Lipid Regulated Intramolecular Conformational Dynamics of SNARE-Protein Ykt6

Sci Rep. 2016 Aug 5:6:30282. doi: 10.1038/srep30282.

Abstract

Cellular informational and metabolic processes are propagated with specific membrane fusions governed by soluble N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNARE). SNARE protein Ykt6 is highly expressed in brain neurons and plays a critical role in the membrane-trafficking process. Studies suggested that Ykt6 undergoes a conformational change at the interface between its longin domain and the SNARE core. In this work, we study the conformational state distributions and dynamics of rat Ykt6 by means of single-molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) and Fluorescence Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy (FCCS). We observed that intramolecular conformational dynamics between longin domain and SNARE core occurred at the timescale ~200 μs. Furthermore, this dynamics can be regulated and even eliminated by the presence of lipid dodecylphoshpocholine (DPC). Our molecular dynamic (MD) simulations have shown that, the SNARE core exhibits a flexible structure while the longin domain retains relatively stable in apo state. Combining single molecule experiments and theoretical MD simulations, we are the first to provide a quantitative dynamics of Ykt6 and explain the functional conformational change from a qualitative point of view.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoproteins / chemistry*
  • Apoproteins / genetics
  • Apoproteins / metabolism
  • Binding Sites
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
  • Gene Expression
  • Kinetics
  • Membrane Fusion
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Phosphorylcholine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Phosphorylcholine / chemistry
  • Phosphorylcholine / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation, alpha-Helical
  • Protein Conformation, beta-Strand
  • Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
  • R-SNARE Proteins / chemistry*
  • R-SNARE Proteins / genetics
  • R-SNARE Proteins / metabolism
  • Rats
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
  • Single Molecule Imaging
  • Thermodynamics

Substances

  • Apoproteins
  • R-SNARE Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Ykt6 protein, rat
  • Phosphorylcholine
  • dodecylphosphocholine