The influenza M2 protein forms an acid-activated and drug-sensitive proton channel in the virus envelope that is important for the virus lifecycle. The functional properties and high-resolution structures of this proton channel have been extensively studied to understand the mechanisms of proton conduction and drug inhibition. We review biochemical and electrophysiological studies of M2 and discuss how high-resolution structures have transformed our understanding of this proton channel. Comparison of structures obtained in different membrane-mimetic solvents and under different pH using X-ray crystallography, solution NMR, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy revealed how the M2 structure depends on the environment and showed that the pharmacologically relevant drug-binding site lies in the transmembrane (TM) pore. Competing models of proton conduction have been evaluated using biochemical experiments, high-resolution structural methods, and computational modeling. These results are converging to a model in which a histidine residue in the TM domain mediates proton relay with water, aided by microsecond conformational dynamics of the imidazole ring. These mechanistic insights are guiding the design of new inhibitors that target drug-resistant M2 variants and may be relevant for other proton channels.

Water is essential for protein folding and assembly of amyloid fibrils. Internal water cavities have been proposed for several amyloid fibrils, but no direct structural and dynamical data have been reported on the water dynamics and site-specific interactions of water with the fibrils. Here we use solid-state NMR spectroscopy to investigate the water interactions of several Aβ40 fibrils. ¹H spectral lineshapes, T₂ relaxation times, and two-dimensional (2D) ¹H-¹³C correlation spectra show that there are five distinct water pools: three are peptide-bound water, while two are highly dynamic water that can be assigned to interfibrillar water and bulk-like matrix water. All these water pools are associated with the fibrils on the nanometer scale. Water-transferred 2D correlation spectra allow us to map out residue-specific hydration and give evidence for the presence of a water pore in the center of the three-fold symmetric wild-type Aβ40 fibril. In comparison, the loop residues and the intramolecular strand-strand interface have low hydration, excluding the presence of significant water cavities in these regions. The Osaka Aβ40 mutant shows lower hydration and more immobilized water than wild-type Aβ40, indicating the influence of peptide structure on the dynamics and distribution of hydration water. Finally, the highly mobile interfibrillar and matrix water exchange with each other on the time scale of seconds, suggesting that fibril bundling separates these two water pools, and water molecules must diffuse along the fibril axis before exchanging between these two environments. These results provide insights and experimental constraints on the spatial distribution and dynamics of water pools in these amyloid fibrils.

The SARS-CoV-2 envelope (E) protein forms a five-helix bundle in lipid bilayers whose cation-conducting activity is associated with the inflammatory response and respiratory distress symptoms of COVID-19. E channel activity is inhibited by the drug 5-(N,N-hexamethylene) amiloride (HMA). However, the binding site of HMA in E has not been determined. Here we use solid-state NMR to measure distances between HMA and the E transmembrane domain (ETM) in lipid bilayers. ¹³ C, ¹⁵ N-labeled HMA is combined with fluorinated or ¹³ C-labeled ETM. Conversely, fluorinated HMA is combined with ¹³ C, ¹⁵ N-labeled ETM. These orthogonal isotopic labeling patterns allow us to conduct dipolar recoupling NMR experiments to determine the HMA binding stoichiometry to ETM as well as HMA-protein distances. We find that HMA binds ETM with a stoichiometry of one drug per pentamer. Unexpectedly, the bound HMA is not centrally located within the channel pore, but lies on the lipid-facing surface in the middle of the TM domain. This result suggests that HMA may inhibit the E channel activity by interfering with the gating function of an aromatic network. These distance data are obtained under much lower drug concentrations than in previous chemical shift perturbation data, which showed the largest perturbation for N-terminal residues. This difference suggests that HMA has higher affinity for the protein-lipid interface than the channel pore. These results give insight into the inhibition mechanism of HMA for SARS-CoV-2 E.

Some pygmy chimpanzees (also called Bonobos) give much simpler patterns of hybridization on Southern blotting with killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) cDNA probes than do either humans or common chimpanzees. Characterization of KIRs from pygmy chimpanzees having simple and complex banding patterns identified nine different KIRs, representing seven genes. Five of these genes have orthologs in the common chimpanzee, and three of them (KIRCI, KIR2DL4, and KIR2DL5) also have human orthologs. The remaining two genes are KIR3D paralogous to the human and common chimpanzee major histocompatibility complex A- and/or -B-specific KIRs. Within a pygmy chimpanzee family, KIR haplotypes were defined. Simple patterns on Southern blot were due to inheritance of "short" KIR haplotypes containing only three KIR genes, KIRCI, KIR2DL4, and KIR3D, each of which represents one of the three major KIR lineages. These three genes in pygmy chimpanzees or their corresponding genes in humans and common chimpanzees form the conserved "framework" common to all KIR haplotypes in these species and upon which haplotypic diversity is built. The fecundity and health of individual pygmy chimpanzees who are homozygotes for short KIR haplotypes attest to the viability of short KIR haplotypes, indicating that they can provide minimal, essential KIRs for the natural killer and T cells of the hominoid immune system.

The M2 protein of influenza A viruses forms a tetrameric proton channel that is targeted by the amantadine class of antiviral drugs. A S31N mutation in the transmembrane (TM) domain of the protein has caused widespread amantadine resistance in most of the currently circulating flu viruses. Recently, a new family of compounds based on amantadine- and aryl-substituted isoxazole were discovered to inhibit the S31N channel activity and reduce replication of S31N-harboring viruses. We now use solid-state NMR spectroscopy to investigate the effects of one of these isoxazole compounds, WJ352, on the conformation of the S31N TM segment and the dynamics of the proton-selective residue, His37. Chemical shift perturbations show that WJ352 changes the conformational equilibrium of multiple TM residues, with the maximal perturbation occurring at the crucial Asn31. (13)C-(2)H distance measurements and (1)H-(1)H NOE cross peaks indicate that the adamantane moiety of the drug is bound in the spacious pore between Asn31 and Gly34 while the phenyl tail is located near Val27. Thus, the polar amine points to the channel exterior rather than to His37, in contrast to amantadine and rimantadine in the wild-type channel, suggesting that the drug is significantly stabilized by hydrophobic interactions between the adamantane and the TM peptide. (15)N and (13)C chemical shifts indicate that at low pH, His37 undergoes fast exchange among the τ tautomer, the π tautomer, and the cationic state due to proton transfer with water. The exchange rate is higher than the wild-type channel, consistent with the larger single-channel conductance of the mutant. Drug binding at acidic pH largely suppresses this exchange, reverting the histidines to a similar charge distribution as that of the high-pH closed state.

The C-terminal transmembrane domain (TMD) of viral fusion proteins such as HIV gp41 and influenza hemagglutinin (HA) is traditionally viewed as a passive α-helical anchor of the protein to the virus envelope during its merger with the cell membrane. The conformation, dynamics, and lipid interaction of these fusion protein TMDs have so far eluded high-resolution structure characterization because of their highly hydrophobic nature. Using magic-angle-spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy, we show that the TMD of the parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) fusion protein adopts lipid-dependent conformations and interactions with the membrane and water. In phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) membranes, the TMD is predominantly α-helical, but in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) membranes, the TMD changes significantly to the β-strand conformation. Measured order parameters indicate that the strand segments are immobilized and thus oligomerized. (31)P NMR spectra and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data show that this β-strand-rich conformation converts the PE membrane to a bicontinuous cubic phase, which is rich in negative Gaussian curvature that is characteristic of hemifusion intermediates and fusion pores. (1)H-(31)P 2D correlation spectra and (2)H spectra show that the PE membrane with or without the TMD is much less hydrated than PC and PG membranes, suggesting that the TMD works with the natural dehydration tendency of PE to facilitate membrane merger. These results suggest a new viral-fusion model in which the TMD actively promotes membrane topological changes during fusion using the β-strand as the fusogenic conformation.

The homotetrameric influenza A M2 channel (AM2) is an acid-activated proton channel responsible for the acidification of the influenza virus interior, an important step in the viral lifecycle. Four histidine residues (His37) in the center of the channel act as a pH sensor and proton selectivity filter. Despite intense study, the pH-dependent activation mechanism of the AM2 channel has to date not been completely understood at a molecular level. Herein we have used multiscale computer simulations to characterize (with explicit proton transport free energy profiles and their associated calculated conductances) the activation mechanism of AM2. All proton transfer steps involved in proton diffusion through the channel, including the protonation/deprotonation of His37, are explicitly considered using classical, quantum, and reactive molecular dynamics methods. The asymmetry of the proton transport free energy profile under high-pH conditions qualitatively explains the rectification behavior of AM2 (i.e., why the inward proton flux is allowed when the pH is low in viral exterior and high in viral interior, but outward proton flux is prohibited when the pH gradient is reversed). Also, in agreement with electrophysiological results, our simulations indicate that the C-terminal amphipathic helix does not significantly change the proton conduction mechanism in the AM2 transmembrane domain; the four transmembrane helices flanking the channel lumen alone seem to determine the proton conduction mechanism.