Hinged plakin domains provide specialized degrees of articulation in envoplakin, periplakin and desmoplakin.

ABSTRACT: Envoplakin, periplakin and desmoplakin are cytoskeletal proteins that provide structural integrity within the skin and heart by resisting shear forces. Here we reveal the nature of unique hinges within their plakin domains that provides divergent degrees of flexibility between rigid long and short arms composed of spectrin repeats. The range of mobility of the two arms about the hinge is revealed by applying the ensemble optimization method to small-angle X-ray scattering data. Envoplakin and periplakin adopt 'L' shaped conformations exhibiting a 'helicopter propeller'-like mobility about the hinge. By contrast desmoplakin exhibits essentially unrestricted mobility by 'jack-knifing' about the hinge. Thus the diversity of molecular jointing that can occur about plakin hinges includes 'L' sh

SUBMITTER: Al-Jassar C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3726778 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature