Structural insights into the Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1)-mediated cholesterol transfer and Ebola infection

X Gong, H Qian, X Zhou, J Wu, T Wan, P Cao… - Cell, 2016 - cell.com
X Gong, H Qian, X Zhou, J Wu, T Wan, P Cao, W Huang, X Zhao, X Wang, P Wang, Y Shi…
Cell, 2016cell.com
Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is associated with mutations in NPC1 and NPC2,
whose gene products are key players in the endosomal/lysosomal egress of low-density
lipoprotein-derived cholesterol. NPC1 is also the intracellular receptor for Ebola virus
(EBOV). Here, we present a 4.4 Å structure of full-length human NPC1 and a low-resolution
reconstruction of NPC1 in complex with the cleaved glycoprotein (GPcl) of EBOV, both
determined by single-particle electron cryomicroscopy. NPC1 contains 13 transmembrane …
Summary
Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is associated with mutations in NPC1 and NPC2, whose gene products are key players in the endosomal/lysosomal egress of low-density lipoprotein-derived cholesterol. NPC1 is also the intracellular receptor for Ebola virus (EBOV). Here, we present a 4.4 Å structure of full-length human NPC1 and a low-resolution reconstruction of NPC1 in complex with the cleaved glycoprotein (GPcl) of EBOV, both determined by single-particle electron cryomicroscopy. NPC1 contains 13 transmembrane segments (TMs) and three distinct lumenal domains A (also designated NTD), C, and I. TMs 2–13 exhibit a typical resistance-nodulation-cell division fold, among which TMs 3–7 constitute the sterol-sensing domain conserved in several proteins involved in cholesterol metabolism and signaling. A trimeric EBOV-GPcl binds to one NPC1 monomer through the domain C. Our structural and biochemical characterizations provide an important framework for mechanistic understanding of NPC1-mediated intracellular cholesterol trafficking and Ebola virus infection.
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