title: Is the cytoplasmic loop of MerT, the mercuric ion transport protein, involved in mercury transfer to the mercuric reductase?
abstract: In MerT, the mercury transporter, a first cysteine pair, located in the first trans-membrane helix, receives mercury from the periplasm. Then, a second cysteine pair, housed in a cytoplasmic loop connecting the second and the third trans-membrane helices, is thought to transfer the metal to another cysteine pair located in the N-terminal extension of the mercuric reductase. We found that a 23-amino acid synthetic peptide corresponding to the cytoplasmic loop can bind one mercury atom per molecule and that this mercury atom can be transferred specifically to MerAa. The solution structure of Hg-bound ppMerT has been solved by 1H NMR spectroscopy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie des Centres Redox Biologiques, DRDC/CB, CEA-Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rossy
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sénèque
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lascoux
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lemaire
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crouzy
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Delangle
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Covès
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000502:physiology; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008628:Mercury / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017510:Protein Folding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D010455:Peptides; C094115:mercury transport protein, bacterial; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C021551:mercuric reductase; D008628:Mercury