Self-recognition by an intrinsically disordered protein

Oliver Hecht, Helen Ridley, Ruth Boetzel, Allison Lewin, Nick Cull, David A. Chalton, Jeremy H. Lakey, Geoffrey R. Moore

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The intrinsically disordered translocation domain (T-domain) of the protein antibiotic colicin N binds to periplasmic receptors of target Escherichia coli cells in order to penetrate their inner membranes. We report here that the specific 27 consecutive residues of the T-domain of colicin N known to bind to the helper protein TolA in target cells also interacts intramolecularly with folded regions of colicin N. We suggest that this specific self-recognition helps intrinsically disordered domains to bury their hydrophobic recognition motifs and protect them against degradation, showing that an impaired self-recognition leads to increased protease susceptibility.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2673-7
Number of pages5
JournalFEBS Letters
Volume582
Issue number17
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Jul 2008

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