Functional Diversity of Tandem Substrate-Binding Domains in ABC Transporters from Pathogenic Bacteria.
Fulyani, F., Schuurman-Wolters, G.K., Zagar, A.V., Guskov, A., Slotboom, D.J., Poolman, B.(2013) Structure 21: 1879-1888
- PubMed: 23994008 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2013.07.020
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
4G4P, 4KPT, 4KQP, 4KR5, 4LA9 - PubMed Abstract: 
The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter GlnPQ is an essential uptake system for amino acids in gram-positive pathogens and related nonpathogenic bacteria. The transporter has tandem substrate-binding domains (SBDs) fused to each transmembrane domain, giving rise to four SBDs per functional transporter complex. We have determined the crystal structures and ligand-binding properties of the SBDs of GlnPQ from Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Lactococcus lactis. The tandem SBDs differ in substrate specificity and affinity, allowing cells to efficiently accumulate different amino acids via a single ABC transporter. The combined structural, functional, and thermodynamic analysis revealed the roles of individual residues in determining the substrate affinity. We succeeded in converting a low-affinity SBD into a high-affinity receptor and vice versa. Our data indicate that a small number of residues that reside in the binding pocket constitute the major affinity determinants of the SBDs.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Biochemistry, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Netherlands Proteomics Centre and Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands.