Structural insights into the DNA-binding specificity of E2F family transcription factors

The mammalian cell cycle is controlled by the E2F family of transcription factors. Typical E2Fs bind to DNA as heterodimers with the related dimerization partner (DP) proteins, whereas the atypical E2Fs, E2F7 and E2F8 contain two DNA-binding domains (DBDs) and act as repressors. To understand the mechanism of repression, we have resolved the structure of E2F8 in complex with DNA at atomic resolution. We find that the first and second DBDs of E2F8 resemble the DBDs of typical E2F and DP proteins, respectively. Using molecular dynamics simulations, biochemical affinity measurements and chromatin immunoprecipitation, we further show that both atypical and typical E2Fs bind to similar DNA sequences in vitro and in vivo. Our results represent the first crystal structure of an E2F protein with two DBDs, and reveal the mechanism by which atypical E2Fs can repress canonical E2F target genes and exert their negative influence on cell cycle progression.Peer reviewe

Infrared spectroscopic studies : from small molecules to large

Infrared light (IR) was first discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1800. However, until 1940’s, molecular IR studies involved only water and small organic molecules, because of the long measurement times. Development Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) has minimized the time required to obtain data, making it possible to investigate bigger biological systems, e.g. proteins and nucleic acids.This thesis concentrates on the applications of different IR spectroscopic techniques to a variety of biological systems and development of new approaches to study complicated biological events. The first paper in this work concerns using so-called caged compounds to study the aggregation of Alzheimer’s Aβ-peptide which is linked to the formation of neurotoxic fibrils in the brain. By adding caged-sulfate to the Aβ samples we were able to change the pH of the sample, while recording IR data and study fibril formation in a time-resolved manner. Then we used caged–ADP to study the production of ATP and creatine, mediated by creatine kinase (CK). Using CK as a helper enzyme we studied the effects of the phosphate binding on the secondary structure of SR Ca2+ATPse and determined the structural differences between two similar states Ca2E1ADP and Ca2E1ATP. In the second part of the thesis we used ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and a specially designed dialysis setup, to develop a general method to detect ligand binding events by observing the IR absorbance changes in the water hydration shell around the molecules. The same method was used to determine the binding of DNA to the transcription factors of the E2F family. E2F proteins play main part in the gene regulatory networks that control cell development. However how they recognize their DNA-binding sites and the mechanism of binding is not well understood. By using ATR-FTIR, we observed the changes in the secondary structure of the proteins, as well as the distortions to the DNA upon E2F-DNA complex formation.At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Manuscript.</p

Detection of ligand binding to proteins through observation of hydration water

Drug development is impeded by the need to design for each drug target a test that detects the binding of drug candidate molecules to the target protein. Therefore, a general method to detect ligand binding is highly desirable. Here, we present an observation toward developing such a method, which is based on monitoring a change in water absorption by infrared spectroscopy. Infrared spectroscopy has high sensitivity for water, and changes in its hydrogen bond pattern can be observed. We studied absorption changes of water upon the addition of phosphenolpyruvate or Mg2+ to pyruvate kinase. In each case, there is a decrease in the absorption of water in the 3000-3100 cm -1 region on the low wavenumber side of the OH stretching vibration when a ligand binds to the protein. Our results suggest that the weaker water absorption is due to the release of protein-bound water into bulk water during ligand binding. This observation has high potential for drug development as well as for basic research because it can lead to a general method for detecting molecular association events that (i) is label-free, (ii) works with both binding partners being in aqueous solution, and (iii) is based on a universal process that takes place in all binding events. © 2012 American Chemical Society.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Formation of Two Different Types of Oligomers in the Early Phase of pH-Induced Aggregation of the Alzheimer Aβ(12-28) Peptide

The early phase in the aggregation process of the Alzheimer’s peptide Aβ­(12-28) with both protected and unprotected ends was studied by time-resolved infrared spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Aggregation in the time-resolved experiments was initiated by a rapid pH drop caused by the photolysis of 1-(2-nitrophenyl)­ethyl sulfate (caged sulfate). The infrared spectra indicate two different types of aggregates from both versions of the Aβ­(12-28) peptide. One type has small and/or twisted β sheets with a β-sheet band at 1627 cm^–1. They form fast (within 60 ms), presumably from initial aggregates, and their spectral signature is consistent with a β-barrel structure. The other type arises relatively slowly from unstructured monomers on the seconds-to-minutes time scale and forms at lower pH than the first type. These β sheets are antiparallel, planar, and large and show an absorption band at 1622 cm^–1 that shifts to 1617 cm^–1 in 12 min with most of the shift occurring in 10 s

Simultaneous Fitting of Absorption Spectra and Their Second Derivatives for an Improved Analysis of Protein Infrared Spectra

Infrared spectroscopy is a powerful tool in protein science due to its sensitivity to changes in secondary structure or conformation. In order to take advantage of the full power of infrared spectroscopy in structural studies of proteins, complex band contours, such as the amide I band, have to be decomposed into their main component bands, a process referred to as curve fitting. In this paper, we report on an improved curve fitting approach in which absorption spectra and second derivative spectra are fitted simultaneously. Our approach, which we name co-fitting, leads to a more reliable modelling of the experimental data because it uses more spectral information than the standard approach of fitting only the absorption spectrum. It also avoids that the fitting routine becomes trapped in local minima. We have tested the proposed approach using infrared absorption spectra of three mixed α/β proteins with different degrees of spectral overlap in the amide I region: ribonuclease A, pyruvate kinase, and aconitase

Detection of Ligand Binding to Proteins through Observation of Hydration Water

Drug development is impeded by the need to design for each drug target a test that detects the binding of drug candidate molecules to the target protein. Therefore, a general method to detect ligand binding is highly desirable. Here, we present an observation toward developing such a method, which is based on monitoring a change in water absorption by infrared spectroscopy. Infrared spectroscopy has high sensitivity for water, and changes in its hydrogen bond pattern can be observed. We studied absorption changes of water upon the addition of phosphenolpyruvate or Mg²⁺ to pyruvate kinase. In each case, there is a decrease in the absorption of water in the 3000–3100 cm^–1 region on the low wavenumber side of the OH stretching vibration when a ligand binds to the protein. Our results suggest that the weaker water absorption is due to the release of protein-bound water into bulk water during ligand binding. This observation has high potential for drug development as well as for basic research because it can lead to a general method for detecting molecular association events that (i) is label-free, (ii) works with both binding partners being in aqueous solution, and (iii) is based on a universal process that takes place in all binding events

Simultaneous fitting of absorption spectra and their second derivatives for an improved analysis of protein infrared spectra

Infrared spectroscopy is a powerful tool in protein science due to its sensitivity to changes in secondary structure or conformation. In order to take advantage of the full power of infrared spectroscopy in structural studies of proteins, complex band contours, such as the amide I band, have to be decomposed into their main component bands, a process referred to as curve fitting. In this paper, we report on an improved curve fitting approach in which absorption spectra and second derivative spectra are fitted simultaneously. Our approach, which we name co-fitting, leads to a more reliable modelling of the experimental data because it uses more spectral information than the standard approach of fitting only the absorption spectrum. It also avoids that the fitting routine becomes trapped in local minima. We have tested the proposed approach using infrared absorption spectra of three mixed α/β proteins with different degrees of spectral overlap in the amide I region: ribonuclease A, pyruvate kinase, and aconitase.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe