Not sorcery after all: Roles of multiple charged residues in membrane insertion of gasdermin-A3
Gasdermins execute programmatory cell death, known as pyroptosis, by forming medium-sized membrane pores. Recently, the molecular structure of those pores as well as the diversity in their shape and size have been revealed by cryoTEM and atomic force microscopy, respectively. Even though a growth of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2022.958957/full |
| _version_ | 1817991038970626048 |
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| author | Viktoria Korn Kristyna Pluhackova |
| author_facet | Viktoria Korn Kristyna Pluhackova |
| author_sort | Viktoria Korn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Gasdermins execute programmatory cell death, known as pyroptosis, by forming medium-sized membrane pores. Recently, the molecular structure of those pores as well as the diversity in their shape and size have been revealed by cryoTEM and atomic force microscopy, respectively. Even though a growth of smaller to larger oligomers and reshaping from slits to rings could be documented, the initiation of the gasdermin pore formation remains a mystery. In one hypothesis, gasdermin monomers insert into membranes before associating into oligomeric pores. In the other hypothesis, gasdermin oligomers preassemble on the membrane surface prior to membrane insertion. Here, by studying the behavior of monomeric membrane-inserted gasdermin-A3 (GSDMA3), we unveil that a monomeric gasdermin prefers the membrane-adsorbed over the membrane-inserted state. Our results thus support the hypothesis of oligomers preassembling on the membrane surface before membrane penetration. At the same time, our simulations of small membrane-inserted arcs of GSDMA3 suggest that the inserting oligomer can be small and does not have to comprise a full ring of approximately 26–30 subunits. Moreover, our simulations have revealed an astonishingly large impact of salt-bridge formation and protein surroundings on the transmembrane passage of charged residues, reducing the energetic cost by up to 53% as compared to their free forms. The here observed free energy barrier of mere 5.6 kcal/mol for the membrane insertion of monomeric GSDMA3 explains the surprising ability of gasdermins to spontaneously self-insert into cellular membranes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T01:07:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-172e7f572a6443d58e21e087d07380ad |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-634X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T01:07:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-172e7f572a6443d58e21e087d07380ad2022-12-22T02:21:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology2296-634X2022-09-011010.3389/fcell.2022.958957958957Not sorcery after all: Roles of multiple charged residues in membrane insertion of gasdermin-A3Viktoria KornKristyna PluhackovaGasdermins execute programmatory cell death, known as pyroptosis, by forming medium-sized membrane pores. Recently, the molecular structure of those pores as well as the diversity in their shape and size have been revealed by cryoTEM and atomic force microscopy, respectively. Even though a growth of smaller to larger oligomers and reshaping from slits to rings could be documented, the initiation of the gasdermin pore formation remains a mystery. In one hypothesis, gasdermin monomers insert into membranes before associating into oligomeric pores. In the other hypothesis, gasdermin oligomers preassemble on the membrane surface prior to membrane insertion. Here, by studying the behavior of monomeric membrane-inserted gasdermin-A3 (GSDMA3), we unveil that a monomeric gasdermin prefers the membrane-adsorbed over the membrane-inserted state. Our results thus support the hypothesis of oligomers preassembling on the membrane surface before membrane penetration. At the same time, our simulations of small membrane-inserted arcs of GSDMA3 suggest that the inserting oligomer can be small and does not have to comprise a full ring of approximately 26–30 subunits. Moreover, our simulations have revealed an astonishingly large impact of salt-bridge formation and protein surroundings on the transmembrane passage of charged residues, reducing the energetic cost by up to 53% as compared to their free forms. The here observed free energy barrier of mere 5.6 kcal/mol for the membrane insertion of monomeric GSDMA3 explains the surprising ability of gasdermins to spontaneously self-insert into cellular membranes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2022.958957/fullgasderminmembrane proteinsfree energymolecular dynamicscomputational biologymembrane pore |
| spellingShingle | Viktoria Korn Kristyna Pluhackova Not sorcery after all: Roles of multiple charged residues in membrane insertion of gasdermin-A3 Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology gasdermin membrane proteins free energy molecular dynamics computational biology membrane pore |
| title | Not sorcery after all: Roles of multiple charged residues in membrane insertion of gasdermin-A3 |
| title_full | Not sorcery after all: Roles of multiple charged residues in membrane insertion of gasdermin-A3 |
| title_fullStr | Not sorcery after all: Roles of multiple charged residues in membrane insertion of gasdermin-A3 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Not sorcery after all: Roles of multiple charged residues in membrane insertion of gasdermin-A3 |
| title_short | Not sorcery after all: Roles of multiple charged residues in membrane insertion of gasdermin-A3 |
| title_sort | not sorcery after all roles of multiple charged residues in membrane insertion of gasdermin a3 |
| topic | gasdermin membrane proteins free energy molecular dynamics computational biology membrane pore |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2022.958957/full |
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