High resolution crystal structure of PedB: a structural basis for the classification of pediocin-like immunity proteins
Kim, I.K., Kim, M.K., Kim, J.H., Yim, H.S., Cha, S.S., Kang, S.O.(2007) BMC Struct Biol 7: 35-35
- PubMed: 17537233
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6807-7-35
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
2IP6 - PubMed Abstract:
Pediocin-like bacteriocins, ribosomally-synthesized antimicrobial peptides, are generally coexpressed with cognate immunity proteins in order to protect the bacteriocin-producer from its own bacteriocin. As a step for understanding the mode of action of immunity proteins, we determined the crystal structure of PedB, a pediocin-like immunity protein conferring immunity to pediocin PP-1. The 1.6 A crystal structure of PedB reveals that PedB consists of an antiparallel four-helix bundle with a flexible C-terminal end. PedB shows structural similarity to an immunity protein against enterocin A (EntA-im) but some disparity to an immunity protein against carnobacteriocin B2 (ImB2) in both the C-terminal conformation and the local structure constructed by alpha3, alpha4, and their connecting loop. Structure-inspired mutational studies reveal that deletion of the last seven residues of the C-terminus of PedB almost abolished its immunity activity. The fact that PedB, EntA-im, and ImB2 share a four-helix bundle structure strongly suggests the structural conservation of this motif in the pediocin-like immunity proteins. The significant difference in the core structure and the C-terminal conformation provides a structural basis for the classification of pediocin-like immunity proteins. Our mutational study using C-terminal-shortened PedBs and the investigation of primary sequence of the C-terminal region, propose that several polar or charged residues in the extreme C-terminus of PedB which is crucial for the immunity are involved in the specific recognition of pediocin PP-1.
Organizational Affiliation:
Laboratory of Biophysics, School of Biological Sciences, and Institute of Microbiology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. ikkim33@snu.ac.kr