Structural and functional study of FK domain of Fstl1.
Li, X., Li, L., Chang, Y., Ning, W., Liu, X.(2019) Protein Sci 28: 1819-1829
- PubMed: 31351024 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pro.3696
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
6JZA - PubMed Abstract: 
Fstl1 is a TGF-β superfamily binding protein which involved in many pathological processes. The function of Fstl1 has been widely elucidated, but its structural characterization has not been explored. Here we solved the high-resolution crystal structure of FK domain of murine Fstl1, analyzed its unique characteristics, and investigated its contribution to the function of full-length Fstl1. We found that Fstl1-FK forms a stable dimer in both solution and crystal, which suggest that this protein may function as a dimer during its interaction with TGF-β, a molecule known to form dimer during activation process. We also found this FK domain is indispensable for the proper function of Fstl1 during the transduction of TGF-β signaling. These observations provide important insights into the understanding of Fstl1 and may facilitate the exploration of this molecule in clinical study.
Organizational Affiliation: 
State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.