3emn

Publication Abstract from PubMed

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) constitutes the major pathway for the entry and exit of metabolites across the outer membrane of the mitochondria and can serve as a scaffold for molecules that modulate the organelle. We report the crystal structure of a beta-barrel eukaryotic membrane protein, the murine VDAC1 (mVDAC1) at 2.3 A resolution, revealing a high-resolution image of its architecture formed by 19 beta-strands. Unlike the recent NMR structure of human VDAC1, the position of the voltage-sensing N-terminal segment is clearly resolved. The alpha-helix of the N-terminal segment is oriented against the interior wall, causing a partial narrowing at the center of the pore. This segment is ideally positioned to regulate the conductance of ions and metabolites passing through the VDAC pore.

The crystal structure of mouse VDAC1 at 2.3 A resolution reveals mechanistic insights into metabolite gating.,Ujwal R, Cascio D, Colletier JP, Faham S, Zhang J, Toro L, Ping P, Abramson J Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Nov 18;105(46):17742-7. Epub 2008 Nov 6. PMID:18988731^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.