Download MendeleyConservation and Divergence between Cytoplasmic and Muscle-Specific Actin Capping Proteins: Insights from the Crystal Structure of Cytoplasmic CAP32/34 from Dictyostelium Discoideum.
Eckert, C., Goretzki, A., Faberova, M., Kollmar, M.(2012) BMC Struct Biol 12: 12
- PubMed: 22657106 Search on PubMedSearch on PubMed Central
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6807-12-12
- Primary Citation Related Structures:
4AKR - PubMed Abstract:
Capping protein (CP), also known as CapZ in muscle cells and Cap32/34 in Dictyostelium discoideum, plays a major role in regulating actin filament dynamics. CP is a ubiquitously expressed heterodimer comprising an α- and β-subunit. It tightly binds to the fast growing end of actin filaments, thereby functioning as a "cap" by blocking the addition and loss of actin subunits. Vertebrates contain two somatic variants of CP, one being primarily found at the cell periphery of non-muscle tissues while the other is mainly localized at the Z-discs of skeletal muscles. To elucidate structural and functional differences between cytoplasmic and sarcomercic CP variants, we have solved the atomic structure of Cap32/34 (32=β- and 34=α-subunit) from the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium at 2.2 Å resolution and compared it to that of chicken muscle CapZ. The two homologs display a similar overall arrangement including the attached α-subunit C-terminus (α-tentacle) and the flexible β-tentacle. Nevertheless, the structures exhibit marked differences suggesting considerable structural flexibility within the α-subunit. In the α-subunit we observed a bending motion of the β-sheet region located opposite to the position of the C-terminal β-tentacle towards the antiparallel helices that interconnect the heterodimer. Recently, a two domain twisting attributed mainly to the β-subunit has been reported. At the hinge of these two domains Cap32/34 contains an elongated and highly flexible loop, which has been reported to be important for the interaction of cytoplasmic CP with actin and might contribute to the more dynamic actin-binding of cytoplasmic compared to sarcomeric CP (CapZ). The structure of Cap32/34 from Dictyostelium discoideum allowed a detailed analysis and comparison between the cytoplasmic and sarcomeric variants of CP. Significant structural flexibility could particularly be found within the α-subunit, a loop region in the β-subunit, and the surface of the α-globule where the amino acid differences between the cytoplasmic and sarcomeric mammalian CP are located. Hence, the crystal structure of Cap32/34 raises the possibility of different binding behaviours of the CP variants toward the barbed end of actin filaments, a feature, which might have arisen from adaptation to different environments.
- Abteilung NMR basierte Strukturbiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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