| First Author | Malinauskas T | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | Nat Struct Mol Biol | Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 8 | Pages | 886-93 |
| PubMed ID | 21743455 | Mgi Jnum | J:245252 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5914469 | Doi | 10.1038/nsmb.2081 |
| Citation | Malinauskas T, et al. (2011) Modular mechanism of Wnt signaling inhibition by Wnt inhibitory factor 1. Nat Struct Mol Biol 18(8):886-93 |
| abstractText | Wnt morphogens control embryonic development and homeostasis in adult tissues. In vertebrates the N-terminal WIF domain (WIF-1(WD)) of Wnt inhibitory factor 1 (WIF-1) binds Wnt ligands. Our crystal structure of WIF-1(WD) reveals a previously unidentified binding site for phospholipid; two acyl chains extend deep into the domain, and the head group is exposed to the surface. Biophysical and cellular assays indicate that there is a WIF-1(WD) Wnt-binding surface proximal to the lipid head group but also implicate the five epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains (EGFs I-V) in Wnt binding. The six-domain WIF-1 crystal structure shows that EGFs I-V are wrapped back, interfacing with WIF-1(WD) at EGF III. EGFs II-V contain a heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG)-binding site, consistent with conserved positively charged residues on EGF IV. This combination of HSPG- and Wnt-binding properties suggests a modular model for the localization of WIF-1 and for signal inhibition within morphogen gradients. |
