Upon activation, the HtrA2 PDZ domain changes its position versus protease domain.
The change occurs inside a subunit and between the subunits of the HtrA2 trimer.
The α5 helix of PDZ is involved in both, the intra- and intersubunit changes.
The changes involve the L3 and L1 regulatory loops of the protease.
The mutations decreasing the interdomain interactions promote HtrA2 activity.