Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Structure of catabolite gene activator protein at 2.9 Å resolution suggests binding to left-handed B-DNA

Nature volume 290, pages 744–749 (1981)Cite this article

Abstract

The 2.9 Å resolution crystal structure of Escherichia coli catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) completed with cyclic AMP reveals two distinct structural domains separated by a cleft. The smaller carboxy-terminal domain is presumed to bind DNA while the amino-terminal domain is seen to bind cyclic AMP. Model building studies suggest that CAP binds to left-handed B-type DNA, contacting its major groove via two a-helices. It is possible that the CAP conversion of right- to left-handed DNA in a closed supercoil, is what activates transcription by RNA polymerase.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Zubay, G. & Doty, P. J. molec. Biol. 1, 1–20 (1959).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sung, M. T. & Dixon, G. H. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 67, 1616–1623 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Adler, K. et al. Nature 237, 322–327 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Church, G. M., Sussman, J. L. & Kim, S. H. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 74, 1458–1462 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Zubay, G., Schwartz, D. & Beckwith, J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 66, 104–110 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Epstein, W., Rothman-Denes, L. B. & Hesse, J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 72, 2300–2304 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. deCrombrugghe, B. et al. Nature new Biol. 231, 139–142 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ogden, S., Haggerty, D., Stoner, C. M., Kolodrubetz, D. & Schleif, R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 3346–3350 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Musso, R. E., DiLauro, R., Adhya, S. & deChrombrugghe, B. Cell 12, 847–854 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Anderson, W. B., Schneider, A. B., Emmer, M., Perlman, R. L. & Pastan, I. J. biol. Chem. 246, 5929–5937 (1971).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Riggs, A. D., Reiness, G. & Zubay, G. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 68, 1222–1225 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Krakow, J. G. & Pastan, I. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 70, 2529–2533 (1973).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Eilen, E., Pampeno, G. & Krakow, J. S. Biochemistry 17, 2469–2473 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Wu, C.-W. & Wu, F. Y.-H. Biochemistry 13, 2573–2578 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Wu, F. Y.-H., Nath, K. & Wu, C.-W. J. molec. Biol. 100, 459–472 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Eilen, E. & Krakow, J. S. J. molec. Biol. 114, 47–60 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kumar, S. A., Murthy, N. S. & Krakow, J. S. FEBS Lett. 109, 121–124 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. McKay, D. B. & Fried, M. G. J. molec Biol. 139, 95–96 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Wyckoff, H. W. et al. J. molec. Biol. 27, 563–578 (1967).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Rossmann, M. G. Acta crystallogr. A 32, 774–777 (1976).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Strahs, G. & Kraut, J. J. molec. Biol. 35, 503–512 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Harrison, S. C., Olson, A. J., Schutt, C. E., Winkler, F. K. & Bricogne, G. Nature 276, 368–373 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Abad-Zapatero, C. et al. Nature 286, 33–39 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Bennett, W. S. Jr & Steitz, T. A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 4848–4852 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Amzel, M. & Poljak, R. J. A. Rev. Biochem. 48, 961–998 (1979).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Eklund, H., Samama, J.-P., Wallen, L. & Branden, C.-I. J. molec. Biol. (in the press).

  27. Takahashi, M., Blazy, B. & Baudras, A. Biochemistry 19, 5124–5130 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Platt, T., Files, J. G. & Weber, K. J. biol. Chem. 248, 110–121 (1973).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Geisler, N. & Weber, K. Biochemistry 16, 938–943 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Jovin, T. M., Geisler, N. & Weber, K. Nature 269, 668–672 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Pabo, C. O., Saver, R. T., Sturtevant, J. N. & Ptashne, M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 1608–1612 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Ogata, R. T. & Gilbert, W. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 5851–5854 (1978).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Simpson, R. B. Nucleic Acids Res. 8, 759–766 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Majors, J. thesis, Harvard Univ. (1979).

  35. Gupta, G., Bansal, M. & Sasisekharan, V. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77, 6486–6490 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Dickson, R. C., Abelson, J., Johnson, P., Reznikoff, W. S. & Barnes, W. M. J. molec Biol. 111, 65–79 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Taniguchi, T., O'Neill, M. & deCrombrugghe, B. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76, 5090–5094 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Wang, A. H.-J. et al. Nature 282, 680–686 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Drew, H., Takano, T., Tanaka, S., Itakura, K. & Dickerson, R. E. Nature 286, 567–573 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Sanzey, B. J. Bact. 138, 40–47 (1979).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Cozzarelli, N. R. Science 207, 953–960 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Dickson, R. G., Abelson, J., Barnes, W. M. & Reznikoff, N. S. Science 187, 27–35 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Siebenlist, U. Nature 279, 651–652 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Anderson, W. F., Ohlendorf, D. H., Takeda, Y. & Matthews, B. W. Nature 290, 754–757 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Arnott, S. & Hukins, D. W. L. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 47, 1504–1509 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Wilson, I. A., Skehel, J. J. & Wiley, D. C. Nature 289, 366–373 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA

    David B. McKay & Thomas A. Steitz

Authors
  1. David B. McKay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thomas A. Steitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

McKay, D., Steitz, T. Structure of catabolite gene activator protein at 2.9 Å resolution suggests binding to left-handed B-DNA. Nature 290, 744–749 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/290744a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/290744a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing