Structural highlights
Function
[GELS_HORSE] Calcium-regulated, actin-modulating protein that binds to the plus (or barbed) ends of actin monomers or filaments, preventing monomer exchange (end-blocking or capping). It can promote the assembly of monomers into filaments (nucleation) as well as sever filaments already formed. Plays a role in ciliogenesis (By similarity). [ACTS_RABIT] Actins are highly conserved proteins that are involved in various types of cell motility and are ubiquitously expressed in all eukaryotic cells.
Evolutionary Conservation
Check, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf.
Publication Abstract from PubMed
The actin filament-severing functionality of gelsolin resides in its N-terminal three domains (G1-G3). We have determined the structure of this fragment in complex with an actin monomer. The structure reveals the dramatic domain rearrangements that activate G1-G3, which include the replacement of interdomain interactions observed in the inactive, calcium-free protein by new contacts to actin, and by a novel G2-G3 interface. Together, these conformational changes are critical for actin filament severing, and we suggest that their absence leads to the disease Finnish-type familial amyloidosis. Furthermore, we propose that association with actin drives the calcium-independent activation of isolated G1-G3 during apoptosis, and that a similar mechanism operates to activate native gelsolin at micromolar levels of calcium. This is the first structure of a filament-binding protein bound to actin and it sets stringent, high-resolution limitations on the arrangement of actin protomers within the filament.
Structure of the N-terminal half of gelsolin bound to actin: roles in severing, apoptosis and FAF.,Burtnick LD, Urosev D, Irobi E, Narayan K, Robinson RC EMBO J. 2004 Jul 21;23(14):2713-22. Epub 2004 Jun 24. PMID:15215896[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
See Also
References
- ↑ Burtnick LD, Urosev D, Irobi E, Narayan K, Robinson RC. Structure of the N-terminal half of gelsolin bound to actin: roles in severing, apoptosis and FAF. EMBO J. 2004 Jul 21;23(14):2713-22. Epub 2004 Jun 24. PMID:15215896 doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7600280
