WNK kinases sense molecular crowding and rescue cell volume via phase separation

When challenged by hypertonicity, dehydrated cells must defend their volume to survive. This process requires the phosphorylation-dependent regulation of SLC12 cation chloride transporters by WNK kinases, but how these kinases are activated by cell shrinkage remains unknown. Within seconds of cell exposure to hypertonicity, WNK1 concentrates into membraneless droplets, initiating a phosphorylation-dependent signal that drives net ion influx via the SLC12 cotransporters to rescue volume. The formation of WNK1 condensates is driven by its intrinsically disordered C-terminus, whose evolutionarily conserved signatures are necessary for efficient phase separation and volume recovery. This disorder-encoded phase behavior occurs within physiological constraints and is activated in vivo by molecular crowding rather than changes in cell size. This allows WNK1 to bypass a strengthened ionic milieu that favors kinase inactivity and reclaim cell volume through condensate-mediated signal amplification. Thus, WNK kinases are physiological crowding sensors that phase separate to coordinate a cell volume rescue response.

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Defining the Kv2.1–syntaxin molecular interaction identifies a first-in-class small molecule neuroprotectant

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1903401116 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 116 (31) ◽

pp. 15696-15705 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Chung-Yang Yeh ◽

Zhaofeng Ye ◽

Aubin Moutal ◽

Shivani Gaur ◽

Amanda M. Henton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Death ◽

Small Molecule ◽

Neuronal Cell Death ◽

Neuronal Cell ◽

Rational Approach ◽

Tissue Slices ◽

Intrinsically Disordered ◽

C Terminus ◽

A Cell

The neuronal cell death-promoting loss of cytoplasmic K+ following injury is mediated by an increase in Kv2.1 potassium channels in the plasma membrane. This phenomenon relies on Kv2.1 binding to syntaxin 1A via 9 amino acids within the channel intrinsically disordered C terminus. Preventing this interaction with a cell and blood-brain barrier-permeant peptide is neuroprotective in an in vivo stroke model. Here a rational approach was applied to define the key molecular interactions between syntaxin and Kv2.1, some of which are shared with mammalian uncoordinated-18 (munc18). Armed with this information, we found a small molecule Kv2.1–syntaxin-binding inhibitor (cpd5) that improves cortical neuron survival by suppressing SNARE-dependent enhancement of Kv2.1-mediated currents following excitotoxic injury. We validated that cpd5 selectively displaces Kv2.1–syntaxin-binding peptides from syntaxin and, at higher concentrations, munc18, but without affecting either synaptic or neuronal intrinsic properties in brain tissue slices at neuroprotective concentrations. Collectively, our findings provide insight into the role of syntaxin in neuronal cell death and validate an important target for neuroprotection.

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Nuclear condensates of the Polycomb protein chromobox 2 (CBX2) assemble through phase separation

Journal of Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1074/jbc.ra118.006620 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 294 (5) ◽

pp. 1451-1463 ◽

Cited By ~ 92

Author(s):

Roubina Tatavosian ◽

Samantha Kent ◽

Kyle Brown ◽

Tingting Yao ◽

Huy Nguyen Duc ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Separation ◽

Polycomb Group ◽

Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽

Developmental Defects ◽

Heterochromatin Formation ◽

Intrinsically Disordered ◽

Polycomb Protein ◽

Condensate Formation

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins repress master regulators of development and differentiation through organization of chromatin structure. Mutation and dysregulation of PcG genes cause developmental defects and cancer. PcG proteins form condensates in the cell nucleus, and these condensates are the physical sites of PcG-targeted gene silencing via formation of facultative heterochromatin. However, the physiochemical principles underlying the formation of PcG condensates remain unknown, and their determination could shed light on how these condensates compact chromatin. Using fluorescence live-cell imaging, we observed that the Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) protein chromobox 2 (CBX2), a member of the CBX protein family, undergoes phase separation to form condensates and that the CBX2 condensates exhibit liquid-like properties. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrated that the conserved residues of CBX2 within the intrinsically disordered region (IDR), which is the region for compaction of chromatin in vitro, promote the condensate formation both in vitro and in vivo. We showed that the CBX2 condensates concentrate DNA and nucleosomes. Using genetic engineering, we report that trimethylation of Lys-27 at histone H3 (H3K27me3), a marker of heterochromatin formation produced by PRC2, had minimal effects on the CBX2 condensate formation. We further demonstrated that the CBX2 condensate formation does not require CBX2–PRC1 subunits; however, the condensate formation of CBX2–PRC1 subunits depends on CBX2, suggesting a mechanism underlying the assembly of CBX2–PRC1 condensates. In summary, our results reveal that PcG condensates assemble through liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) and suggest that phase-separated condensates can organize PcG-bound chromatin.

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Multivalent proteins rapidly and reversibly phase-separate upon osmotic cell volume change

10.1101/748293 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ameya P. Jalihal ◽

Sethuramasundaram Pitchiaya ◽

Lanbo Xiao ◽

Pushpinder Bawa ◽

Xia Jiang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Separation ◽

Cell Volume ◽

Volume Change ◽

Mammalian Cells ◽

Internal State ◽

Transcription Termination ◽

Cell Types ◽

List Type ◽

Molecular Crowding ◽

Minimal Impact

SUMMARYProcessing bodies (PBs) and stress granules (SGs) are prominent examples of sub-cellular, membrane-less compartments that are observed under physiological and stress conditions, respectively. We observe that the trimeric PB protein DCP1A rapidly (within ∼10 s) phase-separates in mammalian cells during hyperosmotic stress and dissolves upon isosmotic rescue (over ∼100 s) with minimal impact on cell viability even after multiple cycles of osmotic perturbation. Strikingly, this rapid intracellular hyperosmotic phase separation (HOPS) correlates with the degree of cell volume compression, distinct from SG assembly, and is exhibited broadly by homo-multimeric (valency ≥ 2) proteins across several cell types. Notably, HOPS sequesters pre-mRNA cleavage factor components from actively transcribing genomic loci, providing a mechanism for hyperosmolarity-induced global impairment of transcription termination. Together, our data suggest that the multimeric proteome rapidly responds to changes in hydration and molecular crowding, revealing an unexpected mode of globally programmed phase separation and sequestration that adapts the cell to volume change.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACTIN BRIEFCells constantly experience osmotic variation. These external changes lead to changes in cell volume, and consequently the internal state of molecular crowding. Here, Jalihal and Pitchiaya et al. show that multimeric proteins respond rapidly to such cellular changes by undergoing rapid and reversible phase separation.HIGHLIGHTSDCP1A undergoes rapid and reversible hyperosmotic phase separation (HOPS)HOPS of DCP1A depends on its trimerization domainSelf-interacting multivalent proteins (valency ≥ 2) undergo HOPSHOPS of CPSF6 explains transcription termination defects during osmotic stress

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Identifying sequence perturbations to an intrinsically disordered protein that determine its phase-separation behavior

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2000223117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (21) ◽

pp. 11421-11431 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Benjamin S. Schuster ◽

Gregory L. Dignon ◽

Wai Shing Tang ◽

Fleurie M. Kelley ◽

Aishwarya Kanchi Ranganath ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Separation ◽

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins ◽

Lipid Membrane ◽

Coarse Grained ◽

Disordered Proteins ◽

Sequence Features ◽

Intrinsically Disordered ◽

Arginine Residues

Phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) commonly underlies the formation of membraneless organelles, which compartmentalize molecules intracellularly in the absence of a lipid membrane. Identifying the protein sequence features responsible for IDP phase separation is critical for understanding physiological roles and pathological consequences of biomolecular condensation, as well as for harnessing phase separation for applications in bioinspired materials design. To expand our knowledge of sequence determinants of IDP phase separation, we characterized variants of the intrinsically disordered RGG domain from LAF-1, a model protein involved in phase separation and a key component of P granules. Based on a predictive coarse-grained IDP model, we identified a region of the RGG domain that has high contact probability and is highly conserved between species; deletion of this region significantly disrupts phase separation in vitro and in vivo. We determined the effects of charge patterning on phase behavior through sequence shuffling. We designed sequences with significantly increased phase separation propensity by shuffling the wild-type sequence, which contains well-mixed charged residues, to increase charge segregation. This result indicates the natural sequence is under negative selection to moderate this mode of interaction. We measured the contributions of tyrosine and arginine residues to phase separation experimentally through mutagenesis studies and computationally through direct interrogation of different modes of interaction using all-atom simulations. Finally, we show that despite these sequence perturbations, the RGG-derived condensates remain liquid-like. Together, these studies advance our fundamental understanding of key biophysical principles and sequence features important to phase separation.

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Regulation of SulA cleavage by Lon protease by the C-terminal amino acid of SulA, histidine

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj3580473 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 358 (2) ◽

pp. 473-480 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Yoshiyuki ISHII ◽

Fumio AMANO

Keyword(s):

Amino Acid ◽

Protein A ◽

Lon Protease ◽

Histidine Residue ◽

High Accumulation ◽

C Terminus ◽

A Cell ◽

Cell Division Inhibitor

SulA protein, a cell division inhibitor in Escherichia coli, is degraded by Lon protease. The C-terminal eight residues of SulA have been shown to be recognized by Lon; however, it remains to be elucidated which amino acid in the C-terminus of SulA is critical for the recognition of SulA by Lon. To clarify this point, we constructed mutants of SulA with changes in the C-terminal residues, and examined the accumulation and stability of the resulting mutant SulA proteins in vivo. Substitution of the extreme C-terminal histidine residue with another amino acid led to marked accumulation and high stability of SulA in lon+ cells. A SulA mutant in which the C-terminal eight residues were deleted (SulAC161) showed high accumulation and stability, but the addition of histidine to the C-terminus of SulAC161 (SulAC161+H) made it labile. Similarly, SulAC161+H fused to maltose-binding protein (MBP–SulAC161+H) formed a tight complex with and was degraded rapidly by Lon in vitro. Histidine competitively inhibited the degradation of MBP–SulA by Lon, while other amino acids did not. These results suggest that the histidine residue at the extreme C-terminus of SulA is recognized specifically by Lon, leading to a high-affinity interaction between SulA and Lon.

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Polycomb Cbx2 Condensates Assemble through Phase Separation

10.1101/468926 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Roubina Tatavosian ◽

Samantha Kent ◽

Kyle Brown ◽

Tingting Yao ◽

Huy Nguyen Duc ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Separation ◽

Polycomb Group ◽

Developmental Defects ◽

Intrinsically Disordered ◽

Condensate Formation ◽

Development And Differentiation ◽

Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 ◽

Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

AbstractPolycomb group (PcG) proteins are master regulators of development and differentiation. Mutation and dysregulation of PcG genes cause developmental defects and cancer. PcG proteins form condensates in the nucleus of cells and these condensates are the physical sites of PcG-targeted gene silencing. However, the physiochemical principles underlying the PcG condensate formation remain unknown. Here we show that Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) protein Cbx2, one member of the Cbx family proteins, contains a long stretch of intrinsically disordered region (IDR). Cbx2 undergoes phase separation to form condensates. Cbx2 condensates exhibit liquid-like properties and can concentrate DNA and nucleosomes. We demonstrate that the conserved residues within the IDR promote the condensate formation in vitro and in vivo. We further indicate that H3K27me3 has minimal effects on the Cbx2 condensate formation while depletion of core PRC1 subunits facilitates the condensate formation. Thus, our results reveal that PcG condensates assemble through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and suggest that PcG-bound chromatin is in part organized through phase-separated condensates.

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Protein-based condensation mechanisms drive the assembly of RNA-rich P granules

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.63698 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

Helen Schmidt ◽

Andrea Putnam ◽

Dominique Rasoloson ◽

Geraldine Seydoux

Keyword(s):

Intrinsically Disordered Protein ◽

P Granules ◽

C Elegans ◽

Intrinsically Disordered ◽

Disordered Protein ◽

The Core ◽

C Terminus ◽

Germ Granules

Germ granules are protein-RNA condensates that segregate with the embryonic germline. In C. elegans embryos, germ (P) granule assembly requires MEG-3, an intrinsically-disordered protein that forms RNA-rich condensates on the surface of PGL condensates at the core of P granules. MEG-3 is related to the GCNA family and contains an N-terminal disordered region (IDR) and a predicted ordered C-terminus featuring an HMG-like motif (HMGL). We find that MEG-3 is modular protein that uses its IDR to bind RNA and its C-terminus to drive condensation. The HMGL motif mediates binding to PGL-3 and is required for co-assembly of MEG-3 and PGL-3 condensates in vivo. Mutations in HMGL cause MEG-3 and PGL-3 to form separate condensates that no longer co-segregate to the germline or recruit RNA. Our findings highlight the importance of protein-based condensation mechanisms and condensate-condensate interactions in the assembly of RNA-rich germ granules.

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The disordered P granule protein LAF-1 drives phase separation into droplets with tunable viscosity and dynamics

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1504822112 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 112 (23) ◽

pp. 7189-7194 ◽

Cited By ~ 484

Author(s):

Shana Elbaum-Garfinkle ◽

Younghoon Kim ◽

Krzysztof Szczepaniak ◽

Carlos Chih-Hsiung Chen ◽

Christian R. Eckmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Separation ◽

Phase Boundary ◽

Single Molecule ◽

Protein Interactions ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Early Embryo ◽

P Granules ◽

Intrinsically Disordered

P granules and other RNA/protein bodies are membrane-less organelles that may assemble by intracellular phase separation, similar to the condensation of water vapor into droplets. However, the molecular driving forces and the nature of the condensed phases remain poorly understood. Here, we show that the Caenorhabditis elegans protein LAF-1, a DDX3 RNA helicase found in P granules, phase separates into P granule-like droplets in vitro. We adapt a microrheology technique to precisely measure the viscoelasticity of micrometer-sized LAF-1 droplets, revealing purely viscous properties highly tunable by salt and RNA concentration. RNA decreases viscosity and increases molecular dynamics within the droplet. Single molecule FRET assays suggest that this RNA fluidization results from highly dynamic RNA–protein interactions that emerge close to the droplet phase boundary. We demonstrate than an N-terminal, arginine/glycine rich, intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) domain of LAF-1 is necessary and sufficient for both phase separation and RNA–protein interactions. In vivo, RNAi knockdown of LAF-1 results in the dissolution of P granules in the early embryo, with an apparent submicromolar phase boundary comparable to that measured in vitro. Together, these findings demonstrate that LAF-1 is important for promoting P granule assembly and provide insight into the mechanism by which IDP-driven molecular interactions give rise to liquid phase organelles with tunable properties.

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Oligomerization of the Human Adenosine A2A Receptor is Driven by the Intrinsically Disordered C-terminus

10.1101/2020.12.21.423144 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Khanh D. Q. Nguyen ◽

Michael Vigers ◽

Eric Sefah ◽

Susanna Seppälä ◽

Jennifer P. Hoover ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electrostatic Interactions ◽

Hydrophobic Interactions ◽

Intrinsically Disordered ◽

Interaction Sites ◽

C Terminus ◽

A2a Receptor ◽

Multiple Interaction ◽

Adenosine A2a

ABSTRACTG protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have long been shown to exist as oligomers with functional properties distinct from those of the monomeric counterparts, but the driving factors of GPCR oligomerization remain relatively unexplored. In this study, we focus on the human adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR), a model GPCR that forms oligomers both in vitro and in vivo. Combining experimental and computational approaches, we discover that the intrinsically disordered C-terminus of A2AR drives the homo-oligomerization of the receptor. The formation of A2AR oligomers declines progressively and systematically with the shortening of the C-terminus. Multiple interaction sites and types are responsible for A2AR oligomerization, including disulfide linkages, hydrogen bonds, electrostatic interactions, and hydrophobic interactions. These interactions are enhanced by depletion interactions along the C-terminus, forming a tunable network of bonds that allow A2AR oligomers to adopt multiple interfaces. This study uncovers the disordered C-terminus as a prominent driving factor for the oligomerization of a GPCR, offering important guidance for structure-function studies of A2AR and other GPCRs.

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Coordination of RNA and protein condensation by the P granule protein MEG-3

10.1101/2020.10.15.340570 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Helen Schmidt ◽

Andrea Putnam ◽

Dominique Rasoloson ◽

Geraldine Seydoux

Keyword(s):

Protein Interactions ◽

Intrinsically Disordered Protein ◽

Protein Protein Interactions ◽

C Elegans ◽

Intrinsically Disordered ◽

Disordered Protein ◽

C Terminus ◽

Necessary And Sufficient

ABSTRACTGerm granules are RNA-protein condensates in germ cells. The mechanisms that drive germ granule assembly are not fully understood. MEG-3 is an intrinsically-disordered protein required for germ (P) granule assembly in C. elegans. MEG-3 forms gel-like condensates on liquid condensates assembled by PGL proteins. MEG-3 is related to the GCNA family and contains an N-terminal disordered region (IDR) and a predicted ordered C-terminus featuring an HMG-like motif (HMGL). Using in vitro and in vivo experiments, we find the MEG-3 C-terminus is necessary and sufficient to build MEG-3/PGL co-condensates independent of RNA. The HMGL domain is required for high affinity MEG-3/PGL binding in vitro and for assembly of MEG-3/PGL co-condensates in vivo. The MEG-3 IDR binds RNA in vitro and is required but not sufficient to recruit RNA to P granules. Our findings suggest that P granule assembly depends in part on protein-protein interactions that drive condensation independent of RNA.

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