scholarly journals Structural studies of the Tudor domain from the Bombyx homolog of Drosophila PAPI: Implication to piRNA biogenesis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Hubbard ◽  
Xinlei Pan ◽  
Randall McNally ◽  
Yohei Kirino ◽  
Ramachandran Murali

ABSTRACTPIWI proteins and their associated PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) play crucial roles in proper gametogenesis in animal gonads. Partner of PIWIs (PAPI) is one of the important piRNA biogenesis factors. PAPI contains a Tudor domain and tandem KH domains. The tudor domain specifically recognizes symmetrical-dimethylarginines (sDMAs) on PIWI proteins. BmPAPI, a Bombyx mori homolog of PAPI, is localized at the outer membrane of mitochondria and supports exonucleolytic trimming of piRNA precursors to form mature 3’-end of piRNAs. To understand the structural basis of piRNA processing by BmPAPI, we present crystal structures of the apo- and sDMA-liganded Tudor domain of BmPAPI.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Lei ◽  
Wolfram Tempel ◽  
Ke Liu ◽  
Jinrong Min

AbstractMeCP2 is an abundant protein, involved in transcriptional repression by binding to CG and non-CG methylated DNA. However, MeCP2 might also function as a transcription activator as MeCP2 is found bound to sparsely methylated promoters of actively expressed genes. Furthermore, Attachment Region Binding Protein (ARBP), the chicken ortholog of MeCP2, has been reported to bind to Matrix/scaffold attachment regions (MARs/SARs) DNA with an unmethylated 5’-CAC/GTG-3’ consensus sequence. In this study, we investigated how MeCP2 recognizes unmethylated 5’-CAC/GTG-3’ motif containing DNA by binding and structural studies. We found that MeCP2-MBD binds to MARs DNA with a comparable binding affinity to mCG DNA, and the MeCP2-CAC/GTG complex structure revealed that MeCP2 residues R111 and R133 form base-specific interactions with the GTG motif. For comparison, we also determined crystal structures of the MeCP2-MBD bound to mCG and mCAC/GTG DNA, respectively. Together, these crystal structures illustrate the adaptability of the MeCP2-MBD toward the GTG motif as well as the mCG DNA, and also provide structural basis of a biological role of MeCP2 as a transcription activator and its disease implications in Rett syndrome.



2019 ◽  
Vol 476 (21) ◽  
pp. 3227-3240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Wang ◽  
Yanxiang Zhao ◽  
Long Yi ◽  
Minghe Shen ◽  
Chao Wang ◽  
...  

Trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) synthase (Tps1) catalyzes the formation of T6P from UDP-glucose (UDPG) (or GDPG, etc.) and glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), and structural basis of this process has not been well studied. MoTps1 (Magnaporthe oryzae Tps1) plays a critical role in carbon and nitrogen metabolism, but its structural information is unknown. Here we present the crystal structures of MoTps1 apo, binary (with UDPG) and ternary (with UDPG/G6P or UDP/T6P) complexes. MoTps1 consists of two modified Rossmann-fold domains and a catalytic center in-between. Unlike Escherichia coli OtsA (EcOtsA, the Tps1 of E. coli), MoTps1 exists as a mixture of monomer, dimer, and oligomer in solution. Inter-chain salt bridges, which are not fully conserved in EcOtsA, play primary roles in MoTps1 oligomerization. Binding of UDPG by MoTps1 C-terminal domain modifies the substrate pocket of MoTps1. In the MoTps1 ternary complex structure, UDP and T6P, the products of UDPG and G6P, are detected, and substantial conformational rearrangements of N-terminal domain, including structural reshuffling (β3–β4 loop to α0 helix) and movement of a ‘shift region' towards the catalytic centre, are observed. These conformational changes render MoTps1 to a ‘closed' state compared with its ‘open' state in apo or UDPG complex structures. By solving the EcOtsA apo structure, we confirmed that similar ligand binding induced conformational changes also exist in EcOtsA, although no structural reshuffling involved. Based on our research and previous studies, we present a model for the catalytic process of Tps1. Our research provides novel information on MoTps1, Tps1 family, and structure-based antifungal drug design.



2009 ◽  
Vol 390 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Seiradake ◽  
Weimin Mao ◽  
Vincent Hernandez ◽  
Stephen J. Baker ◽  
Jacob J. Plattner ◽  
...  


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (26) ◽  
pp. 7160-7165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver J. Harrison ◽  
Julia Brasch ◽  
Gorka Lasso ◽  
Phinikoula S. Katsamba ◽  
Goran Ahlsen ◽  
...  

Desmosomes are intercellular adhesive junctions that impart strength to vertebrate tissues. Their dense, ordered intercellular attachments are formed by desmogleins (Dsgs) and desmocollins (Dscs), but the nature of trans-cellular interactions between these specialized cadherins is unclear. Here, using solution biophysics and coated-bead aggregation experiments, we demonstrate family-wise heterophilic specificity: All Dsgs form adhesive dimers with all Dscs, with affinities characteristic of each Dsg:Dsc pair. Crystal structures of ectodomains from Dsg2 and Dsg3 and from Dsc1 and Dsc2 show binding through a strand-swap mechanism similar to that of homophilic classical cadherins. However, conserved charged amino acids inhibit Dsg:Dsg and Dsc:Dsc interactions by same-charge repulsion and promote heterophilic Dsg:Dsc interactions through opposite-charge attraction. These findings show that Dsg:Dsc heterodimers represent the fundamental adhesive unit of desmosomes and provide a structural framework for understanding desmosome assembly.



2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suresh Banjara ◽  
Sofia Caria ◽  
Linda K. Dixon ◽  
Mark G. Hinds ◽  
Marc Kvansakul

ABSTRACT Programmed cell death is a tightly controlled process critical for the removal of damaged or infected cells. Pro- and antiapoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family are pivotal mediators of this process. African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a large DNA virus, the only member of the Asfarviridae family, and harbors A179L, a putative Bcl-2 like protein. A179L has been shown to bind to several proapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins; however, the hierarchy of binding and the structural basis for apoptosis inhibition are currently not understood. We systematically evaluated the ability of A179L to bind proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members and show that A179L is the first antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein to bind to all major death-inducing mammalian Bcl-2 proteins. We then defined the structural basis for apoptosis inhibition of A179L by determining the crystal structures of A179L bound to both Bid and Bax BH3 motifs. Our findings provide a mechanistic understanding for the potent antiapoptotic activity of A179L by identifying it as the first panprodeath Bcl-2 binder and serve as a platform for more-detailed investigations into the role of A179L during ASFV infection. IMPORTANCE Numerous viruses have acquired strategies to subvert apoptosis by encoding proteins capable of sequestering proapoptotic host proteins. African swine fever virus (ASFV), a large DNA virus and the only member of the Asfarviridae family, encodes the protein A179L, which functions to prevent apoptosis. We show that A179L is unusual among antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins in being able to physically bind to all core death-inducing mammalian Bcl-2 proteins. Currently, little is known regarding the molecular interactions between A179L and the proapoptotic Bcl-2 members. Using the crystal structures of A179L bound to two of the identified proapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins, Bid and Bax, we now provide a three-dimensional (3D) view of how A179L sequesters host proapoptotic proteins, which is crucial for subverting premature host cell apoptosis.



2000 ◽  
Vol 275 (2) ◽  
pp. 572-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akio Suzuki ◽  
Min Yao ◽  
Isao Tanaka ◽  
Tomoyuki Numata ◽  
Singo Kikukawa ◽  
...  




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