Publications

Harrington L, Alexander LT, Knapp S, Bayley H (2019) Single-Molecule Protein Phosphorylation and Dephosphorylation by Nanopore Enzymology ACS Nano 13(1): 633

doi:10.1021/acsnano.8b07697

Reversible protein phosphorylation plays a crucial and ubiquitous role in the control of almost all cellular processes. The interplay of protein kinases and phosphatases acting in opposition ensures tight dynamic control of protein phosphorylation states within the cell. Previously, engineered α-hemolysin pores bearing kinase substrate peptides have been developed as single-molecule stochastic sensors for protein kinases. Here, we have used these pores to observe, label-free, the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of a single substrate molecule. Further, we investigated the effect of Mg2+ and Mn2+ upon substrate and product binding and found that Mn2+ relaxes active-site specificity toward nucleotides and enhances product binding. In doing so, we demonstrate the power and versatility of nanopore enzymology to scrutinize a critical post-translational modification.

Kretschmer S, Harrington L, Schwille P (2018) Reverse and forward engineering protein pattern formation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 373(1747)

doi:10.1098/rstb.2017.0104

Living systems employ protein pattern formation to regulate important life processes in space and time. Although pattern-forming protein networks have been identified in various prokaryotes and eukaryotes, their systematic experimental characterization is challenging owing to the complex environment of living cells. In turn, cell-free systems are ideally suited for this goal, as they offer defined molecular environments that can be precisely controlled and manipulated. Towards revealing the molecular basis of protein pattern formation, we outline two complementary approaches: the biochemical reverse engineering of reconstituted networks and the de novo design, or forward engineering, of artificial self-organizing systems. We first illustrate the reverse engineering approach by the example of the Escherichia coli Min system, a model system for protein self-organization based on the reversible and energy-dependent interaction of the ATPase MinD and its activating protein MinE with a lipid membrane. By reconstituting MinE mutants impaired in ATPase stimulation, we demonstrate how large-scale Min protein patterns are modulated by MinE activity and concentration. We then provide a perspective on the de novo design of self-organizing protein networks. Tightly integrated reverse and forward engineering approaches will be key to understanding and engineering the intriguing phenomenon of protein pattern formation.

Harrington L, Alexander LT, Knapp S, Bayley H (2015) Pim Kinase Inhibitors Evaluated with a Single-Molecule Engineered Nanopore Sensor. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 54(28):8154

doi:10.1002/anie.201503141

Protein kinases are critical therapeutic targets. Pim kinases are implicated in several leukaemias and cancers. Here, we exploit a protein nanopore sensor for Pim kinases that bears a pseudosubstrate peptide attached by an enhanced engineering approach. Analyte binding to the sensor peptide is measured through observation of the modulation of ionic current through a single nanopore. We observed synergistic binding of MgATP and kinase to the sensor, which was used to develop a superior method to evaluate Pim kinase inhibitors featuring label-free determination of inhibition constants. The procedure circumvents many sources of bias or false-positives inherent in current assays. For example, we identified a potent inhibitor missed by differential scanning fluorimetry. The approach is also amenable to implementation on high throughput chips.

Harrington L, Cheley S, Alexander LT, Knapp S, Bayley H (2013) Stochastic detection of Pim protein kinases reveals electrostatically enhanced association of a peptide substrate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110(47):E4417

doi:10.1073/pnas.1312739110

In stochastic sensing, the association and dissociation of analyte molecules is observed as the modulation of an ionic current flowing through a single engineered protein pore, enabling the label-free determination of rate and equilibrium constants with respect to a specific binding site. We engineered sensors based on the staphylococcal α-hemolysin pore to allow the single-molecule detection and characterization of protein kinase–peptide interactions. We enhanced this approach by using site-specific proteolysis to generate pores bearing a single peptide sensor element attached by an N-terminal peptide bond to the trans mouth of the pore. Kinetics and affinities for the Pim protein kinases (Pim-1, Pim-2, and Pim-3) and cAMP-dependent protein kinase were measured and found to be independent of membrane potential and in good agreement with previously reported data. Kinase binding exhibited a distinct current noise behavior that forms a basis for analyte discrimination. Finally, we observed unusually high association rate constants for the interaction of Pim kinases with their consensus substrate Pimtide (∼107 to 108 M–1·s–1), the result of electrostatic enhancement, and propose a cellular role for this phenomenon.

Kong L, Harrington L, Li Q, Cheley S, Davis BG, Bayley H (2013) Single-molecule interrogation of a bacterial sugar transporter allows the discovery of an extracellular inhibitor. Nat Chem 5(8):651

doi:10.1038/nchem.1695

Capsular polysaccharides form the outermost protective layer around many Gram-negative bacteria. Antibiotics aimed directly at weakening this layer are not yet available. In pathogenic Escherichia coli E69, a protein, Wza, forms a pore in the outer membrane that transports K30 capsular polysaccharide from its site of synthesis to the outside of the cell. This therefore represents a prospective antibiotic target. Here we test a variety of grommet-like mimics of K30 capsular polysaccharide on wild-type Wza and on mutant open forms of the pore by electrical recording in planar lipid bilayers. The most effective glycomimetic was the unnatural cyclic octasaccharide octakis(6-deoxy-6-amino)cyclomaltooctaose (am8γCD), which blocks the α-helix barrel of Wza, a site that is directly accessible from the external medium. This glycomimetic inhibited K30 polysaccharide transport in live E. coli E69. With the protective outer membrane disrupted, the bacteria can be recognized and killed by the human immune system.

Bayley H, Cheley S, Harrington L, Syeda R (2009) Wrestling with native chemical ligation. ACS Chem Biol 4(12):983

doi:10.1021/cb900304p

An improved method for the semisynthesis of a potassium channel involving native chemical ligation allows the introduction of short sequences containing non-canonical amino acids at any position within the polypeptide chain. The work enhances the technology available for a range of fundamental investigations of membrane proteins and for applications of membrane channels and pores in biotechnology.