Biology subjects

Dite, T. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Dite, T. A..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Structural basis for Porcupine inhibition

Wnt signalling is essential for embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, and its dysregulation is associated with multiple types of cancer. Porcupine (PORCN), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident membrane-bound O-acyltransferase, catalyses the palmitoylation of all 19 human Wnts--a critical modification required for their secretion and activity. This central role makes PORCN an attractive therapeutic target for Wnt-driven cancers, with several inhibitors currently in clinical trials. Here, we present high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of human PORCN in complex with the inhibitors C59 (2.4 [A]) and ETC159 (2.6 [A]), as well as in a ligand-free state (3.3 [A]). These structures reveal critical ordered water molecules that form a hydrogen-bonding network within the active site, mediating inhibitor binding. Our docking simulations of diverse PORCN inhibitors demonstrate that despite their different chemical scaffolds, these compounds adopt similar conformations within the acyl-CoA binding site and are also engaged through a conserved water molecule. Our findings provide a structural foundation for the rational design of next-generation PORCN inhibitors with improved pharmacological properties for cancer therapy.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

PSKH1 kinase activity is differentially modulated via allosteric binding of Ca2+ sensor proteins

Protein Serine Kinase H1 (PSKH1) was recently identified as a crucial factor in kidney development and is overexpressed in prostate, lung and kidney cancers. However, little is known about PSKH1 regulatory mechanisms, leading to its classification as a "dark" kinase. Here, we used biochemistry and mass spectrometry to define PSKH1s consensus substrate motif, protein interactors, and how interactors, including Ca2+ sensor proteins, promote or suppress activity. Intriguingly, despite the absence of a canonical Calmodulin binding motif, Ca2+-Calmodulin activated PSKH1 while, in contrast, the ER-resident Ca2+ sensor of the CREC family, Reticulocalbin-3, suppressed PSKH1 catalytic activity. In addition to antagonistic regulation of the PSKH1 kinase domain by Ca2+ sensing proteins, we identified UNC119B as a protein interactor that activates PSKH1 via direct engagement of the kinase domain. Our findings identify complementary allosteric mechanisms by which regulatory proteins tune PSKH1s catalytic activity, and raise the possibility that different Ca2+ sensors may act more broadly to tune kinase activities by detecting and decoding extremes of intracellular Ca2+ concentrations.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

Unconventional binding of Calmodulin to CHK2 kinase inhibits catalytic activity

Calmodulin (CaM) serves an essential role in eukaryotic cells as a Ca2+ sensor. Ca2+ binding leads to conformation changes in CaM that enable engagement of a repertoire of enzymes and the regulation of their catalytic activities. Classically, Ca2+-CaM binds to an inhibitory pseudosubstrate sequence C-terminal to the kinase domain in members of the Ca2+-CaM dependent protein kinase (CAMK) family, and relieves inhibition to promote catalytic activity. Here, we report an unexpected mechanism by which CaM can bind CHK2 kinase to inhibit its kinase activity. Using biochemical, biophysical, structural mass spectrometry, and cellular approaches, we identify a direct interaction of Ca2+-CaM with the CHK2 kinase domain that suppresses CHK2 catalytic activity in vitro and is crucial for cell proliferation in human cells following DNA damage. Our findings add direct suppression of kinase activity to the repertoire of CaMs functions, complementing the paradigmatic mechanism of promoting kinase activity through autoinhibitory domain sequestration.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2023

Caspase-2 protects against ferroptotic cell death

Caspase-2, one of the most evolutionarily conserved member of the caspase family, is an important regulator of the cellular response to oxidative stress. Given that ferroptosis is suppressed by antioxidant defense pathways, such as that involving selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), we hypothesised that caspase-2 may play a role in regulating ferroptosis. This study provides the first demonstration of an important and unprecedented function of caspase-2 in protecting cancer cells from undergoing ferroptotic cell death. Specifically, we show that depletion of caspase-2 leads to downregulation of stress response genes including SESN2, HMOX1, SLC7A11 and sensitises mutant-p53 cancer cells to cell death induced by various ferroptosis inducing compounds. Importantly, the canonical catalytic activity of caspase-2 is not required for its role and suggests that caspase-2 regulates ferroptosis via non-proteolytic interaction with other proteins. Using an unbiased BioID proteomics screen, we identified novel caspase-2 interacting proteins (including heat shock proteins and co-chaperones) that regulate cellular responses to stress. Finally, we demonstrate that caspase-2 limits chaperone mediated autophagic degradation of GPX4 to promote survival of mutant-p53 cancer cells. In conclusion, we document a novel role for caspase-2 as a negative regulator of ferroptosis in cells with mutant-p53. Our results provide evidence for a novel function of caspase-2 functions in cell death regulation and open potential new avenues to exploit ferroptosis in cancer therapy.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2022

When two is a crowd - Structural mapping of PEAK pseudokinase interactions identifies 14 3 3 as a molecular switch for PEAK3/Crk signaling.

PEAK pseudokinases regulate cell migration, invasion and proliferation by recruiting key signaling proteins to the cytoskeleton. Despite lacking catalytic activity, alteration in their expression level is associated with several aggressive cancers. Here, we elucidate new molecular details of key PEAK signaling interactions with the adapter proteins CrkII and Grb2 and the scaffold protein 14-3-3. Our findings rationalize why the dimerization of PEAK proteins has a crucial function in signal transduction and provide biophysical and structural data to unravel binding specificity within the PEAK interactome. We identify a conserved high affinity 14-3-3 motif on PEAK3 and demonstrate its role as a molecular switch to regulate CrkII binding. Together, our studies provide a detailed structural snapshot of PEAK interaction networks and further elucidate how PEAK proteins, especially PEAK3, act as dynamic scaffolds that exploit adapter proteins to control signal transduction in cell growth/motility and cancer.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2018

Increased autophagy in ephrinB2 deficient osteocytes is associated with hypermineralized, brittle bones

Mineralized bone forms when collagen-containing osteoid accrues hydroxyapatite crystals. This process has two phases: a rapid initiation (primary mineralization), followed by slower accrual of mineral (secondary mineralization) that continues until that portion of bone is renewed by remodelling. Within the bone matrix is an interconnected network of cells termed osteocytes. These cells are derived from bone-forming osteoblasts. Osteoblast differentiation requires expression of ephrinB2, and we were intrigued about why ephrinB2 continues to be expressed in mature osteocytes. To determine its function in osteocytes, we developed an osteocyte-specific ephrinB2 null mouse and found they exhibited a brittle bone phenotype. This was not caused by a change in bone mass, but by an intrinsic defect in the strength of the bone material. Although the initiation of osteoid mineralization occurred at a normal rate, the process of secondary mineralization was accelerated in these mice. The maturing mineralized bone matrix incorporated mineral and carbonate more rapidly than controls, indicating that osteocytic ephrinB2 suppresses mineral accumulation in bone. No known regulators of mineralization were modified in the bone of these mice. However, RNA sequencing showed differential expression of a group of autophagy-associated genes, and increased autophagic flux was confirmed in ephrinB2 knockdown osteocytes. This indicates that the process of secondary mineralization in bone makes use of autophagic machinery in a manner that is limited by ephrinB2 in osteocytes, and that this process may be disrupted in conditions of bone fragility.

cell biology↗