scholarly journals Crystal Structure of the Cytosolic C2a-C2b Domains of Synaptotagmin III

1999 ◽  
Vol 147 (3) ◽  
pp. 589-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bryan Sutton ◽  
James A. Ernst ◽  
Axel T. Brunger

Synaptotagmins are synaptic vesicle-associated, phospholipid-binding proteins most commonly associated with Ca+2-dependent exocytotic and Ca+2- independent endocytotic events. Synaptotagmin III is a 63.2-kD member of the synaptotagmin homology group; one of its characteristic properties is the ability to bind divalent cations and accessory proteins promiscuously. In the cytosolic portion of this protein, a flexible seven–amino acid linker joins two homologous C2 domains. The C2A domain binds to phospholipid membranes and other accessory proteins in a divalent cation-dependent fashion. The C2B domain promotes binding to other C2B domains, as well as accessory proteins independent of divalent cations. The 3.2 Å crystal structure of synaptotagmin III, residues 295–566, which includes the C2A and C2B domains, exhibits differences in the shape of the Ca+2-binding pocket, the electrostatic surface potential, and the stoichiometry of bound divalent cations for the two domains. These observations may explain the disparate binding properties of the two domains. The C2A and the C2B domains do not interact; synaptotagmin, therefore, covalently links two independent C2 domains, each with potentially different binding partners. A model of synaptotagmin's involvement in Ca+2-dependent regulation of membrane fusion through its interaction with the SNARE complex is presented.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Rock ◽  
Austin G. Meyer ◽  
Chantell S. Evans ◽  
Edwin R. Chapman ◽  
R. Bryan Sutton

AbstractSynaptotagmin senses fluctuations in the Ca2+ environment of neurons near active zones and transduces a signal to the SNARE complex to initiate exocytosis at the presynaptic terminus. The 3D structures of the two tandem C2 domains of synaptotagmin have been determined to high resolution; however, it is currently unclear how each domain dynamically interacts with Ca2+ at the atomic level. To study the mechanistic consequences of the lethal mutations at the AD3 locus, we introduced tyrosine to asparagine point mutations in both the C2A and C2B domains of synaptotagmin 1, and we have constructed a model that describes the relationship between Ca2+ -binding and the structural changes within each C2 domain. We show that the mobility of loop 3 in the Ca2+ binding pocket increases markedly in C2A, while the mobility of loop 1 changes in C2B with the AD3 mutation. This increase in loop mobility results in an increase in the average volume and variance of the Ca2+ -binding pockets of C2A and C2B. The volume of the unbound Ca2+ -binding pocket in C2A is usually restrained by intra-domain interactions between the tyrosine residue at the AD3 locus and residues on loop 3; however, the AD3 mutation decouples the restraint and results in a larger, more variable Ca2+ -binding pocket in C2A. C2B maintains a more compact Ca2+ -binding pocket; however, its volume also fluctuates significantly with the AD3 mutation. Changes in binding pocket volume that involve more variable Ca2+ binding loops would likely affect Ca2+ affinity in the neurons of the affected organism. Using molecular-dynamics simulations, we show that mutations at the AD3 locus alter the mobility of the Ca2+ -binding loops by removing a key stabilization mechanism that is normally present in C2 domains. The lack of loop stabilization results in a net increase in the volume of the Ca2+ -binding pocket and provides an explanation for the observed lethal phenotype.


eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuo Guan ◽  
Maria Bykhovskaia ◽  
Ramon A Jorquera ◽  
Roger Bryan Sutton ◽  
Yulia Akbergenova ◽  
...  

The synaptic vesicle Ca2+ sensor Synaptotagmin binds Ca2+ through its two C2 domains to trigger membrane interactions. Beyond membrane insertion by the C2 domains, other requirements for Synaptotagmin activity are still being elucidated. To identify key residues within Synaptotagmin required for vesicle cycling, we took advantage of observations that mutations in the C2B domain Ca2+-binding pocket dominantly disrupt release from invertebrates to humans. We performed an intragenic screen for suppressors of lethality induced by expression of Synaptotagmin C2B Ca2+-binding mutants in Drosophila. This screen uncovered essential residues within Synaptotagmin that suggest a structural basis for several activities required for fusion, including a C2B surface implicated in SNARE complex interaction that is required for rapid synchronization and Ca2+ cooperativity of vesicle release. Using electrophysiological, morphological and computational characterization of these mutants, we propose a sequence of molecular interactions mediated by Synaptotagmin that promote Ca2+ activation of the synaptic vesicle fusion machinery.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufei Han ◽  
Qian Zhuang ◽  
Bo Sun ◽  
Wenping Lv ◽  
Sheng Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractSteroid hormones are essential in stress response, immune system regulation, and reproduction in mammals. Steroids with 3-oxo-Δ4 structure, such as testosterone or progesterone, are catalyzed by steroid 5α-reductases (SRD5As) to generate their corresponding 3-oxo-5α steroids, which are essential for multiple physiological and pathological processes. SRD5A2 is already a target of clinically relevant drugs. However, the detailed mechanism of SRD5A-mediated reduction remains elusive. Here we report the crystal structure of PbSRD5A from Proteobacteria bacterium, a homolog of both SRD5A1 and SRD5A2, in complex with the cofactor NADPH at 2.0 Å resolution. PbSRD5A exists as a monomer comprised of seven transmembrane segments (TMs). The TM1-4 enclose a hydrophobic substrate binding cavity, whereas TM5-7 coordinate cofactor NADPH through extensive hydrogen bonds network. Homology-based structural models of HsSRD5A1 and -2, together with biochemical characterization, define the substrate binding pocket of SRD5As, explain the properties of disease-related mutants and provide an important framework for further understanding of the mechanism of NADPH mediated steroids 3-oxo-Δ4 reduction. Based on these analyses, the design of therapeutic molecules targeting SRD5As with improved specificity and therapeutic efficacy would be possible.


2020 ◽  
Vol 235 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 311-317
Author(s):  
Stephan G. Jantz ◽  
Florian Pielnhofer ◽  
Henning A. Höppe

Abstract${\text{Pb}}_{5}{\text{O}}_{2}\left[{\text{WO}}_{6}\right]$ was discovered as a frequently observed side phase during our investigation on lead tungstates. Its crystal structure was solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction ($P{2}_{1}/n$, $a=7.4379\left(2\right)$ Å, $b=12.1115\left(4\right)$ Å, $c=10.6171\left(3\right)$ Å, $\beta =90.6847\left(8\right)$°, $Z=4$, ${R}_{\text{int}}=0.038$, ${R}_{1}=0.020$, $\omega {R}_{2}=0.029$, 4188 data, 128 param.) and is isotypic with ${\text{Pb}}_{5}{\text{O}}_{2}\left[{\text{Te}}_{6}\right]$. ${\text{Pb}}_{5}{\text{O}}_{2}\left[{\text{WO}}_{6}\right]$ comprises a layered structure built up by non-condensed [WO6]${}^{6-}$ octahedra and ${\left[{\text{O}}_{4}{\text{Pb}}_{10}\right]}^{12+}$ oligomers. The compound was characterised by spectroscopic measurements (Infrared (IR), Raman and Ultraviolet–visible (UV/Vis) spectra) as well as quantum chemical and electrostatic calculations (density functional theory (DFT), MAPLE) yielding a band gap of 2.9 eV fitting well with the optical one of 2.8 eV. An estimation of the refractive index based on the Gladstone-Dale relationship yielded $n\approx 2.31$. Furthermore first results of the thermal analysis are presented.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco J. Reche-Perez ◽  
Simona Plesselova ◽  
Eduardo De los Reyes-Berbel ◽  
Mariano Ortega-Muñoz ◽  
F. Javier Lopez-Jaramillo ◽  
...  

The use of the specific binding properties of monoclonal antibody fragments such as single-chain variable fragments (ScFv) for the selective delivery of antitumor therapeutics for cancer cells is attractive due...


2006 ◽  
Vol 282 (7) ◽  
pp. 5015-5025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Montaville ◽  
Christine Schlicker ◽  
Andrei Leonov ◽  
Markus Zweckstetter ◽  
George M. Sheldrick ◽  
...  

The Ca2+ binding properties of C2 domains are essential for the function of their host proteins. We present here the first crystal structures showing an unexpected Ca2+ binding mode of the C2B domain of rabphilin-3A in atomic detail. Acidic residues from the linker region between the C2A and C2B domains of rabphilin-3A interact with the Ca2+-binding region of the C2B domain. Because of these interactions, the coordination sphere of the two bound Ca2+ ions is almost complete. Mutation of these acidic residues to alanine resulted in a 10-fold decrease in the intrinsic Ca2+ binding affinity of the C2B domain. Using NMR spectroscopy, we show that this interaction occurred only in the Ca2+-bound state of the C2B domain. In addition, this Ca2+ binding mode was maintained in the C2 domain tandem fragment. In NMR-based liposome binding assays, the linker was not released upon phospholipid binding. Therefore, this unprecedented Ca2+ binding mode not only shows how a C2 domain increases its intrinsic Ca2+ affinity, but also provides the structural base for an atypical protein-Ca2+-phospholipid binding mode of rabphilin-3A.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (7) ◽  
pp. 2386-2394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Ingram-Smith ◽  
Andrea Gorrell ◽  
Sarah H. Lawrence ◽  
Prabha Iyer ◽  
Kerry Smith ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Acetate kinase catalyzes the reversible magnesium-dependent synthesis of acetyl phosphate by transfer of the ATP γ-phosphoryl group to acetate. Inspection of the crystal structure of the Methanosarcina thermophila enzyme containing only ADP revealed a solvent-accessible hydrophobic pocket formed by residues Val93, Leu122, Phe179, and Pro232 in the active site cleft, which identified a potential acetate binding site. The hypothesis that this was a binding site was further supported by alignment of all acetate kinase sequences available from databases, which showed strict conservation of all four residues, and the recent crystal structure of the M. thermophila enzyme with acetate bound in this pocket. Replacement of each residue in the pocket produced variants with Km values for acetate that were 7- to 26-fold greater than that of the wild type, and perturbations of this binding pocket also altered the specificity for longer-chain carboxylic acids and acetyl phosphate. The kinetic analyses of variants combined with structural modeling indicated that the pocket has roles in binding the methyl group of acetate, influencing substrate specificity, and orienting the carboxyl group. The kinetic analyses also indicated that binding of acetyl phosphate is more dependent on interactions of the phosphate group with an unidentified residue than on interactions between the methyl group and the hydrophobic pocket. The analyses also indicated that Phe179 is essential for catalysis, possibly for domain closure. Alignments of acetate kinase, propionate kinase, and butyrate kinase sequences obtained from databases suggested that these enzymes have similar catalytic mechanisms and carboxylic acid substrate binding sites.


1990 ◽  
Vol 87 (12) ◽  
pp. 4849-4853 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. T. Brunger ◽  
M. V. Milburn ◽  
L. Tong ◽  
A. M. deVos ◽  
J. Jancarik ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 294-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. Stanek ◽  
Jennifer Patterson-West ◽  
Peter S. Randolph ◽  
Cameron Mura

The host factor Hfq, as the bacterial branch of the Sm family, is an RNA-binding protein involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA expression and turnover. Hfq facilitates pairing between small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) and their corresponding mRNA targets by binding both RNAs and bringing them into close proximity. Hfq homologs self-assemble into homo-hexameric rings with at least two distinct surfaces that bind RNA. Recently, another binding site, dubbed the `lateral rim', has been implicated in sRNA·mRNA annealing; the RNA-binding properties of this site appear to be rather subtle, and its degree of evolutionary conservation is unknown. An Hfq homolog has been identified in the phylogenetically deep-branching thermophileAquifex aeolicus(Aae), but little is known about the structure and function of Hfq from basal bacterial lineages such as the Aquificae. Therefore,AaeHfq was cloned, overexpressed, purified, crystallized and biochemically characterized. Structures ofAaeHfq were determined in space groupsP1 andP6, both to 1.5 Å resolution, and nanomolar-scale binding affinities for uridine- and adenosine-rich RNAs were discovered. Co-crystallization with U6RNA reveals that the outer rim of theAaeHfq hexamer features a well defined binding pocket that is selective for uracil. ThisAaeHfq structure, combined with biochemical and biophysical characterization of the homolog, reveals deep evolutionary conservation of the lateral RNA-binding mode, and lays a foundation for further studies of Hfq-associated RNA biology in ancient bacterial phyla.


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