title: N- and C-terminal residues combine in the fusion-pH influenza hemagglutinin HA(2) subunit to form an N cap that terminates the triple-stranded coiled coil.
abstract: The structure of a stable recombinant ectodomain of influenza hemagglutinin HA(2) subunit, EHA(2) (23-185), defined by proteolysis studies of the intact bacterial-expressed ectodomain, was determined to 1.9-A resolution by using x-ray crystallography. The structure reveals a domain composed of N- and C-terminal residues that form an N cap terminating both the N-terminal alpha-helix and the central coiled coil. The N cap is formed by a conserved sequence, and part of it is found in the neutral pH conformation of HA. The C-terminal 23 residues of the ectodomain form a 72-A long nonhelical structure ordered to within 7 residues of the transmembrane anchor. The structure implies that continuous alpha helices are not required for membrane fusion at either the N or C termini. The difference in stability between recombinant molecules with and without the N cap sequences suggests that additional free energy for membrane fusion may become available after the formation of the central triple-stranded coiled coil and insertion of the fusion peptide into the target membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Skehel
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Wiley
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003196:Computer Graphics; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011994:Recombinant Proteins