Biotinylated non-ionic amphipols for GPCR ligands screening.

We present herein the synthesis of biotin-functionalized polymers (BNAPols) that have been developed for the fixation of membrane proteins (MPs) onto surfaces. BNAPols were synthesized by free-radical polymerization of a tris(hydroxymethyl)acrylamidomethane (THAM)-derived amphiphilic monomer in the presence of a thiol-based transfer agent with an azido group. Then a Huisgen-cycloaddition reaction was performed with Biotin-(PEG)8-alkyne that resulted in formation of the biotinylated polymers. The designed structure of BNAPols was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy, and a HABA/avidin assay was used for estimating the percentage of biotin grafted on the polymer end chain. The colloidal characterization of these biotin-functionalized polymers was done using both dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. BNAPols were used to stabilize a model G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), the human Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor (GHSR), out of its membrane environment. Subsequent immobilization of the BNAPols:GHSR complex onto a streptavidin-coated surface allowed screening of ligands based on their ability to bind the immobilized receptor. This opens the way to the use of biotinylated NAPols to immobilize functional, unmodified, membrane proteins, providing original sensor devices for multiple applications including innovative ligand screening assays.

The Disordered Region of the HCV Protein NS5A: Conformational Dynamics, SH3 Binding, and Phosphorylation.

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) perform their physiological role without possessing a well-defined three-dimensional structure. Still, residual structure and conformational dynamics of IDPs are crucial for the mechanisms underlying their functions. For example, regions of transient secondary structure are often involved in molecular recognition, with the structure being stabilized (or not) upon binding. Long-range interactions, on the other hand, determine the hydrodynamic radius of the IDP, and thus the distance over which the protein can catch binding partners via so-called fly-casting mechanisms. The modulation of long-range interactions also presents a convenient way of fine-tuning the protein's interaction network, by making binding sites more or less accessible. Here we studied, mainly by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, residual secondary structure and long-range interactions in nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) from hepatitis C virus (HCV), a typical viral IDP with multiple functions during the viral life cycle. NS5A comprises an N-terminal folded domain, followed by a large (∼250-residue) disordered C-terminal part. Comparing nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of full-length NS5A with those of a protein construct composed of only the C-terminal residues 191-447 (NS5A-D2D3) allowed us to conclude that there is no significant interaction between the globular and disordered parts of NS5A. NS5A-D2D3, despite its overall high flexibility, shows a large extent of local residual (α-helical and ß-turn) structure, as well as a network of electrostatic long-range interactions. Furthermore, we could demonstrate that these long-range interactions become modulated upon binding to the host protein Bin1, as well as after NS5A phosphorylation by CK2. As the charged peptide regions involved in these interactions are well conserved among the different HCV genotypes, these transient long-range interactions may be important for some of the functions of NS5A over the course of the HCV life cycle.

Amphipols and photosynthetic light-harvesting pigment-protein complexes.

The trimeric light-harvesting complexes II (LHCII) of plants and green algae are pigment-protein complexes involved in light harvesting and photoprotection. Different conformational states have been proposed to be responsible for their different functions. At present, detergent-solubilized LHCII is used as a model for the "light-harvesting conformation", whereas the "quenched conformation" is mimicked by LHCII aggregates. However, none of these conditions seem to perfectly reproduce the properties of LHCII in vivo. In addition, several monomeric LHC complexes are not fully stable in detergent. There is thus a need to find conditions that allow analyzing LHCs in vitro in stable and, hopefully, more native-like conformations. Here, we report a study of LHCII, the major antenna complex of plants, in complex with amphipols. We have trapped trimeric LHCII and monomeric Lhcb1 with either polyanionic or non-ionic amphipols and studied the effect of these polymers on the properties of the complexes. We show that, as compared to detergent solutions, amphipols have a stabilizing effect on LHCII. We also show that the average fluorescence lifetime of LHCII trapped in an anionic amphipol is ~30% shorter than in α-dodecylmaltoside, due to the presence of a conformation with 230-ps lifetime that is not present in detergent solutions.

Amphipol-mediated screening of molecular orthoses specific for membrane protein targets.

Specific, tight-binding protein partners are valuable helpers to facilitate membrane protein (MP) crystallization, because they can i) stabilize the protein, ii) reduce its conformational heterogeneity, and iii) increase the polar surface from which well-ordered crystals can grow. The design and production of a new family of synthetic scaffolds (dubbed αReps, for "artificial alpha repeat protein") have been recently described. The stabilization and immobilization of MPs in a functional state are an absolute prerequisite for the screening of binders that recognize specifically their native conformation. We present here a general procedure for the selection of αReps specific of any MP. It relies on the use of biotinylated amphipols, which act as a universal "Velcro" to stabilize, and immobilize MP targets onto streptavidin-coated solid supports, thus doing away with the need to tag the protein itself.

Production of UCP1 a membrane protein from the inner mitochondrial membrane using the cell free expression system in the presence of a fluorinated surfactant.

Structural studies of membrane protein are still challenging due to several severe bottlenecks, the first being the overproduction of well-folded proteins. Several expression systems are often explored in parallel to fulfil this task, or alternately prokaryotic analogues are considered. Although, mitochondrial carriers play key roles in several metabolic pathways, only the structure of the ADP/ATP carrier purified from bovine heart mitochondria was determined so far. More generally, characterisations at the molecular level are restricted to ADP/ATP carrier or the uncoupling protein UCP1, another member of the mitochondrial carrier family, which is abundant in brown adipose tissues. Indeed, mitochondrial carriers have no prokaryotic homologues and very few efficient expression systems were described so far for these proteins. We succeeded in producing UCP1 using a cell free expression system based on E. coli extracts, in quantities that are compatible with structural approaches. The protein was synthesised in the presence of a fluorinated surfactant, which maintains the protein in a soluble form. Further biochemical and biophysical analysis such as size exclusion chromatography, circular dichroism and thermal stability, of the purified protein showed that the protein is non-aggregated, monodisperse and well-folded.

A class of mild surfactants that keep integral membrane proteins water-soluble for functional studies and crystallization.

Mixed protein-surfactant micelles are used for in vitro studies and 3D crystallization when solutions of pure, monodisperse integral membrane proteins are required. However, many membrane proteins undergo inactivation when transferred from the biomembrane into micelles of conventional surfactants with alkyl chains as hydrophobic moieties. Here we describe the development of surfactants with rigid, saturated or aromatic hydrocarbon groups as hydrophobic parts. Their stabilizing properties are demonstrated with three different integral membrane proteins. The temperature at which 50% of the binding sites for specific ligands are lost is used as a measure of stability and dodecyl-ß-D-maltoside ('C12-b-M') as a reference for conventional surfactants. One surfactant increased the stability of two different G protein-coupled receptors and the human Patched protein receptor by approximately 10°C compared to C12-b-M. Another surfactant yielded the highest stabilization of the human Patched protein receptor compared to C12-b-M (13°C) but was inferior for the G protein-coupled receptors. In addition, one of the surfactants was successfully used to stabilize and crystallize the cytochrome b(6 )f complex from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The structure was solved to the same resolution as previously reported in C12-b-M.

Stability study of the human G-protein coupled receptor, Smoothened.

Smoothened is a member of the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family responsible for the transduction of the Hedgehog signal to the intracellular effectors of the Hedgehog signaling pathway. Aberrant regulation of this receptor is implicated in many cancers but also in neurodegenerative disorders. Despite the pharmacological relevance of this receptor, very little is known about its functional mechanism and its physiological ligand. In order to characterize this receptor for basic and pharmacological interests, we developed the expression of human Smoothened in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Smoothened was then purified. Using Surface Plasmon Resonance technology, we showed that human Smoothened was in a native conformational state and able to interact with its antagonist, the cyclopamine, both at the yeast plasma membrane and after purification. Thermostability assays on purified human Smoothened showed that this GPCR is relatively stable in the classical detergent dodecyl-beta-d-maltoside (DDM). The fluorinated surfactant C(8)F(17)TAC, which has been proposed to be less aggressive towards membrane proteins than classical detergents, increased Smoothened thermostability in solution. Moreover, the replacement of a glycine by an arginine in the third intracellular loop of Smoothened coupled to the use of the fluorinated surfactant C(8)F(17)TAC during the mutant purification increased Smoothened thermostability even more. These data will be very useful for future crystallization assays and structural characterization of the human receptor Smoothened.

Functional studies of membrane-bound and purified human Hedgehog receptor Patched expressed in yeast.

The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signalling pathway plays an important role both in embryonic development and in adult stem cell function. Inappropriate regulation of this pathway is often due to dysfunction between two membrane receptors Patched (Ptc) and Smoothened (Smo), which lead to birth defects, cancer or neurodegenerative diseases. However, little is known about Ptc, the receptor of the Shh protein, and the way Ptc regulates Smo, the receptor responsible for the transduction of the signal. To develop structure-function studies of these receptors, we expressed human Ptc (hPtc) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We demonstrated that hPtc expressed in a yeast membrane fraction is able to interact with its purified ligand Shh, indicating that hPtc is produced in yeast in its native conformational state. Using Surface Plasmon Resonance technology, we showed that fluorinated surfactants preserve the ability of hPtc to interact with its ligand after purification. This is the first report on the heterologous expression and the purification of a native and stable conformation of the human receptor Ptc. This work will allow the scale-up of hPtc production enabling its biochemical characterization, allowing the development of new therapeutic approaches against diseases induced by Shh signalling dysfunction.

Hydrogenated and fluorinated surfactants derived from Tris(hydroxymethyl)-acrylamidomethane allow the purification of a highly active yeast F1-F0 ATP-synthase with an enhanced stability.

Loss of stability and integrity of large membrane protein complexes as well as their aggregation in a non-lipidic environment are the major bottlenecks to their structural studies. We have tested C(12)H(25)-S-poly-Tris-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamidomethane (H(12)-TAC) among many other detergents for extracting the yeast F(1)F(0) ATP-synthase. H(12)-TAC was found to be a very efficient detergent for removing the enzyme from mitochondrial membranes without altering its sensitivity towards specific ATP-synthase inhibitors. This extracted enzyme was then solubilized by either dodecyl maltoside (DDM), H(12)-TAC or fluorinated surfactants such as C(2)H(5)-C(6)F(12)-C(2)H(4)-S-poly-Tris-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamidomethane (H(2)F(6)-TAC) or C(6)F(13)-C(2)H(4)-S-poly-Tris-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamidomethane (F(6)-TAC), two surfactants exhibiting a comparable polar head to H(12)-TAC but bearing a fluorinated hydrophobic tail. Preparations from enzymes purified in the presence of H(12)-TAC were found to be more adapted for AFM imaging than ATP-synthase purified with DDM. Keeping H(12)-TAC during the Ni-NTA IMAC purification step or replacing it by DDM at low concentrations did not however allow preserving enzyme activity, while fluorinated surfactants H(2)F(6)-TAC and F(6)-TAC were found to enhance enzyme stability and integrity as indicated by sensitivity towards inhibitors. ATPase specific activity was higher with F(6)-TAC than with H(2)F(6)-TAC. When enzymes were mixed with egg phosphatidylcholine, ATP-synthases purified in the presence of H(2)F(6)-TAC or F(6)-TAC were more stable upon time than the DDM purified enzyme. Furthermore, in the presence of lipids, an activation of ATP-synthases was observed that was transitory for enzymes purified with DDM, but lasted for weeks for ATP-synthases isolated in the presence of molecules with Tris polyalcoholic moieties. Relipidated enzymes prepared with fluorinated surfactants remained highly sensitive towards inhibitors, even after 6 weeks.

New tensio-active molecules stabilize a human G protein-coupled receptor in solution.

Structural characterization of membrane proteins is hampered by the instability of the isolated proteins in detergent solutions. Here, we describe a new class of phospholipid-like surfactants that stabilize the G protein-coupled receptor, BLT1. These compounds, called C(13)U(9), C(13)U(19), C(15)U(25) and C(17)U(16), were synthesized by radical polymerization of Tris(hydroxymethyl) acrylamidomethane in the presence of thioglycerol, first endowed with two hydrocarbon chains with variable lengths (13-17 carbon atoms), as transfer reagent. C(13)U(19), C(17)U(16) or C(15)U(25) significantly enhanced the stability of BLT1 in solution compared to what was obtained with common detergents. These molecules therefore represent a promising step towards the structural characterization of BLT1 and possibly other membrane proteins.

Fine-tuning the amphiphilicity: a crucial parameter in the design of potent alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone analogues.

A new series of hydrophilic, lipophilic, and amphiphilic alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) derivatives were synthesized to explore the relationship between their hydrophilic-lipophilic properties and antioxidant potency. Very potent protective effects of amphiphilic lactobionamide and tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane PBN derivatives were observed in mitochondrial preparations, in cell cultures, and in rotifers exposed to unspecific and mitochondria targeted oxidotoxins.

A new amphiphilic derivative, N-{[4-(lactobionamido)methyl]benzylidene}-1,1-dimethyl-2-(octylsulfanyl)ethylamine N-oxide, has a protective effect against copper-induced fulminant hepatitis in Long-Evans Cinnamon rats at an extremely low concentration compared with its original form alpha-phenyl-N-(tert-butyl) nitrone.

An amphiphilic alpha-phenyl-N-(tert-butyl) nitrone (PBN) derivative, N-{[4-(lactobionamido)methyl]benzylidene}-1,1-dimethyl-2-(octylsulfanyl)ethylamine N-oxide (LPBNSH), newly synthesized from its original form PBN in hopes of clinical use, was intraperitoneally administered to Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats every 2 days at the concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg. We found that LPBNSH protected against copper-induced hepatitis with jaundice in LEC rats at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg, which were extremely low compared with that of PBN. It also effectively prevented the loss of body weight, reduced the death rate, and suppressed the increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase values arising from fulminant hepatitis with jaundice at the same concentrations. Similar results were observed when PBN was administered at the concentration of 150 mg/kg. Immunohistochemical analysis of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine and measurement of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances in the liver showed that LPBNSH largely suppressed the formation of these oxidative products at same concentrations. No difference in the abnormal accumulation of copper in the liver between the LPBNSH administered and control groups was observed. From these results, it was concluded that LPBNSH exhibited liver-protective effects against fulminant hepatitis with jaundice at ca. 1/1000, 500 the molar concentration of PBN and, therefore, was clinically promising.

Fluorinated amphiphilic amino acid derivatives as antioxidant carriers: a new class of protective agents.

The use of classical antioxidants is limited by their low bioavailabilities, and therefore, high doses are usually required to display significant protective activity. In a recent article (J. Med. Chem. 2003, 46, 5230) we showed that the ability of the alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) to restore the viability of ATPase-deficient human skin fibroblasts was greatly enhanced by grafting it on a fluorinated amphiphilic carrier. With the aim of extending this concept to other antioxidants, we present here the design, the synthesis, and the physicochemical measurements of a new series of fluorinated amphiphilic antioxidant derivatives. The hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and the radical reducing potency of these newly designed compounds were respectively demonstrated in an ABTS competition and an ABTS(*+) reduction assay. We also showed that the protective effects of amphiphilic antioxidants derived from PBN, Trolox (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid) or lipoic acid (5-[1,2]-dithiolan-3-ylpentanoic acid) in primary cortical mixed cell cultures exposed to oxidotoxins are greatly improved compared to their parent compounds in the following rank-order: (1) PBN, (2) Trolox, and (3) lipoic acid. In contrast, the protective activity of indole-3-propionic acid was slightly decreased by grafting it on the amphiphilic carrier. Similar observations were made in in vivo experiments using aquatic invertebrate microorganisms, called rotifers, which were exposed to lethal concentrations of nonselective (H(2)O(2)) and mitochondria-selective (doxorubicin) oxidotoxins. The conclusion of these studies is that fluorinated amphiphilic PBN, Trolox, and lipoic acid derivatives exhibit very potent protective activities in in vitro and in vivo experiments. The findings demonstrated herein therefore strongly suggest that the amphiphilic character enhances the bioavailability of the antioxidants and allows for a selective targeting of mitochondria.

Determination of phase transition temperatures of lipids by light scattering.

Various techniques have been proposed to specify the phase transition temperatures of surfactant molecules. The work reported herein deals with a new general method of T(c) determination based on the optical properties' modifications of aqueous surfactant solutions when the phase transitions occur in the phospholipid membrane. The shape alteration of supramolecular systems induced by the phase transition was correlated with the refraction and absorption coefficients of their aqueous dispersion. The mean count rate (average number of photons detected per second) measured with a Zetasizer Nano-S model ZEN1600 Dynamic Light Scattering Instrument, is representative of an emerging macroscopic phenomenon, but not directly size dependent and has been adapted to our expectations. Changes in the measured scattering intensity reflect changes in the optical properties of the material during temperature variations. Thus, this method allowed to specify the phase transition temperature of many natural or synthetic surfactants independently of their polar head or hydrophobic part.

The inclusion complex of rosmarinic acid into beta-cyclodextrin: A thermodynamic and structural analysis by NMR and capillary electrophoresis.

This work focuses on the characterization of the rosmarinic acid (RA)-ß-cyclodextrin (CD) complex in aqueous solution by (1)H NMR (1D- and 2D-ROESY), completed with studies by capillary electrophoresis (CE). From the (1)H NMR data, the stoichiometry of the complex was determined by a Job's plot and the binding constant was estimated from a linear regression (Scott's method). At pH 2.9, the results showed that RA binds CD with a 1:1 stoichiometry and a binding constant Kb of 445 (±53) M(-1) or 465 (±81) M(-1) depending on the CD protons (H-5 or H-3) selected for the evaluation. The Kb value was also calculated from the CD-induced chemical shifts of each RA proton in order to collect information on the structure of the complex. The pH dependence of Kb revealed that the RA carboxylic form displays the highest affinity for CD. An investigation by capillary electrophoresis fully confirmed these results. 2D ROESY analysis provided detailed structural information on the complex and showed a strong correlation between H-3 and H-5 of CD and most RA protons. In conclusion, RA, an efficient phenolic antioxidant from rosemary with a marketing authorization, spontaneously forms a relatively stable inclusion complex with CD in water.

Exotic aqueous behavior of synthetic lipids: formation of vesicular nanotubes.

The work reported herein deals with the synthesis and the aggregation behavior studies of synthetic lipids bearing a non-ionic polar head made up of a tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane (tris) moiety linked with an aminoglycerol interface. The hydrophobic chains with variable lengths were grafted onto the hydroxyl functions of the aminoglycerol residue through ester or carbamate bonds. Tiny chemical modifications within this family of non-ionic surfactants brought about major variations in their aggregation behavior. They formed vesicles, tubules, and also small stable end-capped tubules - called vesicular nanotubes -, when the polar head bore two heptadecyl chains linked through a carbamate bond. Various techniques (nanosizer measurements, freeze fracture electron microscopy (FFEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), carboxyfluorescein (CF)) encapsulation were used to specify the structure of these assemblies. Notably, the vesicular nanotubes exhibited a small size, a fair polydispersity, great stability in an aqueous solution (up to 1 year) and a good efficiency to entrap and slowly release a probe such as carboxyfluoresceine: all these properties are perfectly suitable for their use as potential drug carriers.

Use of dynamic light scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering to characterize new surfactants in solution conditions for membrane-protein crystallization.

The structural and interactive properties of two novel hemifluorinated surfactants, F2H9-ß-M and F4H5-ß-M, the syntheses of which were based on the structure and hydrophobicity of the well known dodecyl-ß-maltoside (DD-ß-M), are described. The shape of their micellar assemblies was characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering and their intermicellar interactions in crystallizing conditions were measured by dynamic light scattering. Such information is essential for surfactant phase-diagram determination and membrane-protein crystallization.

Synthesis and preliminary biological evaluations of ionic and nonionic amphiphilic alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone derivatives.

In this study we report the synthesis of a series of new amphiphilic compounds derived from alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN). The nitrone function was fitted into the core of the molecule between its polar and apolar groups. The polar head consisted of a lactobionamide, an ammonium, or a carboxylate group. The hydrophobic part consisted of a hydro- or a perfluorocarbon chain. The hydrophobic chain was linked to the tert-butyl group of the PBN derivatives using an urethane, a thioether, or an amide bond. The impact of these different parameters on the hydrophilic lipophilic balance of these compounds and their spin trap activity were studied. The various ESR measurements indicated that the aromatic and tert-butyl functional groups of PBN did not affect its spin trap properties. Moreover, these compounds were found to increase the viability of cultured human skin fibroblasts harboring the neurogenic ataxia retinitis pigmentosa mutation and presenting a severe ATPase deficiency.

Synthesis of a Glycolipidic Amphiphilic Nitrone as a New Spin Trap.

The synthesis of a new amphiphilic nitrone, A, derived from a digalactosyl tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane bearing a perfluorocarbon chain is described. A exhibited a surfactant behavior (cmc = 1.6 x 10(-)(5) mol/L), and the specific recognition of the galactosyl moiety grafted on A by the KbCWL1 membrane lectin was established. Preliminary experiments showed that A was able to trap free radicals in aqueous media, the shape of the observed ESR spectra being strongly dependent upon the nature of the trapped free radical.

Stabilization of polymerized vesicular systems: an application of the dynamic molecular shape concept.

A series of glycolipid surfactants derived from Tris(hydroxymethyl)acrylamidomethane (THAM) and bearing hydrocarbon or perfluorocarbon tails and an acryloyl group attached to their polar head was prepared to explore the aqueous behavior of the supramolecular systems they form. The dispersion of surfactants was achieved in water under ultrasonication conditions. Hydrocarbon compounds give heterogeneous vesicular assemblies. In the case of perfluorocarbon derivatives homogeneous vesicles were obtained. However after 1-day storage, all these systems fuse. To stabilize these vesicles, polymerization by ultra violet (UV) irradiation was carried out. During this reaction, a precipitation in water was observed for the hydrocarbon surfactants, whereas fluorocarbon structures provide stable vesicles without any alteration of their size. According to these results, the polymerization process was achieved, in the case of hydrocarbon glycolipid, in the presence of different cosurfactants bearing a single hydrocarbon tail or a polyhydroxylated head and a cholesterol terminus. In such conditions, homogeneous stable vesicles were prepared. Moreover, the THAM derived telomers bearing a cholesterol terminus were able to stabilize and reduce the size of vesicles formed with synthetic glycolipid surfactants. The drug encapsulation ability of these systems was investigated by measurement of the release kinetics of a fluorescent dye, carboxyfluorescein (CF), before and after polymerization.