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Fusion proteins (also called chimeric proteins) are proteins created by joining two genes that coded for separated proteins. Translation of this fusion gene lead to formation of new polypeptide with functional properties derived from original proteins. Alpha-synuclein fused to maltose-binding protein is a fusion protein.

Alpha-synuclein is an abundant protein in human brain and to a lesser extent in muscles, heart and other tissues. It plays an important role in presynaptic terminals found in neurons and can interact with phospholipids and proteins. Studies have shown that a bad folding of this protein could lead to the formation of insoluble fibrils and thereby be a cause of Parkinson’s disease. Maltose-binding protein is find in bacteria. The fusion protein allows to see the structure of alpha-synuclein and to study it by X-rays.

Alpha-synuclein

Structural informations

Alpha-synuclein is a 140 amino acids of about 14 kDa protein encoded by the SNCA gene. It does not have a defined structure but it can form α-helical structures by binding to phospholipids for example and β-sheet structure. It is composed of three distinct regions. The first is the amino terminus (residues 1 to 60) which is lysine-rich and modulates its interactions with membranes. It contains apolipoproteins lipid-binding motifs which allow to form α-helical structures on membrane binding. It is composed of four repeated domains (20-30, 31-41, 42-56, 57-67) which look like following : [EGS]-KT—K-[EQ]-[GQ]-V-X. The central region contains a hydrophobic motif from residue 61 to 95 known as the non-amyloid-β component involved in the protein aggregation, it confers the β-sheet potential. Finally, an acidic carboxy-terminal domain, rich in proline and highly negatively charged, which is implicated in regulating its nuclear localization and interactions with small molecules, other proteins and metals and which seems to be unstructured.

Synucleins are small soluble proteins. Below there is the adopted 3D structure which an unstable monomer.

Protein function

Alpha-synuclein is located in the presynaptic region and is associated with the reserve pool of synaptic vesicles, so it plays a role in the regulation of neurotransmitters and synaptic function and plasticity. It is known to interact with the Rab small GTPases family and the phospholipase D2. Some studies even mention that it can act as a chaperone and affects the assembly, distribution and degradation of SNARE protein complex. This protein is highly studied because it may be the cause of Parkinson’s disease. The pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease is probably due to the transmission cell to cell of misfolded alpha-synuclein insoluble fibrils forming aggregates named Lewy’s bodies in neurons. Since 1998 Parkinson’s disease has been classed in synucleinopathy. Lewy’s bodies are spherical cytoplasmic inclusions, situated in brain stem and composed of a dense core surrounded by fibrils of about 10 nanometers long. Following there is a monomer of Lewy’s body and a hetero-10-mer.

Aggregation and propagation

Maltose-binding protein

Structural informations

Encoded by the malE gene of Escherichia coli, Maltose-binding protein (MBP) is a monomeric protein. A deep groove which contains the maltose/matodextrins binding site separates MBP into two distinct globular domains. When MBP is liganded by maltose, a major conformational change occurs, which closes the groove.

The following picture shows the solution NMR structure of MBP from Escherichia coli.

Protein function

MBP is involved iin the high-affinity maltose membrane transport system MalEFGK. It is also an initial receptor for the active transport of and chemotaxis toward maltooligosaccharides. In addition, MBP is a part of the maltose/maltodextrin system of Escherichia coli, which is responsible for the uptake and efficient catabolism of maltodextrins.

Applications

- Increase of the solubility of fusion partner protein

Maltose-binding protein is often used in order to increase the solubility of recombinant proteins expressed in E.coli. In these cases, the protein of interest is expressed in fusion with MBP. This MBP-fusion protein prevents the aggregation of the protein of interest. However, the mechanism by which MBP increases the solubility is not well understood.

Nowadays, there are 4 models have been proposed to explain the enhancement of the solubility by some soluble proteins like MBP to their fusion partners.

In the first model, the fusion proteins form soluble micelle-like structures in which the aggregation-prone passenger proteins are sequestered on the inside, away from the solvent, while the soluble protein domains are at the outside facing the solvent. Nominé Y et al. found the evidence of the existence of this kind of structure. In the second model, the soluble protein, considered as “chaperone magnets” of its fusion partner, initiate its fusion partner into a chaperone-mediated folding pathway. Studies of Douette et al. have shown evidence that MBP and NusA fusion proteins interact with GroEL in E.coli. However, how these relatively large fusion proteins could engage the GroEL/GroES chaperone apparatus in the same way like its natural substrates do remains unknown, because the chaperone cavity seems to be too small for such large fusion proteins. In the third model, the solubility-enhancing proteins possess an intrinsic chaperone-like activity that manifests itself in the context of a fusion protein. In this model, interactions between partially folded passenger proteins and hydrophobic patches on the solubility enhancer prevent their self association. Instead of playing an active role in the folding of their fusion partners, the solubility enhancers (soluble protein) might reduce unproductive off-pathway aggregation. This model provides an explanation of why only certain highly soluble proteins can function as solubility enhancers. The forth model suggests that the enhancement of the solubility of fusion-protein is correlated with the net charges of the soluble protein.

David S. Waugh and Sreedevi Nallamsetty found that MBP-fusion protein corresponds to the third model. In their opinion, MBP possesses intrinsic chaperone-like qualities in the context of a fusion protein, and that the hydrophobic ligand-binding cleft plays a central role in its mechanism of action.

- Purification of recombinant proteins

MBP can be used as an affinity tag to purify recombinant proteins. The fusion proteins bind to amylose columns, while the non-fusion proteins flow through the column. After the acquisition of purified fusion protein, the protein of interest X can be cleaved from MBP by adding specific protease.

The MBP-fusion protein usually enhances the solubility of protein X and facilitates their proper folding so that the fusion proteins are most often bifunctional. Besides, this kind of fusions can facilitate the crystallization of difficult proteins, e.g. membrane proteins.

Fused protein

To study the conversion from unfolded monomers to amyloid aggregates, scientists used maltose-binding protein to crystallize segments of alpha-synuclein. After fusion, the protein was observable with X-rays.