Poster Presentation 11th Australian Peptide Conference 2015

Cross-linking of Orthosteric and Allosteric Ligands to Ste2p, a Yeast Peptide-Ligand G Protein-Coupled Receptor (#106)

Jeffrey Becker 1 , Fred Naider 2
  1. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TENNESSEE, United States
  2. Chemistry, College of Staten Island, CUNY, Staten Island, New York, U.S.A.

Identification of the receptor binding site for ligands is an important component of studying peptide-mediated G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). We used periodate-activated dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA)-modified peptides to identify specific ligand interacting residues and probe allosteric binding sites in Ste2p, a model GPCR expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that binds α-factor the tridecapeptide (WHWLQLKPGQPMY) mating pheromone. Alpha-factor with DOPA substituted at residue 1 or 13 and a biotin tag on lysine at position 7 synthesized by a combination of solid-phase chain assembly and solution phase side-chain modification was used for cross-linking into Ste2p. The Bio-DOPA-α-factors cross-linked into Ste2p as demonstrated by Western blot analysis probed with neutravidin-HRP.  The epitope-tagged-Ste2p-ligand complex was purified using metal ion affinity chromatography, and after cyanogen bromide treatment, avidin affinity purification was used to capture the Bio-DOPA-α-factor-Ste2p cross-linked peptide. Mass spectrometry showed crosslinking between position 13 of α-factor and residue Cys59 of Ste2p and between position 1 of α-factor and Lys269 of Ste2p. Alpha-factor truncated at the C-terminus (WHWLQLKPGQP) acted as a positive allosteric modulator of Ste2p-mediated biological activity. A biologically-active analog of the 11-mer peptide containing biotin and DOPA ([Bio-DOPA]11-mer) was synthesized and cross-linked to Ste2p resulting in a labeled product at the expected molecular weight of the receptor-pheromone complex. These studies established specific residue-to-residue interactions between Ste2p and its orthosteric ligand, revealed allosteric interactions, indicated that DOPA is an excellent probe to determine peptide hormone-receptor interactions, and demonstrated again the value of the yeast Ste2p model system for studying GPCR structure and function.