Crystal structure of the phosphotyrosine recognition domain SH2 of v-src complexed with tyrosine-phosphorylated peptides.

Three-dimensional structures of complexes of the SH2 domain of the v-src oncogene product with two phosphotyrosyl peptides have been determined by X-ray crystallography at resolutions of 1.5 and 2.0 A, respectively. A central antiparallel beta-sheet in the structure is flanked by two alpha-helices, with peptide binding mediated by the sheet, intervening loops and one of the helices. The specific recognition of phosphotyrosine involves amino-aromatic interactions between lysine and arginine side chains and the ring system in addition to hydrogen-bonding interactions with the phosphate.     

Shugoshin collaborates with protein phosphatase 2A to protect cohesin

Sister chromatid cohesion, mediated by a complex called cohesin, is crucial--particularly at centromeres--for proper chromosome segregation in mitosis and meiosis. In animal mitotic cells, phosphorylation of cohesin promotes its dissociation from chromosomes, but centromeric cohesin is protected by shugoshin until kinetochores are properly captured by the spindle microtubules. However, the mechanism of shugoshin-dependent protection of cohesin is unknown. Here we find a specific subtype of serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) associating with human shugoshin. PP2A colocalizes with shugoshin at centromeres and is required for centromeric protection. Purified shugoshin complex has an ability to reverse the phosphorylation of cohesin in vitro, suggesting that dephosphorylation of cohesin is the mechanism of protection at centromeres. Meiotic shugoshin of fission yeast also associates with PP2A, with both proteins collaboratively protecting Rec8-containing cohesin at centromeres. Thus, we have revealed a conserved mechanism of centromeric protection of eukaryotic chromosomes in mitosis and meiosis.     

Structure of an SH2 domain of the p85 alpha subunit of phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase.

Receptor protein-tyrosine kinases, through phosphorylation of specific tyrosine residues, generate high-affinity binding sites which direct assembly of multienzyme signalling complexes. Many of these signalling proteins, including phospholipase C gamma, GTPase-activating protein and phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase, contain src-homology 2 (SH2) domains, which bind with high affinity and specificity to tyrosine-phosphorylated sequences. The critical role played by SH2 domains in signalling has been highlighted by recent studies showing that mutation of specific phosphorylation sites on the platelet-derived growth factor receptor impair its association with phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase, preventing growth factor-induced mitogenesis. Here we report the solution structure of an isolated SH2 domain from the 85K regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase, determined using multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The structure is characterized by a central region of beta-sheet flanked by two alpha-helices, with a highly flexible loop close to functionally important residues previously identified by site-directed mutagenesis.     

SH2域与磷酸化多肽相互作用的连续溶剂模型研究

使用连续溶剂模型方法研究了SH2结构域与磷酸化多肽pYXXX(X为20种常见氨基酸残基中的任意一种)之间的相互作用.首先计算了已知的SH2域-磷酸化酪氨酸多肽复合物之间的结合能,理论计算的结果与实验测得的亲合能之间的相关系数为0.91,验证了理论模型的正确性.然后,用该模型方法计算了SH2域与pYXXX之间的结合能,分析了磷酸化酪氨酸多肽pYXXX中 1, 2, 3位置上残基对结合能的影响.结果表明 2, 3位置上残基的变化对结合能影响较大, 2位置上带负电的残基和 3位置上的疏水性残基有利于SH2域与pYXXX之间的相互作用,这与实验结果一致.     

Association of the Shc and Grb2/Sem5 SH2-containing proteins is implicated in activation of the Ras pathway by tyrosine kinases.

The mammalian shc gene encodes two overlapping, widely expressed proteins of 46 and 52K, with a carboxy-terminal SH2 domain that binds activated growth factor receptors, and a more amino-terminal glycine/proline-rich region. These shc gene products (Shc) are transforming when overexpressed in fibroblasts. Shc proteins become phosphorylated on tyrosine in cells stimulated with a variety of growth factors, and in cells transformed by v-src (ref. 2), suggesting that they are tyrosine kinase targets that control a mitogenic signalling pathway. Here we report that tyrosine-phosphorylated Shc proteins form a specific complex with a non-phosphorylated 23K polypeptide encoded by the grb2/sem-5 gene. The grb2/sem-5 gene product itself contains an SH2 domain, which mediates binding to Shc, and is implicated in activation of the Ras guanine nucleotide-binding protein by tyrosine kinases in both Caenorhabditis elegans and mammalian cells. Consistent with a role in signalling through Ras, shc overexpression induced Ras-dependent neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells. These results suggest that Shc tyrosine phosphorylation can couple tyrosine kinases to Grb2/Sem-5, through formation of a Shc-Grb2/Sem-5 complex, and thereby regulate the mammalian Ras signalling pathway.     

C. elegans cell-signalling gene sem-5 encodes a protein with SH2 and SH3 domains.

The induction of the hermaphrodite vulva and the migration of the sex myoblasts in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans are both controlled by intercellular signalling. The gonadal anchor cell induces formation of the vulva from nearby hypodermal cells, and a set of somatic gonadal cells attract the migrating sex myoblasts to their final positions. Many genes required for vulval induction have been identified, including the let-23 receptor tyrosine kinase gene and the let-60 ras gene. We report here the identification and characterization of a new gene, sem-5 (sem, sex muscle abnormal), that acts both in vulval induction and in sex myoblast migration. On the basis of its DNA sequence, sem-5 encodes a novel 228-amino-acid protein which consists almost entirely of one SH2 (SH, src homology region) and two SH3 domains. SH2 and SH3 domains are present in many signalling proteins regulated by receptor and non-receptor tyrosine kinases. Mutations that impair sem-5 activity alter residues that are highly conserved among different SH2 and SH3 domains. Our results indicate that the sem-5 gene encodes a novel protein that functions in at least two distinct cell-signalling processes.     

Crystal structure of a Src-homology 3 (SH3) domain.

The Src-homologous SH3 domain is a small domain present in a large number of proteins that are involved in signal transduction, such as the Src protein tyrosine kinase, or in membrane-cytoskeleton interactions, but the function of SH3 is still unknown (reviewed in refs 1-3). Here we report the three-dimensional structure at 1.8 A resolution of the SH3 domain of the cytoskeletal protein spectrin expressed in Escherichia coli. The domain is a compact beta-barrel made of five antiparallel beta-strands. The amino acids that are conserved in the SH3 sequences are located close to each other on one side of the molecule. This surface is rich in aromatic and carboxylic amino acids, and is distal to the region of the molecule where the N and C termini reside and where SH3 inserts into the alpha-spectrin chain. We suggest that a protein ligand binds to this conserved surface of SH3.     

DNA sequence of the mini-insertion IS2--6 and its relation to the sequence of IS2.

In polar IS2 abolishes galactose operon expression. Operon activity is restored by a 108 base pair mini-insertion within IS2 called IS2--6. The DNA sequences of the gal operon-IS2 junction, the parental IS2 region undergoing sequence rearrangements and IS2--6 itself are reported. IS2--6 is composed of sequence intervals present in both strands of IS2.     

A novel viral oncogene with structural similarity to phospholipase C

Numerous oncogenes have been isolated from acutely transforming retroviruses. To date, the products of these viral oncogenes have been protein kinases, nuclear proteins, growth factors, or GTP-binding proteins. We have cloned the previously uncharacterized avian sarcoma virus CT10 and sequenced its genome. This virus encodes a protein, p47gag-crk, that has blocks of sequence similarity to the amino-terminal, non-catalytic region of the non-receptor class of tyrosine kinases. In addition, the structure of p47gag-crk has striking similarity to a 180-amino acid region of bovine brain phospholipase C. Biochemical data suggest that p47gag-crk activates one or several endogenous tyrosine kinases.     

Dimerization inhibits the activity of receptor-like protein-tyrosine phosphatase-alpha.

Protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are vital for regulating tryosine phosphorylation in many processes, including growth and differentiation. The regulation of receptor-like PTP (RPTP) activity remains poorly understood, but based on the crystal structure of RPTPalpha domain 1 we have proposed that dimerization can negatively regulate activity, through the interaction of an inhibitory 'wedge' on one monomer with the catalytic cleft of domain 1 in the other monomer. Here we show that dimerization inhibits the activity of a full-length RPTP in vivo. We generated stable disulphide-bonded full-length RPTPalpha homodimers by expressing mutants with single cysteines at different positions in the ectodomain juxtamembrane region. Expression of wild-type RPTPalpha and Phe135Cys and Thr141Cys mutants in RPTPalpha-null mouse embryo cells increased dephosphorylation and activity of Tyr 529 in the protein tyrosine kinase c-Src; in contrast, expression of a Pro137Cys mutant did not. Mutation of Pro 210/211 to leucine in the inhibitory wedge of the Pro137Cys mutant restored its ability to activate c-Src, indicating that dimerization may inhibit full-length RPTPalpha activity in a manner stereochemically consistent with RPTPalpha crystal structures. Our results suggest that RPTPalpha activity can in principle be negatively regulated by dimerization in vivo.     

一种蛋白A的Z结构域衍生物的构建及对IgG亲和力的研究

蛋白A是金葡菌中一种重要的致病因子,有较强结合多种哺乳动物的IgG的能力,因此降低机体产生特异性SPA抗体的水平,使金葡菌具免疫逃逸功能.研究一种与IgG亲和力较弱的蛋白A衍生物,对金葡菌疫苗的开发具重要意义.研究表明,蛋白A的Z结构域中位于第13、14位的Phe,Tyr是两个与IgG结合的关键位点.本文首次通过PCR突变技术,将这两个关键氨基酸均改造为Gly,构建突变体ZFY.Discovery Studio3.5受体-配体相互作用力模块分析显示,突变体ZFY与IgG结合力降低到-61.68kcal/mol,仅为原相互作用力的10.69%;构建得到ZFY蛋白,经ITC测定,ZFY与兔IgG的亲和常数降低到1.2×104 M-1,仅为原亲和常数的0.39%,证明了ZFY是一种与IgG亲和力较弱的蛋白A衍生物,为实现新型蛋白A疫苗治疗金葡菌感染奠定基础.     

Crystal structure of a protein phosphatase 2A heterotrimeric holoenzyme

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a principal Ser/Thr phosphatase, the deregulation of which is associated with multiple human cancers, Alzheimer's disease and increased susceptibility to pathogen infections. How PP2A is structurally organized and functionally regulated remains unclear. Here we report the crystal structure of an AB'C heterotrimeric PP2A holoenzyme. The structure reveals that the HEAT repeats of the scaffold A subunit form a horseshoe-shaped fold, holding the catalytic C and regulatory B' subunits together on the same side. The regulatory B' subunit forms pseudo-HEAT repeats and interacts with the C subunit near the active site, thereby defining substrate specificity. The methylated carboxy-terminal tail of the C subunit interacts with a highly negatively charged region at the interface between A and B' subunits, suggesting that the C-terminal carboxyl methylation of the C subunit promotes B' subunit recruitment by neutralizing charge repulsion. Together, our structural results establish a crucial foundation for understanding PP2A assembly, substrate recruitment and regulation.     

H_2S和CH_3SH与硅锡烯加成反应的理论研究

采用密度泛函理论方法研究了H2S及CH3SH与硅锡烯的加成反应的微观机理和势能剖面.计算结果表明,所研究反应由多步机理组成且反应的初始步骤为H2S或CH3SH对硅锡烯的亲核进攻.反应过程中Si(Sn)-S键总是先于Sn(Si)-H键形成.形成Si-S键的反应在动力学上比形成Sn-S键的反应有利,且主要由能量因素决定.CH3SH作为亲核反应试剂比H2S更活泼.     

基于模糊关系相似与相像的一点注记

首先给出了二元模糊关系的预备知识,然后分别探讨了二元模糊关系的相似关系及相像关系的特殊性质、相关定理以及二者之间的联系,最后用实例说明了相似与相像关系的区别及联系。     

类锗烯H_2GeLiCl与RH(R=Cl,SH,PH_2)的插入反应

应用DFT B3LYP和QCISD方法研究类锗烯H2GeLiCl与RH(R=Cl,SH,PH2)的插入反应.在B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)水平上优化反应势能面上所有驻点的构型,并用QCISD/6-311++G(d,p)方法计算单点能,并考察溶剂化效应对反应的影响.结果表明,类锗烯H2GeLiCl与RH(R=Cl,SH,PH2)插入反应势能面上存在1个过渡态(TS)和1个中间体(IM)连接反应物和产物.气相条件下,3个插入反应的势垒分别为93.47(R=Cl),133.32(R=SH)和212.25(R=PH2)kJ/mol,表明相同条件下发生插入反应时,反应活性由大到小的物质为H-Cl,H-SH,H-PH2;溶剂极性越大,插入反应越容易进行.     

A protein binding to the J kappa recombination sequence of immunoglobulin genes contains a sequence related to the integrase motif

Site-specific recombination requires conserved DNA sequences specific to each system, and system-specific proteins that recognize specific DNA sequences. The site-specific recombinases seem to fall into at least two families, based on their protein structure and chemistry of strand breakage. One of these is the resolvase-invertase family, members of which seem to form a serine-phosphate linkage with DNA. Members of the other family, called the integrase family, contain a conserved tyrosine residue that forms a covalent linkage with the 3'-phosphate of DNA at the site of recombination. Structural comparison of integrases shows that these proteins share a highly conserved 40-residue motif. V-(D)-J recombination of the immunoglobulin gene requires conserved recombination signal sequences (RS) of a heptamer CACTGTG and a T-rich nonamer GGTTTTTGT, which are separated by a spacer sequence of either 12 or 23 bases We have recently purified, almost to homogeneity, a protein that specifically binds to the immunoglobulin J kappa RS containing the 23-base-pair spacer sequence. By synthesizing probes on the basis of partial amino-acid sequences of the purified protein, we have now isolated and characterized the complementary DNA of this protein. The amino-acid sequence deduced from the cDNA sequence reveals that the J kappa RS-binding protein has a sequence similar to the 40-residue motif of integrases of phages, bacteria and yeast, indicating that this protein could be involved in V-(D)-J recombination as a recombinase.