Lanmodulin: A Highly Selective Lanthanide-Binding Protein from a Lanthanide-Utilizing Bacterium

Lanthanides (Lns) have been shown recently to be essential cofactors in certain enzymes in methylotrophic bacteria. Here we identify in the model methylotroph, Methylobacterium extorquens, a highly selective LnIII-binding protein, which we name lanmodulin (LanM). LanM possesses four metal-binding EF hand motifs, commonly associated with CaII-binding proteins. In contrast to other EF hand-containing proteins, however, LanM undergoes a large...