Protein domain organisation: adding order.

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Kummerfeld, Sarah K; Teichmann, Sarah A

2009-01-29

Domains are the building blocks of proteins. During evolution, they have been duplicated, fused and recombined, to produce proteins with novel structures and functions. Structural and genome-scale studies have shown that pairs or groups of domains observed together in a protein are almost always found in only one N to C terminal order and are the result of a single recombination event that has been propagated by duplication of the multi-domain unit. Previous studies of domain organisation have used graph theory to represent the co-occurrence of domains within proteins. We build on this approach by adding directionality to the graphs and connecting nodes based on their relative order in the protein. Most of the time, the linear order of domains is conserved. However, using the directed graph representation we have identified non-linear features of domain organization that are over-represented in genomes. Recognising these patterns and unravelling how they have arisen may allow us to understand the functional relationships between domains and understand how the protein repertoire has evolved. We identify groups of domains that are not linearly conserved, but instead have been shuffled during evolution so that they occur in multiple different orders. We consider 192 genomes across all three kingdoms of life and use domain and protein annotation to understand their functional significance. To identify these features and assess their statistical significance, we represent the linear order of domains in proteins as a directed graph and apply graph theoretical methods. We describe two higher-order patterns of domain organisation: clusters and bi-directionally associated domain pairs and explore their functional importance and phylogenetic conservation. Taking into account the order of domains, we have derived a novel picture of global protein organization. We found that all genomes have a higher than expected degree of clustering and more domain pairs in forward and

Protein domain organisation: adding order

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kummerfeld Sarah K

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Domains are the building blocks of proteins. During evolution, they have been duplicated, fused and recombined, to produce proteins with novel structures and functions. Structural and genome-scale studies have shown that pairs or groups of domains observed together in a protein are almost always found in only one N to C terminal order and are the result of a single recombination event that has been propagated by duplication of the multi-domain unit. Previous studies of domain organisation have used graph theory to represent the co-occurrence of domains within proteins. We build on this approach by adding directionality to the graphs and connecting nodes based on their relative order in the protein. Most of the time, the linear order of domains is conserved. However, using the directed graph representation we have identified non-linear features of domain organization that are over-represented in genomes. Recognising these patterns and unravelling how they have arisen may allow us to understand the functional relationships between domains and understand how the protein repertoire has evolved. Results We identify groups of domains that are not linearly conserved, but instead have been shuffled during evolution so that they occur in multiple different orders. We consider 192 genomes across all three kingdoms of life and use domain and protein annotation to understand their functional significance. To identify these features and assess their statistical significance, we represent the linear order of domains in proteins as a directed graph and apply graph theoretical methods. We describe two higher-order patterns of domain organisation: clusters and bi-directionally associated domain pairs and explore their functional importance and phylogenetic conservation. Conclusion Taking into account the order of domains, we have derived a novel picture of global protein organization. We found that all genomes have a higher than expected

Chemical Ligation of Folded Recombinant Proteins: Segmental Isotopic Labeling of Domains for NMR Studies

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Xu, Rong; Ayers, Brenda; Cowburn, David; Muir, Tom W.

1999-01-01

A convenient in vitro chemical ligation strategy has been developed that allows folded recombinant proteins to be joined together. This strategy permits segmental, selective isotopic labeling of the product. The src homology type 3 and 2 domains (SH3 and SH2) of Abelson protein tyrosine kinase, which constitute the regulatory apparatus of the protein, were individually prepared in reactive forms that can be ligated together under normal protein-folding conditions to form a normal peptide bond at the ligation junction. This strategy was used to prepare NMR sample quantities of the Abelson protein tyrosine kinase-SH(32) domain pair, in which only one of the domains was labeled with 15N Mass spectrometry and NMR analyses were used to confirm the structure of the ligated protein, which was also shown to have appropriate ligand-binding properties. The ability to prepare recombinant proteins with selectively labeled segments having a single-site mutation, by using a combination of expression of fusion proteins and chemical ligation in vitro, will increase the size limits for protein structural determination in solution with NMR methods. In vitro chemical ligation of expressed protein domains will also provide a combinatorial approach to the synthesis of linked protein domains.

Expansion of protein domain repeats.

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Asa K Björklund

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Many proteins, especially in eukaryotes, contain tandem repeats of several domains from the same family. These repeats have a variety of binding properties and are involved in protein-protein interactions as well as binding to other ligands such as DNA and RNA. The rapid expansion of protein domain repeats is assumed to have evolved through internal tandem duplications. However, the exact mechanisms behind these tandem duplications are not well-understood. Here, we have studied the evolution, function, protein structure, gene structure, and phylogenetic distribution of domain repeats. For this purpose we have assigned Pfam-A domain families to 24 proteomes with more sensitive domain assignments in the repeat regions. These assignments confirmed previous findings that eukaryotes, and in particular vertebrates, contain a much higher fraction of proteins with repeats compared with prokaryotes. The internal sequence similarity in each protein revealed that the domain repeats are often expanded through duplications of several domains at a time, while the duplication of one domain is less common. Many of the repeats appear to have been duplicated in the middle of the repeat region. This is in strong contrast to the evolution of other proteins that mainly works through additions of single domains at either terminus. Further, we found that some domain families show distinct duplication patterns, e.g., nebulin domains have mainly been expanded with a unit of seven domains at a time, while duplications of other domain families involve varying numbers of domains. Finally, no common mechanism for the expansion of all repeats could be detected. We found that the duplication patterns show no dependence on the size of the domains. Further, repeat expansion in some families can possibly be explained by shuffling of exons. However, exon shuffling could not have created all repeats.

Recognition of methylated DNA through methyl-CpG binding domain proteins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zou, Xueqing; Ma, Wen; Solov'yov, Ilia

2012-01-01

DNA methylation is a key regulatory control route in epigenetics, involving gene silencing and chromosome inactivation. It has been recognized that methyl-CpG binding domain (MBD) proteins play an important role in interpreting the genetic information encoded by methylated DNA (mDNA). Although...... the function of MBD proteins has attracted considerable attention and is well characterized, the mechanism underlying mDNA recognition by MBD proteins is still poorly understood. In this article, we demonstrate that the methyl-CpG dinucleotides are recognized at the MBD-mDNA interface by two MBD arginines...

The BRCT domain is a phospho-protein binding domain.

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Yu, Xiaochun; Chini, Claudia Christiano Silva; He, Miao; Mer, Georges; Chen, Junjie

2003-10-24

The carboxyl-terminal domain (BRCT) of the Breast Cancer Gene 1 (BRCA1) protein is an evolutionarily conserved module that exists in a large number of proteins from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. Although most BRCT domain-containing proteins participate in DNA-damage checkpoint or DNA-repair pathways, or both, the function of the BRCT domain is not fully understood. We show that the BRCA1 BRCT domain directly interacts with phosphorylated BRCA1-Associated Carboxyl-terminal Helicase (BACH1). This specific interaction between BRCA1 and phosphorylated BACH1 is cell cycle regulated and is required for DNA damage-induced checkpoint control during the transition from G2 to M phase of the cell cycle. Further, we show that two other BRCT domains interact with their respective physiological partners in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. Thirteen additional BRCT domains also preferentially bind phospho-peptides rather than nonphosphorylated control peptides. These data imply that the BRCT domain is a phospho-protein binding domain involved in cell cycle control.

WW domain-binding protein 2: an adaptor protein closely linked to the development of breast cancer.

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Chen, Shuai; Wang, Han; Huang, Yu-Fan; Li, Ming-Li; Cheng, Jiang-Hong; Hu, Peng; Lu, Chuan-Hui; Zhang, Ya; Liu, Na; Tzeng, Chi-Meng; Zhang, Zhi-Ming

2017-07-19

The WW domain is composed of 38 to 40 semi-conserved amino acids shared with structural, regulatory, and signaling proteins. WW domain-binding protein 2 (WBP2), as a binding partner of WW domain protein, interacts with several WW-domain-containing proteins, such as Yes kinase-associated protein (Yap), paired box gene 8 (Pax8), WW-domain-containing transcription regulator protein 1 (TAZ), and WW-domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) through its PPxY motifs within C-terminal region, and further triggers the downstream signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. Studies have confirmed that phosphorylated form of WBP2 can move into nuclei and activate the transcription of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR), whose expression were the indicators of breast cancer development, indicating that WBP2 may participate in the progression of breast cancer. Both overexpression of WBP2 and activation of tyrosine phosphorylation upregulate the signal cascades in the cross-regulation of the Wnt and ER signaling pathways in breast cancer. Following the binding of WBP2 to the WW domain region of TAZ which can accelerate migration, invasion and is required for the transformed phenotypes of breast cancer cells, the transformation of epithelial to mesenchymal of MCF10A is activated, suggesting that WBP2 is a key player in regulating cell migration. When WBP2 binds with WWOX, a tumor suppressor, ER transactivation and tumor growth can be suppressed. Thus, WBP2 may serve as a molecular on/off switch that controls the crosstalk between E2, WWOX, Wnt, TAZ, and other oncogenic signaling pathways. This review interprets the relationship between WBP2 and breast cancer, and provides comprehensive views about the function of WBP2 in the regulation of the pathogenesis of breast cancer and endocrine therapy in breast cancer treatment.

Mechanism of mRNA-STAR domain interaction: Molecular dynamics simulations of Mammalian Quaking STAR protein.

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Sharma, Monika; Anirudh, C R

2017-10-03

STAR proteins are evolutionary conserved mRNA-binding proteins that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression at all stages of RNA metabolism. These proteins possess conserved STAR domain that recognizes identical RNA regulatory elements as YUAAY. Recently reported crystal structures show that STAR domain is composed of N-terminal QUA1, K-homology domain (KH) and C-terminal QUA2, and mRNA binding is mediated by KH-QUA2 domain. Here, we present simulation studies done to investigate binding of mRNA to STAR protein, mammalian Quaking protein (QKI). We carried out conventional MD simulations of STAR domain in presence and absence of mRNA, and studied the impact of mRNA on the stability, dynamics and underlying allosteric mechanism of STAR domain. Our unbiased simulations results show that presence of mRNA stabilizes the overall STAR domain by reducing the structural deviations, correlating the 'within-domain' motions, and maintaining the native contacts information. Absence of mRNA not only influenced the essential modes of motion of STAR domain, but also affected the connectivity of networks within STAR domain. We further explored the dissociation of mRNA from STAR domain using umbrella sampling simulations, and the results suggest that mRNA binding to STAR domain occurs in multi-step: first conformational selection of mRNA backbone conformations, followed by induced fit mechanism as nucleobases interact with STAR domain.

Long-term memory consolidation: The role of RNA-binding proteins with prion-like domains.

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Sudhakaran, Indulekha P; Ramaswami, Mani

2017-05-04

Long-term and short-term memories differ primarily in the duration of their retention. At a molecular level, long-term memory (LTM) is distinguished from short-term memory (STM) by its requirement for new gene expression. In addition to transcription (nuclear gene expression) the translation of stored mRNAs is necessary for LTM formation. The mechanisms and functions for temporal and spatial regulation of mRNAs required for LTM is a major contemporary problem, of interest from molecular, cell biological, neurobiological and clinical perspectives. This review discusses primary evidence in support for translational regulatory events involved in LTM and a model in which different phases of translation underlie distinct phases of consolidation of memories. However, it focuses largely on mechanisms of memory persistence and the role of prion-like domains in this defining aspect of long-term memory. We consider primary evidence for the concept that Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding (CPEB) protein enables the persistence of formed memories by transforming in prion-like manner from a soluble monomeric state to a self-perpetuating and persistent polymeric translationally active state required for maintaining persistent synaptic plasticity. We further discuss prion-like domains prevalent on several other RNA-binding proteins involved in neuronal translational control underlying LTM. Growing evidence indicates that such RNA regulatory proteins are components of mRNP (RiboNucleoProtein) granules. In these proteins, prion-like domains, being intrinsically disordered, could mediate weak transient interactions that allow the assembly of RNP granules, a source of silenced mRNAs whose translation is necessary for LTM. We consider the structural bases for RNA granules formation as well as functions of disordered domains and discuss how these complicate the interpretation of existing experimental data relevant to general mechanisms by which prion-domain containing RBPs

Evolution of EF-hand calcium-modulated proteins. IV. Exon shuffling did not determine the domain compositions of EF-hand proteins

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Kretsinger, R. H.; Nakayama, S.

1993-01-01

In the previous three reports in this series we demonstrated that the EF-hand family of proteins evolved by a complex pattern of gene duplication, transposition, and splicing. The dendrograms based on exon sequences are nearly identical to those based on protein sequences for troponin C, the essential light chain myosin, the regulatory light chain, and calpain. This validates both the computational methods and the dendrograms for these subfamilies. The proposal of congruence for calmodulin, troponin C, essential light chain, and regulatory light chain was confirmed. There are, however, significant differences in the calmodulin dendrograms computed from DNA and from protein sequences. In this study we find that introns are distributed throughout the EF-hand domain and the interdomain regions. Further, dendrograms based on intron type and distribution bear little resemblance to those based on protein or on DNA sequences. We conclude that introns are inserted, and probably deleted, with relatively high frequency. Further, in the EF-hand family exons do not correspond to structural domains and exon shuffling played little if any role in the evolution of this widely distributed homolog family. Calmodulin has had a turbulent evolution. Its dendrograms based on protein sequence, exon sequence, 3'-tail sequence, intron sequences, and intron positions all show significant differences.

Multiple graph regularized protein domain ranking.

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Wang, Jim Jing-Yan; Bensmail, Halima; Gao, Xin

2012-11-19

Protein domain ranking is a fundamental task in structural biology. Most protein domain ranking methods rely on the pairwise comparison of protein domains while neglecting the global manifold structure of the protein domain database. Recently, graph regularized ranking that exploits the global structure of the graph defined by the pairwise similarities has been proposed. However, the existing graph regularized ranking methods are very sensitive to the choice of the graph model and parameters, and this remains a difficult problem for most of the protein domain ranking methods. To tackle this problem, we have developed the Multiple Graph regularized Ranking algorithm, MultiG-Rank. Instead of using a single graph to regularize the ranking scores, MultiG-Rank approximates the intrinsic manifold of protein domain distribution by combining multiple initial graphs for the regularization. Graph weights are learned with ranking scores jointly and automatically, by alternately minimizing an objective function in an iterative algorithm. Experimental results on a subset of the ASTRAL SCOP protein domain database demonstrate that MultiG-Rank achieves a better ranking performance than single graph regularized ranking methods and pairwise similarity based ranking methods. The problem of graph model and parameter selection in graph regularized protein domain ranking can be solved effectively by combining multiple graphs. This aspect of generalization introduces a new frontier in applying multiple graphs to solving protein domain ranking applications.

Multiple graph regularized protein domain ranking

KAUST Repository

Wang, Jim Jing-Yan

2012-11-19

Background: Protein domain ranking is a fundamental task in structural biology. Most protein domain ranking methods rely on the pairwise comparison of protein domains while neglecting the global manifold structure of the protein domain database. Recently, graph regularized ranking that exploits the global structure of the graph defined by the pairwise similarities has been proposed. However, the existing graph regularized ranking methods are very sensitive to the choice of the graph model and parameters, and this remains a difficult problem for most of the protein domain ranking methods.Results: To tackle this problem, we have developed the Multiple Graph regularized Ranking algorithm, MultiG-Rank. Instead of using a single graph to regularize the ranking scores, MultiG-Rank approximates the intrinsic manifold of protein domain distribution by combining multiple initial graphs for the regularization. Graph weights are learned with ranking scores jointly and automatically, by alternately minimizing an objective function in an iterative algorithm. Experimental results on a subset of the ASTRAL SCOP protein domain database demonstrate that MultiG-Rank achieves a better ranking performance than single graph regularized ranking methods and pairwise similarity based ranking methods.Conclusion: The problem of graph model and parameter selection in graph regularized protein domain ranking can be solved effectively by combining multiple graphs. This aspect of generalization introduces a new frontier in applying multiple graphs to solving protein domain ranking applications. 2012 Wang et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Multiple graph regularized protein domain ranking

KAUST Repository

Wang, Jim Jing-Yan; Bensmail, Halima; Gao, Xin

2012-01-01

Background: Protein domain ranking is a fundamental task in structural biology. Most protein domain ranking methods rely on the pairwise comparison of protein domains while neglecting the global manifold structure of the protein domain database. Recently, graph regularized ranking that exploits the global structure of the graph defined by the pairwise similarities has been proposed. However, the existing graph regularized ranking methods are very sensitive to the choice of the graph model and parameters, and this remains a difficult problem for most of the protein domain ranking methods.Results: To tackle this problem, we have developed the Multiple Graph regularized Ranking algorithm, MultiG-Rank. Instead of using a single graph to regularize the ranking scores, MultiG-Rank approximates the intrinsic manifold of protein domain distribution by combining multiple initial graphs for the regularization. Graph weights are learned with ranking scores jointly and automatically, by alternately minimizing an objective function in an iterative algorithm. Experimental results on a subset of the ASTRAL SCOP protein domain database demonstrate that MultiG-Rank achieves a better ranking performance than single graph regularized ranking methods and pairwise similarity based ranking methods.Conclusion: The problem of graph model and parameter selection in graph regularized protein domain ranking can be solved effectively by combining multiple graphs. This aspect of generalization introduces a new frontier in applying multiple graphs to solving protein domain ranking applications. 2012 Wang et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Multiple graph regularized protein domain ranking

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Wang Jim

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Protein domain ranking is a fundamental task in structural biology. Most protein domain ranking methods rely on the pairwise comparison of protein domains while neglecting the global manifold structure of the protein domain database. Recently, graph regularized ranking that exploits the global structure of the graph defined by the pairwise similarities has been proposed. However, the existing graph regularized ranking methods are very sensitive to the choice of the graph model and parameters, and this remains a difficult problem for most of the protein domain ranking methods. Results To tackle this problem, we have developed the Multiple Graph regularized Ranking algorithm, MultiG-Rank. Instead of using a single graph to regularize the ranking scores, MultiG-Rank approximates the intrinsic manifold of protein domain distribution by combining multiple initial graphs for the regularization. Graph weights are learned with ranking scores jointly and automatically, by alternately minimizing an objective function in an iterative algorithm. Experimental results on a subset of the ASTRAL SCOP protein domain database demonstrate that MultiG-Rank achieves a better ranking performance than single graph regularized ranking methods and pairwise similarity based ranking methods. Conclusion The problem of graph model and parameter selection in graph regularized protein domain ranking can be solved effectively by combining multiple graphs. This aspect of generalization introduces a new frontier in applying multiple graphs to solving protein domain ranking applications.

The PLAC1-homology region of the ZP domain is sufficient for protein polymerisation

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Litscher Eveline S

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hundreds of extracellular proteins polymerise into filaments and matrices by using zona pellucida (ZP domains. ZP domain proteins perform highly diverse functions, ranging from structural to receptorial, and mutations in their genes are responsible for a number of severe human diseases. Recently, PLAC1, Oosp1-3, Papillote and CG16798 proteins were identified that share sequence homology with the N-terminal half of the ZP domain (ZP-N, but not with its C-terminal half (ZP-C. The functional significance of this partial conservation is unknown. Results By exploiting a highly engineered bacterial strain, we expressed in soluble form the PLAC1-homology region of mammalian sperm receptor ZP3 as a fusion to maltose binding protein. Mass spectrometry showed that the 4 conserved Cys residues within the ZP-N moiety of the fusion protein adopt the same disulfide bond connectivity as in full-length native ZP3, indicating that it is correctly folded, and electron microscopy and biochemical analyses revealed that it assembles into filaments. Conclusion These findings provide a function for PLAC1-like proteins and, by showing that ZP-N is a biologically active folding unit, prompt a re-evaluation of the architecture of the ZP domain and its polymers. Furthermore, they suggest that ZP-C might play a regulatory role in the assembly of ZP domain protein complexes.

Improving the performance of DomainDiscovery of protein domain boundary assignment using inter-domain linker index

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Zomaya Albert Y

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Knowledge of protein domain boundaries is critical for the characterisation and understanding of protein function. The ability to identify domains without the knowledge of the structure – by using sequence information only – is an essential step in many types of protein analyses. In this present study, we demonstrate that the performance of DomainDiscovery is improved significantly by including the inter-domain linker index value for domain identification from sequence-based information. Improved DomainDiscovery uses a Support Vector Machine (SVM approach and a unique training dataset built on the principle of consensus among experts in defining domains in protein structure. The SVM was trained using a PSSM (Position Specific Scoring Matrix, secondary structure, solvent accessibility information and inter-domain linker index to detect possible domain boundaries for a target sequence. Results Improved DomainDiscovery is compared with other methods by benchmarking against a structurally non-redundant dataset and also CASP5 targets. Improved DomainDiscovery achieves 70% accuracy for domain boundary identification in multi-domains proteins. Conclusion Improved DomainDiscovery compares favourably to the performance of other methods and excels in the identification of domain boundaries for multi-domain proteins as a result of introducing support vector machine with benchmark_2 dataset.

A thermodynamic definition of protein domains.

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Porter, Lauren L; Rose, George D

2012-06-12

Protein domains are conspicuous structural units in globular proteins, and their identification has been a topic of intense biochemical interest dating back to the earliest crystal structures. Numerous disparate domain identification algorithms have been proposed, all involving some combination of visual intuition and/or structure-based decomposition. Instead, we present a rigorous, thermodynamically-based approach that redefines domains as cooperative chain segments. In greater detail, most small proteins fold with high cooperativity, meaning that the equilibrium population is dominated by completely folded and completely unfolded molecules, with a negligible subpopulation of partially folded intermediates. Here, we redefine structural domains in thermodynamic terms as cooperative folding units, based on m-values, which measure the cooperativity of a protein or its substructures. In our analysis, a domain is equated to a contiguous segment of the folded protein whose m-value is largely unaffected when that segment is excised from its parent structure. Defined in this way, a domain is a self-contained cooperative unit; i.e., its cooperativity depends primarily upon intrasegment interactions, not intersegment interactions. Implementing this concept computationally, the domains in a large representative set of proteins were identified; all exhibit consistency with experimental findings. Specifically, our domain divisions correspond to the experimentally determined equilibrium folding intermediates in a set of nine proteins. The approach was also proofed against a representative set of 71 additional proteins, again with confirmatory results. Our reframed interpretation of a protein domain transforms an indeterminate structural phenomenon into a quantifiable molecular property grounded in solution thermodynamics.

The HTLV-1 Tax protein binding domain of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4 includes the regulatory PSTAIRE helix

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Grassmann Ralph

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Tax oncoprotein of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1 is leukemogenic in transgenic mice and induces permanent T-cell growth in vitro. It is found in active CDK holoenzyme complexes from adult T-cell leukemia-derived cultures and stimulates the G1- to-S phase transition by activating the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK CDK4. The Tax protein directly and specifically interacts with CDK4 and cyclin D2 and binding is required for enhanced CDK4 kinase activity. The protein-protein contact between Tax and the components of the cyclin D/CDK complexes increases the association of CDK4 and its positive regulatory subunit cyclin D and renders the complex resistant to p21CIP inhibition. Tax mutants affecting the N-terminus cannot bind cyclin D and CDK4. Results To analyze, whether the N-terminus of Tax is capable of CDK4-binding, in vitro binding -, pull down -, and mammalian two-hybrid analyses were performed. These experiments revealed that a segment of 40 amino acids is sufficient to interact with CDK4 and cyclin D2. To define a Tax-binding domain and analyze how Tax influences the kinase activity, a series of CDK4 deletion mutants was tested. Different assays revealed two regions which upon deletion consistently result in reduced binding activity. These were isolated and subjected to mammalian two-hybrid analysis to test their potential to interact with the Tax N-terminus. These experiments concurrently revealed binding at the N- and C-terminus of CDK4. The N-terminal segment contains the PSTAIRE helix, which is known to control the access of substrate to the active cleft of CDK4 and thus the kinase activity. Conclusion Since the N- and C-terminus of CDK4 are neighboring in the predicted three-dimensional protein structure, it is conceivable that they comprise a single binding domain, which interacts with the Tax N-terminus.

Novel activation domain derived from Che-1 cofactor coupled with the artificial protein Jazz drives utrophin upregulation.

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Desantis, Agata; Onori, Annalisa; Di Certo, Maria Grazia; Mattei, Elisabetta; Fanciulli, Maurizio; Passananti, Claudio; Corbi, Nicoletta

2009-02-01

Our aim is to upregulate the expression level of the dystrophin related gene utrophin in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, thus complementing the lack of dystrophin functions. To this end, we have engineered synthetic zinc finger based transcription factors. We have previously shown that the artificial three-zinc finger protein named Jazz fused with the Vp16 activation domain, is able to bind utrophin promoter A and to increase the endogenous level of utrophin in transgenic mice. Here, we report on an innovative artificial protein, named CJ7, that consists of Jazz DNA binding domain fused to a novel activation domain derived from the regulatory multivalent adaptor protein Che-1/AATF. This transcriptional activation domain is 100 amino acids in size and it is very powerful as compared to the Vp16 activation domain. We show that CJ7 protein efficiently promotes transcription and accumulation of the acetylated form of histone H3 on the genomic utrophin promoter locus.

The carboxy-terminal domain of Dictyostelium C-module-binding factor is an independent gene regulatory entity.

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Jörg Lucas

Full Text Available The C-module-binding factor (CbfA is a multidomain protein that belongs to the family of jumonji-type (JmjC transcription regulators. In the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, CbfA regulates gene expression during the unicellular growth phase and multicellular development. CbfA and a related D. discoideum CbfA-like protein, CbfB, share a paralogous domain arrangement that includes the JmjC domain, presumably a chromatin-remodeling activity, and two zinc finger-like (ZF motifs. On the other hand, the CbfA and CbfB proteins have completely different carboxy-terminal domains, suggesting that the plasticity of such domains may have contributed to the adaptation of the CbfA-like transcription factors to the rapid genome evolution in the dictyostelid clade. To support this hypothesis we performed DNA microarray and real-time RT-PCR measurements and found that CbfA regulates at least 160 genes during the vegetative growth of D. discoideum cells. Functional annotation of these genes revealed that CbfA predominantly controls the expression of gene products involved in housekeeping functions, such as carbohydrate, purine nucleoside/nucleotide, and amino acid metabolism. The CbfA protein displays two different mechanisms of gene regulation. The expression of one set of CbfA-dependent genes requires at least the JmjC/ZF domain of the CbfA protein and thus may depend on chromatin modulation. Regulation of the larger group of genes, however, does not depend on the entire CbfA protein and requires only the carboxy-terminal domain of CbfA (CbfA-CTD. An AT-hook motif located in CbfA-CTD, which is known to mediate DNA binding to A+T-rich sequences in vitro, contributed to CbfA-CTD-dependent gene regulatory functions in vivo.

A domain-based approach to predict protein-protein interactions

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Resat Haluk

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Knowing which proteins exist in a certain organism or cell type and how these proteins interact with each other are necessary for the understanding of biological processes at the whole cell level. The determination of the protein-protein interaction (PPI networks has been the subject of extensive research. Despite the development of reasonably successful methods, serious technical difficulties still exist. In this paper we present DomainGA, a quantitative computational approach that uses the information about the domain-domain interactions to predict the interactions between proteins. Results DomainGA is a multi-parameter optimization method in which the available PPI information is used to derive a quantitative scoring scheme for the domain-domain pairs. Obtained domain interaction scores are then used to predict whether a pair of proteins interacts. Using the yeast PPI data and a series of tests, we show the robustness and insensitivity of the DomainGA method to the selection of the parameter sets, score ranges, and detection rules. Our DomainGA method achieves very high explanation ratios for the positive and negative PPIs in yeast. Based on our cross-verification tests on human PPIs, comparison of the optimized scores with the structurally observed domain interactions obtained from the iPFAM database, and sensitivity and specificity analysis; we conclude that our DomainGA method shows great promise to be applicable across multiple organisms. Conclusion We envision the DomainGA as a first step of a multiple tier approach to constructing organism specific PPIs. As it is based on fundamental structural information, the DomainGA approach can be used to create potential PPIs and the accuracy of the constructed interaction template can be further improved using complementary methods. Explanation ratios obtained in the reported test case studies clearly show that the false prediction rates of the template networks constructed

Protein domain recurrence and order can enhance prediction of protein functions

KAUST Repository

Abdel Messih, Mario A.

2012-09-07

Motivation: Burgeoning sequencing technologies have generated massive amounts of genomic and proteomic data. Annotating the functions of proteins identified in this data has become a big and crucial problem. Various computational methods have been developed to infer the protein functions based on either the sequences or domains of proteins. The existing methods, however, ignore the recurrence and the order of the protein domains in this function inference. Results: We developed two new methods to infer protein functions based on protein domain recurrence and domain order. Our first method, DRDO, calculates the posterior probability of the Gene Ontology terms based on domain recurrence and domain order information, whereas our second method, DRDO-NB, relies on the nave Bayes methodology using the same domain architecture information. Our large-scale benchmark comparisons show strong improvements in the accuracy of the protein function inference achieved by our new methods, demonstrating that domain recurrence and order can provide important information for inference of protein functions. The Author(s) 2012. Published by Oxford University Press.

Postinduction represssion of the β-interferon gene is mediated through two positive regulatory domains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whittemore, L.A.; Maniatis, T.

1990-01-01

Virus induction of the human β-interferon (β-IFN) gene results in an increase in the rate of β-IFN mRNA synthesis, followed by a rapid postinduction decrease. In this paper, the authors show that two β-IFN promoter elements, positive regulatory domains I and II (PRDI and PRDII), which are required for virus induction of the β-IFN gene are also required for the postinduction turnoff. Although protein synthesis is not necessary for activation, it is necessary for repression of these promoter elements. Examination of nuclear extracts from cells infected with virus reveals the presence of virus-inducible, cycloheximide-sensitive, DNA-binding activities that interact specifically with PRDI or PRDII. They propose that the postinduction repression of β-IFN gene transcription involves virus inducible repressors that either bind directly to the positive regulatory elements of the β-IFN promoter or inactivate the positive regulatory factors bound to PRDI and PRDII

Adaptor proteins intersectin 1 and 2 bind similar proline-rich ligands but are differentially recognized by SH2 domain-containing proteins.

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Olga Novokhatska

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Scaffolding proteins of the intersectin (ITSN family, ITSN1 and ITSN2, are crucial for the initiation stage of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. These proteins are closely related but have implications in distinct pathologies. To determine how these proteins could be separated in certain cell pathways we performed a comparative study of ITSNs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have shown that endogenous ITSN1 and ITSN2 colocalize and form a complex in cells. A structural comparison of five SH3 domains, which mediated most ITSNs protein-protein interactions, demonstrated a similarity of their ligand-binding sites. We showed that the SH3 domains of ITSN2 bound well-established interactors of ITSN1 as well as newly identified ITSNs protein partners. A search for a novel interacting interface revealed multiple tyrosines that could be phosphorylated in ITSN2. Phosphorylation of ITSN2 isoforms but not ITSN1 short isoform was observed in various cell lines. EGF stimulation of HeLa cells enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of ITSN2 isoforms and enabled their recognition by the SH2 domains of the Fyn, Fgr and Abl1 kinases, the regulatory subunit of PI3K, the adaptor proteins Grb2 and Crk, and phospholipase C gamma. The SH2 domains mentioned were unable to bind ITSN1 short isoform. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicate that during evolution of vertebrates ITSN2 acquired a novel protein-interaction interface that allows its specific recognition by the SH2 domains of signaling proteins. We propose that these data could be important to understand the functional diversity of paralogous ITSN proteins.

Integral UBL domain proteins: a family of proteasome interacting proteins

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Hartmann-Petersen, Rasmus; Gordon, Colin

2004-01-01

The family of ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain proteins (UDPs) comprises a conserved group of proteins involved in a multitude of different cellular activities. However, recent studies on UBL-domain proteins indicate that these proteins appear to share a common property in their ability to interact...

Virus-Induced Chaperone-Enriched (VICE domains function as nuclear protein quality control centers during HSV-1 infection.

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Christine M Livingston

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Virus-Induced Chaperone-Enriched (VICE domains form adjacent to nuclear viral replication compartments (RC during the early stages of HSV-1 infection. Between 2 and 3 hours post infection at a MOI of 10, host protein quality control machinery such as molecular chaperones (e.g. Hsc70, the 20S proteasome and ubiquitin are reorganized from a diffuse nuclear distribution pattern to sequestration in VICE domains. The observation that VICE domains contain putative misfolded proteins suggests that they may be similar to nuclear inclusion bodies that form under conditions in which the protein quality control machinery is overwhelmed by the presence of misfolded proteins. The detection of Hsc70 in VICE domains, but not in nuclear inclusion bodies, indicates that Hsc70 is specifically reorganized by HSV-1 infection. We hypothesize that HSV-1 infection induces the formation of nuclear protein quality control centers to remodel or degrade aberrant nuclear proteins that would otherwise interfere with productive infection. Detection of proteolytic activity in VICE domains suggests that substrates may be degraded by the 20S proteasome in VICE domains. FRAP analysis reveals that GFP-Hsc70 is dynamically associated with VICE domains, suggesting a role for Hsc70 in scanning the infected nucleus for misfolded proteins. During 42 degrees C heat shock, Hsc70 is redistributed from VICE domains into RC perhaps to remodel viral replication and regulatory proteins that have become insoluble in these compartments. The experiments presented in this paper suggest that VICE domains are nuclear protein quality control centers that are modified by HSV-1 to promote productive infection.

Structure and catalytic regulatory function of ubiquitin specific protease 11 N-terminal and ubiquitin-like domains.

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Harper, Stephen; Gratton, Hayley E; Cornaciu, Irina; Oberer, Monika; Scott, David J; Emsley, Jonas; Dreveny, Ingrid

2014-05-13

The ubiquitin specific protease 11 (USP11) is implicated in DNA repair, viral RNA replication, and TGFβ signaling. We report the first characterization of the USP11 domain architecture and its role in regulating the enzymatic activity. USP11 consists of an N-terminal "domain present in USPs" (DUSP) and "ubiquitin-like" (UBL) domain, together referred to as DU domains, and the catalytic domain harboring a second UBL domain. Crystal structures of the DU domains show a tandem arrangement with a shortened β-hairpin at the two-domain interface and altered surface characteristics compared to the homologues USP4 and USP15. A conserved VEVY motif is a signature feature at the two-domain interface that shapes a potential protein interaction site. Small angle X-ray scattering and gel filtration experiments are consistent with the USP11DU domains and full-length USP11 being monomeric. Unexpectedly, we reveal, through kinetic assays of a series of deletion mutants, that the catalytic activity of USP11 is not regulated through intramolecular autoinhibition or activation by the N-terminal DU or UBL domains. Moreover, ubiquitin chain cleavage assays with all eight linkages reveal a preference for Lys(63)-, Lys(6)-, Lys(33)-, and Lys(11)-linked chains over Lys(27)-, Lys(29)-, and Lys(48)-linked and linear chains consistent with USP11's function in DNA repair pathways that is mediated by the protease domain. Our data support a model whereby USP11 domains outside the catalytic core domain serve as protein interaction or trafficking modules rather than a direct regulatory function of the proteolytic activity. This highlights the diversity of USPs in substrate recognition and regulation of ubiquitin deconjugation.

Overlapping positive and negative regulatory domains of the human β-interferon gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodbourn, S.; Maniatis, T.

1988-01-01

Virus of poly(I) x poly(C) induction of human β-interferon gene expression requires a 40-base-pair DNA sequence designated the interferon gene regulatory element (IRE). Previous studies have shown that the IRE contains both positive and negative regulatory DNA sequences. To localize these sequences and study their interactions, the authors have examined the effects of a large number of single-base mutations within the IRE on β-interferon gene regulation. They find that the IRE consists of two genetically separable positive regulatory domains and an overlapping negative control sequence. They propose that the β-interferon gene is switched off in uninduced cells by a repressor that blocks the interaction between one of the two positive regulatory sequences and a specific transcription factor. Induction would then lead to inactivation or displacement of the repressor and binding of transcription factors to both positive regulatory domains

Dimerization of the docking/adaptor protein HEF1 via a carboxy-terminal helix-loop-helix domain.

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Law, S F; Zhang, Y Z; Fashena, S J; Toby, G; Estojak, J; Golemis, E A

1999-10-10

HEF1, p130(Cas), and Efs define a family of multidomain docking proteins which plays a central coordinating role for tyrosine-kinase-based signaling related to cell adhesion. HEF1 function has been specifically implicated in signaling pathways important for cell adhesion and differentiation in lymphoid and epithelial cells. While the SH3 domains and SH2-binding site domains (substrate domains) of HEF1 family proteins are well characterized and binding partners known, to date the highly conserved carboxy-terminal domains of the three proteins have lacked functional definition. In this study, we have determined that the carboxy-terminal domain of HEF1 contains a divergent helix-loop-helix (HLH) motif. This motif mediates HEF1 homodimerization and HEF1 heterodimerization with a recognition specificity similar to that of the transcriptional regulatory HLH proteins Id2, E12, and E47. We had previously demonstrated that the HEF1 carboxy-terminus expressed as a separate domain in yeast reprograms cell division patterns, inducing constitutive pseudohyphal growth. Here we show that pseudohyphal induction by HEF1 requires an intact HLH, further supporting the idea that this motif has an effector activity for HEF1, and implying that HEF1 pseudohyphal activity derives in part from interactions with yeast helix-loop-helix proteins. These combined results provide initial insight into the mode of function of the HEF1 carboxy-terminal domain and suggest that the HEF1 protein may interact with cellular proteins which control differentiation. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Evolutionary dynamics of protein domain architecture in plants

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Zhang Xue-Cheng

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Protein domains are the structural, functional and evolutionary units of the protein. Protein domain architectures are the linear arrangements of domain(s in individual proteins. Although the evolutionary history of protein domain architecture has been extensively studied in microorganisms, the evolutionary dynamics of domain architecture in the plant kingdom remains largely undefined. To address this question, we analyzed the lineage-based protein domain architecture content in 14 completed green plant genomes. Results Our analyses show that all 14 plant genomes maintain similar distributions of species-specific, single-domain, and multi-domain architectures. Approximately 65% of plant domain architectures are universally present in all plant lineages, while the remaining architectures are lineage-specific. Clear examples are seen of both the loss and gain of specific protein architectures in higher plants. There has been a dynamic, lineage-wise expansion of domain architectures during plant evolution. The data suggest that this expansion can be largely explained by changes in nuclear ploidy resulting from rounds of whole genome duplications. Indeed, there has been a decrease in the number of unique domain architectures when the genomes were normalized into a presumed ancestral genome that has not undergone whole genome duplications. Conclusions Our data show the conservation of universal domain architectures in all available plant genomes, indicating the presence of an evolutionarily conserved, core set of protein components. However, the occurrence of lineage-specific domain architectures indicates that domain architecture diversity has been maintained beyond these core components in plant genomes. Although several features of genome-wide domain architecture content are conserved in plants, the data clearly demonstrate lineage-wise, progressive changes and expansions of individual protein domain architectures, reinforcing

Fluorescent fusion proteins of soluble guanylyl cyclase indicate proximity of the heme nitric oxide domain and catalytic domain.

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Tobias Haase

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: To examine the structural organisation of heterodimeric soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET was measured between fluorescent proteins fused to the amino- and carboxy-terminal ends of the sGC beta1 and alpha subunits. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Cyan fluorescent protein (CFP was used as FRET donor and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP as FRET acceptor. After generation of recombinant baculovirus, fluorescent-tagged sGC subunits were co-expressed in Sf9 cells. Fluorescent variants of sGC were analyzed in vitro in cytosolic fractions by sensitized emission FRET. Co-expression of the amino-terminally tagged alpha subunits with the carboxy-terminally tagged beta1 subunit resulted in an enzyme complex that showed a FRET efficiency of 10% similar to fluorescent proteins separated by a helix of only 48 amino acids. Because these findings indicated that the amino-terminus of the alpha subunits is close to the carboxy-terminus of the beta1 subunit we constructed fusion proteins where both subunits are connected by a fluorescent protein. The resulting constructs were not only fluorescent, they also showed preserved enzyme activity and regulation by NO. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Based on the ability of an amino-terminal fragment of the beta1 subunit to inhibit activity of an heterodimer consisting only of the catalytic domains (alphacatbetacat, Winger and Marletta (Biochemistry 2005, 44:4083-90 have proposed a direct interaction of the amino-terminal region of beta1 with the catalytic domains. In support of such a concept of "trans" regulation of sGC activity by the H-NOX domains our results indicate that the domains within sGC are organized in a way that allows for direct interaction of the amino-terminal regulatory domains with the carboxy-terminal catalytic region. In addition, we constructed "fluorescent-conjoined" sGC's by fusion of the alpha amino-terminus to the beta1 carboxy-terminus leading to a

Guanylate kinase domains of the MAGUK family scaffold proteins as specific phospho-protein-binding modules.

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Zhu, Jinwei; Shang, Yuan; Xia, Caihao; Wang, Wenning; Wen, Wenyu; Zhang, Mingjie

2011-11-25

Membrane-associated guanylate kinases (MAGUKs) are a large family of scaffold proteins that play essential roles in tissue developments, cell-cell communications, cell polarity control, and cellular signal transductions. Despite extensive studies over the past two decades, the functions of the signature guanylate kinase domain (GK) of MAGUKs are poorly understood. Here we show that the GK domain of DLG1/SAP97 binds to asymmetric cell division regulatory protein LGN in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The structure of the DLG1 SH3-GK tandem in complex with a phospho-LGN peptide reveals that the GMP-binding site of GK has evolved into a specific pSer/pThr-binding pocket. Residues both N- and C-terminal to the pSer are also critical for the specific binding of the phospho-LGN peptide to GK. We further demonstrate that the previously reported GK domain-mediated interactions of DLGs with other targets, such as GKAP/DLGAP1/SAPAP1 and SPAR, are also phosphorylation dependent. Finally, we provide evidence that other MAGUK GKs also function as phospho-peptide-binding modules. The discovery of the phosphorylation-dependent MAGUK GK/target interactions indicates that MAGUK scaffold-mediated signalling complex organizations are dynamically regulated.

Chemical Shift Assignments of the C-terminal Eps15 Homology Domain-3 EH Domain*

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Caplan, Steve; Sorgen, Paul L.

2013-01-01

The C-terminal Eps15 homology (EH) domain 3 (EHD3) belongs to a eukaryotic family of endocytic regulatory proteins and is involved in the recycling of various receptors from the early endosome to the endocytic recycling compartment or in retrograde transport from the endosomes to the Golgi. EH domains are highly conserved in the EHD family and function as protein-protein interaction units that bind to Asn-Pro-Phe (NPF) motif-containing proteins. The EH domain of EHD1 was the first C-terminal EH domain from the EHD family to be solved by NMR. The differences observed between this domain and proteins with N-terminal EH domains helped describe a mechanism for the differential binding of NPF-containing proteins. Here, structural studies were expanded to include the EHD3 EH domain. While the EHD1 and EHD3 EH domains are highly homologous, they have different protein partners. A comparison of these structures will help determine the selectivity in protein binding between the EHD family members and lead to a better understanding of their unique roles in endocytic regulation. PMID:23754701

The Regulatory and Kinase Domains but Not the Interdomain Linker Determine Human Double-stranded RNA-activated Kinase (PKR) Sensitivity to Inhibition by Viral Non-coding RNAs.

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Sunita, S; Schwartz, Samantha L; Conn, Graeme L

2015-11-20

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated protein kinase (PKR) is an important component of the innate immune system that presents a crucial first line of defense against viral infection. PKR has a modular architecture comprising a regulatory N-terminal dsRNA binding domain and a C-terminal kinase domain interposed by an unstructured ∼80-residue interdomain linker (IDL). Guided by sequence alignment, we created IDL deletions in human PKR (hPKR) and regulatory/kinase domain swap human-rat chimeric PKRs to assess the contributions of each domain and the IDL to regulation of the kinase activity by RNA. Using circular dichroism spectroscopy, limited proteolysis, kinase assays, and isothermal titration calorimetry, we show that each PKR protein is properly folded with similar domain boundaries and that each exhibits comparable polyinosinic-cytidylic (poly(rI:rC)) dsRNA activation profiles and binding affinities for adenoviral virus-associated RNA I (VA RNAI) and HIV-1 trans-activation response (TAR) RNA. From these results we conclude that the IDL of PKR is not required for RNA binding or mediating changes in protein conformation or domain interactions necessary for PKR regulation by RNA. In contrast, inhibition of rat PKR by VA RNAI and TAR RNA was found to be weaker than for hPKR by 7- and >300-fold, respectively, and each human-rat chimeric domain-swapped protein showed intermediate levels of inhibition. These findings indicate that PKR sequence or structural elements in the kinase domain, present in hPKR but absent in rat PKR, are exploited by viral non-coding RNAs to accomplish efficient inhibition of PKR. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Occurrence of protein disulfide bonds in different domains of life: a comparison of proteins from the Protein Data Bank.

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Bošnjak, I; Bojović, V; Šegvić-Bubić, T; Bielen, A

2014-03-01

Disulfide bonds (SS bonds) are important post-translational modifications of proteins. They stabilize a three-dimensional (3D) structure (structural SS bonds) and also have the catalytic or regulatory functions (redox-active SS bonds). Although SS bonds are present in all groups of organisms, no comparative analyses of their frequency in proteins from different domains of life have been made to date. Using the Protein Data Bank, the number and subcellular locations of SS bonds in Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya have been compared. Approximately three times higher frequency of proteins with SS bonds in eukaryotic secretory organelles (e.g. endoplasmic reticulum) than in bacterial periplasmic/secretory pathways was calculated. Protein length also affects the SS bond frequency: the average number of SS bonds is positively correlated with the length for longer proteins (>200 amino acids), while for the shorter and less stable proteins (proteins (250-350 amino acids) indicated a high number of SS bonds only in Archaea which could be explained by the need for additional protein stabilization in hyperthermophiles. The results emphasize higher capacity for the SS bond formation and isomerization in Eukarya when compared with Archaea and Bacteria.

Comparison of structure, function and regulation of plant cold shock domain proteins to bacterial and animal cold shock domain proteins.

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Chaikam, Vijay; Karlson, Dale T

2010-01-01

The cold shock domain (CSD) is among the most ancient and well conserved nucleic acid binding domains from bacteria to higher animals and plants. The CSD facilitates binding to RNA, ssDNA and dsDNA and most functions attributed to cold shock domain proteins are mediated by this nucleic acid binding activity. In prokaryotes, cold shock domain proteins only contain a single CSD and are termed cold shock proteins (Csps). In animal model systems, various auxiliary domains are present in addition to the CSD and are commonly named Y-box proteins. Similar to animal CSPs, plant CSPs contain auxiliary C-terminal domains in addition to their N-terminal CSD. Cold shock domain proteins have been shown to play important roles in development and stress adaptation in wide variety of organisms. In this review, the structure, function and regulation of plant CSPs are compared and contrasted to the characteristics of bacterial and animal CSPs. [BMB reports 2010; 43(1): 1-8].

PspF-binding domain PspA1-144 and the PspA·F complex: New insights into the coiled-coil-dependent regulation of AAA+ proteins.

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Osadnik, Hendrik; Schöpfel, Michael; Heidrich, Eyleen; Mehner, Denise; Lilie, Hauke; Parthier, Christoph; Risselada, H Jelger; Grubmüller, Helmut; Stubbs, Milton T; Brüser, Thomas

2015-11-01

Phage shock protein A (PspA) belongs to the highy conserved PspA/IM30 family and is a key component of the stress inducible Psp system in Escherichia coli. One of its central roles is the regulatory interaction with the transcriptional activator of this system, the σ(54) enhancer-binding protein PspF, a member of the AAA+ protein family. The PspA/F regulatory system has been intensively studied and serves as a paradigm for AAA+ enzyme regulation by trans-acting factors. However, the molecular mechanism of how exactly PspA controls the activity of PspF and hence σ(54) -dependent expression of the psp genes is still unclear. To approach this question, we identified the minimal PspF-interacting domain of PspA, solved its structure, determined its affinity to PspF and the dissociation kinetics, identified residues that are potentially important for PspF regulation and analyzed effects of their mutation on PspF in vivo and in vitro. Our data indicate that several characteristics of AAA+ regulation in the PspA·F complex resemble those of the AAA+ unfoldase ClpB, with both proteins being regulated by a structurally highly conserved coiled-coil domain. The convergent evolution of both regulatory domains points to a general mechanism to control AAA+ activity for divergent physiologic tasks via coiled-coil domains. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Lune/eye gone, a Pax-like protein, uses a partial paired domain and a homeodomain for DNA recognition.

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Jun, S; Wallen, R V; Goriely, A; Kalionis, B; Desplan, C

1998-11-10

Pax proteins, characterized by the presence of a paired domain, play key regulatory roles during development. The paired domain is a bipartite DNA-binding domain that contains two helix-turn-helix domains joined by a linker region. Each of the subdomains, the PAI and RED domains, has been shown to be a distinct DNA-binding domain. The PAI domain is the most critical, but in specific circumstances, the RED domain is involved in DNA recognition. We describe a Pax protein, originally called Lune, that is the product of the Drosophila eye gone gene (eyg). It is unique among Pax proteins, because it contains only the RED domain. eyg seems to play a role both in the organogenesis of the salivary gland during embryogenesis and in the development of the eye. A high-affinity binding site for the Eyg RED domain was identified by using systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment techniques. This binding site is related to a binding site previously identified for the RED domain of the Pax-6 5a isoform. Eyg also contains another DNA-binding domain, a Prd-class homeodomain (HD), whose palindromic binding site is similar to other Prd-class HDs. The ability of Pax proteins to use the PAI, RED, and HD, or combinations thereof, may be one mechanism that allows them to be used at different stages of development to regulate various developmental processes through the activation of specific target genes.

Sociotechnical systems as a framework for regulatory system design and evaluation: Using Work Domain Analysis to examine a new regulatory system.

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Carden, Tony; Goode, Natassia; Read, Gemma J M; Salmon, Paul M

2017-03-15

Like most work systems, the domain of adventure activities has seen a series of serious incidents and subsequent calls to improve regulation. Safety regulation systems aim to promote safety and reduce accidents. However, there is scant evidence they have led to improved safety outcomes. In fact there is some evidence that the poor integration of regulatory system components has led to adverse safety outcomes in some contexts. Despite this, there is an absence of methods for evaluating regulatory and compliance systems. This article argues that sociotechnical systems theory and methods provide a suitable framework for evaluating regulatory systems. This is demonstrated through an analysis of a recently introduced set of adventure activity regulations. Work Domain Analysis (WDA) was used to describe the regulatory system in terms of its functional purposes, values and priority measures, purpose-related functions, object-related processes and cognitive objects. This allowed judgement to be made on the nature of the new regulatory system and on the constraints that may impact its efficacy following implementation. Importantly, the analysis suggests that the new system's functional purpose of ensuring safe activities is not fully supported in terms of the functions and objects available to fulfil them. Potential improvements to the design of the system are discussed along with the implications for regulatory system design and evaluation across the safety critical domains generally. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Drosophila Pumilio protein contains multiple autonomous repression domains that regulate mRNAs independently of Nanos and brain tumor.

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Weidmann, Chase A; Goldstrohm, Aaron C

2012-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster Pumilio is an RNA-binding protein that potently represses specific mRNAs. In developing embryos, Pumilio regulates a key morphogen, Hunchback, in collaboration with the cofactor Nanos. To investigate repression by Pumilio and Nanos, we created cell-based assays and found that Pumilio inhibits translation and enhances mRNA decay independent of Nanos. Nanos robustly stimulates repression through interactions with the Pumilio RNA-binding domain. We programmed Pumilio to recognize a new binding site, which garners repression of new target mRNAs. We show that cofactors Brain Tumor and eIF4E Homologous Protein are not obligatory for Pumilio and Nanos activity. The conserved RNA-binding domain of Pumilio was thought to be sufficient for its function. Instead, we demonstrate that three unique domains in the N terminus of Pumilio possess the major repressive activity and can function autonomously. The N termini of insect and vertebrate Pumilio and Fem-3 binding factors (PUFs) are related, and we show that corresponding regions of human PUM1 and PUM2 have repressive activity. Other PUF proteins lack these repression domains. Our findings suggest that PUF proteins have evolved new regulatory functions through protein sequences appended to their conserved PUF repeat RNA-binding domains.

The complex between SOS3 and SOS2 regulatory domain from Arabidopsis thaliana: cloning, expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sánchez-Barrena, María José; Moreno-Pérez, Sandra; Angulo, Iván; Martínez-Ripoll, Martín; Albert, Armando, E-mail: xalbert@iqfr.csic.es [Grupo de Cristalografía Macromolecular y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Química Física ‘Rocasolano’, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Serrano 119, E-28006 Madrid (Spain)

2007-07-01

Recombinant SOS3 and SOS2 regulatory domain from A. thaliana have been coexpressed in E. coli, purified and crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. An X-ray data set has been collected at 2.0 Å resolution. The salt-tolerance genes SOS3 (salt overly sensitive 3) and SOS2 (salt overly sensitive 2) regulatory domain of Arabidopsis thaliana were cloned into a polycistronic plasmid and the protein complex was expressed in Escherichia coli, allowing purification to homogeneity in three chromatographic steps. Crystals were grown using vapour-diffusion techniques. The crystals belonged to space group P2{sub 1}2{sub 1}2{sub 1}, with unit-cell parameters a = 44.14, b = 57.39, c = 141.90 Å.

Identification of functional domains of the IR2 protein of equine herpesvirus 1 required for inhibition of viral gene expression and replication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seong K.; Kim, Seongman; Dai Gan; Zhang Yunfei; Ahn, Byung C.; O'Callaghan, Dennis J.

2011-01-01

The equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) negative regulatory IR2 protein (IR2P), an early 1,165-amino acid (aa) truncated form of the 1487-aa immediate-early protein (IEP), lacks the trans-activation domain essential for IEP activation functions but retains domains for binding DNA, TFIIB, and TBP and the nuclear localization signal. IR2P mutants of the N-terminal region which lack either DNA-binding activity or TFIIB-binding activity were unable to down-regulate EHV-1 promoters. In EHV-1-infected cells expressing full-length IR2P, transcription and protein expression of viral regulatory IE, early EICP0, IR4, and UL5, and late ETIF genes were dramatically inhibited. Viral DNA levels were reduced to 2.1% of control infected cells, but were vey weakly affected in cells that express the N-terminal 706 residues of IR2P. These results suggest that IR2P function requires the two N-terminal domains for binding DNA and TFIIB as well as the C-terminal residues 707 to 1116 containing the TBP-binding domain. - Highlights: → We examine the functional domains of IR2P that mediates negative regulation. → IR2P inhibits at the transcriptional level. → DNA-binding mutant or TFIIB-binding mutant fails to inhibit. → C-terminal aa 707 to 1116 are required for full inhibition. → Inhibition requires the DNA-binding domain, TFIIB-binding domain, and C-terminus.

Using context to improve protein domain identification

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Llinás Manuel

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Identifying domains in protein sequences is an important step in protein structural and functional annotation. Existing domain recognition methods typically evaluate each domain prediction independently of the rest. However, the majority of proteins are multidomain, and pairwise domain co-occurrences are highly specific and non-transitive. Results Here, we demonstrate how to exploit domain co-occurrence to boost weak domain predictions that appear in previously observed combinations, while penalizing higher confidence domains if such combinations have never been observed. Our framework, Domain Prediction Using Context (dPUC, incorporates pairwise "context" scores between domains, along with traditional domain scores and thresholds, and improves domain prediction across a variety of organisms from bacteria to protozoa and metazoa. Among the genomes we tested, dPUC is most successful at improving predictions for the poorly-annotated malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, for which over 38% of the genome is currently unannotated. Our approach enables high-confidence annotations in this organism and the identification of orthologs to many core machinery proteins conserved in all eukaryotes, including those involved in ribosomal assembly and other RNA processing events, which surprisingly had not been previously known. Conclusions Overall, our results demonstrate that this new context-based approach will provide significant improvements in domain and function prediction, especially for poorly understood genomes for which the need for additional annotations is greatest. Source code for the algorithm is available under a GPL open source license at http://compbio.cs.princeton.edu/dpuc/. Pre-computed results for our test organisms and a web server are also available at that location.

Domain fusion analysis by applying relational algebra to protein sequence and domain databases.

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Truong, Kevin; Ikura, Mitsuhiko

2003-05-06

Domain fusion analysis is a useful method to predict functionally linked proteins that may be involved in direct protein-protein interactions or in the same metabolic or signaling pathway. As separate domain databases like BLOCKS, PROSITE, Pfam, SMART, PRINTS-S, ProDom, TIGRFAMs, and amalgamated domain databases like InterPro continue to grow in size and quality, a computational method to perform domain fusion analysis that leverages on these efforts will become increasingly powerful. This paper proposes a computational method employing relational algebra to find domain fusions in protein sequence databases. The feasibility of this method was illustrated on the SWISS-PROT+TrEMBL sequence database using domain predictions from the Pfam HMM (hidden Markov model) database. We identified 235 and 189 putative functionally linked protein partners in H. sapiens and S. cerevisiae, respectively. From scientific literature, we were able to confirm many of these functional linkages, while the remainder offer testable experimental hypothesis. Results can be viewed at http://calcium.uhnres.utoronto.ca/pi. As the analysis can be computed quickly on any relational database that supports standard SQL (structured query language), it can be dynamically updated along with the sequence and domain databases, thereby improving the quality of predictions over time.

Quantifying information transfer by protein domains: Analysis of the Fyn SH2 domain structure

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Serrano Luis

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Efficient communication between distant sites within a protein is essential for cooperative biological response. Although often associated with large allosteric movements, more subtle changes in protein dynamics can also induce long-range correlations. However, an appropriate formalism that directly relates protein structural dynamics to information exchange between functional sites is still lacking. Results Here we introduce a method to analyze protein dynamics within the framework of information theory and show that signal transduction within proteins can be considered as a particular instance of communication over a noisy channel. In particular, we analyze the conformational correlations between protein residues and apply the concept of mutual information to quantify information exchange. Mapping out changes of mutual information on the protein structure then allows visualizing how distal communication is achieved. We illustrate the approach by analyzing information transfer by the SH2 domain of Fyn tyrosine kinase, obtained from Monte Carlo dynamics simulations. Our analysis reveals that the Fyn SH2 domain forms a noisy communication channel that couples residues located in the phosphopeptide and specificity binding sites and a number of residues at the other side of the domain near the linkers that connect the SH2 domain to the SH3 and kinase domains. We find that for this particular domain, communication is affected by a series of contiguous residues that connect distal sites by crossing the core of the SH2 domain. Conclusion As a result, our method provides a means to directly map the exchange of biological information on the structure of protein domains, making it clear how binding triggers conformational changes in the protein structure. As such it provides a structural road, next to the existing attempts at sequence level, to predict long-range interactions within protein structures.

Ubiquitin domain proteins in disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klausen, Louise Kjær; Schulze, Andrea; Seeger, Michael

2007-01-01

The human genome encodes several ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain proteins (UDPs). Members of this protein family are involved in a variety of cellular functions and many are connected to the ubiquitin proteasome system, an essential pathway for protein degradation in eukaryotic cells. Despite...... and cancer. Publication history: Republished from Current BioData's Targeted Proteins database (TPdb; http://www.targetedproteinsdb.com)....

The architectural design of networks of protein domain architectures.

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Hsu, Chia-Hsin; Chen, Chien-Kuo; Hwang, Ming-Jing

2013-08-23

Protein domain architectures (PDAs), in which single domains are linked to form multiple-domain proteins, are a major molecular form used by evolution for the diversification of protein functions. However, the design principles of PDAs remain largely uninvestigated. In this study, we constructed networks to connect domain architectures that had grown out from the same single domain for every single domain in the Pfam-A database and found that there are three main distinctive types of these networks, which suggests that evolution can exploit PDAs in three different ways. Further analysis showed that these three different types of PDA networks are each adopted by different types of protein domains, although many networks exhibit the characteristics of more than one of the three types. Our results shed light on nature's blueprint for protein architecture and provide a framework for understanding architectural design from a network perspective.

Expression and Production of SH2 Domain Proteins.

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Liu, Bernard A; Ogiue-Ikeda, Mari; Machida, Kazuya

2017-01-01

The Src Homology 2 (SH2) domain lies at the heart of phosphotyrosine signaling, coordinating signaling events downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), adaptors, and scaffolds. Over a hundred SH2 domains are present in mammals, each having a unique specificity which determines its interactions with multiple binding partners. One of the essential tools necessary for studying and determining the role of SH2 domains in phosphotyrosine signaling is a set of soluble recombinant SH2 proteins. Here we describe methods, based on a broad experience with purification of all SH2 domains, for the production of SH2 domain proteins needed for proteomic and biochemical-based studies such as peptide arrays, mass-spectrometry, protein microarrays, reverse-phase microarrays, and high-throughput fluorescence polarization (HTP-FP). We describe stepwise protocols for expression and purification of SH2 domains using GST or poly His-tags, two widely adopted affinity tags. In addition, we address alternative approaches, challenges, and validation studies for assessing protein quality and provide general characteristics of purified human SH2 domains.

Quantifying the mechanisms of domain gain in animal proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Buljan, Marija; Frankish, Adam; Bateman, Alex

2010-01-01

Protein domains are protein regions that are shared among different proteins and are frequently functionally and structurally independent from the rest of the protein. Novel domain combinations have a major role in evolutionary innovation. However, the relative contributions of the different molecular mechanisms that underlie domain gains in animals are still unknown. By using animal gene phylogenies we were able to identify a set of high confidence domain gain events and by looking at their coding DNA investigate the causative mechanisms. Here we show that the major mechanism for gains of new domains in metazoan proteins is likely to be gene fusion through joining of exons from adjacent genes, possibly mediated by non-allelic homologous recombination. Retroposition and insertion of exons into ancestral introns through intronic recombination are, in contrast to previous expectations, only minor contributors to domain gains and have accounted for less than 1% and 10% of high confidence domain gain events, respectively. Additionally, exonization of previously non-coding regions appears to be an important mechanism for addition of disordered segments to proteins. We observe that gene duplication has preceded domain gain in at least 80% of the gain events. The interplay of gene duplication and domain gain demonstrates an important mechanism for fast neofunctionalization of genes.

Stochastic lattice model of synaptic membrane protein domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yiwei; Kahraman, Osman; Haselwandter, Christoph A

2017-05-01

Neurotransmitter receptor molecules, concentrated in synaptic membrane domains along with scaffolds and other kinds of proteins, are crucial for signal transmission across chemical synapses. In common with other membrane protein domains, synaptic domains are characterized by low protein copy numbers and protein crowding, with rapid stochastic turnover of individual molecules. We study here in detail a stochastic lattice model of the receptor-scaffold reaction-diffusion dynamics at synaptic domains that was found previously to capture, at the mean-field level, the self-assembly, stability, and characteristic size of synaptic domains observed in experiments. We show that our stochastic lattice model yields quantitative agreement with mean-field models of nonlinear diffusion in crowded membranes. Through a combination of analytic and numerical solutions of the master equation governing the reaction dynamics at synaptic domains, together with kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, we find substantial discrepancies between mean-field and stochastic models for the reaction dynamics at synaptic domains. Based on the reaction and diffusion properties of synaptic receptors and scaffolds suggested by previous experiments and mean-field calculations, we show that the stochastic reaction-diffusion dynamics of synaptic receptors and scaffolds provide a simple physical mechanism for collective fluctuations in synaptic domains, the molecular turnover observed at synaptic domains, key features of the observed single-molecule trajectories, and spatial heterogeneity in the effective rates at which receptors and scaffolds are recycled at the cell membrane. Our work sheds light on the physical mechanisms and principles linking the collective properties of membrane protein domains to the stochastic dynamics that rule their molecular components.

[Family of ribosomal proteins S1 contains unique conservative domain].

Science.gov (United States)

Deriusheva, E I; Machulin, A V; Selivanova, O M; Serdiuk, I N

2010-01-01

Different representatives of bacteria have different number of amino acid residues in the ribosomal proteins S1. This number varies from 111 (Spiroplasma kunkelii) to 863 a.a. (Treponema pallidum). Traditionally and for lack of this protein three-dimensional structure, its architecture is represented as repeating S1 domains. Number of these domains depends on the protein's length. Domain's quantity and its boundaries data are contained in the specialized databases, such as SMART, Pfam and PROSITE. However, for the same object these data may be very different. For search of domain's quantity and its boundaries, new approach, based on the analysis of dicted secondary structure (PsiPred), was used. This approach allowed us to reveal structural domains in amino acid sequences of S1 proteins and at that number varied from one to six. Alignment of S1 proteins, containing different domain's number, with the S1 RNAbinding domain of Escherichia coli PNPase elicited a fact that in family of ribosomal proteins SI one domain has maximal homology with S1 domain from PNPase. This conservative domain migrates along polypeptide chain and locates in proteins, containing different domain's number, according to specified pattern. In this domain as well in the S1 domain from PNPase, residues Phe-19, Phe-22, His-34, Asp-64 and Arg-68 are clustered on the surface and formed RNA binding site.

The SPOR Domain, a Widely Conserved Peptidoglycan Binding Domain That Targets Proteins to the Site of Cell Division.

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Yahashiri, Atsushi; Jorgenson, Matthew A; Weiss, David S

2017-07-15

Sporulation-related repeat (SPOR) domains are small peptidoglycan (PG) binding domains found in thousands of bacterial proteins. The name "SPOR domain" stems from the fact that several early examples came from proteins involved in sporulation, but SPOR domain proteins are quite diverse and contribute to a variety of processes that involve remodeling of the PG sacculus, especially with respect to cell division. SPOR domains target proteins to the division site by binding to regions of PG devoid of stem peptides ("denuded" glycans), which in turn are enriched in septal PG by the intense, localized activity of cell wall amidases involved in daughter cell separation. This targeting mechanism sets SPOR domain proteins apart from most other septal ring proteins, which localize via protein-protein interactions. In addition to SPOR domains, bacteria contain several other PG-binding domains that can exploit features of the cell wall to target proteins to specific subcellular sites. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Structure-based design of ligands for protein basic domains: Application to the HIV-1 Tat protein

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Filikov, Anton V.; James, Thomas L.

1998-05-01

A methodology has been developed for designing ligands to bind a flexible basic protein domain where the structure of the domain is essentially known. It is based on an empirical binding free energy function developed for highly charged complexes and on Monte Carlo simulations in internal coordinates with both the ligand and the receptor being flexible. HIV-1 encodes a transactivating regulatory protein called Tat. Binding of the basic domain of Tat to TAR RNA is required for efficient transcription of the viral genome. The structure of a biologically active peptide containing the Tat basic RNA-binding domain is available from NMR studies. The goal of the current project is to design a ligand which will bind to that basic domain and potentially inhibit the TAR-Tat interaction. The basic domain contains six arginine and two lysine residues. Our strategy was to design a ligand for arginine first and then a superligand for the basic domain by joining arginine ligands with a linker. Several possible arginine ligands were obtained by searching the Available Chemicals Directory with DOCK 3.5 software. Phytic acid, which can potentially bind multiple arginines, was chosen as a building block for the superligand. Calorimetric binding studies of several compounds to methylguanidine and Arg-/Lys-containing peptides were performed. The data were used to develop an empirical binding free energy function for prediction of affinity of the ligands for the Tat basic domain. Modeling of the conformations of the complexes with both the superligand and the basic domain being flexible has been carried out via Biased Probability Monte Carlo (BPMC) simulations in internal coordinates (ICM 2.6 suite of programs). The simulations used parameters to ensure correct folding, i.e., consistent with the experimental NMR structure of a 25-residue Tat peptide, from a random starting conformation. Superligands for the basic domain were designed by joining together two molecules of phytic acid with

Tyrosine hydroxylase regulatory domain as indicator of enzyme sensitivity to irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mustafayeva, N.N.; Alieva, I.N.; Aliev, Ds.I.

2002-01-01

Full text: At the present time contra dictionary and variously kind opinions concern to effect of different level of irradiation on the structure and functional activity of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the key a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of catecholamines are discussed in this study. To date, the effect of the irradiation on the both catalytic and N-terminal regulatory domains of TH localized in the different parts of the brain has been established. Th is responsible for dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline catecholamines neuro mediators biosynthesis, so a number of pathological changes in an organism has been induced by the structural reorganization different parts of the TH domains under pathological effect of environment. The available conformational states of the human TH type 1 (hTH1) regulatory domain, the activity of which is regulated by the feedback inhibition of the catecholamine products including dopamine has been established by the method of molecular mechanics. It is shown that N-terminal sequence Met30-Ser40 of hTH1 located between the two a-helices (residues 16-29 and residues 41-59) has a number of low-energy conformational states. The most available structures consists of b-turn type II on the pentapeptide fragment of hTH1. This fragment distortion under pathological factors effect, i.e. irradiation may lead to global reorganization in enzyme structure as well as at the enzyme catalytic and regulatory functions

Mapping cis-Regulatory Domains in the Human Genome UsingMulti-Species Conservation of Synteny

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahituv, Nadav; Prabhakar, Shyam; Poulin, Francis; Rubin, EdwardM.; Couronne, Olivier

2005-06-13

Our inability to associate distant regulatory elements with the genes that they regulate has largely precluded their examination for sequence alterations contributing to human disease. One major obstacle is the large genomic space surrounding targeted genes in which such elements could potentially reside. In order to delineate gene regulatory boundaries we used whole-genome human-mouse-chicken (HMC) and human-mouse-frog (HMF) multiple alignments to compile conserved blocks of synteny (CBS), under the hypothesis that these blocks have been kept intact throughout evolution at least in part by the requirement of regulatory elements to stay linked to the genes that they regulate. A total of 2,116 and 1,942 CBS>200 kb were assembled for HMC and HMF respectively, encompassing 1.53 and 0.86 Gb of human sequence. To support the existence of complex long-range regulatory domains within these CBS we analyzed the prevalence and distribution of chromosomal aberrations leading to position effects (disruption of a genes regulatory environment), observing a clear bias not only for mapping onto CBS but also for longer CBS size. Our results provide a genome wide data set characterizing the regulatory domains of genes and the conserved regulatory elements within them.

A protein domain interaction interface database: InterPare

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Lee Jungsul

2005-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Most proteins function by interacting with other molecules. Their interaction interfaces are highly conserved throughout evolution to avoid undesirable interactions that lead to fatal disorders in cells. Rational drug discovery includes computational methods to identify the interaction sites of lead compounds to the target molecules. Identifying and classifying protein interaction interfaces on a large scale can help researchers discover drug targets more efficiently. Description We introduce a large-scale protein domain interaction interface database called InterPare http://interpare.net. It contains both inter-chain (between chains interfaces and intra-chain (within chain interfaces. InterPare uses three methods to detect interfaces: 1 the geometric distance method for checking the distance between atoms that belong to different domains, 2 Accessible Surface Area (ASA, a method for detecting the buried region of a protein that is detached from a solvent when forming multimers or complexes, and 3 the Voronoi diagram, a computational geometry method that uses a mathematical definition of interface regions. InterPare includes visualization tools to display protein interior, surface, and interaction interfaces. It also provides statistics such as the amino acid propensities of queried protein according to its interior, surface, and interface region. The atom coordinates that belong to interface, surface, and interior regions can be downloaded from the website. Conclusion InterPare is an open and public database server for protein interaction interface information. It contains the large-scale interface data for proteins whose 3D-structures are known. As of November 2004, there were 10,583 (Geometric distance, 10,431 (ASA, and 11,010 (Voronoi diagram entries in the Protein Data Bank (PDB containing interfaces, according to the above three methods. In the case of the geometric distance method, there are 31,620 inter-chain domain-domain

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic characterization of the PAS domains of EAG and ELK potassium channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adaixo, Ricardo; Morais-Cabral, João Henrique

2010-01-01

The N-terminal PAS domains from the eukaryotic EAG potassium channels are thought to have a regulatory function. Here the expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary crystallographic characterization of two of these domains are described. Per–Arnt–Sim (PAS) domains are ubiquitous in nature; they are ∼130-amino-acid protein domains that adopt a fairly conserved three-dimensional structure despite their low degree of sequence homology. These domains constitute the N-terminus or, less frequently, the C-terminus of a number of proteins, where they exert regulatory functions. PAS-containing proteins generally display two or more copies of this motif. In this work, the crystallization and preliminary analysis of the PAS domains of two eukaryotic potassium channels from the ether-à-go-go (EAG) family are reported

Alba-domain proteins of Trypanosoma brucei are cytoplasmic RNA-binding proteins that interact with the translation machinery.

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Jan Mani

Full Text Available Trypanosoma brucei and related pathogens transcribe most genes as polycistronic arrays that are subsequently processed into monocistronic mRNAs. Expression is frequently regulated post-transcriptionally by cis-acting elements in the untranslated regions (UTRs. GPEET and EP procyclins are the major surface proteins of procyclic (insect midgut forms of T. brucei. Three regulatory elements common to the 3' UTRs of both mRNAs regulate mRNA turnover and translation. The glycerol-responsive element (GRE is unique to the GPEET 3' UTR and regulates its expression independently from EP. A synthetic RNA encompassing the GRE showed robust sequence-specific interactions with cytoplasmic proteins in electromobility shift assays. This, combined with column chromatography, led to the identification of 3 Alba-domain proteins. RNAi against Alba3 caused a growth phenotype and reduced the levels of Alba1 and Alba2 proteins, indicative of interactions between family members. Tandem-affinity purification and co-immunoprecipitation verified these interactions and also identified Alba4 in sub-stoichiometric amounts. Alba proteins are cytoplasmic and are recruited to starvation granules together with poly(A RNA. Concomitant depletion of all four Alba proteins by RNAi specifically reduced translation of a reporter transcript flanked by the GPEET 3' UTR. Pulldown of tagged Alba proteins confirmed interactions with poly(A binding proteins, ribosomal protein P0 and, in the case of Alba3, the cap-binding protein eIF4E4. In addition, Alba2 and Alba3 partially cosediment with polyribosomes in sucrose gradients. Alba-domain proteins seem to have exhibited great functional plasticity in the course of evolution. First identified as DNA-binding proteins in Archaea, then in association with nuclear RNase MRP/P in yeast and mammalian cells, they were recently described as components of a translationally silent complex containing stage-regulated mRNAs in Plasmodium. Our results are

Unique ATPase site architecture triggers cis-mediated synchronized ATP binding in heptameric AAA+-ATPase domain of flagellar regulatory protein FlrC.

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Dey, Sanjay; Biswas, Maitree; Sen, Udayaditya; Dasgupta, Jhimli

2015-04-03

Bacterial enhancer-binding proteins (bEBPs) oligomerize through AAA(+) domains and use ATP hydrolysis-driven energy to isomerize the RNA polymerase-σ(54) complex during transcriptional initiation. Here, we describe the first structure of the central AAA(+) domain of the flagellar regulatory protein FlrC (FlrC(C)), a bEBP that controls flagellar synthesis in Vibrio cholerae. Our results showed that FlrC(C) forms heptamer both in nucleotide (Nt)-free and -bound states without ATP-dependent subunit remodeling. Unlike the bEBPs such as NtrC1 or PspF, a novel cis-mediated "all or none" ATP binding occurs in the heptameric FlrC(C), because constriction at the ATPase site, caused by loop L3 and helix α7, restricts the proximity of the trans-protomer required for Nt binding. A unique "closed to open" movement of Walker A, assisted by trans-acting "Glu switch" Glu-286, facilitates ATP binding and hydrolysis. Fluorescence quenching and ATPase assays on FlrC(C) and mutants revealed that although Arg-349 of sensor II, positioned by trans-acting Glu-286 and Tyr-290, acts as a key residue to bind and hydrolyze ATP, Arg-319 of α7 anchors ribose and controls the rate of ATP hydrolysis by retarding the expulsion of ADP. Heptameric state of FlrC(C) is restored in solution even with the transition state mimicking ADP·AlF3. Structural results and pulldown assays indicated that L3 renders an in-built geometry to L1 and L2 causing σ(54)-FlrC(C) interaction independent of Nt binding. Collectively, our results underscore a novel mechanism of ATP binding and σ(54) interaction that strives to understand the transcriptional mechanism of the bEBPs, which probably interact directly with the RNA polymerase-σ(54) complex without DNA looping. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Prediction of Cancer Proteins by Integrating Protein Interaction, Domain Frequency, and Domain Interaction Data Using Machine Learning Algorithms

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Chien-Hung Huang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Many proteins are known to be associated with cancer diseases. It is quite often that their precise functional role in disease pathogenesis remains unclear. A strategy to gain a better understanding of the function of these proteins is to make use of a combination of different aspects of proteomics data types. In this study, we extended Aragues’s method by employing the protein-protein interaction (PPI data, domain-domain interaction (DDI data, weighted domain frequency score (DFS, and cancer linker degree (CLD data to predict cancer proteins. Performances were benchmarked based on three kinds of experiments as follows: (I using individual algorithm, (II combining algorithms, and (III combining the same classification types of algorithms. When compared with Aragues’s method, our proposed methods, that is, machine learning algorithm and voting with the majority, are significantly superior in all seven performance measures. We demonstrated the accuracy of the proposed method on two independent datasets. The best algorithm can achieve a hit ratio of 89.4% and 72.8% for lung cancer dataset and lung cancer microarray study, respectively. It is anticipated that the current research could help understand disease mechanisms and diagnosis.

Ligand Binding Domain Protein in Tetracycline-Inducible Expression

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To investigate tetracycline-inducible expression system for producing clinically usable, highquality liver X receptor ligand-binding domain recombinant protein. Methods: In this study, we have expressed and purified the recombinant liver X receptor β-ligand binding domain proteins in E. coli using a tetracycline ...

Domain organizations of modular extracellular matrix proteins and their evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, J

1996-11-01

Multidomain proteins which are composed of modular units are a rather recent invention of evolution. Domains are defined as autonomously folding regions of a protein, and many of them are similar in sequence and structure, indicating common ancestry. Their modular nature is emphasized by frequent repetitions in identical or in different proteins and by a large number of different combinations with other domains. The extracellular matrix is perhaps the largest biological system composed of modular mosaic proteins, and its astonishing complexity and diversity are based on them. A cluster of minireviews on modular proteins is being published in Matrix Biology. These deal with the evolution of modular proteins, the three-dimensional structure of domains and the ways in which these interact in a multidomain protein. They discuss structure-function relationships in calcium binding domains, collagen helices, alpha-helical coiled-coil domains and C-lectins. The present minireview is focused on some general aspects and serves as an introduction to the cluster.

Signatures of pleiotropy, economy and convergent evolution in a domain-resolved map of human-virus protein-protein interaction networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Garamszegi, Sara; Franzosa, Eric A; Xia, Yu

2013-01-01

A central challenge in host-pathogen systems biology is the elucidation of general, systems-level principles that distinguish host-pathogen interactions from within-host interactions. Current analyses of host-pathogen and within-host protein-protein interaction networks are largely limited by their resolution, treating proteins as nodes and interactions as edges. Here, we construct a domain-resolved map of human-virus and within-human protein-protein interaction networks by annotating protein interactions with high-coverage, high-accuracy, domain-centric interaction mechanisms: (1) domain-domain interactions, in which a domain in one protein binds to a domain in a second protein, and (2) domain-motif interactions, in which a domain in one protein binds to a short, linear peptide motif in a second protein. Analysis of these domain-resolved networks reveals, for the first time, significant mechanistic differences between virus-human and within-human interactions at the resolution of single domains. While human proteins tend to compete with each other for domain binding sites by means of sequence similarity, viral proteins tend to compete with human proteins for domain binding sites in the absence of sequence similarity. Independent of their previously established preference for targeting human protein hubs, viral proteins also preferentially target human proteins containing linear motif-binding domains. Compared to human proteins, viral proteins participate in more domain-motif interactions, target more unique linear motif-binding domains per residue, and contain more unique linear motifs per residue. Together, these results suggest that viruses surmount genome size constraints by convergently evolving multiple short linear motifs in order to effectively mimic, hijack, and manipulate complex host processes for their survival. Our domain-resolved analyses reveal unique signatures of pleiotropy, economy, and convergent evolution in viral-host interactions that are

DomPep--a general method for predicting modular domain-mediated protein-protein interactions.

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Lei Li

Full Text Available Protein-protein interactions (PPIs are frequently mediated by the binding of a modular domain in one protein to a short, linear peptide motif in its partner. The advent of proteomic methods such as peptide and protein arrays has led to the accumulation of a wealth of interaction data for modular interaction domains. Although several computational programs have been developed to predict modular domain-mediated PPI events, they are often restricted to a given domain type. We describe DomPep, a method that can potentially be used to predict PPIs mediated by any modular domains. DomPep combines proteomic data with sequence information to achieve high accuracy and high coverage in PPI prediction. Proteomic binding data were employed to determine a simple yet novel parameter Ligand-Binding Similarity which, in turn, is used to calibrate Domain Sequence Identity and Position-Weighted-Matrix distance, two parameters that are used in constructing prediction models. Moreover, DomPep can be used to predict PPIs for both domains with experimental binding data and those without. Using the PDZ and SH2 domain families as test cases, we show that DomPep can predict PPIs with accuracies superior to existing methods. To evaluate DomPep as a discovery tool, we deployed DomPep to identify interactions mediated by three human PDZ domains. Subsequent in-solution binding assays validated the high accuracy of DomPep in predicting authentic PPIs at the proteome scale. Because DomPep makes use of only interaction data and the primary sequence of a domain, it can be readily expanded to include other types of modular domains.

Modulation of catalytic activity in multi-domain protein tyrosine phosphatases.

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Lalima L Madan

Full Text Available Signaling mechanisms involving protein tyrosine phosphatases govern several cellular and developmental processes. These enzymes are regulated by several mechanisms which include variation in the catalytic turnover rate based on redox stimuli, subcellular localization or protein-protein interactions. In the case of Receptor Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases (RPTPs containing two PTP domains, phosphatase activity is localized in their membrane-proximal (D1 domains, while the membrane-distal (D2 domain is believed to play a modulatory role. Here we report our analysis of the influence of the D2 domain on the catalytic activity and substrate specificity of the D1 domain using two Drosophila melanogaster RPTPs as a model system. Biochemical studies reveal contrasting roles for the D2 domain of Drosophila Leukocyte antigen Related (DLAR and Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase on Drosophila chromosome band 99A (PTP99A. While D2 lowers the catalytic activity of the D1 domain in DLAR, the D2 domain of PTP99A leads to an increase in the catalytic activity of its D1 domain. Substrate specificity, on the other hand, is cumulative, whereby the individual specificities of the D1 and D2 domains contribute to the substrate specificity of these two-domain enzymes. Molecular dynamics simulations on structural models of DLAR and PTP99A reveal a conformational rationale for the experimental observations. These studies reveal that concerted structural changes mediate inter-domain communication resulting in either inhibitory or activating effects of the membrane distal PTP domain on the catalytic activity of the membrane proximal PTP domain.

BAR domain proteins regulate Rho GTPase signaling.

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Aspenström, Pontus

2014-01-01

BAR proteins comprise a heterogeneous group of multi-domain proteins with diverse biological functions. The common denominator is the Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs (BAR) domain that not only confers targeting to lipid bilayers, but also provides scaffolding to mold lipid membranes into concave or convex surfaces. This function of BAR proteins is an important determinant in the dynamic reconstruction of membrane vesicles, as well as of the plasma membrane. Several BAR proteins function as linkers between cytoskeletal regulation and membrane dynamics. These links are provided by direct interactions between BAR proteins and actin-nucleation-promoting factors of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein family and the Diaphanous-related formins. The Rho GTPases are key factors for orchestration of this intricate interplay. This review describes how BAR proteins regulate the activity of Rho GTPases, as well as how Rho GTPases regulate the function of BAR proteins. This mutual collaboration is a central factor in the regulation of vital cellular processes, such as cell migration, cytokinesis, intracellular transport, endocytosis, and exocytosis.

Structure of synaptophysin: a hexameric MARVEL-domain channel protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Arthur, Christopher P; Stowell, Michael H B

2007-06-01

Synaptophysin I (SypI) is an archetypal member of the MARVEL-domain family of integral membrane proteins and one of the first synaptic vesicle proteins to be identified and cloned. Most all MARVEL-domain proteins are involved in membrane apposition and vesicle-trafficking events, but their precise role in these processes is unclear. We have purified mammalian SypI and determined its three-dimensional (3D) structure by using electron microscopy and single-particle 3D reconstruction. The hexameric structure resembles an open basket with a large pore and tenuous interactions within the cytosolic domain. The structure suggests a model for Synaptophysin's role in fusion and recycling that is regulated by known interactions with the SNARE machinery. This 3D structure of a MARVEL-domain protein provides a structural foundation for understanding the role of these important proteins in a variety of biological processes.

Topology and weights in a protein domain interaction network--a novel way to predict protein interactions.

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Wuchty, Stefan

2006-05-23

While the analysis of unweighted biological webs as diverse as genetic, protein and metabolic networks allowed spectacular insights in the inner workings of a cell, biological networks are not only determined by their static grid of links. In fact, we expect that the heterogeneity in the utilization of connections has a major impact on the organization of cellular activities as well. We consider a web of interactions between protein domains of the Protein Family database (PFAM), which are weighted by a probability score. We apply metrics that combine the static layout and the weights of the underlying interactions. We observe that unweighted measures as well as their weighted counterparts largely share the same trends in the underlying domain interaction network. However, we only find weak signals that weights and the static grid of interactions are connected entities. Therefore assuming that a protein interaction is governed by a single domain interaction, we observe strong and significant correlations of the highest scoring domain interaction and the confidence of protein interactions in the underlying interactions of yeast and fly. Modeling an interaction between proteins if we find a high scoring protein domain interaction we obtain 1, 428 protein interactions among 361 proteins in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Assessing their quality by a logistic regression method we observe that increasing confidence of predicted interactions is accompanied by high scoring domain interactions and elevated levels of functional similarity and evolutionary conservation. Our results indicate that probability scores are randomly distributed, allowing to treat static grid and weights of domain interactions as separate entities. In particular, these finding confirms earlier observations that a protein interaction is a matter of a single interaction event on domain level. As an immediate application, we show a simple way to predict potential protein interactions

Signatures of pleiotropy, economy and convergent evolution in a domain-resolved map of human-virus protein-protein interaction networks.

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Sara Garamszegi

Full Text Available A central challenge in host-pathogen systems biology is the elucidation of general, systems-level principles that distinguish host-pathogen interactions from within-host interactions. Current analyses of host-pathogen and within-host protein-protein interaction networks are largely limited by their resolution, treating proteins as nodes and interactions as edges. Here, we construct a domain-resolved map of human-virus and within-human protein-protein interaction networks by annotating protein interactions with high-coverage, high-accuracy, domain-centric interaction mechanisms: (1 domain-domain interactions, in which a domain in one protein binds to a domain in a second protein, and (2 domain-motif interactions, in which a domain in one protein binds to a short, linear peptide motif in a second protein. Analysis of these domain-resolved networks reveals, for the first time, significant mechanistic differences between virus-human and within-human interactions at the resolution of single domains. While human proteins tend to compete with each other for domain binding sites by means of sequence similarity, viral proteins tend to compete with human proteins for domain binding sites in the absence of sequence similarity. Independent of their previously established preference for targeting human protein hubs, viral proteins also preferentially target human proteins containing linear motif-binding domains. Compared to human proteins, viral proteins participate in more domain-motif interactions, target more unique linear motif-binding domains per residue, and contain more unique linear motifs per residue. Together, these results suggest that viruses surmount genome size constraints by convergently evolving multiple short linear motifs in order to effectively mimic, hijack, and manipulate complex host processes for their survival. Our domain-resolved analyses reveal unique signatures of pleiotropy, economy, and convergent evolution in viral

Organization of functional domains in the docking protein p130Cas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nasertorabi, Fariborz; Garcia-Guzman, Miguel; Briknarova, Klara; Larsen, Elise; Havert, Marnie L.; Vuori, Kristiina; Ely, Kathryn R.

2004-01-01

The docking protein p130Cas becomes phosphorylated upon cell adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins, and is thought to play an essential role in cell transformation. Cas transmits signals through interactions with the Src-homology 3 (SH3) and Src-homology 2 domains of FAK or v-Crk signaling molecules, or with 14-3-3 protein, as well as phosphatases PTP1B and PTP-PEST. The large (130 kDa), multi-domain Cas molecule contains an SH3 domain, a Src-binding domain, a serine-rich protein interaction region, and a C-terminal region that participates in protein interactions implicated in antiestrogen resistance in breast cancer. In this study, as part of a long-term goal to examine the protein interactions of Cas by X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, molecular constructs were designed to express two adjacent domains, the serine-rich domain and the Src-binding domain, that each participate in intermolecular contacts dependent on protein phosphorylation. The protein products are soluble, homogeneous, monodisperse, and highly suitable for structural studies to define the role of Cas in integrin-mediated cell signaling

Hijacking Complement Regulatory Proteins for Bacterial Immune Evasion.

Science.gov (United States)

Hovingh, Elise S; van den Broek, Bryan; Jongerius, Ilse

2016-01-01

The human complement system plays an important role in the defense against invading pathogens, inflammation and homeostasis. Invading microbes, such as bacteria, directly activate the complement system resulting in the formation of chemoattractants and in effective labeling of the bacteria for phagocytosis. In addition, formation of the membrane attack complex is responsible for direct killing of Gram-negative bacteria. In turn, bacteria have evolved several ways to evade complement activation on their surface in order to be able to colonize and invade the human host. One important mechanism of bacterial escape is attraction of complement regulatory proteins to the microbial surface. These molecules are present in the human body for tight regulation of the complement system to prevent damage to host self-surfaces. Therefore, recruitment of complement regulatory proteins to the bacterial surface results in decreased complement activation on the microbial surface which favors bacterial survival. This review will discuss recent advances in understanding the binding of complement regulatory proteins to the bacterial surface at the molecular level. This includes, new insights that have become available concerning specific conserved motives on complement regulatory proteins that are favorable for microbial binding. Finally, complement evasion molecules are of high importance for vaccine development due to their dominant role in bacterial survival, high immunogenicity and homology as well as their presence on the bacterial surface. Here, the use of complement evasion molecules for vaccine development will be discussed.

Big domains are novel Ca²+-binding modules: evidences from big domains of Leptospira immunoglobulin-like (Lig) proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Raman, Rajeev; Rajanikanth, V; Palaniappan, Raghavan U M; Lin, Yi-Pin; He, Hongxuan; McDonough, Sean P; Sharma, Yogendra; Chang, Yung-Fu

2010-12-29

Many bacterial surface exposed proteins mediate the host-pathogen interaction more effectively in the presence of Ca²+. Leptospiral immunoglobulin-like (Lig) proteins, LigA and LigB, are surface exposed proteins containing Bacterial immunoglobulin like (Big) domains. The function of proteins which contain Big fold is not known. Based on the possible similarities of immunoglobulin and βγ-crystallin folds, we here explore the important question whether Ca²+ binds to a Big domains, which would provide a novel functional role of the proteins containing Big fold. We selected six individual Big domains for this study (three from the conserved part of LigA and LigB, denoted as Lig A3, Lig A4, and LigBCon5; two from the variable region of LigA, i.e., 9(th) (Lig A9) and 10(th) repeats (Lig A10); and one from the variable region of LigB, i.e., LigBCen2. We have also studied the conserved region covering the three and six repeats (LigBCon1-3 and LigCon). All these proteins bind the calcium-mimic dye Stains-all. All the selected four domains bind Ca²+ with dissociation constants of 2-4 µM. Lig A9 and Lig A10 domains fold well with moderate thermal stability, have β-sheet conformation and form homodimers. Fluorescence spectra of Big domains show a specific doublet (at 317 and 330 nm), probably due to Trp interaction with a Phe residue. Equilibrium unfolding of selected Big domains is similar and follows a two-state model, suggesting the similarity in their fold. We demonstrate that the Lig are Ca²+-binding proteins, with Big domains harbouring the binding motif. We conclude that despite differences in sequence, a Big motif binds Ca²+. This work thus sets up a strong possibility for classifying the proteins containing Big domains as a novel family of Ca²+-binding proteins. Since Big domain is a part of many proteins in bacterial kingdom, we suggest a possible function these proteins via Ca²+ binding.

Transmembrane START domain proteins: in silico identification, characterization and expression analysis under stress conditions in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Satheesh, Viswanathan; Chidambaranathan, Parameswaran; Jagannadham, Prasanth Tejkumar; Kumar, Vajinder; Jain, Pradeep K; Chinnusamy, Viswanathan; Bhat, Shripad R; Srinivasan, R

2016-01-01

Steroidogenic acute regulatory related transfer (StART) proteins that are involved in transport of lipid molecules, play a myriad of functions in insects, mammals and plants. These proteins consist of a modular START domain of approximately 200 amino acids which binds and transfers the lipids. In the present study we have performed a genome-wide search for all START domain proteins in chickpea. The search identified 36 chickpea genes belonging to the START domain family. Through a phylogenetic tree reconstructed with Arabidopsis, rice, chickpea, and soybean START proteins, we were able to identify four transmembrane START (TM-START) proteins in chickpea. These four proteins are homologous to the highly conserved mammalian phosphatidylcholine transfer proteins. Multiple sequence alignment of all the transmembrane containing START proteins from Arabidopsis, rice, chickpea, and soybean revealed that the amino acid residues to which phosphatidylcholine binds in mammals, is also conserved in all these plant species, implying an important functional role and a very similar mode of action of all these proteins across dicots and monocots. This study characterizes a few of the not so well studied transmembrane START superfamily genes that may be involved in stress signaling. Expression analysis in various tissues showed that these genes are predominantly expressed in flowers and roots of chickpea. Three of the chickpea TM-START genes showed induced expression in response to drought, salt, wound and heat stress, suggesting their role in stress response.

Improving pairwise comparison of protein sequences with domain co-occurrence

Science.gov (United States)

Gascuel, Olivier

2018-01-01

Comparing and aligning protein sequences is an essential task in bioinformatics. More specifically, local alignment tools like BLAST are widely used for identifying conserved protein sub-sequences, which likely correspond to protein domains or functional motifs. However, to limit the number of false positives, these tools are used with stringent sequence-similarity thresholds and hence can miss several hits, especially for species that are phylogenetically distant from reference organisms. A solution to this problem is then to integrate additional contextual information to the procedure. Here, we propose to use domain co-occurrence to increase the sensitivity of pairwise sequence comparisons. Domain co-occurrence is a strong feature of proteins, since most protein domains tend to appear with a limited number of other domains on the same protein. We propose a method to take this information into account in a typical BLAST analysis and to construct new domain families on the basis of these results. We used Plasmodium falciparum as a case study to evaluate our method. The experimental findings showed an increase of 14% of the number of significant BLAST hits and an increase of 25% of the proteome area that can be covered with a domain. Our method identified 2240 new domains for which, in most cases, no model of the Pfam database could be linked. Moreover, our study of the quality of the new domains in terms of alignment and physicochemical properties show that they are close to that of standard Pfam domains. Source code of the proposed approach and supplementary data are available at: https://gite.lirmm.fr/menichelli/pairwise-comparison-with-cooccurrence PMID:29293498

Protein domain analysis of genomic sequence data reveals regulation of LRR related domains in plant transpiration in Ficus.

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Tiange; Yin, Kangquan; Liu, Jinyu; Cao, Kunfang; Cannon, Charles H; Du, Fang K

2014-01-01

Predicting protein domains is essential for understanding a protein's function at the molecular level. However, up till now, there has been no direct and straightforward method for predicting protein domains in species without a reference genome sequence. In this study, we developed a functionality with a set of programs that can predict protein domains directly from genomic sequence data without a reference genome. Using whole genome sequence data, the programming functionality mainly comprised DNA assembly in combination with next-generation sequencing (NGS) assembly methods and traditional methods, peptide prediction and protein domain prediction. The proposed new functionality avoids problems associated with de novo assembly due to micro reads and small single repeats. Furthermore, we applied our functionality for the prediction of leucine rich repeat (LRR) domains in four species of Ficus with no reference genome, based on NGS genomic data. We found that the LRRNT_2 and LRR_8 domains are related to plant transpiration efficiency, as indicated by the stomata index, in the four species of Ficus. The programming functionality established in this study provides new insights for protein domain prediction, which is particularly timely in the current age of NGS data expansion.

Protein kinase A regulatory subunit distribution in medulloblastoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mucignat-Caretta, Carla; Denaro, Luca; Redaelli, Marco; D'Avella, Domenico; Caretta, Antonio

2010-01-01

Previous studies showed a differential distribution of the four regulatory subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinases inside the brain, that changed in rodent gliomas: therefore, the distribution of these proteins inside the brain can give information on the functional state of the cells. Our goal was to examine human brain tumors to provide evidence for a differential distribution of protein kinase A in different tumors. The distribution of detergent insoluble regulatory (R1 and R2) and catalytic subunits of cAMP dependent kinases was examined in pediatric brain tumors by immunohistochemistry and fluorescent cAMP analogues binding. R2 is organized in large single dots in medulloblastomas, while it has a different appearance in other tumors. Fluorescent cAMP labelling was observed only in medulloblastoma. A different distribution of cAMP dependent protein kinases has been observed in medulloblastoma

Solution structure and dynamics of C-terminal regulatory domain of Vibrio vulnificus extracellular metalloprotease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yun, Ji-Hye; Kim, Heeyoun [Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jung Eun [Department of Biotechnology, College of Natural Sciences, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jung Sup, E-mail: jsplee@mail.chosun.ac.kr [Department of Biotechnology, College of Natural Sciences, Chosun University, Gwangju 501-759 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Weontae, E-mail: wlee@spin.yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

2013-01-11

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We have determined solution structures of vEP C-terminal regulatory domain. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer vEP C-ter100 has a compact {beta}-barrel structure with eight anti-parallel {beta}-strands. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Solution structure of vEP C-ter100 shares its molecular topology with that of the collagen-binding domain of collagenase. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Residues in the {beta}3 region of vEP C-ter100 might be important in putative ligand/receptor binding. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer vEP C-ter100 interacts strongly with iron ion. -- Abstract: An extracellular metalloprotease (vEP) secreted by Vibrio vulnificus ATCC29307 is a 45-kDa proteolytic enzyme that has prothrombin activation and fibrinolytic activities during bacterial infection. The action of vEP could result in clotting that could serve to protect the bacteria from the host defense machinery. Very recently, we showed that the C-terminal propeptide (C-ter100), which is unique to vEP, is involved in regulation of vEP activity. To understand the structural basis of this function of vEP C-ter100, we have determined the solution structure and backbone dynamics using multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The solution structure shows that vEP C-ter100 is composed of eight anti-parallel {beta}-strands with a unique fold that has a compact {beta}-barrel formation which stabilized by hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding networks. Protein dynamics shows that the overall structure, including loops, is very rigid and stabilized. By structural database analysis, we found that vEP C-ter100 shares its topology with that of the collagen-binding domain of collagenase, despite low sequence homology between the two domains. Fluorescence assay reveals that vEP C-ter100 interacts strongly with iron (Fe{sup 3+}). These findings suggest that vEP protease might recruit substrate molecules, such as collagen, by binding at C-ter100 and that vEP participates

Molecular dissection of the C-terminal regulatory domain of the plant plasma membrane H+-ATPase AHA2: Mapping of residues that when altered give rise to an activated enzyme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Axelsen, K.B.; Venema, K.; Jah, T.

1999-01-01

in an extension of the C-terminus unique to plant H+-ATPases, Alteration of residues in both regions led to increased binding of yeast 14-3-3 protein to the plasma membrane of transformed cells. Taken together, our data suggest that modification of residues in two regions of the C-terminal regulatory domain......The plasma membrane H+-ATPase is a proton pump belonging to the P-type ATPase superfamily and is important for nutrient acquisition in plants, The H+-ATPase is controlled by an autoinhibitory C-terminal regulatory domain and is activated by 14-3-3 proteins which bind to this part of the enzyme......+-ATPase. The enzymes were characterized by their ability to promote growth in acidic conditions and to promote H+ extrusion from intact cells, both of which are measures of plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity, and were also characterized with respect to kinetic properties such as affinity for H+ and ATP. Residues...

NovelFam3000 – Uncharacterized human protein domains conserved across model organisms

Science.gov (United States)

Kemmer, Danielle; Podowski, Raf M; Arenillas, David; Lim, Jonathan; Hodges, Emily; Roth, Peggy; Sonnhammer, Erik LL; Höög, Christer; Wasserman, Wyeth W

2006-01-01

Background Despite significant efforts from the research community, an extensive portion of the proteins encoded by human genes lack an assigned cellular function. Most metazoan proteins are composed of structural and/or functional domains, of which many appear in multiple proteins. Once a domain is characterized in one protein, the presence of a similar sequence in an uncharacterized protein serves as a basis for inference of function. Thus knowledge of a domain's function, or the protein within which it arises, can facilitate the analysis of an entire set of proteins. Description From the Pfam domain database, we extracted uncharacterized protein domains represented in proteins from humans, worms, and flies. A data centre was created to facilitate the analysis of the uncharacterized domain-containing proteins. The centre both provides researchers with links to dispersed internet resources containing gene-specific experimental data and enables them to post relevant experimental results or comments. For each human gene in the system, a characterization score is posted, allowing users to track the progress of characterization over time or to identify for study uncharacterized domains in well-characterized genes. As a test of the system, a subset of 39 domains was selected for analysis and the experimental results posted to the NovelFam3000 system. For 25 human protein members of these 39 domain families, detailed sub-cellular localizations were determined. Specific observations are presented based on the analysis of the integrated information provided through the online NovelFam3000 system. Conclusion Consistent experimental results between multiple members of a domain family allow for inferences of the domain's functional role. We unite bioinformatics resources and experimental data in order to accelerate the functional characterization of scarcely annotated domain families. PMID:16533400

NovelFam3000 – Uncharacterized human protein domains conserved across model organisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonnhammer Erik LL

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite significant efforts from the research community, an extensive portion of the proteins encoded by human genes lack an assigned cellular function. Most metazoan proteins are composed of structural and/or functional domains, of which many appear in multiple proteins. Once a domain is characterized in one protein, the presence of a similar sequence in an uncharacterized protein serves as a basis for inference of function. Thus knowledge of a domain's function, or the protein within which it arises, can facilitate the analysis of an entire set of proteins. Description From the Pfam domain database, we extracted uncharacterized protein domains represented in proteins from humans, worms, and flies. A data centre was created to facilitate the analysis of the uncharacterized domain-containing proteins. The centre both provides researchers with links to dispersed internet resources containing gene-specific experimental data and enables them to post relevant experimental results or comments. For each human gene in the system, a characterization score is posted, allowing users to track the progress of characterization over time or to identify for study uncharacterized domains in well-characterized genes. As a test of the system, a subset of 39 domains was selected for analysis and the experimental results posted to the NovelFam3000 system. For 25 human protein members of these 39 domain families, detailed sub-cellular localizations were determined. Specific observations are presented based on the analysis of the integrated information provided through the online NovelFam3000 system. Conclusion Consistent experimental results between multiple members of a domain family allow for inferences of the domain's functional role. We unite bioinformatics resources and experimental data in order to accelerate the functional characterization of scarcely annotated domain families.

ProteinSplit: splitting of multi-domain proteins using prediction of ordered and disordered regions in protein sequences for virtual structural genomics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wyrwicz, Lucjan S; Koczyk, Grzegorz; Rychlewski, Leszek; Plewczynski, Dariusz

2007-01-01

The annotation of protein folds within newly sequenced genomes is the main target for semi-automated protein structure prediction (virtual structural genomics). A large number of automated methods have been developed recently with very good results in the case of single-domain proteins. Unfortunately, most of these automated methods often fail to properly predict the distant homology between a given multi-domain protein query and structural templates. Therefore a multi-domain protein should be split into domains in order to overcome this limitation. ProteinSplit is designed to identify protein domain boundaries using a novel algorithm that predicts disordered regions in protein sequences. The software utilizes various sequence characteristics to assess the local propensity of a protein to be disordered or ordered in terms of local structure stability. These disordered parts of a protein are likely to create interdomain spacers. Because of its speed and portability, the method was successfully applied to several genome-wide fold annotation experiments. The user can run an automated analysis of sets of proteins or perform semi-automated multiple user projects (saving the results on the server). Additionally the sequences of predicted domains can be sent to the Bioinfo.PL Protein Structure Prediction Meta-Server for further protein three-dimensional structure and function prediction. The program is freely accessible as a web service at http://lucjan.bioinfo.pl/proteinsplit together with detailed benchmark results on the critical assessment of a fully automated structure prediction (CAFASP) set of sequences. The source code of the local version of protein domain boundary prediction is available upon request from the authors

Cloning, overexpression, purification and preliminary X-ray analysis of a feast/famine regulatory protein (Rv2779c) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv.

Science.gov (United States)

Dey, Abhishek; Ramachandran, Ravishankar

2014-01-01

Rv2779c from Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a feast/famine regulatory protein. This class of proteins are also known as the leucine-responsive regulatory protein/asparagine synthase C family (Lrp/AsnC) of transcriptional regulators and are known to be involved in various metabolic processes in bacteria and fungi. They contain a RAM (regulator of amino-acid metabolism) domain that is rarely found in humans and acts as the oligomerization domain. Since the oligomeric status is often linked to the particular functional role in these proteins, binding of ligands to the domain can elicit specific functional responses. Full-length Rv2779c corresponding to a molecular mass of 19.8 kDa and 179 residues was cloned and purified to homogeneity following transformation into Escherichia coli C41 (DE3) cells. Crystals were grown by vapour diffusion using the hanging-drop method. Diffraction data extending to 2.8 Å resolution were collected from a single crystal that belonged to space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 99.6, b = 146.0, c = 49.9 Å. Matthews coefficient (VM) calculations suggest that four molecules are present in the asymmetric unit, corresponding to a solvent content of ∼46%. Molecular-replacement calculations using the crystal structure of a homologue, Rv3291c, as the search model gave an unambiguous solution corresponding to four subunits in the asymmetric unit.

Big domains are novel Ca²+-binding modules: evidences from big domains of Leptospira immunoglobulin-like (Lig proteins.

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Rajeev Raman

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Many bacterial surface exposed proteins mediate the host-pathogen interaction more effectively in the presence of Ca²+. Leptospiral immunoglobulin-like (Lig proteins, LigA and LigB, are surface exposed proteins containing Bacterial immunoglobulin like (Big domains. The function of proteins which contain Big fold is not known. Based on the possible similarities of immunoglobulin and βγ-crystallin folds, we here explore the important question whether Ca²+ binds to a Big domains, which would provide a novel functional role of the proteins containing Big fold. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We selected six individual Big domains for this study (three from the conserved part of LigA and LigB, denoted as Lig A3, Lig A4, and LigBCon5; two from the variable region of LigA, i.e., 9(th (Lig A9 and 10(th repeats (Lig A10; and one from the variable region of LigB, i.e., LigBCen2. We have also studied the conserved region covering the three and six repeats (LigBCon1-3 and LigCon. All these proteins bind the calcium-mimic dye Stains-all. All the selected four domains bind Ca²+ with dissociation constants of 2-4 µM. Lig A9 and Lig A10 domains fold well with moderate thermal stability, have β-sheet conformation and form homodimers. Fluorescence spectra of Big domains show a specific doublet (at 317 and 330 nm, probably due to Trp interaction with a Phe residue. Equilibrium unfolding of selected Big domains is similar and follows a two-state model, suggesting the similarity in their fold. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that the Lig are Ca²+-binding proteins, with Big domains harbouring the binding motif. We conclude that despite differences in sequence, a Big motif binds Ca²+. This work thus sets up a strong possibility for classifying the proteins containing Big domains as a novel family of Ca²+-binding proteins. Since Big domain is a part of many proteins in bacterial kingdom, we suggest a possible function these proteins via Ca²+ binding.

Membrane and Protein Interactions of the Pleckstrin Homology Domain Superfamily

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Marc Lenoir

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The human genome encodes about 285 proteins that contain at least one annotated pleckstrin homology (PH domain. As the first phosphoinositide binding module domain to be discovered, the PH domain recruits diverse protein architectures to cellular membranes. PH domains constitute one of the largest protein superfamilies, and have diverged to regulate many different signaling proteins and modules such as Dbl homology (DH and Tec homology (TH domains. The ligands of approximately 70 PH domains have been validated by binding assays and complexed structures, allowing meaningful extrapolation across the entire superfamily. Here the Membrane Optimal Docking Area (MODA program is used at a genome-wide level to identify all membrane docking PH structures and map their lipid-binding determinants. In addition to the linear sequence motifs which are employed for phosphoinositide recognition, the three dimensional structural features that allow peripheral membrane domains to approach and insert into the bilayer are pinpointed and can be predicted ab initio. The analysis shows that conserved structural surfaces distinguish which PH domains associate with membrane from those that do not. Moreover, the results indicate that lipid-binding PH domains can be classified into different functional subgroups based on the type of membrane insertion elements they project towards the bilayer.

Membrane and Protein Interactions of the Pleckstrin Homology Domain Superfamily.

Science.gov (United States)

Lenoir, Marc; Kufareva, Irina; Abagyan, Ruben; Overduin, Michael

2015-10-23

The human genome encodes about 285 proteins that contain at least one annotated pleckstrin homology (PH) domain. As the first phosphoinositide binding module domain to be discovered, the PH domain recruits diverse protein architectures to cellular membranes. PH domains constitute one of the largest protein superfamilies, and have diverged to regulate many different signaling proteins and modules such as Dbl homology (DH) and Tec homology (TH) domains. The ligands of approximately 70 PH domains have been validated by binding assays and complexed structures, allowing meaningful extrapolation across the entire superfamily. Here the Membrane Optimal Docking Area (MODA) program is used at a genome-wide level to identify all membrane docking PH structures and map their lipid-binding determinants. In addition to the linear sequence motifs which are employed for phosphoinositide recognition, the three dimensional structural features that allow peripheral membrane domains to approach and insert into the bilayer are pinpointed and can be predicted ab initio. The analysis shows that conserved structural surfaces distinguish which PH domains associate with membrane from those that do not. Moreover, the results indicate that lipid-binding PH domains can be classified into different functional subgroups based on the type of membrane insertion elements they project towards the bilayer.

ProteinAC: a frequency domain technique for analyzing protein dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Bozkurt Varolgunes, Yasemin; Demir, Alper

2018-03-01

It is widely believed that the interactions of proteins with ligands and other proteins are determined by their dynamic characteristics as opposed to only static, time-invariant processes. We propose a novel computational technique, called ProteinAC (PAC), that can be used to analyze small scale functional protein motions as well as interactions with ligands directly in the frequency domain. PAC was inspired by a frequency domain analysis technique that is widely used in electronic circuit design, and can be applied to both coarse-grained and all-atom models. It can be considered as a generalization of previously proposed static perturbation-response methods, where the frequency of the perturbation becomes the key. We discuss the precise relationship of PAC to static perturbation-response schemes. We show that the frequency of the perturbation may be an important factor in protein dynamics. Perturbations at different frequencies may result in completely different response behavior while magnitude and direction are kept constant. Furthermore, we introduce several novel frequency dependent metrics that can be computed via PAC in order to characterize response behavior. We present results for the ferric binding protein that demonstrate the potential utility of the proposed techniques.

UBA domain containing proteins in fission yeast

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartmann-Petersen, Rasmus; Semple, Colin A M; Ponting, Chris P

2003-01-01

characterised on both the functional and structural levels. One example of a widespread ubiquitin binding module is the ubiquitin associated (UBA) domain. Here, we discuss the approximately 15 UBA domain containing proteins encoded in the relatively small genome of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe...

Topology and weights in a protein domain interaction network – a novel way to predict protein interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wuchty Stefan

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background While the analysis of unweighted biological webs as diverse as genetic, protein and metabolic networks allowed spectacular insights in the inner workings of a cell, biological networks are not only determined by their static grid of links. In fact, we expect that the heterogeneity in the utilization of connections has a major impact on the organization of cellular activities as well. Results We consider a web of interactions between protein domains of the Protein Family database (PFAM, which are weighted by a probability score. We apply metrics that combine the static layout and the weights of the underlying interactions. We observe that unweighted measures as well as their weighted counterparts largely share the same trends in the underlying domain interaction network. However, we only find weak signals that weights and the static grid of interactions are connected entities. Therefore assuming that a protein interaction is governed by a single domain interaction, we observe strong and significant correlations of the highest scoring domain interaction and the confidence of protein interactions in the underlying interactions of yeast and fly. Modeling an interaction between proteins if we find a high scoring protein domain interaction we obtain 1, 428 protein interactions among 361 proteins in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Assessing their quality by a logistic regression method we observe that increasing confidence of predicted interactions is accompanied by high scoring domain interactions and elevated levels of functional similarity and evolutionary conservation. Conclusion Our results indicate that probability scores are randomly distributed, allowing to treat static grid and weights of domain interactions as separate entities. In particular, these finding confirms earlier observations that a protein interaction is a matter of a single interaction event on domain level. As an immediate application, we

Cellulose binding domain proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Shoseyov, Oded; Shpiegl, Itai; Goldstein, Marc; Doi, Roy

1998-01-01

A cellulose binding domain (CBD) having a high affinity for crystalline cellulose and chitin is disclosed, along with methods for the molecular cloning and recombinant production thereof. Fusion products comprising the CBD and a second protein are likewise described. A wide range of applications are contemplated for both the CBD and the fusion products, including drug delivery, affinity separations, and diagnostic techniques.

SynechoNET: integrated protein-protein interaction database of a model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

OpenAIRE

Kim, Woo-Yeon; Kang, Sungsoo; Kim, Byoung-Chul; Oh, Jeehyun; Cho, Seongwoong; Bhak, Jong; Choi, Jong-Soon

2008-01-01

Background Cyanobacteria are model organisms for studying photosynthesis, carbon and nitrogen assimilation, evolution of plant plastids, and adaptability to environmental stresses. Despite many studies on cyanobacteria, there is no web-based database of their regulatory and signaling protein-protein interaction networks to date. Description We report a database and website SynechoNET that provides predicted protein-protein interactions. SynechoNET shows cyanobacterial domain-domain interactio...

A conserved inter-domain communication mechanism regulates the ATPase activity of the AAA-protein Drg1.

Science.gov (United States)

Prattes, Michael; Loibl, Mathias; Zisser, Gertrude; Luschnig, Daniel; Kappel, Lisa; Rössler, Ingrid; Grassegger, Manuela; Hromic, Altijana; Krieger, Elmar; Gruber, Karl; Pertschy, Brigitte; Bergler, Helmut

2017-03-17

AAA-ATPases fulfil essential roles in different cellular pathways and often act in form of hexameric complexes. Interaction with pathway-specific substrate and adaptor proteins recruits them to their targets and modulates their catalytic activity. This substrate dependent regulation of ATP hydrolysis in the AAA-domains is mediated by a non-catalytic N-terminal domain. The exact mechanisms that transmit the signal from the N-domain and coordinate the individual AAA-domains in the hexameric complex are still the topic of intensive research. Here, we present the characterization of a novel mutant variant of the eukaryotic AAA-ATPase Drg1 that shows dysregulation of ATPase activity and altered interaction with Rlp24, its substrate in ribosome biogenesis. This defective regulation is the consequence of amino acid exchanges at the interface between the regulatory N-domain and the adjacent D1 AAA-domain. The effects caused by these mutations strongly resemble those of pathological mutations of the AAA-ATPase p97 which cause the hereditary proteinopathy IBMPFD (inclusion body myopathy associated with Paget's disease of the bone and frontotemporal dementia). Our results therefore suggest well conserved mechanisms of regulation between structurally, but not functionally related members of the AAA-family.

C2 Domains as Protein-Protein Interaction Modules in the Ciliary Transition Zone

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Kim Remans

2014-07-01

Full Text Available RPGR-interacting protein 1 (RPGRIP1 is mutated in the eye disease Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA and its structural homolog, RPGRIP1-like (RPGRIP1L, is mutated in many different ciliopathies. Both are multidomain proteins that are predicted to interact with retinitis pigmentosa G-protein regulator (RPGR. RPGR is mutated in X-linked retinitis pigmentosa and is located in photoreceptors and primary cilia. We solved the crystal structure of the complex between the RPGR-interacting domain (RID of RPGRIP1 and RPGR and demonstrate that RPGRIP1L binds to RPGR similarly. RPGRIP1 binding to RPGR affects the interaction with PDEδ, the cargo shuttling factor for prenylated ciliary proteins. RPGRIP1-RID is a C2 domain with a canonical β sandwich structure that does not bind Ca2+ and/or phospholipids and thus constitutes a unique type of protein-protein interaction module. Judging from the large number of C2 domains in most of the ciliary transition zone proteins identified thus far, the structure presented here seems to constitute a cilia-specific module that is present in multiprotein transition zone complexes.

Proteins with Intrinsically Disordered Domains Are Preferentially Recruited to Polyglutamine Aggregates.

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Maggie P Wear

Full Text Available Intracellular protein aggregation is the hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases. Aggregates formed by polyglutamine (polyQ-expanded proteins, such as Huntingtin, adopt amyloid-like structures that are resistant to denaturation. We used a novel purification strategy to isolate aggregates formed by human Huntingtin N-terminal fragments with expanded polyQ tracts from both yeast and mammalian (PC-12 cells. Using mass spectrometry we identified the protein species that are trapped within these polyQ aggregates. We found that proteins with very long intrinsically-disordered (ID domains (≥ 100 amino acids and RNA-binding proteins were disproportionately recruited into aggregates. The removal of the ID domains from selected proteins was sufficient to eliminate their recruitment into polyQ aggregates. We also observed that several neurodegenerative disease-linked proteins were reproducibly trapped within the polyQ aggregates purified from mammalian cells. Many of these proteins have large ID domains and are found in neuronal inclusions in their respective diseases. Our study indicates that neurodegenerative disease-associated proteins are particularly vulnerable to recruitment into polyQ aggregates via their ID domains. Also, the high frequency of ID domains in RNA-binding proteins may explain why RNA-binding proteins are frequently found in pathological inclusions in various neurodegenerative diseases.

Structure of the C-terminal heme-binding domain of THAP domain containing protein 4 from Homo sapiens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bianchetti, Christopher M.; Bingman, Craig A.; Phillips, Jr., George N. (UW)

2012-03-15

The thanatos (the Greek god of death)-associated protein (THAP) domain is a sequence-specific DNA-binding domain that contains a C2-CH (Cys-Xaa{sub 2-4}-Cys-Xaa{sub 35-50}-Cys-Xaa{sub 2}-His) zinc finger that is similar to the DNA domain of the P element transposase from Drosophila. THAP-containing proteins have been observed in the proteome of humans, pigs, cows, chickens, zebrafish, Drosophila, C. elegans, and Xenopus. To date, there are no known THAP domain proteins in plants, yeast, or bacteria. There are 12 identified human THAP domain-containing proteins (THAP0-11). In all human THAP protein, the THAP domain is located at the N-terminus and is {approx}90 residues in length. Although all of the human THAP-containing proteins have a homologous N-terminus, there is extensive variation in both the predicted structure and length of the remaining protein. Even though the exact function of these THAP proteins is not well defined, there is evidence that they play a role in cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle modulation, chromatin modification, and transcriptional regulation. THAP-containing proteins have also been implicated in a number of human disease states including heart disease, neurological defects, and several types of cancers. Human THAP4 is a 577-residue protein of unknown function that is proposed to bind DNA in a sequence-specific manner similar to THAP1 and has been found to be upregulated in response to heat shock. THAP4 is expressed in a relatively uniform manner in a broad range of tissues and appears to be upregulated in lymphoma cells and highly expressed in heart cells. The C-terminal domain of THAP4 (residues 415-577), designated here as cTHAP4, is evolutionarily conserved and is observed in all known THAP4 orthologs. Several single-domain proteins lacking a THAP domain are found in plants and bacteria and show significant levels of homology to cTHAP4. It appears that cTHAP4 belongs to a large class of proteins that have yet to be fully

Evolution of context dependent regulation by expansion of feast/famine regulatory proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Plaisier, Christopher L; Lo, Fang-Yin; Ashworth, Justin; Brooks, Aaron N; Beer, Karlyn D; Kaur, Amardeep; Pan, Min; Reiss, David J; Facciotti, Marc T; Baliga, Nitin S

2014-11-14

Expansion of transcription factors is believed to have played a crucial role in evolution of all organisms by enabling them to deal with dynamic environments and colonize new environments. We investigated how the expansion of the Feast/Famine Regulatory Protein (FFRP) or Lrp-like proteins into an eight-member family in Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1 has aided in niche-adaptation of this archaeon to a complex and dynamically changing hypersaline environment. We mapped genome-wide binding locations for all eight FFRPs, investigated their preference for binding different effector molecules, and identified the contexts in which they act by analyzing transcriptional responses across 35 growth conditions that mimic different environmental and nutritional conditions this organism is likely to encounter in the wild. Integrative analysis of these data constructed an FFRP regulatory network with conditionally active states that reveal how interrelated variations in DNA-binding domains, effector-molecule preferences, and binding sites in target gene promoters have tuned the functions of each FFRP to the environments in which they act. We demonstrate how conditional regulation of similar genes by two FFRPs, AsnC (an activator) and VNG1237C (a repressor), have striking environment-specific fitness consequences for oxidative stress management and growth, respectively. This study provides a systems perspective into the evolutionary process by which gene duplication within a transcription factor family contributes to environment-specific adaptation of an organism.

Understanding the role of BAR and SH3 domain-containing proteins in fungi

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gkourtsa, A.

2017-01-01

This thesis addresses the role of SH3 and BAR domain-containing proteins in different fungal species. SH3 domains are small modules that mediate protein-protein interactions and BAR domains are dimerization domains with membrane binding and bending properties. It is known that the ScRvs167 protein

Pleiotropy constrains the evolution of protein but not regulatory sequences in a transcription regulatory network influencing complex social behaviours

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Daria eMolodtsova

2014-12-01

Full Text Available It is increasingly apparent that genes and networks that influence complex behaviour are evolutionary conserved, which is paradoxical considering that behaviour is labile over evolutionary timescales. How does adaptive change in behaviour arise if behaviour is controlled by conserved, pleiotropic, and likely evolutionary constrained genes? Pleiotropy and connectedness are known to constrain the general rate of protein evolution, prompting some to suggest that the evolution of complex traits, including behaviour, is fuelled by regulatory sequence evolution. However, we seldom have data on the strength of selection on mutations in coding and regulatory sequences, and this hinders our ability to study how pleiotropy influences coding and regulatory sequence evolution. Here we use population genomics to estimate the strength of selection on coding and regulatory mutations for a transcriptional regulatory network that influences complex behaviour of honey bees. We found that replacement mutations in highly connected transcription factors and target genes experience significantly stronger negative selection relative to weakly connected transcription factors and targets. Adaptively evolving proteins were significantly more likely to reside at the periphery of the regulatory network, while proteins with signs of negative selection were near the core of the network. Interestingly, connectedness and network structure had minimal influence on the strength of selection on putative regulatory sequences for both transcription factors and their targets. Our study indicates that adaptive evolution of complex behaviour can arise because of positive selection on protein-coding mutations in peripheral genes, and on regulatory sequence mutations in both transcription factors and their targets throughout the network.

The DIMA web resource--exploring the protein domain network.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagel, Philipp; Oesterheld, Matthias; Stümpflen, Volker; Frishman, Dmitrij

2006-04-15

Conserved domains represent essential building blocks of most known proteins. Owing to their role as modular components carrying out specific functions they form a network based both on functional relations and direct physical interactions. We have previously shown that domain interaction networks provide substantially novel information with respect to networks built on full-length protein chains. In this work we present a comprehensive web resource for exploring the Domain Interaction MAp (DIMA), interactively. The tool aims at integration of multiple data sources and prediction techniques, two of which have been implemented so far: domain phylogenetic profiling and experimentally demonstrated domain contacts from known three-dimensional structures. A powerful yet simple user interface enables the user to compute, visualize, navigate and download domain networks based on specific search criteria. http://mips.gsf.de/genre/proj/dima

Evaluating, Comparing, and Interpreting Protein Domain Hierarchies

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Abstract Arranging protein domain sequences hierarchically into evolutionarily divergent subgroups is important for investigating evolutionary history, for speeding up web-based similarity searches, for identifying sequence determinants of protein function, and for genome annotation. However, whether or not a particular hierarchy is optimal is often unclear, and independently constructed hierarchies for the same domain can often differ significantly. This article describes methods for statistically evaluating specific aspects of a hierarchy, for probing the criteria underlying its construction and for direct comparisons between hierarchies. Information theoretical notions are used to quantify the contributions of specific hierarchical features to the underlying statistical model. Such features include subhierarchies, sequence subgroups, individual sequences, and subgroup-associated signature patterns. Underlying properties are graphically displayed in plots of each specific feature's contributions, in heat maps of pattern residue conservation, in “contrast alignments,” and through cross-mapping of subgroups between hierarchies. Together, these approaches provide a deeper understanding of protein domain functional divergence, reveal uncertainties caused by inconsistent patterns of sequence conservation, and help resolve conflicts between competing hierarchies. PMID:24559108

RNA-Binding Proteins in Trichomonas vaginalis: Atypical Multifunctional Proteins Involved in a Posttranscriptional Iron Regulatory Mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Figueroa-Angulo, Elisa E.; Calla-Choque, Jaeson S.; Mancilla-Olea, Maria Inocente; Arroyo, Rossana

2015-01-01

Iron homeostasis is highly regulated in vertebrates through a regulatory system mediated by RNA-protein interactions between the iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) that interact with an iron responsive element (IRE) located in certain mRNAs, dubbed the IRE-IRP regulatory system. Trichomonas vaginalis, the causal agent of trichomoniasis, presents high iron dependency to regulate its growth, metabolism, and virulence properties. Although T. vaginalis lacks IRPs or proteins with aconitase activity, possesses gene expression mechanisms of iron regulation at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. However, only one gene with iron regulation at the transcriptional level has been described. Recently, our research group described an iron posttranscriptional regulatory mechanism in the T. vaginalis tvcp4 and tvcp12 cysteine proteinase mRNAs. The tvcp4 and tvcp12 mRNAs have a stem-loop structure in the 5'-coding region or in the 3'-UTR, respectively that interacts with T. vaginalis multifunctional proteins HSP70, α-Actinin, and Actin under iron starvation condition, causing translation inhibition or mRNA stabilization similar to the previously characterized IRE-IRP system in eukaryotes. Herein, we summarize recent progress and shed some light on atypical RNA-binding proteins that may participate in the iron posttranscriptional regulation in T. vaginalis. PMID:26703754

Computational design of binding proteins to EGFR domain II.

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Yoon Sup Choi

Full Text Available We developed a process to produce novel interactions between two previously unrelated proteins. This process selects protein scaffolds and designs protein interfaces that bind to a surface patch of interest on a target protein. Scaffolds with shapes complementary to the target surface patch were screened using an exhaustive computational search of the human proteome and optimized by directed evolution using phage display. This method was applied to successfully design scaffolds that bind to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR domain II, the interface of EGFR dimerization, with high reactivity toward the target surface patch of EGFR domain II. One potential application of these tailor-made protein interactions is the development of therapeutic agents against specific protein targets.

Multi-PAS domain-mediated protein oligomerization of PpsR from Rhodobacter sphaeroides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heintz, Udo; Meinhart, Anton; Winkler, Andreas

2014-01-01

Crystal structures of two truncated variants of the transcription factor PpsR from R. sphaeroides are presented that enabled the phasing of a triple PAS domain construct. Together, these structures reveal the importance of α-helical PAS extensions for multi-PAS domain-mediated protein oligomerization and function. Per–ARNT–Sim (PAS) domains are essential modules of many multi-domain signalling proteins that mediate protein interaction and/or sense environmental stimuli. Frequently, multiple PAS domains are present within single polypeptide chains, where their interplay is required for protein function. Although many isolated PAS domain structures have been reported over the last decades, only a few structures of multi-PAS proteins are known. Therefore, the molecular mechanism of multi-PAS domain-mediated protein oligomerization and function is poorly understood. The transcription factor PpsR from Rhodobacter sphaeroides is such a multi-PAS domain protein that, in addition to its three PAS domains, contains a glutamine-rich linker and a C-terminal helix–turn–helix DNA-binding motif. Here, crystal structures of two N-terminally and C-terminally truncated PpsR variants that comprise a single (PpsR Q-PAS1 ) and two (PpsR N-Q-PAS1 ) PAS domains, respectively, are presented and the multi-step strategy required for the phasing of a triple PAS domain construct (PpsR ΔHTH ) is illustrated. While parts of the biologically relevant dimerization interface can already be observed in the two shorter constructs, the PpsR ΔHTH structure reveals how three PAS domains enable the formation of multiple oligomeric states (dimer, tetramer and octamer), highlighting that not only the PAS cores but also their α-helical extensions are essential for protein oligomerization. The results demonstrate that the long helical glutamine-rich linker of PpsR results from a direct fusion of the N-cap of the PAS1 domain with the C-terminal extension of the N-domain that plays an important

Quantifying information transfer by protein domains: Analysis of the Fyn SH2 domain structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenaerts, Tom; Ferkinghoff-Borg, Jesper; Stricher, Francois

2008-01-01

instance of communication over a noisy channel. In particular, we analyze the conformational correlations between protein residues and apply the concept of mutual information to quantify information exchange. Mapping out changes of mutual information on the protein structure then allows visualizing how...... distal communication is achieved. We illustrate the approach by analyzing information transfer by the SH2 domain of Fyn tyrosine kinase, obtained from Monte Carlo dynamics simulations. Our analysis reveals that the Fyn SH2 domain forms a noisy communication channel that couples residues located......Background: Efficient communication between distant sites within a protein is essential for cooperative biological response. Although often associated with large allosteric movements, more subtle changes in protein dynamics can also induce long-range correlations. However, an appropriate formalism...

An Algebro-Topological Description of Protein Domain Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Penner, Robert Clark; Knudsen, Michael; Wiuf, Carsten; Andersen, Jørgen Ellegaard

2011-01-01

The space of possible protein structures appears vast and continuous, and the relationship between primary, secondary and tertiary structure levels is complex. Protein structure comparison and classification is therefore a difficult but important task since structure is a determinant for molecular interaction and function. We introduce a novel mathematical abstraction based on geometric topology to describe protein domain structure. Using the locations of the backbone atoms and the hydrogen bonds, we build a combinatorial object – a so-called fatgraph. The description is discrete yet gives rise to a 2-dimensional mathematical surface. Thus, each protein domain corresponds to a particular mathematical surface with characteristic topological invariants, such as the genus (number of holes) and the number of boundary components. Both invariants are global fatgraph features reflecting the interconnectivity of the domain by hydrogen bonds. We introduce the notion of robust variables, that is variables that are robust towards minor changes in the structure/fatgraph, and show that the genus and the number of boundary components are robust. Further, we invesigate the distribution of different fatgraph variables and show how only four variables are capable of distinguishing different folds. We use local (secondary) and global (tertiary) fatgraph features to describe domain structures and illustrate that they are useful for classification of domains in CATH. In addition, we combine our method with two other methods thereby using primary, secondary, and tertiary structure information, and show that we can identify a large percentage of new and unclassified structures in CATH. PMID:21629687

Structural analysis of a 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase with an N-terminal chorismate mutase-like regulatory domain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Light, Samuel H.; Halavaty, Andrei S.; Minasov, George; Shuvalova, Ludmilla; Anderson, Wayne F. (NWU)

2012-06-27

3-Deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase (DAHPS) catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of a number of aromatic metabolites. Likely because this reaction is situated at a pivotal biosynthetic gateway, several DAHPS classes distinguished by distinct mechanisms of allosteric regulation have independently evolved. One class of DAHPSs contains a regulatory domain with sequence homology to chorismate mutase - an enzyme further downstream of DAHPS that catalyzes the first committed step in tyrosine/phenylalanine biosynthesis - and is inhibited by chorismate mutase substrate (chorismate) and product (prephenate). Described in this work, structures of the Listeria monocytogenes chorismate/prephenate regulated DAHPS in complex with Mn{sup 2+} and Mn{sup 2+} + phosphoenolpyruvate reveal an unusual quaternary architecture: DAHPS domains assemble as a tetramer, from either side of which chorismate mutase-like (CML) regulatory domains asymmetrically emerge to form a pair of dimers. This domain organization suggests that chorismate/prephenate binding promotes a stable interaction between the discrete regulatory and catalytic domains and supports a mechanism of allosteric inhibition similar to tyrosine/phenylalanine control of a related DAHPS class. We argue that the structural similarity of chorismate mutase enzyme and CML regulatory domain provides a unique opportunity for the design of a multitarget antibacterial.

SH3 domain tyrosine phosphorylation--sites, role and evolution.

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Zuzana Tatárová

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: SH3 domains are eukaryotic protein domains that participate in a plethora of cellular processes including signal transduction, proliferation, and cellular movement. Several studies indicate that tyrosine phosphorylation could play a significant role in the regulation of SH3 domains. RESULTS: To explore the incidence of the tyrosine phosphorylation within SH3 domains we queried the PhosphoSite Plus database of phosphorylation sites. Over 100 tyrosine phosphorylations occurring on 20 different SH3 domain positions were identified. The tyrosine corresponding to c-Src Tyr-90 was by far the most frequently identified SH3 domain phosphorylation site. A comparison of sequences around this tyrosine led to delineation of a preferred sequence motif ALYD(Y/F. This motif is present in about 15% of human SH3 domains and is structurally well conserved. We further observed that tyrosine phosphorylation is more abundant than serine or threonine phosphorylation within SH3 domains and other adaptor domains, such as SH2 or WW domains. Tyrosine phosphorylation could represent an important regulatory mechanism of adaptor domains. CONCLUSIONS: While tyrosine phosphorylation typically promotes signaling protein interactions via SH2 or PTB domains, its role in SH3 domains is the opposite - it blocks or prevents interactions. The regulatory function of tyrosine phosphorylation is most likely achieved by the phosphate moiety and its charge interfering with binding of polyproline helices of SH3 domain interacting partners.

Regulatory variants of FOXG1 in the context of its topological domain organisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mehrjouy, Mana M; Fonseca, Ana Carolina S; Ehmke, Nadja

2018-01-01

FOXG1 syndrome is caused by FOXG1 intragenic point mutations, or by long-range position effects (LRPE) of intergenic structural variants. However, the size of the FOXG1 regulatory landscape is uncertain, because the associated topologically associating domain (TAD) in fibroblasts is split into tw...

Specificity and autoregulation of Notch binding by tandem WW domains in suppressor of Deltex.

Science.gov (United States)

Jennings, Martin D; Blankley, Richard T; Baron, Martin; Golovanov, Alexander P; Avis, Johanna M

2007-09-28

WW domains target proline-tyrosine (PY) motifs and frequently function as tandem pairs. When studied in isolation, single WW domains are notably promiscuous and regulatory mechanisms are undoubtedly required to ensure selective interactions. Here, we show that the fourth WW domain (WW4) of Suppressor of Deltex, a modular Nedd4-like protein that down-regulates the Notch receptor, is the primary mediator of a direct interaction with a Notch-PY motif. A natural Trp to Phe substitution in WW4 reduces its affinity for general PY sequences and enhances selective interaction with the Notch-PY motif via compensatory specificity-determining interactions with PY-flanking residues. When WW4 is paired with WW3, domain-domain association, impeding proper folding, competes with Notch-PY binding to WW4. This novel mode of autoinhibition is relieved by binding of another ligand to WW3. Such cooperativity may facilitate the transient regulatory interactions observed in vivo between Su(dx) and Notch in the endocytic pathway. The highly conserved tandem arrangement of WW domains in Nedd4 proteins, and similar arrangements in more diverse proteins, suggests domain-domain communication may be integral to regulation of their associated cellular activities.

Crystal Structure of the FERM Domain of Focal Adhesion Kinase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ceccarelli, D.; Song, H.; Poy, F.; Schaller, M.; Eck, M.

2006-01-01

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase that localizes to focal adhesions in adherent cells. Through phosphorylation of proteins assembled at the cytoplasmic tails of integrins, FAK promotes signaling events that modulate cellular growth, survival, and migration. The amino-terminal region of FAK contains a region of sequence homology with band 4.1 and ezrin/radixin/moesin (ERM) proteins termed a FERM domain. FERM domains are found in a variety of signaling and cytoskeletal proteins and are thought to mediate intermolecular interactions with partner proteins and phospholipids at the plasma membrane and intramolecular regulatory interactions. Here we report two crystal structures of an NH2-terminal fragment of avian FAK containing the FERM domain and a portion of the regulatory linker that connects the FERM and kinase domains. The tertiary folds of the three subdomains (F1, F2, and F3) are similar to those of known FERM structures despite low sequence conservation. Differences in the sequence and relative orientation of the F3 subdomain alters the nature of the interdomain interface, and the phosphoinositide binding site found in ERM family FERM domains is not present in FAK. A putative protein interaction site on the F3 lobe is masked by the proximal region of the linker. Additionally, in one structure the adjacent Src SH3 and SH2 binding sites in the linker associate with the surfaces of the F3 and F1 lobes, respectively. These structural features suggest the possibility that protein interactions of the FAK FERM domain can be regulated by binding of Src kinases to the linker segment

Binding specificity and in vivo targets of the EH domain, a novel protein-protein interaction module

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salcini, A E; Confalonieri, S; Doria, M

1997-01-01

EH is a recently identified protein-protein interaction domain found in the signal transducers Eps15 and Eps15R and several other proteins of yeast nematode. We show that EH domains from Eps15 and Eps15R bind in vitro to peptides containing an asparagine-proline-phenylalanine (NPF) motif. Direct...

Improvement in Protein Domain Identification Is Reached by Breaking Consensus, with the Agreement of Many Profiles and Domain Co-occurrence.

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Juliana Bernardes

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Traditional protein annotation methods describe known domains with probabilistic models representing consensus among homologous domain sequences. However, when relevant signals become too weak to be identified by a global consensus, attempts for annotation fail. Here we address the fundamental question of domain identification for highly divergent proteins. By using high performance computing, we demonstrate that the limits of state-of-the-art annotation methods can be bypassed. We design a new strategy based on the observation that many structural and functional protein constraints are not globally conserved through all species but might be locally conserved in separate clades. We propose a novel exploitation of the large amount of data available: 1. for each known protein domain, several probabilistic clade-centered models are constructed from a large and differentiated panel of homologous sequences, 2. a decision-making protocol combines outcomes obtained from multiple models, 3. a multi-criteria optimization algorithm finds the most likely protein architecture. The method is evaluated for domain and architecture prediction over several datasets and statistical testing hypotheses. Its performance is compared against HMMScan and HHblits, two widely used search methods based on sequence-profile and profile-profile comparison. Due to their closeness to actual protein sequences, clade-centered models are shown to be more specific and functionally predictive than the broadly used consensus models. Based on them, we improved annotation of Plasmodium falciparum protein sequences on a scale not previously possible. We successfully predict at least one domain for 72% of P. falciparum proteins against 63% achieved previously, corresponding to 30% of improvement over the total number of Pfam domain predictions on the whole genome. The method is applicable to any genome and opens new avenues to tackle evolutionary questions such as the reconstruction of

Destabilization of Heterologous Proteins Mediated by the GSK3β Phosphorylation Domain of the β-Catenin Protein

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Yuhan Kong

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Background and Aims: Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays important roles in development and cellular processes. The hallmark of canonical Wnt signaling activation is the stabilization of β-catenin protein in cytoplasm and/or nucleus. The stability of β-catenin is the key to its biological functions and is controlled by the phosphorylation of its amino-terminal degradation domain. Aberrant activation of β-catenin signaling has been implicated in the development of human cancers. It has been recently suggested that GSK3βmay play an essential role in regulating global protein turnover. Here, we investigate if the GSK3β phosphorylation site-containing degradation domain of β-catenin is sufficient to destabilize heterologous proteins. Methods and Results: We engineer chimeric proteins by fusing β-catenin degradation domain at the N- and/or C-termini of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP. In both transient and stable expression experiments, the chimeric GFP proteins exhibit a significantly decreased stability, which can be effectively antagonized by lithium and Wnt1. An activating mutation in the destruction domain significantly stabilizes the fusion protein. Furthermore, GSK3 inhibitor SB-216763 effectively increases the GFP signal of the fusion protein. Conversely, the inhibition of Wnt signaling with tankyrase inhibitor XAV939 results in a decrease in GFP signal of the fusion proteins, while these small molecules have no significant effects on the mutant destruction domain-GFP fusion protein. Conclusion: Our findings strongly suggest that the β-catenin degradation domain may be sufficient to destabilize heterologous proteins in Wnt signaling-dependent manner. It is conceivable that the chimeric GFP proteins may be used as a functional reporter to measure the dynamic status of β-catenin signaling, and to identify potential anticancer drugs that target β-catenin signaling.

Interaction of the amyloid precursor protein-like protein 1 (APLP1) E2 domain with heparan sulfate involves two distinct binding modes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dahms, Sven O., E-mail: sdahms@fli-leibniz.de [Leibniz Institute for Age Research (FLI), Beutenbergstrasse 11, 07745 Jena (Germany); Mayer, Magnus C. [Freie Universität Berlin, Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin (Germany); Miltenyi Biotec GmbH, Robert-Koch-Strasse 1, 17166 Teterow (Germany); Roeser, Dirk [Leibniz Institute for Age Research (FLI), Beutenbergstrasse 11, 07745 Jena (Germany); Multhaup, Gerd [McGill University Montreal, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6 (Canada); Than, Manuel E., E-mail: sdahms@fli-leibniz.de [Leibniz Institute for Age Research (FLI), Beutenbergstrasse 11, 07745 Jena (Germany)

2015-03-01

Two X-ray structures of APLP1 E2 with and without a heparin dodecasaccharide are presented, revealing two distinct binding modes of the protein to heparan sulfate. The data provide a mechanistic explanation of how APP-like proteins bind to heparan sulfates and how they specifically recognize nonreducing structures of heparan sulfates. Beyond the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, the members of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) family are essential for neuronal development and cell homeostasis in mammals. APP and its paralogues APP-like protein 1 (APLP1) and APP-like protein 2 (APLP2) contain the highly conserved heparan sulfate (HS) binding domain E2, which effects various (patho)physiological functions. Here, two crystal structures of the E2 domain of APLP1 are presented in the apo form and in complex with a heparin dodecasaccharide at 2.5 Å resolution. The apo structure of APLP1 E2 revealed an unfolded and hence flexible N-terminal helix αA. The (APLP1 E2){sub 2}–(heparin){sub 2} complex structure revealed two distinct binding modes, with APLP1 E2 explicitly recognizing the heparin terminus but also interacting with a continuous heparin chain. The latter only requires a certain register of the sugar moieties that fits to a positively charged surface patch and contributes to the general heparin-binding capability of APP-family proteins. Terminal binding of APLP1 E2 to heparin specifically involves a structure of the nonreducing end that is very similar to heparanase-processed HS chains. These data reveal a conserved mechanism for the binding of APP-family proteins to HS and imply a specific regulatory role of HS modifications in the biology of APP and APP-like proteins.

Structure of a two-CAP-domain protein from the human hookworm parasite Necator americanus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asojo, Oluwatoyin A., E-mail: oasojo@unmc.edu [Pathology and Microbiology Department, 986495 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6495 (United States)

2011-05-01

The first structure of a two-CAP-domain protein, Na-ASP-1, from the major human hookworm parasite N. americanus refined to a resolution limit of 2.2 Å is presented. Major proteins secreted by the infective larval stage hookworms upon host entry include Ancylostoma secreted proteins (ASPs), which are characterized by one or two CAP (cysteine-rich secretory protein/antigen 5/pathogenesis related-1) domains. The CAP domain has been reported in diverse phylogenetically unrelated proteins, but has no confirmed function. The first structure of a two-CAP-domain protein, Na-ASP-1, from the major human hookworm parasite Necator americanus was refined to a resolution limit of 2.2 Å. The structure was solved by molecular replacement (MR) using Na-ASP-2, a one-CAP-domain ASP, as the search model. The correct MR solution could only be obtained by truncating the polyalanine model of Na-ASP-2 and removing several loops. The structure reveals two CAP domains linked by an extended loop. Overall, the carboxyl-terminal CAP domain is more similar to Na-ASP-2 than to the amino-terminal CAP domain. A large central cavity extends from the amino-terminal CAP domain to the carboxyl-terminal CAP domain, encompassing the putative CAP-binding cavity. The putative CAP-binding cavity is a characteristic cavity in the carboxyl-terminal CAP domain that contains a His and Glu pair. These residues are conserved in all single-CAP-domain proteins, but are absent in the amino-terminal CAP domain. The conserved His residues are oriented such that they appear to be capable of directly coordinating a zinc ion as observed for CAP proteins from reptile venoms. This first structure of a two-CAP-domain ASP can serve as a template for homology modeling of other two-CAP-domain proteins.

Structure of a two-CAP-domain protein from the human hookworm parasite Necator americanus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asojo, Oluwatoyin A.

2011-01-01

The first structure of a two-CAP-domain protein, Na-ASP-1, from the major human hookworm parasite N. americanus refined to a resolution limit of 2.2 Å is presented. Major proteins secreted by the infective larval stage hookworms upon host entry include Ancylostoma secreted proteins (ASPs), which are characterized by one or two CAP (cysteine-rich secretory protein/antigen 5/pathogenesis related-1) domains. The CAP domain has been reported in diverse phylogenetically unrelated proteins, but has no confirmed function. The first structure of a two-CAP-domain protein, Na-ASP-1, from the major human hookworm parasite Necator americanus was refined to a resolution limit of 2.2 Å. The structure was solved by molecular replacement (MR) using Na-ASP-2, a one-CAP-domain ASP, as the search model. The correct MR solution could only be obtained by truncating the polyalanine model of Na-ASP-2 and removing several loops. The structure reveals two CAP domains linked by an extended loop. Overall, the carboxyl-terminal CAP domain is more similar to Na-ASP-2 than to the amino-terminal CAP domain. A large central cavity extends from the amino-terminal CAP domain to the carboxyl-terminal CAP domain, encompassing the putative CAP-binding cavity. The putative CAP-binding cavity is a characteristic cavity in the carboxyl-terminal CAP domain that contains a His and Glu pair. These residues are conserved in all single-CAP-domain proteins, but are absent in the amino-terminal CAP domain. The conserved His residues are oriented such that they appear to be capable of directly coordinating a zinc ion as observed for CAP proteins from reptile venoms. This first structure of a two-CAP-domain ASP can serve as a template for homology modeling of other two-CAP-domain proteins

Mass spectrometric identification of proteins that interact through specific domains of the poly(A) binding protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, Roy; Denis, Clyde L; Zhang, Chongxu; Nielsen, Maria E O; Chiang, Yueh-Chin; Kierkegaard, Morten; Wang, Xin; Lee, Darren J; Andersen, Jens S; Yao, Gang

2012-09-01

Poly(A) binding protein (PAB1) is involved in a number of RNA metabolic functions in eukaryotic cells and correspondingly is suggested to associate with a number of proteins. We have used mass spectrometric analysis to identify 55 non-ribosomal proteins that specifically interact with PAB1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Because many of these factors may associate only indirectly with PAB1 by being components of the PAB1-mRNP structure, we additionally conducted mass spectrometric analyses on seven metabolically defined PAB1 deletion derivatives to delimit the interactions between these proteins and PAB1. These latter analyses identified 13 proteins whose associations with PAB1 were reduced by deleting one or another of PAB1's defined domains. Included in this list of 13 proteins were the translation initiation factors eIF4G1 and eIF4G2, translation termination factor eRF3, and PBP2, all of whose previously known direct interactions with specific PAB1 domains were either confirmed, delimited, or extended. The remaining nine proteins that interacted through a specific PAB1 domain were CBF5, SLF1, UPF1, CBC1, SSD1, NOP77, yGR250c, NAB6, and GBP2. In further study, UPF1, involved in nonsense-mediated decay, was confirmed to interact with PAB1 through the RRM1 domain. We additionally established that while the RRM1 domain of PAB1 was required for UPF1-induced acceleration of deadenylation during nonsense-mediated decay, it was not required for the more critical step of acceleration of mRNA decapping. These results begin to identify the proteins most likely to interact with PAB1 and the domains of PAB1 through which these contacts are made.

Distribution of PASTA domains in penicillin-binding proteins and serine/threonine kinases of Actinobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogawara, Hiroshi

2016-09-01

PASTA domains (penicillin-binding protein and serine/threonine kinase-associated domains) have been identified in penicillin-binding proteins and serine/threonine kinases of Gram-positive Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. They are believed to bind β-lactam antibiotics, and be involved in peptidoglycan metabolism, although their biological function is not definitively clarified. Actinobacteria, especially Streptomyces species, are distinct in that they undergo complex cellular differentiation and produce various antibiotics including β-lactams. This review focuses on the distribution of PASTA domains in penicillin-binding proteins and serine/threonine kinases in Actinobacteria. In Actinobacteria, PASTA domains are detectable exclusively in class A but not in class B penicillin-binding proteins, in sharp contrast to the cases in other bacteria. In penicillin-binding proteins, PASTA domains distribute independently from taxonomy with some distribution bias. Particularly interesting thing is that no Streptomyces species have penicillin-binding protein with PASTA domains. Protein kinases in Actinobacteria possess 0 to 5 PASTA domains in their molecules. Protein kinases in Streptomyces can be classified into three groups: no PASTA domain, 1 PASTA domain and 4 PASTA domain-containing groups. The 4 PASTA domain-containing groups can be further divided into two subgroups. The serine/threonine kinases in different groups may perform different functions. The pocket region in one of these subgroup is more dense and extended, thus it may be involved in binding of ligands like β-lactams more efficiently.

Fine-tuning of protein domain boundary by minimizing potential coiled coil regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwaya, Naoko; Goda, Natsuko; Unzai, Satoru; Fujiwara, Kenichiro; Tanaka, Toshiki; Tomii, Kentaro; Tochio, Hidehito; Shirakawa, Masahiro; Hiroaki, Hidekazu

2007-01-01

Structural determination of individual protein domains isolated from multidomain proteins is a common approach in the post-genomic era. Novel and thus uncharacterized domains liberated from intact proteins often self-associate due to incorrectly defined domain boundaries. Self-association results in missing signals, poor signal dispersion and a low signal-to-noise ratio in 1 H- 15 N HSQC spectra. We have found that a putative, non-canonical coiled coil region close to a domain boundary can cause transient hydrophobic self-association and monomer-dimer equilibrium in solution. Here we propose a rational method to predict putative coiled coil regions adjacent to the globular core domain using the program COILS. Except for the amino acid sequence, no preexisting knowledge concerning the domain is required. A small number of mutant proteins with a minimized coiled coil region have been rationally designed and tested. The engineered domains exhibit decreased self-association as assessed by 1 H- 15 N HSQC spectra with improved peak dispersion and sharper cross peaks. Two successful examples of isolating novel N-terminal domains from AAA-ATPases are demonstrated. Our method is useful for the experimental determination of domain boundaries suited for structural genomics studies

Fine-tuning of protein domain boundary by minimizing potential coiled coil regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwaya, Naoko; Goda, Natsuko; Unzai, Satoru; Fujiwara, Kenichiro; Tanaka, Toshiki; Tomii, Kentaro; Tochio, Hidehito; Shirakawa, Masahiro; Hiroaki, Hidekazu

2007-01-01

Structural determination of individual protein domains isolated from multidomain proteins is a common approach in the post-genomic era. Novel and thus uncharacterized domains liberated from intact proteins often self-associate due to incorrectly defined domain boundaries. Self-association results in missing signals, poor signal dispersion and a low signal-to-noise ratio in (1)H-(15)N HSQC spectra. We have found that a putative, non-canonical coiled coil region close to a domain boundary can cause transient hydrophobic self-association and monomer-dimer equilibrium in solution. Here we propose a rational method to predict putative coiled coil regions adjacent to the globular core domain using the program COILS. Except for the amino acid sequence, no preexisting knowledge concerning the domain is required. A small number of mutant proteins with a minimized coiled coil region have been rationally designed and tested. The engineered domains exhibit decreased self-association as assessed by (1)H-(15)N HSQC spectra with improved peak dispersion and sharper cross peaks. Two successful examples of isolating novel N-terminal domains from AAA-ATPases are demonstrated. Our method is useful for the experimental determination of domain boundaries suited for structural genomics studies.

Regulatory domain selectivity in the cell-type specific PKN-dependence of cell migration.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sylvie Lachmann

Full Text Available The mammalian protein kinase N (PKN family of Serine/Threonine kinases comprises three isoforms, which are targets for Rho family GTPases. Small GTPases are major regulators of the cellular cytoskeleton, generating interest in the role(s of specific PKN isoforms in processes such as cell migration and invasion. It has been reported that PKN3 is required for prostate tumour cell invasion but not PKN1 or 2. Here we employ a cell model, the 5637 bladder tumour cell line where PKN2 is relatively highly expressed, to assess the potential redundancy of these isoforms in migratory responses. It is established that PKN2 has a critical role in the migration and invasion of these cells. Furthermore, using a PKN wild-type and chimera rescue strategy, it is shown that PKN isoforms are not simply redundant in supporting migration, but appear to be linked through isoform specific regulatory domain properties to selective upstream signals. It is concluded that intervention in PKNs may need to be directed at multiple isoforms to be effective in different cell types.

Regulatory domain selectivity in the cell-type specific PKN-dependence of cell migration.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachmann, Sylvie; Jevons, Amy; De Rycker, Manu; Casamassima, Adele; Radtke, Simone; Collazos, Alejandra; Parker, Peter J

2011-01-01

The mammalian protein kinase N (PKN) family of Serine/Threonine kinases comprises three isoforms, which are targets for Rho family GTPases. Small GTPases are major regulators of the cellular cytoskeleton, generating interest in the role(s) of specific PKN isoforms in processes such as cell migration and invasion. It has been reported that PKN3 is required for prostate tumour cell invasion but not PKN1 or 2. Here we employ a cell model, the 5637 bladder tumour cell line where PKN2 is relatively highly expressed, to assess the potential redundancy of these isoforms in migratory responses. It is established that PKN2 has a critical role in the migration and invasion of these cells. Furthermore, using a PKN wild-type and chimera rescue strategy, it is shown that PKN isoforms are not simply redundant in supporting migration, but appear to be linked through isoform specific regulatory domain properties to selective upstream signals. It is concluded that intervention in PKNs may need to be directed at multiple isoforms to be effective in different cell types.

Regulatory variants of FOXG1 in the context of its topological domain organisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehrjouy, Mana M; Fonseca, Ana Carolina S; Ehmke, Nadja; Paskulin, Giorgio; Novelli, Antonio; Benedicenti, Francesco; Mencarelli, Maria Antonietta; Renieri, Alessandra; Busa, Tiffany; Missirian, Chantal; Hansen, Claus; Abe, Kikue Terada; Speck-Martins, Carlos Eduardo; Vianna-Morgante, Angela M; Bak, Mads; Tommerup, Niels

2018-02-01

FOXG1 syndrome is caused by FOXG1 intragenic point mutations, or by long-range position effects (LRPE) of intergenic structural variants. However, the size of the FOXG1 regulatory landscape is uncertain, because the associated topologically associating domain (TAD) in fibroblasts is split into two domains in embryonic stem cells (hESC). Indeed, it has been suggested that the pathogenetic mechanism of deletions that remove the stem-cell-specific TAD boundary may be enhancer adoption due to ectopic activity of enhancer(s) located in the distal hESC-TAD. Herein we map three de novo translocation breakpoints to the proximal regulatory domain of FOXG1. The classical FOXG1 syndrome in these and in other translocation patients, and in a patient with an intergenic deletion that removes the hESC-specific TAD boundary, do not support the hypothesised enhancer adoption as a main contributor to the FOXG1 syndrome. Also, virtual 4 C and HiC-interaction data suggest that the hESC-specific TAD boundary may not be critical for FOXG1 regulation in a majority of human cells and tissues, including brain tissues and a neuronal progenitor cell line. Our data support the importance of a critical regulatory region (SRO) proximal to the hESC-specific TAD boundary. We further narrow this critical region by a deletion distal to the hESC-specific boundary, associated with a milder clinical phenotype. The distance from FOXG1 to the SRO ( > 500 kb) highlight a limitation of ENCODE DNase hypersensitivity data for functional prediction of LRPE. Moreover, the SRO has little overlap with a cluster of frequently associating regions (FIREs) located in the proximal hESC-TAD.

Cellulose binding domain fusion proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Shoseyov, Oded; Shpiegl, Itai; Goldstein, Marc A.; Doi, Roy H.

1998-01-01

A cellulose binding domain (CBD) having a high affinity for crystalline cellulose and chitin is disclosed, along with methods for the molecular cloning and recombinant production thereof. Fusion products comprising the CBD and a second protein are likewise described. A wide range of applications are contemplated for both the CBD and the fusion products, including drug delivery, affinity separations, and diagnostic techniques.

iPfam: a database of protein family and domain interactions found in the Protein Data Bank.

Science.gov (United States)

Finn, Robert D; Miller, Benjamin L; Clements, Jody; Bateman, Alex

2014-01-01

The database iPfam, available at http://ipfam.org, catalogues Pfam domain interactions based on known 3D structures that are found in the Protein Data Bank, providing interaction data at the molecular level. Previously, the iPfam domain-domain interaction data was integrated within the Pfam database and website, but it has now been migrated to a separate database. This allows for independent development, improving data access and giving clearer separation between the protein family and interactions datasets. In addition to domain-domain interactions, iPfam has been expanded to include interaction data for domain bound small molecule ligands. Functional annotations are provided from source databases, supplemented by the incorporation of Wikipedia articles where available. iPfam (version 1.0) contains >9500 domain-domain and 15 500 domain-ligand interactions. The new website provides access to this data in a variety of ways, including interactive visualizations of the interaction data.

The TIR domain of TIR-NB-LRR resistance proteins is a signaling domain involved in cell death induction.

Science.gov (United States)

Swiderski, Michal R; Birker, Doris; Jones, Jonathan D G

2009-02-01

In plants, the TIR (toll interleukin 1 receptor) domain is found almost exclusively in nucleotide-binding (NB) leucine-rich repeat resistance proteins and their truncated homologs, and has been proposed to play a signaling role during resistance responses mediated by TIR containing R proteins. Transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves of "TIR + 80", the RPS4 truncation without the NB-ARC domain, leads to EDS1-, SGT1-, and HSP90-dependent cell death. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing the RPS4 TIR+80 from either dexamethasone or estradiol-inducible promoters display inducer-dependent cell death. Cell death is also elicited by transient expression of similarly truncated constructs from two other R proteins, RPP1A and At4g19530, but is not elicited by similar constructs representing RPP2A and RPP2B proteins. Site-directed mutagenesis of the RPS4 TIR domain identified many loss-of-function mutations but also revealed several gain-of function substitutions. Lack of cell death induction by the E160A substitution suggests that amino acids outside of the TIR domain contribute to cell death signaling in addition to the TIR domain itself. This is consistent with previous observations that the TIR domain itself is insufficient to induce cell death upon transient expression.

Roles for the coat protein telokin-like domain and the scaffolding protein amino-terminus

Science.gov (United States)

Suhanovsky, Margaret M.; Teschke, Carolyn M.

2011-01-01

Assembly of icosahedral capsids of proper size and symmetry is not understood. Residue F170 in bacteriophage P22 coat protein is critical for conformational switching during assembly. Substitutions at this site cause assembly of tubes of hexamerically arranged coat protein. Intragenic suppressors of the ts phenotype of F170A and F170K coat protein mutants were isolated. Suppressors were repeatedly found in the coat protein telokin-like domain at position 285, which caused coat protein to assemble into petite procapsids and capsids. Petite capsid assembly strongly correlated to the side chain volume of the substituted amino acid. We hypothesize that larger side chains at position 285 torque the telokin-like domain, changing flexibility of the subunit and intercapsomer contacts. Thus, a single amino acid substitution in coat protein is sufficient to change capsid size. In addition, the products of assembly of the variant coat proteins were affected by the size of the internal scaffolding protein. PMID:21784500

Efficient segmental isotope labeling of multi-domain proteins using Sortase A

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freiburger, Lee, E-mail: lee.freiburger@tum.de; Sonntag, Miriam, E-mail: miriam.sonntag@mytum.de; Hennig, Janosch, E-mail: janosch.hennig@helmholtz-muenchen.de [Helmholtz Zentrum München, Institute of Structural Biology (Germany); Li, Jian, E-mail: lijianzhongbei@163.com [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology (China); Zou, Peijian, E-mail: peijian.zou@helmholtz-muenchen.de; Sattler, Michael, E-mail: sattler@helmholtz-muenchen.de [Helmholtz Zentrum München, Institute of Structural Biology (Germany)

2015-09-15

NMR studies of multi-domain protein complexes provide unique insight into their molecular interactions and dynamics in solution. For large proteins domain-selective isotope labeling is desired to reduce signal overlap, but available methods require extensive optimization and often give poor ligation yields. We present an optimized strategy for segmental labeling of multi-domain proteins using the S. aureus transpeptidase Sortase A. Critical improvements compared to existing protocols are (1) the efficient removal of cleaved peptide fragments by centrifugal filtration and (2) a strategic design of cleavable and non-cleavable affinity tags for purification. Our approach enables routine production of milligram amounts of purified segmentally labeled protein for NMR and other biophysical studies.

MERTK interactions with SH2-domain proteins in the retinal pigment epithelium.

Science.gov (United States)

Shelby, Shameka J; Colwill, Karen; Dhe-Paganon, Sirano; Pawson, Tony; Thompson, Debra A

2013-01-01

The receptor tyrosine kinase MERTK plays an essential role in the phagocytic uptake of shed photoreceptor membranes by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). A fundamental aspect of signal transduction by receptor tyrosine kinases involves autophosphorylation of tyrosine residues that recruit Src-homology 2 (SH2)-domain proteins to the receptor intracellular domain. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the interactions of human MERTK with SH2-domain proteins present in the RPE. The MERTK intracellular domain was expressed as a 6xHis-fusion protein (6xHis-rMERTK(571-999)), purified and phosphorylated. Ni(2+)-NTA pull downs were performed using 6xHis-rMERTK(571-999) in incubations with recombinant phosphotyrosine-recognition sequences expressed as GST-fusion proteins. In addition, pull downs of native SH2-domain proteins were performed using 6xHis-rMERTK(571-999) and protein homogenates from rat RPE/choroid. For both recombinant and native proteins, western analysis detected MERTK interactions with GRB2, PIK3R1 (P85α), VAV3, and SRC. Immunohistochemical analysis localized each protein to mouse RPE. In cultured RPE-J cells incubated with rod outer segments (OS), siRNA knockdown of Grb2 had no effect on OS binding, but significantly reduced OS uptake. Pik3r1 localized to early phagosomes along with Rab5 and Eea1. Phosphorylation and activation of Src was detected downstream of phagocytosis and Mertk activation. These findings suggest that MERTK signaling in the RPE involves a cohort of SH2-domain proteins with the potential to regulate both cytoskeletal rearrangement and membrane movement. Identification of the SH2-domain signaling partners of MERTK is an important step toward further defining the mechanism of RPE phagocytosis that is central to the function and survival of the retina.

MERTK interactions with SH2-domain proteins in the retinal pigment epithelium.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shameka J Shelby

Full Text Available The receptor tyrosine kinase MERTK plays an essential role in the phagocytic uptake of shed photoreceptor membranes by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE. A fundamental aspect of signal transduction by receptor tyrosine kinases involves autophosphorylation of tyrosine residues that recruit Src-homology 2 (SH2-domain proteins to the receptor intracellular domain. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the interactions of human MERTK with SH2-domain proteins present in the RPE. The MERTK intracellular domain was expressed as a 6xHis-fusion protein (6xHis-rMERTK(571-999, purified and phosphorylated. Ni(2+-NTA pull downs were performed using 6xHis-rMERTK(571-999 in incubations with recombinant phosphotyrosine-recognition sequences expressed as GST-fusion proteins. In addition, pull downs of native SH2-domain proteins were performed using 6xHis-rMERTK(571-999 and protein homogenates from rat RPE/choroid. For both recombinant and native proteins, western analysis detected MERTK interactions with GRB2, PIK3R1 (P85α, VAV3, and SRC. Immunohistochemical analysis localized each protein to mouse RPE. In cultured RPE-J cells incubated with rod outer segments (OS, siRNA knockdown of Grb2 had no effect on OS binding, but significantly reduced OS uptake. Pik3r1 localized to early phagosomes along with Rab5 and Eea1. Phosphorylation and activation of Src was detected downstream of phagocytosis and Mertk activation. These findings suggest that MERTK signaling in the RPE involves a cohort of SH2-domain proteins with the potential to regulate both cytoskeletal rearrangement and membrane movement. Identification of the SH2-domain signaling partners of MERTK is an important step toward further defining the mechanism of RPE phagocytosis that is central to the function and survival of the retina.

3DSwap: Curated knowledgebase of proteins involved in 3D domain swapping

KAUST Repository

Shameer, Khader

2011-09-29

Three-dimensional domain swapping is a unique protein structural phenomenon where two or more protein chains in a protein oligomer share a common structural segment between individual chains. This phenomenon is observed in an array of protein structures in oligomeric conformation. Protein structures in swapped conformations perform diverse functional roles and are also associated with deposition diseases in humans. We have performed in-depth literature curation and structural bioinformatics analyses to develop an integrated knowledgebase of proteins involved in 3D domain swapping. The hallmark of 3D domain swapping is the presence of distinct structural segments such as the hinge and swapped regions. We have curated the literature to delineate the boundaries of these regions. In addition, we have defined several new concepts like \\'secondary major interface\\' to represent the interface properties arising as a result of 3D domain swapping, and a new quantitative measure for the \\'extent of swapping\\' in structures. The catalog of proteins reported in 3DSwap knowledgebase has been generated using an integrated structural bioinformatics workflow of database searches, literature curation, by structure visualization and sequence-structure-function analyses. The current version of the 3DSwap knowledgebase reports 293 protein structures, the analysis of such a compendium of protein structures will further the understanding molecular factors driving 3D domain swapping. The Author(s) 2011.

Dynamics of domain coverage of the protein sequence universe

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The currently known protein sequence space consists of millions of sequences in public databases and is rapidly expanding. Assigning sequences to families leads to a better understanding of protein function and the nature of the protein universe. However, a large portion of the current protein space remains unassigned and is referred to as its “dark matter”. Results Here we suggest that true size of “dark matter” is much larger than stated by current definitions. We propose an approach to reducing the size of “dark matter” by identifying and subtracting regions in protein sequences that are not likely to contain any domain. Conclusions Recent improvements in computational domain modeling result in a decrease, albeit slowly, in the relative size of “dark matter”; however, its absolute size increases substantially with the growth of sequence data. PMID:23157439

Dynamics of domain coverage of the protein sequence universe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rekapalli Bhanu

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The currently known protein sequence space consists of millions of sequences in public databases and is rapidly expanding. Assigning sequences to families leads to a better understanding of protein function and the nature of the protein universe. However, a large portion of the current protein space remains unassigned and is referred to as its “dark matter”. Results Here we suggest that true size of “dark matter” is much larger than stated by current definitions. We propose an approach to reducing the size of “dark matter” by identifying and subtracting regions in protein sequences that are not likely to contain any domain. Conclusions Recent improvements in computational domain modeling result in a decrease, albeit slowly, in the relative size of “dark matter”; however, its absolute size increases substantially with the growth of sequence data.

Identification of structural domains in proteins by a graph heuristic

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wernisch, Lorenz; Hunting, M.M.G.; Wodak, Shoshana J.

1999-01-01

A novel automatic procedure for identifying domains from protein atomic coordinates is presented. The procedure, termed STRUDL (STRUctural Domain Limits), does not take into account information on secondary structures and handles any number of domains made up of contiguous or non-contiguous chain

SH2 Domains Serve as Lipid-Binding Modules for pTyr-Signaling Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Mi-Jeong; Sheng, Ren; Silkov, Antonina; Jung, Da-Jung; Wang, Zhi-Gang; Xin, Yao; Kim, Hyunjin; Thiagarajan-Rosenkranz, Pallavi; Song, Seohyeon; Yoon, Youngdae; Nam, Wonhee; Kim, Ilshin; Kim, Eui; Lee, Dong-Gyu; Chen, Yong; Singaram, Indira; Wang, Li; Jang, Myoung Ho; Hwang, Cheol-Sang; Honig, Barry; Ryu, Sungho; Lorieau, Justin; Kim, You-Me; Cho, Wonhwa

2016-04-07

The Src-homology 2 (SH2) domain is a protein interaction domain that directs myriad phosphotyrosine (pY)-signaling pathways. Genome-wide screening of human SH2 domains reveals that ∼90% of SH2 domains bind plasma membrane lipids and many have high phosphoinositide specificity. They bind lipids using surface cationic patches separate from pY-binding pockets, thus binding lipids and the pY motif independently. The patches form grooves for specific lipid headgroup recognition or flat surfaces for non-specific membrane binding and both types of interaction are important for cellular function and regulation of SH2 domain-containing proteins. Cellular studies with ZAP70 showed that multiple lipids bind its C-terminal SH2 domain in a spatiotemporally specific manner and thereby exert exquisite spatiotemporal control over its protein binding and signaling activities in T cells. Collectively, this study reveals how lipids control SH2 domain-mediated cellular protein-protein interaction networks and suggest a new strategy for therapeutic modulation of pY-signaling pathways. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structure of PIN-domain protein PH0500 from Pyrococcus horikoshii

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeyakanthan, Jeyaraman; Inagaki, Eiji; Kuroishi, Chizu; Tahirov, Tahir H.

2005-01-01

The structure of P. horikoshii OT3 protein PH0500 was determined by the multiple anomalous dispersion method and refined in two crystal forms. The protein is a dimer and has a PIN-domain fold. The Pyrococcus horikoshii OT3 protein PH0500 is highly conserved within the Pyrococcus genus of hyperthermophilic archaea and shows low amino-acid sequence similarity with a family of PIN-domain proteins. The protein has been expressed, purified and crystallized in two crystal forms: PH0500-I and PH0500-II. The structure was determined at 2.0 Å by the multiple anomalous dispersion method using a selenomethionyl derivative of crystal form PH0500-I (PH0500-I-Se). The structure of PH0500-I has been refined at 1.75 Å resolution to an R factor of 20.9% and the structure of PH0500-II has been refined at 2.0 Å resolution to an R factor of 23.4%. In both crystal forms as well as in solution the molecule appears to be a dimer. Searches of the databases for protein-fold similarities confirmed that the PH0500 protein is a PIN-domain protein with possible exonuclease activity and involvement in DNA or RNA editing

Engineering of kinase-based protein interacting devices: active expression of tyrosine kinase domains

KAUST Repository

Diaz Galicia, Miriam Escarlet

2018-05-01

Protein-protein interactions modulate cellular processes in health and disease. However, tracing weak or rare associations or dissociations of proteins is not a trivial task. Kinases are often regulated through interaction partners and, at the same time, themselves regulate cellular interaction networks. The use of kinase domains for creating a synthetic sensor device that reads low concentration protein-protein interactions and amplifies them to a higher concentration interaction which is then translated into a FRET (Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer) signal is here proposed. To this end, DNA constructs for interaction amplification (split kinases), positive controls (intact kinase domains), scaffolding proteins and phosphopeptide - SH2-domain modules for the reading of kinase activity were assembled and expression protocols for fusion proteins containing Lyn, Src, and Fak kinase domains in bacterial and in cell-free systems were optimized. Also, two non-overlapping methods for measuring the kinase activity of these proteins were stablished and, finally, a protein-fragment complementation assay with the split-kinase constructs was tested. In conclusion, it has been demonstrated that features such as codon optimization, vector design and expression conditions have an impact on the expression yield and activity of kinase-based proteins. Furthermore, it has been found that the defined PURE cell-free system is insufficient for the active expression of catalytic kinase domains. In contrast, the bacterial co-expression with phosphatases produced active kinase fusion proteins for two out of the three tested Tyrosine kinase domains.

PDZ domain-mediated interactions of G protein-coupled receptors with postsynaptic density protein 95

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller, Thor C; Wirth, Volker F; Roberts, Nina Ingerslev

2013-01-01

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute the largest family of membrane proteins in the human genome. Their signaling is regulated by scaffold proteins containing PDZ domains, but although these interactions are important for GPCR function, they are still poorly understood. We here present...

Cytoprophet: a Cytoscape plug-in for protein and domain interaction networks inference.

Science.gov (United States)

Morcos, Faruck; Lamanna, Charles; Sikora, Marcin; Izaguirre, Jesús

2008-10-01

Cytoprophet is a software tool that allows prediction and visualization of protein and domain interaction networks. It is implemented as a plug-in of Cytoscape, an open source software framework for analysis and visualization of molecular networks. Cytoprophet implements three algorithms that predict new potential physical interactions using the domain composition of proteins and experimental assays. The algorithms for protein and domain interaction inference include maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) using expectation maximization (EM); the set cover approach maximum specificity set cover (MSSC) and the sum-product algorithm (SPA). After accepting an input set of proteins with Uniprot ID/Accession numbers and a selected prediction algorithm, Cytoprophet draws a network of potential interactions with probability scores and GO distances as edge attributes. A network of domain interactions between the domains of the initial protein list can also be generated. Cytoprophet was designed to take advantage of the visual capabilities of Cytoscape and be simple to use. An example of inference in a signaling network of myxobacterium Myxococcus xanthus is presented and available at Cytoprophet's website. http://cytoprophet.cse.nd.edu.

SH2 and SH3 domains: elements that control interactions of cytoplasmic signaling proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, C A; Anderson, D; Moran, M F; Ellis, C; Pawson, T

1991-05-03

Src homology (SH) regions 2 and 3 are noncatalytic domains that are conserved among a series of cytoplasmic signaling proteins regulated by receptor protein-tyrosine kinases, including phospholipase C-gamma, Ras GTPase (guanosine triphosphatase)-activating protein, and Src-like tyrosine kinases. The SH2 domains of these signaling proteins bind tyrosine phosphorylated polypeptides, implicated in normal signaling and cellular transformation. Tyrosine phosphorylation acts as a switch to induce the binding of SH2 domains, thereby mediating the formation of heteromeric protein complexes at or near the plasma membrane. The formation of these complexes is likely to control the activation of signal transduction pathways by tyrosine kinases. The SH3 domain is a distinct motif that, together with SH2, may modulate interactions with the cytoskeleton and membrane. Some signaling and transforming proteins contain SH2 and SH3 domains unattached to any known catalytic element. These noncatalytic proteins may serve as adaptors to link tyrosine kinases to specific target proteins. These observations suggest that SH2 and SH3 domains participate in the control of intracellular responses to growth factor stimulation.

N-Terminal Domains in Two-Domain Proteins Are Biased to Be Shorter and Predicted to Fold Faster Than Their C-Terminal Counterparts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Etai Jacob

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Computational analysis of proteomes in all kingdoms of life reveals a strong tendency for N-terminal domains in two-domain proteins to have shorter sequences than their neighboring C-terminal domains. Given that folding rates are affected by chain length, we asked whether the tendency for N-terminal domains to be shorter than their neighboring C-terminal domains reflects selection for faster-folding N-terminal domains. Calculations of absolute contact order, another predictor of folding rate, provide additional evidence that N-terminal domains tend to fold faster than their neighboring C-terminal domains. A possible explanation for this bias, which is more pronounced in prokaryotes than in eukaryotes, is that faster folding of N-terminal domains reduces the risk for protein aggregation during folding by preventing formation of nonnative interdomain interactions. This explanation is supported by our finding that two-domain proteins with a shorter N-terminal domain are much more abundant than those with a shorter C-terminal domain.

The crystal structure of the Dachshund domain of human SnoN reveals flexibility in the putative protein interaction surface.

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Tomas Nyman

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The human SnoN is an oncoprotein that interacts with several transcription-regulatory proteins such as the histone-deacetylase, N-CoR containing co-repressor complex and Smad proteins. This study presents the crystal structure of the Dachshund homology domain of human SnoN. The structure reveals a groove composed of conserved residues with characteristic properties of a protein-interaction surface. A comparison of the 12 monomers in the asymmetric unit reveals the presence of two major conformations: an open conformation with a well accessible groove and a tight conformation with a less accessible groove. The variability in the backbone between the open and the tight conformations matches the differences seen in previously determined structures of individual Dachshund homology domains, suggesting a general plasticity within this fold family. The flexibility observed in the putative protein binding groove may enable SnoN to recognize multiple interaction partners.This article can also be viewed as an enhanced version in which the text of the article is integrated with interactive 3D representations and animated transitions. Please note that a web plugin is required to access this enhanced functionality. Instructions for the installation and use of the web plugin are available in Text S1.

TOPDOM: database of conservatively located domains and motifs in proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Varga, Julia; Dobson, László; Tusnády, Gábor E

2016-09-01

The TOPDOM database-originally created as a collection of domains and motifs located consistently on the same side of the membranes in α-helical transmembrane proteins-has been updated and extended by taking into consideration consistently localized domains and motifs in globular proteins, too. By taking advantage of the recently developed CCTOP algorithm to determine the type of a protein and predict topology in case of transmembrane proteins, and by applying a thorough search for domains and motifs as well as utilizing the most up-to-date version of all source databases, we managed to reach a 6-fold increase in the size of the whole database and a 2-fold increase in the number of transmembrane proteins. TOPDOM database is available at http://topdom.enzim.hu The webpage utilizes the common Apache, PHP5 and MySQL software to provide the user interface for accessing and searching the database. The database itself is generated on a high performance computer. tusnady.gabor@ttk.mta.hu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

Crystallization of the glycogen-binding domain of the AMP-activated protein kinase β subunit and preliminary X-ray analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Polekhina, Galina, E-mail: gpolekhina@svi.edu.au; Feil, Susanne C.; Gupta, Abhilasha [St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, 9 Princes Street, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065 (Australia); O’Donnell, Paul [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010 (Australia); Stapleton, David; Parker, Michael W. [St Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, 9 Princes Street, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065 (Australia)

2005-01-01

The glycogen-binding domain of the AMP-activated kinase β subunit has been crystallized in the presence of β-cyclodextrin. The structure has been determined by single isomorphous replacement and threefold averaging using in-house X-ray data collected from selenomethionine-substituted protein. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an intracellular energy sensor that regulates metabolism in response to energy demand and supply by adjusting the ATP-generating and ATP-consuming pathways. AMPK potentially plays a critical role in diabetes and obesity as it is known to be activated by metforin and rosiglitazone, drugs used for the treatment of type II diabetes. AMPK is a heterotrimer composed of a catalytic α subunit and two regulatory subunits, β and γ. Mutations in the γ subunit are known to cause glycogen accumulation, leading to cardiac arrhythmias. Recently, a functional glycogen-binding domain (GBD) has been identified in the β subunit. Here, the crystallization of GBD in the presence of β-cyclodextrin is reported together with preliminary X-ray data analysis allowing the determination of the structure by single isomorphous replacement and threefold averaging using in-house X-ray data collected from a selenomethionine-substituted protein.

Crystallization of the glycogen-binding domain of the AMP-activated protein kinase β subunit and preliminary X-ray analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polekhina, Galina; Feil, Susanne C.; Gupta, Abhilasha; O’Donnell, Paul; Stapleton, David; Parker, Michael W.

2004-01-01

The glycogen-binding domain of the AMP-activated kinase β subunit has been crystallized in the presence of β-cyclodextrin. The structure has been determined by single isomorphous replacement and threefold averaging using in-house X-ray data collected from selenomethionine-substituted protein. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is an intracellular energy sensor that regulates metabolism in response to energy demand and supply by adjusting the ATP-generating and ATP-consuming pathways. AMPK potentially plays a critical role in diabetes and obesity as it is known to be activated by metforin and rosiglitazone, drugs used for the treatment of type II diabetes. AMPK is a heterotrimer composed of a catalytic α subunit and two regulatory subunits, β and γ. Mutations in the γ subunit are known to cause glycogen accumulation, leading to cardiac arrhythmias. Recently, a functional glycogen-binding domain (GBD) has been identified in the β subunit. Here, the crystallization of GBD in the presence of β-cyclodextrin is reported together with preliminary X-ray data analysis allowing the determination of the structure by single isomorphous replacement and threefold averaging using in-house X-ray data collected from a selenomethionine-substituted protein

Facile construction of a random protein domain insertion library using an engineered transposon.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Vandan; Pierre, Brennal; Kim, Jin Ryoun

2013-01-15

Insertional fusion between multiple protein domains represents a novel means of creating integrated functionalities. Currently, there is no robust guideline for selection of insertion sites ensuring the desired functional outcome of insertional fusion. Therefore, construction and testing of random domain insertion libraries, in which a host protein domain is randomly inserted into a guest protein domain, significantly benefit extensive exploration of sequence spaces for insertion sites. Short peptide residues are usually introduced between protein domains to alleviate structural conflicts, and the interdomain linker residues may affect the functional outcome of protein insertion complexes. Unfortunately, optimal control of interdomain linker residues is not always available in conventional methods used to construct random domain insertion libraries. Moreover, most conventional methods employ blunt-end rather than sticky-end ligation between host and guest DNA fragments, thus lowering library construction efficiency. Here, we report the facile construction of random domain insertion libraries using an engineered transposon. We show that random domain insertion with optimal control of interdomain linker residues was possible with our engineered transposon-based method. In addition, our method employs sticky-end rather than blunt-end ligation between host and guest DNA fragments, thus allowing for facile construction of relatively large sized libraries. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structure of the caspase-recruitment domain from a zebrafish guanylate-binding protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin, Tengchuan; Huang, Mo; Smith, Patrick; Jiang, Jiansheng; Xiao, T. Sam

2013-01-01

The crystal structure of the first zebrafish caspase-recruitment domain at 1.47 Å resolution illustrates a six-helix bundle fold similar to that of the human NLRP1 CARD. The caspase-recruitment domain (CARD) mediates homotypic protein–protein interactions that assemble large oligomeric signaling complexes such as the inflammasomes during innate immune responses. Structural studies of the mammalian CARDs demonstrate that their six-helix bundle folds belong to the death-domain superfamily, whereas such studies have not been reported for other organisms. Here, the zebrafish interferon-induced guanylate-binding protein 1 (zIGBP1) was identified that contains an N-terminal GTPase domain and a helical domain typical of the mammalian guanylate-binding proteins, followed by a FIIND domain and a C-terminal CARD similar to the mammalian inflammasome proteins NLRP1 and CARD8. The structure of the zIGBP1 CARD as a fusion with maltose-binding protein was determined at 1.47 Å resolution. This revealed a six-helix bundle fold similar to the NLRP1 CARD structure with the bent α1 helix typical of all known CARD structures. The zIGBP1 CARD surface contains a positively charged patch near its α1 and α4 helices and a negatively charged patch near its α2, α3 and α5 helices, which may mediate its interaction with partner domains. Further studies using binding assays and other analyses will be required in order to address the physiological function(s) of this zebrafish protein

Structure of a conserved hypothetical protein SA1388 from S. aureus reveals a capped hexameric toroid with two PII domain lids and a dinuclear metal center

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Leybourne Matthew

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The protein encoded by the SA1388 gene from Staphylococcus aureus was chosen for structure determination to elucidate its domain organization and confirm our earlier remote homology based prediction that it housed a nitrogen regulatory PII protein-like domain. SA1388 was predicted to contain a central PII-like domain and two flanking regions, which together belong to the NIF3-like protein family. Proteins like SA1388 remain a poorly studied group and their structural characterization could guide future investigations aimed at understanding their function. Results The structure of SA1388 has been solved to 2.0Å resolution by single wavelength anomalous dispersion phasing method using selenium anomalous signals. It reveals a canonical NIF3-like fold containing two domains with a PII-like domain inserted in the middle of the polypeptide. The N and C terminal halves of the NIF3-like domains are involved in dimerization, while the PII domain forms trimeric contacts with symmetry related monomers. Overall, the NIF3-like domains of SA1388 are organized as a hexameric toroid similar to its homologs, E. coli ybgI and the hypothetical protein SP1609 from Streptococcus pneumoniae. The openings on either side of the toroid are partially covered by trimeric "lids" formed by the PII domains. The junction of the two NIF3 domains has two zinc ions bound at what appears to be a histidine rich active site. A well-defined electron density corresponding to an endogenously bound ligand of unknown identity is observed in close proximity to the metal site. Conclusion SA1388 is the third member of the NIF3-like family of proteins to be structurally characterized, the other two also being hypothetical proteins of unknown function. The structure of SA1388 confirms our earlier prediction that the inserted domain that separates the two NIF3 domains adopts a PII-like fold and reveals an overall capped toroidal arrangement for the protein hexamer. The

Binding of influenza A virus NS1 protein to the inter-SH2 domain of p85 suggests a novel mechanism for phosphoinositide 3-kinase activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hale, Benjamin G; Batty, Ian H; Downes, C Peter; Randall, Richard E

2008-01-18

Influenza A virus NS1 protein stimulates host-cell phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling by binding to the p85beta regulatory subunit of PI3K. Here, in an attempt to establish a mechanism for this activation, we report further on the functional interaction between NS1 and p85beta. Complex formation was found to be independent of NS1 RNA binding activity and is mediated by the C-terminal effector domain of NS1. Intriguingly, the primary direct binding site for NS1 on p85beta is the inter-SH2 domain, a coiled-coil structure that acts as a scaffold for the p110 catalytic subunit of PI3K. In vitro kinase activity assays, together with protein binding competition studies, reveal that NS1 does not displace p110 from the inter-SH2 domain, and indicate that NS1 can form an active heterotrimeric complex with PI3K. In addition, it was established that residues at the C terminus of the inter-SH2 domain are essential for mediating the interaction between p85beta and NS1. Equivalent residues in p85alpha have previously been implicated in the basal inhibition of p110. However, such p85alpha residues were unable to substitute for those in p85beta with regards NS1 binding. Overall, these data suggest a model by which NS1 activates PI3K catalytic activity by masking a normal regulatory element specific to the p85beta inter-SH2 domain.

Study of allosteric communications in chimeric two-domain proteins

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Boušová, Kristýna

2017-01-01

Roč. 26, S1 (2017), s. 74 ISSN 0961-8368. [Annual Symposium of the Protein Society /31./. 24.07.2017-27.07.2017, Montreal] Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : protein domains * chimeric structures Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry

Nonlinear analysis of sequence repeats of multi-domain proteins

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Huang Yanzhao [Biomolecular Physics and Modeling Group, Department of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei (China); Li Mingfeng [Biomolecular Physics and Modeling Group, Department of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei (China); Xiao Yi [Biomolecular Physics and Modeling Group, Department of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei (China)]. E-mail: lmf_bill@sina.com

2007-11-15

Many multi-domain proteins have repetitive three-dimensional structures but nearly-random amino acid sequences. In the present paper, by using a modified recurrence plot proposed by us previously, we show that these amino acid sequences have hidden repetitions in fact. These results indicate that the repetitive domain structures are encoded by the repetitive sequences. This also gives a method to detect the repetitive domain structures directly from amino acid sequences.

SECRET domain of variola virus CrmB protein can be a member of poxviral type II chemokine-binding proteins family.

Science.gov (United States)

Antonets, Denis V; Nepomnyashchikh, Tatyana S; Shchelkunov, Sergei N

2010-10-27

Variola virus (VARV) the causative agent of smallpox, eradicated in 1980, have wide spectrum of immunomodulatory proteins to evade host immunity. Recently additional biological activity was discovered for VARV CrmB protein, known to bind and inhibit tumour necrosis factor (TNF) through its N-terminal domain homologous to cellular TNF receptors. Besides binding TNF, this protein was also shown to bind with high affinity several chemokines which recruit B- and T-lymphocytes and dendritic cells to sites of viral entry and replication. Ability to bind chemokines was shown to be associated with unique C-terminal domain of CrmB protein. This domain named SECRET (Smallpox virus-Encoded Chemokine Receptor) is unrelated to the host proteins and lacks significant homology with other known viral chemokine-binding proteins or any other known protein. De novo modelling of VARV-CrmB SECRET domain spatial structure revealed its apparent structural homology with cowpox virus CC-chemokine binding protein (vCCI) and vaccinia virus A41 protein, despite low sequence identity between these three proteins. Potential ligand-binding surface of modelled VARV-CrmB SECRET domain was also predicted to bear prominent electronegative charge which is characteristic to known orthopoxviral chemokine-binding proteins. Our results suggest that SECRET should be included into the family of poxviral type II chemokine-binding proteins and that it might have been evolved from the vCCI-like predecessor protein.

Comparative Bioinformatics Analysis of Transcription Factor Genes Indicates Conservation of Key Regulatory Domains among Babesia bovis, Babesia microti, and Theileria equi.

Science.gov (United States)

Alzan, Heba F; Knowles, Donald P; Suarez, Carlos E

2016-11-01

Apicomplexa tick-borne hemoparasites, including Babesia bovis, Babesia microti, and Theileria equi are responsible for bovine and human babesiosis and equine theileriosis, respectively. These parasites of vast medical, epidemiological, and economic impact have complex life cycles in their vertebrate and tick hosts. Large gaps in knowledge concerning the mechanisms used by these parasites for gene regulation remain. Regulatory genes coding for DNA binding proteins such as members of the Api-AP2, HMG, and Myb families are known to play crucial roles as transcription factors. Although the repertoire of Api-AP2 has been defined and a HMG gene was previously identified in the B. bovis genome, these regulatory genes have not been described in detail in B. microti and T. equi. In this study, comparative bioinformatics was used to: (i) identify and map genes encoding for these transcription factors among three parasites' genomes; (ii) identify a previously unreported HMG gene in B. microti; (iii) define a repertoire of eight conserved Myb genes; and (iv) identify AP2 correlates among B. bovis and the better-studied Plasmodium parasites. Searching the available transcriptome of B. bovis defined patterns of transcription of these three gene families in B. bovis erythrocyte stage parasites. Sequence comparisons show conservation of functional domains and general architecture in the AP2, Myb, and HMG proteins, which may be significant for the regulation of common critical parasite life cycle transitions in B. bovis, B. microti, and T. equi. A detailed understanding of the role of gene families encoding DNA binding proteins will provide new tools for unraveling regulatory mechanisms involved in B. bovis, B. microti, and T. equi life cycles and environmental adaptive responses and potentially contributes to the development of novel convergent strategies for improved control of babesiosis and equine piroplasmosis.

Comparative Bioinformatics Analysis of Transcription Factor Genes Indicates Conservation of Key Regulatory Domains among Babesia bovis, Babesia microti, and Theileria equi.

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Heba F Alzan

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Apicomplexa tick-borne hemoparasites, including Babesia bovis, Babesia microti, and Theileria equi are responsible for bovine and human babesiosis and equine theileriosis, respectively. These parasites of vast medical, epidemiological, and economic impact have complex life cycles in their vertebrate and tick hosts. Large gaps in knowledge concerning the mechanisms used by these parasites for gene regulation remain. Regulatory genes coding for DNA binding proteins such as members of the Api-AP2, HMG, and Myb families are known to play crucial roles as transcription factors. Although the repertoire of Api-AP2 has been defined and a HMG gene was previously identified in the B. bovis genome, these regulatory genes have not been described in detail in B. microti and T. equi. In this study, comparative bioinformatics was used to: (i identify and map genes encoding for these transcription factors among three parasites' genomes; (ii identify a previously unreported HMG gene in B. microti; (iii define a repertoire of eight conserved Myb genes; and (iv identify AP2 correlates among B. bovis and the better-studied Plasmodium parasites. Searching the available transcriptome of B. bovis defined patterns of transcription of these three gene families in B. bovis erythrocyte stage parasites. Sequence comparisons show conservation of functional domains and general architecture in the AP2, Myb, and HMG proteins, which may be significant for the regulation of common critical parasite life cycle transitions in B. bovis, B. microti, and T. equi. A detailed understanding of the role of gene families encoding DNA binding proteins will provide new tools for unraveling regulatory mechanisms involved in B. bovis, B. microti, and T. equi life cycles and environmental adaptive responses and potentially contributes to the development of novel convergent strategies for improved control of babesiosis and equine piroplasmosis.

A systematic evaluation of protein kinase a-a-kinase anchoring protein interaction motifs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burgers, Pepijn P|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/341566551; van der Heyden, Marcel A G; Kok, Bart; Heck, Albert J R|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/105189332; Scholten, Arjen|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/313939780

2015-01-01

Protein kinase A (PKA) in vertebrates is localized to specific locations in the cell via A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs). The regulatory subunits of the four PKA isoforms (RIα, RIβ, RIIα, and RIIβ) each form a homodimer, and their dimerization domain interacts with a small helical region present

A systematic evaluation of protein kinase A-A-kinase anchoring protein interaction motifs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burgers, Pepijn P; van der Heyden, MAG; Kok, Bart; Heck, Albert J R; Scholten, Arjen

2015-01-01

Protein kinase A (PKA) in vertebrates is localized to specific locations in the cell via A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs). The regulatory subunits of the four PKA isoforms (RIα, RIβ, RIIα, and RIIβ) each form a homodimer, and their dimerization domain interacts with a small helical region present

Rab11-family of interacting protein 2 associates with chlamydial inclusions through its Rab-binding domain and promotes bacterial multiplication.

Science.gov (United States)

Leiva, Natalia; Capmany, Anahí; Damiani, María Teresa

2013-01-01

Chlamydia trachomatis, an obligate intracellular pathogen, survives within host cells in a special compartment named 'inclusion' and takes advantage of host vesicular transport pathways for its growth and replication. Rab GTPases are key regulatory proteins of intracellular trafficking. Several Rabs, among them Rab11 and Rab14, are implicated in chlamydial development. FIP2, a member of the Rab11-Family of Interacting Proteins, presents at the C-terminus a Rab-binding domain that interacts with both Rab11 and Rab14. In this study, we determined and characterized the recruitment of endogenous and GFP-tagged FIP2 to the chlamydial inclusions. The recruitment of FIP2 is specific since other members of the Rab11-Family of Interacting Proteins do not associate with the chlamydial inclusions. The Rab-binding domain of FIP2 is essential for its association. Our results indicate that FIP2 binds to Rab11 at the chlamydial inclusion membrane through its Rab-binding domain. The presence of FIP2 at the chlamydial inclusion favours the recruitment of Rab14. Furthermore, our results show that FIP2 promotes inclusion development and bacterial replication. In agreement, the silencing of FIP2 decreases the bacterial progeny. C. trachomatis likely recruits FIP2 to hijack host intracellular trafficking to redirect vesicles full of nutrients towards the inclusion. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Proteins with GGDEF and EAL domains regulate Pseudomonas putida biofilm formation and dispersal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gjermansen, Morten; Ragas, Paula Cornelia; Tolker-Nielsen, Tim

2006-01-01

Microbial biofilm formation often causes problems in medical and industrial settings, and knowledge about the factors that are involved in biofilm development and dispersion is useful for creating strategies to control the processes. In this report, we present evidence that proteins with GGDEF...... and EAL domains are involved in the regulation of biofilm formation and biofilm dispersion in Pseudomonas putida. Overexpression in P. putida of the Escherichia coli YedQ protein, which contains a GGDEF domain, resulted in increased biofilm formation. Overexpression in P. putida of the E. coli Yhj......H protein, which contains an EAL domain, strongly inhibited biofilm formation. Induction of YhjH expression in P. putida cells situated in established biofilms led to rapid dispersion of the biofilms. These results support the emerging theme that GGDEF-domain and EAL-domain proteins are involved...

Dynamic SPR monitoring of yeast nuclear protein binding to a cis-regulatory element

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mao, Grace; Brody, James P.

2007-01-01

Gene expression is controlled by protein complexes binding to short specific sequences of DNA, called cis-regulatory elements. Expression of most eukaryotic genes is controlled by dozens of these elements. Comprehensive identification and monitoring of these elements is a major goal of genomics. In pursuit of this goal, we are developing a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based assay to identify and monitor cis-regulatory elements. To test whether we could reliably monitor protein binding to a regulatory element, we immobilized a 16 bp region of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosome 5 onto a gold surface. This 16 bp region of DNA is known to bind several proteins and thought to control expression of the gene RNR1, which varies through the cell cycle. We synchronized yeast cell cultures, and then sampled these cultures at a regular interval. These samples were processed to purify nuclear lysate, which was then exposed to the sensor. We found that nuclear protein binds this particular element of DNA at a significantly higher rate (as compared to unsynchronized cells) during G1 phase. Other time points show levels of DNA-nuclear protein binding similar to the unsynchronized control. We also measured the apparent association complex of the binding to be 0.014 s -1 . We conclude that (1) SPR-based assays can monitor DNA-nuclear protein binding and that (2) for this particular cis-regulatory element, maximum DNA-nuclear protein binding occurs during G1 phase

Structural basis of antifreeze activity of a bacterial multi-domain antifreeze protein.

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Chen Wang

Full Text Available Antifreeze proteins (AFPs enhance the survival of organisms inhabiting cold environments by affecting the formation and/or structure of ice. We report the crystal structure of the first multi-domain AFP that has been characterized. The two ice binding domains are structurally similar. Each consists of an irregular β-helix with a triangular cross-section and a long α-helix that runs parallel on one side of the β-helix. Both domains are stabilized by hydrophobic interactions. A flat plane on the same face of each domain's β-helix was identified as the ice binding site. Mutating any of the smaller residues on the ice binding site to bulkier ones decreased the antifreeze activity. The bulky side chain of Leu174 in domain A sterically hinders the binding of water molecules to the protein backbone, partially explaining why antifreeze activity by domain A is inferior to that of domain B. Our data provide a molecular basis for understanding differences in antifreeze activity between the two domains of this protein and general insight on how structural differences in the ice-binding sites affect the activity of AFPs.

Regulation of plant plasma membrane H+- and Ca2+-ATPases by terminal domains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bækgaard, Lone; Fuglsang, Anja Thoe; Palmgren, Michael Gjedde

2005-01-01

In the last few years, major progress has been made to elucidate the structure, function, and regulation of P-type plasma membrane H(+)-and Ca(2+)-ATPases. Even though a number of regulatory proteins have been identified, many pieces are still lacking in order to understand the complete regulatory...... mechanisms of these pumps. In plant plasma membrane H(+)- and Ca(2+)-ATPases, autoinhibitory domains are situated in the C- and N-terminal domains, respectively. A model for a common mechanism of autoinhibition is discussed....

The Leptospiral Antigen Lp49 is a Two-Domain Protein with Putative Protein Binding Function

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliveira Giuseppe,P.; Oliveira Neves, F.; Nascimento, A.; Gomes Guimaraes, B.

2008-01-01

Pathogenic Leptospira is the etiological agent of leptospirosis, a life-threatening disease that affects populations worldwide. Currently available vaccines have limited effectiveness and therapeutic interventions are complicated by the difficulty in making an early diagnosis of leptospirosis. The genome of Leptospira interrogans was recently sequenced and comparative genomic analysis contributed to the identification of surface antigens, potential candidates for development of new vaccines and serodiagnosis. Lp49 is a membrane-associated protein recognized by antibodies present in sera from early and convalescent phases of leptospirosis patients. Its crystal structure was determined by single-wavelength anomalous diffraction using selenomethionine-labelled crystals and refined at 2.0 Angstroms resolution. Lp49 is composed of two domains and belongs to the all-beta-proteins class. The N-terminal domain folds in an immunoglobulin-like beta-sandwich structure, whereas the C-terminal domain presents a seven-bladed beta-propeller fold. Structural analysis of Lp49 indicates putative protein-protein binding sites, suggesting a role in Leptospira-host interaction. This is the first crystal structure of a leptospiral antigen described to date.

AKAP18:PKA-RIIα structure reveals crucial anchor points for recognition of regulatory subunits of PKA.

Science.gov (United States)

Götz, Frank; Roske, Yvette; Schulz, Maike Svenja; Autenrieth, Karolin; Bertinetti, Daniela; Faelber, Katja; Zühlke, Kerstin; Kreuchwig, Annika; Kennedy, Eileen J; Krause, Gerd; Daumke, Oliver; Herberg, Friedrich W; Heinemann, Udo; Klussmann, Enno

2016-07-01

A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) interact with the dimerization/docking (D/D) domains of regulatory subunits of the ubiquitous protein kinase A (PKA). AKAPs tether PKA to defined cellular compartments establishing distinct pools to increase the specificity of PKA signalling. Here, we elucidated the structure of an extended PKA-binding domain of AKAP18β bound to the D/D domain of the regulatory RIIα subunits of PKA. We identified three hydrophilic anchor points in AKAP18β outside the core PKA-binding domain, which mediate contacts with the D/D domain. Such anchor points are conserved within AKAPs that bind regulatory RII subunits of PKA. We derived a different set of anchor points in AKAPs binding regulatory RI subunits of PKA. In vitro and cell-based experiments confirm the relevance of these sites for the interaction of RII subunits with AKAP18 and of RI subunits with the RI-specific smAKAP. Thus we report a novel mechanism governing interactions of AKAPs with PKA. The sequence specificity of each AKAP around the anchor points and the requirement of these points for the tight binding of PKA allow the development of selective inhibitors to unequivocally ascribe cellular functions to the AKAP18-PKA and other AKAP-PKA interactions. © 2016 The Author(s). published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

The Evolutionary History of MAPL (Mitochondria-Associated Protein Ligase and Other Eukaryotic BAM/GIDE Domain Proteins.

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Jeremy G Wideman

Full Text Available MAPL (mitochondria-associated protein ligase, also called MULAN/GIDE/MUL1 is a multifunctional mitochondrial outer membrane protein found in human cells that contains a unique BAM (beside a membrane domain and a C-terminal RING-finger domain. MAPL has been implicated in several processes that occur in animal cells such as NF-kB activation, innate immunity and antiviral signaling, suppression of PINK1/parkin defects, mitophagy in skeletal muscle, and caspase-dependent apoptosis. Previous studies demonstrated that the BAM domain is present in diverse organisms in which most of these processes do not occur, including plants, archaea, and bacteria. Thus the conserved function of MAPL and its BAM domain remains an open question. In order to gain insight into its conserved function, we investigated the evolutionary origins of MAPL by searching for homologues in predicted proteomes of diverse eukaryotes. We show that MAPL proteins with a conserved BAM-RING architecture are present in most animals, protists closely related to animals, a single species of fungus, and several multicellular plants and related green algae. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that eukaryotic MAPL proteins originate from a common ancestor and not from independent horizontal gene transfers from bacteria. We also determined that two independent duplications of MAPL occurred, one at the base of multicellular plants and another at the base of vertebrates. Although no other eukaryote genome examined contained a verifiable MAPL orthologue, BAM domain-containing proteins were identified in the protists Bigelowiella natans and Ectocarpus siliculosis. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that these proteins are more closely related to prokaryotic BAM proteins and therefore likely arose from independent horizontal gene transfers from bacteria. We conclude that MAPL proteins with BAM-RING architectures have been present in the holozoan and viridiplantae lineages since their very beginnings

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic studies of the W2 domain of Drosophila melanogaster eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5C domain-containing protein

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Hui; Wang, Hong; Liu, Huihui; Teng, Maikun; Li, Xu

2012-01-01

The crystallization and preliminary crystallographic studies of the carboxy-terminal domain of D. melanogaster eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5C domain-containing protein are reported. The Drosophila melanogaster eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5C domain-containing protein (ECP) is composed of two independently folded domains which belong to the basic leucine-zipper and W2 domain-containing protein (BZW) family. Based on the sequence similarity between the C-terminal W2 domain of ECP and some eukaryotic translation initiation factors (such as eIF2B∊, eIF4γ, eIF5 etc.), ECP has been speculated to participate in the translation initiation process. Structural information on the C-terminal W2 domain of ECP would be helpful in understanding the specific cellular function of this protein. Here, the W2 domain of ECP was expressed and crystallized. Crystals grown by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method diffracted to 2.70 Å resolution and belonged to space group I4, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 81.05, c = 57.44 Å. The Matthews coefficient suggested that there was one molecule per asymmetric unit in the crystal

SECRET domain of variola virus CrmB protein can be a member of poxviral type II chemokine-binding proteins family

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Shchelkunov Sergei N

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Variola virus (VARV the causative agent of smallpox, eradicated in 1980, have wide spectrum of immunomodulatory proteins to evade host immunity. Recently additional biological activity was discovered for VARV CrmB protein, known to bind and inhibit tumour necrosis factor (TNF through its N-terminal domain homologous to cellular TNF receptors. Besides binding TNF, this protein was also shown to bind with high affinity several chemokines which recruit B- and T-lymphocytes and dendritic cells to sites of viral entry and replication. Ability to bind chemokines was shown to be associated with unique C-terminal domain of CrmB protein. This domain named SECRET (Smallpox virus-Encoded Chemokine Receptor is unrelated to the host proteins and lacks significant homology with other known viral chemokine-binding proteins or any other known protein. Findings De novo modelling of VARV-CrmB SECRET domain spatial structure revealed its apparent structural homology with cowpox virus CC-chemokine binding protein (vCCI and vaccinia virus A41 protein, despite low sequence identity between these three proteins. Potential ligand-binding surface of modelled VARV-CrmB SECRET domain was also predicted to bear prominent electronegative charge which is characteristic to known orthopoxviral chemokine-binding proteins. Conclusions Our results suggest that SECRET should be included into the family of poxviral type II chemokine-binding proteins and that it might have been evolved from the vCCI-like predecessor protein.

Joining RDC data from flexible protein domains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sgheri, Luca

2010-01-01

We study the inverse problem of determining the conformational freedom of two protein domains from residual dipolar coupling (RDC) measurements. For each paramagnetic ion attached to one of the domains we obtain a magnetic susceptibility tensor χ from the RDC of couples of atoms of that domain, and a mean paramagnetic susceptibility tensor χ-bar from the RDC of couples of atoms of the other domain. The latter is an integral average of rotations of χ which depends on the conformational freedom of the two domains. In this paper we consider the case when we have data from paramagnetic ions attached separately to each of the domains. We prove that in this case not all the elements of χ and χ-bar are independent. We derive the mathematical equations for the compatibility of the measurements and show how these relations can be used in the presence of noisy data to determine a compatible set of χ and χ-bar with an unconstrained minimization. If available, information about the shape of the noise can be included in the target function. We show that in this case the compatible set obtained has a reduced error with respect to the noisy data

Guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins in retinal pigment epithelial cells.

OpenAIRE

Jiang, M; Pandey, S; Tran, V T; Fong, H K

1991-01-01

The expression of GTP-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells was analyzed by RNA blot hybridization and cDNA amplification. Both adult and fetal human RPE cells contain mRNA for multiple G protein alpha subunits (G alpha) including Gs alpha, Gi-1 alpha, Gi-2 alpha, Gi-3 alpha, and Gz alpha (or Gx alpha), where Gs and Gi are proteins that stimulate or inhibit adenylyl cyclase, respectively, and Gz is a protein that may mediate pertussis toxin-insensi...

Protein domain evolution is associated with reproductive diversification and adaptive radiation in the genus Eucalyptus.

Science.gov (United States)

Kersting, Anna R; Mizrachi, Eshchar; Bornberg-Bauer, Erich; Myburg, Alexander A

2015-06-01

Eucalyptus is a pivotal genus within the rosid order Myrtales with distinct geographic history and adaptations. Comparative analysis of protein domain evolution in the newly sequenced Eucalyptus grandis genome and other rosid lineages sheds light on the adaptive mechanisms integral to the success of this genus of woody perennials. We reconstructed the ancestral domain content to elucidate the gain, loss and expansion of protein domains and domain arrangements in Eucalyptus in the context of rosid phylogeny. We used functional gene ontology (GO) annotation of genes to investigate the possible biological and evolutionary consequences of protein domain expansion. We found that protein modulation within the angiosperms occurred primarily on the level of expansion of certain domains and arrangements. Using RNA-Seq data from E. grandis, we showed that domain expansions have contributed to tissue-specific expression of tandemly duplicated genes. Our results indicate that tandem duplication of genes, a key feature of the Eucalyptus genome, has played an important role in the expansion of domains, particularly in proteins related to the specialization of reproduction and biotic and abiotic interactions affecting root and floral biology, and that tissue-specific expression of proteins with expanded domains has facilitated subfunctionalization in domain families. © 2014 University of Pretoria New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

The 10 kDa domain of human erythrocyte protein 4.1 binds the Plasmodium falciparum EBA-181 protein

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Coetzer Theresa L

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Erythrocyte invasion by Plasmodium falciparum parasites represents a key mechanism during malaria pathogenesis. Erythrocyte binding antigen-181 (EBA-181 is an important invasion protein, which mediates a unique host cell entry pathway. A novel interaction between EBA-181 and human erythrocyte membrane protein 4.1 (4.1R was recently demonstrated using phage display technology. In the current study, recombinant proteins were utilized to define and characterize the precise molecular interaction between the two proteins. Methods 4.1R structural domains (30, 16, 10 and 22 kDa domain and the 4.1R binding region in EBA-181 were synthesized in specific Escherichia coli strains as recombinant proteins and purified using magnetic bead technology. Recombinant proteins were subsequently used in blot-overlay and histidine pull-down assays to determine the binding domain in 4.1R. Results Blot overlay and histidine pull-down experiments revealed specific interaction between the 10 kDa domain of 4.1R and EBA-181. Binding was concentration dependent as well as saturable and was abolished by heat denaturation of 4.1R. Conclusion The interaction of EBA-181 with the highly conserved 10 kDa domain of 4.1R provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms utilized by P. falciparum during erythrocyte entry. The results highlight the potential multifunctional role of malaria invasion proteins, which may contribute to the success of the pathogenic stage of the parasite's life cycle.

Different functional modes of BAR domain proteins in formation and plasticity of mammalian postsynapses.

Science.gov (United States)

Kessels, Michael M; Qualmann, Britta

2015-09-01

A plethora of cell biological processes involve modulations of cellular membranes. By using extended lipid-binding interfaces, some proteins have the power to shape membranes by attaching to them. Among such membrane shapers, the superfamily of Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs (BAR) domain proteins has recently taken center stage. Extensive structural work on BAR domains has revealed a common curved fold that can serve as an extended membrane-binding interface to modulate membrane topologies and has allowed the grouping of the BAR domain superfamily into subfamilies with structurally slightly distinct BAR domain subtypes (N-BAR, BAR, F-BAR and I-BAR). Most BAR superfamily members are expressed in the mammalian nervous system. Neurons are elaborately shaped and highly compartmentalized cells. Therefore, analyses of synapse formation and of postsynaptic reorganization processes (synaptic plasticity) - a basis for learning and memory formation - has unveiled important physiological functions of BAR domain superfamily members. These recent advances, furthermore, have revealed that the functions of BAR domain proteins include different aspects. These functions are influenced by the often complex domain organization of BAR domain proteins. In this Commentary, we review these recent insights and propose to classify BAR domain protein functions into (1) membrane shaping, (2) physical integration, (3) action through signaling components, and (4) suppression of other BAR domain functions. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Co-suppression of sterol-regulatory element binding protein ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

2011-06-22

Jun 22, 2011 ... In Arabidopsis,. At5g35220 gene being sterol regulatory element-binding protein site 2, protease and metalloendopeptidase activity were required for chloroplast development and play a role in regulation of endodermal plastid size and number that are involved in ethylene-dependent gravitropism of light-.

Structure of the GH1 domain of guanylate kinase-associated protein from Rattus norvegicus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong, Junsen; Yang, Huiseon; Eom, Soo Hyun; Chun, ChangJu; Im, Young Jun

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The crystal structure of GKAP homology domain 1 (GH1) was determined. • GKAP GH1 is a three-helix bundle connected by short flexible loops. • The predicted helix α4 associates weakly with the helix α3, suggesting dynamic nature of the GH1 domain. - Abstract: Guanylate-kinase-associated protein (GKAP) is a scaffolding protein that links NMDA receptor-PSD-95 to Shank–Homer complexes by protein–protein interactions at the synaptic junction. GKAP family proteins are characterized by the presence of a C-terminal conserved GKAP homology domain 1 (GH1) of unknown structure and function. In this study, crystal structure of the GH1 domain of GKAP from Rattus norvegicus was determined in fusion with an N-terminal maltose-binding protein at 2.0 Å resolution. The structure of GKAP GH1 displays a three-helix bundle connected by short flexible loops. The predicted helix α4 which was not visible in the crystal structure associates weakly with the helix α3 suggesting dynamic nature of the GH1 domain. The strict conservation of GH1 domain across GKAP family members and the lack of a catalytic active site required for enzyme activity imply that the GH1 domain might serve as a protein–protein interaction module for the synaptic protein clustering

Structure of the GH1 domain of guanylate kinase-associated protein from Rattus norvegicus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tong, Junsen; Yang, Huiseon [College of Pharmacy, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757 (Korea, Republic of); Eom, Soo Hyun [School of Life Sciences, Steitz Center for Structural Biology, and Department of Chemistry, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); Chun, ChangJu, E-mail: cchun1130@jnu.ac.kr [College of Pharmacy, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757 (Korea, Republic of); Im, Young Jun, E-mail: imyoungjun@jnu.ac.kr [College of Pharmacy, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-09-12

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The crystal structure of GKAP homology domain 1 (GH1) was determined. • GKAP GH1 is a three-helix bundle connected by short flexible loops. • The predicted helix α4 associates weakly with the helix α3, suggesting dynamic nature of the GH1 domain. - Abstract: Guanylate-kinase-associated protein (GKAP) is a scaffolding protein that links NMDA receptor-PSD-95 to Shank–Homer complexes by protein–protein interactions at the synaptic junction. GKAP family proteins are characterized by the presence of a C-terminal conserved GKAP homology domain 1 (GH1) of unknown structure and function. In this study, crystal structure of the GH1 domain of GKAP from Rattus norvegicus was determined in fusion with an N-terminal maltose-binding protein at 2.0 Å resolution. The structure of GKAP GH1 displays a three-helix bundle connected by short flexible loops. The predicted helix α4 which was not visible in the crystal structure associates weakly with the helix α3 suggesting dynamic nature of the GH1 domain. The strict conservation of GH1 domain across GKAP family members and the lack of a catalytic active site required for enzyme activity imply that the GH1 domain might serve as a protein–protein interaction module for the synaptic protein clustering.

Vaccinia Virus Immunomodulator A46: A Lipid and Protein-Binding Scaffold for Sequestering Host TIR-Domain Proteins.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofiya Fedosyuk

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Vaccinia virus interferes with early events of the activation pathway of the transcriptional factor NF-kB by binding to numerous host TIR-domain containing adaptor proteins. We have previously determined the X-ray structure of the A46 C-terminal domain; however, the structure and function of the A46 N-terminal domain and its relationship to the C-terminal domain have remained unclear. Here, we biophysically characterize residues 1-83 of the N-terminal domain of A46 and present the X-ray structure at 1.55 Å. Crystallographic phases were obtained by a recently developed ab initio method entitled ARCIMBOLDO_BORGES that employs tertiary structure libraries extracted from the Protein Data Bank; data analysis revealed an all β-sheet structure. This is the first such structure solved by this method which should be applicable to any protein composed entirely of β-sheets. The A46(1-83 structure itself is a β-sandwich containing a co-purified molecule of myristic acid inside a hydrophobic pocket and represents a previously unknown lipid-binding fold. Mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the presence of long-chain fatty acids in both N-terminal and full-length A46; mutation of the hydrophobic pocket reduced the lipid content. Using a combination of high resolution X-ray structures of the N- and C-terminal domains and SAXS analysis of full-length protein A46(1-240, we present here a structural model of A46 in a tetrameric assembly. Integrating affinity measurements and structural data, we propose how A46 simultaneously interferes with several TIR-domain containing proteins to inhibit NF-κB activation and postulate that A46 employs a bipartite binding arrangement to sequester the host immune adaptors TRAM and MyD88.

Metagenome Analysis of Protein Domain Collocation within Cellulase Genes of Goat Rumen Microbes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SooYeon Lim

2013-08-01

Full Text Available In this study, protein domains with cellulase activity in goat rumen microbes were investigated using metagenomic and bioinformatic analyses. After the complete genome of goat rumen microbes was obtained using a shotgun sequencing method, 217,892,109 pair reads were filtered, including only those with 70% identity, 100-bp matches, and thresholds below E−10 using METAIDBA. These filtered contigs were assembled and annotated using blastN against the NCBI nucleotide database. As a result, a microbial community structure with 1431 species was analyzed, among which Prevotella ruminicola 23 bacteria and Butyrivibrio proteoclasticus B316 were the dominant groups. In parallel, 201 sequences related with cellulase activities (EC.3.2.1.4 were obtained through blast searches using the enzyme.dat file provided by the NCBI database. After translating the nucleotide sequence into a protein sequence using Interproscan, 28 protein domains with cellulase activity were identified using the HMMER package with threshold E values below 10−5. Cellulase activity protein domain profiling showed that the major protein domains such as lipase GDSL, cellulase, and Glyco hydro 10 were present in bacterial species with strong cellulase activities. Furthermore, correlation plots clearly displayed the strong positive correlation between some protein domain groups, which was indicative of microbial adaption in the goat rumen based on feeding habits. This is the first metagenomic analysis of cellulase activity protein domains using bioinformatics from the goat rumen.

The CRM domain: an RNA binding module derived from an ancient ribosome-associated protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Barkan, Alice; Klipcan, Larik; Ostersetzer, Oren; Kawamura, Tetsuya; Asakura, Yukari; Watkins, Kenneth P

2007-01-01

The CRS1-YhbY domain (also called the CRM domain) is represented as a stand-alone protein in Archaea and Bacteria, and in a family of single- and multidomain proteins in plants. The function of this domain is unknown, but structural data and the presence of the domain in several proteins known to interact with RNA have led to the proposal that it binds RNA. Here we describe a phylogenetic analysis of the domain, its incorporation into diverse proteins in plants, and biochemical properties of a prokaryotic and eukaryotic representative of the domain family. We show that a bacterial member of the family, Escherichia coli YhbY, is associated with pre-50S ribosomal subunits, suggesting that YhbY functions in ribosome assembly. GFP fused to a single-domain CRM protein from maize localizes to the nucleolus, suggesting that an analogous activity may have been retained in plants. We show further that an isolated maize CRM domain has RNA binding activity in vitro, and that a small motif shared with KH RNA binding domains, a conserved "GxxG" loop, contributes to its RNA binding activity. These and other results suggest that the CRM domain evolved in the context of ribosome function prior to the divergence of Archaea and Bacteria, that this function has been maintained in extant prokaryotes, and that the domain was recruited to serve as an RNA binding module during the evolution of plant genomes.

Protein Kinase A Regulatory Subunits in Human Adipose Tissue

Science.gov (United States)

Mantovani, Giovanna; Bondioni, Sara; Alberti, Luisella; Gilardini, Luisa; Invitti, Cecilia; Corbetta, Sabrina; Zappa, Marco A.; Ferrero, Stefano; Lania, Andrea G.; Bosari, Silvano; Beck-Peccoz, Paolo; Spada, Anna

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE—In human adipocytes, the cAMP-dependent pathway mediates signals originating from β-adrenergic activation, thus playing a key role in the regulation of important metabolic processes, i.e., lipolysis and thermogenesis. Cyclic AMP effects are mainly mediated by protein kinase A (PKA), whose R2B regulatory isoform is the most expressed in mouse adipose tissue, where it protects against diet-induced obesity and fatty liver development. The aim of the study was to investigate possible differences in R2B expression, PKA activity, and lipolysis in adipose tissues from obese and nonobese subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—The expression of the different PKA regulatory subunits was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, Western blot, and real-time PCR in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue samples from 20 nonobese and 67 obese patients. PKA activity and glycerol release were evaluated in total protein extract and adipocytes isolated from fresh tissue samples, respectively. RESULTS—Expression techniques showed that R2B was the most abundant regulatory protein, both at mRNA and protein level. Interestingly, R2B mRNA levels were significantly lower in both subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissues from obese than nonobese patients and negatively correlated with BMI, waist circumference, insulin levels, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Moreover, both basal and stimulated PKA activity and glycerol release were significantly lower in visceral adipose tissue from obese patients then nonobese subjects. CONCLUSIONS—Our results first indicate that, in human adipose tissue, there are important BMI-related differences in R2B expression and PKA activation, which might be included among the multiple determinants involved in the different lipolytic response to β-adrenergic activation in obesity. PMID:19095761

Ligand binding to the PDZ domains of postsynaptic density protein 95

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Toto, Angelo; Pedersen, Søren W; Karlsson, O Andreas

2016-01-01

Cellular scaffolding and signalling is generally governed by multidomain proteins, where each domain has a particular function. Postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) is involved in synapse formation and is a typical example of such a multidomain protein. Protein-protein interactions of PSD-95 ...

Structure function relations in PDZ-domain-containing proteins ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

G P Manjunath

2017-12-30

Dec 30, 2017 ... Implications for protein networks in cellular signalling ..... However, surface plasmon resonance .... entiate between conformation changes in the PDZ domain or .... NHERF1, through long-range electrostatic and hydrophobic.

Presence of an SH2 domain in the actin-binding protein tensin.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, S; Lu, M L; Lo, S H; Lin, S; Butler, J A; Druker, B J; Roberts, T M; An, Q; Chen, L B

1991-05-03

The molecular cloning of the complementary DNA coding for a 90-kilodalton fragment of tensin, an actin-binding component of focal contacts and other submembraneous cytoskeletal structures, is reported. The derived amino acid sequence revealed the presence of a Src homology 2 (SH2) domain. This domain is shared by a number of signal transduction proteins including nonreceptor tyrosine kinases such as Abl, Fps, Src, and Src family members, the transforming protein Crk, phospholipase C-gamma 1, PI-3 (phosphatidylinositol) kinase, and guanosine triphosphatase-activating protein (GAP). Like the SH2 domain found in Src, Crk, and Abl, the SH2 domain of tensin bound specifically to a number of phosphotyrosine-containing proteins from v-src-transformed cells. Tensin was also found to be phosphorylated on tyrosine residues. These findings suggest that by possessing both actin-binding and phosphotyrosine-binding activities and being itself a target for tyrosine kinases, tensin may link signal transduction pathways with the cytoskeleton.

Efficient expression of SRK intracellular domain by a modeling-based protein engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Murase, Kohji; Hirano, Yoshinori; Takayama, Seiji; Hakoshima, Toshio

2017-03-01

S-locus protein kinase (SRK) is a receptor kinase that plays a critical role in self-recognition in the Brassicaceae self-incompatibility (SI) response. SRK is activated by binding of its ligand S-locus protein 11 (SP11) and subsequently induced phosphorylation of the intracellular kinase domain. However, a detailed activation mechanism of SRK is still largely unknown because of the difficulty in stably expressing SRK recombinant proteins. Here, we performed modeling-based protein engineering of the SRK kinase domain for stable expression in Escherichia coli. The engineered SRK intracellular domain was expressed about 54-fold higher production than wild type SRK, without loss of the kinase activity, suggesting it could be useful for further biochemical and structural studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The ER stress sensor PERK luminal domain functions as a molecular chaperone to interact with misfolded proteins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Peng; Li, Jingzhi; Sha, Bingdong

2016-11-29

PERK is one of the major sensor proteins which can detect the protein-folding imbalance generated by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. It remains unclear how the sensor protein PERK is activated by ER stress. It has been demonstrated that the PERK luminal domain can recognize and selectively interact with misfolded proteins but not native proteins. Moreover, the PERK luminal domain may function as a molecular chaperone to directly bind to and suppress the aggregation of a number of misfolded model proteins. The data strongly support the hypothesis that the PERK luminal domain can interact directly with misfolded proteins to induce ER stress signaling. To illustrate the mechanism by which the PERK luminal domain interacts with misfolded proteins, the crystal structure of the human PERK luminal domain was determined to 3.2 Å resolution. Two dimers of the PERK luminal domain constitute a tetramer in the asymmetric unit. Superimposition of the PERK luminal domain molecules indicated that the β-sandwich domain could adopt multiple conformations. It is hypothesized that the PERK luminal domain may utilize its flexible β-sandwich domain to recognize and interact with a broad range of misfolded proteins.

Investigating the Role of Large-Scale Domain Dynamics in Protein-Protein Interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Delaforge, Elise; Milles, Sigrid; Huang, Jie-Rong; Bouvier, Denis; Jensen, Malene Ringkjøbing; Sattler, Michael; Hart, Darren J; Blackledge, Martin

2016-01-01

Intrinsically disordered linkers provide multi-domain proteins with degrees of conformational freedom that are often essential for function. These highly dynamic assemblies represent a significant fraction of all proteomes, and deciphering the physical basis of their interactions represents a considerable challenge. Here we describe the difficulties associated with mapping the large-scale domain dynamics and describe two recent examples where solution state methods, in particular NMR spectroscopy, are used to investigate conformational exchange on very different timescales.

Structures of the Porphyromonas gingivalis OxyR regulatory domain explain differences in expression of the OxyR regulon in Escherichia coli and P. gingivalis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Svintradze, David V. [Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0566 (United States); Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219-1540 (United States); Peterson, Darrell L. [Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219-1540 (United States); Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0614 (United States); Collazo-Santiago, Evys A.; Lewis, Janina P. [Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0566 (United States); Wright, H. Tonie, E-mail: xrdproc@vcu.edu [Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219-1540 (United States); Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0614 (United States); Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0566 (United States)

2013-10-01

Differences in OxyR regulated expression of oxidative stress genes between Escherichia coli and Porphyromonas gingivalis are explained by very minor differences in structure and amino-acid sequence of the respective oxidized and reduced OxyR regulatory domains. These differences affect OxyR quaternary structures and are predicted from model building of full length OxyR–DNA complexes to confer distinct modes of DNA binding on this transcriptional regulator. OxyR transcriptionally regulates Escherichia coli oxidative stress response genes through a reversibly reducible cysteine disulfide biosensor of cellular redox status. Structural changes induced by redox changes in these cysteines are conformationally transmitted to the dimer subunit interfaces, which alters dimer and tetramer interactions with DNA. In contrast to E. coli OxyR regulatory-domain structures, crystal structures of Porphyromonas gingivalis OxyR regulatory domains show minimal differences in dimer configuration on changes in cysteine disulfide redox status. This locked configuration of the P. gingivalis OxyR regulatory-domain dimer closely resembles the oxidized (activating) form of the E. coli OxyR regulatory-domain dimer. It correlates with the observed constitutive activation of some oxidative stress genes in P. gingivalis and is attributable to a single amino-acid insertion in P. gingivalis OxyR relative to E. coli OxyR. Modelling of full-length P. gingivalis, E. coli and Neisseria meningitidis OxyR–DNA complexes predicts different modes of DNA binding for the reduced and oxidized forms of each.

Structures of the Porphyromonas gingivalis OxyR regulatory domain explain differences in expression of the OxyR regulon in Escherichia coli and P. gingivalis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svintradze, David V.; Peterson, Darrell L.; Collazo-Santiago, Evys A.; Lewis, Janina P.; Wright, H. Tonie

2013-01-01

Differences in OxyR regulated expression of oxidative stress genes between Escherichia coli and Porphyromonas gingivalis are explained by very minor differences in structure and amino-acid sequence of the respective oxidized and reduced OxyR regulatory domains. These differences affect OxyR quaternary structures and are predicted from model building of full length OxyR–DNA complexes to confer distinct modes of DNA binding on this transcriptional regulator. OxyR transcriptionally regulates Escherichia coli oxidative stress response genes through a reversibly reducible cysteine disulfide biosensor of cellular redox status. Structural changes induced by redox changes in these cysteines are conformationally transmitted to the dimer subunit interfaces, which alters dimer and tetramer interactions with DNA. In contrast to E. coli OxyR regulatory-domain structures, crystal structures of Porphyromonas gingivalis OxyR regulatory domains show minimal differences in dimer configuration on changes in cysteine disulfide redox status. This locked configuration of the P. gingivalis OxyR regulatory-domain dimer closely resembles the oxidized (activating) form of the E. coli OxyR regulatory-domain dimer. It correlates with the observed constitutive activation of some oxidative stress genes in P. gingivalis and is attributable to a single amino-acid insertion in P. gingivalis OxyR relative to E. coli OxyR. Modelling of full-length P. gingivalis, E. coli and Neisseria meningitidis OxyR–DNA complexes predicts different modes of DNA binding for the reduced and oxidized forms of each

NSP-CAS Protein Complexes: Emerging Signaling Modules in Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallez, Yann; Mace, Peter D; Pasquale, Elena B; Riedl, Stefan J

2012-05-01

The CAS (CRK-associated substrate) family of adaptor proteins comprises 4 members, which share a conserved modular domain structure that enables multiple protein-protein interactions, leading to the assembly of intracellular signaling platforms. Besides their physiological role in signal transduction downstream of a variety of cell surface receptors, CAS proteins are also critical for oncogenic transformation and cancer cell malignancy through associations with a variety of regulatory proteins and downstream effectors. Among the regulatory partners, the 3 recently identified adaptor proteins constituting the NSP (novel SH2-containing protein) family avidly bind to the conserved carboxy-terminal focal adhesion-targeting (FAT) domain of CAS proteins. NSP proteins use an anomalous nucleotide exchange factor domain that lacks catalytic activity to form NSP-CAS signaling modules. Additionally, the NSP SH2 domain can link NSP-CAS signaling assemblies to tyrosine-phosphorylated cell surface receptors. NSP proteins can potentiate CAS function by affecting key CAS attributes such as expression levels, phosphorylation state, and subcellular localization, leading to effects on cell adhesion, migration, and invasion as well as cell growth. The consequences of these activities are well exemplified by the role that members of both families play in promoting breast cancer cell invasiveness and resistance to antiestrogens. In this review, we discuss the intriguing interplay between the NSP and CAS families, with a particular focus on cancer signaling networks.

Identification of hierarchy of dynamic domains in proteins: comparison of HDWA and HCCP techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yesylevskyy S. O.

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Aim. There are several techniques for the identification of hierarchy of dynamic domains in proteins. The goal of this work is to compare systematically two recently developed techniques, HCCP and HDWA,on a set of proteins from diverse structural classes. Methods. HDWA and HCCP techniques are used. The HDWA technique is designed to identify hierarchically organized dynamic domains in proteins using the Molecular Dynamics (MD trajectories, while HCCP utilizes the normal modes of simplified elastic network models. Results. It is shown that the dynamic domains found by HDWA are consistent with the domains identified by HCCP and other techniques. At the same time HDWA identifies flexible mobile loops of proteins correctly, which is hard to achieve with other model-based domain identification techniques. Conclusion. HDWA is shown to be a powerful method of analysis of MD trajectories, which can be used in various areas of protein science.

The Staphylococcus aureus group II biotin protein ligase BirA is an effective regulator of biotin operon transcription and requires the DNA binding domain for full enzymatic activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Henke, Sarah K; Cronan, John E

2016-11-01

Group II biotin protein ligases (BPLs) are characterized by the presence of an N-terminal DNA binding domain that functions in transcriptional regulation of the genes of biotin biosynthesis and transport. The Staphylococcus aureus Group II BPL which is called BirA has been reported to bind an imperfect inverted repeat located upstream of the biotin synthesis operon. DNA binding by other Group II BPLs requires dimerization of the protein which is triggered by synthesis of biotinoyl-AMP (biotinoyl-adenylate), the intermediate in the ligation of biotin to its cognate target proteins. However, the S. aureus BirA was reported to dimerize and bind DNA in the absence of biotin or biotinoyl-AMP (Soares da Costa et al. (2014) Mol Microbiol 91: 110-120). These in vitro results argued that the protein would be unable to respond to the levels of biotin or acceptor proteins and thus would lack the regulatory properties of the other characterized BirA proteins. We tested the regulatory function of the protein using an in vivo model system and examined its DNA binding properties in vitro using electrophoretic mobility shift and fluorescence anisotropy analyses. We report that the S. aureus BirA is an effective regulator of biotin operon transcription and that the prior data can be attributed to artifacts of mobility shift analyses. We also report that deletion of the DNA binding domain of the S. aureus BirA results in loss of virtually all of its ligation activity. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

ABI domain-containing proteins contribute to surface protein display and cell division in Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Frankel, Matthew B; Wojcik, Brandon M; DeDent, Andrea C; Missiakas, Dominique M; Schneewind, Olaf

2010-10-01

The human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus requires cell wall anchored surface proteins to cause disease. During cell division, surface proteins with YSIRK signal peptides are secreted into the cross-wall, a layer of newly synthesized peptidoglycan between separating daughter cells. The molecular determinants for the trafficking of surface proteins are, however, still unknown. We screened mutants with non-redundant transposon insertions by fluorescence-activated cell sorting for reduced deposition of protein A (SpA) into the staphylococcal envelope. Three mutants, each of which harboured transposon insertions in genes for transmembrane proteins, displayed greatly reduced envelope abundance of SpA and surface proteins with YSIRK signal peptides. Characterization of the corresponding mutations identified three transmembrane proteins with abortive infectivity (ABI) domains, elements first described in lactococci for their role in phage exclusion. Mutations in genes for ABI domain proteins, designated spdA, spdB and spdC (surface protein display), diminish the expression of surface proteins with YSIRK signal peptides, but not of precursor proteins with conventional signal peptides. spdA, spdB and spdC mutants display an increase in the thickness of cross-walls and in the relative abundance of staphylococci with cross-walls, suggesting that spd mutations may represent a possible link between staphylococcal cell division and protein secretion. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Ligand Binding Domain Protein in Tetracycline-Inducible Expression ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

binding domain proteins in E. coli using a tetracycline inducible system. To allow for ... development of molecular ligands with improved therapeutic windows. Keywords: Nuclear receptor ..... functional recombinant cannabinoid receptor CB2 in ...

PDZ Protein Regulation of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Trafficking and Signaling Pathways.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Henry A; Ferguson, Stephen S G

2015-10-01

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) contribute to the regulation of every aspect of human physiology and are therapeutic targets for the treatment of numerous diseases. As a consequence, understanding the myriad of mechanisms controlling GPCR signaling and trafficking is essential for the development of new pharmacological strategies for the treatment of human pathologies. Of the many GPCR-interacting proteins, postsynaptic density protein of 95 kilodaltons, disc large, zona occludens-1 (PDZ) domain-containing proteins appear most abundant and have similarly been implicated in disease mechanisms. PDZ proteins play an important role in regulating receptor and channel protein localization within synapses and tight junctions and function to scaffold intracellular signaling protein complexes. In the current study, we review the known functional interactions between PDZ domain-containing proteins and GPCRs and provide insight into the potential mechanisms of action. These PDZ domain-containing proteins include the membrane-associated guanylate-like kinases [postsynaptic density protein of 95 kilodaltons; synapse-associated protein of 97 kilodaltons; postsynaptic density protein of 93 kilodaltons; synapse-associated protein of 102 kilodaltons; discs, large homolog 5; caspase activation and recruitment domain and membrane-associated guanylate-like kinase domain-containing protein 3; membrane protein, palmitoylated 3; calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase; membrane-associated guanylate kinase protein (MAGI)-1, MAGI-2, and MAGI-3], Na(+)/H(+) exchanger regulatory factor proteins (NHERFs) (NHERF1, NHERF2, PDZ domain-containing kidney protein 1, and PDZ domain-containing kidney protein 2), Golgi-associated PDZ proteins (Gα-binding protein interacting protein, C-terminus and CFTR-associated ligand), PDZ domain-containing guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) 1 and 2, regulator of G protein signaling (RGS)-homology-RhoGEFs (PDZ domain-containing RhoGEF and

Investigating the Role of Large-Scale Domain Dynamics in Protein-Protein Interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elise Delaforge

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Intrinsically disordered linkers provide multi-domain proteins with degrees of conformational freedom that are often essential for function. These highly dynamic assemblies represent a significant fraction of all proteomes, and deciphering the physical basis of their interactions represents a considerable challenge. Here we describe the difficulties associated with mapping the large-scale domain dynamics and describe two recent examples where solution state methods, in particular NMR spectroscopy, are used to investigate conformational exchange on very different timescales.

Residues 240-250 in the C-terminus of the Pirh2 protein complement the function of the RING domain in self-ubiquitination of the Pirh2 protein.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rami Abou Zeinab

Full Text Available Pirh2 is a p53 inducible gene that encodes a RING-H2 domain and is proposed to be a main regulator of p53 protein, thus fine tuning the DNA damage response. Pirh2 interacts physically with p53 and promotes its MDM2-independent ubiquitination and subsequent degradation as well as participates in an auto-regulatory feedback loop that controls p53 function. Pirh2 also self-ubiquitinates. Interestingly, Pirh2 is overexpressed in a wide range of human tumors. In this study, we investigated the domains and residues essential for Pirh2 self-ubiquitination. Deletions were made in each of the three major domains of Pirh2: the N-terminal domain (NTD, Ring domain (RING, and C-terminal domain (CTD. The effects of these deletions on Pirh2 self-ubiquitination were then assessed using in vitro ubiquitination assays. Our results demonstrate that the RING domain is essential, but not sufficient, for Pirh2 self-ubiquitination and that residues 240-250 of the C-terminal domain are also essential. Our results demonstrate that Pirh2 mediated p53 polyubiquitination occurs mainly through the K48 residue of ubiquitin in vitro. Our data further our understanding of the mechanism of Pirh2 self-ubiquitination and may help identify valuable therapeutic targets that play roles in reducing the effects of the overexpression of Pirh2, thus maximizing p53's response to DNA damage.

Functional interaction of the DNA-binding transcription factor Sp1 through its DNA-binding domain with the histone chaperone TAF-I.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Toru; Muto, Shinsuke; Miyamoto, Saku; Aizawa, Kenichi; Horikoshi, Masami; Nagai, Ryozo

2003-08-01

Transcription involves molecular interactions between general and regulatory transcription factors with further regulation by protein-protein interactions (e.g. transcriptional cofactors). Here we describe functional interaction between DNA-binding transcription factor and histone chaperone. Affinity purification of factors interacting with the DNA-binding domain of the transcription factor Sp1 showed Sp1 to interact with the histone chaperone TAF-I, both alpha and beta isoforms. This interaction was specific as Sp1 did not interact with another histone chaperone CIA nor did other tested DNA-binding regulatory factors (MyoD, NFkappaB, p53) interact with TAF-I. Interaction of Sp1 and TAF-I occurs both in vitro and in vivo. Interaction with TAF-I results in inhibition of DNA-binding, and also likely as a result of such, inhibition of promoter activation by Sp1. Collectively, we describe interaction between DNA-binding transcription factor and histone chaperone which results in negative regulation of the former. This novel regulatory interaction advances our understanding of the mechanisms of eukaryotic transcription through DNA-binding regulatory transcription factors by protein-protein interactions, and also shows the DNA-binding domain to mediate important regulatory interactions.

Guanylate kinase domains of the MAGUK family scaffold proteins as specific phospho-protein-binding modules

OpenAIRE

Zhu, Jinwei; Shang, Yuan; Xia, Caihao; Wang, Wenning; Wen, Wenyu; Zhang, Mingjie

2011-01-01

Membrane-associated guanylate kinases (MAGUK) family proteins contain an inactive guanylate kinase (GK) domain, whose function has been elusive. Here, this domain is revealed as a new type of phospho-peptide-binding module, in which the GMP-binding site has evolved to accommodate phospho-serines or -threonines.

A Bayesian Sampler for Optimization of Protein Domain Hierarchies

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Abstract The process of identifying and modeling functionally divergent subgroups for a specific protein domain class and arranging these subgroups hierarchically has, thus far, largely been done via manual curation. How to accomplish this automatically and optimally is an unsolved statistical and algorithmic problem that is addressed here via Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling. Taking as input a (typically very large) multiple-sequence alignment, the sampler creates and optimizes a hierarchy by adding and deleting leaf nodes, by moving nodes and subtrees up and down the hierarchy, by inserting or deleting internal nodes, and by redefining the sequences and conserved patterns associated with each node. All such operations are based on a probability distribution that models the conserved and divergent patterns defining each subgroup. When we view these patterns as sequence determinants of protein function, each node or subtree in such a hierarchy corresponds to a subgroup of sequences with similar biological properties. The sampler can be applied either de novo or to an existing hierarchy. When applied to 60 protein domains from multiple starting points in this way, it converged on similar solutions with nearly identical log-likelihood ratio scores, suggesting that it typically finds the optimal peak in the posterior probability distribution. Similarities and differences between independently generated, nearly optimal hierarchies for a given domain help distinguish robust from statistically uncertain features. Thus, a future application of the sampler is to provide confidence measures for various features of a domain hierarchy. PMID:24494927

Chromatin Heterogeneity and Distribution of Regulatory Elements in the Late-Replicating Intercalary Heterochromatin Domains of Drosophila melanogaster Chromosomes.

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Varvara A Khoroshko

Full Text Available Late-replicating domains (intercalary heterochromatin in the Drosophila genome display a number of features suggesting their organization is quite unique. Typically, they are quite large and encompass clusters of functionally unrelated tissue-specific genes. They correspond to the topologically associating domains and conserved microsynteny blocks. Our study aims at exploring further details of molecular organization of intercalary heterochromatin and has uncovered surprising heterogeneity of chromatin composition in these regions. Using the 4HMM model developed in our group earlier, intercalary heterochromatin regions were found to host chromatin fragments with a particular epigenetic profile. Aquamarine chromatin fragments (spanning 0.67% of late-replicating regions are characterized as a class of sequences that appear heterogeneous in terms of their decompactization. These fragments are enriched with enhancer sequences and binding sites for insulator proteins. They likely mark the chromatin state that is related to the binding of cis-regulatory proteins. Malachite chromatin fragments (11% of late-replicating regions appear to function as universal transitional regions between two contrasting chromatin states. Namely, they invariably delimit intercalary heterochromatin regions from the adjacent active chromatin of interbands. Malachite fragments also flank aquamarine fragments embedded in the repressed chromatin of late-replicating regions. Significant enrichment of insulator proteins CP190, SU(HW, and MOD2.2 was observed in malachite chromatin. Neither aquamarine nor malachite chromatin types appear to correlate with the positions of highly conserved non-coding elements (HCNE that are typically replete in intercalary heterochromatin. Malachite chromatin found on the flanks of intercalary heterochromatin regions tends to replicate earlier than the malachite chromatin embedded in intercalary heterochromatin. In other words, there exists a

Probing SH2-domains using Inhibitor Affinity Purification (IAP).

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Höfener, Michael; Heinzlmeir, Stephanie; Kuster, Bernhard; Sewald, Norbert

2014-01-01

Many human diseases are correlated with the dysregulation of signal transduction processes. One of the most important protein interaction domains in the context of signal transduction is the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain that binds phosphotyrosine residues. Hence, appropriate methods for the investigation of SH2 proteins are indispensable in diagnostics and medicinal chemistry. Therefore, an affinity resin for the enrichment of all SH2 proteins in one experiment would be desirable. However, current methods are unable to address all SH2 proteins simultaneously with a single compound or a small array of compounds. In order to overcome these limitations for the investigation of this particular protein family in future experiments, a dipeptide-derived probe has been designed, synthesized and evaluated. This probe successfully enriched 22 SH2 proteins from mixed cell lysates which contained 50 SH2 proteins. Further characterization of the SH2 binding properties of the probe using depletion and competition experiments indicated its ability to enrich complexes consisting of SH2 domain bearing regulatory PI3K subunits and catalytic phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) subunits that have no SH2 domain. The results make this probe a promising starting point for the development of a mixed affinity resin with complete SH2 protein coverage. Moreover, the additional findings render it a valuable tool for the evaluation of PI3K complex interrupting inhibitors.

The Drosophila BTB domain protein Jim Lovell has roles in multiple larval and adult behaviors.

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Sonia M Bjorum

Full Text Available Innate behaviors have their origins in the specification of neural fates during development. Within Drosophila, BTB (Bric-a-brac,Tramtrack, Broad domain proteins such as Fruitless are known to play key roles in the neural differentiation underlying such responses. We previously identified a gene, which we have termed jim lovell (lov, encoding a BTB protein with a role in gravity responses. To understand more fully the behavioral roles of this gene we have investigated its function through several approaches. Transcript and protein expression patterns have been examined and behavioral phenotypes of new lov mutations have been characterized. Lov is a nuclear protein, suggesting a role as a transcriptional regulator, as for other BTB proteins. In late embryogenesis, Lov is expressed in many CNS and PNS neurons. An examination of the PNS expression indicates that lov functions in the late specification of several classes of sensory neurons. In particular, only two of the five abdominal lateral chordotonal neurons express Lov, predicting functional variation within this highly similar group. Surprisingly, Lov is also expressed very early in embryogenesis in ways that suggests roles in morphogenetic movements, amnioserosa function and head neurogenesis. The phenotypes of two new lov mutations that delete adjacent non-coding DNA regions are strikingly different suggesting removal of different regulatory elements. In lov(47 , Lov expression is lost in many embryonic neurons including the two lateral chordotonal neurons. lov(47 mutant larvae show feeding and locomotor defects including spontaneous backward movement. Adult lov(47 males perform aberrant courtship behavior distinguished by courtship displays that are not directed at the female. lov(47 adults also show more defective negative gravitaxis than the previously isolated lov(91Y mutant. In contrast, lov(66 produces largely normal behavior but severe female sterility associated with ectopic lov

A fluorescent cassette-based strategy for engineering multiple domain fusion proteins

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Khorchid Ahmad

2003-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The engineering of fusion proteins has become increasingly important and most recently has formed the basis of many biosensors, protein purification systems, and classes of new drugs. Currently, most fusion proteins consist of three or fewer domains, however, more sophisticated designs could easily involve three or more domains. Using traditional subcloning strategies, this requires micromanagement of restriction enzymes sites that results in complex workaround solutions, if any at all. Results Therefore, to aid in the efficient construction of fusion proteins involving multiple domains, we have created a new expression vector that allows us to rapidly generate a library of cassettes. Cassettes have a standard vector structure based on four specific restriction endonuclease sites and using a subtle property of blunt or compatible cohesive end restriction enzymes, they can be fused in any order and number of times. Furthermore, the insertion of PCR products into our expression vector or the recombination of cassettes can be dramatically simplified by screening for the presence or absence of fluorescence. Conclusions Finally, the utility of this new strategy was demonstrated by the creation of basic cassettes for protein targeting to subcellular organelles and for protein purification using multiple affinity tags.

The SBASE protein domain library, release 8.0: a collection of annotated protein sequence segments.

Science.gov (United States)

Murvai, J; Vlahovicek, K; Barta, E; Pongor, S

2001-01-01

SBASE 8.0 is the eighth release of the SBASE library of protein domain sequences that contains 294 898 annotated structural, functional, ligand-binding and topogenic segments of proteins, cross-referenced to most major sequence databases and sequence pattern collections. The entries are clustered into over 2005 statistically validated domain groups (SBASE-A) and 595 non-validated groups (SBASE-B), provided with several WWW-based search and browsing facilities for online use. A domain-search facility was developed, based on non-parametric pattern recognition methods, including artificial neural networks. SBASE 8.0 is freely available by anonymous 'ftp' file transfer from ftp.icgeb.trieste.it. Automated searching of SBASE can be carried out with the WWW servers http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/sbase/ and http://sbase.abc. hu/sbase/.

Importance of a Conserved Lys/Arg Residue for Ligand/PDZ Domain Interactions as Examined by Protein Semisynthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Søren W; Moran, Griffin E; Sereikaité, Vita

2016-01-01

PDZ domains are ubiquitous small protein domains that are mediators of numerous protein-protein interactions, and play a pivotal role in protein trafficking, synaptic transmission, and the assembly of signaling-transduction complexes. In recent years, PDZ domains have emerged as novel and exciting...... drug targets for diseases (in the brain in particular), so understanding the molecular details of PDZ domain interactions is of fundamental importance. PDZ domains bind to a protein partner at either a C-terminal peptide or internal peptide motifs. Here, we examined the importance of a conserved Lys...

Reassessing Domain Architecture Evolution of Metazoan Proteins: The Contribution of Different Evolutionary Mechanisms

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Laszlo Patthy

2011-08-01

Full Text Available In the accompanying papers we have shown that sequence errors of public databases and confusion of paralogs and epaktologs (proteins that are related only through the independent acquisition of the same domain types significantly distort the picture that emerges from comparison of the domain architecture (DA of multidomain Metazoan proteins since they introduce a strong bias in favor of terminal over internal DA change. The issue of whether terminal or internal DA changes occur with greater probability has very important implications for the DA evolution of multidomain proteins since gene fusion can add domains only at terminal positions, whereas domain-shuffling is capable of inserting domains both at internal and terminal positions. As a corollary, overestimation of terminal DA changes may be misinterpreted as evidence for a dominant role of gene fusion in DA evolution. In this manuscript we show that in several recent studies of DA evolution of Metazoa the authors used databases that are significantly contaminated with incomplete, abnormal and mispredicted sequences (e.g., UniProtKB/TrEMBL, EnsEMBL and/or the authors failed to separate paralogs and epaktologs, explaining why these studies concluded that the major mechanism for gains of new domains in metazoan proteins is gene fusion. In contrast with the latter conclusion, our studies on high quality orthologous and paralogous Swiss-Prot sequences confirm that shuffling of mobile domains had a major role in the evolution of multidomain proteins of Metazoa and especially those formed in early vertebrates.

Protein translocation channel of mitochondrial inner membrane and matrix-exposed import motor communicate via two-domain coupling protein.

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Banerjee, Rupa; Gladkova, Christina; Mapa, Koyeli; Witte, Gregor; Mokranjac, Dejana

2015-12-29

The majority of mitochondrial proteins are targeted to mitochondria by N-terminal presequences and use the TIM23 complex for their translocation across the mitochondrial inner membrane. During import, translocation through the channel in the inner membrane is coupled to the ATP-dependent action of an Hsp70-based import motor at the matrix face. How these two processes are coordinated remained unclear. We show here that the two domain structure of Tim44 plays a central role in this process. The N-terminal domain of Tim44 interacts with the components of the import motor, whereas its C-terminal domain interacts with the translocation channel and is in contact with translocating proteins. Our data suggest that the translocation channel and the import motor of the TIM23 complex communicate through rearrangements of the two domains of Tim44 that are stimulated by translocating proteins.

Src protein-tyrosine kinase structure and regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roskoski, Robert

2004-01-01

Src and Src-family protein kinases are proto-oncogenes that play key roles in cell morphology, motility, proliferation, and survival. v-Src (a viral protein) is encoded by the chicken oncogene of Rous sarcoma virus, and Src (the cellular homologue) is encoded by a physiological gene, the first of the proto-oncogenes. From the N- to C-terminus, Src contains an N-terminal 14-carbon myristoyl group, a unique segment, an SH3 domain, an SH2 domain, a protein-tyrosine kinase domain, and a C-terminal regulatory tail. The chief phosphorylation sites of Src include tyrosine 416 that results in activation from autophosphorylation and tyrosine 527 that results in inhibition from phosphorylation by C-terminal Src kinase. In the restrained state, the SH2 domain forms a salt bridge with phosphotyrosine 527, and the SH3 domain binds to the kinase domain via a polyproline type II left-handed helix. The SH2 and SH3 domains occur on the backside of the kinase domain away from the active site where they stabilize a dormant enzyme conformation. Protein-tyrosine phosphatases such as PTPα displace phosphotyrosine 527 from the Src SH2 domain and mediate its dephosphorylation leading to Src kinase activation. C-terminal Src kinase consists of an SH3, SH2, and kinase domain; it lacks an N-terminal myristoyl group and a C-terminal regulatory tail. Its X-ray structure has been determined, and the SH2 lobe occupies a position that is entirely different from that of Src. Unlike Src, the C-terminal Src kinase SH2 and SH3 domains stabilize an active enzyme conformation. Amino acid residues in the αD helix near the catalytic loop in the large lobe of C-terminal Src kinase serve as a docking site for the physiological substrate (Src) but not for an artificial substrate (polyGlu 4 Tyr)

Comparative structural analysis of lipid binding START domains.

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Ann-Gerd Thorsell

Full Text Available Steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR protein related lipid transfer (START domains are small globular modules that form a cavity where lipids and lipid hormones bind. These domains can transport ligands to facilitate lipid exchange between biological membranes, and they have been postulated to modulate the activity of other domains of the protein in response to ligand binding. More than a dozen human genes encode START domains, and several of them are implicated in a disease.We report crystal structures of the human STARD1, STARD5, STARD13 and STARD14 lipid transfer domains. These represent four of the six functional classes of START domains.Sequence alignments based on these and previously reported crystal structures define the structural determinants of human START domains, both those related to structural framework and those involved in ligand specificity.This article can also be viewed as an enhanced version in which the text of the article is integrated with interactive 3D representations and animated transitions. Please note that a web plugin is required to access this enhanced functionality. Instructions for the installation and use of the web plugin are available in Text S1.

Lipid-protein interaction induced domains: Kinetics and conformational changes in multicomponent vesicles

Science.gov (United States)

Sreeja, K. K.; Sunil Kumar, P. B.

2018-04-01

The spatio-temporal organization of proteins and the associated morphological changes in membranes are of importance in cell signaling. Several mechanisms that promote the aggregation of proteins at low cell surface concentrations have been investigated in the past. We show, using Monte Carlo simulations, that the affinity of proteins for specific lipids can hasten their aggregation kinetics. The lipid membrane is modeled as a dynamically triangulated surface with the proteins defined as in-plane fields at the vertices. We show that, even at low protein concentrations, strong lipid-protein interactions can result in large protein clusters indicating a route to lipid mediated signal amplification. At high protein concentrations, the domains form buds similar to that seen in lipid-lipid interaction induced phase separation. Protein interaction induced domain budding is suppressed when proteins act as anisotropic inclusions and exhibit nematic orientational order. The kinetics of protein clustering and resulting conformational changes are shown to be significantly different for the isotropic and anisotropic curvature inducing proteins.

Characterization of PhPRP1, a histidine domain arabinogalactan protein from Petunia hybrida pistils.

Science.gov (United States)

Twomey, Megan C; Brooks, Jenna K; Corey, Jillaine M; Singh-Cundy, Anu

2013-10-15

An arabinogalactan protein, PhPRP1, was purified from Petunia hybrida pistils and shown to be orthologous to TTS-1 and TTS-2 from Nicotiana tabacum and NaTTS from Nicotiana alata. Sequence comparisons among these proteins, and CaPRP1 from Capsicum annuum, reveal a conserved histidine-rich domain and two hypervariable domains. Immunoblots show that TTS-1 and PhPRP1 are also expressed in vegetative tissues of tobacco and petunia respectively. In contrast to the molecular mass heterogeneity displayed by the pistil proteins, the different isoforms found in seedlings, roots, and leaves each has a discrete size (37, 80, 160, and 200 kDa) on SDS-PAGE gels. On the basis of their chemistry, distinctive domain architecture, and the unique pattern of expression, we have named this group of proteins HD-AGPs (histidine domain-arabinogalactan proteins). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Domain requirements for the Dock adapter protein in growth- cone signaling

OpenAIRE

Rao, Yong; Zipursky, S. Lawrence

1998-01-01

Tyrosine phosphorylation has been implicated in growth-cone guidance through genetic, biochemical, and pharmacological studies. Adapter proteins containing src homology 2 (SH2) domains and src homology 3 (SH3) domains provide a means of linking guidance signaling through phosphotyrosine to downstream effectors regulating growth-cone motility. The Drosophila adapter, Dreadlocks (Dock), the homolog of mammalian Nck containing three N-terminal SH3 domains and a single SH2 domain, is highly speci...

Domain movement within a gene: a novel evolutionary mechanism for protein diversification.

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Yoshikazu Furuta

Full Text Available A protein function is carried out by a specific domain localized at a specific position. In the present study, we report that, within a gene, a specific amino acid sequence can move between a certain position and another position. This was discovered when the sequences of restriction-modification systems within the bacterial species Helicobacter pylori were compared. In the specificity subunit of Type I restriction-modification systems, DNA sequence recognition is mediated by target recognition domain 1 (TRD1 and TRD2. To our surprise, several sequences are shared by TRD1 and TRD2 of genes (alleles at the same locus (chromosomal location; these domains appear to have moved between the two positions. The gene/protein organization can be represented as x-(TRD1-y-x-(TRD2-y, where x and y represent repeat sequences. Movement probably occurs by recombination at these flanking DNA repeats. In accordance with this hypothesis, recombination at these repeats also appears to decrease two TRDs into one TRD or increase these two TRDs to three TRDs (TRD1-TRD2-TRD2 and to allow TRD movement between genes even at different loci. Similar movement of domains between TRD1 and TRD2 was observed for the specificity subunit of a Type IIG restriction enzyme. Similar movement of domain between TRD1 and TRD2 was observed for Type I restriction-modification enzyme specificity genes in two more eubacterial species, Streptococcus pyogenes and Mycoplasma agalactiae. Lateral domain movements within a protein, which we have designated DOMO (domain movement, represent novel routes for the diversification of proteins.

SH3 Domains Differentially Stimulate Distinct Dynamin I Assembly Modes and G Domain Activity.

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Sai Krishnan

Full Text Available Dynamin I is a highly regulated GTPase enzyme enriched in nerve terminals which mediates vesicle fission during synaptic vesicle endocytosis. One regulatory mechanism involves its interactions with proteins containing Src homology 3 (SH3 domains. At least 30 SH3 domain-containing proteins bind dynamin at its proline-rich domain (PRD. Those that stimulate dynamin activity act by promoting its oligomerisation. We undertook a systematic parallel screening of 13 glutathione-S-transferase (GST-tagged endocytosis-related SH3 domains on dynamin binding, GTPase activity and oligomerisation. No correlation was found between dynamin binding and their potency to stimulate GTPase activity. There was limited correlation between the extent of their ability to stimulate dynamin activity and the level of oligomerisation, indicating an as yet uncharacterised allosteric coupling of the PRD and G domain. We examined the two variants, dynamin Iab and Ibb, which differ in the alternately splice middle domain α2 helix. They responded differently to the panel of SH3s, with the extent of stimulation between the splice variants varying greatly between the SH3s. This study reveals that SH3 binding can act as a heterotropic allosteric regulator of the G domain via the middle domain α2 helix, suggesting an involvement of this helix in communicating the PRD-mediated allostery. This indicates that SH3 binding both stabilises multiple conformations of the tetrameric building block of dynamin, and promotes assembly of dynamin-SH3 complexes with distinct rates of GTP hydrolysis.

Sequential unfolding of the two-domain protein Pseudomonas stutzeri cytochrome c(4)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Niels Højmark; Jensen, Thomas Jon; Nørgaard, Allan

2002-01-01

F stutzeri cytochrome c. is a di-haem protein, composed of two globular domains each with His-Met coordinated haem. and a hydrogen bond network between the domains. The domain foldings are highly symmetric but with specific differences including structural differences of ligand coordination, and ...

CONSTRUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF IPBR/XYLS HYBRID REGULATORY PROTEINS

Science.gov (United States)

IpbR and XylS are related regulatory proteins (having 56% identity). IpbR responds to isopropylbenzene as well as to a variety of hydrophobic chemicals to activate expression of the isopropylbenzene catabolic pathway operon of pRE4 from ipbOP. XylS responds to substituted benzoic...

Structure and function of the TIR domain from the grape NLR protein RPV1

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Simon John Williams

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The N-terminal Toll/interleukin-1 receptor/resistance protein (TIR domain has been shown to be both necessary and sufficient for defence signalling in the model plants flax and Arabidopsis. In examples from these organisms, TIR domain self-association is required for signalling function, albeit through distinct interfaces. Here, we investigate these properties in the TIR domain containing resistance protein RPV1 from the wild grapevine Muscadinia rotundifolia. The RPV1 TIR domain, without additional flanking sequence present, is autoactive when transiently expressed in tobacco, demonstrating that the TIR domain alone is capable of cell-death signalling. We determined the crystal structure of the RPV1 TIR domain at 2.3 Å resolution. In the crystals, the RPV1 TIR domain forms a dimer, mediated predominantly through residues in the αA and αE helices (AE interface. This interface is shared with the interface discovered in the dimeric complex of the TIR domains from the Arabidopsis RPS4/RRS1 resistance protein pair. We show that surface-exposed residues in the AE interface that mediate the dimer interaction in the crystals are highly conserved among plant TIR domain-containing proteins. While we were unable to demonstrate self-association of the RPV1 TIR domain in solution or using yeast 2-hybrid, mutations of surface-exposed residues in the AE interface prevent the cell-death autoactive phenotype. In addition, mutation of residues known to be important in the cell-death signalling function of the flax L6 TIR domain were also shown to be required for RPV1 TIR domain mediated cell-death. Our data demonstrate that multiple TIR domain surfaces control the cell-death function of the RPV1 TIR domain and we suggest that the conserved AE interface may have a general function in TIR-NLR signalling.

Fusion protein based on Grb2-SH2 domain for cancer therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saito, Yuriko; Furukawa, Takako; Arano, Yasushi; Fujibayashi, Yasuhisa; Saga, Tsuneo

2010-01-01

Research highlights: → Grb2 mediates EGFR signaling through binding to phosphorylate EGFR with SH2 domain. → We generated fusion proteins containing 1 or 2 SH2 domains of Grb2 added with TAT. → The one with 2 SH2 domains (TSSF) interfered ERK phosphorylation. → TSSF significantly delayed the growth of EGFR overexpressing tumor in a mouse model. -- Abstract: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the very attractive targets for cancer therapy. In this study, we generated fusion proteins containing one or two Src-homology 2 (SH2) domains of growth factor receptor bound protein 2 (Grb2), which bind to phosphorylated EGFR, added with HIV-1 transactivating transcription for cell membrane penetration (termed TSF and TSSF, respectively). We examined if they can interfere Grb2-mediated signaling pathway and suppress tumor growth as expected from the lack of SH3 domain, which is necessary to intermediate EGFR-Grb2 cell signaling, in the fusion proteins. The transduction efficiency of TSSF was similar to that of TSF, but the binding activity of TSSF to EGFR was higher than that of TSF. Treatment of EGFR-overexpressing cells showed that TSSF decreased p42-ERK phosphorylation, while TSF did not. Both the proteins delayed cell growth but did not induce cell death in culture. TSSF also significantly suppressed tumor growth in vivo under consecutive administration. In conclusion, TSSF showed an ability to inhibit EGFR-Grb2 signaling and could have a potential to treat EGFR-activated cancer.

PipY, a Member of the Conserved COG0325 Family of PLP-Binding Proteins, Expands the Cyanobacterial Nitrogen Regulatory Network

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José I. Labella

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 is a paradigmatic model organism for nitrogen regulation in cyanobacteria. Expression of genes involved in nitrogen assimilation is positively regulated by the 2-oxoglutarate receptor and global transcriptional regulator NtcA. Maximal activation requires the subsequent binding of the co-activator PipX. PII, a protein found in all three domains of life as an integrator of signals of the nitrogen and carbon balance, binds to PipX to counteract NtcA activity at low 2-oxoglutarate levels. PII-PipX complexes can also bind to the transcriptional regulator PlmA, whose regulon remains unknown. Here we expand the nitrogen regulatory network to PipY, encoded by the bicistronic operon pipXY in S. elongatus. Work with PipY, the cyanobacterial member of the widespread family of COG0325 proteins, confirms the conserved roles in vitamin B6 and amino/keto acid homeostasis and reveals new PLP-related phenotypes, including sensitivity to antibiotics targeting essential PLP-holoenzymes or synthetic lethality with cysK. In addition, the related phenotypes of pipY and pipX mutants are consistent with genetic interactions in the contexts of survival to PLP-targeting antibiotics and transcriptional regulation. We also showed that PipY overexpression increased the length of S. elongatus cells. Taken together, our results support a universal regulatory role for COG0325 proteins, paving the way to a better understanding of these proteins and of their connections with other biological processes.

Structural basis for different phosphoinositide specificities of the PX domains of sorting nexins regulating G-protein signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Mas, Caroline; Norwood, Suzanne J; Bugarcic, Andrea; Kinna, Genevieve; Leneva, Natalya; Kovtun, Oleksiy; Ghai, Rajesh; Ona Yanez, Lorena E; Davis, Jasmine L; Teasdale, Rohan D; Collins, Brett M

2014-10-10

Sorting nexins (SNXs) or phox homology (PX) domain containing proteins are central regulators of cell trafficking and signaling. A subfamily of PX domain proteins possesses two unique PX-associated domains, as well as a regulator of G protein-coupled receptor signaling (RGS) domain that attenuates Gαs-coupled G protein-coupled receptor signaling. Here we delineate the structural organization of these RGS-PX proteins, revealing a protein family with a modular architecture that is conserved in all eukaryotes. The one exception to this is mammalian SNX19, which lacks the typical RGS structure but preserves all other domains. The PX domain is a sensor of membrane phosphoinositide lipids and we find that specific sequence alterations in the PX domains of the mammalian RGS-PX proteins, SNX13, SNX14, SNX19, and SNX25, confer differential phosphoinositide binding preferences. Although SNX13 and SNX19 PX domains bind the early endosomal lipid phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate, SNX14 shows no membrane binding at all. Crystal structures of the SNX19 and SNX14 PX domains reveal key differences, with alterations in SNX14 leading to closure of the binding pocket to prevent phosphoinositide association. Our findings suggest a role for alternative membrane interactions in spatial control of RGS-PX proteins in cell signaling and trafficking. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Protein-protein interactions in the regulation of WRKY transcription factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chi, Yingjun; Yang, Yan; Zhou, Yuan; Zhou, Jie; Fan, Baofang; Yu, Jing-Quan; Chen, Zhixiang

2013-03-01

It has been almost 20 years since the first report of a WRKY transcription factor, SPF1, from sweet potato. Great progress has been made since then in establishing the diverse biological roles of WRKY transcription factors in plant growth, development, and responses to biotic and abiotic stress. Despite the functional diversity, almost all analyzed WRKY proteins recognize the TTGACC/T W-box sequences and, therefore, mechanisms other than mere recognition of the core W-box promoter elements are necessary to achieve the regulatory specificity of WRKY transcription factors. Research over the past several years has revealed that WRKY transcription factors physically interact with a wide range of proteins with roles in signaling, transcription, and chromatin remodeling. Studies of WRKY-interacting proteins have provided important insights into the regulation and mode of action of members of the important family of transcription factors. It has also emerged that the slightly varied WRKY domains and other protein motifs conserved within each of the seven WRKY subfamilies participate in protein-protein interactions and mediate complex functional interactions between WRKY proteins and between WRKY and other regulatory proteins in the modulation of important biological processes. In this review, we summarize studies of protein-protein interactions for WRKY transcription factors and discuss how the interacting partners contribute, at different levels, to the establishment of the complex regulatory and functional network of WRKY transcription factors.

Activation of PI3K/Akt signaling by n-terminal SH2 domain mutants of the p85α regulatory subunit of PI3K is enhanced by deletion of its c-terminal SH2 domain.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmann, Bianca T; Jücker, Manfred

2012-10-01

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is frequently activated in human cancer cells due to gain of function mutations in the catalytic (p110) and the regulatory (p85) subunits. The regulatory subunit consists of an SH3 domain and two SH2 domains. An oncogenic form of p85α named p65 lacking the c-terminal SH2 domain (cSH2) has been cloned from an irradiation-induced murine thymic lymphoma and transgenic mice expressing p65 in T lymphocytes develop a lymphoproliferative disorder. We have recently detected a c-terminal truncated form of p85α named p76α in a human lymphoma cell line lacking most of the cSH2 domain due to a frame shift mutation. Here, we report that the deletion of the cSH2 domain enhances the activating effects of the n-terminal SH2 domain (nSH2) mutants K379E and R340E on the PI3K/Akt pathway and micro tumor formation in a focus assay. Further analysis revealed that this transforming effect is mediated by activation of the catalytic PI3K isoform p110α and downstream signaling through mTOR. Our data further support a mechanistic model in which mutations of the cSH2 domain of p85α can abrogate its negative regulatory function on PI3K activity via the nSH2 domain of p85α. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural mapping of the coiled-coil domain of a bacterial condensin and comparative analyses across all domains of life suggest conserved features of SMC proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Waldman, Vincent M; Stanage, Tyler H; Mims, Alexandra; Norden, Ian S; Oakley, Martha G

2015-06-01

The structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) proteins form the cores of multisubunit complexes that are required for the segregation and global organization of chromosomes in all domains of life. These proteins share a common domain structure in which N- and C- terminal regions pack against one another to form a globular ATPase domain. This "head" domain is connected to a central, globular, "hinge" or dimerization domain by a long, antiparallel coiled coil. To date, most efforts for structural characterization of SMC proteins have focused on the globular domains. Recently, however, we developed a method to map interstrand interactions in the 50-nm coiled-coil domain of MukB, the divergent SMC protein found in γ-proteobacteria. Here, we apply that technique to map the structure of the Bacillus subtilis SMC (BsSMC) coiled-coil domain. We find that, in contrast to the relatively complicated coiled-coil domain of MukB, the BsSMC domain is nearly continuous, with only two detectable coiled-coil interruptions. Near the middle of the domain is a break in coiled-coil structure in which there are three more residues on the C-terminal strand than on the N-terminal strand. Close to the head domain, there is a second break with a significantly longer insertion on the same strand. These results provide an experience base that allows an informed interpretation of the output of coiled-coil prediction algorithms for this family of proteins. A comparison of such predictions suggests that these coiled-coil deviations are highly conserved across SMC types in a wide variety of organisms, including humans. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Syndecan-2 is a novel ligand for the protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor CD148

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Whiteford, James R; Xian, Xiaojie; Chaussade, Claire

2011-01-01

Syndecan-2 is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan that has a cell adhesion regulatory domain contained within its extracellular core protein. Cell adhesion to the syndecan-2 extracellular domain (S2ED) is ß1 integrin dependent; however, syndecan-2 is not an integrin ligand. Here the protein tyrosine...

Conformational dynamics and ligand binding in the multi-domain protein PDC109.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyun Jin Kim

2010-02-01

Full Text Available PDC109 is a modular multi-domain protein with two fibronectin type II (Fn2 repeats joined by a linker. It plays a major role in bull sperm binding to the oviductal epithelium through its interactions with phosphorylcholines (PhCs, a head group of sperm cell membrane lipids. The crystal structure of the PDC109-PhC complex shows that each PhC binds to the corresponding Fn2 domain, while the two domains are on the same face of the protein. Long timescale explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD simulations of PDC109, in the presence and absence of PhC, suggest that PhC binding strongly correlates with the relative orientation of choline-phospholipid binding sites of the two Fn2 domains; unless the two domains tightly bind PhCs, they tend to change their relative orientation by deforming the flexible linker. The effective PDC109-PhC association constant of 28 M(-1, estimated from their potential of mean force is consistent with the experimental result. Principal component analysis of the long timescale MD simulations was compared to the significantly less expensive normal mode analysis of minimized structures. The comparison indicates that difference between relative domain motions of PDC109 with bound and unbound PhC is captured by the first principal component in the principal component analysis as well as the three lowest normal modes in the normal mode analysis. The present study illustrates the use of detailed MD simulations to clarify the energetics of specific ligand-domain interactions revealed by a static crystallographic model, as well as their influence on relative domain motions in a multi-domain protein.

Higher-order assemblies of BAR domain proteins for shaping membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Suetsugu, Shiro

2016-06-01

Most cellular organelles contain lipid bilayer membranes. The earliest characterization of cellular organelles was performed by electron microscopy observation of such membranes. However, the precise mechanisms for shaping the membrane in particular subcellular organelles is poorly understood. Classically, the overall cellular shape, i.e. the shape of the plasma membrane, was thought to be governed by the reorganization of cytoskeletal components such as actin and microtubules. The plasma membrane contains various submicron structures such as clathrin-coated pits, caveolae, filopodia and lamellipodia. These subcellular structures are either invaginations or protrusions and are associated with the cytoskeleton. Therefore, it could be hypothesized that there are membrane-binding proteins that cooperates with cytoskeleton in shaping of plasma membrane organelles. Proteins with the Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs (BAR) domain connect a variety of membrane shapes to actin filaments. The BAR domains themselves bend the membranes by their rigidity and then mold the membranes into tubules through their assembly as spiral polymers, which are thought to be involved in the various submicron structures. Membrane tubulation by polymeric assembly of the BAR domains is supposed to be regulated by binding proteins, binding lipids and the mechanical properties of the membrane. This review gives an overview of BAR protein assembly, describes the significance of the assembly and discusses how to study the assembly in the context of membrane and cellular morphology. The technical problems encountered in microscopic observation of BAR domain assembly are also discussed. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japanese Society of Microscopy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

In vivo binding properties of SH2 domains from GTPase-activating protein and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, J A; Kashishian, A

1993-01-01

We have used a transient expression system and mutant platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors to study the binding specificities of the Src homology 2 (SH2) regions of the Ras GTPase-activator protein (GAP) and the p85 alpha subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3 kinase). A number of fusion proteins, each tagged with an epitope allowing recognition by a monoclonal antibody, were expressed at levels comparable to those of endogenous GAP. Fusion proteins containing the central SH2-SH3-SH2 region of GAP or the C-terminal region of p85 alpha, which includes two SH2 domains, bound to PDGF receptors in response to PDGF stimulation. Both fusion proteins showed the same requirements for tyrosine phosphorylation sites in the PDGF receptor as the full-length proteins from which they were derived, i.e., binding of the GAP fusion protein was reduced by mutation of Tyr-771, and binding of the p85 fusion protein was reduced by mutation of Tyr-740, Tyr-751, or both residues. Fusion proteins containing single SH2 domains from either GAP or p85 alpha did not bind detectably to PDGF receptors in this system, suggesting that two SH2 domains in a single polypeptide cooperate to raise the affinity of binding. The sequence specificities of individual SH2 domains were deduced from the binding properties of fusion proteins containing one SH2 domain from GAP and another from p85. The results suggest that the C-terminal GAP SH2 domain specifies binding to Tyr-771, the C-terminal p85 alpha SH2 domain binds to either Tyr-740 or Tyr-751, and each protein's N-terminal SH2 domain binds to unidentified phosphorylation sites.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Images PMID:8382774

Mental retardation-related protease, motopsin (prss12), binds to the BRICHOS domain of the integral membrane protein 2a.

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Mitsui, Shinichi; Osako, Yoji; Yuri, Kazunari

2014-01-01

Motopsin (prss12), a mosaic serine protease secreted by neuronal cells, is believed to be important for cognitive function, as the loss of its function causes severe nonsyndromic mental retardation. To understand the molecular role of motopsin, we identified the integral membrane protein 2a (Itm2a) as a motopsin-interacting protein using a yeast two-hybrid system. A pull-down assay showed that the BRICHOS domain of Itm2a was essential for this interaction. Motopsin and Itm2a co-localized in COS cells and in cultured neurons when transiently expressed in these cells. Both proteins were co-immunoprecipitated from lysates of these transfected COS cells. Itm2a was strongly detected in a brain lysate prepared between postnatal day 0 and 10, during which period motopsin protein was also enriched in the brain. Immunohistochemistry detected Itm2a as patchy spots along endothelial cells of brain capillaries (which also expressed myosin II regulatory light chain [RLC]), and on glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive processes in the developing cerebral cortex. The data raise the possibility that secreted motopsin interacts with endothelial cells in the developing brain. © 2013 International Federation for Cell Biology.

BPM-CUL3 E3 ligase modulates thermotolerance by facilitating negative regulatory domain-mediated degradation of DREB2A in Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Morimoto, Kyoko; Ohama, Naohiko; Kidokoro, Satoshi; Mizoi, Junya; Takahashi, Fuminori; Todaka, Daisuke; Mogami, Junro; Sato, Hikaru; Qin, Feng; Kim, June-Sik; Fukao, Yoichiro; Fujiwara, Masayuki; Shinozaki, Kazuo; Yamaguchi-Shinozaki, Kazuko

2017-10-03

DEHYDRATION-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING PROTEIN 2A (DREB2A) acts as a key transcription factor in both drought and heat stress tolerance in Arabidopsis and induces the expression of many drought- and heat stress-inducible genes. Although DREB2A expression itself is induced by stress, the posttranslational regulation of DREB2A, including protein stabilization, is required for its transcriptional activity. The deletion of a 30-aa central region of DREB2A known as the negative regulatory domain (NRD) transforms DREB2A into a stable and constitutively active form referred to as DREB2A CA. However, the molecular basis of this stabilization and activation has remained unknown for a decade. Here we identified BTB/POZ AND MATH DOMAIN proteins (BPMs), substrate adaptors of the Cullin3 (CUL3)-based E3 ligase, as DREB2A-interacting proteins. We observed that DREB2A and BPMs interact in the nuclei, and that the NRD of DREB2A is sufficient for its interaction with BPMs. BPM -knockdown plants exhibited increased DREB2A accumulation and induction of DREB2A target genes under heat and drought stress conditions. Genetic analysis indicated that the depletion of BPM expression conferred enhanced thermotolerance via DREB2A stabilization. Thus, the BPM-CUL3 E3 ligase is likely the long-sought factor responsible for NRD-dependent DREB2A degradation. Through the negative regulation of DREB2A stability, BPMs modulate the heat stress response and prevent an adverse effect of excess DREB2A on plant growth. Furthermore, we found the BPM recognition motif in various transcription factors, implying a general contribution of BPM-mediated proteolysis to divergent cellular responses via an accelerated turnover of transcription factors.

Proteins containing the UBA domain are able to bind to multi-ubiquitin chains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wilkinson, C R; Seeger, M; Hartmann-Petersen, R

2001-01-01

The UBA domain is a motif found in a variety of proteins, some of which are associated with the ubiquitin-proteasome system. We describe the isolation of a fission-yeast gene, mud1+, which encodes a UBA domain containing protein that is able to bind multi-ubiquitin chains. We show that the UBA do...

Structure of metabotropic glutamate receptor C-terminal domains in contact with interacting proteins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ralf eEnz

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs regulate intracellular signal pathways that control several physiological tasks, including neuronal excitability, learning and memory. This is achieved by the formation of synaptic signal complexes, in which mGluRs assemble with functionally related proteins such as enzymes, scaffolds and cytoskeletal anchor proteins. Thus, mGluR associated proteins actively participate in the regulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission. Importantly, dysfunction of mGluRs and interacting proteins may lead to impaired signal transduction and finally result in neurological disorders, e.g. night blindness, addiction, epilepsy, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders and Parkinson´s disease. In contrast to solved crystal structures of extracellular N-terminal domains of some mGluR types, only a few studies analyzed the conformation of intracellular receptor domains. Intracellular C-termini of most mGluR types are subject to alternative splicing and can be further modified by phosphorylation and SUMOylation. In this way, diverse interaction sites for intracellular proteins that bind to and regulate the glutamate receptors are generated. Indeed, most of the known mGluR binding partners interact with the receptors´ C-terminal domains. Within the last years, different laboratories analyzed the structure of these domains and described the geometry of the contact surface between mGluR C-termini and interacting proteins. Here, I will review recent progress in the structure characterization of mGluR C-termini and provide an up-to-date summary of the geometry of these domains in contact with binding partners.

The Rapamycin-Binding Domain of the Protein Kinase mTOR is a Destabilizing Domain*

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Edwards, Sarah R.; Wandless, Thomas J.

2013-01-01

Rapamycin is an immunosuppressive drug that binds simultaneously to the 12-kDa FK506- and rapamycin-binding protein (FKBP12, or FKBP) and the FKBP-rapamycin binding domain (FRB) of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase. The resulting ternary complex has been used to conditionally perturb protein function, and one such method involves perturbation of a protein of interest through its mislocalization. We synthesized two rapamycin derivatives that possess large substituents at the C16 position within the FRB-binding interface, and these derivatives were screened against a library of FRB mutants using a three-hybrid assay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Several FRB mutants responded to one of the rapamycin derivatives, and twenty of these mutants were further characterized in mammalian cells. The mutants most responsive to the ligand were fused to yellow fluorescent protein, and fluorescence levels in the presence and absence of the ligand were measured to determine stability of the fusion proteins. Wild-type and mutant FRB domains were expressed at low levels in the absence of the rapamycin derivative, and expression levels rose up to ten-fold upon treatment with ligand. The synthetic rapamycin derivatives were further analyzed using quantitative mass spectrometry, and one of the compounds was found to contain contaminating rapamycin. Furthermore, uncontaminated analogs retain the ability to inhibit mTOR, albeit with diminished potency relative to rapamycin. The ligand-dependent stability displayed by wildtype FRB and FRB mutants as well as the inhibitory potential and purity of the rapamycin derivatives should be considered as potentially confounding experimental variables when using these systems. PMID:17350953

The crystal structure of the regulatory domain of the human sodium-driven chloride/bicarbonate exchanger.

Science.gov (United States)

Alvadia, Carolina M; Sommer, Theis; Bjerregaard-Andersen, Kaare; Damkier, Helle Hasager; Montrasio, Michele; Aalkjaer, Christian; Morth, J Preben

2017-09-21

The sodium-driven chloride/bicarbonate exchanger (NDCBE) is essential for maintaining homeostatic pH in neurons. The crystal structure at 2.8 Å resolution of the regulatory N-terminal domain of human NDCBE represents the first crystal structure of an electroneutral sodium-bicarbonate cotransporter. The crystal structure forms an equivalent dimeric interface as observed for the cytoplasmic domain of Band 3, and thus establishes that the consensus motif VTVLP is the key minimal dimerization motif. The VTVLP motif is highly conserved and likely to be the physiologically relevant interface for all other members of the SLC4 family. A novel conserved Zn 2+ -binding motif present in the N-terminal domain of NDCBE is identified and characterized in vitro. Cellular studies confirm the Zn 2+ dependent transport of two electroneutral bicarbonate transporters, NCBE and NBCn1. The Zn 2+ site is mapped to a cluster of histidines close to the conserved ETARWLKFEE motif and likely plays a role in the regulation of this important motif. The combined structural and bioinformatics analysis provides a model that predicts with additional confidence the physiologically relevant interface between the cytoplasmic domain and the transmembrane domain.

Alternative splicing of the human gene SYBL1 modulates protein domain architecture of longin VAMP7/TI-VAMP, showing both non-SNARE and synaptobrevin-like isoforms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

De Franceschi Nicola

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The control of intracellular vesicle trafficking is an ideal target to weigh the role of alternative splicing in shaping genomes to make cells. Alternative splicing has been reported for several Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor Attachment protein REceptors of the vesicle (v-SNAREs or of the target membrane (t-SNARES, which are crucial to intracellular membrane fusion and protein and lipid traffic in Eukaryotes. However, splicing has not yet been investigated in Longins, i.e. the most widespread v-SNAREs. Longins are essential in Eukaryotes and prototyped by VAMP7, Sec22b and Ykt6, sharing a conserved N-terminal Longin domain which regulates membrane fusion and subcellular targeting. Human VAMP7/TI-VAMP, encoded by gene SYBL1, is involved in multiple cell pathways, including control of neurite outgrowth. Results Alternative splicing of SYBL1 by exon skipping events results in the production of a number of VAMP7 isoforms. In-frame or frameshift coding sequence modifications modulate domain architecture of VAMP7 isoforms, which can lack whole domains or domain fragments and show variant or extra domains. Intriguingly, two main types of VAMP7 isoforms either share the inhibitory Longin domain and lack the fusion-promoting SNARE motif, or vice versa. Expression analysis in different tissues and cell lines, quantitative real time RT-PCR and confocal microscopy analysis of fluorescent protein-tagged isoforms demonstrate that VAMP7 variants have different tissue specificities and subcellular localizations. Moreover, design and use of isoform-specific antibodies provided preliminary evidence for the existence of splice variants at the protein level. Conclusions Previous evidence on VAMP7 suggests inhibitory functions for the Longin domain and fusion/growth promoting activity for the Δ-longin molecule. Thus, non-SNARE isoforms with Longin domain and non-longin SNARE isoforms might have somehow opposite regulatory functions

Crystal Structure of the Human, FIC-Domain Containing Protein HYPE and Implications for Its Functions

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Bunney, Tom D.; Cole, Ambrose R.; Broncel, Malgorzata; Esposito, Diego; Tate, Edward W.; Katan, Matilda

2014-01-01

Summary Protein AMPylation, the transfer of AMP from ATP to protein targets, has been recognized as a new mechanism of host-cell disruption by some bacterial effectors that typically contain a FIC-domain. Eukaryotic genomes also encode one FIC-domain protein, HYPE, which has remained poorly characterized. Here we describe the structure of human HYPE, solved by X-ray crystallography, representing the first structure of a eukaryotic FIC-domain protein. We demonstrate that HYPE forms stable dimers with structurally and functionally integrated FIC-domains and with TPR-motifs exposed for protein-protein interactions. As HYPE also uniquely possesses a transmembrane helix, dimerization is likely to affect its positioning and function in the membrane vicinity. The low rate of autoAMPylation of the wild-type HYPE could be due to autoinhibition, consistent with the mechanism proposed for a number of putative FIC AMPylators. Our findings also provide a basis to further consider possible alternative cofactors of HYPE and distinct modes of target-recognition. PMID:25435325

Tyrosine phosphorylation of WW proteins

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Reuven, Nina; Shanzer, Matan

2015-01-01

A number of key regulatory proteins contain one or two copies of the WW domain known to mediate protein–protein interaction via proline-rich motifs, such as PPxY. The Hippo pathway components take advantage of this module to transduce tumor suppressor signaling. It is becoming evident that tyrosine phosphorylation is a critical regulator of the WW proteins. Here, we review the current knowledge on the involved tyrosine kinases and their roles in regulating the WW proteins. PMID:25627656

The WW domain protein Kibra acts upstream of Hippo in Drosophila

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baumgartner, Roland; Poernbacher, Ingrid; Buser, Nathalie

2010-01-01

inactivating the transcriptional coactivator Yorkie is well established, much less is known about the upstream events that regulate Hippo signaling activity. The FERM domain proteins Expanded and Merlin appear to represent two different signaling branches that feed into the Hippo pathway. Signaling...... by the atypical cadherin Fat may act via Expanded, but how Merlin is regulated has remained elusive. Here, we show that the WW domain protein Kibra is a Hippo signaling component upstream of Hippo and Merlin. Kibra acts synergistically with Expanded, and it physically interacts with Merlin. Thus, Kibra...

Photodynamics of BLUF domain proteins: a new class of the biological blue-light photoreceptors

OpenAIRE

Zirak Yousefabadi, Peyman

2008-01-01

BLUF domains are light sensors of many microorganisms. They are present in the multi-domain proteins e.g. AppA from the phototrophic proteobacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides, YcgF from Escherichia coli, PAC (photoactive adenylyl cyclase) from the unicellular flagellate Euglena gracilis and single domain proteins e.g. BlrB from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Slr1694 from cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp.PCC6803, and Tll0078 of the thermophilic unicellular cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongates B...

Mapping domain structures in silks from insects and spiders related to protein assembly.

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Bini, Elisabetta; Knight, David P; Kaplan, David L

2004-01-02

The exceptional solubility in vivo (20-30%, w/v) of the silk proteins of insects and spiders is dictated by both the need to produce solid fibres with a high packing fraction and the high mesogen concentration required for lyotropic liquid crystalline spinning. A further design requirement for silk proteins is a strong predominance of hydrophobic amino acid residues to provide for the hydrophobic interactions, water exclusion, and beta-crystallite formation required to produce strong insoluble threads. Thus, the domain structure of silk proteins needs to enable nanoscale phase separation to achieve high solubility of hydrophobic proteins in aqueous solutions. Additionally, silk proteins need to avoid premature precipitation as beta-sheets during storage and processing. Here we use mapping of domain types, sizes and distributions in silks to identify consistent design features that have evolved to meet these requirements. We show that silk proteins consist of conspicuously hydrophilic terminal domains flanking a very long central portion constructed from hydrophobic blocks separated by hydrophilic ones, discussing the domain structure in detail. The general rules of construction for silk proteins based on our observations should give a useful guide to the way in which Nature has solved the problem of processing hydrophobic proteins in water and how this can be copied industrially. Following these rules may also help in obtaining adequate expression, soluble products and controllable conformational switches in the production of genetically engineered or chemically synthesized silk analogues. Thus these insights have implications for structural biology and relevance to fundamental and applied questions in material science and engineering.

Crystal structure of human protein kinase CK2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niefind, K; Guerra, B; Ermakowa, I

2001-01-01

The crystal structure of a fully active form of human protein kinase CK2 (casein kinase 2) consisting of two C-terminally truncated catalytic and two regulatory subunits has been determined at 3.1 A resolution. In the CK2 complex the regulatory subunits form a stable dimer linking the two catalyt...... as a docking partner for various protein kinases. Furthermore it shows an inter-domain mobility in the catalytic subunit known to be functionally important in protein kinases and detected here for the first time directly within one crystal structure.......The crystal structure of a fully active form of human protein kinase CK2 (casein kinase 2) consisting of two C-terminally truncated catalytic and two regulatory subunits has been determined at 3.1 A resolution. In the CK2 complex the regulatory subunits form a stable dimer linking the two catalytic...... subunits, which make no direct contact with one another. Each catalytic subunit interacts with both regulatory chains, predominantly via an extended C-terminal tail of the regulatory subunit. The CK2 structure is consistent with its constitutive activity and with a flexible role of the regulatory subunit...

SOcK, MiSTs, MASK and STicKs: the GCKIII (germinal centre kinase III) kinases and their heterologous protein-protein interactions.

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Sugden, Peter H; McGuffin, Liam J; Clerk, Angela

2013-08-15

The GCKIII (germinal centre kinase III) subfamily of the mammalian Ste20 (sterile 20)-like group of serine/threonine protein kinases comprises SOK1 (Ste20-like/oxidant-stress-response kinase 1), MST3 (mammalian Ste20-like kinase 3) and MST4. Initially, GCKIIIs were considered in the contexts of the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades and apoptosis. More recently, their participation in multiprotein heterocomplexes has become apparent. In the present review, we discuss the structure and phosphorylation of GCKIIIs and then focus on their interactions with other proteins. GCKIIIs possess a highly-conserved, structured catalytic domain at the N-terminus and a less-well conserved C-terminal regulatory domain. GCKIIIs are activated by tonic autophosphorylation of a T-loop threonine residue and their phosphorylation is regulated primarily through protein serine/threonine phosphatases [especially PP2A (protein phosphatase 2A)]. The GCKIII regulatory domains are highly disorganized, but can interact with more structured proteins, particularly the CCM3 (cerebral cavernous malformation 3)/PDCD10 (programmed cell death 10) protein. We explore the role(s) of GCKIIIs (and CCM3/PDCD10) in STRIPAK (striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase) complexes and their association with the cis-Golgi protein GOLGA2 (golgin A2; GM130). Recently, an interaction of GCKIIIs with MO25 has been identified. This exhibits similarities to the STRADα (STE20-related kinase adaptor α)-MO25 interaction (as in the LKB1-STRADα-MO25 heterotrimer) and, at least for MST3, the interaction may be enhanced by cis-autophosphorylation of its regulatory domain. In these various heterocomplexes, GCKIIIs associate with the Golgi apparatus, the centrosome and the nucleus, as well as with focal adhesions and cell junctions, and are probably involved in cell migration, polarity and proliferation. Finally, we consider the association of GCKIIIs with a number of human diseases, particularly

The conservation pattern of short linear motifs is highly correlated with the function of interacting protein domains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Yiguo

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many well-represented domains recognize primary sequences usually less than 10 amino acids in length, called Short Linear Motifs (SLiMs. Accurate prediction of SLiMs has been difficult because they are short (often Results Our combined approach revealed that SLiMs are highly conserved in proteins from functional classes that are known to interact with a specific domain, but that they are not conserved in most other protein groups. We found that SLiMs recognized by SH2 domains were highly conserved in receptor kinases/phosphatases, adaptor molecules, and tyrosine kinases/phosphatases, that SLiMs recognized by SH3 domains were highly conserved in cytoskeletal and cytoskeletal-associated proteins, that SLiMs recognized by PDZ domains were highly conserved in membrane proteins such as channels and receptors, and that SLiMs recognized by S/T kinase domains were highly conserved in adaptor molecules, S/T kinases/phosphatases, and proteins involved in transcription or cell cycle control. We studied Tyr-SLiMs recognized by SH2 domains in more detail, and found that SH2-recognized Tyr-SLiMs on the cytoplasmic side of membrane proteins are more highly conserved than those on the extra-cellular side. Also, we found that SH2-recognized Tyr-SLiMs that are associated with SH3 motifs and a tyrosine kinase phosphorylation motif are more highly conserved. Conclusion The interactome of protein domains is reflected by the evolutionary conservation of SLiMs recognized by these domains. Combining scoring matrixes derived from peptide libraries and conservation analysis, we would be able to find those protein groups that are more likely to interact with specific domains.

Senescence-associated barley NAC (NAM, ATAF1,2, CUC) transcription factor interacts with radical-induced cell death 1 through a disordered regulatory domain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjaersgaard, Trine; Jensen, Michael K; Christiansen, Michael W

2011-01-01

as a transcriptional activator suggesting that an involvement of HvNAC013 and HvNAC005 in senescence will be different. HvNAC013 interacted with barley radical-induced cell death 1 (RCD1) via the very C-terminal part of its TRD, outside of the region containing the LP motif. No significant secondary structure...... (NAM, ATAF1,2, CUC) TF family are up-regulated during senescence in barley (Hordeum vulgare). Both HvNAC005 and HvNAC013 bound the conserved NAC DNA target sequence. Computational and biophysical analyses showed that both proteins are intrinsically disordered in their large C-terminal domains, which...... was induced in the HvNAC013 TRD upon interaction with RCD1. RCD1 also interacted with regions dominated by intrinsic disorder in TFs of the MYB and basic helix-loop-helix families. We propose that RCD1 is a regulatory protein capable of interacting with many different TFs by exploiting their intrinsic...

Influence of endurance training on skeletal muscle mitophagy regulatory proteins in type 2 diabetic men.

Science.gov (United States)

Brinkmann, Christian; Przyklenk, Axel; Metten, Alexander; Schiffer, Thorsten; Bloch, Wilhelm; Brixius, Klara; Gehlert, Sebastian

2017-11-01

Mitophagy is a form of autophagy for the elimination of mitochondria. Mitochondrial content and function are reduced in the skeletal muscle of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Physical training has been shown to restore mitochondrial capacity in T2DM patients, but the role of mitophagy has not been examined in this context. This study analyzes the impact of a 3-month endurance training on important skeletal muscle mitophagy regulatory proteins and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes in T2DM patients. Muscle biopsies were obtained from eight overweight/obese T2DM men (61±10 years) at T1 (6 weeks pre-training), T2 (1 week pre-training), and T3 (3 to 4 days post-training). Protein contents were determined by Western blotting. The training increased mitochondrial complex II significantly (T2-T3: +29%, p = 0.037). The protein contents of mitophagy regulatory proteins (phosphorylated form of forkhead box O3A (pFOXO3A), mitochondrial E3 ubiquitin protein ligase-1 (MUL1), Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19-kD interacting protein-3 (BNIP3), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain-3B (the ratio LC3B-II/LC3B-I was determined)) did not differ significantly between T1, T2, and T3. The results imply that training-induced changes in OXPHOS subunits (significant increase in complex II) are not accompanied by changes in mitophagy regulatory proteins in T2DM men. Future studies should elucidate whether acute exercise might affect mitophagic processes in T2DM patients (and whether a transient regulation of mitophagy regulatory proteins is evident) to fully clarify the role of physical activity and mitophagy for mitochondrial health in this particular patient group.

Mechanism of Protein Denaturation: Partial Unfolding of the P22 Coat Protein I-Domain by Urea Binding

Science.gov (United States)

Newcomer, Rebecca L.; Fraser, LaTasha C.R.; Teschke, Carolyn M.; Alexandrescu, Andrei T.

2015-01-01

The I-domain is an insertion domain of the bacteriophage P22 coat protein that drives rapid folding and accounts for over half of the stability of the full-length protein. We sought to determine the role of hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) in the unfolding of the I-domain by examining 3JNC’ couplings transmitted through H-bonds, the temperature and urea-concentration dependence of 1HN and 15N chemical shifts, and native-state hydrogen exchange at urea concentrations where the domain is predominantly folded. The native-state hydrogen-exchange data suggest that the six-stranded β-barrel core of the I-domain is more stable against unfolding than a smaller subdomain comprised of a short α-helix and three-stranded β-sheet. H-bonds, separately determined from solvent protection and 3JNC’ H-bond couplings, are identified with an accuracy of 90% by 1HN temperature coefficients. The accuracy is improved to 95% when 15N temperature coefficients are also included. In contrast, the urea dependence of 1HN and 15N chemical shifts is unrelated to H-bonding. The protein segments with the largest chemical-shift changes in the presence of urea show curved or sigmoidal titration curves suggestive of direct urea binding. Nuclear Overhauser effects to urea for these segments are also consistent with specific urea-binding sites in the I-domain. Taken together, the results support a mechanism of urea unfolding in which denaturant binds to distinct sites in the I-domain. Disordered segments bind urea more readily than regions in stable secondary structure. The locations of the putative urea-binding sites correlate with the lower stability of the structure against solvent exchange, suggesting that partial unfolding of the structure is related to urea accessibility. PMID:26682823

A protein-tyrosine phosphatase with sequence similarity to the SH2 domain of the protein-tyrosine kinases.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, S H; Bastien, L; Posner, B I; Chrétien, P

1991-08-22

The phosphorylation of proteins at tyrosine residues is critical in cellular signal transduction, neoplastic transformation and control of the mitotic cycle. These mechanisms are regulated by the activities of both protein-tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases). As in the PTKs, there are two classes of PTPases: membrane associated, receptor-like enzymes and soluble proteins. Here we report the isolation of a complementary DNA clone encoding a new form of soluble PTPase, PTP1C. The enzyme possesses a large noncatalytic region at the N terminus which unexpectedly contains two adjacent copies of the Src homology region 2 (the SH2 domain) found in various nonreceptor PTKs and other cytoplasmic signalling proteins. As with other SH2 sequences, the SH2 domains of PTP1C formed high-affinity complexes with the activated epidermal growth factor receptor and other phosphotyrosine-containing proteins. These results suggest that the SH2 regions in PTP1C may interact with other cellular components to modulate its own phosphatase activity against interacting substrates. PTPase activity may thus directly link growth factor receptors and other signalling proteins through protein-tyrosine phosphorylation.

Mass spectrometric identification of proteins that interact through specific domains of the poly(A) binding protein

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Richardson, Roy; Denis, Clyde L; Zhang, Chongxu

2012-01-01

previously known direct interactions with specific PAB1 domains were either confirmed, delimited, or extended. The remaining nine proteins that interacted through a specific PAB1 domain were CBF5, SLF1, UPF1, CBC1, SSD1, NOP77, yGR250c, NAB6, and GBP2. In further study, UPF1, involved in nonsense...

Espins are multifunctional actin cytoskeletal regulatory proteins in the microvilli of chemosensory and mechanosensory cells

Science.gov (United States)

Sekerková, Gabriella; Zheng, Lili; Loomis, Patricia A.; Changyaleket, Benjarat; Whitlon, Donna S.; Mugnaini, Enrico; Bartles, James R.

2010-01-01

Espins are associated with the parallel actin bundles of hair cell stereocilia and are the target of mutations that cause deafness and vestibular dysfunction in mice and humans. Here, we report that espins are also concentrated in the microvilli of a number of other sensory cells: vomeronasal organ sensory neurons, solitary chemoreceptor cells, taste cells and Merkel cells. Moreover, we show that hair cells and these other sensory cells contain novel espin isoforms that arise from a different transcriptional start site and differ significantly from other espin isoforms in their complement of ligand-binding activities and their effects on actin polymerization. The novel espin isoforms of sensory cells bundled actin filaments with high affinity in a Ca2+-resistant fashion, bound actin monomer via a WASP homology 2 domain, bound profilin via a single proline-rich peptide, and caused a dramatic elongation of microvillus-type parallel actin bundles in transfected epithelial cells. In addition, the novel espin isoforms of sensory cells differed from other espin isoforms in that they potently inhibited actin polymerization in vitro, did not bind the Src homology 3 domain of the adapter protein insulin receptor substrate p53 and did not bind the acidic, signaling phospholipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5- bisphosphate. Thus, the espins constitute a family of multifunctional actin cytoskeletal regulatory proteins with the potential to differentially influence the organization, dimensions, dynamics and signaling capabilities of the actin filament-rich, microvillus-type specializations that mediate sensory transduction in a variety of mechanosensory and chemosensory cells. PMID:15190118

Site-directed antibody immobilization using a protein A-gold binding domain fusion protein for enhanced SPR immunosensing.

Science.gov (United States)

de Juan-Franco, Elena; Caruz, Antonio; Pedrajas, J R; Lechuga, Laura M

2013-04-07

We have implemented a novel strategy for the oriented immobilization of antibodies onto a gold surface based on the use of a fusion protein, the protein A-gold binding domain (PAG). PAG consists of a gold binding peptide (GBP) coupled to the immunoglobulin-binding domains of staphylococcal protein A. This fusion protein provides an easy and fast oriented immobilization of antibodies preserving its native structure, while leaving the antigen binding sites (Fab) freely exposed. Using this immobilization strategy, we have demonstrated the performance of the immunosensing of the human Growth Hormone by SPR. A limit of detection of 90 ng mL(-1) was obtained with an inter-chip variability lower than 7%. The comparison of this method with other strategies for the direct immobilization of antibodies over gold surfaces has showed the enhanced sensitivity provided by the PAG approach.

Insights into the immune manipulation mechanisms of pollen allergens by protein domain profiling.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Seema; Rani, Aruna; Goyal, Arun

2017-10-01

Plant pollens are airborne allergens, as their inhalation causes immune activation, leading to rhinitis, conjunctivitis, sinusitis and oral allergy syndrome. A myriad of pollen proteins belonging to profilin, expansin, polygalacturonase, glucan endoglucosidase, pectin esterase, and lipid transfer protein class have been identified. In the present in silico study, the protein domains of fifteen pollen sequences were extracted from the UniProt database and submitted to the interactive web tool SMART (Simple Modular Architecture Research Tool), for finding the protein domain profiles. Analysis of the data based on custom-made scripts revealed the conservation of pathogenic domains such as OmpH, PROF, PreSET, Bet_v_1, Cpl-7 and GAS2. Further, the retention of critical domains like CHASE2, Galanin, Dak2, DALR_1, HAMP, PWI, EFh, Excalibur, CT, PbH1, HELICc, and Kelch in pollen proteins, much like cockroach allergens and lethal viruses (such as HIV, HCV, Ebola, Dengue and Zika) was observed. Based on the shared motifs in proteins of taxonomicall-ydispersed organisms, it can be hypothesized that allergens and pathogens manipulate the human immune system in a similar manner. Allergens, being inanimate, cannot replicate in human body, and are neutralized by immune system. But, when the allergens are unremitting, the immune system becomes persistently hyper-sensitized, creating an inflammatory milieu. This study is expected to contribute to the understanding of pollen allergenicity and pathogenicity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protein shape and crowding drive domain formation and curvature in biological membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frese, R.N.; Pamies, Josep C.; Olsen, John D.; Bahatyrova, S.; van der Weij-de Wit, Chantal D.; Aartsma, Thijs J.; Otto, Cornelis; Hunter, C. Neil; Frenkel, Daan; van Grondelle, Rienk

2007-01-01

Folding, curvature, and domain formation are characteristics of many biological membranes. Yet the mechanisms that drive both curvature and the formation of specialized domains enriched in particular protein complexes are unknown. For this reason, studies in membranes whose shape and organization

Partial dispensability of Djp1's J domain in peroxisomal protein import in Saccharomyces cerevisiae results from genetic redundancy with another class II J protein, Caj1.

Science.gov (United States)

Dobriyal, Neha; Tripathi, Prerna; Sarkar, Susrita; Tak, Yogesh; Verma, Amit K; Sahi, Chandan

2017-05-01

J proteins are obligate co-chaperones of Hsp70s. Via their signature J domain, all J proteins interact with their partner Hsp70s and stimulate their weak ATPase activity, which is vital for Hsp70 functions. The dependency of J proteins on their J domain is such that mutations in critical amino acids in the J domain often results into a null phenotype for a particular J protein. Here, we show that the J domain of Djp1, a cytosolic J protein important for peroxisomal protein import in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is partially dispensable. A complete deletion of Djp1 J domain resulted into only partial loss in peroxisomal protein import function. Instead, the C-terminal domain of Djp1 was found to be essential for proper localization of the peroxisomal targeted GFP-PTS1. Furthermore, we show that Caj1, another cytosolic J protein, also has some role in peroxisomal protein import. Caj1 was found to be partially redundant with Djp1 as cells lacking both Djp1 and Caj1 resulted into a much more severe defect in GFP-PTS1 localization. Based on these results, we propose that dispensability of J domains could be attributed to genetic redundancy between different J proteins sharing common structural topology and cellular localization.

Fast identification of folded human protein domains expressed in E. coli suitable for structural analysis

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Schlegel Brigitte

2004-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background High-throughput protein structure analysis of individual protein domains requires analysis of large numbers of expression clones to identify suitable constructs for structure determination. For this purpose, methods need to be implemented for fast and reliable screening of the expressed proteins as early as possible in the overall process from cloning to structure determination. Results 88 different E. coli expression constructs for 17 human protein domains were analysed using high-throughput cloning, purification and folding analysis to obtain candidates suitable for structural analysis. After 96 deep-well microplate expression and automated protein purification, protein domains were directly analysed using 1D 1H-NMR spectroscopy. In addition, analytical hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC was used to detect natively folded protein. With these two analytical methods, six constructs (representing two domains were quickly identified as being well folded and suitable for structural analysis. Conclusion The described approach facilitates high-throughput structural analysis. Clones expressing natively folded proteins suitable for NMR structure determination were quickly identified upon small scale expression screening using 1D 1H-NMR and/or analytical HIC. This procedure is especially effective as a fast and inexpensive screen for the 'low hanging fruits' in structural genomics.

A novel signal transduction protein: Combination of solute binding and tandem PAS-like sensor domains in one polypeptide chain: Periplasmic Ligand Binding Protein Dret_0059

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, R. [Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Wilton, R. [Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Cuff, M. E. [Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Structural Biology Center, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Endres, M. [Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Babnigg, G. [Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Edirisinghe, J. N. [Mathematics and Computer Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Computation Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago Illinois 60637; Henry, C. S. [Mathematics and Computer Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Computation Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago Illinois 60637; Joachimiak, A. [Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Structural Biology Center, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago Illinois 60637; Schiffer, M. [Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439; Pokkuluri, P. R. [Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne Illinois 60439

2017-03-06

We report the structural and biochemical characterization of a novel periplasmic ligand-binding protein, Dret_0059, from Desulfohalobium retbaense DSM 5692, an organism isolated from the Salt Lake Retba in Senegal. The structure of the protein consists of a unique combination of a periplasmic solute binding protein (SBP) domain at the N-terminal and a tandem PAS-like sensor domain at the C-terminal region. SBP domains are found ubiquitously and their best known function is in solute transport across membranes. PAS-like sensor domains are commonly found in signal transduction proteins. These domains are widely observed as parts of many protein architectures and complexes but have not been observed previously within the same polypeptide chain. In the structure of Dret_0059, a ketoleucine moiety is bound to the SBP, whereas a cytosine molecule is bound in the distal PAS-like domain of the tandem PAS-like domain. Differential scanning flourimetry support the binding of ligands observed in the crystal structure. There is significant interaction between the SBP and tandem PAS-like domains, and it is possible that the binding of one ligand could have an effect on the binding of the other. We uncovered three other proteins with this structural architecture in the non-redundant sequence data base, and predict that they too bind the same substrates. The genomic context of this protein did not offer any clues for its function. We did not find any biological process in which the two observed ligands are coupled. The protein Dret_0059 could be involved in either signal transduction or solute transport.

A point mutation in the DNA-binding domain of HPV-2 E2 protein increases its DNA-binding capacity and reverses its transcriptional regulatory activity on the viral early promoter

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Gao Chen

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The human papillomavirus (HPV E2 protein is a multifunctional DNA-binding protein. The transcriptional activity of HPV E2 is mediated by binding to its specific binding sites in the upstream regulatory region of the HPV genomes. Previously we reported a HPV-2 variant from a verrucae vulgaris patient with huge extensive clustered cutaneous, which have five point mutations in its E2 ORF, L118S, S235P, Y287H, S293R and A338V. Under the control of HPV-2 LCR, co-expression of the mutated HPV E2 induced an increased activity on the viral early promoter. In the present study, a series of mammalian expression plasmids encoding E2 proteins with one to five amino acid (aa substitutions for these mutations were constructed and transfected into HeLa, C33A and SiHa cells. Results CAT expression assays indicated that the enhanced promoter activity was due to the co-expressions of the E2 constructs containing A338V mutation within the DNA-binding domain. Western blots analysis demonstrated that the transiently transfected E2 expressing plasmids, regardless of prototype or the A338V mutant, were continuously expressed in the cells. To study the effect of E2 mutations on its DNA-binding activity, a serial of recombinant E2 proteins with various lengths were expressed and purified. Electrophoresis mobility shift assays (EMSA showed that the binding affinity of E2 protein with A338V mutation to both an artificial probe with two E2 binding sites or HPV-2 and HPV-16 promoter-proximal LCR sequences were significantly stronger than that of the HPV-2 prototype E2. Furthermore, co-expression of the construct containing A338V mutant exhibited increased activities on heterologous HPV-16 early promoter P97 than that of prototype E2. Conclusions These results suggest that the mutation from Ala to Val at aa 338 is critical for E2 DNA-binding and its transcriptional regulation.

Site-Specific Phosphorylation of PSD-95 PDZ Domains Reveals Fine-Tuned Regulation of Protein-Protein Interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Søren W; Albertsen, Louise; Moran, Griffin E

2017-01-01

The postsynaptic density protein of 95 kDa (PSD-95) is a key scaffolding protein that controls signaling at synapses in the brain through interactions of its PDZ domains with the C-termini of receptors, ion channels, and enzymes. PSD-95 is highly regulated by phosphorylation. To explore the effec...

Zn-binding AZUL domain of human ubiquitin protein ligase Ube3A

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lemak, Alexander; Yee, Adelinda [University of Toronto, and Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium, Ontario Cancer Institute, Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute and Department of Medical Biophysics (Canada); Bezsonova, Irina, E-mail: bezsonova@uchc.edu [University of Connecticut Health Center, Department of Molecular Microbial and Structural Biology (United States); Dhe-Paganon, Sirano, E-mail: sirano.dhepaganon@utoronto.ca [University of Toronto, Structural Genomics Consortium (Canada); Arrowsmith, Cheryl H., E-mail: carrow@uhnresearch.ca [University of Toronto, and Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium, Ontario Cancer Institute, Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute and Department of Medical Biophysics (Canada)

2011-09-15

Ube3A (also referred to as E6AP for E6 Associated Protein) is a E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase implicated in the development of Angelman syndrome by controlling degradation of synaptic protein Arc and oncogenic papilloma virus infection by controlling degradation of p53. This article describe the solution NMR structure of the conserved N-terminal domain of human Ube3A (residues 24-87) that contains two residues (Cys44 and Arg62) found to be mutated in patients with Angelman syndrome. The structure of this domain adopts a novel Zn-binding fold we called AZUL (Amino-terminal Zn-finger of Ube3a Ligase). The AZUL domain has a helix-loop-helix architecture with a Zn ion coordinated by four Cys residues arranged in Cys-X{sub 4}-Cys-X{sub 4}-Cys-X{sub 28}-Cys motif. Three of the Zn-bound residues are located in a 23-residue long and well structured loop that connects two {alpha}-helicies.

Zn-binding AZUL domain of human ubiquitin protein ligase Ube3A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemak, Alexander; Yee, Adelinda; Bezsonova, Irina; Dhe-Paganon, Sirano; Arrowsmith, Cheryl H.

2011-01-01

Ube3A (also referred to as E6AP for E6 Associated Protein) is a E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase implicated in the development of Angelman syndrome by controlling degradation of synaptic protein Arc and oncogenic papilloma virus infection by controlling degradation of p53. This article describe the solution NMR structure of the conserved N-terminal domain of human Ube3A (residues 24-87) that contains two residues (Cys44 and Arg62) found to be mutated in patients with Angelman syndrome. The structure of this domain adopts a novel Zn-binding fold we called AZUL (Amino-terminal Zn-finger of Ube3a Ligase). The AZUL domain has a helix-loop-helix architecture with a Zn ion coordinated by four Cys residues arranged in Cys-X 4 -Cys-X 4 -Cys-X 28 -Cys motif. Three of the Zn-bound residues are located in a 23-residue long and well structured loop that connects two α-helicies.

Characterization of a Fasciola gigantica protein carrying two DM9 domains reveals cellular relocalization property.

Science.gov (United States)

Phadungsil, Wansika; Smooker, Peter M; Vichasri-Grams, Suksiri; Grams, Rudi

2016-01-01

Even at the present age of whole-organism analysis, e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, the biological roles of many proteins remain unresolved. Classified among the proteins of unknown function is a family of proteins harboring repeats of the DM9 domain, a 60-75 amino acids motif first described in a small number of Drosophila melanogaster proteins. Proteins may carry two or more DM9 domains either in combination with other domains or as their sole constituent. Here we have characterized a 16.8 kDa Fasciola gigantica protein comprising two tandem repeated DM9 domains (FgDM9-1). The protein was located in the parenchyma of the immature and mature parasite and consequently it was not detected in the ES product of the parasite but only in the whole worm extract. Interestingly, extraction with SDS yielded a substantially higher amount of the protein suggesting association with insoluble cell components. In Sf9 insect cells a heterologously expressed EGFP-FgDM9-1 chimera showed cell-wide distribution but relocated to vesicle-like structures in the cytoplasm after stimulating cellular stress by bacteria, heat shock or chloroquine. These structures did not colocalize with the markers of endocytosis/phagocytosis ubiquitin, RAB7, GABARAP. The same behavior was noted for Aedes aegypti PRS1, a homologous mosquito DM9 protein as a positive control while EGFP did not exhibit such relocation in the insect cells. Cross-linking experiments on soluble recombinant FgDM9-1 indicated that the protein can undergo specific oligomerization. It is speculated that proteins carrying the DM9 domain have a role in vesicular transport in flatworms and insects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Domain requirements for the Dock adapter protein in growth- cone signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Y; Zipursky, S L

1998-03-03

Tyrosine phosphorylation has been implicated in growth-cone guidance through genetic, biochemical, and pharmacological studies. Adapter proteins containing src homology 2 (SH2) domains and src homology 3 (SH3) domains provide a means of linking guidance signaling through phosphotyrosine to downstream effectors regulating growth-cone motility. The Drosophila adapter, Dreadlocks (Dock), the homolog of mammalian Nck containing three N-terminal SH3 domains and a single SH2 domain, is highly specialized for growth-cone guidance. In this paper, we demonstrate that Dock can couple signals in either an SH2-dependent or an SH2-independent fashion in photoreceptor (R cell) growth cones, and that Dock displays different domain requirements in different neurons.

A protein-binding domain, EH, identified in the receptor tyrosine kinase substrate Eps15 and conserved in evolution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wong, W T; Schumacher, C; Salcini, A E

1995-01-01

In this report we structurally and functionally define a binding domain that is involved in protein association and that we have designated EH (for Eps15 homology domain). This domain was identified in the tyrosine kinase substrate Eps15 on the basis of regional conservation with several heteroge......In this report we structurally and functionally define a binding domain that is involved in protein association and that we have designated EH (for Eps15 homology domain). This domain was identified in the tyrosine kinase substrate Eps15 on the basis of regional conservation with several...... heterogeneous proteins of yeast and nematode. The EH domain spans about 70 amino acids and shows approximately 60% overall amino acid conservation. We demonstrated the ability of the EH domain to specifically bind cytosolic proteins in normal and malignant cells of mesenchymal, epithelial, and hematopoietic...... (for Eps15-related). Structural comparison of Eps15 and Eps15r defines a family of signal transducers possessing extensive networking abilities including EH-mediated binding and association with Src homology 3-containing proteins....

A novel firmicute protein family related to the actinobacterial resuscitation-promoting factors by non-orthologous domain displacement

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Finan Christopher L

2005-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In Micrococcus luteus growth and resuscitation from starvation-induced dormancy is controlled by the production of a secreted growth factor. This autocrine resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf is the founder member of a family of proteins found throughout and confined to the actinobacteria (high G + C Gram-positive bacteria. The aim of this work was to search for and characterise a cognate gene family in the firmicutes (low G + C Gram-positive bacteria and obtain information about how they may control bacterial growth and resuscitation. Results In silico analysis of the accessory domains of the Rpf proteins permitted their classification into several subfamilies. The RpfB subfamily is related to a group of firmicute proteins of unknown function, represented by YabE of Bacillus subtilis. The actinobacterial RpfB and firmicute YabE proteins have very similar domain structures and genomic contexts, except that in YabE, the actinobacterial Rpf domain is replaced by another domain, which we have called Sps. Although totally unrelated in both sequence and secondary structure, the Rpf and Sps domains fulfil the same function. We propose that these proteins have undergone "non-orthologous domain displacement", a phenomenon akin to "non-orthologous gene displacement" that has been described previously. Proteins containing the Sps domain are widely distributed throughout the firmicutes and they too fall into a number of distinct subfamilies. Comparative analysis of the accessory domains in the Rpf and Sps proteins, together with their weak similarity to lytic transglycosylases, provide clear evidence that they are muralytic enzymes. Conclusions The results indicate that the firmicute Sps proteins and the actinobacterial Rpf proteins are cognate and that they control bacterial culturability via enzymatic modification of the bacterial cell envelope.

Bayesian modeling of the yeast SH3 domain interactome predicts spatiotemporal dynamics of endocytosis proteins.

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Raffi Tonikian

2009-10-01

Full Text Available SH3 domains are peptide recognition modules that mediate the assembly of diverse biological complexes. We scanned billions of phage-displayed peptides to map the binding specificities of the SH3 domain family in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although most of the SH3 domains fall into the canonical classes I and II, each domain utilizes distinct features of its cognate ligands to achieve binding selectivity. Furthermore, we uncovered several SH3 domains with specificity profiles that clearly deviate from the two canonical classes. In conjunction with phage display, we used yeast two-hybrid and peptide array screening to independently identify SH3 domain binding partners. The results from the three complementary techniques were integrated using a Bayesian algorithm to generate a high-confidence yeast SH3 domain interaction map. The interaction map was enriched for proteins involved in endocytosis, revealing a set of SH3-mediated interactions that underlie formation of protein complexes essential to this biological pathway. We used the SH3 domain interaction network to predict the dynamic localization of several previously uncharacterized endocytic proteins, and our analysis suggests a novel role for the SH3 domains of Lsb3p and Lsb4p as hubs that recruit and assemble several endocytic complexes.

Dual RNA regulatory control of a Staphylococcus aureus virulence factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Chabelskaya, Svetlana; Bordeau, Valérie; Felden, Brice

2014-04-01

In pathogens, the accurate programming of virulence gene expression is essential for infection. It is achieved by sophisticated arrays of regulatory proteins and ribonucleic acids (sRNAs), but in many cases their contributions and connections are not yet known. Based on genetic, biochemical and structural evidence, we report that the expression pattern of a Staphylococcus aureus host immune evasion protein is enabled by the collaborative actions of RNAIII and small pathogenicity island RNA D (SprD). Their combined expression profiles during bacterial growth permit early and transient synthesis of Sbi to avoid host immune responses. Together, these two sRNAs use antisense mechanisms to monitor Sbi expression at the translational level. Deletion analysis combined with structural analysis of RNAIII in complex with its novel messenger RNA (mRNA) target indicate that three distant RNAIII domains interact with distinct sites of the sbi mRNA and that two locations are deep in the sbi coding region. Through distinct domains, RNAIII lowers production of two proteins required for avoiding innate host immunity, staphylococcal protein A and Sbi. Toeprints and in vivo mutational analysis reveal a novel regulatory module within RNAIII essential for attenuation of Sbi translation. The sophisticated translational control of mRNA by two differentially expressed sRNAs ensures supervision of host immune escape by a major pathogen.

Structure of Thermotoga maritima TM0439: implications for the mechanism of bacterial GntR transcription regulators with Zn2+-binding FCD domains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Meiying; Cooper, David R.; Grossoehme, Nickolas E.; Yu, Minmin; Hung, Li-Wei; Cieslik, Marcin; Derewenda, Urszula; Lesley, Scott A.; Wilson, Ian A.; Giedroc, David P.; Derewenda, Zygmunt S.

2009-01-01

Here, the crystal structure of TM0439, a GntR regulator with an FCD domain found in the Thermotoga maritima genome, is described. The GntR superfamily of dimeric transcription factors, with more than 6200 members encoded in bacterial genomes, are characterized by N-terminal winged-helix DNA-binding domains and diverse C-terminal regulatory domains which provide a basis for the classification of the constituent families. The largest of these families, FadR, contains nearly 3000 proteins with all-α-helical regulatory domains classified into two related Pfam families: FadR-C and FCD. Only two crystal structures of FadR-family members, those of Escherichia coli FadR protein and LldR from Corynebacterium glutamicum, have been described to date in the literature. Here, the crystal structure of TM0439, a GntR regulator with an FCD domain found in the Thermotoga maritima genome, is described. The FCD domain is similar to that of the LldR regulator and contains a buried metal-binding site. Using atomic absorption spectroscopy and Trp fluorescence, it is shown that the recombinant protein contains bound Ni 2+ ions but that it is able to bind Zn 2+ with K d < 70 nM. It is concluded that Zn 2+ is the likely physiological metal and that it may perform either structural or regulatory roles or both. Finally, the TM0439 structure is compared with two other FadR-family structures recently deposited by structural genomics consortia. The results call for a revision in the classification of the FadR family of transcription factors

Fast kinase domain-containing protein 3 is a mitochondrial protein essential for cellular respiration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simarro, Maria [Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Gimenez-Cassina, Alfredo [Department of Cancer Biology at Dana Farber Institute, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Kedersha, Nancy [Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Lazaro, Jean-Bernard; Adelmant, Guillaume O.; Marto, Jarrod A. [Department of Cancer Biology at Dana Farber Institute, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Rhee, Kirsten [Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Tisdale, Sarah; Danial, Nika [Department of Cancer Biology at Dana Farber Institute, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Benarafa, Charaf [Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, 3012 Bern (Switzerland); Orduna, Anonio [Unidad de Investigacion, Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid (Spain); Anderson, Paul, E-mail: panderson@rics.bwh.harvard.edu [Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States)

2010-10-22

Research highlights: {yields} Five members of the FAST kinase domain-containing proteins are localized to mitochondria in mammalian cells. {yields} The FASTKD3 interactome includes proteins involved in various aspects of mitochondrial metabolism. {yields} Targeted knockdown of FASTKD3 significantly reduces basal and maximal mitochondrial oxygen consumption. -- Abstract: Fas-activated serine/threonine phosphoprotein (FAST) is the founding member of the FAST kinase domain-containing protein (FASTKD) family that includes FASTKD1-5. FAST is a sensor of mitochondrial stress that modulates protein translation to promote the survival of cells exposed to adverse conditions. Mutations in FASTKD2 have been linked to a mitochondrial encephalomyopathy that is associated with reduced cytochrome c oxidase activity, an essential component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. We have confirmed the mitochondrial localization of FASTKD2 and shown that all FASTKD family members are found in mitochondria. Although human and mouse FASTKD1-5 genes are expressed ubiquitously, some of them are most abundantly expressed in mitochondria-enriched tissues. We have found that RNA interference-mediated knockdown of FASTKD3 severely blunts basal and stress-induced mitochondrial oxygen consumption without disrupting the assembly of respiratory chain complexes. Tandem affinity purification reveals that FASTKD3 interacts with components of mitochondrial respiratory and translation machineries. Our results introduce FASTKD3 as an essential component of mitochondrial respiration that may modulate energy balance in cells exposed to adverse conditions by functionally coupling mitochondrial protein synthesis to respiration.

Fast kinase domain-containing protein 3 is a mitochondrial protein essential for cellular respiration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simarro, Maria; Gimenez-Cassina, Alfredo; Kedersha, Nancy; Lazaro, Jean-Bernard; Adelmant, Guillaume O.; Marto, Jarrod A.; Rhee, Kirsten; Tisdale, Sarah; Danial, Nika; Benarafa, Charaf; Orduna, Anonio; Anderson, Paul

2010-01-01

Research highlights: → Five members of the FAST kinase domain-containing proteins are localized to mitochondria in mammalian cells. → The FASTKD3 interactome includes proteins involved in various aspects of mitochondrial metabolism. → Targeted knockdown of FASTKD3 significantly reduces basal and maximal mitochondrial oxygen consumption. -- Abstract: Fas-activated serine/threonine phosphoprotein (FAST) is the founding member of the FAST kinase domain-containing protein (FASTKD) family that includes FASTKD1-5. FAST is a sensor of mitochondrial stress that modulates protein translation to promote the survival of cells exposed to adverse conditions. Mutations in FASTKD2 have been linked to a mitochondrial encephalomyopathy that is associated with reduced cytochrome c oxidase activity, an essential component of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. We have confirmed the mitochondrial localization of FASTKD2 and shown that all FASTKD family members are found in mitochondria. Although human and mouse FASTKD1-5 genes are expressed ubiquitously, some of them are most abundantly expressed in mitochondria-enriched tissues. We have found that RNA interference-mediated knockdown of FASTKD3 severely blunts basal and stress-induced mitochondrial oxygen consumption without disrupting the assembly of respiratory chain complexes. Tandem affinity purification reveals that FASTKD3 interacts with components of mitochondrial respiratory and translation machineries. Our results introduce FASTKD3 as an essential component of mitochondrial respiration that may modulate energy balance in cells exposed to adverse conditions by functionally coupling mitochondrial protein synthesis to respiration.

EWS and FUS bind a subset of transcribed genes encoding proteins enriched in RNA regulatory functions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, Yonglun; Friis, Jenny Blechingberg; Fernandes, Ana Miguel

2015-01-01

at different levels. Gene Ontology analyses showed that FUS and EWS target genes preferentially encode proteins involved in regulatory processes at the RNA level. Conclusions The presented results yield new insights into gene interactions of EWS and FUS and have identified a set of FUS and EWS target genes...... involved in pathways at the RNA regulatory level with potential to mediate normal and disease-associated functions of the FUS and EWS proteins.......Background FUS (TLS) and EWS (EWSR1) belong to the FET-protein family of RNA and DNA binding proteins. FUS and EWS are structurally and functionally related and participate in transcriptional regulation and RNA processing. FUS and EWS are identified in translocation generated cancer fusion proteins...

The Zinc Finger of Prolyl Hydroxylase Domain Protein 2 Is Essential for Efficient Hydroxylation of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor α.

Science.gov (United States)

Arsenault, Patrick R; Song, Daisheng; Chung, Yu Jin; Khurana, Tejvir S; Lee, Frank S

2016-09-15

Prolyl hydroxylase domain protein 2 (PHD2) (also known as EGLN1) is a key oxygen sensor in mammals that posttranslationally modifies hypoxia-inducible factor α (HIF-α) and targets it for degradation. In addition to its catalytic domain, PHD2 contains an evolutionarily conserved zinc finger domain, which we have previously proposed recruits PHD2 to the HSP90 pathway to promote HIF-α hydroxylation. Here, we provide evidence that this recruitment is critical both in vitro and in vivo We show that in vitro, the zinc finger can function as an autonomous recruitment domain to facilitate interaction with HIF-α. In vivo, ablation of zinc finger function by a C36S/C42S Egln1 knock-in mutation results in upregulation of the erythropoietin gene, erythrocytosis, and augmented hypoxic ventilatory response, all hallmarks of Egln1 loss of function and HIF stabilization. Hence, the zinc finger ordinarily performs a critical positive regulatory function. Intriguingly, the function of this zinc finger is impaired in high-altitude-adapted Tibetans, suggesting that their adaptation to high altitude may, in part, be due to a loss-of-function EGLN1 allele. Thus, these findings have important implications for understanding both the molecular mechanism of the hypoxic response and human adaptation to high altitude. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Contributions of F-BAR and SH2 domains of Fes protein tyrosine kinase for coupling to the FcepsilonRI pathway in mast cells.

Science.gov (United States)

McPherson, Victor A; Everingham, Stephanie; Karisch, Robert; Smith, Julie A; Udell, Christian M; Zheng, Jimin; Jia, Zongchao; Craig, Andrew W B

2009-01-01

This study investigates the roles of Fer-CIP4 homology (FCH)-Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs (F-BAR) and SH2 domains of Fes protein tyrosine kinase in regulating its activation and signaling downstream of the high-affinity immunoglobulin G (IgE) receptor (FcepsilonRI) in mast cells. Homology modeling of the Fes F-BAR domain revealed conservation of some basic residues implicated in phosphoinositide binding (R113/K114). The Fes F-BAR can bind phosphoinositides and induce tubulation of liposomes in vitro. Mutation of R113/K114 to uncharged residues (RK/QQ) caused a significant reduction in phosphoinositide binding in vitro and a more diffuse cytoplasmic localization in transfected COS-7 cells. RBL-2H3 mast cells expressing full-length Fes carrying the RK/QQ mutation show defects in FcepsilonRI-induced Fes tyrosine phosphorylation and degranulation compared to cells expressing wild-type Fes. This correlated with reduced localization to Lyn kinase-containing membrane fractions for the RK/QQ mutant compared to wild-type Fes in mast cells. The Fes SH2 domain also contributes to Fes signaling in mast cells, via interactions with the phosphorylated FcepsilonRI beta chain and the actin regulatory protein HS1. We show that Fes phosphorylates C-terminal tyrosine residues in HS1 implicated in actin stabilization. Thus, coordinated actions of the F-BAR and SH2 domains of Fes allow for coupling to FcepsilonRI signaling and potential regulation the actin reorganization in mast cells.

Different methods of membrane domains isolation result in similar 2-D distribution patterns of membrane domain proteins

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Matoušek, Petr; Hodný, Zdeněk; Švandová, I.; Svoboda, Petr

2003-01-01

Roč. 81, č. 6 (2003), s. 365-372 ISSN 0829-8211 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LN00A026 Grant - others:Wellcome Trust(GB) xx Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5011922; CEZ:MSM 113100003; CEZ:AV0Z5039906 Keywords : membrane domain * G protein * two-dimensional electrophoresis * GPI-ancored proteins Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 2.456, year: 2003

Interpretation of NMR relaxation properties of Pin1, a two-domain protein, based on Brownian dynamic simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernado, Pau; Fernandes, Miguel X.; Jacobs, Doris M.; Fiebig, Klaus; Garcia de la Torre, Jose; Pons, Miquel

2004-01-01

Many important proteins contain multiple domains connected by flexible linkers. Inter-domain motion is suggested to play a key role in many processes involving molecular recognition. Heteronuclear NMR relaxation is sensitive to motions in the relevant time scales and could provide valuable information on the dynamics of multi-domain proteins. However, the standard analysis based on the separation of global tumbling and fast local motions is no longer valid for multi-domain proteins undergoing internal motions involving complete domains and that take place on the same time scale than the overall motion.The complexity of the motions experienced even for the simplest two-domain proteins are difficult to capture with simple extensions of the classical Lipari-Szabo approach. Hydrodynamic effects are expected to dominate the motion of the individual globular domains, as well as that of the complete protein. Using Pin1 as a test case, we have simulated its motion at the microsecond time scale, at a reasonable computational expense, using Brownian Dynamic simulations on simplified models. The resulting trajectories provide insight on the interplay between global and inter-domain motion and can be analyzed using the recently published method of isotropic Reorientational Mode Dynamics which offer a way of calculating their contribution to heteronuclear relaxation rates. The analysis of trajectories computed with Pin1 models of different flexibility provides a general framework to understand the dynamics of multi-domain proteins and explains some of the observed features in the relaxation rate profile of free Pin1

Interpretation of NMR relaxation properties of Pin1, a two-domain protein, based on Brownian dynamic simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernado, Pau [Institut de Biologie Structurale, Jean Pierre Ebel (France); Fernandes, Miguel X. [Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Quimica Fisica, Facultad de Quimica (Spain); Jacobs, Doris M. [Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt, Institut fuer Organische Chemie und Chemische Biologie (Germany); Fiebig, Klaus [Affinium Pharmaceuticals (Canada); Garcia de la Torre, Jose [Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Quimica Fisica, Facultad de Quimica (Spain); Pons, Miquel [Laboratori de RMN de Biomolecules, Parc Cientific de Barcelona (Spain)], E-mail: mpons@ub.edu

2004-05-15

Many important proteins contain multiple domains connected by flexible linkers. Inter-domain motion is suggested to play a key role in many processes involving molecular recognition. Heteronuclear NMR relaxation is sensitive to motions in the relevant time scales and could provide valuable information on the dynamics of multi-domain proteins. However, the standard analysis based on the separation of global tumbling and fast local motions is no longer valid for multi-domain proteins undergoing internal motions involving complete domains and that take place on the same time scale than the overall motion.The complexity of the motions experienced even for the simplest two-domain proteins are difficult to capture with simple extensions of the classical Lipari-Szabo approach. Hydrodynamic effects are expected to dominate the motion of the individual globular domains, as well as that of the complete protein. Using Pin1 as a test case, we have simulated its motion at the microsecond time scale, at a reasonable computational expense, using Brownian Dynamic simulations on simplified models. The resulting trajectories provide insight on the interplay between global and inter-domain motion and can be analyzed using the recently published method of isotropic Reorientational Mode Dynamics which offer a way of calculating their contribution to heteronuclear relaxation rates. The analysis of trajectories computed with Pin1 models of different flexibility provides a general framework to understand the dynamics of multi-domain proteins and explains some of the observed features in the relaxation rate profile of free Pin1.

Adaptor protein containing PH domain, PTB domain and leucine zipper (APPL1) regulates the protein level of EGFR by modulating its trafficking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jae-Rin; Hahn, Hwa-Sun; Kim, Young-Hoon; Nguyen, Hong-Hoa; Yang, Jun-Mo; Kang, Jong-Sun; Hahn, Myong-Joon

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► APPL1 regulates the protein level of EGFR in response to EGF stimulation. ► Depletion of APPL1 accelerates the movement of EGF/EGFR from the cell surface to the perinuclear region in response to EGF. ► Knockdown of APPL1 enhances the activity of Rab5. -- Abstract: The EGFR-mediated signaling pathway regulates multiple biological processes such as cell proliferation, survival and differentiation. Previously APPL1 (adaptor protein containing PH domain, PTB domain and leucine zipper 1) has been reported to function as a downstream effector of EGF-initiated signaling. Here we demonstrate that APPL1 regulates EGFR protein levels in response to EGF stimulation. Overexpression of APPL1 enhances EGFR stabilization while APPL1 depletion by siRNA reduces EGFR protein levels. APPL1 depletion accelerates EGFR internalization and movement of EGF/EGFR from cell surface to the perinuclear region in response to EGF treatment. Conversely, overexpression of APPL1 decelerates EGFR internalization and translocation of EGF/EGFR to the perinuclear region. Furthermore, APPL1 depletion enhances the activity of Rab5 which is involved in internalization and trafficking of EGFR and inhibition of Rab5 in APPL1-depleted cells restored EGFR levels. Consistently, APPL1 depletion reduced activation of Akt, the downstream signaling effector of EGFR and this is restored by inhibition of Rab5. These findings suggest that APPL1 is required for EGFR signaling by regulation of EGFR stabilities through inhibition of Rab5.

Enzymatic Mercury Detoxification: The Regulatory Protein MerR

CERN Multimedia

Ctortecka, B; Walsh, C T; Comess, K M

2002-01-01

Mercury ions and organomercurial reagents are extremely toxic due to their affinity for thiol groups. Many bacteria contain an elaborate detoxification system for a metabolic conversion of toxic Hg$^{2+}$ or organomercurials to less toxic elemental Hg$^0$. The main components of the enzymatic mercury detoxification (see Fig. 1) are the regulatory protein MerR (mercury responsive genetic switch), the organomercurial lyase MerB (cleavage of carbon mercury bonds), and the mercuric ion reductase MerA (reduction of mercuric ions). In these proteins Hg$^{2+}$ is usually coordinated by the thiol groups of cysteines. We utilize the nuclear quadrupole interaction (NQI) of ${\\rm^{199m}}$Hg detected by time differential perturbed angular correlation (TDPAC) to identify the Hg metal site geometries in these proteins in order to elucidate the molecular origin of the ultrasensitivity, selectivity and reaction mechanism of this detoxification system. The short lived TDPAC probe ${\\rm^{199m}}$Hg ($\\tau_{1/2} =$ 43 min) is su...

Modulation of Caenorhabditis elegans transcription factor activity by HIM-8 and the related Zinc-Finger ZIM proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Hongliu; Nelms, Brian L; Sleiman, Sama F; Chamberlin, Helen M; Hanna-Rose, Wendy

2007-10-01

The previously reported negative regulatory activity of HIM-8 on the Sox protein EGL-13 is shared by the HIM-8-related ZIM proteins. Furthermore, mutation of HIM-8 can modulate the effects of substitution mutations in the DNA-binding domains of at least four other transcription factors, suggesting broad regulatory activity by HIM-8.

Methods of use of cellulose binding domain proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Shoseyov, Oded; Shpiegl, Itai; Goldstein, Marc A.; Doi, Roy H.

1997-01-01

A cellulose binding domain (CBD) having a high affinity for crystalline cellulose and chitin is disclosed, along with methods for the molecular cloning and recombinant production thereof. Fusion products comprising the CBD and a second protein are likewise described. A wide range of applications are contemplated for both the CBD and the fusion products, including drug delivery, affinity separations, and diagnostic techniques.

Predicting binding within disordered protein regions to structurally characterised peptide-binding domains.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waqasuddin Khan

Full Text Available Disordered regions of proteins often bind to structured domains, mediating interactions within and between proteins. However, it is difficult to identify a priori the short disordered regions involved in binding. We set out to determine if docking such peptide regions to peptide binding domains would assist in these predictions.We assembled a redundancy reduced dataset of SLiM (Short Linear Motif containing proteins from the ELM database. We selected 84 sequences which had an associated PDB structures showing the SLiM bound to a protein receptor, where the SLiM was found within a 50 residue region of the protein sequence which was predicted to be disordered. First, we investigated the Vina docking scores of overlapping tripeptides from the 50 residue SLiM containing disordered regions of the protein sequence to the corresponding PDB domain. We found only weak discrimination of docking scores between peptides involved in binding and adjacent non-binding peptides in this context (AUC 0.58.Next, we trained a bidirectional recurrent neural network (BRNN using as input the protein sequence, predicted secondary structure, Vina docking score and predicted disorder score. The results were very promising (AUC 0.72 showing that multiple sources of information can be combined to produce results which are clearly superior to any single source.We conclude that the Vina docking score alone has only modest power to define the location of a peptide within a larger protein region known to contain it. However, combining this information with other knowledge (using machine learning methods clearly improves the identification of peptide binding regions within a protein sequence. This approach combining docking with machine learning is primarily a predictor of binding to peptide-binding sites, and is not intended as a predictor of specificity of binding to particular receptors.

Engineering of kinase-based protein interacting devices: active expression of tyrosine kinase domains

KAUST Repository

Diaz Galicia, Miriam Escarlet

2018-01-01

is then translated into a FRET (Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer) signal is here proposed. To this end, DNA constructs for interaction amplification (split kinases), positive controls (intact kinase domains), scaffolding proteins and phosphopeptide - SH2-domain

Crystal structure of Thermotoga maritima TM0439: implications for the mechanism of bacterial GntR transcription regulators with Zn2+-binding FCD domains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Meiying; Cooper, David; Grossoehmerb, Nickolas; Yu, Minmin; Hung, Li-Wei; Cieslik, Murcin; Derewendaro, Urszula; Lesley, Scott; Wilson, Ian; Giedrocb, David; Derewenda, Zygmunt

2009-06-06

The GntR superfamily of dimeric transcription factors, with more than 6200 members encoded in bacterial genomes, are characterized by N-terminal winged helix (WH) DNA-binding domains and diverse C-terminal, regulatory domains, which provide a basis for the classification of the constituent families. The largest of these families, FadR, contains nearly 3000 proteins with all a-helical regulatory domains classified into two related Pfam families: FadR{_}C and FCD. Only two crystal structures of the FadR family members, i.e. the E. coli FadR protein and the LldR from C. glutamicum, have been described to date in literature. Here we describe the crystal structure of TM0439, a GntR regulator with an FCD domain, found in the Thermotoga maritima genome. The FCD domain is similar to that of the LldR regulator, and contains a buried metal binding site. Using atomic absorption spectroscopy and Trp fluorescence, we show that the recombinant protein contains bound Ni{sup 2+} ions, but it is able to bind Zn{sup 2+} with K{sub D} < 70 nM . We conclude that Zn{sup 2+} is the likely physiological metal, where it may perform either or both structural and regulatory roles. Finally, we compare the TM0439 structure to two other FadR family structures recently deposited by Structural Genomics consortia. The results call for a revision in the classification of the FadR family of transcription factors.

Functional domains of plant chimeric calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase: regulation by autoinhibitory and visinin-like domains

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandiran, S.; Takezawa, D.; Wang, W.; Poovaiah, B. W.

1997-01-01

A novel calcium-binding calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CCaMK) with a catalytic domain, calmodulin-binding domain, and a neural visinin-like domain was cloned and characterized from plants [Patil et al., (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 4797-4801; Takezawa et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 8126-8132]. The mechanisms of CCaMK activation by calcium and calcium/calmodulin were investigated using various deletion mutants. The use of deletion mutants of CCaMK lacking either one, two, or all three calcium-binding EF hands indicated that all three calcium-binding sites in the visinin-like domain were crucial for the full calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase activity. As each calcium-binding EF hand was deleted, there was a gradual reduction in calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase activity from 100 to 4%. Another mutant (amino acids 1-322) which lacks both the visinin-like domain containing three EF hands and the calmodulin-binding domain was constitutively active, indicating the presence of an autoinhibitory domain around the calmodulin-binding domain. By using various synthetic peptides and the constitutively active mutant, we have shown that CCaMK contains an autoinhibitory domain within the residues 322-340 which overlaps its calmodulin-binding domain. Kinetic studies with both ATP and the GS peptide substrate suggest that the autoinhibitory domain of CCaMK interacts only with the peptide substrate binding motif of the catalytic domain, but not with the ATP-binding motif.

Self-Regulatory Capacities Are Depleted in a Domain-Specific Manner.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui; Stock, Ann-Kathrin; Rzepus, Anneka; Beste, Christian

2017-01-01

Performing an act of self-regulation such as making decisions has been suggested to deplete a common limited resource, which impairs all subsequent self-regulatory actions (ego depletion theory). It has however remained unclear whether self-referred decisions truly impair behavioral control even in seemingly unrelated cognitive domains, and which neurophysiological mechanisms are affected by these potential depletion effects. In the current study, we therefore used an inter-individual design to compare two kinds of depletion, namely a self-referred choice-based depletion and a categorization-based switching depletion, to a non-depleted control group. We used a backward inhibition (BI) paradigm to assess the effects of depletion on task switching and associated inhibition processes. It was combined with EEG and source localization techniques to assess both behavioral and neurophysiological depletion effects. The results challenge the ego depletion theory in its current form: Opposing the theory's prediction of a general limited resource, which should have yielded comparable effects in both depletion groups, or maybe even a larger depletion in the self-referred choice group, there were stronger performance impairments following a task domain-specific depletion (i.e., the switching-based depletion) than following a depletion based on self-referred choices. This suggests at least partly separate and independent resources for various cognitive control processes rather than just one joint resource for all self-regulation activities. The implications are crucial to consider for people making frequent far-reaching decisions e.g., in law or economy.

Structure of the thioredoxin-fold domain of human phosducin-like protein 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lou, Xiaochu; Bao, Rui; Zhou, Cong-Zhao; Chen, Yuxing

2009-01-01

The X-ray crystal structure of the Trx-fold domain of hPDCL2 was solved at 2.70 Å resolution and resembled the Trx-fold domain of rat phosducin. Human phosducin-like protein 2 (hPDCL2) has been identified as belonging to subgroup II of the phosducin (Pdc) family. The members of this family share an N-terminal helix domain and a C-terminal thioredoxin-fold (Trx-fold) domain. The X-ray crystal structure of the Trx-fold domain of hPDCL2 was solved at 2.70 Å resolution and resembled the Trx-fold domain of rat phosducin. Comparative structural analysis revealed the structural basis of their putative functional divergence

Interaction of GlnK with the GAF domain of Herbaspirillum seropedicae NifA mediates NH₄⁺-regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Marco A S; Aquino, Bruno; Bonatto, Ana Claudia; Huergo, Luciano F; Chubatsu, Leda S; Pedrosa, Fábio O; Souza, Emanuel M; Dixon, Ray; Monteiro, Rose A

2012-04-01

Nitrogen fixation in Herbaspirillum seropedicae is transcriptionally regulated by NifA, a σ(54) transcriptional activator with three structural domains: an N-terminal GAF domain, a catalytic AAA+ domain and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain. NifA is only active in H. seropedicae when cultures are grown in the absence of fixed nitrogen and at low oxygen tensions. There is evidence that the inactivation of NifA in response to fixed nitrogen is mediated by the regulatory GAF domain. However, the mechanism of NifA repression by the GAF domain, as well as the transduction of nitrogen status to NifA, is not understood. In order to study the regulation of NifA activity by fixed nitrogen independently of oxygen regulation, we constructed a chimeric protein containing the GAF domain of H. seropedicae NifA fused to the AAA+ and C-terminal domains of Azotobacter vinelandii NifA. This chimeric protein (NifAQ1) lacks the cysteine motif found in oxygen sensitive NifA proteins and is not oxygen responsive in vivo. Our results demonstrate that NifAQ1 responds to fixed nitrogen and requires GlnK protein for activity, a behavior similar to H. seropedicae NifA. In addition, protein footprinting analysis indicates that this response probably involves a protein-protein contact between the GAF domain and the GlnK protein. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Comparing autotransporter β-domain configurations for their capacity to secrete heterologous proteins to the cell surface.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wouter S P Jong

Full Text Available Monomeric autotransporters have been extensively used for export of recombinant proteins to the cell surface of Gram-negative bacteria. A bottleneck in the biosynthesis of such constructs is the passage of the outer membrane, which is facilitated by the β-domain at the C terminus of an autotransporter in conjunction with the Bam complex in the outer membrane. We have evaluated eight β-domain constructs for their capacity to secrete fused proteins to the cell surface. These constructs derive from the monomeric autotransporters Hbp, IgA protease, Ag43 and EstA and the trimeric autotransporter Hia, which all were selected because they have been previously used for secretion of recombinant proteins. We fused three different protein domains to the eight β-domain constructs, being a Myc-tag, the Hbp passenger and a nanobody or VHH domain, and assessed expression, membrane insertion and surface exposure. Our results show that expression levels differed considerably between the constructs tested. The constructs that included the β-domains of Hbp and IgA protease appeared the most efficient and resulted in expression levels that were detectable on Coomassie-stained SDS-PAGE gels. The VHH domain appeared the most difficult fusion partner to export, probably due to its complex immunoglobulin-like structure with a tertiary structure stabilized by an intramolecular disulfide bond. Overall, the Hbp β-domain compared favorably in exporting the fused recombinant proteins, because it showed in every instance tested a good level of expression, stable membrane insertion and clear surface exposure.

A FYVE zinc finger domain protein specifically links mRNA transport to endosome trafficking.

Science.gov (United States)

Pohlmann, Thomas; Baumann, Sebastian; Haag, Carl; Albrecht, Mario; Feldbrügge, Michael

2015-05-18

An emerging theme in cellular logistics is the close connection between mRNA and membrane trafficking. A prominent example is the microtubule-dependent transport of mRNAs and associated ribosomes on endosomes. This coordinated process is crucial for correct septin filamentation and efficient growth of polarised cells, such as fungal hyphae. Despite detailed knowledge on the key RNA-binding protein and the molecular motors involved, it is unclear how mRNAs are connected to membranes during transport. Here, we identify a novel factor containing a FYVE zinc finger domain for interaction with endosomal lipids and a new PAM2-like domain required for interaction with the MLLE domain of the key RNA-binding protein. Consistently, loss of this FYVE domain protein leads to specific defects in mRNA, ribosome, and septin transport without affecting general functions of endosomes or their movement. Hence, this is the first endosomal component specific for mRNP trafficking uncovering a new mechanism to couple mRNPs to endosomes.

Distal loop flexibility of a regulatory domain modulates dynamics and activity of C-terminal SRC kinase (csk.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sulyman Barkho

Full Text Available The Src family of tyrosine kinases (SFKs regulate numerous aspects of cell growth and differentiation and are under the principal control of the C-terminal Src Kinase (Csk. Csk and SFKs share a modular design with the kinase domain downstream of the N-terminal SH2 and SH3 domains that regulate catalytic function and membrane localization. While the function of interfacial segments in these multidomain kinases are well-investigated, little is known about how surface sites and long-range, allosteric coupling control protein dynamics and catalytic function. The SH2 domain of Csk is an essential component for the down-regulation of all SFKs. A unique feature of the SH2 domain of Csk is the tight turn in place of the canonical CD loop in a surface site far removed from kinase domain interactions. In this study, we used a combination of experimental and computational methods to probe the importance of this difference by constructing a Csk variant with a longer SH2 CD loop to mimic the flexibility found in homologous kinase SH2 domains. Our results indicate that while the fold and function of the isolated domain and the full-length kinase are not affected by loop elongation, native protein dynamics that are essential for efficient catalysis are perturbed. We also identify key motifs and routes through which the distal SH2 site might influence catalysis at the active site. This study underscores the sensitivity of intramolecular signaling and catalysis to native protein dynamics that arise from modest changes in allosteric regions while providing a potential strategy to alter intrinsic activity and signaling modulation.

Functional advantages of dynamic protein disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Berlow, Rebecca B; Dyson, H Jane; Wright, Peter E

2015-09-14

Intrinsically disordered proteins participate in many important cellular regulatory processes. The absence of a well-defined structure in the free state of a disordered domain, and even on occasion when it is bound to physiological partners, is fundamental to its function. Disordered domains are frequently the location of multiple sites for post-translational modification, the key element of metabolic control in the cell. When a disordered domain folds upon binding to a partner, the resulting complex buries a far greater surface area than in an interaction of comparably-sized folded proteins, thus maximizing specificity at modest protein size. Disorder also maintains accessibility of sites for post-translational modification. Because of their inherent plasticity, disordered domains frequently adopt entirely different structures when bound to different partners, increasing the repertoire of available interactions without the necessity for expression of many different proteins. This feature also adds to the faithfulness of cellular regulation, as the availability of a given disordered domain depends on competition between various partners relevant to different cellular processes. Copyright © 2015 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interaction between the PH and START domains of ceramide transfer protein competes with phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate binding by the PH domain.

Science.gov (United States)

Prashek, Jennifer; Bouyain, Samuel; Fu, Mingui; Li, Yong; Berkes, Dusan; Yao, Xiaolan

2017-08-25

De novo synthesis of the sphingolipid sphingomyelin requires non-vesicular transport of ceramide from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi by the multidomain protein ceramide transfer protein (CERT). CERT's N-terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) domain targets it to the Golgi by binding to phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns(4)P) in the Golgi membrane, whereas its C-terminal StAR-related lipid transfer domain (START) carries out ceramide transfer. Hyperphosphorylation of a serine-rich motif immediately after the PH domain decreases both PtdIns(4)P binding and ceramide transfer by CERT. This down-regulation requires both the PH and START domains, suggesting a possible inhibitory interaction between the two domains. In this study we show that isolated PH and START domains interact with each other. The crystal structure of a PH-START complex revealed that the START domain binds to the PH domain at the same site for PtdIns(4)P-binding, suggesting that the START domain competes with PtdIns(4)P for association with the PH domain. We further report that mutations disrupting the PH-START interaction increase both PtdIns(4)P-binding affinity and ceramide transfer activity of a CERT-serine-rich phosphorylation mimic. We also found that these mutations increase the Golgi localization of CERT inside the cell, consistent with enhanced PtdIns(4)P binding of the mutant. Collectively, our structural, biochemical, and cellular investigations provide important structural insight into the regulation of CERT function and localization. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Genome-Wide Prediction and Analysis of 3D-Domain Swapped Proteins in the Human Genome from Sequence Information.

Science.gov (United States)

Upadhyay, Atul Kumar; Sowdhamini, Ramanathan

2016-01-01

3D-domain swapping is one of the mechanisms of protein oligomerization and the proteins exhibiting this phenomenon have many biological functions. These proteins, which undergo domain swapping, have acquired much attention owing to their involvement in human diseases, such as conformational diseases, amyloidosis, serpinopathies, proteionopathies etc. Early realisation of proteins in the whole human genome that retain tendency to domain swap will enable many aspects of disease control management. Predictive models were developed by using machine learning approaches with an average accuracy of 78% (85.6% of sensitivity, 87.5% of specificity and an MCC value of 0.72) to predict putative domain swapping in protein sequences. These models were applied to many complete genomes with special emphasis on the human genome. Nearly 44% of the protein sequences in the human genome were predicted positive for domain swapping. Enrichment analysis was performed on the positively predicted sequences from human genome for their domain distribution, disease association and functional importance based on Gene Ontology (GO). Enrichment analysis was also performed to infer a better understanding of the functional importance of these sequences. Finally, we developed hinge region prediction, in the given putative domain swapped sequence, by using important physicochemical properties of amino acids.

Characterization of mini-protein S, a recombinant variant of protein S that lacks the sex hormone binding globulin-like domain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wijnen, M.; Stam, J. G.; Chang, G. T.; Meijers, J. C.; Reitsma, P. H.; Bertina, R. M.; Bouma, B. N.

1998-01-01

Protein S is a vitamin K-dependent glycoprotein involved in the regulation of the anticoagulant activity of activated protein C (APC). Also, an anticoagulant role for protein S, independent of APC, has been described. Protein S has a unique C-terminal sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG)-like domain

Activation of Fetal γ-globin Gene Expression via Direct Protein Delivery of Synthetic Zinc-finger DNA-Binding Domains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mir A Hossain

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Reactivation of γ-globin expression has been shown to ameliorate disease phenotypes associated with mutations in the adult β-globin gene, including sickle cell disease. Specific mutations in the promoter of the γ-globin genes are known to prevent repression of the genes in the adult and thus lead to hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin. One such hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin is associated with a sequence located 567 bp upstream of the Gγ-globin gene which assembles a GATA-containing repressor complex. We generated two synthetic zinc-finger DNA-binding domains (ZF-DBDs targeting this sequence. The -567Gγ ZF-DBDs associated with high affinity and specificity with the target site in the γ-globin gene promoter. We delivered the -567Gγ ZF-DBDs directly to primary erythroid cells. Exposure of these cells to the recombinant -567Gγ ZF-DBDs led to increased expression of the γ-globin gene. Direct protein delivery of ZF-DBDs that compete with transcription regulatory proteins will have broad implications for modulating gene expression in analytical or therapeutic settings.

The rapamycin-binding domain of the protein kinase mammalian target of rapamycin is a destabilizing domain.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Sarah R; Wandless, Thomas J

2007-05-04

Rapamycin is an immunosuppressive drug that binds simultaneously to the 12-kDa FK506- and rapamycin-binding protein (FKBP12, or FKBP) and the FKBP-rapamycin binding (FRB) domain of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase. The resulting ternary complex has been used to conditionally perturb protein function, and one such method involves perturbation of a protein of interest through its mislocalization. We synthesized two rapamycin derivatives that possess large substituents at the C-16 position within the FRB-binding interface, and these derivatives were screened against a library of FRB mutants using a three-hybrid assay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Several FRB mutants responded to one of the rapamycin derivatives, and twenty of these mutants were further characterized in mammalian cells. The mutants most responsive to the ligand were fused to yellow fluorescent protein, and fluorescence levels in the presence and absence of the ligand were measured to determine stability of the fusion proteins. Wild-type and mutant FRB domains were expressed at low levels in the absence of the rapamycin derivative, and expression levels rose up to 10-fold upon treatment with ligand. The synthetic rapamycin derivatives were further analyzed using quantitative mass spectrometry, and one of the compounds was found to contain contaminating rapamycin. Furthermore, uncontaminated analogs retained the ability to inhibit mTOR, although with diminished potency relative to rapamycin. The ligand-dependent stability displayed by wild-type FRB and FRB mutants as well as the inhibitory potential and purity of the rapamycin derivatives should be considered as potentially confounding experimental variables when using these systems.

CATHEDRAL: a fast and effective algorithm to predict folds and domain boundaries from multidomain protein structures.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliver C Redfern

2007-11-01

Full Text Available We present CATHEDRAL, an iterative protocol for determining the location of previously observed protein folds in novel multidomain protein structures. CATHEDRAL builds on the features of a fast secondary-structure-based method (using graph theory to locate known folds within a multidomain context and a residue-based, double-dynamic programming algorithm, which is used to align members of the target fold groups against the query protein structure to identify the closest relative and assign domain boundaries. To increase the fidelity of the assignments, a support vector machine is used to provide an optimal scoring scheme. Once a domain is verified, it is excised, and the search protocol is repeated in an iterative fashion until all recognisable domains have been identified. We have performed an initial benchmark of CATHEDRAL against other publicly available structure comparison methods using a consensus dataset of domains derived from the CATH and SCOP domain classifications. CATHEDRAL shows superior performance in fold recognition and alignment accuracy when compared with many equivalent methods. If a novel multidomain structure contains a known fold, CATHEDRAL will locate it in 90% of cases, with <1% false positives. For nearly 80% of assigned domains in a manually validated test set, the boundaries were correctly delineated within a tolerance of ten residues. For the remaining cases, previously classified domains were very remotely related to the query chain so that embellishments to the core of the fold caused significant differences in domain sizes and manual refinement of the boundaries was necessary. To put this performance in context, a well-established sequence method based on hidden Markov models was only able to detect 65% of domains, with 33% of the subsequent boundaries assigned within ten residues. Since, on average, 50% of newly determined protein structures contain more than one domain unit, and typically 90% or more of these

Abnormal expression of leiomyoma cytoskeletal proteins involved in cell migration.

Science.gov (United States)

Ura, Blendi; Scrimin, Federica; Arrigoni, Giorgio; Athanasakis, Emmanouil; Aloisio, Michelangelo; Monasta, Lorenzo; Ricci, Giuseppe

2016-05-01

Uterine leiomyomas are monoclonal tumors. Several factors are involved in the neoplastic transformation of the myometrium. In our study we focused on dysregulated cytoskeletal proteins in the leiomyoma as compared to the myometrium. Paired tissue samples of ten leiomyomas and adjacent myometria were obtained and analyzed by two‑dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Mass spectrometry was used for protein identification, and western blotting for 2-DE data validation. The values of ten cytoskeletal proteins were found to be significantly different: eight proteins were upregulated in the leiomyoma and two proteins were downregulated. Three of the upregulated proteins (myosin regulatory light polypeptide 9, four and a half LIM domains protein 1 and LIM and SH3 domain protein 1) are involved in cell migration, while downregulated protein transgelin is involved in replicative senescence. Myosin regulatory light polypeptide 9 (MYL9) was further validated by western blotting because it is considered to be a cell migration marker in several cancers and could play a key role in leiomyoma development. Our data demonstrate significant alterations in the expression of cytoskeletal proteins involved in leiomyoma growth. A better understanding of the involvement of cytoskeletal proteins in leiomyoma pathogenesis may contribute to the identification of new therapeutic targets and the development of new pharmacological approaches.

The tip of the iceberg: RNA-binding proteins with prion-like domains in neurodegenerative disease

Science.gov (United States)

King, Oliver D.; Gitler, Aaron D.; Shorter, James

2012-01-01

Prions are self-templating protein conformers that are naturally transmitted between individuals and promote phenotypic change. In yeast, prion-encoded phenotypes can be beneficial, neutral or deleterious depending upon genetic background and environmental conditions. A distinctive and portable ‘prion domain’ enriched in asparagine, glutamine, tyrosine and glycine residues unifies the majority of yeast prion proteins. Deletion of this domain precludes prionogenesis and appending this domain to reporter proteins can confer prionogenicity. An algorithm designed to detect prion domains has successfully identified 19 domains that can confer prion behavior. Scouring the human genome with this algorithm enriches a select group of RNA-binding proteins harboring a canonical RNA recognition motif (RRM) and a putative prion domain. Indeed, of 210 human RRM-bearing proteins, 29 have a putative prion domain, and 12 of these are in the top 60 prion candidates in the entire genome. Startlingly, these RNA-binding prion candidates are inexorably emerging, one by one, in the pathology and genetics of devastating neurodegenerative disorders, including: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-positive inclusions (FTLD-U), Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease. For example, FUS and TDP-43, which rank 1st and 10th among RRM-bearing prion candidates, form cytoplasmic inclusions in the degenerating motor neurons of ALS patients and mutations in TDP-43 and FUS cause familial ALS. Recently, perturbed RNA-binding proteostasis of TAF15, which is the 2nd ranked RRM-bearing prion candidate, has been connected with ALS and FTLD-U. We strongly suspect that we have now merely reached the tip of the iceberg. We predict that additional RNA-binding prion candidates identified by our algorithm will soon surface as genetic modifiers or causes of diverse neurodegenerative conditions. Indeed, simple prion-like transfer mechanisms involving the

Effects of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP in chickens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alipour Fahimeh

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Sterol regulatory element binding protein- 1 and -2 (SREBP-1 and -2 are key transcription factors involved in the biosynthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids. The SREBP have mostly been studied in rodents in which lipogenesis is regulated in both liver and adipose tissue. There is, though, a paucity of information on birds, in which lipogenesis occurs essentially in the liver as in humans. Since a prelude to the investigation of the role of SREBP in lipid metabolism regulation in chicken, we review Size and Tissue expression Pattern of SREBP and role of this protein in chickens.

Oracle, a novel PDZ-LIM domain protein expressed in heart and skeletal muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Passier, R; Richardson, J A; Olson, E N

2000-04-01

In order to identify novel genes enriched in adult heart, we performed a subtractive hybridization for genes expressed in mouse heart but not in skeletal muscle. We identified two alternative splicing variants of a novel PDZ-LIM domain protein, which we named Oracle. Both variants contain a PDZ domain at the amino-terminus and three LIM domains at the carboxy-terminus. Highest homology of Oracle was found with the human and rat enigma proteins in the PDZ domain (62 and 61%, respectively) and in the LIM domains (60 and 69%, respectively). By Northern hybridization analysis, we showed that expression is highest in adult mouse heart, low in skeletal muscle and undetectable in other adult mouse tissues. In situ hybridization in mouse embryos confirmed and extended these data by showing high expression of Oracle mRNA in atrial and ventricular myocardial cells from E8.5. From E9.5 low expression of Oracle mRNA was detectable in myotomes. These data suggest a role for Oracle in the early development and function of heart and skeletal muscle.

Structure of the cold-shock domain protein from Neisseria meningitidis reveals a strand-exchanged dimer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, Jingshan [The Oxford Protein Production Facility, Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN (United Kingdom); Division of Structural Biology, Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN (United Kingdom); Nettleship, Joanne E.; Sainsbury, Sarah [The Oxford Protein Production Facility, Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN (United Kingdom); Saunders, Nigel J. [Bacterial Pathogenesis and Functional Genomics Group, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE (United Kingdom); Owens, Raymond J., E-mail: ray@strubi.ox.ac.uk [The Oxford Protein Production Facility, Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN (United Kingdom)

2008-04-01

The X-ray crystal structure of the cold-shock domain protein from N. meningitidis reveals a strand-exchanged dimer. The structure of the cold-shock domain protein from Neisseria meningitidis has been solved to 2.6 Å resolution and shown to comprise a dimer formed by the exchange of two β-strands between protein monomers. The overall fold of the monomer closely resembles those of other bacterial cold-shock proteins. The neisserial protein behaved as a monomer in solution and was shown to bind to a hexathymidine oligonucleotide with a stoichiometry of 1:1 and a K{sub d} of 1.25 µM.

The pilus usher controls protein interactions via domain masking and is functional as an oligomer.

Science.gov (United States)

Werneburg, Glenn T; Henderson, Nadine S; Portnoy, Erica B; Sarowar, Samema; Hultgren, Scott J; Li, Huilin; Thanassi, David G

2015-07-01

The chaperone-usher (CU) pathway assembles organelles termed pili or fimbriae in Gram-negative bacteria. Type 1 pili expressed by uropathogenic Escherichia coli are prototypical structures assembled by the CU pathway. Biogenesis of pili by the CU pathway requires a periplasmic chaperone and an outer-membrane protein termed the usher (FimD). We show that the FimD C-terminal domains provide the high-affinity substrate-binding site but that these domains are masked in the resting usher. Domain masking requires the FimD plug domain, which serves as a switch controlling usher activation. We demonstrate that usher molecules can act in trans for pilus biogenesis, providing conclusive evidence for a functional usher oligomer. These results reveal mechanisms by which molecular machines such as the usher regulate and harness protein-protein interactions and suggest that ushers may interact in a cooperative manner during pilus assembly in bacteria.

A FYVE zinc finger domain protein specifically links mRNA transport to endosome trafficking

Science.gov (United States)

Pohlmann, Thomas; Baumann, Sebastian; Haag, Carl; Albrecht, Mario; Feldbrügge, Michael

2015-01-01

An emerging theme in cellular logistics is the close connection between mRNA and membrane trafficking. A prominent example is the microtubule-dependent transport of mRNAs and associated ribosomes on endosomes. This coordinated process is crucial for correct septin filamentation and efficient growth of polarised cells, such as fungal hyphae. Despite detailed knowledge on the key RNA-binding protein and the molecular motors involved, it is unclear how mRNAs are connected to membranes during transport. Here, we identify a novel factor containing a FYVE zinc finger domain for interaction with endosomal lipids and a new PAM2-like domain required for interaction with the MLLE domain of the key RNA-binding protein. Consistently, loss of this FYVE domain protein leads to specific defects in mRNA, ribosome, and septin transport without affecting general functions of endosomes or their movement. Hence, this is the first endosomal component specific for mRNP trafficking uncovering a new mechanism to couple mRNPs to endosomes. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06041.001 PMID:25985087

A New Method for Determining Structure Ensemble: Application to a RNA Binding Di-Domain Protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wei; Zhang, Jingfeng; Fan, Jing-Song; Tria, Giancarlo; Grüber, Gerhard; Yang, Daiwen

2016-05-10

Structure ensemble determination is the basis of understanding the structure-function relationship of a multidomain protein with weak domain-domain interactions. Paramagnetic relaxation enhancement has been proven a powerful tool in the study of structure ensembles, but there exist a number of challenges such as spin-label flexibility, domain dynamics, and overfitting. Here we propose a new (to our knowledge) method to describe structure ensembles using a minimal number of conformers. In this method, individual domains are considered rigid; the position of each spin-label conformer and the structure of each protein conformer are defined by three and six orthogonal parameters, respectively. First, the spin-label ensemble is determined by optimizing the positions and populations of spin-label conformers against intradomain paramagnetic relaxation enhancements with a genetic algorithm. Subsequently, the protein structure ensemble is optimized using a more efficient genetic algorithm-based approach and an overfitting indicator, both of which were established in this work. The method was validated using a reference ensemble with a set of conformers whose populations and structures are known. This method was also applied to study the structure ensemble of the tandem di-domain of a poly (U) binding protein. The determined ensemble was supported by small-angle x-ray scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation data. The ensemble obtained suggests an induced fit mechanism for recognition of target RNA by the protein. Copyright © 2016 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DCD – a novel plant specific domain in proteins involved in development and programmed cell death

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Doerks Tobias

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recognition of microbial pathogens by plants triggers the hypersensitive reaction, a common form of programmed cell death in plants. These dying cells generate signals that activate the plant immune system and alarm the neighboring cells as well as the whole plant to activate defense responses to limit the spread of the pathogen. The molecular mechanisms behind the hypersensitive reaction are largely unknown except for the recognition process of pathogens. We delineate the NRP-gene in soybean, which is specifically induced during this programmed cell death and contains a novel protein domain, which is commonly found in different plant proteins. Results The sequence analysis of the protein, encoded by the NRP-gene from soybean, led to the identification of a novel domain, which we named DCD, because it is found in plant proteins involved in development and cell death. The domain is shared by several proteins in the Arabidopsis and the rice genomes, which otherwise show a different protein architecture. Biological studies indicate a role of these proteins in phytohormone response, embryo development and programmed cell by pathogens or ozone. Conclusion It is tempting to speculate, that the DCD domain mediates signaling in plant development and programmed cell death and could thus be used to identify interacting proteins to gain further molecular insights into these processes.

Promiscuous and specific phospholipid binding by domains in ZAC, a membrane-associated Arabidopsis protein with an ARF GAP zinc finger and a C2 domain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, R B; Lykke-Andersen, K; Frandsen, G I

2000-01-01

domain are separated by a region without homology to other known proteins. Zac promoter/beta-glucuronidase reporter assays revealed highest expression levels in flowering tissue, rosettes and roots. ZAC protein was immuno-detected mainly in association with membranes and fractionated with Golgi...... and plasma membrane marker proteins. ZAC membrane association was confirmed in assays by a fusion between ZAC and the green fluorescence protein and prompted an analysis of the in vitro phospholipid-binding ability of ZAC. Phospholipid dot-blot and liposome-binding assays indicated that fusion proteins...... zinc finger motif, but proteins containing only the zinc finger domain (residues 1-105) did not bind PI-3-P. Recombinant ZAC possessed GTPase-activating activity on Arabidopsis ARF proteins. These data identify a novel PI-3-P-binding protein region and thereby provide evidence...

Architecture of the 99 bp DNA-six-protein regulatory complex of the lambda att site.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Xingmin; Mierke, Dale F; Biswas, Tapan; Lee, Sang Yeol; Landy, Arthur; Radman-Livaja, Marta

2006-11-17

The highly directional and tightly regulated recombination reaction used to site-specifically excise the bacteriophage lambda chromosome out of its E. coli host chromosome requires the binding of six sequence-specific proteins to a 99 bp segment of the phage att site. To gain structural insights into this recombination pathway, we measured 27 FRET distances between eight points on the 99 bp regulatory DNA bound with all six proteins. Triangulation of these distances using a metric matrix distance-geometry algorithm provided coordinates for these eight points. The resulting path for the protein-bound regulatory DNA, which fits well with the genetics, biochemistry, and X-ray crystal structures describing the individual proteins and their interactions with DNA, provides a new structural perspective into the molecular mechanism and regulation of the recombination reaction and illustrates a design by which different families of higher-order complexes can be assembled from different numbers and combinations of the same few proteins.

A novel signal transduction protein: Combination of solute binding and tandem PAS-like sensor domains in one polypeptide chain.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, R; Wilton, R; Cuff, M E; Endres, M; Babnigg, G; Edirisinghe, J N; Henry, C S; Joachimiak, A; Schiffer, M; Pokkuluri, P R

2017-04-01

We report the structural and biochemical characterization of a novel periplasmic ligand-binding protein, Dret_0059, from Desulfohalobium retbaense DSM 5692, an organism isolated from Lake Retba, in Senegal. The structure of the protein consists of a unique combination of a periplasmic solute binding protein (SBP) domain at the N-terminal and a tandem PAS-like sensor domain at the C-terminal region. SBP domains are found ubiquitously, and their best known function is in solute transport across membranes. PAS-like sensor domains are commonly found in signal transduction proteins. These domains are widely observed as parts of many protein architectures and complexes but have not been observed previously within the same polypeptide chain. In the structure of Dret_0059, a ketoleucine moiety is bound to the SBP, whereas a cytosine molecule is bound in the distal PAS-like domain of the tandem PAS-like domain. Differential scanning flourimetry support the binding of ligands observed in the crystal structure. There is significant interaction between the SBP and tandem PAS-like domains, and it is possible that the binding of one ligand could have an effect on the binding of the other. We uncovered three other proteins with this structural architecture in the non-redundant sequence data base, and predict that they too bind the same substrates. The genomic context of this protein did not offer any clues for its function. We did not find any biological process in which the two observed ligands are coupled. The protein Dret_0059 could be involved in either signal transduction or solute transport. © 2017 The Protein Society.

Human surfactant protein D: SP-D contains a C-type lectin carbohydrate recognition domain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rust, K; Grosso, L; Zhang, V; Chang, D; Persson, A; Longmore, W; Cai, G Z; Crouch, E

1991-10-01

Lung surfactant protein D (SP-D) shows calcium-dependent binding to specific saccharides, and is similar in domain structure to certain members of the calcium-dependent (C-type) lectin family. Using a degenerate oligomeric probe corresponding to a conserved peptide sequence derived from the amino-terminus of the putative carbohydrate binding domain of rat and bovine SP-D, we screened a human lung cDNA library and isolated a 1.4-kb cDNA for the human protein. The relationship of the cDNA to SP-D was established by several techniques including amino-terminal microsequencing of SP-D-derived peptides, and immunoprecipitation of translation products of transcribed mRNA with monospecific antibodies to SP-D. In addition, antibodies to a synthetic peptide derived from a predicted unique epitope within the carbohydrate recognition domain of SP-D specifically reacted with SP-D. DNA sequencing demonstrated a noncollagenous carboxy-terminal domain that is highly homologous with the carboxy-terminal globular domain of previously described C-type lectins. This domain contains all of the so-called "invariant residues," including four conserved cysteine residues, and shows high homology with the mannose-binding subfamily of C-type lectins. Sequencing also demonstrated an amino-terminal collagenous domain that contains an uninterrupted sequence of 59 Gly-X-Y triplets and that also contains the only identified consensus for asparagine-linked oligosaccharides. The studies demonstrate that SP-D is a member of the C-type lectin family, and confirm predicted structural similarities to conglutinin, SP-D, and the serum mannose binding proteins.

Dimeric structure of the N-terminal domain of PriB protein from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis solved ab initio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liebschner, Dorothee [National Cancer Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Brzezinski, Krzysztof [National Cancer Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); University of Bialystok, 15-399 Bialystok (Poland); Dauter, Miroslawa [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Dauter, Zbigniew, E-mail: dauter@anl.gov [National Cancer Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Nowak, Marta; Kur, Józef; Olszewski, Marcin, E-mail: dauter@anl.gov [Gdansk University of Technology, 80-952 Gdansk (Poland); National Cancer Institute, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States)

2012-12-01

The N-terminal domain of the PriB protein from the thermophilic bacterium T. tengcongensis (TtePriB) was expressed and its crystal structure has been solved at the atomic resolution of 1.09 Å by direct methods. PriB is one of the components of the bacterial primosome, which catalyzes the reactivation of stalled replication forks at sites of DNA damage. The N-terminal domain of the PriB protein from the thermophilic bacterium Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis (TtePriB) was expressed and its crystal structure was solved at the atomic resolution of 1.09 Å by direct methods. The protein chain, which encompasses the first 104 residues of the full 220-residue protein, adopts the characteristic oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB) structure consisting of a five-stranded β-barrel filled with hydrophobic residues and equipped with four loops extending from the barrel. In the crystal two protomers dimerize, forming a six-stranded antiparallel β-sheet. The structure of the N-terminal OB domain of T. tengcongensis shows significant differences compared with mesophile PriBs. While in all other known structures of PriB a dimer is formed by two identical OB domains in separate chains, TtePriB contains two consecutive OB domains in one chain. However, sequence comparison of both the N-terminal and the C-terminal domains of TtePriB suggests that they have analogous structures and that the natural protein possesses a structure similar to a dimer of two N-terminal domains.

The pseudokinase domain of JAK2 is a dual-specificity protein kinase that negatively regulates cytokine signaling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ungureanu, Daniela; Wu, Jinhua; Pekkala, Tuija

2011-01-01

Human JAK2 tyrosine kinase mediates signaling through numerous cytokine receptors. The JAK2 JH2 domain functions as a negative regulator and is presumed to be a catalytically inactive pseudokinase, but the mechanism(s) for its inhibition of JAK2 remains unknown. Mutations in JH2 lead to increased...... JAK2 activity, contributing to myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Here we show that JH2 is a dual-specificity protein kinase that phosphorylates two negative regulatory sites in JAK2: Ser523 and Tyr570. Inactivation of JH2 catalytic activity increased JAK2 basal activity and downstream signaling....... Notably, different MPN mutations abrogated JH2 activity in cells, and in MPN (V617F) patient cells phosphorylation of Tyr570 was reduced, suggesting that loss of JH2 activity contributes to the pathogenesis of MPNs. These results identify the catalytic activity of JH2 as a previously unrecognized...

IQ-domain GTPase-activating protein 1 promotes the malignant phenotype of invasive ductal breast carcinoma via canonical Wnt pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Huan-Yu; Han, Yang; Wang, Jian; Yang, Lian-He; Zheng, Xiao-Ying; Du, Jiang; Wu, Guang-Ping; Wang, En-Hua

2017-06-01

IQ-domain GTPase-activating protein 1 is a scaffolding protein with multidomain which plays a role in modulating dishevelled (Dvl) nuclear translocation in canonical Wnt pathway. However, the biological function and mechanism of IQ-domain GTPase-activating protein 1 in invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) remain unknown. In this study, we found that IQ-domain GTPase-activating protein 1 expression was elevated in invasive ductal carcinoma, which was positively correlated with tumor grade, lymphatic metastasis, and poor prognosis. Coexpression of IQ-domain GTPase-activating protein 1 and Dvl in the nucleus and cytoplasm of invasive ductal carcinoma was significantly correlated but not in the membrane. Postoperative survival in the patients with their coexpression in the nucleus and cytoplasm was obviously lower than that without coexpression. The positive expression rates of c-myc and cyclin D1 were significantly higher in the patients with nuclear coexpression of Dvl and IQ-domain GTPase-activating protein 1 than that with cytoplasmic coexpression, correlating with poor prognosis. IQ-domain GTPase-activating protein 1 significantly enhanced cell proliferation and invasion in invasive ductal carcinoma cell lines by interacting with Dvl in cytoplasm to promote Dvl nuclear translocation so as to upregulate the expression of c-myc and cyclin D1. Collectively, our data suggest that IQ-domain GTPase-activating protein 1 may promote the malignant phenotype of invasive ductal carcinoma via canonical Wnt signaling, and it could be used as a potential prognostic biomarker for breast cancer patients.

Myristoylated α subunits of guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buss, J.E.; Mumby, S.M.; Casey, P.J.; Gilman, A.G.; Sefton, B.M.

1987-01-01

Antisera directed against specific subunits of guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) were used to immunoprecipitate these polypeptides from metabolically labeled cells. This technique detects, in extracts of a human astrocytoma cell line, the α subunits of G/sub s/ (stimulatory) (α 45 and α 52 ), a 41-kDa subunit of G/sub i/ (inhibitory) (α 41 ), a 40-kDa protein (α 40 ), and the 36-kDa β subunit. No protein that comigrated with the α subunit of G 0 (unknown function) (α 39 ) was detected. In cells grown in the presence of [ 3 H]myristic acid, α 41 and α 40 contained 3 H label, while the β subunit did not. Chemical analysis of lipids attached covalently to purified α 41 and α 39 from bovine brain also revealed myristic acid. Similar analysis of brain G protein β and γ subunits and of G/sub t/ (Transducin) subunits (α, β, and γ) failed to reveal fatty acids. The fatty acid associated with α 41 , α 40 , and α 39 was stable to treatment with base, suggesting that the lipid is linked to the polypeptide via an amide bond. These GTP binding proteins are thus identified as members of a select group of proteins that contains myristic acid covalently attached to the peptide backbone. Myristate may play an important role in stabilizing interactions of G proteins with phospholipid or with membrane-bound proteins

Adaptation of Tri-molecular fluorescence complementation allows assaying of regulatory Csr RNA-protein interactions in bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Gelderman, Grant; Sivakumar, Anusha; Lipp, Sarah; Contreras, Lydia

2015-02-01

sRNAs play a significant role in controlling and regulating cellular metabolism. One of the more interesting aspects of certain sRNAs is their ability to make global changes in the cell by interacting with regulatory proteins. In this work, we demonstrate the use of an in vivo Tri-molecular Fluorescence Complementation assay to detect and visualize the central regulatory sRNA-protein interaction of the Carbon Storage Regulatory system in E. coli. The Carbon Storage Regulator consists primarily of an RNA binding protein, CsrA, that alters the activity of mRNA targets and of an sRNA, CsrB, that modulates the activity of CsrA. We describe the construction of a fluorescence complementation system that detects the interactions between CsrB and CsrA. Additionally, we demonstrate that the intensity of the fluorescence of this system is able to detect changes in the affinity of the CsrB-CsrA interaction, as caused by mutations in the protein sequence of CsrA. While previous methods have adopted this technique to study mRNA or RNA localization, this is the first attempt to use this technique to study the sRNA-protein interaction directly in bacteria. This method presents a potentially powerful tool to study complex bacterial RNA protein interactions in vivo. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.