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An analysis of the solution structure and signaling mechanism of LovK, a sensor histidine kinase integrating light and redox signals.

ABSTRACT: Flavin-binding LOV domains are broadly conserved in plants, fungi, archaea, and bacteria. These approximately 100-residue photosensory modules are generally encoded within larger, multidomain proteins that control a range of blue light-dependent physiologies. The bacterium Caulobacter crescentus encodes a soluble LOV-histidine kinase, LovK, that regulates the adhesive properties of the cell. Full-length LovK is dimeric as are a series of systematically truncated LovK constructs containing only the N-terminal LOV sensory domain. Nonconserved sequence flanking the LOV domain functions to tune the signaling lifetime of the protein. Size exclusion chromatography and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) demonstrate that the LOV sensor domain does not undergo a large conformational change in response to photon absorption. However, limited proteolysis identifies a sequence flanking the C-terminus of the LOV domain as a site of light-induced change in protein conformation and dynamics. On the basis of SAXS envelope reconstruction and bioinformatic prediction, we propose this dynamic region of structure is an extended C-terminal coiled coil that links the LOV domain to the histidine kinase domain. To test the hypothesis that LOV domain signaling is affected by cellular redox state in addition to light, we measured the reduction potential of the LovK FMN cofactor. The measured potential of -258 mV is congruent with the redox potential of Gram-negative cytoplasm during logarithmic growth (-260 to -280 mV). Thus, a fraction of LovK in the cytosol may be in the reduced state under typical growth conditions. Chemical reduction of the FMN cofactor of LovK attenuates the light-dependent ATPase activity of the protein in vitro, demonstrating that LovK can function as a conditional photosensor that is regulated by the oxidative state of the cellular environment.

SUBMITTER: Purcell EB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2915561 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An analysis of the solution structure and signaling mechanism of LovK, a sensor histidine kinase integrating light and redox signals.

Purcell Erin B EB McDonald Claudia A CA Palfey Bruce A BA Crosson Sean S

Biochemistry 20100801 31

Flavin-binding LOV domains are broadly conserved in plants, fungi, archaea, and bacteria. These approximately 100-residue photosensory modules are generally encoded within larger, multidomain proteins that control a range of blue light-dependent physiologies. The bacterium Caulobacter crescentus encodes a soluble LOV-histidine kinase, LovK, that regulates the adhesive properties of the cell. Full-length LovK is dimeric as are a series of systematically truncated LovK constructs containing only t ...[more]

PMID: 20593779

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Project description:The ability to sense and respond to environmental cues is essential for adaptation and survival in living organisms. In bacteria, this process is accomplished by multidomain sensor histidine kinases that undergo autophosphorylation in response to specific stimuli, thereby triggering downstream signaling cascades. However, the molecular mechanism of allosteric activation is not fully understood in these important sensor proteins. Here, we report the full-length crystal structure of a blue light photoreceptor LOV histidine kinase (LOV-HK) involved in light-dependent virulence modulation in the pathogenic bacterium Brucella abortus Joint analyses of dark and light structures determined in different signaling states have shown that LOV-HK transitions from a symmetric dark structure to a highly asymmetric light state. The initial local and subtle structural signal originated in the chromophore-binding LOV domain alters the dimer asymmetry via a coiled-coil rotary switch and helical bending in the helical spine. These amplified structural changes result in enhanced conformational flexibility and large-scale rearrangements that facilitate the phosphoryl transfer reaction in the HK domain.IMPORTANCE Bacteria employ two-component systems (TCSs) to sense and respond to changes in their surroundings. At the core of the TCS signaling pathway is the multidomain sensor histidine kinase, where the enzymatic activity of its output domain is allosterically controlled by the input signal perceived by the sensor domain. Here, we examine the structures and dynamics of a naturally occurring light-sensitive histidine kinase from the pathogen Brucella abortus in both its full-length and its truncated constructs. Direct comparisons between the structures captured in different signaling states have revealed concerted protein motions in an asymmetric dimer framework in response to light. Findings of this work provide mechanistic insights into modular sensory proteins that share a similar modular architecture.

Dataset Information

An analysis of the solution structure and signaling mechanism of LovK, a sensor histidine kinase integrating light and redox signals.

Publications

An analysis of the solution structure and signaling mechanism of LovK, a sensor histidine kinase integrating light and redox signals.

Similar Datasets

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