title: Characterization of beta-sheet structure in Ure2p1-89 yeast prion fibrils by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance.
abstract: Residues 1-89 constitute the Asn- and Gln-rich segment of the Ure2p protein and produce the [URE3] prion of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by forming the core of intracellular Ure2p amyloid. We report the results of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements that probe the molecular structure of amyloid fibrils formed by Ure2p1-89 in vitro. Data include measurements of intermolecular magnetic dipole-dipole couplings in samples that are 13C-labeled at specific sites and two-dimensional 15N-13C and 13C-13C NMR spectra of samples that are uniformly 15N- and 13C-labeled. Intermolecular dipole-dipole couplings indicate that the beta-sheets in Ure2p1-89 fibrils have an in-register parallel structure. An in-register parallel beta-sheet structure permits polar zipper interactions among side chains of Gln and Asn residues and explains the tolerance of [URE3] to scrambling of the sequence in residues 1-89. Two-dimensional NMR spectra of uniformly labeled Ure2p1-89 fibrils, even when fully hydrated, show NMR linewidths that exceed those in solid-state NMR spectra of fibrils formed by residues 218-289 of the HET-s prion protein of Podospora anserina [as originally reported in Siemer, A. B., Ritter, C., Ernst, M., Riek, R., and Meier, B. H. (2005) Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 44, 2441-2444 and confirmed by measurements reported here] by factors of three or more, indicating a lower degree of structural order at the molecular level in Ure2p1-89 fibrils. The very high degree of structural order in HET-s fibrils indicated by solid-state NMR data is therefore not a universal characteristic of prion proteins, and is likely to be a consequence of the evolved biological function of HET-s in heterokaryon incompatibility. Analysis of cross peak intensities in two-dimensional NMR spectra of uniformly labeled Ure2p1-89 fibrils suggests that certain portions of the amino acid sequence may not participate in a rigid beta-sheet structure, possibly including portions of the Asn-rich segment between residues 44 and 76.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Structural Biology, National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-8025, USA.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Baxa
authors.forename: Reed B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Wickner
authors.forename: Alasdair C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Steven
authors.forename: D Eric
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Lyuben N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Marekov
authors.forename: Wai-Ming
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Yau
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tycko
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000682:Amyloid / Q000737:chemistry; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry*; D011328:Prions / Q000737:chemistry*; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000682:Amyloid; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011328:Prions; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; C067020:URE2 protein, S cerevisiae