Oligomerization of members of the p53 family of transcription factors (p53, p63, and p73) is essential for their distinct functions in cell-cycle control and development. To elucidate the molecular basis for tetramer formation of the various family members, we solved the crystal structure of the human p73 tetramerization domain (residues 351-399). Similarly to the canonical p53 tetramer, p73 forms a tetramer with D 2 symmetry that can be described as a dimer of dimers. The most striking difference between the p53 and p73 tetramerization domain is the presence of an additional C-terminal helix in p73. This helix, which is conserved in p63, is essential for stabilizing the overall architecture of the tetramer, as evidenced by the different oligomeric structures observed for a shortened variant lacking this helix. The helices act as clamps, wrapping around the neighboring dimer and holding it in place. In addition, we show by mass spectrometry that the tetramerization domains of p63 and p73, but not p53, fully exchange, with different mixed tetramers present at equilibrium, albeit at a relatively slow rate. Taken together, these data provide intriguing insights into the divergent evolution of the oligomerization domain within the p53 family, from the ancestral p63/p73-like protein toward smaller, less promiscuous monomeric building blocks in human p53, allowing functional separation of the p53 pathway from that of its family members.crystallography ͉ mass spectrometry ͉ tetramer ͉ transcription factor

Activation of the tumour suppressor p53 on DNA damage involves post-translational modification by phosphorylation and acetylation. Phosphorylation of certain residues is critical for p53 stabilization and plays an important role in DNA-binding activity. The 14-3-3 family of proteins activates the DNA-binding affinity of p53 upon stress by binding to a site in its intrinsically disordered C-terminal domain containing a phosphorylated serine at 378. We have screened various p53 C-terminal phosphorylated peptides for binding to two different isoforms of 14-3-3, ɛ and γ. We found that phosphorylation at either S366 or T387 caused even tighter binding to 14-3-3. We made by semi-synthesis a tetrameric construct comprised of the tetramerization plus C-terminal domains of p53 that was phosphorylated on S366, S378 and T387. It bound 10 times tighter than did the monomeric counterpart to dimeric 14-3-3. We showed indirectly from binding curves and directly from fluorescence-detection analytical ultracentrifugation that 14-3-3 enhanced the binding of sequence-specific DNA to p53 by causing p53 dimers to form tetramers at lower concentrations. If the in vitro data extrapolate to in vivo, then it is an attractive hypothesis that p53 activity may be subject to control by accessory proteins lowering its tetramer–dimer dissociation constant from its normal value of 120–150 nM.

The state of oligomerization of the tumor suppressor p53 is an important factor in its various biological functions. It has a well-defined tetramerization domain, and the protein exists as monomers, dimers and tetramers in equilibrium. The dissociation constants between oligomeric forms are so low that they are at the limits of measurement by conventional methods in vitro. Here, we have used the high sensitivity of single-molecule methods to measure the equilibria and kinetics of oligomerization of full-length p53 and its isolated tetramerization domain, p53tet, at physiological temperature, pH and ionic strength using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) in vitro. The dissociation constant at 37°C for tetramers dissociating into dimers for full-length p53 was 50 ± 7 nM, and the corresponding value for dimers into monomers was 0.55 ± 0.08 nM. The half-lives for the two processes were 20 and 50 min, respectively. The equivalent quantities for p53tet were 150 ± 10 nM, 1.0 ± 0.14 nM, 2.5 ± 0.4 min and 13 ± 2 min. The data suggest that unligated p53 in unstressed cells should be predominantly dimeric. Single-molecule FCS is a useful procedure for measuring dissociation equilibria, kinetics and aggregation at extreme sensitivity.

Human mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) is a multi-functional protein, involved in different aspects of maintaining mitochondrial genome integrity. In this report, we characterized TFAM and its interaction with tumor suppressor p53 using various biophysical methods. DNA-free TFAM is a thermally unstable protein that is in equilibrium between monomers and dimers. Self-association of TFAM is modulated by its basic C-terminal tail. The DNA-binding ability of TFAM is mainly contributed by its first HMG-box, while the second HMG-box has low-DNA-binding capability. We also obtained backbone resonance assignments from the NMR spectra of both HMG-boxes of TFAM. TFAM binds primarily to the N-terminal transactivation domain of p53, with a Kd of 1.95 ± 0.19 μM. The C-terminal regulatory domain of p53 provides a secondary binding site for TFAM. The TFAM–p53-binding interface involves both TAD1 and TAD2 sub-domains of p53. Helices α1 and α2 of the HMG-box constitute the main p53-binding region. Since both TFAM and p53 binds preferentially to distorted DNA, the TFAM–p53 interaction is implicated in DNA damage and repair. In addition, the DNA-binding mechanism of TFAM and biological relevance of the TFAM–p53 interaction are discussed.

The tumor suppressor p53 is a member of the emerging class of proteins that have both folded and intrinsically disordered domains, which are a challenge to structural biology. Its N-terminal domain (NTD) is linked to a folded core domain, which has a disordered link to the folded tetramerization domain, which is followed by a disordered C-terminal domain. The quaternary structure of human p53 has been solved by a combination of NMR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and the NTD ensemble structure has been solved by NMR and SAXS. The murine p53 is reported to have a different quaternary structure, with the N and C termini interacting. Here, we used single-molecule FRET (SM-FRET) and ensemble FRET to investigate the conformational dynamics of the NTD of p53 in isolation and in the context of tetrameric full-length p53 (flp53). Our results showed that the isolated NTD was extended in solution with a strong preference for residues 66 -86 forming a polyproline II conformation. The NTD associated weakly with the DNA binding domain of p53, but not the C termini. We detected multiple conformations in flp53 that were likely to result from the interactions of NTD with the DNA binding domain of each monomeric p53. Overall, the SM-FRET results, in addition to corroborating the previous ensemble findings, enabled the identification of the existence of multiple conformations of p53, which are often averaged and neglected in conventional ensemble techniques. Our study exemplifies the usefulness of SM-FRET in exploring the dynamic landscape of multimeric proteins that contain regions of unstructured domains.natively disordered ͉ domain-domain interaction ͉ quaternary structure ͉ FRET ͉ time-resolved T he tumor suppressor p53 is a tetrameric, multidomain transcription factor that plays key roles in maintaining the integrity of the human genome and in DNA repair machinery (1, 2). p53 is a partly intrinsically disordered protein, containing two folded domains: the DNA-binding core domain (CD; residues 94-294) and the tetramerization domain (TetD; residues 323-360) (3, 4). The intrinsically disordered N-terminal domain (NTD; residues 1-94) and C-terminal domain (CTD; residues 360-393) (5, 6) mediate interactions with several proteins such as p300/CBP, MDM2, 14-3-3, and S100 family that in turn regulate the activity of p53. Moreover, the NTD and CTD are the target sites of numerous posttranslational modificiations that modulate the activity of p53.High-resolution structures of the CD and the TetD have been solved by using X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy (3,4,7,8). But, the intrinsic instability and the presence of highly disordered regions in p53 have impeded the application of conventional structural studies on full-length p53 (flp53). A combination of NMR spectroscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in solution with electron microscopy on immobilized samples was recently used to solve the quaternary structures of a mutationally stabilized human flp53 and its DNA complex (...

The multidomain homotetrameric tumor suppressor p53 has two modes of binding dsDNA that are thought to be responsible for scanning and recognizing specific response elements (REs). The C termini bind nonspecifically to dsDNA. The four DNA-binding domains (DBDs) bind REs that have two symmetric 10 base-pair sequences. p53 bound to a 20-bp RE has the DBDs enveloping the DNA, which is in the center of the molecule surrounded by linker sequences to the tetramerization domain (Tet). We investigated by electron microscopy structures of p53 bound to DNA sequences consisting of a 20-bp RE with either 12 or 20 bp nonspecific extensions on either end. We found a variety of structures that give clues to recognition and scanning mechanisms. The 44-and 60-bp sequences gave rise to three and four classes of structures, respectively. One was similar to the known 20-bp structure, but the DBDs in the other classes were loosely arranged and incompatible with specific DNA recognition. Some of the complexes had density consistent with the C termini extending from Tet to the DNA, adjacent to the DBDs. Single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments detected the approach of the C termini towards the DBDs on addition of DNA. The structural data are consistent with p53 sliding along DNA via its C termini and the DNA-binding domains hopping on and off during searches for REs. The loose structures and posttranslational modifications account for the affinity of nonspecific DNA for p53 and point to a mechanism of enhancement of specificity by its binding to effector proteins.protein | recognition | specificity

Single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSB) form a class of proteins that bind preferentially single-stranded DNA with high affinity. They are involved in DNA metabolism in all organisms and serve a vital role in replication, recombination and repair of DNA. In this report, we identify human mitochondrial SSB (HmtSSB) as a novel protein-binding partner of tumour suppressor p53, in mitochondria. It binds to the transactivation domain (residues 1–61) of p53 via an extended binding interface, with dissociation constant of 12.7 (± 0.7) μM. Unlike most binding partners reported to date, HmtSSB interacts with both TAD1 (residues 1–40) and TAD2 (residues 41–61) subdomains of p53. HmtSSB enhances intrinsic 3′-5′ exonuclease activity of p53, particularly in hydrolysing 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) present at 3′-end of DNA. Taken together, our data suggest that p53 is involved in DNA repair within mitochondria during oxidative stress. In addition, we characterize HmtSSB binding to ssDNA and p53 N-terminal domain using various biophysical measurements and we propose binding models for both.

p53 maintains genome integrity by initiating the transcription of genes involved in cell-cycle arrest, senescence, apoptosis and DNA repair. The activity of p53 is regulated by both post-translational modifications and protein–protein interactions. p53 that has been phosphorylated at S366, S378 and T387 binds 14-3-3 proteins in vitro. Here, we show that these sites are potential 14-3-3 binding sites in vivo. Epsilon (ε) and gamma (γ) isoforms required phosphorylation at either of these sites for efficient interaction with p53, while for sigma (σ) and tau (τ) these sites are dispensable. Further, σ and τ bound more weakly to p53 C-terminal phosphopeptides than did ε and γ. However, the four isoforms bound tightly to di-phosphorylated p53 C-terminal peptides than did the mono-phosphorylated counterparts. Interestingly, all the isoforms studied transcriptionally activated wild-type p53. σ and τ stabilized p53 levels in cells, while ε and γ stimulated p53-DNA binding activity in vitro. Overall, the results suggest that structurally and functionally similar 14-3-3 isoforms may exert their regulatory potential on p53 through different mechanisms. We discuss the isoform-specific roles of 14-3-3 in p53 stabilization and activation of specific-DNA binding.