Decrypting the structure, function, and molecular interactions of complex molecular machines in their cellular context and at atomic resolution is of prime importance for understanding fundamental physiological processes. Nuclear magnetic resonance is a wellestablished imaging method that can visualize cellular entities at the micrometer scale and can be used to obtain 3D atomic structures under in vitro conditions. Here, we introduce a solid-state NMR approach that provides atomic level insights into cell-associated molecular components. By combining dedicated protein production and labeling schemes with tailored solid-state NMR pulse methods, we obtained structural information of a recombinant integral membrane protein and the major endogenous molecular components in a bacterial environment. Our approach permits studying entire cellular compartments as well as cell-associated proteins at the same time and at atomic resolution. cellular envelope | Escherichia coli | lipoprotein | PagL | magic angle spinning P hysiological processes rely on the concerted action of molecular entities in and across different cellular compartments. Whereas advancements in molecular imaging have provided unprecedented insights into the macromolecular organization in the subnanometer range (1), studying atomic structure and motion in situ has been challenging for structural biology. NMR has provided insight into cellular processes (2-4) and can determine entire 3D molecular structures inside living cells (5) provided that molecular entities tumble rapidly in a cellular setting. In principle, solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy offers a complementary spectroscopic tool to monitor molecular structure and dynamics at atomic resolution in a complex setting (see ref. 6 for a recent review). Indeed, ssNMR has already been used to study individual molecular components in the context of natural bilayers (7,8), bacterial cell walls (9), and cellular organelles (10).Here, we introduce a general approach to investigate structure and dynamics of an arbitrary molecular target and its potential molecular partners in a cellular setting. Our studies focuses on the Gram-negative bacterial cell that is characterized by a molecularly complex but architecturally unique envelope, consisting of two lipid bilayers, the inner and outer membrane (IM, OM), separated by the periplasm containing the peptidoglycan (PG) layer (Fig. 1A). The IM is a phospholipid bilayer and harbors α-helical proteins, whereas the OM is asymmetrical and consists of phospholipids, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), lipoproteins, and β-barrelfold integral membrane proteins. LPS forms the outermost layer of the OM and protects the cell against harmful compounds from the environment. PG is a large macromolecule that gives the cell its shape and rigidity.Using uniformly 13 C, 15 N-labeled cellular preparations of Escherichia coli, we characterized the structure and dynamics of a recombinant integral membrane protein (PagL) and other major endogenous molecular components of the cell envelope in...

Biomolecular applications of NMR spectroscopy are often merely associated with soluble molecules or magnetic resonance imaging. However, since the late 1970s, solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy has demonstrated its ability to provide atomic-level insight into complex biomolecular systems ranging from lipid bilayers to complex biomaterials. In the last decade, progress in the areas of NMR spectroscopy, biophysics, and molecular biology have significantly expanded the repertoire of ssNMR spectroscopy for biomolecular studies. This Review discusses current approaches and methodological challenges, and highlights recent progress in using ssNMR spectroscopy at the interface of structural and cellular biology.

A peek inside: Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) enhances the spectroscopic sensitivity of solid‐state NMR measurements of uniformly (13C,15N)‐labeled preparations of Escherichia coli cells by more than an order of magnitude (see picture; MW=microwaves, ε=enhancement factor). The major molecular components in the cells can be characterized in this way.

Multidomain proteins constitute a large part of prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteomes and play fundamental roles in various physiological processes. However, their structural characterization is challenging because of their large size and intrinsic flexibility. We show here that motional-filtered high-resolution solid-state NMR (ssNMR) experiments allow for the observation and structural analysis of very large multidomain membrane proteins that are characterized by different motional time scales. This approach was used to probe the folding of the 790-residue membrane protein BamA, which is the core component of the Escherichia coli outer membrane protein assembly machinery. A combination of dipolar-and scalar-based two-dimensional ssNMR experiments applied to two uniformly 13 C, 15 N-labeled BamA variants revealed characteristic secondary structure elements and distinct dynamics within the BamA transmembrane protein segment and the periplasmic POTRA domains. This approach hence provides a general strategy for collecting atomic-scale structural information on multidomain (membrane) proteins in a native-like environment.

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The outer membranes (OMs) of members of the Corynebacteriales bacterial order, also called mycomembranes, harbor mycolic acids and unusual outer membrane proteins (OMPs), including those with α-helical structure. The signals that allow precursors of such proteins to be targeted to the mycomembrane remain uncharacterized. We report here the molecular features responsible for OMP targeting to the mycomembrane of Corynebacterium glutamicum, a nonpathogenic member of the Corynebacteriales order. To better understand the mechanisms by which OMP precursors were sorted in C. glutamicum, we first investigated the partitioning of endogenous and recombinant PorA, PorH, PorB, and PorC between bacterial compartments and showed that they were both imported into the mycomembrane and secreted into the extracellular medium. A detailed investigation of cell extracts and purified proteins by top-down MS, NMR spectroscopy, and site-directed mutagenesis revealed specific and well-conserved posttranslational modifications (PTMs), including O-mycoloylation, pyroglutamylation, and N-formylation, for mycomembrane-associated and -secreted OMPs. PTM site sequence analysis from C. glutamicum OMP and other O-acylated proteins in bacteria and eukaryotes revealed specific patterns. Furthermore, we found that such modifications were essential for targeting to the mycomembrane and sufficient for OMP assembly into mycolic acid-containing lipid bilayers. Collectively, it seems that these PTMs have evolved in the Corynebacteriales order and beyond to guide membrane proteins toward a specific cell compartment.Corynebacteriales | O-acylation | sequence motif | top-down proteomics | NMR

Cell walls are essential in the interaction of fungi with the (a)biotic environment and are also key to hyphal morphogenesis and mechanical strength. Here, we used solid-state NMR (ssNMR) spectroscopy combined with HPLC and GC–MS to study the structural organization of the cell wall of a representative of the Basidiomycota, one of the two main phyla of fungi. Based on the data we propose a refined model for the cell wall of a basidiomycete. In this model, the rigid core is built from α- and β-(1,3)-glucan, β-(1,3)-(1,6)-glucan, highly branched and single stranded β-(1,4)-chitin as well as polymeric fucose. The mobile fraction of the cell wall is composed of β-(1,3)-glucan, β-(1,3)-(1,6)-glucan, β-(1,6)-glucan, α-linked reducing and non-reducing ends and polymeric mannose. Together, these findings provide novel insights into the structural organization of the cell wall of the model basidiomycete S. commune that was previously based on destructive chemical and enzymatic analysis.

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