Helix Cracking Regulates the Critical Interaction between RetS and GacS in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Structure)

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa RetS/GacS interaction typifies noncanonical interactions between histidine kinases. Mancl et al. solved the crystal structure of the RetS kinase region and characterized a nontraditional helix-cracking mechanism. In vivo analysis highlights the importance of this mechanism in mediating RetS/GacS interactions, potentially in response to transmembrane signal sensing.