The isolated sixth gelsolin repeat and headpiece domain of villin bundle F-actin in the presence of calcium and are linked by a 40-residue unstructured sequence.

ABSTRACT: Villin is an F-actin regulating, modular protein with a gelsolin-like core and a distinct C-terminal "headpiece" domain. Localized in the microvilli of the absorptive epithelium, villin can bundle F-actin and, at higher calcium concentrations, is capable of a gelsolin-like F-actin severing. The headpiece domain can, in isolation, bind F-actin and is crucial for F-actin bundling by villin. While the three-dimensional structure of the isolated headpiece is known, its conformation in the context of attachment to the villin core remains unexplored. Furthermore, the dynamics of the linkage of the headpiece to the core has not been determined. To address these issues, we employ a 208-residue modular fragment of villin, D6-HP, which consists of the sixth gelsolin-like domain of villin (D6) and th

SUBMITTER: Smirnov SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2674016 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature