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Structure of the CR3 I domain in complex with C3d Structural insight on the recognition of surface-bound opsonins by the integrin I domain of complement receptor 3 Goran Bajic1, Laure Yatime1, Robert B. Sim2, Thomas Vorup-Jensen3†, and Gregers R. Andersen1,† 1Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, DK- 8000 Aarhus, Denmark 2Dept. of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, United Kingdom 3Dept. of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 4, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark †Contact: Dr. Thomas Vorup-Jensen, Biophysical Immunology Laboratory, Dept. of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 4, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark. Tel: +45 87167853; E-mail: [email protected] Dr. Gregers R. Andersen, Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics , Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, DK-8000 Aarhus, Denmark. Tel: +45 87 15 55 07; E-mail: [email protected] 1 Structure of the CR3 I domain in complex with C3d Complement receptors (CR), expressed notably on myeloid and lymphoid cells, play an essential function in the elimination of complement-opsonized pathogens and apoptotic/necrotic cells. In addition, these receptors are crucial for the cross-talk between the innate and adaptive branches of the immune system. CR3 (also known as Mac-1, integrin M2, or CD11b/CD18) is expressed on all macrophages and recognizes iC3b on complement-opsonized objects, enabling their phagocytosis. We demonstrate that the C3d moiety of iC3b harbours the binding site for the CR3 I domain, and our structure of the C3d:I domain complex rationalizes the CR3 selectivity for iC3b. Based on extensive structural analysis, we suggest that the choice between a ligand glutamate or aspartate for coordination of a receptor MIDAS-bound metal ion is governed by the secondary structure of the ligand. Comparison of our structure to the CR2:C3d complex and the in vitro formation of a stable CR3:C3d:CR2 complex suggests a molecular mechanism for the hand-over of CR3-bound immune complexes from macrophages to CR2-presenting cells in lymph nodes. Significance: Fragments of complement component C3 tag surfaces such as those presented by microbial pathogens or dying host cells for recognition by cells from the innate immune system. Complement receptor (CR) 3 enables efficient binding of complement-tagged surfaces by macrophages and dendritic cells, which eventually transport the CR3-bound material into lymph nodes. The study identifies in atomic detail the fragments of CR3 and C3 required for such binding. The structural organization permits concomitant recognition by another complement receptor, namely CR2, expressed on cells of the adaptive immune system, suggesting a structural rationale for exchange of antigens between leukocytes of the innate and adaptive immune systems critical in the formation of humoral immune responses. 2 Structure of the CR3 I domain in complex with C3d \body Activation of complement leads to proteolytic cleavage of the central complement component, C3. Its major fragment C3b acts as an opsonin and becomes covalently bound to the activating surface via a reactive thioester located in the thioester (TE) domain of nascent C3b (Fig. S1A). Proteolytic processing by factor I within the CUB domain of C3b leads to the formation of iC3b and C3dg. Finally C3d – which practically corresponds to the TE domain present in C3, C3b and iC3b (Fig. S1B-G) – is formed by other plasma proteases. These activation products are ligands for five complement receptors (1), with iC3b being the primary ligand of CR3 and CR4 (also known as CD11c/CD18, p150,95, or integrin X2 which is structurally similar to CR3. As other integrins, CR3 is a heterodimeric complex of two transmembrane proteins, M and 2. It is abundantly expressed on myeloid leukocytes, including neutrophil granulocytes, dendritic cells, monocytes, and macrophages and also on lymphoid NK cells (2). Most ligands, including iC3b (3), are bound by the Von Willebrand Factor A (VWA) domain in the -chain, also referred to as the I domain due to its insertion in the -propeller domain. I domain residues coordinate a metal ion essential for ligand recognition through a metal ion- dependent adhesion site (MIDAS). Integrins adopt at least three major conformations in the cell membrane. The bent-closed conformation is inactive in ligand binding, the extended- closed conformation has low ligand affinity, and the extended-open conformation binds ligands with high affinity. The transition from the bent-closed to the open-extended conformation is exerted by a cytoplasmic force on the leg of the -subunit, a process usually referred to as the inside-out signaling (4). 3 Structure of the CR3 I domain in complex with C3d Binding of ligands to CR3 leads to conformational changes in its ectodomain transmitting an outside-in signal through the cell membrane. This may lead to actin remodeling, phagocytosis, degranulation, and changes in leukocyte cytokine production (2, 5-7). CR3, and to a lesser degree CR4, are essential for the phagocytosis of complement-opsonized particles or complexes (6, 8, 9). Complement-opsonized immune complexes are captured in the lymph nodes by CR3-positive subcapsular sinus macrophages (SSM) and conveyed directly to naïve B cells or through follicular dendritic cells (10) utilizing CR1, CR2 and Fc receptors for antigen capture (11, 12) . Hence, antigen-presenting cells such as SSM may act as antigen storage and provide B lymphocytes with antigens (10, 12). Here, we establish the C3d fragment as the minimal and high-affinity binding partner for the CR3 I domain. By contrast, the binding site for the CR4 I domain was located in the C3c fragment by electron microscopy (13). We present the crystal structure of the CR3 I domain in complex with C3d. The classic observation of CR3 binding to iC3b, but not to its precursor C3b (14), is consistent with our structure. In addition, our structure and functional data suggest simultaneous binding of CR3 and another complement receptor, CR2, to C3 fragments, which might provide the basis for trafficking of complement-opsonized immune complexes from macrophages to B-cells and follicular dendritic cells in lymph nodes. RESULTS CR3 and CR4 I domains recognize distinct binding sites in iC3b. To quantitatively compare binding properties of the CR3 and CR4 I domain with regard to binding of C3 proteolytic fragments, C3b, iC3b, C3c, C3dg, and C3d were immobilized in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) flow cells. For both I domains good binding signals were observed with C3b, iC3b, and C3c as ligands (Fig. S2A-C & F-H). Nevertheless, even high concentrations 4 Structure of the CR3 I domain in complex with C3d (100 μM) of the CR3 or CR4 I domain did not lead to saturation. This is consistent with X-ray crystallography (15) and inhibition experiments showing that both the CR3 and CR4 I domain interact weakly (KD ~ 300 M) with acidic side chains acting as ligand mimetics (16). The C3d and C3dg-coated surfaces produced robust SPR signals (~1200 RU) and showed signs of saturation at high CR3 I domain concentrations (Fig. S2D,E). By contrast, the CR4 I domain only poorly bound these fragments (Fig. S2I,J). As detailed in other studies (16, 17), the binding kinetics of the CR3 and CR4 I domain ligand binding are not well-described with simple 1:1 Langmuir isotherms. The interactions were quantified by analysis of the sensorgrams with the EVILFIT algorithm, which calculates the minimal distribution in binding kinetics for the heterogeneous interactions with ligands (Fig. 1). In general, the modeled distribution in kinetics efficiently described the experimental data as reflected in the small root-mean-square deviations (RMSD). For the CR3 and CR4 I domain, some of the -4 -3 interactions with C3b, iC3b, and C3c were of modest strength with KD ~10 -10 M (Fig. 1A- B, & D-F), i.e., quantitatively equivalent to binding of acidic side chains reported earlier (16). -7 However, the classic CR3 ligand iC3b presented a population of interactions with KD ~10 - 10-6 M (Fig. 1B), not found with either C3b or C3c or for any fragments probed with the CR4 I domain (Fig. S3). This high-affinity type of interaction dominated the binding of the CR3 I domain to C3dg and C3d (Fig. 1 and Fig S3). Crystal structure of CR3 I domain in complex with C3d. Guided by the quantitative investigations made above, we determined the crystal structure of the CR3 I domain (subunit M residues 127-321, mature numbering) in complex with C3d (C3 residues 993-1288, prepro numbering) at 2.8 Å resolution (Table S1 and Fig. S4A). The structure reveals a 1:1 complex between the CR3 I domain and C3d (Fig. 2A). The integrin I domain folds into an α/β Rossmann fold and adopts its open conformation as shown by comparison with the open- 5 Structure of the CR3 I domain in complex with C3d conformation structure of the I domain (Fig S4B). The I domain α7 helix is shifted towards its C-terminus, and this conformation is most likely favoured by the I316G mutation introduced for this purpose. The open conformation is likewise adopted in the MIDAS site, where the hexa-coordinated metal ion is coordinated by Ser142, Ser144, Thr209 and two water molecules (Fig. 2B), whereas the last coordination position is occupied by an aspartate from C3d. As Mg2+ was not compatible with the electron density in the MIDAS site, and since Ni2+ was present in the crystallization buffer, we used anomalous diffraction data to confirm the presence of a Ni2+ ion in the MIDAS site (Fig. 2B and Table S1). The ability of Ni2+ to stabilize MIDAS interactions with a ligand is well known from the complement convertases (18). Within the complex, C3d adopts the well-described compact α-α6 barrel structure (Fig.