Structures of the substrate-binding protein provide insights into the multiple compatible solute binding specificities of the Bacillus subtilis ABC transporter OpuC
Du, Y., Shi, W.W., He, Y.X., Yang, Y.H., Zhou, C.Z., Chen, Y.(2011) Biochem J 436: 283-289
- PubMed: 21366542 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1042/BJ20102097
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
3PPN, 3PPO, 3PPP, 3PPQ, 3PPR - PubMed Abstract: 
The compatible solute ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transporters are indispensable for acquiring a variety of compatible solutes under osmotic stress in Bacillus subtilis. The substrate-binding protein OpuCC (Opu is osmoprotectant uptake) of the ABC transporter OpuC can recognize a broad spectrum of compatible solutes, compared with its 70% sequence-identical paralogue OpuBC that can solely bind choline. To explore the structural basis of this difference of substrate specificity, we determined crystal structures of OpuCC in the apo-form and in complex with carnitine, glycine betaine, choline and ectoine respectively. OpuCC is composed of two α/β/α globular sandwich domains linked by two hinge regions, with a substrate-binding pocket located at the interdomain cleft. Upon substrate binding, the two domains shift towards each other to trap the substrate. Comparative structural analysis revealed a plastic pocket that fits various compatible solutes, which attributes themultiple-substrate binding property to OpuCC. This plasticity is a gain-of-function via a single-residue mutation of Thr⁹⁴ in OpuCC compared with Asp⁹⁶ in OpuBC.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, People's Republic of China.