title: The function of the PduJ microcompartment shell protein is determined by the genomic position of its encoding gene.
abstract: Bacterial microcompartments (MCPs) are complex organelles that consist of metabolic enzymes encapsulated within a protein shell. In this study, we investigate the function of the PduJ MCP shell protein. PduJ is 80% identical in amino acid sequence to PduA and both are major shell proteins of the 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PD) utilization (Pdu) MCP of Salmonella. Prior studies showed that PduA mediates the transport of 1,2-PD (the substrate) into the Pdu MCP. Surprisingly, however, results presented here establish that PduJ has no role 1,2-PD transport. The crystal structure revealed that PduJ was nearly identical to that of PduA and, hence, offered no explanation for their differential functions. Interestingly, however, when a pduJ gene was placed at the pduA chromosomal locus, the PduJ protein acquired a new function, the ability to mediate 1,2-PD transport into the Pdu MCP. To our knowledge, these are the first studies to show that that gene location can determine the function of a MCP shell protein. We propose that gene location dictates protein-protein interactions essential to the function of the MCP shell.
authors: Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011.
authors: Chiranjit
authors: C
authors: Chowdhury
authors: Department of Energy Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095.
authors: Sunny
authors: S
authors: Chun
authors: Department of Energy Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095.
authors: Michael R
authors: MR
authors: Sawaya
authors: Department of Energy Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095.|Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095.|Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095.
authors: Todd O
authors: TO
authors: Yeates
authors: Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011.
authors: Thomas A
authors: TA
authors: Bobik
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D023061:Gene Order; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015388:Organelles / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D054730:Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs; D019779:Salmonella enterica / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins