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Structures of apicomplexan calcium-dependent protein kinases reveal mechanism of activation by calcium

Journal Article · · Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol.
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.1795· OSTI ID:1002708
Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) have pivotal roles in the calcium-signaling pathway in plants, ciliates and apicomplexan parasites and comprise a calmodulin-dependent kinase (CaMK)-like kinase domain regulated by a calcium-binding domain in the C terminus. To understand this intramolecular mechanism of activation, we solved the structures of the autoinhibited (apo) and activated (calcium-bound) conformations of CDPKs from the apicomplexan parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium parvum. In the apo form, the C-terminal CDPK activation domain (CAD) resembles a calmodulin protein with an unexpected long helix in the N terminus that inhibits the kinase domain in the same manner as CaMKII. Calcium binding triggers the reorganization of the CAD into a highly intricate fold, leading to its relocation around the base of the kinase domain to a site remote from the substrate binding site. This large conformational change constitutes a distinct mechanism in calcium signal-transduction pathways.
Research Organization:
Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
1002708
Journal Information:
Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol., Journal Name: Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. Journal Issue: 2010 Vol. 17
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH

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