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An atomic-level mechanism for activation of the kinesin molecular motors.

ABSTRACT: Kinesin cytoskeletal motors convert the energy of ATP hydrolysis into stepping movement along microtubules. A partial model of this process has been derived from crystal structures, which show that movement of the motor domain relative to its major microtubule binding element, the switch II helix, is coupled to docking of kinesin's neck linker element along the motor domain. This docking would displace the cargo in the direction of travel and so contribute to a step. However, the crystal structures do not reveal how ATP binding and hydrolysis govern this series of events. We used cryoelectron microscopy to derive 8-9 A-resolution maps of four nucleotide states encompassing the microtubule-attached kinetic cycle of a kinesin motor. The exceptionally high quality of these maps allowed us to build in crystallographically determined conformations of kinesin's key subcomponents, yielding novel arrangements of kinesin's switch II helix and nucleotide-sensing switch loops. The resulting atomic models reveal a seesaw mechanism in which the switch loops, triggered by ATP binding, propel their side of the motor domain down and thereby elicit docking of the neck linker on the opposite side of the seesaw. Microtubules engage the seesaw mechanism by stabilizing the formation of extra turns at the N terminus of the switch II helix, which then serve as an anchor for the switch loops as they modulate the seesaw angle. These observations explain how microtubules activate kinesin's ATP-sensing machinery to promote cargo displacement and inform the mechanism of kinesin's ancestral relative, myosin.

SUBMITTER: Sindelar CV

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2840164 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An atomic-level mechanism for activation of the kinesin molecular motors.

Sindelar Charles V CV Downing Kenneth H KH

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20100216 9

Kinesin cytoskeletal motors convert the energy of ATP hydrolysis into stepping movement along microtubules. A partial model of this process has been derived from crystal structures, which show that movement of the motor domain relative to its major microtubule binding element, the switch II helix, is coupled to docking of kinesin's neck linker element along the motor domain. This docking would displace the cargo in the direction of travel and so contribute to a step. However, the crystal structu ...[more]

PMID: 20160108

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Project description:We have performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to elucidate, in atomic detail, the mechanism by which the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) is activated by Ca(2+). Crystal structures suggest that activation of SERCA occurs when the cytoplasmic head-piece, in an open (E1) conformation stabilized by Ca(2+), undergoes a large-scale open-to-closed (E1 to E2) transition that is induced by ATP binding. However, spectroscopic measurements in solution suggest that these structural states (E1 and E2) are not tightly coupled to biochemical states (defined by bound ligands); the closed E2 state predominates even in the absence of ATP, in both the presence and absence of Ca(2+). How is this loose coupling consistent with the high efficiency of energy transduction in the Ca(2+)-ATPase? To provide insight into this question, we performed long (500 ns) all-atom MD simulations starting from the open crystal structure, including a lipid bilayer and water. In both the presence and absence of Ca(2+), we observed a large-scale open-to-closed conformational transition within 400 ns, supporting the weak coupling between structural and biochemical states. However, upon closer inspection, it is clear that Ca(2+) is necessary and sufficient for SERCA to reach the precise geometrical arrangement necessary for activation of ATP hydrolysis. Contrary to suggestions from crystal structures, but in agreement with solution spectroscopy, the presence of ATP is not required for this activating transition. Principal component analysis showed that Ca(2+) reshapes the free energy landscape of SERCA to create a path between the open conformation and the activated closed conformation. Thus the malleability of the free energy landscape is essential for SERCA efficiency, ensuring that ATP hydrolysis is tightly coupled to Ca(2+) transport. These results demonstrate the importance of real-time dynamics in the formation of catalytically competent conformations of SERCA, with broad implications for understanding enzymatic catalysis in atomic detail.

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An atomic-level mechanism for activation of the kinesin molecular motors.

Publications

An atomic-level mechanism for activation of the kinesin molecular motors.

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