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Publication Abstract from PubMed

The survival and growth of the pathogen Helicobacter pylori in the gastric acidic environment is ensured by the activity of urease, an enzyme containing two essential Ni2+ ions in the active site. The metallo-chaperone UreE facilitates in vivo Ni2+ insertion into the apo-enzyme. Crystals of apo-HpUreE and its Ni2+ and Zn2+ bound forms were obtained from protein solutions in the absence and presence of the metal ions. The crystal structures of the homodimeric protein, determined at 2.00 A (apo), 1.59 A (Ni) and 2.52 A (Zn) resolution, show the conserved proximal and solvent-exposed His102 residues from two adjacent monomers invariably involved in metal binding. The C-terminal regions of the apo-protein are disordered in the crystal, but acquire significant ordering in the presence of the metal ions due to the binding of His152. The analysis of X-ray absorption spectral data obtained on solutions of Ni2+- and Zn2+-HpUreE provided accurate information of the metal ion environment in the absence of solid-state effects. These results reveal the role of the histidine residues at the protein C-terminus in metal ion binding, and the mutual influence of protein framework and metal ion stereo-electronic properties in establishing coordination number and geometry leading to metal selectivity.

Crystallographic and X-ray absorption spectroscopic characterization of Helicobacter pylori UreE bound to Ni2+ and Zn2+ reveal a role for the disordered C-terminal arm in metal trafficking.,Banaszak K, Martin-Diaconescu V, Bellucci M, Zambelli B, Rypniewski W, Maroney MJ, Ciurli S Biochem J. 2011 Oct 20. PMID:22010876^[1]

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