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Cynthia Wolberger

Publications and source records attributed to Cynthia Wolberger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Mms2-Ubc13 covalently bound to ubiquitin reveals the structural basis of linkage-specific polyubiquitin chain formation.

Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains participate in nonproteolytic signaling pathways, including regulation of DNA damage tolerance and NF-kappaB activation. E2 enzymes bound to ubiquitin E2 variants (UEV) are vital in these pathways, synthesizing Lys63-linked polyubiquitin chains, but how these complexes achieve specificity for a particular lysine linkage has been unclear. We have determined the crystal structure of an Mms2-Ubc13-ubiquitin (UEV-E2-Ub) covalent intermediate with donor ubiquitin linked to the active site residue of Ubc13. In the structure, the unexpected binding of a donor ubiquitin of one Mms2-Ubc13-Ub complex to the acceptor-binding site of Mms2-Ubc13 in an adjacent complex allows us to visualize at atomic resolution the molecular determinants of acceptor-ubiquitin binding. The structure reveals the key role of Mms2 in allowing selective insertion of Lys63 into the Ubc13 active site and suggests a molecular model for polyubiquitin chain elongation.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed2006

SIRT4 inhibits glutamate dehydrogenase and opposes the effects of calorie restriction in pancreatic beta cells.

Sir2 is an NAD-dependent deacetylase that connects metabolism with longevity in yeast, flies, and worms. Mammals have seven Sir2 homologs (SIRT1-7). We show that SIRT4 is a mitochondrial enzyme that uses NAD to ADP-ribosylate and downregulate glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity. GDH is known to promote the metabolism of glutamate and glutamine, generating ATP, which promotes insulin secretion. Loss of SIRT4 in insulinoma cells activates GDH, thereby upregulating amino acid-stimulated insulin secretion. A similar effect is observed in pancreatic beta cells from mice deficient in SIRT4 or on the dietary regimen of calorie restriction (CR). Furthermore, GDH from SIRT4-deficient or CR mice is insensitive to phosphodiesterase, an enzyme that cleaves ADP-ribose, suggesting the absence of ADP-ribosylation. These results indicate that SIRT4 functions in beta cell mitochondria to repress the activity of GDH by ADP-ribosylation, thereby downregulating insulin secretion in response to amino acids, effects that are alleviated during CR.

Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose↗
PubMed2006

The structural basis of sirtuin substrate affinity.

Sirtuins comprise a family of enzymes that catalyze the deacetylation of acetyllysine side chains in a reaction that consumes NAD+. Although several crystal structures of sirtuins bound to non-native acetyl peptides have been determined, relatively little about how sirtuins discriminate among different substrates is understood. We have carried out a systematic structural and thermodynamic analysis of several peptides bound to a single sirtuin, the Sir2 homologue from Thermatoga maritima (Sir2Tm). We report structures of five different forms of Sir2Tm: two forms bound to the p53 C-terminal tail in the acetylated and unacetylated states, two forms bound to putative acetyl peptide substrates derived from the structured domains of histones H3 and H4, and one form bound to polypropylene glycol (PPG), which resembles the apoenzyme. The structures reveal previously unobserved complementary side chain interactions between Sir2Tm and the first residue N-terminal to the acetyllysine (position -1) and the second residue C-terminal to the acetyllysine (position +2). Isothermal titration calorimetry was used to compare binding constants between wild-type and mutant forms of Sir2Tm and between additional acetyl peptide substrates with substitutions at positions -1 and +2. The results are consistent with a model in which peptide positions -1 and +2 play a significant role in sirtuin substrate binding. This model provides a framework for identifying sirtuin substrates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Structure of Nampt/PBEF/visfatin, a mammalian NAD+ biosynthetic enzyme.

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (Nampt) synthesizes nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) from nicotinamide in a mammalian NAD+ biosynthetic pathway and is required for SirT1 activity in vivo. Nampt has also been presumed to be a cytokine (PBEF) or a hormone (visfatin). The crystal structure of Nampt in the presence and absence of NMN shows that Nampt is a dimeric type II phosphoribosyltransferase and provides insights into the enzymatic mechanism.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Insights into the sirtuin mechanism from ternary complexes containing NAD+ and acetylated peptide.

Sirtuin proteins comprise a unique class of NAD+-dependent protein deacetylases. Although several structures of sirtuins have been determined, the mechanism by which NAD+ cleavage occurs has remained unclear. We report the structures of ternary complexes containing NAD+ and acetylated peptide bound to the bacterial sirtuin Sir2Tm and to a catalytic mutant (Sir2Tm(H116Y)). NAD+ in these structures binds in a conformation different from that seen in previous structures, exposing the alpha face of the nicotinamide ribose to the carbonyl oxygen of the acetyl lysine substrate. The NAD+ conformation is identical in both structures, suggesting that proper coenzyme orientation is not dependent on contacts with the catalytic histidine. We also present the structure of Sir2Tm(H116A) bound to deacteylated peptide and 3'-O-acetyl ADP ribose. Taken together, these structures suggest a mechanism for nicotinamide cleavage in which an invariant phenylalanine plays a central role in promoting formation of the O-alkylamidate reaction intermediate and preventing nicotinamide exchange.

Crystallization↗
PubMed2006

The biochemistry of sirtuins.

Sirtuins are a family of NAD+-dependent protein deacetylases widely distributed in all phyla of life. Accumulating evidence indicates that sirtuins are important regulators of organism life span. In yeast, these unique enzymes regulate gene silencing by histone deacetylation and via formation of the novel compound 2'-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose. In multicellular organisms, sirtuins deacetylate histones and transcription factors that regulate stress, metabolism, and survival pathways. The chemical mechanism of sirtuins provides novel opportunities for signaling and metabolic regulation of protein deacetylation. The biological, chemical, and structural characteristics of these unusual enzymes are discussed in this review.

ADP Ribose Transferases↗
PubMed2005

Mechanism of sirtuin inhibition by nicotinamide: altering the NAD(+) cosubstrate specificity of a Sir2 enzyme.

Sir2 enzymes form a unique class of NAD(+)-dependent deacetylases required for diverse biological processes, including transcriptional silencing, regulation of apoptosis, fat mobilization, and lifespan regulation. Sir2 activity is regulated by nicotinamide, a noncompetitive inhibitor that promotes a base-exchange reaction at the expense of deacetylation. To elucidate the mechanism of nicotinamide inhibition, we determined ternary complex structures of Sir2 enzymes containing nicotinamide. The structures show that free nicotinamide binds in a conserved pocket that participates in NAD(+) binding and catalysis. Based on our structures, we engineered a mutant that deacetylates peptides by using nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide (NAAD) as a cosubstrate and is inhibited by nicotinic acid. The characteristics of the altered specificity enzyme establish that Sir2 enzymes contain a single site that participates in catalysis and nicotinamide regulation and provides additional insights into the Sir2 catalytic mechanism.

Acetylation↗
PubMed2005

How does the histone code work?

Patterns of histone post-translational modifications correlate with distinct chromosomal states that regulate access to DNA, leading to the histone-code hypothesis. However, it is not clear how modification of flexible histone tails leads to changes in nucleosome dynamics and, thus, chromatin structure. The recent discovery that, like the flexible histone tails, the structured globular domain of the nucleosome core particle is also extensively modified adds a new and exciting dimension to the histone-code hypothesis, and calls for the re-examination of current models for the epigenetic regulation of chromatin structure. Here, we review these findings and other recent studies that suggest the structured globular domain of the nucleosome core particle plays a key role regulating chromatin dynamics.

Acetylation↗
PubMed2004

Structural basis for the mechanism and regulation of Sir2 enzymes.

Sir2 proteins form a family of NAD(+)-dependent protein deacetylases required for diverse biological processes, including transcriptional silencing, suppression of rDNA recombination, control of p53 activity, regulation of acetyl-CoA synthetase, and aging. Although structures of Sir2 enzymes in the presence and absence of peptide substrate or NAD(+) have been determined, the role of the enzyme in the mechanism of deacetylation and NAD(+) cleavage is still unclear. Here, we present additional structures of Sir2Af2 in several differently complexed states: in a productive complex with NAD(+), in a nonproductive NAD(+) complex with bound ADP-ribose, and in the unliganded state. We observe a new mode of NAD(+) binding that seems to depend on acetyl-lysine binding, in which the nicotinamide ring of NAD(+) is buried in the highly conserved "C" pocket of the enzyme. We propose a detailed structure-based mechanism for deacetylation and nicotinamide inhibition of Sir2 consistent with mutagenesis and enzymatic studies.

Adenosine Diphosphate Ribose↗
PubMed2004

Regulated nucleosome mobility and the histone code.

Post-translational modifications of the histone tails are correlated with distinct chromatin states that regulate access to DNA. Recent proteomic analyses have revealed several new modifications in the globular nucleosome core, many of which lie at the histone-DNA interface. We interpret these modifications in light of previously published data and propose a new and testable model for how cells implement the histone code by modulating nucleosome dynamics.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2004

Arm-domain interactions can provide high binding cooperativity.

Peptidyl arms extending from one protein domain to another protein domain mediate many important interactions in biology. A well-studied example of this type of protein-protein interaction occurs between the yeast homeodomain proteins, MAT alpha2 and MAT a1, which form a high-affinity heterodimer on DNA. The carboxyl-terminal arm extending from MAT alpha2 to MAT a1 has been proposed to produce an allosteric conformational change in the a1 protein that generates a very large increase in the DNA binding affinity of a1. Although early studies lent some support to this model, a more recent crystal structure determination of the free a1 protein argues against any allosteric change. This note presents a thermodynamic argument that accounts for the proteins' binding behavior, so that allosteric conformational changes are not required to explain the large affinity increase. The analysis presented here should be useful in analyzing binding behavior in other systems involving arm interactions.

Computational Biology↗
PubMed2003

A conserved catalytic residue in the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme family.

Ubiquitin (Ub) regulates diverse functions in eukaryotes through its attachment to other proteins. The defining step in this protein modification pathway is the attack of a substrate lysine residue on Ub bound through its C-terminus to the active site cysteine residue of a Ub-conjugating enzyme (E2) or certain Ub ligases (E3s). So far, these E2 and E3 cysteine residues are the only enzyme groups known to participate in the catalysis of conjugation. Here we show that a strictly conserved E2 asparagine residue is critical for catalysis of E2- and E2/RING E3-dependent isopeptide bond formation, but dispensable for upstream and downstream reactions of Ub thiol ester formation. In contrast, the strictly conserved histidine and proline residues immediately upstream of the asparagine are dispensable for catalysis of isopeptide bond formation. We propose that the conserved asparagine side chain stabilizes the oxyanion intermediate formed during lysine attack. The E2 asparagine is the first non-covalent catalytic group to be proposed in any Ub conjugation factor.

Asparagine↗
PubMed2003

Structure of HoxA9 and Pbx1 bound to DNA: Hox hexapeptide and DNA recognition anterior to posterior.

The HOX/HOM superfamily of homeodomain proteins controls cell fate and segmental embryonic patterning by a mechanism that is conserved in all metazoans. The linear arrangement of the Hox genes on the chromosome correlates with the spatial distribution of HOX protein expression along the anterior-posterior axis of the embryo. Most HOX proteins bind DNA cooperatively with members of the PBC family of TALE-type homeodomain proteins, which includes human Pbx1. Cooperative DNA binding between HOX and PBC proteins requires a residue N-terminal to the HOX homeodomain termed the hexapeptide, which differs significantly in sequence between anterior- and posterior-regulating HOX proteins. We report here the 1.9-A-resolution structure of a posterior HOX protein, HoxA9, complexed with Pbx1 and DNA, which reveals that the posterior Hox hexapeptide adopts an altered conformation as compared with that seen in previously determined anterior HOX/PBC structures. The additional nonspecific interactions and altered DNA conformation in this structure account for the stronger DNA-binding affinity and altered specificity observed for posterior HOX proteins when compared with anterior HOX proteins. DNA-binding studies of wild-type and mutant HoxA9 and HoxB1 show residues in the N-terminal arm of the homeodomains are critical for proper DNA sequence recognition despite lack of direct contact by these residues to the DNA bases. These results help shed light on the mechanism of transcriptional regulation by HOX proteins and show how DNA-binding proteins may use indirect contacts to determine sequence specificity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Insights into nonspecific binding of homeodomains from a structure of MATalpha2 bound to DNA.

The 2.1-A resolution crystal structure of the MATalpha2 homeodomain bound to DNA reveals the unexpected presence of two nonspecifically bound alpha2 homeodomains, in addition to the two alpha2 homeodomains bound to canonical alpha2 binding sites. One of the extra homeodomains makes few base-specific contacts, while the other extra homeodomain binds to DNA in a previously unobserved manner. This unusually bound homeodomain is rotated on the DNA, making possible major groove contacts by side-chains that normally do not contact the DNA. This alternate docking may represent one way in which homeodomains sample nonspecific DNA sequences.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Insights into binding cooperativity of MATa1/MATalpha2 from the crystal structure of a MATa1 homeodomain-maltose binding protein chimera.

The Yeast MATa1 and MATalpha2 are homeodomain proteins that bind DNA cooperatively to repress transcription of cell type specific genes. The DNA affinity and specificity of MATa1 in the absence of MATalpha2, however, is very low. MATa1 is converted to a higher affinity DNA-binding protein by its interaction with the C-terminal tail of MATalpha2. To understand why MATa1 binds DNA weakly by itself, and how the MATalpha2 tail affects the affinity of MATa1 for DNA, we determined the crystal structure of a maltose-binding protein (MBP)-a1 chimera whose DNA binding behavior is similar to MATa1. The overall MATa1 conformation in the MBP-a1 structure, which was determined in the absence of alpha2 and DNA, is similar to that in the a1/alpha2/DNA structure. The sole difference is in the C-terminal portion of the DNA recognition helix of MATa1, which is flexible in the present structure. However, these residues are not in a location likely to be affected by binding of the MATalpha2 tail. The results argue against conformational changes in a1 induced by the tail of MATalpha2, suggesting instead that the MATalpha2 tail energetically couples the DNA binding of MATalpha2 and MATa1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

A Hoogsteen base pair embedded in undistorted B-DNA.

Hoogsteen base pairs within duplex DNA typically are only observed in regions containing significant distortion or near sites of drug intercalation. We report here the observation of a Hoogsteen base pair embedded within undistorted, unmodified B-DNA. The Hoogsteen base pair, consisting of a syn adenine base paired with an anti thymine base, is found in the 2.1 A resolution structure of the MATalpha2 homeodomain bound to DNA in a region where a specifically and a non-specifically bound homeodomain contact overlapping sites. NMR studies of the free DNA show no evidence of Hoogsteen base pair formation, suggesting that protein binding favors the transition from a Watson-Crick to a Hoogsteen base pair. Molecular dynamics simulations of the homeodomain-DNA complex support a role for the non-specifically bound protein in favoring Hoogsteen base pair formation. The presence of a Hoogsteen base pair in the crystal structure of a protein-DNA complex raises the possibility that Hoogsteen base pairs could occur within duplex DNA and play a hitherto unrecognized role in transcription, replication and other cellular processes.

Base Pairing↗
PubMed2002

A core nucleosome surface crucial for transcriptional silencing.

Transcriptional silencing in yeast provides a genetically tractable system for analyzing the formation and maintenance of heterochromatin, a transcriptionally repressive chromatin structure found in all organisms. The nucleosome constitutes the central structure of chromatin and comprises two chains each of histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4. The structure of the nucleosome consists of a central globular core surrounded by outwardly protruding amino-terminal histone tails. We show that a specific surface of the assembled nucleosome core is required for silencing in yeast. This surface is located at a H3/H4 histone-fold motif and contains amino-acid side chains located on the nucleosome disk surface and on an adjacent surface that interacts with DNA. The side chains, identified from mutants in which all three forms of silencing (rDNA, telomere and silent mating locus silencing) are eliminated, are centered around Lys79 of histone H3, a residue methylated by the yeast Dot1 protein. Moreover, mutations in the genes encoding H3 (HHT1 and HHT2) and H4 (HHF1 and HHF2) mapping to spatially adjacent amino-acid residues affected the three forms of silencing distinctly, suggesting that specific interactions mediate each form of silencing. Several of the mutations that we identified resemble those in a cluster of previously identified mutations affecting a distinct histone-fold motif elsewhere in the nucleosome core. These two clusters relieve distinct forms of transcriptional repression (silencing versus repression resulting from lack of Swi/Snf chromatin remodeling activity).

Amino Acid Sequence↗