title: Crystal structure of the human FOXO3a-DBD/DNA complex suggests the effects of post-translational modification.
abstract: FOXO3a is a transcription factor of the FOXO family. The FOXO proteins participate in multiple signaling pathways, and their transcriptional activity is regulated by several post-translational mechanisms, including phosphorylation, acetylation and ubiquitination. Because these post-translational modification sites are located within the C-terminal basic region of the FOXO DNA-binding domain (FOXO-DBD), it is possible that these post-translational modifications could alter the DNA-binding characteristics. To understand how FOXO mediate transcriptional activity, we report here the 2.7 A crystal structure of the DNA-binding domain of FOXO3a (FOXO3a-DBD) bound to a 13-bp DNA duplex containing a FOXO consensus binding sequence (GTAAACA). Based on a unique structural feature in the C-terminal region and results from biochemical and mutational studies, our studies may explain how FOXO-DBD C-terminal phosphorylation by protein kinase B (PKB) or acetylation by cAMP-response element binding protein (CBP) can attenuate the DNA-binding activity and thereby reduce transcriptional activity of FOXO proteins. In addition, we demonstrate that the methyl groups of specific thymine bases within the consensus sequence are important for FOXO3a-DBD recognition of the consensus binding site.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuang-Lei
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Yuh-Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Cheng-Yang
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jer-Yen
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Mien-Chie
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Chwan-Deng
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Hsiao
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D000071316:Forkhead Box Protein O3; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: C499517:FOXO3 protein, human; D000071316:Forkhead Box Protein O3; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA