The c-Myc oncoprotein (Myc) controls cell fate by regulating gene transcription in association with a DNA-binding partner, Max. While Max lacks a transcription regulatory domain, the N terminus of Myc contains a transcription activation domain (TAD) that recruits cofactor complexes containing the histone acetyltransferases (HATs) GCN5 and Tip60. Here, we report a novel functional interaction between Myc TAD and the p300 coactivator-acetyltransferase. We show that p300 associates with Myc in mammalian cells and in vitro through direct interactions with Myc TAD residues 1 to 110 and acetylates Myc in a TAD-dependent manner in vivo at several lysine residues located between the TAD and DNA-binding domain. Moreover, the Myc:Max complex is differentially acetylated by p300 and GCN5 and is not acetylated by Tip60 in vitro, suggesting distinct functions for these acetyltransferases. Whereas p300 and CBP can stabilize Myc independently of acetylation, p300-mediated acetylation results in increased Myc turnover. In addition, p300 functions as a coactivator that is recruited by Myc to the promoter of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene, and p300/CBP stimulates Myc TAD-dependent transcription in a HAT domain-dependent manner. Our results suggest dual roles for p300/CBP in Myc regulation: as a Myc coactivator that stabilizes Myc and as an inducer of Myc instability via direct Myc acetylation.The c-Myc oncoprotein (Myc) is the ubiquitous member of a small family of highly related DNA-binding transcription factors (including L-Myc and N-Myc) that regulate a wide variety of genes involved in the control of cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptotic cell death. Myc is essential for embryonic development and both Myc expression and activity are tightly regulated by mitogens and other physiological stimuli in normal somatic cells. Notably, unregulated Myc expression is tumorigenic in mice and has been associated with most types of cancer in humans. Myc binds to E-box DNA elements having the core consensus sequence CACGTG as a heterodimer with an obligatory partner protein called Max. Myc and Max dimerize and bind DNA via their respective basic-helix-loop-helix-leucine zipper (bHLHZip) domains. While Max does not have a transcription regulatory domain, Myc has a phylogenetically conserved N-terminal transcription activation domain (TAD) that is also essential for oncogenic cellular transformation (reviewed in reference 10).Several proteins have been shown to interact with Myc N-terminal TAD and are potential regulators or mediators of Myc transactivating and transforming activities (10,30). Among these, the TRRAP protein has been shown to contribute to the transformation activity of Myc through interactions with the conserved Myc box 1 (MB1) and MB2 regions within the TAD (23) and is a subunit of various transcription regulatory cofactors complexes that have histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity. These TRRAP-HAT complexes include the GCN5 HAT-containing complexes STAGA (21, 22) and TFTC (3), the rela...

Subunit assembly governs regulation of AMPA receptor (AMPA-R) synaptic delivery and determines biophysical parameters of the ion channel. However, little is known about the molecular pathways of this process. Here, we present single-particle EM three-dimensional structures of dimeric biosynthetic intermediates of the GluA2 subunit of AMPA-Rs. Consistent with the structures of intact tetramers, the N-terminal domains of the biosynthetic intermediates form dimers. Transmembrane domains also dimerize despite the two ligandbinding domains (LBDs) being separated. A significant difference was detected between the dimeric structures of the wild type and the L504Y mutant, a point mutation that blocks receptor trafficking and desensitization. In contrast to the wild type, whose LBD is separated, the LBD of the L504Y mutant was detected as a single density. Our results provide direct structural evidence that separation of the LBD within the intact dimeric subunits is critical for efficient tetramerization in the endoplasmic reticulum and further trafficking of AMPARs. The contribution of stargazin on the subunit assembly of AMPA-R was examined. Our data suggest that stargazin affects AMPA-R trafficking at a later stage of receptor maturation.

The precise knowledge of the subunit assembly process of NMDA receptors (NMDA-Rs) is essential to understand the receptor architecture and underlying mechanism of channel function. Because NMDA-Rs are obligatory heterotetramers requiring the GluN1 subunit, it is critical to investigate how GluN1 and GluN2 type subunits coassemble into tetramers. By combining approaches in cell biology, biochemistry, single particle electron microscopy, and x-ray crystallography, we report the mechanisms and phenotypes of mutant GluN1 subunits that are defective in receptor maturation. The T110A mutation in the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the GluN1 promotes heterodimerization between the NTDs of GluN1 and GluN2, whereas the Y109C mutation in the adjacent residue stabilizes the homodimer of the NTD of GluN1. The crystal structure of the NTD of GluN1 revealed the mechanism underlying the biochemical properties of these mutants. Effects of these mutations on the maturation of heteromeric NMDA-Rs were investigated using a receptor trafficking assay. Our results suggest that the NTDs of the GluN1 subunit initially form homodimers and the subsequent dimer dissociation is critical for forming heterotetrameric NMDA-Rs containing GluN2 subunits, defining a molecular determinant for receptor assembly. The domain arrangement of the dimeric NTD of GluN1 is unique among the ionotropic glutamate receptors and predicts that the structure and mechanism around the NTDs of NMDA-Rs are different from those of the homologous AMPA and kainate receptors.

The c-Myc oncoprotein (Myc) is a DNA sequence-specific transcription factor that regulates transcription of a wide variety of genes involved in the control of cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis and its deregulated expression is implicated in many types of human cancer. Myc has an N-terminal transcription activation domain (TAD) that interacts with various coactivators and a C-terminal basic-helix-loop-helix-leucine zipper (bHLHZip) domain required for E box-specific DNA-binding and heterodimerization with its obligatory bHLHZip protein partner Max. The analysis of the mechanisms by which the Myc:Max complex regulates transcription at the molecular level in vitro has been hampered by the difficulty in obtaining highly pure recombinant Myc:Max heterodimers that contain full-length Myc with its complete TAD domain and that have sequence-specific DNA-binding activity. Here, we describe a simple method to reconstitute recombinant Myc:Max complexes from highly purified full-length proteins expressed in Escherichia coli that are soluble and highly active in E box-specific DNA-binding in vitro. The reconstituted Myc:Max complexes are stable and lack Max:Max homodimers. This procedure should facilitate the characterization of the DNA-binding and transcription activation functions of full-length Myc:Max complexes in vitro and in particular the role of Myc TAD-interacting cofactors and Myc:Max post-translational modifications.

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Max is a ubiquitous transcription factor with a bHLHZip [basic HLH (helix-loop-helix) leucine zipper] DNA-binding/dimerization domain and the central component of the Myc/Max/Mad transcription factor network that controls cell growth, proliferation, differentiation and apoptotic cell death in metazoans. Max is the obligatory DNA-binding and dimerization partner for all the bHLHZip regulators of the Myc/Max/Mad network, including the Myc family of oncoproteins and the Mad family of Myc antagonists, which recognize E-box DNA elements in the regulatory regions of target genes. Max lacks a transcription regulatory domain and is the only member of the network that efficiently homodimerizes. Binding of Max homodimers to E-box elements suppresses the transcription regulatory functions of its network partners and of other non-network E-box-binding regulators. In contrast with its highly regulated partners, Max is a constitutively expressed and phosphorylated protein. Phosphorylation is, however, the only Max post-translational modification identified so far. In the present study, we have analysed Max posttranslational modifications by MS. We have found that Max is acetylated at several lysine residues (Lys-57, Lys-144 and Lys-145) in mammalian cells. Max acetylation is stimulated by inhibitors of histone deacetylases and by overexpression of the p300 co-activator/HAT (histone acetyltransferase). The p300 HAT also directly acetylates Max in vitro at these three residues. Interestingly, the three Max residues acetylated in vivo and in vitro by p300 are important for Max nuclear localization and Max-mediated suppression of Myc transactivation. These results uncover novel post-translational modifications of Max and suggest the potential regulation of specific Max complexes by p300 and reversible acetylation.

The rat TRPV1 is activated by allicin reacting with the cisteine at position 157 generating calcium entry into cells. C157 is located in the N-terminal Ankyrin Repeat Domain (ARD). The ARD crystallographic structure showed a hidden C157, but reactivity of this supposes an alternative conformation were C157 is more accessible. The conformational changes of the TRPV1 structure after the modification with allicin are not known. In this study we used the wild type TRPV1 ARD to investigate the reaction of allicin with the ARD using circular dichroism, fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular modeling to assess the reaction rate and the degree of perturbation to the ARD structure. Our findings show that pure allicin in complex with ARD gives a reaction that showed changes into the far-UV circular dichroism spectra. Mainly the peak at 190 nm shows an increment, presumably due to an increment in alpha helical content after covalent modification of C157. Fluorescence spectra showed a shifted signal from tryptophane 272 from 332 nm to 339 nm, suggesting a conformational change that exposed W272. Accessible surface area analysis of C157 in crystallographic ARD showed a hidden cysteine into the second motif of the ARD. We used molecular dynamics of the ARD in solution to look for a conformation with an accessible path for allicin.

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