Global flexibility in a sensory receptor: a site-directed cross-linking approach

The aspartate receptor of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium is a cell surface sensory transducer that binds extracellular aspartate and sends a transmembrane signal to the inside of the bacterium. The flexibility and allostery of this receptor was examined by placing sulfhydryl groups as potential cross-linking sites at targeted locations in the protein. Seven different mutant receptors were constructed, each containing a single cysteine residue at a different position in the primary structure. Intramolecular disulfide bond formation within oligomers of these mutant receptors is shown to trap structural fluctuations and to detect ligand-induced changes in structure. The results indicate that the receptor oligomer has a flexible, dynamic structure which undergoes a global change upon aspartate binding.