Justine M. Hill

AIM2 and NLRP3 inflammasomes activate both apoptotic and pyroptotic death pathways via ASC.

Inflammasomes are protein complexes assembled upon recognition of infection or cell damage signals, and serve as platforms for clustering and activation of procaspase-1. Oligomerisation of initiating proteins such as AIM2 (absent in melanoma-2) and NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain-containing-3) recruits procaspase-1 via the inflammasome adapter molecule ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD). Active caspase-1 is responsible for rapid lytic cell death termed pyroptosis. Here we show that AIM2 and NLRP3 inflammasomes activate caspase-8 and -1, leading to both apoptotic and pyroptotic cell death. The AIM2 inflammasome is activated by cytosolic DNA. The balance between pyroptosis and apoptosis depended upon the amount of DNA, with apoptosis seen at lower transfected DNA concentrations. Pyroptosis had a higher threshold for activation, and dominated at high DNA concentrations because it happens more rapidly. Gene knockdown showed caspase-8 to be the apical caspase in the AIM2- and NLRP3-dependent apoptotic pathways, with little or no requirement for caspase-9. Procaspase-8 localised to ASC inflammasome ‘specks’ in cells, and bound directly to the pyrin domain of ASC. Thus caspase-8 is an integral part of the inflammasome, and this extends the relevance of the inflammasome to cell types that do not express caspase-1.

Recognition of ERK MAP kinase by PEA-15 reveals a common docking site within the death domain and death effector domain

PEA‐15 is a multifunctional protein that modulates signaling pathways which control cell proliferation and cell death. In particular, PEA‐15 regulates the actions of the ERK MAP kinase cascade by binding to ERK and altering its subcellular localization. The three‐dimensional structure of PEA‐15 has been determined using NMR spectroscopy and its interaction with ERK defined by characterization of mutants that modulate ERK function. PEA‐15 is composed of an N‐terminal death effector domain (DED) and a C‐terminal tail of irregular structure. NMR ‘footprinting’ and mutagenesis identified elements of both the DED and tail that are required for ERK binding. Comparison of the DED‐binding surface for ERK2 with the death domain (DD)‐binding surface of Drosophila Tube revealed an unexpected similarity between the interaction modes of the DD and DED motifs in these proteins. Despite a lack of functional or sequence similarity between PEA‐15 and Tube, these proteins utilize a common surface of the structurally similar DD and DED to recognize functionally diverse targets.

Unique scorpion toxin with a putative ancestral fold provides insight into evolution of the inhibitor cystine knot motif

The three-disulfide inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) motif is a fold common to venom peptides from spiders, scorpions, and aquatic cone snails. Over a decade ago it was proposed that the ICK motif is an elaboration of an ancestral two-disulfide fold coined the disulfide-directed β-hairpin (DDH). Here we report the isolation, characterization, and structure of a novel toxin [U1-liotoxin-Lw1a (U1-LITX-Lw1a)] from the venom of the scorpion Liocheles waigiensis that is the first example of a native peptide that adopts the DDH fold. U1-LITX-Lw1a not only represents the discovery of a missing link in venom protein evolution, it is the first member of a fourth structural fold to be adopted by scorpion-venom peptides. Additionally, we show that U1-LITX-Lw1a has potent insecticidal activity across a broad range of insect pest species, thereby providing a unique structural scaffold for bioinsecticide development.

Multiple Binding Sites on the Pyrin Domain of ASC Protein Allow Self-association and Interaction with NLRP3 Protein

Background: Pyrin domains (PYDs) mediate the assembly of inflammasome complexes, but PYD interaction modes are not well characterized. Results: Interaction sites were identified on the PYD of the inflammasome adaptor protein, ASC. Conclusion: ASC PYD has multiple binding sites allowing self-association and interaction with binding partners. Significance: Understanding molecular details of inflammasome assembly may lead to development of anti-inflammatory agents. A key process underlying an innate immune response to pathogens or cellular stress is activation of members of the NOD-like receptor family, such as NLRP3, to assemble caspase-1-activating inflammasome complexes. Activated caspase-1 processes proinflammatory cytokines into active forms that mediate inflammation. Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is also associated with common diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and Alzheimer disease. However, the molecular details of NLRP3 inflammasome assembly are not established. The adaptor protein ASC plays a key role in inflammasome assembly. It is composed of an N-terminal pyrin domain (PYD) and a C-terminal caspase recruitment domain, which are protein interaction domains of the death fold superfamily. ASC interacts with NLRP3 via a homotypic PYD interaction and recruits procaspase-1 via a homotypic caspase recruitment domain interaction. Here we demonstrate that ASC PYD contains two distinct binding sites important for self-association and interaction with NLRP3 and the modulatory protein POP1. Modeling of the homodimeric ASC PYD complex formed via an asymmetric interaction using both sites resembles a type I interaction found in other death fold domain complexes. This interaction mode also permits assembly of ASC PYDs into filaments. Furthermore, a type I binding mode is likely conserved in interactions with NLRP3 and POP1, because residues critical for interaction of ASC PYD are conserved in these PYDs. We also demonstrate that ASC PYD can simultaneously self-associate and interact with NLRP3, rationalizing the model whereby ASC self-association upon recruitment to NLRP3 promotes clustering and activation of procaspase-1.

PEA-15 Binding to ERK1/2 MAPKs Is Required for Its Modulation of Integrin Activation

Activation of Raf-1 suppresses integrin activation, potentially through the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2). However, bulk ERK1/2 activation does not correlate with suppression. PEA-15 reverses suppression of integrin activation and binds ERK1/2. Here we report that PEA-15 reversal of integrin suppression depends on its capacity to bind ERK1/2, indicating that ERK1/2 function is indeed required for suppression. Mutations in either the death effector domain or C-terminal tail of PEA-15 that block ERK1/2 binding abrogated the reversal of integrin suppression. Furthermore, we used ERK/p38 chimeras and site-directed mutagenesis to identify ERK1/2 residues required for binding PEA-15. Mutations of residues that precede the αG helix and within the mitogen-activated protein kinase insert blocked ERK2 binding to PEA-15, but not activation of ERK2. These ERK2 mutants blocked the ability of PEA-15 to reverse suppression of integrin activation. Thus, PEA-15 regulation of integrin activation depends on its binding to ERK1/2. To directly test the role of ERK1/2 localization in suppression, we enforced membrane association of ERK1 and 2 by joining a membrane-targeting CAAX box sequence to them. Both ERK1-CAAX and ERK2-CAAX were membrane-localized and suppressed integrin activation. In contrast to suppression by membrane-targeted Raf-CAAX, suppression by ERK1/2-CAAX was not reversed by PEA-15. Thus, ERK1/2 are the Raf effectors for suppression of integrin activation, and PEA-15 reverses suppression by binding ERK1/2.

FADD self-association is required for stable interaction with an activated death receptor

Receptor-mediated programmed cell death proceeds through an activated receptor to which the death adaptor FADD and the initiator procaspases 8 and/or 10 are recruited following receptor stimulation. The adaptor FADD is responsible for both receptor binding and recruitment of the procaspases into the death-inducing signaling complex. Biochemical dissection of the FADD death effector domain and functional replacement with a coiled-coil motif demonstrates that there is an obligatory FADD self-association via the DED during assembly of the death-inducing signaling complex. Using engineered oligomerization motifs with defined stoichiometries, the requirement for FADD self-association through the DED can be separated from the caspase-recruitment function of the domain. Disruption of FADD self-association precludes formation of a competent signaling complex. On this basis, we propose an alternative architecture for the FADD signaling complex in which FADD acts as a molecular bridge to stitch together an array of activated death receptors.

Structure and Dynamics of ASC2, a Pyrin Domain-only Protein That Regulates Inflammatory Signaling

Pyrin domain (PYD)-containing proteins are key components of pathways that regulate inflammation, apoptosis, and cytokine processing. Their importance is further evidenced by the consequences of mutations in these proteins that give rise to autoimmune and hyperinflammatory syndromes. PYDs, like other members of the death domain (DD) superfamily, are postulated to mediate homotypic interactions that assemble and regulate the activity of signaling complexes. However, PYDs are presently the least well characterized of all four DD subfamilies. Here we report the three-dimensional structure and dynamic properties of ASC2, a PYD-only protein that functions as a modulator of multidomain PYD-containing proteins involved in NF-κB and caspase-1 activation. ASC2 adopts a six-helix bundle structure with a prominent loop, comprising 13 amino acid residues, between helices two and three. This loop represents a divergent feature of PYDs from other domains with the DD fold. Detailed analysis of backbone 15N NMR relaxation data using both the Lipari-Szabo model-free and reduced spectral density function formalisms revealed no evidence of contiguous stretches of polypeptide chain with dramatically increased internal motion, except at the extreme N and C termini. Some mobility in the fast, picosecond to nanosecond timescale, was seen in helix 3 and the preceding α2-α3 loop, in stark contrast to the complete disorder seen in the corresponding region of the NALP1 PYD. Our results suggest that extensive conformational flexibility in helix 3 and the α2-α3 loop is not a general feature of pyrin domains. Further, a transition from complete disorder to order of the α2-α3 loop upon binding, as suggested for NALP1, is unlikely to be a common attribute of pyrin domain interactions.

The Inflammasome Adaptor ASC Induces Procaspase-8 Death Effector Domain Filaments

Background: ASC mediates inflammasome assembly, recruiting procaspase-1 and procaspase-8 to initiate inflammation and cell death. Results: ASC pyrin domain (PYD) surfaces that mediate filament assembly bind procaspase-8 death effector domains (DEDs) and induce filaments. Conclusion: Procaspase-8 DED filaments are initiated from ASC PYD filaments. Significance: The data give insights into cross-talk between apoptotic and inflammatory pathways and procapase-8 activation. Inflammasomes mediate inflammatory and cell death responses to pathogens and cellular stress signals via activation of procaspases-1 and -8. During inflammasome assembly, activated receptors of the NLR or PYHIN family recruit the adaptor protein ASC and initiate polymerization of its pyrin domain (PYD) into filaments. We show that ASC filaments in turn nucleate procaspase-8 death effector domain (DED) filaments in vitro and in vivo. Interaction between ASC PYD and procaspase-8 tandem DEDs optimally required both DEDs and represents an unusual heterotypic interaction between domains of the death fold superfamily. Analysis of ASC PYD mutants showed that interaction surfaces that mediate procaspase-8 interaction overlap with those required for ASC self-association and interaction with the PYDs of inflammasome initiators. Our data indicate that multiple types of death fold domain filaments form at inflammasomes and that PYD/DED and homotypic PYD interaction modes are similar. Interestingly, we observed condensation of procaspase-8 filaments containing the catalytic domain, suggesting that procaspase-8 interactions within and/or between filaments may be involved in caspase-8 activation. Procaspase-8 filaments may also be relevant to apoptosis induced by death receptors.

De novo GTP biosynthesis is critical for virulence of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans.

We have investigated the potential of the GTP synthesis pathways as chemotherapeutic targets in the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, a common cause of fatal fungal meningoencephalitis. We find that de novo GTP biosynthesis, but not the alternate salvage pathway, is critical to cryptococcal dissemination and survival in vivo. Loss of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) in the de novo pathway results in slow growth and virulence factor defects, while loss of the cognate phosphoribosyltransferase in the salvage pathway yielded no phenotypes. Further, the Cryptococcus species complex displays variable sensitivity to the IMPDH inhibitor mycophenolic acid, and we uncover a rare drug-resistant subtype of C. gattii that suggests an adaptive response to microbial IMPDH inhibitors in its environmental niche. We report the structural and functional characterization of IMPDH from Cryptococcus, revealing insights into the basis for drug resistance and suggesting strategies for the development of fungal-specific inhibitors. The crystal structure reveals the position of the IMPDH moveable flap and catalytic arginine in the open conformation for the first time, plus unique, exploitable differences in the highly conserved active site. Treatment with mycophenolic acid led to significantly increased survival times in a nematode model, validating de novo GTP biosynthesis as an antifungal target in Cryptococcus.

The effects of transmembrane sequence and dimerization on cleavage of the p75 neurotrophin receptor by γ-secretase.

Background: p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) signaling is modulated by dimerization and regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP). Results: Transmembrane sequence and TrkA but not ligands regulate p75NTR homodimerization and γ-secretase cleavage. Conclusion: Although γ-secretase does not require a dimeric substrate, p75NTR dimerization facilitates RIP. Significance: Structural change mediated by homo- and heterodimerization is more important than ligand for inducing RIP of p75NTR. Cleavage of transmembrane receptors by γ-secretase is the final step in the process of regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP) and has a significant impact on receptor function. Although relatively little is known about the molecular mechanism of γ-secretase enzymatic activity, it is becoming clear that substrate dimerization and/or the α-helical structure of the substrate can regulate the site and rate of γ-secretase activity. Here we show that the transmembrane domain of the pan-neurotrophin receptor p75NTR, best known for regulating neuronal death, is sufficient for its homodimerization. Although the p75NTR ligands NGF and pro-NGF do not induce homerdimerization or RIP, homodimers of p75NTR are γ-secretase substrates. However, dimerization is not a requirement for p75NTR cleavage, suggesting that γ-secretase has the ability to recognize and cleave each receptor molecule independently. The transmembrane cysteine 257, which mediates covalent p75NTR interactions, is not crucial for homodimerization, but this residue is required for normal rates of γ-secretase cleavage. Similarly, mutation of the residues alanine 262 and glycine 266 of an AXXXG dimerization motif flanking the γ-secretase cleavage site within the p75NTR transmembrane domain alters the orientation of the domain and inhibits γ-secretase cleavage of p75NTR. Nonetheless, heteromer interactions of p75NTR with TrkA increase full-length p75NTR homodimerization, which in turn potentiates the rate of γ-cleavage following TrkA activation independently of rates of α-cleavage. These results provide support for the idea that the helical structure of the p75NTR transmembrane domain, which may be affected by co-receptor interactions, is a key element in γ-secretase-catalyzed cleavage.