Self-assembly of tunable protein suprastructures from recombinant oleosin.

Using recombinant amphiphilic proteins to self-assemble suprastructures would allow precise control over surfactant chemistry and the facile incorporation of biological functionality. We used cryo-TEM to confirm self-assembled structures from recombinantly produced mutants of the naturally occurring sunflower protein, oleosin. We studied the phase behavior of protein self-assembly as a function of solution ionic strength and protein hydrophilic fraction, observing nanometric fibers, sheets, and vesicles. Vesicle membrane thickness correlated with increasing hydrophilic fraction for a fixed hydrophobic domain length. The existence of a bilayer membrane was corroborated in giant vesicles through the localized encapsulation of hydrophobic Nile red and hydrophilic calcein. Circular dichroism revealed that changes in nanostructural morphology in this family of mutants was unrelated to changes in secondary structure. Ultimately, we envision the use of recombinant techniques to introduce novel functionality into these materials for biological applications.

Controllable protein phase separation and modular recruitment to form responsive membraneless organelles.

Many intrinsically disordered proteins self-assemble into liquid droplets that function as membraneless organelles. Because of their biological importance and ability to colocalize molecules at high concentrations, these protein compartments represent a compelling target for bio-inspired materials engineering. Here we manipulated the intrinsically disordered, arginine/glycine-rich RGG domain from the P granule protein LAF-1 to generate synthetic membraneless organelles with controllable phase separation and cargo recruitment. First, we demonstrate enzymatically triggered droplet assembly and disassembly, whereby miscibility and RGG domain valency are tuned by protease activity. Second, we control droplet composition by selectively recruiting cargo molecules via protein interaction motifs. We then demonstrate protease-triggered controlled release of cargo. Droplet assembly and cargo recruitment are robust, occurring in cytoplasmic extracts and in living mammalian cells. This versatile system, which generates dynamic membraneless organelles with programmable phase behavior and composition, has important applications for compartmentalizing collections of proteins in engineered cells and protocells.

Fine-tuning sortase-mediated immobilization of protein layers on surfaces using sequential deprotection and coupling.

Increasing interest in protein immobilization on surfaces has heightened the need for techniques enabling layer-by-layer protein attachment. Here, we report a technique for controlling enzyme-mediated immobilization of layers of protein on the surface using a genetically encoded protecting group. An enterokinase-cleavable peptide sequence was inserted at the N-terminus of bifunctional fluorescent proteins containing Sortase A substrate recognition tags at both ends to control Sortase A-mediated protein immobilization on the surface layer-by-layer. Efficient, sequential immobilization of a second layer of protein using Sortase A required removal of the N-terminal protecting group, suggesting the method enables multilayer synthesis using cyclic deprotection and coupling steps. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:824-831, 2017.

An immobilized biotin ligase: surface display of Escherichia coli BirA on Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The Escherichia coli biotin ligase enzyme BirA has been extensively used in recent years to generate site-specifically biotinylated proteins via a biotin acceptor peptide tag. In the present study, BirA was displayed for the first time on the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the Aga1p-Aga2p platform and assayed using a peptide-tagged protein as the substrate. The enzyme is fully functional and resembles the soluble form in many of its properties, but the yeast-displayed enzyme demonstrates stability and reusability on the time scale of weeks. Thus, the yeast-displayed BirA system represents a facile and highly economical alternative for producing site-specifically biotinylated proteins.

Site-specific immobilization of protein layers on gold surfaces via orthogonal sortases.

We report a site-specific, sortase-mediated ligation to immobilize proteins layer-by-layer on a gold surface. Recombinant fluorescent proteins with a Sortase A recognition tag at the C-terminus were immobilized on peptide-modified gold surfaces. We used two sortases with different substrate specificities (Streptococcus pyogenes Sortase A and Staphylococcus aureus Sortase A) to immobilize layers of GFP and mCherry site-specifically on the gold surface. Surfaces were characterized using fluorescence and atomic force microscopy after immobilizing each layer of protein. Fluorescent micrographs showed that both protein immobilization on the modified gold surface and protein oligomerization are sortase-dependent. AFM images showed that either homogenous protein monolayers or layers of protein oligomers can be generated using appropriately tagged substrate proteins. Using Sortase A variants with orthogonal peptide substrate specificities, site-specific immobilization of appropriately tagged GFP onto a layer of immobilized mCherry was achieved without disruption of the underlying protein layer.

Isolation of αL I domain mutants mediating firm cell adhesion using a novel flow-based sorting method.

The inserted (I) domain of αLß2 integrin (LFA-1) contains the entire binding site of the molecule. It mediates both rolling and firm adhesion of leukocytes at sites of inflammation depending on the activation state of the integrin. The affinity change of the entire integrin can be mimicked by the I domain alone through mutations that affect the conformation of the molecule. High-affinity mutants of the I domain have been discovered previously using both rational design and directed evolution. We have found that binding affinity fails to dictate the behavior of I domain adhesion under shear flow. In order to better understand I domain adhesion, we have developed a novel panning method to separate yeast expressing a library of I domain variants on the surface by adhesion under flow. Using conditions analogous to those experienced by cells interacting with the post-capillary vascular endothelium, we have identified mutations supporting firm adhesion that are not found using typical directed evolution techniques that select for tight binding to soluble ligands. Mutants isolated using this method do not cluster with those found by sorting with soluble ligand. Furthermore, these mutants mediate shear-driven cell rolling dynamics decorrelated from binding affinity, as previously observed for I domains bearing engineered disulfide bridges to stabilize activated conformational states. Characterization of these mutants supports a greater understanding of the structure-function relationship of the αL I domain, and of the relationship between applied force and bioadhesion in a broader context.

Protein-protein fusion catalyzed by sortase A.

Chimeric proteins boast widespread use in areas ranging from cell biology to drug delivery. Post-translational protein fusion using the bacterial transpeptidase sortase A provides an attractive alternative when traditional gene fusion fails. We describe use of this enzyme for in vitro protein ligation and report the successful fusion of 10 pairs of protein domains with preserved functionality--demonstrating the robust and facile nature of this reaction.

Sortase A as a novel molecular "stapler" for sequence-specific protein conjugation.

The Sortase family of transpeptidase enzymes catalyzes sequence-specific ligation of proteins to the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria. Here, we describe the application of recombinant Staphylococcus aureus Sortase A to attach a tagged model protein substrate (green fluorescent protein) to polystyrene beads chemically modified with either alkylamine or the in vivo Sortase A ligand, Gly-Gly-Gly, on their surfaces. Furthermore, we show that Sortase A can be used to sequence-specifically ligate eGFP to amino-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) and to generate protein oligomers and cyclized monomers using suitably tagged eGFP. We find that an alkylamine can substitute for the natural Gly3 substrate, which suggests the possibility of using the enzyme in materials applications. The highly specific and mild Sortase A-catalyzed reaction, based on small recognition tags unlikely to interfere with protein expression, thus represents a useful addition to the protein immobilization and modification tool kit.

Post-translational regulation of expression and conformation of an immunoglobulin domain in yeast surface display.

Display of heterologous proteins on the surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is increasingly being exploited for directed evolution because of straightforward cell screens. However, yeast post-translationally modifies proteins in ways that must be factored into library engineering and refinement. Here, we express the extracellular immunoglobulin domain of an ubiquitous mammalian membrane protein, CD47, which is implicated in cancer, immunocompatibility, and motility. CD47 has multiple sites of glycosylation and a core disulfide bond. We assess the effects of both of these post-translational modifications on expression and antibody binding. CD47's extracellular domain is fused to the yeast mating protein Aga2p on the cell wall, and the resulting fusion protein binds several key antibodies, including a conformation-sensitive antibody. Site-by-site mutagenesis of CD47's five N-linked glycosylation sites progressively decreases expression levels on yeast, but folding appears stable. Cysteine mutations disrupt the expected core disulfide, and also decrease protein expression levels, though not to the extent seen with complete deglycosylation. However, with the core disulfide mutants, antibody binding proves to be lower than expected from expression levels and glycosylation is clearly reduced compared to wild-type. The results indicate that glycosylation regulates heterologous display on yeast more than core disulfides do and thus suggest bounds on directed evolution by post-translational processing.

Species- and cell type-specific interactions between CD47 and human SIRPalpha.

CD47 on red blood cells (RBCs) reportedly signals "self" by binding SIRPalpha on phagocytes, at least in mice. Such interactions across and within species, from mouse to human, are not yet clear and neither is the relation to cell adhesion. Using human SIRPalpha1 as a probe, antibody-inhibitable binding to CD47 was found only with human and pig RBCs (not mouse, rat, or cow). In addition, CD47-mediated adhesion of human and pig RBCs to SIRPalpha1 surfaces resists sustained forces in centrifugation (as confirmed by atomic force microscopy) but only at SIRPalpha-coating densities far above those measurable on human neutrophils, monocytes, and THP-1 macrophages. While interactions strengthen with deglycosylation of SIRPalpha1, low copy numbers explain the absence of RBC adhesion to phagocytes under physiologic conditions and imply that the interaction being studied is not responsible for red cell clearance in humans. Evidence of clustering nonetheless suggests mechanisms of avidity enhancement. Finally, using the same CD47 antibodies and soluble SIRPalpha1, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells were assayed and found to display CD47 but not bind SIRPalpha1 significantly. The results thus demonstrate that SIRPalpha-CD47 interactions, which reportedly define self, exhibit cell type specificity and limited cross-species reactivity.

Targeted worm micelles.

Giant and stable worm micelles formed from poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based diblock copolymer amphiphiles have the potential advantage compared to smaller assemblies for delivery of a large quantity of hydrophobic drugs or dyes per carrier. Here we show that worm micelles can be targeted to cells with internalization and delivery of nontoxic dyes as well as cytotoxic drugs. Constituent copolymers are end-biotinylated to mediate high affinity binding of worm micelles to both avidin-bearing surfaces and biotin-specific receptors on smooth muscle cells. Pristine worm micelles, that lack biotin, show much less frequent and nonspecific point attachments to the same surfaces. Biotinylated worm micelles prove stable in aqueous solution for at least a month and also prove capable of loading, retaining, and delivering hydrophobic dyes and drugs. The results thus demonstrate the feasibility of targeted delivery by polymeric worm micelles.

Protein 4.2 is critical to CD47-membrane skeleton attachment in human red cells.

The reduction in expression of the integral membrane protein CD47 in human red blood cells (RBCs) deficient in protein 4.2 suggests that protein 4.2 may mediate a linkage of CD47 to the membrane skeleton. We compared the fractions of membrane skeleton-attached CD47, Rh-associated glycoprotein (RhAG), Rh, and band 3 in normal and protein 4.2-deficient cells using fluorescence-imaged microdeformation. We found that CD47 attachment decreases from 55% in normal cells to 25% to 35% in 4.2-deficient cells. RhAG, which has been shown to have no significant variation in expression among the cells studied, shows a significant decrease in membrane skeleton attachment in 4.2-deficient cells from 60% to 40%. Both Rh and band 3, which have also been shown to have no change in expression, show a smaller decrease from 75% attached in normal RBCs to 55% attached in 4.2-deficient cells. In normal cells, Rh phenotype influences CD47 expression but not the level of membrane skeleton attachment of CD47. In contrast, the results indicate that protein 4.2 strongly influences CD47 levels as well as the extent of membrane skeleton attachment in the RBC, whereas protein 4.2 affects membrane skeletal attachment of RhAG, Rh, and band 3 to a lesser extent.