Structure of Saposin a Lipoprotein Discs
Structure of saposin A lipoprotein discs Konstantin Popovica, John Holyoakeb,c, Régis Pomèsb,d, and Gilbert G. Privéa,c,d,1 aDepartment of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2M9; bMolecular Structure and Function, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 1X8; cOntario Cancer Institute, Campbell Family Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 1L7; and dDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 1A8 Edited by Donald Engelman, Yale University, New Haven, CT, and approved December 17, 2011 (received for review September 23, 2011) The saposins are small, membrane-active proteins that exist in both functions to activate the sphingolipid hydrolysis reaction. How- soluble and lipid-bound states. Saposin A has roles in sphingolipid ever, structural flexibility is a crucial feature for the membrane catabolism and transport and is required for the breakdown of surface binding and lipid-solubilizing abilities of the saposin pro- galactosylceramide by β-galactosylceramidase. In the absence of teins (3, 18, 19). lipid, saposin A adopts a closed monomeric apo conformation Here, we characterize the interactions of saposin A with var- typical of this family. To study a lipid-bound state of this protein, ious amphiphiles. Saposin A undergoes a conformational change we determined the crystal structure of saposin A in the presence of in the presence of lipids and detergents and forms small lipo- detergent to 1.9 Å resolution. The structure reveals two chains of protein particles with a wide range of lipids. The 1.9 Å crystal saposin A in an open conformation encapsulating 40 internally structure of saposin A in complex with zwitterionic detergent bound detergent molecules organized in a highly ordered bilayer- lauryldimethylamine-N-oxide (LDAO) reveals two saposin chains like hydrophobic core.
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