A model for dynamin self-assembly based on binding between three different protein domains

Dynamin is a 100-kDa GTPase that assembles into multimeric spirals at the necks of budding clathrin-coated vesicles. We describe three different intramolecular binding interactions that may account for the process of dynamin self-assembly. The first binding interaction is the dimerization of a 100-amino acid segment in the C-terminal half of dynamin. We call this segment the assembly domain, because it appears to be critical for multimerization. The second binding interaction occurs between the assembly domain and the N-terminal GTPase domain. The strength of this interaction is controlled by the nucleotide-bound state of the GTPase domain, as shown with mutations in GTP binding motifs and in vitro binding experiments. The third binding interaction occurs between the assembly domain and a segment that we call the middle domain. This is the segment between the N-terminal GTPase domain and the pleckstrin homology domain. The three different binding interactions suggest a model in which dynamin molecules first dimerize. The dimers are then linked into a chain by a second binding reaction. The third binding interaction might connect adjacent rungs of the spiral.