scholarly journals Communication between the AAA+ ring and microtubule-binding domain of dyneinThis paper is one of a selection of papers published in this special issue entitled 8th International Conference on AAA Proteins and has undergone the Journal's usual peer review process.

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew P. Carter ◽  
Ronald D. Vale

Dyneins are microtubule motors, the core of which consists of a ring of AAA+ domains. ATP-driven conformational changes of the AAA+ ring are used to drive the movement of a mechanical element (termed the linker domain) that provides the motor’s powerstroke and to change the affinity of the motor for microtubules (strong binding during the power stroke and weak binding to allow stepping and recocking of the linker domain). Dynein’s microtubule-binding domain (MTBD) is located at the end of a 10 nm long anti-parallel coiled coil (the stalk) and conformational changes that alter the affinity for microtubules must propagate through this coiled coil. A recent crystal structure of dynein’s MTBD sheds new light on how this long-range communication along a coiled coil might occur.

2015 ◽  
Vol 211 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay G. Lammers ◽  
Steven M. Markus

Cortically anchored dynein orients the spindle through interactions with astral microtubules. In budding yeast, dynein is offloaded to Num1 receptors from microtubule plus ends. Rather than walking toward minus ends, dynein remains associated with plus ends due in part to its association with Pac1/LIS1, an inhibitor of dynein motility. The mechanism by which dynein is switched from “off” at the plus ends to “on” at the cell cortex remains unknown. Here, we show that overexpression of the coiled-coil domain of Num1 specifically depletes dynein–dynactin–Pac1/LIS1 complexes from microtubule plus ends and reduces dynein-Pac1/LIS1 colocalization. Depletion of dynein from plus ends requires its microtubule-binding domain, suggesting that motility is required. An enhanced Pac1/LIS1 affinity mutant of dynein or overexpression of Pac1/LIS1 rescues dynein plus end depletion. Live-cell imaging reveals minus end–directed dynein–dynactin motility along microtubules upon overexpression of the coiled-coil domain of Num1, an event that is not observed in wild-type cells. Our findings indicate that dynein activity is directly switched “on” by Num1, which induces Pac1/LIS1 removal.


2005 ◽  
Vol 280 (25) ◽  
pp. 23960-23965 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. R. Gibbons ◽  
Joan E. Garbarino ◽  
Carol E. Tan ◽  
Samara L. Reck-Peterson ◽  
Ronald D. Vale ◽  
...  

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel E Lacey ◽  
Shaoda He ◽  
Sjors HW Scheres ◽  
Andrew P Carter

Dyneins are motor proteins responsible for transport in the cytoplasm and the beating of axonemes in cilia and flagella. They bind and release microtubules via a compact microtubule-binding domain (MTBD) at the end of a coiled-coil stalk. We address how cytoplasmic and axonemal dynein MTBDs bind microtubules at near atomic resolution. We decorated microtubules with MTBDs of cytoplasmic dynein-1 and axonemal dynein DNAH7 and determined their cryo-EM structures using helical Relion. The majority of the MTBD is rigid upon binding, with the transition to the high-affinity state controlled by the movement of a single helix at the MTBD interface. DNAH7 contains an 18-residue insertion, found in many axonemal dyneins, that contacts the adjacent protofilament. Unexpectedly, we observe that DNAH7, but not dynein-1, induces large distortions in the microtubule cross-sectional curvature. This raises the possibility that dynein coordination in axonemes is mediated via conformational changes in the microtubule.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel E. Lacey ◽  
Shaoda He ◽  
Sjors H. W. Scheres ◽  
Andrew P. Carter

AbstractDyneins are motor proteins responsible for transport in the cytoplasm and the beating of the axoneme in cilia and flagella. They bind and release microtubules via a compact microtubule-binding domain (MTBD) at the end of a long coiled-coil stalk. Here we address how cytoplasmic and axonemal dynein MTBDs bind microtubules at near atomic resolution. We decorated microtubules with MTBDs of cytoplasmic dynein-1 and axonemal dynein DNAH7 and determined their cryo-EM structures using the stand-alone Relion package. We show the majority of the MTBD is remarkably rigid upon binding, with the transition to the high affinity state controlled by the movement of a single helix at the MTBD interface. In addition DNAH7 contains an 18-residue insertion, found in many axonemal dyneins, that reaches over and contacts the adjacent protofilament. Unexpectedly we observe that DNAH7, but not dynein-1, induces large distortions in the microtubule cross-sectional curvature. This raises the possibility that dynein coordination in axonemes is mediated via conformational changes in the microtubule.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patryk Ludzia ◽  
Edward D. Lowe ◽  
Gabriele Marcianò ◽  
Shabaz Mohammed ◽  
Christina Redfield ◽  
...  

AbstractThe kinetochore is the macromolecular protein machinery that drives chromosome segregation by interacting with spindle microtubules. Unlike most other eukaryotes that have canonical kinetochore proteins, a group of evolutionarily divergent eukaryotes called kinetoplastids (such as Trypanosoma brucei) have a unique set of kinetochore proteins. To date, KKT4 is the only kinetoplastid kinetochore protein that is known to bind microtubules. Here we use X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and crosslinking mass spectrometry to characterise the structure and dynamics of KKT4. We show that its microtubule-binding domain consists of a coiled-coil structure followed by a positively charged disordered tail. The crystal structure of the C-terminal BRCT domain of KKT4 reveals that it is likely a phosphorylation-dependent protein-protein interaction domain. The BRCT domain interacts with the N-terminal region of the KKT4 microtubule-binding domain and with a phosphopeptide derived from KKT8. Finally, we show that KKT4 binds DNA with high affinity. Taken together, these results provide the first structural insights into the unconventional kinetoplastid kinetochore protein KKT4.


Science ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 322 (5908) ◽  
pp. 1691-1695 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. P. Carter ◽  
J. E. Garbarino ◽  
E. M. Wilson-Kubalek ◽  
W. E. Shipley ◽  
C. Cho ◽  
...  

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina L Agulto ◽  
Melissa M Rogers ◽  
Tracy C Tan ◽  
Amrita Ramkumar ◽  
Ashlyn M Downing ◽  
...  

The microtubule-associated protein, doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1), is highly expressed in a range of cancers and is a prominent therapeutic target for kinase inhibitors. The physiological roles of DCLK1 kinase activity and how it is regulated remain elusive. Here, we analyze the role of mammalian DCLK1 kinase activity in regulating microtubule binding. We find that DCLK1 autophosphorylates a residue within its C-terminal tail to restrict its kinase activity and prevent aberrant hyperphosphorylation within its microtubule-binding domain. Removal of the C-terminal tail or mutation of this residue causes an increase in phosphorylation within the doublecortin domains, which abolishes microtubule binding. Therefore, autophosphorylation at specific sites within DCLK1 have diametric effects on the molecule's association with microtubules. Our results suggest a mechanism by which DCLK1 modulates its kinase activity to tune its microtubule-binding affinity. These results provide molecular insights for future therapeutic efforts related to DCLK1's role in cancer development and progression.


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