Transmembrane receptor chimeras to probe HAMP domain function

HAMP domains are the central signal converters in bacterial chemotaxis receptors and chemosensory histidine kinases. They link the signal input modules in these proteins, that is, the ligand-binding domains, to the output modules, for example, the histidine kinase domain. A similar architecture is present in the adenylyl cyclase (AC) Rv3645 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, where a HAMP domain is positioned between the N-terminal membrane anchor and the C-terminal catalytic domain. Because the activity of the catalytic domain responds to alterations in the HAMP domain, a method has been developed which uses the catalytic domain of Rv3645 as a reporter to probe the HAMP domain function of diverse bacterial proteins. A strategy for construction of chimeras between a variety of HAMP domains and the catalytic domain of the AC Rv3645 is described. The enzymes are overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified by Ni2+-affinity chromatography. AC activity of the chimeras is determined by a radiotracer method published earlier in the series. Results of the mutagenesis of the HAMP domain from the Af1503 protein of Archeoglobus fulgidus are shown as an example for the successful application of the method.