title: Conformational changes of the N-terminal part of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus p12 protein during multimerization.
abstract: The Mason-Pfizer monkey virus is a prototype Betaretrovirus with the defining characteristic that it assembles spherical immature particles from Gag-related polyprotein precursors within the cytoplasm of the infected cell. It was shown previously that the N-terminal part of the Gag p12 domain (wt-Np12) is required for efficient assembly. However, the precise role for p12 in mediating Gag-Gag interaction is still poorly understood. In this study we employed detailed circular dichroism spectroscopy, electron microscopy and ultracentrifugation analyses of recombinant wt-Np12 prepared by in vitro transcription and translation. The wt-Np12 domain fragment forms fibrillar structures in a concentration-dependent manner. Assembly into fibers is linked to a conformational transition from unfolded or another non-periodical state to alpha-helix during multimerization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zdenĕk
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Knejzlík
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ulbrich
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strohalm
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lastůvková
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kodícek
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakalian
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ruml
mesh_terms: D002942:Circular Dichroism; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000737:chemistry*; D016093:Mason-Pfizer monkey virus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011487:Protein Conformation; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D014461:Ultracentrifugation
chemical_list: D015683:Gene Products, gag; C078028:p12 protein, Mason-Pfizer monkey virus