1c15

Publication Abstract from PubMed

Direct recruitment and activation of caspase-9 by Apaf-1 through the homophilic CARD/CARD (Caspase Recruitment Domain) interaction is critical for the activation of caspases downstream of mitochondrial damage in apoptosis. Here we report the solution structure of the Apaf-1 CARD domain and its surface of interaction with caspase-9 CARD. Apaf-1 CARD consists of six tightly packed amphipathic alpha-helices and is topologically similar to the RAIDD CARD, with the exception of a kink observed in the middle of the N-terminal helix. By using chemical shift perturbation data, the homophilic interaction was mapped to the acidic surface of Apaf-1 CARD centered around helices 2 and 3. Interestingly, a significant portion of the chemically perturbed residues are hydrophobic, indicating that in addition to the electrostatic interactions predicted previously, hydrophobic interaction is also an important driving force underlying the CARD/CARD interaction. On the basis of the identified functional residues of Apaf-1 CARD and the surface charge complementarity, we propose a model of CARD/CARD interaction between Apaf-1 and caspase-9.

Solution structure of Apaf-1 CARD and its interaction with caspase-9 CARD: a structural basis for specific adaptor/caspase interaction.,Zhou P, Chou J, Olea RS, Yuan J, Wagner G Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 Sep 28;96(20):11265-70. PMID:10500165^[3]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.