Salmonella SipA polymerizes actin by stapling filaments with nonglobular protein arms.
Lilic, M., Galkin, V.E., Orlova, A., VanLoock, M.S., Egelman, E.H., Stebbins, C.E.(2003) Science 301: 1918-1921
- PubMed: 14512630 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1088433
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
1Q5Z - PubMed Abstract: 
Like many bacterial pathogens, Salmonella spp. use a type III secretion system to inject virulence proteins into host cells. The Salmonella invasion protein A (SipA) binds host actin, enhances its polymerization near adherent extracellular bacteria, and contributes to cytoskeletal rearrangements that internalize the pathogen. By combining x-ray crystallography of SipA with electron microscopy and image analysis of SipA-actin filaments, we show that SipA functions as a "molecular staple," in which a globular domain and two nonglobular "arms" mechanically stabilize the filament by tethering actin subunits in opposing strands. Deletion analysis of the tethering arms provides strong support for this model.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Laboratory of Structural Microbiology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA.