Stuart Edelstein - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Stuart Edelstein

Biophysical Journal, 2010

PLOS ONE, Jan 5, 2010

Biological signal transduction commonly involves cooperative interactions in the binding of ligan... more Biological signal transduction commonly involves cooperative interactions in the binding of ligands to their receptors. In many cases, ligand concentrations in vivo are close to the value of the dissociation constant of their receptors, resulting in the phenomenon of ligand depletion. Using examples based on rotational bias of bacterial flagellar motors and calcium binding to mammalian calmodulin, we show that ligand depletion diminishes cooperativity and broadens the dynamic range of sensitivity to the signaling ligand. As a result, the same signal transducer responds to different ranges of signal with various degrees of cooperativity according to its effective cellular concentration. Hence, results from in vitro dose-response analyses cannot be applied directly to understand signaling in vivo. Moreover, the receptor concentration is revealed to be a key element in controlling signal transduction and we propose that its modulation constitutes a new way of controlling sensitivity to signals. In addition, through an analysis of the allosteric enzyme aspartate transcarbamylase, we demonstrate that the classical Hill coefficient is not appropriate for characterizing the change in conformational state upon ligand binding to an oligomeric protein (equivalent to a dose-response curve), because it ignores the cooperativity of the conformational change for the corresponding equivalent monomers, which are generally characterized by a Hill coefficient %1. Therefore, we propose a new index of cooperativity based on the comparison of the properties of oligomers and their equivalent monomers.

Journal of Biological Chemistry, Aug 1, 1975

Studies are reported on the influence of Triton X-100 on the molecular weight and functional prop... more Studies are reported on the influence of Triton X-100 on the molecular weight and functional properties of the acetylcholine receptor. Results are presented principally for receptors purified from Torpedo californica and Torpedo marmorata with a limited number of observations on the receptor from Electrophorus electricus. In equilibrium dialysis measurements Trito, X-100 greatly reduced acetylcholine binding to the high affinity sites of the receptor from T. californica, but had only a small effect on the sites of lower affinity. Sedimentation equilibrium experiments on receptor in the absence of added Triton X-100 revealed average apparent molecular weight values of 510,000 for receptor from T. californica and 665,000 for T. marmorata. Under those conditions 0.113 mg of residual Triton X-100 were found per mg of protein as determined by using 3H-labeled Triton X-100. The sedimentation data indicated the presence of more than one molecular species, involving a unit with an apparent molecular weight of 330,000 and higher aggregates. Upon addition of Triton X-100, the higher aggregates were reduced, and above 0.1 percent Triton X-100 the 330,000 unit was the principal component present for receptor from all three species examined. Various structural models are considered in the light of this value, the polypeptide size from Na dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis, and the protomer size determined by the molecular weight of an acetylcholine binding site.

Journal of Biological Chemistry, Feb 1, 1975

Partially oxidized solutions of hemoglobin have been reacted with azide to determine the extent o... more Partially oxidized solutions of hemoglobin have been reacted with azide to determine the extent of oxidation, of the alpha and beta chains according to the method of McQuarrie and Gibson (J. Biol. Chem. (1971) 246, 517-522) In 2, 2&amp;#39;2&amp;#39;&amp;#39; nitriloethanol buffer the fraction of oxidized material represented by the beta chains decreases with decreasing extent of total oxidation, of the alpha chains. Upon addition of insitol hexaphosphate, the degree of perferntial oxidation in terms of a two-state model similar to the description of oxygenation by Edelstein (nature(1971) 230, 224-227) but with the incorporation of chain heterogeneity. The results indicate that the pH-dependent cooperativity of the oxidation-reduction reaction can be described in terms of a bell curbe of n versus log l, the allosteric somewhat lower and shifted slightly to the left, due in part to an affnity of beta chains for electrons approximately twince that of alpha chains. Because the curve is shifted to the left, oxidation-reduction equilibria at l values corresponding to pH 6 to lie on the right side of the bell curve where cooperativity the preferntial affity of beta chains for electrons rises to about 4 times that of alpha chains. As a consequence, the coreesponding bell curve is lowered with the Hill coeficient falling to unity or below in the range of l encountered. Thus the principal cause of decreased cooperativity is chain heterogeneity and not stabilization in the t state as suggested by Perutz; under these conditions the molecules of methemoglobin in the t state are only a fractional part of the population.

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1987

Journal of Biological Chemistry, Dec 1, 1976

The tetramer-dimer dissociation equilibria (K 4,2) of several fish hemoglobins have been examined... more The tetramer-dimer dissociation equilibria (K 4,2) of several fish hemoglobins have been examined by sedimentation velocity measurements with a scanner-computer system for the ultracentrifuge and by flash photolysis measurements using rapid kinetic methods. Samples studied in detail included hemoglobins from a marine teleost, Brevoortia tyrannus (common name, menhaden); a fresh water teleost, Cyprinus carpio, (common name, carp); and an elasmobranch Prionace glauca (common name, blue shark). For all three species in the CO form at pH 7, in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, sedimentation coefficients of 4.3 S (typical of tetrameric hemoglobin) are observed in the micromolar concentration range. In contrast, mammalian hemoglobins dissociate appreciably to dimers under these conditions. The inability to detect dissociation in three fish hemoglobins at the lowest concentrations examined indicates that K 4,2 must have a value of 10(-8) M or less. In flash photolysis experiments on very dilute solutions in long path length cells, two kinetic components were detected with their proportions varying as expected for an equilibrium between tetramers (the slower component) and dimers (the faster component); values of K 4,2 for the three fish hemoglobins in the range 10(-9) to 10(-8) M were calculated from these data. Thus, the values of K 4,2 for liganded forms of the fish hemoglobins appear to be midway between the value for liganded human hemoglobin (K 4,2 approximately 10(-6) M) and unliganded human hemoglobin (K 4,2 approximately 10(-12) M). This conclusion is supported by measurements on solutions containing guanidine hydrochloride to enhance the degree of dissociation. All three fish hemoglobins are appreciably dissociated at guanidine concentrations of about 0.8 M, which is roughly midway between the guanidine concentrations needed to cause comparable dissociation of liganded human hemoglobin (about 0.4 M) and unliganded human hemoglobin (about 1.6 M). Kinetic measurements on solutions containing guanidine hydrochloride indicated that there are changes in both the absolute rates and the proportions of the fast and slow components, which along with other factors complicated the analysis of the data in terms of dissociation constants. Measurements were also made in solutions containing urea to promote dissociation, but with this agent very high concentrations (about 6 M) were required to give measureable dissociation and the fish hemoglobins were unstable under these conditions, with appreciable loss of absorbance spectra in both the sedimentation and kinetic experiments.

Advances in Protein Chemistry, 1998

I. Introduction A. The acetylcholine receptor: similarities and differences with respect to other... more I. Introduction A. The acetylcholine receptor: similarities and differences with respect to other allosteric proteins B. Consequences of pseudo-symmetric oligomeric structure C. Role of mutational studies II. Mechanistic models A. The MWC-type model B. Linear free energy relations C. Alternative models III. Recovery from desensitization IV. Kinetic basis of dose-response curves A. Dependence on desensitization rate B. Desensitization by low-concentration pre-pulses V. Multiple phenotypes A. Generalized allosteric network B. The K phenotype C. The L phenotype D. The  phenotype E. Limiting properties at extremes of L VI. Deductions from single channel measurements 3 A. Separation of single ionic and single ligand-binding events B. Consequences of non-equivalent sites C. Convergence of mechanistic models at high agonist concentrations D. Kinetic consequences of mutant phenotypes VII. Allosteric effectors and coincidence detection VIII. General Considerations A. Evaluation of mechanistic models B. Implications for synaptic plasticity C. Diseases and nicotine dependency References

Journal of Biological Chemistry, Sep 1, 1987

Oxygen binding curves (OEC) for red cell suspensions have a biphasic shape and reduced n50 values... more Oxygen binding curves (OEC) for red cell suspensions have a biphasic shape and reduced n50 values when the concentration of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) is lowered by aging or experimental procedures. The mechanism for the abnormal shape of the OEC has been related to variations in the activity of free DPG. DPG binds to tetrameric Hb at a single site, and in red cells its normal concentration is equivalent to that of tetrameric Hb. This equivalence renders the oxygen affinity of Hb and the shape of the OEC very sensitive to small changes in the activity of DPG. The OEC for stripped Hb solutions in the presence of nonsaturating concentrations of DPG also exhibit a biphasic shape but with much larger changes in the n values than observed for red cells. Upon addition of chloride, a known competitor of DPG binding to Hb, the shape of the OEC becomes similar to that of red cell suspensions with the same DPG/Hb ratio. Studies on Hb solutions in the presence of varying concentrations of DPG, but without chloride, have revealed that the cofactor shifts the entire OEC to the right, including both its upper and lower asymptotes. This finding indicates that DPG lowers the intrinsic oxygen affinity for both the T and R states. Theoretical considerations leading to a successful modeling of OEC obtained under varying conditions of DPG and chloride require an expanded two-state allosteric model in which allowance is made for DPG-dependent variations in the dissociation constants of oxygen for both the T and R conformations.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Mar 1, 1990

Polymerization ofthe deoxy form ofsickle cell hemoglobin (Hb S; 136 Glu-*Val) involves both hydro... more Polymerization ofthe deoxy form ofsickle cell hemoglobin (Hb S; 136 Glu-*Val) involves both hydrophobic and electrostatic intermolecular contacts. These interactions drive the mutated molecules into long fibrous rods composed of seven pairs of strands. X-ray crystallography of Hb S and electron microscopy image reconstruction of the fibers have revealed the remarkable complementarity between one of the 186 valines ofeach molecule (the donor site) and an acceptor site at the EF corner of a neighboring tetramer. This interaction constitutes the major lateral contact between the two strands in a pair. To estimate the relative importance of this key hydrophobic contact in polymer formation we have generated a polymerizing Hb with isoleucine at the 136 position (,8E61) by site-directed mutagenesis. The mutated 13 chains were produced in Escherchia coli and reassembled into functional tetramers with native a chains. Compared to native Hb S, the 13E61 mutant polymerizes faster and with a shortened delay time in 1.8 M phosphate buffer, indicating an increased stability of the nuclei preceding fiber growth. The solubility of the 13E6I mutant Hb is half that of native Hb S. Computer modeling of the donor-acceptor interaction shows that the presence of an isoleucine side chain at the donor site induces increased contacts with the receptor site and an increased buried surface area, in agreement with the higher hydrophobicity of the isoleucine residue. The agreement between the predicted and experimental differences in solubility suggests that the transfer of the 136 valine or isoleucine side chain from water to a hydrophobic environment is sufficient to explain the observations.

Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) mediate fast chemical signaling through global allo... more Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) mediate fast chemical signaling through global allosteric transitions. Despite the existence of several high-resolution structures of pLGICs, their dynamical properties remain elusive. Using the proton-gated channel GLIC, we engineered multiple fluorescent reporters, each incorporating a bimane and a tryptophan/tyrosine, whose close distance causes fluorescence quenching. We show that proton application causes a global compaction of the extracellular subunit interface, coupled to an outward motion of the M2-M3 loop near the channel gate. These movements are highly similar in lipid vesicles and detergent micelles. These reorganizations are essentially completed within 2 ms and occur without channel opening at low proton concentration, indicating that they report a pre-active intermediate state in the transition pathway toward activation. This provides a template to investigate the gating of eukaryotic neurotransmitter receptors, for which intermediate states also participate in activation.

S. Karger AG eBooks, Apr 15, 2015

PLOS Computational Biology, Feb 12, 2020

Calmodulin sits at the center of molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Its complex... more Calmodulin sits at the center of molecular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Its complex and sometimes opposite influences, mediated via the binding to various proteins, are yet to be fully understood. Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and calcineurin (CaN) both bind open calmodulin, favoring Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) or Depression (LTD) respectively. Neurogranin binds to the closed conformation of calmodulin and its impact on synaptic plasticity is less clear. We set up a mechanistic computational model based on allosteric principles to simulate calmodulin state transitions and its interactions with calcium ions and the three binding partners mentioned above. We simulated calcium spikes at various frequencies and show that neurogranin regulates synaptic plasticity along three modalities. At low spike frequencies, neurogranin inhibits the onset of LTD by limiting CaN activation. At intermediate frequencies, neurogranin facilitates LTD, but limits LTP by precluding binding of CaMKII with calmodulin. Finally, at high spike frequencies, neurogranin promotes LTP by enhancing CaMKII autophosphorylation. While neurogranin might act as a calmodulin buffer, it does not significantly preclude the calmodulin opening by calcium. On the contrary, neurogranin synchronizes the opening of calmodulin's two lobes and promotes their activation at specific frequencies. Neurogranin suppresses basal CaN activity, thus increasing the chance of CaMKII trans-autophosphorylation at high-frequency calcium spikes. Taken together, our study reveals dynamic regulatory roles played by neurogranin on synaptic plasticity, which provide mechanistic explanations for opposing experimental findings.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Apr 1, 1975

Journal of Biological Chemistry, Dec 1, 1975

The tetramer-dimer equilibria of various forms of methemoglobin have been measured by sedimentati... more The tetramer-dimer equilibria of various forms of methemoglobin have been measured by sedimentation equilibrium to test the hypothesis of Perutz that high spin derivatives can be switched by inositol hexaphosphate (Inos-P6) from the R state to the T state more readily than low spin derivatives. Since transitions from the R state to the T state are accompanied by a decrease in the tetramer-dimer dissociation constant (K4,2), this parameter is a quantitative indicator of the conformational state. Measurements of K4,2 were performed using an analytical ultracentrifuge with absorption optics and a scanner-computer system. Statistical analysis of the sedimentation data indicated that the stoichiometry if Inos-P6 binding is 1 molecule/hemoglobin tetramer and 2 molecules/hemoglobin dimer. The apparent affinity of the dimer sites for Inos-P6 is much lower than the corresponding value for the tetramer site. As a result of the stoichiometries, at low concentrations Inos-P6 shifts the tetramer-dimer equilibrium in favor of the tetramer, but at high concentrations Inos-P6 shifts the equilibrium in favor of the dimer. Te tetramer binding site for Inos-P6 of various liganded forms of hemoglobin appears to be the same as has been established for deoxyhemoglobin, since the effect of Inos-P6 on subunit dissociation is reduced in pyridoxylated derivatives. Values of K4,2 for aquo-, azido- and cyanomethemoglobin in 0.01 M 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2,2',2''-nitroethanol buffer, pH 6.0/0.1 M NaCl, are all near 2 X 10(-5) M. Upon addition of 50 muM Inos-P6 the values of K4,2 for all three forms are shifted to near 10(-9) M. Since the aquo derivative is high spin, while the azido and cyano derivatives are low spin, the similarity of values for the derivatives in the presence and absence of Inos-P6 indicate that the changes in K4,2 are not spin-spin state dependent. For another high spin derivative, fluoromethemoglobin, such high concentrations of NaF are required that ionic strength effects are encountered. When data at several NaF concentrations are extrapolated to 0.1 M NaF to correct for the ionic strength effects, values of K4,2 of 7 X 10(-6) M and 10(-8) M are obtained for solutions in the absence and in the presence of 50 muM Inos-P6, respectively. Therefore the results with the fluoro derivative, in conjunction with the other forms of methemoglobin, support the view that high spin derivatives do not exhibit a greater response to Inos-P6 than low spin derivatives.

Two important words could be added to the title of this well-researched and very instructive book... more Two important words could be added to the title of this well-researched and very instructive book, for Edelstein&amp;#x27;s actual thesis is The sickled cell: from myths through evolution to molecules. This brilliant author appears to be using the haemoglobin molecule not only to establish that ...