1y4m
From Proteopedia
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| , resolution 1.60Å | |||||||
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| Ligands: | |||||||
| Gene: | ERVFRDE1 (Homo sapiens) | ||||||
| Coordinates: | save as pdb, mmCIF, xml | ||||||
Crystal structure of human endogenous retrovirus HERV-FRD envelope protein (syncitin-2)
Overview
HERV-FRD is a human endogenous retrovirus that entered the human genome 40 million years ago. Its envelope gene, syncytin-2, was diverted by an ancestral host most probably because of its fusogenic property, for a role in placenta morphogenesis. It was maintained in a functional state in all primate branches as a bona fide cellular gene, submitted to a very low mutation rate as compared to infectious retrovirus genomes. The structure of the syncytin-2 protein thus provides a good insight into that of the oldest mammalian retroviral envelope. Here, we report the crystal structure of a central fragment of its "fossil" ectodomain, allowing a remarkable superposition with the structures of the corresponding domains of present-day infectious retroviruses, in spite of a more than 60% divergent sequence. These results suggest the existence of a unique structural solution selected by these proteins for their fusogenic function.
About this Structure
1Y4M is a Single protein structure of sequence from Homo sapiens. Full crystallographic information is available from OCA.
Reference
Crystal structure of a pivotal domain of human syncytin-2, a 40 million years old endogenous retrovirus fusogenic envelope gene captured by primates., Renard M, Varela PF, Letzelter C, Duquerroy S, Rey FA, Heidmann T, J Mol Biol. 2005 Oct 7;352(5):1029-34. PMID:16140326
Page seeded by OCA on Thu Mar 20 15:18:23 2008
