Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs)

Summary

This protocol utilizes agarose swelling as a powerful and generalizable technique for incorporating integral membrane proteins (IMPs) into giant unilamellar lipid vesicles (GUVs), as described here for the reconstitution of the human 1A serotonin receptor protein (5-HT_1AR), one of the classes of pharmacologically important G protein-coupled receptors.

Abstract

Robust in vitro investigations of the structure and function of integral membrane proteins has been a challenge due to the complexities of the plasma membrane and the numerous factors that influence protein behavior in live cells. Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are a biomimetic and highly tunable in vitro model system for investigating protein-membrane interactions and probing protein behavior in a precise, stimulus-dependent manner. In this protocol, we present an inexpensive and effective method for fabricating GUVs with the human serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT_1AR) stably integrated in the membrane. We fabricate GUVs using a modified hydrogel swelling method; by depositing a lipid film on top of a mixture of agarose and 5-HT_1AR and then hydrating the entire system, vesicles can be formed with properly oriented and functional 5-HT_1AR incorporated into the membrane. These GUVs can then be used to examine protein-membrane interactions and localization behavior via microscopy. Ultimately, this protocol can advance our understanding of the functionality of integral membrane proteins, providing profound physiological insight.

Introduction

Synthetic model membranes are powerful tools in the investigation of the fundamental properties and functions of biomembranes. Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are one of the most prominent platforms to study a variety of plasma membrane properties and can be engineered to mimic different physiological conditions^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8}. It is well established that the plasma membrane and its organization play a....

Protocol

1. Protein labeling

1. Allow NHS-Rhodamine, 5-HT_1A membrane fragments, and one 7 K MWCO spin desalting column to equilibrate at room temperature.
2. Dissolve 1 mg of NHS-rhodamine in 100 µL of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
3. Add 5 µL of 1 M sodium bicarbonate solution to increase the pH of 5-HT_1AR solution to pH 8.
4. Add 3.66 µL of the NHS-rhodamine solution to 50 µL of the 5-HT_1AR solution and pipette gently up and down in a microcentrifuge tube.
   NOTE: Ensure to have at least 10x molar excess of NHS-rhodamine.
5. Keep the mixture protected from light and put on rotator at room temperature for 1....

Results

The concentration of protein was measured, and the degree of labeling was calculated as the molar ratio between the dye and the protein to be 1:1. By examining the GUVs using confocal microscopy, we were able to confirm successful formation and protein integration of the vesicles. The lipids were labeled with 0.4 mol% ATTO 488-DPPE, and the protein was covalently labeled via rhodamine NHS-ester modification of primary amines. Figure 2a and Figure 2b show a prote.......

Discussion

We have identified two steps that are critical to the success of the overall protocol:  plasma treatment and lipid deposition. Plasma cleaning of the coverslips is essential in ensuring that there is adequate coverage and adhesion of the agarose hydrogel to the glass coverslip. Plasma cleaning accomplishes two things: first, it removes traces of organic matter from the glass surface; second, it activates the coverslip surface, allowing for an increase in wettability as the glass surface hydrophili.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC)	Avanti Polar Lipids, Alabaster, AL	850375C-25mg
TI-Eclipse inverted microscope	Nikon, Melville, NY	Eclipse Ti
1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC)	Avanti Polar Lipids, Alabaster, AL	850355C-25mg
13/16″ ID, 1″ OD silicon O-rings	Sterling Seal & Supply, Neptune, IN	5-003-8770
16-bit Cascade II 512 electron-multiplied charge coupled device camera	Photometrics, Huntington Beach, CA	Cascade II 512
1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC)	Avanti Polar Lipids, Alabaster, AL	850457C-25mg
50 mW solid-state lasers at 488 nm and emission filter centered at 525 nm, and 561 nm with emission filter centered at 595 nm	Coherent, Santa Clara, CA	488/561-50-LS
5-HT1AR membrane fragments	Perkin Elmer, Waltham, MA	RBHS1AM400UA
ATTO-488-1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DPPE)	ATTO-TEC, Siegen, Germany	AD 488-155
Bench top plasma cleaner	Harrick Plasma, Ithaca, NY	PDC-32G
bovine serum albumin (BSA)	Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO	A9418
chloroform (CHCl3)	Millipore Sigma, Burlington, MA	CX1055
Cholesterol (Chol)	Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO	C8667-5G
Corning 96-well Flat Clear Bottom	Corning, Corning, NY	3904
Elmasonic E-Series E15H Ultrasonic	Elma, Singen, Germany	[no longer sold on main website]
glucose	Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO	G7528
methanol (MeOH)	Millipore Sigma, Burlington, MA	MX0485
NanoDrop ND-1000	Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA	ND-1000
NHS-Rhodamine	Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA	46406
phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (10x PBS)	Corning, Corning, NY	21-040
spinning-disc CSUX confocal head	Yokogawa,Tokyo, Japan	CSU-X1
standard 25 mm no. 1 glass coverslips	ChemGlass, Vineland, NJ	CLS-1760
sucrose	Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO	S7903
Sykes-Moore chambers	Bellco, Vineland, NJ	1943-11111
Ultra-low melting temperature agarose	Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO	A5030
VWR Analog Heatblock	VWR International, Radnor, PA	[no longer sold on main website]
VWR Tube Rotator	VWR International, Radnor, PA	10136-084
Zeba Spin Desalting Columns, 7K MWCO, 0.5 mL	Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA	89882