| The hexameric structure of a conjugative VirB4 protein ATPase provides new insights for a functional and phylogenetic relationship with DNA translocases. | | The hexameric structure of a conjugative VirB4 protein ATPase provides new insights for a functional and phylogenetic relationship with DNA translocases. | Peña A, Martín-Benito J, Valpuesta JM, Carrascosa JL, de la Cruz F, Cabezón E*, Arechaga I*. J. Biol. Chem. 2012, 287(47), 39925-32. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M112.413849. | 2012-10-31T23:00:00Z | <p style="text-align:justify;"><span class="ms-rteThemeFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-2"><span class="ms-rteThemeForeColor-2-5 ms-rteThemeFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-2" style="font-weight:bold;">Abstract</span><br></span></p><div style="color:#000000;font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;text-align:justify;"><p style="margin-bottom:0.5em;font-size:1.04em;"><span class="ms-rteThemeFontFace-1 ms-rteFontSize-2">VirB4 proteins are ATPases essential for pilus biogenesis and protein transport in type IV secretion systems. These proteins contain a motor domain that shares structural similarities with the motor domains of DNA translocases, such as the VirD4/TrwB conjugative coupling proteins and the chromosome segregation pump FtsK. Here, we report the three-dimensional structure of full-length TrwK, the VirB4 homologue in the conjugative plasmid R388, determined by single-particle electron microscopy. The structure consists of a hexameric double ring with a barrel-shaped structure. The C-terminal half of VirB4 proteins shares a striking structural similarity with the DNA translocase TrwB. Docking the atomic coordinates of the crystal structures of TrwB and FtsK into the EM map revealed a better fit for FtsK. Interestingly, we have found that like TrwB, TrwK is able to bind DNA with a higher affinity for G4 quadruplex structures than for single-stranded DNA. Furthermore, TrwK exerts a dominant negative effect on the ATPase activity of TrwB, which reflects an interaction between the two proteins. Our studies provide new insights into the structure-function relationship and the evolution of these DNA and protein translocases.</span><br></p></div> | <p><span style="color:#474f51;font-family:"yanone kaffeesatz";font-size:18px;background-color:#ffffff;">[</span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23035111" style="color:#ed391b;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;font-family:"yanone kaffeesatz";vertical-align:baseline;background-color:#ffffff;">pubmed</a><span style="color:#474f51;font-family:"yanone kaffeesatz";font-size:18px;background-color:#ffffff;">]</span><br></p> | 25 | | |
