Molecular strategies to replace the structural metal site in the prokaryotic zinc finger domain

The specific arrangement of secondary elements in a local motif often totally relies on the formation of coordination bonds between metal ions and protein ligands. This is typified by the ~ 30 amino acid eukaryotic zinc finger motif in which a β-sheet and an α-helix are clustered around a zinc ion by various combinations of four ligands.     

Mesp1 Patterns Mesoderm into Cardiac,Hematopoietic, or Skeletal Myogenic Progenitors in a Context-Dependent Manner

1. Download : Download high-res image (212KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Zinc finger protein ZFP57 requires its co-factor to recruit DNA methyltransferases and maintains DNA methylation imprint in embryonic stem cells via its transcriptional repression domain

Previously, we discovered that ZFP57 is a maternal-zygotic effect gene, and it maintains DNA methylation genomic imprint at multiple imprinted regions in mouse embryos. Despite these findings, it remains elusive how DNA methyltransferases are targeted to the imprinting control regions to initiate and maintain DNA methylation imprint. To gain insights into these essential processes in genomic imprinting, we examined how ZFP57 maintains genomic DNA methylation imprint in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. Here we demonstrate that the loss of ZFP57 in mouse ES cells led to a complete loss of genomic DNA methylation imprint at multiple imprinted regions, similar to its role in mouse embryos. However, reintroduction of ZFP57 into Zfp57-null ES cells did not result in reacquisition of DNA methylation imprint, suggesting that the memory for genomic imprinting had been lost or altered in Zfp57-null ES cells in culture. Interestingly, ZFP57 and DNA methyltransferases could form complexes in the presence of KAP1/TRIM28/TIF1β when co-expressed in COS cells. We also found that the wild-type exogenous ZFP57 but not the mutant ZFP57 lacking the KRAB box that interacts with its co-factor KAP1/TRIM28/TIF1β could substitute for the endogenous ZFP57 in maintaining the DNA methylation imprint in ES cells. These results suggest that ZFP57 may recruit DNA methyltransferases to its target regions to maintain DNA methylation imprint, and this interaction is likely facilitated by KAP1/TRIM28/TIF1β.     

Mitochondrial DNA instability mutants of the bifunctional protein Ilv5p have altered organization in mitochondria and are targeted for degradation by Hsp78 and the Pim1p protease

Ilv5p is a bifunctional mitochondrial protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae required for branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis and for the stability of wild-type (rho(+)) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Mutant forms of Ilv5p defective in mtDNA stability (a(+)D(-)) are present as 5-10 punctate structures in mitochondria, whereas mutants lacking enzymatic function (a(-)D(+)) show a reticular distribution, as does wild-type Ilv5p. a(+)D(-) ilv5 mutations are recessive, and the mutant protein is redistributed to a reticular form when co-expressed with wild-type Ilv5p. Ilv5p proteins that are punctate in vivo are also less soluble in detergent extracts of isolated mitochondria, suggesting that the punctate foci in a(+)D(-) Ilv5p mutants are aggregates of the protein. a(+)D(-) Ilv5p proteins are selectively degraded in cells lacking a functional mitochondrial genome, but only in cells grown under derepressing conditions. The targeted degradation of a(+)D(-) Ilv5p, which occurs even when co-expressed with wild-type Ilv5p, is mediated by the glucose-repressible chaperone, Hsp78, and by the ATP-dependent Pim1p protease, whose activity may be modulated by rho(+) mtDNA.     

Effect of lengthening of peptide backbone by insertion of chiral beta-homo amino acid residues: conformational behavior of linear peptides containing alternating L-leucine and beta-homo L-leucine residues

The synthesis and the solution behavior of the linear peptides containing a beta-homo (beta-H) leucine residue-Boc-Leu-beta-HLeu-Leu-OMe, Boc-beta-HLeu-Leu-beta-HLeu-Leu-OMe, and Boc-Leu-beta-HLeu-Leu-beta-HLeu-Leu-OMe-as well as the solid structure of the tripeptide, are reported. The conformational behavior of the peptides was investigated in solution by two-dimensional nmr. Our data support the existence in solution with different families of conformers in rapid interchange. The crystals of the tripeptide are orthorhombic, space group P2(1)2(1)2, with a = 15.829(1) A, b = 29.659(1) A, c = 6.563(1) A, and Z = 4. The structure has been solved by direct methods and refined to final R1 and wR2 indexes of 0.0530 and 0.1436 for 2420 reflections with I > 2sigma(I). In the solid state, the tripeptide does not present intramolecular H bonds, and the peptide backbone of the two leucine residues adopts a quasi-extended conformation. For the beta-HLeu residue, the backbone conformation is specified by the torsion angles straight phi(2) = -120.9(4) degrees, mu(2) = 56.7(4) degrees, psi(3) = -133.2(4) degrees. The side chains of the three residues assume the same conformation (g(-), g(-), trans), and all peptide bonds, except the urethane group at the N-terminus, are in the trans conformation. Preliminary conformational energy calculations carried out on the Ac-NH-beta-HAla-NHMe underline that the conformations with mu angle equal to 180 degrees and 60 degrees assume lower energy with respect to the others. In addition, we found a larger conformational freedom for the psi angle with respect to the straight phi angle.