Structural and function analyses of the global regulatory protein SarA from Staphylococcus aureus.

ABSTRACT: The sarA locus in Staphylococcus aureus controls the expression of many virulence genes. The sarA regulatory molecule, SarA, is a 14.7-kDa protein (124 residues) that binds to the promoter region of target genes. Here we report the 2.6 A-resolution x-ray crystal structure of the dimeric winged helix SarA protein, which differs from the published SarA structure dramatically. In the crystal packing, multiple dimers of SarA form a scaffold, possibly via divalent cations. Mutations of individual residues within the DNA-binding helix-turn-helix and the winged region as well as within the metal-binding pocket implicate basic residues R84 and R90 within the winged region to be critical in DNA binding, whereas acidic residues D88 and E89 (wing), D8 and E11 (metal-binding pocket), and cysteine 9 ar

SUBMITTER: Liu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1413715 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature