A Structural Study of the Cytoplasmic Chaperone Effect of 14-3-3 Proteins on Ataxin-1.

Expansion of the polyglutamine tract in the N terminus of Ataxin-1 is the main cause of the neurodegenerative disease, spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1). However, the C-terminal part of the protein - including its AXH domain and a phosphorylation on residue serine 776 - also plays a crucial role in disease development. This phosphorylation event is known to be crucial for the interaction of Ataxin-1 with the 14-3-3 adaptor proteins and has been shown to indirectly contribute to Ataxin-1 stability. Here we show that 14-3-3 also has a direct anti-aggregation or "chaperone" effect on Ataxin-1. Furthermore, we provide structural and biophysical information revealing how phosphorylated S776 in the intrinsically disordered C terminus of Ataxin-1 mediates the cytoplasmic interaction with 14-3-3 proteins. Based on these findings, we propose that 14-3-3 exerts the observed chaperone effect by interfering with Ataxin-1 dimerization through its AXH domain, reducing further self-association. The chaperone effect is particularly important in the context of SCA1, as it was previously shown that a soluble form of mutant Ataxin-1 is the major driver of pathology.

Chemical-biological exploration of the limits of the Ras de- and repalmitoylating machinery.

A dynamic de-/repalmitoylation cycle determines localization and activity of H- and N-Ras. This combined cellular de- and repalmitoylation machinery has been shown to be substrate tolerant--it accepts variation of amino acid sequence, structure and configuration. Here, semisynthetic Ras-proteins in which the C-terminal amino acids are replaced by peptoid residues are used to reveal the first limitations of substrate recognition by the de- and repalmitoylating machinery.

Solid-phase synthesis of lipidated Ras peptides employing the Ellman sulfonamide linker.

A detailed study on the solid-phase synthesis of lipidated peptides of the Ras family employing the Ellman sulfonamide linker is reported. Using the C-terminal N-Ras sequence, critical issues such as lipidated amino acid resin loading, peptide elongation in the presence of labile groups and optimized conditions for release of the peptides were investigated. A versatile methodology for the synthesis of peptides with diverse lipid motifs and C-terminal methyl esters has accordingly been established.

The palmitoylation machinery is a spatially organizing system for peripheral membrane proteins.

Reversible S-palmitoylation of cysteine residues critically controls transient membrane tethering of peripheral membrane proteins. Little is known about how the palmitoylation machinery governs their defined localization and function. We monitored the spatially resolved reaction dynamics and substrate specificity of the core mammalian palmitoylation machinery using semisynthetic substrates. Palmitoylation is detectable only on the Golgi, whereas depalmitoylation occurs everywhere in the cell. The reactions are not stereoselective and lack any primary consensus sequence, demonstrating that substrate specificity is not essential for de-/repalmitoylation. Both palmitate attachment and removal require seconds to accomplish. This reaction topography and rapid kinetics allows the continuous redirection of mislocalized proteins via the post-Golgi sorting apparatus. Unidirectional secretion ensures the maintenance of a proper steady-state protein distribution between the Golgi and the plasma membrane, which are continuous with endosomes. This generic spatially organizing system differs from conventional receptor-mediated targeting mechanisms and efficiently counteracts entropy-driven redistribution of palmitoylated peripheral membrane proteins over all membranes.

Therapeutic intervention based on protein prenylation and associated modifications.

In eukaryotic cells, a specific set of proteins are modified by C-terminal attachment of 15-carbon farnesyl groups or 20-carbon geranylgeranyl groups that function both as anchors for fixing proteins to membranes and as molecular handles for facilitating binding of these lipidated proteins to other proteins. Additional modification of these prenylated proteins includes C-terminal proteolysis and methylation, and attachment of a 16-carbon palmitoyl group; these modifications augment membrane anchoring and alter the dynamics of movement of proteins between different cellular membrane compartments. The enzymes in the protein prenylation pathway have been isolated and characterized. Blocking protein prenylation is proving to be therapeutically useful for the treatment of certain cancers, infection by protozoan parasites and the rare genetic disease Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.

Application of protein semisynthesis for the construction of functionalized posttranslationally modified rab GTPases.

Rab GTPases represent a family of key membrane traffic regulators in eukaryotic cells. To exert their function, Rab proteins must be modified with one or two geranylgeranyl moieties. This modification enables them to reversibly associate with intracellular membranes. In vivo the newly synthesized Rab proteins are recruited by Rab escort protein (REP) that presents them to the Rab geranylgeranyl transferase (Rab GGTase), which transfers one or two geranylgeranyl moieties to the C-terminal cysteines. Detailed understanding of the mechanism of prenylation reaction and subsequent membrane delivery of Rab proteins to the target membranes were hampered by lack of efficient technologies for the generation of preparative amounts of prenylated Rab GTPases. To circumvent this problem, we developed an approach that combines recombinant protein production, chemical synthesis of lipidated peptides with precisely designed and readily alterable structures, and a technique for peptide-to-protein ligation. Using this approach, we generated a number of semisynthetic prenylated Rab GTPases. Some of the proteins were also supplemented with fluorophores, which enabled us to develop a fluorescence-based in vitro prenylation assay. The approach described allows production of preparative amounts of prenylated GTPases, which was demonstrated by generation and crystallization of a monoprenylated YPT1:Rab GDI complex.

Structure of Rab GDP-dissociation inhibitor in complex with prenylated YPT1 GTPase.

Rab/Ypt guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) represent a family of key membrane traffic regulators in eukaryotic cells whose function is governed by the guanosine diphosphate (GDP) dissociation inhibitor (RabGDI). Using a combination of chemical synthesis and protein engineering, we generated and crystallized the monoprenylated Ypt1:RabGDI complex. The structure of the complex was solved to 1.5 angstrom resolution and provides a structural basis for the ability of RabGDI to inhibit the release of nucleotide by Rab proteins. Isoprenoid binding requires a conformational change that opens a cavity in the hydrophobic core of its domain II. Analysis of the structure provides a molecular basis for understanding a RabGDI mutant that causes mental retardation in humans.