Structure of an atypical orphan response regulator protein supports a new phosphorylation-independent regulatory mechanism

Two-component signal transduction systems, commonly found in prokaryotes, typically regulate cellular functions in response to environmental conditions through a phosphorylation-dependent process. A new type of response regulator, hp1043 (HP-RR) from Helicobacterpylori, hasbeenrecentlyidentified. HP-RR is essential for cell growth and does not require the well known phosphorelay scheme. Unphosphorylated HP-RR binds specifically to its own promoter (P-1043) and autoregulates the promoter of the tlpB gene (P-tlpB). We have determined the structure of HP-RR by NMR and x-ray crystallography, revealing a symmetrical dimer with two functional domains. The molecular topology resembles that of the OmpR/PhoB subfamily, however, the symmetrical dimer is stable even in the unphosphorylated state. The dimer interface, formed by three secondary structure elements (alpha 4-beta 5-alpha 5), resembles that of the active, phosphorylated forms of ArcA and PhoB. Several conserved residues of the HP-RR dimeric interface deviate from the OmpR/PhoB subfamily, although there are similar salt bridges and hydrophobic patches within the interface. Our findings reveal how a new type of response regulator protein could function as a cell growth-associated regulator in the absence of post-translational modification.