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Current Opinion in Structural Biology Aug 2018Covalently circularized nanodiscs (cNDs) represent a significant advance in the durability and applicability of nanodisc technology. The new cNDs demonstrate higher size... (Review)
Review
Covalently circularized nanodiscs (cNDs) represent a significant advance in the durability and applicability of nanodisc technology. The new cNDs demonstrate higher size homogeneity and improved stability compared with that of non-circularized forms. Moreover, cNDs can be prepared at various defined sizes up to 80-nm diameter. The large cNDs can house much larger membrane proteins and their complexes than was previously possible with the conventional nanodiscs. In order to experience the full advantages of covalent circularization, high quality circularized scaffold protein and nanodisc samples are needed. Here, we give a concise overview and discuss the technical challenges that needed to be overcome in order to obtain high quality preparations. Furthermore, we review some potential new applications for the cNDs.
Topics: Lipid Bilayers; Membrane Proteins; Nanostructures; Nanotechnology; Phospholipids; Protein Binding; Protein Multimerization
PubMed: 29677570
DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2018.03.014 -
Emerging Topics in Life Sciences Mar 2023Eukaryotic pathogens with an intracellular parasitic lifestyle are shielded from extracellular threats during replication and growth. In addition to many nutrients,... (Review)
Review
Eukaryotic pathogens with an intracellular parasitic lifestyle are shielded from extracellular threats during replication and growth. In addition to many nutrients, parasites scavenge host cell lipids to establish complex membrane structures inside their host cells. To counteract the disturbance of the host cell plasma membrane they have evolved strategies to regulate phospholipid asymmetry. In this review, the function and importance of lipid asymmetry in the interactions of intracellular protozoan parasites with the target and immune cells of the host are highlighted. The malaria parasite Plasmodium infects red blood cells and extensively refurbishes these terminally differentiated cells. Cholesterol depletion and an altered intracellular calcium ion homeostasis can lead to disruption in erythrocyte membrane asymmetry and increased exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS). Binding to the PS receptor on monocytes and macrophages results in phagocytosis and destruction of infected erythrocytes. Leishmania parasites display apoptotic mimicry by actively enhancing PS exposure on their surface to trigger increased infection of macrophages. In extracellular Toxoplasma gondii a P4-type ATPase/CDC50 co-chaperone pair functions as a flippase important for exocytosis of specialised secretory organelles. Identification and functional analysis of parasite lipid-translocating proteins, i.e. flippases, floppases, and scramblases, will be central for the recognition of the molecular mechanisms of parasite/host interactions. Ultimately, a better understanding of parasitic diseases, host immunity, and immune escape by parasites require more research on the dynamics of phospholipid bilayers of parasites and the infected host cell.
Topics: Animals; Host-Parasite Interactions; Phospholipids; Parasites; Toxoplasma; Eukaryota
PubMed: 36820809
DOI: 10.1042/ETLS20220089 -
Nature Aug 2020Stimulation of the metabotropic GABA receptor by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) results in prolonged inhibition of neurotransmission, which is central to brain physiology....
Stimulation of the metabotropic GABA receptor by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) results in prolonged inhibition of neurotransmission, which is central to brain physiology. GABA belongs to family C of the G-protein-coupled receptors, which operate as dimers to transform synaptic neurotransmitter signals into a cellular response through the binding and activation of heterotrimeric G proteins. However, GABA is unique in its function as an obligate heterodimer in which agonist binding and G-protein activation take place on distinct subunits. Here we present cryo-electron microscopy structures of heterodimeric and homodimeric full-length GABA receptors. Complemented by cellular signalling assays and atomistic simulations, these structures reveal that extracellular loop 2 (ECL2) of GABA has an essential role in relaying structural transitions by ordering the linker that connects the extracellular ligand-binding domain to the transmembrane region. Furthermore, the ECL2 of each of the subunits of GABA caps and interacts with the hydrophilic head of a phospholipid that occupies the extracellular half of the transmembrane domain, thereby providing a potentially crucial link between ligand binding and the receptor core that engages G proteins. These results provide a starting framework through which to decipher the mechanistic modes of signal transduction mediated by GABA dimers, and have important implications for rational drug design that targets these receptors.
Topics: Binding Sites; Cell Membrane; Cryoelectron Microscopy; GABA-B Receptor Antagonists; Humans; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; Ligands; Models, Molecular; Phospholipids; Protein Domains; Protein Multimerization; Protein Subunits; Receptors, GABA-B; Receptors, Glutamate; Signal Transduction; Structure-Activity Relationship
PubMed: 32580208
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2469-4 -
Biochemical Society Transactions Oct 2015Bile is synthesized in the liver and is essential for the emulsification of dietary lipids and lipid-soluble vitamins. It is a complex mixture of amphiphilic bile acids... (Review)
Review
Bile is synthesized in the liver and is essential for the emulsification of dietary lipids and lipid-soluble vitamins. It is a complex mixture of amphiphilic bile acids (BAs; which act as detergent molecules), the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylcholine (PC), cholesterol and a variety of endogenous metabolites and waste products. Over the last 20 years, the combined effort of clinicians, geneticists, physiologists and biochemists has shown that each of these bile components is transported across the canalicular membrane of the hepatocyte by its own specific ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter. The bile salt export pump (BSEP) ABCB11 transports the BAs and drives bile flow from the liver, but it is now clear that two lipid transporters, ABCB4 (which flops PC into the bile) and the P-type ATPase ATP8B1/CDC50 (which flips a different phospholipid in the opposite direction) play equally critical roles that protect the biliary tree from the detergent activity of the bile acids. Understanding the interdependency of these lipid floppases and flippases has allowed the development of an assay to measure ABCB4 function. ABCB4 harbours numerous mis-sense mutations which probably reflects the spectrum of liver disease rooted in ABCB4 aetiology. Characterization of the effect of these mutations at the protein level opens the possibility for the development of personalized prognosis and treatment.
Topics: ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; Animals; Bile Acids and Salts; Biological Transport; Humans; Lipid Bilayers; Liver; Liver Diseases; Models, Biological; Mutation; Phospholipids
PubMed: 26517915
DOI: 10.1042/BST20150132 -
Advances in Biological Regulation Jan 2017Nuclear receptors are ligand-activated transcription factors whose diverse biological functions are classically regulated by cholesterol-based small molecules. Over the... (Review)
Review
Nuclear receptors are ligand-activated transcription factors whose diverse biological functions are classically regulated by cholesterol-based small molecules. Over the past few decades, a growing body of evidence has demonstrated that phospholipids and other similar amphipathic molecules can also specifically bind and functionally regulate the activity of certain nuclear receptors, suggesting a critical role for these non-cholesterol-based molecules in transcriptional regulation. Phosphatidylcholines, phosphoinositides and sphingolipids are a few of the many phospholipid like molecules shown to quite specifically regulate nuclear receptors in mouse models, cell lines and in vitro. More recent evidence has also shown that certain nuclear receptors can "present" a bound phospholipid headgroup to key lipid signaling enzymes, which can then modify the phospholipid headgroup with very unique kinetic properties. Here, we review the broad array of phospholipid/nuclear receptor interactions, from the perspective of the chemical nature of the phospholipid, and the cellular abundance of the phospholipid. We also view the data in the light of well established paradigms for phospholipid mediated transcriptional regulation, as well as newer models of how phospholipids might effect transcription in the acute regulation of complex nuclear signaling pathways. Thus, this review provides novel insight into the new, non-membrane associated roles nuclear phospholipids play in regulating complex nuclear events, centered on the nuclear receptor superfamily of transcription factors.
Topics: Animals; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Ligands; Mice; Models, Molecular; Phospholipids; Protein Binding; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Signal Transduction; Transcription Factors; Transcription, Genetic
PubMed: 27838257
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2016.10.006 -
Nature Communications Nov 2023Asymmetric distribution of phospholipids in eukaryotic membranes is essential for cell integrity, signaling pathways, and vesicular trafficking. P4-ATPases, also known...
Asymmetric distribution of phospholipids in eukaryotic membranes is essential for cell integrity, signaling pathways, and vesicular trafficking. P4-ATPases, also known as flippases, participate in creating and maintaining this asymmetry through active transport of phospholipids from the exoplasmic to the cytosolic leaflet. Here, we present a total of nine cryo-electron microscopy structures of the human flippase ATP8B1-CDC50A complex at 2.4 to 3.1 Å overall resolution, along with functional and computational studies, addressing the autophosphorylation steps from ATP, substrate recognition and occlusion, as well as a phosphoinositide binding site. We find that the P4-ATPase transport site is occupied by water upon phosphorylation from ATP. Additionally, we identify two different autoinhibited states, a closed and an outward-open conformation. Furthermore, we identify and characterize the PI(3,4,5)P binding site of ATP8B1 in an electropositive pocket between transmembrane segments 5, 7, 8, and 10. Our study also highlights the structural basis of a broad lipid specificity of ATP8B1 and adds phosphatidylinositol as a transport substrate for ATP8B1. We report a critical role of the sn-2 ester bond of glycerophospholipids in substrate recognition by ATP8B1 through conserved S403. These findings provide fundamental insights into ATP8B1 catalytic cycle and regulation, and substrate recognition in P4-ATPases.
Topics: Humans; Adenosine Triphosphatases; Substrate Specificity; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Phospholipid Transfer Proteins; Phospholipids; Adenosine Triphosphate; Cell Membrane
PubMed: 37980352
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42828-9 -
Molecular Cell Jun 2022Phospholipase A2, group VII (PLA2G7) is widely recognized as a secreted, lipoprotein-associated PLA2 in plasma that converts phospholipid platelet-activating factor...
Phospholipase A2, group VII (PLA2G7) is widely recognized as a secreted, lipoprotein-associated PLA2 in plasma that converts phospholipid platelet-activating factor (PAF) to a biologically inactive product Lyso-PAF during inflammatory response. We report that intracellular PLA2G7 is selectively important for cell proliferation and tumor growth potential of melanoma cells expressing mutant NRAS, but not cells expressing BRAF V600E. Mechanistically, PLA2G7 signals through its product Lyso-PAF to contribute to RAF1 activation by mutant NRAS, which is bypassed by BRAF V600E. Intracellular Lyso-PAF promotes p21-activated kinase 2 (PAK2) activation by binding to its catalytic domain and altering ATP kinetics, while PAK2 significantly contributes to S338-phosphorylation of RAF1 in addition to PAK1. Furthermore, the PLA2G7-PAK2 axis is also required for full activation of RAF1 in cells stimulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) or cancer cells expressing mutant KRAS. Thus, PLA2G7 and Lyso-PAF exhibit intracellular signaling functions as key elements of RAS-RAF1 signaling.
Topics: Phospholipases A2; Phospholipids; Platelet Activating Factor; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf
PubMed: 35417664
DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.03.026 -
Biomolecules Aug 2023Oxidative stress is a well-known hallmark of Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS), a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by arterial and venous thrombosis... (Review)
Review
Oxidative stress is a well-known hallmark of Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS), a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by arterial and venous thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity. Oxidative stress may affect various signaling pathways and biological processes, promoting dysfunctional immune responses and inflammation, inducing apoptosis, deregulating autophagy and impairing mitochondrial function. The chronic oxidative stress and the dysregulation of the immune system leads to the loss of tolerance, which drives autoantibody production and inflammation with the development of endothelial dysfunction. In particular, anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL), which target phospholipids and/or phospholipid binding proteins, mainly β-glycoprotein I (β-GPI), play a functional role in the cell signal transduction pathway(s), thus contributing to oxidative stress and thrombotic events. An oxidation-antioxidant imbalance may be detected in the blood of patients with APS as a reflection of disease progression. This review focuses on functional evidence highlighting the role of oxidative stress in the initiation and progression of APS. The protective role of food supplements and Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 (NRF2) activators in APS patients will be summarized to point out the potential of these therapeutic approaches to reduce APS-related clinical complications.
Topics: Female; Pregnancy; Humans; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid; NF-E2-Related Factor 2; Oxidative Stress; Phospholipids; Antioxidants
PubMed: 37627286
DOI: 10.3390/biom13081221 -
Nature Communications Oct 2023Cryptococcus spp. are environmental fungi that first must adapt to the host environment before they can cause life-threatening meningitis in immunocompromised patients....
Cryptococcus spp. are environmental fungi that first must adapt to the host environment before they can cause life-threatening meningitis in immunocompromised patients. Host CO concentrations are 100-fold higher than the external environment and strains unable to grow at host CO concentrations are not pathogenic. Using a genetic screening and transcriptional profiling approach, we report that the TOR pathway is critical for C. neoformans adaptation to host CO partly through Ypk1-dependent remodeling of phosphatidylserine asymmetry at the plasma membrane. We also describe a C. neoformans ABC/PDR transporter (PDR9) that is highly expressed in CO-sensitive environmental strains, suppresses CO-induced phosphatidylserine/phospholipid remodeling, and increases susceptibility to host concentrations of CO. Interestingly, regulation of plasma membrane lipid asymmetry by the TOR-Ypk1 axis is distinct in C. neoformans compared to S. cerevisiae. Finally, host CO concentrations suppress the C. neoformans pathways that respond to host temperature (Mpk1) and pH (Rim101), indicating that host adaptation requires a stringent balance among distinct stress responses.
Topics: Humans; Cryptococcus neoformans; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Phospholipids; Carbon Dioxide; Phosphatidylserines; Cryptococcosis; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters
PubMed: 37852972
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42318-y -
Trends in Plant Science Dec 2017Phospholipids are essential components of biological membranes and signal transduction cascades in plants. In recent years, plant phospholipid research was greatly... (Review)
Review
Phospholipids are essential components of biological membranes and signal transduction cascades in plants. In recent years, plant phospholipid research was greatly advanced by the characterization of numerous mutants affected in phospholipid biosynthesis and the discovery of a number of functionally important phospholipid-binding proteins. It is now accepted that most phospholipids to some extent have regulatory functions, including those that serve as constituents of biological membranes. Phospholipids are more than an inert end product of lipid biosynthesis. This review article summarizes recent advances on phospholipid biosynthesis with a particular focus on polar head group synthesis, followed by a short overview on protein-phospholipid interactions as an emerging regulatory mechanism of phospholipid function in arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana).
Topics: Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis Proteins; Phospholipids
PubMed: 28993119
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2017.09.002