Cys351 and Cys361 of the Na+/glucose cotransporter are important for both function and cell-surface expression

Here, we identify Cys351 and Cys361 as novel residues critical for the function and plasma membrane targeting of the Na+/glucose transporter-1 (SGLT1). HEK-293 cells expressing the C351A and C361A mutants showed no detectable Na(+)-coupled uptake for alpha-methyl glucoside (AMG). Cell-surface biotinylation and Western blot revealed that the two mutants were overexpressed in 293 cells; however, none of them exhibited normal cell-surface expression. When reconstituted in proteoliposomes, mutant SGLT1s demonstrated significantly lower affinity for AMG compared with the wild-type transporter. Incubation with the reducing agent dithiothreitol did not alter the catalytic activity of wild-type protein, but surprisingly, it nearly restored the ability of SGLT1-C351A and -C361A to bind and translocate AMG. Thus, the C351A and C361A mutations might cause a global reorganization of the disulfide bonds of SGLT1. Furthermore, we showed that a double mutation (C351A/C361A) restored the cell-surface expression of the single C-to-A mutants (C351A and C361A).     

Identification of a disulfide bridge linking the fourth and the seventh extracellular loops of the Na+/glucose cotransporter

The Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) is an archetype for the SLC5 family, which is comprised of Na+-coupled transporters for sugars, myo-inositol, choline, and organic anions. Application of the reducing agent dithriothreitol (DTT, 10 mM) to oocytes expressing human SGLT1 affects the protein's presteady-state currents. Integration of these currents at different membrane potentials (Vm) produces a Q-V curve, whose form was shifted by +25 mV due to DTT. The role of the 15 endogenous cysteine residues was investigated by expressing SGLT1 constructs, each bearing a single mutation for an individual cysteine, in Xenopus oocytes, using two-microelectrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology and fluorescent labeling. 12 of the 15 mutants were functional and could be separated into three distinct groups based on the effect of the mutation on the Q-V curve: four mutants did not perturb the transferred charge, six mutants shifted the Q-V curve towards negative potentials, and two mutants (C255A and C511A) produced a shift in the positive direction that was identical to the shift produced by DTT on the wild-type (wt) SGLT1. The double mutant C(255,511)A confirms that the effects of each single mutant on the Q-V curve were not additive. With respect to wt SGLT1, the apparent affinities for alpha-methylglucose (alphaMG) were increased in a similar manner for the single mutants C255A and C511A, the double mutant C(255,511)A as well as for wt SGLT1 treated with DTT. When exposed to a maleimide-based fluorescent probe, wt SGLT1 was not significantly labeled but mutants C255A and C511A could be clearly labeled, indicating an accessible cysteine residue. These residues are presumed to be C511 and C255, respectively, as the double mutant C(255,511)A could not be labeled. These results strongly support the hypothesis that C255 and C511 form a disulfide bridge in human SGLT1 and that this disulfide bridge is involved in the conformational change of the free carrier.     

Disulfide bridge engineering in the tachykinin NK1 receptor

As in most other seven-transmembrane receptors, the central disulfide bridge from the extracellular end of TM-III to the middle of the second extracellular loop was essential for ligand binding in the NK1 receptor. However, introduction of "extra", single Cys residues in the second extracellular loop, at positions where disease-associated Cys substitutions impair receptor function in the vasopressin V2 receptor and in rhodopsin, did not cause mispairing with the Cys residues involved in this central disulfide bridge. Cys residues were introduced in the N-terminal extension and in the third extracellular loop, respectively, in such a way that disulfide bridge formation could be monitored by loss of substance P binding and breakage of the bridge could be monitored by gain of ligand binding. This disulfide bridge formed spontaneously in the whole population of receptors and could be titrated with low concentrations of reducing agent, dithiothreitol. Another putative disulfide bridge "switch" was constructed at the extracellular ends of TM-V and -VI, i.e., at positions where a high-affinity zinc site previously had been constructed with His substitutions. Disulfide bridge formation at this position, monitored by loss of binding of the nonpeptide antagonist [3H]LY303.870, occurred spontaneously only in a small fraction of the receptors. It is concluded that disulfide bridges form readily between Cys residues introduced appropriately in the N-terminal extension and the third extracellular loop, whereas they form with more difficulty between Cys residues placed at the extracellular ends of the transmembrane segments even at positions where high-affinity metal ion sites can be constructed with His residues.     

Binding of phlorizin to the C-terminal loop 13 of the Na(+)/glucose cotransporter does not depend on the [560-608] disulfide bond

The disulfide bonds of the Na(+)/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) are believed to participate in the binding of the transport inhibitor phlorizin. Here, we investigated the role of the [560-608] disulfide bond on the phlorizin-binding function of the C-terminal loop 13 of SGLT1 using 3-iodoacetamidophlorizin (3-IAP) as a probe. The reactivity of 3-IAP to the fully reduced loop 13 was competitively inhibited by phlorizin, as evident from the MALDI mass spectra. It indicates that the disulfide bond is not mandatory for phlorizin binding. CD and equilibrium unfolding studies showed that the secondary structure and conformation stability of loop 13 were not affected by removing the disulfide bond. Furthermore, we generated a series of loop 13 mutants to assess the contribution of the disulfide bond to phlorizin binding. A positive correlation between the stability and phlorizin affinity of the mutant proteins was observed, implying that the protein stability, rather than the disulfide bond, is relevant to the phlorizin-binding function of loop 13.     

Binding of phlorizin to the isolated C-terminal extramembranous loop of the Na+/glucose cotransporter assessed by intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence

Phlorizin, a phloretin 2'-glucoside, is a potent inhibitor of the Na(+)/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1). On the basis of transport studies in intact cells, a binding site for phlorizin was suggested in the region between amino acids 604-610 of the C-terminal loop 13. To further investigate phlorizin binding titration experiments of the intrinsic Trp fluorescence of isolated wild-type loop 13 and two mutated loops (Y604K and G609K) were carried out. Phlorizin (135 microM) produced approximately 40% quenching of the fluorescence of wild-type loop 13; quenching could also be observed with the two mutated loops. The apparent K(d) was lowest for the wild-type loop 13 (K(d) approximately 23 microM), followed by mutant G609K (57 microM) and mutant Y604K (70 microM). Binding of phlorizin was further confirmed by a decrease of the accessibility of loop 13 to the collisional quencher acrylamide. The interaction involves the aromatic moiety of the aglucone since phloretin (the aglucone of phlorizin) showed almost the same effects as phlorizin, while d-glucose did not. MALDI-TOF experiments revealed that loop 13 contained a disulfide bond between Cys 560 and Cys 608 that is very important for phlorizin-dependent fluorescence quenching. These studies provide direct evidence that loop 13 is a site (important amino acids including 604-609) for the molecular interaction between SGLT1 and phlorizin. They confirm that the aglucone part of the glucoside is responsible for this interaction.     

The covalent structure of the elastase inhibitor from Anemonia sulcata--a "non-classical" Kazal-type protein

The amino-acid sequence of the proteinase inhibitor specific for elastases from the sea anemone Anemonia sulcata was determined from performic-acid oxidized inhibitor and from three cyanogen bromide fragments of reduced and carboxymethylated inhibitor. The molecule consists of a single polypeptide chain formed from 48 amino-acid residues and is stabilized by three intramolecular disulfide bridges. After cyanogen bromide cleavage of the native protein at methionines 10 and 28 followed by chymotryptic cleavage two fragments each containing a single disulfide bridge were isolated. These indicated the location of three intramolecular disulfide linkages between Cys4 and Cys34 (part of A-loop), Cys8 and Cys27 (B-loop) and Cys16 and Cys48 (C-loop). The sequential homology and the disulfide pattern identified the elastase inhibitor as a Kazal-type inhibitor in which, however, not only the CysI-CysII segment is rather short but interestingly the Cys4-Cys34 disulfide anchoring point (i.e. CysI-CysV) in the C-loop is shifted by one turn in the alpha-helical segment towards the C-terminus. Thus, the elastase inhibitor is a non-classical Kazal-type inhibitor with respect to the positioning of the half-cystines. The inhibitor molecule was modelled based on the known three-dimensional structure of the silver pheasant ovomucoid third domain. The shortened amino-terminal segment was arranged in such a manner to allow disulfide bridge formation between the first cysteine Cys4 and the replaced Cys34 under maintenance of a suitable binding loop conformation. The characteristic ovomucoid scaffold consisting of a central alpha-helix, an adjacent three-stranded beta-sheet and the proteinase-binding loop cross-connected through disulfide bridges CysI-CysV and CysIII-CysVI was conserved.     

Mutations of either or both Cys876 and Cys888 residues of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase result in a complete loss of Ca2+ transport activity without a loss of Ca2+-dependent ATPase activity. Role of the CYS876-CYS888 disulfide bond.

Disulfide-containing peptides in pepsin digest of sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles were identified by using a fluorogenic thiol-specific reagent 4-fluoro-7-sulfamoylbenzofurazan and a reductant tributylphosphine. Sequencing of the purified peptides revealed the presence of a Cys(876)-Cys(888) disulfide bond on the luminal loop connecting the 7th and 8th transmembrane helices (loop 7-8) of the Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA1a). We substituted either or both of these cysteine residues with alanine and made three mutants (C876A, C888A, C876A/C888A), in which the disulfide bond is disrupted. The mutants and the wild type were expressed in COS-1 cells, and functional analysis was performed with the microsomes isolated from the cells. Electrophoresis performed under reducing and non-reducing conditions confirmed the presence of Cys(876)-Cys(888) disulfide bond in the expressed wild type. All the three mutants possessed high Ca(2+)-ATPase activity. In contrast, no Ca(2+) transport activity was detected with these mutants. These mutants formed almost the same amount of phosphoenzyme intermediate as the wild type from ATP and from P(i). Detailed kinetic analysis showed that the three mutants hydrolyze ATP in the mechanism well accepted for the Ca(2+)-ATPase; activation of the catalytic site upon high affinity Ca(2+) binding, formation of ADP-sensitive phosphoenzyme, subsequent rate-limiting transition to ADP-insensitive phosphoenzyme, and hydrolysis of the latter phosphoenzyme. It is likely that the pathway for delivery of Ca(2+) from the binding sites into the lumen of vesicles is disrupted by disruption of the Cys(876)-Cys(888) disulfide bond, and therefore that the loop 7-8 having the disulfide bond is important for formation of the proper structure of the Ca(2+) pathway.     

Echistatin disulfide bridges: selective reduction and linkage assignment.

Echistatin is the smallest member of the disintegrin family of snake venom proteins, containing four disulfides in a peptide chain of 49 residues. Partial assignment of disulfides has been made previously by NMR and chemical approaches. A full assignment was made by a newly developed chemical approach, using partial reduction with tris-(2-carboxyethyl)-phosphine at acid pH. Reduction proceeded in a stepwise manner at pH 3, and the intermediates were isolated by high performance liquid chromatography. Alkylation of free thiols, followed by sequencer analysis, enabled all four bridges to be identified: (1) at 20 degrees C a single bridge linking Cys 2-Cys 11 was broken, giving a relatively stable intermediate; (2) with further treatment at 41 degrees C the bridges Cys 7-Cys 32 and Cys 8-Cys 37 became accessible to the reagent and were reduced at approx. equal rates; (3) the two bicyclic peptides produced in this manner were less stable and could be reduced at 20 degrees C to a peptide that retains a single bridge linking Cys 20-Cys 39; and (4) the monocyclic peptide can be reduced to the linear molecule at 20 degrees C. Some disulfide exchange occurred during alkylation of the bicyclic intermediates, but results unambiguously show the pattern to be [2-11; 7-32; 8-37; 20-39]. A comparison is made with kistrin, a longer disintegrin whose disulfide structure has been proposed from NMR analysis.     

Identification of human vesicle monoamine transporter (VMAT2) lumenal cysteines that form an intramolecular disulfide bond

The vesicle monoamine transporter (VMAT2) concentrates monoamine neurotransmitter into synaptic vesicles. To obtain structural information regarding this large membrane protein by analysis of disulfide bonds and other intramolecular cross-links, we engineered a strategic thrombin cleavage site into deglycosylated, HA-tagged human VMAT2. Insertion of this protease site did not disrupt ligand binding or serotonin transport. Thrombin cleavage at an engineered site in the predicted cytoplasmic loop between transmembrane (TM) domains 6 and 7 (loop 6/7) was rapid and quantitative in the absence of any detergent. The loop 6/7 thrombin site allowed assessment of an intramolecular disulfide bond between the N- and C-terminal halves of the transporter. Consistent with this hypothesis, after quantitative loop 6/7 thrombin cleavage, in the absence of reducing agent, VMAT2 migrated on SDS-polyacrylamide gels as a full-length transporter. Addition of dithiothreitol resulted in complete conversion from full-length to thrombin-cleaved size, demonstrating a DTT-reversible covalent bond. The identity of the disulfide-bound cysteine pair was suggested by the observation that replacement of Cys 126 or Cys 333 with serine both reduced [(3)H]serotonin transport. Replacement of either Cys 126 or Cys 333 was found to eliminate the DTT-reversible intramolecular covalent bond. We conclude that human VMAT2 Cys 126 in loop 1/2 and Cys 333 in loop 7/8 form a disulfide bond which contributes to efficient monoamine transport.     

Controlled syntheses of natural and disulfide-mispaired regioisomers of alpha-conotoxin SI.

Methods are reported for the unambiguous syntheses of all three possible disulfide regioisomers with the sequence of alpha-conotoxin SI, a tridecapeptide amide from marine cone snail venom that binds selectively to the muscle subtype of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The naturally occurring peptide has two 'interlocking' disulfide bridges connecting Cys2-Cys7 and Cys3-Cys13 (2/7&3/13), while in the two mispaired isomers the disulfide bridges connect Cys2-Cys13 and Cys3-Cys7 (2/13 & 3/7, 'nested') and Cys2-Cys3 and Cys7-Cys13 (2/3 & 7/13, 'discrete'), respectively. Alignment of disulfide bridges was controlled at the level of orthogonal protection schemes for the linear precursors, assembled by Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis on acidolyzable tris(alkoxy)benzylamide (PAL) supports. Side-chain protection of cysteine was provided by suitable pairwise combination of the S-9H-xanthen-9-yl (Xan) and S-acetamidomethyl (Acm) protecting groups. The first disulfide bridge was formed from the corresponding bis(thiol) precursor obtained by selective deprotection of S-Xan, and the second disulfide bridge was formed by orthogonal co-oxidation of S-Acm groups on the remaining two Cys residues. It was possible to achieve the desired alignments with either order of loop formation (smaller loop before larger, or vice versa). The highest overall yields were obtained when both disulfides were formed in solution, while experiments where either the first or both bridges were formed while the peptide was on the solid support revealed lower overall yields and poorer selectivities towards the desired isomers.     

Packing of the transmembrane helices of Na,K-ATPase: direct contact between beta-subunit and H8 segment of alpha-subunit revealed by oxidative cross-linking

Spatial relationships among the transmembrane (TM) segments of alpha- and beta-subunits of the Na,K-ATPase molecule have been investigated using oxidative induction of disulfide bonds. The catalytic alpha-subunit contains 10 TM alpha-helices (H1-H10) with 9 Cys residues located within or close to the membrane moiety. There is one Cys residue in the single TM segment of beta-subunit (Hbeta). Previously, the cross-linking products containing the beta-subunit and two fragments of alpha-subunit (the N-terminal containing H1-H2 helices and the C-terminal containing H7-H10 helices) have been identified in experiments with membrane-bound or detergent-solubilized preparations of the membrane moiety of trypsin-digested Na,K-ATPase [Sarvazyan, N. A., Modyanov, N. N., and Askari, A. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 26528-26532 and Sarvazyan, N. A., Ivanov, A., Modyanov, N. N., and Askari, A. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 7855-7858]. Here, we have shown that Cu(2+)-phenanthroline treatment of digitonin-solubilized preparation provides the most efficient formation of intersubunit cross-linked product that is predominantly a dimer of beta-subunit and a 22-kDa C-terminal alpha-fragment containing H7-H10 helices. This cross-linked product was isolated and subjected to CNBr cleavage. The resulting fragments were electrophoretically separated and sequenced. A 17-kDa peptide composed of Ile853-Met942 alpha-fragment and Ala5-Met56 beta-fragment was identified as a product of intersubunit disulfide cross-link between Cys44 of Hbeta and either Cys911 or Cys930, located in H8. This provides the first direct experimental evidence of the juxtaposition of Hbeta and H8 within the Na,K-ATPase molecule. The second detected cross-linked product was composed of alpha-fragments Lys947-Met963 and Tyr974-Tyr1016 linked by induced disulfide bridge between Cys964 (H9) and Cys983 (H10). The spatial proximity of these Cys residues defines the mutual orientation of H9 and H10 helices of alpha-subunit.     

Entropic folding pathway of human epidermal growth factor explored by disulfide scrambling and amplified collective motion simulations

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) regulates cell proliferation and differentiation by binding to the EGF receptor (EGFR) extra-cellular domains. Human EGF is a small, single-chain protein comprising three distinct loops (A, B, and C), which are connected by three disulfide bridges (Cys6-Cys20, Cys14-Cys31, and Cys33-Cys42). These disulfide bridges are essential for structural stability and biological activity. EGF was extensively studied by disulfide scrambling, an experimental technique for the conformational entrapment of intermediate states, which allows us to study the folding pathway of proteins containing disulfide bonds. The experimental results showed that there is a major 2-disulfide intermediate (denoted EGF-II) and that the native disulfide bonding pattern is less prevalent in one of the mutants. In this article, we investigated for the first time the solution conformations of wild-type EGF, EGF-II, and the mutant S9C through extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in water using both the standard MD technique and a recently developed amplified-collective-motion (ACM) sampling method. Compared to standard MD simulations, we achieved a much more enhanced sampling by the ACM simulations, and the structures were sufficiently relaxed to estimate configurational entropies. The simulation results suggest a predominantly entropic folding pathway governed by the disorder of three functional loop regions. Although EGF-II exhibits two native disulfide bonds (Cys14-Cys31 and Cys33- Cys42), its large configurational entropy inhibits a direct transition to the native structure in the folding process. When Ser9 is mutated into Cys, a non-native disulfide bridge Cys9- Cys20 is slightly more favorable than the native Cys6-Cys20 because a less constrained N-terminus affords larger entropy. Isomers that are functionally less active also exhibit a more localized dynamics of the functional loop regions, which may suggest a possible mechanism for the modulation of EGF activity.     

E. coli propionyl-CoA synthetase is regulated in vitro by an intramolecular disulfide bond

The E. coli propionyl-CoA synthetase (PCS) was cloned, expressed, purified, and analyzed. Kinetic analyses suggested that the enzyme preferred propionate as substrate but would also use acetate. The purified, stored protein had relatively low activity but was activated up to about 10-fold by incubation with dithiothreitol (DTT). The enzyme activation by DTT was reversed by diamide. This suggests that the protein contains a regulatory disulfide bond and that the reduction to two sulfhydryl groups activates PCS while the oxidation to a disulfide leads to its inactivation. This idea was tested by sequential mutagenesis of the 9 Cys in the protein to Ala. It was revealed that the C128A and C315A mutants had wildtype enzyme activity but were no longer activated by DTT or inhibited by diamide. The data obtained indicate that two Cys residues could be involved in redox-regulated system through formation of an intramolecular disulfide bridge in PCS.     

A second disulfide bridge from the N-terminal domain to extracellular loop 2 dampens receptor activity in GPR39

A highly conserved feature across all families of 7TM receptors is a disulfide bridge between a Cys residue located at the extracellular end of transmembrane segment III (TM-III) and one in extracellular loop 2 (ECL-2). The zinc sensor GPR39 contains four Cys residues in the extracellular domains. By using mutagenesis, treatment with the reducing agent TCEP, and a labeling procedure for free sulfhydryl groups, we identify the pairing of these Cys residues in two disulfide bridges: the prototypical bridge between Cys (108) in TM-III and Cys (210) in ECL-2 and a second disulfide bridge connecting Cys (11) in the N-terminal domain with Cys (191) in ECL-2. Disruption of the conserved disulfide bond by mutagenesis greatly reduced the level of cell surface expression and eliminated agonist-induced increases in inositol phosphate production but surprisingly enhanced constitutive signaling. Disruption of the nonconserved disulfide bridge by mutagenesis led to an increase in the Zn (2+) potency. This phenotype, with an approximate 10-fold increase in agonist potency and a slight increase in E max, was mimicked by treatment of the wild-type receptor with TCEP at low concentrations, which had no effect on the receptor already lacking the second disulfide bridge and already displaying a high Zn (2+) potency. We conclude that the second disulfide bridge, which according to the beta2-adrenergic structure will form a covalent link across the entrance to the main ligand binding pocket, serves to dampen GPR39 activation. We suggest that formation of extra disulfide bridges may be an important general mechanism for regulating the activity of 7TM receptors.     

E. coli propionyl-CoA synthetase is regulated in vitro by an intramolecular disulfide bond

The E. coli propionyl-CoA synthetase (PCS) was cloned, expressed, purified, and analyzed. Kinetic analyses suggested that the enzyme preferred propionate as substrate but would also use acetate. The purified, stored protein had relatively low activity but was activated up to about 10-fold by incubation with dithiothreitol (DTT). The enzyme activation by DTT was reversed by diamide. This suggests that the protein contains a regulatory disulfide bond and that the reduction to two sulfhydryl groups activates PCS while the oxidation to a disulfide leads to its inactivation. This idea was tested by sequential mutagenesis of the 9 Cys in the protein to Ala. It was revealed that the C128A and C315A mutants had wildtype enzyme activity but were no longer activated by DTT or inhibited by diamide. The data obtained indicate that two Cys residues could be involved in redox-regulated system through formation of an intramolecular disulfide bridge in PCS.     

An intramolecular disulfide bridge as a catalytic switch for serotonin N-acetyltransferase

Serotonin N-acetyltransferase (EC. 2.3.1.87) (AA-NAT) is a melatonin rhythm-generating enzyme in pineal glands. To establish a melatonin rhythm, AA-NAT activity is precisely regulated through several signaling pathways. Here we show novel regulation of AA-NAT activity, in which an intramolecular disulfide bond may function as a switch for the catalysis. Recombinant AA-NAT activity was irreversibly inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) in an acetyl-CoA-protected manner. Oxidized glutathione or dissolved oxygen reversibly inhibited AA-NAT in an acetyl-CoA-protected manner. To identify the cysteine residues responsible for the inhibition, AA-NAT was first oxidized with dissolved oxygen, treated with NEM, reduced with dithiothreitol, and then labeled with [(14)C]NEM. Cys(61) and Cys(177) were specifically labeled in an acetyl-CoA-protected manner. The AA-NAT with the Cys(61) to Ala and Cys(177) to Ala double substitutions (C61A/C177A-AA-NAT) was fully active but did not exhibit sensitivity to either oxidation or NEM, whereas the AA-NATs with only the single substitutions retained about 40% of these sensitivities. An intramolecular disulfide bond between Cys(61) and Cys(177) formed upon oxidation and cleaved upon reduction was identified. Furthermore, C61A/C177A-AA-NAT expressed in COS7 cells was relatively insensitive to H(2)O(2)-evoked oxidative stress, whereas wild-type AA-NAT was strongly inhibited under the same conditions. These results indicate that the formation and cleavage of the disulfide bond between Cys(61) and Cys(177) produce the active and inactive states of AA-NAT. It is possible that intracellular redox conditions regulate AA-NAT activity through switching via an intramolecular disulfide bridge.     

Isomers of epidermal growth factor with Ser --> Cys mutation at the N-terminal sequence: isomerization, stability, unfolding, refolding, and structure

The structure of human epidermal growth factor (EGF, 53 amino acids) comprises three distinct loops (A, B, and C) connected correspondingly by the three native disulfide bonds, Cys(6)-Cys(20), Cys(14)-Cys(31), and Cys(33)-Cys(42). The connection of Cys(6) and Cys(20) forming the N-terminal A loop is essential for the biological activity of EGF [Barnham et al. (1998) Protein Sci. 7, 1738-1749] and has also been shown to represent a major kinetic trap in the oxidative folding of EGF [Chang et al. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 4845-4852]. To further understand the chemical nature of this kinetic trap, we have prepared three EGF mutants each with a single Ser --> Cys mutation at Ser residues (Ser(2), Ser(4), and Ser(9)) flanking Cys(6). This allows competition between Cys(6) and mutated Cys(2), Cys(4), and Cys(9) to link with Cys(20) and to form EGF isomers containing different sizes of the A loop. The results show that, in the cases of EGF(S2C) and EGF(S4C), native Cys(6)-Cys(20) is favored over Cys(2)-Cys(20) and Cys(4)-Cys(20) by 4.5- and 9-fold, respectively, in the state of equilibrium. However, in the case of EGF(S9C), a non-native Cys(9)-Cys(20) is thermodynamically more stable than the native Cys(6)-Cys(20) by a free-energy difference (DeltaG degrees ) of 1.12 kcal/mol. Implications of these data in the formation of kinetic trap of EGF folding are discussed. Stabilized isomers of EGF were further generated from denaturation of wild-type and mutant EGF via the method of disulfide scrambling. Properties of these diverse isomers of EGF, including their isomerization, stability, unfolding, refolding, and disulfide structures, are described in this paper.     

Structures of scrambled disulfide forms of the potato carboxypeptidase inhibitor predicted by molecular dynamics simulations with constraints

The structures of two species of potato carboxypeptidase inhibitor with nonnative disulfide bonds were determined by molecular dynamics simulations in explicit solvent using disulfide bond constraints that have been shown to work for the native species. Ten structures were determined; five for scrambled A (disulfide bonds between Cys8-Cys27, Cys12-Cys18, and Cys24-Cys34) and five for the scrambled C (disulfide bonds Cys8-Cys24, Cys12-Cys18, and Cys27-Cys34). The two scrambled species were both more solvent exposed than the native structure; the scrambled C species was more solvent exposed and less compact than the scrambled A species. Analysis of the loop regions indicates that certain loops in scrambled C are more nativelike than in scrambled A. These factors, combined with the fact that scrambled C has one native disulfide bond, may contribute to the observed faster conversion to the native structure from scrambled C than from scrambled A. Results from the PROCHECK program using the standard parameter database and a database specially constructed for small, disulfide-rich proteins indicate that the 10 scrambled structures have correct stereochemistry. Further, the results show that a characteristic feature of small, disulfide-rich proteins is that they score poorly using the standard PROCHECK parameter database. Proteins 2000;40:482-493.     

Effect of substrate on the pre-steady-state kinetics of the Na(+)/glucose cotransporter

When measuring Na(+)/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) activity in Xenopus oocytes with the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique, pre-steady-state currents dissipate completely in the presence of saturating alpha-methyl-glucose (alphaMG, a nonhydrolyzable glucose analog) concentrations. In sharp contrast, two SGLT1 mutants (C255A and C511A) that lack a recently identified disulfide bridge express the pre-steady-state currents in the presence of alphaMG. The dose-dependent effects of alphaMG on pre-steady-state currents were studied for wild-type (wt) SGLT1 and for the two mutants. Increases in alphaMG concentration reduced the total transferred charge (partially for the mutants, totally for wt SGLT1), shifted the transferred charge versus membrane potential (Q-V) curve toward positive potentials, and significantly modified the time constants of the pre-steady-state currents. A five-state kinetic model is proposed to quantitatively explain the effect of alphaMG on pre-steady-state currents. This analysis reveals that the reorientation of free transporter is the slowest step for wt SGLT1 either in the presence or in the absence of alphaMG. In contrast, the conformational change of the fully loaded mutant transporters constitutes their rate-limiting step in the presence of substrate and explains the persistence of pre-steady-state currents in this situation.     

Disulfide bonds in homo- and heterodimers of EF-hand subdomains of calbindin D9k: stability, calcium binding, and NMR studies.

The effect of decreased protein flexibility on the stability and calcium binding properties of calbindin D9k has been addressed in studies of a disulfide bridged calbindin D9k mutant, denoted (L39C + P43M + I73C), with substitutions Leu 39-->Cys, Ile 73-->Cys, and Pro 43-->Met. Backbone 1H NMR assignments show that the disulfide bond, which forms spontaneously under air oxidation, is well accommodated. The disulfide is inserted on the opposite end of the protein molecule with respect to the calcium sites, to avoid direct interference with these sites, as confirmed by 113Cd NMR. The effect of the disulfide bond on calcium binding was assessed by titrations in the presence of a chromophoric chelator. A small but significant effect on the cooperativity was found, as well as a very modest reduction in calcium affinity. The disulfide bond increases Tm, the transition midpoint of thermal denaturation, of calcium free calbindin D9k from 85 to 95 degrees C and Cm, the urea concentration of half denaturation, from 5.3 to 8.0 M. Calbindins with one covalent bond linking the two EF-hand subdomains are equally stable regardless if the covalent link is the 43-44 peptide bond or the disulfide bond. Kinetic remixing experiments show that separated CNBr fragments of (L39C + P43M + I73C), each comprising one EF-hand, form disulfide linked homodimers. Each homodimer binds two calcium ions with positive co-operativity, and an average affinity of 10(6) M-1. Disulfide linkage dramatically increases the stability of each homodimer. For the homodimer of the C-terminal fragment Tm increases from 59 +/- 2 without covalent linkage to 91 +/- 2 degrees C with disulfide, and Cm from approximately 1.5 to 7.5 M. The overall topology of this homodimer is derived from 1H NMR assignments and a few key NOEs.