Exploring allosteric coupling in the alpha-subunit of heterotrimeric G proteins using evolutionary and ensemble-based approaches.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Allosteric coupling, which can be defined as propagation of a perturbation at one region of the protein molecule (such as ligand binding) to distant sites in the same molecule, constitutes the most general mechanism of regulation of protein function. However, unlike molecular details of ligand binding, structural elements involved in allosteric effects are difficult to diagnose. Here, we identified allosteric linkages in the alpha-subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins, which were evolved to transmit membrane receptor signals by allosteric mechanisms, by using two different approaches that utilize fundamentally different and independent information.

Results

We analyzed: 1) correlated mutations in the family of G protein alpha-subunits, and 2) cooperativity of the n

SUBMITTER: Sayar K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2422842 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature