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Structure of A6 reveals a novel lipid transporter
Structural highlights
FunctionA6_FOWPN Plays an essential role in immature virion (IV) to mature virion (MV) transition. Publication Abstract from PubMedCellular membranes are maintained as closed compartments, broken up only transiently during membrane reorganization or lipid transportation. However, open-ended membranes, likely derived from scissions of the endoplasmic reticulum, persist in vaccinia virus-infected cells during the assembly of the viral envelope. A group of viral membrane assembly proteins (VMAPs) were identified as essential for this process. To understand the mechanism of VMAPs, we determined the 2.2-A crystal structure of the largest member, named A6, which is a soluble protein with two distinct domains. The structure of A6 displays a novel protein fold composed mainly of alpha helices. The larger C-terminal domain forms a unique cage that encloses multiple glycerophospholipids with a lipid bilayer-like configuration. The smaller N-terminal domain does not bind lipid but negatively affects lipid binding by A6. Mutations of key hydrophobic residues lining the lipid-binding cage disrupt lipid binding and abolish viral replication. Our results reveal a protein modality for enclosing the lipid bilayer and provide molecular insight into a viral machinery involved in generating and/or stabilizing open-ended membranes. Structure of a lipid-bound viral membrane assembly protein reveals a modality for enclosing the lipid bilayer.,Pathak PK, Peng S, Meng X, Han Y, Zhang B, Zhang F, Xiang Y, Deng J Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Jun 18. pii: 1805855115. doi:, 10.1073/pnas.1805855115. PMID:29915071[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
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