The Association of Tetrameric Acetylcholinesterase with ColQ Tail: A Block Normal Mode Analysis

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Abstract
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) rapidly hydrolyzes acetylcholine in the neuromuscular junctions and other cholinergic synapses to terminate the neuronal signal. In physiological conditions, AChE exists as tetramers associated with the proline-rich attachment domain (PRAD) of either collagen-like Q subunit (ColQ) or proline-rich membrane-anchoring protein. Crystallographic studies have revealed that different tetramer forms may be present, and it is not clear whether one or both are relevant under physiological conditions. Recently, the crystal structure of the tryptophan amphiphilic tetramerization (WAT) domain of AChE associated with PRAD ([WAT]4PRAD), which mimics the interface between ColQ and AChE tetramer, became available. In this study we built a complete tetrameric mouse [AChET]4–ColQ atomic structure model, based on the crystal structure of the [WAT]4PRAD complex. The structure was optimized using energy minimization. Block normal mode analysis was done to investigate the low-frequency motions of the complex and to correlate the structure model with the two known crystal structures of AChE tetramer. Significant low-frequency motions among the catalytic domains of the four AChE subunits were observed, while the [WAT]4PRAD part held the complex together. Normal mode involvement analysis revealed that the two lowest frequency modes were primarily involved in the conformational changes leading to the two crystal structures. The first 30 normal modes can account for more than 75% of the conformational changes in both cases. The evidence further supports the idea of a flexible tetramer model for AChE. This model can be used to study the implications of the association of AChE with ColQ. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) breaks down acetylcholine in the neuromuscular junction and other cholinergic synapses to terminate neuronal signals. AChE exists as tetramers anchored by structural subunits to the cell membranes in the brain or the basal lamina in the neuromuscular junction. Based on a crystal structure of the tetramerization domain of AChE with a proline-rich attachment domain of the anchoring proteins, a symmetric model of the complex of AChE tetramer with the anchoring protein tail was constructed. Block normal mode analysis revealed the presence of several low-frequency, low-barrier normal modes corresponding to inter-subunit motions. Previous crystal structures of AChE tetramer could be rationalized using these normal modes. These low-frequency modes are due to the presence of a flexible hinge in the structure of AChE. This study paints a picture of a flexible AChE tetramer with different conformational states interconverting easily under physiological conditions, which has important implications on the function of AChE. In particular, AChE is not trapped in the compact tetramer structure, for which access of substrate to two of the active sites is somewhat limited. Rather, the tetramer fluctuates to expose all four of its active sites to ensure rapid removal of acetylcholine.