Crystal structure of a 123 amino acids dimerization domain of Drosophila Caprin

Cytoplasmic activation/proliferation-associated protein (Caprin) proteins assume diverse functions in many important biological processes, including synaptic plasticity, stress response, innate immune response, and cellular proliferation. The Caprin family members are characterized by the presence of a highly conserved homologous region (HR1) at the N-terminus and arginine-glycine-rich (RGG) boxes at the C-terminus. We had previously determined the crystal structures of human Caprin-1 and Caprin-2 fragments corresponding to the C-terminal 2/3 of HR1. Both fragments adopt homodimeric structures. Based on sequence conservation, we speculated that all Caprin proteins should have similar homodimeric structures. Here we report the crystal structure of a fragment (residues 187-309) of Drosophila melanogaster Caprin (dCaprin). The dCaprin fragment adopts an all α-helical fold which self-associates to form a homodimer. The overall dCaprin homodimeric structure is similar to the Caprin-1 and Caprin-2 homodimeric structures. Most of the amino acids residues mediating homodimerization in the three structures are conserved among all Caprin family members. These structural and sequence data suggest that homodimerization through a conserved dimerization domain is a common structural feature of the Caprin protein family. The dimeric structures may also be involved in interaction with Caprin partners. Dimer formation creates a V-shape concave surface that may serve as a protein binding groove. The concave surfaces in Caprin-1, Caprin-2, and dCaprin should have different and specific binding partners due to the large difference in electrostatic potentials. We propose the existence of a multi-functional domain in Caprin proteins, which not only mediate homodimerization but also involve in interaction with specific Caprin partners.