Abstact

The SYLF domain is an evolutionary conserved protein domain with phosphatidylinositol binding ability, whose three-dimensional structure is unknown. Here, we present the solution structure and the dynamics characterization of the SYLF domain of the bacterial BPSL1445 protein. BPSL1445 is a seroreactive antigen and a diagnostic marker of Burkholderia pseudomallei, the etiological agent of melioidosis, a severe infectious disease in the tropics. The BPSL1445 SYLF domain (BPSL1445-SYLF) consists of a β-barrel core, with two flexible loops protruding out of the barrel and three helices packing on its surface. Our structure allows for a more precise definition of the boundaries of the SYLF domain compared to the previously reported one and suggests common ancestry with bacterial EipA domains. We also demonstrate by phosphatidyl-inositol phosphate arrays and nuclear magnetic resonance titrations that BPSL1445-SYLF weakly interacts with phosphoinositides, thus supporting lipid binding abilities of this domain also in prokaryotes.