An Affibody in Complex with a Target Protein: Structure and Coupled Folding
Wahlberg, E., Lendel, C., Helgstrand, M., Allard, P., Dincbas-Renqvist, V., Hedqvist, A., Berglund, H., Nygren, P.-A., Hard, T.(2003) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 100: 3185-3190
- PubMed: 12594333 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0436086100
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
1H0T - PubMed Abstract: 
Combinatorial protein engineering provides powerful means for functional selection of novel binding proteins. One class of engineered binding proteins, denoted affibodies, is based on the three-helix scaffold of the Z domain derived from staphylococcal protein A. The Z(SPA-1) affibody has been selected from a phage-displayed library as a binder to protein A. Z(SPA-1) also binds with micromolar affinity to its own ancestor, the Z domain. We have characterized the Z(SPA-1) affibody in its uncomplexed state and determined the solution structure of a Z:Z(SPA-1) protein-protein complex. Uncomplexed Z(SPA-1) behaves as an aggregation-prone molten globule, but folding occurs on binding, and the original (Z) three-helix bundle scaffold is fully formed in the complex. The structural basis for selection and strong binding is a large interaction interface with tight steric and polar/nonpolar complementarity that directly involves 10 of 13 mutated amino acid residues on Z(SPA-1). We also note similarities in how the surface of the Z domain responds by induced fit to binding of Z(SPA-1) and Ig Fc, respectively, suggesting that the Z(SPA-1) affibody is capable of mimicking the morphology of the natural binding partner for the Z domain.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.