Targeted protein engineering provides insights into binding mechanism and affinities of bacterial collagen adhesins

Caná L. Ross, Xiaowen Liang, Qing Liu, Barbara E. Murray, Magnus Höök, Vannakambadi K. Ganesh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

The collagen-binding bacterial proteins, Ace and Cna, are well characterized on the biochemical and structural level. Despite overall structural similarity, recombinant forms of the Ace and Cna ligand-binding domains exhibit significantly different affinities and binding kinetics for collagen type I (CI) in vitro. In this study, we sought to understand, in submolecular detail, the bases for these differences. Using a structure-based approach, we engineered Cna and Ace variants by altering specific structural elements within the ligand-binding domains. Surface plasmon resonance-based binding analysis demonstrated that mutations that are predicted to alter the orientation of the Ace and Cna N1 and N2 subdomains significantly affect the interaction between the MSCRAMM (microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecule) and CI in vitro, including affinity, association/dissociation rates and binding ratio. Moreover, we utilized this information to engineer an Ace variant with an 11,000-fold higher CI affinity than the parent protein. Finally, we noted that several engineered proteins that exhibited a weak interaction with CI recognized more sites on CI, suggesting an inverse correlation between affinity and specificity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)34856-34865
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Biological Chemistry
Volume287
Issue number41
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 5 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Targeted protein engineering provides insights into binding mechanism and affinities of bacterial collagen adhesins'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this