Sl. Bell et al., Role of the cystine-knot motif at the C-terminus of rat mucin protein Muc2in dimer formation and secretion, BIOCHEM J, 357, 2001, pp. 203-209
DNA constructs based on the 534-amino-acid C-terminus of rat mucin protein
Muc2 (RMC), were transfected into COS cells and the resultant S-35-labelled
dimers and monomers were detected by SDS/PAGE of immunoprecipitates. The c
ystine-knot construct, encoding the C-terminal 115 amino acids, appeared in
cell lysates as a 45 kDa dimer, but was not secreted. A construct, devoid
of the cystine knot, failed to form dimers. Site-specific mutagenesis withi
n the cystine knot was performed on a conserved unpaired cysteine (designat
ed Cys-X), which has been implicated in some cystine-knot-containing growth
factors as being important for intermolecular disulphide-bond formation. D
imerization of RMC was effectively abolished. Each cysteine (Cys-1-Cys-6) c
omprising the three intramolecular disulphide bonds of the cystine knot was
then mutated. Dimer formation was impaired in each case, although much les
s so for the Cys-3 mutant than the others. Abnormal high-molecular-mass, di
sulphide-dependent aggregates formed with mutations Cys-1, Cys-2, Cys-4 and
Cys-5 and were poorly secreted. It is concluded that the intact cystine-1;
not domain is essential for dimerization of the C-terminal domain of rat M
uc2, and that residue Cys-X in the knot plays a key role. The structural in
tegrity of the cystine knot, maintained by intramolecular bonds Cys-1-Cys-4
, Cys-2-Cys-5 and Cys-3-Cys-6, also appears to be important for dimerizatio
n, probably by allowing correct positioning of the unpaired Cys-X residue f
or stable intermolecular cystine-bond Formation.