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1 Structural and Computational Biology Programme, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
2 Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse Bio-Organique, LC4-UMR7178 CNRS-Université Louis Pasteur, ECPM, F-67087 Strasbourg, France
(RECEIVED March 1, 2006; FINAL REVISION June 20, 2006; ACCEPTED July 7, 2006)
| Abstract |
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Keywords: archaea; Sm-like protein; Sm fold; RNA binding; heptamer; hexamer; noncovalent mass spectrometry
| Introduction |
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70 amino acids, which is called the Sm domain. The domain contains two conserved sequence segments, known as the Sm1 and Sm2 motifs, separated by a loop region which differs in length and sequence among the family (Séraphin 1995; Salgado-Garrido et al. 1999).
-Strands 1, 2, and 3 constitute the first motif, and
-strands 4 and 5 constitute the second motif of the Sm domain. The overall architecture of the Sm monomer, a barrel-type OB-fold structure, is completed by the N-terminal
-helix (Fig. 1). In eukaryotes, seven distinct Sm or Sm-like (Lsm) proteins, together with various RNAs that contain the short, single-stranded, uridine-rich Sm site, form the core domain of the small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs), which are essential for several RNA-processing events such as mRNA decapping and degradation (Bouveret et al. 2000; He and Parker 2000; Tharun et al. 2000; Kufel et al. 2004), pre-mRNA splicing (Mattaj et al. 1993; Hermann et al. 1995; Will and Lührmann 2001), and telomerase activity (Seto et al. 1999). Sm-related proteins have also been identified in archaea and eubacteria through database searches (Salgado-Garrido et al. 1999; Møller et al. 2002). The in vivo function of the archaeal Sm proteins is widely unknown; however, experimental results from our laboratory suggest their potential involvement in transfer RNA (tRNA) maturation (Törö et al. 2001). Archaeal Sm proteins share the common Sm fold, bind to U-rich RNA sequences, and form ring-shaped homo-hexameric or -heptameric complexes. The assembly of the protein complexes is primarily maintained through interactions between the
4 and
5 strands of adjacent monomers (Collins et al. 2001; Törö et al. 2002). The maximum number of distinct Sm proteins found in archaeal species is currently three. At present, there are only four archaeal species known (Pyrobaculum aerophilum, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, Sulfolobus solfataricus, and Sulfolobus tokodaii) that contain all three Sm-type proteins. The Sm1-type is most abundant among the archaeal species and forms stable, heptameric ring-structures. The recently identified Sm3-type proteins contain an additional C-terminal domain (Mura et al. 2003).
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In order to study the oligomerization behavior and to unambiguously determine the oligomerization state of the AF-Sm2 protein we have used noncovalent mass spectrometry. This application for mass spectrometry (MS) emerged in the early 1990s, allowing, for the first time, the study of specific noncovalent macromolecular complexes using electrospray ionization (Katta and Chait 1991). Since then, an increasing number of publications have shown the reliability of this technique (for review, see Loo 2000; Van den Heuvel and Heck 2004). In fact, under carefully controlled experimental conditions it is possible to transfer intact noncovalent complexes into the gas phase of the mass spectrometer and analyze the binding stoichiometry of proteinprotein (Sanglier et al. 2002) and proteinligand (Stehlin-Gaon et al. 2003) complexes. Through noncovalent MS, it is also possible to monitor dynamics of complexes under various experimental conditions such as temperature and pH effects on the stability of multiprotein assemblies (Fändrich et al. 2000; Benesch et al. 2003; Liang et al. 2003).
Using gel filtration chromatography and noncovalent MS we show in this paper that the oligomerization behavior and complex stability of the A. fulgidus Sm2-type protein is pH and RNA dependent.
| Results |
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The reason for the discrepancy between noncovalent MS and gel filtration results at pH 6.5 could be the hydrophobic interactions mainly responsible for the cohesion of the hexameric complex. In fact, special instrumental conditions were necessary for the detection of hexameric ions (the pressure in the interface of the instrument was increased to 7.3 mbar, and an accelerating voltage <80 V was applied). Such experimental data strongly suggest that the AF-Sm2 hexameric complex can be easily destabilized in the interface of the mass spectrometer. These applied instrumental parameters and the low intensity of the signals corresponding to the hexamer can also explain the low mass accuracy for the mass measurement of the hexamer. However, despite all of these difficulties, it can be deduced from noncovalent MS results that AF-Sm2 forms a hexamer at pH 4.5.
In the presence of RNA, ESI-MS spectra under nondenaturing conditions presented two ion series (Fig. 4). The main ion series in the lower m/z range of 10002000 corresponds to the AF-Sm2 monomer. Additionally, low intensity signals that lead to a molecular weight of 63,279.2 ± 8.8 Da could be clearly detected in the upper m/z range (30004000), which is in agreement with the association of seven AF-Sm2 subunits and one molecule of oligo U10 (the theoretical mass in total is 63,256 Da). This proteinRNA complex could be identified both at acidic pH (4.5, 5.5, and 6.5) and slightly basic pH (7.5). Thus, ESI-MS spectra under nondenaturating conditions indicate that the AF-Sm2U10 complex is a specific noncovalent heptamer partly independent of pH. The stabilizing effect of pH on the proteinRNA complex is clearly observed by shifting the pH from 7.5 to 4.5 as the relative heptamer signals continuously increase, reflecting a strong stabilization of the heptameric complex upon pH decrease.
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| Discussion |
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24 times as previously done by Törö et al. (2002). It is likely that such a magnification overestimates the oligomer peaks compared to monomer peaks. Nevertheless, in both of the MS spectra, the most intense signals correspond to the monomer and the signals corresponding to the hexameric species are negligible. That is why we conclude that the major and significant peaks at pH 6.5 in the absence of RNA refer to monomeric as well as dimeric species.
It is also clear from the gel filtration experiments that the hexamer formation shows a pH dependency. The explanation for this are the acidic residues present at the interface of the interacting monomers. In addition to the glutamates Glu19 and Glu23 as previously suggested (Törö et al. 2002), we analyzed an additional glutamate residue, Glu47, which is in close proximity to residues Glu19 and Glu23. This residue is at
4 Å distance from Glu23, and its position in the hexameric form is stabilized through a salt bridge with Arg55 (Fig. 6B). Glu47 seems to be conserved among all Sm2-type proteins (Fig. 1, indicated by a red arrow in the sequence alignment). The only exception in the sequence alignment is the Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus Sm2 (MT-Sm2). However, a closer look indicates that this missing residue in the alignment could possibly be Glu45 or Glu46 in the MT-Sm2 sequence. Residue Arg55, on the other hand, which forms the salt bridge with Glu47, is only partially conserved. It seems that the pH dependence of the hexamer formation is a result of the negative environment created by the interaction of these three glutamic acid residues at the interface of the adjacent monomers.
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Heptamer formation of AF-Sm2 is RNA dependent
As clearly identified by noncovalent MS, the oligomeric state of the AF-Sm2RNA complex is a heptamer. The stability of the heptameric proteinRNA complex is pH dependent, but heptamer formation is clearly observable at all pH values studied. It is not clear yet whether the heptamer formation of AF-Sm2 is due to some conformational changes induced by RNA binding. At present, there are no structural or functional data available on the other currently known archaeal Sm2-type proteins to answer the questions of whether the oligomerization behavior of the AF-Sm2 is unique or whether this behavior is due to other factors in addition to the protonation/deprotonation status of the interacting residues (Glu19/Glu23/Glu47).
However, our recent study of the Sm2-type protein from Sulfolobus solfataricus (SS-Sm2) using ESI-MS spectra under nondenaturing conditions suggests that the oligomerization behavior of AF-Sm2 is likely to be unique. Our results showed that SS-Sm2 is present as only one type of oligomer with or without RNA. The oligomerization status of SS-Sm2 at pH 6.5 is determined to be a heptamer independent of RNA (Fig. 7). Comparison of the sequences from AF-Sm2 with SS-Sm2 reveals that Glu19 in AF-Sm2 is replaced with Lys19 in SS-Sm2 (Fig. 1), suggesting that there will be no repulsive effect between adjacent monomers of SS-Sm2. In contrast, Lys19 can possibly form salt bridges with Asp23 (Glu23 in AF-Sm2) and Glu47, promoting the stability of the heptameric complex. While we could not observe the hexameric species of AF-Sm2 with ESI-MS at pH 6.5 (Fig. 3), we were able to identify the heptameric form of SS-Sm2 at pH 6.5 with and without RNA, showing the stability of the SS-Sm2 heptamer without such a disruptive effect between the monomers.
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| Materials and methods |
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0.6. Cells were induced by adding isopropyl-
-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) at a final concentration of 1 mM for 3 h and harvested by centrifugation. Cell lysis was carried out using sonication in 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 0.3 M NaCl, 0.5% IGEPAL, 15 mM imidazole, and 10 mM
-mercaptoethanol. Cell lysate was loaded onto a Ni-NTA column for initial purification followed by a Sephadex g25 column for buffer exchange to 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 0.5 M ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA), and 1 mM dithiothreitol (DTT) for overnight digestion at 30°C using TEV protease. After cleavage, the protein solution was heated to 78°C for 10 min to yield homogeneous AF-Sm2 protein. Following the removal of denatured proteins by centrifugation, the supernatant was concentrated using a Millipore Amicon concentrator with a molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) of 10 kDa, and further analyzed for purity and molecular weight conformation by 18% SDS-PAGE and MS, respectively. The purification protocol of SS-Sm2 is the same as AF-Sm2 except for the expression vector, pETM11, which contains an upstream sequence coding for a 6xHis-tag only followed by a TEV site.
Mutagenesis
Mutations were introduced using the QuikChange Site-Directed Mutagenesis kit from Stratagene. Glutamates were mutated to alanine by point mutations as follows: GAA to GCA for E19A, GAG to GCG for E23A, and GAG to GCG for E47A. Resulting mutations were confirmed by sequencing as well as by MS after protein purification. The procedure for expression of the mutant AF-Sm2 proteins is the same as wild-type protein except that the expression volume is 3 L.
Gel filtration analysis
Equal amounts of the purified AF-Sm2 sample were taken for buffer exchange to 50 mM AcONH4 (pH 4.5), 50 mM AcONH4 (pH 6.5), and 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0). Each sample was passed through a Superdex 75 gel-filtration column (Pharmacia Biotech) for analysis of oligomeric state. For the study of the oligomeric state in the presence of RNA, oligo U10 with a molecular weight of 2999.7 g/mol was dissolved in 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.2) and added to the protein samples at a 7:1 ratio of monomer to RNA. After each gel filtration analysis, fractions containing the protein or proteinRNA complex were concentrated and stored at +4°C for MS. The procedure for gel filtration analysis of the mutant AF-Sm2 proteins was the same as for the wild-type protein.
Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis
For noncovalent MS analysis, further desalting of the samples was achieved by single-use NAP-5 gel filtration columns (Amersham Biosciences) in 50 mM AcONH4 (pH 4.5, 6.5, and 7.5). Samples were subsequently concentrated using microconcentrators (MWCO 10 kDa Centricon, Millipore). ESI mass spectra were acquired on an ESI-TOF mass spectrometer fitted with a standard Z-spray source (LCT, Waters). In order to preserve the integrity of fragile noncovalent assemblies and enhance their detection sensitivity, the pressure in the interface was increased to 7.3 mbar and the cone voltage was optimized to 80 V. Samples were diluted to 20 µM in 50 mM AcONH4 buffer and directly introduced into the mass spectrometer using a syringe pump with a flow rate of 5 µL/min.
| Footnotes |
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Article published online ahead of print. Article and publication date are at http://www.proteinscience.org/cgi/doi/10.1110/ps.062191506.
| Acknowledgments |
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