3myy

Publication Abstract from PubMed

Two-component signaling is a primary method by which microorganisms interact with their environments. A kinase detects stimuli and modulates autophosphorylation activity. The signal propagates by phosphotransfer from the kinase to a response regulator, eliciting a response. Response regulators operate over a range of time scales, corresponding to their related biological processes. Response regulator active site chemistry is highly conserved, but certain variable residues can influence phosphorylation kinetics. An Ala-to-Pro substitution (K+4, residue 113) in the Escherichia coli response regulator CheY triggers a constitutively active phenotype; however, the A113P substitution is too far from the active site to directly affect phosphochemistry. To better understand the activating mechanism(s) of the substitution, we analyzed receiver domain sequences to characterize the evolutionary role of the K+4 position. Although most featured Pro, Leu, Ile, and Val residues, chemotaxis-related proteins exhibited atypical Ala, Gly, Asp, and Glu residues at K+4. Structural and in silico analyses revealed that CheY A113P adopted a partially active configuration. Biochemical data showed that A113P shifted CheY toward a more activated state, enhancing autophosphorylation. By characterizing CheY variants, we determined that this functionality was transmitted through a hydrophobic network bounded by the beta5alpha5 loop and the alpha1 helix of CheY. This region also interacts with the phosphodonor CheA(P1), suggesting that binding generates an activating perturbation similar to the A113P substitution. Atypical residues like Ala at the K+4 position likely serve two purposes. First, restricting autophosphorylation may minimize background noise generated by intracellular phosphodonors such as acetyl phosphate. Second, optimizing interactions with upstream partners may help prime the receiver domain for phosphorylation.

Role of Position K+4 in the Phosphorylation and Dephosphorylation Reaction Kinetics of the CheY Response Regulator.,Foster CA, Silversmith RE, Immormino RM, Vass LR, Kennedy EN, Pazy Y, Collins EJ, Bourret RB Biochemistry. 2021 Jul 6;60(26):2130-2151. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00246. Epub , 2021 Jun 24. PMID:34167303^[2]

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