title: Structural and functional analysis of the NLRP4 pyrin domain.
abstract: NLRP4 is a member of the nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat receptor (NLR) family of cytosolic receptors and a member of an inflammation signaling cascade. Here, we present the crystal structure of the NLRP4 pyrin domain (PYD) at 2.3 Å resolution. The NLRP4 PYD is a member of the death domain (DD) superfamily and adopts a DD fold consisting of six α-helices tightly packed around a hydrophobic core, with a highly charged surface that is typical of PYDs. Importantly, however, we identified several differences between the NLRP4 PYD crystal structure and other PYD structures that are significant enough to affect NLRP4 function and its interactions with binding partners. Notably, the length of helix α3 and the α2-α3 connecting loop in the NLRP4 PYD are unique among PYDs. The apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC) is an adaptor protein whose interactions with a number of distinct PYDs are believed to be critical for activation of the inflammatory response. Here, we use co-immunoprecipitation, yeast two-hybrid, and nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift perturbation analysis to demonstrate that, despite being important for activation of the inflammatory response and sharing several similarities with other known ASC-interacting PYDs (i.e., ASC2), NLRP4 does not interact with the adaptor protein ASC. Thus, we propose that the factors governing homotypic PYD interactions are more complex than the currently accepted model, which states that complementary charged surfaces are the main determinants of PYD-PYD interaction specificity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Clarissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Eibl
authors.forename: Simina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grigoriu
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hessenberger
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wenger
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Puehringer
authors.forename: Anderson S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.forename: Roland N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Proell
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Page
authors.forename: Kay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Diederichs
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Peti
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D017510:Protein Folding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D020449:Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; C466775:NLRP4 protein, human; D012097:Repressor Proteins