Ezrin interacts with S100A4 via both its N- and C-terminal domains

PLoS One. 2017 May 11;12(5):e0177489. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177489. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Ezrin belongs to the ERM (ezrin, radixin, moesin) protein family that has a role in cell morphology changes, adhesion and migration as an organizer of the cortical cytoskeleton by linking actin filaments to the apical membrane of epithelial cells. It is highly expressed in a variety of human cancers and promotes metastasis. Members of the Ca2+-binding EF-hand containing S100 proteins have similar pathological properties; they are overexpressed in cancer cells and involved in metastatic processes. In this study, using tryptophan fluorescence and stopped-flow kinetics, we show that S100A4 binds to the N-terminal ERM domain (N-ERMAD) of ezrin with a micromolar affinity. The binding involves the F2 lobe of the N-ERMAD and follows an induced fit kinetic mechanism. Interestingly, S100A4 binds also to the unstructured C-terminal actin binding domain (C-ERMAD) with similar affinity. Using NMR spectroscopy, we characterized the complex of S100A4 with the C-ERMAD and demonstrate that no ternary complex is simultaneously formed with the two ezrin domains. Furthermore, we show that S100A4 co-localizes with ezrin in HEK-293T cells. However, S100A4 very weakly binds to full-length ezrin in vitro indicating that the interaction of S100A4 with ezrin requires other regulatory events such as protein phosphorylation and/or membrane binding, shifting the conformational equilibrium of ezrin towards the open state. As both proteins play an important role in promoting metastasis, the characterization of their interaction could shed more light on the molecular events contributing to this pathological process.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Binding / genetics
  • Protein Binding / physiology
  • Protein Domains / genetics
  • Protein Domains / physiology
  • S100 Calcium-Binding Protein A4 / metabolism*
  • Tryptophan / metabolism

Substances

  • Cytoskeletal Proteins
  • S100 Calcium-Binding Protein A4
  • ezrin
  • Tryptophan

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office K108437 and K119359 to László Nyitray and the Momentum Program of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences LP 2012-025 to László Homolya. We also acknowledge the support of the MedInProt program of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the National Development Agency Grant (KMOP-4.2.1/B-10-2011). Beáta Biri-Kovács was supported through the New National Excellence Program of the Ministry of Human Capacities.