JunGoo Jee

The structure and binding mode of interleukin-18.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18), a cytokine formerly known as interferon-γ- (IFN-γ-) inducing factor, has pleiotropic immunoregulatory functions, including augmentation of IFN-γ production, Fas-mediated cytotoxicity and developmental regulation of T-lymphocyte helper type I. We determined the solution structure of IL-18 as a first step toward understanding its receptor activation mechanism. It folds into a β-trefoil structure that resembles that of IL-1. Extensive mutagenesis revealed the presence of three sites that are important for receptor activation: two serve as binding sites for IL-18 receptor α (IL-18Rα), located at positions similar to those of IL-1 for IL-1 receptor type I (IL-1RI), whereas the third site may be involved in IL-18 receptor β (IL-18Rβ) binding. The structure and mutagenesis data provide a basis for understanding the IL-18-induced heterodimerization of receptor subunits, which is necessary for receptor activation.

Influence of the completeness of chemical shift assignments on NMR structures obtained with automated NOE assignment

Reliable automated NOE assignment and structure calculation on the basis of a largely complete, assigned input chemical shift list and a list of unassigned NOESY cross peaks has recently become feasible for routine NMR protein structure calculation and has been shown to yield results that are equivalent to those of the conventional, manual approach. However, these algorithms rely on the availability of a virtually complete list of the chemical shifts. This paper investigates the influence of incomplete chemical shift assignments on the reliability of NMR structures obtained with automated NOESY cross peak assignment. The program CYANA was used for combined automated NOESY assignment with the CANDID algorithm and structure calculations with torsion angle dynamics at various degrees of completeness of the chemical shift assignment which was simulated by random omission of entries in the experimental 1H chemical shift lists that had been used for the earlier, conventional structure determinations of two proteins. Sets of structure calculations were performed choosing the omitted chemical shifts randomly among all assigned hydrogen atoms, or among aromatic hydrogen atoms. For comparison, automated NOESY assignment and structure calculations were performed with the complete experimental chemical shift but under random omission of NOESY cross peaks. When heteronuclear-resolved three-dimensional NOESY spectra are available the current CANDID algorithm yields in the absence of up to about 10% of the experimental 1H chemical shifts reliable NOE assignments and three-dimensional structures that deviate by less than 2 Å from the reference structure obtained using all experimental chemical shift assignments. In contrast, the algorithm can accommodate the omission of up to 50% of the cross peaks in heteronuclear- resolved NOESY spectra without producing structures with a RMSD of more than 2 Å to the reference structure. When only homonuclear NOESY spectra are available, the algorithm is slightly more susceptible to missing data and can tolerate the absence of up to about 7% of the experimental 1H chemical shifts or of up to 30% of the NOESY peaks.Abbreviations: BmPBPA – Bombyx mori pheromone binding protein form A; CYANA – combined assignment and dynamics algorithm for NMR applications; NMR – nuclear magnetic resonance; NOE – nuclear Overhauser effect; NOESY – NOE spectroscopy; RMSD – root-mean-square deviation; WmKT – Williopsis mrakii killer toxin

Structure of human PRL-3, the phosphatase associated with cancer metastasis☆

PRL‐3, a novel class protein of prenylated tyrosine phosphatase, is important in cancer metastasis. Due to its high levels of expression in metastatic tumors, PRL‐3 may constitute a useful marker for metastasis and might be a new therapeutic target. Here, we present the solution structure of the phosphatase domain of a human PRL‐3 (residues 1–162) in phosphate‐free state. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) structure of PRL‐3 is similar to that of other known phosphatases with minor differences in the secondary structure. But the conformation and flexibility of the loops comprising the active site differ significantly. When phosphate ions or sodium orthovanadate, which is a known inhibitor, are added to the apo PRL‐3, the NMR signals from the residues in the active site appeared and could be assigned, indicating that the conformation of the residues has been stabilized.

Hydrogen Exchange Rate of Tyrosine Hydroxyl Groups in Proteins As Studied by the Deuterium Isotope Effect on Cζ Chemical Shifts

We describe a new NMR method for monitoring the individual hydrogen exchange rates of the hydroxyl groups of tyrosine (Tyr) residues in proteins. The method utilizes (2S,3R)-[beta(2),epsilon(1,2)-(2)H(3);0,alpha,beta,zeta-(13)C(4);(15)N]-Tyr, zeta-SAIL Tyr, to detect and assign the (13)C(zeta) signals of Tyr rings efficiently, either by indirect (1)H-detection through 7-8 Hz (1)H(delta)-(13)C(zeta) spin couplings or by direct (13)C(zeta) observation. A comparison of the (13)C(zeta) chemical shifts of three Tyr residues of an 18.2 kDa protein, EPPIb, dissolved in H(2)O and D(2)O, revealed that all three (13)C(zeta) signals in D(2)O appeared at approximately 0.13 ppm ( approximately 20 Hz at 150.9 MHz) higher than those in H(2)O. In a H(2)O/D(2)O (1:1) mixture, however, one of the three signals for (13)C(zeta) appeared as a single peak at the averaged chemical shifts, and the other two appeared as double peaks at exactly the same chemical shifts in H(2)O and D(2)O, in 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.6) at 40 degrees C. These three peaks were assigned to Tyr-36, Tyr-120, and Tyr-30, from the lower to higher chemical shifts, respectively. The results indicate that the hydroxyl proton of Tyr-120 exchanges faster than a few milliseconds, whereas those of Tyr-30 and Tyr-36 exchange more slowly. The exchange rate of the Tyr-30 hydroxyl proton, k(ex), under these conditions was determined by (13)C NMR exchange spectroscopy (EXSY) to be 9.2 +/- 1.1 s(-1). The Tyr-36 hydroxyl proton, however, exchanges too slowly to be determined by EXSY. These profound differences among the hydroxyl proton exchange rates are closely related to their relative solvent accessibility and the hydrogen bonds associated with the Tyr hydroxyl groups in proteins.

Electrostatic Interaction between Oxysterol-binding Protein and VAMP-associated Protein A Revealed by NMR and Mutagenesis Studies

Oxysterol-binding protein (OSBP), a cytosolic receptor of cholesterol and oxysterols, is recruited to the endoplasmic reticulum by binding to the cytoplasmic major sperm protein (MSP) domain of integral endoplasmic reticulum protein VAMP-associated protein-A (VAP-A), a process essential for the stimulation of sphingomyelin synthesis by 25-hydroxycholesterol. To delineate the interaction mechanism between VAP-A and OSBP, we determined the complex structure between the VAP-A MSP domain (VAP-AMSP) and the OSBP fragment containing a VAP-A binding motif FFAT (OSBPF) by NMR. This solution structure explained that five of six conserved residues in the FFAT motif are required for the stable complex formation, and three of five, including three critical intermolecular electrostatic interactions, were not explained before. By combining NMR relaxation and titration, isothermal titration calorimetry, and mutagenesis experiments with structural information, we further elucidated the detailed roles of the FFAT motif and underlying motions of VAP-AMSP, OSBPF, and the complex. Our results show that OSBPF is disordered in the free state, and VAP-AMSP and OSBPF form a final complex by means of intermediates, where electrostatic interactions through acidic residues, including an acid patch preceding the FFAT motif, probably play a collective role. Additionally, we report that the mutation that causes the familial motor neuron disease decreases the stability of the MSP domain.

Detection of the sulfhydryl groups in proteins with slow hydrogen exchange rates and determination of their proton/deuteron fractionation factors using the deuterium-induced effects on the 13C(beta) NMR signals.

A method for identifying cysteine (Cys) residues with sulfhydryl (SH) groups exhibiting slow hydrogen exchange rates has been developed for proteins in aqueous media. The method utilizes the isotope shifts of the C(beta) chemical shifts induced by the deuteration of the SH groups. The 18.2 kDa E. coli peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase b (EPPIb), which was selectively labeled with [3-(13)C;3,3-(2)H(2)]Cys, showed much narrower line widths for the (13)C(beta) NMR signals, as compared to those of the proteins labeled with either [3-(13)C]Cys or (3R)-[3-(13)C;3-(2)H]Cys. The (13)C(beta) signals of the two Cys residues of EPPIb, i.e. Cys-31 and Cys-121, labeled with [3-(13)C;3,3-(2)H(2)]Cys, split into four signals in H(2)O/D(2)O (1:1) at 40 degrees C and pH 7.5, indicating that the exchange rates of the side-chain SHs and the backbone amides are too slow to average the chemical shift differences of the (13)C(beta) signals, due to the two- and three-bond isotope shifts. By virtue of the well-separated signals, the proton/deuteron fractional factors for both the SH and amide groups of the two Cys residues in EPPIb could be directly determined, as approximately 0.4-0.5 for [SD]/[SH] and 0.9-1.0 for [ND]/[NH], by the relative intensities of the NMR signals for the isotopomers. The proton NOEs of the two slowly exchanging SHs were clearly identified in the NOESY spectra and were useful for the determining the local structure of EPPIb around the Cys residues.

Structure and Mutagenesis Studies of the C-terminal Region of Licensing Factor Cdt1 Enable the Identification of Key Residues for Binding to Replicative Helicase Mcm Proteins

In eukaryotes, DNA replication is fired once in a single cell cycle before cell division starts to maintain stability of the genome. This event is tightly controlled by a series of proteins. Cdt1 is one of the licensing factors and is involved in recruiting replicative DNA helicase Mcm2–7 proteins into the pre-replicative complex together with Cdc6. In Cdt1, the C-terminal region serves as a binding site for Mcm2–7 proteins, although the details of these interactions remain largely unknown. Here, we report the structure of the region and the key residues for binding to Mcm proteins. We determined the solution structure of the C-terminal fragment, residues 450–557, of mouse Cdt1 by NMR. The structure consists of a winged-helix domain and shows unexpected similarity to those of the C-terminal domain of Cdc6 and the central fragment of Cdt1, thereby implying functional and evolutionary relationships. Structure-based mutagenesis and an in vitro binding assay enabled us to pinpoint the region that interacts with Mcm proteins. Moreover, by performing in vitro binding and budding yeast viability experiments, we showed that ∼45 residues located in the N-terminal direction of the structural region are equally crucial for recognizing Mcm proteins. Our data suggest the possibility that winged-helix domain plays a role as a common module to interact with replicative helicase in the DNA replication-licensing process.

Structure of the putative 32 kDa myrosinase‐binding protein from Arabidopsis (At3g16450.1) determined by SAIL‐NMR

The product of gene At3g16450.1 from Arabidopsis thaliana is a 32 kDa, 299‐residue protein classified as resembling a myrosinase‐binding protein (MyroBP). MyroBPs are found in plants as part of a complex with the glucosinolate‐degrading enzyme myrosinase, and are suspected to play a role in myrosinase‐dependent defense against pathogens. Many MyroBPs and MyroBP‐related proteins are composed of repeated homologous sequences with unknown structure. We report here the three‐dimensional structure of the At3g16450.1 protein from Arabidopsis, which consists of two tandem repeats. Because the size of the protein is larger than that amenable to high‐throughput analysis by uniform 13C/15N labeling methods, we used stereo‐array isotope labeling (SAIL) technology to prepare an optimally 2H/13C/15N‐labeled sample. NMR data sets collected using the SAIL protein enabled us to assign 1H, 13C and 15N chemical shifts to 95.5% of all atoms, even at a low concentration (0.2 mm) of protein product. We collected additional NOESY data and determined the three‐dimensional structure using the cyana software package. The structure, the first for a MyroBP family member, revealed that the At3g16450.1 protein consists of two independent but similar lectin‐fold domains, each composed of three β‐sheets.

Exclusively NOESY-based automated NMR assignment and structure determination of proteins

A fully automated method is presented for determining NMR solution structures of proteins using exclusively NOESY spectra as input, obviating the need to measure any spectra only for obtaining resonance assignments but devoid of structural information. Applied to two small proteins, the approach yielded structures that coincided closely with conventionally determined structures.

Solution structure of the HRDC domain of human Bloom syndrome protein BLM.

Bloom syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by severe growth retardation and cancer predisposition. The disease is caused by a loss of function of the Bloom syndrome protein (BLM), a member of the RecQ family of DNA helicases. Here we report on the first 3D structure of a BLM fragment, a solution structure of the C-terminal helicase-and-ribonuclease D-C-terminal (HRDC) domain from human BLM. The structure reveals unique features of BLM HRDC that are distinct from the HRDC domain of Werner syndrome protein. In particular, BLM HRDC retains many acidic residues exposed to the solvent, which makes the domain surface extensively electronegative. Consistent with this, fluorescence polarization assays showed an inability of isolated BLM HRDC to interact with DNA substrates. Analyses employing ultracentrifugation, gel-filtration, CD spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering showed that the BLM HRDC domain exists as a stable monomer in solution. The results show that BLM HRDC is a compact, robust and acidic motif which may play a distinct role apart from DNA binding.