Thermodynamic characterization of the DmsD binding site for the DmsA twin-arginine motif

The system specific chaperone DmsD interacts with the twin-arginine leader peptide of its substrate, DmsA, allowing for proper folding and assembly of the DmsA catalytic subunit of dimethyl sulfoxide reductase prior to translocation by the twin-arginine translocase. DmsD residues important for binding the complete 45-amino acid sequence of the DmsA leader (DmsAL) peptide were previously identified and found to cluster in a pocket of the DmsD structure. In this study, we have utilized isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to determine the dissociation constant and thermodynamic parameters of 15 single-substitution DmsD variant proteins and a synthetic DmsAL peptide consisting of 27 amino acids (DmsAL₁₅₋₄₁). The stoichiometry values were determined via ITC, and the multimeric compositions of the DmsD variants in the absence and presence of peptide were characterized via size exclusion chromatography and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. An up to 4-fold change in affinity was observed for DmsD variant proteins relative to that of wild-type DmsD, and variation of the entropic contribution to binding divided the binding site into two clusters: residues with either more or less favorable entropy. Substitution of hydrophobic residues along one helix face (helix 5) or prolines found on adjacent loops caused reduced binding affinity because of the increased entropic cost, which suggests that the twin-arginine motif of the DmsAL peptide binds to a preformed site on DmsD. Most DmsD variants were more than 90% monomeric in solution and bound a single peptide per protein molecule. The DmsD variant with the largest dimer population showed increased affinity and induced the formation of tetramers in the presence of peptide, suggesting that dimeric DmsD or an alternatively folded form of DmsD may play an as yet undefined role in binding.