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Journal of Bacteriology, August 2007, p. 6048-6056, Vol. 189, No. 16
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00459-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Integration of Rotation and Piston Motions in Coiled-Coil Signal Transduction{triangledown}

Rong Gao{dagger} and David G. Lynn*

Center for Fundamental and Applied Molecular Evolution, Departments of Chemistry and Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322

Received 27 March 2007/ Accepted 5 June 2007

A coordinated response to a complex and dynamic environment requires an organism to simultaneously monitor and interpret multiple signaling cues. In bacteria and some eukaryotes, environmental responses depend on the histidine autokinases (HKs). For example, VirA, a large integral membrane HK from Agrobacterium tumefaciens, regulates the expression of virulence genes in response to signals from multiple molecular classes (phenol, pH, and sugar). The ability of this pathogen to perceive inputs from different known host signals within a single protein receptor provides an opportunity to understand the mechanisms of signal integration. Here we exploited the conserved domain organization of the HKs and engineered chimeric kinases to explore the signaling mechanisms of phenol sensing and pH/sugar integration. Our data implicate a piston-assisted rotation of coiled coils for integration of multiple inputs and regulation of critical responses during pathogenesis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Center for Fundamental and Applied Molecular Evolution, Departments of Chemistry and Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322. Phone: (404) 727-9348. Fax: (404) 727-6586. E-mail: dlynn2{at}emory.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 15 June 2007.

{dagger} Present address: Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

Journal of Bacteriology, August 2007, p. 6048-6056, Vol. 189, No. 16
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.00459-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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