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Catalytic domain structure and hypothesis for function of GIY-YIG intron endonuclease I-TevI

Nature Structural Biology volume 9, pages 806–811 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

I-TevI, a member of the GIY-YIG family of homing endonucleases, consists of an N-terminal catalytic domain and a C-terminal DNA-binding domain joined by a flexible linker. The GIY-YIG motif is in the N-terminal domain of I-TevI, which corresponds to a phylogenetically widespread catalytic cartridge that is often associated with mobile genetic elements. The crystal structure of the catalytic domain of I-TevI, the first of any GIY-YIG endonuclease, reveals a novel α/β-fold with a central three-stranded antiparallel β-sheet flanked by three helices. The most conserved and putative catalytic residues are located on a shallow, concave surface and include a metal coordination site. Similarities in the three-dimensional arrangement of the catalytically important residues and the cation-binding site with those of the His-Cys box endonuclease I-PpoI suggest the possibility of mechanistic relationships among these different families of homing endonucleases despite completely different folds.

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Figure 1: Overall structure of I-TevI.
Figure 2: Three-dimensional structure of the catalytic domain of I-TevI.
Figure 3: Substrate interaction surface.
Figure 4: Structural correspondence between I-TevI and I-PpoI.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Bujnicki for providing the coordinates of the computational model of the I-TevI N-terminal domain and A. Dean and D. Edgell for critically reading the manuscript. We thank B. Stoddard for insightful comments on an earlier version of this paper. This research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health to P.V.R. and M.B. The X-ray diffraction facilities at beamline X12C of the NSLS are supported by the DOE and by grants from the NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York State Department Health, Wadsworth Center, Albany, 12201-0509, New York, USA

    Patrick Van Roey, Lisa Meehan, Joseph C. Kowalski, Marlene Belfort & Victoria Derbyshire

  2. Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, 12201-0509, New York, USA

    Joseph C. Kowalski, Marlene Belfort & Victoria Derbyshire

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  1. Patrick Van Roey
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Correspondence to Patrick Van Roey.

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Van Roey, P., Meehan, L., Kowalski, J. et al. Catalytic domain structure and hypothesis for function of GIY-YIG intron endonuclease I-TevI. Nat Struct Mol Biol 9, 806–811 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb853

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