分类: 生物学 >> 生物物理学 提交时间: 2016-05-12
摘要: Ubiquitination is a post-translational modification that is involved in myriad cellar regulation and disease pathways. The ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2) is an important player in the ubiquitin transfer pathway. Although many E2 structures are available, not all E2 families have known structures, and three-dimensional structures from fungal organisms other than yeast are lacking. We report here the crystal structure of UbcA1, which is a novel ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme identified from the edible and medicinal mushroom Agrocybe aegerita and displays potential antitumor properties. The protein belongs to the Ube2w family and shows similar biochemical characteristics to human Ube2w, including monomer-dimer equilibrium in solution, alpha-NH2 ubiquitin-transfer activity and a mechanism to recognize backbone atoms of intrinsically disordered N-termini in substrates. Its structure displays a unique C-terminal conformation with an orientation of helix alpha 3 that is completely different from the reported E2 structures but similar to a recently reported NMR ensemble of Ube2w. A mutagenesis study on this novel enzyme revealed that an intact C-terminus is significant for protein dimerization and enzymatic activity. As the first crystallized full-length protein of this family, UbcA1 may supersede the truncated X-ray structure of Ube2w (PDB entry 2A7L) as the representative structure of the Ube2w family.
分类: 生物学 >> 生物物理学 >> 生物物理、生物化学与分子生物学 提交时间: 2016-05-11
摘要: Cerebral cavernous malformation 2 (CCM2) functions as an adaptor protein implicated in various biological processes. By interacting with the mitogen-activated protein kinase MEKK3, CCM2 either mediates the activation of MEKK3 signaling in response to osmotic stress or negatively regulates MEKK3 signaling, which is important for normal cardiovascular development. However, the molecular basis governing CCM2-MEKK3 interaction is largely unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of the CCM2 C-terminal part (CCM2ct) containing both the five-helix domain (CCM2ct(s)) and the following C-terminal tail. The end of the C-terminal tail forms an isolated helix, which interacts intramolecularly with CCM2ct(s). By biochemical studies we identified the N-terminal amphiphilic helix of MEKK3 (MEKK3-n(helix)) as the essential structural element for CCM2ct binding. We further determined the crystal structure of CCM2ct(s)-MEKK3-n(helix) complex, in which MEKK3-n(helix) binds to the same site of CCM2ct(s) for CCM2ct intramolecular interaction. These findings build a structural framework for understanding CCM2ct-MEKK3 molecular recognition.