Biology subjects

Ali, M. Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Ali, M. Y..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Cargo recognition of Nesprin-2 by the dynein adapter Bicaudal D2 for a nuclear positioning pathway that is important for neuronal migration

Nesprin-2 and its paralog Nesprin-1 are subunits of LINC complexes that are essential for brain development. To position the nucleus for neuronal migration, Nesprin-2 interacts with the motors kinesin-1 and dynein, which are recruited by the adapter Bicaudal D2 (BicD2), but the molecular details of these interactions are elusive. Here, structural models of minimal Nesprin-2/BicD2 complexes with 1:2 and 2:2 stoichiometry were predicted using AlphaFold and experimentally validated by mutagenesis, binding assays and single-molecule biophysical studies. The core of the binding site is formed by spectrin repeats of Nesprin-2, which form an alpha-helical bundle with BicD2 that is structurally distinct from the Rab6/BicD2 and Nup358/BicD2 complexes. Such structural differences could fine tune motility of associated dynein and kinesin-1 motors for these transport pathways. Furthermore, the Nesprin-2 fragment interacts with full-length BicD2 and activates dynein/dynactin/BicD2 complexes for processive motility, suggesting that no additional components are required to reconstitute this transport pathway. Interestingly, either one or two Nesprin-2 molecules can bind to a BicD2 dimer and activate BicD2/dynein/dynactin complexes for processive motion, resulting in similar speed and run lengths. The BicD2/dynein-binding site is spatially close but does not overlap with the kinesin-1 recruitment site, thus both motors may interact with Nesprin-2 simultaneously. Several mutations of Nesprin-1 and 2 that cause Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy are found in the motor-recruiting domain and may alter interactions with kinesin-1 and BicD2/dynein, consistent with the abnormally positioned nuclei found in patients with this disease.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2025

BicD and MAP7 collaborate to activate homodimeric Drosophila kinesin-1 by complementary mechanisms

The folded auto-inhibited state of kinesin-1 is stabilized by multiple weak interactions and binds weakly to microtubules. Here we investigate the extent to which homodimeric Drosophila kinesin-1 lacking light chains is activated by the dynein activating adaptor Drosophila BicD. We show that one or two kinesins can bind to the central region of BicD (CC2), a region distinct from that which binds dynein-dynactin (CC1) and cargo-adaptor proteins (CC3). Kinesin light chain significantly reduces the amount of kinesin bound to BicD and thus regulates this interaction. Binding of kinesin to BicD increases the number of motors bound to the microtubule, the fraction moving processively and the run length, suggesting that BicD relieves kinesin auto-inhibition. In contrast, microtubule-associated protein 7 (MAP7) has minimal impact on the percentage of motors moving processively but enhances both kinesin-1 recruitment to microtubules and run length. BicD relieves auto-inhibition of kinesin, while MAP7 enables activated motors to engage productively with microtubules. When BicD and MAP7 are combined, the most robust activation of kinesin-1 occurs, highlighting the crosstalk between adaptors and microtubule associated proteins in regulating transport. These observations imply that when both dynein and kinesin-1 are simultaneously bound to BicD, the direction the complex moves on MTs will be influenced by MAP7 and the number of bound kinesins.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2021

Coil-to-Helix Transition at the Nup358-BicD2 Interface for Dynein Recruitment and Activation

Nup358, a nuclear pore protein, facilitates a nuclear positioning pathway that is essential for many biological processes, including neuromuscular and brain development. Nup358 binds and activates the auto-inhibited dynein adaptor Bicaudal D2 (BicD2), which in turn recruits and activates the dynein machinery to position the nucleus. However, the molecular details of the Nup358/BicD2 interaction remain poorly understood. Here, we show that a minimal Nup358 domain activates dynein/dynactin/BicD2 for processive motility on microtubules. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) titration and chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST), a Nup358 helix encompassing residues 2162-2184 was identified, which transitioned from random coil to an -helix upon BicD2-binding and formed the core of the Nup358-BicD2 interface. Mutations in this region of Nup358 decreased the Nup358/BicD2 interaction, resulting in decreased dynein recruitment and impaired motility. BicD2 thus recognizes the cargo adaptor Nup358 though a "cargo recognition -helix", a structural feature that may stabilize BicD2 in its activated state and promote processive dynein motility.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2019

Coiled-coil registry shifts in the F684I mutant of Bicaudal result in cargo-independent dynein recruitment

The dynein adaptor Drosophila Bicaudal D (BicD) is auto-inhibited and activates dynein motility only after cargo is bound, but the underlying mechanism is elusive. In contrast, we show that the full-length BicD/F684I mutant activates dynein processivity even in the absence of cargo. Our X-ray structure of the C-terminal domain of the BicD/F684I mutant reveals a coiled-coil registry shift; in the N-terminal region, the two helices of the homodimer are aligned, whereas they are vertically shifted in the wild-type. One chain is partially disordered and this structural flexibility is confirmed by computations, which reveal that the mutant transitions back and forth between the two registries. We propose that a coiled-coil registry shift upon cargo binding activates BicD for dynein recruitment. Moreover, the human homolog BicD2/F743I exhibits diminished binding of cargo adaptor Nup358, implying that a coiled-coil registry shift may be a mechanism to modulate cargo selection for BicD2-dependent transport pathways.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2018

Recruitment of Two Dyneins to an mRNA-Dependent Bicaudal D Transport Complex

We investigated the role of binding partners of full-length Drosophila Bicaudal D (BicD) in the activation of dynein-dynactin motility for mRNA transport on microtubules. In single-molecule assays, full-length BicD robustly activated dynein-dynactin only when both the mRNA binding protein Egalitarian (Egl), and K10 mRNA cargo were present. Electron microscopy showed that both Egl and mRNA were needed to disrupt an auto-inhibited, looped BicD conformation that sterically prevents dynein-dynactin binding. In vitro reconstituted messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) complexes with two Egl molecules showed faster speeds and longer run lengths than mRNPs with one Egl, suggesting that cargo binding enhances dynein recruitment. Labeled dynein showed that BicD can recruit two dimeric dyneins to the mRNP, resulting in faster speeds and longer run lengths than with one dynein. The fully reconstituted mRNP provides a model for understanding how adaptor proteins and cargo cooperate to confer optimal transport properties to a dynein-driven transport complex.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2017

Small teams of myosin Vc coordinate their stepping for efficient cargo transport on actin bundles

Myosin Vc (myoVc) is unique among vertebrate class V myosin isoforms in that it requires teams of motors to transport cargo. Single molecules of myoVc cannot take multiple steps on single actin filaments, in stark contrast to the well-studied myosin Va (myoVa) isoform. Consistent with in vivo studies (1), only teams of myoVc motors can move continuously on actin bundles at physiologic ionic strength (2), raising the question of how motor-motor interactions cause this preference. Here, using DNA nanostructures as synthetic cargos for linking defined numbers of myoVa or myoVc molecules, we compared the stepping behavior of myoVa versus myoVc teams, and myoVc stepping patterns on single actin filaments versus actin bundles. Run lengths of both myoVa and myoVc teams increased with motor number, but the run lengths of myoVc teams were longer on actin bundles than on filaments. By resolving the stepping behavior of individual myoVc motors with a Qdot bound to the motor domain, we found that coupling of two myoVc molecules significantly decreases futile back/side steps, which were frequently observed for single myoVc motors. Data showing how changes in the inter-motor distance of two coupled myoVc motors affected stepping dynamics suggested that mechanical tension coordinates the stepping behavior of two molecules for efficient directional motion. Our study thus provides a molecular basis to explain how teams of myoVc motors are suited to transport cargos such as zymogen granules on actin bundles.

biophysics↗