2erb

Publication Abstract from PubMed

The Anopheles gambiae mosquito is the main vector of malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. We present here a 1.5A crystal structure of AgamOBP1, an odorant binding protein (OBP) from the A. gambiae mosquito. The protein crystallized as a dimer with a unique binding pocket consisting of a continuous tunnel running through both subunits of the dimer and occupied by a PEG molecule. We demonstrate that AgamOBP1 undergoes a pH dependent conformational change that is associated with reduced ligand binding. A predominance of acid-labile hydrogen bonds involving the C-terminal loop suggests a mechanism in which a drop in pH causes C-terminal loop to open, leaving the binding tunnel solvent exposed, thereby lowering binding affinity for ligand. Because proteins from two distantly related insects also undergo a pH dependent conformational change involving the C-terminus that is associated with reduced ligand affinity, our results suggest a common mechanism for OBP activity.

The crystal structure of an odorant binding protein from Anopheles gambiae: evidence for a common ligand release mechanism.,Wogulis M, Morgan T, Ishida Y, Leal WS, Wilson DK Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2006 Jan 6;339(1):157-64. Epub 2005 Nov 9. PMID:16300742^[1]

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