High-resolution structure of the Influenza A virus PB2cap binding domain illuminates the changes induced by ligand binding.
Constantinides, A., Gumpper, R., Severin, C., Luo, M.(2018) Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 74: 122-127
- PubMed: 29497014 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1107/S2053230X18000894
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
5WOP - PubMed Abstract: 
In the face of increasing drug resistance and the rapidly increasing necessity for practicality in clinical settings, drugs targeting different viral proteins are needed in order to control influenza A and B. A small molecule that tenaciously adheres to the PB2cap binding domain, part of the heterotrimeric RNA polymerase machinery of influenza A virus and influenza B virus, is a promising drug candidate. Understanding the anatomic behavior of PB2cap upon ligand binding will aid in the development of a more robust inhibitor. In this report, the anatomic behavior of the influenza A virus PB2cap domain is established by solving the crystal structure of native influenza A virus PB2cap at 1.52 Å resolution. By comparing it with the ligand-bound structure, the dissociation and rotation of the ligand-binding domain in PB2cap from the C-terminal domain is identified. This domain movement is present in many PB2cap structures, suggesting its functional relevance for polymerase activity.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, 50 Decatur Street, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.