Multifunctionality and mechanism of ligand binding in a mosquito antiinflammatory protein

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Mar 10;106(10):3728-33. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0813190106. Epub 2009 Feb 20.

Abstract

The mosquito D7 salivary proteins are encoded by a multigene family related to the arthropod odorant-binding protein (OBP) superfamily. Forms having either one or two OBP domains are found in mosquito saliva. Four single-domain and one two-domain D7 proteins from Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti (AeD7), respectively, were shown to bind biogenic amines with high affinity and with a stoichiometry of one ligand per protein molecule. Sequence comparisons indicated that only the C-terminal domain of AeD7 is homologous to the single-domain proteins from A. gambiae, suggesting that the N-terminal domain may bind a different class of ligands. Here, we describe the 3D structure of AeD7 and examine the ligand-binding characteristics of the N- and C-terminal domains. Isothermal titration calorimetry and ligand complex crystal structures show that the N-terminal domain binds cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysLTs) with high affinities (50-60 nM) whereas the C-terminal domain binds biogenic amines. The lipid chain of the cysLT binds in a hydrophobic pocket of the N-terminal domain, whereas binding of norepinephrine leads to an ordering of the C-terminal portion of the C-terminal domain into an alpha-helix that, along with rotations of Arg-176 and Glu-268 side chains, acts to bury the bound ligand.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aedes / chemistry*
  • Animals
  • Anopheles / chemistry
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / chemistry*
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / metabolism*
  • Binding Sites
  • Calorimetry
  • Insect Proteins / chemistry*
  • Insect Proteins / metabolism*
  • Leukotriene E4 / chemistry
  • Ligands
  • Models, Molecular
  • Norepinephrine / chemistry
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Static Electricity

Substances

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Insect Proteins
  • Ligands
  • Leukotriene E4
  • Norepinephrine

Associated data

  • PDB/3DXL
  • PDB/3DY9
  • PDB/3DYE
  • PDB/3DZT