Crystal structure of the long-chain fatty acid transporter FadL.
Article Details
- CitationCopy to clipboard
van den Berg B, Black PN, Clemons WM Jr, Rapoport TA
Crystal structure of the long-chain fatty acid transporter FadL.
Science. 2004 Jun 4;304(5676):1506-9.
- PubMed ID
- 15178802 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
The mechanisms by which hydrophobic molecules, such as long-chain fatty acids, enter cells are poorly understood. In Gram-negative bacteria, the lipopolysaccharide layer in the outer membrane is an efficient barrier for fatty acids and aromatic hydrocarbons destined for biodegradation. We report crystal structures of the long-chain fatty acid transporter FadL from Escherichia coli at 2.6 and 2.8 angstrom resolution. FadL forms a 14-stranded beta barrel that is occluded by a central hatch domain. The structures suggest that hydrophobic compounds bind to multiple sites in FadL and use a transport mechanism that involves spontaneous conformational changes in the hatch.