Examining the conformational dynamics of macromolecules with time-resolved synchrotron X-ray 'footprinting'.
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Base Sequence↗
Biomedical subjects
M Brenowitz
Publications and source records attributed to M Brenowitz.
Time-resolved synchrotron X-ray "footprinting", a new approach to the study of nucleic acid structure and function: application to protein-DNA interactions and RNA folding.
Hydroxyl radicals (.OH) can cleave the phosphodiester backbone of nucleic acids and are valuable reagents in the study of nucleic acid structure and protein-nucleic acid interactions. Irradiation of solutions by high flux "white light" X-ray beams based on bending magnet beamlines at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) yields sufficient concentrations of .OH so that quantitative nuclease protection ("footprinting") studies of DNA and RNA can be conducted with a duration of exposure in the range of 50 to 100 ms. The sensitivity of DNA and RNA to X-ray mediated .OH cleavage is equivalent. Both nucleic acids are completely protected from synchrotron X-ray induced cleavage by the presence of thiourea in the sample solution, demonstrating that cleavage is suppressed by a free radical scavenger. The utility of this time-dependent approach to footprinting is demonstrated with a synchrotron X-ray footprint of a protein-DNA complex and by a time-resolved footprinting analysis of the Mg(2+)-dependent folding of the Tetrahymena thermophilia L-21 ScaI ribozyme RNA. Equilibrium titrations reveal differences among the ribozyme domains in the cooperativity of Mg(2+)-dependent .OH protection. RNA .OH protection progress curves were obtained for several regions of the ribozyme over timescales of 30 seconds to several minutes. Progress curves ranging from > or = 3.5 to 0.4 min-1 were obtained for the P4-P6 and P5 sub-domains and the P3-P7 domain, respectively. The .OH protection progress curves have been correlated with the available biochemical, structural and modeling data to generate a model of the ribozyme folding pathway. Rate differences observed for specific regions within domains provide evidence for steps in the folding pathway not previously observed. Synchrotron X-ray footprinting is a new approach of general applicability for the study of time-resolved structural changes of nucleic acid conformation and protein-nucleic acid complexes.
Animals↗
Quantitative nucleic acids footprinting: thermodynamic and kinetic approaches.
Quantitative footprinting techniques allow a detailed analysis of the thermodynamic forces that characterize nucleic acid-ligand interactions and ligand-induced changes in nucleic acid structure by separately resolving the intrinsic and cooperative Gibbs free energy changes describing the reactions being investigated. A new implementation of the quantitative footprinting technique is the application of stopped-flow techniques to the study of kinetic reactions.
Binding Sites↗
Expression and purification of the RNA polymerase III transcription specificity factor IIIB70 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its cooperative binding with TATA-binding protein.
Transcription by RNA polymerase III (pol III) in yeast requires the assembly of an initiation complex comprising the TATA-binding protein (TBP), a 90-kDa polypeptide (TFIIIB90), and a 70-kDa polypeptide (TFIIIB70). TFIIIB70 interacts with TBP, a unique pol III subunit, C34, and the 131-kDa subunit of the pol III-specific complex, TFIIIC. TFIIIB70 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The specific transcription activity of rTFIIIB70 is 22-58% that of the native yeast and in vitro synthesized factor. However, only a small fraction (0.07-0.32%) of the TFIIIB70 from these sources results in the synthesis of full-length RNA. The data suggest that TFIIIB70 function may be limited by an unfavorable recruitment equilibrium into the preinitiation complex. Quantitative DNase I "footprint" titrations of yeast TBP to the adenovirus major late promoter were conducted at a series of constant TFIIIB70 concentrations. A value of -0.7 +/- 0.2 kcal/mol was determined for the cooperative free energy of formation of the TBP.TFIIIB70.DNA complex at concentrations of TFIIIB70 sufficient to partition all of the binding cooperativity to the TBP binding isotherm. A Kd of 44 +/- 23 nM characterizes the TFIIIB70 concentration dependence of the TBP.TFIIIB70 cooperativity. The relationship deltalog K/deltalog (TFIIIB70) is consistent with the linkage of a single molecule of TFIIIB70 with the TBP-promoter binding reaction.
DNA-Binding Proteins↗
Simultaneous binding and bending of promoter DNA by the TATA binding protein: real time kinetic measurements.
The binding and bending of tetramethylrhodamine-5'-(GGGCTATAAAAGGG) duplex-3'-fluorescein by native Saccharomyces cerevisiae TATA binding protein (TBP) have been investigated using fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Probability distributions derived from fluorescein emission lifetime measurements show a decrease in the mean 3'-fluorescein-5'- rhodamine distance from 56.5 to 46.8 A upon binding of the oligomer to TBP, consistent with the DNA bend observed by X-ray crystallography. The kinetics, monitored in real time using stopped flow fluorimetry, demonstrate simultaneous binding and bending of a TATA box by TBP with a single second-order rate constant of (2.4 +/- 0.3) x 10(6) M-1 s-1 at 30 degrees C.
Base Sequence↗
Interactions between RNA polymerase and the positive and negative regulators of transcription at the Escherichia coli gal operon.
The simultaneous binding of Gal repressor (GalR), catabolite activator protein (CAP or CRP), and RNA polymerase (RNAP) to the promoter region of the Escherichia coli gal operon has been analyzed thermodynamically, by quantitative DNase I "footprint" titration analysis, and structurally, by the use of hydroxyl radical (.OH) and 5-phenylphenanthroline (5OPP) "footprinting." In the absence of regulatory proteins, the preference of RNAP for one (P1) of the two gal operon overlapping promoters (P1 and P2) is -0.4 +/- 0.2 kcal/mol, indicating only a small energetic preference for P1. The simultaneous binding of CAP and RNAP occurs with 10-fold cooperativity, with greater than 99% of the CAP-RNAP complex present at the P1 promoter. This cooperativity is inhibited by the binding of GalR to the upstream operator, OE, but does not result in the repartitioning of RNAP between the P1 and P2 promoters. These results suggest that the CAP-RNAP cooperativity and promoter partitioning are not linked and are consistent with a mechanism by which GalR binding to OE represses transcription by inhibiting the CAP-RNAP cooperativity. It is suggested that the CAP-RNAP cooperativity is dependent upon contacts made by the complex with the upstream DNA and that GalR binding to OE prevents these contacts from occurring. Changes in nuclease reactivity at the internal operator OI (centered at +53.5) take place upon RNAP binding. These changes are dependent on the DNA sequence present at OI and on the presence or absence of CAP. They are independent of the helical phasing between the promoters and OI and of the distance between them. These results suggest that RNAP can directly communicate with events occurring at both the external and the internal operator sequences without direct contact between repressor molecules bound at their cognate sites.
Base Sequence↗
Quantitative kinetics footprinting of protein-DNA association reactions.
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DNA↗
Thermodynamic and kinetic characterization of the binding of the TATA binding protein to the adenovirus E4 promoter.
A thermodynamic analysis of the binding of the TATA binding protein (TBP) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the adenovirus E4 promoter was conducted using quantitative DNase I "footprint" titration techniques. These studies were conducted to provide a foundation for studies of TBP structure-function relations and its assembly into transcription preinitiation complexes. The binding of TBP to the E4 promoter is well described by the Langmuir binding polynomial, suggesting that no linked equilibria contribute to the binding reaction under the conditions examined. Van't Hoff analysis yielded a nonlinear dependence on temperature with the TBP-E4 promoter interaction displaying maximal affinity at 30 degrees C. An unusually negative value of the apparent standard heat capacity change, delta Cp degrees = -3.5 +/- 0.5 kcal/mol.K, was determined from these data. The dependence of the TBP-E4 promoter interaction on [KCl] indicates that 3.6 +/- 0.3 K+ ions are displaced upon complex formation. Within experimental error, no linkage of proton binding with the TBP-E4 promoter interaction is detectable between pH 5.9 and 8.7. Rates of association of TBP for the E4 promoter were obtained using a novel implementation of a quench-flow device and DNase I "footprinting" techniques. The value determined for the second-order rate constant at pH 7.4, 100 mM KCl, 5 mM MgCl2, 1 mM CaCl2, 30 degrees C (ka = 5.2 +/- 0.5) x 10(5) M-1 s-1) confirms the results obtained by Hawley and co-workers [Hoopes, B.C., LeBlanc, J.F., & Hawley, D.K. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 11539-11547] and extends them through TBP concentrations of 636 nM.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adenovirus E4 Proteins↗
DNA conformational changes associated with the cooperative binding of cI-repressor of bacteriophage lambda to OR.
The cI repressor protein (cI) maintains bacteriophage lambda in the lysogenic state in infected Escherichia coli cells by binding cooperatively to three tandemly repeated sequences comprising the right operator (OR). Cooperative interactions occur between alternate pairs of cI dimers bound to adjacent sites. Although crystallographic studies have revealed the structure of the DNA in the 92 amino acid residue amino-terminal fragment-OL1 complex, the structure of the DNA within the OR-cI complex with intact, cooperatively bound cI has not been described. In this study, the structure of the DNA within OR was quantitatively examined using sequence and structure-dependent nuclease cleavage patterns as a function of cI binding. The cooperative binding of cI to OR1 and OR2 induces a conformational change in the DNA of OR3 that is detectable by both DNase I and 5-phenyl-1,10-phenanthroline. Hydroxyl radical footprinting indicates the presence of an "A-tract" between OR1 and OR2 at the site of a run of four adenine-thymine base-pairs, implying a stable bend between the sites of approximately 18 degrees. 5-Phenyl-1,10-phenanthroline footprinting reports conformational changes within the central base-pairs of all three sites that is dependent upon the sequence-specific binding of cI. The observed conformational changes are more extensive within OR2 and OR3 compared with OR1, consistent with an "induced-fit" model of sequence-specific recognition. A number of changes in nuclease reactivity within the individual binding sites were quantitatively correlated with cI binding at the other sites within OR. These results demonstrate that changes in the DNA structure are propagated among the sites in response to the binding of cI and imply a role for DNA sequence-dependent conformational changes in the mechanisms of both the intrinsic and cooperative binding reactions of cI to OR.
Bacteriophage lambda↗
The manganese superoxide dismutase of Escherichia coli K-12 associates with DNA.
Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are vital components in the resistance of aerobic organisms to the toxicity of oxygen. Escherichia coli contains two highly homologous cytoplasmic SODs, a manganese- and an iron-containing enzyme (MnSOD, FeSOD). We previously demonstrated that MnSOD and FeSOD have different physiological functions and that MnSOD is more effective in preventing oxidative damage to DNA. In this report, purified E. coli MnSOD was shown to bind nonspecifically to DNA by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and nitrocellulose-filter binding methodologies. From electrophoretic mobility shift assay, the equilibrium dissociation constants for interaction with a variety of double-stranded and single-stranded oligonucleotides ranged from 1.5 +/- 0.2 to 8.4 +/- 1.3 microM at 20 degrees C. This range of concentrations corresponds to MnSOD concentrations in aerobically grown E. coli. In vivo binding of MnSOD to DNA was supported by colocalization of MnSOD and the E. coli nucleoid in immunoelectron microscopy. Both MnSOD and DNA were inhomogeneously distributed in the cytosol, the concentration of each being higher in the center of the cell and relatively low near the inner membrane. In contrast, there was no evidence for physiologically relevant interaction of FeSOD with DNA. Binding to DNA in vitro was weak, Kd > 40-220 microM, concentrations 7-40 times higher than found in vivo. In addition, the cytoplasmic distribution of FeSOD did not correlate with DNA. FeSOD concentration was higher near the inner membrane and lower in the center of the cytosol. These results demonstrate that E. coli MnSOD associates with DNA in vitro and in vivo. Combined with prior data demonstrating that MnSOD preferentially protects DNA in vivo while an equal enzymatic activity of FeSOD does not (Hopkin, K. A., Papazian, M. A., and Steinman, H. M. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 24253-24258), our data suggest that E. coli MnSOD acts as a "tethered antioxidant"; association of MnSOD with DNA localizes dismutase activity near a target of oxidative stress and increases protection of DNA from oxidative damage. This model has implications for the therapeutic use of SODs as antioxidants.
Antibodies↗
A molecular model of the inducer binding domain of the galactose repressor of Escherichia coli.
The C-terminal inducer binding domain of the Escherichia coli galactose repressor (GalR) is homologous to several periplasmic chemoreceptor proteins whose three-dimensional structures have been determined at high resolution (Vyas, N. K., Vyas, M. N., and Quiocho, F. A. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 5226-5237; Mowbray, S. L. and Cole, L. B. (1992) J. Mol. Biol. 225, 155-175). The protein backbone was constructed from the coordinates of glucose/galactose-binding protein using the Homology program (Biosym Technologies, San Diego). Loops were built by searching for substructures in the structure data base, and the side chains were built using a rotamer-base program. A small amount of energy minimization relieved steric strain within the model. The GalR model that has been constructed is consistent with the principles of protein structure; values obtained for the compactness and buried surface area of the model compare favorably with those determined for the chemoreceptor protein structures. The model is consistent with, and provides structural interpretations for, experimental results obtained from physical and biochemical studies. Predictions are made concerning the residues conferring the specificity of galactose induction of GalR and for self-association to dimers. The model provides a first step toward correlating the structure and regulation of GalR and in determining the chemistry of its homologous and heterologous interactions that are critical to its role as a regulator of transcription initiation.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
The allosteric interaction between D-galactose and the Escherichia coli galactose repressor protein.
The Escherichia coli galactose repressor protein (GalR) inhibits transcription of the gal operon upon binding to two operator sites (1-7). This DNA binding activity is inhibited when D-galactose or D-fucose binds to GalR (8-14). Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to characterize the single tryptophan of GalR and to investigate the interaction between galactose and GalR. Fluorescence quenching experiments place both tryptophan residues of the GalR dimer in similar, solvent-exposed locations. Galactose is shown to enhance the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of GalR, the source of which is not explained by a change in decay times, but is due to an increase in the pre-exponential factor of the longest of the three fluorescence decay times. It is shown that the beta-anomer of D-galactose is the likely form that binds to GalR. An increase in pH from 6.3 to 9.5 causes the equilibrium association constant (K alpha) describing the galactose-GalR interaction to decrease 10-fold. The interaction is cooperative below pH 9.5. Over the pH range of 6.3 to 9.5, the tryptophan solvent exposure of GalR increases. Galactose binding also induces an increase in exposure. These results, and others presented in this paper, show that both pH and galactose cause global alterations in the structure of GalR.
Allosteric Regulation↗
Modulation of the stability of a Lac repressor mediated looped complex by temperature and ions: allosteric regulation by chloride.
The lactose repressor of Escherichia coli (LacI) associates to a bidentate tetramer in solution and can simultaneously bind two operators to form a protein-mediated "looped complex". Studies have been conducted of the binding of LacI to two operators separated by approximately 11 helical turns of DNA. Quantitative DNase I footprint titration analysis of the stability of the LacI-mediated looped complex reveals that the Gibbs free energy of cyclization (delta Gzeroj) of the looped complex of 11.7 +/- 0.4 kcal/mol is invariant with temperature. van't Hoff analysis reveals a large and positive enthalpy of cyclization (delta H degrees = 12.3 +/- 2.4 kcal/mol) and an entropy that is small and positive (delta S degrees = 2.2 cal/deg). Quantitative DNase I footprint titration and kinetic dissociation studies were also conducted as a function of counter-ion type and concentration. Increasing concentrations of KCl or potassium glutamate destabilize the looped complex, a result completely accounted for by increases in the intrinsic DNA-binding free energies. While the value of delta Gzeroj is invariant with ion concentration, chloride is a positive regulator. The value of delta Gzeroj decreases by 1.5 kcal/mol upon substitution of chloride for glutamate. Measurements of delta Gzeroj conducted as a function of chloride concentration at constant ionic strength reveal that approximately one chloride ion per tetramer is bound upon looped complex formation. These results demonstrate specific allosteric regulation of the formation of the LacI-mediated looped complex by a mechanism distinct from the regulation of the constituent protein--DNA interactions.
Allosteric Regulation↗
'Footprinting' proteins on DNA with peroxonitrous acid.
The peroxonitrite anion (ONOO-) is a stable species in alkaline solution that quickly generates a strong oxidant at neutral pH. A convenient procedure for the preparation of ONOOK has been developed based on the procedure of Keith & Powell [(1969) J. Chem. Soc. A, 90], which when added to a sample of duplex DNA buffered at neutral pH rapidly generates a strong oxidant capable of nonspecifically cleaving the DNA present. We show that this solution containing ONOOK can be used to hydroxyl radical footprint the binding the cl-repressor (cl) of phage lambda with the right operator, OR. In addition, we show that the individual-site binding isotherms determined by quantitative DNase I, Fe-EDTA and ONOOK footprinting are identical within experimental error. The identical isotherms obtained with the three different reagents with greatly differing sampling times indicates that the sampling time of the footprinting probe need not be short relative to the kinetic dissociation constants that govern protein-DNA interactions.
Anions↗
Effects of anomalous migration and DNA to protein ratios on resolution of equilibrium constants from gel mobility-shift assays.
Numerical resolution of binding constants from data generated by the gel mobility-shift assay is dependent on the experimental resolution of the different ligation states of the DNA. Previously we showed that the populations of the intermediate ligation states at partial saturation with the protein ligand are extremely sensitive to cooperativity (Senear, D. F. and Brenowitz, M. J. Biol. Chem. 1991, 266, 13661-13671). This makes accurate gel mobility-shift data extremely useful to the demonstration of cooperativity. However, the accuracy with which the intermediate ligation state populations are resolved has been questioned. Thus, two additional and related questions are now considered. First, what information is available if the intermediate ligation state populations are not used in the analysis of binding constants. Second, is accurate information obtained from those states under conditions of high DNA concentration. These questions are addressed by using the interactions of the lambda cI repressor protein with the three site operator, OR, and the interaction of the E. coli GalR protein with the single site operator, OE. Both simulated and experimental data are analyzed. The results point to two conclusions. First, precise resolution of all macroscopic constants for binding of proteins to DNA is critically dependent on the intermediate ligation state populations; resolution is limited to at most two DNA sites if these states are not used in the analysis. Second, when the DNA and protein concentrations used in the titrations are comparable, the resolution of binding constants is extremely sensitive to experimental uncertainty in the macromolecule concentrations.
Binding Sites↗
Interactions between DNA-bound transcriptional regulators of the Escherichia coli gal operon.
Regulation of the initiation of gene transcription from the gal operon of Escherichia coli is activated by the binding of CAP (catabolite activator protein) to a site centered at base pair -41.5 relative to the S1 start site of transcription. This operon is repressed by the specific binding of Gal repressor (GalR) to two operators, OE and OI, centered at -60.5 and +53.5, respectively. It has been proposed that this negative regulation results from the interaction of GalR dimers bound to OE and OI to form a protein-mediated "looped complex" [cf. Adhya, S. (1989) Annu. Rev. Genet. 23, 207-230]. In order to test whether DNA-bound CAP would facilitate or inhibit the binding of GalR, the simultaneous binding of these proteins was studied by quantitative DNase I footprint titration analysis. These studies demonstrate that GalR binding is noncooperative in the presence and in the absence of CAP and that GalR and CAP bind to the gal operon independently. No evidence was found that CAP stabilizes a putative Gal repressor-mediated protein-DNA looped complex. It has been shown that the gal operon can be negatively regulated by the binding of Lac repressor (LacI) to a gal operon in which OE and OI were both modified to be recognized by LacI [Haber, R., & Adhya, S. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 9683-9687]. In contrast to GalR, LacI binds to the chimeric gal operon with moderate cooperativity via the formation of a stable protein-DNA looped complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Bacterial Proteins↗
Determination of binding constants for cooperative site-specific protein-DNA interactions using the gel mobility-shift assay.
We have investigated the question of whether the gel mobility-shift assay can provide data that are useful to the demonstration of cooperativity in the site-specific binding of proteins to DNA. Three common patterns of protein-DNA interaction were considered: (i) the cooperative binding of a protein to two sites (illustrated by the Escherichia coli Gal repressor); (ii) the cooperative binding of a bidentate protein to two sites (illustrated by the E. coli Lac repressor); and (iii) the cooperative binding of a protein to three sites (illustrated by the lambda cI repressor). A simple, rigorous, and easily extendable statistical mechanical approach to the derivation of the binding equations for the different patterns is presented. Both simulated and experimental data for each case are analyzed. The mobility-shift assay provides estimates of the macroscopic binding constants for each step of ligation based on its separation of liganded species by the number of ligands bound. Resolution of the binding constants depends on the precision with which the equilibrium distribution of liganded species is determined over the entire range of titration of each of the sites. However, the evaluation of cooperativity from the macroscopic binding constants is meaningful only for data that are also accurate. Some criteria that are useful in evaluating accuracy are introduced and illustrated. Resolution of cooperative effects is robust only for the simplest case, in which there are two identical protein binding sites. In this case, cooperative effects of up to 1,000-fold are precisely determined. For heterogeneous sites, cooperative effects of greater than 1,000-fold are resolvable, but weak cooperativity is masked by the heterogeneity. For three-site systems, only averaged pair-wise cooperative effects are resolvable.
Allosteric Regulation↗
Stability of a Lac repressor mediated "looped complex".
The quantitation of the stability of a protein-mediated "looped complex" of the Lac repressor and DNA containing two protein-binding sites whose centers of symmetry are separated by 11 helical turns (114 bp) was accomplished by footprint and gel mobility-shift titration techniques. Lac repressor binding to this DNA was only moderately cooperative; a cooperative free energy of -1.0 kcal/mol was calculated in a model-independent fashion from the individual-site loading energies obtained from the footprint titration studies. In order to partition the cooperative binding energy into components representing the dimer-tetramer association of Lac repressor and the cyclization probability of the intervening DNA, advantage was taken of the presence of experimental measures that were in proportion to the concentration of the looped complex present in solution. One measure was the DNase I hypersensitivity observed in footprint titrations in bands located between the two binding sites. The second measure resulted from the electrophoretic resolution in the gel mobility-shift titrations of the band representing the doubly liganded "tandem complex" from the band representing the singly liganded complexes, including the looped complex. Analysis of the footprint and mobility-shift titration data utilizing this additional information showed that approximately 65% of the molecules present in solution are looped complexes at pH 7.0, 100 mM KCl, and 20 degrees C when the binding sites on the DNA are saturated with protein. Reconciliation of the observed low binding cooperativity and the high proportion of looped complexes could only be obtained when the titration data were analyzed by a model in which Lac repressor tetramers dissociate into dimers in solution. The proportion of looped complexes present in solution is highly dependent on the dimer-tetramer association constant, delta Gtet. This result is consistent with the determination by high-pressure fluorescence techniques that Lac repressor tetramers dissociate with an association free energy comparable to their DNA-binding free energies [Royer, C. A., Chakerian, A. E., & Matthews, K. S. (1990) Biochemistry 29, 4959-4966]. However, when the value of delta Gtet of -10.6 kcal/mol (at 20 degrees C) reported by Royer et al. (1990) is assumed, the titration data demand that tetramers bind DNA with much greater affinity than dimers: a result inconsistent with the destabilization of tetramers by the operator observed in the dimer-tetramer dissociation studies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Base Sequence↗