Search

The sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ -ATPase (SERCA) transports Ca 2+ ions across the membrane coupled with ATP hydrolysis. Crystal structures of ligand-stabilized molecules indicate that the movement of actuator (A) domain plays a crucial role in Ca 2+ translocation. However, the actual structural movements during the transitions between intermediates remain uncertain, in particular, the structure of E2PCa 2 has not been solved. Here, the angle of the A-domain was measured by defocused orientation imaging using isotropic total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy. A single SERCA1a molecule, labeled with fluorophore ReAsH on the A-domain in fixed orientation, was embedded in a nanodisc, and stabilized on Ni-NTA glass. Activation with ATP and Ca 2+ caused angle changes of the fluorophore and therefore the A-domain, motions lost by inhibitor, thapsigargin. Our high-speed set-up captured the motion during EP isomerization, and suggests that the A-domain rapidly rotates back and forth from an E1PCa 2 position to a position close to the E2P state. This is the first report of the detection in the movement of the A-domain as an angle change. Our method provides a powerful tool to investigate the conformational change of a membrane protein in real-time.

Sarcolipin (SLN), a single-spanning membrane protein, is a regulator of the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ -ATPase (SERCA1a). Chemically synthesized SLN, palmitoylated or not (pSLN or SLN), and recombinant wild-type rabbit SERCA1a expressed in S. cerevisiae design experimental conditions that provide a deeper understanding of the functional role of SLN on the regulation of SERCA1a. Our data show that chemically synthesized SLN interacts with recombinant SERCA1a, with calcium-deprived E2 state as well as with calcium-bound E1 state. This interaction hampers the binding of calcium in agreement with published data. Unexpectedly, SLN has also an allosteric effect on SERCA1a transport activity by impairing the binding of ATP. Our results reveal that SLN significantly slows down the E2 to Ca 2 .E1 transition of SERCA1a while it affects neither phosphorylation nor dephosphorylation. Comparison with chemically synthesized SLN deprived of acylation demonstrates that palmitoylation is not necessary for either inhibition or association with SERCA1a. However, it has a small but statistically significant effect on SERCA1a phosphorylation when various ratios of SLN-SERCA1a or pSLN-SERCA1a are tested.

The calcium pump SERCA is a transmembrane protein that is critical for calcium transport in cells. SERCA resides in an environment made up largely by the lipid bilayer, so lipids play a central role on its stability and function. Studies have provided insights into the effects of annular and bulk lipids on SERCA activation, but the role of a nonannular lipid site in the E2 intermediate state remains elusive. Here, we have performed microsecond molecular dynamics simulations to probe the effects of nonannular lipid binding on the stability and structural dynamics of the E2 state of SERCA. We found that the structural integrity and stability of the E2 state is independent of nonannular lipid binding, and that occupancy of a lipid molecule at this site does not modulate destabilization of the E2 state, a step required to initiate the transition toward the competent E1 state. We also found that binding of the nonannular lipid does not induce direct allosteric control of the intrinsic functional dynamics the E2 state. We conclude that nonannular lipid binding is not necessary for the stability of the E2 state, but we speculate that it becomes functionally significant during the E2-to-E1 transition of the pump.

We have developed a structure-based high-throughput screening (HTS) method, using time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET) that is sensitive to protein-protein interactions in living cells. The membrane protein complex between the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase (SERCA2a) and phospholamban (PLB), its Ca-dependent regulator, is a validated therapeutic target for reversing cardiac contractile dysfunction caused by aberrant calcium handling. However, efforts to develop compounds with SERCA2a-PLB specificity have yet to yield an effective drug. We co-expressed GFP-SERCA2a (donor) in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane of HEK293 cells with RFP-PLB (acceptor), and measured FRET using a fluorescence lifetime microplate reader. We screened a small-molecule library and identified 21 compounds (Hits) that changed FRET by >3SD. 10 of these Hits reproducibly alter SERCA2a-PLB structure and function. One compound increases SERCA2a calcium affinity in cardiac membranes but not in skeletal, suggesting that the compound is acting specifically on the SERCA2a-PLB complex, as needed for a drug to mitigate deficient calcium transport in heart failure. The excellent assay quality and correlation between structural and functional assays validate this method for large-scale HTS campaigns. This approach offers a powerful pathway to drug discovery for a wide range of protein-protein interaction targets that were previously considered "undruggable".

Ca 2+ transport by sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ -ATPase involves ATP-dependent phosphorylation of a catalytic aspartic acid residue. The key process, luminal Ca 2+ release occurs upon phosphoenzyme isomerization, abbreviated as E1PCa 2 (reactive to ADP regenerating ATP and with two occluded Ca 2+ at transport sites) → E2P (insensitive to ADP and after Ca 2+ release). The isomerization involves gathering of cytoplasmic actuator and phosphorylation domains with second transmembrane helix (M2), and is epitomized by protection of a Leu 119 -proteinase K (prtK) cleavage site on M2. Ca 2+ binding to the luminal transport sites of E2P, producing E2PCa 2 before Ca 2+ -release exposes the prtK-site. Here we explore E2P structure to further elucidate luminal gating mechanism and effect of membrane perturbation. We find that ground state E2P becomes cleavable at Leu 119 in a non-solubilizing concentration of detergent C 12 E 8 at pH 7.4, indicating a shift towards a more E2PCa 2 -like state. Cleavage is accelerated by Mg 2+ binding to luminal transport sites and blocked by their protonation at pH 6.0. Results indicate that possible disruption of phospholipid-protein interactions strongly favors an E2P species with looser head domain interactions at M2 and responsive to specific ligand binding at the transport sites, likely an early flexible intermediate in the development towards ground state E2P.

P-type ATPases are ATP-powered ion pumps that establish ion concentration gradients across biological membranes, and are distinct from other ATPases in that the reaction cycle includes an autophosphorylation step. The best studied is Ca(2+)-ATPase from muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SERCA1a), a Ca(2+) pump that relaxes muscle cells after contraction, and crystal structures have been determined for most of the reaction intermediates. An important outstanding structure is that of the E1 intermediate, which has empty high-affinity Ca(2+)-binding sites ready to accept new cytosolic Ca(2+). In the absence of Ca(2+) and at pH 7 or higher, the ATPase is predominantly in E1, not in E2 (low affinity for Ca(2+)), and if millimolar Mg(2+) is present, one Mg(2+) is expected to occupy one of the Ca(2+)-binding sites with a millimolar dissociation constant. This Mg(2+) accelerates the reaction cycle, not permitting phosphorylation without Ca(2+) binding. Here we describe the crystal structure of native SERCA1a (from rabbit) in this E1·Mg(2+) state at 3.0 Å resolution in addition to crystal structures of SERCA1a in E2 free from exogenous inhibitors, and address the structural basis of the activation signal for phosphoryl transfer. Unexpectedly, sarcolipin, a small regulatory membrane protein of Ca(2+)-ATPase, is bound, stabilizing the E1·Mg(2+) state. Sarcolipin is a close homologue of phospholamban, which is a critical mediator of β-adrenergic signal in Ca(2+) regulation in heart (for reviews, see, for example, refs 8-10), and seems to play an important role in muscle-based thermogenesis. We also determined the crystal structure of recombinant SERCA1a devoid of sarcolipin, and describe the structural basis of inhibition by sarcolipin/phospholamban. Thus, the crystal structures reported here fill a gap in the structural elucidation of the reaction cycle and provide a solid basis for understanding the physiological regulation of the calcium pump.

The contraction and relaxation of muscle cells is controlled by the successive rise and fall of cytosolic Ca(2+), initiated by the release of Ca(2+) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and terminated by re-sequestration of Ca(2+) into the sarcoplasmic reticulum as the main mechanism of Ca(2+) removal. Re-sequestration requires active transport and is catalysed by the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA), which has a key role in defining the contractile properties of skeletal and heart muscle tissue. The activity of SERCA is regulated by two small, homologous membrane proteins called phospholamban (PLB, also known as PLN) and sarcolipin (SLN). Detailed structural information explaining this regulatory mechanism has been lacking, and the structural features defining the pathway through which cytoplasmic Ca(2+) enters the intramembranous binding sites of SERCA have remained unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of rabbit SERCA1a (also known as ATP2A1) in complex with SLN at 3.1 Å resolution. The regulatory SLN traps the Ca(2+)-ATPase in a previously undescribed E1 state, with exposure of the Ca(2+) sites through an open cytoplasmic pathway stabilized by Mg(2+). The structure suggests a mechanism for selective Ca(2+) loading and activation of SERCA, and provides new insight into how SLN and PLB inhibition arises from stabilization of this E1 intermediate state without bound Ca(2+). These findings may prove useful in studying how autoinhibitory domains of other ion pumps modulate transport across biological membranes.

Heavy-metal homeostasis and detoxification is crucial for cell viability. P-type ATPases of the class IB (PIB) are essential in these processes, actively extruding heavy metals from the cytoplasm of cells. Here we present the structure of a PIB-ATPase, a Legionella pneumophila CopA Cu(+)-ATPase, in a copper-free form, as determined by X-ray crystallography at 3.2 Å resolution. The structure indicates a three-stage copper transport pathway involving several conserved residues. A PIB-specific transmembrane helix kinks at a double-glycine motif displaying an amphipathic helix that lines a putative copper entry point at the intracellular interface. Comparisons to Ca(2+)-ATPase suggest an ATPase-coupled copper release mechanism from the binding sites in the membrane via an extracellular exit site. The structure also provides a framework to analyse missense mutations in the human ATP7A and ATP7B proteins associated with Menkes' and Wilson's diseases., (©2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved)

The sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase, a P-type ATPase, has a critical role in muscle function and metabolism. Here we present functional studies and three new crystal structures of the rabbit skeletal muscle Ca2+-ATPase, representing the phosphoenzyme intermediates associated with Ca2+ binding, Ca2+ translocation and dephosphorylation, that are based on complexes with a functional ATP analogue, beryllium fluoride and aluminium fluoride, respectively. The structures complete the cycle of nucleotide binding and cation transport of Ca2+-ATPase. Phosphorylation of the enzyme triggers the onset of a conformational change that leads to the opening of a luminal exit pathway defined by the transmembrane segments M1 through M6, which represent the canonical membrane domain of P-type pumps. Ca2+ release is promoted by translocation of the M4 helix, exposing Glu 309, Glu 771 and Asn 796 to the lumen. The mechanism explains how P-type ATPases are able to form the steep electrochemical gradients required for key functions in eukaryotic cells.