Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Ke, Jiyuan

Publications and source records attributed to Ke, Jiyuan.

At least 19 records

The C-terminus of ubiquitin plays a critical role in deamidase Lpg2148 recognition

Highlights: • Docking of Lpg2148/ub∆c model provides a clue that the C-terminus of ubiquitin plays a vital role in interaction. • The Leu71 in C-terminus of ubiquitin is necessary for interaction and His68 is important in deamidation. • The Val33 of Lpg2148 plays a vital role in the interaction and is limited by the length of the C-terminus of ubiquitin. By bearing a papain-like core structure and a cysteine-based catalytic triad, deamidase can convert glutamine to glutamic acid or asparagine to aspartic acid to modify the functions of host target proteins resulting in the blocking of eukaryotic host cell function. Legionella pneumophila effector Lpg2148 (MvcA) is a deamidase, a structural homolog of cycle inhibiting factor (Cif) effectors. Lpg2148 and Cif effectors are functionally diverse, with Lpg2148 only catalyzing ubiquitin but not NEDD8. However, a detailed understanding of substrate specificity is still missing. Here, we resolved the crystal structure of Lpg2148 at 2.5 Å resolution and obtained rigid-body modeling of Lpg2148 with C-terminus deleted ubiquitin (1–68) (ubΔc) complex using HADDOCK, which shows that the C-terminus of ubiquitin is flexible in recognition. We also conducted the truncated analysis to demonstrate that Leu71 of ubiquitin is necessary for its interaction with Lpg2148. Moreover, Val33 of Lpg2148 at the edge of a channel plays a vital role in the interaction and is limited by the length of the C-terminus of ubiquitin, which may help to explain the selectivity of ubiquitin over NEDD8. In summary, these results enrich our knowledge of substrate recognition of deamidase.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

A D53 repression motif induces oligomerization of TOPLESS corepressors and promotes assembly of a corepressor-nucleosome complex

TOPLESS are tetrameric plant corepressors of the conserved Tup1/Groucho/TLE (transducin-like enhancer of split) family. Herein, we show that they interact through their TOPLESS domains (TPDs) with two functionally important ethylene response factor–associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motifs of the rice strigolactone signaling repressor D53: the universally conserved EAR-3 and the monocot-specific EAR-2. We present the crystal structure of the monocot-specific EAR-2 peptide in complex with the TOPLESS-related protein 2 (TPR2) TPD, in which the EAR-2 motif binds the same TPD groove as jasmonate and auxin signaling repressors but makes additional contacts with a second TPD site to mediate TPD tetramer-tetramer interaction. We validated the functional relevance of the two TPD binding sites in reporter gene assays and in transgenic rice and demonstrate that EAR-2 binding induces TPD oligomerization. Moreover, we demonstrate that the TPD directly binds nucleosomes and the tails of histones H3 and H4. Higher-order assembly of TPD complexes induced by EAR-2 binding markedly stabilizes the nucleosome-TPD interaction. These results establish a new TPD-repressor binding mode that promotes TPD oligomerization and TPD-nucleosome interaction, thus illustrating the initial assembly of a repressor-corepressor-nucleosome complex.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Wnt5a promotes Frizzled-4 signalosome assembly by stabilizing cysteine-rich domain dimerization

Wnt/β-catenin signaling is activated when extracellular Wnt ligands bind Frizzled (FZD) receptors at the cell membrane. Wnts bind FZD cysteine-rich domains (CRDs) with high affinity through a palmitoylated N-terminal “thumb” and a disulfide-stabilized C-terminal “index finger,” yet how these binding events trigger receptor activation and intracellular signaling remains unclear. In this work, we report the crystal structure of the Frizzled-4 (FZD 4 ) CRD in complex with palmitoleic acid, which reveals a CRD tetramer consisting of two cross-braced CRD dimers. Each dimer is stabilized by interactions of one hydrophobic palmitoleic acid tail with two CRD palmitoleoyl-binding grooves oriented end to end, suggesting that the Wnt palmitoleoyl group stimulates CRD–CRD interaction. Using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) in live cells, we show that WNT5A stimulates dimerization of membrane-anchored FZD 4 CRDs and oligomerization of full-length FZD 4 , which requires the integrity of CRD palmitoleoyl-binding residues. These results suggest that FZD receptors may form signalosomes in response to Wnt binding through the CRDs and that the Wnt palmitoleoyl group is important in promoting these interactions. These results complement our understanding of lipoprotein receptor-related proteins 5 and 6 (LRP5/6), Dishevelled, and Axin signalosome assembly and provide a more complete model for Wnt signalosome assembly both intracellularly and at the membrane.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Structural insights into alternative splicing-mediated desensitization of jasmonate signaling

Significance Jasmonate (JA) is a plant hormone involved in regulating defense response, growth, and development. A mechanistic understanding of JA signaling has great importance in agriculture, especially for enhancing plant resilience against biotic stresses and optimizing defense and growth in crop fields. This study reports the crystal structure of a key protein complex (MYC3–CMID JAZ10 ) involved in the desensitization of JA signaling. Desensitization of JA signaling after an effective JA response is necessary to re-establish signal homeostasis and prevent JA signaling from running out of control, which could lead to severe growth and fitness penalties. The MYC3–CMID JAZ10 desensitization complex structure reported here closes a major gap in our understanding of one of the most important hormone signaling pathways in plants.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Tumor Targeting with Novel 6-Substituted Pyrrolo [2,3- d ] Pyrimidine Antifolates with Heteroatom Bridge Substitutions via Cellular Uptake by Folate Receptor α and the Proton-Coupled Folate Transporter and Inhibition of de Novo Purine Nucleotide Biosynthesis

Targeted antifolates with heteroatom replacements of the carbon vicinal to the phenyl ring in 1 by N (4), O (8), or S (9), or with N-substituted formyl (5), acetyl (6), or trifluoroacetyl (7) moieties, were synthesized and tested for selective cellular uptake by folate receptor (FR) α and β or the proton-coupled folate transporter. Results show increased in vitro antiproliferative activity toward engineered Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing FRs by 4–9 over the CH2 analogue 1. Compounds 4–9 inhibited de novo purine biosynthesis and glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (GARFTase). X-ray crystal structures for 4 with FRα and GARFTase showed that the bound conformations of 4 required flexibility for attachment to both FRα and GARFTase. In mice bearing IGROV1 ovarian tumor xenografts, 4 was highly efficacious. Here, our results establish that heteroatom substitutions in the 3-atom bridge region of 6-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines related to 1 provide targeted antifolates that warrant further evaluation as anticancer agents.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Structural basis of JAZ repression of MYC transcription factors in jasmonate signalling

The plant hormone jasmonate plays crucial roles in regulating plant responses to herbivorous insects and microbial pathogens and is an important regulator of plant growth and development. Key mediators of jasmonate signalling include MYC transcription factors, which are repressed by jasmonate ZIM-domain (JAZ) transcriptional repressors in the resting state. In the presence of active jasmonate, JAZ proteins function as jasmonate co-receptors by forming a hormone-dependent complex with COI1, the F-box subunit of an SCF-type ubiquitin E3 ligase. The hormone-dependent formation of the COI1–JAZ co-receptor complex leads to ubiquitination and proteasome-dependent degradation of JAZ repressors and release of MYC proteins from transcriptional repression. The mechanism by which JAZ proteins repress MYC transcription factors and how JAZ proteins switch between the repressor function in the absence of hormone and the co-receptor function in the presence of hormone remain enigmatic. In this paper, we show that Arabidopsis MYC3 undergoes pronounced conformational changes when bound to the conserved Jas motif of the JAZ9 repressor. The Jas motif, previously shown to bind to hormone as a partly unwound helix, forms a complete α-helix that displaces the amino (N)-terminal helix of MYC3 and becomes an integral part of the MYC N-terminal fold. In this position, the Jas helix competitively inhibits MYC3 interaction with the MED25 subunit of the transcriptional Mediator complex. Finally, our structural and functional studies elucidate a dynamic molecular switch mechanism that governs the repression and activation of a major plant hormone pathway.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Crystal structure of rhodopsin bound to arrestin by femtosecond X-ray laser

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) signal primarily through G proteins or arrestins. Arrestin binding to GPCRs blocks G protein interaction and redirects signalling to numerous G-protein-independent pathways. Here we report the crystal structure of a constitutively active form of human rhodopsin bound to a pre-activated form of the mouse visual arrestin, determined by serial femtosecond X-ray laser crystallography. Together with extensive biochemical and mutagenesis data, the structure reveals an overall architecture of the rhodopsin-arrestin assembly in which rhodopsin uses distinct structural elements, including transmembrane helix 7 and helix 8, to recruit arrestin. Correspondingly, arrestin adopts the pre-activated conformation, with a ~20° rotation between the amino and carboxy domains, which opens up a cleft in arrestin to accommodate a short helix formed by the second intracellular loop of rhodopsin. In conclusion, this structure provides a basis for understanding GPCR-mediated arrestin-biased signalling and demonstrates the power of X-ray lasers for advancing the frontiers of structural biology.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Structural basis of AMPK regulation by adenine nucleotides and glycogen

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a central cellular energy sensor and regulator of energy homeostasis, and a promising drug target for the treatment of diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Here we present low-resolution crystal structures of the human α1β2γ1 holo-AMPK complex bound to its allosteric modulators AMP and the glycogen-mimic cyclodextrin, both in the phosphorylated (4.05 Å) and non-phosphorylated (4.60 Å) state. In addition, we have solved a 2.95 Å structure of the human kinase domain (KD) bound to the adjacent autoinhibitory domain (AID) and have performed extensive biochemical and mutational studies. Altogether, these studies illustrate an underlying mechanism of allosteric AMPK modulation by AMP and glycogen, whose binding changes the equilibria between alternate AID (AMP) and carbohydrate-binding module (glycogen) interactions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗