scholarly journals Using Scaffold Liposomes to Reconstitute Lipid-proximal Protein-protein Interactions In Vitro

Author(s):  
Ryan W. Clinton ◽  
Jason A. Mears
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Frederich ◽  
Ananya Sengupta ◽  
Josue Liriano ◽  
Ewa A. Bienkiewicz ◽  
Brian G. Miller

Fusicoccin A (FC) is a fungal phytotoxin that stabilizes protein–protein interactions (PPIs) between 14-3-3 adapter proteins and their phosphoprotein interaction partners. In recent years, FC has emerged as an important chemical probe of human 14-3-3 PPIs implicated in cancer and neurological diseases. These previous studies have established the structural requirements for FC-induced stabilization of 14-3-3·client phosphoprotein complexes; however, the effect of different 14-3-3 isoforms on FC activity has not been systematically explored. This is a relevant question for the continued development of FC variants because there are seven distinct isoforms of 14-3-3 in humans. Despite their remarkable sequence and structural similarities, a growing body of experimental evidence supports both tissue-specific expression of 14-3-3 isoforms and isoform-specific functions <i>in vivo</i>. Herein, we report the isoform-specificity profile of FC <i>in vitro</i>using recombinant human 14-3-3 isoforms and a focused library of fluorescein-labeled hexaphosphopeptides mimicking the C-terminal 14-3-3 recognition domains of client phosphoproteins targeted by FC in cell culture. Our results reveal modest isoform preferences for individual client phospholigands and demonstrate that FC differentially stabilizes PPIs involving 14-3-3s. Together, these data provide strong motivation for the development of non-natural FC variants with enhanced selectivity for individual 14-3-3 isoforms.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 510
Author(s):  
Maho Yamamoto ◽  
Rina Kondo ◽  
Haruka Hozumi ◽  
Seita Doi ◽  
Miwako Denda ◽  
...  

During screening of protein-protein interactions, using human protein arrays carrying 19,676 recombinant glutathione s-transferase (GST)-fused human proteins, we identified the high-mobility protein group 20A (HMG20A) as a novel S100A6 binding partner. We confirmed the Ca2+-dependent interaction of HMG20A with S100A6 by the protein array method, biotinylated S100A6 overlay, and GST-pulldown assay in vitro and in transfected COS-7 cells. Co-immunoprecipitation of S100A6 with HMG20A from HeLa cells in a Ca2+-dependent manner revealed the physiological relevance of the S100A6/HMG20A interaction. In addition, HMG20A has the ability to interact with S100A1, S100A2, and S100B in a Ca2+-dependent manner, but not with S100A4, A11, A12, and calmodulin. S100A6 binding experiments using various HMG20A mutants revealed that Ca2+/S100A6 interacts with the C-terminal region (residues 311–342) of HMG20A with stoichiometric binding (HMG20A:S100A6 dimer = 1:1). This was confirmed by the fact that a GST-HMG20A mutant lacking the S100A6 binding region (residues 311–347, HMG20A-ΔC) failed to interact with endogenous S100A6 in transfected COS-7 cells, unlike wild-type HMG20A. Taken together, these results identify, for the first time, HMG20A as a target of Ca2+/S100 proteins, and may suggest a novel linkage between Ca2+/S100 protein signaling and HMG20A function, including in the regulation of neural differentiation.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Tina Schönberger ◽  
Joachim Fandrey ◽  
Katrin Prost-Fingerle

Hypoxia is a key characteristic of tumor tissue. Cancer cells adapt to low oxygen by activating hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), ensuring their survival and continued growth despite this hostile environment. Therefore, the inhibition of HIFs and their target genes is a promising and emerging field of cancer research. Several drug candidates target protein–protein interactions or transcription mechanisms of the HIF pathway in order to interfere with activation of this pathway, which is deregulated in a wide range of solid and liquid cancers. Although some inhibitors are already in clinical trials, open questions remain with respect to their modes of action. New imaging technologies using luminescent and fluorescent methods or nanobodies to complement widely used approaches such as chromatin immunoprecipitation may help to answer some of these questions. In this review, we aim to summarize current inhibitor classes targeting the HIF pathway and to provide an overview of in vitro and in vivo techniques that could improve the understanding of inhibitor mechanisms. Unravelling the distinct principles regarding how inhibitors work is an indispensable step for efficient clinical applications and safety of anticancer compounds.


Author(s):  
Liqing Jia ◽  
Xiaolu Ge ◽  
Chao Du ◽  
Linna Chen ◽  
Yanhong Zhou ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Eukaryotic protein translation elongation factor 1α2 (EEF1A2) is an oncogene that promotes the progression of breast and pancreatic cancer. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the oncogenic function of EEF1A2 in the metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods Immunohistochemistry and western blot were used to study EEF1A2 expression levels in LUAD tissues and cells, respectively. The role of EEF1A2 in LUAD progression were investigated in vitro and in vivo. We identified potential EEF1A2-binding proteins by liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-MS)/MS. Protein–protein interactions were determined by immunofluorescence and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). Results In this study, we report that EEF1A2 mediates the epithelial–mesenchymal transformation (EMT), to promote the metastasis of LUAD cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, EEF1A2 interacts with HSP90AB1 to increase TGFβ Receptor (TβR)-I, and TβRII expression, followed by enhanced SMAD3 and pSMAD3 expression and nuclear localisation, which promotes the EMT of LUAD cells. Overexpression of EEF1A2 in cancer tissues is associated with poor prognosis and short survival of patients with LUAD. Conclusions These findings underscore the molecular functions of EEF1A2 in LUAD metastasis and indicate that EEF1A2 represents a promising target in the treatment of aggressive LUAD.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 6021-6029
Author(s):  
R Metz ◽  
A J Bannister ◽  
J A Sutherland ◽  
C Hagemeier ◽  
E C O'Rourke ◽  
...  

Transcriptional activation in eukaryotes involves protein-protein interactions between regulatory transcription factors and components of the basal transcription machinery. Here we show that c-Fos, but not a related protein, Fra-1, can bind the TATA-box-binding protein (TBP) both in vitro and in vivo and that c-Fos can also interact with the transcription factor IID complex. High-affinity binding to TBP requires c-Fos activation modules which cooperate to activate transcription. One of these activation modules contains a TBP-binding motif (TBM) which was identified through its homology to TBP-binding viral activators. This motif is required for transcriptional activation, as well as TBP binding. Domain swap experiments indicate that a domain containing the TBM can confer TBP binding on Fra-1 both in vitro and in vivo. In vivo activation experiments indicate that a GAL4-Fos fusion can activate a promoter bearing a GAL4 site linked to a TATA box but that this activity does not occur at high concentrations of GAL4-Fos. This inhibition (squelching) of c-Fos activity is relieved by the presence of excess TBP, indicating that TBP is a direct functional target of c-Fos. Removing the TBM from c-Fos severely abrogates activation of a promoter containing a TATA box but does not affect activation of a promoter driven only by an initiator element. Collectively, these results suggest that c-Fos is able to activate via two distinct mechanisms, only one of which requires contact with TBP. Since TBP binding is not exhibited by Fra-1, TBP-mediated activation may be one characteristic that discriminates the function of Fos-related proteins.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e106413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunita Yadav ◽  
Smita Gupta ◽  
Chandrabose Selvaraj ◽  
Pawan Kumar Doharey ◽  
Anita Verma ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Spizzichino ◽  
Dalila Boi ◽  
Giovanna Boumis ◽  
Roberta Lucchi ◽  
Francesca R. Liberati ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTDe novo thymidylate synthesis is a crucial pathway for normal and cancer cells. Deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP) is synthesized by the combined action of three enzymes: thymidylate synthase (TYMS), serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), targets of widely used chemotherapeutics such as antifolates and 5-fluorouracil. These proteins translocate to the nucleus after SUMOylation and are suggested to assemble in this compartment into the thymidylate synthesis complex (dTMP-SC). We report the intracellular dynamics of the complex in lung cancer cells by in situ proximity ligation assay, showing that it is also detected in the cytoplasm. We have successfully assembled the dTMP synthesis complex in vitro, employing tetrameric SHMT1 and a bifunctional chimeric enzyme comprising human TYMS and DHFR. We show that the SHMT1 tetrameric state is required for efficient complex assembly, indicating that this aggregation state is evolutionary selected in eukaryotes to optimize protein-protein interactions. Lastly, our results on the activity of the complete thymidylate cycle in vitro, provide a useful tool to develop drugs targeting the entire complex instead of the individual components.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Frederich ◽  
Ananya Sengupta ◽  
Josue Liriano ◽  
Ewa A. Bienkiewicz ◽  
Brian G. Miller

Fusicoccin A (FC) is a fungal phytotoxin that stabilizes protein–protein interactions (PPIs) between 14-3-3 adapter proteins and their phosphoprotein interaction partners. In recent years, FC has emerged as an important chemical probe of human 14-3-3 PPIs implicated in cancer and neurological diseases. These previous studies have established the structural requirements for FC-induced stabilization of 14-3-3·client phosphoprotein complexes; however, the effect of different 14-3-3 isoforms on FC activity has not been systematically explored. This is a relevant question for the continued development of FC variants because there are seven distinct isoforms of 14-3-3 in humans. Despite their remarkable sequence and structural similarities, a growing body of experimental evidence supports both tissue-specific expression of 14-3-3 isoforms and isoform-specific functions <i>in vivo</i>. Herein, we report the isoform-specificity profile of FC <i>in vitro</i>using recombinant human 14-3-3 isoforms and a focused library of fluorescein-labeled hexaphosphopeptides mimicking the C-terminal 14-3-3 recognition domains of client phosphoproteins targeted by FC in cell culture. Our results reveal modest isoform preferences for individual client phospholigands and demonstrate that FC differentially stabilizes PPIs involving 14-3-3s. Together, these data provide strong motivation for the development of non-natural FC variants with enhanced selectivity for individual 14-3-3 isoforms.


Biomolecules ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Pavel V. Ershov ◽  
Yuri V. Mezentsev ◽  
Alexis S. Ivanov

The identification of disease-related protein-protein interactions (PPIs) creates objective conditions for their pharmacological modulation. The contact area (interfaces) of the vast majority of PPIs has some features, such as geometrical and biochemical complementarities, “hot spots”, as well as an extremely low mutation rate that give us key knowledge to influence these PPIs. Exogenous regulation of PPIs is aimed at both inhibiting the assembly and/or destabilization of protein complexes. Often, the design of such modulators is associated with some specific problems in targeted delivery, cell penetration and proteolytic stability, as well as selective binding to cellular targets. Recent progress in interfacial peptide design has been achieved in solving all these difficulties and has provided a good efficiency in preclinical models (in vitro and in vivo). The most promising peptide-containing therapeutic formulations are under investigation in clinical trials. In this review, we update the current state-of-the-art in the field of interfacial peptides as potent modulators of a number of disease-related PPIs. Over the past years, the scientific interest has been focused on following clinically significant heterodimeric PPIs MDM2/p53, PD-1/PD-L1, HIF/HIF, NRF2/KEAP1, RbAp48/MTA1, HSP90/CDC37, BIRC5/CRM1, BIRC5/XIAP, YAP/TAZ–TEAD, TWEAK/FN14, Bcl-2/Bax, YY1/AKT, CD40/CD40L and MINT2/APP.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leticia Dias Lima Jedlicka ◽  
Sheila Barreto Guterres ◽  
Aleksandro Martins Balbino ◽  
Giuseppe Bruno Neto ◽  
Richardt Gama Landgraf ◽  
...  

Background: Acetylation alters several protein properties including molecular weight, stability, enzymatic activity, protein-protein interactions, and other biological functions. Our previous findings demonstrating that diacetyl/peroxynitrite can acetylate L-lysine, L-histidine, and albumin in vitro led us to investigate whether diacetyl-treated rats suffer protein acetylation as well. Methods: Wistar rats were administered diacetyl daily for 4 weeks, after which they were sacrificed, and their lung proteins were extracted to be analysed by Nano-LC-MS/MS (Q-TOF). A C18 reversed-phase column and gradient elution with formic acid/acetonitrile solutions from 2 to 50% over 150 min were used to separate the proteins. Protein detection was performed using a microTOF-Q II (QTOF) equipped with captive source and an electrospray-ionization source. The data from mass spectrometry were processed using a Compass 1.7 and analyzed using Protein Scape, software that uses Mascot algorithms to perform protein searches. Results: A set of 3162 acetylated peptides derived from 351 acetylated proteins in the diacetyl-treated group was identified. Among them, 23 targeted proteins were significantly more acetylated in the diacetyl-treated group than in the PBS control. Protein acetylation of the group treated with 540 mg/kg/day of diacetyl was corroborated by Western blotting analysis. Conclusions: These data support our hypothesis that diacetyl exposure in animals may lead to the generation of acetyl radicals, compounds that attach to proteins, affecting their functions and triggering adverse health problems.


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