PMID: 15133503 , Related PDB ids: 1T2U, 1T2V

Authors:

Williams RS, Lee MS, Hau DD, Glover JN

Title:

Structural basis of phosphopeptide recognition by the BRCT domain of BRCA1.

Journal:

Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2004 Jun;11(6):519-25. Epub 2004 May 9.

Abstract:

The BRCT repeats in BRCA1 are essential for its tumor suppressor activity and interact with phosphorylated protein targets containing the sequence pSer-X-X-Phe, where X indicates any residue. The structure of the tandem BRCA1 BRCT repeats bound to an optimized phosphopeptide reveals that the N-terminal repeat harbors a conserved BRCT phosphoserine-binding pocket, while the interface between the repeats forms a hydrophobic groove that recognizes the phenylalanine. Crystallographic and biochemical data suggest that the structural integrity of both binding sites is essential for peptide recognition. The diminished peptide-binding capacity observed for cancer-associated BRCA1-BRCT variants may explain the enhanced cancer risks associated with these mutations.