Project description:Type I collagen is the most abundant structural protein in vertebrates. It is a heterotrimeric molecule composed of two α1 chains and one α2 chain, forming a long uninterrupted triple helical structure with short non-triple helical telopeptides at both the N- and C-termini. During biosynthesis, collagen acquires a number of post-translational modifications, including lysine modifications, that are critical to the structure and biological functions of this protein. Lysine modifications of collagen are highly complicated sequential processes catalysed by several groups of enzymes leading to the final step of biosynthesis, covalent intermolecular cross-linking. In the cell, specific lysine residues are hydroxylated to form hydroxylysine. Then specific hydroxylysine residues located in the helical domain of the molecule are glycosylated by the addition of galactose or glucose-galactose. Outside the cell, lysine and hydroxylysine residues in the N- and C-telopeptides can be oxidatively deaminated to produce reactive aldehydes that undergo a series of non-enzymatic condensation reactions to form covalent intra- and inter-molecular cross-links. Owing to the recent advances in molecular and cellular biology, and analytical technologies, the biological significance and molecular mechanisms of these modifications have been gradually elucidated. This chapter provides an overview on these enzymatic lysine modifications and subsequent cross-linking.
Project description:Lysine (Lys) residues in proteins undergo a wide range of reversible post-translational modifications (PTMs), which can regulate enzyme activities, chromatin structure, protein-protein interactions, protein stability, and cellular localization. Here we discuss the "writers," "erasers," and "readers" of some of the common protein Lys PTMs and summarize examples of their major biological impacts. We also review chemical biology approaches, from small-molecule probes to protein chemistry technologies, that have helped to delineate Lys PTM functions and show promise for a diverse set of biomedical applications.
Project description:In humans and other eukaryotes, histone post-translational modifications (hPTMs) play an essential role in the epigenetic control of gene expression. In trypanosomatid parasites, conversely, gene regulation occurs mainly at the post-transcriptional level. However, our group has recently shown that hPTMs are abundant and varied in Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas Disease, signaling for possible conserved epigenetic functions. Here, we applied an optimized mass spectrometry-based proteomic workflow to provide a high-confidence comprehensive map of hPTMs, distributed in all canonical, variant and linker histones of T. cruzi. Our work expands the number of known T. cruzi hPTMs by almost 2-fold, representing the largest dataset of hPTMs available to any trypanosomatid to date, and can be used as a basis for functional studies on the dynamic regulation of chromatin by epigenetic mechanisms and the selection of candidates for the development of epigenetic drugs against trypanosomatids.
Project description:Pifithrin-? (PFT-?) is a small molecule which has been widely used as a specific inhibitor of p53 transcription activity. However, its molecular mechanism of action remains unclear. PFT-? has also been described to display potent p53-independent activity in cells. In this study, we addressed the mechanism of action of PFT-?. We found that PFT-? failed to prevent the effects of Mdm2 inhibitor Nutlin-3 on cell cycle and apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. However, PFT-? rescued normal primary fibroblasts from growth inhibition by Nutlin-3. PFT-? displayed a very limited effect on p53-dependent transcription upon its activation by Nutlin-3. Moreover, PFT-? inhibitory effect on transcription was highly dependent on the nature of the p53 target gene. PFT-? attenuated post-translational modifications of p53 without affecting total p53 protein level. Finally, we found that PFT-? can decrease the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species through activation of an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR)-Nrf2 axis in a p53-independent manner. In conclusion, PFT-? inhibits only some aspects of p53 function, therefore it should be used with extreme caution to study p53-dependent processes.
Project description:The positively charged lysine residue plays an important role in protein folding and functions. Neutralization of the charge often has a profound impact on the substrate proteins. Accordingly all the known post-translational modifications at lysine have pivotal roles in cell physiology and pathology. Here we report the discovery of two novel, in vivo lysine modifications in histones, lysine propionylation and butyrylation. We confirmed, by in vitro labeling and peptide mapping by mass spectrometry, that two previously known acetyltransferases, p300 and CREB-binding protein, could catalyze lysine propionylation and lysine butyrylation in histones. Finally p300 and CREB-binding protein could carry out autopropionylation and autobutyrylation in vitro. Taken together, our results conclusively establish that lysine propionylation and lysine butyrylation are novel post-translational modifications. Given the unique roles of propionyl-CoA and butyryl-CoA in energy metabolism and the significant structural changes induced by the modifications, the two modifications are likely to have important but distinct functions in the regulation of biological processes.
Project description:Lys120 in the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of p53 becomes acetylated in response to DNA damage. But, the role and effects of acetylation are obscure. We prepared p53 specifically acetylated at Lys120, AcK120p53, by in vivo incorporation of acetylated lysine to study biophysical and structural consequences of acetylation that may shed light on its biological role. Acetylation had no affect on the overall crystal structure of the DBD at 1.9-Å resolution, but significantly altered the effects of salt concentration on specificity of DNA binding. p53 binds DNA randomly in vitro at effective physiological salt concentration and does not bind specifically to DNA or distinguish among its different response elements until higher salt concentrations. But, on acetylation, AcK120p53 exhibited specific DNA binding and discriminated among response elements at effective physiological salt concentration. AcK120p53 and p53 had the highest affinity to the same DNA sequence, although acetylation reduced the importance of the consensus C and G at positions 4 and 7, respectively. Mass spectrometry of p53 and AcK120p53 DBDs bound to DNA showed they preferentially segregated into complexes that were either DNA(p53DBD)(4) or DNA(AcK120DBD)(4), indicating that the different DBDs prefer different quaternary structures. These results are consistent with electron microscopy observations that p53 binds to nonspecific DNA in different, relaxed, quaternary states from those bound to specific sequences. Evidence is accumulating that p53 can be sequestered by random DNA, and target search requires acetylation of Lys120 and/or interaction with other factors to impose specificity of binding via modulating changes in quaternary structure.
Project description:p53 is a classic tumor suppressor that functions in maintaining genome stability by inducing either cell arrest for damage repair or cell apoptosis to eliminate damaged cells in response to different types of stress. Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of p53 are thought to be the most effective way for modulating of p53 activation. Here, we show that SIRT5 interacts with p53 and suppresses its transcriptional activity. Using mass spectrometric analysis, we identify a previously unknown PTM of p53, namely, succinylation of p53 at Lysine 120 (K120). SIRT5 mediates desuccinylation of p53 at K120, resulting in the suppression of p53 activation. Moreover, using double knockout mice (p53-/-Sirt5-/-), we validate that the suppression of p53 target gene expression and cell apoptosis upon DNA damage is dependent on cellular p53. Our study identifies a novel PTM of p53 that regulates its activation as well as reveals a new target of SIRT5 acting as a desuccinylase.
Project description:p53 mediates cell cycle arrest or apoptosis in response to DNA damage. Its activity is subject to a tight regulation involving a multitude of post-translational modifications. The plethora of functional protein interactions of p53 at present precludes a clear understanding of regulatory principles in the p53 signaling network. To circumvent this complexity, we studied here the minimal requirements for functionally relevant p53 post-translational modifications by expressing human p53 together with its best characterized modifier Mdm2 in budding yeast. We find that expression of the human p53-Mdm2 module in yeast is sufficient to faithfully recapitulate key aspects of p53 regulation in higher eukaryotes, such as Mdm2-dependent targeting of p53 for degradation, sumoylation at lysine 386 and further regulation of this process by p14(ARF). Interestingly, sumoylation is necessary for the recruitment of p53-Mdm2 complexes to yeast nuclear bodies morphologically akin to human PML bodies. These results suggest a novel role for Mdm2 as well as for p53 sumoylation in the recruitment of p53 to nuclear bodies. The reductionist yeast model that was established and validated in this study will now allow to incrementally study simplified parts of the intricate p53 network, thus helping elucidate the core mechanisms of p53 regulation as well as test novel strategies to counteract p53 malfunctions.
Project description:Recent advances in cancer characterization have consistently revealed marked heterogeneity, impeding the completion of integrated molecular and clinical maps for each malignancy. Here, we focus on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a B cell neoplasm with variable natural history that is conventionally categorized into two subtypes distinguished by extent of somatic mutations in the heavy-chain variable region of immunoglobulin genes (IGHV). To build the 'CLL map,' we integrated genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic data from 1,148 patients. We identified 202 candidate genetic drivers of CLL (109 new) and refined the characterization of IGHV subtypes, which revealed distinct genomic landscapes and leukemogenic trajectories. Discovery of new gene expression subtypes further subcategorized this neoplasm and proved to be independent prognostic factors. Clinical outcomes were associated with a combination of genetic, epigenetic and gene expression features, further advancing our prognostic paradigm. Overall, this work reveals fresh insights into CLL oncogenesis and prognostication.
Project description:Covalent intermolecular cross-linking of collagen is essential for tissue stability. Recent studies have demonstrated that cyclophilin B (CypB), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase, modulates lysine (Lys) hydroxylation of type I collagen impacting cross-linking chemistry. However, the extent of modulation, the molecular mechanism and the functional outcome in tissues are not well understood. Here, we report that, in CypB null (KO) mouse skin, two unusual collagen cross-links lacking Lys hydroxylation are formed while neither was detected in wild type (WT) or heterozygous (Het) mice. Mass spectrometric analysis of type I collagen showed that none of the telopeptidyl Lys was hydroxylated in KO or WT/Het mice. Hydroxylation of the helical cross-linking Lys residues was almost complete in WT/Het but was markedly diminished in KO. Lys hydroxylation at other sites was also lower in KO but to a lesser extent. A key glycosylation site, α1(I) Lys-87, was underglycosylated while other sites were mostly overglycosylated in KO. Despite these findings, lysyl hydroxylases and glycosyltransferase 25 domain 1 levels were significantly higher in KO than WT/Het. However, the components of ER chaperone complex that positively or negatively regulates lysyl hydroxylase activities were severely reduced or slightly increased, respectively, in KO. The atomic force microscopy-based nanoindentation modulus were significantly lower in KO skin than WT. These data demonstrate that CypB deficiency profoundly affects Lys post-translational modifications of collagen likely by modulating LH chaperone complexes. Together, our study underscores the critical role of CypB in Lys modifications of collagen, cross-linking and mechanical properties of skin.