Surface Charge Can Modulate Phase Separation of Multidomain Proteins.

Phase separation has emerged as an important mechanism explaining the formation of certain biomolecular condensates. Biological phase separation is often driven by the multivalent interactions of modular protein domains. Beyond valency, the physical features of folded domains that promote phase separation are poorly understood. We used a model system─the small ubiquitin modifier (SUMO) and its peptide ligand, the SUMO interaction motif (SIM)─to examine how domain surface charge influences multivalency-driven phase separation. Phase separation of polySUMO and polySIM was altered by pH via a change in the protonation state of SUMO surface histidines. These effects were recapitulated by histidine mutations, which modulated SUMO solubility and polySUMO-polySIM phase separation in parallel and were quantitatively explained by atomistic modeling of weak interactions among proteins in the system. Thus, surface charge can tune the phase separation of multivalent proteins, suggesting a means of controlling phase separation biologically, evolutionarily, and therapeutically.

ATP-competitive inhibitors modulate the substrate binding cooperativity of a kinase by altering its conformational entropy.

ATP-competitive inhibitors are currently the largest class of clinically approved drugs for protein kinases. By targeting the ATP-binding pocket, these compounds block the catalytic activity, preventing substrate phosphorylation. A problem with these drugs, however, is that inhibited kinases may still recognize and bind downstream substrates, acting as scaffolds or binding hubs for signaling partners. Here, using protein kinase A as a model system, we show that chemically different ATP-competitive inhibitors modulate the substrate binding cooperativity by tuning the conformational entropy of the kinase and shifting the populations of its conformationally excited states. Since we found that binding cooperativity and conformational entropy of the enzyme are correlated, we propose a new paradigm for the discovery of ATP-competitive inhibitors, which is based on their ability to modulate the allosteric coupling between nucleotide and substrate-binding sites.

Structure-Function Properties in Disordered Condensates.

Biomolecular condensates appear throughout the cell serving a wide variety of functions. Many condensates appear to form by the assembly of multivalent molecules, which produce phase-separated networks with liquidlike properties. These networks then recruit client molecules, with the total composition providing functionality. Here we use a model system of poly-SUMO and poly-SIM proteins to understand client-network interactions and find that the structure of the network plays a strong role in defining client recruitment and thus functionality. The basic unit of assembly in this system is a zipperlike filament composed of alternating poly-SUMO and poly-SIM molecules. These filaments have defects of unsatisfied bonds that allow for both the formation of a 3D network and the recruitment of clients. The filamentous structure constrains the scaffold stoichiometries and the distribution of client recruitment sites that the network can accommodate. This results in a nonmonotonic client binding response that can be tuned independently by the client valence and binding energy. These results show how the interactions within liquid states can be disordered yet still contain structural features that provide functionality to the condensate.

Multi-state recognition pathway of the intrinsically disordered protein kinase inhibitor by protein kinase A.

In the nucleus, the spatiotemporal regulation of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA-C) is orchestrated by an intrinsically disordered protein kinase inhibitor, PKI, which recruits the CRM1/RanGTP nuclear exporting complex. How the PKA-C/PKI complex assembles and recognizes CRM1/RanGTP is not well understood. Using NMR, SAXS, fluorescence, metadynamics, and Markov model analysis, we determined the multi-state recognition pathway for PKI. After a fast binding step in which PKA-C selects PKI's most competent conformations, PKI folds upon binding through a slow conformational rearrangement within the enzyme's binding pocket. The high-affinity and pseudo-substrate regions of PKI become more structured and the transient interactions with the kinase augment the helical content of the nuclear export sequence, which is then poised to recruit the CRM1/RanGTP complex for nuclear translocation. The multistate binding mechanism featured by PKA-C/PKI complex represents a paradigm on how disordered, ancillary proteins (or protein domains) are able to operate multiple functions such as inhibiting the kinase while recruiting other regulatory proteins for nuclear export.

Globally correlated conformational entropy underlies positive and negative cooperativity in a kinase's enzymatic cycle.

Enzymes accelerate the rate of chemical transformations by reducing the activation barriers of uncatalyzed reactions. For signaling enzymes, substrate recognition, binding, and product release are often rate-determining steps in which enthalpy-entropy compensation plays a crucial role. While the nature of enthalpic interactions can be inferred from structural data, the molecular origin and role of entropy in enzyme catalysis remains poorly understood. Using thermocalorimetry, NMR, and MD simulations, we studied the conformational landscape of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A, a ubiquitous phosphoryl transferase involved in a myriad of cellular processes. Along the enzymatic cycle, the kinase exhibits positive and negative cooperativity for substrate and nucleotide binding and product release. We found that globally coordinated changes of conformational entropy activated by ligand binding, together with synchronous and asynchronous breathing motions of the enzyme, underlie allosteric cooperativity along the kinase's cycle.

Simultaneous detection of intra- and inter-molecular paramagnetic relaxation enhancements in protein complexes.

Paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) measurements constitute a powerful approach for detecting both permanent and transient protein-protein interactions. Typical PRE experiments require an intrinsic or engineered paramagnetic site on one of the two interacting partners; while a second, diamagnetic binding partner is labeled with stable isotopes (15N or 13C). Multiple paramagnetic labeled centers or reversed labeling schemes are often necessary to obtain sufficient distance restraints to model protein-protein complexes, making this approach time consuming and expensive. Here, we show a new strategy that combines a modified pulse sequence (1HN-Γ2-CCLS) with an asymmetric labeling scheme to enable the detection of both intra- and inter-molecular PREs simultaneously using only one sample preparation. We applied this strategy to the non-covalent dimer of ubiquitin. Our method confirmed the previously identified binding interface for the transient di-ubiquitin complex, and at the same time, unveiled the internal structural dynamics rearrangements of ubiquitin upon interaction. In addition to reducing the cost of sample preparation and speed up PRE measurements, by detecting the intra-molecular PRE this new strategy will make it possible to measure and calibrate inter-molecular distances more accurately for both symmetric and asymmetric protein-protein complexes.

A dynamic hydrophobic core orchestrates allostery in protein kinases.

Eukaryotic protein kinases (EPKs) constitute a class of allosteric switches that mediate a myriad of signaling events. It has been postulated that EPKs' active and inactive states depend on the structural architecture of their hydrophobic cores, organized around two highly conserved spines: C-spine and R-spine. How the spines orchestrate the transition of the enzyme between catalytically uncommitted and committed states remains elusive. Using relaxation dispersion nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we found that the hydrophobic core of the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A, a prototypical and ubiquitous EPK, moves synchronously to poise the C subunit for catalysis in response to binding adenosine 5'-triphosphate. In addition to completing the C-spine, the adenine ring fuses the ß structures of the N-lobe and the C-lobe. Additional residues that bridge the two spines (I150 and V104) are revealed as part of the correlated hydrophobic network; their importance was validated by mutagenesis, which led to inactivation. Because the hydrophobic architecture of the catalytic core is conserved throughout the EPK superfamily, the present study suggests a universal mechanism for dynamically driven allosteric activation of kinases mediated by coordinated signal transmission through ordered motifs in their hydrophobic cores.

Uncoupling Catalytic and Binding Functions in the Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase A.

The canonical function of kinases is to transfer a phosphoryl group to substrates, initiating a signaling cascade; while their non-canonical role is to bind other kinases or substrates, acting as scaffolds, competitors, and signal integrators. Here, we show how to uncouple kinases' dual function by tuning the binding cooperativity between nucleotide (or inhibitors) and substrate allosterically. We demonstrate this new concept for the C subunit of protein kinase A (PKA-C). Using thermocalorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance, we found a linear correlation between the degree of cooperativity and the population of the closed state of PKA-C. The non-hydrolyzable ATP analog (ATPγC) does not follow this correlation, suggesting that changing the chemical groups around the phosphoester bond can uncouple kinases' dual function. Remarkably, this uncoupling was also found for two ATP-competitive inhibitors, H89 and balanol. Since the mechanism for allosteric cooperativity is not conserved in different kinases, these results may suggest new approaches for designing selective kinase inhibitors.

A Semiautomated Assignment Protocol for Methyl Group Side Chains in Large Proteins.

The developments of biosynthetic specific labeling strategies for side-chain methyl groups have allowed structural and dynamic characterization of very large proteins and protein complexes. However, the assignment of the methyl-group resonances remains an Achilles' heel for NMR, as the experiments designed to correlate side chains to the protein backbone become rather insensitive with the increase of the transverse relaxation rates. In this chapter, we outline a semiempirical approach to assign the resonances of methyl-group side chains in large proteins. This method requires a crystal structure or an NMR ensemble of conformers as an input, together with NMR data sets such as nuclear Overhauser effects (NOEs) and paramagnetic relaxation enhancements (PREs), to be implemented in a computational protocol that provides a probabilistic assignment of methyl-group resonances. As an example, we report the protocol used in our laboratory to assign the side chains of the 42-kDa catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A. Although we emphasize the labeling of isoleucine, leucine, and valine residues, this method is applicable to other methyl group side chains such as those of alanine, methionine, and threonine, as well as reductively methylated cysteine side chains.

Mapping the Hydrogen Bond Networks in the Catalytic Subunit of Protein Kinase A Using H/D Fractionation Factors.

Protein kinase A is a prototypical phosphoryl transferase, sharing its catalytic core (PKA-C) with the entire kinase family. PKA-C substrate recognition, active site organization, and product release depend on the enzyme's conformational transitions from the open to the closed state, which regulate its allosteric cooperativity. Here, we used equilibrium nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) fractionation factors (φ) to probe the changes in the strength of hydrogen bonds within the kinase upon binding the nucleotide and a pseudosubstrate peptide (PKI5-24). We found that the φ values decrease upon binding both ligands, suggesting that the overall hydrogen bond networks in both the small and large lobes of PKA-C become stronger. However, we observed several important exceptions, with residues displaying higher φ values upon ligand binding. Notably, the changes in φ values are not localized near the ligand binding pockets; rather, they are radiated throughout the entire enzyme. We conclude that, upon ligand and pseudosubstrate binding, the hydrogen bond networks undergo extensive reorganization, revealing that the open-to-closed transitions require global rearrangements of the internal forces that stabilize the enzyme's fold.

Dysfunctional conformational dynamics of protein kinase A induced by a lethal mutant of phospholamban hinder phosphorylation.

The dynamic interplay between kinases and substrates is crucial for the formation of catalytically committed complexes that enable phosphoryl transfer. However, a clear understanding on how substrates modulate kinase structural dynamics to control catalytic efficiency is still missing. Here, we used solution NMR spectroscopy to study the conformational dynamics of two complexes of the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A with WT and R14 deletion phospholamban, a lethal human mutant linked to familial dilated cardiomyopathy. Phospholamban is a central regulator of heart muscle contractility, and its phosphorylation by protein kinase A constitutes a primary response to ß-adrenergic stimulation. We found that the single deletion of arginine in phospholamban's recognition sequence for the kinase reduces its binding affinity and dramatically reduces phosphorylation kinetics. Structurally, the mutant prevents the enzyme from adopting conformations and motions committed for catalysis, with concomitant reduction in catalytic efficiency. Overall, these results underscore the importance of a well-tuned structural and dynamic interplay between the kinase and its substrates to achieve physiological phosphorylation levels for proper Ca(2+) signaling and normal cardiac function.

Synchronous opening and closing motions are essential for cAMP-dependent protein kinase A signaling.

Conformational fluctuations play a central role in enzymatic catalysis. However, it is not clear how the rates and the coordination of the motions affect the different catalytic steps. Here, we used NMR spectroscopy to analyze the conformational fluctuations of the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA-C), a ubiquitous enzyme involved in a myriad of cell signaling events. We found that the wild-type enzyme undergoes synchronous motions involving several structural elements located in the small lobe of the kinase, which is responsible for nucleotide binding and release. In contrast, a mutation (Y204A) located far from the active site desynchronizes the opening and closing of the active cleft without changing the enzyme's structure, rendering it catalytically inefficient. Since the opening and closing motions govern the rate-determining product release, we conclude that optimal and coherent conformational fluctuations are necessary for efficient turnover of protein kinases.

FLAMEnGO 2.0: an enhanced fuzzy logic algorithm for structure-based assignment of methyl group resonances.

We present an enhanced version of the FLAMEnGO (Fuzzy Logic Assignment of Methyl Group) software, a structure-based method to assign methyl group resonances in large proteins. FLAMEnGO utilizes a fuzzy logic algorithm coupled with Monte Carlo sampling to obtain a probability-based assignment of the methyl group resonances. As an input, FLAMEnGO requires either the protein X-ray structure or an NMR structural ensemble including data such as methyl-methyl NOESY, paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE), methine-methyl TOCSY data. Version 2.0 of this software (FLAMEnGO 2.0) has a user-friendly graphic interface and presents improved modules that enable the input of partial assignments and additional NMR restraints. We tested the performance of FLAMEnGO 2.0 on maltose binding protein (MBP) as well as the C-subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA-C). FLAMEnGO 2.0 can be used as a standalone method or to assist in the completion of partial resonance assignments and can be downloaded at www.chem.umn.edu/groups/veglia/forms/flamengo2-form.html.

NMR mapping of protein conformational landscapes using coordinated behavior of chemical shifts upon ligand binding.

Proteins exist as an ensemble of conformers that are distributed on free energy landscapes resembling folding funnels. While the most stable conformers populate low energy basins, protein function is often carried out through low-populated conformational states that occupy high energy basins. Ligand binding shifts the populations of these states, changing the distribution of these conformers. Understanding how the equilibrium among the states is altered upon ligand binding, interaction with other binding partners, and/or mutations and post-translational modifications is of critical importance for explaining allosteric signaling in proteins. Here, we propose a statistical analysis of the linear trajectories of NMR chemical shifts (CONCISE, COordiNated ChemIcal Shifts bEhavior) for the interpretation of protein conformational equilibria. CONCISE enables one to quantitatively measure the population shifts associated with ligand titrations and estimate the degree of collectiveness of the protein residues' response to ligand binding, giving a concise view of the structural transitions. The combination of CONCISE with thermocalorimetric and kinetic data allows one to depict a protein's approximate conformational energy landscape. We tested this method with the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A, a ubiquitous enzyme that undergoes conformational transitions upon both nucleotide and pseudo-substrate binding. When complemented with chemical shift covariance analysis (CHESCA), this new method offers both collective response and residue-specific correlations for ligand binding to proteins.

Synthetic fibronectin peptide exerts neuroprotective effects on transient focal brain ischemia in rats.

Leukocytes have been investigated during the past decade for their roles in secondary tissue damage after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Peptide PRARIY, a synthetic fibronectin peptide, has shown an anti-adhesion effect in in vitro studies. Previous studies have demonstrated that anti-adhesion agents lead to reductions in apoptosis. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the peptide PRARIY displays anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and neuroprotective effects following transient focal brain ischemia in rats. Twenty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats (300-350 g) were randomly divided into three groups: phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) controls, PRARI controls, and PRARIY treatments. The right middle cerebral artery was transiently occluded using a 4-0 nylon suture. One hour later, the occluder was withdrawn, and reperfusion was maintained for 48 h. Immediately after reperfusion, the peptides (20 mg/kg, dissolved in PBS) and the same volume of PBS were continuously infused through the right external carotid artery using an osmotic minipump for 24 h. Neurological deficits were examined at 3, 24, and 48 h after ischemia. Forty-eight hours after reperfusion, the rats were sacrificed for determining infarction size, leukocyte infiltration, and apoptosis in the ischemia area. Unexpectedly, PRARIY did not influence leukocyte infiltration. However, PRARIY-treated rats showed significantly functional outcome, reduction of infarction size, decrease of TUNEL positive cells, and increase of Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic protein) positive cells in the ischemic areas when compared to the controls. These data indicate that the peptide PRARIY exerts its neuroprotective effects via supporting neural cell survival rather than anti-leukocyte recruitment following brain ischemia/reperfusion injury.