Temperature-dependent structural changes in intrinsically disordered proteins: formation of alpha-helices or loss of polyproline II?

Magnus Kjærgaard, Ann-Beth Nørholm, Ruth Hendus-Altenburger, Stine Helene Falsig Pedersen, Flemming M Poulsen, Birthe B Kragelund

136 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Structural characterization of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is mandatory for deciphering their potential unique physical and biological properties. A large number of circular dichroism (CD) studies have demonstrated that a structural change takes place in IDPs with increasing temperature, which most likely reflects formation of transient a-helices or loss of polyproline II (PPII) content. Using three IDPs, ACTR, NHE1, and Spd1, we show that the temperature-induced structural change is common among IDPs and is accompanied by a contraction of the conformational ensemble. This phenomenon was explored at residue resolution by multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. Intrinsic chemical shift referencing allowed us to identify regions of transiently formed helices and their temperature-dependent changes in helicity. All helical regions were found to lose rather than gain helical structures with increasing temperature, and accordingly these were not responsible for the change in the CD spectra. In contrast, the nonhelical regions exhibited a general temperature-dependent structural change that was independent of long-range interactions. The temperature-dependent CD spectroscopic signature of IDPs that has been amply documented can be rationalized to represent redistribution of the statistical coil involving a general loss of PPII conformations.

Original languageEnglish
JournalProtein Science
Volume19
Issue number8
Pages (from-to)1555-64
Number of pages10
ISSN0961-8368
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2010

Keywords

  • Cation Transport Proteins
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Humans
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular
  • Peptides
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Scattering, Small Angle
  • Sodium-Hydrogen Antiporter
  • Temperature

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Temperature-dependent structural changes in intrinsically disordered proteins: formation of alpha-helices or loss of polyproline II?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this