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Interhelical hydrogen bonds in the CFTR membrane domain

Nature Structural Biology volume 8, pages 597–601 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Critical mutations in the membrane-spanning domains of proteins cause many human diseases. We report the expression in Escherichia coli of helix-loop-helix segments of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel domain in milligram quantities. Analysis of gel migration patterns of these constructs, in conjunction with circular dichroism spectroscopy, demonstrate that a neutral-to-charged, CF-phenotypic point mutation of a hydrophobic residue (V232D) in the CFTR transmembrane (TM) helix 4 induces a hydrogen bond with neighboring wild type Gln 207 in TM helix 3. As an electrostatic crosslink within a hydrocarbon phase, such a hydrogen bond could alter the normal assembly and alignment of CFTR TM helices and/or impede their movement in response to substrate transport. Our results imply that membrane proteins may be vulnerable to loss of function through formation of membrane-buried interhelical hydrogen bonds by partnering of proximal polar side chains.

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Figure 1: Energy-minimized model of antiparallel CFTR transmembrane helical segments 3 and 4.
Figure 2: PAGE and circular dichroism spectral analyses of wild type and mutant CFTR TM 3–4 constructs.
Figure 3: Polar residue partnering in the CFTR transmembrane domain.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by grants to C.M.D. from the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the National Institutes of Health (NIDDK). A.G.T. holds a CIHR postdoctoral fellowship. We are grateful to A. Brünger and P. Adams (Yale University) for providing us with the global conformation search program used for the simulation of CFTR helical dimers. We thank C. Wang for assistance with molecular modeling, and M. Glibowicka and W. Chen for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Structural Biology and Biochemistry, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, M5G 1X8, Ontario, Canada

    Alex G. Therien, Fiona E.M. Grant & Charles M. Deber

  2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Ontario, Canada

    Alex G. Therien, Fiona E.M. Grant & Charles M. Deber

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  1. Alex G. Therien
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Correspondence to Charles M. Deber.

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Therien, A., Grant, F. & Deber, C. Interhelical hydrogen bonds in the CFTR membrane domain. Nat Struct Mol Biol 8, 597–601 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/89631

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