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Publication Abstract from PubMed

The crystal structure of the core domain of bacteriophage Mu transposase, MuA, has been determined at 2.4 A resolution. The first of two subdomains contains the active site and, despite very limited sequence homology, exhibits a striking similarity to the core domain of HIV-1 integrase, which carries out a similar set of biochemical reactions. It also exhibits more limited similarity to other nucleases, RNase H and RuvC. The second, a beta barrel, connects to the first subdomain through several contacts. Three independent determinations of the monomer structure from two crystal forms all show the active site held in a similar, apparently inactive configuration. The enzymatic activity of MuA is known to be activated by formation of a DNA-bound tetramer of the protein. We propose that the connections between the two subdomains may be involved in the cross-talk between the active site and the other domains of the transposase that controls the activity of the protein.

Structure of the bacteriophage Mu transposase core: a common structural motif for DNA transposition and retroviral integration.,Rice P, Mizuuchi K Cell. 1995 Jul 28;82(2):209-20. PMID:7628012^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.