The crystal structure 3K5S (2.90 Å resolution) encompasses two extracellular cadherin domains (EC1 and EC2) of chick T-cadherin forming a symmetric X-shaped dimer, contacting each other at the center of the cross. The individual extracellular units consist of 2 β-barrel sections separated by the interdomain area of hydrophobic residues (Met198, Val203, Leu205) where the Ca 2+ ligand ions and to the other extracellular unit are bound to. The truncated C terminus is visible at the bottom of each unit, pointing towards the cell the EC is attached to, this is where the intermembrane domain would have protruded from in a classical cadherin. Instead, the anchoring method is added post-translationally in the form of a GPI anchor made to fit the C-terminus region where a hydrophobic sequence of amino acids directs the attachment of the GPI anchor.
Each EC has three Ca 2+ binding sites that collectively hold a hydrophobic charge that drives much of the interaction and bond strength between the EC units, these residues include Asp140, Asp99, and Glu142. These regions are also some of the most conserved of the sequence likely due to their pivotal role in the adhesion between EC1 and EC2. In addition to the driving force of the ligands and the hydrophobic pocket there are a hand full of cross domain H-bonds between residues that act to consolidate the structure further around areas around the EC cross site. Ex. Arg104xAsp20
Disease Relevance
Disruption in T-cadherin concentrations or structures can lead to numerous neurological disorders and increased chick mortality rates. Abnormally functioning T-cadherins can cause improper neural development that could cascade into issues such as overexcited neurons, motor control deficiencies, hormone imbalances, and disease susceptibility.
This is a sample scene created with SAT to by Group, and another to make of the protein. You can make your own scenes on SAT starting from scratch or loading and editing one of these sample scenes.