The Hidden Conformation of Human Histo-blood Group Antigen is a Determinant for Recognition by Pathogen Lectins

International audienceHisto-blood group epitopes are fucosylated branched oligosaccharides with well-defined conformations in solution that are recognized by receptors, such as lectins from pathogens. We report here the results of a series of experimental and computational endeavours revealing the unusual distortion of histo-blood group antigens by bacterial and fungal lectins. The Lewis x trisaccharide adopts a rigid closed conformation in solution, whilst crystallography and molecular dynamics reveal several higher energy open con-formations when bound to the Ralstonia solanacearum lectin, which is in agreement with thermodynamic and kinetic measurements. Extensive molecular dynamics simulations confirm rare transient Le x openings in solution, frequently assisted by distortion of the central N-acetyl-glucosamine ring. Additional directed molecular dynamic trajectories revealed the role of a conserved tryptophan residue in guiding the fucose into the binding site. Our findings show that conformational adaptation of oligosaccharides is of paramount importance in cell recognition and should be considered when designing anti-infective glyco-compounds

Traitement des interactions électrostatiques dans les systèmes moléculaires - Etude par simulation numérique de protéines fluorescentes

Reaction processes in biological systems are henceforth modeled by more and more advanced quantum mechanics (QM) methods coupled with force fields of molecular mechanics (MM). This improvement involves problems in the usual treatment of the QM/MM electrostatic interactions. In the first part of the thesis, we have developed a more consistent approach for the calculation of these interactions. In a second part, we have applied some computational methods to fluorescent proteins. A molecular dynamics study has revealed weak van der Waals interactions which control the improved fluorescence for Cerulean, a variant of ECFP (Enhanced Cyan Fluorescent Protein). We have also investigated the photoconversion mechanism of the fluorescent protein EosFP using predictive QM/MM potentials for excited states. Finally, thermodynamic stability of different structures in IrisFP has been estimated. These molecular modeling studies improve our knowledge about fluorescent proteins in order to develop more advanced highlighters for cell imaging.Les processus réactionnels des systèmes biologiques sont désormais modélisés par des méthodes de plus en plus précises de mécanique quantique (MQ) associées aux champs de force de mécanique moléculaire (MM). Cette amélioration induit des complications dans le traitement habituel des interactions électrostatiques MQ/MM. Dans la première partie de cette thèse, nous avons développé une approche plus cohérente pour le calcul de ces interactions. Dans une seconde partie, nous avons appliqué certaines méthodes de simulation numérique aux protéines fluorescentes. Une étude de dynamique moléculaire a révélé de fines interactions de van der Waals qui conditionnent l'amélioration des propriétés de fluorescence dans la Cerulean par rapport à l'ECFP (Enhanced Cyan Fluorescent Protein). Nous avons également étudié le mécanisme de photoconversion de la protéine fluorescente EosFP par l'utilisation de potentiels MQ/MM appropriés au traitement des états excités. Finalement, la stabilité thermodynamique des différents états structuraux de la protéine IrisFP a été évaluée. Ces études de modélisation moléculaire améliorent notre compréhension des protéines fluorescentes afin de contribuer à leur développement pour l'imagerie cellulaire

Traitement des interactions électrostatiques dans les systèmes moléculaires - Etude par simulation numérique de protéines fluorescentes

Reaction processes in biological systems are henceforth modeled by more and more advanced quantum mechanics (QM) methods coupled with force fields of molecular mechanics (MM). This improvement involves problems in the usual treatment of the QM/MM electrostatic interactions. In the first part of the thesis, we have developed a more consistent approach for the calculation of these interactions. In a second part, we have applied some computational methods to fluorescent proteins. A molecular dynamics study has revealed weak van der Waals interactions which control the improved fluorescence for Cerulean, a variant of ECFP (Enhanced Cyan Fluorescent Protein). We have also investigated the photoconversion mechanism of the fluorescent protein EosFP using predictive QM/MM potentials for excited states. Finally, thermodynamic stability of different structures in IrisFP has been estimated. These molecular modeling studies improve our knowledge about fluorescent proteins in order to develop more advanced highlighters for cell imaging.Les processus réactionnels des systèmes biologiques sont désormais modélisés par des méthodes de plus en plus précises de mécanique quantique (MQ) associées aux champs de force de mécanique moléculaire (MM). Cette amélioration induit des complications dans le traitement habituel des interactions électrostatiques MQ/MM. Dans la première partie de cette thèse, nous avons développé une approche plus cohérente pour le calcul de ces interactions. Dans une seconde partie, nous avons appliqué certaines méthodes de simulation numérique aux protéines fluorescentes. Une étude de dynamique moléculaire a révélé de fines interactions de van der Waals qui conditionnent l'amélioration des propriétés de fluorescence dans la Cerulean par rapport à l'ECFP (Enhanced Cyan Fluorescent Protein). Nous avons également étudié le mécanisme de photoconversion de la protéine fluorescente EosFP par l'utilisation de potentiels MQ/MM appropriés au traitement des états excités. Finalement, la stabilité thermodynamique des différents états structuraux de la protéine IrisFP a été évaluée. Ces études de modélisation moléculaire améliorent notre compréhension des protéines fluorescentes afin de contribuer à leur développement pour l'imagerie cellulaire

Conformational Changes in the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor: Role of the Transmembrane Domain Investigated by Coarse-Grained MetaDynamics Free Energy Calculations

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a dimeric membrane protein that regulates key aspects of cellular function. Activation of the EGFR is linked to changes in the conformation of the transmembrane (TM) domain, brought about by changes in interactions of the TM helices of the membrane lipid bilayer. Using an advanced computational approach that combines Coarse-Grained molecular dynamics and well-tempered MetaDynamics (CG-MetaD), we characterize the large-scale motions of the TM helices, simulating multiple association and dissociation events between the helices in membrane, thus leading to a free energy landscape of the dimerization process. The lowest energy state of the TM domain is a right-handed dimer structure in which the TM helices interact through the N-terminal small-X3-small sequence motif. In addition to this state, which is thought to correspond to the active form of the receptor, we have identified further low-energy states that allow us to integrate with a high level of detail a range of previous experimental observations. These conformations may lead to the active state via two possible activation pathways, which involve pivoting and rotational motions of the helices, respectively. Molecular dynamics also reveals correlation between the conformational changes of the TM domains and of the intracellular juxtamembrane domains, paving the way for a comprehensive understanding of EGFR signaling at the cell membrane

Photoconversion of the Fluorescent Protein EosFP: A Hybrid potential simulation study reveals intersystem crossings

Fluorescent proteins undergoing green to red photoconversion have proved to be essential tools in cell biology, notably in superlocalization nanoscopy. However, the exact mechanism governing photoconversion, which overall involves irreversible cleavage of the protein backbone and elongation of the chromophore π-conjugation, remains unclear. In this paper we present a theoretical investigation of the photoconversion reaction in the fluorescent protein EosFP, using excited-state hybrid quantum chemical and molecular mechanical potentials, in conjunction with reaction-path-finding techniques. Our results reveal a mechanism in which the hydroxybenzylidene moiety of the chromophore remains protonated and there is an excited state proton transfer from His62 to Phe61 that promotes peptide bond cleavage. Excitation of the neutral green form of EosFP to the first singlet excited state is followed by two intersystem crossing events, first to a triplet state and then back to the ground state singlet surface. From there, a number of rearrangements occur in the ground state and lead to the red form. Analyses of the structures and energies of the intermediates along the reaction path enable us to identify the critical role of the chromophore environment in promoting photoinduced backbone cleavage. Possible ways in which photoconvertible fluorescent proteins can be engineered to facilitate photoconversion are considered.status: publishe

Structural basis of X-ray-induced transient photobleaching in a photoactivatable green fluorescent protein.

International audienceWe have observed the photoactivatable fluorescent protein IrisFP in a transient dark state with near-atomic resolution. This dark state is assigned to a radical species that either relaxes to the ground state or evolves into a permanently bleached chromophore. We took advantage of X-rays to populate the radical, which presumably forms under illumination with visible light by an electron-transfer reaction in the triplet state. The combined X-ray diffraction and in crystallo UV-vis absorption, fluorescence, and Raman data reveal that radical formation in IrisFP involves pronounced but reversible distortion of the chromophore, suggesting a transient loss of pi conjugation. These results reveal that the methylene bridge of the chromophore is the Achilles' heel of fluorescent proteins and help unravel the mechanisms of blinking and photobleaching in FPs, which are of importance in the rational design of photostable variants

Effect of Noncanonical Amino Acids on Protein–Carbohydrate Interactions: Structure, Dynamics, and Carbohydrate Affinity of a Lectin Engineered with Fluorinated Tryptophan Analogs

International audienceProtein−carbohydrate interactions play crucial roles in biology. Understanding and modifying these interactions is of major interest for fighting many diseases. We took a synthetic biology approach and incorporated noncanonical amino acids into a bacterial lectin to modulate its interactions with carbohydrates. We focused on tryptophan, which is prevalent in carbohydrate binding sites. The exchange of the tryptophan residues with analogs fluorinated at different positions resulted in three distinctly fluorinated variants of the lectin from Ralstonia solanacearum. We observed differences in stability and affinity toward fucosylated glycans and rationalized them by X-ray and modeling studies. While fluorination decreased the aromaticity of the indole ring and, therefore, the strength of carbohydrate−aromatic interactions, additional weak hydrogen bonds were formed between fluorine and the ligand hydroxyl groups. Our approach opens new possibilities to engineer carbohydrate receptor

Structural characterization of IrisFP, an optical highlighter undergoing multiple photo-induced transformations

Photoactivatable fluorescent proteins (FPs) are powerful fluorescent highlighters in live cell imaging and offer perspectives for optical nanoscopy and the development of biophotonic devices. Two types of photoactivation are currently being distinguished, reversible photoswitching between fluorescent and nonfluorescent forms and irreversible photoconversion. Here, we have combined crystallography and (in crystallo) spectroscopy to characterize the Phe-173-Ser mutant of the tetrameric variant of EosFP, named IrisFP, which incorporates both types of phototransformations. In its green fluorescent state, IrisFP displays reversible photoswitching, which involves cis-trans isomerization of the chromophore. Like its parent protein EosFP, IrisFP also photoconverts irreversibly to a red-emitting state under violet light because of an extension of the conjugated pi-electron system of the chromophore, accompanied by a cleavage of the polypeptide backbone. The red form of IrisFP exhibits a second reversible photoswitching process, which may also involve cis-trans isomerization of the chromophore. Therefore, IrisFP displays altogether 3 distinct photoactivation processes. The possibility to engineer and precisely control multiple phototransformations in photoactivatable FPs offers exciting perspectives for the extension of the fluorescent protein toolkit.status: publishe