Solution structure of an EGF module pair from the Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1.
Morgan, W.D., Birdsall, B., Frenkiel, T.A., Gradwell, M.G., Burghaus, P.A., Syed, S.E., Uthaipibull, C., Holder, A.A., Feeney, J.(1999) J Mol Biol 289: 113-122
- PubMed: 10339410 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/jmbi.1999.2753
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
1CEJ - PubMed Abstract: 
The solution structure of the 96-residue C-terminal fragment of the merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP-1) from Plasmodium falciparum has been determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic measurements on uniformly13C/15N-labelled protein, efficiently expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Komagataella (Pichia) pastoris. The structure has two domains with epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like folds with a novel domain interface for the EGF domain pair interactions, formed from a cluster of hydrophobic residues. This gives the protein a U-shaped overall structure with the N-terminal proteolytic processing site close to the C-terminal glycosyl phosphatidyl inositol (GPI) membrane anchor site, which is consistent with the involvement of a membrane-bound proteinase in the processing of MSP-1 during erythrocyte invasion. This structure, which is the first protozoan EGF example to be determined, contrasts with the elongated structures seen for EGF-module pairs having shared Ca2+-ligation sites at their interface, as found, for example, in fibrillin-1. Recognition surfaces for antibodies that inhibit processing and invasion, and antibodies that block the binding of these inhibitory antibodies, have been mapped on the three-dimensional structure by considering specific MSP-1 mutants.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Molecular Structure Division, The Ridgeway Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, UK.