Skip to main content
The EMBO Journal logoLink to The EMBO Journal
. 1997 Aug 15;16(16):5030–5036. doi: 10.1093/emboj/16.16.5030

Crystal structure of a new RNA-binding domain from the antiterminator protein SacY of Bacillus subtilis.

H van Tilbeurgh 1, X Manival 1, S Aymerich 1, J M Lhoste 1, C Dumas 1, M Kochoyan 1
PMCID: PMC1170137  PMID: 9305644

Abstract

SacY belongs to a family of, at present, seven bacterial transcriptional antiterminators. The RNA-binding and antitermination capacity of SacY resides in the 55 amino acids at the N-terminal [SacY(1-55)]. The crystal structure at 2 A resolution shows that SacY(1-55) forms a dimer in the crystal, in accordance with the NMR solution structure. The structure of the monomer is a four-stranded beta-sheet with a simple beta1beta2beta3beta4 topology. One side of the sheet is covered by a long surface loop and the other side forms the dimer interface. The dimer is stabilized by the orthogonal stacking of the two beta-sheets. The crystal structure is in excellent agreement with the NMR solution structure (r.m.s. distance for C alpha coordinates is 1.3 A). The structure of SacY(1-55) reveals a new RNA-binding motif.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (400.4 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allain F. H., Gubser C. C., Howe P. W., Nagai K., Neuhaus D., Varani G. Specificity of ribonucleoprotein interaction determined by RNA folding during complex formulation. Nature. 1996 Apr 18;380(6575):646–650. doi: 10.1038/380646a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Aymerich S., Steinmetz M. Specificity determinants and structural features in the RNA target of the bacterial antiterminator proteins of the BglG/SacY family. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Nov 1;89(21):10410–10414. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.21.10410. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bycroft M., Grünert S., Murzin A. G., Proctor M., St Johnston D. NMR solution structure of a dsRNA binding domain from Drosophila staufen protein reveals homology to the N-terminal domain of ribosomal protein S5. EMBO J. 1995 Jul 17;14(14):3563–3571. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1995.tb07362.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cowtan K. D., Main P. Improvement of macromolecular electron-density maps by the simultaneous application of real and reciprocal space constraints. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr. 1993 Jan 1;49(Pt 1):148–157. doi: 10.1107/S0907444992007698. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Draper D. E. Protein-RNA recognition. Annu Rev Biochem. 1995;64:593–620. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.64.070195.003113. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Holm L., Sander C. The FSSP database of structurally aligned protein fold families. Nucleic Acids Res. 1994 Sep;22(17):3600–3609. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Jones S., Thornton J. M. Protein-protein interactions: a review of protein dimer structures. Prog Biophys Mol Biol. 1995;63(1):31–65. doi: 10.1016/0079-6107(94)00008-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kharrat A., Macias M. J., Gibson T. J., Nilges M., Pastore A. Structure of the dsRNA binding domain of E. coli RNase III. EMBO J. 1995 Jul 17;14(14):3572–3584. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1995.tb07363.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Manival X., Yang Y., Strub M. P., Kochoyan M., Steinmetz M., Aymerich S. From genetic to structural characterization of a new class of RNA-binding domain within the SacY/BglG family of antiterminator proteins. EMBO J. 1997 Aug 15;16(16):5019–5029. doi: 10.1093/emboj/16.16.5019. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Musco G., Stier G., Joseph C., Castiglione Morelli M. A., Nilges M., Gibson T. J., Pastore A. Three-dimensional structure and stability of the KH domain: molecular insights into the fragile X syndrome. Cell. 1996 Apr 19;85(2):237–245. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81100-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Nagai K., Oubridge C., Jessen T. H., Li J., Evans P. R. Crystal structure of the RNA-binding domain of the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein A. Nature. 1990 Dec 6;348(6301):515–520. doi: 10.1038/348515a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Nagai K. RNA-protein complexes. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 1996 Feb;6(1):53–61. doi: 10.1016/s0959-440x(96)80095-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Oubridge C., Ito N., Evans P. R., Teo C. H., Nagai K. Crystal structure at 1.92 A resolution of the RNA-binding domain of the U1A spliceosomal protein complexed with an RNA hairpin. Nature. 1994 Dec 1;372(6505):432–438. doi: 10.1038/372432a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Shimotsu H., Henner D. J. Modulation of Bacillus subtilis levansucrase gene expression by sucrose and regulation of the steady-state mRNA level by sacU and sacQ genes. J Bacteriol. 1986 Oct;168(1):380–388. doi: 10.1128/jb.168.1.380-388.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Takeuchi Y., Satow Y., Nakamura K. T., Mitsui Y. Refined crystal structure of the complex of subtilisin BPN' and Streptomyces subtilisin inhibitor at 1.8 A resolution. J Mol Biol. 1991 Sep 5;221(1):309–325. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Wang B. C., Yoo C. S., Sax M. Crystal structure of Bence Jones protein rhe (3 A) and its unique domain-domain association. J Mol Biol. 1979 Apr 25;129(4):657–674. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(79)90475-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The EMBO Journal are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES