Identification of critical residues of subunit H in its interaction with subunit E of the A-ATP synthase from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii

FEBS J. 2008 Apr;275(8):1803-12. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2008.06338.x. Epub 2008 Mar 8.

Abstract

The boomerang-like H subunit of A(1)A(0) ATP synthase forms one of the peripheral stalks connecting the A(1) and A(0) sections. Structural analyses of the N-terminal part (H1-47) of subunit H of the A(1)A(0) ATP synthase from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii have been performed by NMR spectroscopy. Our initial NMR structural calculations for H1-47 indicate that amino acid residues 7-44 fold into a single alpha-helical structure. Using the purified N- (E1-100) and C-terminal domains (E101-206) of subunit E, NMR titration experiments revealed that the N-terminal residues Met1-6, Lys10, Glu11, Ala15, Val20 and Glu24 of H1-47 interact specifically with the N-terminal domain E1-100 of subunit E. A more detailed picture regarding the residues of E1-100 involved in this association was obtained by titration studies using the N-terminal peptides E1-20, E21-40 and E41-60. These data indicate that the N-terminal tail E41-60 interacts with the N-terminal amino acids of H1-47, and this has been confirmed by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy results. Analysis of (1)H-(15)N heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) spectra of the central stalk subunit F in the presence and absence of E101-206 show no obvious interaction between the C-terminal domain of E and subunit F. The data presented provide, for the first time, structural insights into the interaction of subunits E and H, and their arrangement within A(1)A(0) ATP synthase.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • ATP Synthetase Complexes / chemistry*
  • ATP Synthetase Complexes / genetics
  • ATP Synthetase Complexes / isolation & purification
  • ATP Synthetase Complexes / metabolism*
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Gene Expression
  • Methanococcaceae / enzymology*
  • Methanococcaceae / genetics
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary
  • Protein Subunits / chemistry
  • Protein Subunits / genetics
  • Protein Subunits / isolation & purification
  • Protein Subunits / metabolism
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence
  • Titrimetry

Substances

  • Protein Subunits
  • ATP Synthetase Complexes