Biology subjects

Matthews, S. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Matthews, S. J..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

HOIL-1-catalysed ubiquitylation of unbranched glucosaccharides and its activation by ubiquitin oligomers

HOIL-1, a component of the Linear Ubiquitin Assembly Complex (LUBAC), ubiquitylates serine and threonine residues in proteins, forming ester bonds (Kelsall et al, 2019, PNAS 116, 13293-13298). Here we report that mice expressing the E3 ligase-inactive HOIL-1[C458S] mutant accumulate polyglucosan in brain, cardiac muscle and other organs, indicating that HOIL-1s E3 ligase activity is essential to prevent these toxic polysaccharide deposits from accumulating. We found that HOIL-1 monoubiquitylates glycogen and 1:4-linked maltoheptaose in vitro and identify the C6 hydroxyl moiety of glucose as the site of ester-linked ubiquitylation. The HOIL-1-catalysed monoubiquitylation of maltoheptaose was accelerated >100-fold by Met1-linked or Lys63-linked ubiquitin oligomers, which interact with the catalytic RBR domain of HOIL-1. HOIL-1 also transferred preformed ubiquitin oligomers to maltoheptaose en bloc, producing polyubiquitylated maltoheptaose in one catalytic step. The Sharpin and HOIP components of LUBAC, but not HOIL-1, bound to amylose resin in vitro, suggesting a potential function in targeting HOIL-1 to unbranched glucosaccharides in cells. We suggest that monoubiquitylation of unbranched glucosaccharides may initiate their removal by glycophagy to prevent precipitation as polyglucosan.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2020

The major subunit of widespread competence (pseudo)pili exhibits a novel and conserved type IV pilin fold

Type IV filaments (T4F), which are helical assemblies of type IV pilins, constitute a superfamily of filamentous nanomachines virtually ubiquitous in prokaryotes that mediate a wide variety of functions. The competence (Com) pilus is a widespread T4F, mediating DNA uptake (the first step in natural transformation) in bacteria with one membrane (monoderms), an important mechanism of horizontal gene transfer. Here, we report the results of genomic, phylogenetic, and structural analyses of ComGC, the major pilin subunit of Com pili. By performing a global comparative analysis, we show that Com pili genes are virtually ubiquitous in Bacilli, a major monoderm class of Firmicutes. This also revealed that ComGC displays extensive sequence conservation, defining a monophyletic group among type IV pilins. We further report ComGC solution structures from two naturally competent human pathogens, Streptococcus sanguinis (ComGCSS) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (ComGCSP), revealing that this pilin displays extensive structural conservation. Strikingly, ComGCSS and ComGCSP exhibit a novel type IV pilin fold that is purely helical. Results from homology modelling analyses suggest that ComGC unusual structure is compatible with helical filament assembly. Because ComGC displays such a widespread distribution, these results have implications for hundreds of monoderm species.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Functional 3D architecture in an intrinsically disordered E3 ligase domain facilitates ubiquitin transfer

Post-translational modification of proteins with ubiquitin represents a widely used mechanism for cellular regulation. Ubiquitin is activated by an E1 enzyme, transferred to an E2 conjugating enzyme and covalently linked to substrates by one of an estimated 600 E3 ligases (1). RING E3 ligases play a pivotal role in selecting substrates and priming the ubiquitin loaded E2 (E2~Ub) for catalysis (2,3). RING E3 RNF4 is a SUMO targeted ubiquitin ligase (4) with important roles in arsenic therapy for cancer (4,5) and in DNA damage responses (6,7). RNF4 has a RING domain and a substrate recognition domain containing multiple SUMO Interaction Motifs (SIMO_SCPLOWSC_SCPLOW) embedded in a region thought to be intrinsically disordered (8). While molecular details of SUMO recognition by the SIMs (8-10) and RING engagement of ubiquitin loaded E2 (3,11-15) have been determined, the mechanism by which SUMO substrate is delivered to the RING to facilitate ubiquitin transfer is an important question to be answered. Here, we show that the intrinsically disordered substrate-recognition domain of RNF4 maintains the SIMs in a compact global architecture that facilitates SUMO binding, while a highly-basic region positions substrate for nucleophilic attack on RING-bound ubiquitin loaded E2. Contrary to our expectation that the substrate recognition domain of RNF4 was completely disordered, distance measurements using single molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) and NMR paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) revealed that it adopts a defined conformation primed for SUMO interaction. Mutational and biochemical analysis indicated that electrostatic interactions involving the highly basic region linking the substrate recognition and RING domains juxtaposed those regions and mediated substrate ubiquitination. Our results offer insight into a key step in substrate ubiquitination by a member of the largest ubiquitin ligase subtype and reveal how a defined architecture within a disordered region contributes to E3 ligase function.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2018

In depth biochemical and structural analysis of a Gram-positive type IV pilus

Type IV pili (Tfp) are functionally versatile filaments, widespread in prokaryotes, that belong to a large class of filamentous nanomachines known as type IV filaments (Tff). Although Tfp have been extensively studied in several Gram-negative pathogens where they function as key virulence factors, many aspects of their biology remain poorly understood. Here, we performed a global biochemical and structural analysis of Tfp in a recently emerged Gram-positive model, Streptococcus sanguinis. In particular, we focused on the five pilins and pilin-like proteins involved in Tfp biology in S. sanguinis. We found that the two major pilins, PilE1 and PilE2, (i) follow widely conserved principles for processing by the prepilin peptidase PilD and for assembly into filaments; (ii) display only one of the post-translational modifications frequently found in pilins, i.e. a methylated N-terminus; (iii) are found in the same hetero-polymeric filaments; and (iv) are not functionally equivalent. The 3D structure of PilE1, solved by NMR, revealed a classical pilin fold with a highly unusual flexible C-terminus. Intriguingly, PilE1 more closely resembles pseudopilins forming shorter Tff than bona fide Tfp-forming major pilins, underlining the evolutionary relatedness among different Tff. Finally, we show that S. sanguinis Tfp contain a low abundance of three additional proteins processed by PilD, the minor pilins PilA, PilB, and PilC. These findings provide the first global biochemical and structural picture of a Gram-positive Tfp and have fundamental implications for our understanding of a widespread class of filamentous nanomachines.

microbiology↗