Big domains are novel Ca²+-binding modules: evidences from big domains of Leptospira immunoglobulin-like (Lig) proteins.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Many bacterial surface exposed proteins mediate the host-pathogen interaction more effectively in the presence of Ca²+. Leptospiral immunoglobulin-like (Lig) proteins, LigA and LigB, are surface exposed proteins containing Bacterial immunoglobulin like (Big) domains. The function of proteins which contain Big fold is not known. Based on the possible similarities of immunoglobulin and βγ-crystallin folds, we here explore the important question whether Ca²+ binds to a Big domains, which would provide a novel functional role of the proteins containing Big fold.

Principal findings

We selected six individual Big domains for this study (three from the conserved part of LigA and LigB, denoted as Lig A3, Lig A4, and LigBCon5; two from the variable region of LigA, i.e., 9(

SUBMITTER: Raman R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3012076 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature