Bcl-2 family proteins are key regulators for cellular homeostasis in response to apoptotic stimuli. Bcl-xL, an antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family member, undergoes conformational transitions, which leads to two conformational states: the cytoplasmic and memb ...
Bcl-2 family proteins are key regulators for cellular homeostasis in response to apoptotic stimuli. Bcl-xL, an antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family member, undergoes conformational transitions, which leads to two conformational states: the cytoplasmic and membrane-bound. Here we present the crystal and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) structures of Bcl-xL treated with the mild detergent n-Octyl β-D-Maltoside (OM). The detergent-treated Bcl-xL forms a dimer through three-dimensional domain swapping (3DDS) by swapping helices α6-α8 between two monomers. Unlike Bax, a proapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, Bcl-xL is not converted to 3DDS homodimer upon binding BH3 peptides and ABT-737, a BH3 mimetic drug. We also designed Bcl-xL mutants which cannot dimerize and show that these mutants reduced mitochondrial calcium uptake in MEF cells. This illustrates the structural plasticity in Bcl-xL providing hints toward the probable molecular mechanism for Bcl-xL to play a regulatory role in mitochondrial calcium ion transport.
Organizational Affiliation:
Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138671.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, 3333 Green Bay Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA.,Experimental Therapeutics Centre, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore 138669.,1] School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551 [2] Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138671.,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551.,Molecular Targets Program, James Graham Brown Center and Department of Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.,Department of Genetic Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 446-701, Republic of Korea.,1] School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551 [2] Department of Genetic Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 446-701, Republic of Korea.
Download Mendeley
Download Endnote
