Viral Receptor-Binding Protein Evolves New Function through Mutations That Cause Trimer Instability and Functional Heterogeneity.
Mol Biol Evol
; 41(4)2024 Apr 02.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38586942
ABSTRACT
When proteins evolve new activity, a concomitant decrease in stability is often observed because the mutations that confer new activity can destabilize the native fold. In the conventional model of protein evolution, reduced stability is considered a purely deleterious cost of molecular innovation because unstable proteins are prone to aggregation and are sensitive to environmental stressors. However, recent work has revealed that nonnative, often unstable protein conformations play an important role in mediating evolutionary transitions, raising the question of whether instability can itself potentiate the evolution of new activity. We explored this question in a bacteriophage receptor-binding protein during host-range evolution. We studied the properties of the receptor-binding protein of bacteriophage λ before and after host-range evolution and demonstrated that the evolved protein is relatively unstable and may exist in multiple conformations with unique receptor preferences. Through a combination of structural modeling and in vitro oligomeric state analysis, we found that the instability arises from mutations that interfere with trimer formation. This study raises the intriguing possibility that protein instability might play a previously unrecognized role in mediating host-range expansions in viruses.
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Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Receptores Virales
/
Evolución Molecular
Idioma:
En
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article