Volume 128, Issue 37 pp. 11207-11209
Zuschrift

Using Genetically Encodable Self-Assembling GdIII Spin Labels To Make In-Cell Nanometric Distance Measurements

Florencia C. Mascali

Florencia C. Mascali

Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Área Biofísica, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Ocampo y Esmeralda, Rosario, 2000 Argentina

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Dr. H. Y. Vincent Ching

Dr. H. Y. Vincent Ching

Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), IBITECS, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

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Dr. Rodolfo M. Rasia

Dr. Rodolfo M. Rasia

Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; Área Biofísica, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Ocampo y Esmeralda, Rosario, 2000 Argentina

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Dr. Sun Un

Dr. Sun Un

Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), IBITECS, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

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Dr. Leandro C. Tabares

Corresponding Author

Dr. Leandro C. Tabares

Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), IBITECS, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

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First published: 05 August 2016
Citations: 22

Abstract

Double electron–electron resonance (DEER) can be used to study the structure of a protein in its native cellular environment. Until now, this has required isolation, in vitro labeling, and reintroduction of the protein back into the cells. We describe a completely biosynthetic approach that avoids these steps. It exploits genetically encodable lanthanide-binding tags (LBT) to form self-assembling GdIII metal-based spin labels and enables direct in-cell measurements. This approach is demonstrated using a pair of LBTs encoded one at each end of a 3-helix bundle expressed in E. coli grown on GdIII-supplemented medium. DEER measurements directly on these cells produced readily detectable time traces from which the distance between the GdIII labels could be determined. This work is the first to use biosynthetically produced self-assembling metal-containing spin labels for non-disruptive in-cell structural measurements.

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