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Effector Domain (effector + domain)
Selected AbstractsThe adaptor molecule FADD from Xenopus laevis demonstrates evolutionary conservation of its pro-apoptotic activityGENES TO CELLS, Issue 12 2004Kazuhiro Sakamaki FADD is an adaptor protein that transmits apoptotic signals from death receptors such as Fas to downstream initiator caspases in mammals. We have identified and characterized the Xenopus orthologue of mammalian FADD (xFADD). xFADD contains both a death effector domain (DED) and a death domain (DD) that are structurally homologous to those of mammalian FADD. We observed xFADD binding to Xenopus caspase-8 and caspase-10 as well as to human caspase-8 and Fas through interactions with their homophilic DED and DD domains. When over-expressed, xFADD was also able to induce apoptosis in wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF), but not in caspase-8-deficient MEF cells. In contrast, DED-deficient xFADD (xFADDdn) acted as a dominant-negative mutant and prevented Fas-mediated apoptosis in mammalian cell lines. These results indicate that xFADD transmits apoptotic signals from Fas to caspase-8. Furthermore, we found that transgenic animals expressing xFADD in the developing heart or eye under the control of tissue-specific promoters show abnormal phenotypes. Taken together, these results suggest that xFADD can substitute functionally for its mammalian homologue in death receptor-mediated apoptosis, and we suggest that xFADD functions as a pro-apoptotic adaptor molecule in frogs. Thus, the structural and functional similarities between xFADD and mammalian FADD provide evidence that the apoptotic pathways are evolutionally conserved across vertebrate species. [source] Dynamin 2 mutations associated with human diseases impair clathrin-mediated receptor endocytosis,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 10 2009Marc Bitoun Abstract Dynamin 2 (DNM2) is a large GTPase involved in the release of nascent vesicles during endocytosis and intracellular membrane trafficking. Distinct DNM2 mutations, affecting the middle domain (MD) and the Pleckstrin homology domain (PH), have been identified in autosomal dominant centronuclear myopathy (CNM) and in the intermediate and axonal forms of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth peripheral neuropathy (CMT). We report here the first CNM mutation (c.1948G>A, p.E650,K) in the DNM2 GTPase effector domain (GED), leading to a slowly progressive moderate myopathy. COS7 cells transfected with DNM2 constructs harboring a disease-associated mutation in MD, PH, or GED show a reduced uptake of transferrin and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) complex, two markers of clathrin-mediated receptor endocytosis. A decrease in clathrin-mediated endocytosis was also identified in skin fibroblasts from one CNM patient. We studied the impact of DNM2 mutant overexpression on epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) and ERK2 activation, known to be an endocytosis- and DNM2-dependent process. Activation of ERK1/2 was impaired for all the transfected mutants in COS7 cells, but not in CNM fibroblasts. Our results indicate that impairment of clathrin-mediated endocytosis may play a role in the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to DNM2-related diseases, but the tissue-specific impact of DNM2 mutations in both diseases remains unclear. Hum Mutat 30:1,9, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The polybasic sequence in the C2B domain of rabphilin is required for the vesicle docking step in PC12 cellsJOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 3 2007Takashi Tsuboi Abstract Rabphilin is generally thought to be involved in the regulation of secretory vesicle exocytosis in neurons and neuroendocrine cells, and it has recently been hypothesized that the C2B domain of rabphilin promotes the docking of dense-core vesicles to the plasma membrane through simultaneous interaction with a vesicle protein, Rab3A/27A, and a plasma membrane protein, SNAP-25 (synaptosome-associated protein of 25 kDa). However, the physiological significance of the rabphilin,SNAP-25 interaction in the vesicle-docking step has never been elucidated. In this study we demonstrated by a mutation analysis that the polybasic sequence (587 KKAKHKTQIKKK 598) in the C2B domain of rabphilin is required for SNAP-25 binding, and that the Asp residues in the Ca2+ -binding loop 3 (D628 and D630) of the C2B domain are not required. We also investigated the effect of Lys,Gln (KQ) mutations in the polybasic sequence of the C2B domain on vesicle dynamics by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy in individual PC12 cells. A rabphilin(KQ) mutant that completely lacks SNAP-25-binding activity significantly decreased the number of plasma-membrane-docked vesicles and strongly inhibited high-KCl-induced dense-core vesicle exocytosis. These results indicate that the polybasic sequence in the C2B domain functions as an effector domain for SNAP-25 and controls the number of ,releasable' vesicles docked to the plasma membrane. [source] Matrix formalism for site-specific binding of unstructured proteins to multicomponent lipid membranes,JOURNAL OF PEPTIDE SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008Vladimir B. Teif Abstract We describe a new approach to calculate the binding of flexible peptides and unfolded proteins to multicomponent lipid membranes. The method is based on the transfer matrix formalism of statistical mechanics recently described as a systematic tool to study DNA,protein,drug binding in gene regulation. Using the energies of interaction of the individual polymer segments with different membrane lipid species and the scaling corrections due to polymer looping, we calculate polymer adsorption characteristics and the degree of sequestration of specific membrane lipids. The method is applied to the effector domain of the MARCKS (myristoylated alanine rich C kinase substrate) protein known to be involved in signal transduction through membrane binding. The calculated binding constants of the MARCKS(151,175) peptide and a series of related peptides to mixed PC/PS/PIP2 membranes are in satisfactory agreement with in vitro experiments. Copyright © 2008 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Structure of NS1A effector domain from the influenza A/Udorn/72 virusACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 1 2009Shuangluo Xia The nonstructural protein NS1A from influenza virus is a multifunctional virulence factor and a potent inhibitor of host immunity. It has two functional domains: an N-terminal 73-amino-acid RNA-binding domain and a C-terminal effector domain. Here, the crystallographic structure of the NS1A effector domain of influenza A/Udorn/72 virus is presented. Structure comparison with the NS1 effector domain from mouse-adapted influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8) virus strain reveals a similar monomer conformation but a different dimer interface. Further analysis and evaluation shows that the dimer interface observed in the structure of the PR8 NS1 effector domain is likely to be a crystallographic packing effect. A hypothetical model of the intact NS1 dimer is presented. [source] Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic studies of the D59A mutant of MicA, a YycF response-regulator homologue from Streptococcus pneumoniaeACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION D, Issue 5 2004Alan Riboldi-Tunnicliffe RR02 (MicA) is an essential bacterial protein that belongs to the YycF family of response regulators and consists of two domains: an N-terminal receiver domain and a C-terminal effector domain. Streptococcus pneumoniae RR02 (MicA; residues 2,234) has been crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion technique. The crystals belong to space group P21, with unit-cell parameters a = 46.46, b = 32.61, c = 63.35,Å, , = 90.01°. X-ray diffraction data have been collected to 1.93,Å resolution. [source] Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the DNA-binding domain of a Chlamydia trachomatis OmpR/PhoB-subfamily response regulator homolog, ChxRACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION F (ELECTRONIC), Issue 8 2009John M. Hickey Two-component signal transduction systems in bacteria are a primary mechanism for responding to environmental stimuli and adjusting gene expression accordingly. Generally in these systems a sensor kinase phosphorylates a response regulator that regulates transcription. Response regulators contain two domains: a receiver domain and an effector domain. The receiver domain is typically phosphorylated and as a result facilitates the DNA-binding and transcriptional activity of the effector domain. The OmpR/PhoB subfamily is the largest of the response-regulator subfamilies and is primarily defined by the winged helix,turn,helix DNA-binding motif within the effector domain. The overall structure of effector domains is highly conserved and contains three defined elements that are critical for transcriptional regulation: a DNA major-groove binding helix, a DNA minor-groove binding wing and a transcriptional activation loop. These functional elements are often diverse in sequence and conformation and reflect the functional differences observed between individual subfamily members. ChxR from Chlamydia trachomatis is an atypical OmpR/PhoB response regulator homolog that has transcriptional activity in the absence of phosphorylation. To facilitate the precise identification of the functional elements of the ChxR effector domain, this protein was cloned, expressed, purified and crystallized. Crystals were obtained from two separate mother liquors, producing two morphologically distinct crystals. The space group of both crystals was P43212 (or its enantiomorph P41212) with isomorphous unit-cell parameters; the crystals diffracted to 2.2,2.5,Å resolution. [source] |