PMID: 18660822 , Related PDB ids: 2VJ2, 2VJ3

Authors:

Cordle J, Johnson S, Tay JZ, Roversi P, Wilkin MB, de Madrid BH, Shimizu H, Jensen S, Whiteman P, Jin B, Redfield C, Baron M, Lea SM, Handford PA

Title:

A conserved face of the Jagged/Serrate DSL domain is involved in Notch trans-activation and cis-inhibition.

Journal:

Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2008 Aug;15(8):849-57. Epub 2008 Jul 27.

Abstract:

The Notch receptor and its ligands are key components in a core metazoan signaling pathway that regulates the spatial patterning, timing and outcome of many cell-fate decisions. Ligands contain a disulfide-rich Delta/Serrate/LAG-2 (DSL) domain required for Notch trans-activation or cis-inhibition. Here we report the X-ray structure of a receptor binding region of a Notch ligand, the DSL-EGF3 domains of human Jagged-1 (J-1(DSL-EGF3)). The structure reveals a highly conserved face of the DSL domain, and we show, by functional analysis of Drosophila melanogster ligand mutants, that this surface is required for both cis- and trans-regulatory interactions with Notch. We also identify, using NMR, a surface of Notch-1 involved in J-1(DSL-EGF3) binding. Our data imply that cis- and trans-regulation may occur through the formation of structurally distinct complexes that, unexpectedly, involve the same surfaces on both ligand and receptor.