Download MendeleyStructural basis for the acetylation mechanism of the Legionella effector VipF.
Chen, T.T., Lin, Y., Zhang, S., Han, A.(2022) Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 78: 1110-1119
- PubMed: 36048151
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1107/S2059798322007318
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
7WX5, 7WX6, 7WX7 - PubMed Abstract:
The pathogen Legionella pneumophila, which is the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, secrets hundreds of effectors into host cells via its Dot/Icm secretion system to subvert host-cell pathways during pathogenesis. VipF, a conserved core effector among Legionella species, is a putative acetyltransferase, but its structure and catalytic mechanism remain unknown. Here, three crystal structures of VipF in complex with its cofactor acetyl-CoA and/or a substrate are reported. The two GNAT-like domains of VipF are connected as two wings by two β-strands to form a U-shape. Both domains bind acetyl-CoA or CoA, but only in the C-terminal domain does the molecule extend to the bottom of the U-shaped groove as required for an active transferase reaction; the molecule in the N-terminal domain folds back on itself. Interestingly, when chloramphenicol, a putative substrate, binds in the pocket of the central U-shaped groove adjacent to the N-terminal domain, VipF remains in an open conformation. Moreover, mutations in the central U-shaped groove, including Glu129 and Asp251, largely impaired the acetyltransferase activity of VipF, suggesting a unique enzymatic mechanism for the Legionella effector VipF.
Organizational Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory for Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences and Faculty of Medical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, People's Republic of China.
