Crystal Structure of the Alpha-Actinin Rod Reveals an Extensive Torsional Twist
Ylanne, J., Scheffzek, K., Young, P., Saraste, M.(2001) Structure 9: 597
- PubMed: 11470434 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0969-2126(01)00619-0
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
1HCI - PubMed Abstract: 
Alpha-actinin is a ubiquitously expressed protein found in numerous actin structures. It consists of an N-terminal actin binding domain, a central rod domain, and a C-terminal domain and functions as a homodimer to cross-link actin filaments. The rod domain determines the distance between cross-linked actin filaments and also serves as an interaction site for several cytoskeletal and signaling proteins. We report here the crystal structure of the alpha-actinin rod. The structure is a twisted antiparallel dimer that contains a conserved acidic surface. The novel features revealed by the structure allow prediction of the orientation of parallel and antiparallel cross-linked actin filaments in relation to alpha-actinin. The conserved acidic surface is a possible interaction site for several cytoplasmic tails of transmembrane proteins involved in the recruitment of alpha-actinin to the plasma membrane.
Organizational Affiliation: 
European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL, Structural and Computational Biology Programme, Meyerhofstrasse 1, D-69117, Heidelberg, Germany. ylanne@embl-heidelberg.de