7K7D

Crystal structure of diphtheria toxin from crystals obtained at pH 6.0


Experimental Data Snapshot

  • Method: X-RAY DIFFRACTION
  • Resolution: 2.10 Å
  • R-Value Free: 0.258 
  • R-Value Work: 0.210 
  • R-Value Observed: 0.213 

Starting Model: experimental
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This is version 1.2 of the entry. See complete history


Literature

Structure of the Diphtheria Toxin at Acidic pH: Implications for the Conformational Switching of the Translocation Domain.

Rodnin, M.V.Kashipathy, M.M.Kyrychenko, A.Battaile, K.P.Lovell, S.Ladokhin, A.S.

(2020) Toxins (Basel) 12

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12110704
  • Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
    7K7B, 7K7C, 7K7D, 7K7E

  • PubMed Abstract: 

    Diphtheria toxin, an exotoxin secreted by Corynebacterium that causes disease in humans by inhibiting protein synthesis, enters the cell via receptor-mediated endocytosis. The subsequent endosomal acidification triggers a series of conformational changes, resulting in the refolding and membrane insertion of the translocation (T-)domain and ultimately leading to the translocation of the catalytic domain into the cytoplasm. Here, we use X-ray crystallography along with circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy to gain insight into the mechanism of the early stages of pH-dependent conformational transition. For the first time, we present the high-resolution structure of the diphtheria toxin at a mildly acidic pH (5-6) and compare it to the structure at neutral pH (7). We demonstrate that neither catalytic nor receptor-binding domains change their structure upon this acidification, while the T-domain undergoes a conformational change that results in the unfolding of the TH2-3 helices. Surprisingly, the TH1 helix maintains its conformation in the crystal of the full-length toxin even at pH 5. This contrasts with the evidence from the new and previously published data, obtained by spectroscopic measurements and molecular dynamics computer simulations, which indicate the refolding of TH1 upon the acidification of the isolated T-domain. The overall results imply that the membrane interactions of the T-domain are critical in ensuring the proper conformational changes required for the preparation of the diphtheria toxin for the cellular entry.


  • Organizational Affiliation

    Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.


Macromolecules
Find similar proteins by:  (by identity cutoff)  |  3D Structure
Entity ID: 1
MoleculeChains Sequence LengthOrganismDetailsImage
Diphtheria toxin
A, B
538Corynebacterium diphtheriaeMutation(s): 2 
EC: 2.4.2.36
UniProt
Find proteins for Q6NK15 (Corynebacterium diphtheriae (strain ATCC 700971 / NCTC 13129 / Biotype gravis))
Explore Q6NK15 
Go to UniProtKB:  Q6NK15
Entity Groups  
Sequence Clusters30% Identity50% Identity70% Identity90% Identity95% Identity100% Identity
UniProt GroupQ6NK15
Sequence Annotations
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  • Reference Sequence
Experimental Data & Validation

Experimental Data

  • Method: X-RAY DIFFRACTION
  • Resolution: 2.10 Å
  • R-Value Free: 0.258 
  • R-Value Work: 0.210 
  • R-Value Observed: 0.213 
  • Space Group: P 1
Unit Cell:
Length ( Å )Angle ( ˚ )
a = 69.439α = 117.9
b = 69.605β = 93.86
c = 73.122γ = 97.93
Software Package:
Software NamePurpose
XDSdata reduction
Aimlessdata scaling
PHASERphasing
PHENIXrefinement
PDB_EXTRACTdata extraction

Structure Validation

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Entry History & Funding Information

Deposition Data


Funding OrganizationLocationGrant Number
National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH/NIGMS)United StatesGM-069783
National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH/NIGMS)United StatesP30 GM110761

Revision History  (Full details and data files)

  • Version 1.0: 2020-11-18
    Type: Initial release
  • Version 1.1: 2023-10-18
    Changes: Data collection, Database references, Refinement description
  • Version 1.2: 2024-10-23
    Changes: Structure summary