Homodimerization of the PAS-B domains of hypoxia-inducible factors.

The Per–Arnt–Sim (PAS) domains of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIF) mediate heterodimer formation between the HIF-α forms that are induced in the event of cellular hypoxia and the constitutive HIF-β variants. Previous efforts toward structural characterization of the HIF-1α PAS domains were limited by protein stability. Using homology modeling based on the published crystal structure of the PAS-B domain of the homologous protein HIF-2α in complex with the partner HIF-β (also known as ARNT), we have identified a variant of HIF-1α with improved solubility, monodispersity, and stability. Purified solutions of the PAS-B domains of HIF-1α and HIF-2α differ in their propensity for homodimer formation. In an attempt to understand the structural basis for this difference, and to document the structural changes that accompany homodimer formation, we have undertaken a comparative NMR study of the PAS-B domains of HIF-1α and HIF-2α and mutants of HIF-1α that mimic the behavior of HIF-2α. The NMR spectra ...