Ribosomal Protein P2 from apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is intrinsically a molten globule

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma P2 (TgP2) is a ribosomal protein and exists as supramolecular assembly with other proteins in the ribosome. It is also shown that TgP2 is involved in some extra ribosomal functions. However, till date the protein has evaded structural characterization by any of the known techniques. In this background, we report here a systematic study using a variety of biophysical techniques and NMR, under different conditions of pH and temperature, and deduce that TgP2 consists of only helices and unstructured regions, is a monomer at low pH but forms multimers at higher pH, and has intrinsically a molten globule structure. The C-terminal half is flexible and the helices are concentrated in the N-terminal half of the chain. The dynamism inherent to the molten globule structure may have functional implications for its extra-ribosomal functions. which is contrast to that of human P2.