Using Scaffold Liposomes to Reconstitute Lipid-proximal Protein-protein Interactions In Vitro

The overall goal of this technique is to capture lipid-proximal protein-protein interactions in vitro. This method can help answer questions in the mitochondrial dynamics field, such as how protein-protein interactions at the mitochondrial outer membrane can be affected by accessory lipids. The main advantage of this technique is that tethering soluble protein domains to lipid templates ensures that a more native confirmation can be achieved.

Moreover, complex interactions between soluble proteins and their tethered partners can be assessed in the presence of defined lipid cofactors. Though we use this method to investigate protein interactions in the mitochondrial fission machinery, it can also be applied to other protein complexes that localize to diverse membrane compartments. Demonstrating this procedure will be Ryan, a grad student from my laboratory.

First, combine chloroform solutions of the desired lipids in a clean glass test tube. Evaporate the solvent with dry nitrogen gas while rotating the tube to form a thin lipid film. Then remove the residual solvent with the centrifugal evaporator for one hour at 37 degrees Celsius.

Following this, add pre-heated buffer A to give a final lipid concentration of one to two millimolar. Incubate for 30 minutes at 37 degrees Celsius with occasional vortexing to fully resuspend the lipid mixture. After incubation, transfer the lipid mixture to a plastic test tube and place the tube in liquid nitrogen for approximately 30 seconds until completely frozen.

Then place the tube in a 37 degree Celsius waterbath for one to two minutes until fully thawed. Next prepare a lipid extruder by soaking four filter supports and a polycarbonate filter in buffer A and assembling the extruder according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Extrude the lipid solution through the filter 21 times using gentle constant pressure to ensure a homogenous size distribution.

While extruding, use slow constant pressure to ensure liposome size homogeneity. With a one micron filter, this is less important. But with smaller filter sizes, can introduce more apparent heterogeneity.

Store the extruded liposomes at four degrees Celsius. Incubate His-tagged mitochondrial fission factor or Mff with scaffold liposomes for at least 15 minutes at room temperature in buffer A and BME. For an Mff-free control, incubate the liposomes with a His-tagged control protein, such as GFP, to bind and shield exposed Nickel-NTA.

Add dynamin-related protein one or Drp1 to the liposome mixture and incubate for one hour at room temperature. Next, transfer five microliters of the sample to a sheet of laboratory film and lay a carbon-coated copper-rhodium grid on top of the sample. After incubating for one minute, remove the excess liquid with filter paper and add a drop of 2%uranyl acetate.

After incubating for another minute, remove the excess stain with filter paper, and transfer the sample to a grid box. On the following day, image the samples using a transmission electron microscope at the 18, 500 to 30, 000X magnification to observe ultrastructural changes in protein and liposome morphologies. Incubate His-tagged Mff and Fis1 with the scaffold liposomes for 15 minutes at room temperature in buffer A and BME.

Add Drp1 and incubate each mixture for an additional 15 minutes at room temperature. Transfer the tubes to the thermocycler set to 37 degrees Celsius and initiate the reactions by adding GTP and magnesium chloride. At the desired time points, transfer 20 microliters of each reaction mixture to wells of a microtiter plate containing five microliters of 0.5 molar EDTA to chelate the magnesium and stop the reaction.

Following this, prepare a set of phosphate standards by diluting potassium phosphate in buffer A and BME to calibrate the results. Add 20 microliters of each standard to the wells containing five microliters of 0.5 molar EDTA. Add 150 microliters of malachite green reagent to each well.

Finally, read the OD 650 five minutes after each addition. GTP will hydrolyze slowly in the presence of the acidic malachite green reagent. So this reagent should be added to all sample wells within 10 minutes of measuring the absorbance to maximize signal to noise.

In the absence in Drp1, neither Mff nor GFP resulted in membrane deformation. And only featureless liposomes were observed for GFP-decorated enriched scaffold liposomes or ESL. However, when Drp1 was added to Mff-decorated ESL templates remodeling of the liposomes was evident.

Decoration of the SL with Mff enhanced GTPase activity. Conversely, when the exposed NTA head groups were blocked with His-tagged GFP, this augmented GTPase activity was ablated. Tethering of Fis1 lacking its transmembrane domain to the SL, also failed to elicit a stimulation of Drp1’s GTPase activity.

Similar to the SL, addition of SL/Cl to Drp1 resulted in a slight stimulation of GTPase activity that was reversed by tethering His-tagged Fis1 or GFP to the liposomes. A synergy between Mff and cardiolipin was observed as the GTPase activity of Drp1 was stimulated 2.6-fold when it was incubated with Mff-decorated SL/CL. When SL/PE/CL templates were decorated with Mff, Drp1 activity was enhanced.

The ability of Drp1 to remodel liposomes into lipid tubules was enhanced by the addition of PE to the scaffold liposomes. Once mastered, these scaffolds can be prepared and used in hours if the procedure is performed properly. Following this procedure, other protein and lipid interaction methods like sedimentation and light-scattering assays can be performed in order to characterize functional interactions.

The application of this technique allows people examining protein translocation to a defined biological membrane to explore transient protein interactions and the impact of specific lipid cofactors in the formation and stabilization of essential cellular assemblies.