Aggregation of specific proteins in the brains of patients with chronic mental illness as a result of disruptions in proteostasis is an emerging theme in the study of schizophrenia in particular. Proteins including DISC1 (disrupted in schizophrenia 1) and dysbindin-1B are found in insoluble forms within brain homogenates from such patients. We recently identified TRIOBP-1 (Trio-binding protein 1, also known as Tara) to be another such protein through an epitope discovery and proteomics approach by comparing post-mortem brain material from schizophrenia patients and control individuals. We hypothesized that this was likely to occur as a result of a specific subcellular process and that it, therefore, should be possible to identify a region of the TRIOBP-1 protein that is essential for its aggregation to occur. Here, we probe the domain organization of TRIOBP-1, finding it to possess two distinct coiled-coil domains: the central and C-terminal domains. The central domain inhibits the depolymerization of F-actin and is also responsible for oligomerization of TRIOBP-1. Along with an N-terminal pleckstrin homology domain, the central domain affects neurite outgrowth. In neuroblastoma cells it was found that the aggregation propensity of TRIOBP-1 arises from its central domain, with a short "linker" region narrowed to within amino acids 324-348, between its first two coiled coils, as essential for the formation of TRIOBP-1 aggregates. TRIOBP-1 aggregation, therefore, appears to occur through one or more specific cellular mechanisms, which therefore have the potential to be of physiological relevance for the biological process underlying the development of chronic mental illness.

Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a scaffolding protein of significant importance for neurodevelopment and a prominent candidate protein in the pathology of major mental illness. DISC1 modulates a number of critical neuronal signaling pathways through protein-protein interactions; however, the mechanism by which this occurs and how DISC1 causes mental illness is unclear, partly because knowledge of the structure of DISC1 is lacking. A lack of homology with known proteins has hindered attempts to define its domain composition. Here, we employed the high-throughput Expression of Soluble Proteins by Random Incremental Truncation (ESPRIT) technique to identify discretely folded regions of human DISC1 via solubility assessment of tens of thousands of fragments of recombinant DISC1. We identified four novel structured regions, named D, I, S, and C, at amino acids 257-383, 539-655, 635-738, and 691-836, respectively. One region (D) is located in a DISC1 section previously predicted to be unstructured. All regions encompass coiled-coil or α-helical structures, and three are involved in DISC1 oligomerization. Crucially, three of these domains would be lost or disrupted by a chromosomal translocation event after amino acid 597, which has been strongly linked to major mental illness. Furthermore, we observed that a known illness-related frameshift mutation after amino acid 807 causes the C region to form aberrantly multimeric and aggregated complexes with an unstable secondary structure. This newly revealed domain architecture of DISC1, therefore, provides a powerful framework for understanding the critical role of this protein in a variety of devastating mental illnesses.

Proofreading modules of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are responsible for enforcing a high fidelity during translation of the genetic code. They use strategically positioned side chains for specifically targeting incorrect aminoacyl-tRNAs. Here, we show that a unique proofreading module possessing a D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase fold does not use side chains for imparting specificity or for catalysis, the two hallmark activities of enzymes. We show, using three distinct archaea, that a side-chain-stripped recognition site is fully capable of solving a subtle discrimination problem. While biochemical probing establishes that RNA plays the catalytic role, mechanistic insights from multiple high-resolution snapshots reveal that differential remodelling of the catalytic core at the RNA–peptide interface provides the determinants for correct proofreading activity. The functional crosstalk between RNA and protein elucidated here suggests how primordial enzyme functions could have emerged on RNA–peptide scaffolds before recruitment of specific side chains.

Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a widely-accepted genetic risk factor for schizophrenia and many other major mental illnesses. Traditionally DISC1 has been referred to as a 'scaffold protein' because of its ability to bind to a wide array of other proteins, including those of importance for neurodevelopment. Here, we review the characteristic properties shared between established scaffold proteins and DISC1. We find DISC1 to have many, but not all, of the characteristics of a scaffold protein, as it affects a considerable number of different, but related, signaling pathways, in most cases through inhibition of key enzymes. Using threading algorithms, the C-terminal portion of DISC1 could be mapped to extended helical structures, yet it may not closely resemble any of the known tertiary folds. While not completely fitting the classification of a classical scaffold protein, DISC1 does appear to be a tightly regulated and multi-faceted inhibitor of a wide range of enzymes from interrelated signaling cascades (Diverse Inhibitor of Signaling Cascades), which together contribute to neurodevelopment and synaptic homeostasis. Consequently, disruption of this complex regulation would be expected to lead to the range of major mental illnesses in which the DISC1 gene has been implicated.