Site-Specific Mapping and Time-Resolved Monitoring of Lysine Methylation by High-Resolution NMR Spectroscopy

FRANCOIS-XAVIER THEILLET; STAMATIOS LIOKATIS; JAN O. JOST; BEATA BEKEI; HONOR M. ROSE; ANDRES BINOLFI; DIRK SCHWARZER; PHILIPP SELENKO

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

AMER CHEMICAL SOC

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2012 vol. 134 p. 7616 - 7619

0002-7863

Methylation and acetylation of protein lysine residues constitute abundant post-translational modifications (PTMs) that regulate a plethora of biological processes. In eukaryotic proteins, lysines are often mono-, di-, or trimethylated, which may signal different biological outcomes. Deconvoluting these different PTM types and PTM states is not easily accomplished with existing analytical tools. Here, we demonstrate the unique ability of NMR spectroscopy to discriminate between lysine acetylation and mono-, di-, or trimethylation in a site-specific and quantitative manner. This enables mapping and monitoring of lysine acetylation and methylation reactions in a nondisruptive and continuous fashion. Time-resolved NMR measurements of different methylation events in complex environments including cell extracts contribute to our understanding of how these PTMs are established in vitro and in vivo.