Differentiation of CC vs CXC chemokine dimers with GAG octasaccharide binding partners: an ion mobility mass spectrometry approach

J Am Chem Soc. 2013 Mar 20;135(11):4325-32. doi: 10.1021/ja310915m. Epub 2013 Mar 7.

Abstract

Chemokines, 8 kDa proteins implicated in leukocyte migration via oligomerization, bind to glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) during the inflammation response as a means to regulate chemokine migration. Structural characterization of chemokines non-covalently bound to GAGs provides physiologically meaningful data in regard to routine inmmunosurveillance and disease response. In order to analyze the structures resulting from the GAG:chemokine interaction, we employed ion mobility mass spectrometry (IMMS) to analyze monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), a CC chemokine, and interleukin-8 (IL-8), a CXC chemokine, along with their individual interactions with GAG heparin octasaccharides. We show that MCP-1 and IL-8 are physiologically present as a dimer, with MCP-1 having two variants of its dimeric form and IL-8 having only one. We also show that the MCP-1 dimer adopts two conformations, one extended and one compact, when bound to a dodecasulfated heparin octasaccharide. Binding of MCP-1 to heparin octasaccharide isomers of varying sulfation patterns results in similar arrival time distribution values, which suggests minimal distinguishing features among the resultant complexes. Additionally, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) showed that the binding of MCP-1 to a heparin octasaccharide has different dissociation patterns when compared with the corresponding IL-8 bound dimer. Overall, IMMS and MS/MS were used to better define the structural tendencies and differences associated with CC and CXC dimers when associated with GAG octasaccharides.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Chemokine CCL2 / chemistry
  • Chemokine CCL2 / metabolism*
  • Heparin / chemistry
  • Heparin / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-8 / chemistry
  • Interleukin-8 / metabolism*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Multimerization
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Substances

  • Chemokine CCL2
  • Interleukin-8
  • Heparin