A 1H/19F minicoil NMR probe for solid-state NMR: application to 5-fluoroindoles.

We show that it is feasible to use a minicoil for solid-state 19F 1H NMR experiments that has short pulse widths, good RF homogeneity, and excellent signal-to-noise for small samples while using low power amplifiers typical to liquid-state NMR. The closely spaced resonant frequencies of 1H and 19F and the ubiquitous use of fluorine in modern plastics and electronic components present two major challenges in the design of a high-sensitivity, high-field 1H/19F probe. Through the selection of specific components, circuit design, and pulse sequence, we were able to build a probe that has low 19F background and excellent separation of 1H and 19F signals. We determine the principle components of the chemical shift anisotropy tensor of 5-fluoroindole-3-acetic acid (5FIAA) and 5-fluorotryptophan. We also solve the crystal structure of 5FIAA, determine the orientation dependence of the chemical shift of a single crystal of 5FIAA, and predict the 19F chemical shift based on the orientation of the fluorine in the crystal. The results show that this 1H/19F probe is suitable for solid-state NMR experiments with low amounts of biological molecules that have been labeled with 19F.

Structural basis for phosphorylation-dependent signaling in the DNA-damage response.

The response of eukaryotic cells to DNA damage requires a multitude of protein-protein interactions that mediate the ordered repair of the damage and the arrest of the cell cycle until repair is complete. Two conserved protein modules, BRCT and forkhead-associated (FHA) domains, play key roles in the DNA-damage response as recognition elements for nuclear Ser/Thr phosphorylation induced by DNA-damage-responsive kinases. BRCT domains, first identified at the C-terminus of BRCA1, often occur as multiple tandem repeats of individual BRCT modules. Our recent structural and functional work has revealed how BRCT repeats recognize phosphoserine protein targets. It has also revealed a secondary binding pocket at the interface between tandem repeats, which recognizes the amino-acid 3 residues C-terminal to the phosphoserine. We have also studied the molecular function of the FHA domain of the DNA repair enzyme, polynucleotide kinase (PNK). This domain interacts with threonine-phosphorylated XRCC1 and XRCC4, proteins responsible for the recruitment of PNK to sites of DNA-strand-break repair. Our studies have revealed a flexible mode of recognition that allows PNK to interact with numerous negatively charged substrates.

The molecular architecture of the mammalian DNA repair enzyme, polynucleotide kinase.

Mammalian polynucleotide kinase (PNK) is a key component of both the base excision repair (BER) and nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) DNA repair pathways. PNK acts as a 5'-kinase/3'-phosphatase to create 5'-phosphate/3'-hydroxyl termini, which are a necessary prerequisite for ligation during repair. PNK is recruited to repair complexes through interactions between its N-terminal FHA domain and phosphorylated components of either pathway. Here, we describe the crystal structure of intact mammalian PNK and a structure of the PNK FHA bound to a cognate phosphopeptide. The kinase domain has a broad substrate binding pocket, which preferentially recognizes double-stranded substrates with recessed 5' termini. In contrast, the phosphatase domain efficiently dephosphorylates single-stranded 3'-phospho termini as well as double-stranded substrates. The FHA domain is linked to the kinase/phosphatase catalytic domain by a flexible tether, and it exhibits a mode of target selection based on electrostatic complementarity between the binding surface and the phosphothreonine peptide.