Nucleotide dependent cysteine reactivity of hGBP1 uncovers a domain movement during GTP hydrolysis

As a member of the dynamin superfamily human guanylate-binding protein 1 (hGBP1) binds and hydrolyses GTP thereby undergoing structural changes which lead to self-assembly of the protein. Here, we employ the reactivity of hGBP1 with a cysteine reactive compound in order to monitor structural changes imposed by GTP binding and hydrolysis. Positions of cysteine residues buried between the C-terminal domain of hGBP1 and the rest of the protein are identified which report a large change of accessibility by the compound after addition of GTP. Our results indicate that nucleotide hydrolysis induces a domain movement in hGBP1, which we suggest enables further assembly of the protein.