Wofford, H.A.; Myers-Dean, J.; Vogel, B.A.; Alamo, K.A.E.; Longshore-Neate, F.A.; Jagodzinski, F.; Amacher, J.F. Domain Analysis and Motif Matcher (DAMM): A Program to Predict Selectivity Determinants in Monosiga brevicollis PDZ Domains Using Human PDZ Data. Molecules2021, 26, 6034.
Wofford, H.A.; Myers-Dean, J.; Vogel, B.A.; Alamo, K.A.E.; Longshore-Neate, F.A.; Jagodzinski, F.; Amacher, J.F. Domain Analysis and Motif Matcher (DAMM): A Program to Predict Selectivity Determinants in Monosiga brevicollis PDZ Domains Using Human PDZ Data. Molecules 2021, 26, 6034.
Wofford, H.A.; Myers-Dean, J.; Vogel, B.A.; Alamo, K.A.E.; Longshore-Neate, F.A.; Jagodzinski, F.; Amacher, J.F. Domain Analysis and Motif Matcher (DAMM): A Program to Predict Selectivity Determinants in Monosiga brevicollis PDZ Domains Using Human PDZ Data. Molecules2021, 26, 6034.
Wofford, H.A.; Myers-Dean, J.; Vogel, B.A.; Alamo, K.A.E.; Longshore-Neate, F.A.; Jagodzinski, F.; Amacher, J.F. Domain Analysis and Motif Matcher (DAMM): A Program to Predict Selectivity Determinants in Monosiga brevicollis PDZ Domains Using Human PDZ Data. Molecules 2021, 26, 6034.
Abstract
Choanoflagellates are single-celled eukaryotes with complex signaling pathways. They are considered the closest non-metazoan ancestors to mammals and other metazoans, and form multicellular-like states called rosettes. The choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis contains over 150 PDZ domains, an important peptide-binding domain in all three domains of life (Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya). Therefore, an understanding of PDZ domain signaling pathways in choanoflagellates may provide insight into the origins of multicellularity. PDZ domains recognize the C-terminus of target proteins and regulate signaling and trafficking pathways, as well as cellular adhesion. Here, we developed a computational program, Domain Analysis and Motif Matcher (DAMM), that predicts target specificity in choanoflagellate PDZ domains by analyzing peptide-binding cleft sequence identity as compared to human PDZ domains. We used this program, protein biochemistry, fluorescence polarization, and structural analyses to characterize the specificity of A9UPE9_MONBE, a M. brevicollis PDZ domain-containing protein with no homology to any metazoan protein, finding that its PDZ domain is most similar to those of the DLG family. We then identified two endogenous sequences that bind A9UPE9 PDZ with <100 M affinity, a value commonly considered the threshold for cellular PDZ-peptide interactions. Taken together, this approach can be used to predict cellular targets of previously uncharacterized PDZ domains in choanoflagellates and other organisms. Our data contributes to investigations into choanoflagellate signaling and how it informs metazoan evolution.
Biology and Life Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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