Download MendeleyStructure of a Hyper-cleavable Monomeric Fragment of Phage lambda Repressor Containing the Cleavage Site Region.
Ndjonka, D., Bell, C.E.(2006) J Mol Biol 362: 479-489
- PubMed: 16934834
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2006.07.026
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
2HNF, 2HO0 - PubMed Abstract:
The key event in the switch from lysogenic to lytic growth of phage lambda is the self-cleavage of lambda repressor, which is induced by the formation of a RecA-ssDNA-ATP filament at a site of DNA damage. Lambda repressor cleaves itself at the peptide bond between Ala111 and Gly112, but only when bound as a monomer to the RecA-ssDNA-ATP filament. Here we have designed a hyper-cleavable fragment of lambda repressor containing the hinge and C-terminal domain (residues 101-229), in which the monomer-monomer interface is disrupted by two point mutations and a deletion of seven residues at the C terminus. This fragment crystallizes as a monomer and its structure has been determined to 1.8 A resolution. The hinge region, which bears the cleavage site, is folded over the active site of the C-terminal oligomerization domain (CTD) but with the cleavage site flipped out and exposed to solvent. Thus, the structure represents a non-cleavable conformation of the repressor, but one that is poised for cleavage after modest rearrangements that are presumably stabilized by binding to RecA. The structure provides a unique snapshot of lambda repressor in a conformation that sheds light on how its self-cleavage is tempered in the absence of RecA, as well as a framework for interpreting previous genetic and biochemical data concerning the RecA-mediated cleavage reaction.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
