title: Crystal structure of a naturally occurring parallel right-handed coiled coil tetramer.
abstract: The crystal structure of a polypeptide chain fragment from the surface layer protein tetrabrachion from Staphylothermus marinus has been determined at 1.8 A resolution. As proposed on the basis of the presence of 11-residue repeats, the polypeptide chain fragment forms a parallel right-handed coiled coil structure. Complementary hydrophobic interactions and complex networks of surface salt bridges result in an extremely thermostable tetrameric structure with remarkable properties. In marked contrast to left-handed coiled coil tetramers, the right-handed coiled coil reveals large hydrophobic cavities that are filled with water molecules. As a consequence, the packing of the hydrophobic core differs markedly from that of a right-handed parallel coiled coil tetramer that was designed on the basis of left-handed coiled coil structures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 70, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland. joerg.stetefeld@unibas.ch
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stetefeld
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jenny
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schulthess
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Landwehr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kammerer
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D019620:Desulfurococcaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D055672:Static Electricity; D014867:Water / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014867:Water; D010450:Endopeptidases