The contribution of methionine to the stability of the Escherichia coli MetNIQ ABC transporter-substrate binding protein complex.

Despite the ubiquitous role of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) importers in nutrient uptake, only the Escherichia coli maltose and vitamin B12 ABC transporters have been structurally characterized in multiple conformations relevant to the alternating access transport mechanism. To complement our previous structure determination of the E. coli MetNI methionine importer in the inward facing conformation (Kadaba et al. (2008) Science 321, 250-253), we have explored conditions stabilizing the outward facing conformation. Using two variants, the Walker B E166Q mutation with ATP+EDTA to stabilize MetNI in the ATP-bound conformation and the N229A variant of the binding protein MetQ, shown in this work to disrupt methionine binding, a high affinity MetNIQ complex was formed with a dissociation constant measured to be 27 nm. Using wild type MetQ containing a co-purified methionine (for which the crystal structure is reported at 1.6 Šresolution), the dissociation constant for complex formation with MetNI is measured to be ∼40-fold weaker, indicating that complex formation lowers the affinity of MetQ for methionine by this amount. Preparation of a stable MetNIQ complex is an essential step towards the crystallographic analysis of the outward facing conformation, a key intermediate in the uptake of methionine by this transport system.

Evaluation of basic amphipathic peptides for cellular delivery of antisense peptide nucleic acids.

Cellular permeation peptides have been used successfully for the delivery of a variety of cargoes across cellular membranes, including large hydrophilic biomolecules such as proteins, oligonucleotides, or plasmid DNA. For the present work, a series of short amphipathic peptides was designed to elucidate the structural requirements for efficient and nontoxic delivery of peptide nucleic acids (PNAs). On the basis of an idealized alpha-helical structure, the helical parameters were modulated systematically to yield peptides within a certain range of hydrophobicity and amphipathicity. The corresponding PNA conjugates were synthesized and characterized in terms of secondary structure, enzymatic stability, and antisense activity. The study revealed correlations between the physicochemical and biophysical properties of the conjugates and their biological activity and led to the development of potent peptide vectors for the cellular delivery of antisense PNAs. Two representative compounds were radiolabeled and evaluated for their biodistribution in healthy mice.

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The high-affinity E. coli methionine ABC transporter: structure and allosteric regulation.

The crystal structure of the high-affinity Escherichia coli MetNI methionine uptake transporter, a member of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABC) family, has been solved to 3.7 angstrom resolution. The overall architecture of MetNI reveals two copies of the adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) MetN in complex with two copies of the transmembrane domain MetI, with the transporter adopting an inward-facing conformation exhibiting widely separated nucleotide binding domains. Each MetI subunit is organized around a core of five transmembrane helices that correspond to a subset of the helices observed in the larger membrane-spanning subunits of the molybdate (ModBC) and maltose (MalFGK) ABC transporters. In addition to the conserved nucleotide binding domain of the ABC family, MetN contains a carboxyl-terminal extension with a ferredoxin-like fold previously assigned to a conserved family of regulatory ligand-binding domains. These domains separate the nucleotide binding domains and would interfere with their association required for ATP binding and hydrolysis. Methionine binds to the dimerized carboxyl-terminal domain and is shown to inhibit ATPase activity. These observations are consistent with an allosteric regulatory mechanism operating at the level of transport activity, where increased intracellular levels of the transported ligand stabilize an inward-facing, ATPase-inactive state of MetNI to inhibit further ligand translocation into the cell.