Download MendeleyStructure of a P element transposase-DNA complex reveals unusual DNA structures and GTP-DNA contacts.
Ghanim, G.E., Kellogg, E.H., Nogales, E., Rio, D.C.(2019) Nat Struct Mol Biol 26: 1013-1022
- PubMed: 31659330
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-019-0319-6
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
6P5A, 6PE2 - PubMed Abstract:
P element transposase catalyzes the mobility of P element DNA transposons within the Drosophila genome. P element transposase exhibits several unique properties, including the requirement for a guanosine triphosphate cofactor and the generation of long staggered DNA breaks during transposition. To gain insights into these features, we determined the atomic structure of the Drosophila P element transposase strand transfer complex using cryo-EM. The structure of this post-transposition nucleoprotein complex reveals that the terminal single-stranded transposon DNA adopts unusual A-form and distorted B-form helical geometries that are stabilized by extensive protein-DNA interactions. Additionally, we infer that the bound guanosine triphosphate cofactor interacts with the terminal base of the transposon DNA, apparently to position the P element DNA for catalysis. Our structure provides the first view of the P element transposase superfamily, offers new insights into P element transposition and implies a transposition pathway fundamentally distinct from other cut-and-paste DNA transposases.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
