scholarly journals Molecular Interactions Driving Intermediate Filament Assembly

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2457
Author(s):  
Pieter-Jan Vermeire ◽  
Giel Stalmans ◽  
Anastasia V. Lilina ◽  
Jan Fiala ◽  
Petr Novak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Interactions ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Cell Physiology ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Filament Assembly ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Chemical Cross Linking

Given the role of intermediate filaments (IFs) in normal cell physiology and scores of IF-linked diseases, the importance of understanding their molecular structure is beyond doubt. Research into the IF structure was initiated more than 30 years ago, and some important advances have been made. Using crystallography and other methods, the central coiled-coil domain of the elementary dimer and also the structural basis of the soluble tetramer formation have been studied to atomic precision. However, the molecular interactions driving later stages of the filament assembly are still not fully understood. For cytoplasmic IFs, much of the currently available insight is due to chemical cross-linking experiments that date back to the 1990s. This technique has since been radically improved, and several groups have utilized it recently to obtain data on lamin filament assembly. Here, we will summarize these findings and reflect on the remaining open questions and challenges of IF structure. We argue that, in addition to X-ray crystallography, chemical cross-linking and cryoelectron microscopy are the techniques that should enable major new advances in the field in the near future.

scholarly journals Addressing the Molecular Mechanism of Longitudinal Lamin Assembly Using Chimeric Fusions

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giel Stalmans ◽  
Anastasia V. Lilina ◽  
Pieter-Jan Vermeire ◽  
Jan Fiala ◽  
Petr Novák ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Nucleus ◽  
Molecular Model ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Specific Interactions ◽  
Molecular Architecture ◽  
Filament Assembly ◽  
Assembly Mechanism ◽  
Recombinant Fragments ◽  
Chemical Cross Linking

The molecular architecture and assembly mechanism of intermediate filaments have been enigmatic for decades. Among those, lamin filaments are of particular interest due to their universal role in cell nucleus and numerous disease-related mutations. Filament assembly is driven by specific interactions of the elementary dimers, which consist of the central coiled-coil rod domain flanked by non-helical head and tail domains. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal ‘head-to-tail’ interaction of lamin dimers (the so-called ACN interaction), which is crucial for filament assembly. To this end, we prepared a series of recombinant fragments of human lamin A centred around the N- and C-termini of the rod. The fragments were stabilized by fusions to heterologous capping motifs which provide for a correct formation of parallel, in-register coiled-coil dimers. As a result, we established crystal structures of two N-terminal fragments one of which highlights the propensity of the coiled-coil to open up, and one C-terminal rod fragment. Additional studies highlighted the capacity of such N- and C-terminal fragments to form specific complexes in solution, which were further characterized using chemical cross-linking. These data yielded a molecular model of the ACN complex which features a 6.5 nm overlap of the rod ends.

scholarly journals Structure of cyanobacterial phycobilisome core revealed by structural modeling and chemical cross-linking

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. eaba5743
Author(s):  
Haijun Liu ◽  
Mengru M. Zhang ◽  
Daniel A. Weisz ◽  
Ming Cheng ◽  
Himadri B. Pakrasi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transfer ◽  
Excitation Energy Transfer ◽  
Energy Coupling ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Photochemical Activity ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Bottom Surface ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Orange Carotenoid Protein ◽  
Chemical Cross Linking

In cyanobacteria and red algae, the structural basis dictating efficient excitation energy transfer from the phycobilisome (PBS) antenna complex to the reaction centers remains unclear. The PBS has several peripheral rods and a central core that binds to the thylakoid membrane, allowing energy coupling with photosystem II (PSII) and PSI. Here, we have combined chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry with homology modeling to propose a tricylindrical cyanobacterial PBS core structure. Our model reveals a side-view crossover configuration of the two basal cylinders, consolidating the essential roles of the anchoring domains composed of the ApcE PB loop and ApcD, which facilitate the energy transfer to PSII and PSI, respectively. The uneven bottom surface of the PBS core contrasts with the flat reducing side of PSII. The extra space between two basal cylinders and PSII provides increased accessibility for regulatory elements, e.g., orange carotenoid protein, which are required for modulating photochemical activity.

scholarly journals Coronin Promotes the Rapid Assembly and Cross-linking of Actin Filaments and May Link the Actin and Microtubule Cytoskeletons in Yeast

1999 ◽  
Vol 144 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce L. Goode ◽  
Jonathan J. Wong ◽  
Anne-Christine Butty ◽  
Matthias Peter ◽  
Ashley L. McCormack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Cortical Actin ◽  
Functional Link ◽  
Microtubule Binding ◽  
Filament Assembly ◽  
Cell Extracts ◽  
Cross Links

Coronin is a highly conserved actin-associated protein that until now has had unknown biochemical activities. Using microtubule affinity chromatography, we coisolated actin and a homologue of coronin, Crn1p, from Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell extracts. Crn1p is an abundant component of the cortical actin cytoskeleton and binds to F-actin with high affinity (Kd 6 × 10−9 M). Crn1p promotes the rapid barbed-end assembly of actin filaments and cross-links filaments into bundles and more complex networks, but does not stabilize them. Genetic analyses with a crn1Δ deletion mutation also are consistent with Crn1p regulating filament assembly rather than stability. Filament cross-linking depends on the coiled coil domain of Crn1p, suggesting a requirement for Crn1p dimerization. Assembly-promoting activity is independent of cross-linking and could be due to nucleation and/or accelerated polymerization. Crn1p also binds to microtubules in vitro, and microtubule binding is enhanced by the presence of actin filaments. Microtubule binding is mediated by a region of Crn1p that contains sequences (not found in other coronins) homologous to the microtubule binding region of MAP1B. These activities, considered with microtubule defects observed in crn1Δ cells and in cells overexpressing Crn1p, suggest that Crn1p may provide a functional link between the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons in yeast.

Statistical Force-Field for Structural Modeling Using Chemical Cross-Linking/mass Spectrometry Distance Constraints

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan J. R. Ferrari ◽  
Fabio C. Gozzo ◽  
Leandro Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Force Field ◽  
Protein Structures ◽  
Protein Structure Determination ◽  
Structural Modeling ◽  
Cross Linking ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Distance Constraints ◽  
Chemical Cross Linking

<div><p>Chemical cross-linking/Mass Spectrometry (XLMS) is an experimental method to obtain distance constraints between amino acid residues, which can be applied to structural modeling of tertiary and quaternary biomolecular structures. These constraints provide, in principle, only upper limits to the distance between amino acid residues along the surface of the biomolecule. In practice, attempts to use of XLMS constraints for tertiary protein structure determination have not been widely successful. This indicates the need of specifically designed strategies for the representation of these constraints within modeling algorithms. Here, a force-field designed to represent XLMS-derived constraints is proposed. The potential energy functions are obtained by computing, in the database of known protein structures, the probability of satisfaction of a topological cross-linking distance as a function of the Euclidean distance between amino acid residues. The force-field can be easily incorporated into current modeling methods and software. In this work, the force-field was implemented within the Rosetta ab initio relax protocol. We show a significant improvement in the quality of the models obtained relative to current strategies for constraint representation. This force-field contributes to the long-desired goal of obtaining the tertiary structures of proteins using XLMS data. Force-field parameters and usage instructions are freely available at http://m3g.iqm.unicamp.br/topolink/xlff <br></p></div><p></p><p></p>

scholarly journals Structural basis for heme-dependent NCoR binding to the transcriptional repressor REV-ERBβ

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. eabc6479
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Mosure ◽  
Timothy S. Strutzenberg ◽  
Jinsai Shang ◽  
Paola Munoz-Tello ◽  
Laura A. Solt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Binding Mode ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Receptor Interaction ◽  
Heme Binding ◽  
Endogenous Ligand ◽  
Interaction Domain ◽  
Response Elements ◽  
Biochemical Assays ◽  
Chemical Cross Linking

Heme is the endogenous ligand for the constitutively repressive REV-ERB nuclear receptors, REV-ERBα (NR1D1) and REV-ERBβ (NR1D2), but how heme regulates REV-ERB activity remains unclear. Cellular studies indicate that heme is required for the REV-ERBs to bind the corepressor NCoR and repress transcription. However, fluorescence-based biochemical assays suggest that heme displaces NCoR; here, we show that this is due to a heme-dependent artifact. Using ITC and NMR spectroscopy, we show that heme binding remodels the thermodynamic interaction profile of NCoR receptor interaction domain (RID) binding to REV-ERBβ ligand-binding domain (LBD). We solved two crystal structures of REV-ERBβ LBD cobound to heme and NCoR peptides, revealing the heme-dependent NCoR binding mode. ITC and chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry reveals a 2:1 LBD:RID stoichiometry, consistent with cellular studies showing that NCoR-dependent repression of REV-ERB transcription occurs on dimeric DNA response elements. Our findings should facilitate renewed progress toward understanding heme-dependent REV-ERB activity.

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