Function
The is a helical-bundle structure signaling molecule found in the cytoplasmic membrane. The ligand binds to the top of the long alpha structures, sending a signal across the membrane into the cell proteins that bind near the bottom.
Disease and Relevance
The chemoreceptors Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium are stable and ultrasensitive molecules with coupling proteins, CheW and CheA attached at the bottom. A ligand bound can stimulate change through the kinase control model as a response. Among the 3 kinase control regulations, CheA and CheW binding is done through stable spatial clustering-leading to the YinYang Hypothesis. It proposes that strong helix packing stabilizes the receptor.
Overview of Structure and Mechanism
References
