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Design of a water-soluble transmembrane receptor kinase with intact molecular function by QTY code

Mengke Li,Hongzhi Tang,Rui Qing,Yanze Wang,Jiongqin Liu,Rui Wang,S. Lyu,Lina Ma,Ping Xu,Shuguang Zhang,Fei Tao

Published 2024 in Nature Communications

ABSTRACT

Membrane proteins are critical to biological processes and central to life sciences and modern medicine. However, membrane proteins are notoriously challenging to study, mainly owing to difficulties dictated by their highly hydrophobic nature. Previously, we reported QTY code, which is a simple method for designing water-soluble membrane proteins. Here, we apply QTY code to a transmembrane receptor, histidine kinase CpxA, to render it completely water-soluble. The designed CpxAQTY exhibits expected biophysical properties and highly preserved native molecular function, including the activities of (i) autokinase, (ii) phosphotransferase, (iii) phosphatase, and (iv) signaling receptor, involving a water-solubilized transmembrane domain. We probe the principles underlying the balance of structural stability and activity in the water-solubilized transmembrane domain. Computational approaches suggest that an extensive and dynamic hydrogen-bond network introduced by QTY code and its flexibility may play an important role. Our successful functional preservation further substantiates the robustness and comprehensiveness of QTY code. Membrane proteins play essential roles in biological processes but are very difficult to study due to their hydrophobic nature. Here, the authors apply the QTY code, a method for designing water soluble membrane proteins, to histidine kinase CpxA to render it completely water-soluble and preserve the native molecular function.

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