Function
Maltose-binding protein (MBP) or ABC maltose transporter is part of the maltose/maltodextrin system in E. coli which is responsible of the catabolism of maltodextrin. MBP binds maltodextrin when the latter diffuses into the periplasm and passes it to proteins involved in active transport[1].
Relevance
MBP is widely used in molecular biology as it adds to the solubility of the proteins expressed in E. coli by being fused to them. The MBP-fusion protein can be purified by binding it to an amylose column followed by elution with maltose[2].
Structural highlights
The [3]. Water molecules are shown as red spheres.
3D structures of maltose-binding protein
Maltose-binding protein 3D structures
