MBP is a protein of Mr = 40622 with an ellipsoid shape measuring 30 x 40 x 65 Å. Here MBP is shown with bound maltotriose
The amino acids involved in these hydrogen bonds are mainly in domain I. Besides the hydrogen bridges there are numeous van der Waals-contacts between sugar and protein
A tight interaction of aromatic amino acids with sugar rings is typical for sugar binding proteins. In MBP these amino acids are located mainly in domain II.
The bound maltodextrin is almost completely surrounded by the protein, a small part of the surface of the sugar is accessible from outside (10,5Å2 out of 206Å2)
The amount of change in conformation depends on the chain length of the bound maltodextrin. Monomeric glucose is not bound at all. Upon binding oligomeric glucose there are no hydrogen bridges towards the glycosidic bonds; monomeric glucose has hydroxyl groups in the corresponding positions, which can't find hydrogen bridge partners in the protein. Hydroxyl groups are more polar than ether bridges.
For the transport across the cytoplasmic membrane the sugar has to be set free from the binding protein. This requires a conformational change in MBP which is induced by a contact with MalG. From genetic experiments the contact area between MalE and MalG is known
MalE is also involved in chemotaxis towards maltodextrins. Target protein for this function in the cytoplasmic membrane is Tar (Taxis to Aspartate and away from some Repellents). Genetical experiments allowed to identify another group of amino acids involved in contacts between MalE and Tar
FA Quiocho, Atomic structures of periplasmic binding proteins and the high-affinity active transport systems in bacteria, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 326 (1990) 341-352
JC Spurlino et al, The 2.3-Å resolution structure of the maltose- or maltodextrin-binding protein, a primary receptor of bacterial active transport and chemotaxis, J. Biol. Chem. 266 (1991) 5202-5219
FA Quioche et al, Extensive features of tight oligosaccharide binding revealed in high-resolution structures of the maltodextrin transport/chemosensory receptor, Structure 5 (1997) 997-1015
M Ehrmann et al, The ABC maltose transporter, Mol. Microbiol. 29 (1998) 685-694
6-99 - Rolf Bergmann