Crystal structure of the GTP-binding protein Obg from Thermus thermophilus HB8

J Mol Biol. 2004 Mar 26;337(3):761-70. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2004.01.047.

Abstract

Obg comprises a unique family of high-molecular mass GTPases conserved from bacteria to eukaryotes. Bacterial Obg is essential for cellular growth, sporulation, and differentiation. Here, we report the crystal structure of the full-length form of Obg from Thermus thermophilus HB8 at 2.07 A resolution, in the nucleotide-free state. It reveals a three-domain arrangement, composed of the N-terminal domain, the guanine nucleotide-binding domain (G domain), and the C-terminal domain. The N-terminal and G domains have the Obg fold and the Ras-like fold, respectively. These global folds are similar to those of the recently published structure of the C-terminal domain-truncated form of Obg from Bacillus subtilis. On the other hand, the C-terminal domain of Obg was found to have a novel fold (the OCT fold). A comparison of the T.thermophilus and B.subtilis nucleotide-free Obg structures revealed significant conformational changes in the switch-I and switch-II regions of the G domain. Notably, the N-terminal domain is rotated drastically, by almost 180 degrees, around the G domain axis. In the T.thermophilus Obg crystal, the nucleotide-binding site of the G domain interacts with the C-terminal domain of the adjacent molecule. These data suggest a possible domain rearrangement of Obg, and a potential role of the C-terminal domain in the regulation of the nucleotide-binding state.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Crystallography, X-Ray*
  • GTP-Binding Proteins / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Structural Homology, Protein
  • Thermus thermophilus / chemistry*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Obg GTP-binding protein, Bacteria
  • GTP-Binding Proteins

Associated data

  • PDB/1UDX