Structural Insights into the Allosteric Operation of the Lon AAA+ Protease

July 28, 2017

Title

Structural Insights into the Allosteric Operation of the Lon AAA+ Protease

Author

Chien-Chu Lin, Shih-Chieh Su, Ming-Yuan Su, Pi-Hui Liang, Chia-Cheng Feng, Shih-Hsiung Wu, Chung-I Chang

Year

2016

Journal

Structure

Abstract

The Lon AAA+ protease (LonA) is an evolutionarily conserved protease that couples the ATPase cycle into motion to drive substrate translocation and degradation. A hallmark feature shared by AAA+ proteases is the stimulation of ATPase activity by substrates. Here we report the structure of LonA bound to three ADPs, revealing the first AAA+ protease assembly where the six protomers are arranged alternately in nucleotide-free and bound states. Nucleotide binding induces large coordinated movements of conserved pore loops from two pairs of three non-adjacent protomers and shuttling of the proteolytic groove between the ATPase site and a previously unknown Arg paddle. Structural and biochemical evidence supports the roles of the substrate-bound proteolytic groove in allosteric stimulation of ATPase activity and the conserved Arg paddle in driving substrate degradation. Altogether, this work provides a molecular framework for understanding how ATP-dependent chemomechanical movements drive allosteric processes for substrate degradation in a major protein-destruction machine.

Instrument

J-815

Keywords

Circular dichroism, Secondary structure, Biochemistry