The small heat shock protein αB-crystallin (αB) contributes to cellular protection against stress. For decades, high-resolution structural studies on oligomeric αB have been confounded by its polydisperse nature. Here, we present a structural basis of oligomer assembly and activation of the chaperone using solid-state NMR and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The basic building block is a curved dimer, with an angle of ~121° between the planes of the β-sandwich formed by α-crystallin domains. The highly conserved IXI motif covers a substrate binding site at pH 7.5. We observe a pH-dependent modulation of the interaction of the IXI motif with β4 and β8, consistent with a pHdependent regulation of the chaperone function. N-terminal region residues Ser59-Trp60-Phe61 are involved in intermolecular interaction with β3. Intermolecular restraints from NMR and volumetric restraints from SAXS were combined to calculate a model of a 24-subunit αB oligomer with tetrahedral symmetry.Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) help to maintain protein homeostasis by interacting with unfolded, aggregated or misfolded proteins to prevent cell damage [1][2][3] . The ATP-independent chaperone αB-crystallin (αB, 20 kDa, 175 residues) is a paradigm example 4 . αB was originally found in the eye-lens as the B-subunit of α-crystallin, a protein essential for maintaining eyelens transparency. In recent years, the list of biological roles for αB has grown substantially, including involvement in the regulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway as well as AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONSS.J. contributed to all aspects of the manuscript; P.R. performed solution NMR experiments and helped to write the manuscript; B.B. performed structure calculations; S.M. did solid-state NMR and SAXS measurements as well as data analysis; R.K. contributed to modeling of C-terminal intermolecular interactions; J.R.S. prepared samples; V.A.H. contributed to assignment strategies, was involved in structure calculations and helped write the manuscript; R.E.K. contributed to the interpretation of results and wrote the manuscript; B.J.v.R. contributed to solid-state NMR measurements, discussed the results and helped to write the manuscript; H.O. designed experimental strategies, contributed to the interpretation of results and wrote the manuscript. COMPETING FINANCIAL INTERESTSThe authors declare no competing financial interests.Reprints and permissions information is available online at http://npg.nature.com/reprintsandpermissions/. [6][7][8][9][10][11] . In the brain of patients with Alexander's disease, the insoluble cell fraction contains protein fibers (Rosenthal fibers) coprecipitated with αB phosphorylated at Ser59, whereas unphosphorylated αB remains in the soluble fraction 7 . A missense mutation, R120G, in αB is associated with desmin-related cardiomyopathy 8,9 . The mutations D140N and Q151X are associated with congenital cataracts and myopathy, respectively 10,11 . A decreased concentration of αB in the cerebrospinal fluid was found to be associated with ...

Summary The Escherichia coli fimbrial adhesive protein, FimH, mediates shear-dependent binding to mannosylated surfaces via force-enhanced allosteric catch bonds, but the underlying structural mechanism was previously unknown. Here we present the crystal structure of FimH incorporated into the multi-protein fimbrial tip, where the anchoring (pilin) domain of FimH interacts with the mannose-binding (lectin) domain and causes a twist in the β-sandwich fold of the latter. This loosens the mannose-binding pocket on the opposite end of lectin domain, resulting in an inactive low-affinity state of the adhesin. The autoinhibition effect of the pilin domain is removed by application of tensile force across the bond, which separates the domains and causes the lectin domain to untwist and clamp tightly around ligand like a finger trap toy. Thus, β-sandwich domains, which are common in multidomain proteins exposed to tensile force in vivo, can undergo drastic allosteric changes and be subjected to mechanical regulation.

The small heat shock protein (sHSP) αB-crystallin (αB) plays a key role in the cellular protection system against stress. For decades, high-resolution structural studies on heterogeneous sHSPs have been confounded by the polydisperse nature of αB oligomers. We present an atomic-level model of full-length αB as a symmetric 24-subunit multimer based on solid-state NMR, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and EM data. The model builds on our recently reported structure of the homodimeric α-crystallin domain (ACD) and C-terminal IXI motif in the context of the multimer. A hierarchy of interactions contributes to build multimers of varying sizes: Interactions between two ACDs define a dimer, three dimers connected by their C-terminal regions define a hexameric unit, and variable interactions involving the N-terminal region define higher-order multimers. Within a multimer, N-terminal regions exist in multiple environments, contributing to the heterogeneity observed by NMR. Analysis of SAXS data allows determination of a heterogeneity parameter for this type of system. A mechanism of multimerization into higher-order asymmetric oligomers via the addition of up to six dimeric units to a 24-mer is proposed. The proposed asymmetric multimers explain the homogeneous appearance of αB in negative-stain EM images and the known dynamic exchange of αB subunits. The model of αB provides a structural basis for understanding known disease-associated missense mutations and makes predictions concerning substrate binding and the reported fibrilogenesis of αB. S mall heat shock proteins (sHSPs) help to maintain protein homeostasis by interacting with partly folded substrates to prevent cell damage (1-3). The ATP-independent chaperone αB-crystallin (αB, 20 kDa, 175 residues) is an archetypal example (4). Discovered as a highly abundant protein in the eye lens that plays a critical role in maintenance of lens transparency, the known biological roles of αB continue to expand. The protein is expressed in many tissue types, notably muscle and brain, in a stress-inducible manner, where it presumably serves as a chaperone for misfolded cellular proteins. Consistent with such a role, αB is implicated in a growing number of diseases that includes cardiac myopathies and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alexander disease and Alzheimer's disease (5-7). Furthermore, αB has been shown to play a protective role and can reverse symptoms of multiple sclerosis (8). Thus, a full structural description of αB is an important step toward understanding its mode(s) of action. Past models of αB have been based on biochemical data (9); however, recent advances in structural biology of sHSPs (9-11) allow for a more detailed understanding of the assembly of αB multimers.As for all sHSPs, αB is organized in three domains (Fig. 1A): (i) an N-terminal domain of approximately 60 residues, (ii) a central α-crystallin domain (ACD) of about 90 residues involved in dimerization (Fig. S1A), and (iii) a C-terminal domain of 25 residues containing the IXI motif, usually...

The RING domain of the breast and ovarian cancer tumor suppressor BRCA1 interacts with multiple cognate proteins, including the RING protein BARD1. Proper function of the BRCA1 RING domain is critical, as evidenced by the many cancer-predisposing mutations found within this domain. We present the solution structure of the heterodimer formed between the RING domains of BRCA1 and BARD1. Comparison with the RING homodimer of the V(D)J recombination-activating protein RAG1 reveals the structural diversity of complexes formed by interactions between different RING domains. The BRCA1-BARD1 structure provides a model for its ubiquitin ligase activity, illustrates how the BRCA1 RING domain can be involved in associations with multiple protein partners and provides a framework for understanding cancer-causing mutations at the molecular level.