How insulin engages its primary binding site on the insulin receptor.

Insulin receptor signalling has a central role in mammalian biology, regulating cellular metabolism, growth, division, differentiation and survival. Insulin resistance contributes to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus and the onset of Alzheimer's disease; aberrant signalling occurs in diverse cancers, exacerbated by cross-talk with the homologous type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R). Despite more than three decades of investigation, the three-dimensional structure of the insulin-insulin receptor complex has proved elusive, confounded by the complexity of producing the receptor protein. Here we present the first view, to our knowledge, of the interaction of insulin with its primary binding site on the insulin receptor, on the basis of four crystal structures of insulin bound to truncated insulin receptor constructs. The direct interaction of insulin with the first leucine-rich-repeat domain (L1) of insulin receptor is seen to be sparse, the hormone instead engaging the insulin receptor carboxy-terminal α-chain (αCT) segment, which is itself remodelled on the face of L1 upon insulin binding. Contact between insulin and L1 is restricted to insulin B-chain residues. The αCT segment displaces the B-chain C-terminal ß-strand away from the hormone core, revealing the mechanism of a long-proposed conformational switch in insulin upon receptor engagement. This mode of hormone-receptor recognition is novel within the broader family of receptor tyrosine kinases. We support these findings by photo-crosslinking data that place the suggested interactions into the context of the holoreceptor and by isothermal titration calorimetry data that dissect the hormone-insulin receptor interface. Together, our findings provide an explanation for a wealth of biochemical data from the insulin receptor and IGF1R systems relevant to the design of therapeutic insulin analogues.

Structural studies of the Alzheimer's amyloid precursor protein copper-binding domain reveal how it binds copper ions.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the major cause of dementia. Amyloid beta peptide (Abeta), generated by proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), is central to AD pathogenesis. APP can function as a metalloprotein and modulate copper (Cu) transport, presumably via its extracellular Cu-binding domain (CuBD). Cu binding to the CuBD reduces Abeta levels, suggesting that a Cu mimetic may have therapeutic potential. We describe here the atomic structures of apo CuBD from three crystal forms and found they have identical Cu-binding sites despite the different crystal lattices. The structure of Cu(2+)-bound CuBD reveals that the metal ligands are His147, His151, Tyr168 and two water molecules, which are arranged in a square pyramidal geometry. The site resembles a Type 2 non-blue Cu center and is supported by electron paramagnetic resonance and extended X-ray absorption fine structure studies. A previous study suggested that Met170 might be a ligand but we suggest that this residue plays a critical role as an electron donor in CuBDs ability to reduce Cu ions. The structure of Cu(+)-bound CuBD is almost identical to the Cu(2+)-bound structure except for the loss of one of the water ligands. The geometry of the site is unfavorable for Cu(+), thus providing a mechanism by which CuBD could readily transfer Cu ions to other proteins.

How ligand binds to the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor.

Human type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor is a homodimeric receptor tyrosine kinase that signals into pathways directing normal cellular growth, differentiation and proliferation, with aberrant signalling implicated in cancer. Insulin-like growth factor binding is understood to relax conformational restraints within the homodimer, initiating transphosphorylation of the tyrosine kinase domains. However, no three-dimensional structures exist for the receptor ectodomain to inform atomic-level understanding of these events. Here, we present crystal structures of the ectodomain in apo form and in complex with insulin-like growth factor I, the latter obtained by crystal soaking. These structures not only provide a wealth of detail of the growth factor interaction with the receptor's primary ligand-binding site but also indicate that ligand binding separates receptor domains by a mechanism of induced fit. Our findings are of importance to the design of agents targeting IGF-1R and its partner protein, the human insulin receptor.

The first plant acyl-CoA-binding protein structures: the close homologues OsACBP1 and OsACBP2 from rice.

Acyl-CoA-binding proteins (ACBPs) are a family of proteins that facilitate the binding of long-chain acyl-CoA esters at a conserved acyl-CoA-binding domain. ACBPs act to form intracellular acyl-CoA pools, transport acyl-CoA esters and regulate lipid metabolism. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, a family of six ACBPs has been demonstrated to function in stress and development. Six ACBPs (OsACBPs) have also been identified in Oryza sativa (rice), but they are not as well characterized as those in Arabidopsis thaliana. To understand the need in rice for the two 10 kDa ACBPs, namely OsACBP1 and OsACBP2, which share 79% sequence identity, their crystal structures were elucidated and their affinities toward acyl-CoA esters were compared using isothermal titration calorimetry. OsACBP2 was found to display a higher binding affinity for unsaturated acyl-CoA esters than OsACBP1. A difference between the two proteins is observed at helix 3 and is predicted to lead to different ligand-binding modes in terms of the shape of the binding pocket and the residues that are involved. OsACBP1 thus resembles bovine ACBP, while OsACBP2 is similar to human liver ACBP, in both structure and binding affinity. This is the first time that ACBP structures have been reported from plants, and suggests that OsACBP1 and OsACBP2 are not redundant in function despite their high sequence identity and general structural similarity.

Engineering a new C-terminal tail in the H-site of human glutathione transferase P1-1: structural and functional consequences.

We have sought the structural basis for the differing substrate specificities of human glutathione transferase P1-1 (class Pi) and human glutathione transferase A1-1 (class Alpha) by adding an extra helix (helix 9), found in the electrophilic substrate-binding site (H-site) of the human class Alpha enzyme, at the C terminus of the human class Pi enzyme. This class Pi-chimera (CODA) was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and characterized by kinetic and crystallographic approaches. The presence of the newly engineered tail in the H-site of the human Pi enzyme alters its catalytic properties towards those exhibited by the human Alpha enzyme, as assessed using cumene hydroperoxide (diagnostic for class Alpha enzymes) and ethacrynic acid (diagnostic for class Pi) as co-substrates. There is a change of substrate selectivity in the latter case, as the k(cat)/K(m)(EA) value decreases about 70-fold, compared to that of class Pi. With 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as co-substrate there is a loss of catalytic activity to about 2% with respect to that of the Pi enzyme. Crystallographic and kinetic studies of the class Pi-chimera provide important clues to explain these altered catalytic properties. The new helix forms many complimentary interactions with the rest of the protein and re-models the original electrophilic substrate-binding site towards one that is more enclosed, albeit flexible. Of particular note are the interactions between Glu205 of the new tail and the catalytic residues, Tyr7 and Tyr108, and the thiol moiety of glutathione (GSH). These interactions may provide an explanation of the more than one unit increase in the pK(a) value of the GSH thiolate and affect both the turnover number and GSH binding, using 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as co-substrate. The data presented are consistent with the engineered tail adopting a highly mobile or disordered state in the apo form of the enzyme.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic studies of the copper-binding domain of the amyloid precursor protein of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is thought to be triggered by production of the amyloid beta (Abeta) peptide through proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). The binding of Cu2+ to the copper-binding domain (CuBD) of APP reduces the production of Abeta in cell-culture and animal studies. It is expected that structural studies of the CuBD will lead to a better understanding of how copper binding causes Abeta depletion and will define a potential drug target. The crystallization of CuBD in two different forms suitable for structure determination is reported here.

Structural Congruency of Ligand Binding to the Insulin and Insulin/Type 1 Insulin-like Growth Factor Hybrid Receptors.

The homodimeric insulin and type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptors (IR and IGF-1R) share a common architecture and each can bind all three ligands within the family: insulin and insulin-like growth factors I and II (IGF-I and IFG-II). The receptor monomers also assemble as heterodimers, the primary ligand-binding sites of which each comprise the first leucine-rich repeat domain (L1) of one receptor type and an α-chain C-terminal segment (αCT) of the second receptor type. We present here crystal structures of IGF-I bound to such a hybrid primary binding site and of a ligand-free version of an IR αCT peptide bound to an IR L1 plus cysteine-rich domain construct (IR310.T). These structures, refined at 3.0-Å resolution, prove congruent to respective existing structures of insulin-complexed IR310.T and the intact apo-IR ectodomain. As such, they provide key missing links in the emerging, but sparse, repertoire of structures defining the receptor family.

Topographic Mapping of the Synaptic Cleft into Adhesive Nanodomains.

The cleft is an integral part of synapses, yet its macromolecular organization remains unclear. We show here that the cleft of excitatory synapses exhibits a distinct density profile as measured by cryoelectron tomography (cryo-ET). Aiming for molecular insights, we analyzed the synapse-organizing proteins Synaptic Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (SynCAM 1) and EphB2. Cryo-ET of SynCAM 1 knockout and overexpressor synapses showed that this immunoglobulin protein shapes the cleft's edge. SynCAM 1 delineates the postsynaptic perimeter as determined by immunoelectron microscopy and super-resolution imaging. In contrast, the EphB2 receptor tyrosine kinase is enriched deeper within the postsynaptic area. Unexpectedly, SynCAM 1 can form ensembles proximal to postsynaptic densities, and synapses containing these ensembles were larger. Postsynaptic SynCAM 1 surface puncta were not static but became enlarged after a long-term depression paradigm. These results support that the synaptic cleft is organized on a nanoscale into sub-compartments marked by distinct trans-synaptic complexes.

Copper binding to the Alzheimer's disease amyloid precursor protein.

Alzheimer's disease is the fourth biggest killer in developed countries. Amyloid precursor protein (APP) plays a central role in the development of the disease, through the generation of a peptide called A beta by proteolysis of the precursor protein. APP can function as a metalloprotein and modulate copper transport via its extracellular copper binding domain (CuBD). Copper binding to this domain has been shown to reduce A beta levels and hence a molecular understanding of the interaction between metal and protein could lead to the development of novel therapeutics to treat the disease. We have recently determined the three-dimensional structures of apo and copper bound forms of CuBD. The structures provide a mechanism by which CuBD could readily transfer copper ions to other proteins. Importantly, the lack of significant conformational changes to CuBD on copper binding suggests a model in which copper binding affects the dimerisation state of APP leading to reduction in A beta production. We thus predict that disruption of APP dimers may be a novel therapeutic approach to treat Alzheimer's disease.

Contribution of glycine 146 to a conserved folding module affecting stability and refolding of human glutathione transferase p1-1.

In human glutathione transferase P1-1 (hGSTP1-1) position 146 is occupied by a glycine residue, which is located in a bend of a long loop that together with the alpha6-helix forms a substructure (GST motif II) maintained in all soluble GSTs. In the present study G146A and G146V mutants were generated by site-directed mutagenesis in order to investigate the function played by this conserved residue in folding and stability of hGSTP1-1. Crystallographic analysis of the G146V variant, expressed at the permissive temperature of 25 degrees C, indicates that the mutation causes a substantial change of the backbone conformation because of steric hindrance. Stability measurements indicate that this mutant is inactivated at a temperature as low as 32 degrees C. The structure of the G146A mutant is identical to that of the wild type with the mutated residue having main-chain bond angles in a high energy region of the Ramachandran plot. However even this Gly --> Ala substitution inactivates the enzyme at 37 degrees C. Thermodynamic analysis of all variants confirms, together with previous findings, the critical role played by GST motif II for overall protein stability. Analysis of reactivation in vitro indicates that any mutation of Gly-146 alters the folding pathway by favoring aggregation at 37 degrees C. It is hypothesized that the GST motif II is involved in the nucleation mechanism of the protein and that the substitution of Gly-146 alters this transient substructure. Gly-146 is part of the buried local sequence GXXh(T/S)XXDh (X is any residue and h is a hydrophobic residue), conserved in all GSTs and related proteins that seems to behave as a characteristic structural module important for protein folding and stability.