The thermodynamic and structural cooperativity between the Ser45– and D128–biotin hydrogen bonds was measured by calorimetric and X‐ray crystallographic studies of the S45A/D128A double mutant of streptavidin. The double mutant exhibits a binding affinity ∼2 × 107 times lower than that of wild‐type streptavidin at 25°C. The corresponding reduction in binding free energy (ΔΔG) of 10.1 kcal/mol was nearly completely due to binding enthalpy losses at this temperature. The loss of binding affinity is 11‐fold greater than that predicted by a linear combination of the single‐mutant energetic perturbations (8.7 kcal/mol), indicating that these two mutations interact cooperatively. Crystallographic characterization of the double mutant and comparison with the two single mutant structures suggest that structural rearrangements at the S45 position, when the D128 carboxylate is removed, mask the true energetic contribution of the D128–biotin interaction. Taken together, the thermodynamic and structural analyses support the conclusion that the wild‐type hydrogen bond between D128–OD and biotin–N2 is thermodynamically stronger than that between S45–OG and biotin–N1.

Active transport of cations is achieved by a large family of ATP-dependent ion pumps, known as P-type ATPases. Various members of this family have been targets of structural and functional investigations for over four decades. Recently, atomic structures have been determined for Ca2+-ATPase by X-ray crystallography, which not only reveal the architecture of these molecules but also offer the opportunity to understand the structural mechanisms by which the energy of ATP is coupled to calcium transport across the membrane. This energy coupling is accomplished by large-scale conformational changes. The transmembrane domain undergoes plastic deformations under the influence of calcium binding at the transport site. Cytoplasmic domains undergo dramatic rigid-body movements that deliver substrates to the catalytic site and that establish new domain interfaces. By comparing various structures and correlating functional data, we can now begin to associate the chemical changes constituting the reaction cycle with structural changes in these domains.

Transmembrane helix M6 of the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca 2+ ATPase (SERCA) has been shown to form a site of interaction with phospholamban (PLN). Site-directed mutagenesis was carried out in the cytoplasmic loop (L67) between M6 and M7 in SERCA1a to detect other SERCA-PLN binding sites. Mutants N810A, D813A, and R822A had diminished ability to interact functionally with PLN, but only D813A and R822A had reduced physical interaction with PLN. PLN mutants R25A, Q26A, N27A, L28A, Q29A, and N30A had enhanced physical interaction with wild-type (wt) SERCA1a, but physical interaction of these PLN mutants with SERCA1a mutants D813A and R822A was reduced about 2.5 fold (range 1.44–2.82). Exceptions were the interactions of PLN N27A and N30A with SERCA1a D813A, which were reduced by 7.3- and 5.8-fold, respectively. A superinhibitory PLN deletion mutant, PLNΔ21–29, had strong physical interactions with SERCA1a and with SERCA1a mutant D813A. Physical interactions with SERCA1a and mutant D813A were sharply diminished, however, for the PLN deletion mutant, PLNΔ21–30, lacking PLN N30. Physical interactions between SERCA1a and a PLN-cytochrome b 5 chimera containing PLN residues 1–29 were much stronger than those between a PLN-cytochrome b 5 chimera containing PLN residues 1–21 and lacking N27. These results suggest that a SERCA1-PLN interaction site occurs between L67 of SERCA1a and domain IB of PLN, which involves SERCA1a D813 and PLN N27 and N30.

An influx of calcium ions into the cytoplasm activates a variety of cellular processes. The Ca2+ concentration is then returned to sub-micromolar levels by an ATP-driven Ca2+pump. The first high-resolution structure of such a pump reveals in exquisite detail the structural features that may underlie the pump's activity.

The calcium pump from sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca 2+ -ATPase) is typical of the large family of P-type cation pumps. These couple ATP hydrolysis with cation transport, generating cation gradients across membranes. Ca 2+ -ATPase specifically maintains the low cytoplasmic calcium concentration of resting muscle by pumping calcium into the sarcoplasmic reticulum; subsequent release is used to initiate contraction. No high-resolution structure of a P-type pump has yet been determined, although a 14-Å structure ofCa 2+ -ATPase, obtained by electron microscopy of frozen-hydrated, tubular crystals 1 , showed a large cytoplasmic head connected to the transmembrane domain by a narrow stalk. We have now improved the resolution to 8 Å and can discern ten transmembrane α-helices, four of which continue into the stalk. On the basis of constraints from transmembrane topology, site-directed mutagenesis and disulphide crosslinking, we have made tentative assignments for these α-helices within the amino-acid sequence. A distinct cavity leads to the putative calcium-binding site, providing a plausible path for calcium release to the lumen of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Function Ca pumps, together with Ca release channels, form ubiquitous Ca regulatory systems in muscle and non-muscle cells. The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca-ATPases (SERCA) and the plasma membrane Ca-ATPases have the highest affinity for Ca removal from the cytoplasm and, together, set resting cytoplasmic Ca concentrations. Three differentially expressed genes encode SERCA proteins (1). SERCA1a and -1b are expressed in fast-twitch skeletal muscle, but loss of SERCA1 function in Brody disease is sufficiently compensated to preserve life (2). SERCA2a is the cardiac/slow-twitch isoform, whereas SERCA2b, with a C-terminal extension, is expressed in smooth muscle and non-muscle tissues. It is almost certainly an essential gene. SERCA3 is expressed in a limited set of non-muscle tissues, including endothelial, epithelial, and lymphocytic cells and platelets, and its knockout is not lethal (3). SERCA enzymes are typical of the class of P-type ATPases, which form a phosphoprotein intermediate and undergo conformational changes during the course of ATP hydrolysis (4, 5). Some of the conformational states can be stabilized, either by adjustment of reaction conditions or through mutagenesis, and characterized as intermediates in the overall reaction cycle (Fig. 1A). The phosphorylated intermediate, E1P(Ca)2, can phosphorylate ADP, whereas E2P can only react with water. The formation of E1P requires that two high affinity Ca binding sites be occupied. The enzyme is then phosphorylated by ATP and, concomitantly, the two Ca ions are occluded and can no longer exchange with cytoplasmic Ca. The rate-limiting transition to E2P is accompanied by loss of Ca 21

In an attempt to define the spatial relationships among SERCA1a transmembrane helices M4, M5, M6, and M8, involved in Ca2+ binding, all six cysteine residues were removed from predicted transmembrane sequences by substitution with Ser or Ala. The cysteine-depleted protein retained 44% of wild type Ca2+ transport activity. Pairs of cysteine residues were then reintroduced to determine whether their juxtaposition would result in the formation of disulfide cross-links between transmembrane helices. In initial studies designed to map the juxtaposition of Ca2+ binding residues, Cys was substituted for Glu309 or Gly310 in transmembrane sequence M4, in combination with the substitution of Cys for Glu771 in M5; for Asn796, Thr799, or Asp800in M6; or for Glu908 in M8. These double mutants all retained the capacity to form a phosphoenzyme intermediate from Pi (but not from ATP in the presence of Ca2+), and in all but mutants E309C/N796C and G310C/N796C, phosphoenzyme formation was insensitive to 100 μm Ca2+. These results support the view that both Glu309 and Asn796 contribute to Ca2+ binding site II, which is not required for conversion of E 2, the substrate for Pi phosphorylation, toE 1. Cross-linking in mutants E309C/N796C and G310C/D800C established reference points for the orientation of M4 and M6 relative to each other and provided the basis for the prediction of potential additional cross-links. Strong links were formed with the pairs T317C/A804C and T317C/L807C near the cytoplasmic ends of the two helices and with A305C/L792C and A305C/L793C near the lumenal ends. These combined results support the conclusion that M4 and M6 form a right-handed coiled-coil structure that forms part of the pathway of Ca2+ translocation. In addition to providing a possible explanation for the mutation sensitivity of several pairs of residues in these helices, the proposed association of M4 and M6 supports a new model for the orientation of the two Ca2+ binding sites among transmembrane helices M4, M5, and M6.

Ca2+ pumps, together with Ca2+release channels, form ubiquitous Ca2+ regulatory systems in muscle and non-muscle cells. The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPases (SERCA)1 and the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPases have the highest affinity for Ca2+ removal from the cytoplasm and, together, set resting cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentrations. Three differentially expressed genes encode SERCA proteins (1). SERCA1a and -1b are expressed in fast-twitch skeletal muscle, but loss of SERCA1 function in Brody disease is sufficiently compensated to preserve life (2).

Structure in Protein Chemistry. By Jack Kyte. Garland: 1995. Pp. 606. $62.

Integral membrane proteins (of the alpha-helical class) are of central importance in a wide variety of vital cellular functions. Despite considerable effort on methods to predict the location of the helices, little attention has been directed toward developing an automatic method to pack the helices together. In principle, the prediction of membrane proteins should be easier than the prediction of globular proteins: there is only one type of secondary structure and all helices pack with a common alignment across the membrane. This allows all possible structures to be represented on a simple lattice and exhaustively enumerated. Prediction success lies not in generating many possible folds but in recognizing which corresponds to the native. Our evaluation of each fold is based on how well the exposed surface predicted from a multiple sequence alignment fits its allocated position. Just as exposure to solvent in globular proteins can be predicted from sequence variation, so exposure to lipid can be recognized by variable-hydrophobic (variphobic) positions. Application to both bacteriorhodopsin and the eukaryotic rhodopsin/opsin families revealed that the angular size of the lipid-exposed faces must be predicted accurately to allow selection of the correct fold. With the inherent uncertainties in helix prediction and parameter choice, this accuracy could not be guaranteed but the correct fold was typically found in the top six candidates. Our method provides the first completely automatic method that can proceed from a scan of the protein sequence databanks to a predicted three-dimensional structure with no intervention required from the investigator. Within the limited domain of the seven helix bundle proteins, a good chance can be given of selecting the correct structure. However, the limited number of sequences available with a corresponding known structure makes further characterization of the method difficult.

Electron microscopy has recently provided improved structures for P-type ion pumps. In the case of Ca2+-ATPase, the use of unstained specimens revealed the structure of the transmembrane domain. The composition of this domain has been controversial due to the variety of methods used to study the number and exact locations of transmembrane crossings within the sequence. After reviewing the results from several members of the family, we found a consensus for 10 transmembrane segments, and also that 10 helices fitted well into the structure of Ca2+-ATPase, Thus, we present the most detailed model for transmembrane structure so far, in the hope of stimulating more precise experimental strategies.

Channels, Carriers and Pumps: An Introduction to Membrane Transport. By Wilfred D. Stein. Academic: 1990. Pp.326. £37.50, $59.95.

Thin, three-dimensional crystals of CaATPase have been studied at high resolution by electron crystallography. These crystals were grown by adding purified CaATPase to appropriate concentrations of lipid, detergent and calcium. A thin film of crystals was then rapidly frozen and maintained in the frozen-hydrated state during electron microscopy. The resulting electron diffraction patterns extend to 4.1 A resolution and images contain phase data to 6 A resolution. By combining Fourier amplitudes from electron diffraction patterns with phases from images, a density map has been calculated in projection. Comparison of this map from unstained crystals with a previously determined map from negatively stained crystals reveals distinct contributions from intramembranous and extramembranous protein domains. On the basis of this distinction and of the packing of molecules in the crystal, we have proposed a specific arrangement for the ten alpha-helices that have been suggested as spanning the bilayer.