ZO-1 and Cytoplasmic Scaffolding of the Tight Junction

描述（由申请人提供）：这些研究的长期目标是了解细胞质蛋白ZO-1如何在紧密连接（TJ）处组织蛋白质，以便在细胞旁通路中创建屏障。ZO-1是多结构域MAGUK蛋白家族（膜相关鸟苷酸激酶）的成员。它结合3种不同的跨膜蛋白和至少10种细胞质蛋白和肌动蛋白。有强有力的证据表明，ZO-1是组装TJ的关键支架，但关于是什么调节ZO-1与其结合伙伴之间的相互作用的信息很少。其他MAGUK蛋白的结合活性受特定功能和结构域之间的分子内和分子间相互作用的调节。我们的初步研究表明，ZO-1的GUK结构域与occludin、cingulin和-catenin结合，而邻近的酸性结构域可以抑制这些相互作用。在果蝇ZO-1中，酸性结构域被选择性剪接，与ZO-1零突变体中不同的亚细胞位置和不同信号通路的挽救相关。在哺乳动物培养的细胞中，缺乏酸性结构域的ZO-1表达在细胞顶端和外侧表面诱导结构异常的异位TJs，这表明guk -酸相互作用控制了组装的一个步骤。当连接在培养细胞中组装时，WT蛋白暂时先于缺乏酸结构域的ZO-1，这表明该结构域是响应动力学组装信号所必需的。我们将描述酸性结构域调节配体与ZO-1的GUK结构域结合的机制，以及对TJ结构和功能的功能后果。我们将利用酵母2杂交和融合蛋白试验以及培养上皮细胞的截短片段来表征这些蛋白相互作用。等温滴定量热法将用于确定GUK结构域及其蛋白质配体的亲和力，它们受到酸性结构域的调节以及可能受到蛋白质磷酸化的调节。通过解析occludin与GUK结构域结合的x射线晶体结构（有和没有SH3和酸性结构域，以及有和没有磷酸化），原子结构及其调节相互作用的机制将被可视化。如果时间允许，将对α -连环蛋白和环谷蛋白进行类似的研究。这些研究首次描述了紧密连接的调节装配的结构基础，并将为控制装配的机制提供见解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-range goal of these studies is to understand how the cytoplasmic protein ZO-1 organizes proteins at tight junction (TJ) in order to create a barrier in the paracellular pathway. ZO-1 is a member of the multi-domain MAGUK protein family (membrane-associated guanylate kinase). It binds to 3 different transmembrane proteins and at least 10 cytoplasmic proteins and actin. There is strong evidence that ZO-1 is a critical scaffold for assembling the TJ but little information about what regulates the interaction between ZO-I and its binding partners. The binding activity of other MAGUK proteins is regulated by intra- and intermolecular interactions between specific functional and structural domains. Our preliminary studies show the GUK domain of ZO-1 binds occludin, cingulin and alpha-catenin, while an adjacent acidic domain can inhibit these interacts. In Drosophila ZO-1 the acidic domain is alternatively spliced and correlates with different subcellular locations and rescue of different signaling pathways in the ZO-1 null mutant. In mammalian cultured cells, expression of ZO-1 lacking the acidic domain induces structurally aberrant ectopic TJs on the apical and lateral cell surfaces, implying the GUK-acid interaction controls a step in assembly. As junctions assemble in cultured cells the WT protein temporally precedes ZO-1 lacking the acid domain, suggesting the domain is required to respond to kinetic assembly signals. We will characterize the mechanisms by which the acidic domain regulates ligand binding to the GUK domain of ZO-1 and the functional consequences for TJ structure and function. We will characterize these protein interactions using yeast 2-hybrid and fusion protein assays and truncated fragments in cultured epithelial cells. Isothermal titration calorimetry will be used to determine the affinity of the GUK domain and its protein ligands, their regulation by the acidic domain and possible regulation by protein phosphorylation. The atomic structures and their mechanisms of regulated interaction will be visualized by solving the x-ray crystallographic structures of occludin bound to the GUK domain with and without the SH3 and acidic domains, and with and without phosphorylation. Similar studies will be performed on alpha-catenin and cingulin as time permits. These studies are the first to describe the structural basis for regulated assembly of tight junctions and will provide insight into the mechanisms controlling assembly.