title: Mapping of protein-protein interactions within the DNA-dependent protein kinase complex.
abstract: In mammalian cells, the Ku and DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) proteins are required for the correct and efficient repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Ku comprises two tightly-associated subunits of approximately 69 and approximately 83 kDa, which are termed Ku70 and Ku80 (or Ku86), respectively. Previously, a number of regions of both Ku subunits have been demonstrated to be involved in their interaction, but the molecular mechanism of this interaction remains unknown. We have identified a region in Ku70 (amino acid residues 449-578) and a region in Ku80 (residues 439-592) that participate in Ku subunit interaction. Sequence analysis reveals that these interaction regions share sequence homology and suggests that the Ku subunits are structurally related. On binding to a DNA double-strand break, Ku is able to interact with DNA-PKcs, but how this interaction is mediated has not been defined. We show that the extreme C-terminus of Ku80, specifically the final 12 amino acid residues, mediates a highly specific interaction with DNA-PKcs. Strikingly, these residues appear to be conserved only in Ku80 sequences from vertebrate organisms. These data suggest that Ku has evolved to become part of the DNA-PK holo-enzyme by acquisition of a protein-protein interaction motif at the C-terminus of Ku80.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome/CRC Institute, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gell
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004265:DNA Helicases; D004260:DNA Repair; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000032:analysis; D051747:DNA-Activated Protein Kinase; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015723:Gene Library; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D000072200:Ku Autoantigen; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D051747:DNA-Activated Protein Kinase; C497263:PRKDC protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D004265:DNA Helicases; C106893:XRCC5 protein, human; C000606509:Xrcc6 protein, human; D000072200:Ku Autoantigen