6qpj
Human CLOCK PAS-A domain
Structural highlights
Function[CLOCK_HUMAN] Transcriptional activator which forms a core component of the circadian clock. The circadian clock, an internal time-keeping system, regulates various physiological processes through the generation of approximately 24 hour circadian rhythms in gene expression, which are translated into rhythms in metabolism and behavior. It is derived from the Latin roots 'circa' (about) and 'diem' (day) and acts as an important regulator of a wide array of physiological functions including metabolism, sleep, body temperature, blood pressure, endocrine, immune, cardiovascular, and renal function. Consists of two major components: the central clock, residing in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the brain, and the peripheral clocks that are present in nearly every tissue and organ system. Both the central and peripheral clocks can be reset by environmental cues, also known as Zeitgebers (German for 'timegivers'). The predominant Zeitgeber for the central clock is light, which is sensed by retina and signals directly to the SCN. The central clock entrains the peripheral clocks through neuronal and hormonal signals, body temperature and feeding-related cues, aligning all clocks with the external light/dark cycle. Circadian rhythms allow an organism to achieve temporal homeostasis with its environment at the molecular level by regulating gene expression to create a peak of protein expression once every 24 hours to control when a particular physiological process is most active with respect to the solar day. Transcription and translation of core clock components (CLOCK, NPAS2, ARNTL/BMAL1, ARNTL2/BMAL2, PER1, PER2, PER3, CRY1 and CRY2) plays a critical role in rhythm generation, whereas delays imposed by post-translational modifications (PTMs) are important for determining the period (tau) of the rhythms (tau refers to the period of a rhythm and is the length, in time, of one complete cycle). A diurnal rhythm is synchronized with the day/night cycle, while the ultradian and infradian rhythms have a period shorter and longer than 24 hours, respectively. Disruptions in the circadian rhythms contribute to the pathology of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, metabolic syndromes and aging. A transcription/translation feedback loop (TTFL) forms the core of the molecular circadian clock mechanism. Transcription factors, CLOCK or NPAS2 and ARNTL/BMAL1 or ARNTL2/BMAL2, form the positive limb of the feedback loop, act in the form of a heterodimer and activate the transcription of core clock genes and clock-controlled genes (involved in key metabolic processes), harboring E-box elements (5'-CACGTG-3') within their promoters. The core clock genes: PER1/2/3 and CRY1/2 which are transcriptional repressors form the negative limb of the feedback loop and interact with the CLOCK|NPAS2-ARNTL/BMAL1|ARNTL2/BMAL2 heterodimer inhibiting its activity and thereby negatively regulating their own expression. This heterodimer also activates nuclear receptors NR1D1/2 and RORA/B/G, which form a second feedback loop and which activate and repress ARNTL/BMAL1 transcription, respectively. CLOCK has an intrinsic acetyltransferase activity, which enables circadian chromatin remodeling by acetylating histones and nonhistone proteins, including its own partner ARNTL/BMAL1. Regulates the circadian expression of ICAM1, VCAM1, CCL2, THPO and MPL and also acts as an enhancer of the transactivation potential of NF-kappaB. Plays an important role in the homeostatic regulation of sleep. The CLOCK-ARNTL/BMAL1 heterodimer regulates the circadian expression of SERPINE1/PAI1, VWF, B3, CCRN4L/NOC, NAMPT, DBP, MYOD1, PPARGC1A, PPARGC1B, SIRT1, GYS2, F7, NGFR, GNRHR, BHLHE40/DEC1, ATF4, MTA1, KLF10 and also genes implicated in glucose and lipid metabolism. Represses glucocorticoid receptor NR3C1/GR-induced transcriptional activity by reducing the association of NR3C1/GR to glucocorticoid response elements (GREs) via the acetylation of multiple lysine residues located in its hinge region. Promotes rhythmic chromatin opening, regulating the DNA accessibility of other transcription factors. The CLOCK-ARNTL2/BMAL2 heterodimer activates the transcription of SERPINE1/PAI1 and BHLHE40/DEC1.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Publication Abstract from PubMedThe circadian clock is an endogenous time-keeping system that is ubiquitous in animals and plants as well as some bacteria. In mammals, the clock regulates the sleep-wake cycle via 2 basic helix-loop-helix PER-ARNT-SIM (bHLH-PAS) domain proteins-CLOCK and BMAL1. There is emerging evidence to suggest that heme affects circadian control, through binding of heme to various circadian proteins, but the mechanisms of regulation are largely unknown. In this work we examine the interaction of heme with human CLOCK (hCLOCK). We present a crystal structure for the PAS-A domain of hCLOCK, and we examine heme binding to the PAS-A and PAS-B domains. UV-visible and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies are consistent with a bis-histidine ligated heme species in solution in the oxidized (ferric) PAS-A protein, and by mutagenesis we identify His144 as a ligand to the heme. There is evidence for flexibility in the heme pocket, which may give rise to an additional Cys axial ligand at 20K (His/Cys coordination). Using DNA binding assays, we demonstrate that heme disrupts binding of CLOCK to its E-box DNA target. Evidence is presented for a conformationally mobile protein framework, which is linked to changes in heme ligation and which has the capacity to affect binding to the E-box. Within the hCLOCK structural framework, this would provide a mechanism for heme-dependent transcriptional regulation. Heme binding to human CLOCK affects interactions with the E-box.,Freeman SL, Kwon H, Portolano N, Parkin G, Venkatraman Girija U, Basran J, Fielding AJ, Fairall L, Svistunenko DA, Moody PCE, Schwabe JWR, Kyriacou CP, Raven EL Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Oct 1;116(40):19911-19916. doi:, 10.1073/pnas.1905216116. Epub 2019 Sep 16. PMID:31527239[8] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
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