title: Intrinsic structural disorder of the C-terminal activation domain from the bZIP transcription factor Fos.
abstract: The bZIP proto-oncoprotein c-Fos activates transcription of a wide variety of genes involved in cell growth. The C-terminal activation domain of c-Fos is functionally independent of the remainder of the protein. Fos-AD corresponds to the C-terminal activation domain of human c-Fos (residues 216-380). Fos-AD suppresses (squelches) transcription in vitro, as expected for a functional activation domain lacking a DNA-binding domain. Fos-AD is unstructured and highly mobile, as demonstrated by circular dichroism spectra indicative of unfolded proteins, a lack of (1)H chemical shift dispersion, and negative (1)H-(15)N heteronuclear nuclear Overhauser effects. The hydrodynamic properties of Fos-AD are also consistent with an extended structure. We conclude that the C-terminal domain of human c-Fos is biologically active yet intrinsically disordered. Our results suggest that conformational disorder is an integral aspect of the diverse contributions to transcriptional regulation by c-Fos.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1870, USA.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Terrell
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Laybourn
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lumb
mesh_terms: D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D051790:G-Box Binding Factors; D006801:Humans; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary / Q000235:genetics; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary / Q000235:genetics; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013816:Thermodynamics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051790:G-Box Binding Factors; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors