Ye, Xiong et al. present crystal structures of bacterial E3 ubiquitin ligase IpaH9.8 and IpaH9.8LRR–hGBP1. They find that substrate-binding destabilizes the hydrophobic cluster to relieve the autoinhibition of IpaH9.8. This study provides insights into the mechanisms underlying substrate-induced activation of IpaH9.8.
- Yuxin Ye
- Yuxian Xiong
- Hao Huang