Crystal structure of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae phosphatidylinositol- transfer protein

Abstract

The yeast phosphatidylinositol-transfer protein (Sec14) catalyses exchange of phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine between membrane bilayers in vitro¹,². In vivo, Sec14 activity is essential for vesicle budding from the Golgi complex³. Here we report a three-dimensional structure for Sec14 at 2.5 Å resolution. Sec14 consists of twelve α-helices, six β-strands, eight 3₁₀-helices and has two distinct domains. The carboxy-terminal domain forms a hydrophobic pocket which, in the crystal ructure, is occupied by two molecules of n-octyl-β-D-glucopyranoside and represents the phospholipid-binding domain. This pocket is reinforced by a string motif whose disruption in a sec14 temperature-sensitive mutant results in destabilization of the phospholipid-binding domain. Finally, we have identified an unusual surface helix that may play a critical role in driving Sec14-mediated phospholipid exchange. From this structure, we derive the first molecular clues into how a phosphatidylinositol-transfer protein functions.