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1.
Photosynth Res ; 159(2-3): 133-152, 2024 Mar.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37191762

RESUMO

Photo-induced triplet states in the thylakoid membranes isolated from the cyanobacterium Acaryocholoris marina, that harbours Chlorophyll (Chl) d as its main chromophore, have been investigated by Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR) and time-resolved Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (TR-EPR). Thylakoids were subjected to treatments aimed at poising the redox state of the terminal electron transfer acceptors and donors of Photosystem II (PSII) and Photosystem I (PSI), respectively. Under ambient redox conditions, four Chl d triplet populations were detectable, identifiable by their characteristic zero field splitting parameters, after deconvolution of the Fluorescence Detected Magnetic Resonance (FDMR) spectra. Illumination in the presence of the redox mediator N,N,N',N'-Tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) and sodium ascorbate at room temperature led to a redistribution of the triplet populations, with T3 (|D|= 0.0245 cm-1, |E|= 0.0042 cm-1) becoming dominant and increasing in intensity with respect to untreated samples. A second triplet population (T4, |D|= 0.0248 cm-1, |E|= 0.0040 cm-1) having an intensity ratio of about 1:4 with respect to T3 was also detectable after illumination in the presence of TMPD and ascorbate. The microwave-induced Triplet-minus-Singlet spectrum acquired at the maximum of the |D|-|E| transition (610 MHz) displays a broad minimum at 740 nm, accompanied by a set of complex spectral features that overall resemble, despite showing further fine spectral structure, the previously reported Triplet-minus-Singlet spectrum attributed to the recombination triplet of PSI reaction centre, 3 P 740 [Schenderlein M, Çetin M, Barber J, et al. Spectroscopic studies of the chlorophyll d containing photosystem I from the cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina. Biochim Biophys Acta 1777:1400-1408]. However, TR-EPR experiments indicate that this triplet displays an eaeaea electron spin polarisation pattern which is characteristic of triplet sublevels populated by intersystem crossing rather than recombination, for which an aeeaae polarisation pattern is expected instead. It is proposed that the observed triplet, which leads to the bleaching of the P740 singlet state, sits on the PSI reaction centre.


Assuntos
Cianobactérias , Complexo de Proteína do Fotossistema I , Tilacoides , Tilacoides/química , Complexo de Proteína do Fotossistema I/química , Clorofila/química , Complexo de Proteína do Fotossistema II/química , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica
2.
J Pept Sci ; 30(6): e3568, 2024 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38317295

RESUMO

Cyclopeptides hold significant relevance in various fields of science and medicine, due to their unique structural properties and diverse biological activities. Cyclic peptides, characterized by intrinsically higher conformational order, exhibit remarkable stability and resistance to proteolytic degradation, making them attractive candidates for developing targeted drug delivery systems. The aim of this work is to elucidate the unique coordination properties of the multi-His cyclic peptide with c(HDHKHPHHKHHP) sequence (HDCP - heterodomain cyclopeptide). This peptide, indeed, is able to form homo- and hetero-dinuclear complexes in a wide pH range, being thus a good chelator for Cu(II) ions. Herein, we present the results of a combined study, involving potentiometric, spectroscopic (UV-Vis, CD, and EPR), and computational investigations, on its coordination properties. To better understand the interaction pattern with Cu(II) metal ions, two other peptides, each one bearing only one of the two binding domains of HDCP are also considered in this study: c(HDHKHPGGKGGP) = CP1, c(GKGGKPHHKHHP) = CP2, which share sequence fragments of HDCP and allow separate investigations of its coordination domains.


Assuntos
Cobre , Peptídeos Cíclicos , Cobre/química , Peptídeos Cíclicos/química , Histidina/química , Ligação Proteica , Complexos de Coordenação/química , Concentração de Íons de Hidrogênio , Sequência de Aminoácidos
3.
Int J Mol Sci ; 25(3)2024 Feb 05.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38339189

RESUMO

Nqo15 is a subunit of respiratory complex I of the bacterium Thermus thermophilus, with strong structural similarity to human frataxin (FXN), a protein involved in the mitochondrial disease Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA). Recently, we showed that the expression of recombinant Nqo15 can ameliorate the respiratory phenotype of FRDA patients' cells, and this prompted us to further characterize both the Nqo15 solution's behavior and its potential functional overlap with FXN, using a combination of in silico and in vitro techniques. We studied the analogy of Nqo15 and FXN by performing extensive database searches based on sequence and structure. Nqo15's folding and flexibility were investigated by combining nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), circular dichroism, and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. Nqo15's iron-binding properties were studied using NMR, fluorescence, and specific assays and its desulfurase activation by biochemical assays. We found that the recombinant Nqo15 isolated from complex I is monomeric, stable, folded in solution, and highly dynamic. Nqo15 does not share the iron-binding properties of FXN or its desulfurase activation function.


Assuntos
Frataxina , Ataxia de Friedreich , Humanos , Complexo I de Transporte de Elétrons/metabolismo , Thermus thermophilus/metabolismo , Simulação de Dinâmica Molecular , Ferro/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ligação ao Ferro/metabolismo , Ataxia de Friedreich/metabolismo
4.
Int J Mol Sci ; 23(9)2022 Apr 27.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35563202

RESUMO

Carotenoids represent the first line of defence of photosystems against singlet oxygen (1O2) toxicity, because of their capacity to quench the chlorophyll triplet state (3Chl) through a physical mechanism based on the transfer of triplet excitation (triplet-triplet energy transfer, TTET). In previous works, we showed that the antenna LHCII is characterised by a robust photoprotective mechanism, able to adapt to the removal of individual chlorophylls while maintaining a remarkable capacity for 3Chl quenching. In this work, we investigated the effects on this quenching induced in LHCII by the replacement of the lutein bound at the L1 site with violaxanthin and zeaxanthin. We studied LHCII isolated from the Arabidopsis thaliana mutants lut2-in which lutein is replaced by violaxanthin-and lut2 npq2, in which all xanthophylls are replaced constitutively by zeaxanthin. We characterised the photophysics of these systems via optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) and time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TR-EPR). We concluded that, in LHCII, lutein-binding sites have conserved characteristics, and ensure efficient TTET regardless of the identity of the carotenoid accommodated.


Assuntos
Arabidopsis , Luteína , Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Carotenoides/metabolismo , Clorofila/metabolismo , Transferência de Energia , Complexos de Proteínas Captadores de Luz/metabolismo , Complexo de Proteína do Fotossistema II/metabolismo , Xantofilas/química , Zeaxantinas/metabolismo
5.
Molecules ; 27(12)2022 Jun 07.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35744779

RESUMO

A magnetophotoselection (MPS) investigation of the photoexcited triplet state of chlorophyll a both in a frozen organic solvent and in a protein environment, provided by the water-soluble chlorophyll protein (WSCP) of Lepidium virginicum, is reported. The MPS experiment combines the photoselection achieved by exciting with linearly polarized light with the magnetic selection of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, allowing the determination of the relative orientation of the optical transition dipole moment and the zero-field splitting tensor axes in both environments. We demonstrate the robustness of the proposed methodology for a quantitative description of the excitonic interactions among pigments. The orientation of the optical transition dipole moments determined by the EPR analysis in WSCP, identified as an appropriate model system, are in excellent agreement with those calculated in the point-dipole approximation. In addition, MPS provides information on the electronic properties of the triplet state, localized on a single chlorophyll a pigment of the protein cluster, in terms of orientation of the zero-field splitting tensor axes in the molecular frame.


Assuntos
Clorofila , Lepidium , Clorofila/química , Clorofila A/metabolismo , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Lepidium/metabolismo , Complexos de Proteínas Captadores de Luz/química , Água/química
6.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl ; 61(32): e202204787, 2022 08 08.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35670285

RESUMO

Water-soluble melanin-protein-Fe/Cu conjugates derived from norepinephrine and fibrillar ß-lactoglobulin are reliable models for neuromelanin (NM) of human brain locus coeruleus. Both iron and copper promote catecholamine oxidation and exhibit strong tendency to remain coupled in oligonuclear aggregates. The Fe-Cu clusters are EPR silent and affect the 1 H NMR spectra of the conjugates through a specific sequence of signals. Derivatives containing only Fe or Cu exhibit different NMR patterns. The EPR spectra show weak signals of paramagnetic FeIII in conjugates containing Fe or mixed Fe-Cu sites due to small amounts of mononuclear centers. The latter derivatives exhibit EPR signals for isolated CuII centers. These features parallel the EPR behavior of NM from locus coeruleus. The spectral data indicate that FeIII is bound to the melanic fraction, whereas CuII is bound on the protein fibrils, suggesting that the Fe-Cu clusters occur at the interface between the two components of the synthetic NMs.


Assuntos
Melaninas , Água , Cobre/química , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Compostos Férricos/química , Humanos , Locus Cerúleo/metabolismo , Melaninas/química , Norepinefrina
7.
Photochem Photobiol Sci ; 20(6): 747-759, 2021 Jun.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34018156

RESUMO

The type-I, homodimeric photosynthetic reaction center (RC) of Heliobacteria (HbRC) is the only known RC in which bacteriochlorophyll g (BChl g) is found. It is also simpler than other RCs, having the smallest number of protein subunits and bound chromophores of any type-I RC. In the presence of oxygen, BChl g isomerizes to 81-hydroxychlorophyll aF (Chl aF). This naturally occurring process provides a way of altering the chlorophylls and studying the effect of these changes on energy and electron transfer. Transient absorbance difference spectroscopy reveals that triplet-state formation occurs in the antenna chlorophylls of HbRCs but does not provide site-specific information. Here, we report on an extended optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) study of the antenna triplet states in HbRCs with differing levels of conversion of BChl g to Chl aF. The data reveal pools of BChl g molecules with different triplet zero-field splitting parameters and different susceptibilities to chemical oxidation. By relating the detailed spectroscopic characteristics derived from the ODMR data to the recently solved crystallographic structure, we have tentatively identified BChl g molecules in which the probability of triplet formation is high and sites at which BChl g conversion is more likely, providing useful information about the fate of the excitation in the complex.


Assuntos
Bacterioclorofilas/química , Clostridiales/química , Oxigênio/análise , Bacterioclorofilas/metabolismo , Clostridiales/metabolismo , Espectroscopia de Ressonância Magnética , Oxigênio/metabolismo
8.
Inorg Chem ; 60(20): 15141-15150, 2021 Oct 18.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34612628

RESUMO

A series of Gd3+ complexes (Gd1-Gd3) with the general formula GdL3(EtOH)2, where L is a ß-diketone ligand with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon substituents of increasing size (1-3), was studied by combining time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TR-EPR) spectroscopy and DFT calculations to rationalize the anomalous spectroscopic behavior of the bulkiest complex (Gd3) through the series. Its faint phosphorescence band is observed only at 80 K and it is strongly red-shifted (∼200 nm) from the intense fluorescence band. Moreover, the TR-EPR spectral analysis found that triplet levels of 3/Gd3 are effectively populated and have smaller |D| values than those of the other compounds. The combined use of zero-field splitting and spin density delocalization calculations, together with spin population analysis, allows us to explain both the large red shift and the low intensity of the phosphorescence band observed for Gd3. The large red shift is determined by the higher delocalization degree of the wavefunction, which implies a larger energy gap between the excited S1 and T1 states. The low intensity of the phosphorescence is due to the presence of C-H groups which favor non-radiative decay. These groups are present in all complexes; nevertheless, they have a relevant spin density only in Gd3. The spin population analysis on NaL models, in which Na+ is coordinated to a deprotonated ligand, mimicking the coordinative environment of the complex, confirms the outcomes on the free ligands.

9.
Langmuir ; 36(35): 10429-10437, 2020 09 08.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32787070

RESUMO

In this report, we present a method to characterize the kinetics of electron transfer across the bilayer of a unilamellar liposome composed of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. The method utilizes synthetic phospholipids containing noninvasive nitroxide spin labels having the >N-O• moiety at well-defined distances from the outer surface of the liposome to serve as reporters for their local environment and, at the same time, permit measurement of the kinetics of electron transfer. We used 5-doxyl and 16-doxyl stearic acids. The paramagnetic >N-O• moiety is photo-oxidized to the corresponding diamagnetic oxoammonium cation by a ruthenium electron acceptor formed in the solution. Electron transfer is monitored by three independent spectroscopic methods: by both steady-state and time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance and by optical spectroscopy. These techniques allowed us to differentiate between the electron transfer rates of nitroxides located in the outer leaflet of the phospholipid bilayer and of those located in the inner leaflet. Measurement of electron transfer rates as a function of temperature revealed a low-activation barrier (ΔG‡ ∼ 40 kJ/mol) that supports a tunneling mechanism.

10.
Int J Mol Sci ; 21(24)2020 Dec 17.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33348670

RESUMO

Frataxin is a highly conserved protein whose deficiency results in the neurodegenerative disease Friederich's ataxia. Frataxin's actual physiological function has been debated for a long time without reaching a general agreement; however, it is commonly accepted that the protein is involved in the biosynthetic iron-sulphur cluster (ISC) machinery, and several authors have pointed out that it also participates in iron homeostasis. In this work, we use site-directed spin labeling coupled to electron paramagnetic resonance (SDSL EPR) to add new information on the effects of ferric and ferrous iron binding on the properties of human frataxin in vitro. Using SDSL EPR and relating the results to fluorescence experiments commonly performed to study iron binding to FXN, we produced evidence that ferric iron causes reversible aggregation without preferred interfaces in a concentration-dependent fashion, starting at relatively low concentrations (micromolar range), whereas ferrous iron binds without inducing aggregation. Moreover, our experiments show that the ferrous binding does not lead to changes of protein conformation. The data reported in this study reveal that the currently reported binding stoichiometries should be taken with caution. The use of a spin label resistant to reduction, as well as the comparison of the binding effect of Fe2+ in wild type and in the pathological D122Y variant of frataxin, allowed us to characterize the Fe2+ binding properties of different protein sites and highlight the effect of the D122Y substitution on the surrounding residues. We suggest that both Fe2+ and Fe3+ might play a relevant role in the context of the proposed FXN physiological functions.


Assuntos
Dicroísmo Circular/métodos , Compostos Férricos/química , Compostos Ferrosos/química , Proteínas de Ligação ao Ferro/química , Ferro/química , Marcadores de Spin , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica/métodos , Humanos , Concentração de Íons de Hidrogênio , Agregação Patológica de Proteínas , Ligação Proteica , Conformação Proteica , Espectrometria de Fluorescência/métodos , Frataxina
11.
Photochem Photobiol Sci ; 18(9): 2199-2207, 2019 Sep 11.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30838367

RESUMO

An anthraquinone modified with a nitroxide radical and able to intercalate into DNA has been synthesized to obtain a molecule the spin state of which can be manipulated by visible light and DNA binding. The doublet ground state of the molecule can be photo-switched to either a strongly coupled spin state (quartet + doublet), when isolated, or to an uncoupled spin state (triplet and doublet), when bound to DNA. The different spin state that is obtained upon photoexcitation depends on the intercalation of the quinonic core into double-stranded DNA which changes the conformation of the molecule, thereby altering the exchange interaction between the excited state localized on the quinonic core and the nitroxide radical. The spin state of the system has been investigated using both continuous-wave and time-resolved EPR spectroscopy.


Assuntos
Antraquinonas/química , DNA/química , Teoria da Densidade Funcional , Sítios de Ligação , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Estrutura Molecular , Processos Fotoquímicos
12.
Phys Chem Chem Phys ; 21(41): 23217, 2019 Oct 24.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31602454

RESUMO

Correction for 'An EPR study of ampullosporin A, a medium-length peptaibiotic, in bicelles and vesicles' by Marco Bortolus et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 749-760.

13.
Biochim Biophys Acta Bioenerg ; 1859(8): 612-618, 2018 08.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29782823

RESUMO

The peridinin-chlorophyll-a protein (PCP) is a water-soluble light harvesting protein of the dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae, employing peridinin (Per) as the main carotenoid to fulfil light harvesting and photo-protective functions. Per molecules bound to the protein experience specific molecular surroundings which lead to different electronic and spectral properties. In the refolded N89 L variant PCP (N89 L-RFPCP) a significant part of the intensity on the long wavelength side of the absorption spectrum is shifted to shorter wavelengths due to a significant change in the Per-614 site energy. Since Per-614 has been shown to be the main chlorophyll (Chl) triplet quencher in the protein, and the relative geometry of pigments is not affected by the mutation as verified by X-ray crystallography, this variant is ideally suited to study the dependence of the triplet-triplet energy transfer (TTET) mechanism on the pigment site energy. By using a combination of Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR), pulse Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) and Electron Nuclear DOuble Resonance (ENDOR) we found that PCP maintains the efficient Per-614-to-Chl-a TTET despite the change of Per-614 local energy. This shows the robustness of the photoprotective site, which is very important for the protection of the system.


Assuntos
Carotenoides/química , Clorofila/química , Transferência de Energia , Fotossíntese , Proteínas de Protozoários/química , Spiroplasma/química , Dinoflagellida/metabolismo , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Modelos Moleculares , Conformação Proteica
14.
Int J Mol Sci ; 19(10)2018 Oct 11.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30314343

RESUMO

Hydrogen production in nature is performed by hydrogenases. Among them, [FeFe]-hydrogenases have a peculiar active site, named H-cluster, that is made of two parts, synthesized in different pathways. The cubane sub-cluster requires the normal iron-sulfur cluster maturation machinery. The [2Fe] sub-cluster instead requires a dedicated set of maturase proteins, HydE, HydF, and HydG that work to assemble the cluster and deliver it to the apo-hydrogenase. In particular, the delivery is performed by HydF. In this review, we will perform an overview of the latest knowledge on the maturation machinery of the H-cluster, focusing in particular on HydF.


Assuntos
Hidrogênio/química , Hidrogênio/metabolismo , Hidrogenase/química , Hidrogenase/metabolismo , Ferro/química , Ferro/metabolismo , Catálise , Hidrogenase/classificação , Modelos Moleculares , Ligação Proteica , Domínios e Motivos de Interação entre Proteínas , Relação Estrutura-Atividade
15.
Biopolymers ; 108(1)2017 Jan.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27623395

RESUMO

Trichogin GA IV is a short-length (10-amino acid long), mostly hydrophobic, peptaibiotic with an N-terminal fatty acyl chain and a C-terminal 1,2-amino alcohol. A cardinal role of the terminal moieties in the cytotoxic activity of trichogin has been recently found. Previously, peptide orientation and dynamics of trichogin analogs in the membrane were studied using methyl ester derivatives. Therefore, in the present work we synthesized several trichogin analogs with naturally occurring terminal groups to verify whether these moieties have any effect on peptide-membrane interaction. These trichogin analogs, both neutral and carrying a positively charged Lys residue, bear the nitroxide-containing α-amino acid TOAC to study them using EPR spectroscopy. Vesicles were used to investigate orientation and penetration depth of the peptide at room temperature. Bicelles were employed to evaluate the order, dynamics, and orientation of the peptide at a near physiological temperature. In addition, the position of the N-terminal 1-octanoyl chain in the membrane was studied by labeling it with a nitroxide. The secondary structure of the peptides in vesicles was studied by CD spectroscopy showing that they adopt a mostly α-helical structure. In vesicles, the analogs insert below the lipid headgroups with the helix axis oriented parallel to the membrane surface at a peptide-to-lipid (P:L) ratio of 1:100. The presence of the single, positively charged Lys residue does not alter the orientation adopted by the peptides. In bicelles at P:L ratios 1:100 and 1:60, the peptide adopts a transmembrane orientation characterized by a very low orientational order, whereas at a 1:15 P:L ratio it severely disrupts the membrane. Our data shows that overall orientation and insertion in model membranes of the native trichogin GA IV are strictly comparable to those of its methyl ester analogs previously examined.


Assuntos
Bicamadas Lipídicas/química , Lipopeptídeos/química , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Dicroísmo Circular , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Interações Hidrofóbicas e Hidrofílicas , Bicamadas Lipídicas/metabolismo , Lipopeptídeos/síntese química , Lipopeptídeos/metabolismo , Lipossomos/química , Lipossomos/metabolismo , Estrutura Secundária de Proteína , Temperatura
16.
Biopolymers ; 2017 Nov 11.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29127716

RESUMO

In this work, an extensive set of spectroscopic and biophysical techniques (including FT-IR absorption, CD, 2D-NMR, fluorescence, and CW/PELDOR EPR) was used to study the conformational preferences, membrane interaction, and bioactivity properties of the naturally occurring synthetic 14-mer peptaibiotic chalciporin A, characterized by a relatively low (≈20%), uncommon proportion of the strongly helicogenic Aib residue. In addition to the unlabeled peptide, we gained in-depth information from the study of two labeled analogs, characterized by one or two residues of the helicogenic, nitroxyl radical-containing TOAC. All three compounds were prepared using the SPPS methodology, which was carefully modified in the course of the syntheses of TOAC-labeled analogs in view of the poorly reactive α-amino function of this very bulky residue and the specific requirements of its free-radical side chain. Despite its potentially high flexibility, our results point to a predominant, partly amphiphilic, α-helical conformation for this peptaibiotic. Therefore, not surprisingly, we found an effective membrane affinity and a remarkable penetration propensity. However, chalciporin A exhibits a selectivity in its antibacterial activity not in agreement with that typical of the other members of this peptide class.

17.
Phys Chem Chem Phys ; 18(2): 749-60, 2016 Jan 14.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26627901

RESUMO

Ampullosporin A is a medium-length (14-amino acid long) hydrophobic peptide of the peptaibol family. In this work, electron paramagnetic resonance and circular dichroism spectroscopies were applied to study the interaction of synthetic ampullosporin A and three spin-labeled analogs with small unilamellar vesicles and bicelles. Zwitterionic vesicles were used to investigate the conformation and the penetration depth of the peptide at room temperature. Bicelles were employed in combination with EPR spectroscopy to study the order, dynamics, orientation, aggregation and the 3D-structure of the peptide at near physiological temperature. In the membrane, the peptide adopts a helical structure that changes in nature depending on the thickness of the membrane-mimetic system, from mostly α-helical in vesicles to a more elongated helix in bicelles, suggesting an increase in the 310-helical content. The orientation assumed by the peptide also shows a dependence on the membrane-mimetic system: in bicelles, ampullosporin A has a transmembrane orientation at a peptide-to-lipid (P : L) ratio of 1 : 100 and higher, while in vesicles it undergoes a transition from a parallel to a transmembrane orientation as a function of the P : L ratio. In bicelles, the peptide was found to be monomeric at a P : L ratio of 1 : 25 and lower. Overall, the comparison of the results obtained in the two membrane-mimetic systems showed that ampullosporin A has a rather flexible structure that readily adapts to the bilayer thickness.


Assuntos
Clorofórmio/química , Lipossomos/química , Metanol/química , Peptídeos/química , Fosfolipídeos/química , Dicroísmo Circular , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Estrutura Molecular , Peptaibols , Peptídeos/síntese química
18.
Biochim Biophys Acta ; 1828(11): 2620-7, 2013 Nov.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23860254

RESUMO

Alamethicin is a 19-amino-acid residue hydrophobic peptide of the peptaibol family that has been the object of numerous studies for its ability to produce voltage-dependent ion channels in membranes. In this work, for the first time electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was applied to study the interaction of alamethicin with oriented bicelles. We highlighted the effects of increasing peptide concentrations on both the peptide and the membrane in identical conditions, by adopting a twofold spin labeling approach, placing a nitroxide moiety either on the peptide or on the phospholipids. The employment of bicelles affords additional spectral resolution, thanks to the formation of a macroscopically oriented phase that allows to gain information on alamethicin orientation and dynamics. Moreover, the high viscosity of the bicellar solution permits the investigation of the peptide aggregation properties at physiological temperature. We observed that, at 35°C, alamethicin adopts a transmembrane orientation with the peptide axis forming an average angle of 25° with respect to the bilayer normal. Moreover, alamethicin maintains its dynamics and helical tilt constant at all concentrations studied. On the other hand, by increasing the peptide concentration, the bilayer experiences an exponential decrease of the order parameter, but does not undergo micellization, even at the highest peptide to lipid ratio studied (1:20). Finally, the aggregation of the peptide at physiological temperature shows that the peptide is monomeric at peptide to lipid ratios lower than 1:50, then it aggregates with a rather broad distribution in the number of peptides (from 6 to 8) per oligomer.


Assuntos
Alameticina/química , Bicamadas Lipídicas/química , Peptídeos/química , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Dados de Sequência Molecular
19.
Biopolymers ; 102(1): 40-8, 2014 Jan.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23896794

RESUMO

We describe the challenging solid-phase synthesis of the medium-length (14 amino-acid residues) peptaibiotic ampullosporin A, originally extracted from the fungus Sepedonium ampullosporum, and an analog doubly spin labeled (at positions 3 and 13) with the stable nitroxyl free-radical 4-amino-1-oxyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-4-carboxylic acid (TOAC). The results of a circular dichrosim investigation in methanol strongly support the view that both peptides are essentially right-handed helical, in particular endowed with a large population of α-helical conformers. We also observed a significant quenching effect from the TOAC(3) nitroxyl radical on the fluorescence of Trp(1), compatible with that expected when both residues are closely located on the same helix segment. Combined continuous wave and pulsed electron-electron double resonance electron paramagnetic resonance methodologies converge on the conclusion obtained from the other aforementioned spectroscopies, namely, that the [TOAC(3,13)] ampullosporin A analog is mostly folded in the α-helical conformation. A liposome leakage assay demonstrated that the membrane-modifying properties of this bis-labeled analog are remarkable and even slightly superior to those of the natural peptaibiotic itself.


Assuntos
Membrana Celular/química , Dicroísmo Circular , Óxidos N-Cíclicos/química , Peptídeos/química , Peptídeos/síntese química , Marcadores de Spin , Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Pressão , Cromatografia de Fase Reversa , Espectroscopia de Ressonância de Spin Eletrônica , Fluoresceínas/metabolismo , Peptaibols , Conformação Proteica , Espectrometria de Fluorescência , Triptofano/metabolismo
20.
J Pept Sci ; 20(7): 517-25, 2014 Jul.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24863176

RESUMO

Bicelles are model membrane systems that can be macroscopically oriented in a magnetic field at physiological temperature. The macroscopic orientation of bicelles allows to detect, by means of magnetic resonance spectroscopies, small changes in the order of the bilayer caused by solutes interacting with the membrane. These changes would be hardly detectable in isotropic systems such as vesicles or micelles. The aim of this work is to show that bicelles represent a convenient tool to investigate the behavior of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) interacting with membranes, using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. We performed the EPR experiments on spin-labeled bicelles using various AMPs of different length, charge, and amphipathicity: alamethicin, trichogin GA IV, magainin 2, HP(2-20), and HPA3. We evaluated the changes in the order parameter of the spin-labeled lipids as a function of the peptide-to-lipid ratio. We show that bicelles labeled at position 5 of the lipid chains are very sensitive to the perturbation induced by the AMPs even at low peptide concentrations. Our study indicates that peptides that are known to disrupt the membrane by different mechanisms (i.e., alamethicin vs magainin 2) show very distinct trends of the order parameter as a function of peptide concentration. Therefore, spin-labeled bicelles proved to be a good system to evaluate the membrane disruption mechanism of new AMPs.


Assuntos
Peptídeos Catiônicos Antimicrobianos/química , Dimiristoilfosfatidilcolina/química , Bicamadas Lipídicas/química , Lipopeptídeos/química , Éteres Fosfolipídicos/química , Alameticina/química , Interações Hidrofóbicas e Hidrofílicas , Micelas
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