Deletion of the transmembrane domain (TM-domain) of
Archaeoglobus fulgidus LonB protease (
Archaeoglobus fulgidus (
AfLon)) was shown to result in uncontrollable activation of the enzyme proteolytic site and in vivo autolysis yielding a stable
and functionally inactive fragment consisting of both α-helical and proteolytic domains (αP). The ΔTM-
AfLon-S509A enzyme form, obtained by site-directed mutagenesis of the catalytic Ser residue, is capable of recombination with
the αP fragment. The mixed oligomers were shown to be proteolytically active, which indicates a crucial role of subunit interactions
in the activation of the
AfLon proteolytic site. The thermophilic nature of
AfLon protease was found to be due to the special features of the enzyme activity regulation, the structure of ATPase domain,
and the quaternary structure.
Key words Archaeoglobus fulgidus - Lon protease - proteolytic activity - subunit interactions - transmembrane domain
Original Russian Text © O.V. Makhovskaya, S. Kozlov, I. Botos, A.A. Stepnov, A.G. Andrianova, A.E. Gushchina, A. Wlodawer,
E.E. Mel’nikov, T.V. Rotanova, 2007, published in Bioorganicheskaya Khimiya, 2007, Vol. 33, No. 6, pp. 657–660.