The boxing glove shape of subunit d of the yeast V-ATPase in solution and the importance of disulfide formation for folding of this protein

The low resolution structure of subunit d (Vma6p) of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae V-ATPase was determined from solution X-ray scattering data. The protein is a boxing glove-shaped molecule consisting of two distinct domains, with a width of about 6.5 nm and 3.5 nm, respectively. To understand the importance of the N- and C-termini inside the protein, four truncated forms of subunit d (d (11-345), d (38-345), d (1-328) and d (1-298)) and mutant subunit d, with a substitution of Cys329 against Ser, were expressed, and only d (11-345), containing all six cysteine residues was soluble. The structural properties of d depends strongly on the presence of a disulfide bond. Changes in response to disulfide formation have been studied by fluorescence- and CD spectroscopy, and biochemical approaches. Cysteins, involved in disulfide bridges, were analyzed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Finally, the solution structure of subunit d will be discussed in terms of the topological arrangement of the V(1)V(O) ATPase.