3mpy
Structure of EUTM in 2-D protein membrane
Structural highlights
FunctionEUTM_ECOLI May be involved in the formation of a specific microcompartment in the cell in which the metabolism of potentially toxic by-products takes place. Evolutionary Conservation Check, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf. Publication Abstract from PubMedThe ethanolamine-utilizing bacterial microcompartment (Eut-BMC) of Escherichia coli is a polyhedral organelle that harbors specific enzymes for the catabolic degradation of ethanolamine. The compartment is composed of a proteinaceous shell structure that maintains a highly specialized environment for the biochemical reactions inside. Recent structural investigations have revealed hexagonal assemblies of shell proteins that form a tightly packed two-dimensional lattice that is likely to function as a selectively permeable protein membrane, wherein small channels are thought to permit controlled exchange of specific solutes. Here, we show with two nonisomorphous crystal structures that EutM also forms a two-dimensional protein membrane. As its architecture is highly similar to the membrane structure of EutL, it is likely that the structure represents a physiologically relevant form. Thus far, of all Eut proteins, only EutM and EutL have been shown to form such proteinaceous membranes. Despite their similar architectures, however, both proteins exhibit dramatically different pore structures. In contrast to EutL, the pore of EutM appears to be positively charged, indicating specificity for different solutes. Furthermore, we also show that the central pore structure of the EutL shell protein can be triggered to open specifically upon exposure to zinc ions, suggesting a specific gating mechanism. Crystallographic insights into the pore structures and mechanisms of the EutL and EutM shell proteins of the ethanolamine-utilizing microcompartment of Escherichia coli.,Takenoya M, Nikolakakis K, Sagermann M J Bacteriol. 2010 Nov;192(22):6056-63. Epub 2010 Sep 17. PMID:20851901[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
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