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Published February 1998 | public
Journal Article

Crystal structures of CheY from Thermotoga maritima do not support conventional explanations for the structural basis of enhanced thermostability

Abstract

The crystal structure of CheY protein from Thermotoga maritima has been determined in four crystal forms with and without Mg++ bound, at up to 1.9 A resolution. Structural comparisons with CheY from Escherichia coli shows substantial similarity in their folds, with some concerted changes propagating away from the active site that suggest how phosphorylated CheY, a signal transduction protein in bacterial chemotaxis, is recognized by its targets. A highly conserved segment of the protein (the "y-turn loop," residues 55-61), previously suggested to be a rigid recognition determinant, is for the first time seen in two alternative conformations in the different crystal structures. Although CheY from Thermotoga has much higher thermal stability than its mesophilic counterparts, comparison of structural features previously proposed to enhance thermostability such as hydrogen bonds, ion pairs, compactness, and hydrophobic surface burial would not suggest it to be so.

Additional Information

© 1998 The Protein Society. (RECEIVED July 23, 1997; ACCEPTED October 30, 1997) This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grants MCB9418479 (S.J.R.), and MCB9604213 (F.W.D.).

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 25, 2023