Project description:Transient receptor potential (TRP) proteins form a superfamily Ca(2+)-permeable cation channels regulated by a range of chemical and physical stimuli. Structural analysis of a 'minimal' TRP vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1) elucidated a mechanism of channel activation by agonists through changes in its outer pore region. Though homologous to TRPV1, other TRPV channels (TRPV2-6) are insensitive to TRPV1 activators including heat and vanilloids. To further understand the structural basis of TRPV channel function, we determined the structure of full-length TRPV2 at ∼5 Å resolution by cryo-electron microscopy. Like TRPV1, TRPV2 contains two constrictions, one each in the pore-forming upper and lower gates. The agonist-free full-length TRPV2 has wider upper and lower gates compared with closed and agonist-activated TRPV1. We propose these newly revealed TRPV2 structural features contribute to diversity of TRPV channels.
Project description:The human RAD52 protein, which forms an oligomeric ring structure, is involved in DNA double-strand break repair. The N-terminal half of RAD52 is primarily responsible for self-oligomerisation and DNA binding. Crystallographic studies have revealed the detailed structure of the N-terminal half. However, only low-resolution structures have been reported for the full-length protein, and thus the structural role of the C-terminal half in self-oligomerisation has remained elusive. In this study, we determined the solution structure of the human RAD52 protein by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), at an average resolution of 3.5 Å. The structure revealed an undecameric ring that is nearly identical to the crystal structures of the N-terminal half. The cryo-EM map for the C-terminal half was poorly defined, indicating that the region is intrinsically disordered. The present cryo-EM structure provides important insights into the mechanistic roles played by the N-terminal and C-terminal halves of RAD52 during DNA double-strand break repair.
Project description:Positioning of the division site in many bacterial species relies on the MinCDE system, which prevents the cytokinetic Z-ring from assembling anywhere but the mid-cell, through an oscillatory diffusion-reaction mechanism. MinD dimers bind to membranes and, via their partner MinC, inhibit the polymerization of cell division protein FtsZ into the Z-ring. MinC and MinD form polymeric assemblies in solution and on cell membranes. Here, we report the high-resolution cryo-EM structure of the copolymeric filaments of Pseudomonas aeruginosa MinCD. The filaments consist of three protofilaments made of alternating MinC and MinD dimers. The MinCD protofilaments are almost completely straight and assemble as single protofilaments on lipid membranes, which we also visualized by cryo-EM.
Project description:The HIV-1 envelope protein (Env) is the target of neutralizing antibodies and the template for vaccine immunogen design. The dynamic conformational equilibrium of trimeric Env influences its antigenicity and potential immunogenicity. Antibodies that bind at the trimer apex stabilize a "closed" conformation characteristic of the most difficult to neutralize isolates. A goal of vaccine development is therefore to mimic the closed conformation in a designed immunogen. A disulfide-stabilized, trimeric Env ectodomain-the "SOSIP" construct-has many of the relevant properties; it is also particularly suitable for structure determination. Some single-molecule studies have, however, suggested that the SOSIP trimer is not a good representation of Env on the surface of a virion or an infected cell. We isolated Env (fully cleaved to gp120 and gp41) from the surface of expressing cells using tagged, apex-binding Fab PG16 and determined the structure of the PG16-Env complex by cryo-EM to an overall resolution of 4.6 Å. Placing the only purification tag on the Fab ensured that the isolated Env was continuously stabilized in its closed, native conformation. The Env structure in this complex corresponds closely to the SOSIP structures determined by both x-ray crystallography and cryo-EM. Although the membrane-interacting elements are not resolved in our reconstruction, we can make inferences about the connection between ectodomain and membrane-proximal external region (MPER) by reference to the published cryo-tomography structure of an Env "spike" and the NMR structure of the MPER-transmembrane segment. We discuss these results in view of the conflicting interpretations in the literature.
Project description:O antigens are important cell surface polysaccharides in gram-negative bacteria where they extend core lipopolysaccharides in the extracellular leaflet of the outer membrane. O antigen structures are serotype specific and form extended cell surface barriers endowing many pathogens with survival benefits. In the ABC transporter-dependent biosynthesis pathway, O antigens are assembled on the cytosolic side of the inner membrane on a lipid anchor and reoriented to the periplasmic leaflet by the channel-forming WzmWzt ABC transporter for ligation to the core lipopolysaccharides. In many cases, this process depends on the chemical modification of the O antigen's nonreducing terminus, sensed by WzmWzt via a carbohydrate-binding domain (CBD) that extends its nucleotide-binding domain (NBD). Here, we provide the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the full-length WzmWzt transporter from Aquifex aeolicus bound to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and in a lipid environment, revealing a highly asymmetric transporter organization. The CBDs dimerize and associate with only one NBD. Conserved loops at the CBD dimer interface straddle a conserved peripheral NBD helix. The CBD dimer is oriented perpendicularly to the NBDs and its putative ligand-binding sites face the transporter to likely modulate ATPase activity upon O antigen binding. Further, our structure reveals a closed WzmWzt conformation in which an aromatic belt near the periplasmic channel exit seals the transporter in a resting, ATP-bound state. The sealed transmembrane channel is asymmetric, with one open and one closed cytosolic and periplasmic portal. The structure provides important insights into O antigen recruitment to and translocation by WzmWzt and related ABC transporters.