Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of the Carbohydrate Transport Substrate-binding-protein SP0092
Published on: October 2, 2017
Carbohydrate binding specificities and crystal structure of the cholera toxin-like B-subunit from Citrobacter
Lena Jansson1, Jonas Angström, Michael Lebens
1Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 440, SE-40530 Göteborg, Sweden.
Abstract:
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae are well known causative agents of severe diarrheal diseases. Both pathogens produce AB(5) toxins, with one enzymatically active A-subunit and a pentamer of receptor-binding B-subunits. The primary receptor for both B-subunits is the GM1 ganglioside (Galbeta3GalNAcbeta4(NeuAcalpha3)Galbeta4GlcbetaCer), but the B-subunits from porcine isolates of E. coli also bind neolacto-(Galbeta4GlcNAcbeta-)terminated glycoconjugates and the B-subunits from human isolates of E. coli (hLTB) have affinity for blood group A type 2-(GalNAcalpha3(Fucalpha2)Galbeta4GlcNAcbeta-)terminated glycoconjugates. A B-subunit with 73% sequence identity to the B-subunits of cholera toxin and the heat-labile toxin of E. coli is produced by certain strains of enteropathogenic E. coli and by Citrobacter freundii. This C. freundii B-subunit (CFXB) has now been expressed in V. cholerae, and isolated in high yields. Glycosphingolipid binding studies show that CFXB binds to the GM1 ganglioside with high affinity. In addition, CFXB has high affinity for both neolacto-terminated and blood group A type 2-terminated glycoconjugates. The crystal structure of the pentameric arrangement of C. freundii B-subunits display high structural similarity with related proteins from E. coli and V. cholerae and oligosaccharide binding sites can be identified on the protein surface. Small changes in the 88-95 loop connecting the GM1 and blood group A binding sites explains the minor changes in affinity seen for these two ligands. However, the enhanced affinity of CFXB for neolacto-terminated structures can be sought in the Lys34Tyr substitution affording additional hydrogen bond interactions between the tyrosyl side chain and the GlcNAcbeta3Galb4Glcbeta1 segment of neolactotetraosylceramide via bridging water molecules.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Cholera
Ligand Binding and Linkage
Allosteric Proteins-ATCase
Aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) is a cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes the condensation of L-aspartate and carbamoyl phosphate to N-carbamoyl-L-aspartate. This reaction is the first step in pyrimidine biosynthesis. UTP and CTP, the end products of the pyrimidine synthesis pathway,...
Protein and Protein Structure
A protein's shape is critical to its function. For example, an enzyme can...
Ligand Binding Sites
Protein-ligand interactions are quite specific; even though numerous potential ligands surround a cellular protein at any given time, only a particular ligand can bind to that protein. Moreover, a ligand binds only to a dedicated area on the surface of the protein, known as the...
GPCRs Regulate Adenylyl Cylase Activity
Two...

