LEDGF/p75 IBD binding partners interact in a structurally conserved manner. Solution structures of the IBD in complex with the binding motifs from POGZ, JPO2 motif 1 and 2 (M1, M2), IWS1, and MLL1 determined by NMR spectroscopy. 

Zeger Debyserand Václav VeverkaResearch Groups

Significance

The transcription coactivator LEDGF/p75 contributes to regulation of gene expression by tethering other factors to actively transcribed genes on chromatin. Its chromatin-tethering activity is hijacked in two important disease settings, HIV and mixed-lineage leukemia; however, the basis for the biological regulation of LEDGF/p75’s interaction to binding partners has remained unknown. This has represented a gap in our understanding of LEDGF/p75’s fundamental biological function and a major limitation for development of therapeutic targeting of LEDGF/p75 in human disease. Our work provides a mechanistic understanding of how the lens epithelium-derived growth factor interaction network is regulated at the molecular level. We reveal that structurally conserved IBD-binding motifs (IBMs) on known LEDGF/p75 binding partners can be regulated by phosphorylation, permitting switching between low- and high-affinity states. Finally, we show that elimination of IBM phosphorylation sites on MLL1 disrupts the oncogenic potential of primary MLL1-rearranged leukemic cells. Our results demonstrate that kinase-dependent phosphorylation of MLL1 represents a previously unknown oncogenic dependency that may be harnessed in the treatment of MLL-rearranged leukemia.

Sharma, S. et. al.Affinity switching of the LEDGF/p75 IBD interactome is governed by kinase-dependent phosphorylation, PNAS2018, 115 (30) E7053-E7062.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1803909115

Structure of the MiCP and its interaction with other capsid proteins. (A) Structure of the MiCP shown in stick representation with carbon atoms in magenta. The first and last structured residues of MiCP are labeled. The electron density map of the MiCP contoured at 2σ is shown as a blue mesh. Major capsid proteins are shown in cartoon representation with VP1 in blue, VP2 in green, and VP3 in red. (B and C) Comparison of capsid proteins VP2 of SBV (B) and poliovirus 1 (C). The MiCP of SBV, which is highlighted in magenta (B), occupies the volume of the puff loop in VP2 of poliovirus 1, highlighted in orange (C). (D and E) The VP3 subunit of SBV (D) lacks the knob loop present in poliovirus 1 (E), highlighted in green

Pavel Plevka Research group

Significance

Infection by sacbrood virus (SBV) from the family Iflaviridae is lethal to honey bee larvae but only rarely causes the collapse of honey bee colonies. Despite the negative effect of SBV on honey bees, the structure of its particles and mechanism of its genome delivery are unknown. Here we present the crystal structure of SBV virion and show that it contains 60 copies of a minor capsid protein (MiCP) attached to the virion surface. No similar MiCPs have been previously reported in any of the related viruses from the order Picornavirales. The location of the MiCP coding sequence within the SBV genome indicates that the MiCP evolved from a C-terminal extension of a major capsid protein by the introduction of a cleavage site for a virus protease. The exposure of SBV to acidic pH, which the virus likely encounters during cell entry, induces the formation of pores at threefold and fivefold axes of the capsid that are 7 Å and 12 Å in diameter, respectively. This is in contrast to vertebrate picornaviruses, in which the pores along twofold icosahedral symmetry axes are currently considered the most likely sites for genome release. SBV virions lack VP4 subunits that facilitate the genome delivery of many related dicistroviruses and picornaviruses. MiCP subunits induce liposome disruption in vitro, indicating that they are functional analogs of VP4 subunits and enable the virus genome to escape across the endosome membrane into the cell cytoplasm.

Procházková, M. et al.: Virion structure and genome delivery mechanism of sacbrood honeybee virus. PNAS 2018, 115 (30) 7759-7764. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1722018115.