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Ronen Marmorstein

Publications and source records attributed to Ronen Marmorstein.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Acetylation of the p53 DNA-binding domain regulates apoptosis induction.

The ability of p53 to induce apoptosis plays an important role in tumor suppression. Here, we describe a previously unknown posttranslational modification of the DNA-binding domain of p53. This modification, acetylation of lysine 120 (K120), occurs rapidly after DNA damage and is catalyzed by the MYST family acetyltransferases hMOF and TIP60. Mutation of K120 to arginine, as occurs in human cancer, debilitates K120 acetylation and diminishes p53-mediated apoptosis without affecting cell-cycle arrest. The K120R mutation selectively blocks the transcription of proapoptotic target genes such as BAX and PUMA while the nonapoptotic targets p21 and hMDM2 remain unaffected. Consistent with this, depletion of hMOF and/or TIP60 inhibits the ability of p53 to activate BAX and PUMA transcription. Furthermore, the acetyllysine 120 (acetyl-K120) form of p53 specifically accumulates at proapoptotic target genes. These data suggest that K120 acetylation may help distinguish the cell-cycle arrest and apoptotic functions of p53.

Acetylation↗
PubMed2006

High-resolution structure of the p53 core domain: implications for binding small-molecule stabilizing compounds.

The p53 transcriptional regulator is the most frequently mutated protein in human cancers and the majority of tumor-derived p53 mutations map to the central DNA-binding core domain, with a subset of these mutations resulting in reduced p53 stability. Here, the 1.55 A crystal structure of the mouse p53 core domain with a molecule of tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) bound through multiple hydrogen bonds to a region of p53 shown to be important for repair of a subset of tumor-derived p53-stability mutations is reported. Consistent with the hypothesis that Tris binding stabilizes the p53 core domain, equilibrium denaturation experiments are presented that demonstrate that Tris binding increases the thermodynamic stability of the mouse p53 core domain by 3.1 kJ mol(-1) and molecular-dynamic simulations are presented revealing an overall reduction in root-mean-square deviations of the core domain of 0.7 A when Tris is bound. It is also shown that these crystals of the p53 core domain are suitable for the multiple-solvent crystal structure approach to identify other potential binding sites for possible core-domain stabilization compounds. Analysis of the residue-specific temperature factors of the high-resolution core-domain structure, coupled with a comparison with other core-domain structures, also reveals that the L1, H1-S5 and S7-S8 core-domain loops, also shown to mediate various p53 activities, harbor inherent flexibility, suggesting that these regions might be targets for other p53-stabilizing compounds. Together, these studies provide a molecular scaffold for the structure-based design of p53-stabilization compounds for development as possible therapeutic agents.

2-Propanol↗
PubMed2006

Nuclear export modulates the cytoplasmic Sir2 homologue Hst2.

Modulating transcription factors is crucial to executing sophisticated gene expression programs. The silent information regulator 2 (Sir2) family of NAD-dependent protein deacetylases influences transcription by targeting proteins such as histones, p53 and forkhead-box family transcription factors. Although apparently cytoplasmic, both mammalian SIRT2 and its yeast orthologue Hst2 have been implicated in transcriptional regulation. Here, we show that Hst2 moves between the nucleus and cytoplasm, but is largely cytoplasmic owing to efficient nuclear export. This nuclear exclusion is mediated by the exportin chromosomal region maintenance 1 (Crm1) and a putative leucine-rich nuclear export sequence in Hst2, which overlaps a unique autoregulatory helix. Disruption of Hst2 export shows that nuclear exclusion inhibits the activity of Hst2 as a transcriptional repressor. Our identification of putative nuclear export sequences in numerous vertebrate SIRT2 proteins shows that active nuclear export can be a conserved mechanism for regulating Sir2 homologues.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗
PubMed2006

Structure of a human ASF1a-HIRA complex and insights into specificity of histone chaperone complex assembly.

Human HIRA, ASF1a, ASF1b and CAF-1 are evolutionally conserved histone chaperones that form multiple functionally distinct chromatin-assembly complexes, with roles linked to diverse nuclear process, such as DNA replication and formation of heterochromatin in senescent cells. We report the crystal structure of an ASF1a-HIRA heterodimer and a biochemical dissection of ASF1a's mutually exclusive interactions with HIRA and the p60 subunit of CAF-1. The HIRA B domain forms an antiparallel beta-hairpin that binds perpendicular to the strands of the beta-sandwich of ASF1a, via beta-sheet, salt bridge and van der Waals contacts. The N- and C-terminal regions of ASF1a and ASF1b determine the different affinities of these two proteins for HIRA, by contacting regions outside the HIRA B domain. CAF-1 p60 also uses B domain-like motifs for binding to ASF1a, thereby competing with HIRA. Together, these studies begin to define the molecular determinants of assembly of functionally diverse macromolecular histone chaperone complexes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Structure of the p53 core domain dimer bound to DNA.

The p53 tumor suppressor protein binds to DNA as a dimer of dimers to regulate transcription of genes that mediate responses to cellular stress. We have prepared a cross-linked trapped p53 core domain dimer bound to decamer DNA and have determined its structure by x-ray crystallography to 2.3A resolution. The p53 core domain subunits bind nearly symmetrically to opposite faces of the DNA in a head-to-head fashion with a loophelix motif making sequence-specific DNA contacts and bending the DNA by about 20 degrees at the site of protein dimerization. Protein subunit interactions occur over the central DNA minor groove and involve residues from a zinc-binding region. Analysis of tumor derived p53 mutations reveals that the dimerization interface represents a third hot spot for mutation that also includes residues associated with DNA contact and protein stability. Residues associated with p53 dimer formation on DNA are poorly conserved in the p63 and p73 paralogs, possibly contributing to their functional differences. We have used the dimeric protein-DNA complex to model a dimer of p53 dimers bound to icosamer DNA that is consistent with solution bending data and suggests that p53 core domain dimer-dimer contacts are less frequently mutated in human cancer than intra-dimer contacts.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

A mechanism-based inactivator for histone demethylase LSD1.

Histone demethylase LSD1 is a flavin-dependent amine oxidase that catalyzes the oxidative removal of one or two methyl groups from the methyl-lysine-4 side chain of histone H3. We have designed and synthesized two peptide-based inhibitor analogues that block LSD1. One of these inhibitors, compound 1, contains a propargylamine functionality and shows time-dependent inactivation of LSD1. Peptide substrate, diMeK4H3-21, protected LSD1 against inactivation by 1 in a concentration-dependent fashion. Mass spectrometric analysis showed that 1 forms a covalent interaction with FAD. Compound 1 did not detectably inhibit monoamine oxidase B in the concentration range studied. Compound 1 is thus a selective, mechanism-based inactivator of LSD1 and is likely to serve as a useful tool in the study of histone modifications and chromatin remodeling.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Structure and function of the SWIRM domain, a conserved protein module found in chromatin regulatory complexes.

The SWIRM domain is a module found in the Swi3 and Rsc8 subunits of SWI/SNF-family chromatin remodeling complexes, and the Ada2 and BHC110/LSD1 subunits of chromatin modification complexes. Here we report the high-resolution crystal structure of the SWIRM domain from Swi3 and characterize the in vitro and in vivo function of the SWIRM domains from Saccharomyces cerevisiae Swi3 and Rsc8. The Swi3 SWIRM forms a four-helix bundle containing a pseudo 2-fold axis and a helix-turn-helix motif commonly found in DNA-binding proteins. We show that the Swi3 SWIRM binds free DNA and mononucleosomes with high and comparable affinity and that a subset of Swi3 substitution mutants that display growth defects in vivo also show impaired DNA-binding activity in vitro, consistent with a nucleosome targeting function of this domain. Genetic and biochemical studies also reveal that the Rsc8 and Swi3 SWIRM domains are essential for the proper assembly and in vivo functions of their respective complexes. Together, these studies identify the SWIRM domain as an essential multifunctional module for the regulation of gene expression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Structure of a Leu3-DNA complex: recognition of everted CGG half-sites by a Zn2Cys6 binuclear cluster protein.

Gal4 is the prototypical Zn2Cys6 binuclear cluster transcriptional regulator that binds as a homodimer to DNA containing inverted CGG half-sites. Leu3, a member of this protein family, binds to everted (opposite polarity to inverted) CGG half-sites, and an H50C mutation within the Leu3 Zn2Cys6 binuclear motif abolishes its transcriptional repression function without impairing DNA binding. We report the X-ray crystal structures of DNA complexes with Leu3 and Leu3(H50C) and solution DNA binding studies of selected Leu3 mutant proteins. These studies reveal the molecular details of everted CGG half-site recognition, and suggest a role for the H50C mutation in transcriptional repression. Comparison with the Gal4-DNA complex shows an unexpected conservation in the DNA recognition mode of inverted and everted CGG half-sites, and points to a critical function of a linker region between the Zn2Cys6 binuclear cluster and dimerization regions in DNA binding specificity. Broader implications of these findings are discussed.

Amino Acid Motifs↗
PubMed2006

Structure and dimerization of the kinase domain from yeast Snf1, a member of the Snf1/AMPK protein family.

The Snf1/AMPK kinases are intracellular energy sensors, and the AMPK pathway has been implicated in a variety of metabolic human disorders. Here we report the crystal structure of the kinase domain from yeast Snf1, revealing a bilobe kinase fold with greatest homology to cyclin-dependant kinase-2. Unexpectedly, the crystal structure also reveals a novel homodimer that we show also forms in solution, as demonstrated by equilibrium sedimentation, and in yeast cells, as shown by coimmunoprecipitation of differentially tagged intact Snf1. A mapping of sequence conservation suggests that dimer formation is a conserved feature of the Snf1/AMPK kinases. The conformation of the conserved alphaC helix, and the burial of the activation segment and substrate binding site within the dimer, suggests that it represents an inactive form of the kinase. Taken together, these studies suggest another layer of kinase regulation within the Snf1/AMPK family, and an avenue for development of AMPK-specific activating compounds.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2005

Structure and activity of enzymes that remove histone modifications.

The post-translational modification of histones plays an important role in chromatin regulation, a process that insures the fidelity of gene expression and other DNA transactions. Equally important as the enzymes that generate these modifications are the enzymes that remove them. Recent studies have identified some of the enzymes that remove histone modifications and have characterized their activities. In addition, structural and biochemical studies of these enzymes have focused on the histone lysine deacetylases HDAC8 and sirtuins, and on the arginine and lysine demethylases PAD and BHC110/LSD1, respectively. These new findings may be used as a context to present new information that contributes to our understanding of chromatin regulation, and to pose remaining questions pertaining to the activities of these enzymes and the roles they play in chromatin regulation.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Structure of the human Papillomavirus E7 oncoprotein and its mechanism for inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor.

The E7 oncoprotein from human Papillomavirus (HPV) mediates cell transformation in part by binding to the human pRb tumor suppressor protein and E2F transcription factors, resulting in the dissociation of pRb from E2F transcription factors and the premature cell progression into the S-phase of the cell cycle. This activity is mediated by the LXCXE motif and the CR3 zinc binding domain of the E7 protein. In this study we report the x-ray crystal structure of the CR3 region of HPV E7 and a structure-based mutational analysis to investigate its mode of pRb and E2F binding and E2F displacement from pRb. The structure reveals a novel zinc-bound E7-CR3 obligate homodimer that contains two surface patches of sequence conservation. Mutation of residues within these patches reveals that one patch is required for pRb binding, whereas the other is required for E2F binding. We also show that both E7-mediated interactions are required to disrupt pRb.E2F complexes. Based on these studies we present a mechanistic model for how E7 displaces E2F from pRb. Because the CR3 region of HPV E7 has no detectable homology to other human proteins, the structure-function studies presented here provide an avenue for developing small molecule compounds that inhibit HPV-E7-mediated cell transformation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Structural basis for interaction between the Ubp3 deubiquitinating enzyme and its Bre5 cofactor.

The Bre5 protein is a cofactor for the deubiquitinating enzyme Ubp3, and it contains a nuclear transfer factor 2 (NTF2)-like protein recognition module that is essential for Ubp3 activity. In this study, we report the x-ray crystal structure of the Bre5 NTF2-like domain and show that it forms a homodimeric structure that is similar to other NTF2-like domains, except for the presence of an intermolecular disulfide bond in the crystals. Sedimentation equilibrium studies reveal that under non-reducing conditions, the Bre5 NTF2-like domain is exclusively dimeric, whereas a disulfide bond-deficient mutant undergoes a monomer-dimer equilibrium with a dissociation constant in the midnanomolar range, suggesting that dimer formation and possibly also disulfide bond formation may modulate Bre5 function in vivo. Using deletion analysis, we also identify a novel N-terminal domain of Ubp3 that is necessary and sufficient for interaction with Bre5 and use isothermal titration calorimetry to show that Bre5 and Ubp3 form a 2:1 complex, in contrast to other reported NTF2-like domain/protein interactions that form 1:1 complexes. Finally, we employ structure-based mutagenesis to map the Ubp3 binding surface of Bre5 to a region near the Bre5 dimer interface and show that this binding surface of Bre5 is important for Ubp3 function in vivo. Together, these studies provide novel insights into protein recognition by NTF2-like domains and provide a molecular scaffold for understanding how Ubp3 function is regulated by Bre5 cofactor binding.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Maintenance of low histone ubiquitylation by Ubp10 correlates with telomere-proximal Sir2 association and gene silencing.

Low levels of histone covalent modifications are associated with gene silencing at telomeres and other regions in the yeast S. cerevisiae. Although the histone deacetylase Sir2 maintains low acetylation, mechanisms responsible for low H2B ubiquitylation and low H3 methylation are unknown. Here, we show that the ubiquitin protease Ubp10 targets H2B for deubiquitylation, helping to localize Sir2 to the telomere. Ubp10 exhibits reciprocal Sir2-dependent preferential localization proximal to telomeres, where Ubp10 serves to maintain low H2B Lys123 ubiquitylation in this region and, through previously characterized crosstalk, maintains low H3 Lys4 and Lys79 methylation in a slightly broader region. Ubp10 is also localized to the rDNA locus, a second silenced domain, where it similarly maintains low histone methylation. We compare Ubp10 to Ubp8, the SAGA-associated H2B deubiquitylase involved in gene activation, and show that telomeric and gene-silencing functions are specific to Ubp10. Our results suggest that these H2B-deubiquitylating enzymes have distinct genomic functions.

Acetylation↗
PubMed2005

Inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus OriP function by tankyrase, a telomere-associated poly-ADP ribose polymerase that binds and modifies EBNA1.

Tankyrase (TNKS) is a telomere-associated poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) that has been implicated along with several telomere repeat binding factors in the regulation of Epstein-Barr virus origin of plasmid replication (OriP). We now show that TNKS1 can bind to the family of repeats (FR) and dyad symmetry regions of OriP by using a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and DNA affinity purification. TNKS1 and TNKS2 bound to EBNA1 in coimmunoprecipitation experiments with transfected cell lysates and with purified recombinant proteins in vitro. Two RXXPDG-like TNKS-interacting motifs in the EBNA1 amino-terminal domain mediated binding with the ankyrin repeat domain of TNKS. Mutations of both motifs at EBNA1 G81 and G425 abrogated TNKS binding and enhanced EBNA1-dependent replication of OriP. Small hairpin RNA targeted knock-down of TNKS1 enhanced OriP-dependent DNA replication. Overexpression of TNKS1 or TNKS2 inhibited OriP-dependent DNA replication, while a PARP-inactive form of TNKS2 (M1045V) was compromised for this inhibition. We show that EBNA1 is subject to PAR modification in vivo and to TNKS1-mediated PAR modification in vitro. These results indicate that TNKS proteins can interact directly with the EBNA1 protein, associate with the FR region of OriP in vivo, and inhibit OriP replication in a PARP-dependent manner.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Acridine derivatives activate p53 and induce tumor cell death through Bax.

CP-31398 activates wild-type p53 by a novel mechanism that does not involve phosphorylation of the amino-terminus of p53 and disassociation of MDM2. To identify more potent CP-31398-like p53 activators, we synthesized 4 acridine derivatives with a similar structure to CP-31398. These four compounds induced strong p53 transcription in cells with wild-type p53. We also found that several randomly chosen acridine derivatives, including 9-aminoacridine, amsacrine, quinacrine and acridine orange, induced p53 transcriptional activity. All these acridine derivatives stabilized p53 protein by blocking its ubiquitination, without phosphorylation of ser15 or ser20 on p53. Furthermore, acridine derivatives induced p53-dependent cell death. Knockout of Bax, a p53 target and a key cell death inducer in both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways, blocked acridine derivatives from inducing cell death. In addition, in vivo delivery of quinacrine and amsacrine induced p53 transcriptional activity in tumor xenografts. Our results reveal that DNA-intercalating acridine derivatives can induce p53 stabilization by a manner similar to CP-31398. These findings provide insights into p53 regulation in response to DNA intercalating drugs and may assist new anti-cancer drug design.

Acridines↗
PubMed2004

Structural basis for nicotinamide cleavage and ADP-ribose transfer by NAD(+)-dependent Sir2 histone/protein deacetylases.

Sir2 enzymes are broadly conserved from bacteria to humans and have been implicated to play roles in gene silencing, DNA repair, genome stability, longevity, metabolism, and cell physiology. These enzymes bind NAD(+) and acetyllysine within protein targets and generate lysine, 2'-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose, and nicotinamide products. To provide structural insights into the chemistry catalyzed by Sir2 proteins we report the high-resolution ternary structure of yeast Hst2 (homologue of Sir two 2) with an acetyllysine histone H4 peptide and a nonhydrolyzable NAD(+) analogue, carba-NAD(+), as well as an analogous ternary complex with a reaction intermediate analog formed immediately after nicotinamide hydrolysis, ADP-ribose. The ternary complex with carba-NAD(+) reveals that the nicotinamide group makes stabilizing interactions within a binding pocket harboring conserved Sir2 residues. Moreover, an asparagine residue, N116, strictly conserved within Sir2 proteins and shown to be essential for nicotinamide exchange, is in position to stabilize the oxocarbenium intermediate that has been proposed to proceed the hydrolysis of nicotinamide. A comparison of this structure with the ADP-ribose ternary complex and a previously reported ternary complex with the 2'-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose reaction product reveals that the ribose ring of the cofactor and the highly conserved beta1-alpha2 loop of the protein undergo significant structural rearrangements to facilitate the ordered NAD(+) reactions of nicotinamide cleavage and ADP-ribose transfer to acetate. Together, these studies provide insights into the chemistry of NAD(+) cleavage and acetylation by Sir2 proteins and have implications for the design of Sir2-specific regulatory molecules.

Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose↗
PubMed2004

Structure and substrate binding properties of cobB, a Sir2 homolog protein deacetylase from Escherichia coli.

Sirtuins are NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase enzymes that are broadly conserved from bacteria to human, and have been implicated to play important roles in gene regulation, metabolism and longevity. cobB is a bacterial sirtuin that deacetylates acetyl-CoA synthetase (Acs) at an active site lysine to stimulate its enzymatic activity. Here, we report the structure of cobB bound to an acetyl-lysine containing non-cognate histone H4 substrate. A comparison with the previously reported archaeal and eukaryotic sirtuin structures reveals the greatest variability in a small zinc-binding domain implicated to play a particularly important role in substrate-specific binding by the sirtuin proteins. Comparison of the cobB/histone H4 complex with other sirtuin proteins in complex with acetyl-lysine containing substrates, further suggests that contacts to the acetyl-lysine side-chain and beta-sheet interactions with residues directly C-terminal to the acetyl-lysine represent conserved features of sirtuin-substrate recognition. Isothermal titration calorimetry studies were used to compare the affinity of cobB for a variety of cognate and non-cognate acetyl-lysine-bearing peptides revealing an exothermic reaction with relatively little discrimination between substrates. In contrast, similar studies employing intact acetylated Acs protein as a substrate reveal a binding reaction that is endothermic, suggesting that cobB recognition of substrate involves a burial of hydrophobic surface and/or structural rearrangement involving substrate regions distal to the acetyl-lysine-binding site. Together, these studies suggest that substrate-specific binding by sirtuin proteins involves contributions from the zinc-binding domain of the enzyme and substrate regions distal to the acetyl-lysine-binding site.

Amino Acid Sequence↗