Approximately 30% of the proteins in the human proteome are intrinsically disordered (IDPs) or contain long disordered regions (IDRs). IDPs play a central role in key cellular regulatory pathways and are implicated in devastating diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disease. Disordered proteins are highly flexible and undergo transient and dynamic intramolecular and intermolecular interactions that are central to their regulatory functions. Molecular level characterization of the numerous human regulatory proteins that contain both structured and disordered domains represents an enormous challenge to the traditional methods of structural biology. Most studies to date have relied upon a reductionist approach, in which the ordered and disordered regions are investigated in isolation. However, within the cell, the different domains of a given protein act synergistically to allow it to perform its biological function and a full understanding of the underlying molecular mechanism can only be achieved through a holistic, rather than reductionist, approach. The overarching goal of this proposal is to utilize a non-reductionist approach to characterize the structural ensemble and dynamics of the full-length tumor suppressor p53, which contains both globular and disordered domains. An innovative, intein-based segmental isotope labeling strategy and advanced NMR methods will be utilized to characterize the conformational ensemble and dynamics of full-length p53, both free and in its complexes with specific and non-specific DNA targets. The disordered N- and C- terminal regions of p53 regulate DNA binding through dynamic intramolecular and intermolecular interactions that are modulated by constitutive and stress-induced posttranslational modifications. This research will provide new molecular level insights into the mechanisms by which this important tumor suppressor is dynamically regulated by the cascade of phosphorylation and acetylation that is triggered by genotoxic stress.

Public Health Relevance

The tumor suppressor p53 is of central importance in the prevention of cancer. The proposed research will address the molecular mechanisms by which the integral disordered domains of p53 regulate its transcriptional activity in response to damage to cellular DNA.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01GM075995-14
Application #
9673731
Study Section
Macromolecular Structure and Function B Study Section (MSFB)
Program Officer
Mcguirl, Michele
Project Start
2006-04-01
Project End
2022-03-31
Budget Start
2019-04-01
Budget End
2020-03-31
Support Year
14
Fiscal Year
2019
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Scripps Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
781613492
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92037
Krois, Alexander S; Dyson, H Jane; Wright, Peter E (2018) Long-range regulation of p53 DNA binding by its intrinsically disordered N-terminal transactivation domain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 115:E11302-E11310
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Oyen, David; Fenwick, R Bryn; Aoto, Phillip C et al. (2017) Defining the Structural Basis for Allosteric Product Release from E. coli Dihydrofolate Reductase Using NMR Relaxation Dispersion. J Am Chem Soc 139:11233-11240
Aoto, Phillip C; Martin, Bryan T; Wright, Peter E (2016) NMR Characterization of Information Flow and Allosteric Communities in the MAP Kinase p38?. Sci Rep 6:28655
Fenwick, R Bryn; Dyson, H Jane (2016) Classic Analysis of Biopolymer Dynamics Is Model Free. Biophys J 110:3-6
Fenwick, R Bryn; Oyen, David; Wright, Peter E (2016) Multi-probe relaxation dispersion measurements increase sensitivity to protein dynamics. Phys Chem Chem Phys 18:5789-98
Oyen, David; Fenwick, R Bryn; Stanfield, Robyn L et al. (2015) Cofactor-Mediated Conformational Dynamics Promote Product Release From Escherichia coli Dihydrofolate Reductase via an Allosteric Pathway. J Am Chem Soc 137:9459-68
Tuttle, Lisa M; Dyson, H Jane; Wright, Peter E (2014) Side chain conformational averaging in human dihydrofolate reductase. Biochemistry 53:1134-45
Aoto, Phillip C; Fenwick, R Bryn; Kroon, Gerard J A et al. (2014) Accurate scoring of non-uniform sampling schemes for quantitative NMR. J Magn Reson 246:31-5
Fenwick, R Bryn; van den Bedem, Henry; Fraser, James S et al. (2014) Integrated description of protein dynamics from room-temperature X-ray crystallography and NMR. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111:E445-54

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