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The two-peptide (class IIb) bacteriocins are generally thermostable small-molecule (< 10 kDa) two-component antimicrobial peptides produced by Gram-positive bacteria. This class of peptides mainly rely on peptide-peptide interactions mediated by typical motifs to form active dimeric transmembrane proteins. Numerous studies have shown that two-peptide bacteriocins have reliable safety and desirable bacteriostatic effect, holding great potential in the control of drug-resistant bacteria. Therefore, the structural features and action mechanisms of two-peptide bacteriocins have received considerable research attention. From the perspectives of the structure formation of two-peptide bacteriocins, peptide-peptide interaction, and peptide-membrane interaction, this article summarizes the mechanism of action of this class of antimicrobial peptides. Meanwhile, the structural regularity of two-peptide bacteriocins and the structural features affecting their activities are elaborated by synthesizing current research. This review will provide new ideas for future research on two-peptide bacteriocins.

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Sterols have been reported to modulate conformation and hence the function of several membrane proteins. One such group is the Chloride Intracellular Ion Channel (CLIC) family of proteins. The CLIC protein family consists of six evolutionarily conserved protein members in vertebrates. These proteins exist as both monomeric soluble proteins and as membrane bound proteins. To date, the structure of their membrane-bound form remains unknown. In addition to several studies indicating cellular redox environment and pH as facilitators of CLIC1 insertion into membranes, we have also demonstrated that the spontaneous membrane insertion of CLIC1 is regulated by membrane cholesterol. We have performed Langmuir-film, Impedance Spectroscopy and Molecular Docking Simulations to study the role of this GXXXG motif in CLIC1 interaction with cholesterol. Unlike CLIC1-wild-type protein, the G18A and G22A mutants, that form part of the GXXXG motif, showed much slower initial kinetics and lower ion channel activity compared to the native protein. This difference can be attributed to the significantly reduced membrane interaction and insertion rate of the mutant proteins and/or slower formation of the final membrane configuration of the mutant proteins once in the membrane. Conclusion: In this study, our findings uncover the identification of a GXXXG motif in CLIC1, which likely serves as the cholesterol-binding domain, that facilitates the protein's membrane interaction and insertion. Furthermore, we were able to postulate a model by which CLIC1 can autonomously insert into membranes to form functional ion channels. Members of the CLIC family of proteins demonstrate unusual structural and dual functional properties – as ion channels and enzymes. Elucidating how the CLIC proteins' interact with membranes, thus allowing them to switch between their soluble and membrane form, will provide key information as to a mechanism of moonlighting activity and a novel regulatory role for cholesterol in such a process. • A mechanism of CLIC1 interaction with membrane cholesterol is summarised. • A GXXXG motif in CLIC1 facilitates the protein's membrane interaction and insertion. • A model by which CLIC1 can autonomously insert into membranes to form functional ion channels has been postulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melampsora larici-populina (Mlp), the causal agent of Populus leaf rust, secretes an array of effectors into the host through the haustorium to gain nutrients and suppress immunity. The precise mechanisms by which these effectors promote virulence remain unclear. To address this question, we developed a transgenic Arabidopsis line expressing a candidate effector, Mlp124357. Constitutive expression of the effector increased plant susceptibility to pathogens. A GxxxG motif present in Mlp124357 is required for its subcellular localization at the vacuolar membrane of the plant cell, as replacement of the glycine residues with alanines led to the delocalization of Mlp124357 to the nucleus and cytoplasm. We used immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry (MS) to identify Mlp124357 interaction partners. Only one of the putative interaction partners knock-out line caused delocalization of the effector, indicating that Arabidopsis protein disulfide isomerase-11 (AtPDI-11) is required for the effector localization. This interaction was further confirmed by a complementation test, a yeast-two hybrid assay and a molecular modeling experiment. Moreover, localization results and infection assays suggest that AtPDI-11 act as a helper for Mlp124357. In summary, our findings established that one of Mlp effectors resides at the vacuole surface and modulates plant susceptibility.

The majority of mitochondrial proteins use N-terminal presequences for targeting to mitochondria and are translocated by the presequence translocase. During translocation, proteins, threaded through the channel in the inner membrane, are handed over to the import motor at the matrix face. Tim17 is an essential, membrane-embedded subunit of the translocase; however, its function is only poorly understood. Here, we functionally dissected its four predicted transmembrane (TM) segments. Mutations in TM1 and TM2 impaired the interaction of Tim17 with Tim23, component of the translocation channel, whereas mutations in TM3 compromised binding of the import motor. We identified residues in the matrix-facing region of Tim17 involved in binding of the import motor. Our results reveal functionally distinct roles of different regions of Tim17 and suggest how they may be involved in handing over the proteins, during their translocation into mitochondria, from the channel to the import motor of the presequence translocase.

Small-residue-mediated interhelical packings are ubiquitously found in helical membrane proteins, although their interaction dynamics and lipid dependence remain mostly uncharacterized. We used a single-pair FRET technique to examine the effect of a GXXXG motif on the association of de novo designed (AALALAA)3 helices in liposomes. Dimerization occurred with sub-second lifetimes, which was abolished by cholesterol. Utilizing the nearly instantaneous time-resolution of 2D IR spectroscopy, parallel and antiparallel helix associations were identified by vibrational couplings across helices at their interface. Taken together, the data illustrate that the GXXXG motif controls helix packing but still allows for a dynamic and lipid-regulated oligomeric state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MHC class II molecules present antigen-derived peptides to CD4T cells to drive the adaptive immune response. Previous work has established that class II αβ dimers can adopt two distinct conformations, driven by the differential pairing of transmembrane domain GxxxG dimerization motifs. These class II conformers differ in their ability to be loaded with antigen-derived peptide and to effectively engage CD4 T cells. Motif 1 (M1) paired I-A k class II molecules are efficiently loaded with peptides derived from the processing of B cell receptor-bound antigen, have unique B cell signaling properties and high T cell stimulation activity. The 11-5.2 mAb selectively binds M1 paired I-A k class II molecules. However, the molecular determinants of 11-5.2 binding are currently unclear. Here, we report the ability of a human class II transmembrane domain to drive both M1 and M2 class II conformer formation. Protease sensitivity analysis further strengthens the idea that there are conformational differences between the extracellular domains of M1 and M2 paired class II. Finally, MHC class II chain alignments and site directed mutagenesis reveals a triad of molecular regions that contributes to 11-5.2 mAb binding. In addition to transmembrane GxxxG motif domain pairing, 11-5.2 binding is influenced directly by α chain residue Glu-71 and in directly by the region around the inter-chain salt bridge formed by α chain Arg-52 and β chain Glu-86. These findings provide insight into the complexity of 11-5.2 mAb recognition of the M1 paired I-A k class II conformer and further highlight the molecular heterogeneity of peptide-MHC class II complexes that drive T cell antigen recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the role of plasmalemmal voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC-1) corroborated as amyloid Aß-receptor in Alzheimer's disease (AD). He explores topics including cell death induced by Aß mono- and oligomers, mitochondrial expression, and neuronal apoptosis, as well as the toxic effect of amyloid Aß peptides on septal and hippocampal neurons.

AlaE is the smallest amino acid exporter identified in Escherichia coli . It exports l-alanine using the proton motive force and plays a pivotal role in maintaining intracellular l-alanine homeostasis by acting as a safety valve. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of substrate export by AlaE is still limited because structural information is lacking. Due to its small size (149 amino acid residues), it has been speculated that AlaE functions by forming an oligomer. In this study, we performed chemical cross-linking and pull-down assays and showed that AlaE indeed generates homo-oligomers as a functional unit. Previous random mutagenesis experiments identified three loss-of-function AlaE point mutations in the predicted transmembrane helix 4 (TM4) region, two of which are present in the GxxxG motif. When alanine-scanning mutagenesis was applied to the TM4 region, the AlaE derivatives that had amino acid substitutions around the GxxxG motif showed low l-alanine export activities, indicating that the GxxxG motif in TM4 plays an important role in substrate export. However, these AlaE variants with low activity could still form oligomers. We therefore concluded that AlaE forms homo-oligomers and that the GxxxG motif in the TM4 region plays an essential role in AlaE activity but is not involved in AlaE oligomer formation.

Organic anion-transporting polypeptides play important roles in the uptake of various endogenous and exogenous compounds. It has been proposed that OATP family members, as membrane proteins, may form oligomers. However, oligomerization status of OATPs is still largely unclear. In the present study, HEK293 cells stably expressing OATP1B1 were generated to investigate the oligomerization status of the transporter. Chemical cross-linking and coimmunoprecipitation experiments revealed that OATP1B1 may form homo-oligomers, possibly through disulfide bonds. When wild-type OATP1B1 was coexpressed with a loss-of-function mutant W258A, cells showed reduced uptake of prototypic substrate estrone-3-sulfate (ES). Interestingly, such a coexpression did not affect OATP1B1 transport activity of high concentrations ES, implicating that oligomerization status may affect only the high affinity component of ES. OATP1B1 possesses three GXXXG motifs that have been associated with protein dimerization in other membrane proteins. When glycine residues were replaced with alanine, G219A and G393A showed drastically reduced uptake function. Further studies revealed that G219A has a similar association capability to that of the wild-type, while mutation at Gly393 may affect oligomerization status of the transporter. Kinetic analysis showed that both G219A and G393A have a dramatically reduced V max for ES uptake. K m of G219A was increased while that of G393A exhibited a decreased value for high affinity component of ES binding. Our studies demonstrated that OATP1B1 may function as oligomers in the high affinity site of ES while acting as monomers for the low affinity binding component of the substrate.

RNF144A, an E3 ubiquitin ligase for DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), can promote DNA damage-induced cell apoptosis. Here we characterize an important regulation of RNF144A through its transmembrane (TM) domain. The TM domain of RNF144A is highly conserved among species. Deletion of the TM domain abolishes its membrane localization and also significantly reduces its ubiquitin ligase activity. Further evidence shows that the TM domain is required for RNF144A self-association and that the self-association may be partially mediated through a classic GXXXG interaction motif. A mutant RNF144A-G252L/G256L (in the G(252)XXXG(256) motif) preserves membrane localization but is defective in self-association and ubiquitin ligase activity. On the other hand, a membrane localization loss mutant of RNF144A still retains self-association and E3 ligase activity, which can be blocked by additional G252L/G256L mutations. Therefore, our data demonstrate that the TM domain of RNF144A has at least two independent roles, membrane localization and E3 ligase activation, to regulate its physiological function. This regulatory mechanism may be applicable to other RBR (RING1-IBR-RING2) E3 ubiquitin ligases because, first, RNF144B also self-associates. Second, all five TM-containing RBR E3 ligases, including RNF144A and RNF144B, RNF19A/Dorfin, RNF19B, and RNF217, have the RBR-TM(GXXXG) superstructure. Mutations of the GXXXG motifs in RNF144A and RNF217 have also be found in human cancers, including a G252D mutation of RNF144A. Interestingly, RNF144A-G252D still preserves self-association and ubiquitin ligase activity but loses membrane localization and is turned over rapidly. In conclusion, both proper membrane localization and self-association are important for RNF144A function., (© 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.)