title: Design and characterization of a soluble fragment of the extracellular ligand-binding domain of the peptide hormone receptor guanylyl cyclase-C.
abstract: The intestinal guanylyl cyclase-C (GC-C) was originally identified as an Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin (STa) receptor. STa stimulates GC-C to much higher activity than the endogenous ligands guanylin and uroguanylin, causing severe diarrhea. To investigate the interactions of the endogenous and bacterial ligands with GC-C, we designed and characterized a soluble and properly folded fragment of the extracellular ligand-binding domain of GC-C. The membrane-bound guanylyl cyclases exhibit a single transmembrane spanning helix and a globularly folded extracellular ligand-binding domain that comprises about 410 of 1050 residues. Based on the crystal structure of the dimerized-binding domain of the guanylyl cyclase-coupled atrial natriuretic peptide receptor and a secondary structure-guided sequence alignment, we generated a model of the extracellular domain of GC-C comprised of two subdomains. Mapping of mutational and cross-link data onto this structural model restricts the ligand-binding region to the membrane proximal subdomain. We thus designed miniGC-C, a 197 amino acid fragment that mimics the ligand-binding membrane proximal subdomain. Cloning, expression and spectroscopic studies reveal miniGC-C to be a soluble and properly folded protein with a distinct secondary and tertiary structure. MiniGC-C binds STa with nanomolar affinity.
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Biopolymere and Forschungszentrum für Bio-Makromoleküle, Universität Bayreuth 95440, Bayreuth.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lauber
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tidten
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Matecko
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zeeb
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rösch
authors.forename: U C
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Marx
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011485:Protein Binding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D000074261:Receptors, Enterotoxin; D050705:Receptors, Guanylate Cyclase-Coupled; D018000:Receptors, Peptide / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D013552:Swine / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018000:Receptors, Peptide; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase; D000074261:Receptors, Enterotoxin; D050705:Receptors, Guanylate Cyclase-Coupled