A Novel Regulator of Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase/APOBECs in Immunity and Cancer: Schrodinger's CATalytic Pocket.

ABSTRACT: Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) and its relative APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases boost immune response by mutating immune or viral genes. Because of their genome-mutating activities, AID/APOBECs are also drivers of tumorigenesis. Due to highly charged surfaces, extensive non-specific protein-protein/nucleic acid interactions, formation of polydisperse oligomers, and general insolubility, structure elucidation of these proteins by X-ray crystallography and NMR has been challenging. Hence, almost all available AID/APOBEC structures are of mutated and/or truncated versions. In 2015, we reported a functional structure for AID using a combined computational-biochemical approach. In so doing, we described a new regulatory mechanism that is a first for human DNA/RNA-editing enzymes. This

SUBMITTER: King JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5382155 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature