Evidence-Based Structural Model of the Staphylococcal Repressor Protein: Separation of Functions into Different Domains

PLoS One. 2015 Sep 28;10(9):e0139086. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139086. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Horizontal transfer of mobile genetic elements within Staphylococci is of high biomedical significance as such elements are frequently responsible for virulence and toxic effects. Staphylococcus-encoded repressor proteins regulate the replication of these mobile genetic elements that are located within the so-called pathogenicity islands. Here, we report structural and functional characterization of one such repressor protein, namely the Stl protein encoded by the pathogenicity island SaPIbov1. We create a 3D structural model and based on this prediction, we investigate the different functionalities of truncated and point mutant constructs. Results suggest that a helix-turn-helix motif governs the interaction of the Stl protein with its cognate DNA site: point mutations within this motif drastically decrease DNA-binding ability, whereas the interaction with the Stl-binding partner protein dUTPase is unperturbed by these point mutations. The 3D model also suggested the potential independent folding of a carboxy-terminal domain. This suggestion was fully verified by independent experiments revealing that the carboxy-terminal domain does not bind to DNA but is still capable of binding to and inhibiting dUTPase. A general model is proposed, which suggests that among the several structurally different repressor superfamilies Stl-like Staphylococcal repressor proteins belong to the helix-turn-helix transcription factor group and the HTH motif is suggested to reside within N-terminal segment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Bacteriophages / metabolism
  • DNA / metabolism
  • Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay
  • Models, Molecular*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Point Mutation / genetics
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Repressor Proteins / chemistry*
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Staphylococcus
  • Structural Homology, Protein

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Repressor Proteins
  • DNA

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund OTKA [NK 84008, K109486]; Baross Program of the New Hungary Development Plan [3DSTRUCT, OMFB-00266/2010 REG-KM- 09-1-2009-0050]; Hungarian Academy of Sciences ([TTK IF-28/ 2012]; MedinProt program); CRP/HUN14-01 ICGEB Research Grant to BGV and the European Commission FP7 Biostruct-X project [contract No. 283570]. Funding for open access charge: Hungarian Academy of Sciences. A.M. and J.K. were supported by the KTIA_NAP_13-2-2014-0017 program. SRCD experiments were supported by SOLEIL (Proposal No. 20140646).