Inactivation of the tumor suppressor p53 is critical for pathogenesis of glioma, in particular glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). MDM2, the main negative regulator of p53, binds to and forms a stable complex with p53 to regulate its activity. Hitherto, it is unclear whether the stability of the p53/MDM2 complex is affected by lncRNAs, in particular circular RNAs that are usually abundant and conserved, and frequently implicated in different oncogenic processes. RIP-seq and RIP-qPCR assays were performed to determine the most enriched lncRNAs (including circular RNAs) bound by p53, followed by bioinformatic assays to estimate the relevance of their expression with p53 signaling and gliomagenesis. Subsequently, the clinical significance of CDR1as was evaluated in the largest cohort of Chinese glioma patients from CGGA (n = 325), and its expression in human glioma tissues was further evaluated by RNA FISH and RT-qPCR, respectively. Assays combining RNA FISH with protein immunofluorescence were performed to determine co-localization of CDR1as and p53, followed by CHIRP assays to confirm RNA-protein interaction. Immunoblot assays were carried out to evaluate protein expression, p53/MDM2 interaction and p53 ubiquitination in cells in which CDR1as expression was manipulated. After AGO2 or Dicer was knocked-down to inhibit miRNA biogenesis, effects of CDR1as on p53 expression, stability and activity were determined by immunoblot, RT-qPCR and luciferase reporter assays. Meanwhile, impacts of CDR1as on DNA damage were evaluated by flow cytometric assays and immunohistochemistry. Tumorigenicity assays were performed to determine the effects of CDR1as on colony formation, cell proliferation, the cell cycle and apoptosis (in vitro), and on tumor volume/weight and survival of nude mice xenografted with GBM cells (in vivo). CDR1as is found to bind to p53 protein. CDR1as expression decreases with increasing glioma grade and it is a reliable independent predictor of overall survival in glioma, particularly in GBM. Through a mechanism independent of acting as a miRNA sponge, CDR1as stabilizes p53 protein by preventing it from ubiquitination. CDR1as directly interacts with the p53 DBD domain that is essential for MDM2 binding, thus disrupting the p53/MDM2 complex formation. Induced upon DNA damage, CDR1as may preserve p53 function and protect cells from DNA damage. Significantly, CDR1as inhibits tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, but has little impact in cells where p53 is absent or mutated. Rather than acting as a miRNA sponge, CDR1as functions as a tumor suppressor through binding directly to p53 at its DBD region to restrict MDM2 interaction. Thus, CDR1as binding disrupts the p53/MDM2 complex to prevent p53 from ubiquitination and degradation. CDR1as may also sense DNA damage signals and form a protective complex with p53 to preserve p53 function. Therefore, CDR1as depletion may play a potent role in promoting tumorigenesis through down-regulating p53 expression in glioma. Our results broaden further our understanding of the roles and mechanism of action of circular RNAs in general and CDR1as in particular, and can potentially open up novel therapeutic avenues for effective glioma treatment.

/pdf/circular-rna-cdr1as-disrupts-the-p53-mdm2-complex-to-inhibit-4rmu6tawya.pdf

Circular RNA CDR1as disrupts the p53/MDM2 complex to inhibit Gliomagenesis

Affinity and specificity of motif-based protein-protein interactions

We present a method for determining the free-energy dependence on a selected number of collective variables using an adaptive bias. The formalism provides a unified description which has metadynamics and canonical sampling as limiting cases. Convergence and errors can be rigorously and easily controlled. The parameters of the simulation can be tuned so as to focus the computational effort only on the physically relevant regions of the order parameter space. The algorithm is tested on the reconstruction of an alanine dipeptide free-energy landscape.

http://absimage.aps.org/image/MAR08/MWS_MAR08-2007-003737.pdf

Well-tempered metadynamics: a smoothly-converging and tunable free-energy method

Are all protein interactions fully optimized? Do suboptimal interactions compromise specificity? What is the functional impact of frustration? Why does evolution not optimize some contacts? Proteins and their complexes are best described as ensembles of states populating an energy landscape These ensembles vary in breadth from narrow ensembles clustered around a single average X-ray structure to broader ensembles encompassing a few different functional "taxonomic" states on to near continua of rapidly interconverting conformations, which are called "fuzzy" or even "intrinsically disordered" Here we aim to provide a comprehensive framework for confronting the structural and dynamical continuum of protein assemblies by combining the concepts of energetic frustration and interaction fuzziness The diversity of the protein structural ensemble arises from the frustrated conflicts between the interactions that create the energy landscape When frustration is minimal after folding, it results in a narrow ensemble, but residual frustrated interactions result in fuzzy ensembles, and this fuzziness allows a versatile repertoire of biological interactions Here we discuss how fuzziness and frustration play off each other as proteins fold and assemble, viewing their significance from energetic, functional, and evolutionary perspectivesWe demonstrate, in particular, that the common physical origin of both concepts is related to the ruggedness of the energy landscapes, intramolecular in the case of frustration and intermolecular in the case of fuzziness Within this framework, we show that alternative sets of suboptimal contacts may encode specificity without achieving a single structural optimum Thus, we demonstrate that structured complexes may not be optimized, and energetic frustration is realized via different sets of contacts leading to multiplicity of specific complexes Furthermore, we propose that these suboptimal, frustrated, or fuzzy interactions are under evolutionary selection and expand the biological repertoire by providing a multiplicity of biological activities In accord, we show that non-native interactions in folding or interaction landscapes can cooperate to generate diverse functional states, which are essential to facilitate adaptation to different cellular conditions Thus, we propose that not fully optimized structures may actually be beneficial for biological activities of proteins via an alternative set of suboptimal interactions The importance of such variability has not been recognized across different areas of biologyThis account provides a modern view on folding, function, and assembly across the protein universe The physical framework presented here is applicable to the structure and dynamics continuum of proteins and opens up new perspectives for drug design involving not fully structured, highly dynamic protein assemblies

Fuzziness and Frustration in the Energy Landscape of Protein Folding, Function, and Assembly.

Protein-protein interactions within protein networks shape the human interactome, which often is promoted by specialized protein interaction modules, such as the postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95), discs-large, zona occludens 1 (ZO-1) (PDZ) domains. PDZ domains play a role in several cellular functions, from cell-cell communication and polarization, to regulation of protein transport and protein metabolism. PDZ domain proteins are also crucial in the formation and stability of protein complexes, establishing an important bridge between extracellular stimuli detected by transmembrane receptors and intracellular responses. PDZ domains have been suggested as promising drug targets in several diseases, ranging from neurological and oncological disorders to viral infections. In this review, the authors describe structural and genetic aspects of PDZ-containing proteins and discuss the current status of the development of small-molecule and peptide modulators of PDZ domains. An overview of potential new therapeutic interventions in PDZ-mediated protein networks is also provided.

/pdf/pdz-domains-as-drug-targets-15y5bmspzi.pdf

PDZ Domains as Drug Targets.

Proteins are an important building block of life and are vital for almost every process that keeps cells alive. These molecules are made from chains of smaller molecules called amino acids linked together. The specific order of amino acids in a protein determines its shape and structure, which in turn controls what the protein can do. However, a group of proteins called 'intrinsically disordered proteins' are flexible in their shape and lack a stable three-dimensional structure. Yet, these proteins play important roles in many processes that require the protein to interact with a number of other proteins. At multiple time points during evolution, new or modified proteins – and consequently new potential interactions between proteins – have emerged. Often, an interaction that is specific for a group of organisms has evolved a long time ago and not changed since. As intrinsically disordered proteins lack a specific shape, it is harder to study how their structure (or lack of it) influences their purpose; until now, it was not known how their interactions emerge and evolve. Hultqvist et al. analyzed the amino acid sequences of two specific intrinsically disordered proteins from different organisms to reconstruct the versions of the proteins that were likely found in their common ancestors 450-600 million years ago. The ancestral proteins were then ‘resurrected’ by recreating them in test tubes and their characteristics and properties analyzed with experimental and computational biophysical methods. The results showed that the ancestral proteins created weaker bonds between them compared to more ‘modern’ ones, and were more flexible even when bound together. However, once their connection had evolved, the bonds became stronger and were maintained even when the organism diversified into new species. The findings shed light on fundamental principles of how new protein-protein interactions emerge and evolve on a molecular level. This suggests that an originally weak and dynamic interaction is relatively quickly turned into a tighter one by random mutations and natural selection. A next step for the future will be to investigate how other protein-protein interactions have evolved and to identify general underlying patterns. A deeper knowledge of how this molecular evolution happened will broaden our understanding of present day protein-protein interactions and might aid the design of drugs that can mimick proteins.

/pdf/emergence-and-evolution-of-an-interaction-between-4na88ldik9.pdf

Emergence and evolution of an interaction between intrinsically disordered proteins

The p53 signalling pathway, which controls cell fate, has been extensively studied due to its prominent role in tumor development. The pathway includes the tumor supressor protein p53, its vertebrate paralogs p63 and p73, and their negative regulators MDM2 and MDM4. The p53/p63/p73-MDM system is ancient and can be traced in all extant animal phyla. Despite this, correct phylogenetic trees including both vertebrate and invertebrate species of the p53/p63/p73 and MDM families have not been published. Here, we have examined the evolution of the p53/p63/p73 protein family with particular focus on the p53/p63/p73 transactivation domain (TAD) and its co-evolution with the p53/p63/p73-binding domain (p53/p63/p73BD) of MDM2. We found that the TAD and p53/p63/p73BD share a strong evolutionary connection. If one of the domains of the protein is lost in a phylum, then it seems very likely to be followed by loss of function by the other domain as well, and due to the loss of function it is likely to eventually disappear. By focusing our phylogenetic analysis to p53/p63/p73 and MDM proteins from phyla that retain the interaction domains TAD and p53/p63/p73BD, we built phylogenetic trees of p53/p63/p73 and MDM based on both vertebrate and invertebrate species. The trees follow species evolution and contain a total number of 183 and 98 species for p53/p63/p73 and MDM, respectively. We also demonstrate that the p53/p63/p73 and MDM families result from whole genome duplications. The signaling pathway of the TAD and p53/p63/p73BD in p53/p63/p73 and MDM, respectively, dates back to early metazoan time and has since then tightly co-evolved, or disappeared in distinct lineages.

/pdf/evolution-of-the-p53-mdm2-pathway-2v8nxt1xpp.pdf

Evolution of the p53-MDM2 pathway.

Because of their prominent roles in cell-cycle regulation and cancer, the interaction between MDM2 and the intrinsically disordered transactivation domain (TAD) of p53 is exceptionally well-studied. However, although there are numerous computational studies on the interaction mechanism, there is a paucity of experimental data regarding the kinetics and mechanism. We have used stopped flow fluorescence to investigate the binding reaction between MDM2 and TAD from p53 as well as from its paralogs p63 and p73, and in particular, focused on the salt dependence of the interaction. The observed kinetics are consistent with a two-state mechanism within the time frame of the stopped flow methodology; thus, any conformational changes including the previously identified MDM2 lid dynamics must occur on a time scale <5 ms at 10 °C. The association rate constants are similar for the three TADs, and differences in the dissociation rate constants determine the various affinities with MDM2. In contrast to previous studie...

Binding Kinetics of the Intrinsically Disordered p53 Family Transactivation Domains and MDM2

PDZ domains in general, and those of PSD-95 in particular, are emerging as promising drug targets for diseases such as ischemic stroke. We have previously shown that dimeric ligands that simultaneously target PDZ1 and PDZ2 of PSD-95 are highly potent inhibitors of PSD-95. However, PSD-95 and the related MAGUK proteins contain three consecutive PDZ domains, hence we envisioned that targeting all three PDZ domains simultaneously would lead to more potent and potentially more specific interactions with the MAGUK proteins. Here we describe the design, synthesis and characterization of a series of trimeric ligands targeting all three PDZ domains of PSD-95 and the related MAGUK proteins, PSD-93, SAP-97 and SAP-102. Using our dimeric ligands targeting the PDZ1-2 tandem as starting point, we designed novel trimeric ligands by introducing a PDZ3-binding peptide moiety via a cysteine-derivatized NPEG linker. The trimeric ligands generally displayed increased affinities compared to the dimeric ligands in fluorescence polarization binding experiments and optimized trimeric ligands showed low nanomolar inhibition towards the four MAGUK proteins, thus being the most potent inhibitors described. Kinetic experiments using stopped-flow spectrometry showed that the increase in affinity is caused by a decrease in the dissociation rate of the trimeric ligand as compared to the dimeric ligands, likely reflecting the lower probability of simultaneous dissociation of all three PDZ ligands. Thus, we have provided novel inhibitors of the MAGUK proteins with exceptionally high affinity, which can be used to further elucidate the therapeutic potential of these proteins.

/pdf/targeting-protein-protein-interactions-with-trimeric-ligands-4odtclvnqs.pdf

Targeting protein-protein interactions with trimeric ligands: high affinity inhibitors of the MAGUK protein family.

Intrinsically disordered regions in proteins often function as binding motifs in protein-protein interactions. The mechanistic aspects and molecular details of such coupled binding and folding reactions, which involve formation of multiple noncovalent bonds, have been broadly studied theoretically, but experimental data are scarce. Here, using a combination of protein semisynthesis to incorporate phosphorylated amino acids, backbone amide-to-ester modifications, side chain substitutions, and binding kinetics, we examined the interaction between the intrinsically disordered motif of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain of Mint2. We show that the interaction is regulated by a self-inhibitory segment of the PTB domain previously termed ARM. The helical ARM linker decreases the association rate constant 30-fold through a fast pre-equilibrium between an open and a closed state. Extensive side chain substitutions combined with kinetic experiments demonstrate that the rate-limiting transition state for the binding reaction is governed by native and non-native hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds. Hydrophobic interactions were found to be particularly important during crossing of the transition state barrier. Furthermore, linear free energy relationships show that the overall coupled binding and folding reaction involves cooperative formation of interactions with roughly 30% native contacts formed at the transition state. Our data support an emerging picture of coupled binding and folding reactions following overall chemical principles similar to those of folding of globular protein domains but with greater malleability of ground and transition states.

Emma Åberg

Papers

Emergence and evolution of an interaction between intrinsically disordered proteins

Evolution of the p53-MDM2 pathway.

Binding Kinetics of the Intrinsically Disordered p53 Family Transactivation Domains and MDM2

Targeting protein-protein interactions with trimeric ligands: high affinity inhibitors of the MAGUK protein family.

Molecular Details of a Coupled Binding and Folding Reaction between the Amyloid Precursor Protein and a Folded Domain