Constitutive Model of Erythrocyte Membranes with Distributions of Spectrin Orientations and Lengths.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Feng Z
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7732770 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Hereditary elliptocytosis (HE) and hereditary pyropoikilocytosis (HPP) are common disorders of erythrocyte shape primarily because of mutations in spectrin. The most common HE/HPP mutations are located distant from the critical αβ-spectrin tetramerization site, yet still interfere with formation of spectrin tetramers and destabilize the membrane by unknown mechanisms. To address this question, we studied the common HE-associated mutation, αL260P, in the context of a fully functional mini-spectrin. The mutation exhibited wild-type tetramer binding in univalent binding assays, but reduced binding affinity in bivalent-binding assays. Biophysical analyses demonstrated the mutation-containing domain was only modestly structurally destabilized and helical content was not significantly changed. Gel filtration analysis of the αL260P mini-spectrin indicated more compact structures for dimers and tetramers compared with wild-type. Chemical crosslinking showed structural changes in the mutant mini-spectrin dimer were primarily restricted to the vicinity of the αL260P mutation and indicated large conformational rearrangements of this region. These data indicate the mutation increased the stability of the closed dimer state, thereby reducing tetramer assembly and resulting in membrane destabilization. These results reveal a novel mechanism of erythrocyte membrane destabilization that could contribute to development of therapeutic interventions for mutations in membrane proteins containing spectrin-type domains associated with inherited disease.
| S-EPMC3811177 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Head-to-head assembly of two spectrin heterodimers to form an actin-cross-linking tetramer is a physiologically dynamic interaction that contributes to red cell membrane integrity. Recombinant beta-spectrin C-terminal and alpha-spectrin N-terminal peptides can form tetramer-like univalent complexes, but they cannot evaluate effects of the open-closed dimer interactions or lateral associations of the two-spectrin strands on tetramer formation. In this study we produced and characterized a fused "mini-spectrin dimer" containing the beta-spectrin C-terminal region linked to the alpha-spectrin N-terminal region. This fused mini-spectrin mimics structural and functional properties of intact, full-length dimers and tetramers, including lateral association of the alpha and beta subunits in the dimer and formation of a closed dimer. High performance liquid chromatography gel filtration analyses of this mini-spectrin provide the first direct non-imaging experimental evidence for open and closed spectrin dimers and show that dimer-tetramer-oligomer interconversion is slow at low temperatures and accelerated at 30 degrees C, analogous to full-length spectrin. This protein exhibits wild type dimer-tetramer dissociation constants of approximately 1 mum at 30 degrees C, independent of initial oligomeric state. Conformational states of the mini-spectrin dimer were probed further using chemical cross-linking, which identified distinct groups of cross-links for "open" and "closed" dimers and confirmed the N-terminal region of alpha-spectrin remains highly flexible in the complex, exhibiting closely analogous structures to those observed for the isolated alpha-spectrin N-terminal using NMR (Park, S., Caffrey, M. S., Johnson, M. E., and Fung, L. W. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 21837-21844). This fusion protein should serve as a useful template for structural and functional studies of the divalent tetramer site.
| S-EPMC2856305 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Using a lectin, Achatinin-H, having preferential specificity for glycoproteins with terminal 9-O-acetyl sialic acid derivatives linked in α2-6 linkages to subterminal N-acetylgalactosamine, eight distinct disease-associated 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoproteins was purified from erythrocytes of visceral leishmaniaisis (VL) patients (RBC(VL)). Analyses of tryptic fragments by mass spectrometry led to the identification of two high-molecular weight 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoproteins as human erythrocytic α- and β-spectrin. Total spectrin purified from erythrocytes of VL patients (spectrin(VL)) was reactive with Achatinin-H. Interestingly, along with two high molecular weight bands corresponding to α- and β-spectrin another low molecular weight 60 kDa band was observed. Total spectrin was also purified from normal human erythrocytes (spectrin(N)) and insignificant binding with Achatinin-H was demonstrated. Additionally, this 60 kDa fragment was totally absent in spectrin(N). Although the presence of both N- and O-glycosylations was found both in spectrin(N) and spectrin(VL), enhanced sialylation was predominantly induced in spectrin(VL). Sialic acids accounted for approximately 1.25 kDa mass of the 60 kDa polypeptide. The demonstration of a few identified sialylated tryptic fragments of α- and β-spectrin(VL) confirmed the presence of terminal sialic acids. Molecular modelling studies of spectrin suggest that a sugar moiety can fit into the potential glycosylation sites. Interestingly, highly sialylated spectrin(VL) showed decreased binding with spectrin-depleted inside-out membrane vesicles of normal erythrocytes compared to spectrin(N) suggesting functional abnormality. Taken together this is the first report of glycosylated eythrocytic spectrin in normal erythrocytes and its enhanced sialylation in RBC(VL). The enhanced sialylation of this cytoskeleton protein is possibly related to the fragmentation of spectrin(VL) as evidenced by the presence of an additional 60 kDa fragment, absent in spectrin(N) which possibly affects the biology of RBC(VL) linked to both severe distortion of erythrocyte development and impairment of erythrocyte membrane integrity and may provide an explanation for their sensitivity to hemolysis and anemia in VL patients.
| S-EPMC3229537 | biostudies-literature
Project description:As the principal component of the membrane skeleton, spectrin confers integrity and flexibility to red cell membranes. Although this network involves many interactions, the most common hemolytic anemia mutations that disrupt erythrocyte morphology affect the spectrin tetramerization domains. Although much is known clinically about the resulting conditions (hereditary elliptocytosis and pyropoikilocytosis), the detailed structural basis for spectrin tetramerization and its disruption by hereditary anemia mutations remains elusive. Thus, to provide further insights into spectrin assembly and tetramer site mutations, a crystal structure of the spectrin tetramerization domain complex has been determined. Architecturally, this complex shows striking resemblance to multirepeat spectrin fragments, with the interacting tetramer site region forming a central, composite repeat. This structure identifies conformational changes in alpha-spectrin that occur upon binding to beta-spectrin, and it reports the first structure of the beta-spectrin tetramerization domain. Analysis of the interaction surfaces indicates an extensive interface dominated by hydrophobic contacts and supplemented by electrostatic complementarity. Analysis of evolutionarily conserved residues suggests additional surfaces that may form important interactions. Finally, mapping of hereditary anemia-related mutations onto the structure demonstrate that most, but not all, local hereditary anemia mutations map to the interacting domains. The potential molecular effects of these mutations are described.
| S-EPMC2890174 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The malaria parasite hijacks host erythrocytes to shield itself from the immune system and proliferate. Red blood cell abnormalities can provide protection from malaria by impeding parasite invasion and growth within the cell or by compromising the ability of parasites to avoid host clearance. Here, we describe 2 N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced mouse lines, SptbMRI26194 and SptbMRI53426 , containing single-point mutations in the erythrocyte membrane skeleton gene, β spectrin (Sptb), which exhibit microcytosis but retain a relatively normal ratio of erythrocyte surface area to volume and are highly resistant to rodent malaria. We propose the major factor responsible for malaria protection is the specific clearance of mutant erythrocytes, although an enhanced clearance of uninfected mutant erythrocytes was also observed (ie, the bystander effect). Using an in vivo erythrocyte tracking assay, we established that this phenomenon occurs irrespective of host environment, precluding the involvement of nonerythrocytic cells in the resistance mechanism. Furthermore, we recapitulated this phenotype by disrupting the interaction between ankyrin-1 and β spectrin in vivo using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology, thereby genetically validating a potential antimalarial target. This study sheds new light on the role of β spectrin during Plasmodium infection and highlights how changes in the erythrocyte cytoskeleton can substantially influence malaria susceptibility with minimal adverse consequences for the host.
| S-EPMC5728631 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 (PfEMP1) and Knob-associated Histidine-rich Protein (KAHRP) are directly linked to malaria pathology. PfEMP1 and KAHRP cluster on protrusions (knobs) on the P. falciparum-infected erythrocyte surface and enable pathogenic cytoadherence of infected erythrocytes to the host microvasculature, leading to restricted blood flow, oxygen deprivation and damage of tissues. Here we characterize the interactions of PfEMP1 and KAHRP with host erythrocyte spectrin using biophysical, structural and computational approaches. These interactions assist knob formation and, thus, promote cytoadherence. We show that the folded core of the PfEMP1 cytosolic domain interacts broadly with erythrocyte spectrin but shows weak, residue-specific preference for domain 17 of α spectrin, which is proximal to the erythrocyte cytoskeletal junction. In contrast, a protein sequence repeat region in KAHRP preferentially associates with domains 10-14 of β spectrin, proximal to the spectrin-ankyrin complex. Structural models of PfEMP1 and KAHRP with spectrin combined with previous microscopy and protein interaction data suggest a model for knob architecture.
| S-EPMC5570508 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We present a three-dimensional computational study of whole-cell equilibrium shape and deformation of human red blood cell (RBC) using spectrin-level energetics. Random network models consisting of degree-2, 3, ..., 9 junction complexes and spectrin links are used to populate spherical and biconcave surfaces and intermediate shapes, and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are then performed with spectrin connectivities fixed. A sphere is first filled with cytosol and gradually deflated while preserving its total surface area, until cytosol volume consistent with the real RBC is reached. The equilibrium shape is determined through energy minimization by assuming that the spectrin tetramer links satisfy the worm-like chain free-energy model. Subsequently, direct stretching by optical tweezers of the initial equilibrium shape is simulated to extract the variation of axial and transverse diameters with the stretch force. At persistence length p = 7.5 nm for the spectrin tetramer molecule and corresponding in-plane shear modulus mu(0) approximately 8.3 microN/m, our models show reasonable agreement with recent experimental measurements on the large deformation of RBC with optical tweezers. We find that the choice of the reference state used for the in-plane elastic energy is critical for determining the equilibrium shape. If a position-independent material reference state such as a full sphere is used in defining the in-plane energy, then the bending modulus kappa needs to be at least a decade larger than the widely accepted value of 2 x 10(-19) J to stabilize the biconcave shape against the cup shape. We demonstrate through detailed computations that this paradox can be avoided by invoking the physical hypothesis that the spectrin network undergoes constant remodeling to always relax the in-plane shear elastic energy to zero at any macroscopic shape, at some slow characteristic timescale. We have devised and implemented a liquefied network structure evolution algorithm that relaxes shear stress everywhere in the network and generates cytoskeleton structures that mimic experimental observations.
| S-EPMC1305517 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDuring erythrocytic schizogony, Plasmodium falciparum interacts with the human erythrocyte membrane when it enters into, grows within and escapes from the erythrocyte. An interaction between the P. falciparum M18 aspartyl aminopeptidase (PfM18AAP) and the human erythrocyte membrane protein spectrin was recently identified using phage display technology. In this study, recombinant (r) PfM18AAP was characterized and the interaction between the enzyme and spectrin, as well as other erythrocyte membrane proteins, analyzed.MethodsrPfM18AAP was produced as a hexahistidine-fusion protein in Escherichia coli and purified using magnetic bead technology. The pI of the enzyme was determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and the number of subunits in the native enzyme was estimated from Ferguson plots. The enzymatic activity over a pH and temperature range was tested by a coupled enzyme assay. Blot overlays were performed to validate the spectrin-PfM18AAP interaction, as well as identify additional interactions between the enzyme and other erythrocyte membrane proteins. Sequence analysis identified conserved amino acids that are expected to be involved in cofactor binding, substrate cleavage and quaternary structure stabilization.ResultsrPfM18AAP has a molecular weight of ~67 kDa and the enzyme separated as three entities with pI 6.6, 6.7 and 6.9. Non-denaturing gel electrophoresis indicated that rPfM18AAP aggregated into oligomers. An in vitro coupled enzyme assay showed that rPfM18AAP cleaved an N-terminal aspartate from a tripeptide substrate with maximum enzymatic activity at pH 7.5 and 37 degrees C. The spectrin-binding region of PfM18AAP is not found in Homo sapiens, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and otherPlasmodium species homologues. Amino acids expected to be involved in cofactor binding, substrate cleavage and quaternary structure stabilization, are conserved. Blot overlays with rPfM18AAP against spectrin and erythrocyte membrane proteins indicated that rPfM18AAP binds to spectrin, as well as to protein 4.1, protein 4.2, actin and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase.ConclusionStudies characterizing rPfM18AAP showed that this enzyme interacts with erythrocyte spectrin and other membrane proteins. This suggests that, in addition to its proposed role in hemoglobin digestion, PfM18AAP performs other functions in the erythrocyte host and can utilize several substrates, which highlights the multifunctional role of malaria enzymes.
| S-EPMC2543045 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Deformability while remaining viable is an important mechanical property of cells. Red blood cells (RBCs) deform considerably while flowing through small capillaries. The RBC membrane can withstand a finite strain, beyond which it ruptures. The classical yield areal strain of 2-4% for RBCs is generally accepted for a quasi-static strain. It has been noted previously that this threshold strain may be much larger with shorter exposure duration. Here we employ an impulse-like forcing to quantify this yield strain of RBC membranes. In the experiments, RBCs are stretched within tens of microseconds by a strong shear flow generated from a laser-induced cavitation bubble. The deformation of the cells in the strongly confined geometry is captured with a high-speed camera and viability is successively monitored with fluorescence microscopy. We find that the probability of cell survival is strongly dependent on the maximum strain. Above a critical areal strain of ∼40%, permanent membrane damage is observed for 50% of the cells. Interestingly, many of the cells do not rupture immediately and exhibit ghosting, but slowly obtain a round shape before they burst. This observation is explained with structural membrane damage leading to subnanometer-sized pores. The cells finally lyse from the colloidal osmotic pressure imbalance.
| S-EPMC3752135 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Human erythrocyte spectrin is an alpha beta heterodimer which forms tetramers by self-association. This association involves the N-terminal region of the alpha chain and the C-terminal region of the beta chain. The latter contains a cluster of four phosphorylation sites (one phosphothreonine and three phosphoserine residues). The role of this phosphorylation is as yet unknown. We show in this paper that the spectrin beta chain occurs in the cell in subpopulations differing in the degree of occupancy of their phosphorylation sites: 32P peptide maps obtained by 2-nitro-5-thiocyanobenzoic acid (NTCB) cleavage revealed the presence of six components with apparent molecular masses of 17.5 kDa, differing in their isoelectric points; this is most simply interpreted as reflecting the presence of six exchangeable phosphorylation sites in the spectrin beta chain, rather than four as had been supposed. When the alpha beta dimers were partly dissociated by urea, the most highly phosphorylated fraction of the beta chain was found in the undissociated dimers. This high specific activity in the undissociated dimer reflected multiple phosphorylated sites, as revealed by NTCB cleavage. The dephosphorylation or the hyperphosphorylation of spectrin beta chains did not modify the equilibrium between dissociated and undissociated spectrin dimers in the presence of urea. However, the data revealed the existence of two spectrin dimer populations in respect to phosphate turnover and spectrin dimer dissociation.
| S-EPMC1134538 | biostudies-other