The structure of bacterial ParM filaments.
Orlova, A., Garner, E.C., Galkin, V.E., Heuser, J., Mullins, R.D., Egelman, E.H.(2007) Nat Struct Mol Biol 14: 921-926
- PubMed: 17873883 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb1300
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
2QU4 - PubMed Abstract: 
Bacterial ParM is a homolog of eukaryotic actin and is involved in moving plasmids so that they segregate properly during cell division. Using cryo-EM and three-dimensional reconstruction, we show that ParM filaments have a different structure from F-actin, with very different subunit-subunit interfaces. These interfaces result in the helical handedness of the ParM filament being opposite to that of F-actin. Like F-actin, ParM filaments have a variable twist, and we show that this involves domain-domain rotations within the ParM subunit. The present results yield new insights into polymorphisms within F-actin, as well as the evolution of polymer families.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908-0733, USA.