Solution structure analysis of the HPV16 E6 oncoprotein reveals a self-association mechanism required for E6-mediated degradation of p53.

ABSTRACT: The viral oncoprotein E6 is an essential factor for cervical cancers induced by "high-risk" mucosal HPV. Among other oncogenic activities, E6 recruits the ubiquitin ligase E6AP to promote the ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation of p53. E6 is prone to self-association, which long precluded its structural analysis. Here we found that E6 specifically dimerizes through its N-terminal domain and that disruption of the dimer interface strongly increases E6 solubility. This allowed us to raise structural data covering the entire HPV16 E6 protein, including the high-resolution NMR structures of the two zinc-binding domains of E6 and a robust data-driven model structure of the N-terminal domain homodimer. Interestingly, homodimer interface mutations that disrupt E6 self-associatio

SUBMITTER: Zanier K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3325491 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature