation to another and the energetics of these reactions are tightly regulated by the binding of divalent ions (Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ ) to its EF-hands. At pathologically high Ca 2+ concentrations the protein sometimes follows non-productive misfolding pathways leading to kinetically trapped and potentially harmful misfolded conformations. We discuss the significance of these misfolding events as well as the role of inter-domain interactions in shaping the energy landscape and ultimately the biological function of NCS-1. The conformational equilibria of NCS-1 are also compared to those of calmodulin (CaM) and differences and similarities in the behavior of these proteins are rationalized in terms of structural properties

Direct single-molecule observation of calcium-dependent misfolding in human neuronal calcium sensor-1

Neurodegenerative disorders are strongly linked to protein misfolding, and crucial to their explication is a detailed understanding of the underlying structural rearrangements and pathways that govern the formation of misfolded states. Here we use single-molecule optical tweezers to monitor misfolding reactions of the human neuronal calcium sensor-1, a multispecific EF-hand protein involved in neurotransmitter release and linked to severe neurological diseases. We directly observed two misfolding trajectories leading to distinct kinetically trapped misfolded conformations. Both trajectories originate from an on-pathway intermediate state and compete with native folding in a calcium-dependent manner. The relative probability of the different trajectories could be affected by modulating the relaxation rate of applied force, demonstrating an unprecedented real-time control over the free-energy landscape of a protein. Constant-force experiments in combination with hidden Markov analysis revealed the free-energy landscape of the misfolding transitions under both physiological and pathological calcium concentrations. Remarkably for a calcium sensor, we found that higher calcium concentrations increased the lifetimes of the misfolded conformations, slowing productive folding to the native state. We propose a rugged, multidimensional energy landscape for neuronal calcium sensor-1 and speculate on a direct link between protein misfolding and calcium dysregulation that could play a role in neurodegeneration

Polyelectrolyte interactions enable rapid association and dissociation in high-affinity disordered protein complexes

Highly charged intrinsically disordered proteins can form complexes with very high affinity in which both binding partners fully retain their disorder and dynamics, exemplified by the positively charged linker histone H1.0 and its chaperone, the negatively charged prothymosin α. Their interaction exhibits another surprising feature: The association/dissociation kinetics switch from slow two-state-like exchange at low protein concentrations to fast exchange at higher, physiologically relevant concentrations. Here we show that this change in mechanism can be explained by the formation of transient ternary complexes favored at high protein concentrations that accelerate the exchange between bound and unbound populations by orders of magnitude. Molecular simulations show how the extreme disorder in such polyelectrolyte complexes facilitates (i) diffusion-limited binding, (ii) transient ternary complex formation, and (iii) fast exchange of monomers by competitive substitution, which together enable rapid kinetics. Biological polyelectrolytes thus have the potential to keep regulatory networks highly responsive even for interactions with extremely high affinities

CECAM workshop on intrinsically disordered proteins

With the increasing need to integrate different areas of science in the study of intrinsically disordered proteins we arranged a meeting entitled “Intrinsically Disordered Proteins: Connecting Computation, Physics and Biology” in Zürich in September 2013. The aim of the meeting was to bring together scientists from a range of disciplines to provide a snapshot of the field, as well as to promote future interdisciplinary studies that link the fundamental physical and chemical properties of intrinsically disordered proteins with their biological function. A range of important topics were covered at the meeting including studies linking structural studies of intrinsically disordered proteins with their function, the effect of post-translational modifications, studies of folding-upon-binding, as well as presentation of a number of systems in which intrinsically disordered proteins play a central role in important biological processes. A recurring theme was how computation, including various forms of molecular simulations, can be integrated with experimental and theoretical studies to help understand the complex properties of intrinsically disordered proteins. With this Meeting Report we hope to give a brief overview of the inspiration obtained from presentations, discussions and conversations held at the workshop and point out possible future directions within the field of intrinsically disordered proteins