Dynamical Oligomerisation of Histidine Rich Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Is Regulated through Zinc-Histidine Interactions

Carolina Cragnell, Lasse Staby, Samuel Lenton, Birthe B. Kragelund, Marie Skepö

9 Citations (Scopus)
10 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) can form functional oligomers and in some cases, insoluble disease related aggregates. It is therefore vital to understand processes and mechanisms that control pathway distribution. Divalent cations including Zn2+ can initiate IDP oligomerisation through the interaction with histidine residues but the mechanisms of doing so are far from understood. Here we apply a multi-disciplinary approach using small angle X-ray scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, calorimetry and computations to show that that saliva protein Histatin 5 forms highly dynamic oligomers in the presence of Zn2+. The process is critically dependent upon interaction between Zn2+ ions and distinct histidine rich binding motifs which allows for thermodynamic switching between states. We propose a molecular mechanism of oligomerisation, which may be generally applicable to other histidine rich IDPs. Finally, as Histatin 5 is an important saliva component, we suggest that Zn2+ induced oligomerisation may be crucial for maintaining saliva homeostasis.

Original languageEnglish
Article number168
JournalBiomolecules
Volume9
Issue number5
Number of pages20
ISSN2218-273X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2019

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