Dataset Information

An Intermolecular ?-Stacking Interaction Drives Conformational Changes Necessary to ?-Barrel Formation in a Pore-Forming Toxin.

ABSTRACT: The crystal structures of the soluble monomers of the pore-forming cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) contain two ?-helical bundles that flank a twisted core ?-sheet. This protein fold is the hallmark of the CDCs, as well as of the membrane attack complex/perforin immune defense proteins and the stonefish toxins. To form the ?-barrel pore, a core ?-sheet is flattened to align the membrane-spanning ?-hairpins. Concomitantly with this conformational change, the two ?-helical bundles that flank the core ?-sheet break their restraining contacts and refold into two membrane-spanning ?-hairpins of the ?-barrel pore. The studies herein show that in the monomer structure of the archetype CDC perfringolysin O (PFO), a conserved Met-Met-Phe triad simultaneously contributes to maintaining the twist in this core ?-sheet, as well as restricting the ?-helical-to-?-strand transition necessary to form one of two membrane-spanning ?-hairpins. A previously identified intermolecular ?-stacking interaction is now shown to disrupt the interactions mediated by this conserved triad. This is required to establish the subsequent intermolecular electrostatic interaction, which has previously been shown to drive the final conformational changes necessary to form the ?-barrel pore. Hence, these studies show that the intermolecular ?-stacking and electrostatic interactions work in tandem to flatten the core ?-sheet and initiate the ?-helical-to-?-strand transitions to form the ?-barrel pore.IMPORTANCE A unique feature of the CDC/MACPF/SNTX (cholesterol-dependent cytolysin/membrane attack complex perforin/stonefish toxin) superfamily of pore-forming toxins is that the ?-strands that comprise the ?-barrel pore are derived from a pair of ?-helical bundles. These studies reveal the molecular basis by which the formation of intermolecular interactions within the prepore complex drive the disruption of intramolecular interactions within each monomer of the prepore to trigger the ?-helical-to-?-strand transition and formation of the ?-barrel pore.

SUBMITTER: Burns JR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6606804 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

An Intermolecular π-Stacking Interaction Drives Conformational Changes Necessary to β-Barrel Formation in a Pore-Forming Toxin.

Burns Joshua R JR Morton Craig J CJ Parker Michael W MW Tweten Rodney K RK

mBio 20190702 4

The crystal structures of the soluble monomers of the pore-forming cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) contain two α-helical bundles that flank a twisted core β-sheet. This protein fold is the hallmark of the CDCs, as well as of the membrane attack complex/perforin immune defense proteins and the stonefish toxins. To form the β-barrel pore, a core β-sheet is flattened to align the membrane-spanning β-hairpins. Concomitantly with this conformational change, the two α-helical bundles that flan ...[more]

PMID: 31266869

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Project description:Membrane repair emerges as an innate defense protecting target cells against bacterial pore-forming toxins. Here, we report the first paradigm of Ca2+-dependent repair following attack by a small ?-pore-forming toxin, namely, plasmid-encoded phobalysin of Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae In striking contrast, Vibrio cholerae cytolysin, the closest ortholog of phobalysin, subverted repair. Mutational analysis uncovered a role of channel width in toxicity and repair. Thus, the replacement of serine at phobalysin´s presumed channel narrow point with the bulkier tryptophan, the corresponding residue in Vibrio cholerae cytolysin (W318), modulated Ca2+ influx, lysosomal exocytosis, and membrane repair. And yet, replacing tryptophan (W318) with serine in Vibrio cholerae cytolysin enhanced toxicity. The data reveal divergent strategies evolved by two related small ?-pore-forming toxins to manipulate target cells: phobalysin leads to fulminant perturbation of ion concentrations, closely followed by Ca2+ influx-dependent membrane repair. In contrast, V. cholerae cytolysin causes insidious perturbations and escapes control by the cellular wounded membrane repair-like response.IMPORTANCE Previous studies demonstrated that large transmembrane pores, such as those formed by perforin or bacterial toxins of the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin family, trigger rapid, Ca2+ influx-dependent repair mechanisms. In contrast, recovery from attack by the small ?-pore-forming Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin or aerolysin is slow in comparison and does not depend on extracellular Ca2+ To further elucidate the scope of Ca2+ influx-dependent repair and understand its limitations, we compared the cellular responses to phobalysin and V. cholerae cytolysin, two related small ?-pore-forming toxins which create membrane pores of slightly different sizes. The data indicate that the channel width of a small ?-pore-forming toxin is a critical determinant of both primary toxicity and susceptibility to Ca2+-dependent repair.

Dataset Information

An Intermolecular ?-Stacking Interaction Drives Conformational Changes Necessary to ?-Barrel Formation in a Pore-Forming Toxin.

Publications

An Intermolecular π-Stacking Interaction Drives Conformational Changes Necessary to β-Barrel Formation in a Pore-Forming Toxin.

Similar Datasets

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