Probing the Conformational and Functional Consequences of Disulfide Bond Engineering in Growth Hormone by Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry Coupled to Electron Transfer Dissociation

Anal Chem. 2015 Jun 16;87(12):5973-80. doi: 10.1021/ac504782v. Epub 2015 May 29.

Abstract

Human growth hormone (hGH), and its receptor interaction, is essential for cell growth. To stabilize a flexible loop between helices 3 and 4, while retaining affinity for the hGH receptor, we have engineered a new hGH variant (Q84C/Y143C). Here, we employ hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) to map the impact of the new disulfide bond on the conformational dynamics of this new hGH variant. Compared to wild type hGH, the variant exhibits reduced loop dynamics, indicating a stabilizing effect of the introduced disulfide bond. Furthermore, the disulfide bond exhibits longer ranging effects, stabilizing a short α-helix quite distant from the mutation sites, but also rendering a part of the α-helical hGH core slightly more dynamic. In the regions where the hGH variant exhibits a different deuterium uptake than the wild type protein, electron transfer dissociation (ETD) fragmentation has been used to pinpoint the residues responsible for the observed differences (HDX-ETD). Finally, by use of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurements, we show that the new disulfide bond does not compromise receptor affinity. Our work highlight the analytical potential of HDX-ETD combined with functional assays to guide protein engineering.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Deuterium Exchange Measurement
  • Disulfides / chemistry*
  • Electron Transport
  • Human Growth Hormone / chemistry*
  • Humans
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Models, Molecular
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Engineering*

Substances

  • Disulfides
  • Human Growth Hormone