Substrate-modulated unwinding of transmembrane helices in the NSS transporter LeuT: Recommended in F1000Prime as being of special significance in its field by F1000 Faculty Member Robert Vandenberg

Patrick Sascha Merkle, Kamil Gotfryd, Michel A Cuendet, Katrine Zinck Leth-Espensen, Ulrik Gether, Claus Juul Løland, Kasper Dyrberg Rand

21 Citations (Scopus)
55 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

LeuT, a prokaryotic member of the neurotransmitter:sodium symporter (NSS) family, is an established structural model for mammalian NSS counterparts. We investigate the substrate translocation mechanism of LeuT by measuring the solution-phase structural dynamics of the transporter in distinct functional states by hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS). Our HDX-MS data pinpoint LeuT segments involved in substrate transport and reveal for the first time a comprehensive and detailed view of the dynamics associated with transition of the transporter between outward- and inward-facing configurations in a Na+- and K+-dependent manner. The results suggest that partial unwinding of transmembrane helices 1/5/6/7 drives LeuT from a substrate-bound, outward-facing occluded conformation toward an inward-facing open state. These hitherto unknown, large-scale conformational changes in functionally important transmembrane segments, observed for LeuT in detergent-solubilized form and when embedded in a native-like phospholipid bilayer, could be of physiological relevance for the translocation process.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbereaar6179
JournalScience Advances
Volume4
Issue number5
Number of pages12
ISSN2375-2548
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

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