Periplasmic Ligand-binding Proteins Research Articles

The structure of the ferric siderophore binding protein FhuD complexed with gallichrome.

Siderophore binding proteins play a key role in the uptake of iron in many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. FhuD is a soluble periplasmic binding protein that transports ferrichrome and other hydroxamate siderophores. The crystal structure of FhuD from Escherichia coli in complex with the ferrichrome homolog gallichrome has been determined at 1.9 ¿ resolution, the first structure of a periplasmic binding protein involved in the uptake of siderophores. Gallichrome is held in a shallow pocket lined with aromatic groups; Arg and Tyr side chains interact directly with the hydroxamate moieties of the siderophore. FhuD possesses a novel fold, suggesting that its mechanisms of ligand binding and release are different from other structurally characterized periplasmic ligand binding proteins.

Treponema pallidum TroA is a periplasmic zinc-binding protein with a helical backbone.

The crystal structure of recombinant TroA, a zinc-binding protein component of an ATP-binding cassette transport system in Treponema pallidum, was determined at a resolution of 1.8 A. The organization of the protein is largely similar to other periplasmic ligand-binding proteins (PLBP), in that two independent globular domains interact with each other to create a zinc-binding cleft between them. The structure has one bound zinc pentavalently coordinated to residues from both domains. Unlike previous PLBP structures that have an interdomain hinge composed of beta-strands, the N- and C-domains of TroA are linked by a single long backbone helix. This unique backbone helical conformation was possibly adopted to limit the hinge motion associated with ligand exchange.