Cited by 16Protein Structure and DynamicsHeat shock proteins researchProtein purification and stability

Hidden information on protein function in censuses of proteome foldedness

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Cox, Dezerae, Ang, Ching-Seng, Nillegoda, Nadinath B., Reid, Gavin E., Hatters, Danny M.·2022·Nature Communications

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Methods that assay protein foldedness with proteomics have generated censuses of apparent protein folding stabilities in biological milieu. However, different censuses poorly correlate with each other. Here, we show that the reason for this is that methods targeting foldedness through monitoring amino acid sidechain reactivity also detect changes in conformation and ligand binding, which can be a substantial fraction of the data. We show that the reactivity of only one quarter of cysteine or methionine sidechains in proteins in a urea denaturation curve of mammalian cell lysate can be confidently explained by a two-state unfolding isotherm. Contrary to that expected from unfolding, up to one third of the cysteines decreased reactivity. These cysteines were enriched in proteins with functions relating to unfolded protein stress. One protein, chaperone HSPA8, displayed changes arising from ligand and cofactor binding. Unmasking this hidden information using the approaches outlined here should improve efforts to understand both folding and the remodeling of protein function directly in complex biological settings.

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Authors
Cox, D., Ang, C.-S., Nillegoda, N. B., Reid, G. E., & Hatters, D. M.
Affiliations
  • The University of Melbourne (AU)
  • Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (AU)
Corresponding author
Hatters, Danny M.
Venue
Nature Communications
Published
2022-04-14
Volume
13
Issue
1
Pages
1992-1992
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4226127719
Cited by
16
References
68
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1
FWCI
1.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Apollo (cc-by)
Funders
  • Department of Health | National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1161803)
  • Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (DP170103093)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Structure and Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Heat shock proteins research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein purification and stability
Keywords
protein folding stability, cysteine reactivity, urea denaturation, two-state unfolding, ligand binding, cofactor binding, protein conformation, protein function
MeSH terms
Animals, Circular Dichroism, Cysteine, Kinetics, Ligands, Mammals, Protein Conformation, Protein Denaturation, Thermodynamics, Urea, Protein Folding, Censuses, Proteome

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