Legionella effector LnaB is a phosphoryl-AMPylase that impairs phosphosignalling. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38776962/)

These scientists discovered a new way that a bacteria called Legionella pneumophila can change proteins in our bodies. They found that a protein called LnaB can add a molecule called adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to another molecule called phosphoribose on a protein called PR(R42)-Ub. This process is important because other molecules in the bacteria can add a phosphate group to PR(R42)-Ub, and LnaB helps to prevent too many of these molecules from building up in our cells.

The scientists also found that another protein called MavL can remove the AMP molecule from PR(R42)-Ub, which helps to keep the right balance of molecules in our cells. LnaB is part of a big group of proteins that can do this kind of modification, and it's different from other similar proteins found in many different bacteria.

During an infection, LnaB can also change other proteins in our bodies, like the ones involved in cell signaling, to help the bacteria survive and grow. The scientists studied how LnaB works and how it's activated by another protein called actin. This discovery helps us understand how bacteria can change our proteins and cause infections, and it gives us more information about how our cells work.

Wang T., Song X., Tan J., Xian W., Zhou X., Yu M., Wang X., Xu Y., Wu T., Yuan K., Ran Y., Yang B., Fan G., Liu X., Zhou Y., Zhu Y. Legionella effector LnaB is a phosphoryl-AMPylase that impairs phosphosignalling. Nature. 2024 May 22. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07573-z.