title: Domain mapping of the polycystin-2 C-terminal tail using de novo molecular modeling and biophysical analysis.
abstract: In polycystic kidney disease (PKD), polycystin-2 (PC2) is frequently mutated or truncated in the C-terminal cytoplasmic tail (PC2-C). The currently accepted model of PC2-C consists of an EF-hand motif overlapping with a short coiled coil; however, this model fails to explain the mechanisms by which PC2 truncations C-terminal to this region lead to PKD. Moreover, direct PC2 binding to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor, KIF3A, and TRPC1 requires residues in PC2-C outside this region. To address these discrepancies and investigate the role of PC2-C in PC2 function, we performed de novo molecular modeling and biophysical analysis. De novo molecular modeling of PC2-C using the ROBETTA server predicts two domains as follows: an EF-hand motif (PC2-EF) connected by a linker to a previously unidentified C-terminal coiled coil (PC2-CC). This model differs substantially from the current model and correlates with limited proteolysis, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectroscopy, N-terminal sequencing, and improved coiled coil prediction algorithms. PC2-C is elongated and oligomerizes through PC2-CC, as measured by analytical ultracentrifugation and size exclusion chromatography, whereas PC2-EF is globular and monomeric. We show that PC2-C and PC2-EF have micromolar affinity for calcium (Ca2+) by isothermal titration calorimetry and undergo Ca2+-induced conformational changes by circular dichroism. Mutation of predicted EF-hand loop residues in PC2 to alanine abolishes Ca2+ binding. Our results suggest that PC2-CC is involved in PC2 oligomerization, and PC2-EF is a Ca2+-sensitive switch. PKD-associated PC2 mutations are located in regions that may disrupt these functions, providing structural insight into how PC2 mutations lead to disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Andjelka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Celić
authors.forename: Edward T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Petri
authors.forename: Borries
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Demeler
authors.forename: Barbara E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Ehrlich
authors.forename: Titus J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Boggon
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000737:chemistry; D000465:Algorithms; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001703:Biophysics / Q000379:methods*; D002118:Calcium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D050396:TRPP Cation Channels / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000409:Alanine; D002118:Calcium; D050396:TRPP Cation Channels