title: Specific recognition of four-way DNA junctions by the C-terminal zinc-binding domain of HPV oncoprotein E6.
abstract: E6 is an oncoprotein implicated in cervical cancers produced by " high risk " human papillomaviruses. E6 binds specifically to several cellular proteins, including the tumour suppressor p53 and the ubiquitin ligase E6-AP. However, E6 is also a DNA-binding protein which recognizes a structural motive present in four-way junctions. Here, we demonstrate that the C-terminal zinc-binding domain of E6, expressed separately from the rest of the protein, fully retains the selective four-way junction recognition activity. The domain can bind to two identical and independent sites on a single junction, whereas full-length E6 can only bind to one site. The junction bound to either one or two domains adopts an extended square conformation. These results allow us to assign the structure-dependent DNA recognition activity of E6 to its C-terminal domain, which therefore represents a new class of zinc-stabilized DNA-binding module. Comparison with the binding characteristics of other junction-specific proteins enlightens the rules which govern protein-induced deformation of four-way DNA junctions.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Immunotechnologie, UPRES 1329, Ecole Supérieure de Biotechnologie de Strasbourg, Illkirch, 67400, France.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ristriani
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nominé
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Travé
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011995:Recombination, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C068651:E6 protein, Human papillomavirus type 16; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D004247:DNA; D015032:Zinc