Download MendeleyClient recruitment mechanism of the cytosolic Fe-S cluster assembly targeting complex.
Ren, W., Huang, Y., Hu, M., Yang, Y., Yang, W., Wang, H.(2026) EMBO J 45: 1264-1291
- PubMed: 41484370 Search on PubMedSearch on PubMed Central
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44318-025-00676-x
- Primary Citation Related Structures:
9UKY - PubMed Abstract:
Most cytosolic and nuclear eukaryotic Fe-S proteins acquire their critical Fe-S cofactor by interacting with the cytosolic Fe-S cluster assembly targeting complex (CTC). Despite the critical roles these Fe-S proteins play in fundamental biology, how they are specifically recognized by the CTC remains largely understudied. Here we identified a hidden consensus pentapeptide motif as a sequence signature dictating cluster acquisition in a majority of known human Fe-S proteins, particularly DNA/RNA processing enzymes for genome maintenance. The presence of this motif drives CTC-client engagement, while its defect impairs CTC recognition, iron incorporation, and enzymatic activities of these clients, ultimately compromising their cellular functions, such as in DNA repair. Furthermore, our studies revealed a conserved surface pocket of CTC dedicated to client recruitment in general. This single pocket recognizes two distinct sequence signatures in clients including the Pentapeptide motif and a previously reported C-tail motif. Subsequent structure-guided affinity-purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS) enabled us to investigate the pocket-dependent human CTC interactome, potentially unveiling unrecognized Fe-S proteins. Overall, our findings decipher the sequence signature-directed mechanism underlying CTC client recruitment and open an avenue for expanding the repertoire of Fe-S proteins.
- Greater Bay Biomedical InnoCenter, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China.
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