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The ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1) multidrug transporter P-glycoprotein plays a central role in clearance of xenobiotics in humans and is implicated in cancer resistance to chemotherapy. We used double electron electron resonance spectroscopy to uncover the basis of stimulation of P-glycoprotein adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis by multiple substrates and illuminate how substrates and inhibitors differentially affect its transport function. Our results reveal that substrate-induced acceleration of ATP hydrolysis correlates with stabilization of a high-energy, post-ATP hydrolysis state characterized by structurally asymmetric nucleotide-binding sites. By contrast, this state is destabilized in the substrate-free cycle and by high-affinity inhibitors in favor of structurally symmetric nucleotide binding sites. Together with previous data, our findings lead to a general model of substrate and inhibitor coupling to P-glycoprotein.

The small multidrug transporter from Escherichia coli, EmrE, couples the energetically uphill extrusion of hydrophobic cations out of the cell to the transport of two protons down their electrochemical gradient. Although principal mechanistic elements of proton/substrate antiport have been described, the structural record is limited to the conformation of the substrate-bound state, which has been shown to undergo isoenergetic alternating access. A central but missing link in the structure/mechanism relationship is a description of the protonbound state, which is an obligatory intermediate in the transport cycle. Here we report a systematic spin labeling and double electron electron resonance (DEER) study that uncovers the conformational changes of EmrE subsequent to protonation of critical acidic residues in the context of a global description of ligand-induced structural rearrangements. We find that protonation of E14 leads to extensive rotation and tilt of transmembrane helices 1-3 in conjunction with repacking of loops, conformational changes that alter the coordination of the bound substrate and modulate its access to the binding site from the lipid bilayer. The transport model that emerges from our data posits a proton-bound, but occluded, resting state. Substrate binding from the inner leaflet of the bilayer releases the protons and triggers alternating access between inward-and outward-facing conformations of the substrate-loaded transporter, thus enabling antiport without dissipation of the proton gradient.EmrE | SMR | EPR | DEER | multidrug transport P owered by the proton electrochemical gradient across the inner membrane of prokaryotes, small multidrug resistance (SMR) transporters extrude a spectrum of cytotoxic molecules that are primarily hydrophobic cations (1). The functional unit is typically a homodimer wherein each protomer consists of four hydrophobic transmembrane helices (TM). TM1-3 cradle a substrate binding pocket, whereas TM4 is involved in the contacts that stabilize the dimer. EmrE, the SMR transporter from Escherichia coli, has been a focal point of structural, spectroscopic, and mechanistic investigations (2-7). Seminal work from the Schuldiner laboratory over the last two decades has unlocked mechanistic principles of substrate-ionantiport (1,(8)(9)(10). EmrE binds hydrophobic substrates in a membrane-embedded chamber coordinated by glutamate 14 (E14), an absolutely conserved, membrane-embedded, acidic residue in the middle of TM1. Coupling between substrate and proton arises from the principle of mutual exclusion between the two ligands at the binding site (8,10).In contrast to the elaborate understanding of the EmrE antiport mechanism, the conformational changes that enable binding and release of ligands have not been elucidated. Although the general framework of antiport is presumed to follow the principles of alternating access, the only structure available is of EmrE bound to the substrate tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP) (3). EM analysis of 2D crystals established an antiparallel ...

Pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR) spectroscopy is increasingly applied to spin-labeled membrane proteins. However, after reconstitution into liposomes, spin labels often exhibit a much faster transversal relaxation (T(m)) than in detergent micelles, thus limiting application of the method in lipid bilayers. In this study, the main reasons for enhanced transversal relaxation in phospholipid membranes were investigated systematically by use of spin-labeled derivatives of stearic acid and phosphatidylcholine as well as spin-labeled derivatives of the channel-forming peptide gramicidin A under the conditions typically employed for PELDOR distance measurements. Our results clearly show that dephasing due to instantaneous diffusion that depends on dipolar interaction among electron spins is an important contributor to the fast echo decay in cases of high local concentrations of spin labels in membranes. The main difference between spin labels in detergent micelles and membranes is their local concentration. Consequently, avoiding spin clustering and suppressing instantaneous diffusion is the key step for maximizing PELDOR sensitivity in lipid membranes. Even though proton spin diffusion is an important relaxation mechanism, only in samples of low local concentrations does deuteration of acyl chains and buffer significantly prolong T(m). In these cases, values of up to 7 μs have been achieved. Furthermore, our study revealed that membrane composition and labeling position in the membrane can also affect T(m), either by promoting the segregation of spin-labeled species or by altering their exposure to matrix protons. Effects of other experimental parameters including temperature (<50 K), presence of oxygen, and cryoprotectant type are negligible under our experimental conditions.

Many proteins of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and of the outer envelope of the endosymbiotically derived organelles mitochondria and plastids have a b-barrel fold. Their insertion is assisted by membrane proteins of the Omp85-TpsB superfamily. These proteins are composed of a C-terminal b-barrel and a different number of N-terminal POTRA domains, three in the case of cyanobacterial Omp85. Based on structural studies of Omp85 proteins, including the five POTRAdomain-containing BamA protein of Escherichia coli, it is predicted that anaP2 and anaP3 bear a fixed orientation, whereas anaP1 and anaP2 are connected via a flexible hinge. We challenged this proposal by investigating the conformational space of the N-terminal POTRA domains of Omp85 from the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 using pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR, or DEER) spectroscopy. The pronounced dipolar oscillations observed for most of the double spinlabeled positions indicate a rather rigid orientation of the POTRA domains in frozen liquid solution. Based on the PELDOR distance data, structure refinement of the POTRA domains was performed taking two different approaches: 1) treating the individual POTRA domains as rigid bodies; and 2) using an all-atom refinement of the structure. Both refinement approaches yielded ensembles of model structures that are more restricted compared to the conformational ensemble obtained by molecular dynamics simulations, with only a slightly different orientation of N-terminal POTRA domains anaP1 and anaP2 compared with the x-ray structure. The results are discussed in the context of the native environment of the POTRA domains in the periplasm.