Structural highlights
Publication Abstract from PubMedThe structural mechanism by which nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) from the hepatitis C virus (HCV) translocates along RNA is currently unknown. HCV NS3 is an ATP-dependent motor protein essential for viral replication and a member of the superfamily 2 helicases. Crystallographic analysis using a labeled RNA oligonucleotide allowed us to unambiguously track the positional changes of RNA bound to full-length HCV NS3 during two discrete steps of the ATP hydrolytic cycle. The crystal structures of HCV NS3, NS3 bound to bromine-labeled RNA, and a tertiary complex of NS3 bound to labeled RNA and a non-hydrolyzable ATP analog provide a direct view of how large domain movements resulting from ATP binding and hydrolysis allow the enzyme to translocate along the phosphodiester backbone. While directional translocation of HCV NS3 by a single base pair per ATP hydrolyzed is observed, the 3' end of the RNA does not shift register with respect to a conserved tryptophan residue, supporting a "spring-loading" mechanism that leads to larger steps by the enzyme as it moves along a nucleic acid substrate. Visualizing ATP-Dependent RNA Translocation by the NS3 Helicase from HCV.,Appleby TC, Anderson R, Fedorova O, Pyle AM, Wang R, Liu X, Brendza KM, Somoza JR J Mol Biol. 2010 Dec 9. PMID:21145896[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. See AlsoReferences
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