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Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Production, Crystallization, and Structure Determination of the IKK-binding Domain of NEMO
Published on: December 28, 2019
Crystal structure of human micro-crystallin complexed with NADPH
Zhongjun Cheng1, Lihua Sun, Jianhua He
1National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.
Researchers determined the crystal structure of human CRYM, a protein crucial for thyroid hormone transport and gene regulation. This structural insight reveals its NADPH-binding and dimerization domains, aiding in understanding its function.
Area of Science:
- Structural Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Human cytosolic 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine-binding protein (CRYM) is vital for thyroid hormone (T3) transport into nuclei.
- CRYM regulates thyroid-hormone-related gene expression.
- While homologs' structures exist, human CRYM's structure remained uncharacterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the crystal structure of human CRYM bound with NADPH.
- To provide structural insights into CRYM's function in thyroid hormone regulation.
- To compare human CRYM with its structural homologs.
Main Methods:
- X-ray crystallography was used to determine the human CRYM-NADPH complex structure.
- The structure was refined to 2.6 Å resolution.
- Comparative structural analysis was performed with known homologs.
Main Results:
- The crystal structure of human CRYM bound to NADPH was determined, revealing a dimer in the asymmetric unit.
- The structure comprises a Rossmann fold-like NADPH-binding domain and a dimerization domain.
- Conformational differences in the Arg83-His92 loop and varying peptide bond configurations (trans/cis) were observed between monomers.
Conclusions:
- The determined structure provides the first atomic-level view of human CRYM.
- Structural comparisons suggest a putative T3-binding site within human CRYM.
- This structural information is crucial for understanding CRYM's physiological roles in thyroid hormone transport and gene regulation.
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