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Megan S Lee,
Ruth Green,
Sylvia M Marsillac,
Nicolas Coquelle,
R Scott Williams,
Telford Yeung,
Desmond Foo, D Duong Hau,
Ben Hui,
Alvaro N A Monteiro,
J N Mark Glover
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ABSTRACT: Genetic screening of the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 has uncovered a large number of variants of uncertain clinical significance. Here, we use biochemical and cell-based transcriptional assays to assess the structural and functional defects associated with a large set of 117 distinct BRCA1 missense variants within the essential BRCT domain of the BRCA1 protein that have been documented in individuals with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer. In the first method, we used limited proteolysis to assess the protein folding stability of each of the mutants compared with the wild-type. In the second method, we used a phosphopeptide pull-down assay to assess the ability of each of the variants to specifically interact with a peptide containing a pSer-X-X-Phe motif, a known functional target of the BRCA1 BRCT domain. Finally, we used transcriptional assays to assess the ability of each BRCT variant to act as a transcriptional activation domain in human cells. Through a correlation of the assay results with available family history and clinical data, we define limits to predict the disease risk associated with each variant. Forty-two of the variants show little effect on function and are likely to represent variants with little or no clinical significance; 50 display a clear functional effect and are likely to represent pathogenic variants; and the remaining 25 variants display intermediate activities. The excellent agreement between the structure/function effects of these mutations and available clinical data supports the notion that functional and structure information can be useful in the development of models to assess cancer risk.
Cancer Research 06/2010; 70(12):4880-90. · 7.86 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A key step in the signaling cascade responsible for activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB involves Lys63-linked polyubiquitination of TRAF6. Covalent attachment of ubiquitin (Ub) to TRAF6, and subsequent poly(Ub) chain synthesis, is catalyzed by the hUev1a-hUbc13 heterodimer. hUbc13 is a catalytically competent E2 enzyme, and hUev1a is an E2-like protein that binds substrate Ub. The hUev1a-hUbc13 heterodimer is targeted to TRAF6 through interactions between hUbc13 and the N-terminal RING domain from TRAF6. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to determine the solution state structure of the RING domain from human TRAF6, and the interaction between hUbc13 and TRAF6 was characterized using NMR chemical shift mapping. The main-chain dynamics of the RING domain from TRAF6 were studied using (15)N NMR relaxation. Analysis of the main-chain dynamics data indicates that residues within the alpha-helix and beta-sheet of the RING domain are as rigid as regions of canonical secondary structure in larger proteins, consistent with the biological role of RING-domain E3 proteins, which requires that the E3 contain a recognition site for recruitment of E2 ubiquitin conjugation enzymes.
Protein Science 05/2007; 16(4):602-14. · 2.80 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Lys(63)-linked polyubiquitination of TRAF2 or TRAF6 is an essential step within the signal transduction cascade responsible for activation of p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and the transcription factor NF-kappaB. Attachment of ubiquitin (Ub) to a TRAF, and conjugation of Ub molecules to form a polyUb chain, is catalyzed by a heterodimer composed of a catalytically active E2 (hUbc13), involved in covalent bond transfer, and hUev1a, an E2-like protein involved in substrate Ub binding. Given the key biochemical processes in which hUev1a is involved, it is important to determine the molecular basis of the catalytic mechanism for Lys(63)-linked protein ubiquitination. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to determine the structure of hUev1a and its interactions with Ub and hUbc13. A structural model for the Ub-hUev1a-hUbc13-Ub tetramer was developed to gain chemical insight into the synthesis of Lys(63)-linked Ub chains. We propose that a network of hydrogen bonds involving hUbc13-Asp(81) and Ub-Glu(64) positions Ub-Lys(63) proximal to the active site. Interestingly, restrained molecular dynamics simulations in implicit solvent indicate that deprotonation of Ub-Lys(63) does not involve a general Asp or Glu base and may occur when the amino group approaches the thioester carbonyl carbon near the Bürgi-Dunitz trajectory.
Biochemistry 09/2006; 45(32):9866-77. · 3.42 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Modification of proteins by post-translational covalent attachment of a single, or chain, of ubiquitin molecules serves as a signaling mechanism for a number of regulatory functions in eukaryotic cells. For example, proteins tagged with lysine-63 linked polyubiquitin chains are involved in error-free DNA repair. The catalysis of lysine-63 linked polyubiquitin chains involves the sequential activity of three enzymes (E1, E2, and E3) that ultimately transfer a ubiquitin thiolester intermediate to a protein target. The E2 responsible for catalysis of lysine-63 linked polyubiquitination is a protein heterodimer consisting of a canonical E2 known as Ubc13, and an E2-like protein, or ubiquitin conjugating enzyme variant (UEV), known as Mms2. We have determined the solution structure of the complex formed by human Mms2 and ubiquitin using high resolution, solution state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The structure of the Mms2-Ub complex provides important insights into the molecular basis underlying the catalysis of lysine-63 linked polyubiquitin chains.
Journal of Biomolecular NMR 03/2006; 34(2):89-100. · 3.61 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The BRCT repeats in BRCA1 are essential for its tumor suppressor activity and interact with phosphorylated protein targets containing the sequence pSer-X-X-Phe, where X indicates any residue. The structure of the tandem BRCA1 BRCT repeats bound to an optimized phosphopeptide reveals that the N-terminal repeat harbors a conserved BRCT phosphoserine-binding pocket, while the interface between the repeats forms a hydrophobic groove that recognizes the phenylalanine. Crystallographic and biochemical data suggest that the structural integrity of both binding sites is essential for peptide recognition. The diminished peptide-binding capacity observed for cancer-associated BRCA1-BRCT variants may explain the enhanced cancer risks associated with these mutations.
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 07/2004; 11(6):519-25. · 12.71 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Most cancer-associated BRCA1 mutations identified to date result in the premature translational termination of the protein, highlighting a crucial role for the C-terminal, BRCT repeat region in mediating BRCA1 tumor suppressor function. However, the molecular and genetic effects of missense mutations that map to the BRCT region remain largely unknown. Using a protease-based assay, we directly assessed the sensitivity of the folding of the BRCT domain to an extensive set of truncation and single amino acid substitutions derived from breast cancer screening programs. The protein can tolerate truncations of up to 8 amino acids, but further deletion results in drastic BRCT folding defects. This molecular phenotype can be correlated with an increased susceptibility to disease. A cross-validated computational assessment of the BRCT mutation data base suggests that as much as half of all BRCT missense mutations contribute to BRCA1 loss of function and disease through protein-destabilizing effects. The coupled use of proteolytic methods and computational predictive methods to detect mutant BRCA1 conformations at the protein level will augment the efficacy of current BRCA1 screening protocols, especially in the absence of clinical data that can be used to discriminate deleterious BRCT missense mutations from benign polymorphisms.
Journal of Biological Chemistry 01/2004; 278(52):53007-16. · 4.77 Impact Factor
