Department of Chemistry, Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas 67260-0051, USA.
Protein Sci. 2012 Jan;21(1):1-12. doi: 10.1002/pro.752.
The protective antigen is a key component of the anthrax toxin, as it allows entry of the enzymatic components edema factor and lethal factor into the host cell, through the formation of a membrane spanning pore. This event is absolutely critical for the pathogenesis of anthrax, and although we have yet to understand the mechanism of pore formation, recent developments have provided key insights into how this process may occur. Based on the available data, a model is proposed for the kinetic steps for protective antigen conversion from prepore to pore. In this model, the driving force for pore formation is the formation of the phi (ϕ)-clamp, a region that forms a leak-free seal around the translocating polypeptide. Formation of the ϕ-clamp elicits movements within the prepore that provide steric freedom for the subsequent conformational changes required to form the membrane spanning pore.
保护性抗原是炭疽毒素的关键组成部分,因为它允许酶成分水肿因子和致死因子通过形成跨膜孔进入宿主细胞。这一事件对炭疽病的发病机制至关重要,尽管我们尚未了解孔形成的机制,但最近的发展为这一过程如何发生提供了关键的见解。基于现有数据,提出了保护性抗原从预孔到孔的转换的动力学步骤模型。在该模型中,孔形成的驱动力是φ(ϕ)-夹的形成,该区域围绕着移位多肽形成无泄漏密封。ϕ-夹的形成引起预孔内的运动,为随后形成跨膜孔所需的构象变化提供空间自由度。