2003 Nab Er Bio Phys
2003 Nab Er Bio Phys
2003 Nab Er Bio Phys
Nariman Naber,* Sarah Rice,y Marija Matuska,* Ronald D. Vale,y Roger Cooke,*z and Edward Pate
*Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, yDepartment of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, and zCardiovascular Research
Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143; and Department of Mathematics, Washington State University,
Pullman, Washington 99164
ABSTRACT We have used site-directed spin-labeling and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to monitor
a conformational change at the nucleotide site of kinesin. Cys-lite kinesin (K349 monomer) with the mutation S188C was spin
labeled with MSL or MTSL. This residue is at the junction between the switch 1 region (which is a structure known to be
sensitive to bound nucleotide in the G-proteins) and the a3-helix, adjacent to the nucleotide site. The spectra showed two or
more components of mobility, which were independent of nucleotide in the absence of microtubules (MTs). The spectra of both
labels showed a change of mobility upon binding to MTs. A more mobile spectral component became enhanced for all
triphosphate analogs examined, AMPPNP, ADP AlFx, or ADP BeFx, in the presence of MTs, although the magnitude of the
d d
new component and the degree of mobility varied with nucleotide analog. The ADP state showed a much-reduced spectral
change with a small shift to the more immobilized component in the presence of MTs. For kinesin ADP MT, a vant Hoff plot
d d
gave DH 8 96 kJ/mol implying that the conformational change was extensive. We conclude there is a conformational change
in the switch 1-a3-helix domain when kinesin binds to MTs.
INTRODUCTION
One fundamental goal in the field of motility is to define the adjacent to, and displaced from, the nucleotide triphosphate
conformational changes at the nucleotide site associated with binding location.
the interaction of the motor with the physiological substrate, Thus, structural comparisons between myosin, the G-pro-
and how the conformational changes that accompany nu- teins, and kinesin-family motors suggest the possibility of
cleotide hydrolysis are translated into movement. Kinesin- considerable domain flexibility in the switch 1 region of
family motors, along with myosin motors and the guanosine kinesin-family motors. Indeed, a disordered switch 1 region
triphosphate binding proteins, are members of the larger has recently been seen in the crystal structure of Kar3 con-
G-protein superfamily (Vale, 1996; Kull et al., 1998). In this taining the additional mutation of a universally conserved
superfamily, the triphosphate-binding domain is composed of arginine in switch 1 to an alanine (Yun et al., 2001). Addition-
three conserved amino acid sequences: the P-loop, switch 1, ally, we have previously used molecular dynamics to suggest
and switch 2. A comparison of crystal structures shows that that the switch 1 region of the kinesin motors could adopt a
the conformation of switch 1 can vary. In the initial structures closed conformation adjacent to the nucleotide triphosphates
of kinesin-family motors, the phosphate-binding portion of as seen in the structures of myosin and in some G-proteins,
the nucleotide site formed an open trough, with the and that such a conformation was thermodynamically stable
triphosphates exposed to solvent (Gulick et al., 1998; Kull (Minehardt et al., 2001). Electron paramagnetic resonance
et al., 1996; Sablin et al., 1996; Sack et al., 1997) and the spectroscopy (EPR) studies of the changes in the mobility of
switch 1 region (amino acids 190204 in human kinesin) nucleotide-analog, and EPR probes bound at the active site of
displaced away from the nucleotide. In all myosin motor kinesin-family motors (Naber et al., 2002), have reported
x-ray structures, the switch 1 region is found to be adjacent to a conformational change at the active site upon binding to
the nucleotide, forming in conjunction with the P-loop and microtubules (MTs). Switch 1 was not directly monitored in
switch 2 a closed phosphate tube (Yount et al., 1995) in which the studies, but the conformational change observed was
the phosphates are tightly bound. In G-protein x-ray compatible with the closed switch 1 conformation proposed
structures, switch 1 is sensitive to both the bound nucleotide
by Minehardt et al. (2001). This fully closed structure has
(Sprang, 1997) and nucleotide exchange factors (Goldberg,
been proposed to be essential for both nucleotide hydrolysis
1998; Boriack-Sjodin et al., 1998), and is located both
and for the correct coordination of the conserved glycine in
switch 2 to the g-phosphate of the nucleotide. By analogy
with nucleotide-site conformational changes in both myosin
Submitted October 21, 2002, and accepted for publication January 15, and the G-proteins, a popular hypothesis is that this latter
2003.
coordination is an essential element for motility (Vale and
Address reprint requests to Nariman Naber, Dept. of Biochemistry and
Biophysics, Campus Box 2240, University of California, San Francisco,
Milligan, 2000; Smith and Rayment, 1996; Kull and Endow,
CA 94143. Tel.: 415-476-1975; Fax: 415-476-1902; E-mail: naber@itsa. 2002; Woehlke, 2001; Holmes and Geeves, 2000; Cooke,
ucsf.edu. 1997; Schief and Howard, 2001).
2003 by the Biophysical Society EPR spectroscopy has been a useful tool in monitoring
0006-3495/03/05/3190/07 $2.00 conformational changes in motor proteins (Baumann et al.,
Kinesin Switch 1 Conformational Change 3191
To fix notation, KS188C will refer to the K349 Cys-lite spectral intensity at both the low field (D) and high field (E)
kinesin monomer, with mutation S188C used in these stud- regions of the spectra. This implies that a fraction of the
ies. KS188C has a MT-activated ATPase rate (1 mM probes in the MSL-KS188C ADP state now become more
d
KS188C, 10 mM MT) of 15.4 6 0.4 kinesin1 s1 (mean immobilized upon binding to MTs. Fig. 3 shows the results
6 range, two observations). This is ;75% of the value pre- from MSL-labeled protein when the temperature is lowered
viously observed for Cys-lite K349 (Rice et al., 1999) when to 58C. The spectral changes are more pronounced than at
differences in ionic strength are taken into account. With 208C. For the ATP-analog states, there is a significant in-
MSL-labeled protein, MSL-KS188C, the MT-activated ward shift in spectral intensity in the low-field components
ATPase decreases to 9.8 6 0.4 kinesin1 s1 (two obser- (A ! B) and a decrease in intensity of the high-field dip (C).
vations), and for MTSL-KS188C the MT-activated ATPase This again implies an increase in mobility of a fraction of the
is 8.3 6 0.4 kinesin1 s1 (two observations). These values probes upon binding to MTs. There is, however, a small
imply that spin probe-labeled protein retains catalytic com- outward shift of the high-field dip (C) in the presence of
petence, although the modification of the protein at Cys-188 ADP BeFx, indicating that the magnitude of the mobil-
d
does affect the rates of some step(s) in the cycle, empha- ity increase may be slightly less than with the other two
sizing the importance of this region.
Fig. 2 demonstrates our fundamental results. The spectra
in the absence (presence) of MTs are shown by dashed
(solid) lines for MSL-labeled kinesin at 208C. In the absence
of MTs, the spectra appear independent of the state of
the bound nucleotide. The spectra show that when MSL-
KS188C triphosphate analog binds to MTs, there is a shift of
d
0.04 mT (four observations), respectively, corresponds to an KS188C ADP as a function of temperature allows us to define
d
increase in the cone angle of motion from 528 to 1268, with better the thermodynamics associated with the transition
the larger splitting corresponding to the smaller cone angle. between the two protein conformations. Fig. 6, top, shows the
spectra taken as the immobile component (solid line), and the
mobile component (dashed line), used in defining the spectral
shift as temperature varied for MT MSL-KS188C ADP. Pure
d d
DISCUSSION
We have examined the changes in mobility of two different
EPR probes covalently bound to KS188C in triphosphate-
analog and diphosphate states in the presence and absence of
MTs. The resulting EPR spectra are complex in that some
have three or more distinct components. To simplify the dis-
cussion of the data, we have assumed that a given spectral
component represents a single probe conformation. How-
ever, we cannot rule out the possibility of multiple confor-
mations giving similar spectral signatures. Thus we may be
underestimating the number of distinct probe conformations
involved. Nonetheless, taken in toto, the data unambiguously
report a conformational change at Cys-188 when kinesin
binds to MTs. Furthermore, the probes report different
changes in mobility between ADP- and ATP-analog states.
AMPPNP and ADP BeFx are ATP analogs with the g-phos-
d
line) and MSL-KS188CdADP at 308C (dashed line), taken as the immobile hydrolysis transition state intermediate. Both MTSL and
and mobile components of the spectra of MTdMSL-KS188CdADP as MSL show a trend from more immobilized to less im-
a function of temperature. (Middle) Spectrum of MTdMSL-KS188CdADP at mobilized spectra upon binding to MTs for triphosphate
158C (dashed line) and the fit (solid line) as a linear combination of the
analogs. Furthermore, for a given EPR probe at a given
spectra in top panel. (Bottom) Difference spectrum for spectra in middle
panel. temperature, the triphosphate analogs report similar spectra
irrespective of the type of coordination around the g-phos-
phorous. For ADP the situation is reversed. Although small,
the enthalpy of a-helix formation in water is ;5 kJ/mol per the trend is from more mobile to less mobile probes.
residue (Hermans, 1966). It must be emphasized, however,
that we do not know the precise secondary structure involved
in the kinesin conformational change, and that the adjacent RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER STUDIES
protein surface can also significantly influence the enthalpy. A number of crystal structures of kinesin-family motors
For the remaining spectra, a change of comparable magnitude have been solved and are compatible with the possibility of
appears to be occurring, but this cannot be quantitated due to a conformational change at the Cys-188 position. Kinesin
the overlap of the spectral components. Ser-188 is at the junction of the a3-helix and loop 9. Loop 9
and the adjacent a3a-helix at the nucleotide site form the
switch 1 region of kinesin-family motors (Fig. 1). Fig. 8
shows the a3-helix-loop 9 junction (Ca backbone only) from
representative kinesin-family x-ray structures. The a3-helix
is at the top; loop 9 is at the bottom. The residue homologous
to kinesin Ser-188 is shown as a solid sphere. As is evident,
the x-ray structures show considerable lateral motion at the
Cys-188 position. In Kar3 ADP (Yun et al., 2001)/ncd ADP
d d
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