A
transmembrane protein is a
protein that spans the entire
biological membrane. Transmembrane proteins aggregate and precipitate in water. They require
detergents or nonpolar solvents for extraction, although some of them (beta-barrels) can be also extracted using denaturing agents.
Types
There are two basic types of transmembrane proteins:
- Alpha-helical. These proteins are present in the inner membranes of bacterial cells or the plasma membrane of eukaryotes, and sometimes in the outer membranes This is the major category of transmembrane proteins.
- Beta-barrels. These proteins are so far found only in outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria, cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria, and outer membranes of mitochondria and chloroplasts. All beta-barrel transmembrane proteins have simplest up-and-down topology, which may reflect their common evolutionary origin and similar folding mechanism.
Thermodynamic stability and folding
Stability of α-helical transmembrane proteins
Transmembrane α-helical proteins are unusually stable judging from thermal
denaturation studies, because they do not unfold completely within the membranes (the complete unfolding would require breaking down too many α-helical
H-bonds in the nonpolar media). On the other hand, these proteins easily
misfold, due to non-native aggregation in membranes, transition to the
molten globule states, formation of non-native
disulfide bonds, or unfolding of peripheral regions and nonregular loops that are locally less stable.
It is also important to properly define the unfolded state. The unfolded state of membrane proteins in detergent micelles is different from that in the thermal denaturation experiments. This state represents a combination of folded hydrophobic α-helices and partially unfolded segments covered by the detergent. For example, the "unfolded" bacteriorhodopsin in SDS micelles has four transmembrane α-helices folded, while the rest of the protein is situated at the micelle-water interface and can adopt different types of non-native amphiphilic structures. Free energy differences between such detergent-denatured and native states are similar to stabilities of water-soluble proteins (< 10 kcal/mol).
Folding of α-helical transmembrane proteins
Refolding of α-helical transmembrane proteins
in vitro is technically difficult. There are relatively few examples of the successful refolding experiments, as for
bacteriorhodopsin.
In vivo all such proteins are normally folded co-translationally within the large transmembrane
translocon. The translocon channel provides a highly heterogeneous environment for the nascent transmembane α-helices. A relatively polar amphiphilic α-helix can adopt a transmembrane orientation in the translocon (although it would be at the membrane surface or unfolded
in vitro), because its polar residues can face the central water-filled channel of the translocon. Such mechanism is necessary for incorporation of polar α-helices into structures of transmembrane proteins. The amphiphilic helices remain attached to the translocon until the protein is completely synthesized and folded. If the protein remains unfolded and attached to the translocon for too long, it is degraded by specific "quality control" cellular systems.
Stability and folding of β-barrel transmembrane proteins
Stability of β-barrel transmembrane proteins is similar to stability of water-soluble proteins, based on chemical denaturation studies. Their folding
in vivo is facilitated by water-soluble
chaperones, such as protein Skp
3D structures
Light absorption-driven transporters
Oxidoreduction-driven transporters
Electrochemical potential-driven transporters
- Proton or sodium translocating F-type and V-type ATPases

P-P-bond hydrolysis-driven transporters
- Mitochondrial carrier proteins

- Major Facilitator Superfamily (Glycerol-3-hosphate transporter, Lactose permease, and Multidrug transporter EmrD)

- Resistance-nodulation-cell division (multidrug efflux transporter AcrB, see multidrug resistance)

- Dicarboxylate/amino acid:cation symporter (proton glutamate symporter)

- Monovalent cation/proton antiporter (Sodium/proton antiporter 1 NhaA)

- Neurotransmitter sodium symporter

- Ammonia transporters
- Drug/Metabolite Transporter (small multidrug resistance transporter EmrE - the structures are retracted as erroneous)

Alpha-helical channels including ion channels
Enzymes
Proteins with alpha-helical transmembrane anchors
β-barrels composed of a single polypeptide chain
- Beta barrels from eight beta-strands and with "shear number" of ten (n=8, S=10)
They include: - Autotransporter domain (''n=12,S=14')

- FadL outer membrane protein transport family, including Fatty acid transporter FadL (n=14,S=14)

- General bacterial porin family, known as trimeric porins (n=16,S=20)

- Maltoporin, or sugar porins (n=18,S=22)

- Nucleoside-specific porin (n=12,S=16)

- Outer membrane phospholipase A1(n=12,S=16)

- TonB-dependent receptors and their plug domain. They are ligand-gated outer membrane channels (n=22,S=24), including cobalamin transporter BtuB, Fe(III)-pyochelin receptor FptA, receptor FepA, ferric hydroxamate uptake receptor FhuA, transporter FecA, and pyoverdine receptor FpvA

- Outer membrane protein OpcA family (n=10,S=12) that includes outer membrane protease OmpT and adhesin/invasin OpcA protein

- Outer membrane protein G porin family (n=14,S=16)

Note: n and S are, respectively, the number of beta-strands and the "shear number"
of the beta-barrel
β-barrels composed of several polypeptide chains
- Trimeric autotransporter (n=12,S=12)

- Outer membrane efflux proteins, also known as trimeric outer membrane factors (n=12,S=18) including TolC and multidrug resistance proteins

- MspA porin (octamer, n=S=16) and α-hemolysin (heptamer n=S=14)
These proteins are secreted.
See also Gramicidin A
, a peptide that forms a dimeric transmembrane β-helix. It is also secreted by Gram-positive bacteria.
References
- Booth, P.J., Templer, R.H., Meijberg, W., Allen, S.J., Curran, A.R., and Lorch, M. 2001. In vitro studies of membrane protein folding. Crit. Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol. 36: 501-603.
- Bowie J.U. 2001. Stabilizing membrane proteins. Curr. Op. Struct. Biol. 11: 397-402.
- Bowie J.U. 2005. Solving the membrane protein folding problem. Nature 438: 581-589.
- DeGrado W.F., Gratkowski H. and Lear J.D. 2003. How do helix-helix interactions help determine the folds of membrane proteins? Perspectives from the study of homo-oligomeric helical bundles. Protein Sci. 12: 647-665.
- Lee, A.G. 2003 Lipid-protein interactions in biological membranes: a structural perspective. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1612: 1-40.
- Lee, A.G. 2004. How lipids affect the activities of integral membrane proteins. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1666: 62-87.
- le Maire, M., Champeil, P., and Moller, J.V. 2000. Interaction of membrane proteins and lipids with solubilizing detergents. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1508: 86-111.
- Popot J-L. and Engelman D.M. 2000. Helical membrane protein folding, stability, and evolution. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 69: 881-922.
- Protein-lipid interactions (Ed. L.K. Tamm) Wiley, 2005.
- Tamm, L.K., Hong, H., and Liang, B.Y. 2004. Folding and assembly of beta-barrel membrane proteins. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1666: 250-263.
Additional examples
External links
See also
Transporter Classification database