A homologue of the Parkinson's disease-associated protein LRRK2 undergoes a monomer-dimer transition during GTP turnover

Nat Commun. 2017 Oct 18;8(1):1008. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-01103-4.

Abstract

Mutations in LRRK2 are a common cause of genetic Parkinson's disease (PD). LRRK2 is a multi-domain Roco protein, harbouring kinase and GTPase activity. In analogy with a bacterial homologue, LRRK2 was proposed to act as a GTPase activated by dimerization (GAD), while recent reports suggest LRRK2 to exist under a monomeric and dimeric form in vivo. It is however unknown how LRRK2 oligomerization is regulated. Here, we show that oligomerization of a homologous bacterial Roco protein depends on the nucleotide load. The protein is mainly dimeric in the nucleotide-free and GDP-bound states, while it forms monomers upon GTP binding, leading to a monomer-dimer cycle during GTP hydrolysis. An analogue of a PD-associated mutation stabilizes the dimer and decreases the GTPase activity. This work thus provides insights into the conformational cycle of Roco proteins and suggests a link between oligomerization and disease-associated mutations in LRRK2.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Chlorobium / chemistry
  • Chlorobium / enzymology*
  • Chlorobium / genetics
  • Dimerization
  • Guanosine Triphosphate / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Hydrolysis
  • Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2 / chemistry*
  • Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2 / genetics
  • Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2 / metabolism*
  • Mutation
  • Parkinson Disease / enzymology*
  • Parkinson Disease / genetics
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Guanosine Triphosphate
  • Leucine-Rich Repeat Serine-Threonine Protein Kinase-2