Gating Mechanism of Aquaporin Z in Synthetic Bilayers and Native Membranes Revealed by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Aquaporin Z (AqpZ) is an integral membrane protein that facilitates transport of water across Escherichia coli cells with a high rate. Previously, R189, a highly conserved residue of the selective filter of AqpZ, was proposed as a gate within the water channel on the basis of the observation of both open and closed conformations of its side chain in different monomers of an X-ray structure, and the observation of rapid switches between the two conformations in molecular dynamic simulations. However, the gating mechanism of the R189 side chain remains controversial since it is unclear whether the different conformations observed in the X-ray structure is due to different functional states or is a result of perturbation of non-native detergent environments. Herein, in native-like synthetic bilayers and native E. coli membranes, a number of solid-state NMR techniques are employed to examine gating mechanism of the R189 side chain of AqpZ. One R189 side-chain conformation is highly evident since only a set of peaks corresponding to the R189 side chain is observed in 2D ¹⁵N-¹³C spectra. The immobility of the R189 side chain is detected by ¹H-¹⁵N dipolar lineshapes, excluding the possibility of the rapid switches between the two side-chain conformations. High-resolution monomeric structure of AqpZ, determined by CS-Rosetta calculations using experimentally measured distance restraints related to the R189 side chain, reveals that this side chain is in an open conformation, which is further verified by its water accessibility. All the solid-state NMR experimental results, combining with water permeability essay, suggest a permanently open conformation of the R189 side chain in the synthetic bilayer and native membranes. This study provides new structural insights into the gating mechanism of aquaporins and highlights the significance of lipid bilayer environments in elucidating the molecular mechanism of membrane proteins.