Structure and dynamics of the phospholipase C-delta1 pleckstrin homology domain located at the lipid bilayer surface

Despite the importance of signal transduction pathways at membrane surfaces, there have been few means of investigating their molecular mechanisms based on the structural information of membrane-bound proteins. We applied solid state NMR as a novel method to obtain structural information about the phospholipase C-delta1 (PLC-delta1) pleckstrin homology (PH) domain at the lipid bilayer surface. NMR spectra of the alanine residues in the vicinity of the beta5/beta6 loop in the PH domain revealed changes in local conformations due to the membrane localization of the protein. We propose that these conformational changes originate from a hydrophobic interaction between the amphipathic alpha-helix located in the beta5/beta6 loop and the hydrophobic layer of the membrane and contribute to the membrane binding affinity, interdomain interactions and intermolecular interactions of PLC-delta1.