Crystallization of Membrane Proteins in Lipidic Mesophases

Membrane proteins perform critical functions in living cells related to signal transduction, transport and energy transformations, and, as such, are implicated in a multitude of malfunctions and diseases. However, a structural and functional understanding of membrane proteins is strongly lagging behind that of their soluble partners, mainly, due to difficulties associated with their solubilization and generation of diffraction quality crystals. Crystallization in lipidic mesophases (also known as in meso or LCP crystallization) is a promising technique which was successfully applied to obtain high resolution structures of microbial rhodopsins, photosynthetic proteins, outer membrane beta barrels and G protein-coupled receptors. In meso crystallization takes advantage of a native-like membrane environment and typically produces crystals with lower solvent content and better ordering as compared to traditional crystallization from detergent solutions. The method is not difficult, but requires an understanding of lipid phase behavior and practice in handling viscous mesophase materials. Here we demonstrate a simple and efficient way of making LCP and reconstituting a membrane protein in the lipid bilayer of LCP using a syringe mixer, followed by dispensing nanoliter portions of LCP into an assay or crystallization plate, conducting pre-crystallization assays and harvesting crystals from the LCP matrix. These protocols provide a basic guide for approaching in meso crystallization trials; however, as with any crystallization experiment, extensive screening and optimization are required, and a successful outcome is not necessarily guaranteed

Structural basis for bifunctional peptide recognition at human δ-opioid receptor

Bi-functional μ- and δ- opioid receptor (OR) ligands are potential therapeutic alternatives to alkaloid opiate analgesics with diminished side effects. We solved the structure of human δ-OR bound to the bi-functional δ-OR antagonist and μ-OR agonist tetrapeptide H-Dmt(1)-Tic(2)-Phe(3)-Phe(4)-NH2 (DIPP-NH2) by serial femtosecond crystallography, revealing a cis-peptide bond between H-Dmt(1) and Tic(2). The observed receptor-peptide interactions are critical to understand the pharmacological profiles of opioid peptides, and to develop improved analgesics

Crystal structure of rhodopsin bound to arrestin by femtosecond X-ray laser.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) signal primarily through G proteins or arrestins. Arrestin binding to GPCRs blocks G protein interaction and redirects signalling to numerous G-protein-independent pathways. Here we report the crystal structure of a constitutively active form of human rhodopsin bound to a pre-activated form of the mouse visual arrestin, determined by serial femtosecond X-ray laser crystallography. Together with extensive biochemical and mutagenesis data, the structure reveals an overall architecture of the rhodopsin-arrestin assembly in which rhodopsin uses distinct structural elements, including transmembrane helix 7 and helix 8, to recruit arrestin. Correspondingly, arrestin adopts the pre-activated conformation, with a ∼20° rotation between the amino and carboxy domains, which opens up a cleft in arrestin to accommodate a short helix formed by the second intracellular loop of rhodopsin. This structure provides a basis for understanding GPCR-mediated arrestin-biased signalling and demonstrates the power of X-ray lasers for advancing the frontiers of structural biology

Crystallizing membrane proteins using lipidic mesophases

peer-reviewedThis paper was obtained through PEER (Publishing and the Ecology of European Research) http://www.peerproject.euA detailed protocol for crystallizing membrane proteins that makes use of lipidic mesophases is described. This has variously been referred to as the lipid cubic phase or in meso method. The method has been shown to be quite general in that it has been used to solve X-ray crystallographic structures of prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins, proteins that are monomeric, homo- and hetero-multimeric, chromophore-containing and chromophore-free, and α-helical and β-barrel proteins. Its most recent successes are the human engineered β2-adrenergic and adenosine A2A G protein-coupled receptors. Protocols are provided for preparing and characterizing the lipidic mesophase, for reconstituting the protein into the monoolein-based mesophase, for functional assay of the protein in the mesophase, and for setting up crystallizations in manual mode. Methods for harvesting micro-crystals are also described. The time required to prepare the protein-loaded mesophase and to set up a crystallization plate manually is about one hour

Ternary structure reveals mechanism of a membrane diacylglycerol kinase

Diacylglycerol kinase catalyses the ATP-dependent conversion of diacylglycerol to phosphatidic acid in the plasma membrane of Escherichia coli. The small size of this integral membrane trimer, which has 121 residues per subunit, means that available protein must be used economically to craft three catalytic and substrate-binding sites centred about the membrane/cytosol interface. How nature has accomplished this extraordinary feat is revealed here in a crystal structure of the kinase captured as a ternary complex with bound lipid substrate and an ATP analogue. Residues, identified as essential for activity by mutagenesis, decorate the active site and are rationalized by the ternary structure. The g-phosphate of the ATP analogue is positioned for direct transfer to the primary hydroxyl of the lipid whose acyl chain is in the membrane. A catalytic mechanism for this unique enzyme is proposed. The active site architecture shows clear evidence of having arisen by convergen

The fragment molecular orbital method reveals new insight into the chemical nature of GPCR-ligand interactions

Our interpretation of ligand–protein interactions is often informed by high-resolution structures, which represent the cornerstone of structure-based drug design. However, visual inspection and molecular mechanics approaches cannot explain the full complexity of molecular interactions. Quantum Mechanics approaches are often too computationally expensive, but one method, Fragment Molecular Orbital (FMO), offers an excellent compromise and has the potential to reveal key interactions that would otherwise be hard to detect. To illustrate this, we have applied the FMO method to 18 Class A GPCR–ligand crystal structures, representing different branches of the GPCR genome. Our work reveals key interactions that are often omitted from structure-based descriptions, including hydrophobic interactions, nonclassical hydrogen bonds, and the involvement of backbone atoms. This approach provides a more comprehensive picture of receptor–ligand interactions than is currently used and should prove useful for evaluation of the chemical nature of ligand binding and to support structure-based drug design

Structure et dynamique de neuropeptides liés à leur récepteur

International audienc

Allosteric sodium in class A GPCR signaling

Despite their functional and structural diversity, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) share a common mechanism of signal transduction via conformational changes in the seven-transmembrane (7TM) helical domain. New major insights into this mechanism come from the recent crystallographic discoveries of a partially hydrated sodium ion that is specifically bound in the middle of the 7TM bundle of multiple class A GPCRs. This review discusses the remarkable structural conservation and distinct features of the Na+ pocket in this most populous GPCR class, as well as the conformational collapse of the pocket on receptor activation. New insights help to explain allosteric effects of sodium on GPCR agonist binding and activation, and sodium’s role as a potential co-factor in class A GPCR function

Structural insights into the extracellular recognition of the human serotonin 2B receptor by an antibody

Highly selective monoclonal antibodies recognizing the extracellular 3D epitope of G protein-coupled receptors represent valuable tools for elucidating receptor function and localization in the cell and show promise for a range of therapeutic applications. Here we present the structure of a complex between the human serotonin 2B receptor, captured in an active-like state, and an antibody Fab fragment, bound to the extracellular side of the receptor. The structure uncovers the mechanisms of receptor activation and of extracellular receptor recognition by antibodies

Molecular control of δ-opioid receptor signalling

Opioids represent widely prescribed and abused medications, although their signal transduction mechanisms are not well understood. Here we present the 1.8Å high-resolution crystal structure of the human δ-opioid receptor (δ-OR), revealing the presence and fundamental role of a sodium ion mediating allosteric control of receptor functional selectivity and constitutive activity. The distinctive δ-OR sodium ion site architecture is centrally located in a polar interaction network in the 7-transmembrane bundle core, with the sodium ion stabilizing a reduced agonist affinity state, and thereby modulating signal transduction. Site-directed mutagenesis and functional studies reveal that changing the allosteric sodium site residue Asn131 to alanine or valine augments constitutive arrestin-ergic signaling. Asp95Ala, Asn310Ala, and Asn314Ala mutations transform classical δ-opioid antagonists like naltrindole into potent β-arrestin-biased agonists. The data establish the molecular basis for allosteric sodium ion control in opioid signaling, revealing that sodium-coordinating residues act as “efficacy-switches” at a prototypic G protein-coupled receptor