Structural and biochemical insights into members of the kinesin and ubiquitin ligase families

The thesis focuses on characterisation of two different protein families, kinesins and ubiquitin ligases, that are involved in different biological processes. Kinesins constitute a superfamily of microtubule-based motor proteins, fulfilling important cellular functions, ranging from intracellular transport to cell division. They also play a role in primary cilia and Hedgehog signalling. Ubiquitin ligases are enzymes that catalyse the transfer of ubiquitin to the lysine residues of the substrate. Marking protein substrates with ubiquitin alters their functions and fates. With nearly 700 different ubiquitin ligases in humans, they control a vast array of cellular processes. The first part of this thesis summarises results relating to kinesins. Protocols for creation of a panel of kinesin motor domains, a useful tool for anti-mitotic inhibitors specificity testing are presented. Furthermore, biochemical, kinetic and structural features of a poorly described kinesin motor protein - Kif15 are reported. Kif15's motor domain structure is described and compared to Eg5's catalytic core. Moreover, the influence of Eg5 inhibitors on Kif15 ATPase activity is investigated. Scouting for small molecules targeting Kif15 is also performed. Kif15 interaction with microtubules in various nucleotide-bound states is characterised. The possibility of a secondary microtubule binding site in the tail of Kif15 is examined. The binding of Kif15 with partner proteins is also investigated. Additionally the high-resolution structure of the human Kif7 motor domain is presented, providing the first step towards structural characterisation of this Kinesin-4 family member. The second part of this thesis concerns a ubiquitin ligase, Trim28. Trim28 was first reported as a transcription corepressor, working by recruiting proteins that drive the heterochromatin state, whilst its mechanism of action as a ubiquitin ligase remains elusive. Attempts to crystallise and determine the three-dimensional structure of Trim28 are described. Additionally, Trim28 functioning as an E3 ubiquitin ligase, and its interactions with E2s, KRAB domains of various zinc finger proteins and with the Mage-C2 protein are investigated. The results provide the foundation for future studies on Trim28

Structural insights into human Kif7, a kinesin involved in Hedgehog signalling

The human Kif7 motor domain structure provides insights into a kinesin of medical significance

Structural analysis of MDM2 RING separates degradation from regulation of p53 transcription activity

MDM2–MDMX complexes bind the p53 tumor-suppressor protein, inhibiting p53's transcriptional activity and targeting p53 for proteasomal degradation. Inhibitors that disrupt binding between p53 and MDM2 efficiently activate a p53 response, but their use in the treatment of cancers that retain wild-type p53 may be limited by on-target toxicities due to p53 activation in normal tissue. Guided by a novel crystal structure of the MDM2–MDMX–E2(UbcH5B)–ubiquitin complex, we designed MDM2 mutants that prevent E2–ubiquitin binding without altering the RING-domain structure. These mutants lack MDM2's E3 activity but retain the ability to limit p53′s transcriptional activity and allow cell proliferation. Cells expressing these mutants respond more quickly to cellular stress than cells expressing wild-type MDM2, but basal p53 control is maintained. Targeting the MDM2 E3-ligase activity could therefore widen the therapeutic window of p53 activation in tumors

Structure of MDM2-MDMX-UbcH5B-ubiquitin complex

Crystal structure reveal how MDM2-MDMX complex recriuits E2~ubiquitin comple

The crystal structure and biochemical characterization of Kif15: a bifunctional molecular motor involved in bipolar spindle formation and neuronal development

Kinesins constitute a superfamily of microtubule-based motor proteins with important cellular functions ranging from intracellular transport to cell division. Some kinesin family members function during the mitotic phase of the eukaryotic cell cycle and are crucial for the successful progression of cell division. In the early stages of mitosis, during prometaphase, certain kinesins are required for the formation of the bipolar spindle, such as Eg5 and Kif15, which seem to possess partially overlapping functions. Because kinesins transform the chemical energy from ATP hydrolysis into mechanical work, inhibition of their function is a tractable approach for drug development. Drugs targeting Eg5 have shown promise as anticancer agents. Kif15 has recently come to the fore because it can substitute the functions of Eg5, and may itself have potential as a prospective drug target. Here, the initial biochemical, kinetic and structural characterization of Kif15 is reported and it is compared with the functionally related motor Eg5. Although Kif15 contains ADP in the catalytic site, its motor-domain structure was captured in the `ATP-like' configuration, with the neck linker docked to the catalytic core. The interaction of Kif15 with microtubules was also investigated and structural differences between these two motors were elucidated which indicate profound differences in their mode of action, in agreement with current models of microtubule cross-linking and sliding