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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Nasou AG, Pantatosaki E, Papadopoulos GK. A Simulation Study of the Effect of Naturally Occurring Point Mutations on the SRY-DNA Complex. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:8921-8930. [PMID: 36315187 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted in order to investigate the effect of the naturally occurring point mutations of the transcription factor (TF) sex-determining region Y (SRY) on the structure and dynamics of the SRY-DNA complex. The normal SRY, along with the two mutants I13T and G40R, comprising point mutations on the SRY chain, which have been clinically identified in patients with sex developmental disorders, were modeled as DNA complexes. Our modeling work aims at elucidating atomic-level structural determinants of the aberrant SRY-DNA complexation by means of μs-long MD. The results suggest that the observed disorders brought about by the G40R-DNA and I13T-DNA may arise predominantly from the destabilization of the complex being in accord with in vitro assays found elsewhere and from modifications of the DNA bending as revealed in this study. Comparative potential of mean force computations, over a sequence of short separation distances for the three complexes, verified a higher stability of the normal SRY-DNA. Examining the way the SRY mutations modulate the SRY-DNA complex dynamics at the microscopic level is important also toward elucidating molecular determinants of function for proteins capable of binding to DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angeliki-Georgia Nasou
- School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 157 80 Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelia Pantatosaki
- School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 157 80 Athens, Greece
| | - George K Papadopoulos
- School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 157 80 Athens, Greece
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3
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Singh RK, Mukherjee A. Molecular Mechanism of the Intercalation of the SOX-4 Protein into DNA Inducing Bends and Kinks. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:3752-3762. [PMID: 33848164 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c11496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
DNA-protein interactions regulate several biophysical functions, yet the mechanism of only a few is investigated in molecular detail. An important example is the intercalation of transcription factor proteins into DNA that produce bent and kinked DNA. Here, we have studied the molecular mechanism of the intercalation of a transcription factor SOX4 into DNA with a goal to understand the sequence of molecular events that precede the bending and kinking of the DNA. Our long well-tempered metadynamics and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations show that the protein primarily binds to the backbone of DNA and rotates around it to form an intercalative native state. We show that although there are multiple pathways for intercalation, the deintercalation pathway matches with the most probable intercalation pathway. In both cases, bending and kinking happen simultaneously, driven by the onset of the intercalation of the amino acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reman Kumar Singh
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune 411008, India
| | - Arnab Mukherjee
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune 411008, India
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4
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Mondal M, Yang L, Cai Z, Patra P, Gao YQ. A perspective on the molecular simulation of DNA from structural and functional aspects. Chem Sci 2021; 12:5390-5409. [PMID: 34168783 PMCID: PMC8179617 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc05329e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
As genetic material, DNA not only carries genetic information by sequence, but also affects biological functions ranging from base modification to replication, transcription and gene regulation through its structural and dynamic properties and variations. The motion and structural properties of DNA involved in related biological processes are also multi-scale, ranging from single base flipping to local DNA deformation, TF binding, G-quadruplex and i-motif formation, TAD establishment, compartmentalization and even chromosome territory formation, just to name a few. The sequence-dependent physical properties of DNA play vital role in all these events, and thus it is interesting to examine how simple sequence information affects DNA and the formation of the chromatin structure in these different hierarchical orders. Accordingly, molecular simulations can provide atomistic details of interactions and conformational dynamics involved in different biological processes of DNA, including those inaccessible by current experimental methods. In this perspective, which is mainly based on our recent studies, we provide a brief overview of the atomistic simulations on how the hierarchical structure and dynamics of DNA can be influenced by its sequences, base modifications, environmental factors and protein binding in the context of the protein-DNA interactions, gene regulation and structural organization of chromatin. We try to connect the DNA sequence, the hierarchical structures of DNA and gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manas Mondal
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory 518055 Shenzhen China
| | - Lijiang Yang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University 100871 Beijing China
| | - Zhicheng Cai
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University 100871 Beijing China.,Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Peking University 100871 Beijing China
| | - Piya Patra
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory 518055 Shenzhen China .,Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University 100871 Beijing China
| | - Yi Qin Gao
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory 518055 Shenzhen China .,Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University 100871 Beijing China.,Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Peking University 100871 Beijing China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University 100871 Beijing China
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5
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Mondal K, Chaudhury S. Effect of DNA Conformation on the Protein Search for Targets on DNA: A Theoretical Perspective. J Phys Chem B 2020; 124:3518-3526. [PMID: 32268727 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c01996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Protein-DNA interactions are important for all biological processes and involve the process of proteins searching for and recognizing specific binding sites on the DNA. Many aspects of the mechanism of the protein search for targets on DNA are not well understood. One important problem is the effect of DNA conformation on the protein search dynamics. Using a theoretical method based on a discrete-state stochastic approach, we obtained an analytical description of the dynamic properties. We investigated a system with two DNA conformers. It was found that the average search time on one DNA conformer via 1D or 3D motions depended on the dynamics of the search process on the other DNA conformer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinjal Mondal
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India
| | - Srabanti Chaudhury
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India
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6
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Yesudhas D, Anwar MA, Panneerselvam S, Kim HK, Choi S. Evaluation of Sox2 binding affinities for distinct DNA patterns using steered molecular dynamics simulation. FEBS Open Bio 2017; 7:1750-1767. [PMID: 29123983 PMCID: PMC5666385 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) are gene expression regulators that bind to DNA in a sequence‐specific manner and determine the functional characteristics of the gene. It is worthwhile to study the unique characteristics of such specific TF‐binding pattern in DNA. Sox2 recognizes a 6‐ to 7‐base pair consensus DNA sequence; the central four bases of the binding site are highly conserved, whereas the two to three flanking bases are variable. Here, we attempted to analyze the binding affinity and specificity of the Sox2 protein for distinct DNA sequence patterns via steered molecular dynamics, in which a pulling force is employed to dissociate Sox2 from Sox2–DNA during simulation to study the behavior of a complex under nonequilibrium conditions. The simulation results revealed that the first two stacking bases of the binding pattern have an exclusive impact on the binding affinity, with the corresponding mutant complexes showing greater binding and longer dissociation time than the experimental complexes do. In contrast, mutation of the conserved bases tends to reduce the affinity, and mutation of the complete conserved region disrupts the binding. It might pave the way to identify the most likely binding pattern recognized by Sox2 based on the affinity of each configuration. The α2‐helix of Sox2 was found to be the key player in the Sox2–DNA association. The characterization of Sox2's binding patterns for the target genes in the genome helps in understanding of its regulatory functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhanusha Yesudhas
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology Ajou University Suwon Korea
| | | | | | - Han-Kyul Kim
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology Ajou University Suwon Korea
| | - Sangdun Choi
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology Ajou University Suwon Korea
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7
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Hauser K, Essuman B, He Y, Coutsias E, Garcia-Diaz M, Simmerling C. A human transcription factor in search mode. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 44:63-74. [PMID: 26673724 PMCID: PMC4705650 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TF) can change shape to bind and recognize DNA, shifting the energy landscape from a weak binding, rapid search mode to a higher affinity recognition mode. However, the mechanism(s) driving this conformational change remains unresolved and in most cases high-resolution structures of the non-specific complexes are unavailable. Here, we investigate the conformational switch of the human mitochondrial transcription termination factor MTERF1, which has a modular, superhelical topology complementary to DNA. Our goal was to characterize the details of the non-specific search mode to complement the crystal structure of the specific binding complex, providing a basis for understanding the recognition mechanism. In the specific complex, MTERF1 binds a significantly distorted and unwound DNA structure, exhibiting a protein conformation incompatible with binding to B-form DNA. In contrast, our simulations of apo MTERF1 revealed significant flexibility, sampling structures with superhelical pitch and radius complementary to the major groove of B-DNA. Docking these structures to B-DNA followed by unrestrained MD simulations led to a stable complex in which MTERF1 was observed to undergo spontaneous diffusion on the DNA. Overall, the data support an MTERF1-DNA binding and recognition mechanism driven by intrinsic dynamics of the MTERF1 superhelical topology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Hauser
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | | | - Yiqing He
- Great Neck South High School, Great Neck, NY 11023, USA
| | - Evangelos Coutsias
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Miguel Garcia-Diaz
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Carlos Simmerling
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
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8
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Yang D, Boyer B, Prévost C, Danilowicz C, Prentiss M. Integrating multi-scale data on homologous recombination into a new recognition mechanism based on simulations of the RecA-ssDNA/dsDNA structure. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:10251-63. [PMID: 26384422 PMCID: PMC4666392 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
RecA protein is the prototypical recombinase. Members of the recombinase family can accurately repair double strand breaks in DNA. They also provide crucial links between pairs of sister chromatids in eukaryotic meiosis. A very broad outline of how these proteins align homologous sequences and promote DNA strand exchange has long been known, as are the crystal structures of the RecA-DNA pre- and postsynaptic complexes; however, little is known about the homology searching conformations and the details of how DNA in bacterial genomes is rapidly searched until homologous alignment is achieved. By integrating a physical model of recognition to new modeling work based on docking exploration and molecular dynamics simulation, we present a detailed structure/function model of homology recognition that reconciles extremely quick searching with the efficient and stringent formation of stable strand exchange products and which is consistent with a vast body of previously unexplained experimental results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren Yang
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Benjamin Boyer
- Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, CNRS UPR 9080, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, IBPC, Paris, France
| | - Chantal Prévost
- Laboratoire de Biochimie Théorique, CNRS UPR 9080, Univ Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, IBPC, Paris, France
| | | | - Mara Prentiss
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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9
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Singh RK, Sasikala WD, Mukherjee A. Molecular Origin of DNA Kinking by Transcription Factors. J Phys Chem B 2015; 119:11590-6. [PMID: 26258468 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b06229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Binding of transcription factor (TF) proteins with DNA may cause severe kinks in the latter. Here, we investigate the molecular origin of the DNA kinks observed in the TF-DNA complexes using small molecule intercalation pathway, crystallographic analysis, and free energy calculations involving four different transcription factor (TF) protein-DNA complexes. We find that although protein binding may bend the DNA, bending alone is not sufficient to kink the DNA. We show that partial, not complete, intercalation is required to form the kink at a particular place in the DNA. It turns out that while amino acid alone can induce the desired kink through partial intercalation, protein provides thermodynamic stabilization of the kinked state in TF-DNA complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reman Kumar Singh
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research , Pune, Maharashtra 411021, India
| | - Wilbee D Sasikala
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research , Pune, Maharashtra 411021, India
| | - Arnab Mukherjee
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research , Pune, Maharashtra 411021, India
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10
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Bouvier B, Cézard C, Sonnet P. Selectivity of pyoverdine recognition by the FpvA receptor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from molecular dynamics simulations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2015; 17:18022-34. [PMID: 26098682 DOI: 10.1039/c5cp02939b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a ubiquitous human opportunistic pathogen, has developed resistances to multiple antibiotics. It uses its primary native siderophore, pyoverdine, to scavenge the iron essential to its growth in the outside medium and transport it back into its cytoplasm. The FpvA receptor on the bacterial outer membrane recognizes and internalizes pyoverdine bearing its iron payload, but can also bind pyoverdines from other Pseudomonads or synthetic analogues. Pyoverdine derivatives could therefore be used as vectors to deliver antibiotics into the bacterium. In this study, we use molecular dynamics and free energy calculations to characterize the mechanisms and thermodynamics of the recognition of the native pyoverdines of P. aeruginosa and P. fluorescens by FpvA. Based on these results, we delineate the features that pyoverdines with high affinity for FpvA should possess. In particular, we show that (i) the dynamics and interaction of the unbound pyoverdines with water should be optimized with equal care as the interface contacts in the complex with FpvA; (ii) the C-terminal extremity of the pyoverdine chain, which appears to play no role in the bound complex, is involved in the intermediate stages of recognition; and (iii) the length and cyclicity of the pyoverdine chain can be used to fine-tune the kinetics of the recognition mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Bouvier
- Laboratoire de Glycochimie, des Antimicrobiens et des Agroressources, CNRS FRE3517/Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 1, rue des Louvels, 80037 Amiens Cedex 1, France.
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11
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Gresh N, Sponer JE, Devereux M, Gkionis K, de Courcy B, Piquemal JP, Sponer J. Stacked and H-Bonded Cytosine Dimers. Analysis of the Intermolecular Interaction Energies by Parallel Quantum Chemistry and Polarizable Molecular Mechanics. J Phys Chem B 2015; 119:9477-95. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b01695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nohad Gresh
- Chemistry & Biology, Nucleo(s)tides & Immunology for Therapy (CBNIT), CNRS UMR8601, Université Paris Descartes, PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité, UFR Biomédicale, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France
- Laboratoire
de Chimie Théorique, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC, Paris 6, case courrier
137, 4, place Jussieu, Paris, F75252, France
- Laboratoire
de Chimie Théorique, UMR 7616 CNRS, case courrier 137, 4, place Jussieu, Paris, F75252, France
| | - Judit E. Sponer
- Institute
of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska,
135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
- CEITEC − Central European Institute of Technology, Campus Bohunice, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Mike Devereux
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 80, Basel CH 4056, Switzerland
| | - Konstantinos Gkionis
- Institute
of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska,
135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Benoit de Courcy
- Chemistry & Biology, Nucleo(s)tides & Immunology for Therapy (CBNIT), CNRS UMR8601, Université Paris Descartes, PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité, UFR Biomédicale, 45 rue des Saints-Pères, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France
- Laboratoire
de Chimie Théorique, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC, Paris 6, case courrier
137, 4, place Jussieu, Paris, F75252, France
- Laboratoire
de Chimie Théorique, UMR 7616 CNRS, case courrier 137, 4, place Jussieu, Paris, F75252, France
| | - Jean-Philip Piquemal
- Laboratoire
de Chimie Théorique, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC, Paris 6, case courrier
137, 4, place Jussieu, Paris, F75252, France
- Laboratoire
de Chimie Théorique, UMR 7616 CNRS, case courrier 137, 4, place Jussieu, Paris, F75252, France
| | - Jiri Sponer
- Institute
of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska,
135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
- CEITEC − Central European Institute of Technology, Campus Bohunice, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
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12
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Merino F, Bouvier B, Cojocaru V. Cooperative DNA Recognition Modulated by an Interplay between Protein-Protein Interactions and DNA-Mediated Allostery. PLoS Comput Biol 2015; 11:e1004287. [PMID: 26067358 PMCID: PMC4465831 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Highly specific transcriptional regulation depends on the cooperative association of transcription factors into enhanceosomes. Usually, their DNA-binding cooperativity originates from either direct interactions or DNA-mediated allostery. Here, we performed unbiased molecular simulations followed by simulations of protein-DNA unbinding and free energy profiling to study the cooperative DNA recognition by OCT4 and SOX2, key components of enhanceosomes in pluripotent cells. We found that SOX2 influences the orientation and dynamics of the DNA-bound configuration of OCT4. In addition SOX2 modifies the unbinding free energy profiles of both DNA-binding domains of OCT4, the POU specific and POU homeodomain, despite interacting directly only with the first. Thus, we demonstrate that the OCT4-SOX2 cooperativity is modulated by an interplay between protein-protein interactions and DNA-mediated allostery. Further, we estimated the change in OCT4-DNA binding free energy due to the cooperativity with SOX2, observed a good agreement with experimental measurements, and found that SOX2 affects the relative DNA-binding strength of the two OCT4 domains. Based on these findings, we propose that available interaction partners in different biological contexts modulate the DNA exploration routes of multi-domain transcription factors such as OCT4. We consider the OCT4-SOX2 cooperativity as a paradigm of how specificity of transcriptional regulation is achieved through concerted modulation of protein-DNA recognition by different types of interactions. Pluripotent stem cells can give rise to all somatic lineages. When taken out of the context of the embryo they can be maintained and for this a core transcriptional regulatory circuitry is crucial. OCT4 and SOX2, two factors of this network, are also critical for the induction of pluripotency in somatic cells. In pluripotent cells, OCT4 and SOX2 associate on DNA regulatory regions, enhancing or modifying each other's sequence specificity. In contrast, in the early stages during induction of pluripotency, it was proposed that OCT4 explores the genome independent of SOX2. Here we report the mechanism by which SOX2 influences the orientation, dynamics, and unbinding free energy profile of OCT4. This involves an interplay of protein-protein interactions and DNA-mediated allostery. We consider that this mechanism enables OCT4 to use its DNA binding domains and the interaction partners available in a certain biological context to access alternative genome exploration routes. This study enhances the understanding of the context specific function of OCT4 and provides a general perspective on how DNA-binding cooperativity is modulated by different types of interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Merino
- Computational Structural Biology Group, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany; Center for Multiscale Theory and Computation, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Benjamin Bouvier
- Bioinformatics: Structures and Interactions, Bases Moléculaires et Structurales des Systèmes Infectieux, Univ. Lyon I/CNRS UMR5086, IBCP, Lyon, France
| | - Vlad Cojocaru
- Computational Structural Biology Group, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany; Center for Multiscale Theory and Computation, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
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13
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Iacovelli F, Falconi M. Decoding the conformation-linked functional properties of nucleic acids by the use of computational tools. FEBS J 2015; 282:3298-310. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.13315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Revised: 04/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mattia Falconi
- Department of Biology; University of Rome “Tor Vergata”; Italy
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14
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Marcovitz A, Naftaly A, Levy Y. Water organization between oppositely charged surfaces: Implications for protein sliding along DNA. J Chem Phys 2015; 142:085102. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4913370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
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15
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Bhattacherjee A, Levy Y. Search by proteins for their DNA target site: 1. The effect of DNA conformation on protein sliding. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:12404-14. [PMID: 25324308 PMCID: PMC4227778 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The recognition of DNA-binding proteins (DBPs) to their specific site often precedes by a search technique in which proteins slide, hop along the DNA contour or perform inter-segment transfer and 3D diffusion to dissociate and re-associate to distant DNA sites. In this study, we demonstrated that the strength and nature of the non-specific electrostatic interactions, which govern the search dynamics of DBPs, are strongly correlated with the conformation of the DNA. We tuned two structural parameters, namely curvature and the extent of helical twisting in circular DNA. These two factors are mutually independent of each other and can modulate the electrostatic potential through changing the geometry of the circular DNA conformation. The search dynamics for DBPs on circular DNA is therefore markedly different compared with linear B-DNA. Our results suggest that, for a given DBP, the rotation-coupled sliding dynamics is precluded in highly curved DNA (as well as for over-twisted DNA) because of the large electrostatic energy barrier between the inside and outside of the DNA molecule. Under such circumstances, proteins prefer to hop in order to explore interior DNA sites. The change in the balance between sliding and hopping propensities as a function of DNA curvature or twisting may result in different search efficiency and speed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnab Bhattacherjee
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Yaakov Levy
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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16
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Wieczór M, Tobiszewski A, Wityk P, Tomiczek B, Czub J. Molecular recognition in complexes of TRF proteins with telomeric DNA. PLoS One 2014; 9:e89460. [PMID: 24586793 PMCID: PMC3935891 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein assemblies that protect the ends of linear chromosomes. In humans and many other species, telomeres consist of tandem TTAGGG repeats bound by a protein complex known as shelterin that remodels telomeric DNA into a protective loop structure and regulates telomere homeostasis. Shelterin recognizes telomeric repeats through its two major components known as Telomere Repeat-Binding Factors, TRF1 and TRF2. These two homologous proteins are therefore essential for the formation and normal function of telomeres. Indeed, TRF1 and TRF2 are implicated in a plethora of different cellular functions and their depletion leads to telomere dysfunction with chromosomal fusions, followed by apoptotic cell death. More specifically, it was found that TRF1 acts as a negative regulator of telomere length, and TRF2 is involved in stabilizing the loop structure. Consequently, these proteins are of great interest, not only because of their key role in telomere maintenance and stability, but also as potential drug targets. In the current study, we investigated the molecular basis of telomeric sequence recognition by TRF1 and TRF2 and their DNA binding mechanism. We used molecular dynamics (MD) to calculate the free energy profiles for binding of TRFs to telomeric DNA. We found that the predicted binding free energies were in good agreement with experimental data. Further, different molecular determinants of binding, such as binding enthalpies and entropies, the hydrogen bonding pattern and changes in surface area, were analyzed to decompose and examine the overall binding free energies at the structural level. With this approach, we were able to draw conclusions regarding the consecutive stages of sequence-specific association, and propose a novel aspartate-dependent mechanism of sequence recognition. Finally, our work demonstrates the applicability of computational MD-based methods to studying protein-DNA interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miłosz Wieczór
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Adrian Tobiszewski
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Paweł Wityk
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Bartłomiej Tomiczek
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jacek Czub
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Gdansk University of Technology, Gdansk, Poland
- * E-mail:
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17
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Bouvier B. Decoding the patterns of ubiquitin recognition by ubiquitin-associated domains from free energy simulations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2014; 16:48-60. [DOI: 10.1039/c3cp52436a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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18
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Yonetani Y, Kono H. Dissociation Free-Energy Profiles of Specific and Nonspecific DNA–Protein Complexes. J Phys Chem B 2013; 117:7535-45. [DOI: 10.1021/jp402664w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiteru Yonetani
- Molecular Modeling and Simulation Group, Quantum Beam
Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 8-1-7 Umemidai, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-0215, Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Kono
- Molecular Modeling and Simulation Group, Quantum Beam
Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 8-1-7 Umemidai, Kizugawa, Kyoto 619-0215, Japan
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19
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Barbi M, Paillusson F. Protein–DNA Electrostatics. DYNAMICS OF PROTEINS AND NUCLEIC ACIDS 2013; 92:253-97. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-411636-8.00007-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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20
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Wilhelm M, Mukherjee A, Bouvier B, Zakrzewska K, Hynes JT, Lavery R. Multistep Drug Intercalation: Molecular Dynamics and Free Energy Studies of the Binding of Daunomycin to DNA. J Am Chem Soc 2012; 134:8588-96. [DOI: 10.1021/ja301649k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Wilhelm
- Bioinformatics: Structures and
Interactions, Bases Moléculaires et Structurales des Systèmes
Infectieux, Univ. Lyon I/CNRS UMR 5086,
IBCP, 7 Passage du Vercors, Lyon 69367, France
| | - Arnab Mukherjee
- Chemistry Department, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research,
Pune, 411021, India
| | - Benjamin Bouvier
- Bioinformatics: Structures and
Interactions, Bases Moléculaires et Structurales des Systèmes
Infectieux, Univ. Lyon I/CNRS UMR 5086,
IBCP, 7 Passage du Vercors, Lyon 69367, France
| | - Krystyna Zakrzewska
- Bioinformatics: Structures and
Interactions, Bases Moléculaires et Structurales des Systèmes
Infectieux, Univ. Lyon I/CNRS UMR 5086,
IBCP, 7 Passage du Vercors, Lyon 69367, France
| | - James T. Hynes
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0215,
United States
- Chemistry
Department, Ecole
Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR 8640, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Richard Lavery
- Bioinformatics: Structures and
Interactions, Bases Moléculaires et Structurales des Systèmes
Infectieux, Univ. Lyon I/CNRS UMR 5086,
IBCP, 7 Passage du Vercors, Lyon 69367, France
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21
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Abstract
It has been known for decades that DNA is extremely flexible and polymorphic, but our knowledge of its accessible conformational space remains limited. Structural data, primarily from X-ray diffraction studies, is sparse in comparison to the manifold configurations possible, and direct experimental examinations of DNA's flexibility still suffer from many limitations. In the face of these shortcomings, molecular dynamics (MD) is now an essential tool in the study of DNA. It affords detailed structural and dynamical insights, which explains its recent transition from a small number of highly specialized laboratories to a large variety of groups dealing with challenging biological problems. MD is now making an irreversible journey to the mainstream of research in biology, with the attendant opportunities and challenges. But given the speed with which MD studies of DNA have spread, the roots remain somewhat shallow: in many cases, there is a lack of deep knowledge about the foundations, strengths, and limits of the technique. In this Account, we discuss how MD has become the most important source of structural and flexibility data on DNA, focusing on advances since 2007 of atomistic MD in the description of DNA under near-physiological conditions and highlighting the possibilities and shortcomings of the technique. The evolution in the field over the past four years is a prelude to the ongoing revolution. The technique has gained in robustness and predictive power, which when coupled with the spectacular improvements in software and hardware has enabled the tackling of systems of increasing complexity. Simulation times of microseconds have now been achieved, with even longer times when specialized hardware is used. As a result, we have seen the first real-time simulation of large conformational transitions, including folding and unfolding of short DNA duplexes. Noteworthy advances have also been made in the study of DNA-ligand interactions, and we predict that a global thermodynamic and kinetic picture of the binding landscape of DNA will become available in a few years. MD will become a crucial tool in areas such as biomolecular engineering and synthetic biology. MD has also been shown to be an excellent source of parameters for mesoscopic models of DNA flexibility. Such models can be refined through atomistic MD simulations on small duplexes and then applied to the study of entire chromosomes. Recent evidence suggests that MD-derived elastic models can successfully predict the position of regulatory regions in DNA and can help advance our understanding of nucleosome positioning and chromatin plasticity. If these results are confirmed, MD simulations can become the ultimate tool to decipher a physical code that can contribute to gene regulation. We are entering the golden age of MD simulations of DNA. Undoubtedly, the expectations are high, but the challenges are also enormous. These include the need for more accurate potential energy functionals and for longer and more complex simulations in more realistic systems. The joint research effort of several groups will be crucial for adapting the technique to the requirements of the coming decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Pérez
- Joint IRB-BSC Program in Computational Biology, Institute of Research in Biomedicine Barcelona, Baldiri i Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - F. Javier Luque
- Department de Fisicoquímica and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avgda Diagonal 643, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Modesto Orozco
- Joint IRB-BSC Program in Computational Biology, Institute of Research in Biomedicine Barcelona, Baldiri i Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
- Departament de Bioquímica, Universitat de Barcelona, Avgda Diagonal 647, Barcelona 08028, Spain, and Instituto Nacional de Bioinformàtica, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Baldiri i Reixac 10, Barcelona 08028, Spain
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22
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Towards a molecular view of transcriptional control. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2012; 22:160-7. [PMID: 22296921 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2012.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2011] [Revised: 01/06/2012] [Accepted: 01/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The accumulation of experimental data over recent years has fueled theoretical work on how transcription factors (TFs) search for and recognise their DNA target sites, how they interact with one another, or with other DNA-binding proteins, and how they cope with the compaction of DNA within bacterial nucleoids or within eukaryotic chromatin. Many models have been built to study the kinetic, thermodynamic and mechanistic aspects of these questions. In some cases they have resulted in a relatively clear consensus view, but a number of questions remain controversial. We present an overview of recent work, with an emphasis on models that provide, or can inspire, a better understanding of transcriptional control at a detailed molecular level.
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Beierlein FR, Kneale GG, Clark T. Predicting the effects of basepair mutations in DNA-protein complexes by thermodynamic integration. Biophys J 2011; 101:1130-8. [PMID: 21889450 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2011.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2011] [Revised: 06/28/2011] [Accepted: 07/05/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Thermodynamically rigorous free energy methods in principle allow the exact computation of binding free energies in biological systems. Here, we use thermodynamic integration together with molecular dynamics simulations of a DNA-protein complex to compute relative binding free energies of a series of mutants of a protein-binding DNA operator sequence. A guanine-cytosine basepair that interacts strongly with the DNA-binding protein is mutated into adenine-thymine, cytosine-guanine, and thymine-adenine. It is shown that basepair mutations can be performed using a conservative protocol that gives error estimates of ∼10% of the change in free energy of binding. Despite the high CPU-time requirements, this work opens the exciting opportunity of being able to perform basepair scans to investigate protein-DNA binding specificity in great detail computationally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank R Beierlein
- Computer-Chemie-Centrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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24
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Bouvier B, Zakrzewska K, Lavery R. Protein-DNA Recognition Triggered by a DNA Conformational Switch. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2011; 50:6516-8. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201101417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2011] [Revised: 04/11/2011] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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25
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Bouvier B, Zakrzewska K, Lavery R. Protein-DNA Recognition Triggered by a DNA Conformational Switch. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201101417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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26
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Khesbak H, Savchuk O, Tsushima S, Fahmy K. The Role of Water H-Bond Imbalances in B-DNA Substate Transitions and Peptide Recognition Revealed by Time-Resolved FTIR Spectroscopy. J Am Chem Soc 2011; 133:5834-42. [DOI: 10.1021/ja108863v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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27
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Khazanov N, Levy Y. Sliding of p53 along DNA Can Be Modulated by Its Oligomeric State and by Cross-Talks between Its Constituent Domains. J Mol Biol 2011; 408:335-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2011.01.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2010] [Revised: 01/24/2011] [Accepted: 01/29/2011] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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28
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Torella R, Moroni E, Caselle M, Morra G, Colombo G. Investigating dynamic and energetic determinants of protein nucleic acid recognition: analysis of the zinc finger zif268-DNA complexes. BMC STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2010; 10:42. [PMID: 21106075 PMCID: PMC3002361 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6807-10-42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2010] [Accepted: 11/24/2010] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Protein-DNA recognition underlies fundamental biological processes ranging from transcription to replication and modification. Herein, we present a computational study of the sequence modulation of internal dynamic properties and of intraprotein networks of aminoacid interactions that determine the stability and specificity of protein-DNA complexes. RESULTS To this aim, we apply novel theoretical approaches to analyze the dynamics and energetics of biological systems starting from MD trajectories. As model system, we chose different sequences of Zinc Fingers (ZF) of the Zif268 family bound with different sequences of DNA. The complexes differ for their experimental stability properties, but share the same overall 3 D structure and do not undergo structural modifications during the simulations. The results of our analysis suggest that the energy landscape for DNA binding may be populated by dynamically different states, even in the absence of major conformational changes. Energetic couplings between residues change in response to protein and/or DNA sequence variations thus modulating the selectivity of recognition and the relative importance of different regions for binding. CONCLUSIONS The results show differences in the organization of the intra-protein energy-networks responsible for the stabilization of the protein conformations recognizing and binding DNA. These, in turn, are reflected into different modulation of the ZF's internal dynamics. The results also show a correlation between energetic and dynamic properties of the different proteins and their specificity/selectivity for DNA sequences. Finally, a dynamic and energetic model for the recognition of DNA by Zinc Fingers is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rubben Torella
- Istituto di Chimica del Riconoscimento Molecolare, CNR, Via Mario Bianco 9, 20131 Milano, Italy
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