DJ-1 is a multifunctional protein that plays essential roles in organs with higher order biological functions such as testes and brains. DJ-1 is related to male fertility, and its expression level in sperm decreases in response to exposure to sperm toxicants. DJ-1 has also been identified as a hydroperoxide-responsive protein. Recently, a mutation of DJ-1 was found to be responsible for familial Parkinson's disease. Here, we present the crystal structure of DJ-1 refined to 1.95-Å resolution. DJ-1 forms a dimer in the crystal, and the monomer takes a flavodoxin-like Rossmann-fold. DJ-1 monomer is structurally most similar to the monomer subunit of protease I, the intracellular cysteine protease from
Pyrococcus horikoshii, and belongs to the Class I glutamine amidotransferase-like superfamily. However, DJ-1 contains an additional a-helix at the C-terminal region, which blocks the putative catalytic site of DJ-1 and appears to regulate the enzymatic activity. DJ-1 may induce conformational changes to acquire catalytic activity in response to oxidative stress.
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