title: Structure of a conserved Golgi complex-targeting signal in coronavirus envelope proteins.
abstract: Coronavirus envelope (CoV E) proteins are ∼100-residue polypeptides with at least one channel-forming α-helical transmembrane (TM) domain. The extramembrane C-terminal tail contains a completely conserved proline, at the center of a predicted β-coil-β motif. This hydrophobic motif has been reported to constitute a Golgi-targeting signal or a second TM domain. However, no structural data for this or other extramembrane domains in CoV E proteins is available. Herein, we show that the E protein in the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus has only one TM domain in micelles, whereas the predicted β-coil-β motif forms a short membrane-bound α-helix connected by a disordered loop to the TM domain. However, complementary results suggest that this motif is potentially poised for conformational change or in dynamic exchange with other conformations.
authors.affiliation: From the School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, 637551 Singapore.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wahyu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Surya
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Claudine
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Torres
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D055503:Protein Multimerization; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins
chemical_list: C501689:E protein, SARS coronavirus; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins
keywords: Analytical Ultracentrifugation; Coronavirus; Envelope Protein; Golgi Targeting; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR); Protein Structure; SARS; Structural Biology; Viral Protein; Virus Assembly