Structural and Thermodynamic Characterization of a Cytoplasmic Dynein Light Chain-Intermediate Chain Complex
Cytoplasmic dynein is a microtubule-based motor protein complex that plays important roles in a wide range of fundamental cellular processes, including vesicular transport, mitosis, and cell migration. A single major form of cytoplasmic dynein associates with membranous organelles, mitotic kinetochores, the mitotic and migratory cell cortex, centrosomes, and mRNA complexes. The ability of cytoplasmic dynein to recognize such diverse forms of cargo is thought to be associated with its several accessory subunits, which reside at the base of the molecule. The dynein light chains (LCs) LC8 and TcTex1 form a subcomplex with dynein intermediate chains, and they also interact with numerous protein and ribonucleoprotein partners. This observation has led to the hypothesis that these subunits serve to tether cargo to the dynein motor. Here, we present the structure and a thermodynamic analysis of a complex of LC8 and TcTex1 associated with their intermediate chain scaffold. The intermediate chains effectively block the major putative cargo binding sites within the light chains. These data suggest that, in the dynein complex, the LCs do not bind cargo, in apparent disagreement with a role for LCs in dynein cargo binding interactions.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) National Synchrotron Light Source
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Doe - Office Of Science
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-98CH10886
- OSTI ID:
- 930672
- Report Number(s):
- BNL--81175-2008-JA
- Journal Information:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA Vol. 104; ISSN PNASA6; ISSN 0027-8424
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
A tunable LIC1-adaptor interaction modulates dynein activity in a cargo-specific manner
Localization of the human cytoplasmic dynein heavy chain (DNECL) to 14qter by fluorescence in situ hybridization