Subunit interactions in Propionibacterium shermanii methylmalonyl-CoA mutase studied by analytical ultracentrifugation.

The effect of increasing ionic strength on adenosylcobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase from Propionibacterium shermanii was studied by using analytical ultracentrifugation. Both sedimentation-velocity and low-speed sedimentation-equilibration measurements show that the enzyme dissociates progressively into its two dissimilar subunits with increasing ionic strength. Equilibrium between the alpha beta-dimer and the separated subunits is rapidly established under these conditions. Dissociation is accompanied by loss of enzymic activity, but the position of the equilibrium is unaffected by the presence of either substrate or adenosylcobalamin cofactor.     

Self-association of adrenodoxin studied by using analytical ultracentrifugation

The mitochondrial steroid hydroxylase system of vertebrates utilizes adrenodoxin (Adx), a small iron–sulfur cluster protein of about 14 kDa as an electron carrier between a reductase and cytochrome P450. Although the crystal structure of this protein has been elucidated, the solution structure of Adx was discussed contrary in the literature [I.A. Pikuleva, K. Tesh, M.R. Waterman, Y. Kim, The tertiary structure of full-length bovine adrenodoxin suggests functional dimers, Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 373 (2000) 44–55; D. Beilke, R. Weiss, F. Löhr, P. Pristovsek, F. Hannemann, R. Bernhardt, H. Rüterjans, A new electron mechanism in mitochondrial steroid hydroxylase systems based on structural changes upon the reduction of adrenodoxin, Biochemistry 41 (2002) 7969–7978]. Therefore, it was necessary to study the self-association of this protein by using analytical ultracentrifugation over a larger concentration range. As could be demonstrated in sedimentation velocity experiments, as well as sedimentation equilibrium runs with explicit consideration of thermodynamic non-ideality, the full-length protein (residues 1–128) in the oxidized state resulted in a monomer–dimer equilibrium (K_a ~ 3 × 10² M^− 1). For truncated Adx (1–108), as well as the reduced Adx, the association behavior was strongly reduced. The consequences of this behavior are discussed with respect to the physiological meaning for the Adx system.     

Quantification of protein-protein interactions using fluorescence polarization.

Quantitative determinations of the dissociation constants of biomolecular interactions, in particular protein-protein interactions, are essential for a detailed understanding of the molecular basis of their specificities. Fluorescence spectroscopy is particularly well suited for such studies. This article highlights the theoretical and practical aspects of fluorescence polarization and its application to the study of protein-protein interactions. Consideration is given to the nature of the different types of fluorescence probes available and the probe characteristics appropriate for the system under investigation. Several examples from the literature are discussed that illustrate different practical aspects of the technique applied to diverse systems.     

Characterization of the self association of Avian sarcoma virus integrase by analytical ultracentrifugation.

Retroviral integration protein (IN) has been shown to be both necessary and sufficient for the integration of reverse-transcribed retroviral DNA into the host cell DNA. It has been demonstrated that self-assembly of IN is essential for proper function. Analytical ultracentrifugation was used to determine the stoichiometry and free energy of self-association of a full-length IN in various solvents at 23.3 degrees C. Below 8% glycerol, an association stoichiometry of monomer-dimer-tetramer is observed. At salt concentrations above 500 mM, dimer is the dominant species over a wide range of protein concentrations. However, as physiological salt concentrations are approached, tetramer formation is favored. The addition of glycerol to 500 mM NaCl, 20 mM Tris (pH 8.4), 2 mM beta-mercaptoethanol significantly enhances dimer formation with little effect on tetramer formation. Furthermore, as electrostatic shielding is increased by increasing the ionic strength or decreasing the cation size, dimer formation is strengthened while tetramer formation is weakened. Taken together, the data support a model in which dimer formation includes favorable buried surface interactions which are opposed by charge-charge repulsion, while favorable electrostatic interactions contribute significantly to tetramer formation.     

Characterization of COMMD protein-protein interactions in NF-kappaB signalling

COMMD [copper metabolism gene MURR1 (mouse U2af1-rs1 region 1) domain] proteins constitute a recently identified family of NF-kappaB (nuclear factor kappaB)-inhibiting proteins, characterized by the presence of the COMM domain. In the present paper, we report detailed investigation of the role of this protein family, and specifically the role of the COMM domain, in NF-kappaB signalling through characterization of protein-protein interactions involving COMMD proteins. The small ubiquitously expressed COMMD6 consists primarily of the COMM domain. Therefore COMMD1 and COMMD6 were analysed further as prototype members of the COMMD protein family. Using specific antisera, interaction between endogenous COMMD1 and COMMD6 is described. This interaction was verified by independent techniques, appeared to be direct and could be detected throughout the whole cell, including the nucleus. Both proteins inhibit TNF (tumour necrosis factor)-induced NF-kappaB activation in a non-synergistic manner. Mutation of the amino acid residues Trp24 and Pro41 in the COMM domain of COMMD6 completely abolished the inhibitory effect of COMMD6 on TNF-induced NF-kappaB activation, but this was not accompanied by loss of interaction with COMMD1, COMMD6 or the NF-kappaB subunit RelA. In contrast with COMMD1, COMMD6 does not bind to IkappaBalpha (inhibitory kappaBalpha), indicating that both proteins inhibit NF-kappaB in an overlapping, but not completely similar, manner. Taken together, these data support the significance of COMMD protein-protein interactions and provide new mechanistic insight into the function of this protein family in NF-kappaB signalling.     

Inhibiting protein-protein interactions using designed molecules

Continuing investigations into protein-protein interactions have revealed their key role in regulating a wide range of cellular processes. Although efforts to modulate these interactions are more challenging and much less mature than work on conventional drug discovery pathways, significant progress has been made on several fronts. Highlights of recent advances involve peptide-based inhibitors, including sidechain and backbone cross-linked agents, and peptide scaffolds, as well as small-molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions, such as those containing terephthalate or bis-imidazole scaffolds.     

Dissecting protein-protein interactions using directed evolution

Protein-protein interactions are essential for life. They are responsible for most cellular functions and when they go awry often lead to disease. Proteins are inherently complex. They are flexible macromolecules whose constituent amino acid components act in combinatorial and networked ways when they engage one another in binding interactions. It is just this complexity that allows them to conduct such a broad array of biological functions. Despite decades of intense study of the molecular basis of protein-protein interactions, key gaps in our understanding remain, hindering our ability to accurately predict the specificities and affinities of their interactions. Until recently, most protein-protein investigations have been probed experimentally at the single-amino acid level, making them, by definition, incapable of capturing the combinatorial nature of, and networked communications between, the numerous residues within and outside of the protein-protein interface. This aspect of protein-protein interactions, however, is emerging as a major driving force for protein affinity and specificity. Understanding a combinatorial process necessarily requires a combinatorial experimental tool. Much like the organisms in which they reside, proteins naturally evolve over time, through a combinatorial process of mutagenesis and selection, to functionally associate. Elucidating the process by which proteins have evolved may be one of the keys to deciphering the molecular rules that govern their interactions with one another. Directed evolution is a technique performed in the laboratory that mimics natural evolution on a tractable time scale that has been utilized widely to engineer proteins with novel capabilities, including altered binding properties. In this review, we discuss directed evolution as an emerging tool for dissecting protein-protein interactions.     

Prediction of protein-protein interactions using protein signature profiling

Protein domains are conserved and functionally independent structures that play an important role in interactions among related proteins. Domain-domain interactions have been recently used to predict protein-protein interactions (PPI). In general, the interaction probability of a pair of domains is scored using a trained scoring function. Satisfying a threshold, the protein pairs carrying those domains are regarded as "interacting". In this study, the signature contents of proteins were utilized to predict PPI pairs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Homo sapiens. Similarity between protein signature patterns was scored and PPI predictions were drawn based on the binary similarity scoring function. Results show that the true positive rate of prediction by the proposed approach is approximately 32% higher than that using the maximum likelihood estimation method when compared with a test set, resulting in 22% increase in the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. When proteins containing one or two signatures were removed, the sensitivity of the predicted PPI pairs increased significantly. The predicted PPI pairs are on average 11 times more likely to interact than the random selection at a confidence level of 0.95, and on average 4 times better than those predicted by either phylogenetic profiling or gene expression profiling.     

The size and shape of amylopectin: a study using analytical ultracentrifugation

Starch was isolated from a range of wheat cultivars grown under various conditions. The starches were known to produce pastes having contrasting rheological properties when heated. Solutions of the starch in dimethyl sulphoxide were investigated by analytical ultracentrifugation. Sedimentation coefficients and normalized weight-frequency distributions of limiting sedimentation-coefficients were determined. The sedimentation-coefficient data confirmed the weight-average molar mass of amylopectin in dimethyl sulphoxide to be ∼10⁷, irrespective of the source of the starch. The sedimentation-coefficient values were also combined with diffusion-coefficient data and evaluated according to hydrodynamic theory, this indicated that amylopectin has a flat-sheet or disc-like structure with semi-major and semi-minor axes of 45 and 1.2 nm, respectively. The distributions of sedimentation coefficients of the amylopectin samples were all similar, being unimodal, symmetrical, and having peak-width half-heights of ∼60 S. The amylopectin obtained after removal of amylose by chemical fractionation was shown to be representative of the total amylopectin in starch.     

Detecting protein-protein interactions using Renilla luciferase fusion proteins

We have developed a novel system designated the luciferase assay for protein detection (LAPD) to study protein-protein interactions. This method involves two protein fusions, a soluble reporter fusion and a fusion for immobilizing the target protein. The soluble reporter is an N-terminal Renilla luciferase fusion protein that exhibits high Renilla luciferase activity. Crude cleared lysates from transfected Cos1 cells that express the Renilla luciferase fusion protein can be used in binding assays with immobilized target proteins. Following incubation and washing, target-bound Renilla luciferase fusion proteins produce light from the coelenterazine substrate, indicating an interaction between the two proteins of interest. As proof of the principle, we reproduced known, transient protein-protein interactions between the Cdc42 GTPase and its effector proteins. GTPase Renilla fusion proteins produced in Cos1 cells were tested with immobilized recombinant GST-N-WASP and CEP5 effector proteins. Using this assay, we could detect specific interactions of Cdc42 with these effector proteins in approximately 50 min. The specificity of these interactions was demonstrated by showing that they were GTPase-specific and GTP-dependent and not seen with other unrelated target proteins. These results suggest that the LAPD method, which is both rapid and sensitive, may have research and practical applications.     

Prediction of protein-protein interactions using random decision forest framework

MOTIVATION: Protein interactions are of biological interest because they orchestrate a number of cellular processes such as metabolic pathways and immunological recognition. Domains are the building blocks of proteins; therefore, proteins are assumed to interact as a result of their interacting domains. Many domain-based models for protein interaction prediction have been developed, and preliminary results have demonstrated their feasibility. Most of the existing domain-based methods, however, consider only single-domain pairs (one domain from one protein) and assume independence between domain-domain interactions. RESULTS: In this paper, we introduce a domain-based random forest of decision trees to infer protein interactions. Our proposed method is capable of exploring all possible domain interactions and making predictions based on all the protein domains. Experimental results on Saccharomyces cerevisiae dataset demonstrate that our approach can predict protein-protein interactions with higher sensitivity (79.78%) and specificity (64.38%) compared with that of the maximum likelihood approach. Furthermore, our model can be used to infer interactions not only for single-domain pairs but also for multiple domain pairs.     

Characterization of protein detergent complexes by NMR, light scattering, and analytical ultracentrifugation

Abstract  Bottlenecks in expression, solubilization, purification and crystallization hamper the structural study of integral membrane proteins (IMPs). Successful crystallization is critically dependent on the purity, stability and oligomeric homogeneity of an IMP sample. These characteristics are in turn strongly influenced by the type and concentration of the detergents used in IMP preparation. By utilizing the techniques and analytical tools we earlier developed for the characterization of protein-detergent complexes (PDCs) [21], we demonstrate that for successful protein extraction from E. coli membrane fractions, the solubilizing detergent associates preferentially to IMPs rather than to membrane lipids. Notably, this result is contrary to the generally accepted mechanism of detergent-mediated IMP solubilization. We find that for one particular member of the family of proteins studied (E. coli receptor kinases, which is purified in mixed multimeric states and oligomerizes through its transmembrane region), the protein oligomeric composition is largely unaffected by a 10-fold increase in protein concentration, by alteration of micelle properties through addition of other detergents to the PDC sample, or by a 20-fold variation in the detergent concentration used for solubilization of the IMP from the membrane. We observed that the conditions used for expression of the IMP, which impact protein density in the membrane, has the greatest influence on the IMP oligomeric structure. Finally, we argue that for concentrating PDCs smaller than 30 kDa, stirred concentration cells are less prone to over-concentration of detergent and are therefore more effective than centrifugal ultrafiltration devices.     

A kinetic study of protein-protein interactions.

Kinetic studies have been carried out of the monomer-dimer interaction of insulin, beta-lactoglobulin, and alpha-chymotrypsin using stopped-flow and temperature-jump techniques. The pH indicators bromothymol blue, bromophenol blue, and phenol red were used to monitor pH changes associated with the monomer-dimer interaction. In all three cases a kinetic process was observed which could be attributed to a simple monomer-dimer equilibrium, and association (k1) and dissociation (k-1) rate constants were determined. The results obtained are as follows: for insulin at 23 degrees C, pH 6.8, 0.125 M KNO3, k1 = 1.14 X 10(8) M-1 s-1, k-1 - 1.48 X 10(4)s(-1); for beta-lactoglobulin AB at 35 degrees C, pH 3.7, 0.025 M KNO3, d1 = 4.7 X 10(4) M-1 s-1, k-1 = 2.1 s-1; for alpha-chymotrypsin at 25 degreesC, pH 4.3, 0.05 M KNO3 k1 - 3.7 X 10(3) M-1 s-1, k-1 - 0.68 s-1. The kinetic behavior of the separated beta-lactoglobulin A and B was similar to that of the mixture. In the case of chymotrypsin, bromophenol blue was found to activate the enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate, and a rate process was observed with the temperature jump which could be attributed to a conformational change of the indicator-protein complex. The association rate constant for dimer formation of insulin approaches the value expected for a diffusion-controlled process, while the values obtained for the other two proteins are below those expected for a diffusion-controlled reaction unless unusally large steric and electrostatic effects are present.     

Self-association studies on the EphB2 receptor SAM domain using analytical ultracentrifugation

The self-association behavior of the Eph-kinases SAM domain has been studied in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, containing 0.14 M NaCl using concentration-dependent sedimentation equilibrium experiments. Only weak interactions typical for a monomer-dimer equilibrium up to at least 12 mg/mL were observed. Such concentrated solutions require a consideration of the non-ideality expressed by virial coefficients. A special centrifuge equation was used for the global analysis to estimate equilibrium constants based on the thermodynamic activities of the reactants. When neglecting this, the parameters deviate by about 20%. Association constants for dimerization of the EphB2-SAM domain vary between 163 M(-1) at 10 degrees C and 395 M(-1) at 32 degrees C, indicating hydrophobic forces are involved in the dimerization process. In solutions of about 12 mg/mL, less than 50% dimers are in solution and higher oligomers can be excluded.