Structural evidence for functional lipid interactions in the betaine transporter BetP.

ABSTRACT: Bilayer lipids contribute to the stability of membrane transporters and are crucially involved in their proper functioning. However, the molecular knowledge of how surrounding lipids affect membrane transport is surprisingly limited and despite its general importance is rarely considered in the molecular description of a transport mechanism. One reason is that only few atomic resolution structures of channels or transporters reveal a functional interaction with lipids, which are difficult to detect in X-ray structures per se. Overcoming these difficulties, we report here on a new structure of the osmotic stress-regulated betaine transporter BetP in complex with anionic lipids. This lipid-associated BetP structure is important in the molecular understanding of osmoregulation due to the stro

SUBMITTER: Koshy C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3844952 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature