Preliminary crystallographic analysis of the Escherichia coli antitoxin MqsA (YgiT/b3021) in complex with mqsRA promoter DNA.

The Escherichia coli proteins MqsR and MqsA comprise a novel toxin-antitoxin (TA) system. MqsA, the antitoxin, defines a new family of antitoxins because unlike other antitoxins MqsA is structured throughout its entire sequence, binds zinc and coordinates DNA via its C-terminal and not its N-terminal domain. In order to understand how bacterial antitoxins, and MqsA in particular, regulate transcription, the MqsA protein was cocrystallized with a 26-mer duplex DNA corresponding to the palindromic region of the mqsRA promoter. The merohedrally twinned crystal belonged to space group P4(1), with unit-cell parameters a=60.99, b=60.99, c=148.60 A. A complete data set was collected to a resolution of 2.1 A. The solvent content of the crystal was consistent with the presence of two MqsA molecules bound to the duplex DNA in the asymmetric unit.