A membrane-embedded curdlan synthase (CrdS) from Agrobacterium is believed to catalyse a repetitive addition of glucosyl residues from UDP-glucose to produce the (1,3)-β-d-glucan (curdlan) polymer. We report wheat germ cell-free protein synthesis (WG-CFPS) of full-length CrdS containing a 6xHis affinity tag and either Factor Xa or Tobacco Etch Virus proteolytic sites, using a variety of hydrophobic membrane-mimicking environments. Full-length CrdS was synthesised with no variations in primary structure, following analysis of tryptic fragments by MALDI-TOF/TOF Mass Spectrometry. Preparative scale WG-CFPS in dialysis mode with Brij-58 yielded CrdS in mg/ml quantities. Analysis of structural and functional properties of CrdS during protein synthesis showed that CrdS was co-translationally inserted in DMPC liposomes during WG-CFPS, and these liposomes could be purified in a single step by density gradient floatation. Incorporated CrdS exhibited a random orientation topology. Following affinity purification of CrdS, the protein was reconstituted in nanodiscs with Escherichia coli lipids or POPC and a membrane scaffold protein MSP1E3D1. CrdS nanodiscs were characterised by small-angle X-ray scattering using synchrotron radiation and the data obtained were consistent with insertion of CrdS into bilayers. We found CrdS synthesised in the presence of the Ac-AAAAAAD surfactant peptide or co-translationally inserted in liposomes made from E. coli lipids to be catalytically competent. Conversely, CrdS synthesised with only Brij-58 was inactive. Our findings pave the way for future structural studies of this industrially important catalytic membrane protein.

Background: Pairing and synapsis of homologous chromosomes is required for normal chromosome segregation and the exchange of genetic material via recombination during meiosis. Synapsis is complete at pachytene following the formation of a tri-partite proteinaceous structure known as the synaptonemal complex (SC). In yeast, HOP1 is essential for formation of the SC, and localises along chromosome axes during prophase I. Homologues in Arabidopsis (AtASY1), Brassica (BoASY1) and rice (OsPAIR2) have been isolated through analysis of mutants that display decreased fertility due to severely reduced synapsis of homologous chromosomes. Analysis of these genes has indicated that they play a similar role to HOP1 in pairing and formation of the SC through localisation to axial/lateral elements of the SC.

Membrane proteins control fundamental processes that are inherent to nearly all forms of life such as transport of molecules, catalysis, signaling, vesicle fusion, sensing of chemical and physical stimuli from the environment, and cell-cell interactions. Membrane proteins are harbored within a non-equilibrium fluid-like environment of biological membranes that separate cellular and non-cellular environments, as well as in compartmentalized cellular organelles. One of the classes of membrane proteins that will be specifically treated in this article are transport proteins of plant origin, that facilitate material and energy transfer at the membrane boundaries. These proteins import essential nutrients, export cellular metabolites, maintain ionic and osmotic equilibriums and mediate signal transduction. The aim of this article is to report on the progress of membrane protein functional and structural relationships, with a focus on producing stable and functional proteins suitable for structural and biophysical studies. We interlink membrane protein production primarily through wheat-germ cell-free protein synthesis (WG-CFPS) with the growing repertoire of membrane mimicking environments in the form of lipids, surfactants, amphipathic surfactant polymers, liposomes and nanodiscs that keep membrane proteins soluble. It is hoped that the advancements in these fields could increase the number of elucidated structures, in particular those of plant membrane proteins, and contribute to bridging of the gap between structures of soluble and membrane proteins, the latter being comparatively low.

Plant growth and survival depend upon the activity of membrane transporters that control the movement and distribution of solutes into, around, and out of plants. Although many plant transporters are known, their intrinsic properties make them difficult to study. In barley (Hordeum vulgare), the root anion-permeable transporter Bot1 plays a key role in tolerance to high soil boron, facilitating the efflux of borate from cells. However, its three-dimensional structure is unavailable and the molecular basis of its permeation function is unknown. Using an integrative platform of computational, biophysical, and biochemical tools as well as molecular biology, electrophysiology, and bioinformatics, we provide insight into the origin of transport function of Bot1. An atomistic model, supported by atomic force microscopy measurements, reveals that the protein folds into 13 transmembrane-spanning and five cytoplasmic a-helices. We predict a trimeric assembly of Bot1 and the presence of a Na + ion binding site, located in the proximity of a pore that conducts anions. Patch-clamp electrophysiology of Bot1 detects Na + -dependent polyvalent anion transport in a Nernstian manner with channel-like characteristics. Using alanine scanning, molecular dynamics simulations, and transport measurements, we show that conductance by Bot1 is abolished by removal of the Na + ion binding site. Our data enhance the understanding of the permeation functions of Bot1.