Insights into Specific DNA Recognition during the Assembly of a Viral Genome Packaging Machine
- 作者：Tonny de Beer ; Jenny Fang ; Marcos Ortega ; Qin Yang ; Levi Maes ; Carol Duffy ; Nancy Berton ; Jean Sippy ; Michael Overduin ; Michael Feiss and Carlos Enrique Catalano
- 刊名：Molecular Cell
- 出版年：2002
- 期刊代码：111_10972765
- 类别：bio
- 出版时间：May 2002
- 卷：9
- 期：5
- 页码：981-991
- 文件大小：606 K
摘要
Terminase enzymes mediate genome "packaging" during the reproduction of DNA viruses. In λ, the gpNu1 subunit guides site-specific assembly of terminase onto DNA. The structure of the dimeric DNA binding domain of gpNu1 was solved using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Its fold contains a unique winged helix-turn-helix (wHTH) motif within a novel scaffold. Surprisingly, a predicted P loop ATP binding motif is in fact the wing of the DNA binding motif. Structural and genetic analysis has identified determinants of DNA recognition specificity within the wHTH motif and the DNA recognition sequence. The structure reveals an unexpected DNA binding mode and provides a mechanistic basis for the concerted action of gpNu1 and Escherichia coli integration host factor during assembly of the packaging machinery.