Domain arrangement of Der, a switch protein containing two GTPase domains.

The EngA subfamily of essential bacterial GTPases has a unique domain structure consisting of two adjacent GTPase domains (GD1 and GD2) and a C-terminal domain. The structure of Thermotoga maritima Der bound to GDP determined at 1.9 A resolution reveals a novel domain arrangement in which the GTPase domains pack at either side of the C-terminal domain. Unexpectedly, the C-terminal domain resembles a KH domain, missing the distinctive RNA recognition elements. Conserved motifs of the nucleotide binding site of GD1 are integral parts of the GD1-KH domain interface, suggesting the interactions between these two domains are directly influenced by the GTP/GDP cycling of the protein. In contrast, the GD2-KH domain interface is distal to the GDP binding site of GD2.