The structural basis of the multi-step allosteric activation of Aurora B kinase
Abstract
Aurora B, together with IN-box, the C-terminal part of INCENP, forms an enzymatic complex that ensures faithful cell division. The [Aurora B/IN-box] complex is activated by autophosphorylation in the Aurora B activation loop and in IN-box, but it is not clear how these phosphorylations activate the enzyme. We used a combination of experimental and computational studies to investigate the effects of phosphorylation on the molecular dynamics and structure of [Aurora B/IN-box]. In addition, we generated partially phosphorylated intermediates to analyze the contribution of each phosphorylation independently. We found that the dynamics of Aurora and IN-box are interconnected, and IN-box plays both positive and negative regulatory roles depending on the phosphorylation status of the enzyme complex. Phosphorylation in the activation loop of Aurora B occurs intramolecularly and prepares the enzyme complex for activation, but two phosphorylated sites are synergistically responsible for full enzyme activity.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files. The mass spectrometry proteomics data are available through the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE partner repository with the dataset identifier PXD038935.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
Norges Forskningsråd (187615)
- Dario Segura-Peña
- Oda Hovet
- Hemanga Gogoi
- Stine Malene Hansen Wøien
- Nikolina Sekulic
Norges Forskningsråd (262695)
- Oda Hovet
- Manuel Carrer
- Michele Cascella
Norwegian Supercomputing Program (NN4654K)
- Oda Hovet
- Manuel Carrer
- Michele Cascella
Norges Forskningsråd (325528)
- Nikolina Sekulic
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R35-GM130302)
- Jennine Dawicki-McKenna
- Ben E Black
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM108360)
- Jennine Dawicki-McKenna
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Copyright
© 2023, Segura-Peña et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
Metrics
-
- 2,405
- views
-
- 352
- downloads
-
- 2
- citations
Views, downloads and citations are aggregated across all versions of this paper published by eLife.
Download links
Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)
Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)
Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)
Further reading
-
- Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
- Cancer Biology
Cancer cells display high levels of oncogene-induced replication stress (RS) and rely on DNA damage checkpoint for viability. This feature is exploited by cancer therapies to either increase RS to unbearable levels or inhibit checkpoint kinases involved in the DNA damage response. Thus far, treatments that combine these two strategies have shown promise but also have severe adverse effects. To identify novel, better-tolerated anticancer combinations, we screened a collection of plant extracts and found two natural compounds from the plant, Psoralea corylifolia, that synergistically inhibit cancer cell proliferation. Bakuchiol inhibited DNA replication and activated the checkpoint kinase CHK1 by targeting DNA polymerases. Isobavachalcone interfered with DNA double-strand break repair by inhibiting the checkpoint kinase CHK2 and DNA end resection. The combination of bakuchiol and isobavachalcone synergistically inhibited cancer cell proliferation in vitro. Importantly, it also prevented tumor development in xenografted NOD/SCID mice. The synergistic effect of inhibiting DNA replication and CHK2 signaling identifies a vulnerability of cancer cells that might be exploited by using clinically approved inhibitors in novel combination therapies.
-
- Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
- Microbiology and Infectious Disease
Mycofactocin is a redox cofactor essential for the alcohol metabolism of mycobacteria. While the biosynthesis of mycofactocin is well established, the gene mftG, which encodes an oxidoreductase of the glucose-methanol-choline superfamily, remained functionally uncharacterized. Here, we show that MftG enzymes are almost exclusively found in genomes containing mycofactocin biosynthetic genes and are present in 75% of organisms harboring these genes. Gene deletion experiments in Mycolicibacterium smegmatis demonstrated a growth defect of the ∆mftG mutant on ethanol as a carbon source, accompanied by an arrest of cell division reminiscent of mild starvation. Investigation of carbon and cofactor metabolism implied a defect in mycofactocin reoxidation. Cell-free enzyme assays and respirometry using isolated cell membranes indicated that MftG acts as a mycofactocin dehydrogenase shuttling electrons toward the respiratory chain. Transcriptomics studies also indicated remodeling of redox metabolism to compensate for a shortage of redox equivalents. In conclusion, this work closes an important knowledge gap concerning the mycofactocin system and adds a new pathway to the intricate web of redox reactions governing the metabolism of mycobacteria.