| Structural highlights
Function
[BAX_HUMAN] Accelerates programmed cell death by binding to, and antagonizing the apoptosis repressor BCL2 or its adenovirus homolog E1B 19k protein. Under stress conditions, undergoes a conformation change that causes translocation to the mitochondrion membrane, leading to the release of cytochrome c that then triggers apoptosis. Promotes activation of CASP3, and thereby apoptosis.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Publication Abstract from PubMed
Apoptosis is a key innate defence mechanism to eliminate virally infected cells. To counteract premature host-cell apoptosis, poxviruses have evolved numerous molecular strategies, including the use of Bcl-2 proteins, to ensure their own survival. Here, it is reported that the Deerpox virus inhibitor of apoptosis, DPV022, only engages a highly restricted set of death-inducing Bcl-2 proteins, including Bim, Bax and Bak, with modest affinities. Structural analysis reveals that DPV022 adopts a Bcl-2 fold with a dimeric domain-swapped topology and binds pro-death Bcl-2 proteins via two conserved ligand-binding grooves found on opposite sides of the dimer. Structures of DPV022 bound to Bim, Bak and Bax BH3 domains reveal that a partial obstruction of the binding groove is likely to be responsible for the modest affinities of DPV022 for BH3 domains. These findings reveal that domain-swapped dimeric Bcl-2 folds are not unusual and may be found more widely in viruses. Furthermore, the modest affinities of DPV022 for pro-death Bcl-2 proteins suggest that two distinct classes of anti-apoptotic viral Bcl-2 proteins exist: those that are monomeric and tightly bind a range of death-inducing Bcl-2 proteins, and others such as DPV022 that are dimeric and only bind a very limited number of death-inducing Bcl-2 proteins with modest affinities.
Structural basis of Deerpox virus-mediated inhibition of apoptosis.,Burton DR, Caria S, Marshall B, Barry M, Kvansakul M Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2015 Aug 1;71(Pt 8):1593-603. doi:, 10.1107/S1399004715009402. Epub 2015 Jul 28. PMID:26249341[7]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Oltvai ZN, Milliman CL, Korsmeyer SJ. Bcl-2 heterodimerizes in vivo with a conserved homolog, Bax, that accelerates programmed cell death. Cell. 1993 Aug 27;74(4):609-19. PMID:8358790
- ↑ Schmitt E, Paquet C, Beauchemin M, Dever-Bertrand J, Bertrand R. Characterization of Bax-sigma, a cell death-inducing isoform of Bax. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2000 Apr 21;270(3):868-79. PMID:10772918 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/bbrc.2000.2537
- ↑ Chittenden T, Flemington C, Houghton AB, Ebb RG, Gallo GJ, Elangovan B, Chinnadurai G, Lutz RJ. A conserved domain in Bak, distinct from BH1 and BH2, mediates cell death and protein binding functions. EMBO J. 1995 Nov 15;14(22):5589-96. PMID:8521816
- ↑ Zhang H, Kim JK, Edwards CA, Xu Z, Taichman R, Wang CY. Clusterin inhibits apoptosis by interacting with activated Bax. Nat Cell Biol. 2005 Sep;7(9):909-15. Epub 2005 Aug 21. PMID:16113678 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncb1291
- ↑ Gavathiotis E, Suzuki M, Davis ML, Pitter K, Bird GH, Katz SG, Tu HC, Kim H, Cheng EH, Tjandra N, Walensky LD. BAX activation is initiated at a novel interaction site. Nature. 2008 Oct 23;455(7216):1076-81. PMID:18948948 doi:10.1038/nature07396
- ↑ Czabotar PE, Lee EF, Thompson GV, Wardak AZ, Fairlie WD, Colman PM. Mutation to Bax beyond the BH3 domain disrupts interactions with pro-survival proteins and promotes apoptosis. J Biol Chem. 2011 Mar 4;286(9):7123-31. Epub 2011 Jan 3. PMID:21199865 doi:10.1074/jbc.M110.161281
- ↑ Burton DR, Caria S, Marshall B, Barry M, Kvansakul M. Structural basis of Deerpox virus-mediated inhibition of apoptosis. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 2015 Aug 1;71(Pt 8):1593-603. doi:, 10.1107/S1399004715009402. Epub 2015 Jul 28. PMID:26249341 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1399004715009402
|