5b5k

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== Publication Abstract from PubMed ==
== Publication Abstract from PubMed ==
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The interaction between egg and sperm is the first necessary step of fertilization in all sexually reproducing organisms. A decade-long search for a protein pair mediating this event in mammals culminated in the identification of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored glycoprotein Juno as the egg plasma membrane receptor of sperm Izumo1 [1,2]. The Juno-Izumo1 interaction was shown to be essential for fertilization since mice lacking either gene exhibit sex-specific sterility, making these proteins promising non-hormonal contraceptive targets [1,3]. No structural information is available on how gamete membranes interact at fertilization, and it is unclear how Juno - which was previously named folate receptor (FR) 4, based on sequence similarity considerations - triggers membrane adhesion by binding Izumo1. Here, we report the crystal structure of Juno and find that the overall fold is similar to that of FRalpha and FRbeta but with significant flexibility within the area that corresponds to the rigid ligand-binding site of these bona fide folate receptors. This explains both the inability of Juno to bind vitamin B9/folic acid [1], and why mutations within the flexible region can either abolish or change the species specificity of this interaction. Furthermore, structural similarity between Juno and the cholesterol-binding Niemann-Pick disease type C1 protein (NPC1) suggests how the modified binding surface of Juno may recognize the helical structure of the amino-terminal domain of Izumo1. As Juno appears to be a mammalian innovation, our study indicates that a key evolutionary event in mammalian reproduction originated from the neofunctionalization of the vitamin B9-binding pocket of an ancestral folate receptor molecule.
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Fertilization, the culminating event in sexual reproduction, occurs when haploid sperm and egg recognize each other and fuse to form a diploid zygote. In mammals this process critically depends on the interaction between Izumo1, a protein exposed on the equatorial segment of acrosome-reacted sperm, and the egg plasma-membrane-anchored receptor Juno [1,2]. The molecular mechanism triggering gamete fusion is unresolved because both Izumo1 and Juno lack sequence similarity to known membrane fusogens. Here we report the crystal structure of Izumo1, which reveals a membrane distal region composed of a four-helix bundle connected to a carboxy-terminal immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domain through a beta-hairpin stabilized by disulfide bonds. Remarkably, different regions of Izumo1 display significant structural similarities to two proteins expressed by the invasive sporozoite stage of Plasmodium parasites: SPECT1, which is essential for host cell traversal and hepatocyte invasion [3]; and TRAP, which is necessary for gliding motility and invasion [4]. These observations suggest a link between the molecular mechanisms underlying host cell invasion by the malaria parasite and gamete membrane fusion at fertilization.
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Divergent evolution of vitamin B9 binding underlies Juno-mediated adhesion of mammalian gametes.,Han L, Nishimura K, Sadat Al Hosseini H, Bianchi E, Wright GJ, Jovine L Curr Biol. 2016 Feb 8;26(3):R100-1. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.12.034. PMID:26859261<ref>PMID:26859261</ref>
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The structure of sperm Izumo1 reveals unexpected similarities with Plasmodium invasion proteins.,Nishimura K, Han L, Bianchi E, Wright GJ, de Sanctis D, Jovine L Curr Biol. 2016 Jul 25;26(14):R661-2. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.028. Epub 2016, Jun 30. PMID:27374339<ref>PMID:27374339</ref>
From MEDLINE&reg;/PubMed&reg;, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.<br>
From MEDLINE&reg;/PubMed&reg;, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.<br>

Revision as of 20:44, 3 August 2016

Crystal structure of Izumo1, the mammalian sperm ligand for egg Juno

5b5k, resolution 2.50Å

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