Structural characterization of styrene-maleic acid copolymer-lipid nanoparticles (SMALPs) using EPR spectroscopy.

Spectroscopic studies of membrane proteins (MPs) are challenging due to difficulties in preparing homogenous and functional lipid membrane mimetic systems into which membrane proteins can properly fold and function. It has recently been shown that styrene-maleic acid (SMA) copolymers act as a macromolecular surfactant and therefore facilitate the formation of disk-shaped lipid bilayer nanoparticles (styrene-maleic acid copolymer-lipid nanoparticles (SMALPs)) that retain structural characteristics of native lipid membranes. We have previously reported controlled synthesis of SMA block copolymers using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and that alteration of the weight ratio of styrene to maleic acid affects nanoparticle size. RAFT-synthesis offers superior control over SMA polymer architecture compared to conventional radical polymerization techniques used for commercially available SMA. However, the interactions between the lipid bilayer and the solubilized RAFT-synthesized SMA polymer are currently not fully understood. In this study, EPR spectroscopy was used to detect the perturbation on the acyl chain upon introduction of the RAFT-synthesized SMA polymer by attaching PC-based nitroxide spin labels to the 5th, 12th, and 16th positions along the acyl chain of the lipid bilayer. EPR spectra showed high rigidity at the 12th position compared to the other two regions, displaying similar qualities to commercially available polymers synthesized via conventional methods. In addition, central EPR linewidths and correlation time data were obtained that are consistent with previous findings.

Characterization of the structure of lipodisq nanoparticles in the presence of KCNE1 by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy.

A recently developed membrane mimetic system called styrene maleic acid lipid particles (SMALPs) or lipodisq nanoparticles has shown to possess significant potential for biophysical studies of membrane proteins. This new nanoparticle system is composed of lipids encircled by SMA copolymers. Previous studies showed that SMA copolymers are capable of extracting membrane proteins directly from their native environments without the assistance of detergents. However, a full structural characterization of this promising membrane mimetic system is still lacking. In this study, the formation of lipodisq nanoparticles was characterized upon addition of the membrane protein KCNE1. Initially, multi-lamellar vesicles (MLVs) containing KCNE1 (KCNE1-MLVs) at a lipid to protein molar ratio of 500/1 were prepared using a standard dialysis method. SMA copolymers were then added to KCNE1-MLVs at a series of lipid to SMA weight ratios to observe the solubilizing property of SMA in the presence of the KCNE1 membrane protein. The solubilizing process of KCNE1-MLVs by SMA copolymers undergoes a transition phase at low SMA concentrations (samples with weight ratios of 1/0.25, 1/0.5, and 1/0.75). More lipodisq nanoparticles were formed at higher SMA concentrations (Samples with weight ratios of 1/1, 1/1.25, and 1/1.5) were directly observed in the corresponding TEM images. A single sharp DLS peak was observed from the sample at the weight ratio of 1/1.5, which indicated the complete solubilization of KCNE1-MLVs. Interestingly, the critical weight ratio for empty MLVs was found to be 1/1.25 previously, which suggested that the presence of KCNE1 makes it more difficult for the solubilizing process of the SMA copolymers. Also, a TEM image of the 1/1.5 sample showed the presence of silky aggregates of excess copolymers. Overall, this study demonstrated the ability of SMA copolymers to form lipodisq nanoparticles in the presence of the membrane protein KCNE1.

Development of electron spin echo envelope modulation spectroscopy to probe the secondary structure of recombinant membrane proteins in a lipid bilayer.

Membrane proteins conduct many important biological functions essential to the survival of organisms. However, due to their inherent hydrophobic nature, it is very difficult to obtain structural information on membrane-bound proteins using traditional biophysical techniques. We are developing a new approach to probe the secondary structure of membrane proteins using the pulsed EPR technique of Electron Spin Echo Envelope Modulation (ESEEM) Spectroscopy. This method has been successfully applied to model peptides made synthetically. However, in order for this ESEEM technique to be widely applicable to larger membrane protein systems with no size limitations, protein samples with deuterated residues need to be prepared via protein expression methods. For the first time, this study shows that the ESEEM approach can be used to probe the local secondary structure of a (2) H-labeled d8 -Val overexpressed membrane protein in a membrane mimetic environment. The membrane-bound human KCNE1 protein was used with a known solution NMR structure to demonstrate the applicability of this methodology. Three different α-helical regions of KCNE1 were probed: the extracellular domain (Val21), transmembrane domain (Val50), and cytoplasmic domain (Val95). These results indicated α-helical structures in all three segments, consistent with the micelle structure of KCNE1. Furthermore, KCNE1 was incorporated into a lipid bilayer and the secondary structure of the transmembrane domain (Val50) was shown to be α-helical in a more native-like environment. This study extends the application of this ESEEM approach to much larger membrane protein systems that are difficult to study with X-ray crystallography and/or NMR spectroscopy.