Accession Number:
AD1095581
Title:
TDP-43 Alpha-Helical Structure Tunes Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation and Function
Descriptive Note:
Journal Article - Open Access
Corporate Author:
NAVAL RESEARCH LAB WASHINGTON DC WASHINGTON United States
Personal Author(s):
Report Date:
2020-03-04
Pagination or Media Count:
12.0
Abstract:
Liquid-liquid phase separation LLPS is involved in the formation of membraneless organelles MLOs associated with RNA processing. The RNA-binding protein TDP-43 is present in several MLOs, undergoes LLPS, and has been linked to the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS. While some ALS-associated mutations in TDP-43 disrupt self-interaction and function, here we show that designed single mutations can enhance TDP-43 assembly and function via modulating helical structure. Using molecular simulation and NMR spectroscopy, we observe large structural changes upon dimerization of TDP-43. Two conserved glycine residues G335 and G338 are potent inhibitors of helical extension and helix-helix interaction, which are removed in part by variants at these positions, including the ALS-associated G335D. Substitution to helix-enhancing alanine at either of these positions dramatically enhances phase separation in vitro and decreases fluidity of phase-separated TDP-43 reporter compartments in cells. Furthermore, G335A increases TDP-43 splicing function in a minigene assay. Therefore, the TDP-43 helical region serves as a short but uniquely tunable module where application of biophysical principles can precisely control assembly and function in cellular and synthetic biology applications of LLPS.