Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the N-terminal fragment of adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor 1 in micelles and bicelles: influence of N-myristoylation.

The N-terminal fragment of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) is proposed to be involved in the guanosine triphosphate- (GTP-) dependent, reversible association of the protein with membranes through the interaction of not only the N-linked myristoyl chain but also its highly conserved N-terminal hydrophobic residues. Based on the N-terminal sequence of this protein, specifically (13)C- and (15)N-labeled peptides were synthesized with and without an N-myristoyl anchor. The behavior, including structure, dynamics, and orientation, of these peptides in a lipid environment was then studied through a combination of solution (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques in micelles and heteronuclear solid-state NMR experiments in magnetically aligned bicelles. The work presented is an extension of the previously reported characterization of the myristoylated N-terminal fragment of ARF1 [Losonczi and Prestegard (1998) Biochemistry 37, 706-716] to include a comparison to a nonmyristoylated analogue. Results indicate that both myristoylated and nonmyristoylated peptides are alpha-helical in a lipid environment and that N-myristoylation does not greatly influence the structure of the peptides. Evidence is presented suggesting association of the peptides with bilayer disks through a combination of edge and surface interactions.