Katanin spiral and ring structures shed light on power stroke for microtubule severing

• Published in: Nature structural & molecular biology Vol. 24; no. 9; pp. 717 - 725
• Main Authors: Zehr, Elena, Szyk, Agnieszka, Piszczek, Grzegorz, Szczesna, Ewa, Zuo, Xiaobing, Roll-Mecak, Antonina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.09.2017; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; 631/535/1258/1259; 631/535/1261; 631/535/1266; 631/80/128/2343; 82; Adenosine Triphosphatases - chemistry; Adenosine Triphosphatases - metabolism; Adenosine Triphosphatases - ultrastructure; Adenosine Triphosphate - metabolism; Animals; ATPases; Axons; BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; Biochemistry; Biological Microscopy; Caenorhabditis elegans - enzymology; Cilia; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Crystal structure; Crystallography, X-Ray; Enzymes; Gating; Interfaces; Katanin; Life Sciences; Membrane Biology; Microtubules; Models, Molecular; Protein Binding; Protein Conformation; protein SAXS; Protein Structure; Ring structures; Spindles; Stroke; Structural members

Using a combination of crystallography, SAXS and cryo-EM, the katanin hexamer is observed in spiral or ring arrangements, suggesting a mechanism to generate the power stroke to severe microtubules. Microtubule-severing enzymes katanin, spastin and fidgetin are AAA ATPases important for the biogenesi...