title: Molecular mechanism of transmembrane signaling by the aspartate receptor: a model.
abstract: The aspartate receptor of bacterial chemotaxis is representative of a large class of membrane-spanning receptors found in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. These receptors, which regulate histidine kinase pathways and possess two putative transmembrane helices per subunit, appear to control a wide variety of cellular processes. The best characterized subgroup of the two-helix receptor class is the homologous family of chemosensory receptors from Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium, including the aspartate receptor. This receptor binds aspartate, an attractant, in the periplasmic compartment and undergoes an intramolecular, transmembrane conformational change, thereby modulating the autophosphorylation rate of a bound histidine kinase in the cytoplasm. Here, we analyze recent results from x-ray crystallographic, solution 19F NMR, and engineered disulfide studies probing the aspartate-induced structural change within the periplasmic and transmembrane regions of the receptor. Together, these approaches provide evidence that aspartate binding triggers a "swinging-piston" displacement of the second membrane-spanning helix, which is proposed to communicate the signal across the bilayer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309-0215, USA.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Chervitz
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Falke
mesh_terms: D001224:Aspartic Acid; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000737:chemistry*; D004220:Disulfides / Q000737:chemistry; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D000071677:Histidine Kinase; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009038:Motion; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D017459:Receptors, Amino Acid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004220:Disulfides; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D017459:Receptors, Amino Acid; C031959:aspartic acid receptor; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D011494:Protein Kinases; D000071677:Histidine Kinase