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© 2019 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved. The Rag guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) recruit the master kinase mTORC1 to lysosomes to regulate cell growth and proliferation in response to amino acid availability. The nucleotide state of Rag heterodimers is critical for their association with mTORC1. Our cryo–electron microscopy structure of RagA/RagC in complex with mTORC1 shows the details of RagA/RagC binding to the RAPTOR subunit of mTORC1 and explains why only the RagAGTP/RagCGDPnucleotide state binds mTORC1. Previous kinetic studies suggested that GTP binding to one Rag locks the heterodimer to prevent GTP binding to the other. Our crystal structures and dynamics of RagA/RagC show the mechanism for this locking and explain how oncogenic hotspot mutations disrupt this process. In contrast to allosteric activation by RHEB, Rag heterodimer binding does not change mTORC1 conformation and activates mTORC1 by targeting it to lysosomes.

Congenital heart block (CHB) is a potentially lethal condition characterized by a third-degree atrioventricular block (AVB). Despite anti-Ro52 antibodies being detected in nearly 90% of mothers of affected children, CHB occurs in only 1-2% of anti-Ro/Sjogrens-syndrome-related antigen A (SSA) autoantibody-positive pregnancies. Maternal antibodies have been suggested to bind molecules crucial to fetal cardiac function; however, it remains unknown whether a single antibody profile associates with CHB or whether several specificities and cross-reactive targets exist. Here, we aimed to define further the reactivity profile of CHB-associated antibodies towards Ro52p200 (amino acid 200-239). We first analysed reactivity of a monoclonal anti-Ro52 antibody shown to induce AVB in rats (7.8C7) and of sera from anti-Ro52p200 antibody-positive mothers of children with CHB towards a panel of modified Ro52p200 peptides, and subsequently evaluated their potential to induce AVB in rats upon transfer during gestation. We observed that CHB maternal sera displayed a homogeneous reactivity profile targeting preferentially the C-terminal part of Ro52p200, in contrast to 7.8C7 that specifically bound the p200 N-terminal end. In particular, amino acid D233 appeared crucial to maternal antibody reactivity towards p200. Despite low to absent reactivity towards rat p200 and different binding profiles towards mutated rat peptides indicating recognition of different epitopes within Ro52p200, immunoglobulin (Ig)G purified from two mothers of children with CHB could induce AVB in rats. Our findings support the hypothesis that several fine antibody specificities and cross-targets may exist and contribute to CHB development in anti-Ro52 antibody-positive pregnancies., Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council; Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation; Stockholm County Council; Karolinska Institute; Swedish Rheumatism Association; King Gustaf the Vth 80-year Foundation; Freemason Children Foundation Stockholm; Torsten and Ragnar Soderberg Foundation

Ro52 (TRIM21) is an E3 ligase of the tripartite motif family that negatively regulates proinflammatory cytokine production by ubiquitinating transcription factors of the interferon regulatory factor family. Autoantibodies to Ro52 are present in patients with lupus and Sjögren's syndrome, but it is not known if these autoantibodies affect the function of Ro52. To address this question, the requirements for Ro52 E3 ligase activity were first analyzed in detail. Scanning a panel of E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, we found that UBE2D1–4 and UBE2E1–2 supported the E3 ligase activity of Ro52 and that the E3 ligase activity of Ro52 was dependent on its RING domain. We also found that the N-terminal extensions in the class III E2 enzymes affected their interaction with Ro52. Although the N-terminal extension in UBE2E3 made this E2 enzyme unable to function together with Ro52, the N-terminal extensions in UBE2E1 and UBE2E2 allowed for a functional interaction with Ro52. Anti-Ro52-positive patient sera and affinity-purified anti-RING domain autoantibodies inhibited the E3 activity of Ro52 in ubiquitination assays. Using NMR, limited proteolysis, ELISA, and Ro52 mutants, we mapped the interactions between Ro52, UBE2E1, and anti-Ro52 autoantibodies. We found that anti-Ro52 autoantibodies inhibited the E3 ligase activity of Ro52 by sterically blocking the E2/E3 interaction between Ro52 and UBE2E1. Our data suggest that anti-Ro52 autoantibodies binding the RING domain of Ro52 may be actively involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatic autoimmune disease by inhibiting Ro52-mediated ubiquitination., Funding agencies|Swedish Research Council||Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research||VINNOVA||CeNano||Swedish Cancer Society||Karolinska Institutet||Linkoping University||King Gustaf Vs 80-Year Foundation||Heart-Lung Foundation||Stockholm County Council||Gustafsson Foundation||Soderberg Foundation||National Cancer Institute of Canada||Swedish Rheumatism Association||Wallenberg Foundation

The proto-oncogene c-myc affects the occurrence, expansion, and evolution of numerous aggressive human cancers, and is often associated with the late-stage and/or poor prognostic disease. Regulation of target gene activity by c-Myc occurs through protein interactions with the c-Myc transactivation domain (TAD) which, in addition to binding the TATA-binding protein (TBP) also recruits a wide variety of co-activators and suppressor proteins. Here, we present a molecular model, based on NMR, X-ray crystallography and SPR measurements, which describes how the c-Myc TAD binds to TBP. Our model contributes to the understanding of how c-Myc can regulate individual genes as well as entire gene programs.

TRIM21, a RlNG-containing E3 ubiquitin-ligase of the TRIM protein family, is a major autoantigen in SLE and Sjögren's syndrome as well as a modifier of interferon regulatory factors, thereby regulating innate immune signalling. We herein report the 2.86 Å crystal structure ofhuman TRIM211-91 comprising the RING domain (residues 16-55), in complex with the human E2 conjugating UBE2El enzyme (also denoted UbcH6). The crystal structure, joint with analysis by NMR and SAXS as well as structure-directed mutations and functional assays provides a detailed view of the specificity-determining contacts that support specific E2 recognition in the TRIM family. A detailed comparison of our structure with known E2 bound ubiquitin complexes, supported by biochemical analyses, reveals the molecular basis for TRIM21 interactions with donor ubiquitin that activates catalytic ubiquitin transfer. Finally, our structure convincingly demonstrates the placement of the Ub-targeted Lys61 of the adjacent TRIM211- 91 close to the catalytically active UBE2El cysteine, and how the Lys61 amide is activated fora nucleophilic attack by hydrogen-bondeffected deshielding by conserved acidic residues at the E2 active site. In all, our structural findings provide molecular details ofthe selectivity involved in TRIM21 interactions with its cognate UBE2E1 enzyme and how TRIM21 positions ubiquitin in a catalytic conformation for ubiquitin transfer, and presents a snapshot of the Ub ligation step on a specific target residue of TRIM211-91 as an auto-ubiquitinated pseudo-substrate at high concentration. Increased structural and functional understanding of the TRIM mediated ubiquitination will aid development ofnovel therapeutic approaches in the entire TRIM family ofproteins.