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Biomedical subjects

Seth M Rubin

Publications and source records attributed to Seth M Rubin.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2025

E2F1 induces a G0-G1 reentry transcriptional program without changing chromatin accessibility.

Quiescent cells actively repress cell-cycle genes via chromatin-based mechanisms to maintain a non-dividing state, yet remain poised to reenter upon stimulation. E2F1, a canonical activator of cell-cycle genes, is sufficient to induce reentry from quiescence, but how it overcomes chromatin-mediated repression remains unclear. Here, we show that inducible E2F1 expression triggers exit from quiescence and progression through the cycle without changes in chromatin accessibility, by harnessing regulatory elements with limited, pre-existing accessibility. Using time-resolved transcriptomics, we demonstrate that E2F1 induces an accelerated transcriptional program compared to serum. Unlike serum, which triggers broad chromatin remodeling, E2F1-induced activation occurs in a context of limited accessibility. ChIP-seq reveals that E2F1 directly binds target sites in quiescent cells to upregulate canonical genes. Biochemical reconstitution shows that E2F1 binds nucleosomes and accesses internal E2F sites within histone-wrapped DNA. These findings suggest that E2F1 can engage nucleosome-associated DNA and initiate transcription without major chromatin reorganization, redefining transcription factor-chromatin dynamics during cell fate transitions and establishing E2F1 as a potent regulator of cell-cycle reentry.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Structure of the Rb C-terminal domain bound to E2F1-DP1: a mechanism for phosphorylation-induced E2F release.

The retinoblastoma (Rb) protein negatively regulates the G1-S transition by binding to the E2F transcription factors, until cyclin-dependent kinases phosphorylate Rb, causing E2F release. The Rb pocket domain is necessary for E2F binding, but the Rb C-terminal domain (RbC) is also required for growth suppression. Here we demonstrate a high-affinity interaction between RbC and E2F-DP heterodimers shared by all Rb and E2F family members. The crystal structure of an RbC-E2F1-DP1 complex reveals an intertwined heterodimer in which the marked box domains of both E2F1 and DP1 contact RbC. We also demonstrate that phosphorylation of RbC at serines 788 and 795 destabilizes one set of RbC-E2F-DP interactions directly, while phosphorylation at threonines 821 and 826 induces an intramolecular interaction between RbC and the Rb pocket that destabilizes the remaining interactions indirectly. Our findings explain the requirement of RbC for high-affinity E2F binding and growth suppression and establish a mechanism for the regulation of Rb-E2F association by phosphorylation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Distinguishing multiple chemotaxis Y protein conformations with laser-polarized 129Xe NMR.

The chemical shift of the (129)Xe NMR signal has been shown to be extremely sensitive to the local environment around the atom and has been used to follow processes such as ligand binding by bacterial periplasmic binding proteins. Here we show that the (129)Xe shift can sense more subtle changes: magnesium binding, BeF(3)(-) activation, and peptide binding by the Escherichia coli chemotaxis Y protein. (1)H-(15)N correlation spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography were used to identify two xenon-binding cavities in CheY that are primarily responsible for the shift changes. One site is near the active site, and the other is near the peptide binding site.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed2004

Development of a functionalized xenon biosensor.

NMR-based biosensors that utilize laser-polarized xenon offer potential advantages beyond current sensing technologies. These advantages include the capacity to simultaneously detect multiple analytes, the applicability to in vivo spectroscopy and imaging, and the possibility of "remote" amplified detection. Here, we present a detailed NMR characterization of the binding of a biotin-derivatized caged-xenon sensor to avidin. Binding of "functionalized" xenon to avidin leads to a change in the chemical shift of the encapsulated xenon in addition to a broadening of the resonance, both of which serve as NMR markers of ligand-target interaction. A control experiment in which the biotin-binding site of avidin was blocked with native biotin showed no such spectral changes, confirming that only specific binding, rather than nonspecific contact, between avidin and functionalized xenon leads to the effects on the xenon NMR spectrum. The exchange rate of xenon (between solution and cage) and the xenon spin-lattice relaxation rate were not changed significantly upon binding. We describe two methods for enhancing the signal from functionalized xenon by exploiting the laser-polarized xenon magnetization reservoir. We also show that the xenon chemical shifts are distinct for xenon encapsulated in different diastereomeric cage molecules. This demonstrates the potential for tuning the encapsulated xenon chemical shift, which is a key requirement for being able to multiplex the biosensor.

Avidin↗
PubMed2003

Applications of laser-polarized 129Xe to biomolecular assays.

The chemical shift sensitivity and significant signal enhancement afforded by laser-polarized 129Xe have motivated the application of 129Xe NMR to biological imaging and spectroscopy. Recent research done by our group has used laser-polarized 129Xe in biomolecular assays that detect ligand-binding events and distinguish protein conformations. The successful application of unfunctionalized and functionalized 129Xe NMR to in vitro biomolecular assays suggests the potential future use of a functionalized xenon biosensor for in vivo imaging.

Humans↗
PubMed2003

Solution structure of a putative ribosome binding protein from Mycoplasma pneumoniae and comparison to a distant homolog.

The solution structure of MPN156, a ribosome-binding factor A (RBFA) protein family member from Mycoplasma pneumoniae, is presented. The structure, solved by nuclear magnetic resonance, has a type II KH fold typical of RNA binding proteins. Despite only approximately 20% sequence identity between MPN156 and another family member from Escherichia coli, the two proteins have high structural similarity. The comparison demonstrates that many of the conserved residues correspond to conserved elements in the structures. Compared to a structure based alignment, standard alignment methods based on sequence alone mispair a majority of amino acids in the two proteins. Implications of these discrepancies for sequence based structural modeling are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Detection and characterization of xenon-binding sites in proteins by 129Xe NMR spectroscopy.

Xenon-binding sites in proteins have led to a number of applications of xenon in biochemical and structural studies. Here we further develop the utility of 129Xe NMR in characterizing specific xenon-protein interactions. The sensitivity of the 129Xe chemical shift to its local environment and the intense signals attainable by optical pumping make xenon a useful NMR reporter of its own interactions with proteins. A method for detecting specific xenon-binding interactions by analysis of 129Xe chemical shift data is illustrated using the maltose binding protein (MBP) from Escherichia coli as an example. The crystal structure of MBP in the presence of 8atm of xenon confirms the binding site determined from NMR data. Changes in the structure of the xenon-binding cavity upon the binding of maltose by the protein can account for the sensitivity of the 129Xe chemical shift to MBP conformation. 129Xe NMR data for xenon in solution with a number of cavity containing phage T4 lysozyme mutants show that xenon can report on cavity structure. In particular, a correlation exists between cavity size and the binding-induced 129Xe chemical shift. Further applications of 129Xe NMR to biochemical assays, including the screening of proteins for xenon binding for crystallography are considered.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗