1
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Rogoulenko E, Levy Y. Skipping events impose repeated binding attempts: profound kinetic implications of protein-DNA conformational changes. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:6763-6776. [PMID: 38721783 PMCID: PMC11229352 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The kinetics of protein-DNA recognition, along with its thermodynamic properties, including affinity and specificity, play a central role in shaping biological function. Protein-DNA recognition kinetics are characterized by two key elements: the time taken to locate the target site amid various nonspecific alternatives; and the kinetics involved in the recognition process, which may necessitate overcoming an energetic barrier. In this study, we developed a coarse-grained (CG) model to investigate interactions between a transcription factor called the sex-determining region Y (SRY) protein and DNA, in order to probe how DNA conformational changes affect SRY-DNA recognition and binding kinetics. We find that, not only does a requirement for such a conformational DNA transition correspond to a higher energetic barrier for binding and therefore slower kinetics, it may further impede the recognition kinetics by increasing unsuccessful binding events (skipping events) where the protein partially binds its DNA target site but fails to form the specific protein-DNA complex. Such skipping events impose the need for additional cycles protein search of nonspecific DNA sites, thus significantly extending the overall recognition time. Our results highlight a trade-off between the speed with which the protein scans nonspecific DNA and the rate at which the protein recognizes its specific target site. Finally, we examine molecular approaches potentially adopted by natural systems to enhance protein-DNA recognition despite its intrinsically slow kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Rogoulenko
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Yaakov Levy
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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2
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Lavezzo GM, Lauretto MDS, Andrioli LPM, Machado-Lima A. Position Weight Matrix or Acyclic Probabilistic Finite Automaton: Which model to use? A decision rule inferred for the prediction of transcription factor binding sites. Genet Mol Biol 2024; 46:e20230048. [PMID: 38285430 PMCID: PMC10945726 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2023-0048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Prediction of transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) is an example of application of Bioinformatics where DNA molecules are represented as sequences of A, C, G and T symbols. The most used model in this problem is Position Weight Matrix (PWM). Notwithstanding the advantage of being simple, PWMs cannot capture dependency between nucleotide positions, which may affect prediction performance. Acyclic Probabilistic Finite Automata (APFA) is an alternative model able to accommodate position dependencies. However, APFA is a more complex model, which means more parameters have to be learned. In this paper, we propose an innovative method to identify when position dependencies influence preference for PWMs or APFAs. This implied using position dependency features extracted from 1106 sets of TFBS to infer a decision tree able to predict which is the best model - PWM or APFA - for a given set of TFBSs. According to our results, as few as three pinpointed features are able to choose the best model, providing a balance of performance (average precision) and model simplicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guilherme Miura Lavezzo
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Matemática e Estatística,
Programa Interunidades de Pós-Graduação em Bioinformática, São Paulo, SP,
Brazil
| | | | | | - Ariane Machado-Lima
- Universidade de São Paulo, Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades,
São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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3
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Augustijn HE, Roseboom AM, Medema MH, van Wezel GP. Harnessing regulatory networks in Actinobacteria for natural product discovery. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 51:kuae011. [PMID: 38569653 PMCID: PMC10996143 DOI: 10.1093/jimb/kuae011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Microbes typically live in complex habitats where they need to rapidly adapt to continuously changing growth conditions. To do so, they produce an astonishing array of natural products with diverse structures and functions. Actinobacteria stand out for their prolific production of bioactive molecules, including antibiotics, anticancer agents, antifungals, and immunosuppressants. Attention has been directed especially towards the identification of the compounds they produce and the mining of the large diversity of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in their genomes. However, the current return on investment in random screening for bioactive compounds is low, while it is hard to predict which of the millions of BGCs should be prioritized. Moreover, many of the BGCs for yet undiscovered natural products are silent or cryptic under laboratory growth conditions. To identify ways to prioritize and activate these BGCs, knowledge regarding the way their expression is controlled is crucial. Intricate regulatory networks control global gene expression in Actinobacteria, governed by a staggering number of up to 1000 transcription factors per strain. This review highlights recent advances in experimental and computational methods for characterizing and predicting transcription factor binding sites and their applications to guide natural product discovery. We propose that regulation-guided genome mining approaches will open new avenues toward eliciting the expression of BGCs, as well as prioritizing subsets of BGCs for expression using synthetic biology approaches. ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY This review provides insights into advances in experimental and computational methods aimed at predicting transcription factor binding sites and their applications to guide natural product discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Augustijn
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Molecular Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anna M Roseboom
- Molecular Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marnix H Medema
- Bioinformatics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Molecular Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gilles P van Wezel
- Molecular Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
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4
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Kratochvilová L, Vojsovič M, Valková N, Šislerová L, El Rashed Z, Inga A, Monti P, Brázda V. The presence of a G-quadruplex prone sequence upstream of a minimal promoter increases transcriptional activity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biosci Rep 2023; 43:BSR20231348. [PMID: 38112096 PMCID: PMC10730334 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20231348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-canonical secondary structures in DNA are increasingly being revealed as critical players in DNA metabolism, including modulating the accessibility and activity of promoters. These structures comprise the so-called G-quadruplexes (G4s) that are formed from sequences rich in guanine bases. Using a well-defined transcriptional reporter system, we sought to systematically investigate the impact of the presence of G4 structures on transcription in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To this aim, different G4 prone sequences were modeled to vary the chance of intramolecular G4 formation, analyzed in vitro by Thioflavin T binding test and circular dichroism and then placed at the yeast ADE2 locus on chromosome XV, downstream and adjacent to a P53 response element (RE) and upstream from a minimal CYC1 promoter and Luciferase 1 (LUC1) reporter gene in isogenic strains. While the minimal CYC1 promoter provides basal reporter activity, the P53 RE enables LUC1 transactivation under the control of P53 family proteins expressed under the inducible GAL1 promoter. Thus, the impact of the different G4 prone sequences on both basal and P53 family protein-dependent expression was measured after shifting cells onto galactose containing medium. The results showed that the presence of G4 prone sequences upstream of a yeast minimal promoter increased its basal activity proportionally to their potential to form intramolecular G4 structures; consequently, this feature, when present near the target binding site of P53 family transcription factors, can be exploited to regulate the transcriptional activity of P53, P63 and P73 proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Libuše Kratochvilová
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Food Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 118, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Matúš Vojsovič
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Food Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 118, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Natália Valková
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Šislerová
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Food Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 118, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zeinab El Rashed
- Gene Expression Regulation SSD, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Alberto Inga
- Laboratory of Transcriptional Networks, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Paola Monti
- Mutagenesis and Cancer Prevention UO, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Václav Brázda
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Food Chemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 118, 61200 Brno, Czech Republic
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5
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Memon AA, Fu X, Fan XY, Xu L, Xiao J, Rahman MU, Yang X, Yao YF, Deng Z, Ma W. Substrate DNA Promoting Binding of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MtrA by Facilitating Dimerization and Interpretation of Affinity by Minor Groove Width. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2505. [PMID: 37894163 PMCID: PMC10609481 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to deepen the understanding of the role and regulation mechanisms of prokaryotic global transcription regulators in complex processes, including virulence, the associations between the affinity and binding sequences of Mycobacterium tuberculosis MtrA have been explored extensively. Analysis of MtrA 294 diversified 26 bp binding sequences revealed that the sequence similarity of fragments was not simply associated with affinity. The unique variation patterns of GC content and periodical and sequential fluctuation of affinity contribution curves were observed along the sequence in this study. Furthermore, docking analysis demonstrated that the structure of the dimer MtrA-DNA (high affinity) was generally consistent with other OmpR family members, while Arg 219 and Gly 220 of the wing domain interacted with the minor groove. The results of the binding box replacement experiment proved that box 2 was essential for binding, which implied the differential roles of the two boxes in the binding process. Furthermore, the results of the substitution of the nucleotide at the 20th and/or 21st positions indicated that the affinity was negatively associated with the value of minor groove width precisely at the 21st position. The dimerization of the unphosphorylated MtrA facilitated by a low-affinity DNA fragment was observed for the first time. However, the proportion of the dimer was associated with the affinity of substrate DNA, which further suggested that the affinity was actually one characteristic of the stability of dimers. Based on the finding of 17 inter-molecule hydrogen bonds identified in the interface of the MtrA dimer, including 8 symmetric complementary ones in the conserved α4-β5-α5 face, we propose that hydrogen bonds should be considered just as important as salt bridges and the hydrophobic patch in the dimerization. Our comprehensive study on a large number of binding fragments with quantitative affinity values provided new insight into the molecular mechanism of dimerization, binding specificity and affinity determination of MtrA and clues for solving the puzzle of how global transcription factors regulate a large quantity of target genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aadil Ahmed Memon
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xiang Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xiao-Yong Fan
- Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Lingyun Xu
- Shanghai Huaxin Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Room 604, Building 1, Tongji Chuangyuan, No. 99 South Changjiang Road, Baoshan District, Shanghai 200441, China
| | - Jihua Xiao
- Shanghai Huaxin Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Room 604, Building 1, Tongji Chuangyuan, No. 99 South Changjiang Road, Baoshan District, Shanghai 200441, China
| | - Mueed Ur Rahman
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xiaoqi Yang
- Shanghai Huaxin Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Room 604, Building 1, Tongji Chuangyuan, No. 99 South Changjiang Road, Baoshan District, Shanghai 200441, China
| | - Yu-Feng Yao
- Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis, Institutes of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Zixin Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Wei Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
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6
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Smith GD, Ching WH, Cornejo-Páramo P, Wong ES. Decoding enhancer complexity with machine learning and high-throughput discovery. Genome Biol 2023; 24:116. [PMID: 37173718 PMCID: PMC10176946 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02955-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancers are genomic DNA elements controlling spatiotemporal gene expression. Their flexible organization and functional redundancies make deciphering their sequence-function relationships challenging. This article provides an overview of the current understanding of enhancer organization and evolution, with an emphasis on factors that influence these relationships. Technological advancements, particularly in machine learning and synthetic biology, are discussed in light of how they provide new ways to understand this complexity. Exciting opportunities lie ahead as we continue to unravel the intricacies of enhancer function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle D Smith
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Wan Hern Ching
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Paola Cornejo-Páramo
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Emily S Wong
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 405 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia.
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.
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7
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Luan Y, Tang Z, He Y, Xie Z. Intra-Domain Residue Coevolution in Transcription Factors Contributes to DNA Binding Specificity. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0365122. [PMID: 36943132 PMCID: PMC10100741 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03651-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the basis of the DNA-binding specificity of transcription factors (TFs) has been of long-standing interest. Despite extensive efforts to map millions of putative TF binding sequences, identifying the critical determinants for DNA binding specificity remains a major challenge. The coevolution of residues in proteins occurs due to a shared evolutionary history. However, it is unclear how coevolving residues in TFs contribute to DNA binding specificity. Here, we systematically collected publicly available data sets from multiple large-scale high-throughput TF-DNA interaction screening experiments for the major TF families with large numbers of TF members. These families included the Homeobox, HLH, bZIP_1, Ets, HMG_box, ZF-C4, and Zn_clus TFs. We detected TF subclass-determining sites (TSDSs) and showed that the TSDSs were more likely to coevolve with other TSDSs than with non-TSDSs, particularly for the Homeobox, HLH, Ets, bZIP_1, and HMG_box TF families. By in silico modeling, we showed that mutation of the highly coevolving residues could significantly reduce the stability of the TF-DNA complex. The distant residues from the DNA interface also contributed to TF-DNA binding activity. Overall, our study gave evidence that coevolved residues relate to transcriptional regulation and provided insights into the potential application of engineered DNA-binding domains and proteins. IMPORTANCE While unraveling DNA-binding specificity of TFs is the key to understanding the basis and molecular mechanism of gene expression regulation, identifying the critical determinants that contribute to DNA binding specificity remains a major challenge. In this study, we provided evidence showing that coevolving residues in TF domains contributed to DNA binding specificity. We demonstrated that the TSDSs were more likely to coevolve with other TSDSs than with non-TSDSs. Mutation of the coevolving residue pairs (CRPs) could significantly reduce the stability of THE TF-DNA complex, and even the distant residues from the DNA interface contribute to TF-DNA binding activity. Collectively, our study expands our knowledge of the interactions among coevolved residues in TFs, tertiary contacting, and functional importance in refined transcriptional regulation. Understanding the impact of coevolving residues in TFs will help understand the details of transcription of gene regulation and advance the application of engineered DNA-binding domains and protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhao Luan
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zehua Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yao He
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhi Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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8
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Esmaeeli R, Bauzá A, Perez A. Structural predictions of protein-DNA binding: MELD-DNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:1625-1636. [PMID: 36727436 PMCID: PMC9976882 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Structural, regulatory and enzymatic proteins interact with DNA to maintain a healthy and functional genome. Yet, our structural understanding of how proteins interact with DNA is limited. We present MELD-DNA, a novel computational approach to predict the structures of protein-DNA complexes. The method combines molecular dynamics simulations with general knowledge or experimental information through Bayesian inference. The physical model is sensitive to sequence-dependent properties and conformational changes required for binding, while information accelerates sampling of bound conformations. MELD-DNA can: (i) sample multiple binding modes; (ii) identify the preferred binding mode from the ensembles; and (iii) provide qualitative binding preferences between DNA sequences. We first assess performance on a dataset of 15 protein-DNA complexes and compare it with state-of-the-art methodologies. Furthermore, for three selected complexes, we show sequence dependence effects of binding in MELD predictions. We expect that the results presented herein, together with the freely available software, will impact structural biology (by complementing DNA structural databases) and molecular recognition (by bringing new insights into aspects governing protein-DNA interactions).
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Esmaeeli
- Department of Chemistry, Quantum theory project, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Antonio Bauzá
- Department of Chemistry, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca (Baleares), 07122, Spain
| | - Alberto Perez
- Department of Chemistry, Quantum theory project, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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9
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Serrano JC, von Trentini D, Berríos KN, Barka A, Dmochowski IJ, Kohli RM. Structure-Guided Design of a Potent and Specific Inhibitor against the Genomic Mutator APOBEC3A. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:3379-3388. [PMID: 36475588 PMCID: PMC9990883 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acid structure plays a critical role in governing the selectivity of DNA- and RNA-modifying enzymes. In the case of the APOBEC3 family of cytidine deaminases, these enzymes catalyze the conversion of cytosine (C) to uracil (U) in single-stranded DNA, primarily in the context of innate immunity. DNA deamination can also have pathological consequences, accelerating the evolution of viral genomes or, when the host genome is targeted by either APOBEC3A (A3A) or APOBEC3B (A3B), promoting tumor evolution leading to worse patient prognosis and chemotherapeutic resistance. For A3A, nucleic acid secondary structure has emerged as a critical determinant of substrate targeting, with a predilection for DNA that can form stem loop hairpins. Here, we report the development of a specific nanomolar-level, nucleic acid-based inhibitor of A3A. Our strategy relies on embedding the nucleobase 5-methylzebularine, a mechanism-based inhibitor, into a DNA dumbbell structure, which mimics the ideal substrate secondary structure for A3A. Structure-activity relationship studies using a panel of diverse inhibitors reveal a critical role for the stem and position of the inhibitor moiety in achieving potent inhibition. Moreover, we demonstrate that DNA dumbbell inhibitors, but not nonstructured inhibitors, show specificity against A3A relative to the closely related catalytic domain of A3B. Overall, our work demonstrates the feasibility of leveraging secondary structural preferences in inhibitor design, offering a blueprint for further development of modulators of DNA-modifying enzymes and potential therapeutics to circumvent APOBEC-driven viral and tumor evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan C. Serrano
- Graduate Group in Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Dora von Trentini
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Kiara N. Berríos
- Graduate Group in Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Aleksia Barka
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Ivan J. Dmochowski
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Rahul M. Kohli
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
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10
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Hajheidari M, Huang SSC. Elucidating the biology of transcription factor-DNA interaction for accurate identification of cis-regulatory elements. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 68:102232. [PMID: 35679803 PMCID: PMC10103634 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) play a critical role in determining cell fate decisions by integrating developmental and environmental signals through binding to specific cis-regulatory modules and regulating spatio-temporal specificity of gene expression patterns. Precise identification of functional TF binding sites in time and space not only will revolutionize our understanding of regulatory networks governing cell fate decisions but is also instrumental to uncover how genetic variations cause morphological diversity or disease. In this review, we discuss recent advances in mapping TF binding sites and characterizing the various parameters underlying the complexity of binding site recognition by TFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Hajheidari
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, 12 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Shao-Shan Carol Huang
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, 12 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10003, USA.
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11
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Leiz J, Rutkiewicz M, Birchmeier C, Heinemann U, Schmidt-Ott KM. Technologies for profiling the impact of genomic variants on transcription factor binding. MED GENET-BERLIN 2021; 33:147-155. [PMID: 38836027 PMCID: PMC11006259 DOI: 10.1515/medgen-2021-2073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) bind DNA in a sequence-specific manner and thereby regulate target gene expression. TF binding and its regulatory activity is highly context dependent, and is not only determined by specific cell types or differentiation stages but also relies on other regulatory mechanisms, such as DNA and chromatin modifications. Interactions between TFs and their DNA binding sites are critical mediators of phenotypic variation and play important roles in the onset of disease. A continuously growing number of studies therefore attempts to elucidate TF:DNA interactions to gain knowledge about regulatory mechanisms and disease-causing variants. Here we summarize how TF-binding characteristics and the impact of variants can be investigated, how bioinformatic tools can be used to analyze and predict TF:DNA binding, and what additional information can be obtained from the TF protein structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna Leiz
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Nephrology and Intensive Care Medicine, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Molecular and Translational Kidney Research, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Rutkiewicz
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Macromolecular Structure and Interaction, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carmen Birchmeier
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Developmental Biology and Signal Transduction, Berlin, Germany
| | - Udo Heinemann
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Macromolecular Structure and Interaction, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kai M Schmidt-Ott
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Nephrology and Intensive Care Medicine, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Molecular and Translational Kidney Research, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
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