A New Method to Determine the Transmembrane Conformation of Substrates in Intramembrane Proteolysis by Deep-UV Resonance Raman Spectroscopy

Abstract

We present a new method based on deep-UV resonance Raman spectroscopy to determine the backbone conformation of intramembrane protease substrates. The classical amide vibrational modes reporting on the conformation of just the transmembrane region of the substrate can be resolved from solvent exchangeable regions outside the detergent micelle by partial deuteration of the solvent. In the presence of isotopically triple-labeled intramembrane protease, these amide modes can be accurately measured to monitor the transmembrane conformation of the substrate during intramembrane proteolysis.

Keywords: Intramembrane proteolysis; Raman spectroscopy; Rhomboid; Transmembrane domain conformation.