Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the BRCT domains of human 53BP1 bound to the p53 tumour suppressor.

A complex of the DNA-binding domain of the tumour suppressor p53 bound to the BRCT domains of the p53-binding protein (53BP1) has been prepared and purified. Single crystals have been obtained using the microbatch technique with polyethylene glycol 4 kDa and ammonium sulfate. Crystals diffract X-rays to beyond 2.3 A and belong to the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1). Several complete data sets have been collected from a number of crystals, each with different unit-cell parameters. Partial structures have been produced by successful placement of two copies of the p53 core region into the asymmetric unit. There is clear evidence for the binding protein and a complete structure determination is under way.

Crystal structure of human 53BP1 BRCT domains bound to p53 tumour suppressor.

The BRCT (BRCA1 C-terminus) is an evolutionary conserved protein-protein interacting module found as single, tandem or multiple repeats in a diverse range of proteins known to play roles in the DNA-damage response. The BRCT domains of 53BP1 bind to the tumour suppressor p53. To investigate the nature of this interaction, we have determined the crystal structure of the 53BP1 BRCT tandem repeat in complex with the DNA-binding domain of p53. The structure of the 53BP1-p53 complex shows that the BRCT tandem repeats pack together through a conserved interface that also involves the inter-domain linker. A comparison of the structure of the BRCT region of 53BP1 with the BRCA1 BRCT tandem repeat reveals that the interdomain interface and linker regions are remarkably well conserved. 53BP1 binds to p53 through contacts with the N-terminal BRCT repeat and the inter-BRCT linker. The p53 residues involved in this binding are mutated in cancer and are also important for DNA binding. We propose that BRCT domains bind to cellular target proteins through a conserved structural element termed the 'BRCT recognition motif'.