4EHP

Crystal Structure of human vinculin head domain (residues 1-252) in complex with alpha-catenin (residues 277-382)

Experimental Data Snapshot

  • Method: X-RAY DIFFRACTION
  • Resolution: 2.66 Å
  • R-Value Free: 0.229 
  • R-Value Work: 0.193 

wwPDB Validation 3D Report Full Report


This is version 1.1 of the entry. See complete history. 

Literature

alpha-Catenin unfurls upon binding to vinculin

Rangarajan, E.S., Izard, T.

(2012) J.Biol.Chem. 287: 18492-18499

  • DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M112.351023

  • PubMed Abstract: 

    • Adherens junctions (AJs) are essential for cell-cell contacts, morphogenesis, and the development of all higher eukaryotes. AJs are formed by calcium-dependent homotypic interactions of the ectodomains of single membrane-pass cadherin family receptor ...

    Adherens junctions (AJs) are essential for cell-cell contacts, morphogenesis, and the development of all higher eukaryotes. AJs are formed by calcium-dependent homotypic interactions of the ectodomains of single membrane-pass cadherin family receptors. These homotypic interactions in turn promote binding of the intracellular cytoplasmic tail domains of cadherin receptors with β-catenin, a multifunctional protein that plays roles in both transcription and AJs. The cadherin receptor-β-catenin complex binds to the cytoskeletal protein α-catenin, which is essential for both the formation and the stabilization of these junctions. Precisely how α-catenin contributes to the formation and stabilization of AJs is hotly debated, although the latter is thought to involve its interactions with the cytoskeletal protein vinculin. Here we report the crystal structure of the vinculin binding domain (VBD) of α-catenin in complex with the vinculin head domain (Vh1). This structure reveals that α-catenin is in a unique unfurled mode allowing dimer formation when bound to vinculin. Finally, binding studies suggest that vinculin must be in an activated state to bind to α-catenin and that this interaction is stabilized by the formation of a ternary α-catenin-vinculin-F-actin complex, which can be formed via the F-actin binding domain of either protein. We propose a feed-forward model whereby α-catenin-vinculin interactions promote their binding to the actin cytoskeleton to stabilize AJs.

    Organizational Affiliation: 

    Department of Cancer Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida 33458, USA.




Macromolecules

Find similar proteins by: Sequence  |  Structure

Entity ID: 1
MoleculeChainsSequence LengthOrganismDetails
Vinculin
A
253Homo sapiensMutation(s): 0 
Gene Names: VCL
Find proteins for P18206 (Homo sapiens)
Go to Gene View: VCL
Go to UniProtKB:  P18206
Entity ID: 2
MoleculeChainsSequence LengthOrganismDetails
Catenin alpha-1
B
111Homo sapiensMutation(s): 0 
Gene Names: CTNNA1
Find proteins for P35221 (Homo sapiens)
Go to Gene View: CTNNA1
Go to UniProtKB:  P35221
Small Molecules
Ligands 1 Unique
IDChainsName / Formula / InChI Key2D Diagram3D Interactions
ACT
Query on ACT
Download SDF File 
Download CCD File 
A
ACETATE ION
C2 H3 O2
QTBSBXVTEAMEQO-UHFFFAOYSA-M
 Ligand Interaction
Experimental Data & Validation

Experimental Data

  • Method: X-RAY DIFFRACTION
  • Resolution: 2.66 Å
  • R-Value Free: 0.229 
  • R-Value Work: 0.193 
  • Space Group: P 21 21 2
Unit Cell:
Length (Å)Angle (°)
a = 57.250α = 90.00
b = 73.960β = 90.00
c = 107.430γ = 90.00
Software Package:
Software NamePurpose
MOLREPphasing
BUSTER-TNTrefinement
PDB_EXTRACTdata extraction
SERGUIdata collection
SCALAdata scaling
XSCALEdata scaling
BUSTERrefinement

Structure Validation

View Full Validation Report or Ramachandran Plots


View more in-depth experimental data

Entry History 

Deposition Data

Revision History 

  • Version 1.0: 2012-04-18
    Type: Initial release
  • Version 1.1: 2013-07-17
    Type: Database references