Structural Basis of Ubiquitin Recognition by a Bacterial Ovarian Tumor Deubiquitinase LotA.

Pathogenic bacteria have acquired a vast array of eukaryotic-protein-like proteins via intimate interaction with host cells. Bacterial effector proteins that function as ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases (DUBs) are remarkable examples of such molecular mimicry. LotA, a Legionella pneumophila effector, belongs to the ovarian tumor (OTU) superfamily, which regulates diverse ubiquitin signals by their DUB activities.