Crowded, cell-like environment induces shape changes in aspherical protein.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 105(33): 11754-9, 2008 Aug 19.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-18697933
ABSTRACT
How the crowded environment inside cells affects the structures of proteins with aspherical shapes is a vital question because many proteins and protein-protein complexes in vivo adopt anisotropic shapes. Here we address this question by combining computational and experimental studies of a football-shaped protein (i.e., Borrelia burgdorferi VlsE) in crowded, cell-like conditions. The results show that macromolecular crowding affects protein-folding dynamics as well as overall protein shape. In crowded milieus, distinct conformational changes in VlsE are accompanied by secondary structure alterations that lead to exposure of a hidden antigenic region. Our work demonstrates the malleability of "native" proteins and implies that crowding-induced shape changes may be important for protein function and malfunction in vivo.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Proteínas Bacterianas
/
Pliegue de Proteína
/
Lipoproteínas
/
Antígenos Bacterianos
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Año:
2008
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos