Crystallogenesis of bacteriophage P22 tail accessory factor gp26 at acidic and neutral pH
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 East Adams Street, Syracuse, NY 13210 (United States)
- Department of Pathology, Division of Cell Biology and Immunology, University of Utah Medical School, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (United States)
The crystallogenesis of bacteriophage P22 tail-fiber gp26 is described. To study possible pH-induced conformational changes in gp26 structure, native trimeric gp26 has been crystallized at acidic pH (4.6) and a chimera of gp26 fused to maltose-binding protein (MBP-gp26) has been crystallized at neutral and alkaline pH (7-10). Gp26 is one of three phage P22-encoded tail accessory factors essential for stabilization of viral DNA within the mature capsid. In solution, gp26 exists as an extended triple-stranded coiled-coil protein which shares profound structural similarities with class I viral membrane-fusion protein. In the cryo-EM reconstruction of P22 tail extracted from mature virions, gp26 forms an ∼220 Å extended needle structure emanating from the neck of the tail, which is likely to be brought into contact with the cell’s outer membrane when the viral DNA-injection process is initiated. To shed light on the potential role of gp26 in cell-wall penetration and DNA injection, gp26 has been crystallized at acidic, neutral and alkaline pH. Crystals of native gp26 grown at pH 4.6 diffract X-rays to 2.0 Å resolution and belong to space group P2{sub 1}, with a dimer of trimeric gp26 molecules in the asymmetric unit. To study potential pH-induced conformational changes in the gp26 structure, a chimera of gp26 fused to maltose-binding protein (MBP-gp26) was generated. Hexagonal crystals of MBP-gp26 were obtained at neutral and alkaline pH using the high-throughput crystallization robot at the Hauptman–Woodward Medical Research Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA. These crystals diffract X-rays to beyond 2.0 Å resolution. Structural analysis of gp26 crystallized at acidic, neutral and alkaline pH is in progress.
- OSTI ID:
- 22356316
- Journal Information:
- Acta Crystallographica. Section F, Vol. 62, Issue Pt 5; Other Information: PMCID: PMC2219973; PMID: 16682781; PUBLISHER-ID: fw5078; OAI: oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:2219973; Copyright (c) International Union of Crystallography 2006; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1744-3091
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
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