Coiled-coil motifs play essential roles in protein assembly and molecular recognition, and are therefore the targets of many ongoing structural and functional studies. However, owing to the dynamic nature of many of the smaller coiled-coil domains, crystallization for X-ray studies is very challenging. Determination of elongated structures using standard NMR approaches is inefficient and usuall...

The two-stranded alpha-helical coiled-coil is now recognized as one of nature's favorite ways of creating a dimerization motif. Based on the knowledge of protein folding studies and de novo design model systems, a novel heterodimeric coiled-coil protein was synthesized. The heterodimeric E/K coiled-coil was constructed with two distinct peptides (E and K) that will spontaneously associate into ...

A novel approach for the modeling of coiled coils through molecular dynamics is described and applied to the dimerization region of the yeast transcriptional activator GCN4. Initially, a model is created consisting of C alpha atoms only, representing an idealized coiled coil with infinite pitch. Human bias in the placing of the other atoms is reduced by an automatic building procedure using sim...

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels comprise a large family of tetrameric cation-selective ion channels that respond to diverse forms of sensory input. Earlier studies showed that members of the TRPM subclass possess a self-assembling tetrameric C-terminal cytoplasmic coiled-coil domain that underlies channel assembly and trafficking. Here, we present the high-resolution crystal structu...

The essential role of water in extra- and intracellular coiled coil structures of proteins is critically evaluated, and the different protein types incorporating coiled coil units are overviewed. The following subjects are discussed: i) influence of water on the formation and degradation of the coiled coil domain together with the stability of this conformer type; ii) the water's paradox iii) d...

Subunit oligomerization of many proteins is mediated by coiled-coil domains. Although the basic features contributing to the thermodynamic stability of coiled coils are well understood, the mechanistic details of their assembly have not yet been dissected. Here we report a 13-residue sequence pattern that occurs with limited sequence variations in many two-stranded coiled coils and that is abso...

BACKGROUND The purpose of the study is to assess the antiadherent and antibacterial properties of surface-modified stainless steel and NiTi orthodontic wires with silver against Lactobacillus acidophilus. METHODS This study was done on 80 specimens of stainless steel and NiTi orthodontic wires. The specimens were divided into eight test groups. Each group consisted of 10 specimens. Groups con...

Background: Orthodontics is a part of dentistry that includes preventive methods and correction of dental irregularities that need to be repositioned by functional and mechanical tools to provide an ideal occlusion and a beautiful face for patients. There are currently four metal arch wires used in orthodontic treatment: stainless steel alloy, cobalt-chromium alloy, nickel-titanium alloy, and b...

A significant percentage of the gene clusters that contain the human genes for U1 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) or for U2 snRNA have been found associated with small nuclear domains, known as coiled bodies. We show here, by immunofluorescent labeling of human cells, that coiled bodies are enriched in factors required for the transcription of these snRNA genes. The 45-kDa gamma-subunit of the transc...

Influenza hemagglutinin (HA) undergoes a conformational change that induces viral fusion with the cellular membrane. The structure of HA in the fusogenic state is unknown. We have identified a sequence in HA that has a high propensity for forming a coiled coil. Surprisingly, this sequence corresponds to a loop region in the X-ray structure of native HA: the loop is followed by a three-stranded,...