The interaction of myosin with actin filaments is the central feature of muscle contraction and cargo movement along actin filaments of the cytoskeleton. The energy for these movements is generated during a complex mechanochemical reaction cycle. Crystal structures of myosin in different states have provided important structural insights into the myosin motor cycle when myosin is detached from F-actin. The difficulty of obtaining diffracting...
Tag Archives: Structure
Crystal structure of the epithelial calcium channel TRPV6
Precise regulation of calcium homeostasis is essential for many physiological functions. The Ca2+-selective transient receptor potential (TRP) channels TRPV5 and TRPV6 play vital roles in calcium homeostasis as Ca2+ uptake channels in epithelial tissues. Detailed structural bases for their assembly and Ca2+ permeation remain obscure. Here we report the crystal structure of rat TRPV6 at 3.25 Å resolution. The overall architecture of TRPV6 reveals shared...
Crystal structure of the human sterol transporter ABCG5/ABCG8
ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters play critical roles in maintaining sterol balance in higher eukaryotes. The ABCG5/ABCG8 heterodimer (G5G8) mediates excretion of neutral sterols in liver and intestines. Mutations disrupting G5G8 cause sitosterolaemia, a disorder characterized by sterol accumulation and premature atherosclerosis. Here we use crystallization in lipid bilayers to determine the X-ray structure of human G5G8 in a nucleotide-free state at 3.9 Å resolution,...
The crystal structure of Cpf1 in complex with CRISPR RNA
The CRISPR–Cas systems, as exemplified by CRISPR–Cas9, are RNA-guided adaptive immune systems used by bacteria and archaea to defend against viral infection. The CRISPR–Cpf1 system, a new class 2 CRISPR–Cas system, mediates robust DNA interference in human cells. Although functionally conserved, Cpf1 and Cas9 differ in many aspects including their guide RNAs and substrate specificity. Here we report the 2.38 Å crystal structure of the...
Structure of the thermally stable Zika virus
Zika virus (ZIKV), formerly a neglected pathogen, has recently been associated with microcephaly in fetuses, and with Guillian–Barré syndrome in adults. Here we present the 3.7 Å resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of ZIKV, and show that the overall architecture of the virus is similar to that of other flaviviruses. Sequence and structural comparisons of the ZIKV envelope (E) protein with other flaviviruses show that parts...
Crystal structure of a substrate-engaged SecY protein-translocation channel
Hydrophobic signal sequences target secretory polypeptides to a protein-conducting channel formed by a heterotrimeric membrane protein complex, the prokaryotic SecY or eukaryotic Sec61 complex. How signal sequences are recognized is poorly understood, particularly because they are diverse in sequence and length. Structures of the inactive channel show that the largest subunit, SecY or Sec61α, consists of two halves that form an hourglass-shaped pore with...
Priming and polymerization of a bacterial contractile tail structure
Contractile tails are composed of an inner tube wrapped by an outer sheath assembled in an extended, metastable conformation that stores mechanical energy necessary for its contraction. Contraction is used to propel the rigid inner tube towards target cells for DNA or toxin delivery. Although recent studies have revealed the structure of the contractile sheath of the type VI secretion system, the mechanisms by...
Crystal structure of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2B
Eukaryotic cells restrict protein synthesis under various stress conditions, by inhibiting the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2B (eIF2B). eIF2B is the guanine nucleotide exchange factor for eIF2, a heterotrimeric G protein consisting of α-, β- and γ-subunits. eIF2B exchanges GDP for GTP on the γ-subunit of eIF2 (eIF2γ), and is inhibited by stress-induced phosphorylation of eIF2α. eIF2B is a heterodecameric complex of two copies...
Cryo-electron microscopy structure of a coronavirus spike glycoprotein trimer
The tremendous pandemic potential of coronaviruses was demonstrated twice in the past few decades by two global outbreaks of deadly pneumonia. Entry of coronaviruses into cells is mediated by the transmembrane spike glycoprotein S, which forms a trimer carrying receptor-binding and membrane fusion functions. S also contains the principal antigenic determinants and is the target of neutralizing antibodies. Here we present the structure of...
Cryo-EM structure of the yeast U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP at 3.7 Å resolution
U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP represents a substantial part of the spliceosome before activation. A cryo-electron microscopy structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP at 3.7 Å resolution led to an essentially complete atomic model comprising 30 proteins plus U4/U6 and U5 small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs). The structure reveals striking interweaving interactions of the protein and RNA components, including extended polypeptides penetrating into subunit interfaces. The invariant ACAGAGA sequence...
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