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-Structure paper
Title | Bacteriophage Twort protein Gp168 is a β-clamp inhibitor by occupying the DNA sliding channel. |
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Journal, issue, pages | Nucleic Acids Res, Vol. 49, Issue 19, Page 11367-11378, Year 2021 |
Publish date | Nov 8, 2021 |
Authors | Bing Liu / Shanshan Li / Yang Liu / Huan Chen / Zhenyue Hu / Zhihao Wang / Yimin Zhao / Lei Zhang / Biyun Ma / Hongliang Wang / Steve Matthews / Yawen Wang / Kaiming Zhang / |
PubMed Abstract | Bacterial chromosome replication is mainly catalyzed by DNA polymerase III, whose beta subunits enable rapid processive DNA replication. Enabled by the clamp-loading complex, the two beta subunits ...Bacterial chromosome replication is mainly catalyzed by DNA polymerase III, whose beta subunits enable rapid processive DNA replication. Enabled by the clamp-loading complex, the two beta subunits form a ring-like clamp around DNA and keep the polymerase sliding along. Given the essential role of β-clamp, its inhibitors have been explored for antibacterial purposes. Similarly, β-clamp is an ideal target for bacteriophages to shut off host DNA synthesis during host takeover. The Gp168 protein of phage Twort is such an example, which binds to the β-clamp of Staphylococcus aureus and prevents it from loading onto DNA causing replication arrest. Here, we report a cryo-EM structure of the clamp-Gp168 complex at 3.2-Å resolution. In the structure of the complex, the Gp168 dimer occupies the DNA sliding channel of β-clamp and blocks its loading onto DNA, which represents a new inhibitory mechanism against β-clamp function. Interestingly, the key residues responsible for this interaction on the β-clamp are well conserved among bacteria. We therefore demonstrate that Gp168 is potentially a cross-species β-clamp inhibitor, as it forms complex with the Bacillus subtilis β-clamp. Our findings reveal an alternative mechanism for bacteriophages to inhibit β-clamp and provide a new strategy to combat bacterial drug resistance. |
External links | Nucleic Acids Res / PubMed:34614154 / PubMed Central |
Methods | EM (single particle) |
Resolution | 3.2 Å |
Structure data | EMDB-31339, PDB-7evp: |
Source |
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Keywords | ANTIMICROBIAL PROTEIN / gp168 / DNA beta-clamp / cross-species inhibitor |