Thermodynamic stability of hnRNP A1 low complexity domain revealed by
high-pressure NMR
Abstract
We have investigated the pressure- and temperature-induced
conformational changes associated with the low complexity domain of
hnRNP A1, an RNA-binding protein able to phase separate in response to
cellular stress. Solution NMR spectra of the hnRNP A1 low-complexity
domain fused with protein-G B1 domain were collected from 1 to 2,500 bar
and from 268 K to 290 K. While the GB1 domain shows the typical
pressure-induced and cold temperature-induced unfolding expected for
small globular domains, the low-complexity domain of hnRNP A1 exhibits
unusual pressure and temperature dependences. We observed that the
low-complexity domain is pressure sensitive, undergoing a major
conformational transition within the prescribed pressure range.
Remarkably, this transition has the inverse temperature dependence of a
typical folding-unfolding transition. Our results suggest the presence
of a low-lying extended, and fully solvated state(s) of the
low-complexity domain that may play a role in phase separation. This
study highlights the exquisite sensitivity of solution NMR spectroscopy
to observe subtle conformational changes and illustrates how pressure
perturbation can be used to determine the properties of metastable
conformational ensembles.