The Environment Shapes the Inner Vestibule of LeuT.

Human neurotransmitter transporters are found in the nervous system terminating synaptic signals by rapid removal of neurotransmitter molecules from the synaptic cleft. The homologous transporter LeuT, found in Aquifex aeolicus, was crystallized in different conformations. Here, we investigated the...

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Main Authors: Azmat Sohail, Kumaresan Jayaraman, Santhoshkannan Venkatesan, Kamil Gotfryd, Markus Daerr, Ulrik Gether, Claus J Loland, Klaus T Wanner, Michael Freissmuth, Harald H Sitte, Walter Sandtner, Thomas Stockner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2016-11-01
Series:PLoS Computational Biology
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005197&type=printable
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author Azmat Sohail
Kumaresan Jayaraman
Santhoshkannan Venkatesan
Kamil Gotfryd
Markus Daerr
Ulrik Gether
Claus J Loland
Klaus T Wanner
Michael Freissmuth
Harald H Sitte
Walter Sandtner
Thomas Stockner
author_facet Azmat Sohail
Kumaresan Jayaraman
Santhoshkannan Venkatesan
Kamil Gotfryd
Markus Daerr
Ulrik Gether
Claus J Loland
Klaus T Wanner
Michael Freissmuth
Harald H Sitte
Walter Sandtner
Thomas Stockner
author_sort Azmat Sohail
collection DOAJ
description Human neurotransmitter transporters are found in the nervous system terminating synaptic signals by rapid removal of neurotransmitter molecules from the synaptic cleft. The homologous transporter LeuT, found in Aquifex aeolicus, was crystallized in different conformations. Here, we investigated the inward-open state of LeuT. We compared LeuT in membranes and micelles using molecular dynamics simulations and lanthanide-based resonance energy transfer (LRET). Simulations of micelle-solubilized LeuT revealed a stable and widely open inward-facing conformation. However, this conformation was unstable in a membrane environment. The helix dipole and the charged amino acid of the first transmembrane helix (TM1A) partitioned out of the hydrophobic membrane core. Free energy calculations showed that movement of TM1A by 0.30 nm was driven by a free energy difference of ~15 kJ/mol. Distance measurements by LRET showed TM1A movements, consistent with the simulations, confirming a substantially different inward-open conformation in lipid bilayer from that inferred from the crystal structure.
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institution Kabale University
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language English
publishDate 2016-11-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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spelling doaj-art-df1deda31b4c4be3b4346ef9e659d1d02025-08-20T03:26:05ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Computational Biology1553-734X1553-73582016-11-011211e100519710.1371/journal.pcbi.1005197The Environment Shapes the Inner Vestibule of LeuT.Azmat SohailKumaresan JayaramanSanthoshkannan VenkatesanKamil GotfrydMarkus DaerrUlrik GetherClaus J LolandKlaus T WannerMichael FreissmuthHarald H SitteWalter SandtnerThomas StocknerHuman neurotransmitter transporters are found in the nervous system terminating synaptic signals by rapid removal of neurotransmitter molecules from the synaptic cleft. The homologous transporter LeuT, found in Aquifex aeolicus, was crystallized in different conformations. Here, we investigated the inward-open state of LeuT. We compared LeuT in membranes and micelles using molecular dynamics simulations and lanthanide-based resonance energy transfer (LRET). Simulations of micelle-solubilized LeuT revealed a stable and widely open inward-facing conformation. However, this conformation was unstable in a membrane environment. The helix dipole and the charged amino acid of the first transmembrane helix (TM1A) partitioned out of the hydrophobic membrane core. Free energy calculations showed that movement of TM1A by 0.30 nm was driven by a free energy difference of ~15 kJ/mol. Distance measurements by LRET showed TM1A movements, consistent with the simulations, confirming a substantially different inward-open conformation in lipid bilayer from that inferred from the crystal structure.https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005197&type=printable
spellingShingle Azmat Sohail
Kumaresan Jayaraman
Santhoshkannan Venkatesan
Kamil Gotfryd
Markus Daerr
Ulrik Gether
Claus J Loland
Klaus T Wanner
Michael Freissmuth
Harald H Sitte
Walter Sandtner
Thomas Stockner
The Environment Shapes the Inner Vestibule of LeuT.
PLoS Computational Biology
title The Environment Shapes the Inner Vestibule of LeuT.
title_full The Environment Shapes the Inner Vestibule of LeuT.
title_fullStr The Environment Shapes the Inner Vestibule of LeuT.
title_full_unstemmed The Environment Shapes the Inner Vestibule of LeuT.
title_short The Environment Shapes the Inner Vestibule of LeuT.
title_sort environment shapes the inner vestibule of leut
url https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005197&type=printable
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