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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 281, Issue 47, 36378-36390, November 24, 2006
The Structure of the Lingo-1 Ectodomain, a Module Implicated in Central Nervous System Repair Inhibition* 1![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 2
From the
Received for publication, August 2, 2006 , and in revised form, September 15, 2006.
Nogo receptor (NgR)-mediated control of axon growth relies on the central nervous system-specific type I transmembrane protein Lingo-1. Interactions between Lingo-1 and NgR, along with a complementary co-receptor, result in neurite and axonal collapse. In addition, the inhibitory role of Lingo-1 is particularly important in regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination, suggesting that pharmacological modulation of Lingo-1 function could be a novel approach for nerve repair and remyelination therapies. Here we report on the crystal structure of the ligand-binding ectodomain of human Lingo-1 and show it has a bimodular, kinked structure composed of leucine-rich repeat (LRR) and immunoglobulin (Ig)-like modules. The structure, together with biophysical analysis of its solution properties, reveals that in the crystals and in solution Lingo-1 persistently associates with itself to form a stable tetramer and that it is its LRR-Ig-composite fold that drives such assembly. Specifically, in the crystal structure protomers of Lingo-1 associate in a ring-shaped tetramer, with each LRR domain filling an open cleft in an adjacent protomer. The tetramer buries a large surface area (9,200Å2) and may serve as an efficient scaffold to simultaneously bind and assemble the NgR complex components during activation on a membrane. Potential functional binding sites that can be identified on the ectodomain surface, including the site of self-recognition, suggest a model for protein assembly on the membrane.
Injured neurons in mature organisms are unable to effectively regrow their axons after central nervous system damage. One of the many factors restricting axonal regeneration after injury is the growth-inhibiting components associated with damaged myelin. At least three of these components, Nogo-66, myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG),3 and oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein, either individually or collectively, have been shown to be potent inhibitors of neurite outgrowth (1, 2). All three signal inhibition through the Nogo receptor complex, composed of the ligand-binding Nogo-66 receptor (NgR) and two complementary co-receptors p75 and Lingo-1 that act as a signal-transducing pair on an axon's cell membrane (3, 4). Although both NgR and the p75 nerve growth factor receptor have well documented roles in the context of myelin inhibition, reports exploring the role of Lingo-1 are more recent.
Human Lingo-1 is a central nervous system-specific transmembrane glycoprotein (Fig. 1) also known as LERN-1, which belongs to a larger family of LRR-Ig-containing proteins involved in central nervous system development and axonal growth (5). Its large extracellular or ectodomain is thought to be of functional importance in protein-protein recognition and is characterized by a tandem array of multiple LRRs and one Ig-like domain. The first studies examining the role of Lingo-1 demonstrated that in cultured neurons Lingo-1 directly associates with NgR and p75 and that whenever myelin-NgR/p75-mediated growth inhibition is observed, Lingo-1 is present, and is essential to this process (6). The functional capacity of the tripartite complex to launch the downstream RhoA-dependent signaling pathway that evokes the inhibition of neurite outgrowth has been reported. Of note is the finding that truncated Lingo-1 lacking the intracellular domain restores neurite outgrowth in vitro by interrupting the interaction of Lingo-1 with its binding partners. Direct physical interactions between the full-length Lingo-1 and either NgR or p75 have been reported, as have interactions of truncated soluble Lingo-1 with either NgR or p75 (6). More recently, our understanding of this inhibitory system has changed with the identification of yet another member of the Nogo receptor complex, designated TROY (7). The latter belongs to the same, tumor necrosis factor-receptor family as p75 but, unlike p75, is broadly expressed in adult neurons, where it can substitute for p75 in the signaling complex, allowing for RhoA activation and outgrowth inhibition in neurons lacking p75 (7, 8). The current model for myelin-mediated inhibition includes therefore an alternative signaling complex that involves NgR, Lingo-1, and TROY. In addition to its expression on neurons, Lingo-1 is also detected in oligodendrocytes (9). In this study, Lingo-1 was reported to be a negative regulator of oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination, exerting its function through a Fyn-RhoA pathway. Although a link to these signaling molecules is note-worthy in light of the fact that a role for Fyn/RhoA signaling has been reported in oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination (10), the precise mechanism by which Lingo-1 signaling is initiated and the nature of protein-protein interactions involved remain largely unknown. Agonist and antagonist or null versions of Lingo-1 modulate the amount of functional Lingo-1 and hence its activity. Blockade of normal Lingo-1 activity, modeled either by introduction of exogenous Lingo-1 to oligodendrocyte-neuron cocultures or with knock-out mice lacking Lingo-1, not only permits outgrowth of oligodendrocyte processes, it also results in highly developed myelinated axons. These findings coupled with complementary gain-of-function results suggest that Lingo-1 inhibitory signaling could be one of the factors controlling central nervous system myelination. An interesting point in this respect is the recent evidence that myelin debris inhibits differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursors and that myelin could in fact be an underlying cause of impaired remyelination (11). Whether this mechanism is relevant to the Lingo-1 inhibitory action in oligodendrocytes is not known.
All these findings underline the importance and complexity of the molecular action of Lingo-1 and have stimulated much interest in this molecule as a promising therapeutic target, in particular for the treatment of diseases associated with myelin deficiencies, such as multiple sclerosis and leukodystrophies. Because development of therapeutics to block Lingo-1 specific interactions may lead to a new class of inhibitors, the atomic details of its ligand-recognition module should have an immediate impact on the discovery of such inhibitors. With this goal in view, we have produced recombinant soluble Lingo-1 protein, confirmed its biological and functional binding activity, and determined its ectodomain crystal structure to 2.7-Å resolution. The structure provides the first atomic insights into this new member of an apparently unique signaling protein family that contains both LRR and Ig-like domains in their extracellular region. Structural and solution characterization of this molecule reveal another important and previously not recognized concept, oligomerization of Lingo-1, which may relate to the proposed role of Lingo-1 in the central nervous system. The unique structure of this molecule defines its potential functional binding sites and should now provide a basis for further research that will address physiological relevance of these findings to central nervous system function.
Protein Expression and PurificationAn extracellular portion of human Lingo-1 was expressed in lectin-resistant CHO Lec 3.2.8.1 [EC] cells as a C-terminal 6-His-tagged protein (residues 1-549, signal sequence 1-33). The human Lingo-1-His was subcloned into pSMEG vector behind a murine cytomegalovirus promoter and verified by sequencing analysis. CHO cells were grown and maintained in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2 at 37 °C. DNA transfection and large-scale production of conditioned cell culture media for Lec3.2.8.1 cells were performed as described previously (12). The media expressing Lingo-1-His was exchanged into a buffer of 1 M Tris, 100 mM NaCl, pH 8.0, to which a mixture of protease inhibitors (complete inhibitors from Roche Applied Science) was added. The protein was captured by nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid resin and then purified by gel-filtration chromatography (Superdex-200). NgR 1D4 (residues 27-451) fused at the C terminus with the 10-amino acid 1D4 epitope tag was expressed in CHO-A2 cells using the honeybee meletin secretory leader, then purified from the media by anti-1D4 affinity chromatography followed by gel filtration.
Neurite Outgrowth Assays96-well plates were coated with a thin layer of nitrocellulose (Bio-Rad) before incubating with Lingo-1-His or control IgG-Fc (R&D Systems) proteins in the presence of 2.5 µg/ml MAG-Fc (R&D Systems) at 4 °C overnight. Wells were subsequently coated with 17 µg/ml of poly-D-lysine (Sigma), followed by an incubation in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. Postnatal day 5 rat cerebella granule neurons were dissociated and seeded at a density of 1 x 104 cells per well. Cells were cultured for 18-20 h before being fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde and stained with a neuronal specific anti- Cell-based Binding Assays25,000 CHO-DUKX cells stably expressing NgR and p75 were seeded overnight in 96-well plate and then incubated with various concentration of Lingo-1-His in Hanks' balanced salt buffer with 1%fetal bovine serum, 20 nM HEPES for 2 h at 37°C. Alkaline phosphatase-conjugated anti-His IgG was added, and the mixture was incubated for another hour. Bound Lingo-1-His was detected by incubation with AttoPhos substrate (Promega) at 0.6 mg/ml for half an hour and read on Flex Station (emission: 440 nm, excitation: 560 nm).
Biacore ExperimentsSurface plasmon resonance with BIA-core was used to determine the equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) between NgR 1D4 and Lingo-1-His. NgR 1D 4 was immobilized onto a CM5 chip using amine-coupling chemistry. A titration series using 2-fold serial dilutions was performed with the analyte Lingo-1-His ranging in concentration from 10 to 0.039 µM.A KD of
CrystallizationTo obtain diffraction quality crystals, the 6-His tag and stalk region were removed by proteolytic treatment with chymotrypsin for 2 h at 18°C. The cleaved Lingo-1 was further purified and analyzed by gel filtration, SDS-PAGE, and mass spectrometry (molecular mass
Data Collection, Phasing, and RefinementTwo data sets obtained from crystals of space group I222 were used for phase determination: the 3.5-Å native data set and the 3.6-Å data set for the platinum derivative, both measured in house with Saturn92 CCD mounted on an FR-E CuK
The initial positions of platinum atoms in the derivative crystal were located with SHELXD (2001 Bruker-AXS, XM, version 6.12) using anomalous differences of platinum atoms at the CuK The final model contains 4 protein molecules (residues A1-477, B3-475, C2-477, and D3-476), 39 N-acetylglucosamine and 12 mannose residues, and 310 water molecules. Residues 1-2 at the N termini of B, C, and D, 476-477 at the C termini of B and D, and residues D32-34 were not modeled into the structure due to the lack of adequate electron density, presumably because of disordering. Geometric analysis of the final refined structure performed with MolProbity (19) places 94% of all residues in favored regions and 0.16% as outliers. Statistics for data collection, phasing, and refinement are summarized in Table 1.
Chemical Cross-linkingThe solution state of Lingo-1 (residues 1-478) was analyzed by chemical cross-linking and dynamic light scattering, and of Lingo1-His by analytical centrifugation. To achieve a substantial level of cross-linking, 50 µM Lingo-1 in 50 mM Tris, pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl was buffer exchanged with 50 mM Tris, pH 8.7, 150 mM NaCl using a desalting column. The buffer exchanged Lingo-1 at 50 µM was incubated with 75 µM glutaraldehyde at 18 °C for 2 h. Cross-linked Lingo-1 was purified away from glutaraldehyde by washing the mixture several times with 50 mM Tris; pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, followed by concentration of the protein using a Microcon. As a negative control, Lingo-1 in 50 mM Tris, pH 8.7, 150 mM NaCl was incubated at 18 °C for 2 h. Both these samples were run on 4-12% Bis-Tris SDS-PAGE gel and protein bands were visualized by Coomassie staining. Dynamic Light ScatteringThe hydrodynamic radius of Lingo-1 was measured at various protein concentrations (ranged from 4 to 125 µM) using a DynaPro DLS instrument. Each protein sample was centrifuged at 13,000 rpm for 15 min to remove any particulates. The supernatant was transferred to a quartz cuvette, and 10-20 readings at 18 °C were averaged per sample.
Analytical UltracentrifugationSedimentation equilibrium experiments were performed on a Beckman XLI/XLA analytical ultracentrifuge at 20 °C at three different rotor speeds (9,000, 12,000, and 18,000 r.p.m.) and four concentrations (1.0, 5.8, 16.6, and 49.3 µM). Samples were loaded into six-channel (1.2-cm path length) carbon-Epon centerpieces in an An-50 Ti titanium rotor. Scans were recorded at 230, 250, and 280 nm with a 0.001-cm spacing and ten replicates per point, and equilibrium was judged to be achieved when there was no deviation between successive scans taken 3 h apart. Data were analyzed by nonlinear regression with WinNONLIN (20). The solvent density and viscosity were calculated with the program Sednterp (21). The data were fit to different associating models (monomer-dimer-trimer, monomer-dimer-trimer-tetramer, and monomer-dimer-tetramer). The residual, variance of the fit, and R2 were used to judge how well the data fit to the different models. Better fits were obtained for protein concentrations <50 µM, and the best fit was for a monomer-dimer-tetramer equilibrium model. Association constants for monomerdimer-tetramer equilibria obtained from WinNONLIN were converted from absorbance (Kn,abs) to molar units (Kn,M) with the equation, Kn,M = Kn,abs( Sequence AnalysisThe set of homologous Lingo-1 sequences was retrieved with a BLAST search from the publicly available protein data base UniProt (Swissprot, TrEMBL, and PIR). The ectodomain regions (amino acids 1-477) of Lingo-1 sequences (primary accession numbers: Q96FE5_Human, Q9N008_Macfa, Q5RDJ4_Ponpy, Q9D1T0_Mouse, Q50L44_Chick, andQ562A6_Rat) were extracted, subsequentlyanalyzed, and aligned by using FASTA (22). GraphicsThe figures were generated using COOT (17) and PyMol.4
Functional Characterization and Structure Determination of Recombinant Lingo-1To obtain a homogeneous high mannose glycoform of the protein suitable for crystallography studies, the extracellular portion of glycosylated recombinant human Lingo-1 (amino acids 1-516, coding sequence 34-549, plus a C-terminal 6-histidine tag) was produced in lectin-resistant CHO Lec 3.2.8.1 [EC] cells and purified to homogeneity as described under "Experimental Procedures." The obtained recombinant Lingo-1-His was evaluated in a neurite outgrowth assay and examined for binding to its partners NgR and p75. We first established that neurite outgrowth from cerebellar granule neurons can be inhibited by immobilized MAG-Fc but not control IgG-Fc and then showed that Lingo-1-His is able to completely reverse the MAG-induced neurite outgrowth inhibition (Fig. 2, A-C). The physical interaction of Lingo-1-His with NgR- and p75-expressing CHO cells was demonstrated in a separate experiment (Fig. 2D). We also examined the interaction of the Lingo-1-His protein with NgR in vitro, employing a surface plasmon resonance assay (Fig. 2E). The steady-state equilibrium analysis indicated that soluble Lingo-1-His maintained micromolar affinity binding (Kd 1 µM) to the immobilized soluble NgR. Although the use of immobilized and truncated proteins may not accurately reflect the binding affinities of these proteins on the cell surface, these data confirm that Lingo-1 structural determinants required for recognition of NgR are sufficiently contained within its ectodomain.
Crystallization of the full-length ectodomain of Lingo-1-His produced small weakly diffracting crystals. Cleavage of the His tag and stalk region prior to crystallization, so that the resultant ectodomain extended from residues 1 to 478, yielded two new crystal forms, the best of which (crystal form P21212) diffracted to 2.7-Å resolution. The quaternary arrangement of the protein is the same in both crystal forms analyzed. In the I222 crystal form, the dimer of dimers is crystallographic in nature, whereas in the P21212 form, the same configuration is generated by four independent Lingo-1 molecules in the asymmetric unit. Experimental phases were derived by single isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering (SIRAS) followed by molecular averaging and solvent flattening. A complete model for the four molecules in the crystallographic asymmetric unit was built iteratively and refined to an R-value of 21.5% (Rfree = 25.5%) at 2.7-Å resolution. A representative portion of the resultant electron density map is shown in Fig. 3A, and the summary of the data collection, phasing, and refinement statistics is given in Table 1. All four molecules adopt similar, but not identical, conformations; the root mean square (r.m.s.) deviations of 0.5-1.3 Å for C
Protomer ArchitectureProtomers of Lingo-1 fold into a two-module, kinked structure resembling a question mark (Fig. 3B). The N-terminal LRR module (residues 1-382) is an elongated, fairly deep arc with 15 parallel
Immediately following the LRR module is a compact Ig module (residues 383-477), which belongs to the I1 subset of Ig domains (26, 27). The five-strand
GlycosylationThe glycoform of Lingo-1 in lectin-resistant CHO cells is expected to be predominantly high mannose type glycans such as Man5GlcNAc2, which is consistent with mass spectrometry data (not shown). The sequence of the crystallized protein contains eight potential N-glycosylation consensus sites. Six of them are located in the LRR domain (Asn105, Asn163, Asn225, Asn235, Asn254, and Asn302) and two in the IgI1 domain (Asn453 and Asn466). Of these eight predicted sites, all but one (Asn466) is found to be occupied. The putative site at Asn466-X-Ser468, located on the exterior A'CC'FG surface, is concluded unoccupied based on both the lack of electron density and on the observed interactions of Asn466 in the intermolecular interface that is described in more detail later. The glycan cores at the remaining seven sites, for which densities can be assigned unambiguously, are found throughout the structure as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Remarkably, out of four LRR faces, only the convex surface is free of carbohydrate. By contrast, the concave and two major side surfaces are evenly glycosylated, each bearing two N-linked glycans. The last glycan maps to the A'CC'FG face of the IgI1 domain, but to the far membrane-proximal end of the domain, thereby rendering much of its surface still accessible.
In general, the presence of extensive glycosylation on glycoprotein surfaces limits their accessibility for interaction with ligands, and in most cases surfaces that are not covered with glycan chains are located where the ligands are predicted to bind. In most if not all LRR-related ligand complexes solved to date, the concave face of the LRR structure is essential for ligand-binding activities (29). In this regard, glycan decoration on the corresponding surface of Lingo-1 is quite unexpected though not unprecedented. The other LRR structure that revealed a high density glycosylation pattern on the concave face, which was otherwise thought to be a ligand-binding site, is that of human Toll-like receptor TLR3 (30).
To our knowledge, the role of glycosylation in Lingo-1 function has not been investigated. The importance and biochemical role of oligosaccharides in glycoproteins in general is well established, including protease protection, protein trafficking, folding, stability, and molecular geometry. In line with this, we found Lingo-1 to be consistently unstable upon deglycosylation in vitro, with a significant tendency to precipitate or aggregate over a wide pH range. Interestingly, of the seven occupied sites, two glycans that reside within the LRR concave
TetramerizationThe structural relatedness of the two individual modules reflects directly on their ability to assemble into a high order tetramer, which we observe both in the crystals and by studies in solution. In the reported structure (crystal form P21212), the four crystallographically unique Lingo-1 molecules wind around each other in a circular ring-like fashion to form a closed tetramer (Fig. 5A). The resultant structure has an approximate 4-fold axis of symmetry (C4) and approximate dimensions of 110 x 110 x 65 Å with a central hole of a diameter of
The observed mode of tetramerization yields four interfaces, all showing essentially the same geometry. The arrangement at each employs the bent cleft of one molecule as a binding site for another molecule (Fig. 5B), thus the packing of three surfaces: two from the cleft furnished as described above (C-terminal repeats 10-12, helix
By contrast, the other half of the interface is largely through hydrophobic patches. The central elements of this interaction are four strands C, C', F, and G and four consecutive backloop regions of repeats 3-6 that curve along the opposing strands roughly following their directions. There are in total fourteen direct carbon-to-carbon contacts (Fig. 5B, bottom) and only two potential hydrogen bond contacts (Lys424 N -Asn163' O; Asn466 N 2-Ile95' O). The potential glycosylation site Asn466-X-Ser468 is part of the interface, contributing a fairly large surface area of interaction (Asn466 has a total fractional accessibility index of 23%). Such important involvement is of apparent consequence: if it were utilized in the mature protein, glycosylation would cause a steric clash and prevent binding of a partner molecule. Our solution studies indicate that the lack of glycosylation at this position is not an artifact of the mutant CHO cell line, because we were able to detect similar size tetramers with the Lingo-1 HEK cell-derived material (data not shown), a result that would be unlikely if this very site were glycosylated.
Tight packing requirements favor the presence of several glycine residues on both sides of the interface (positions 320, 464, 465, 74', 98', and 102'). Other details of this interaction include a few buried water molecules, the role of which is presumably to optimize the electrostatic complementarity of binding regions. Small differences in the ectodomain tilt angle (
The many interactions between the two monomers bury a surface area of
Classification of Possible Ligand Binding SitesThe availability of the Lingo-1 structure may now facilitate a number of experiments, among which are site-directed mutagenesis and computational docking. To identify likely functional sites on Lingo-1, which could then help the strategies in future experiments, we analyzed its molecular structure in the context of both monomer and tetramer forms. This involved consideration of evolutionary conserved sequences, electrostatic surface potentials, carbohydrate exposure, and common characteristics that have emerged from the structures of other LRR- and Ig-related protein complexes.
Lingo-1 has a high degree of evolutional conservation, with 92.7-99.8% extracellular sequence identity among human and homologous monkey, mouse, rat, and chicken (see "Experimental Procedures" for sequence accession information), which suggest a precise biologically relevant function. The seventeen non-conservative mutations are shown in Fig. 7A. The remained conserved patterns, with much of the concave face, the self-recognition motifs, and glycosylation motifs, identify surfaces that may be important for ligand binding, oligomerization, or the structural integrity of folding topology.
Various studies have documented the key role of both electrostatic attraction and hydrophobic interaction upon protein-protein complexation (32). When the calculated electrostatic potentials are mapped on the molecular surface of Lingo-1, it becomes clear that tetramerization of Lingo-1 creates a large change in surface electrostatic potential (Fig. 7B, see also Fig. 4). This indicates a higher surface charge density and less hydrophobic nature for the tetrameric Lingo-1 molecules as compared with the monomeric molecules. The exposure of large hydrophobic patches on a protein surface is in general energetically unfavorable, and such is the case with intact Lingo-1 monomers. Upon tetramerization,
Further, because the tetramer reveals relatively fewer solvent-exposed hydrophobic residues, the interaction between Lingo-1 and its non-self ligands would be expected to involve a significant electrostatic component. In this vein, we find that the charge distribution on the composite tetramer surface is more striking, leading to the concept that the specificity of Lingo-1 may be largely due to its oligomeric structure and not its individual binding sites. Specifically, a remarkably large area of continuous positive charge, which develops on the molecule front face, could constitute an essential binding site for acidic p75 or a still unidentified acidic protein. Fourteen basic residues combine here from two facing molecules (arginines and lysines; all conserved across the species analyzed) to give this surface a V-shaped positive potential (Fig. 7B). Another note of interest is a net positive potential of the interior of the ring, which is due to repetitive clusters of arginine and histidine residues.
Extrapolating from knowledge of structurally available LRR-ligand complexes (29), two other surfaces on Lingo-1, both unobscured in the tetramer, deserve special mention: the concave face of the LRR module and the ABDE face of the IgI1 module. Examples of the LRR-ligand complexes suggest that, perhaps for Lingo-1, too, binding with ligands occurs at or near the concave LRR
Finally, the structure of the Ig-like module of Lingo-1 evokes comparison with that of the Ig3 module of NCAM. Because both Lingo-1 and NCAM are part of a larger integrated family of cell adhesion-modulating molecules, the topological similarity of the referred domains can be interpreted in terms of evolutionary relationships. Although NCAM utilizes this general folding motif, namely the surface on its ABDE face, to mediate self-adhesive complexes on opposing cells (28), other members of this large family, such as cadherins, accomplish cell-cell adhesion by using a similar, though less closely related to IgI1, folding scheme. For instance, the hCE1 domain of E-cadherin, apart from being a docking site for Listeria internalin, is the primarily mediator of homotypic adhesion between epithelial cells (37, 33). In Lingo-1, the corresponding ABDE side on the IgI1 module is not involved in tetramer formation (Fig. 7B), rendering it available for other interactions and suggesting that this module, like that of LRR, may play an integrated role in oligomer formation and the recognition of a co-receptor. The probability of this, solely on the basis of topological homology, can be hard to assess but worth exploring, particularly in light of the precedence set by interactions between Ig-like and LRR domains of different molecules, as is the case with internalin/hEC1, NgR/MAG (38, 25), and now with Lingo-1/self. With this frame of reference, it is tempting to speculate that the NgR LRR may interact with the outward-facing surface of the Lingo-1 IgI1. The positions in this solvent-facing ABDE sheet are occupied by mostly charged, highly conserved residues (Fig. 8B), except for two (Gln404 is substituted with histidine in chicken and Asp440 is replaced by glycine in monkey, see also Fig. 7A). The spacing between the IgI1 domains in the tetramer (
Concluding RemarksThe biological importance of Lingo-1 in central nervous system recognition and signaling events has only recently come to light. As a member of an emerging family of brain-enriched neuronal growth molecules and as part of the myelin-stimulated Nogo receptor complex, Lingo-1 has a demonstrated role in transducing in vitro processes of neurite inhibition and axonal collapse that likely relate to critical processes modulating regeneration occurring in the damaged brain. An understanding of how this signaling is orchestrated is greatly hindered by the lack of structural information on the functional binding sites and the stoichiometry of the receptor complex. The Lingo-1 structural data described here revealed the unusual concept of an LRR protein tetramerization, which we further examined and confirmed by studies of Lingo-1 in solution. This unexpected architecture of Lingo-1 gives a framework for the design of experiments to address the biological relevance of oligomerization, and in particular, the still unresolved questions about the stoichiometry of the Lin-go-1 receptor complex. Many studies on signaling-receptor proteins have shown evidence that oligomerization has a role in regulating receptor functions by influencing ligand binding and signaling properties (23). In its association with itself, Lingo-1 may provide a mechanism for assembly of the receptor complex components, localizing their signaling functions to the sites of neuronal pathways that terminate axon growth. Accordingly, Lingo-1 may need to form tetramers at the cell surface to have distinct binding sites, relative to the monomer. For example, the signaling complex may consist of four of each binding receptor components (4:4:4) rather than one (1:1:1). Given, however, that Lingo-1 molecules may not necessarily be present as oligomers in the basal state, prior to receptor binding, the mode of Lingo-1 self-interaction observed in the crystal may occur during activation. Lingo-1 appears to be integrated in several central nervous system processes, with the ability to bind multiple signaling molecules, and so its functional roles may vary, and different oligomerization mechanisms may be used in different contexts. Although the precise arrangement of the inhibitory complex awaits the solution of a crystal structure, the molecular structure of Lingo-1 obtained by the current work can provide useful information about potentially important functional binding sites that can already be integrated into therapeutic discovery programs. Functional validation of these sites should help the design of therapeutic strategies to block signals of axon growth inhibitors and to encourage remyelination.
The atomic coordinates and structure factors (code 2ID5) have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank, Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (http://www.rcsb.org/).
* The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact. 1 To whom correspondence may be addressed: Dept. of Chemical and Screening Sciences, Wyeth Research, 200 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140. Tel.: 617-665-5208; Fax: 617-665-8993; E-mail: lmosyak{at}wyeth.com. 2 To whom correspondence may be addressed: Dept. of Chemical and Screening Sciences, Wyeth Research, 200 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140. Tel.: 617-665-5208; Fax: 617-665-8993; E-mail: wsomers{at}wyeth.com.
3 The abbreviations used are: MAG, myelin-associated glycoprotein; NgR, Nogo receptor; LRR, leucine-rich repeat; CHO, Chinese hamster ovary; Bis-Tris, 2-[bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]-2-(hydroxymethyl)propane-1,3-diol; r.m.s., root mean square; NCAM, neural cell adhesion molecule; SIRAS, single isomorphous replacement with anomalous scattering.
4 W. L. DeLano (2002) The PyMOL Molecular Graphics System, DeLano Scientific, San Carlos, CA.
We gratefully acknowledge x-ray resources provided by the Southeast Regional Collaborative Access Team 22-ID beamline at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory.
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