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Modular architecture of protein structures and allosteric communications: potential implications for signaling proteins and regulatory linkages.

ABSTRACT: Allosteric communications are vital for cellular signaling. Here we explore a relationship between protein architectural organization and shortcuts in signaling pathways.We show that protein domains consist of modules interconnected by residues that mediate signaling through the shortest pathways. These mediating residues tend to be located at the inter-modular boundaries, which are more rigid and display a larger number of long-range interactions than intra-modular regions. The inter-modular boundaries contain most of the residues centrally conserved in the protein fold, which may be crucial for information transfer between amino acids. Our approach to modular decomposition relies on a representation of protein structures as residue-interacting networks, and removal of the most central residue contacts, which are assumed to be crucial for allosteric communications. The modular decomposition of 100 multi-domain protein structures indicates that modules constitute the building blocks of domains. The analysis of 13 allosteric proteins revealed that modules characterize experimentally identified functional regions. Based on the study of an additional functionally annotated dataset of 115 proteins, we propose that high-modularity modules include functional sites and are the basic functional units. We provide examples (the Galphas subunit and P450 cytochromes) to illustrate that the modular architecture of active sites is linked to their functional specialization.Our method decomposes protein structures into modules, allowing the study of signal transmission between functional sites. A modular configuration might be advantageous: it allows signaling proteins to expand their regulatory linkages and may elicit a broader range of control mechanisms either via modular combinations or through modulation of inter-modular linkages.

SUBMITTER: Del Sol A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1929157 | biostudies-literature | 2007

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Modular architecture of protein structures and allosteric communications: potential implications for signaling proteins and regulatory linkages.

Del Sol Antonio A Araúzo-Bravo Marcos J MJ Amoros Dolors D Nussinov Ruth R

Genome biology 20070101 5

<h4>Background</h4>Allosteric communications are vital for cellular signaling. Here we explore a relationship between protein architectural organization and shortcuts in signaling pathways.<h4>Results</h4>We show that protein domains consist of modules interconnected by residues that mediate signaling through the shortest pathways. These mediating residues tend to be located at the inter-modular boundaries, which are more rigid and display a larger number of long-range interactions than intra-mo ...[more]

PMID: 17531094

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Project description:An understanding of the structure-dynamics relationship is essential for understanding how a protein works. Prior research has shown that the activity of a protein correlates with intradomain dynamics occurring at picosecond to millisecond timescales. However, the correlation between interdomain dynamics and the function of a protein is poorly understood. Here, we show that communications between the catalytic and hemopexin domains of matrix metalloprotease-1 (MMP1) on type 1 collagen fibrils correlate with its activity. Using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer, we identified functionally relevant open conformations in which the two MMP1 domains are well separated, which were significantly absent for catalytically inactive point mutant (E219Q) of MMP1 and could be modulated by an inhibitor or an enhancer of activity. The observed relevance of open conformations resolves the debate about the roles of open and closed MMP1 structures in function. We fitted the histograms of single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer values to a sum of two Gaussians and the autocorrelations to an exponential and power law. We used a two-state Poisson process to describe the dynamics and calculate the kinetic rates from the fit parameters. All-atom and coarse-grained simulations reproduced some of the experimental features and revealed substrate-dependent MMP1 dynamics. Our results suggest that an interdomain separation facilitates opening up the catalytic pocket so that the collagen chains come closer to the MMP1 active site. Coordination of functional conformations at different parts of MMP1 occurs via allosteric communications that can take place via interactions mediated by collagen even if the linker between the domains is absent. Modeling dynamics as a Poisson process enables connecting the picosecond timescales of molecular dynamics simulations with the millisecond timescales of single-molecule measurements. Water-soluble MMP1 interacting with water-insoluble collagen fibrils poses challenges for biochemical studies that the single-molecule tracking can overcome for other insoluble substrates. Interdomain communications are likely important for multidomain proteins.

Dataset Information

Modular architecture of protein structures and allosteric communications: potential implications for signaling proteins and regulatory linkages.

Publications

Modular architecture of protein structures and allosteric communications: potential implications for signaling proteins and regulatory linkages.

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