RESUMO
The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) sterol transporters are responsible for maintaining cholesterol homeostasis in mammals by participating in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) or transintestinal cholesterol efflux (TICE). The heterodimeric ABCG5/G8 carries out selective sterol excretion, preventing the abnormal accumulation of plant sterols in human bodies, while homodimeric ABCG1 contributes to the biogenesis and metabolism of high-density lipoproteins. A sterol-binding site on ABCG5/G8 was proposed at the interface of the transmembrane domain and the core of lipid bilayers. In this study, we have determined the crystal structure of ABCG5/G8 in a cholesterol-bound state. The structure combined with amino acid sequence analysis shows that in the proximity of the sterol-binding site, a highly conserved phenylalanine array supports functional implications for ABCG cholesterol/sterol transporters. Lastly, in silico docking analysis of cholesterol and stigmasterol (a plant sterol) suggests sterol-binding selectivity on ABCG5/G8, but not ABCG1. Together, our results provide a structural basis for cholesterol binding on ABCG5/G8 and the sterol selectivity by ABCG transporters.
Assuntos
Membro 5 da Subfamília G de Transportadores de Cassetes de Ligação de ATP , Membro 8 da Subfamília G de Transportadores de Cassetes de Ligação de ATP , Colesterol , Membro 5 da Subfamília G de Transportadores de Cassetes de Ligação de ATP/química , Membro 5 da Subfamília G de Transportadores de Cassetes de Ligação de ATP/genética , Membro 8 da Subfamília G de Transportadores de Cassetes de Ligação de ATP/química , Membro 8 da Subfamília G de Transportadores de Cassetes de Ligação de ATP/genética , Colesterol/química , Colesterol/metabolismo , Microscopia Crioeletrônica , Humanos , Bicamadas Lipídicas/química , Lipoproteínas HDL/metabolismo , Fenilalanina/metabolismo , Fitosteróis/metabolismo , Ligação Proteica , Conformação Proteica , Estigmasterol/metabolismoRESUMO
The subfamily-G ATP-binding cassette (ABCG) transporters play important roles in regulating cholesterol homeostasis. Recent progress in the structural data of ABCG1 and ABCG5/G8 disclose putative sterol binding sites that suggest the possible cholesterol translocation pathway. ABCG1 and ABCG5/G8 share high similarity in the overall molecular architecture, and both transporters appear to use several unique structural motifs to facilitate cholesterol transport along this pathway, including the phenylalanine highway and the hydrophobic valve. Interestingly, ABCG5/G8 is known to transport cholesterol and phytosterols, whereas ABCG1 seems to exclusively transport cholesterol. Ligand docking analysis indeed suggests a difference in recruiting sterol molecules to the known sterol-binding sites. Here, we further discuss how the different and shared structural features are relevant to their physiological functions, and finally provide our perspective on future studies in ABCG cholesterol transporters.