脱血红素细胞色素C自发折叠的进一步验证

用胰蛋白酶水解结构聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳以及纳秒内源荧光衰减谱分析对鸡心脱血红素细胞色素Ｃ在透析复性过程的自发折叠现象作进一步确定，结果显示随着透析复性时间的增加，鸡心脱血红素细胞色素Ｃ对胰蛋白酶的水解敏感性逐渐下降，内源荧光寿命值增大，与此对应的马心脱血红素细胞色素Ｃ没有发生变化。     

脱血红素细胞色素c与膜结合及插膜时的构象研究

应用特殊的单分子层样品制备技术,分别制备了与中性、酸性磷脂膜结合的和完全插膜的鸡心脱血红素细胞色素c样品,并运用圆二色谱(CD)、表面衰减全反射Fourier变换红外光谱(ATR-FTIR)对膜上蛋白的构象进行了鉴定.研究结果表明,蛋白在与膜结合及插入阶段的构象是不同的,膜界面性质的不同也会对蛋白的构象产生不同的诱导,在酸性磷脂DSPG膜表面,该蛋白是以α螺旋和β折叠混合的构象形式结合;而在中性磷脂DSPC膜表面是以β折叠为主的构象形式结合.插入 DOPG单分子层内时则是 α螺旋为主的构象形式.     

不同解折叠状态鸡心脱血红素细胞色素c分子的表面性质

脱血红素细胞色素ｃ的构象与其跨膜转运能力是密切相关的。鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ具有较强的自发折叠的能力,在一定条件下可以得到不同解折叠状态的鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ。本文利用疏水层析、与疏水探针１,８—ＡＮＳ的结合以及色氨酸与结合的ＡＮＳ之间的荧光共振能量转移,比较了不同解折叠状态的鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ分子的表面性质。结果表明,部分折叠的鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ分子获得了一种高度动态的结构,形成了动态的疏水核心;同时,它也具有较强的凝集倾向。这些性质与鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ分子较强的自发折叠能力是一致的,为进一步分析鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ分子的构象及其在跨膜转运过程中与脂的相互作用奠定了基础。     

脱血红素细胞色素c自发折叠的进一步验证

用胰蛋白酶水解结合聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳以及纳秒内源荧光衰减谱分析对鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ在透析复性过程的自发折叠现象作进一步确定。结果显示随着透析复性时间的增加,鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ对胰蛋白酶的水解敏感性逐渐下降,内源荧光寿命值增大,与此对应的马心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ没有发生变化。     

脱血红素细胞色素c对DMPG膜的插入研究

气－液界面单分子层实验发现鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ对ＤＭＰＧ单分子层表现出很强的插入能力,这种插入能力受亚相溶液离子强度的调节。通过傅里叶变换红外光谱对鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ与ＤＭＰＧ脂质体的作用进行了进一步研究,对磷脂不同区域的红外光谱分析表明鸡心脱血红素细胞色素ｃ不仅与ＤＭＰＧ头部存在静电相互作用而且与其疏水部分也存在相互作用。     

脱血红素细胞色素c插入磷脂单分子层能力的研究

介绍了一种改进的、用于研究膜脂-蛋白相互作用的气-液界面单分子层实验模型及实验装置,并在该实验装置上研究了来自马心和金枪鱼心的线粒体前体蛋白脱血红素细胞色素c与大豆磷脂单分子层的相互作用,实验结果表明这两种前体蛋白对大豆磷脂单分子层都具有较强的亲和性和插膜能力,其临界插膜压力分别为43mN/m、45mN/m.     

脱血红素细胞色素c的68~88肽段在插膜及与线粒体结合中具有关键作用

细胞色素c的前体蛋白——脱血红素细胞色素c是在细胞质中合成后运入线粒体的. 结合人工合成多肽及完整分子的缺失突变体探索了脱血红素细胞色素c跨膜转运中的关键肽段, 结果表明, 无论在单分子层插膜, 还是在与脂质体、线粒体的相互作用中, 脱血红素细胞色素c的68~88肽段都起着关键作用.     

鸡心脱辅基细胞色素c自发折叠的进一步研究

将野生型鸡心脱辅基细胞色素ｃ及其突变体Ｖ９２Ａ的１７位半胱氨酸残基突变为丝氨酸,再将表达纯化的Ｖ９２Ａ／Ｃ１７Ｓ和Ｗ／Ｃ１７Ｓ用荧光探针ＩＡＥＤＡＮＳ标记．通过测量ＡＥＤＡＮＳ－Ｃｙｓ－１４的荧光光谱、荧光寿命以及ＡＥＤＡＮＳ与Ｔｒｐ－５９之间的荧光共振能量转移效率、比较了Ｖ９２Ａ与野生型鸡心脱辅基细胞色素ｃ因折叠状态不同引起的Ｎ端构象状态及肽链间相互作用的差异．结果显示Ａｐｏ．ｃ无论在低盐浓度下的无规卷曲状态还是高盐浓度下的融球态,Ｖ９２Ａ都较野生型处于更松散的折叠状态,此外,在鸡心脱辅基细胞色素ｃ的自发折叠中Ｎ端肽段并不起主要作用     

去血红素细胞色素c的制备及其结构研究

在酸性条件下用硫酸银断裂马心细胞色素ｃ（以下简称ｃｙｔ．ｃ）的肽链与血红素相连的硫醚键,通过酸性丙酮抽提,巯基乙醇处理及超速离心等步骤纯化得去血红素的ｃｙｔ．ｃ（以下简称Ａｐｏ－ｃｙｔ．ｃ．）．Ａｐｏ－ｃｙｔ．ｃ与天然ｃｙｔ．ｃ相比,其酸性电泳迁移率明显降低,紫外－可见光谱在１９０￣２２０ｎｍ处吸收上升,荧光光谱的最大发射峰波长产生红移,同时ＣＤ谱中ａ螺旋的特征峰完全消失,这说明在ｃｙｔ．ｃ去血红     

脱辅基细胞色素c定向于线粒体的转运特异性研究

用分离纯化的完整线粒体和部分细胞器组分,初步研究了脱辅基细胞色素c在细胞内转运的特异性。完整线粒体用差速离心和密度梯度离心的方法,从幼龄鸡心肌组织中获得,对胞内几种细胞器标志酶比活力的测量表明,纯化的线粒体单胺氧化酶活力提高25.6倍,腺苷酸激酶活力提高3.59倍,细胞色素c氧化酶活力提高5.48倍,外膜完整性达90%以上,呼吸控制率大于20。以上数据表明该纯化的线粒体受胞内其它囊泡成分污染少,外膜完整并具有较高的氧化磷酸化偶联效率;在纯化线粒体的同时,得到另两种细胞器组分-内质网和溶酶体囊泡。体外转录翻译的apo.c与上述几个组分的结合实验表明,完整线粒体与apo.c的结合能力明显高于其它组分。     

A spin label study of conformational changes in cytochrome c

Spin-labeled pig heart cytochromes c singly modified at Met-65, Tyr-74 and at one of the lysine residues, Lys-72 or Lys-73, were investigated by the ESR method under conditions of different ligand and redox states of the heme and at various pH values. Replacement of Met-80 by the external ligand, cyanide, was shown to produce a sharp increase in the mobility of all the three bound labels while reduction of the spin-labeled ferricytochromes c did not cause any marked changes in their ESR spectra. In the pH range 6-13, two conformational transitions in ferricytochrome c were observed which preceded its alkaline denaturation: the first with pK 9.3 registered by the spin label at the Met-65 position, and the second with pK 11.1 registered by the labels bound to Tyr-74 and Lys-72(73). The conformational changes in the 'left-hand part' of ferricytochrome c are most probably induced in both cases by the exchange of internal protein ligands at the sixth coordination site of the heme.     

Role of Protein Stabilizers on the Conformation of the Unfolded State of Cytochrome c and Its Early Folding Kinetics: INVESTIGATION AT SINGLE MOLECULAR RESOLUTION*

An insight into the conformation and dynamics of unfolded and early intermediate states of a protein is essential to understand the mechanism of its aggregation and to design potent inhibitor molecules. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy has been used to study the effects of several model protein stabilizers on the conformation of the unfolded state and early folding dynamics of tetramethyl rhodamine-labeled cytochrome c from Saccharomyces cerevisiae at single molecular resolution. Special attention has been given to arginine, which is a widely used stabilizer for improving refolding yield of different proteins. The value of the hydrodynamic radius (r_H) obtained by analyzing the intensity fluctuations of the diffusing molecules has been found to increase in a two-state manner as the protein is unfolded by urea. The results further show that the presence of arginine and other protein stabilizers favors a relatively structured conformation of the unfolded states (r_H of 29 Å) over an extended one (r_H of 40 Å), which forms in their absence. Also, the time constant of a kinetic component (τ_R) of about 30 μs has been observed by analyzing the correlation functions, which represents formation of a collapsed state. This time constant varies with urea concentration representing an inverted Chevron plot that shows a roll-over and behavior in the absence of arginine. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first applications of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to study direct folding kinetics of a protein.     

The Mitochondrial Intermembrane Space Oxireductase Mia40 Funnels the Oxidative Folding Pathway of the Cytochrome c Oxidase Assembly Protein Cox19

Mia40-catalyzed disulfide formation drives the import of many proteins into the mitochondria. Here we characterize the oxidative folding of Cox19, a twin CX₉C Mia40 substrate. Cox19 oxidation is extremely slow, explaining the persistence of import-competent reduced species in the cytosol. Mia40 accelerates Cox19 folding through the specific recognition of the third Cys in the second helical CX₉C motif and the subsequent oxidation of the inner disulfide bond. This renders a native-like intermediate that oxidizes in a slow uncatalyzed reaction into native Cox19. The same intermediate dominates the pathway in the absence of Mia40, and chemical induction of an α-helical structure by trifluoroethanol suffices to accelerate productive folding and mimic the Mia40 folding template mechanism. The Mia40 role is to funnel a rough folding landscape, skipping the accumulation of kinetic traps, providing a rationale for the promiscuity of Mia40.     

The C-terminal Tails of the Bacterial Chaperonin GroEL Stimulate Protein Folding by Directly Altering the Conformation of a Substrate Protein

Many essential cellular proteins fold only with the assistance of chaperonin machines like the GroEL-GroES system of Escherichia coli. However, the mechanistic details of assisted protein folding by GroEL-GroES remain the subject of ongoing debate. We previously demonstrated that GroEL-GroES enhances the productive folding of a kinetically trapped substrate protein through unfolding, where both binding energy and the energy of ATP hydrolysis are used to disrupt the inhibitory misfolded states. Here, we show that the intrinsically disordered yet highly conserved C-terminal sequence of the GroEL subunits directly contributes to substrate protein unfolding. Interactions between the C terminus and the non-native substrate protein alter the binding position of the substrate protein on the GroEL apical surface. The C-terminal tails also impact the conformational state of the substrate protein during capture and encapsulation on the GroEL ring. Importantly, removal of the C termini results in slower overall folding, reducing the fraction of the substrate protein that commits quickly to a productive folding pathway and slowing several kinetically distinct folding transitions that occur inside the GroEL-GroES cavity. The conserved C-terminal tails of GroEL are thus important for protein folding from the beginning to the end of the chaperonin reaction cycle.     

Crystal Structures of a Group II Chaperonin Reveal the Open and Closed States Associated with the Protein Folding Cycle

Chaperonins are large protein complexes consisting of two stacked multisubunit rings, which open and close in an ATP-dependent manner to create a protected environment for protein folding. Here, we describe the first crystal structure of a group II chaperonin in an open conformation. We have obtained structures of the archaeal chaperonin from Methanococcus maripaludis in both a peptide acceptor (open) state and a protein folding (closed) state. In contrast with group I chaperonins, in which the equatorial domains share a similar conformation between the open and closed states and the largest motions occurs at the intermediate and apical domains, the three domains of the archaeal chaperonin subunit reorient as a single rigid body. The large rotation observed from the open state to the closed state results in a 65% decrease of the folding chamber volume and creates a highly hydrophilic surface inside the cage. These results suggest a completely distinct closing mechanism in the group II chaperonins as compared with the group I chaperonins.     

Folding of apocytochrome c induced by the interaction with negatively charged lipid micelles proceeds via a collapsed intermediate state

Unfolded apocytochrome c acquires an alpha-helical conformation upon interaction with lipid. Folding kinetic results below and above the lipid's CMC, together with energy transfer measurements of lipid bound states, and salt-induced compact states in solution, show that the folding transition of apocytochrome c from the unfolded state in solution to a lipid-inserted helical conformation proceeds via a collapsed intermediate state (I(C)). This initial compact state is driven by a hydrophobic collapse of the polypeptide chain in the absence of the heme group and may represent a heme-free analogue of an early compact intermediate detected on the folding pathway of cytochrome c in solution. Insertion into the lipid phase occurs via an unfolding step of I(C) through a more extended state associated with the membrane surface (I(S)). While I(C) appears to be as compact as salt-induced compact states in solution with substantial alpha-helix content, the final lipid-inserted state (Hmic) is as compact as the unfolded state in solution at pH 5 and has an alpha-helix content which resembles that of native cytochrome c.     

The Effect of Electrostatics on the Marginal Cooperativity of an Ultrafast Folding Protein

Proteins fold up by coordinating the different segments of their polypeptide chain through a network of weak cooperative interactions. Such cooperativity results in unfolding curves that are typically sigmoidal. However, we still do not know what factors modulate folding cooperativity or the minimal amount that ensures folding into specific three-dimensional structures. Here, we address these issues on BBL, a small helical protein that folds in microseconds via a marginally cooperative downhill process (Li, P., Oliva, F. Y., Naganathan, A. N., and Muñoz, V. (2009) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 106, 103–108). Particularly, we explore the effects of salt-induced screening of the electrostatic interactions in BBL at neutral pH and in acid-denatured BBL. Our results show that electrostatic screening stabilizes the native state of the neutral and protonated forms, inducing complete refolding of acid-denatured BBL. Furthermore, without net electrostatic interactions, the unfolding process becomes much less cooperative, as judged by the broadness of the equilibrium unfolding curve and the relaxation rate. Our experiments show that the marginally cooperative unfolding of BBL can still be made twice as broad while the protein retains its ability to fold into the native three-dimensional structure in microseconds. This result demonstrates experimentally that efficient folding does not require cooperativity, confirming predictions from theory and computer simulations and challenging the conventional biochemical paradigm. Furthermore, we conclude that electrostatic interactions are an important factor in determining folding cooperativity. Thus, electrostatic modulation by pH-salt and/or mutagenesis of charged residues emerges as an attractive tool for tuning folding cooperativity.