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PMID: 19269243 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review

Allostery in the LacI/GalR family: variations on a theme.

Current opinion in microbiology ·Vol. 12 ·No. 2 ·2009-04-00 ·Pages 129-37

Swint-Kruse L, Matthews KS

Abstract

The lactose repressor protein (LacI) was among the very first genetic regulatory proteins discovered, and more than 1000 members of the bacterial LacI/GalR family are now identified. LacI has been the prototype for understanding how transcription is controlled using small metabolites to modulate protein association with specific DNA sites. This understanding has been greatly expanded by the study of other LacI/GalR homologues. A general picture emerges in which the conserved fold provides a scaffold for multiple types of interactions - including oligomerization, small molecule binding, and protein-protein binding - that in turn influence target DNA binding and thereby regulate mRNA production. Although many different functions have evolved from this basic scaffold, each homologue retains functional flexibility: For the same protein, different small molecules can have disparate impact on DNA binding and hence transcriptional outcome. In turn, binding to alternative DNA sequences may impact the degree of allosteric response. Thus, this family exhibits a symphony of variations by which transcriptional control is achieved.

MeSH Terms
Allosteric Regulation/physiology Bacterial Physiological Phenomena Bacterial Proteins/chemistry,metabolism Escherichia coli/physiology Escherichia coli Proteins/chemistry,metabolism Lac Repressors Repressor Proteins/chemistry,metabolism
Chemicals
Bacterial Proteins Escherichia coli Proteins Galactose repressor proteins Lac Repressors LacI protein, E coli Repressor Proteins
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Swint-Kruse Liskin
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, 66160, United States. lswint-kruse@kumc.edu
Matthews Kathleen S
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Article Info
Journal
Current opinion in microbiology
Abbr.
Curr Opin Microbiol
ISSN
1879-0364
DOI
10.1016/j.mib.2009.01.009
Email
lswint-kruse@kumc.edu
Published
2009-04-00
Epub
2009-00-05
Pages
129-37
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
9815056
PMCID
PMC2688824
Subset
IM
Grants
NIGMS NIH HHS · R01 GM079423 · United States
NCRR NIH HHS · P20 RR017708 · United States
NCRR NIH HHS · P20 RR017708-057351 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · GM079423 · United States
NCRR NIH HHS · P20 RR17708 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · R01 GM079423-02 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · GM22441 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · R01 GM022441-32 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · R01 GM022441 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2009.01.009 PMC Full Text View journal details
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