scholarly journals Extended insight into the preponderance of LRRs - a docking & simulation study with members of the TLR1 subfamily

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debayan Dey ◽  
Dipanjana Dhar ◽  
Sucharita Das ◽  
Aditi Maulik ◽  
Soumalee Basu

AbstractThe widespread structural motif of Leucine-rich repeats (LRR) constitute the extracellular part of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family preceded by an intracellular Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain at the C-terminus. The benefit of using LRRs in these pattern recognition receptors (PRR) that are responsible for early detection of pathogens to elicit inflammatory/innate immune response still remains elusive. Phylogenetic analyses (Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference) of nine TLR (TLR 1-9) genes from 36 mammals reconfirmed the existence of two distinct clades, one (TLR1/2/6) for recognizing bacterial cell wall derivatives and another (TLR7/8/9) for various nucleic acids. TLR3, TLR4 and TLR5 showed independent line of evolution. The distinction of the TLR1 subfamily to form heterodimers within its members and the existence of the paralogs TLR1 and TLR6 therein, was appealing enough to carry out further studies with the extracellular recognition domain. Dimerizing and ligand binding residues from the crystal structures of TLR1 and TLR6 were interchanged to generate chimeric proteins. The dimer forming ability of these variants with their common partner, TLR2, were checked before running MD simulations. The chimeras were compared with wild type dimers to find no significant alterations in the overall structure. Finally, interchanged ligands were docked to the variants to ratify reversal of the binding function. Intriguingly, sequence change in substantial numbers, 16 in TLR1 and 18 in TLR6, preserves the native scaffold offered by LRRs. This exercise thus depicts how the LRR motif has been advantageous to be selected as an evolutionarily conserved motif for essential cellular processes.

2005 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 15-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen C. Ardley ◽  
Philip A. Robinson

The selectivity of the ubiquitin–26 S proteasome system (UPS) for a particular substrate protein relies on the interaction between a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2, of which a cell contains relatively few) and a ubiquitin–protein ligase (E3, of which there are possibly hundreds). Post-translational modifications of the protein substrate, such as phosphorylation or hydroxylation, are often required prior to its selection. In this way, the precise spatio-temporal targeting and degradation of a given substrate can be achieved. The E3s are a large, diverse group of proteins, characterized by one of several defining motifs. These include a HECT (homologous to E6-associated protein C-terminus), RING (really interesting new gene) or U-box (a modified RING motif without the full complement of Zn2+-binding ligands) domain. Whereas HECT E3s have a direct role in catalysis during ubiquitination, RING and U-box E3s facilitate protein ubiquitination. These latter two E3 types act as adaptor-like molecules. They bring an E2 and a substrate into sufficiently close proximity to promote the substrate's ubiquitination. Although many RING-type E3s, such as MDM2 (murine double minute clone 2 oncoprotein) and c-Cbl, can apparently act alone, others are found as components of much larger multi-protein complexes, such as the anaphase-promoting complex. Taken together, these multifaceted properties and interactions enable E3s to provide a powerful, and specific, mechanism for protein clearance within all cells of eukaryotic organisms. The importance of E3s is highlighted by the number of normal cellular processes they regulate, and the number of diseases associated with their loss of function or inappropriate targeting.


2007 ◽  
Vol 403 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonzalo P. Solis ◽  
Maja Hoegg ◽  
Christina Munderloh ◽  
Yvonne Schrock ◽  
Edward Malaga-Trillo ◽  
...  

Reggie-1 and -2 proteins (flotillin-2 and -1 respectively) form their own type of non-caveolar membrane microdomains, which are involved in important cellular processes such as T-cell activation, phagocytosis and signalling mediated by the cellular prion protein and insulin; this is consistent with the notion that reggie microdomains promote protein assemblies and signalling. While it is generally known that membrane microdomains contain large multiprotein assemblies, the exact organization of reggie microdomains remains elusive. Using chemical cross-linking approaches, we have demonstrated that reggie complexes are composed of homo- and hetero-tetramers of reggie-1 and -2. Moreover, native reggie oligomers are indeed quite stable, since non-cross-linked tetramers are resistant to 8 M urea treatment. We also show that oligomerization requires the C-terminal but not the N-terminal halves of reggie-1 and -2. Using deletion constructs, we analysed the functional relevance of the three predicted coiled-coil stretches present in the C-terminus of reggie-1. We confirmed experimentally that reggie-1 tetramerization is dependent on the presence of coiled-coil 2 and, partially, of coiled-coil 1. Furthermore, since depletion of reggie-1 by siRNA (small interfering RNA) silencing induces proteasomal degradation of reggie-2, we conclude that the protein stability of reggie-2 depends on the presence of reggie-1. Our data indicate that the basic structural units of reggie microdomains are reggie homo- and hetero-tetramers, which are dependent on the presence of reggie-1.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 160123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Cao ◽  
Yihong Chen ◽  
Min Jin ◽  
Qian Ren

Toll receptors play an important role in the innate immunity of invertebrates. All reported Tolls have only one Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain at the C-terminal. In this study, numerous Tolls with tandem TIRs at the C-terminal were found in molluscs. Such Tolls presented an extra TIR (TIR-1) compared with Toll-I. Thus, Toll-I might be the ancestor of tandem TIRs containing Toll. To test this hypothesis, 83 Toll-I and Toll-2 (most have two TIRs, but others seem to be the evolutionary intermediates) genes from 29 shellfish species were identified. These Tolls were divided into nine groups based on phylogenetic analyses. A strong correlation between phylogeny and motif composition was found. All Toll proteins contained the TIR-2 domain, whereas the TIR-1 domain only existed in some Toll-2 protein, suggesting that TIR-1 domain insertion may play an important role in Toll protein evolution. Further analyses of functional divergence and adaptive evolution showed that some of the critical sites responsible for functional divergence may have been under positive selection. An additional intragenic recombination played an important role in the evolution of the Toll-I and Toll-2 genes. To investigate the functional difference of Toll-I and Toll-2, over expression of Hcu_Toll-I or Hcu_Toll-2-2 in Drosophila S2 cells was performed. Results showed that Hcu_Toll-2-2 had stronger antimicrobial peptide (AMP) activity than Hcu_Toll-I. Therefore, enhanced AMP-induced activity resulted from tandem TIRs in Toll-2s of molluscs during evolution history.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (23) ◽  
pp. 8996-9008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Herold ◽  
Mikita Suyama ◽  
João P. Rodrigues ◽  
Isabelle C. Braun ◽  
Ulrike Kutay ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Vertebrate TAP (also called NXF1) and its yeast orthologue, Mex67p, have been implicated in the export of mRNAs from the nucleus. The TAP protein includes a noncanonical RNP-type RNA binding domain, four leucine-rich repeats, an NTF2-like domain that allows heterodimerization with p15 (also called NXT1), and a ubiquitin-associated domain that mediates the interaction with nucleoporins. Here we show that TAP belongs to an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins that has more than one member in higher eukaryotes. Not only the overall domain organization but also residues important for p15 and nucleoporin interaction are conserved in most family members. We characterize two of four human TAP homologues and show that one of them, NXF2, binds RNA, localizes to the nuclear envelope, and exhibits RNA export activity. NXF3, which does not bind RNA or localize to the nuclear rim, has no RNA export activity. Database searches revealed that although only one p15(nxt) gene is present in the Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans genomes, there is at least one additional p15 homologue (p15-2 [also called NXT2]) encoded by the human genome. Both human p15 homologues bind TAP, NXF2, and NXF3. Together, our results indicate that the TAP-p15 mRNA export pathway has diversified in higher eukaryotes compared to yeast, perhaps reflecting a greater substrate complexity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (52) ◽  
pp. 26709-26716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros Giastas ◽  
Anastasia Mpakali ◽  
Athanasios Papakyriakou ◽  
Aggelos Lelis ◽  
Paraskevi Kokkala ◽  
...  

Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is an intracellular enzyme that optimizes the peptide cargo of major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) molecules and regulates adaptive immunity. It has unusual substrate selectivity for length and sequence, resulting in poorly understood effects on the cellular immunopeptidome. To understand substrate selection by ERAP1, we solved 2 crystal structures of the enzyme with bound transition-state pseudopeptide analogs at 1.68 Å and 1.72 Å. Both peptides have their N terminus bound at the active site and extend away along a large internal cavity, interacting with shallow pockets that can influence selectivity. The longer peptide is disordered through the central region of the cavity and has its C terminus bound in an allosteric pocket of domain IV that features a carboxypeptidase-like structural motif. These structures, along with enzymatic and computational analyses, explain how ERAP1 can select peptides based on length while retaining the broad sequence-specificity necessary for its biological function.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (24) ◽  
pp. eabg3097
Author(s):  
Bo Zhao ◽  
Yanpeng Xi ◽  
Junghyun Kim ◽  
Sibum Sung

Chromatin structure is critical for gene expression and many other cellular processes. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the floral repressor FLC adopts a self-loop chromatin structure via bridging of its flanking regions. This local gene loop is necessary for active FLC expression. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the formation of this class of gene loops is unknown. Here, we report the characterization of a group of linker histone-like proteins, named the GH1-HMGA family in Arabidopsis, which act as chromatin architecture modulators. We demonstrate that these family members redundantly promote the floral transition through the repression of FLC. A genome-wide study revealed that this family preferentially binds to the 5′ and 3′ ends of gene bodies. The loss of this binding increases FLC expression by stabilizing the FLC 5′ to 3′ gene looping. Our study provides mechanistic insights into how a family of evolutionarily conserved proteins regulates the formation of local gene loops.


2019 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 681-702
Author(s):  
Mirosław Godlewski ◽  
Agnieszka Kobylińska

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a physiological process in which infected or unnecessary cells due to their suicidal death capability can be selectively eliminated. Pro- and antiapoptotic proteins play an important role in the induction or inhibition of this process. Presented article shows property of Bax-1 (BI-1) inhibitor which is one of the conservative protein associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as well as its cytoprotective role in the regulation of cellular processes. It was shown that: 1) BI-1 is a small protein consisting of 237 amino acids (human protein - 36 kDa) and has 6 (in animals) and 7 (in plants) α-helical transmembrane domains, 2) BI-1 is expressed in all organisms and in most tissues, moreover its level depends on the functional condition of cells and it is involved in the development or reaction to biotic and abiotic stresses, 3) BI-1 forms a pH-dependent Ca2+ channel enabling release of these ions from the ER, 4) cytoprotective effects of BI-1 requires a whole, unchanged C-terminus, 5) BI-1 can interact directly with numerous other proteins, BI-1 protein affects numerous cellular processes, including: counteracting ER stress, oxidative stress, loss of cellular Ca2+ homeostasis as well as this protein influences on sphingolipid metabolism, autophagy, actin polymerization, lysosomal activity and cell proliferation. Studies of BI-1 functions will allow understanding the mechanisms of anticancer therapy or increases the knowledge of crop tolerance to environmental stresses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy O. Stevens ◽  
Yi He

PICK1 is a multi-domain scaffolding protein that is uniquely comprised of both a PDZ domain and a BAR domain. While previous experiments have shown that the PDZ domain and the linker positively regulate the BAR domain and the C-terminus negatively regulates the BAR domain, the details of internal regulation mechanisms are unknown. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been proven to be a useful tool in revealing the intramolecular interactions at atomic-level resolution. PICK1 performs its biological functions in a dimeric form which is extremely computationally demanding to simulate with an all-atom force field. Here, we use coarse-grained MD simulations to expose the key residues and driving forces in the internal regulations of PICK1. While the PDZ and BAR domains do not form a stable complex, our simulations show the PDZ domain preferentially interacting with the concave surface of the BAR domain over other BAR domain regions. Furthermore, our simulations show that the short helix in the linker region can form interactions with the PDZ domain. Our results reveal that the surface of the βB-βC loop, βC strand, and αA-βD loop of the PDZ domain can form a group of hydrophobic interactions surrounding the linker helix. These interactions are driven by hydrophobic forces. In contrast, our simulations reveal a very dynamic C-terminus that most often resides on the convex surface of the BAR domain rather than the previously suspected concave surface. These interactions are driven by a combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoj Kumar ◽  
Prasanth Padala ◽  
Jamal Fahoum ◽  
Fouad Hassouna ◽  
Tomer Tsaban ◽  
...  

AbstractUfmylation is a post-translational modification essential for regulating key cellular processes. A three-enzyme cascade involving E1, E2 and E3 is required for UFM1 attachment to target proteins. How UBA5 (E1) and UFC1 (E2) cooperatively activate and transfer UFM1 is still unclear. Here, we present the crystal structure of UFC1 bound to the C-terminus of UBA5, revealing how UBA5 interacts with UFC1 via a short linear sequence, not observed in other E1-E2 complexes. We find that UBA5 has a region outside the adenylation domain that is dispensable for UFC1 binding but critical for UFM1 transfer. This region moves next to UFC1’s active site Cys and compensates for a missing loop in UFC1, which exists in other E2s and is needed for the transfer. Overall, our findings advance the understanding of UFM1’s conjugation machinery and may serve as a basis for the development of ufmylation inhibitors.


Author(s):  
Christian A. E. Westrip ◽  
Qinqin Zhuang ◽  
Charlotte Hall ◽  
Charlotte D. Eaton ◽  
Mathew L. Coleman

AbstractGTPases are a large superfamily of evolutionarily conserved proteins involved in a variety of fundamental cellular processes. The developmentally regulated GTP-binding protein (DRG) subfamily of GTPases consists of two highly conserved paralogs, DRG1 and DRG2, both of which have been implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation, translation and microtubules. Furthermore, DRG1 and 2 proteins both have a conserved binding partner, DRG family regulatory protein 1 and 2 (DFRP1 and DFRP2), respectively, that prevents them from being degraded. Similar to DRGs, the DFRP proteins have also been studied in the context of cell growth control and translation. Despite these proteins having been implicated in several fundamental cellular processes they remain relatively poorly characterized, however. In this review, we provide an overview of the structural biology and biochemistry of DRG GTPases and discuss current understanding of DRGs and DFRPs in normal physiology, as well as their emerging roles in diseases such as cancer.


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