title: Nucleic acid binding of the RTN1-C C-terminal region: toward the functional role of a reticulon protein.
abstract: RTN1-C protein is a membrane protein localized in the ER and expressed in the nervous system. Its biological role is still unclear, although interactions of the N-terminal region of RTN1-C with proteins involved in vesicle trafficking have been observed, but the role of the C-terminal region of this family protein remains to be investigated. By a homology analysis of the amino acid sequence, we identified in the C-terminal region of RTN1-C a unique consensus sequence characteristic of H4 histone protein. Thus, a 23-mer peptide (RTN1-C(CT)) corresponding to residues 186-208 of RTN1-C was synthesized, and its conformation and its interaction with nucleic acids were investigated. Here we demonstrate the strong ability of RTN1-C(CT) peptide to bind and condense the nucleic acids using electrophoretic and spectroscopic techniques. To determine if the binding of RTN1-C to nucleic acids could be regulated in vivo by an acetylation-deacetylation mechanism, as for the histone proteins, we studied the interaction of RTN1-C with one zinc-dependent histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzyme, HDAC8, with fluorescence and kinetic techniques using an acetylated form of RTN1-C(CT). The results reported here allow us to propose that the nucleic acid binding property of RTN1-C may have an important role in the biological function of this protein, the function of which could be regulated by an acetylation-deacetylation mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences and Chemical Technologies, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. melinos@uniroma2.it
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Melino
authors.forename: Ridvan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nepravishta
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellomaria
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Marco
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paci
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000235:genetics; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; C081781:RTN1 protein, human; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA