title: Structural analysis of the autoinhibition of Ets-1 and its role in protein partnerships.
abstract: The DNA-binding activity of the eukaryotic transcription factor Ets-1 (E26 avian erythroblastosis virus oncogene-E twenty-six) is negatively regulated by inhibitory regions that flank the ETS domain. Based on the results of solution studies, these N- and C-terminal inhibitory regions have been proposed to pack against the ETS domain and form an autoinhibitory module whose N terminus partially unfolds upon binding of Ets-1 to DNA. Mutations that disrupt autoinhibition of DNA binding also cause a structural change in the inhibitory region. We report here a crystallographic study of fragments of Ets-1 that provide structural details of the inhibitory module and the structural transition that accompanies DNA binding. The structures of free and DNA-bound Ets-1 fragments containing the ETS domain and the inhibitory regions confirm that the N-terminal inhibitory region contains two alpha-helices one of which unfolds upon Ets-1 binding to DNA. The observations from the crystal structure, coupled with mutagenesis experiments, allow us to propose a model for the inhibited form of Ets-1 and lend insight into the flexible interaction between Ets-1 and the acute myeloid leukemia 1 protein, AML1 (RUNX1).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205-2185, USA.
authors.forename: Colin W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Garvie
authors.forename: Miles A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pufall
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Graves
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolberger
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D008958:Models, Molecular; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D050784:Proto-Oncogene Protein c-ets-1; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050783:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D050784:Proto-Oncogene Protein c-ets-1; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D050783:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets; D014157:Transcription Factors