A2A Adenosine Receptor Partial Agonism Related to Structural Rearrangements in an Activation Microswitch.

In drug design, G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) partial agonists enable one to fine-tune receptor output between basal and maximal signaling levels. Here, we add to the structural basis for rationalizing and monitoring partial agonism. NMR spectroscopy of partial agonist complexes of the A2A adenosine receptor (A2AAR) revealed conformations of the P-I-F activation motif that are distinctly different from full agonist complexes. At the intracellular surface, different conformations of helix VI observed for partial and full agonist complexes manifest a correlation between the efficacy-related structural rearrangement of this activation motif and intracellular signaling to partner proteins. While comparisons of A2AAR in complexes with partial and full agonists with different methods showed close similarity of the global folds, this NMR study now reveals subtle but distinct local structural differences related to partial agonism.

OCRE Domains of Splicing Factors RBM5 and RBM10: Tyrosine Ring-Flip Frequencies Determined by Integrated Use of 1 H NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

The 55-residue OCRE domains of the splicing factors RBM5 and RBM10 contain 15 tyrosines in compact, globular folds. At 25 °C, all 15 tyrosines show symmetric 1 H NMR spectra, with averaged signals for the pairs of δ- and ϵ-ring hydrogens. At 4 °C, two tyrosines were identified as showing 1 H NMR line-broadening due to lowered frequency of the ring-flipping. For the other 13 tyrosine rings, it was not evident, from the 1 H NMR data alone, whether they were either all flipping at high frequencies, or whether slowed flipping went undetected due to small chemical-shift differences between pairs of exchanging ring hydrogen atoms. Here, we integrate 1 H NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to determine the tyrosine ring-flip frequencies. In the RBM10-OCRE domain, we found that, for 11 of the 15 tyrosines, these frequencies are in the range 2.0×106 to 1.3×108  s-1 , and we established an upper limit of <1.0×106  s-1 for the remaining four residues. The experimental data and the MD simulation are mutually supportive, and their combined use extends the analysis of aromatic ring-flip events beyond the limitations of routine 1 H NMR line-shape analysis into the nanosecond frequency range.

NMR Characterization of Information Flow and Allosteric Communities in the MAP Kinase p38γ.

The intramolecular network structure of a protein provides valuable insights into allosteric sites and communication pathways. However, a straightforward method to comprehensively map and characterize these pathways is not currently available. Here we present an approach to characterize intramolecular network structure using NMR chemical shift perturbations. We apply the method to the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38γ. p38γ contains allosteric sites that are conserved among eukaryotic kinases as well as unique to the MAPK family. How these regulatory sites communicate with catalytic residues is not well understood. Using our method, we observe and characterize for the first time information flux between regulatory sites through a conserved kinase infrastructure. This network is accessed, reinforced, and broken in various states of p38γ, reflecting the functional state of the protein. We demonstrate that the approach detects critical junctions in the network corresponding to biologically significant allosteric sites and pathways.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Structure of a Novel Globular Domain in RBM10 Containing OCRE, the Octamer Repeat Sequence Motif.

The OCtamer REpeat (OCRE) has been annotated as a 42-residue sequence motif with 12 tyrosine residues in the spliceosome trans-regulatory elements RBM5 and RBM10 (RBM [RNA-binding motif]), which are known to regulate alternative splicing of Fas and Bcl-x pre-mRNA transcripts. Nuclear magnetic resonance structure determination showed that the RBM10 OCRE sequence motif is part of a 55-residue globular domain containing 16 aromatic amino acids, which consists of an anti-parallel arrangement of six ß strands, with the first five strands containing complete or incomplete Tyr triplets. This OCRE globular domain is a distinctive component of RBM10 and is more widely conserved in RBM10s across the animal kingdom than the ubiquitous RNA recognition components. It is also found in the functionally related RBM5. Thus, it appears that the three-dimensional structure of the globular OCRE domain, rather than the 42-residue OCRE sequence motif alone, confers specificity on RBM10 intermolecular interactions in the spliceosome.

Origin and correction of magnetic field inhomogeneity at the interface in biphasic NMR samples.

The use of susceptibility matching to minimize spectral distortion of biphasic samples layered in a standard 5 mm NMR tube is described. The approach uses magic angle spinning (MAS) to first extract chemical shift differences by suppressing bulk magnetization. Then, using biphasic coaxial samples, magnetic susceptibilities are matched by titration with a paramagnetic salt. The matched phases are then layered in a standard NMR tube where they can be shimmed and examined. Linewidths of two distinct spectral lines, selected to characterize homogeneity in each phase, are simultaneously optimized. Two-dimensional distortion-free, slice-resolved spectra of an octanol/water system illustrate the method. These data are obtained using a 2D stepped-gradient pulse sequence devised for this application. Advantages of this sequence over slice-selective methods are that acquisition efficiency is increased and processing requires only conventional software.