p53-Induced DNA bending: the interplay between p53-DNA and p53-p53 interactions

Interaction of C-terminal p53 isoforms depends strongly upon DNA sequence and topology

The p53 protein is a key tumor suppressor and the most commonly mutated and down-regulated protein in human tumors. It functions mainly through interaction with DNA, and p53 acts as a transcription factor that recognizes the so-called p53 target sites on the promoters of various genes. P53 has been shown to exist as many isoforms, including three C-terminal isoforms that are produced by alternative splicing. Because the C-terminal domain is responsible for sequence-nonspecific binding and regulation of p53 binding, we have analyzed DNA recognition by these C-terminal isoforms. Using atomic force microscopy, we show for the first time that all C-terminal isoforms recognize superhelical DNA. It is particularly noteworthy that a sequence-specific p53 consensus binding site is bound by p53α and β isoforms with similar affinities, whilst p53α shows higher binding to a quadruplex sequence than both p53β and p53γ, and p53γ loses preferential binding to both the consensus binding sequence and the quadruplex-forming sequence. These results show the important role of the variable p53 C-terminal amino acid sequences for DNA recognition.

Investigating Conformational Dynamics and Allostery in the p53 DNA-Binding Domain Using Molecular Simulations

The p53 tumor suppressor is a multifaceted context-dependent protein, which is involved in multiple cellular pathways, with the ability to either keep the cells alive or to kill them through mechanisms such as apoptosis. To complicate this picture, cancer cells that express mutant p53 becomes addicted to the mutant activity, so that the mutant variant features a myriad of gain-of-function activities, opening different venues for therapy. This makes essential to think outside the box and apply new approaches to the study of p53 structure-(mis)function relationship to find new critical components of its pathway or to understand how known parts are interconnected, compete, or cooperate. In this context, I will here illustrate how to integrate different computational methods to the identification of possible allosteric effects transmitted from the DNA binding interface of p53 to regions for cofactor recruitment. The protocol can be extended to any other cases of study. Indeed, it does not necessarily apply only to the study of DNA-induced effects, but more broadly to the investigation of long-range effects induced by a biological partner that binds to a biomolecule of interest.

Single molecule studies reveal that p53 tetramers dynamically bind response elements containing one or two half sites

The tumor suppressor protein p53 is critical for cell fate decisions, including apoptosis, senescence, and cell cycle arrest. p53 is a tetrameric transcription factor that binds DNA response elements to regulate transcription of target genes. p53 response elements consist of two decameric half-sites, and data suggest one p53 dimer in the tetramer binds to each half-site. Despite a broad literature describing p53 binding DNA, unanswered questions remain, due partly to the need for more quantitative and structural studies with full length protein. Here we describe a single molecule fluorescence system to visualize full length p53 tetramers binding DNA in real time. The data revealed a dynamic interaction in which tetrameric p53/DNA complexes assembled and disassembled without a dimer/DNA intermediate. On a wild type DNA containing two half sites, p53/DNA complexes existed in two kinetically distinct populations. p53 tetramers bound response elements containing only one half site to form a single population of complexes with reduced kinetic stability. Altering the spacing and helical phasing between two half sites affected both the population distribution of p53/DNA complexes and their kinetic stability. Our real time single molecule measurements of full length p53 tetramers binding DNA reveal the parameters that define the stability of p53/DNA complexes, and provide insight into the pathways by which those complexes assemble.

Roles of computational modelling in understanding p53 structure, biology, and its therapeutic targeting

The transcription factor p53 plays pivotal roles in numerous biological processes, including the suppression of tumours. The rich availability of biophysical data aimed at understanding its structure–function relationships since the 1990s has enabled the application of a variety of computational modelling techniques towards the establishment of mechanistic models. Together they have provided deep insights into the structure, mechanics, energetics, and dynamics of p53. In parallel, the observation that mutations in p53 or changes in its associated pathways characterize several human cancers has resulted in a race to develop therapeutic modulators of p53, some of which have entered clinical trials. This review describes how computational modelling has played key roles in understanding structural-dynamic aspects of p53, formulating hypotheses about domains that are beyond current experimental investigations, and the development of therapeutic molecules that target the p53 pathway.

Bridge-Induced Translocation between NUP145 and TOP2 Yeast Genes Models the Genetic Fusion between the Human Orthologs Associated With Acute Myeloid Leukemia

In mammalian organisms liquid tumors such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are related to spontaneous chromosomal translocations ensuing in gene fusions. We previously developed a system named bridge-induced translocation (BIT) that allows linking together two different chromosomes exploiting the strong endogenous homologous recombination system of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The BIT system generates a heterogeneous population of cells with different aneuploidies and severe aberrant phenotypes reminiscent of a cancerogenic transformation. In this work, thanks to a complex pop-out methodology of the marker used for the selection of translocants, we succeeded by BIT technology to precisely reproduce in yeast the peculiar chromosome translocation that has been associated with AML, characterized by the fusion between the human genes NUP98 and TOP2B. To shed light on the origin of the DNA fragility within NUP98, an extensive analysis of the curvature, bending, thermostability, and B-Z transition aptitude of the breakpoint region of NUP98 and of its yeast ortholog NUP145 has been performed. On this basis, a DNA cassette carrying homologous tails to the two genes was amplified by PCR and allowed the targeted fusion between NUP145 and TOP2, leading to reproduce the chimeric transcript in a diploid strain of S. cerevisiae. The resulting translocated yeast obtained through BIT appears characterized by abnormal spherical bodies of nearly 500 nm of diameter, absence of external membrane and defined cytoplasmic localization. Since Nup98 is a well-known regulator of the post-transcriptional modification of P53 target genes, and P53 mutations are occasionally reported in AML, this translocant yeast strain can be used as a model to test the constitutive expression of human P53. Although the abnormal phenotype of the translocant yeast was never rescued by its expression, an exogenous P53 was recognized to confer increased vitality to the translocants, in spite of its usual and well-documented toxicity to wild-type yeast strains. These results obtained in yeast could provide new grounds for the interpretation of past observations made in leukemic patients indicating a possible involvement of P53 in cell transformation toward AML.

Structural Mechanism behind Distinct Efficiency of Oct4/Sox2 Proteins in Differentially Spaced DNA Complexes

The octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4) and sex-determining region Y (SRY)-box 2 (Sox2) proteins induce various transcriptional regulators to maintain cellular pluripotency. Most Oct4/Sox2 complexes have either 0 base pairs (Oct4/Sox2^0bp) or 3 base pairs (Oct4/Sox2^3bp) separation between their DNA-binding sites. Results from previous biochemical studies have shown that the complexes separated by 0 base pairs are associated with a higher pluripotency rate than those separated by 3 base pairs. Here, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and calculations to determine the binding free energy and per-residue free energy for the Oct4/Sox2^0bp and Oct4/Sox2^3bp complexes to identify structural differences that contribute to differences in induction rate. Our MD simulation results showed substantial differences in Oct4/Sox2 domain movements, as well as secondary-structure changes in the Oct4 linker region, suggesting a potential reason underlying the distinct efficiencies of these complexes during reprogramming. Moreover, we identified key residues and hydrogen bonds that potentially facilitate protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions, in agreement with previous experimental findings. Consequently, our results confess that differential spacing of the Oct4/Sox2 DNA binding sites can determine the magnitude of transcription of the targeted genes during reprogramming.

p53 dynamics upon response element recognition explored by molecular simulations

p53 is a representative transcription factor that activates multiple target genes. To realize stimulus-dependent specificities, p53 has to recognize targets with structural variety, of which molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we conducted a series of long-time scale (totally more than 100-ms) coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, uncovering structure and dynamics of full-length p53 tetramer that recognizes its response element (RE). We obtained structures of a full-length p53 tetramer that binds to the RE, which is strikingly different from the structure of p53 at search. These structures are not only consistent with previous low-resolution or partial structural information, but also give access to previously unreachable detail, such as the preferential distribution of intrinsically disordered regions, the contacts between core domains, the DNA bending, and the connectivity of linker regions. We also explored how the RE variation affects the structure of the p53-RE complex. Further analysis of simulation trajectories revealed how p53 finds out the RE and how post-translational modifications affect the search mechanism.

Coupled binding-bending-folding: The complex conformational dynamics of protein-DNA binding studied by atomistic molecular dynamics simulations

BACKGROUND

Protein-DNA binding often involves dramatic conformational changes such as protein folding and DNA bending. While thermodynamic aspects of this behavior are understood, and its biological function is often known, the mechanism by which the conformational changes occur is generally unclear. By providing detailed structural and energetic data, molecular dynamics simulations have been helpful in elucidating and rationalizing protein-DNA binding.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

This review will summarize recent atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of the conformational dynamics of DNA and protein-DNA binding. A brief overview of recent developments in DNA force fields is given as well.

MAJOR CONCLUSIONS

Simulations have been crucial in rationalizing the intrinsic flexibility of DNA, and have been instrumental in identifying the sequence of binding events, the triggers for the conformational motion, and the mechanism of binding for a number of important DNA-binding proteins.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

Molecular dynamics simulations are an important tool for understanding the complex binding behavior of DNA-binding proteins. With recent advances in force fields and rapid increases in simulation time scales, simulations will become even more important for future studies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Recent developments of molecular dynamics.

Conformations of p53 response elements in solution deduced using site-directed spin labeling and Monte Carlo sampling

The tumor suppressor protein p53 regulates numerous signaling pathways by specifically recognizing diverse p53 response elements (REs). Understanding the mechanisms of p53-DNA interaction requires structural information on p53 REs. However, such information is limited as a 3D structure of any RE in the unbound form is not available yet. Here, site-directed spin labeling was used to probe the solution structures of REs involved in p53 regulation of the p21 and Bax genes. Multiple nanometer distances in the p21-RE and BAX-RE, measured using a nucleotide-independent nitroxide probe and double-electron-electron-resonance spectroscopy, were used to derive molecular models of unbound REs from pools of all-atom structures generated by Monte-Carlo simulations, thus enabling analyses to reveal sequence-dependent DNA shape features of unbound REs in solution. The data revealed distinct RE conformational changes on binding to the p53 core domain, and support the hypothesis that sequence-dependent properties encoded in REs are exploited by p53 to achieve the energetically most favorable mode of deformation, consequently enhancing binding specificity. This work reveals mechanisms of p53-DNA recognition, and establishes a new experimental/computational approach for studying DNA shape in solution that has far-reaching implications for studying protein-DNA interactions.

Predicting the coordination geometry for Mg2+ in the p53 DNA-binding domain: insights from computational studies

Zn(2+) in the tumor-suppressor protein p53 DNA-binding domain (DBD) is essential for its structural stability and DNA-binding specificity. Mg(2+) has also been recently reported to bind to the p53DBD and influence its DNA-binding activity. In this contribution, the binding geometry of Mg(2+) in the p53DBD and the mechanism of how Mg(2+) affects its DNA-binding activity were investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Various possible coordination geometries of Mg(2+) binding to histidines (His), cysteines (Cys), and water molecules were studied at the B3LYP/6-311+g** level of theory. The protonation state of Cys and the environment were taken into account to explore the factors governing the coordination geometry. The free energy of the reaction to form the Mg(2+) complexes was estimated, suggesting that the favorable binding mode changes from a four- to six-coordinated geometry as the number of the protonated Cys increases. Furthermore, MD simulations were employed to explore the binding modes of Mg(2+) in the active site of the p53DBD. The simulation results of the Mg(2+) system and the native Zn(2+) system show that the binding affinity of Mg(2+)to the p53DBD is weaker than that of Zn(2+), in agreement with the DFT calculation results and experiments. In addition, the two metal ions are found to make a significant contribution to maintain a favorable orientation for Arg248 to interact with putative DNA, which is critically important to the sequence-specific DNA-binding activity of the p53DBD. However, the effect of Mg(2+) is less marked. Additionally, analysis of the natural bond orbital (NBO) charge transfer reveals that Mg(2+) has a higher net positive charge than Zn(2+), leading to a stronger electrostatic attractive interaction between Mg(2+) and putative DNA. This may partly explain the higher sequence-independent DNA-binding affinity of p53DBD-Mg(2+) compared to p53DBD-Zn(2+) observed in experiment.

Lysine120 interactions with p53 response elements can allosterically direct p53 organization

p53 can serve as a paradigm in studies aiming to figure out how allosteric perturbations in transcription factors (TFs) triggered by small changes in DNA response element (RE) sequences, can spell selectivity in co-factor recruitment. p53-REs are 20-base pair (bp) DNA segments specifying diverse functions. They may be located near the transcription start sites or thousands of bps away in the genome. Their number has been estimated to be in the thousands, and they all share a common motif. A key question is then how does the p53 protein recognize a particular p53-RE sequence among all the similar ones? Here, representative p53-REs regulating diverse functions including cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, and apoptosis were simulated in explicit solvent. Among the major interactions between p53 and its REs involving Lys120, Arg280 and Arg248, the bps interacting with Lys120 vary while the interacting partners of other residues are less so. We observe that each p53-RE quarter site sequence has a unique pattern of interactions with p53 Lys120. The allosteric, DNA sequence-induced conformational and dynamic changes of the altered Lys120 interactions are amplified by the perturbation of other p53-DNA interactions. The combined subtle RE sequence-specific allosteric effects propagate in the p53 and in the DNA. The resulting amplified allosteric effects far away are reflected in changes in the overall p53 organization and in the p53 surface topology and residue fluctuations which play key roles in selective co-factor recruitment. As such, these observations suggest how similar p53-RE sequences can spell the preferred co-factor binding, which is the key to the selective gene transactivation and consequently different functional effects.

Preferred drifting along the DNA major groove and cooperative anchoring of the p53 core domain: mechanisms and scenarios

While the importance of specific p53-DNA binding is broadly accepted, the recognition process is still not fully understood. Figuring out the initial tetrameric p53-DNA association and the swift and cooperative search for specific binding sites is crucial for understanding the transactivation mechanism and selectivity. To gain insight into the p53-DNA binding process, here we have carried out explicit solvent molecular dynamic (MD) simulations of several p53 core domain-DNA conformations with the p53 and the DNA separated by varying distances. p53 approached the DNA, bound non-specifically, and quickly drifted along the DNA surface to find the major groove, cooperatively anchoring in a way similar to the specific binding observed in the crystal structure. Electrostatics was the major driving force behind the p53 movement. Mechanistically, this is a cooperative process: key residues, particularly Lys120 and Arg280 acted as sensors; upon finding their hydrogen-bonding partners, they lock in, anchoring p53 into the major groove. Concomitantly, the DNA adopted a conformation that facilitated p53 easy access. The initial non-specific core domain-DNA contacts assist in shifting the DNA and the p53 substrates toward conformations "ready" for specific major groove binding, with subsequent optimization of the interactions. This work is an invited contribution for the special issue of the Journal of Molecular Recognition dedicated to Professor Martin Karplus.

Transcriptional regulation by p53

Inactivation of p53 is critical for the formation of most tumors. Illumination of the key function(s) of p53 protein in protecting cells from becoming cancerous is therefore a worthy goal. Arguably p53's most important function is to act as a transcription factor that directly regulates perhaps several hundred of the cell's RNA polymerase II (RNAP II)-transcribed genes, and indirectly regulates thousands of others. Indeed p53 is the most well studied mammalian transcription factor. The p53 tetramer binds to its response element where it can recruit diverse transcriptional coregulators such as histone modifying enzymes, chromatin remodeling factors, subunits of the mediator complex, and components of general transcription machinery and preinitiation complex (PIC) to modulate RNAPII activity at target loci (Laptenko and Prives 2006). The p53 transcriptional program is regulated in a stimulus-specific fashion (Murray-Zmijewski et al. 2008; Vousden and Prives 2009), whereby distinct subsets of p53 target genes are induced in response to different p53-activating agents, likely allowing cells to tailor their response to different types of stress. How p53 is able to discriminate between these different loci is the subject of intense research. Here, we describe key aspects of the fundamentals of p53-mediated transcriptional regulation and target gene promoter selectivity.

Mutants of the tumour suppressor p53 L1 loop as second-site suppressors for restoring DNA binding to oncogenic p53 mutations: structural and biochemical insights

To assess the potential of mutations from the L1 loop of the tumour suppressor p53 as second-site suppressors, the effect of H115N and S116M on the p53 ‘hot spot’ mutations has been investigated using the double-mutant approach. The effects of these two mutants on the p53 hot spots in terms of thermal stability and DNA binding were evaluated. The results show that: (i) the p53 mutants H115N and S116M are thermally more stable than wild-type p53; (ii) H115N but not S116M is capable of rescuing the DNA binding of one of the most frequent p53 mutants in cancer, R248Q, as shown by binding of R248Q/H115N to gadd45 (the promoter of a gene involved in cell-cycle arrest); (iii) the double mutant R248Q/H115N is more stable than wild-type p53; (iv) the effect of H115N as a second-site suppressor to restore DNA-binding activity is specific to R248Q, but not to R248W; (v) molecular-dynamics simulations indicate that R248Q/H115N has a conformation similar to wild-type p53, which is distinct from that of R248Q. These findings could be exploited in designing strategies for cancer therapy to identify molecules that could mimic the effect of H115N in restoring function to oncogenic p53 mutants.

Crystal structure of the p53 core domain bound to a full consensus site as a self-assembled tetramer

Recent studies suggest that p53 binds predominantly to consensus sites composed of two decameric half-sites with zero spacing in vivo. Here we report the crystal structure of the p53 core domain bound to a full consensus site as a tetramer at 2.13A resolution. Comparison with previously reported structures of p53 dimer:DNA complexes and a chemically trapped p53 tetramer:DNA complex reveals that DNA binding by the p53 core domain is a cooperative self-assembling process accompanied by structural changes of the p53 dimer and DNA. Each p53 monomer interacts with its two neighboring subunits through two different protein-protein interfaces. The DNA is largely B-form and shows no discernible bend, but the central base-pairs between the two half-sites display a significant slide. The extensive protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions explain the high cooperativity and kinetic stability of p53 binding to contiguous decameric sites and the conservation of such binding-site configuration in vivo.

Molecular mechanisms of functional rescue mediated by P53 tumor suppressor mutations

We have utilized both molecular dynamics simulations and solution biophysical measurements to investigate the rescue mechanism of mutation N235K, which plays a key role in the recently identified global suppressor motif of K235/Y239/R240 in the human p53 DNA-binding domain (DBD). Previous genetic analysis indicates that N235K alone rescues five out of six destabilized cancer mutants. However, the solution biophysical measurement shows that N235K generates only a slight increase to the stability of DBD, implying a rescue mechanism that is not a simple additive contribution to thermodynamic stability. Our molecular simulations show that the N235K substitution generates two non-native salt bridges with residues D186 and E198. We find that the nonnative salt bridges, D186-K235 and E198-K235, and a native salt bridge, E171-R249, are mutually exclusive, thus resulting in only a marginal increase in stability as compared to the wild type protein. When a destabilized V157F is paired with N235K, the native salt bridge E171-R249 is retained. In this context, the non-native salt bridges, D186-K235 and E198-K235, produce a net increase in stability as compared to V157F alone. A similar rescue mechanism may explain how N235K stabilize other highly unstable beta-sandwich cancer mutants.

Blinded by the Light: The Growing Complexity of p53

While the tumor suppressor functions of p53 have long been recognized, the contribution of p53 to numerous other aspects of disease and normal life is only now being appreciated. This burgeoning range of responses to p53 is reflected by an increasing variety of mechanisms through which p53 can function, although the ability to activate transcription remains key to p53's modus operandi. Control of p53's transcriptional activity is crucial for determining which p53 response is activated, a decision we must understand if we are to exploit efficiently the next generation of drugs that selectively activate or inhibit p53.

Cooperativity dominates the genomic organization of p53-response elements: a mechanistic view

p53-response elements (p53-REs) are organized as two repeats of a palindromic DNA segment spaced by 0 to 20 base pairs (bp). Several experiments indicate that in the vast majority of the human p53-REs there are no spacers between the two repeats; those with spacers, particularly with sizes beyond two nucleotides, are rare. This raises the question of what it indicates about the factors determining the p53-RE genomic organization. Clearly, given the double helical DNA conformation, the orientation of two p53 core domain dimers with respect to each other will vary depending on the spacer size: a small spacer of 0 to 2 bps will lead to the closest p53 dimer-dimer orientation; a 10-bp spacer will locate the p53 dimers on the same DNA face but necessitate DNA looping; while a 5-bp spacer will position the p53 dimers on opposite DNA faces. Here, via conformational analysis we show that when there are 0-2 bp spacers, p53-DNA binding is cooperative; however, cooperativity is greatly diminished when there are spacers with sizes beyond 2 bp. Cooperative binding is broadly recognized to be crucial for biological processes, including transcriptional regulation. Our results clearly indicate that cooperativity of the p53-DNA association dominates the genomic organization of the p53-REs, raising questions of the structural organization and functional roles of p53-REs with larger spacers. We further propose that a dynamic landscape scenario of p53 and p53-REs can better explain the selectivity of the degenerate p53-REs. Our conclusions bear on the evolutionary preference of the p53-RE organization and as such, are expected to have broad implications to other multimeric transcription factor response element organization.

Measuring spatial preferences at fine-scale resolution identifies known and novel cis-regulatory element candidates and functional motif-pair relationships

Transcriptional regulation is mediated by the collective binding of proteins called transcription factors to cis-regulatory elements. A handful of factors are known to function at particular distances from the transcription start site, although the extent to which this occurs is not well understood. Spatial dependencies can also exist between pairs of binding motifs, facilitating factor-pair interactions. We sought to determine to what extent spatial preferences measured at high-scale resolution could be utilized to predict cis-regulatory elements as well as motif-pairs binding interacting proteins. We introduce the ‘motif positional function’ model which predicts spatial biases using regression analysis, differentiating noise from true position-specific overrepresentation at single-nucleotide resolution. Our method predicts 48 consensus motifs exhibiting positional enrichment within human promoters, including fourteen motifs without known binding partners. We then extend the model to analyze distance preferences between pairs of motifs. We find that motif-pairs binding interacting factors often co-occur preferentially at multiple distances, with intervals between preferred distances often corresponding to the turn of the DNA double-helix. This offers a novel means by which to predict sequence elements with a collective role in gene regulation.

Nuance in the double-helix and its role in protein-DNA recognition

It has been known for some time that the double-helix is not a uniform structure but rather exhibits sequence-specific variations that, combined with base-specific intermolecular interactions, offer the possibility of numerous modes of protein-DNA recognition. All-atom simulations have revealed mechanistic insights into the structural and energetic basis of various recognition mechanisms for a number of protein-DNA complexes while coarser grained simulations have begun to provide an understanding of the function of larger assemblies. Molecular simulations have also been applied to the prediction of transcription factor binding sites, while empirical approaches have been developed to predict nucleosome positioning. Studies that combine and integrate experimental, statistical and computational data offer the promise of rapid advances in our understanding of protein-DNA recognition mechanisms.

Crystal structure of a p53 core tetramer bound to DNA

The tumor suppressor p53 regulates downstream genes in response to many cellular stresses and is frequently mutated in human cancers. Here, we report the use of a crosslinking strategy to trap a tetrameric p53 DNA binding domain (p53DBD) bound to DNA and the X-ray crystal structure of the protein/DNA complex. The structure reveals that two p53DBD dimers bind to B form DNA with no relative twist and that a p53 tetramer can bind to DNA without introducing significant DNA bending. The numerous dimer-dimer interactions involve several strictly conserved residues thus suggesting a molecular basis for p53DBD-DNA binding cooperativity. Surface residue conservation of the p53DBD tetramer bound to DNA highlights possible regions of other p53 domain or p53 cofactor interactions.