Human CNOT6L/CCR4, a member of the endonuclease-exonuclease-phosphatase (EEP) family enzymes, is one of the two deadenylase enzymes in the conserved CCR4-NOT complex. Here, we report inhibitor-bound crystal structures of the human CNOT6L nuclease domain in complex with the nucleotide CMP and the aminoglycoside neomycin. Deadenylase activity assays show that nucleotides are effective inhibitors of both CNOT6L and CNOT7, with AMP more effective than other nucleotides, and that neomycin is a weak deadenylase inhibitor. Structural analysis shows that all inhibitors occupy the substrate and magnesium-binding sites of CNOT6L, suggesting that inhibitors compete with both substrate and divalent magnesium ions for overlapping binding sites.
Keywords: CCR4-NOT complex; crystal structure; deadenylase; inhibitor.
© 2016 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.