Solution structure of human BCL-w: modulation of ligand binding by the C-terminal helix

The structure of human Bcl-W, an anti-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 Family, was determined by triple-resonance NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling. Introduction of a single amino acid substitution (P117V) significantly improved the quality of the NMR spectra obtained. The cytosolic domain of Bcl-W consists of 8 alpha-helices, which adopt a fold similar to that of Bcl-xL, Bcl-2, and Bax proteins. Pairwise root meant square deviation values were less than 3 A for backbone atoms of structurally equivalent regions. Interestingly, the C-terminal helix alpha8 of Bcl-W folds into the BH3-binding hydrophobic cleft of the protein, in a fashion similar to the C-terminal transmembrane helix of Bax. A peptide corresponding to the BH3 region of the pro-apoptotic protein, BID, could displace helix alpha8 from the Bcl-W cleft, resulting in helix unfolding. Deletion of helix alpha8 increased binding affinities of Bcl-W for Bak and BID BH3-peptides, indicating that this helix competes for peptide binding to the hydrophobic cleft. These results suggest that although the cytosolic domain of Bcl-W exhibits an overall structure similar to that of Bcl-xL and Bcl-2, the unique organization of its C-terminal helix may modulate Bcl-W interactions with pro-apoptotic binding partners.