Molecular dynamics-based model refinement and validation for sub-5 Å cryo-electron microscopy maps
Abstract
Two structure determination methods, based on the molecular dynamics flexible fitting (MDFF) paradigm, are presented that resolve sub-5-Å cryo-electron microscopy (EM) maps with either single structures or ensembles of such structures. The methods, denoted cascade MDFF and resolution exchange MDFF, sequentially re-refine a search model against a series of maps of progressively higher resolutions, which ends with the original experimental resolution. Application of sequential re-refinement enables MDFF to achieve a convergence radius of ~25Å demonstrated with the accurate modeling of β-galactosidase and TRPV1 proteins at 3.2Å and 3.4Å resolution. The MDFF refinements uniquely offer map-model validation and B-factor determination criteria based on the inherent dynamics of the respective macromolecules studied, captured employing local root mean square fluctuations. The MDFF tools are made available to researchers through an easy-to-use and cost-effective cloud computing resource on Amazon Web Services.
Data availability
-
NIZN[FE4S4] AND NINI[FE4S4] CLUSTERS IN CLOSED AND OPEN ALPHA SUBUNITS OF ACETYL-COA SYNTHASE/CARBON MONOXIDE DEHYDROGENASEPublicly available at the Protien Data Bank (accession no. 1OAO).
-
Structure of TRPV1 ion channel determined by single particle electron cryo-microscopyPublicly available at the Protien Data Bank (accession no. 3J5P).
-
Structure of the capsaicin receptor, TRPV1, determined by single particle electron cryo-microscopyPublicly available at the EMDataBank (accesion no. EMD-5778).
-
2.2 A resolution cryo-EM structure of beta-galactosidase in complex with a cell-permeant inhibitorPublicly available at the Protien Data Bank (accession no. 5A1A).
-
2.2 A resolution cryo-EM structure of beta-galactosidase in complex with a cell-permeant inhibitorPublicly available at the EMDataBank (accesion no. EMD-2984).
-
Cryo-EM structure of the human gamma-secretase complex at 3.4 angstrom resolution.Publicly available at the Protien Data Bank (accession no. 5A63).
-
Cryo-EM structure of the human gamma-secretase complex at 3.4 angstrom resolutionPublicly available at the EMDataBank (accesion no. EMD-3061).
-
Structure of a extracellular domainPublicly available at the Protien Data Bank (accession no. 4UPC).
-
Three-dimensional structure of human gamma-secretase at 4.5 angstrom resolutionPublicly available at the EMDataBank (accesion no. EMD-2677).
-
Thermoplasma acidophilum 20S proteasomePublicly available at the Protien Data Bank (accession no. 3J9I).
-
3D reconstruction of archaeal 20S proteasomePublicly available at the EMDataBank (accesion no. EMD-5623).
-
Structure of beta-galactosidase at 3.2-A resolution obtained by cryo-electron microscopyPublicly available at the Protien Data Bank (accession no. 3J7H).
-
Structure of beta-galactosidase at 3.2-A resolution obtained by cryo-electron microscopyPublicly available at the EMDataBank (accesion no. EMD-5995).
Article and author information
Author details
Copyright
© 2016, singharoy et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
Metrics
-
- 5,753
- views
-
- 1,095
- downloads
-
- 143
- citations
Views, downloads and citations are aggregated across all versions of this paper published by eLife.
Download links
Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)
Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)
Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)
Further reading
-
- Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
- Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Dynamic conformational and structural changes in proteins and protein complexes play a central and ubiquitous role in the regulation of protein function, yet it is very challenging to study these changes, especially for large protein complexes, under physiological conditions. Here, we introduce a novel isobaric crosslinker, Qlinker, for studying conformational and structural changes in proteins and protein complexes using quantitative crosslinking mass spectrometry. Qlinkers are small and simple, amine-reactive molecules with an optimal extended distance of ~10 Å, which use MS2 reporter ions for relative quantification of Qlinker-modified peptides derived from different samples. We synthesized the 2-plex Q2linker and showed that the Q2linker can provide quantitative crosslinking data that pinpoints key conformational and structural changes in biosensors, binary and ternary complexes composed of the general transcription factors TBP, TFIIA, and TFIIB, and RNA polymerase II complexes.
-
- Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
SCARF1 (scavenger receptor class F member 1, SREC-1 or SR-F1) is a type I transmembrane protein that recognizes multiple endogenous and exogenous ligands such as modified low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and is important for maintaining homeostasis and immunity. But the structural information and the mechanisms of ligand recognition of SCARF1 are largely unavailable. Here, we solve the crystal structures of the N-terminal fragments of human SCARF1, which show that SCARF1 forms homodimers and its epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains adopt a long-curved conformation. Then, we examine the interactions of SCARF1 with lipoproteins and are able to identify a region on SCARF1 for recognizing modified LDLs. The mutagenesis data show that the positively charged residues in the region are crucial for the interaction of SCARF1 with modified LDLs, which is confirmed by making chimeric molecules of SCARF1 and SCARF2. In addition, teichoic acids, a cell wall polymer expressed on the surface of gram-positive bacteria, are able to inhibit the interactions of modified LDLs with SCARF1, suggesting the ligand binding sites of SCARF1 might be shared for some of its scavenging targets. Overall, these results provide mechanistic insights into SCARF1 and its interactions with the ligands, which are important for understanding its physiological roles in homeostasis and the related diseases.