PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Maxwell M. G. Geurts AU - Johannes D. Clausen AU - Bertrand Arnou AU - Cedric Montigny AU - Guillaume Lenoir AU - Robin A. Corey AU - Christine Jaxel AU - Jesper V. Møller AU - Poul Nissen AU - Jens Peter Andersen AU - Marc le Maire AU - Maike Bublitz TI - The SERCA residue Glu340 mediates inter-domain communication that guides Ca<sup>2+</sup> transport AID - 10.1101/2020.06.22.165365 DP - 2020 Jan 01 TA - bioRxiv PG - 2020.06.22.165365 4099 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/07/18/2020.06.22.165365.short 4100 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/07/18/2020.06.22.165365.full AB - The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) is a P-type ATPase that transports Ca2+ from the cytosol into the SR/ER lumen, driven by ATP. This primary transport activity depends on tight coupling between movements of the transmembrane helices forming the two Ca2+ binding sites and of the cytosolic headpiece mediating ATP hydrolysis. We have addressed the molecular basis for this intramolecular communication by analyzing the structure and functional properties of the SERCA mutant E340A. The mutated Glu340 residue is strictly conserved among the P-type ATPase family of membrane transporters and is located at a seemingly strategic position at the interface between the phosphorylation domain and the cytosolic ends of five out of SERCA’s ten transmembrane helices. The mutant displays a marked slowing of the Ca2+-binding kinetics, and its crystal structure in the presence of Ca2+ and ATP analogue reveals a rotated headpiece, altered connectivity between the cytosolic domains and altered hydrogen bonding pattern around residue 340. Supported by molecular dynamics simulations, we conclude that the E340A mutation causes a stabilization of the Ca2+ sites in a more occluded state, hence displaying slowed dynamics. This finding underpins a crucial role of Glu340 in inter-domain communication between the headpiece and the Ca2+-binding transmembrane region.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.