COMATOSE (CTS), the Arabidopsis homologue of human Adrenoleukodystrophy protein (ALDP), is required for import of substrates for peroxisomal -oxidation.A new allelic series and a homology model based on the bacterial ABC transporter, Sav1866, provide novel insights into structure-function relations of ABC subfamily D proteins. In contrast to ALDP, where the majority of mutations result in protein absence from the peroxisomal membrane, all CTS mutants produced stable protein. Mutation of conserved residues in the Walker A and B motifs in CTS nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) 1 resulted in a null phenotype but had little effect in NBD2, indicating that the NBDs are functionally distinct in vivo. Two alleles containing mutations in NBD1 outside the Walker motifs (E617K and C631Y) exhibited resistance to auxin precursors 2,4-dichlorophenoxybutyric acid (2,4-DB) and indole butyric acid (IBA) but were wild type in all other tests. The homology model predicted that the transmission interfaces are domain-swapped in CTS, and the differential effects of mutations in the conserved "EAA motif" of coupling helix 2 supported this prediction, consistent with distinct roles for each NBD. Our findings demonstrate that CTS functions can be separated by mutagenesis and the structural model provides a framework for interpretation of phenotypic data.
INTRODUCTIONATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are ubiquitous, integral membrane proteins that mediate vectorial transport of a diverse range of molecules across membranes and consequently are involved in a wide variety of biological processes (Higgins, 1992;Rea, 2007). All ABC transporters share the same basic architecture, comprising two transmembrane domains (TMDs), each composed of several ␣-helices that are involved in substrate recognition and translocation across the lipid bilayer, and two nucleotide-binding domains (NBDs) that bind and hydrolyze ATP, providing the driving force for transport. In prokaryotes, these domains are usually present on separate polypeptides, whereas in eukaryotes, fusion of a TMD and NBD module to form a "half transporter," or indeed fusion of all modules to form a "full transporter" is more common. The past decade has seen the determination of high-resolution crystal structures for several isolated NBDs and, more recently, complete ABC transporters (reviewed in .The NBDs characteristically contain several highly conserved features common to nucleotide hydrolases, including the Walker A motif (GxxGxGKS/T, where x is any amino acid), forming the P-loop, which binds to the ␣-and -phosphates of nucleotides, and the Walker B motif (⌽⌽⌽⌽DE, where ⌽ is hydrophobic), thought to coordinate the Mg 2ϩ ion or polarize the attacking water molecule (Walker et al., 1982;Hung et al., 1998;Schneider and Hunke, 1998;Hopfner et al., 2000). ABC transporters additionally contain the signature motif (LSGGQ), which contacts the ␥-phosphate of ATP; the Q-loop (or "lid") containing a glutamine residue, which interacts with ␥-phosphate through a water molecule; and the swi...