Biology subjects

Fromme, J. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Fromme, J. C..

14 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Development of GS-441524 Derivatives as Potent SARS-CoV-2 Mac1 Inhibitors via a Direct-to-Biology Approach

Targeting viral macrodomains (Mac) has emerged as a promising strategy for antiviral drug development, especially after the outbreak of COVID-19 that claimed millions of lives worldwide. Several severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Mac1 inhibitors have been reported in the past few years. In the present work, we converted GS-441524 (IC50 of [~]10 M for SARS-CoV-2 Mac1) to KP-S54 (18c), a potent inhibitor of both SARS-CoV-2 Mac1 (IC50: 44 nM) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Mac1 (IC50: 91 nM) through an iterative direct-to-biology approach. This approach leverages efficient amide-coupling reaction and the mix-and-read fluorescence polarization (FP) assays where reaction mixtures could be screened directly without purification. Cocrystal structure of a selected derivative (12p) binding to SARS-CoV-2 Mac1 revealed the binding mode, which will guide future drug development against viral macrodomains.

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2026

Avl9 defines a family of GTPase-activating proteins that regulate diverse cell biological functions

Ras-related GTPases are molecular switches regulating hundreds of signaling and trafficking pathways in cells. Many GTPase regulators remain to be identified despite extensive genetic and biochemical screens. Here we present the results of computational protein-protein interaction screens and functional experiments identifying the DENN domain protein Avl9 as a GTPase-activating protein for Arf1. Avl9 is involved in secretion and cell migration, but its molecular function has not been characterized. We determined that Avl9 possesses robust Arf-GAP activity and is recruited to secretory vesicles by Rab8. We find that Avl9 function is conserved in humans and enhances cell migration. We propose that several other DENN domain proteins are also candidate GAPs, and we demonstrate that one candidate previously characterized as a Rab-GEF, DENND6A, exhibits strong Arf-GAP activity towards ARL8B, explaining its role in lysosome positioning. Collectively, this work uncovers a family of monomeric DENN GAP proteins that regulate diverse cell biological pathways.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Structural basis for Rab6 activation by the Ric1-Rgp1 complex

Rab GTPases act as molecular switches to regulate organelle homeostasis and membrane trafficking. Rab6 plays a central role in regulating cargo flux through the Golgi and is activated via nucleotide exchange by the Ric1-Rgp1 protein complex. Ric1-Rgp1 is conserved throughout eukaryotes but the structural and mechanistic basis for its function has not been established. Here we report the cryoEM structure of a Ric1-Rgp1-Rab6 complex representing a key intermediate of the nucleotide exchange reaction. This structure reveals the overall architecture of the complex and enabled us to identify interactions critical for proper recognition and activation of Rab6 on the Golgi membrane surface. Ric1-Rgp1 interacts with the nucleotide-binding domain of Rab6 using an uncharacterized helical domain, which we establish as a novel RabGEF domain by identifying residues required for Rab6 nucleotide exchange. Unexpectedly, the complex uses an arrestin fold to interact with the Rab6 hypervariable domain, indicating that interactions with the unstructured C-terminal regions of Rab GTPases may be a common specificity mechanism used by their activators. Collectively, our findings provide a detailed mechanistic understanding of regulated Rab6 activation at the Golgi.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2024

The transcription factor ATML1 maintains giant cell identity by inducing synthesis of its own (very) long-chain fatty acid-containing ligands

During development, cells not only adopt specialized identities but also maintain those identities. Endoreduplication is thought to maintain cell identity. High concentrations of ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA MERISTEM LAYER1 (ATML1) specify giant cell identity and induce endoreduplication in sepals. How different concentrations of ATML1 can specify different identities remains unclear. Here, we show that high concentrations of ATML1 induce the biosynthesis of both long-chain and very long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs/VLCFAs), and these fatty acids are required for the maintenance of giant cell identity. Inhibition of VLCFA biosynthesis causes endoreduplicated giant cells to resume division and lose their identity, indicating that endoreduplication is not sufficient to maintain cell identity. Structural predictions suggest that LCFA-containing lipids bind to the START domain 2 of ATML1, causing ATML1 dimerization and its auto-activation. Our data and modeling imply that ATML1 induces biosynthesis of its own lipid ligands in a positive feedback loop, shedding light on the intricate network dynamics that specify and maintain giant cell identity. Teaser: Endoreduplicated cells in Arabidopsis thaliana sepals divide and de-differentiate in the absence of VLCFA biosynthesis.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Sec7 regulatory domains scaffold autoinhibited and active conformations

The late stages of Golgi maturation involve a series of sequential trafficking events in which cargo-laden vesicles are produced and targeted to multiple distinct subcellular destinations. Each of these vesicle biogenesis events requires activation of an Arf GTPase by the Sec7/BIG guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF). Sec7 localization and activity is regulated by autoinhibition, positive feedback, and interaction with other GTPases. Although these mechanisms have been characterized biochemically, we lack a clear picture of how GEF localization and activity is modulated by these signals. Here we report the cryoEM structure of full-length Sec7 in its autoinhibited form, revealing the architecture of its multiple regulatory domains. We use functional experiments to determine the basis for autoinhibition and use structural predictions to produce a model for an active conformation of the GEF that is supported empirically. This study therefore elucidates the conformational transition that Sec7 undergoes to become active on the organelle membrane surface.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

The Arf-GAP Age2 localizes to the late-Golgi via a conserved amphipathic helix

Arf GTPases are central regulators of the Golgi complex, which serves as the nexus of membrane trafficking pathways in eukaryotic cells. Arf proteins recruit dozens of effectors to modify membranes, sort cargos, and create and tether transport vesicles, and are therefore essential for orchestrating Golgi trafficking. The regulation of Arf activity is controlled by the action of Arf-GEFs, which activate via nucleotide exchange, and Arf-GAPs, which inactivate via nucleotide hydrolysis. The localization dynamics of Arf GTPases and their Arf-GAPs during Golgi maturation have not been reported. Here we use the budding yeast model to examine the temporal localization of the Golgi Arf-GAPs. We also determine the mechanisms used by the Arf-GAP Age2 to localize to the Golgi. We find that the catalytic activity of Age2 and a conserved sequence in the unstructured C-terminal domain of Age2 are both required for Golgi localization. This sequence is predicted to form an amphipathic helix and mediates direct binding of Age2 to membranes in vitro. We also report the development of a probe for sensing active Arf1 in living cells and use this probe to characterize the temporal dynamics of Arf1 during Golgi maturation.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

C. elegans SMOC-1 interacts with both BMP and glypican to regulate BMP signaling

ABSTRACTSSecreted modular calcium binding (SMOC) proteins are conserved matricellular proteins found in organisms from C. elegans to humans. SMOC homologs characteristically contain one or two extracellular calcium (EC) binding domain(s) and one or two thyroglobulin type-1 (TY) domain(s). SMOC proteins in Drosophila and Xenopus have been found to interact with cell surface heparan sulfate protein glycans (HSPGs) to exert both positive and negative influences on the conserved bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway. In this study, we used a combination of biochemical, structural modeling, and molecular genetic approaches to dissect the functions of the sole SMOC protein in C. elegans. We showed that SMOC-1 binds LON-2/glypican, as well as the mature domain of DBL-1/BMP. Moreover, SMOC-1 can simultaneously bind LON-2/glypican and DBL-1/BMP. The interaction between SMOC-1 and LON-2/glypican is mediated by the EC domain of SMOC-1, while the interaction between SMOC-1 and DBL-1/BMP involves full-length SMOC-1. We further showed that while SMOC-1(EC) is sufficient to promote BMP signaling when overexpressed, both the EC and TY domains are required for SMOC-1 function at the endogenous locus. Finally, when overexpressed, SMOC-1 can promote BMP signaling in the absence of LON-2/glypican. Taken together, our findings led to a model where SMOC-1 functions both negatively in a LON-2-dependent manner and positively in a LON-2-independent manner to regulate BMP signaling. Our work provides a mechanistic basis for how the evolutionarily conserved SMOC proteins regulate BMP signaling.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Activity-based directed evolution of a membrane editor in mammalian cells

Cellular membranes contain numerous lipid species, and efforts to understand the biological functions of individual lipids have been stymied by a lack of approaches for controlled modulation of membrane composition in situ. Here, we present a strategy for editing phospholipids, the most abundant lipids in biological membranes. Our membrane editor is based upon a bacterial phospholipase D (PLD), which exchanges phospholipid head groups through hydrolysis or transphosphatidylation of phosphatidylcholine with water or exogenous alcohols. Exploiting activity-dependent directed enzyme evolution in mammalian cells, we developed and structurally characterized a family of "superPLDs" with up to 100-fold higher activity than wildtype PLD. We demonstrated the utility of superPLDs for both optogenetics-enabled editing of phospholipids within specific organelle membranes in live cells and biocatalytic synthesis of natural and unnatural designer phospholipids in vitro. Beyond the superPLDs, activity-based directed enzyme evolution in mammalian cells is a generalizable approach to engineer additional chemoenzymatic biomolecule editors.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Structural basis for activation of Arf1 at the Golgi complex

The Golgi complex is the central sorting station of the eukaryotic secretory pathway. Traffic through the Golgi requires activation of Arf GTPases that orchestrate cargo sorting and vesicle formation by recruiting an array of effector proteins. Arf activation and Golgi membrane association is controlled by large guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) possessing multiple conserved regulatory domains. Here we present cryoEM structures of full-length Gea2, the yeast paralog of the human Arf-GEF GBF1, that reveal the organization of these regulatory domains and explain how Gea2 binds to the Golgi membrane surface. We find the GEF domain adopts two different conformations compatible with different stages of the Arf activation reaction. The structure of a Gea2-Arf1 activation intermediate suggests the movement of the GEF domain primes Arf1 for membrane insertion upon GTP binding. We propose that conformational switching of Gea2 during the nucleotide exchange reaction promotes membrane insertion of Arf1.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Structure of a TRAPPII-Rab11 activation intermediate reveals GTPase substrate selection mechanisms

Rab1 and Rab11 are essential regulators of the eukaryotic secretory and endocytic recycling pathways. The TRAPP complexes activate these GTPases via nucleotide exchange using a shared set of core subunits. The basal specificity of the TRAPP core is towards Rab1, yet the TRAPPII complex is specific for Rab11. A steric gating mechanism has been proposed to explain TRAPPII counterselection against Rab1. Here we present cryoEM structures of the 22-subunit TRAPPII complex from budding yeast, including a TRAPPII-Rab11 nucleotide exchange intermediate. The Trs130 subunit provides a "leg" that positions the active site distal to the membrane surface, and this leg is required for steric gating. The related TRAPPIII complex is unable to activate Rab11 due to a repulsive interaction, which TRAPPII surmounts using the Trs120 subunit as a "lid" to enclose the active site. TRAPPII also adopts an open conformation enabling Rab11 to access and exit from the active site chamber.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Structures of core eukaryotic protein complexes

Protein-protein interactions play critical roles in biology, but despite decades of effort, the structures of many eukaryotic protein complexes are unknown, and there are likely many interactions that have not yet been identified. Here, we take advantage of recent advances in proteome-wide amino acid coevolution analysis and deep-learning-based structure modeling to systematically identify and build accurate models of core eukaryotic protein complexes, as represented within the Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteome. We use a combination of RoseTTAFold and AlphaFold to screen through paired multiple sequence alignments for 8.3 million pairs of S. cerevisiae proteins and build models for strongly predicted protein assemblies with two to five components. Comparison to existing interaction and structural data suggests that these predictions are likely to be quite accurate. We provide structure models spanning almost all key processes in Eukaryotic cells for 104 protein assemblies which have not been previously identified, and 608 which have not been structurally characterized. One-sentence summaryWe take advantage of recent advances in proteome-wide amino acid coevolution analysis and deep-learning-based structure modeling to systematically identify and build accurate models of core eukaryotic protein complexes.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2020

Structural basis for the initiation of COPII vesicle biogenesis

The first stage of the eukaryotic secretory pathway is the packaging of cargo proteins into COPII vesicles exiting the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The cytoplasmic COPII vesicle coat machinery is recruited to the ER membrane by the activated, GTP-bound, form of the conserved Sar1 GTPase. Activation of Sar1 on the surface of the ER by Sec12, a membrane-anchored GEF (guanine nucleotide exchange factor), is therefore the initiating step of the secretory pathway. Here we report the structure of the complex between Sar1 and the cytoplasmic GEF domain of Sec12, both from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This structure, representing the key nucleotide-free activation intermediate, reveals how the potassium ion-binding K-loop disrupts the nucleotide binding site of Sar1. We describe an unexpected orientation of the GEF domain relative to the membrane surface and propose a mechanism for how Sec12 facilitates membrane insertion of the amphipathic helix exposed by Sar1 upon GTP-binding.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Structure and mechanism of TRAPPIII-mediated Rab1 activation

The GTPase Rab1 is a master regulator of both the early secretory pathway and autophagy. Rab1 activation is controlled by its GEF (guanine nucleotide exchange factor), the multi-subunit TRAPPIII complex. The Trs85 regulatory subunit is critical for robust activation of Rab1 but its mechanistic role within the complex has remained unclear. Here we report the cryo-EM structure of the intact yeast TRAPPIII complex bound to its substrate Rab1/Ypt1. The orientation of the Rab1/Ypt1 hypervariable domain when bound to the complex leads to a model for how TRAPPIII associates with and activates Rab1/Ypt1 at the membrane surface. We identify a conserved amphipathic -helix motif within Trs85 and demonstrate that this helix is required for stable membrane binding and Rab1/Ypt1 activation by TRAPPIII. Taken together, our results provide a comprehensive analysis of the structure and function of the yeast TRAPPIII complex and reveal that the key function of Trs85 is to serve as a membrane anchor, via its amphipathic helix, for the entire TRAPPIII complex.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Surpassing the physical Nyquist limit to produce super-resolution cryo-EM reconstructions

The resolution of cryo-EM reconstructions is fundamentally limited by the Nyquist frequency, which is half the sampling frequency of the detector and depends upon the magnification used. In principle, super-resolution imaging should enable reconstructions to surpass the physical Nyquist limit by increasing sampling frequency, yet there are no reports of reconstructions that do so. Here we report the use of super-resolution imaging with the K3 direct electron detector to produce super-resolution single-particle cryo-EM reconstructions significantly surpassing the physical Nyquist limit. We also present a comparative analysis of a sample imaged at four different magnifications. This analysis demonstrates that lower magnifications can be beneficial, despite the loss of higher resolution signal, due to the increased particle numbers imaged. To highlight the potential utility of lower magnification data collection, we produced a 3.5 [A] reconstruction of jack bean urease with particles from a single micrograph. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=111 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/675397v3_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (23K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1579481org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@d6bf96org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@bc4bc0org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@116412_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

biophysics↗