Temperature Regulates Stability, Ligand Binding (Mg2+ and ATP), and Stoichiometry of GroEL-GroES Complexes

J Am Chem Soc. 2022 Feb 16;144(6):2667-2678. doi: 10.1021/jacs.1c11341. Epub 2022 Feb 2.

Abstract

Chaperonins are nanomachines that harness ATP hydrolysis to power and catalyze protein folding, a chemical action that is directly linked to the maintenance of cell function through protein folding/refolding and assembly. GroEL and the GroEL-GroES complex are archetypal examples of such protein folding machines. Here, variable-temperature electrospray ionization (vT-ESI) native mass spectrometry is used to delineate the effects of solution temperature and ATP concentrations on the stabilities of GroEL and GroEL-GroES complexes. The results show clear evidence for destabilization of both GroEL14 and GroES7 at temperatures of 50 and 45 °C, respectively, substantially below the previously reported melting temperature (Tm ∼ 70 °C). This destabilization is accompanied by temperature-dependent reaction products that have previously unreported stoichiometries, viz. GroEL14-GroESy-ATPn, where y = 1, 2, 8 and n = 0, 1, 2, 8, that are also dependent on Mg2+ and ATP concentrations. Variable-temperature native mass spectrometry reveals new insights about the stability of GroEL in response to temperature effects: (i) temperature-dependent ATP binding to GroEL; (ii) effects of temperature as well as Mg2+ and ATP concentrations on the stoichiometry of the GroEL-GroES complex, with Mg2+ showing greater effects compared to ATP; and (iii) a change in the temperature-dependent stoichiometries of the GroEL-GroES complex (GroEL14-GroES7 vs GroEL14-GroES8) between 24 and 40 °C. The similarities between results obtained by using native MS and cryo-EM [Clare et al. An expanded protein folding cage in the GroEL-gp31 complex. J. Mol. Biol. 2006, 358, 905-911; Ranson et al. Allosteric signaling of ATP hydrolysis in GroEL-GroES complexes.Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 2006, 13, 147-152] underscore the utility of native MS for investigations of molecular machines as well as identification of key intermediates involved in the chaperonin-assisted protein folding cycle.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Triphosphate / metabolism*
  • Chaperonin 10 / chemistry
  • Chaperonin 10 / metabolism*
  • Chaperonin 60 / chemistry
  • Chaperonin 60 / metabolism*
  • Escherichia coli / chemistry
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / chemistry
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / metabolism
  • Ligands
  • Magnesium / metabolism*
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Stability
  • Protein Unfolding
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Chaperonin 10
  • Chaperonin 60
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Ligands
  • Adenosine Triphosphate
  • Magnesium