title: Combination of multiple alignment analysis and surface mapping paves a way for a detailed pathway reconstruction--the case of VHL (von Hippel-Lindau) protein and angiogenesis regulatory pathway.
abstract: Using the tumor suppressor VHL protein as an example, we show that detailed analysis of conservation versus variation pattern in the multiple alignment can be coupled with the genomic pathway/complex conservation analysis to provide a more complete picture of the entire interaction/regulatory network. Results from the present study have allowed us to hypothesize that two additional proteins are involved in the VHL-mediated regulation of angiogenesis. Detailed modeling also has led to a prediction of the possible interaction mode between the known and the proposed parts of the VHL complex. To aid in an analysis of the VHL protein regulation of HIF-1 alpha degradation, an important and only partially understood process that directly influences angiogenesis, we performed a comprehensive search for the orthologs of the VHL as well as for VHL-interacting proteins in all the available eukaryotic genomes. Analysis of a multiple alignment of thus identified VHL orthologs reveals an unusually high degree of conservation of the surface amino acid residues that almost exactly correspond to positions mutated in the VHL disease-associated tumors. In addition, these positions form well-defined clusters in three-dimensional space, and presence or absence of individual clusters correlates with the presence or absence of pathway elements in different genomes. We have also shown that relation trees derived from the multiple sequence alignment, functional surface-mapping, and HIF-1 alpha degradation pathway structure are in complete agreement, linking the functional and structural evolution of the VHL protein and VHL-dependent HIF-1 alpha degradation complex.
authors.affiliation: The Burnham Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Sergey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sikora
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Godzik
mesh_terms: D049069:ATP-Dependent Proteases; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000626:Aminopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D017124:Conserved Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D000075065:Elongin; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment / Q000379:methods*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013499:Surface Properties; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051794:Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein
chemical_list: D000075065:Elongin; C497442:HIF1A protein, human; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; C439790:HIF1AN protein, human; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D051794:Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein; D000626:Aminopeptidases; C106541:methionine aminopeptidase 2; D049069:ATP-Dependent Proteases; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; C497446:VHL protein, human