title: Molecular modeling of the collagen-like tail of asymmetric acetylcholinesterase.
abstract: The asymmetric form of acetylcholinesterase comprises three catalytic tetramers attached to ColQ, a collagen-like tail responsible for the anchorage of the enzyme to the synaptic basal lamina. ColQ is composed of an N-terminal domain which interacts with the catalytic subunits of the enzyme, a central collagen-like domain and a C-terminal globular domain. In particular, the collagen-like domain of ColQ contains two heparin-binding domains which interact with heparan sulfate proteoglycans in the basal lamina. A three-dimensional model of the collagen-like domain of the tail of asymmetric acetylcholinesterase was constructed. The model presents an undulated shape that results from the presence of a substitution and an insertion in the Gly-X-Y repeating pattern, as well as from low imino-acid regions. Moreover, this model permits the analysis of interactions between the heparin-binding domains of ColQ and heparin, and could also prove useful in the prediction of interaction domains with other putative basal lamina receptors.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deprez
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Inestrosa
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry*; D006493:Heparin / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D006493:Heparin; D003094:Collagen; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase