The Effect of N-acetylation and N-methylation of Lysine Residue of Tat Peptide on its Interaction with HIV-1 TAR RNA

Post-translational modification (PTM) of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) play a very important role in determining their binding to cognate RNAs and therefore regulate the downstream effects. Lysine can undergo various PTMs and thereby contribute to the regulation of different cellular processes. It can be reversibly acetylated and methylated using a pool of respective enzymes, to act as a switch for controlling the binding efficiency of RBPs. Here we have delineated the thermodynamic and kinetic effects of N-acetylation and N-monomethylation of lysine on interaction between HIV-1 TAR RNA and its cognate binder Tat peptide ( a model system). Our results indicate that acetylation of lysine 50 (K50), leads to eight- fold reduction in binding affinity, originating exclusively from entropy changes whereas, lysine 51 (K51) acetylation resulted only in three fold decrease with large enthalpy-entropy compensation. The measurement of kinetic parameters indicated major change (4.5 fold) in dissociation rate in case of K50 acetylation however, K51 acetylation showed similar effect on both association and dissociation rates. In contrast, lysine methylation did not affect the binding affinity of Tat peptide to TAR RNA at K50, nonetheless three fold enhancement in binding affinity was observed at K51 position. In spite of large enthalpy-entropy compensation, lysine methylation seems to have more pronounced position specific effect on the kinetic parameters. In case of K50 methylation, simultaneous increase was observed in the rate of association and dissociation leaving binding affinity unaffected. The increased binding affinity for methylated Tat at K51 stems from faster association rate with slightly slower dissociation rate.     

Identification of a Highly Conserved Surface on Tat Variants

Extracellular Tat is suspected to protect HIV-1-infected cells from cellular immunity. Seropositive patients are unable to produce neutralizing antibodies against Tat, and Tat is still secreted under antiviral treatment. In mice, the Tat OYI vaccine candidate generates neutralizing antibodies such as the mAb 7G12. A peptide called MIMOOX was designed from fragments of Tat OYI identified as the possible binding site for mAb 7G12. MIMOOX was chemically synthesized, and its structure was stabilized with a disulfide bridge. Circular dichroism spectra showed that MIMOOX had mainly β turns but no α helix as Tat OYI. MIMOOX was recognized by mAb 7G12 in ELISA only in reduced conditions. Moreover, a competitive recognition assay with mAb 7G12 between MIMOOX and Tat variants showed that MIMOOX mimics a highly conserved surface in Tat variants. Rat immunizations with MIMOOX induce antibodies recognizing Tat variants from the main HIV-1 subtypes and confirm the Tat OYI vaccine approach.     

Diverse functions of PHD fingers of the MLL/KMT2 subfamily

Five members of the KMT2 family of lysine methyltransferases, originally named the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL1-5) proteins, regulate gene expression during embryogenesis and development. Each KMT2A-E contains a catalytic SET domain that methylates lysine 4 of histone H3, and one or several PHD fingers. Over the past few years a growing number of studies have uncovered diverse biological roles of the KMT2A-E PHD fingers, implicating them in binding to methylated histones and other nuclear proteins, and in mediating the E3 ligase activity and dimerization. Mutations in the PHD fingers or deletion of these modules are linked to human diseases including cancer and Kabuki syndrome. In this work, we summarize recently identified biological functions of the KMT2A-E PHD fingers, discuss mechanisms of their action, and examine preference of these domains for histone and non-histone ligands.     

SET7/9 Catalytic Mutants Reveal the Role of Active Site Water Molecules in Lysine Multiple Methylation

SET domain lysine methyltransferases (KMTs) methylate specific lysine residues in histone and non-histone substrates. These enzymes also display product specificity by catalyzing distinct degrees of methylation of the lysine ϵ-amino group. To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying this specificity, we have characterized the Y245A and Y305F mutants of the human KMT SET7/9 (also known as KMT7) that alter its product specificity from a monomethyltransferase to a di- and a trimethyltransferase, respectively. Crystal structures of these mutants in complex with peptides bearing unmodified, mono-, di-, and trimethylated lysines illustrate the roles of active site water molecules in aligning the lysine ϵ-amino group for methyl transfer with S-adenosylmethionine. Displacement or dissociation of these solvent molecules enlarges the diameter of the active site, accommodating the increasing size of the methylated ϵ-amino group during successive methyl transfer reactions. Together, these results furnish new insights into the roles of active site water molecules in modulating lysine multiple methylation by SET domain KMTs and provide the first molecular snapshots of the mono-, di-, and trimethyl transfer reactions catalyzed by these enzymes.     

KMT6在肝癌细胞转移中的作用及对肝癌预后的影响

目的:探讨组蛋白赖氨酸甲基转移酶6(histone lysine methyltransferase 6,KMT6)对人肝癌细胞转移的调控作用及对肝癌患者预后的影响。方法:采用RNA干涉技术合成靶向KMT6的小干扰RNA(KMT6 siRNA)片段,瞬时转染至人肝癌细胞系Huh-7。随后,分别采用细胞黏附实验、细胞侵袭实验以及划痕迁移实验检测肝癌细胞的黏附、侵袭和迁移等肿瘤细胞转移能力。运用Oncomine数据库和cBioportal肝癌数据库分析KMT6的表达情况及对肝癌预后的影响。结果:靶向KMT6的小干扰RNA(KMT6 siRNA)片段瞬时转染至人肝癌细胞系Huh-7后,KMT6蛋白的表达显著下降,且黏附率、侵袭率和划痕修复率均显著降低(P<0.05)。Oncomine肝癌数据库分析表明肝癌组织KMT6的表达增加,cBioportal肝癌数据库分析表明KMT6基因改变与肝癌患者预后不良密切相关。结论:KMT6分子可促进肝癌细胞黏附、侵袭和迁移,其基因改变与肝癌患者预后不良显著相关。KMT6分子有望成为肝癌治疗的新靶点。